JPH0220440B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Generally, there are two types of XY recorders in common use. There are fixed paper type and paper moving type. In fixed paper types, the size of the printing surface is limited by the size of the printing paper that can be placed in the recorder. In the moving paper type, the size of the plot is limited only by the width of the printing paper. That is, the printing paper can be of any length since one degree of freedom is achieved by the movement of the printing paper.

In paper moving XY recorders, the print paper is typically moved by registration holes. Registration holes are located at both ends of the printing paper and are parallel to the direction of paper travel, and a drive gear meshes with these registration holes to transmit motion to the printing paper. Typical paper moving type that does not use registration holes at both ends
The XY recorder has a limited path that is substantially the same width as the paper across the length of the plotting surface. This traps the paper and prevents it from moving from side to side as it progresses through the aisle.

To increase plotting speed, it is desirable to be able to plot in both directions, that is, in forward and backward motion. If no provision is made to prevent the paper from sliding from side to side or back and forth, the accuracy of the plot will be greatly compromised due to loss of repeatability. Printing paper with registration holes on both ends minimizes everything by using more complex drive systems and more expensive printing paper materials. Other typical moving paper recorders have a narrow, long, confined path through which the printed paper moves forward and backward while it is being plotted. However, this does not eliminate the problem of back and forth sliding. In the latter type of recorder, there is a significant amount of friction between the long path through which the paper passes and the edges of the paper. Therefore, during plotting, there is an additional delay in the advance of the paper due to friction, which limits the speed at which the paper can be advanced or retracted. Moreover, in such a configuration, depending on the widthwise margin of the paper, the paper may become too tight or too loose within the passage. As a result, the paper moves laterally or becomes distorted, further increasing plotting errors.

These two types of recorders typically drive both ends of the paper and require at least the same width as the paper.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a plotter that is small in size, does not require registration holes, and is capable of high-speed operation.

Next, an outline of the present invention will be described.

The present invention provides a visual image on a flat printing paper.
The present invention provides a high-speed XY plotting system for forming images, that is, a plotter that does not use registration holes. The system includes a drive means coupled to at least one edge of the printing paper for transmitting movement to the printing paper and defining a first direction of movement in response to a first applied signal, the system having a drive means connected to at least one end of the printing paper and defining a first direction of movement generally perpendicular to the direction of travel of the paper. second means for forming a selected visible image that moves in a direction and defining a second direction of movement in response to a second applied signal; and third means for communicating movement to the second means in response to a third signal. . In this system, the first means has at least one uneven drive wheel with an irregular pattern in contact with the paper, an idler facing thereto, and a pinch roller with the paper sandwiched between them. It includes drive means forming the device. In this condition, the uneven drive surface creates a series of burrs along the drive edge of the paper when it first passes the pinch rollers. When the paper passes back and forth between the pinch rollers many times, this serration immediately engages the uneven surface of the drive surface due to the "gear action" between the paper and the drive wheel, causing the paper to slip during the plotting operation. Slippage is minimal.

Additionally, the second means described above includes a plotting pen head device having pen means. The pen means is rigidly fixed such that it can rotate about its center of gravity to minimize the energy required to raise and lower its printing tip. The pen head device is of lightweight construction to maximize speed across the paper.
The pen means is also of lightweight construction, reducing the response time for raising and lowering the pen tip from the paper.

In order to provide a driving force connection between the drive wheels, these wheels are connected by a toothed belt which is hung on a belt wheel-like wheel attached to the shaft of the drive wheel. The surfaces of the belt wheels are also constructed to engage the toothed belt, minimizing slippage between the drive wheels.

In one embodiment of the invention, one edge of the printing paper is driven. When the printing paper is driven, the front edge of the plotter is beveled to reduce run-off and back-and-forth movement of the paper and add stability to the paper. is bent upward from the plotting surface.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail using the drawings.

Presented here are two types of high-speed XY plotter implementations, where the first movement is achieved by moving the paper, and the second movement is achieved by moving the pen device perpendicular to the paper movement. By moving,
achieved. For full functionality, the paper and pen device can move independently of each other or simultaneously with the pen moving up and down in relation to the movement of the pen and paper to print the required line or character on the paper.

This specification includes a discussion of two embodiments of the plotter described above. The first embodiment has the pocket plotter configuration shown in FIGS. 1-6. The second embodiment has the table plotter configuration shown in FIGS. 7-10.

FIG. 1a is a perspective view showing the whole plotter according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Also, Figure 1b shows
1a is a diagram showing how a sheet of paper is bent when plotting with the plotter shown in FIG. 1a; FIG.

Referring to Figure 1a, paper 1 to be plotted
Pocket plotter 10 is shown sized to include means or devices for moving pen head assembly 12, moving pen head assembly 12, and raising and lowering pen unit 14 within pen head assembly 12.

After the penhead assembly 12 is fully pulled into the plotter 10 and the lever 18 is pushed down to open the jaw (JAW) 16, the paper 11 is inserted into the plotter 10 between the jaw 16 and the surface of the ramp 13. do. Then, the edge 15 of the paper 11 is placed on the inclined surface 1.
The paper 11 is slid between the jaw 16 and the ramp 13 until it touches the paper stop 17 (see FIG. 2), which is placed in line with the notch 20 at the top of the paper 11. When the paper 11 reaches the fixed position, the lever 18 is released and the spring 2 is released.
2 presses the jaw 16 onto the paper. Similarly, the edge 15 of the paper is sandwiched between rubber idlers 26, 28 and paper drive rollers 30, 32 (see FIG. 2).

FIG. 1b shows the sheet 11 being neatly folded into two planes when it is in position for plotting. That is, one plane is the plotting section 21 and the other is the driving end section 19 along the boundary line. The plotting portion 21 is the portion of the paper which is in front of the edge 23 of the ramp 13, i.e. the boundary line 9, and is effectively flattened as a plotting surface. Drive end part 1
9, the paper 11 is driven by paper drive rollers 30 and 32.
(See FIG. 2) and is the part of the paper that comes into contact with the inclined surface 13 when it is bent upward by about 20 degrees at the boundary line 9 relative to the plotting surface. The upward bending of this drive end portion 19
5 by closing the jaws 16 well in front of the sheet 11, which greatly reduces run-off and in-and-out motion when driving the sheet 11 from end to end (i.e., the plane of the sheet 11 Rigidity is 19
and 21 and similarly the transfer stiffness is maintained between the two parts 19 and 21).

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the entire paper holding and driving device of the pocket plotter shown in FIG. 1. In this figure, paper holding drive assembly 35
includes rubber idlers 26 and 28 mounted in recesses 34 and 36, respectively. Approximately 20% of the circumference of each idler's curved surface is exposed on the inclined surface. Furthermore, the respective longitudinal axes of idlers 26 and 28 are generally parallel to ramp 13. Each of the recesses 34 and 36 is
It consists of a main portion that accommodates the rubber roller portions of idlers 26 and 28, and front and rear slots that accommodate the end portions of the idler mandrels. both recesses 3
4 and 36 rear slots are for idler 26
and the part after the mandrel 28 to the end 15 of the paper 11
(See Figures 3a and 3b).

FIGS. 3a and 3b illustrate the function of an idler that advances a sheet of paper to a paper stop as it traverses the sheet holding drive of the pocket plotter shown in FIG. The front and rear slots in the recesses 34 and 36 shown in FIG. 2 are each provided with tolerance adjustment means. In this embodiment, the adjustment means include a pair of setscrews perpendicular to each side of the front slot;
That is, it consists of an inner set screw 38 and an outer set screw 40. Set screws 38 and 40 are carefully adjusted to allow free movement of the front ends of the respective mandrels of idlers 26 and 28. The range of motion is equal on either side of the position where the axes of idlers 26 and 28 are perpendicular to edge 15 of paper 11. The free movement of the front end of the mandrels of idlers 26 and 28 is approximately 0.127 mm to the left or right from the center position.
(approximately 0.005 inch). By allowing this free movement only to the front ends of the mandrels of the idlers 26 and 28, without allowing free movement to the rear ends of the mandrels 26 and 28, the edge 15 of the paper 11
When the paper moves in either the left or right direction, it is continuously pushed up towards the paper stop 17. Paper 11
The increase in force exerted by end 15 on paper stopper 17 is due to
proportional to the increase in tolerance between the front part of the mandrel and the front part of the mandrel.

3a and 3b, the idler 2
The movement of the front end of the mandrel 6, 28 is caused by the movement of the front end 1 of the paper 11.
5 is exaggerated to show how it is pushed up to the paper stop 17. Figure 3a shows that if paper 11 moves to the left, idlers 26 and 28
is shown following the movement of the paper until the front end of the mandrel hits each of the setscrews 40 and 38. Paper 11 follows the path of least resistance. It is perpendicular to the axles of idlers 26 and 28, ie in the direction of arrow 42. This course is slope 13
(see FIGS. 1a and 2), so that when the idlers 26 and 28 are in the position shown and not parallel to the front surface of the paper stop 17, the edge 15 of the paper 11 is Contact the top 17.

Figure 3b shows the case where the paper moves to the right and shows a result similar to that of Figure 3a. The front ends of the axles of idlers 26 and 28 are now deflected to the right.
In this state, the path of least resistance for the paper 11 is in the direction of arrow 44. The end 15 of the paper 11 is thus always ensured in contact with the paper stop 17 during its travel in both directions.

FIG. 2 also shows some additional details. The paper drive block 46 is the paper drive roller 3
0 and 32, said rollers are driven by a drive gear 48 and a belt pulley 5 by means of a shaft means (not shown) passing within a paper drive block 46.
0 each. Belt wheel 53 is mounted in close proximity to the same shaft as gear 48. Drive gear 48 is driven by motor 52 (see FIG. 1) (motor control circuit not shown). The belt pulley 53 is connected to the belt pulley 50 by a toothed belt 54.
Since the working surfaces of and 53 have the same diameter, approximately one-half of the power of motor 52 is transferred to paper drive roller 32.
can be conveyed to. Belt 54 is toothed to minimize slippage of sheaves 50 and 53, and sheaves 50 and 53 have toothed drive surfaces that engage the teeth of belt 54. Paper drive roller 30 also has a rough surface to minimize slippage of paper 11 between paper drive roller 30 and rubber idler 26 as paper 11 moves. The uneven surface of the paper drive roller 30 leaves a series of marks on the edge 15 of the paper 11 that serve to precisely engage the uneven surface of the roller 30 as the paper 11 is repeatedly moved back and forth. They act as a pair of alignment gears to minimize slippage of paper 11 relative to rollers 30. Therefore, the marks on the edge 15 of the paper 11 match the irregularities of the uneven surface of the roller 30. According to numerous experiments, when the paper 11 has a moving speed of about 20 to 30 cm per second, the number 80 to 120 affixed to the paper drive roller 30
It was obvious that the same carborundum paper gave good results. According to experiments, one sheet of paper can be
The results showed that the paper did not slip even after being driven back and forth about 4 million times. Furthermore, the edge 15 of the paper 11
Paper drive rollers 30 and 32 are mounted substantially flush with face 56 of the paper drive block to prevent the paper from riding up on the front end of paper stop 17.

Paper drive block 46 is mounted on inclined surface 13 by loosely inserting alignment pin 58 into hole 60. In this state, the paper drive roller 30,
32 is located directly above the idlers 26 and 28, and the rear ends of the rollers 30 and 32 and the idlers 26 and 28 are at the same position as or slightly in front of the front end of the paper stop 17. Edge 15 of paper 11 remains in contact with paper stop 17 during plotting. A rail 64 is also attached to paper drive block 46.
Rail 64 is attached by screws 68.
The screws are threaded through holes 66 in rail 64 and into threaded holes 70 in paper drive block 46. The lever 18 is then fastened to the rail 64 by screws 74. A screw 74 passes through a hole 78 in the lever 18 and is screwed into a threaded hole 76 in the front end of the rail 64. A fulcrum rod 72 is welded to the lower side of the lever 18 at approximately the middle position. Next, the ear 62 passes through the hole 82 on the fulcrum rod 7.
It is attached to the side surface of the inclined surface 13 with two ends. In this state, the knob 8 welded to the fulcrum rod 72
0 contacts the inside of the ear 62 and prevents the lever 18 from moving left and right while rotating around the screw 74. To complete the paper holding drive 35, a spring 22 must be installed. spring 2
2, first install the paper drive block 46.
Place the central bend 92 of the spring directly on top of the contact pad 94 and towards the end 23 of the ramp at the end 88 of the spring. One of the ends 88 of the spring is then inserted into the groove 84 of one of the ears 62, and the bend 90 of the spring is installed within the notch 86 of the same ear 62. and the other spring end 88 is attached to the second ear 6
2 along the outer edge of the spring, and insert the bent portion 90 of the spring into the second notch 86 while inserting the spring into the slot 84.
Insert into. The spring 22 is attached as described above, and the paper holding drive device 35 is a normal paper drive roller 3.
0, 32 to the idlers 26, 28, and the jaw 16
are brought into contact with the inclined surface 13, respectively. In addition, jaw part 1
When pushing down the lever 18 to open the paper drive block 46, the front end of the paper drive block 46 is pressed against the paper drive roller 30,
32 from each of idlers 26 and 28. At this time, the back side of the paper drive block 46 is pushed up above the alignment pin 58. Pin 58 extends deep into hole 60 of paper drive block 46 to allow paper 11 to be inserted and removed.

The second movement necessary to plot on paper 11 moves pen head assembly 12 onto paper 11.
It is given by moving perpendicular to the movement of . To achieve this, the pen head assembly 12 uses a stretchable tape 96 (see Figure 1a).
can be attached to.

A section of the stretchable tape 96 is shown in FIG.
This tape is similar to the thin steel tape used on retractable hooks, but unlike them it is bent in three places along its entire length. The purpose of this three-point bend is to create a lightweight beam for mounting the penhead assembly that does not lose lateral stiffness as the penhead assembly 12 extends forward from the plotter 10. Bending in two places produces similar results. A tape that is bent in one place, such as a kaneshaku, has a tendency to bend sideways if it is stretched more than 10 cm out of its housing.

FIG. 4 shows a section of stretchable tape bent at three points to move the pen head of the plotter shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating means for instantly driving the retractable tape of the plotter shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first bend bends toward the center of the tape, and the second and third bends extend approximately one-fourth of the width from each end of the tape 96 to the first bend. Turn in the opposite direction. All three bends are at approximately the same location throughout the length of the tape, and each of these bends has a radius of curvature of approximately 2.5 cm to avoid creating sharp creases in the tape material. It is the opposite bends along the length of the tape 96 that add resistance to sideways folding, and it is the opposite bends in the center of the tape 96 that minimize the tendency for twisting along the length of the tape. This is the bending of both ends of the tape. It should be noted that an arc 100 with a temporarily high radius of curvature perpendicular to the bend of the stretchable tape 96 (see FIG. ) can be formed. This allows the tape 96 to be rolled up on itself or folded back to minimize its storage capacity. This is possible because the arc has a shallow vertical bend. However, because the bends are on both sides, the tape 96 can have a wider width compared to the overall height 8 of the sides. Furthermore, in order to overcome them, more energy is required than with Kaneshaku.

Referring again to FIG. 1a, a stretchable tape 96 is shown in place within the pocket plotter 10. One end of the tape 96 is attached to the paper holding drive 3 below the top of the tape holder 98.
Connected after 5. From there, the tape 96 extends toward the rear end of the plotter 10 and curves back with a high radius of curvature 100 (approximately 2 cm) as described above. That is, tape 96 is folded back over itself and directly below paper drive block 46 between drive rollers 30, 32 and idlers 26, 28 (second
102 extending outward from the front end of the pocket plotter 10 through a passageway 102 (see figure). In this configuration, the bottom surface and other portions of tape 96 contact tape roller 104. The tape roller 104 is rotatably mounted between the left and right frames 114 at approximately logarithmic intervals. The purpose of roller 104 is to minimize the advance delay of tape 96 as it is driven in and out of pocket plotter 10. FIG. 5 shows another embodiment in which rollers 104 are replaced with low friction sleepers 106, which are polytetra-- commonly sold under the trademark Teflon.
Made of materials like florethylen.

Furthermore, FIG. 5 shows how the stretchable tape 96 remains perpendicular to the edge 15 of the paper 11 and how it is driven into and out of the pocket plotter 10. shows. The alignment mechanism consists of a pair of rollers 10
8, 110 and a contact plate 112. Rollers 108 and 110 are shaped like pulleys with a circular circumference and a V-shaped groove. roller 108
is attached to the shaft extending upward from the frame 114 of the pocket plotter 10 by inserting the end 115 of the tape 96 into the V-shaped groove. roller 11
0 is attached to one end of a movable U-shaped arm 118 such that its V-shaped groove contacts the end 116 of the stretchable tape 96. The other end of the U-shaped arm 118 is connected to the roller 110
The frame 11 on the opposite side of the roller 108 is located approximately midway between the tape roller 108 and the contact plate 112.
It can be attached to 4. To maintain roller 110 in contact with end 116 of stretchable tape 96,
A spring 120 is connected between the movable arm 118 and the frame 114 on the tape roller 110 side. The contact plate 112 is attached to the frame 114 on the same side as the tape roller 108 by a screw-in shaft 122. Side edge 115 of stretchable tape 96
is biased toward tape roller 108 and contact plate 112 by spring-loaded tape roller 110 . And the elastic tape 96 is the contact plate 1
12 and the frame 114 can be aligned by adjusting the distance between the tape 96 and the frame 114 using the screw-in shaft 122, so that both ends 115 and 116 of the tape 96 can be made perpendicular to the end 15 of the paper 11. . The contact surface is specially treated to minimize the cutting effect of the end 115 of the stretchable tape 96 as it continues to pass along the contact plate 112. This is accomplished through the use of contact plates made of materials such as tungsten carbide or sapphire.

The movement in and out is caused by sprocket 124.
is transmitted to the stretchable tape 96 by. The sprocket 124 engages a drive hole 132 located approximately in the middle of the retractable tape 96 and moves therewith along substantially the entire length of the tape 96. Sprocket 124 is rotatably and laterally slidingly mounted on a shaft 126 approximately centered between the two pulley rails of frame 114. The lateral glide of sprocket 124 allows for alignment with drive hole 132 even when the direction of elastic tape 96 is adjusted by threaded shaft 122 and contact plate 112. . A tape drive motor 130 is also used to provide the necessary movement to the tape 96.
drive gear 128 (see Figure 1a) connected to
(motor control circuitry not shown) is attached to shaft 126 on one frame 114.

Figures 6a and 6b show the pen head assembly 12 from below. The pen head assembly has its center of gravity approximately on a fixed pin 134 and a bimorph 136 to control the raising and lowering of the nib 138 of the pen unit 14 from the paper.

FIG. 6a specifically shows a spring loop 14 protruding from near the front end of pen unit 14 and extending through the outer frame of pen head assembly 12.
Indicates 0. The spring loop 140 is connected to a pen lowering spring 142 attached to the frame of the pen head assembly 12 in order to draw the pen unit 14 downward, so that the pen tip can come into contact with the paper 11. The bimol 136 is then cantilevered to the back side of the frame of the pen head assembly 12, and its front end is attached to the pen unit 14 by a pen lift spring 144.
connected to the front end of the The pen-up spring 144 is designed to lift the pen unit 14 at the same location with a greater force than the effective force that the pen-down spring 142 exerts on the front end of the pen unit 14. Therefore, when power is applied, the pen lowering spring 142 is biased so that the pen tip 138 and the paper 11 come into contact. By placing the pen unit 14 on its center of gravity, the moment required to bring the pen tip 138 into contact with the paper 11 becomes very small. As a result, a fraction of a gram to several grams of pressure is applied to the paper by the pen tip 138.
1. Paper 11 by the pen tip 138
As a result of the light pressure exerted on the nib 138, wear and tear on the nib 138 is relatively non-existent and therefore the nib 13
Extend the life of 8. In addition, a sharper nib 13
8 can be used, which allows for the rendering of delicate lines and smaller characters.

Also, the fulcrum 14 of the pen head assembly 12
6 is incorporated into the main part of the penhead assembly 12. The fulcrum 146 supports the entire weight of the penhead assembly as it moves over the paper. Therefore, the bimol 136 only needs to control the vertical movement of the nib 138 of the pen unit 14. The fulcrum 146 of the pen head assembly supports the nib 13 (when looking vertically from the side of the pen head assembly 12) to prevent ink smearing when the pen unit 14 is operated.
Placed either in front of 8 or slightly behind. Also included in this embodiment is an adjustment screw 150. Adjustment screw 150 is connected to bimol 136 and pen lift spring 14 which contacts pen unit 14.
It has an eccentric hole 152 through which the end of 4 passes. Thus, by turning the adjustment screw 150, the user can adjust the distance between the upper and lower positions to which the front end of the pen unit 14 moves. This minimizes the amount of pressure between the nib 138 and the paper 11 by controlling the downward movement of the front end of the pen unit 14, maximizing the life of the nib 138, and thus It is particularly desirable for improving the quality of fine lines and small text.

Pen head assembly 1 shown in Figure 6b
The second embodiment includes a pen unit 14 mounted for rotation about its center of gravity using a mounting pin 134 at the end of a spring 156. The spring 156 is attached to the pen head assembly 1.
It is attached to the inside surface of the horizontal frame 2. Pen unit 14 is mounted as described above and tab 1
58 together at the front edge of the frame of the penhead assembly 12 to secure the mounting pins 134.
is retracted from the pen unit attachment pocket to allow the user to easily remove and attach the pen unit 14. The up and down motion is transmitted to the nib 138 and pen unit 14 similar to that shown in Figure 6a.
In FIG. 6b, the bimol 136 contacts a contact point 160 at approximately the center of gravity and the front of the mounting pin 134, and is attached to the rear face of the frame of the pen head assembly 12, with the pen attached at the contact point 162.
The pen lowering spring 142, which is in contact with the rear end of the unit 14, opposes and provides the force necessary to raise the nib 138 from the paper. Pen down spring 142 therefore operates in opposition to the up force applied to pen unit 14 by bimol 136 when it is not energized to lower nib 138 onto paper 11.

The high-speed plotter described here moves the pen tip from the paper while the servo system draws characters or graphs.
Requires a fast pen lift mechanism to move the 38 up and down. The lift mechanism itself lifts the pen unit 14 when plotting is carried out.
It is desirable that the pen lift mechanism be as light as possible and have as little inertia as possible. Bimol 136 easily meets these requirements and at the same time can be assembled quickly and simply, with little effort and at low cost. A typical bimol consists of two layers of piezoelectric material (typically PZT) in the shape of a Sandermanch, each with opposite poles. Application of an electric field parallel to the polarization direction causes one layer to contract and the other to expand. The net resultant motion, similar to the motion of a bimetallic strip, is a lateral deflection of the bimol, perpendicular to the plane of stacking. In the embodiment shown in Figures 6a and 6b, the bimol is cantilevered. When an appropriate voltage is applied through the terminal, the tip is lowered in a cantilevered manner, and since the bimol is biased by the pen-lowering spring 142, the pen tip 138 is moved along with it. Due to its small mass and high mechanical stiffness, bimol has a good frequency response reaching up to several hundred hertz, as shown in Figures 6a and 6b.
In the example shown in the figure, this type of plotter is
To be able to print approximately 20 characters per second without appreciably degrading print quality or character shape.
Other advantages of bimols are that they are fundamentally capacitive, requiring power only during the desired deflection,
Therefore, only a moderate amount of power is required to raise and lower the pen tip 138 from above the paper 11. The power necessary to activate bimol 136 is provided by wire 168 attached to stretchable tape 96 (see FIG. 1).

The combination of FIGS. 1a, 2, 6a, and 6b shows that when the stretchable tape 96 is fully retracted into the pocket plotter 10,
A mechanism for raising penhead assembly 12 from the surface of paper 11 is shown. When the tape 96 is retracted into the pocket plotter 10, the fulcrum 146 of the pen head assembly rests against the inclined surface 13.
at the same time as the tab 154 for lifting the penhead assembly approaches the front end of the rail 64. As the retractable tape 96 is retracted, the tab 154 for lifting the penhead assembly rides up the front end of the rail 64 and rests on the front of the rail 64 approximately midway between the front end and the V-shaped groove 164. contact with the inclined surface. The retractable tape 96 has tabs 154 attached to the rails 6 for lifting the penhead assembly.
4 until it hooks into the V-shaped groove 164.
It continues to be drawn into the plotter 10. Once the penhead assembly lifting tab 154 contacts the front end of the rail 64, the lifting force will cause the penhead assembly 12 to move toward the paper 1.
1 to the tab 154 for lifting. Any one of the mechanisms to limit retraction of the tape 96 may be provided in the pocket to prevent the penhead assembly 12 from being retracted into the front portion of the plotter beyond the point of contact of the penhead assembly lift tab 154 with the V-shaped groove 164. It can be incorporated into the printer 10. This retraction restriction of tape 96 is accomplished by placing a switch near the rear end of the tape 96 storage area within retainer 98;
The switch has tape 96 completely connected to the printer 10.
The curved part of the tape when pulled in 1
It works by contacting 00. Another means of limiting the retraction of tape 96 into pocket plotter 10 is to use a photodetector and a light source to cause motor 130 to further pull tape 96 when the light beam is interrupted or incident, depending on the mechanism. This is to prevent it from continuing to rotate in the direction of retraction. As shown in FIG. 1a, holes 16 in tape 96
6 passes a light beam between the light source and the detector and triggers the necessary circuitry to stop the motor 130 if necessary.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the entire table plotter after assembly.

FIG. 8 shows a bottom view of a table plotter according to the invention.

7 and 8, means and apparatus for moving a sheet of paper (not shown) to be plotted, means and apparatus for moving a penhead assembly 212, and penhead assembly 212. a table plotter 2 including means and apparatus for raising and lowering a pen unit 214 within the table plotter 2;
10 is shown.

Place a sheet of paper with one end of it on the left idler 2.
26 and the left paper drive wheel 230, and the opposite end is the right idler 228 and the right drive wheel 232.
Insert it so that it is between. To insert paper into the plotter 210, the right edge of the paper is placed flush with the alignment surface 204, and as the paper is gently pushed into the front of the plotter 210, one or both of the levers 218 are pushed up. , lift left and right idlers 228 and 226 from left and right paper drive rollers 232 and 230, respectively. Lever 218 is secured to each end of connecting rod 206 adjacent to the outside surface of plotter table leg 208.
Between the levers 218, the plotter table legs 2
08 serves as a bearing for the connecting rod 206.
Therefore, if either lever 218 is depressed, the other lever will rotate in the same direction at the same time. A pin 200 is press fit inside each lever 218. When lever 218 is depressed, pin 200 exerts pressure on the distal end of idler arm 216. Next, the shaft 220 is press-fitted into the edge of the table 202.
serves as a bearing for each of the idler arms 216. Thus, as pin 200 pushes down on the distal end of idler arm 216, the idler arm rotates about shaft 220 and lifts each of idlers 226 and 228 from each of paper drive rollers 230 and 232. A spring 222 is attached to the front of the idler arm to close drive rollers 230, 232 and idlers 226, 228, respectively. The other end of each of the springs 222 is connected to a pin 224 that projects from the outside of each of the plotter table legs 208 toward the shaft 220. Therefore, lever 218 is pushed down, pin 200 pushes against the end of idler 216, and drive rollers 230, 232, as opposed to spring 222, are pushed down.
A sheet of paper is inserted between the idlers 226, 228 and the drive wheels 230, 232 as the idlers 226, 228 are respectively lifted from the idlers 226, 228.

The left and right paper drive rollers 230 and 232 are
Each is attached to both ends of the shaft 234. The shaft 234 is connected by a bearing 238 to the left plotter table leg 208 and the support member 23.
Paper drive rollers 230 and 23 are supported by paper drive rollers 230 and 23 at the farthest apart ends of shaft 234.
2 is installed. Furthermore, belt wheel 25
0 is attached to the shaft 234 between the right paper drive wheel 232 and the outer surface of the strut member 236. Attached to the rear end 240 of the plotter table 202 is a paper drive motor 252. Motor 252 is mounted with a motor shaft 256 parallel to shaft 234 . Motor shaft 256 is mounted such that paper drive sheave 248 is substantially opposite shaft 234 . The belt pulley 250 and the paper drive belt pulley 248 are connected to a toothed belt 254.
This allows us to connect with each other. To minimize slippage between paper drive belt pulley 248 and idler 250 and belt 254, the drive surfaces of these wheels are toothed to mesh with the teeth of belt 254. Left and right paper drive rollers 230 and 232 are attached to a shaft 234, and approximately half of the output of motor 252 is transmitted to drive wheels 230 and 232, respectively. Therefore, by rotating motor 252 in a selected direction at a selected angle, paper drive rollers 230 and 232 also rotate in the same direction. The angle of rotation here depends on the ratio of the diameters of the paper drive sheave 248 and the sheave 250 to straighten the paper the desired distance in the desired direction to provide a single degree of freedom of motion for the plotting process.

Referring again to FIG. 7, it can be seen that pen head assembly 212 is slidably mounted between shaft 232 and lip 334. Penhead assembly 212 is also mounted between the ends of toothed belt 336 for lateral movement perpendicular to the direction of paper travel caused by paper drive rollers 230 and 232. A toothed belt 336 extends from both sides of the pen head assembly 212 and connects the sheave 340 and the shaft 34 of the pen drive motor 330.
The pen assembly is looped via a pen assembly drive belt pulley 328 attached to 6. Pen assembly drive belt pulley 328 and belt pulley 340
The working surface of is toothed to mate with the toothed surface of belt 336. Thus, pen head assembly 212 can be moved in a desired direction and a desired lateral distance by operating pen drive motor 330 to rotate its axis at a selected angle and in a selected direction.
This provides the second degree of freedom necessary for plotting the desired figure on the paper.

Limit switches 342 are provided at each extreme end of the track to prevent penhead assembly 212 from traveling too far along its track. As the pen head assembly 212 approaches either end of the track, the side of the assembly contacts a limit switch lever 344, which in turn closes the limit switch 342 and prevents the pen drive motor 330 from moving further in the same direction. Prevent it from rotating. Also, if you do not use PROTSUTA 210,
A pen capping mechanism for preventing ink from drying out from pen unit 214 is shown in FIG. After the final plot is completed, when the pen head assembly 212 is returned to the leftmost end of its trajectory, the pen assembly contact point 326 pushes against the cap arm contact point 316, causing the pen capping device 314 to rotate about the shaft 318. ,
The cap arm 322 is raised towards the nib 338 and the pen cap 324 is placed over the nib 338 when the pen head assembly 212 reaches the end of its track and closes the limit switch 342. The paint capping device 314 is connected to the shaft 31.
The pen head assembly 212 is rotatably attached to the printing table 202.
If it is not at the leftmost end of the pen cap arm 32
2 is in the position shown in FIG. When the pen head assembly 212 moves to the right from the rest position, the pen cap arm 322 is pulled downwardly by the spring 320 to ensure that the cap is removed from the nib 338. Furthermore, when the pen assembly 212 moves to its final position at the left end of the table 202, the pen assembly contact point 326 and the cap arm contact point 31
6 overcomes the tensile force of spring 320,
It must be noted that it is large enough to completely cap the nib 138.
Prevents the pen cap arm 322 from rotating too far up or down as the pen head assembly 212 moves from the leftmost end of its trajectory, and prevents contact with the pen assembly contact point 326 when the pen head assembly 212 returns to its rest position. To maintain the cap arm contact point 316 in position, the pen capping device 314 includes a travel limiting arm 31.
It is equipped with 2. The arm 312 is attached to the spring 32 when the pen cap arm 322 is not used.
When pulled downward to the rest position by 0,
It appears in front of the stop 310.

The three main elements of penhead assembly 212 are shown in FIGS. 7, 9 and 10. These elements include pen carriage 260, pen unit 214, and pen lift solenoid 278.

Figures 9a and 9b illustrate a pen carriage for the plotter shown in Figures 7 and 8.

Figures 10a and 10b are perspective views of the pen unit for the pen cartridge shown in Figures 9a and 9b.

That is, FIGS. 9a and 9b show views of pen carriage 260 from two different directions. Further, FIGS. 10a and 10b show views of the pen unit 214 from two directions. In FIG. 7, all three elements are shown assembled and in place on table plotter 210. pen·
Unit 214 (Figures 10a and 10b)
includes an ink reservoir 284 which is cylindrical in shape and has an ink tube 290 projecting therefrom terminating in a nib 338 . Cylinder-shaped ink reservoir 28
4 have mounting recesses 288 and attachment points 286 so that the pen unit 214 rotates about its center of gravity when mounted in place. A solenoid contact tab 292 and a pen cap tab 294 project outwardly from the curved surface of the cylinder and perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical reservoir 284. Additionally, a mounting recess 28 for a cylindrical ink reservoir 284
Stub 29 protruding outward from the side where 8 is located
There are 6. Stub 296 is mounted parallel to the central axis of cylindrical ink reservoir 284 and near the outer edge of the circular surface of the cylinder. Tab 29
The purpose of 2,294 and stub 296 will become clear from the discussion below.

It can be seen from FIGS. 9a and 9b that the pen carriage 260 is sized to accommodate the pen unit 214. The pen unit 214 is inserted into the pen cartridge from above, and the attachment points 286 and mounting recesses 288 of the pen unit 214 are respectively inserted into the pen cartridge 2.
60 is mated to pen retention socket 270 and pen retention point 268. The pen maintenance point 268 is
It is spring loaded and holds pen unit 214 in place by exerting a force along the central axis of 284. Therefore, attachment point 286 is attached to pen retaining socket 270.
be pushed into and supported. The pen holding point 268 is held down by a spring 262;
One end of the pen cartridge 260 passes through a hole in the outer end of the pen retaining shaft 266 that protrudes through the side of the pen cartridge 260, and the other end passes through a groove 264 in the front end of one of the arms of the pen cartridge 260. Furthermore, when in place, the stub 296 of the pen unit 214 is forced upwardly by the spring 272 to maintain contact between the paper and the nib 338. Also included in the paint cartridge 260 are retention tabs 274 and mounting holes 276. When the paint cartridge 260 is attached to the table 202, the hole 276 is connected to the shaft 332.
The tab 274 fits directly below the lip 334. The lip allows for side-to-side movement of the penhead assembly 212 and prevents it from lifting off the track surface. Belt attachment grooves 29 on both sides of the paint cartridge 260
8 and the ends of belt 336 are maintained by conventional means. Thus, as previously described, penhead assembly 212 is pulled in the desired direction by belt 336. Penkari Tsuji 26
Two other features included in 0 are a solenoid mounting surface 280 and a pen lift stop 282.
The purpose of these features will become clear from the following discussion.

Referring again to FIG. 7, the paint cartridge 2
Pen lift solenoid 278 is shown attached to solenoid mounting surface 280 of 60. Pen lift solenoid 278 is mounted such that its internal shaft 258 is in a position to exert pressure on solenoid contact tab 292 in response to an electrical signal applied to pen lift solenoid 278 . When power is applied to solenoid 278, internal shaft 258 protrudes to the surface and contacts solenoid contact tab 292. The shaft 258 then continues to protrude from the solenoid 278, causing the pen unit 214 to rotate about its central axis and raising the nib 338 from the paper surface. To limit rotational movement of pen unit 214 as a result of pressure from solenoid 278, pen unit 214 also includes a pen lift limit tab 294. Solenoid 278 is connected to pen unit 214
Pen lift limit tab 294 contacts adjustable pen lift stop 282 to prevent further rotation of pen unit 214 in order to continue rotating the pen unit 214 about its central axis within a selected rotational distance. .

The paper is driven into and out of the plotter 210,
As the pen head assembly 212 is driven laterally over the plotter table 202, the solenoid 278 is selectively energized and de-energized to raise and lower the nib 338 from the paper surface to plot selected characters or lines. Sometimes it happens.
Power is supplied to solenoid 278 by a pair of wires 246 from the solenoid through paint cartridge 260 and terminating at interface pad 244. Also, interface pad 24
4 is connected to one end of a pliable conductive ribbon 242, within which there are two conductive paths. Each of these conductive paths is connected to wire 2
46, respectively. Conductive ribbon 242 extends from pen head assembly 212 to the left, forming loop 302 and then back again to passageway 3.
Extends to the right within 00. The end thereof is then attached to the terminal 304. A conductive ribbon 242 connects from the terminal 304 to a pen vertical control unit (not shown).
connected to. The use of pliable conductive ribbon 242 to interface between the pen elevation control unit and pen head assembly 212 allows for flexible interconnection between the two units. Therefore, solenoid 2
The need for a pair of sliding wires or other fixed means to provide the necessary power to 78 is eliminated.

In either of the embodiments described above, it is also possible to substitute a thermal print head for the pen 14. When using a thermal printhead, there is no need to raise or lower it above the printing paper. Instead,
The thermal printing surface is maintained parallel to the plane on which the image is rendered. Also, in the case of a model equipped with a pen,
The signals for raising and lowering the pen 14 function to supply or remove power to the thermal printing head. Additional types of printing mechanisms (e.g. print wheels, imagers,
hot wires, etc.) can also be adapted to the plotter embodiments described above with similar modifications.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1a is a perspective view showing the whole plotter according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1b is a diagram showing how the paper is bent when plotting with the plotter shown in FIG. 1a, and FIG. Figure 2 is the first
An exploded perspective view showing the entire paper holding drive device of the pocket plotter shown in Figures 3a and 3.
Figure b is a diagram explaining the function of the idler that feeds paper to the paper stop when the paper crosses the paper holding drive device of the pocket plotter shown in Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a diagram of the plotter shown in Figure 1. Figure 5 shows a section of stretchable tape bent in three places to move the pen head of the printer; 6a and 6b are views of the pen head assembly 12 seen from below, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the entire table plotter after assembly, and FIG. 8 is a view of the table plotter according to the present invention.
Bottom view of the plotter, Figures 9a and 9b
Figures 10a and 10b show the pen cartridge for the plotter shown in Figures 7 and 8, and Figures 10a and 10b show the pen unit for the pen cartridge shown in Figures 9a and 9b. FIG.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Recording medium driving means for bidirectionally driving a plastically deformable recording medium along a first axis; and recording medium driving means for driving a plastically deformable recording medium along a second axis for recording on the recording medium In the plotter, the medium drive means has a drive wheel that is supplied with power to rotate, and a rotating body that is provided at a position opposite to the drive wheel, thereby driving the recording medium. The recording medium is held and driven between a wheel and the rotating body, and the surface of the driving wheel is a granular surface, and when the recording medium is held and driven in the direction along the first axis. , when the driving wheel first passes over the surface of the recording medium, the surface is plastically deformed by the pressure of the granular surface to form unevenness that engages with the granular surface, and the driving wheel When passing the surface of the medium for the second time or later, driving is performed by the engagement of the granular surface of the surface of the drive wheel with the unevenness formed by the first pass; 1. A plotter characterized in that the drive wheel and the recording medium are prevented from being misaligned even if the drive wheel is repeatedly driven in both directions along the axis of the plotter.