阅读说明：本技术 印刷版定位装置、图像记录装置以及印刷版定位方法 (Printing plate positioning device, image recording device, and printing plate positioning method ) 是由 松谷一志 山内基晴 于 2020-04-23 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供印刷版定位装置、图像记录装置以及印刷版定位方法,使用旋转的定位销高精度地对印刷版进行定位。定位机构(80)具备在第2方向(D2)上隔开间隔地配置的两个定位销(83、83)和检测定位销(83、83)之间的导通的导通检测部(84)。定位销(83)是以第3方向(D3)为轴的圆筒状,且包括与向第1方向(D1)的下游侧移动的印刷版(9)的前端部(93)抵接的外周面(835)、和将该外周面(835)以能够绕第3方向(D3)的旋转轴线(Q1)旋转的方式保持的轴部(831)。导通检测部(84)包括与两个定位销(83、83)的各外周面(835、835)导通连接的滑动电极部件(851、851)和检测各滑动电极部件(851、851)之间的导通的导通检测器(858)。(The invention provides a printing plate positioning device, an image recording device and a printing plate positioning method, which can position a printing plate with high precision by using a rotary positioning pin. The positioning mechanism (80) is provided with two positioning pins (83, 83) arranged at intervals in the 2 nd direction (D2) and a conduction detection unit (84) for detecting conduction between the positioning pins (83, 83). The positioning pin (83) is cylindrical with an axis in the 3 rd direction (D3) as a shaft, and includes an outer peripheral surface (835) that comes into contact with the leading end (93) of the printing plate (9) that moves downstream in the 1 st direction (D1), and a shaft portion (831) that rotatably holds the outer peripheral surface (835) about the rotation axis (Q1) in the 3 rd direction (D3). The conduction detector (84) includes sliding electrode members (851 ) conductively connected to the outer peripheral surfaces (835) of the two positioning pins (83, 83), and a conduction detector (858) for detecting conduction between the sliding electrode members (851 ).)

1. A printing plate positioning device for positioning a printing plate, comprising:

a 1 st moving unit which moves the printing plate to a 1 st direction;

a 2 nd moving unit that moves the printing plate in a 2 nd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction;

a 1 st pin and a 2 nd pin which are electrically conductive and are disposed at an interval in the 2 nd direction; and

A conduction detection unit for detecting conduction between the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin,

the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin are each cylindrical with a 3 rd direction intersecting both the 1 st direction and the 2 nd direction as an axis,

and the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin respectively include:

an outer peripheral surface that abuts against an edge portion of the printing plate that is moved downstream in the 1 st direction by the 1 st moving means; and

a holder that holds the outer peripheral surface so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis in the 3 rd direction,

the conduction detection unit includes:

a 1 st conduction part conductively connected with the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin; and

a 2 nd conduction part conductively connected with the outer peripheral surface of the 2 nd pin,

the conduction detection unit detects conduction between the 1 st conduction unit and the 2 nd conduction unit.

2. The printing plate positioning apparatus according to claim 1,

the 1 st conduction part has a sliding part slidably contacting the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin.

3. The printing plate positioning apparatus according to claim 2,

the 1 st conduction part biases the sliding part in a direction approaching the rotation axis of the 1 st pin.

4. The printing plate positioning apparatus according to claim 3,

the 1 st conduction part applies a force to the sliding part in a direction intersecting the 1 st direction.

5. The printing plate positioning apparatus according to claim 4,

the 1 st conduction part includes an elastic member that elastically deforms to apply a force to the sliding part.

6. The printing plate positioning apparatus of claim 5,

the elastic member includes a plate spring.

7. The printing plate positioning apparatus of claim 6,

the 1 st conduction part includes an arc-shaped part which is convexly curved toward the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin and contacts the outer peripheral surface,

the sliding portion is a portion of the arcuate portion that contacts the outer peripheral surface.

8. A printing plate positioning apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 7,

a sliding surface of the sliding portion that slides with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin has a length in the 3 rd direction.

9. The printing plate positioning apparatus of claim 8,

further comprising a guide member for limiting the position of the printing plate in the 3 rd direction within a predetermined limit range,

The outer peripheral surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin have a size that overlaps the limit range in the 1 st direction.

10. The printing plate positioning apparatus of claim 9,

in the 3 rd direction, both end portions of the sliding portion are disposed outside the restriction range.

11. The printing plate positioning apparatus of claim 10,

the sliding portion has a size that overlaps the limit range in the 1 st direction.

12. A printing plate positioning apparatus according to any of claims 9 to 11,

the guide includes a 1 st member and a 2 nd member disposed with a gap in the 3 rd direction with respect to the 1 st member.

13. A printing plate positioning apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 12,

the 2 nd mobile unit includes:

a 1 st moving member disposed on one side of the printing plate in the 2 nd direction;

a 2 nd moving member disposed on the other side of the printing plate in the 2 nd direction; and

a movement driving unit which moves the printing plate in the second direction by moving the 1 st moving member in the second direction 2 and moves the printing plate in the first direction 2 by moving the 2 nd moving member in the first direction 2,

The 1 st moving member moves a greater distance in the other of the 2 nd directions than the 2 nd moving member moves in the one of the 2 nd directions.

14. A printing plate positioning apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 13,

further comprising a control unit for executing a predetermined positioning process including controlling the driving of the 1 st moving means and the driving of the 2 nd moving means based on a detection signal from the conduction detection unit,

the control unit repeatedly executes the positioning process until conduction between the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin is detected.

15. The printing plate positioning apparatus of claim 14,

the positioning device further includes a notification unit configured to notify when the number of times of execution of the positioning process exceeds a predetermined number of times.

16. Printing plate positioning apparatus according to claim 14 or 15,

further comprises a rotation detector for detecting the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin,

the control section executes the positioning process based on a detection signal from the rotation detector.

17. The printing plate positioning apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 16,

The hardness of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin is greater than the hardness of the printing plate.

18. An image recording apparatus is characterized by comprising:

the positioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 17; and

an image forming section for forming an image on the printing plate positioned by the positioning device.

19. A printing plate positioning method of positioning a printing plate, the printing plate positioning method comprising:

a step a) of moving a printing plate in a 1 st direction to bring the printing plate into contact with a 1 st pin and a 2 nd pin, wherein the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin are arranged at an interval in a 2 nd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction and have conductivity;

a step b) of moving the printing plate in a 2 nd direction after the step a); and

a step c) of detecting conduction between the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin,

the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin are each cylindrical with a 3 rd direction intersecting both the 1 st direction and the 2 nd direction as an axis, and have an outer peripheral surface that rotates about a rotation axis along the 3 rd direction,

the step a) includes a step of bringing the printing plate into contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin,

The step b) includes a step of moving the printing plate in the 2 nd direction while contacting the outer peripheral surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin,

the step c) includes a step of detecting conduction between the outer circumferential surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a technique for positioning a printing plate.

Background

Conventionally, there is known an image recording apparatus (CTP (Computer To Plate) apparatus) which records an image on a surface of a printing Plate by attaching a thin Plate-like printing Plate To an outer peripheral surface of a drum (drum) and irradiating the printing Plate with a laser beam. In such an image recording apparatus, the printing plate is positioned so as to record an image on the printing plate at a correct position.

For example, patent document 1 discloses a drum around which a printing plate is wound, a recording head for performing image recording by irradiating a laser beam to the printing plate wound around the drum in accordance with an image signal, a punching unit for punching holes in the printing plate, and a tray capable of selectively supplying the printing plate to the drum and the punching unit. The punching unit includes a positioning mechanism for positioning the printing plate in the lateral width direction, and the positioning mechanism moves the printing plate in the lateral width direction in a state where the leading end portion of the printing plate is in contact with two positioning pins arranged apart in the lateral width direction, thereby positioning the printing plate in the lateral width direction.

Patent document 2 describes a punching portion provided with a positioning pin, and a method of moving a printing plate in the left-right direction in a state where the leading end of the printing plate is in contact with the positioning pin, and also describes that the positioning pin is rotatable.

Disclosure of Invention

In the case where the positioning pin is rotatably provided as in patent document 2, when the printing plate is moved in the lateral width direction while being in contact with the positioning pin, friction between the printing plate and the positioning pin can be reduced. However, it is not clear in the prior art whether the printing plate is in contact with the rotating portion of each positioning pin. Therefore, there is a risk that the positioning pins cannot contact the printing plate, and the positioning of the printing plate is deteriorated. Further, when shavings are generated due to friction between the printing plate and each positioning pin, the shavings may interfere with contact between each positioning pin and the printing plate, thereby possibly deteriorating the positioning of the printing plate.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for positioning a printing plate with high accuracy using a rotating positioning pin.

In order to solve the above problem, the 1 st aspect is a printing plate positioning device for positioning a printing plate, comprising: a 1 st moving unit which moves the printing plate to a 1 st direction; a 2 nd moving unit that moves the printing plate in a 2 nd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction; a 1 st pin and a 2 nd pin which are electrically conductive and are disposed at an interval in the 2 nd direction; and a conduction detection unit that detects conduction between the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, wherein each of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin is a cylindrical shape having a 3 rd direction intersecting both the 1 st direction and the 2 nd direction as an axis, and includes an outer peripheral surface abutting against an edge portion of the printing plate moved to a downstream side of the 1 st direction by the 1 st moving means, and a holder that rotatably holds the outer peripheral surface around a rotation axis of the 3 rd direction, and the conduction detection unit includes a 1 st conduction portion that is conductively connected to the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin, and a 2 nd conduction portion that is conductively connected to the outer peripheral surface of the 2 nd pin, and detects conduction between the 1 st conduction portion and the 2 nd conduction portion.

In the 2 nd aspect, according to the printing plate positioning apparatus of the 1 st aspect, the 1 st conduction part has a sliding part slidably contacting the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin.

In the 3 rd aspect, according to the printing plate positioning apparatus of the 2 nd aspect, the 1 st conduction part biases the slide part in a direction approaching the rotation axis of the 1 st pin.

In the 4 th aspect, according to the printing plate positioning apparatus of the 3 rd aspect, the 1 st conduction part biases the slide part in a direction intersecting the 1 st direction.

In the 5 th aspect, according to the printing plate positioning apparatus of the 4 th aspect, the 1 st conduction part includes an elastic member that urges the slide part by elastic deformation.

In the 6 th aspect, according to the printing plate positioning device of the 5 th aspect, the elastic member includes a plate spring.

In the 7 th aspect, according to the printing plate positioning apparatus of the 6 th aspect, the 1 st conduction part includes an arc-shaped part which is convexly curved toward the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin and which is in contact with the outer peripheral surface, and the sliding part is a part of the arc-shaped part which is in contact with the outer peripheral surface.

In an 8 th aspect, according to the printing plate positioning device of any one of the 2 nd to 7 th aspects, a sliding surface of the sliding portion that slides with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin has a length in the 3 rd direction.

In a 9 th aspect, the printing plate positioning apparatus according to the 8 th aspect further includes a guide that limits a position of the printing plate in the 3 rd direction to within a predetermined limit range, and the outer peripheral surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin have a size that overlaps with the limit range in the 1 st direction.

In the 10 th aspect, according to the printing plate positioning apparatus of the 9 th aspect, both end portions of the sliding portion are disposed outside the limit range in the 3 rd direction.

In the 11 th aspect, according to the printing plate positioning apparatus of the 10 th aspect, the sliding portion has a size that overlaps the limiting range in the 1 st direction.

In a 12 th aspect, the printing plate positioning device according to any one of the 9 th to 11 th aspects, wherein the guide includes a 1 st member and a 2 nd member disposed with a gap in the 3 rd direction with respect to the 1 st member.

In the 13 th aspect, the printing plate positioning apparatus according to any one of the 1 st to 12 th aspects, wherein the 2 nd moving unit includes: a 1 st moving member disposed on one side of the printing plate in the 2 nd direction; a 2 nd moving member disposed on the other side of the printing plate in the 2 nd direction; and a movement driving unit that moves the printing plate in the 2 nd direction by moving the 1 st moving member in the 2 nd direction and moves the printing plate in the 2 nd direction by moving the 2 nd moving member in the 2 nd direction, wherein a movement distance of the 1 st moving member in the 2 nd direction is longer than a movement distance of the 2 nd moving member in the 2 nd direction.

In the 14 th aspect, the printing plate positioning apparatus according to any one of the 1 st to 13 th aspects further includes a control unit that executes a predetermined positioning process including controlling driving of the 1 st moving means and driving of the 2 nd moving means based on a detection signal from the conduction detection unit, and the control unit repeats the positioning process until conduction between the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin is detected.

In the 15 th aspect, the printing plate positioning apparatus according to the 14 th aspect further includes a notification unit configured to notify when the number of times the positioning process is performed exceeds a predetermined number of times.

In the 16 th aspect, the printing plate positioning device according to the 14 th or 15 th aspect further includes a rotation detector that detects a rotation direction and a rotation amount of the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin, and the control unit executes the positioning process based on a detection signal from the rotation detector.

In the 17 th aspect, according to the printing plate positioning device of any one of the 1 st to 16 th aspects, the hardness of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin is larger than the hardness of the printing plate.

The 18 th aspect is an image recording apparatus including: the positioning device according to any one of the embodiments 1 to 17; and an image forming section that forms an image on the printing plate positioned by the positioning device.

The 19 th aspect is a printing plate positioning method of positioning a printing plate, including: a step a) of moving a printing plate in a 1 st direction to bring the printing plate into contact with a 1 st pin and a 2 nd pin, wherein the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin are arranged at an interval in a 2 nd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction and have conductivity; a step b) of moving the printing plate in a 2 nd direction after the step a); and a step c) of detecting conduction between the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, each of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin being cylindrical with a 3 rd direction intersecting both the 1 st direction and the 2 nd direction as an axis and having an outer circumferential surface rotating about a rotation axis along the 3 rd direction, the step a) including a step of bringing the printing plate into contact with the outer circumferential surface of each of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, the step b) including a step of moving the printing plate in the 2 nd direction while being in contact with the outer circumferential surface of each of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, and the step c) including a step of detecting conduction between the outer circumferential surfaces of each of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin.

Effects of the invention

According to the printing plate positioning device of the 1 st aspect, when the printing plate is moved in the 2 nd direction while being in contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, the outer peripheral surfaces of the pins can be rotated about the rotation axis by the frictional force between the printing plate and the pins. Therefore, the generation of shavings on each pin or printing plate can be suppressed. Therefore, the occurrence of the shavings can be suppressed from interfering with the contact between the printing plate and each pin, and the positioning of the printing plate can be suppressed from being deteriorated. Further, by detecting conduction between the outer circumferential surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, contact of the printing plate with the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin can be appropriately detected. This enables the printing plate to be appropriately positioned by the outer peripheral surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, respectively.

According to the printing plate positioning apparatus of the 2 nd aspect, the sliding portion of the 1 st conduction part slides while contacting the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin. Therefore, even if the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin rotates, the conduction between the outer peripheral surface and the 1 st conduction part can be properly ensured.

According to the printing plate positioning device of the 3 rd aspect, the sliding portion is biased in a direction approaching the rotation axis of the 1 st pin. This makes it possible to press the sliding portion against the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin, and to ensure proper conduction between the 1 st pin and the sliding portion.

According to the printing plate positioning apparatus of the 4 th aspect, the 1 st conduction part biases the slide part in a direction intersecting the 1 st direction. In this case, the force with which the sliding portion presses the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin in the 1 st direction can be reduced. Therefore, when there is a shake on the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin, it is possible to reduce the displacement of the sliding portion in the 1 st direction of the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin, and to suppress the positioning of the printing plate from being hindered.

According to the printing plate positioning apparatus of the 5 th aspect, the 1 st conduction part elastically biases the slide part. In this case, the force with which the sliding portion pushes the outer peripheral surface of the pin can be alleviated. Therefore, the pressing of the sliding portion can be suppressed from interfering with the rotation of the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin.

According to the printing plate positioning device of the 6 th aspect, the sliding portion can be brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin with an appropriate force by the elastic force generated by the plate spring.

According to the printing plate positioning apparatus of the 7 th aspect, the 1 st conduction part is formed of a plate spring having a curved arc-shaped part, and the sliding part disposed in the arc-shaped part slides on the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin. In this case, since the length in the circumferential direction in which the sliding portion contacts the outer peripheral surface can be shortened, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the sliding portion interferes with the rotation of the outer peripheral surface in both the forward and reverse directions.

According to the printing plate positioning device of the 8 th aspect, the sliding surface of the sliding portion that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin has a length in the 3 rd direction. Therefore, the area of the sliding surface can be increased, and the frictional force per unit area generated between the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin and the sliding surface can be reduced. In this case, the generation of shavings on the sliding portion or the outer peripheral surface can be suppressed as compared with the case where the frictional force is locally applied to the outer peripheral surface. Therefore, the occurrence of the shavings can be suppressed from interfering with the contact between the printing plate and the 1 st pin.

According to the printing plate positioning device of the 9 th aspect, the position of the printing plate in the 3 rd direction is limited within the predetermined limit range by the guide, and the outer peripheral surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin have a size overlapping with the limit range in the 1 st direction. In this case, when the printing plate is moved in the 1 st direction, the printing plate can be brought into proper contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin.

According to the printing plate positioning device of the 10 th aspect, both end portions of the sliding portion are disposed outside the restricted range. Therefore, even if the shavings adhere to the 1 st pin due to one of the both end portions of the sliding portion sliding against the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin, the shavings can be reduced from adhering to the limited range of the outer peripheral surface. Therefore, it is possible to effectively reduce the occurrence of the scraping and the interference of the printing plate with the 1 st pin.

According to the printing plate positioning device of the 11 th aspect, the sliding portion has a size overlapping with the limitation range. In this case, the length of the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin in the 3 rd direction can be shortened as compared with a case where the sliding portion does not overlap the limit range, and therefore the space occupied by the printing plate positioning device can be reduced.

According to the printing plate positioning device of the 12 th aspect, the position of the printing plate in the 3 rd direction can be regulated between the 1 st member and the 2 nd member.

According to the printing plate positioning apparatus of the 13 th aspect, the 1 st moving member is moved by a distance greater than the distance of the 2 nd moving member in one direction, whereby the printing plate can be moved more toward the other side in the 2 nd direction. In this case, the outer circumferential surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin are rotated in the direction corresponding to the other side with respect to the initial state by the movement of the printing plate in the other side and the one side in the 2 nd direction. Therefore, when the plurality of printing plates are positioned in order, the sliding portion of the 1 st conduction portion can be slid in the entire circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface by rotating the outer circumferential surface of each pin in one direction. Therefore, the sliding portion can be suppressed from partially sliding in contact with a specific portion of the outer peripheral surface.

According to the printing plate positioning device of claim 14, the positioning process is repeated until conduction between the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin is detected. That is, since the positioning process is repeated until the printing plate comes into contact with the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, the printing plate can be properly positioned.

According to the image recording apparatus of the 15 th aspect, the operator can be notified when the number of times of execution of the positioning process exceeds the predetermined number of times. This can prompt the operator to perform a confirmation operation such as confirmation of the adhesion state of the 1 st pin, the 2 nd pin, or the shavings on the printing plate.

According to the image recording apparatus of the 16 th aspect, since the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st pin are detected in addition to the detection signal from the conduction detecting unit, the contact state between the printing plate and the 1 st pin can be confirmed in more detail. Therefore, the contact state of the printing plate with the 1 st pin can be detected more accurately.

According to the image recording apparatus of the 17 th aspect, since the hardness of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin is higher than the hardness of the printing plate, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of shavings of the printing plate to the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin. Therefore, the scraping chips can be suppressed from interfering with the contact of the 1 st pin or the 2 nd pin with the printing plate.

According to the image recording apparatus of the 18 th aspect, when the printing plate is moved in the 2 nd direction while being in contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, the outer peripheral surfaces of the pins can be rotated about the rotation axis by the frictional force between the printing plate and the pins. Therefore, the generation of shavings on each pin or printing plate can be suppressed. Therefore, the occurrence of the shavings can be suppressed from interfering with the contact between the printing plate and each pin, and the positioning of the printing plate can be suppressed from being deteriorated. Further, by detecting conduction between the outer circumferential surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, contact of the printing plate with the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin can be appropriately detected. This enables the printing plate to be appropriately positioned by the outer peripheral surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, respectively. By these actions, an image can be formed at an appropriate position with respect to the printing plate.

According to the printing plate positioning method of the 19 th aspect, when the printing plate is moved in the 2 nd direction while being brought into contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, the outer peripheral surfaces of the pins can be rotated about the rotation axis by the frictional force between the printing plate and the pins. Therefore, the generation of shavings on each pin or printing plate can be suppressed. Therefore, the occurrence of the shavings can be suppressed from interfering with the contact between the printing plate and each pin, and the positioning of the printing plate can be suppressed from being deteriorated. Further, by detecting conduction between the outer circumferential surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, contact of the printing plate with the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin can be appropriately detected. This enables the printing plate to be appropriately positioned by the outer peripheral surfaces of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin, respectively.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic overall view of an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the lateral pushing mechanism and the punch hole forming mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a positioning main body of the positioning mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a side view showing the positioning main body.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the whole and main parts of the positioning main body.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the connection of the control unit to each unit in the image recording apparatus.

Fig. 7 is a diagram conceptually showing a part of functions implemented in the control unit.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a series of operations of the image recording apparatus when recording an image.

Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically showing a process of the lateral pushing process by the lateral pushing mechanism.

Fig. 10 is a side view showing a positioning main body according to a modification.

Description of the reference numerals

1 image recording device

10 conveying mechanism (1 st mobile unit)

20 horizontal pushing mechanism (No. 2 mobile unit)

21a, 21b horizontal push pins (1 st mobile component, 2 nd mobile component)

22 pin driving mechanism (moving driving part)

50 light irradiation part (image recording part)

61 display part (informing part)

70 control part

71 determination unit

80 positioning mechanism

81 main body part

83 locating pin (1 st pin, 2 nd pin)

831 shaft part

833 rotation body

835 peripheral surface

85 conduction part (No. 1 conduction part, No. 2 conduction part)

851 sliding electrode part (elastic part, plate spring)

852 electrode holder

853 arc part

856 sliding part

858 on detector

86 rotation detector

87 guide unit

871 upper guide (part 1)

873 lower guide (2 nd part)

9 printing plate

93 front end portion

C at a predetermined position

D1 No. 1

D2 Direction 2

D3 direction 3

Q1 axis of rotation

RA1 Limited Range

Upper end of TB1

TB2 lower end part

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The constituent elements described in the embodiment are merely examples, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these contents. In the drawings, the size and number of the respective portions may be exaggerated or simplified as necessary for easy understanding.

< 1. embodiment >

Fig. 1 is a schematic overall view of an image recording apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. The image recording apparatus 1 is an apparatus (CTP apparatus) that records an image on the printing plate 9 by exposing the recording surface 91, which is one main surface of the printing plate 9, based on input image data. For example, in a commercial color printing process, printing plates 9 corresponding to monochrome images constituting image data are produced using the image recording apparatus 1, and then images of the printing plates 9 are superimposed on printing paper to form a color image on the surface of the printing paper.

The image recording apparatus 1 includes a conveyance mechanism 10, a lateral pushing mechanism 20, a punched hole forming mechanism 30, a drum 40, a light irradiation unit 50, an operation unit 60, and a control unit 70.

< conveying means 10 >

The conveying mechanism 10 is a device that conveys the printing plate 9 before exposure. The printing plate 9 to be conveyed by the conveying means 10 is, for example, a rectangular metal plate, and a photosensitive material is coated in advance on the recording surface 91 thereof. The printing plate 9 is set at a predetermined conveyance start position in the image recording apparatus 1 by an automatic feeding apparatus or a user. Then, the conveying mechanism 10 conveys the printing plate 9 placed at the conveyance start position by rotating the conveying belt 11.

The conveying mechanism 10 changes the position and inclination of the conveyor belt 11 between a punch-facing position P1 indicated by a solid line in fig. 1 and a roller-facing position P2 indicated by a two-dot chain line in fig. 1 by a swing mechanism, not shown. When the conveyor belt 11 is disposed at the punch facing position P1 and the conveyor belt 11 is rotated in the forward direction, the printing plate 9 is supplied to the punch forming mechanism 30. When the conveying belt 11 is rotated in the reverse direction in this state, the printing plate 9 can be pulled back from the punch hole forming mechanism 30. When the conveyor belt 11 is disposed at the drum relative position P2 and the conveyor belt 11 is rotated in the forward direction, the printing plate 9 is supplied to the drum 40.

In the following description, the direction in which the conveying mechanism 10 moves the printing plate 9 is referred to as a 1 st direction D1. The conveyance mechanism 10 is an example of the 1 st moving unit that moves the printing plate 9 in the 1 st direction D1. The direction in which the printing plates 9 advance when the conveyor belt 11 rotates in the forward direction is set to the downstream side (downstream direction) of the 1 st direction D1, and the direction in which the printing plates 9 advance when the conveyor belt 11 rotates in the reverse direction is set to the upstream side (upstream direction) of the 1 st direction D1. Further, a direction perpendicular to the 1 st direction D1 is referred to as a 2 nd direction D2, and a direction perpendicular to the 1 st direction D1 and the 2 nd direction D2 is referred to as a 3 rd direction D3. In a state where the conveyor belt 11 is disposed at the punch facing position P1, the 1 st direction D1 and the 2 nd direction D2 coincide with the horizontal direction, and the 3 rd direction D3 coincides with the vertical direction.

< horizontal pushing mechanism 20 >

The lateral pushing mechanism 20 is a mechanism for positioning the position of the printing plate 9 in the 2 nd direction D2 at a desired position. The lateral pushing mechanism 20 positions the printing plate 9 at a predetermined position in the 2 nd direction D2 according to the kind thereof.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the lateral pushing mechanism 20 and the punch hole forming mechanism 30. The lateral pushing mechanism 20 has two lateral pushing pins 21a, 21b and a pin driving mechanism 22. The lateral push pins 21a are arranged on one side in the 2 nd direction D2 with respect to the conveying path of the printing plate 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 11. The lateral push pins 21b are disposed on the other side in the 2 nd direction D2 with respect to the conveyance path of the printing plate 9 conveyed by the conveyor belt 11.

The pin driving mechanism 22 reciprocates the lateral push pins 21a and 21b independently on both sides in the 2 nd direction D2 (conveyance width direction). For the pin drive mechanism 22, for example, a mechanism is used which converts the rotational motion of a servomotor into a linear motion via a ball screw. The lateral pushing mechanism 20 positions the printing plate 9 in the 2 nd direction D2 by pushing both side edge portions of the printing plate 9 in the 2 nd direction D2 by the two lateral pushing pins 21a, 21 b.

The lateral pushing mechanism 20 is an example of the 2 nd moving unit. The lateral push pins 21a and 21b are examples of the 1 st moving member and the 2 nd moving member, and the pin driving mechanism 22 is an example of a movement driving unit. The 2 nd moving means may include one or more lateral pushing pins that contact the printing plate 9 and a pin driving mechanism that moves the one or more lateral pushing pins in the 2 nd direction D2, in addition to the lateral pushing pins 21a and 21 b. The 2 nd moving means does not necessarily have to be a system of pressing and moving the printing plate 9, and may be a conveying system different from a pin, such as the conveying belt 11.

< punch hole forming means 30 >

The punch forming mechanism 30 is a unit that forms punches on the printing plate 9 before the printing plate 9 is attached to the drum 40. As shown in fig. 2, the punch hole forming mechanism 30 includes two punch pieces 31 and 31 arranged at an interval in the 2 nd direction D2. As shown in fig. 1, the punches 31 and 31 each have a gap portion 32 which is a substantially U-shaped recess and a punch pin 33 for forming a punch hole in the printing plate 9. The gap portion 32 is provided on an upstream side portion of the punch 31 in the 1 st direction D1, and has a concave shape recessed in the downstream direction of the 1 st direction D1. The leading end 93 (the edge on the downstream side in the 1 st direction D1) of the printing plate 9 conveyed by the conveying mechanism 10 is inserted into the gap 32. The punching pin 33 is provided inside the gap portion 32.

The two punch pins 33 are moved up and down by a drive mechanism not shown to punch out a part of the front end edge 93 of the printing plate 9. Thereby, a punched hole is formed at a predetermined position of the front end portion 93 of the printing plate 9. The punched holes formed in the printing plate 9 are used for positioning the printing plate 9 in a printing apparatus using the printing plate 9 after exposure and development, for example. By positioning the printing plate 9 in this way, the printing plate 9 of each color is positioned with high accuracy in the printing apparatus. As a result, the printed matter output from the printing apparatus can be prevented from having the images of the respective colors misaligned with each other.

The lateral pushing mechanism 20 positions the printing plate 9 so that a punched hole is formed at a predetermined position by the punch hole forming mechanism 30. The front end 93 of the printing plate 9 inserted into the gap 32 contacts two positioning pins 83, 83 of a positioning mechanism 80 described later. Thereby, the printing plate 9 can be positioned in the 1 st direction D1.

< positioning mechanism 80 >

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the positioning main body 81 of the positioning mechanism 80. Fig. 4 is a side view showing the positioning body 81. In fig. 4, a part of the guide unit 87 (the upper guide 871 and the lower guide 873) is shown in a sectional view. Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the whole and a main part of the positioning main body 81.

The punch hole forming mechanism 30 includes a positioning mechanism 80 for positioning the printing plate 9 in the 1 st direction D1. The positioning mechanism 80 includes two positioning main bodies 81 and 81 arranged at a distance in the 2 nd direction D2. The two positioning main bodies 81 and 81 have the same structure. Specifically, the positioning main bodies 81 and 81 include a base portion 82, a positioning pin 83, a conduction portion 85, and a guide unit 87, respectively.

The positioning pins 83 contact the leading end 93 of the printing plate 9 (specifically, the side end surface on the downstream side in the 1 st direction D1 of the printing plate 9) conveyed downstream in the 1 st direction D1 by the conveying mechanism 10, thereby positioning the printing plate 9 in the 1 st direction D1. Here, the positioning pins 83 and 83 of the positioning body portions 81 and 81 are arranged at intervals in the 2 nd direction D2, and both the positioning pins 83 and 83 contact the printing plate 9 to position the printing plate 9 in the 1 st direction D1. The two positioning pins 83 and 83 are examples of the 1 st pin and the 2 nd pin.

The positioning pin 83 has a shaft 831 and a rotating body 833. The shaft portion 831 is fixed to the upper surface of the base portion 82 by a nut 832 screwed to a threaded portion (not shown) formed at the lower end of the shaft portion 831. The rotating body 833 is formed of a conductive material such as metal, and has a cylindrical shape centered on an axis extending in the 3 rd direction D3. The rotating body 833 is attached to the outer peripheral side of the shaft portion 831. The rotating body 833 is formed of a material having conductivity. In the present embodiment, the rotation axis Q1 of the rotating body 833 extends parallel to the 3 rd direction D3 perpendicular to the 1 st direction D1 and the 2 nd direction D2, but this is not essential. The rotation axis Q1 may be a direction intersecting both the 1 st direction D1 and the 2 nd direction D2.

The shaft 831 axially supports the rotating body 833 to rotate both in the forward and backward directions about the rotation axis Q1. The shaft portion 831 is an example of a holder that holds the rotating body 833 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis Q1. Although not shown in detail, the shaft portion 831 has a bearing structure for smoothly rotating the rotating body 833. The rotating body 833 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 835 centered on an axis extending in the 3 rd direction D3. Outer peripheral surface 835 abuts on front end 93 of printing plate 9 moved downstream in direction 1D 1 by conveyance mechanism 10.

The conductive part 85 includes a sliding electrode member 851 (conductive brush) and an electrode holder 852 for holding the sliding electrode member 851 in a constant posture. The sliding electrode member 851 is a plate-like member formed of a material having conductivity (e.g., copper). As shown in fig. 5, the sliding electrode member 851 has an arc-shaped portion 853 having an arc shape (here, a semicircular arc shape) in a plan view, and a flat plate-shaped fixed plate portion 854 continuing to the arc-shaped portion 853. The shape of the arcuate portion 853 in plan view is not limited to an arc shape, and may be, for example, an elliptical arc shape. Fixing plate portion 854 is fixed to electrode holder 852 via screws 855. In the present embodiment, a conduction detector 84 (see fig. 4) for detecting conduction between the positioning pins 83 and 83 is configured by the sliding electrode members 851 and 851 of the two positioning body portions 81, and a conduction detector circuit 857 and a conduction detector 858, which will be described later.

The arcuate portion 853 is curved convexly toward the outer peripheral surface 835 of the positioning pin 83 (in other words, toward the rotation axis Q1). A sliding portion 856 slidably contacting the outer peripheral surface 835 of the positioning pin 83 is provided in the middle portion of the arcuate portion 853. By sliding the sliding portion 856 against the outer peripheral surface 835 while being in contact with the outer peripheral surface 835, even if the outer peripheral surface 835 rotates, conduction between the outer peripheral surface 835 and the conduction portion 85 can be appropriately ensured.

The sliding electrode member 851 is formed of an elastically deformable elastic member, and here, is formed of a thin plate-shaped plate spring. In the sliding electrode member 851, the arcuate portion 853 is elastically displaceable in the horizontal direction with a boundary portion between the fixing plate portion 854 fixed to the electrode holder 852 by the screw 855 and the arcuate portion 853 as a fulcrum. The electrode holder 852 biases the sliding portion 856 toward the outer peripheral surface 835 of the positioning pin 83 in a state where the sliding portion 856 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 835. As described above, in this example, since the sliding electrode member 851 elastically biases the sliding portion 856, the force with which the sliding portion 856 presses the outer peripheral surface 835 can be reduced. In particular, since the sliding electrode member 851 is a plate spring, the sliding portion 856 can be brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface 835 with an appropriate force by an elastic force generated by the plate spring. Therefore, the pressing by the sliding portion 856 can be suppressed from interfering with the rotation of the outer peripheral surface 835.

The sliding electrode member 851 of the conductive portion 85 is a portion conductively connected to the outer peripheral surface 835 of the rotating body 833. As shown in fig. 2 or 4, the sliding electrode members 851 and 851 of the two positioning body portions 81 and 81 are connected to each other by a single conduction detection circuit 857. The sliding electrode members 851 and 851 are examples of the 1 st conductive part and the 2 nd conductive part. The conduction detector 858 is provided in the conduction detection circuit 857 to detect conduction between the sliding electrode members 851 and 851. The conduction detector 858 can be constituted by a tester that detects a current flowing in the conduction detection circuit 857, for example. Conduction detector 858 is electrically and communicatively connected to control unit 70, and outputs a signal indicating information (for example, an amount of current, a resistance value, or the like) about the conduction state to control unit 70.

When the printing plate 9 is formed of a material having conductivity (for example, aluminum), when the printing plate 9 comes into contact with the outer circumferential surfaces 835, 835 of the two positioning pins 83, 83 as shown in fig. 2, the two sliding electrode members 851, 851 are brought into a conductive state in which they are electrically connected via the outer circumferential surfaces 835, 835 and the printing plate 9. In this state, a voltage is applied between conduction parts 85 and 85 by conduction detector 858, whereby a current corresponding to the resistance of printing plate 9 is generated in conduction detection circuit 857.

For example, when printing plate 9 is normally in contact with positioning pins 83 and 83 (specifically, outer circumferential surfaces 835 and 835), the value of the current flowing between sliding electrode members 851 and 851 is a value substantially equal to a previously assumed reference value. When printing plate 9 is not in contact with both or either of positioning pins 83 and 83, a current does not flow through conduction detection circuit 857. Further, when the printing plate 9 does not normally contact the positioning pins 83, 83 due to the foreign matter (shavings of the printing plate 9, etc.) interposed between the printing plate 9 and the positioning pins 83, the current flowing between the conduction portions 85, 85 may be a value different from a predetermined reference value (for example, a value smaller than the reference value). A determination unit 71 of the control unit 70, which will be described later, compares the current value from the conduction detector 858 with a predetermined reference value, thereby determining the contact state between the outer circumferential surfaces 835, 835 of the positioning pins 83, 83 and the printing plate 9.

As shown in fig. 5, in this example, the sliding electrode member 851 is disposed downstream of the rotation axis Q1 in the 1 st direction D1, and the sliding portions 856 are in contact with the portion of the outer peripheral surface 835 of the positioning pin 83 which is downstream of the rotation axis Q1 in the 1 st direction D1. The sliding electrode member 851 biases the sliding portion 856 to the upstream side in the 1 st direction D1 in a state where the sliding portion 856 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 835. The biasing direction of the sliding electrode member 851 for biasing the sliding portion 856 intersects with the 1 st direction D1. When the angle formed by the biasing direction and the 1 st direction D1 is θ, θ is 45 ° in this example. The direction in which the slide 856 is urged has an upstream component in the 1 st direction D1 and the other component in the 2 nd direction D2.

In the image recording apparatus 1, when the printing plate 9 is conveyed downstream in the 1 st direction D1 by the conveyance mechanism 10, as shown in fig. 5, a pressing force F1 in the downstream direction in the 1 st direction D1 is applied to the outer peripheral surface 835 of the positioning pin 83. As shown in fig. 5, when the slide electrode member 851 biases the slide portion 856 with a biasing force F2 in a biasing direction intersecting the 1 st direction D1, the biasing force F2 is decomposed into a biasing force F2a (F2 · cos θ) in the upstream direction of the 1 st direction D1 and a biasing force F2b (F2 · sin θ) in the other direction D2. In this case, the force applied to the positioning pin 83 in the 1 st direction D1 is F1 to F2 a.

In the positioning pin 83, a small gap is formed between the rotating body 833 and the shaft portion 831 in order to smoothly rotate the rotating body 833 with respect to the shaft portion 831. Therefore, when a pressing force is applied to the outer circumferential surface 835 of the rotary body 833 in the radial direction (the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis Q1) (i.e., in the direction approaching the rotation axis Q1), the rotary body 833 may shake and its position may be slightly displaced in the direction of the pressing force. In order to perform positioning of printing plate 9 in the 1 st direction D1 with high accuracy by positioning pins 83 while considering the wobbling of this rotary 833, it is desirable that rotary 833 be displaced as far as possible downstream in the 1 st direction D1 by pressing force F1 at the time of positioning. In order to prevent the sliding portion 856 from displacing the rotary body 833 in the 1 st direction D1, it is desirable to reduce the force (urging force F2a) with which the sliding portion 856 presses the outer circumferential surface 835 toward the upstream side as much as possible. In this example, as described above, the direction in which the sliding electrode member 851 urges the sliding portion 856 is set to a direction intersecting the direction downstream of the 1 st direction D1. In this case, the urging force F2a against the pressing force F1 can be reduced as compared with a case where the direction of urging the slide 856 coincides with, for example, the 1 st direction D1. This can suppress displacement of the outer circumferential surface 835 toward the upstream side in the 1 st direction D1 due to the slide portion 856 pushing back the rotary body 833 toward the upstream side in the 1 st direction D1. Therefore, the positioning of printing plate 9 in direction D1 by positioning pin 83 can be performed with high accuracy.

In this example, the sliding portion 856 is a part of a curved arcuate portion 853, and the arcuate portion 853 is disposed so that the sliding portion 856 contacts the outer peripheral surface 835 of the rotating body 833. Therefore, for example, as compared with a case where the sliding portion 856 is a flat plate-shaped portion, the length of the portion of the outer peripheral surface 835 in contact with the sliding portion 856 in the circumferential direction (the rotational direction about the rotation axis Q1) can be reduced as much as possible. That is, the area of the portion of the outer peripheral surface 835 that contacts the sliding portion 856 can be reduced as much as possible. This reduces the possibility that the sliding portion 856 comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface 835 to prevent the outer circumferential surface 835 from rotating in both the forward and reverse directions (i.e., the rotation of the rotary body 833 in both the forward and reverse directions).

In this example, the sliding surface of the sliding portion 856 which is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface 835 has a length L1 in the 3 rd direction D3 (see fig. 4). This length L1 is sufficiently large compared to the thickness of the printing plate 9, for example. In this case, the area of the sliding surface of the sliding portion 856 can be increased, and the frictional force per unit area generated between the outer circumferential surface 835 and the sliding surface can be reduced. Therefore, as compared with the case where a local frictional force is applied to a part of the outer peripheral surface 835, generation of shavings on the sliding portion 856 or the outer peripheral surface 835 can be suppressed. Therefore, the occurrence of shavings can be suppressed from interfering with the contact of printing plate 9 with positioning pins 83.

As shown in fig. 4, the guide unit 87 limits the position of the printing plate 9 in the 3 rd direction D3 to within a prescribed limit range RA 1. The guide unit 87 includes an upper guide 871 and a lower guide 873. The upper guide 871 and the lower guide 873 are members formed of metal, for example. The upper guide 871 has a lower surface 881 defining an upper end TA1 of the restriction range RA 1. The lower guide 873 has an upper surface 883 defining a lower end TA2 of a limit range RA 1. The lower surface 881 and the upper surface 883 are respectively opposed in parallel with a gap therebetween. The upper guide 871 and the lower guide 873 are examples of the 1 st member and the 2 nd member, respectively.

The upper guide 871 and the lower guide 873 have a thin plate shape, and are fixed to the base portion 82 in a state of being arranged on the base portion 82 in an overlapping manner. Therefore, the guide unit 87 is integrated with the positioning main body 81 of the positioning mechanism 80. However, this is not essential, and the guide unit 87 may be provided at a position different from the positioning main body portion 81.

As shown in fig. 3 and 5, the upper guide 871 includes a1 st portion 891, a2 nd portion 892, and a 3 rd portion 893 in this order from the downstream side toward the upstream side in the 1 st direction D1. The 1 st part 891 is a flat plate shape that contacts the lower guide 873. The 2 nd portion 892 is a portion continuous with the 1 st portion 891 and rising upward from the lower guide 873 in the 3 rd direction D3. Portion 3 893 is continuous with portion 2 892 and has a lower surface 881 opposite it in spaced relation to an upper surface 883 of lower guide 873. An upstream end portion of the 3 rd portion 893 in the 1 st direction D1 has a flange portion in a shape curved upward. According to this flange portion, when printing plate 9 is conveyed downstream by conveying mechanism 10, front end 93 of printing plate 9 is guided to the inside of limit range RA1 by the flange portion.

As shown in fig. 3, a through hole is provided at substantially the center of each of the upper guide 871 and the lower guide 873, and a positioning pin 83 and a conduction portion 85 are disposed in the through hole. The through-hole of the upper guide 871 is provided at a position where the 1 st part 891, the 2 nd part 892, and the 3 rd part 893 of the upper guide 871 penetrate in the 3 rd direction D3.

< Limit Range RA1 > for the lead unit 87

As shown in fig. 4, the outer circumferential surface 835 of the rotating body 833 overlaps the limit range RA1 based on the guide unit 87 in the 1 st direction D1, and has a length greater than the limit range RA1 in the up-down direction (the 3 rd direction D3). Therefore, by limiting the position of printing plate 9 in 3 rd direction D3 to within limit range RA1, leading end 93 of printing plate 9 abuts outer peripheral surfaces 835, 835 of both positioning pins 83, respectively.

Both ends of the slide 856 in the 3 rd direction D3, i.e., the upper end TB1 and the lower end TB2, are disposed outside the limit range RA1 by the guide unit 87. Specifically, upper end TB1 is disposed above restriction range RA1, and lower end TB2 is disposed below restriction range RA 1. That is, both the upper end TB1 and the lower end TB2 are disposed at a height that does not overlap with the region RT1 (the region overlapping with the limiting range RA1 in the 1 st direction D1) of the outer peripheral surface 835 corresponding to the limiting range RA 1. Therefore, both ends of the slide 856 in the 3 rd direction D3 contact the outer peripheral surface 835 of the positioning pin 83 at a height outside the restriction range RA1 by the guide unit 87.

If the sliding surface of the sliding portion 856 is disposed in an inclined posture with respect to the 3 rd direction D3, one of the upper end portion TB1 and the lower end portion TB2 of the sliding portion 856 may contact the outer circumferential surface 835 and slide on the outer circumferential surface 835. In this case, the frictional force locally acts, and thus, the outer circumferential surface 835 may be scraped. In this example, since the upper end portion TB1 and the lower end portion TB2 of the slide portion 856 are disposed outside the restricted range RA1, even if shavings are generated, the possibility that the shavings adhere to the region RT1 of the outer peripheral surface 835 can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to effectively reduce the occurrence of the scraping and the interference of the contact between the outer peripheral surface 835 and the printing plate 9.

The hardness (for example, vickers hardness) of the rotating body 833 is preferably larger than the hardness of the printing plate 9. In this case, when positioning printing plate 9 with respect to outer circumferential surface 835 of rotating body 833, abrasion of outer circumferential surface 835 can be suppressed. The rotating body 833 is preferably formed of a material having a hardness of 150Hv or more. The material of the rotating body 833 is selected to be different from the material (aluminum) of the printing plate 9. Here, stainless steel is selected. If the material of the rotating body 833 is the same as that of the printing plate 9, when shavings of the printing plate 9 are generated, the shavings tend to adhere to the rotating body 833. In the present embodiment, since the material of the rotary 833 is different from that of the printing plate 9, even if shavings of the printing plate 9 are generated, the adhesion of the shavings to the rotary 833 can be suppressed. The rotating body 833 may be made of special steel or steel after quenching.

As shown in fig. 4, the conduction portion 85 is provided with a rotation detector 86. The rotation detector 86 detects the amount and direction of rotation of the rotary body 833 of the positioning pin 83 about the rotation axis Q1. The rotation detector 86 can be constituted by, for example, an optical sensor, an encoder, or the like. The rotation detector 86 is electrically connected to the control unit 70, and outputs a detection signal relating to the rotation of the rotating body 833 to the control unit 70.

< roller 40 >

Returning to fig. 1, the roller 40 is a rotary body disposed below the punch hole forming mechanism 30. The drum 40 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 41 extending in the 2 nd direction D2. As shown by a broken line in fig. 1, a rotary drive unit 42 is connected to the drum 40. The rotation driving unit 42 is composed of a motor and a power transmission mechanism such as a timing belt (timing belt) for transmitting a driving force of the motor to the drum 40. When the rotation driving unit 42 is operated, the drum 40 rotates about the central axis extending in the 2 nd direction D2.

A plurality of front end jigs 43 and a plurality of rear end jigs 44 are provided on the outer circumferential surface 41 of the drum 40. The plurality of front end clamps 43 fix the front end edges of the printing plates 9 conveyed from the conveying mechanism 10 to the outer peripheral surface 41 of the drum 40. The plurality of rear end clamps 44 fix the rear end edge (edge on the upstream side in the conveying direction) of the printing plate 9 to the outer circumferential surface 41 of the drum 40. Thereby, the printing plate 9 is attached to the outer circumferential surface 41 of the drum 40 with the recording surface 91 facing outward.

< light irradiation part 50 >

The light irradiation section 50 is a unit that irradiates recording light toward the outer peripheral surface 41 of the drum 40. The light irradiation unit 50 includes a recording head 51 that emits recording light such as laser light, and a head moving mechanism 52 that moves the recording head 51 in the 2 nd direction D2. When recording an image on the printing plate 9, the recording head 51 is moved in the 2 nd direction D2 by the head moving mechanism 52 while rotating the drum 40 on which the printing plate 9 is mounted, and laser light is irradiated from the recording head 51 toward the recording surface 91 of the printing plate 9. Thereby, an exposure area corresponding to the monochrome image is formed on the recording surface 91 of the printing plate 9. The light irradiation section 50 is an example of an image forming section that forms an image on the printing plate 9 positioned by the positioning mechanism 80.

The exposed printing plate 9 is carried out from the drum 40 to a predetermined carrying-out position in the image recording apparatus 1 by a carrying-out mechanism not shown.

< operating part 60, control part 70 >

The operation unit 60 is a part serving as a user interface. The operation unit 60 includes a display unit 61 and an input unit 62. The display unit 61 displays various information related to the processing of the image recording apparatus 1 on the screen. For the display section 61, a liquid crystal display is used, for example. The input unit 62 receives various information inputs from a user. For the input unit 62, a keyboard or a mouse is used, for example. The user of the image recording apparatus 1 can input various information to the control unit 70 by operating the input unit 62 while checking the display unit 61. Note that both the function of the display unit 61 and the function of the input unit 62 may be realized by a single device such as a touch panel display.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the connection of the control unit 70 to each unit in the image recording apparatus 1. As conceptually shown in fig. 6, the control unit 70 is constituted by a computer having a processor 701 such as a CPU, a memory 702 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 703 such as a hard disk drive. A computer program P for executing each process implemented in the image recording apparatus 1 is installed in the storage unit 703.

As shown in fig. 6, the control unit 70 is connected to the conveyance mechanism 10, the pin drive mechanism 22, the punch hole forming mechanism 30, the rotation drive unit 42, the front end gripper 43, the rear end gripper 44, the recording head 51, the head moving mechanism 52, the display unit 61, the input unit 62, the conduction detector 858, and the rotation detector 86, respectively, so as to be able to electrically communicate with each other. The control unit 70 controls the operations of the respective units by temporarily reading the computer program P stored in the storage unit 703 into the memory 702 and performing an arithmetic process by the processor 701 in accordance with the computer program P. This allows the printing plate 9 to be conveyed, positioned in the 2 nd direction D2, punched, and recorded with an image, in this order.

Fig. 7 is a diagram conceptually showing a part of functions implemented in the control unit 70. As shown in fig. 7, the control unit 70 includes a determination unit 71. The control unit 70 performs a contact determination process of determining whether or not the printing plate 9 is normally in contact with each of the two positioning pins 83, 83 by the determination unit 71. The contact determination process will be described later.

< actions of the image recording apparatus 1 >

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a series of operations of the image recording apparatus 1 when recording an image. The steps of the operations shown in fig. 8 are examples, and the steps of the operations of the image recording apparatus 1 may be appropriately changed as long as no contradiction occurs. In addition, each operation of the image recording apparatus 1 described below is performed under the control of the control section 70 unless otherwise specified.

When an image is recorded on the printing plate 9 in the image recording apparatus 1, an automatic feeding apparatus (not shown) or a user places the printing plate 9 in the image recording apparatus 1. The user inputs an instruction to start the operation by operating the input unit 62. Based on this input, the image recording apparatus 1 starts carrying in of the printing plate 9 by the carrying mechanism 10. Specifically, the conveying mechanism 10 first places the conveyor belt 11 at the punch-out facing position P1. Then, step S1 is performed in which the printing plate 9 is conveyed toward the positioning main bodies 81 of the positioning mechanism 80 by rotating the conveying belt 11 in the forward direction. The front end portion 93 of the printing plate 9 is inserted into the guide unit 87 of each positioning main body portion 81 through the space between the lateral push pins 21a and 21b of the lateral pushing mechanism 20. Further, the front end portion 93 of the printing plate 9 is pushed against the positioning pins 83, 83.

Subsequent to step S1, printing plate 9 is pushed up in 2 nd direction D2 by driving pin driving mechanism 22 of pushing up mechanism 20 (step S2). Here, the lateral pushing mechanism 20 laterally pushes the printing plate 9 to a predetermined position in the 2 nd direction D2 so that the punch hole forming mechanism 30 can form a punch hole at the predetermined position of the printing plate 9. The lateral pushing process (positioning process) in step S2 will be described with reference to fig. 9.

Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically showing a process of the lateral pushing process by the lateral pushing mechanism 20. As shown in fig. 9, the lateral push pins 21a and 21b of the lateral pushing mechanism 20 are arranged at positions separated from the printing plate 9 in the 2 nd direction D2 at the initial stage PH 1. From this stage PH1, the lateral pushing mechanism 20 operates the pin driving mechanism 22 to bring the lateral pushing pin 21a located in one of the 2 nd directions D2 with respect to the printing plate 9 into contact with the edge portion of the printing plate 9 in one of the 2 nd directions D2. Further, the lateral pushing mechanism 20 pushes the printing plate 9 by the lateral pushing pin 21a to move the printing plate 9 in the second direction D2 (stage PH 2). At this stage PH2, printing plate 9 temporarily moves to a position on the other side in direction 2D 2 than predetermined position C shown by a one-dot chain line in fig. 9.

After the stage PH2, the lateral pushing mechanism 20 operates the pin driving mechanism 22 to move one lateral pushing pin 21a in the 2 nd direction D2. Thereby, the lateral pushing mechanism 20 temporarily separates the lateral pushing pin 21a from the printing plate 9 (stage PH 3).

Next, the lateral pushing mechanism 20 operates the pin driving mechanism 22 to bring the other lateral pushing pin 21b into contact with the other end edge portion of the printing plate 9 in the 2 nd direction D2, and pushes the printing plate 9 by the lateral pushing pin 21 b. This moves printing plate 9 in direction 2D 2. Then, the lateral pushing mechanism 20 moves the lateral push pin 21b to the side of the 2 nd direction D2 and stops so that the position of the printing plate 9 in the 2 nd direction D2 coincides with the predetermined position C. Thereby, the position of printing plate 9 in the 2 nd direction is positioned at prescribed position C (stage PH 4).

In stage PH4, when printing plate 9 is positioned at predetermined position C, lateral pushing mechanism 20 moves one lateral pushing pin 21a in the other direction D2 to contact one end edge portion of printing plate 9 in direction 2D 2 again (stage PH 5). Thereby, the printing plate 9 is held at a constant position by being sandwiched by the lateral push pins 21a, 21b of the lateral pushing mechanism 20.

Returning to fig. 8, when the pushing-sideways process of step S2 is completed, the determination section 71 determines whether the printing plate 9 is in normal contact with the positioning pins 83, 83 (step S3). As described above, the determination section 71 determines the contact state based on the current value output from the on detector 858.

If it is determined in step S3 that the contact state is abnormal (no), the push-down process of step S2 is executed again. That is, the pushing-sideways process of step S2 is repeatedly executed until normal contact of printing plate 9 with positioning pins 83, 83 is confirmed. In the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the number of times of execution of the traverse processing exceeds the predetermined number of times after step S3 (step S31). If the predetermined number of times is not exceeded in step S31 (no), the process returns to step S2 to execute the horizontal push process. On the other hand, when the number of execution times of the horizontal push processing exceeds the predetermined number of times (yes in step S31), an error is notified (step S32). Examples of the error notification include a screen on which the control unit 70 displays an abnormality in the contact state between the printing plate 9 and the positioning pins 83 and 83 on the display unit 61, a lamp (not shown) that is turned on by the control unit 70, a predetermined alarm sound that is emitted from a speaker (not shown) by the control unit 70, and the like. The control unit 70 temporarily stops the operation of the movable unit in the image recording apparatus 1 after the error notification is made. This enables the operator to perform the confirmation work in the image recording apparatus 1. In this way, when the contact state between the printing plate 9 and the two positioning pins 83, 83 is abnormal, the operator can be prompted to perform a confirmation operation corresponding to the error (for example, confirmation of the adhesion state of the positioning pins 83, 83 or shavings on the printing plate 9) by performing the error notification.

If it is determined in step S3 that the contact state is normal (yes), a punched hole is formed by the punch hole forming mechanism 30 (step S4). Specifically, in the printing plate 9 positioned at the stage PH5 (see fig. 9) at the predetermined position C by the lateral pushing process, the two punches 31, 31 of the punch forming mechanism 30 form punches. Specifically, a part of the front end edge 93 of the printing plate 9 is punched out by vertically moving each punch pin 33. As a result, a punched hole is formed at a predetermined position of the leading end portion 93 of the printing plate 9.

In step S4, if a punched hole is formed in printing plate 9, control unit 70 performs a process of mounting printing plate 9 on drum 40 (step S5). In step S5, the conveyance mechanism 10 reversely rotates the conveyance belt 11 to pull out the leading end portion 93 of the printing plate 9 from the gap portion 32 of each punch 31, and thereafter, the entire printing plate 9 is disposed on the conveyance belt 11. Next, the conveying mechanism 10 switches the position of the conveyor belt 11 from the punch-facing position P1 to the roller-facing position P2. Then, the conveying mechanism 10 rotates the conveying belt 11 in the forward direction to supply the leading end 93 of the printing plate 9 to the drum 40.

The leading end portion 93 of the printing plate 9 fed to the drum 40 is in contact with the plurality of leading end jigs 43. Thereby, printing plate 9 stops. When printing plate 9 stops, control section 70 closes the plurality of leading-end grippers 43. The leading edge of printing plate 9 is thereby fixed between outer circumferential surface 41 of drum 40 and leading edge clamp 43. After that, the control unit 70 transfers the printing plate 9 from the conveying mechanism 10 to the drum 40 by rotating the drum 40. After the entire printing plate 9 is disposed on the outer circumferential surface 41 of the drum 40, the control unit 70 closes the plurality of rear end clamps 44, and fixes the rear end edge of the printing plate 9 between the outer circumferential surface 41 of the drum 40 and the rear end clamps 44. As a result, the printing plate 9 is mounted on the outer circumferential surface 41 of the drum 40.

When printing plate 9 is mounted on outer circumferential surface 41 of drum 40, controller 70 operates head moving mechanism 52 to move recording head 51 in direction 2D 2 to a position opposite to the recording start position of printing plate 9 (step S6).

After step S6, control unit 70 records an image on recording surface 91 of printing plate 9 (step S7). Specifically, the control unit 70 operates the rotation driving unit 42, the head moving mechanism 52, and the recording head 51. Thereby, the recording light is irradiated from the recording head 51 toward the printing plate 9 while the rotation of the drum 40 and the movement of the recording head 51 in the 2 nd direction D2 (sub-scanning direction) are performed in parallel. Thereby, an image is formed on the recording surface 91 of the printing plate 9.

In this example, in the lateral pushing process of step S2, printing plate 9 is moved in direction 2D 2 while printing plate 9 is in contact with outer peripheral surfaces 835 of positioning pins 83 and 83, respectively. Accordingly, outer circumferential surface 835 can be rotated about rotation axis Q1 by the frictional force between printing plate 9 and outer circumferential surface 835. Therefore, the generation of shavings on each positioning pin 83 or printing plate 9 can be suppressed. Therefore, the occurrence of the shavings can be suppressed from interfering with the contact of the printing plate 9 with the positioning pins 83, and the deterioration of the positioning of the printing plate 9 in the 1 st direction D1 can be suppressed.

In this example, conduction between outer circumferential surfaces 835, 835 of two positioning pins 83, 83 is detected by a conduction detector 858. This enables the contact between both outer circumferential surfaces 835, 835 and printing plate 9 to be effectively detected, and thus enables printing plate 9 to be appropriately positioned in direction D1 1. Further, by repeating the lateral pushing process until conduction between the outer peripheral surfaces 835, 835 is detected, the printing plate 9 can be appropriately positioned. That is, the occurrence of the positioning failure of the printing plate 9 can be effectively reduced. Further, since outer peripheral surface 835 of positioning pin 83 is rotatable, friction between outer peripheral surface 835 and printing plate 9 is reduced. Therefore, even if the lateral pushing process is repeatedly performed, the wear of the leading end portion 93 of the printing plate 9 can be suppressed.

In this example, the moving distance L11 when the pin driving mechanism 22 moves the lateral push pin 21a in the other of the 2 nd direction D2 in the phase PH2 is larger than the moving distance L12 when the pin driving mechanism 22 moves the lateral push pin 21b in the one of the 2 nd direction D2 in the phase PH 4. In this case, the distance that printing plate 9 moves to the other side in phase PH2 becomes larger than the distance that it moves to one side in phase PH 4. In this way, at the time point when the lateral pushing process is completed, the outer peripheral surface 835 of the positioning pin 83 is rotated in the direction corresponding to the other direction of the 2 nd direction with respect to the initial state. In this case, by sequentially positioning the plurality of printing plates 9, the outer peripheral surface 835 can be rotated in one direction. Therefore, the sliding portion 856 of the conduction portion 85 can be slid in the entire circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface 835. Therefore, the sliding portion 856 can be prevented from locally contacting a specific region of the outer peripheral surface 835.

In this example, determination unit 71 may acquire the detection signal from on detector 858 after completion of step S2. In this case, even if printing plate 9 is temporarily separated from positioning pins 83 and 83 during step S2, determination by determination unit 71 as a conduction abnormality based on this situation can be suppressed. Therefore, excessive lateral pushing can be suppressed.

The conduction detector 858 may detect the conduction state during the lateral pushing process in step S2, that is, during the time when the pin driving mechanism 22 moves the lateral pushing pins 21a and 21b, and output a detection signal thereof to the control unit 70. In this case, in step S3, the determination unit 71 may determine the contact state using the detection signal during step S2 as one of the determination criteria. If, in step S3, determination unit 71 determines that the contact between printing plate 9 and positioning pin 83 is not normal in step S2 based on the detection signal from conduction detector 858 in step S2, control unit 70 may perform step S2 again via step S31.

When the determination unit 71 determines the contact state with the printing plate 9 in step S3, the determination unit 71 may refer to the detection signal from the rotation detector 86. Specifically, by referring to information such as the rotation amount and the rotation direction of the rotary body 833 of each of the positioning pins 83 and 83 during the lateral pushing process in step S2, it can be determined whether or not the rotary body 833 rotates along with the movement of the printing plate 9. This makes it possible to determine whether or not the printing plate 9 has been pushed laterally in a state in which it has been positioned by the two positioning pins 83. The determination unit 71 may determine that the contact is abnormal, assuming that a positioning failure may occur in the case of abnormal rotation. Thus, even when the positioning pin 83 is out of rotation, the occurrence of the positioning failure of the printing plate 9 can be effectively reduced because the lateral pushing process (step S2) is repeated or an error notification (step S32) is performed.

In addition, when printing plate 9 is formed of a non-conductive material (for example, resin), even if printing plate 9 comes into contact with both positioning pins 83, it is difficult to detect conduction by conduction detector 858. On the other hand, by acquiring a detection signal relating to the rotation of rotating body 833 from rotation detector 86, the contact state of printing plate 9 with respect to each positioning pin 83 can be indirectly detected. Therefore, the printing plate 9 can be properly positioned without conducting detection.

In step S1, determination unit 71 may determine whether or not printing plate 9 is in normal contact with positioning pins 83 and 83 based on a detection signal from conduction detector 858. In this case, for example, when the signal indicating that printing plate 9 is in contact with each positioning pin 83 is not output from conduction detector 858 even after a predetermined time has elapsed from the reference time, determination unit 71 may determine that a contact abnormality has occurred. When the determination unit 71 makes this determination, the control unit 70 may make a notification according to the determination content.

In the above embodiment, the conveying direction (1 st direction D1) of the printing plate 9 by the conveying mechanism 10 is set to the horizontal direction in the state where the conveying mechanism 10 is disposed at the punch hole facing position P1. However, the conveying direction in this state may be set to a direction inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. For example, if the conveyance direction is inclined downward toward the downstream of the 1 st direction D1, the printing plate 9 can be pushed against the positioning pins 83 and 83 by the action of gravity during the lateral pushing process (step S2). In this case, the operation of the conveyor belt 11 may be stopped during the lateral pushing process.

< 2. modification example >

The embodiments have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above, and various modifications are possible.

In the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, in the outer circumferential surface 835, the region RT1 corresponding to the limit range RA1 is included inside the region RT2 in contact with the slide 856. However, the positional relationship between the regions RT1 and RT2 is not limited to this. Fig. 10 is a side view showing a positioning main body 81A according to a modification. In the modification shown in fig. 10, the slide portion 856 is disposed above the limit range RA1 in the 3 rd direction D3. Therefore, the height at which the sliding portion 856 contacts the outer peripheral surface 835 is set above the limit range RA 1. Therefore, in the outer circumferential surface 835, a region RT2 in contact with the slide 856 and a region RT1 corresponding to the limit range RA1 are set at different heights in the 3 rd direction D3. In this case, in outer circumferential surface 835, since sliding portions 856 and the area where printing plate 9 contacts outer circumferential surface 835 do not coincide, it is possible to suppress shavings that may be generated by sliding of sliding portions 856 from adhering to area RT1 of outer circumferential surface 835 corresponding to limit range RA 1. That is, in the case of this modification, the scraping prevention of the contact of printing plate 9 with outer peripheral surface 835 can be further suppressed as compared with the case of the embodiment shown in fig. 4. In the case of the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the length of the positioning pin 83 in the 3 rd direction D3 can be shortened as compared with the case of the modification shown in fig. 10. Therefore, the space occupied by the positioning main body 81 of the positioning mechanism 80 can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the sliding electrode member 851 has the arcuate portion 853 and slides on the outer peripheral surface 835 of the rotating body 833 via the arcuate portion 853. However, the sliding electrode member 851 may be slid on the outer circumferential surface 835 in other forms. For example, the distal end of the sliding electrode member 851 may be formed into a flat plate shape and may be slid on the outer circumferential surface 835 of the rotating body 833 via the flat plate-shaped portion.

The present invention has been described in detail, but the above description is illustrative in all cases and is not intended to limit the present invention thereto. It is understood that numerous variations not illustrated can be devised without departing from the scope of the invention. The respective configurations described in the above embodiments and modifications can be appropriately combined or omitted unless contradicted with each other.