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US-12623475-B2 - Liquid discharge apparatus including a discharger on a wheeled platform and conveyor

US12623475B2US 12623475 B2US12623475 B2US 12623475B2US-12623475-B2

Abstract

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a wheeled platform and a discharger. The discharger is disposed on the wheeled platform to discharge a liquid onto an installation surface on which the discharger is installed. The wheeled platform movably holds the discharger in a vertical direction. The discharger includes at least three or more first supports and a second support. The at least three or more first supports are disposed at different corners of the discharger in a plan direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, to contact the installation surface to support the discharger. The second support is disposed at a corner different from the corners of the at least three or more first supports in the plan direction, to support the discharger. A position of the second support is adjustable in the vertical direction with respect to the installation surface.

Inventors

  • Masayuki SUNAOSHI

Assignees

  • Masayuki SUNAOSHI

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20240118
Priority Date
20230120

Claims (13)

  1. 1 . A liquid discharge apparatus comprising: a wheeled platform; and a discharger on the wheeled platform, the discharger to discharge a liquid onto an installation surface on which the discharger is installed, wherein the wheeled platform movably holds the discharger in a vertical direction, and the discharger includes: a frame that has a rectangular shape with four corners; the frame includes only three first supports at three corners of the discharger in a plan direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, to contact the installation surface to support the discharger; and the frame includes only one second support at one corner different from the three corners of the three first supports in the plan direction, to support the discharger, and a position of the second support is adjustable in the vertical direction with respect to the installation surface.
  2. 2 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second support includes: a shaft; a base attached to one end of the shaft to contact the installation surface; an elastic body to bias the base against the installation surface; a position determiner including: a plate fixed to a frame of the discharger and pressed by the elastic body; a hole in the plate, through which the shaft is inserted; and a fixing structure to fix a position of the shaft in the vertical direction.
  3. 3 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second support includes: a shaft; a base attached to one end the shaft to contact the installation surface; a lifting structure to move the shaft in the vertical direction; a detector to detect a biasing force applied to the base against the installation surface; and circuitry configured to control the lifting structure to move the shaft in the vertical direction according to the biasing force detected by the detector.
  4. 4 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the discharger includes: a head to discharge the liquid; and a carriage mounting the head to move the head in the plan direction, and wherein the carriage is moved to a predetermined position in the plan direction in response to a movement of the discharger at a printing position in the vertical direction.
  5. 5 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a maintenance system at the predetermined position to maintain the discharger.
  6. 6 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said three first supports form a triangular region in the plan direction in the discharger, and wherein a center of gravity of the discharger is inside the triangular region in the plan direction in response to a movement of the discharger at a printing position in the vertical direction.
  7. 7 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said three first supports are movable in the vertical direction.
  8. 8 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second support includes: a shaft; a base attached to one end of the shaft to contact the installation surface; and an elastic body to bias the base against the installation surface.
  9. 9 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second support includes: a shaft; a base attached to one end the shaft to contact the installation surface; a lifting structure to move the shaft in the vertical direction; and a detector to detect a biasing force applied to the base against the installation surface.
  10. 10 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the discharger includes a head to discharge the liquid.
  11. 11 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the discharger includes: a head to discharge the liquid; and a carriage mounting the head to move the head in the plan direction.
  12. 12 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said three first supports form a triangular region in the plan direction in the discharger.
  13. 13 . A wheeled platform comprising: a mounting table movable in a vertical direction, the mounting table including: a frame that has a rectangular shape with four corners: the frame includes only three first supports at three corners of a discharger in a plan direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, to contact an installation surface on which the discharger is installed, to support the discharger; and the frame includes only one second support at one corner different from the three corners of the three first supports in the plan direction, to support the discharger.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-007462, filed on Jan. 20, 2023, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. BACKGROUND Technical Field Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a liquid discharge apparatus and a conveyor. Related Art When, for example, white lines, characters, or symbols are printed on a road surface, a printing apparatus often forms a large printing region that exceeds a region in which a carriage, on which a discharge head is mounted, moves. For this reason, it is necessary to divide the printing region into multiple printing regions and to print multiple images such that the multiple images are connected while the printing apparatus is moved to each of the divided printing regions. As described above, when printing is performed on a road surface, typically, it is necessary to alternately move the printing apparatus itself and perform the printing process. In this case, when printing is performed by the printing apparatus, it is necessary to adjust the distance between a road surface, which may also be referred to simply as an installation surface in the following description, and the discharge head within a specified range. At the same time, it is necessary to prevent the printing apparatus from vibrating when a carriage provided for the printing apparatus performs scanning. For this reason, it is necessary to quickly fix the position of the printing apparatus with respect to a road surface when the road surface has irregularities. A technology has been disclosed that fixes the position of a printing apparatus with respect to a road surface having irregularities, in which, in a composite apparatus including multiple units, the heights of the multiple units are automatically adjusted from a level output of a reference unit and a level output of another unit such that a level deviation amount of the other unit is reduced. SUMMARY In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a liquid discharge apparatus includes a wheeled platform and a discharger. The discharger is disposed on the wheeled platform to discharge a liquid onto an installation surface on which the discharger is installed. The wheeled platform movably holds the discharger in a vertical direction. The discharger includes at least three or more first supports and a second support. The at least three or more first supports are disposed at different corners of the discharger in a plan direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, to contact the installation surface to support the discharger. The second support is disposed at a corner different from the corners of the at least three or more first supports in the plan direction, to support the discharger. A position of the second support is adjustable in the vertical direction with respect to the installation surface. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a wheeled platform includes a mounting table movable in a vertical direction. The mounting table includes at least three or more first supports and a second support. The at least three or more first supports are disposed at different corners of the discharger in a plan direction perpendicular to the vertical position, to contact the installation surface to support the discharger. The second support is disposed at a corner different from the corners of said at least three or more first supports in the plan direction, to support the discharger. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendant advantages and features thereof can be readily obtained and understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a liquid application apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the liquid application apparatus of FIG. 1 when a carriage of a printer provided for the liquid discharge apparatus is positioned at a maintenance position; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a moving mechanism of a carriage of a liquid application apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an adjustment stand of a liquid application apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of another adjustment stand of a liquid application apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wheeled platform of a liquid application apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a liquid application apparatus in which a printer is conveyed by a wheeled platform, according to an embo