The proposed invention is in the technical field of plotters.
More specifically, the present invention is in the technical field of vertical plotters.
More specifically, the present invention is in the technical field of vertical plotters for a wall application.
The proposed invention is a vertical plotter: a system that allows printing vector graphics on a vertical planar surface using gravity and two independent motors 7 mounted within the printing head as actuators.
The plotter is suspended by the two cables (or belts) 1 fixed at the two top extremities of the wall on one end and connected to the at least two independent motors 7 at the other end through a reduction gear 6. In particular, each reduction gear 6 is attached to a respective cable 1 by a reel 13.
Each motor 7, i.e. electric motor, rolling up or unrolling cable 1 or a synchronous belt, allows the planar movement of the plotter on a vertical surface or a wall.
The invention can be applied to any vertical planar surface just fixing the two top extremities of the two cables 1 at the same high and at a given distance on the wall. Gravity will ensure proper tension on cables 1 or belts.
A further actuator 2 within the vertical plotter allows moving a writing nib in and out through a servo-motor 4, putting it in contact with the surface, in order to draw or discontinue a drawing line.
Main features of the object are:
As shown in
Furthermore, printing head comprises contact projections 8 to rest on the writing surface while either erasing device 5 or the nib contacts the writing surface.
The workflow first thing foresees the generation of a series of polar coordinates necessary to draw the desired graphics on the vertical surface starting from Cartesian coordinates. All these coordinates are generated via software (i.e. Processing) starting from a vector/raster graphic image and/or a string of text provided by the user through a dedicated interface on a computer.
These coordinates are subsequently sent to a microcontroller (i.e. Arduino) installed within the printing head. The microcontroller elaborates the interpolations necessary to for the printing head to reach its proper position on the wall, point after point.
The microcontroller indeed activates motors 7 that, allowing reels 13 to rotate, rolling up or unrolling cables 1 (or the belts), let the printing head to move freely on the vertical surface; in addition to this, the microcontroller activates the writing/erasing systems previously described.
Preferably, a series of state LEDs allow the printing head to display its status, i.e. calibrating, moving, writing, erasing, to the user.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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13162804.2 | Apr 2013 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IB2014/060532 | 4/8/2014 | WO | 00 |