CN115107380A

CN115107380A - Printing apparatus and printing apparatus main body

Info

Publication number: CN115107380A
Application number: CN202210234750.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 藤井智也; 石田雅俊; 平田宗和
Original assignee: Ricoh Co Ltd
Current assignee: Ricoh Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-03-19
Filing date: 2022-03-10
Publication date: 2022-09-27

Abstract

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing apparatus main body capable of reducing friction of an electrical connection portion when a main body is attached and detached with a detachable member. The pressing mechanism includes a first moving member movable in the upstream and downstream directions in the mounting direction of the detachable member to the detachable member housing portion, and a second moving member movable in the downstream direction by the first moving member in the direction intersecting the mounting direction and pressing the electrical connection portion against the main body electrical connection portion.

Description

Printing apparatus and printing apparatus main body

Technical Field

The invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing apparatus main body.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses a portable image forming apparatus including: a detachable unit 40 electrically connected to the apparatus main body side; a pressurizing mechanism 12c for pressurizing the attachment/detachment unit 40 in a direction toward the body-side connection portion 13 by a unit-side connection portion of the attachment/detachment unit 40 attached to the apparatus body; and a movable member 12 that holds the pressing mechanism 12c and is movable, the movable member 12 being configured to be movable between a first position where the pressing mechanism 12c is closest to the main body side coupling portion 13 and a second position where the pressing mechanism 12c is farthest from the main body side coupling portion 13.

The invention provides a printing device which can reduce friction of an electric connection part when a main body part is assembled and disassembled by an assembling and disassembling component.

[ patent document 1 ] Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2020-055282

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, comprising: a removable member having an electrical connection portion; a main body portion that detachably accommodates the detachable member and that has a detachable member accommodating portion in which a main body side electrical connection portion is provided at a position opposite to an electrical connection portion in which the detachable member is accommodated; and an opening/closing member that is openable/closable with respect to the detachable member housing portion, the printing apparatus including a pressing mechanism that presses the electrical connection portion against the main body-side electrical connection portion and releases the pressing, the pressing mechanism including a first moving member that is movable toward an upstream side and a downstream side in a mounting direction of the detachable member to the detachable member housing portion, and a second moving member that is movable in a direction intersecting the mounting direction and in a direction in which the electrical connection portion is pressed against the main body-side electrical connection portion by movement of the first moving member toward the downstream side, the first moving member moving in the downstream side in the mounting direction by an operation of closing the opening/closing member to perform the pressing, and the opening/closing member being opened, the first moving member moves to an upstream side in the mounting direction to release the pressing.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus capable of reducing friction of an electrical connection portion when a mounting and demounting operation of a mounting and demounting member is performed on a main body portion.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view of the printing apparatus of the present invention as viewed from the left side.

Fig. 2 is an overall perspective view of the printing apparatus of the present invention as viewed from the lower surface thereof.

Fig. 3 is an overall perspective view of the printing apparatus of the present invention (when the opening/closing member is opened) as viewed from the left side.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state where the removable member is removed.

Fig. 5 is an explanatory view of the removable member housing portion.

Fig. 6 is an explanatory view showing an assembled configuration.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a relationship among the ink cartridge, the cartridge terminal, and the control board.

Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a relationship among the battery, the battery terminal, and the control board.

Fig. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of the pressing mechanism (when pressing is released).

Fig. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a pressing mechanism (at the time of pressing).

Fig. 11 is an explanatory view of the first moving member and the second moving member.

Fig. 12(a) and 12(b) are explanatory views of the second moving member.

Fig. 13 is an explanatory view of the main body side electrical connection portion.

Fig. 14(a) and 14(b) are schematic configuration diagrams of a first modification.

Fig. 15(a) and 15(b) are schematic configuration diagrams of a second modification.

Fig. 16(a) and 16(b) are schematic configuration diagrams of a third modification.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is an overall view of a hand-held mobile inkjet printer (hereinafter, referred to as an HMP) as one embodiment of a printing apparatus according to the present invention, and is an overall perspective view seen from a left side surface of the HMP. In the following description, the "printing apparatus" refers to a configuration having a main body, an opening/closing member, and a detachable member, which will be described later, and the "printing apparatus main body" refers to a configuration having a main body and an opening/closing member, which will be described later.

The HMP100 is mainly composed of a main body 1, an upper cover 2, and a head cover 3. The HMP100 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and the length in the main scanning direction (i.e., the printing direction: corresponding to the right and left directions of the arrow shown in fig. 1) is as large as the user can grasp with the palm.

In the present embodiment, the main body 1 is composed of an upper unit 11 and a lower unit 12, and the lower unit 12 is detachable from the upper unit 11. The lower unit 12 may be integrated with the upper unit 11 without being detachable from the upper unit 11.

The upper cover 2 is configured as a part of the housing of the HMP100 and is openable and closable with respect to the upper unit 11, and when a user presses the upper cover open/close switch 21, the lock is released. Thus, the upper cover 2 is configured to be opened upward with the upper cover pivot shaft 2a (see fig. 3) provided at the front portion of the upper cover 2 as a fulcrum. Here, the upper cover 2 is an example of an opening/closing member.

The head cover 3 is openable and closable with respect to the lower unit 12, and when the user presses the upper end portion of the head cover opening/closing lever 31, the claw portion provided at the lower end portion of the head cover opening/closing lever 31 is disengaged from the locking hole provided in the head cover 3. Thus, the head cover 3 is opened from the lower side of the main body to the front side of the main body with the head cover pivot shaft 3a provided in the front side of the upper unit 11 as a fulcrum.

On the left side of the upper unit 11, operation keys such as a power key 13, a print key 14, and a storage print key 15 are provided.

The power key 13 switches the HMP100 ON/OFF (ON/OFF) by pressing the key.

The print key 14 switches the start and standby of printing by the HMP100 by pressing the key.

The storage print key 15 is composed of a plurality of keys 15a to 15e, and the print data can be called from the keys 15a to 15e by storing the keys 15a to 15e in a storage unit inside the main body in association with the print data.

These operation keys are not limited to the key switches described above. For example, a display mechanism such as a touch panel may be provided on a side surface of the main body 1, and operations may be performed by the operation keys from the display mechanism.

The lower unit 12 has a marking member 16 protruding from a side of the lower unit 12 in the scanning direction of the HMP 100. The marking member 16 serves as a mark indicating a print start position when the user places the HMP100 on the print medium. Therefore, the length of the marking member 16 in the direction (front-rear direction) orthogonal to the main scanning direction is preferably set to the same length as the printing width of the printing mechanism.

The upper unit 11 has another marker member 17 that can be stored in the upper unit 11 in the vicinity of the marker member 16. When necessary, the user pulls out the marking member 17 from the upper unit 11 for use. In order for a user to enable the HMP100 to scan correctly in the desired printing direction, the marking component 17 guides the scanning direction of the HMP 100.

The upper unit 11 has an LED (light emitting diode) display unit 19 on a side surface near the housing portion of the indicator member 17. The LED display unit 19 notifies the user of an abnormality in a printing operation, an erroneous operation, a warning about the remaining amount of ink or a battery, and the like.

Fig. 2 is an overall perspective view of the HMP as viewed from the lower surface thereof in a state where the head cover is opened. The same reference numerals are given to the already-described components, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

When the user presses the upper end of the head cover opening/closing lever 31, the head cover 3 is disengaged from the locking hole 3b provided in the head cover 3 by the claw portion 31a provided at the lower end of the head cover opening/closing lever 31. Thereby, the head cover 3 is opened from the lower side of the main body to the front side of the main body with the head cover turning shaft 3a provided in the front side portion of the upper unit 11 as a fulcrum.

The head cover 3 has a head cover 32 on its inner side. In a state where the head cover 3 is closed, the head cap 32 covers the head exposed on the lower surface of the main body 1, and moisturizes the head to prevent a print failure due to ink clogging of the head.

The lower unit 12 has a rectangular opening 12a in the center thereof. A nozzle surface of the head 6 that performs ink jet recording and a detection surface of the position sensor 7 that detects the position of the HMP100 during printing are exposed from the opening 12 a.

The position sensor 7 detects a distance to the surface of the target medium, a surface state (unevenness, etc.) of the target medium, and a moving distance of the HMP 100. As the position sensor 7, for example, the same sensor as that used for an optical mouse (pointing device) of a personal computer or the like can be used.

The lower unit 12 has rollers 18 at four places in the area outside the opening 12 a. These rollers 18 are supported by a roller rotation shaft 18a provided in a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the HMP100 (hereinafter, also referred to as a sub-scanning direction), and the rollers 18 assist the movement of the HMP100 in the scanning direction.

The lower unit 12 is detachable from the upper unit 11. The lower unit 12 is configured such that when a user operates a detachable lever 12b provided at the rear of the lower unit 12, engagement between the lower unit 12 and a hook member (not shown) of the upper unit 11 is released. Thereby, the lower unit 12 can be detached from the upper unit 11.

At the time of printing, the HMP100 is arranged such that the head cap 3 is opened as shown in fig. 2 and the lower surface of the HMP100, that is, the head 6 faces the surface of the medium to be printed. Then, the user holds the main body 1 of the HMP100, scans the HMP100 manually, and prints on the print medium with the ink discharged from the head 6. Here, the head 6 is an example of a printing mechanism.

Fig. 3 is an overall perspective view of the HMP as viewed from the left side thereof with the upper cover opened, and fig. 4 is an explanatory view of a state in which the removable member is removed.

When the user presses the upper cover opening/closing switch 21, the upper cover 2 is unlocked, and the upper cover 2 is opened upward (in the direction of arrow B) with the pivot provided in the front portion of the upper cover 2 as a fulcrum.

When the upper cover 2 is opened, the upper surfaces of the ink cartridge 4 and the battery 5 are exposed, and as shown in fig. 4, the user can take out the ink cartridge 4 and the battery 5 from the main body 1. The ink cartridge 4 of the present embodiment is configured such that the head 6 is integrally provided at the bottom. Here, the ink cartridge 4 is an example of a detachable member, and the battery 5 is an example of a battery.

The upper cover 2 has a pressing projection 22a on the inner side thereof, which constitutes a part of a pressing mechanism described later. When the upper cover 2 is closed, the pressing projection 22a abuts against the first moving member 22b provided in the main body 1, and the first moving member 22b is pushed down into the main body 1 to operate the pressing mechanism.

Fig. 5 is an explanatory view of the detachable part housing unit, and is a plan view of the HMP100 with the upper cover 2 opened and the ink cartridge 4 and the battery 5 not mounted.

The main body 1 has an ink cartridge accommodating portion 23 for accommodating the ink cartridge 4 and a battery accommodating portion 24 for accommodating the battery 5. The cartridge accommodating portion 23 and the battery accommodating portion 24 are arranged in the sub-scanning direction (on the line a) of the HMP 100.

The cartridge accommodating section 23 has a predetermined depth in the height direction of the HMP100 (the direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction). The ink cartridge accommodating portion 23 has a head opening 23a at the bottom thereof for exposing the head 6 provided in the ink cartridge 4 from the bottom of the main body 1.

The cartridge accommodating section 23 has a cartridge terminal 23b electrically connected to the cartridge 4 at a lower portion of the front surface in the accommodating section. Here, the cartridge terminal 23b is an example of a main body side electrical connection portion.

The battery housing portion 24 has a predetermined depth in the height direction of the HMP 100. The battery housing portion 24 has a compression spring 24a for ejecting the battery 5 to bias the bottom surface thereof upward and a battery terminal 24b electrically connected to the battery 5 at the bottom thereof.

Further, a stopper 24c that comes into contact with a part of the upper surface of the battery 5 is provided at the upper portion of the battery housing portion 24. When the battery 5 is taken out from the battery housing portion 24, the user can move the stopper 24c to a position retreated from the upper surface of the battery 5. As a result, the battery 5 is slightly lifted by the force of the compression spring 24a, and the user can easily remove the battery 5 from the battery housing portion 24.

Further, the main body 1 has a pressing mechanism 22 between the cartridge accommodating portion 23 and the battery accommodating portion 24 on a straight line a in the sub-scanning direction.

The pressing mechanism 22 has a first moving member 22b and a second moving member 22 c. As will be described in detail later, when the pressing protrusion 22a of the upper cover 2 pushes down the first moving member 22b, the second moving member 22c enters the ink cartridge accommodating portion 23.

When the ink cartridge 4 is present in the cartridge accommodating section 23, the second moving member 22c presses and contacts the ink cartridge 4 against the cartridge terminal 23b by the above-described operation of the second moving member 22 c. Thereby, the ink cartridge 4 is electrically connected to the cartridge terminal 23 b.

Fig. 6 is an explanatory view showing an assembled configuration.

In the present embodiment, the cartridge accommodating section 23, the battery accommodating section 24, and the pressing mechanism 22 are attached to the support 11 a. Then, the ink cartridge 4 and the battery 5 are mounted with respect to the

respective housing portions

23 and 24 provided on the support 11 a. In addition, the support 11a constitutes a part of the main body 1.

The support 11a holds a control board 25 on one side (the left side in the present embodiment). The control board 25 includes electronic components such as a storage unit including a CPU (central processing unit) that executes processing corresponding to reception of instructions from the head drive and the operation buttons and instructions, a ROM (random access memory), and a RAM (random access memory).

The control board 25 has a plane portion and an edge portion (in the thickness direction), and the plane portion is a wide surface of the control board 25. The planar portion of the control substrate 25 is disposed along the height direction (the direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction in the figure) of the support 11a (HMP 100).

The control board 25 is provided on the support 11a so that a flat surface portion of the control board 25 faces the ink cartridge 4 and the battery 5 with the support 11a therebetween in the main scanning direction. In the following description, for convenience, a surface of the planar portion of the control board 25 facing the ink cartridge 4 and the battery 5 is also referred to as an "opposite surface".

The control board 25 has

terminals

13t, 14t, and 15t, which form electrical contacts with the power key 13, the print key 14, the storage print key 15, and the like shown in fig. 1, on the surface side opposite to the facing surface. Further, an LED display unit 19 shown in fig. 1 is disposed at a position on the front side of the control board 25.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 26 denotes an FPC (F1 exiblePrintedcircuts: Flexible printed Circuit Board) for electrically connecting the ink cartridge terminals 23b to the control board 25.

Fig. 7 is an explanatory view showing a relationship among the ink cartridge, the cartridge terminal, and the control board, and is a perspective view as viewed from the right side.

The ink cartridge 4 has the head 6 at the bottom thereof, and when the ink cartridge is mounted, the ink cartridge 4 is pushed to a position where the terminal of the ink cartridge 4 faces the cartridge terminal 23 b.

The control board 25 is provided with a battery terminal 24b constituting an electric contact with the battery 5 on a surface facing the battery 5.

Fig. 8 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between the battery, the battery terminal, and the control board, and is a perspective view seen from the right side.

The battery terminal 24b is a terminal visible from the bottom of the battery housing portion 24 in fig. 5, and the battery terminal 24b is provided directly on the control board 25.

When the battery is mounted, the positional relationship among the battery 5, the battery terminal 24b, and the control board 25 is a state in which the battery 5 is pushed to a position where the terminal of the battery 5 contacts the battery terminal 24b, as shown in fig. 8.

As described above, the battery terminal 24b is directly attached to the control board 25, and the battery terminal 24b is provided facing the terminal of the battery 5 and facing upward when the battery 5 is attached and detached. Thus, when the battery 5 is attached to and detached from the battery housing portion 24, the terminals do not rub against each other, and damage or deformation of the terminals can be prevented.

Further, since the battery terminal 24b is directly attached to and incorporated in the control board 25, it is not necessary to provide another control board and a cable or the like for connecting the boards between the control board 25 and the battery 5. This can suppress a voltage drop between the control board 25 and the battery 5, and can perform printing accurately without variation in ink ejection amount or the like. In addition, reduction in the size of the body can be facilitated.

The pressing mechanism 22 will be described in detail below.

Fig. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of the pressing mechanism when the pressing is released.

The main body 1 has an ink cartridge accommodating portion 23 and a battery accommodating portion 24, the ink cartridge accommodating portion 23 accommodates the ink cartridge 4, and the battery accommodating portion 24 accommodates the battery 5.

The pressing mechanism 22 is located between the ink cartridge 4 and the battery 5, and the ink cartridge 4, the pressing mechanism 22, and the battery 5 are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the main body 1.

In the state of fig. 9, the electrical connection between the cartridge terminal 23b provided at the lower part of the front surface in the cartridge accommodating section 23 and the terminal 4a provided at the lower part of the cartridge 4 is not complete. Here, the terminal 4a of the ink cartridge 4 is an example of an electrical connection portion of a detachable member.

The pressing mechanism 22 mainly includes a pressing protrusion 22a provided inside the upper cover 2, and a first moving member 22b and a second moving member 22c provided between the cartridge accommodating portion 23 and the battery accommodating portion 24.

Then, the main body 1 supports the first moving member 22b so as to be movable in the vertical direction (the height direction of the main body 1). The main body 1 supports the second moving member 22c so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (direction orthogonal to the height direction of the main body 1) (the detailed configuration of each moving member will be described later).

The moving direction of the first moving member 22b is substantially the same as the attaching and detaching direction of the ink cartridge 4 to and from the cartridge accommodating section 23. Among the attaching and detaching directions, a direction when the ink cartridge 4 is attached (mounted) in the cartridge accommodating section 23 is referred to as "mounting direction". Therefore, the direction of attachment and detachment of the ink cartridge 4 in the present embodiment is the vertical direction, and the direction in which the ink cartridge 4 is oriented from the upper side to the lower side is the mounting direction. That is, the first moving member 22b is movable in a direction from the upper side toward the lower side of the ink cartridge 4 ("downstream side of the mounting direction") and in a direction from the lower side toward the upper side of the ink cartridge 4 ("upstream side of the mounting direction").

The moving direction of the second moving member 22c is substantially the same direction as the pressing direction (the direction in which the ink cartridge 4 is directed from "rear" to "front" in fig. 9) in which the terminal 4a of the ink cartridge 4 is pressed against the cartridge terminal 23b provided on the main body side. The pressing direction is a relationship intersecting the mounting direction of the ink cartridge 4.

The first moving member 22b and the second moving member 22c are preferably formed of resin having excellent sliding mobility and wear resistance, and polyacetal resin is used for the first moving member 22b and the second moving member 22c in the present embodiment.

When the upper cover 2 is closed with the pivot shaft 2a as a fulcrum, the pressing projection 22a abuts against the first moving member 22b exposed on the upper surface of the main body 1, and pushes the first moving member 22b downward toward the inside of the main body 1. The first moving member 22b has a shape extending in the height direction of the main body 1, and has a tilted portion 221 in a part thereof, and the tilted portion 221 has a tilted surface tilted downward to the left. Further, a compression spring 22d is disposed at a lower end portion of the first moving member 22 b.

The compression spring 22d always biases the first moving member 22b upward, and the first moving member 22b does not pressurize the second moving member 22c via the inclined portion 221 in a state where the upper cover 2 is opened.

The second moving member 22c has an inclined portion 222 at a portion facing the inclined portion 221 provided in the first moving member 22b, the inclined portion 221 has an inclined surface inclined in the upward right direction, and the pressing portion 223 at a portion facing the ink cartridge 4. Here, the compression spring 22d is an example of the urging member.

Then, as the first moving member 22b moves downward (downstream in the mounting direction), the inclined portion 222 of the second moving member 22c receives a force by coming into contact with the inclined portion 221 of the first moving member 22b, and the second moving member 22c moves forward.

When the pressing is released, the first moving member 22b moves upward (upstream in the mounting direction), and the second moving member 22c releases the pressing state of the ink cartridge 4, and the terminals in contact with each other are not pressed. Thereby, a gap G can be formed between the ink cartridge 4 and the second moving member 22c when the pressing is released.

The operation when releasing the pressing is not a linkage of the first moving member 22b and the second moving member 22c, but only the first moving member 22b does not press the second moving member 22c any more. Therefore, the movement of the first moving member 22b upward and the formation of the gap G are not necessarily interlocked. As described above, when the pressing is released, the state in which the second moving member 22c presses the ink cartridge 4 can be released, and the terminals that are in contact with each other are not pressed. That is, if the second moving member 22c is not in a state of pressing the ink cartridge 4(a state of applying a force), a state in which there is no gap G between the second moving member 22c and the ink cartridge 4 also corresponds to "pressing release time".

However, even in this case, since the second moving member 22c is in a free state because no pressing force is applied to the second moving member 22c, the gap G can be obtained by slightly moving the ink cartridge 4 to the rear side when the user takes out the ink cartridge 4 from the cartridge accommodating section 23.

Then, the presence of the gap G can reduce the chance of the cartridge terminal 23b and the terminal 4a of the ink cartridge 4 rubbing against each other when the ink cartridge 4 is attached to and detached from the cartridge accommodating unit 23.

Fig. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a pressing mechanism in pressing. The same reference numerals are given to the already-described components, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

When the second moving member 22c presses the ink cartridge 4, the terminal 4a of the ink cartridge 4 is pressed and abutted against the cartridge terminal 23b provided on the main body side. That is, when the upper cover 2 is closed, the pressing projection 22a pushes down the first moving member 22 b. As the first moving member 22b moves downward, the inclined portion 222 of the second moving member 22c receives a force by coming into contact with the inclined portion 221 of the first moving member 22b, and the second moving member 22c moves forward.

The pressing portion 223 presses the ink cartridge 4 forward by the movement of the second moving member 22c, and the terminal 4a of the ink cartridge 4 abuts against the cartridge terminal 23b with an appropriate pressing force to be electrically connected.

Next, a state in which the pressing is released from the pressing state shown in fig. 10 will be described. When the upper cover 2 is opened from the state of fig. 10, the pressing projection 22a releases the pressing of the 1 st moving member 22 b. Then, the compression spring 22d biases the first moving member 22b upward, and the first moving member 22b moves upward (upstream side in the mounting direction) and returns to the position of fig. 9. As the first moving member 22b moves, the first moving member 22b releases the force that moves the second moving member 22c to the front side (pressing direction), and the second moving member 22c is in a state in which it is free to move in the front-rear direction.

Thus, the second moving member 22c is in contact with only the ink cartridge 4 or in a state where the gap G exists, and the pressing between the terminal 4a of the ink cartridge 4 and the cartridge terminal 23b on the main body side is released. Therefore, by taking out the ink cartridge 4 from the cartridge accommodating section 23 in this state, friction between the terminal 4a of the ink cartridge 4 and the cartridge terminal 23b on the main body side can be reduced.

The positions and angles of the inclined portion 221 of the first moving member and the inclined portion 222 of the second moving member may be appropriately changed so that the second moving member 22c can smoothly move in the front-rear direction.

The position of the second moving member 22c in the height direction with respect to the main body 1 is preferably set in consideration of the moment balance with the ink cartridge 4. In the present embodiment, the second moving member 22c presses a position lower than the center position in the height direction of the ink cartridge 4.

As described above, by providing the

inclined portions

221 and 222 at the portions where the first moving member 22b and the second moving member 22c abut against each other, the component force can be reliably applied to the front side. This allows the ink cartridge 4 to move toward the cartridge terminal 23b, thereby reliably performing electrical connection.

When the second moving member 22c is shifted from the pressed state (fig. 10) to the pressed release state (fig. 9), an elastic member such as a spring that urges the second moving member 22c rearward may be added to the second moving member 22 c. When such an elastic member is provided, the second moving member 22c can be positively retracted to a position where the gap G is secured between the ink cartridge 4 and the second moving member 22 c.

As described above, the present embodiment is an HMP100 including the ink cartridge 4 having the terminal 4 a; a main body part 1 which detachably accommodates an ink cartridge 4 and has an ink cartridge accommodating part 23 in which an ink cartridge terminal 23b is provided at a position opposed to a terminal 4a accommodating the ink cartridge 4, and an upper cover 2 which is openable and closable with respect to the ink cartridge accommodating part 23, wherein the HMP100 has a pressing mechanism 22 for bringing the terminal 4a into a state of pressing the ink cartridge terminal 23b and a state of releasing the pressing, the pressing mechanism 22 includes a first moving member 22b which is movable toward an upstream side and a downstream side in a mounting direction of the ink cartridge 4 to the ink cartridge accommodating part 23, and a second moving member 22c which is movable in a direction intersecting the mounting direction and in a direction of pressing the terminal 4a to the ink cartridge terminal 23b by a movement of the first moving member 22b toward the downstream side, and the pressing is performed by a movement of closing the upper cover 2 such that the first moving member 22b is moved toward the downstream side in the mounting direction, by the operation of opening the upper cover 2, the first moving member 22b moves to the upstream side in the attaching direction to release the pressing.

Thus, in a state where the pressing between the terminal 4a of the ink cartridge 4 and the cartridge terminal 23b of the cartridge accommodating portion 23 is released, the operation of attaching and detaching the ink cartridge 4 to and from the cartridge accommodating portion 23 can be performed, and therefore, the friction between the terminal 4a of the ink cartridge 4 and the cartridge terminal 23b of the cartridge accommodating portion 23 can be reduced.

Further, the pressing mechanism 22 can obtain the pressing position and the pressing release position by the movement of the moving member in the vertical direction (mounting direction) and the horizontal direction (direction intersecting the mounting direction), and the space required for the movement in the front-rear direction shown in fig. 9 and 10 can be reduced.

As in patent document 1, in the configuration in which the pressing position and the pressing release position are obtained by the mechanism for pressing the ink cartridge 4 swinging in the front-rear direction, a space for moving the pressing mechanism to the pressing release position is required on the rear side of the pressing mechanism. In contrast, since the pressing mechanism 22 of the present embodiment can obtain the pressing position and the pressing release position by moving in the vertical direction (mounting direction) and in the horizontal direction toward the front side (direction intersecting the mounting direction), the space for moving the pressing mechanism to the pressing release position can be reduced on the rear side of the pressing mechanism.

Further, the pressing mechanism can be mounted in a limited space where the ink cartridge 4 and the battery 5 are disposed in front of and behind the pressing mechanism 22, and is more effective in a device such as HMP which requires portability. As a result, the HMP100 can be provided that achieves both the downsizing of the pressing mechanism 22 and the reduction in friction of the terminal 4a during the operation of attaching and detaching the ink cartridge 4 to and from the main body 1.

As described above, the upper cover 2 is a cover member that constitutes a part of the housing of the HMP 100.

This makes it possible to easily switch between pressing and releasing of the pressing mechanism 22 by the opening and closing operation of the upper cover 2.

In addition, as described above, the ink cartridge 4 has the head 6.

As described above, the head 6 performs printing by manually scanning the main body 1(HMP 100).

Thus, if the upper cover 2 is opened, the ink cartridge accommodating section 23 can be directly operated, and the ink cartridge 4 and the head 6 can be easily replaced.

Fig. 11 is an explanatory view of the first moving member and the second moving member, and is a perspective view seen from the right side.

The first moving member 22b constituting the pressing mechanism 22 has a guide pin 224 on a side surface. On the other hand, the support 11a has a guide hole 225 on a side surface thereof, which engages with the guide pin 224 of the first moving member 22 b. The support 11a has a battery housing 24 on the rear side of the first moving member 22 b.

By fitting the guide pin 224 into the guide hole 225, the first moving member 22b can move in the up-down direction with respect to the support 11 a. In this way, the support 11a supports the first moving member 22b so as to be movable in the up-down direction, that is, the mounting direction of the ink cartridge 4.

A second moving member 22c having a pressing portion 223 that abuts on the ink cartridge 4 is disposed on the lower front side of the first moving member 22 b. The second moving member 22c will be described in detail below.

Fig. 12(a) to 12(b) are explanatory views of the second moving member, fig. 12(a) is a side sectional view of the second moving member, and fig. 12(b) is an overall perspective view of the movement guide member holding the second moving member.

As described above, the second moving member 22c is located on the lower front side of the first moving member 22 b. The second moving member 22c is a separate member independent from the first moving member 22 b. A frame-shaped movement guide member 226 is attached to the support 11 a. The second moving member 22c is configured to be mounted on the support 11a shown in fig. 11 by means of the moving guide member 226.

The second moving member 22c includes a first movable member 22c-1, a second movable member 22c-2, and a compression spring 227.

The first movable member 22c-1 has an inclined portion 222 on the rear side, and is provided in the movement guide member 226 movably toward the front-rear direction with respect to the movement guide member 226.

The second movable member 22c-2 has a pressing portion 223 on the front side, and is provided on the first movable member 22c-1 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the first movable member 22c-1 by a compression spring 227.

The compression spring 227 is provided between the first movable member 22c-1 and the second movable member 22c-2, and urges the pressing portion 223 forward. Here, the compression spring 227 is an example of the pressing portion urging member.

The second moving member 22c having the above-described configuration can be moved in the front-rear direction with respect to the movement guide member 226 by being fitted into the guide hole 226a of the movement guide member 226. When the movement guide member 226 having the second moving member 22c is attached to the support 11a shown in fig. 11, the support 11a supports the second moving member 22c so as to be movable in a direction intersecting the attachment direction of the ink cartridge 4. Then, the inclined portion 222 of the first movable member 22c-1 receives a force from the inclined portion 221 of the first moving member 22b, so that the second moving member 22c moves toward the front side (the ink cartridge 4 side).

Further, the amount of forward movement of the pressing portion 223 is limited by the limiting member. The regulating member is constituted by, for example, a convex stopper 228 provided on the inner surface of the guide hole 226a of the movement guide member 226, and regulates the movement amount of the pressing portion 223 by engaging with a part of the second movable member 22 c-2. This allows the ink cartridge 4 to be pressed with an appropriate pressing force.

In the present embodiment, the cartridge terminal 23b as an example of the main body side electrical connection portion is disposed at a lower portion of the front surface in the cartridge accommodating portion 23. The cartridge terminal 23b has a plurality of contacts 231 electrically connected to the terminal 4a of the cartridge 4. A plurality of contact points 231 are provided on an FPC (flexible printed circuit board) 26, and protrude from the FPC26 so as to face the terminals 4a of the ink cartridge 4.

The cartridge terminal 23b has an elastic member 232 made of silicone rubber or the like. The elastic member 232 contracts by the operation of the ink cartridge 4 pressing the cartridge terminal 23b, and generates a restoring force to return to its original state.

When the pressing mechanism 22 is released from the pressing, the restoring force of the elastic member 232 pushes back the ink cartridge 4 to the rear side, and serves to reduce (or eliminate) the contact between the cartridge terminal 23b and the terminal 4 a.

In addition, the position where the elastic member 232 is disposed is not limited to the above. For example, the elastic member 232 may be provided between the surface of the FPC26 on the side where the contact 231 is not provided and the inner surface of the ink cartridge accommodating portion 23.

Fig. 14(a) to 14(b) are explanatory views of a first modification of the printing apparatus of the present invention, in which fig. 14(a) shows a case where the pressing mechanism is in a pressing-released state, and fig. 14(b) shows a case where the pressing mechanism is in a pressing state.

The first modification is such that the function of the first moving member 22b constituting the pressing mechanism is provided together with the upper cover 2. That is, the pressing protrusion 22a provided inside the upper cover 2 also functions as a first moving member 22b that moves toward the downstream side in the mounting direction of the ink cartridge 4. In the first modification, the first moving member 22b can move in the vertical direction, which is the direction in which the ink cartridge 4 is mounted in the cartridge housing section 23 (mounting direction).

In the first modification as well, as in the above-described embodiment, the second moving member 22c pushes the ink cartridge 4 forward based on the closing operation of the upper cover 2, and the terminal 4a can be reliably connected to the cartridge terminal 23 b.

Further, by releasing the pressing of the second moving member 22c against the ink cartridge 4 based on the operation of opening the upper cover 2, the friction between the cartridge terminal 23b and the terminal 4a of the ink cartridge 4 can be reduced.

As described above, the first moving member 22b is provided on the upper cover 2.

This can provide the HMP100 with a simplified configuration of the pressing mechanism 22 and a reduced number of parts.

Fig. 15(a) to 15(b) are explanatory views of a first modification of the printing apparatus of the present invention, in which fig. 15(a) shows a case where the pressing mechanism is in a pressing-released state, and fig. 15(b) shows a case where the pressing mechanism is in a pressing state.

The second modification is a configuration in which the positions of the ink cartridge 4 and the pressing mechanism 22 are switched. That is, the pressing mechanism 22 is disposed on the side closer to the rotation shaft 2a of the upper cover 2 than the ink cartridge 4 in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the printing apparatus main body.

Specifically, the pressing projection 22a is disposed near the rotation axis 2a of the upper cover 2. The configuration of the pressing mechanism 22 itself is the same as that of the above embodiment, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

In the second modification, the configuration of the pressing protrusion 22a is not limited to the above configuration. For example, the pressing protrusion 22a may be integrally provided as a cam surface on the rotating shaft 2a of the upper cover 2.

In the second modification, the second moving member 22c pushes the ink cartridge 4 forward based on the closing operation of the upper cover 2, and the terminal 4a can be reliably connected to the cartridge terminal 23 b.

Fig. 16(a) to 16(b) are explanatory views of a third modification of the printing apparatus of the present invention, in which fig. 16(a) shows a case where the pressing mechanism is in a pressing-released state, and fig. 16(b) shows a case where the pressing mechanism is in a pressing state.

The third modification is a configuration in which the first moving member 22b and the second moving member 22c are moved using a link mechanism. That is, the first moving member 22b and the second moving member 22c are coupled by an L-shaped plate member 22 e. The plate member 22e is pivotable about a pivot shaft 22f as a fulcrum, and the body 1 or the support 11a supports the pivot shaft 22 f.

A compression spring 22d as an urging member is provided at a lower end portion of the first moving member 22b, and the compression spring 22d constantly urges the first moving member 22b upward. When the upper cover 2 is closed, the pressing projection 22a abuts against the first moving member 22b, and pushes down the first moving member 22b against the urging force of the compression spring 22 d.

When the first moving member 22b descends, the plate member 22e rotates in the clockwise direction with the rotation shaft 22f as a fulcrum. As a result, the second moving member 22c moves forward, and as shown in fig. 16(b), the second moving member 22c presses the ink cartridge 4 forward. As a result, the terminal 4a of the ink cartridge 4 is pressed against the cartridge terminal 23b on the main body side, and the electrical connection can be reliably performed.

When the upper cover 2 is opened, the first moving member 22b is returned upward by the restoring force of the compression spring 22d, and therefore the plate member 22e is rotated counterclockwise about the rotation shaft 22f as a fulcrum. At the same time, the plate member 22e pulls the second moving member 22c to the rear side, and as shown in fig. 16(a), the second moving member 22c is separated from the ink cartridge 4.

In the above description, the compression spring 22d is disposed at the lower end portion of the first moving member 22b, but the position where the compression spring 22d is disposed is not limited to this. For example, the plate member 22e may be provided with a compression spring 22d for biasing the plate member 22e in a counterclockwise direction.

In the case of the third modification, the first moving member 22b and the second moving member 22c are coupled by a link mechanism. Therefore, by opening the upper cover 2, the second moving member 22c can be reliably pulled out to a position not contacting the ink cartridge 4, and the pressing of the ink cartridge 4 can be reliably released.

In the third modification, the second moving member 22c pushes the ink cartridge 4 forward based on the closing operation of the upper cover 3, and the terminal 4a can be reliably connected to the cartridge terminal 23 b.

The configuration of the link mechanism is not limited to the above configuration. The second moving member 22c may be configured to move in the front-rear direction by converting the vertical movement of the first moving member 22b into the front-rear movement (horizontal direction). Alternatively, a cam mechanism may be used instead of the link mechanism.

In the above description, the ink jet recording system is exemplified as the printing mechanism, but the present invention is not limited to the ink jet recording system. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a printing apparatus of another system such as a thermal system or a thermal transfer system.

In addition, in the present invention, the to-be-printed medium is not limited to paper. For example, corrugated board paper, cloth, resin film, glass, rubber, metal, packaging containers, electronic boards, and other media are used.

The above description is merely an example, and the present invention has specific effects in the following various modes.

[ first mode ]

A first aspect relates to a printing apparatus (e.g., HMP100) comprising: a removable member (e.g., ink cartridge 4) having an electrical connection portion (e.g., terminal 4 a); a main body (for example, a main body 1) which detachably accommodates the detachable member and has a detachable member accommodating portion (for example, an ink cartridge accommodating portion 23) in which a main body side electrical connection portion (for example, an ink cartridge terminal 23b) is provided at a position opposite to an electrical connection portion accommodating the detachable member; and an opening/closing member (e.g., an upper cover 2) openable and closable with respect to the detachable member housing portion, the printing apparatus including a pressing mechanism (e.g., a pressing mechanism 22) for bringing the electrical connection portion into a state of being pressed against the main body side electrical connection portion and a state of being released from the pressing, the pressing mechanism including a first moving member (e.g., a first moving member 22b) movable toward upstream and downstream sides in a mounting direction of the detachable member to the detachable member housing portion, and a second moving member (e.g., a second moving member 22c) movable in a direction intersecting the mounting direction and in a direction of pressing the electrical connection portion against the main body side electrical connection portion by movement of the first moving member toward the downstream side, the opening/closing member being closed, the first moving member moves to the downstream side in the mounting direction to perform the pressing, and the first moving member moves to the upstream side in the mounting direction to release the pressing by the operation of opening the opening/closing member.

According to the first aspect, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus capable of reducing friction of an electrical connection portion when a mounting and demounting operation of a mounting and demounting member is performed on a main body portion.

[ second mode ]

The second mode is characterized in that in the first mode, the first moving member (for example, the first moving member 22b) is provided on the opening/closing member (for example, the upper cover 2).

According to the second aspect, the configuration of the pressing mechanism can be simplified, and the number of components can be reduced.

[ third mode ]

A third aspect is characterized in that, in the first or second aspect, the opening/closing member (e.g., the upper cover 2) is a cover member that constitutes a part of a housing of the printing apparatus (e.g., the HMP 100).

According to the third aspect, the pressing/releasing of the pressing by the pressing mechanism can be easily switched by the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing member.

[ fourth mode ]

A fourth aspect is characterized in that, in any one of the first to third aspects, the removable member (e.g., the ink cartridge 4) has a printing mechanism (e.g., the head 6).

[ fifth mode ]

A fifth aspect is characterized in that in the fourth aspect, the printing mechanism (e.g., the head 6) performs printing by manually scanning the main body (e.g., the main body 1).

According to the fourth and fifth aspects, the removable member housing portion can be directly operated if the opening/closing member is opened, and the removable member and the printing mechanism can be easily replaced.

[ sixth mode ]

A sixth aspect is characterized in that, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the first moving member (e.g., the first moving member 22b) is movable in a direction along a height direction of the printing apparatus (e.g., the HMP100), and the second moving member (e.g., the second moving member 22c) is movable in a direction orthogonal to the height direction and in a direction of pressing the electrical connection portion (e.g., the terminal 4a) against the main body side electrical connection portion (e.g., the cartridge terminal 23 b).

[ seventh mode ]

A seventh aspect is characterized in that, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the first moving member (for example, the first moving member 22b) and the second moving member (for example, the second moving member 22c) each have an inclined surface, and the inclined surface (for example, the inclined portion 221) of the first moving member comes into contact with the inclined surface (for example, the inclined portion 222) of the second moving member by the movement of the first moving member to the downstream side.

[ eighth mode ]

The eighth aspect is characterized in that any one of the first to seventh aspects includes an urging member (e.g., a compression spring 22d) that urges the first moving member (e.g., the first moving member 22b) toward the upstream side in the mounting direction.

According to the sixth to eighth aspects, the pressing mechanism can obtain the pressing position and the pressing release position by moving the moving member in the height direction and in the direction orthogonal to the height direction, and can reduce the space required for moving the moving member.

[ ninth mode ]

A ninth aspect is characterized in that, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the second moving member (for example, the second moving member 22c) is disposed in a position that presses a position lower than a center position in a height direction of the attachable and detachable member (for example, the ink cartridge 4).

[ tenth mode ]

A tenth aspect is characterized in that, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the second moving member (for example, the second moving member 22c) has a pressing portion (for example, a pressing portion 223) which is in contact with the detachable member (for example, the ink cartridge 4) and can press the detachable member, and a pressing portion urging member (for example, a compression spring 227) which urges the pressing portion in the pressing direction.

According to the ninth and tenth aspects, the electrical connection between the removable member and the main body side electrical connection portion can be more reliably performed.

[ eleventh mode ]

An eleventh aspect is characterized in that in any one of the first to tenth aspects, the main body (e.g., main body 1) houses a battery (e.g., battery 5), and the pressing mechanism (e.g., pressing mechanism 22) and the battery are arranged in parallel in a longitudinal direction of the printing apparatus (e.g., HMP 100).

[ twelfth mode ]

A twelfth aspect is the eleventh aspect, wherein the main body (e.g., main body 1) has the detachable member (e.g., ink cartridge 4), the pressing mechanism (e.g., pressing mechanism 22), and the battery (e.g., battery 5) arranged in parallel in a longitudinal direction of the printing apparatus.

According to the eleventh aspect and the twelfth aspect, the pressing mechanism can be installed in a limited space, and is more effective in a device requiring portability.

[ thirteenth mode ]

A thirteenth aspect is characterized in that, in any one of the first to twelfth aspects, the pressing mechanism (e.g., pressing mechanism 22) is disposed on a side closer to a rotation shaft (e.g., upper cover rotation shaft 2a) of the opening and closing member (e.g., upper cover 2) than the attachable and detachable member (e.g., ink cartridge 4) in a longitudinal direction of the printing apparatus (e.g., HMP 100).

[ 14 th mode ]

A fourteenth aspect is characterized in that in any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, the first moving member (for example, a first moving member 22b) and the second moving member (for example, a second moving member 22c) are connected by a link mechanism (for example, a plate member 22e, a rotating shaft 22f, or the like), and the movement of the first moving member is converted into the movement of the second moving member in the pressing direction.

According to the thirteenth and fourteenth aspects, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus in which the pressing mechanism can be downsized and friction of the electrical connection portion can be reduced when the main body portion is attached and detached to and from the member.

Claims

1. A printing device, comprising:

a removable member having an electrical connection portion;

a main body section that detachably houses the detachable member and that has a detachable member housing section in which a main body side electrical connection section is provided in a position opposite to an electrical connection section housing the detachable member; and

an opening/closing member that is openable/closable with respect to the detachable member housing portion,

the printing apparatus is characterized by having a pressing mechanism to bring the electrical connection portion into a state of being pressed against the main body side electrical connection portion and a state of releasing the pressing,

the pushing mechanism comprises

A first moving member movable toward upstream and downstream sides in a mounting direction of the detachable member to the detachable member accommodating portion, an

A second moving member which is movable in a direction intersecting the mounting direction and in a direction in which the electrical connection portion is pressed against the main body side electrical connection portion by the movement of the downstream side by the first moving member,

the first moving member moves to the downstream side in the mounting direction to perform the pressing by an operation of closing the opening/closing member, and the first moving member moves to the upstream side in the mounting direction to release the pressing by an operation of opening the opening/closing member.

2. The printing apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first moving member is provided on the opening and closing member.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

the opening/closing member is a cover member that constitutes a part of a housing of the printing apparatus.

4. A printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:

the loading and unloading part is provided with a printing mechanism.

5. The printing apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

the user holds the main body portion and scans the main body portion, thereby performing printing by the printing mechanism.

6. A printing device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, wherein:

the first moving member is movable in a direction along a height direction of the printing apparatus, and the second moving member is movable in a direction orthogonal to the height direction and in a direction of pressing the electrical connection portion toward the main body side electrical connection portion.

7. A printing device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein:

the first moving member and the second moving member each have an inclined surface, and the inclined surface of the first moving member and the inclined surface of the second moving member come into contact with each other by the movement of the first moving member to the downstream side.

8. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein:

the first moving member is provided with a biasing member for biasing the first moving member toward an upstream side in the mounting direction.

9. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein:

the second moving member is disposed at a position that presses a position lower than a center position of the attaching and detaching member in a height direction.

10. A printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein:

the second moving member has a pressing portion that is in contact with the attachable and detachable member and is capable of pressing, and a pressing portion urging member that urges the pressing portion in the pressing direction.

11. A printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein:

the main body portion accommodates a battery, and the pressing mechanism and the battery are arranged in parallel in a longitudinal direction of the printing apparatus.

12. The printing apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the main body portion arranges the detachable member, the pressing mechanism, and the battery in parallel in a longitudinal direction of the printing apparatus.

13. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein:

the pressing mechanism is disposed on a side closer to a rotation shaft of the opening/closing member than the attachable/detachable member in a longitudinal direction of the printing apparatus.

14. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein:

the first moving member and the second moving member are connected by a link mechanism, and the movement of the first moving member is converted into the movement of the second moving member in the pressing direction.

15. A printing device body, comprising:

a main body part for detachably accommodating the detachable component and having a detachable component accommodating part provided with a main body side electric connection part at a position opposite to the electric connection part accommodating the detachable component, and

the printing apparatus main body is characterized by having a pressing mechanism to bring the electrical connection portion into a state of being pressed toward the main body side electrical connection portion and a state of releasing the pressing,

the pushing mechanism comprises

A second moving member that is movable in a direction intersecting the mounting direction and in a direction in which the electrical connection portion is pressed against the main body side electrical connection portion by movement of the first moving member to the downstream side,

the first moving member moves to the downstream side in the mounting direction to perform the pressing by the closing operation of the opening/closing member, and the first moving member moves to the upstream side in the mounting direction to cancel the pressing by the opening operation of the opening/closing member.