CN211416664U

CN211416664U - Printer with a movable platen

Info

Publication number: CN211416664U
Application number: CN201921355032.8U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 土屋元人
Original assignee: Toshiba TEC Corp
Current assignee: Toshiba TEC Corp
Priority date: 2018-10-01
Filing date: 2019-08-20
Publication date: 2020-09-04
Anticipated expiration: 2029-08-20
Also published as: JP2020055200A

Abstract

The utility model provides a printer. The printer includes: a paper storage unit configured to store a roll paper wound with a strip-shaped paper in a drop-in manner; a printing unit that prints on the paper pulled out from the paper storage unit; a conveying unit that moves the paper in a forward direction of drawing and a reverse direction of returning along a path of the paper from the paper storage unit to the printing unit; and a friction reducing section provided at a position where a center portion of a wound roll paper of a maximum diameter stored in the paper storing section is sandwiched between the friction reducing section and the printing section, and configured to reduce friction between the paper storing section and the roll paper rotating in the paper storing section. Accordingly, regardless of the posture of the operation state, paper jam and deviation of the printing position are less likely to occur when the paper is fed back.

Description

Printer with a movable platen

Technical Field

The utility model discloses an embodiment relates to a printer.

Background

Portable printers are used in the prior art. Such a printing mechanism is smaller than a fixed printer, and has less restrictions on the direction of use.

The printing mechanism as described above includes a paper storage portion that stores roll paper in which a strip of paper is wound, a printing portion that prints on paper pulled out from the roll paper, and the like, which are built in a casing. The casing is substantially in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, the paper storage section occupies substantially half of the longitudinal direction of the casing, and various electrical components occupy the remaining part.

Representative working postures of such a printer are a lateral direction and a longitudinal direction. The horizontal direction is a direction in which the substantially rectangular parallelepiped box is horizontally long and easily stabilized in a state of being placed on a desk or the like for use. The vertical direction is a direction in which the substantially rectangular parallelepiped box is vertically long in a state of being worn on a belt of an operator or the like for use.

In the printer, a transport unit for transporting the paper is not separately provided for downsizing, and the printing unit is also responsible for transporting the paper. The printing unit is configured to convey paper by rotating a platen roller so that the platen roller faces the print head. In order to achieve portability, the paper storage unit stores and holds the roll paper in a so-called drop-in manner without using a method of supporting the roll paper by inserting a shaft into a winding core, or the like.

When the sheet is pulled out, the roll paper held in the drop-in sheet storage section rotates. In the printer described above, the pulled-out paper may be fed back (reversely conveyed) to align the printing position.

When the printer is in the horizontal direction, when the paper is fed back, the roll paper is pressed by the paper fed in the return direction and is rotated (reversed) in the opposite direction to that in the pull-out. However, in the longitudinal use state, the roll paper is not easily reversed. Therefore, a trouble such as a paper jam or a shift of a printing position may occur due to the back feeding.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The to-be-solved technical problem of the utility model is to provide a no matter how the posture of operating condition, the difficult printer that takes place of skew of card paper and printing position when the paper loopbacks.

The printer of the embodiment has: a paper storage unit configured to store a roll paper wound with a strip-shaped paper in a drop-in manner; a printing unit that prints on the paper pulled out from the paper storage unit; a conveying unit that moves the paper in a forward direction of drawing and a reverse direction of returning along a path of the paper from the paper storage unit to the printing unit; and a friction reducing section provided at a position where a center portion of a wound roll paper of a maximum diameter stored in the paper storing section is sandwiched between the friction reducing section and the printing section, and configured to reduce friction between the paper storing section and the roll paper rotating in the paper storing section.

Through the utility model discloses, no matter operating condition's posture is how, the difficult emergence such as card paper and the skew of printing the position when the paper loopbacks.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance and a structure of a printer according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing the structure of the printer;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a printer without a friction reducing part according to the prior art;

fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the roll paper and the paper in the vertical printer, and shows a state in which the roll paper has a large diameter;

fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the roll paper and the paper in the vertical printer, and is a diagram showing a state in which the roll paper has a small diameter.

Detailed Description

(first embodiment)

The embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance and structure of the printer 1. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional side view showing the structure of the printer 1. The printer 1 includes a casing 2, a paper storage unit 3, a printing unit 4, and the like, and prints on a roll paper 10.

The case 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Representative working postures of the printer 1 are the lateral direction and the longitudinal direction. The horizontal direction is a direction in which the substantially rectangular parallelepiped box 2 is horizontally long and easily stabilized in a state of being used while being placed on a desk or the like. The vertical direction is a direction in which the housing 2 is vertically long in a state of being worn on a belt of an operator or the like for use.

The printer 1 shown in fig. 1 and 2 is mounted in a lateral direction (horizontal direction), and the Z-axis direction of the three axes shown in the drawings is the height direction. The X-axis direction of the three axes coincides with the direction along the width of the roll paper 10 and the sheet 11, and is the width direction of the housing 2. The Y-axis direction among the three axes is the longitudinal direction of the case 2. The XY plane is the bottom of the printer 1 when horizontally placed, and the ZX plane is the bottom of the printer 1 when vertically placed.

The roll paper 10 is, for example, a label roll in which a label having an adhesive layer on the back surface of the print surface is wound up with a sheet 11 (indicated by a broken line in fig. 2) stuck on a strip-shaped mount. The roll paper 10 may be a slip-sheet-free label roll in which a tape-shaped label is wound without a slip sheet, or a bill roll in which a tape-shaped sheet 11 without an adhesive layer is wound, in addition to the label roll described above.

The casing 2 has a main body 21 and a lid 22, and houses the paper storage unit 3, the printer unit 4, a battery, and the like. The battery is a secondary battery (rechargeable battery) and supplies electric power for operating the printer 1.

The main body 21 is a box-shaped container having an opening, for example. One end portion (a rotation-side end portion) of the lid portion 22 is rotatably supported by the main body portion 21, and moves between a position (an open position, see fig. 1) where the opening portion of the main body portion 21 is opened and a position (a closed position, see fig. 2) where the opening portion of the main body portion 21 is closed with the rotation (that is, the lid portion 22 opens and closes the opening portion with the rotation). The rotation axis of the lid 22 is substantially parallel to the X-axis direction.

The paper storage section 3 is provided in the main body 21 and is opened and closed by the lid 22, and the paper storage section 3 is positioned in the main body 21 at a position opened by the opening. The paper storage section 3 stores the roll paper 10 in a drop-in (drop-in) manner. Accordingly, the paper storage section 3 holds the roll paper 10 so that the paper 11 can be pulled out. The roll paper 10 is stored in the paper storage section 3 with the winding center facing in the X-axis direction.

The paper storage section 3 has a side plate 31 that defines the position of the roll paper 10 in the width direction. The side plate 31 is provided so that the surface direction is substantially parallel to the YZ axis and is movable in the X axis direction. Further, if the printer 1 is provided closer to one side, one side plate 31 is provided that faces the side wall on the side that becomes the reference (the wall of the paper storage section 3 that is parallel to the YZ plane), and if the printer 1 is provided at the center, a pair of side plates 31 that are closer to or farther from each other are provided. A part of the space in the case 2 is occupied by a support portion 32 that movably supports the side plate 31. The bearing 32 is realized by a gear and rack structure, for example.

The printing unit 4 is provided in the main body 21 at a position where the other end portion of the cover 22 (i.e., the end portion opposite to the rotating end portion, i.e., the moving end portion) contacts, and prints on the paper 11 drawn out from the paper storage unit 3. The printing section 4 has a print head 41 and a platen roller 42.

The print head 41 is disposed inside the main body portion 21. The platen roller 42 is mounted to the cover 22. In a state where the cover portion 22 is located at the closed position, the platen roller 42 is in contact with the print head 41. With this, the printing unit 4 becomes a state capable of printing.

The print head 41 is, for example, a thermal head, and prints on the print surface of the label by heating a heat-sensitive color developing layer provided on the print surface of the label to develop color of the layer.

The platen roller 42 is a roller, and the rotation axis is provided substantially parallel to the X-axis direction. The platen roller 42 is rotated to pull out and convey the paper 11 from the paper storage section 3 with the paper 11 sandwiched between the print head 41 and the platen roller. The platen roller 42 rotates in the opposite direction to the direction of drawing, and conveys the paper 11 in the opposite direction to the direction of drawing (reverse conveyance, reverse feeding). In this way, the printing section 4 also functions as a conveying section. That is, the transport section moves the paper 11 in the forward direction of drawing and in the reverse direction of returning along the path of the paper from the paper storage section 3 to the printing section 4.

In a state where the cover portion 22 is located at the closed position, a gap as a paper discharge port 23 is formed between the moving-side end portion of the cover portion 22 and the main body portion 21. The paper discharge port 23 discharges the printed paper 11. The printing section 4 is located between the paper discharge port 23 and the paper storage section 3. A cutting section for cutting the paper 11 and a peeling section for peeling the label from the base paper are attached to the paper discharge port 23 as necessary.

The printer 1 of the present embodiment includes a friction reducing section 5 in the paper storage section 3. The friction reducing section 5 is provided at a position where the center of the winding of the roll paper 10 of the maximum diameter stored in the paper storing section 3 is sandwiched between the friction reducing section 5 and the printing section 4 (that is, the friction reducing section 5 is provided at a position facing the printing section 4 across the center of the winding of the roll paper 10 of the maximum diameter stored in the paper storing section 3), and the friction between the paper storing section 3 and the roll paper 10 rotating in the paper storing section 3 at this position is reduced to reduce the rotational resistance of the roll paper 10.

The friction reducing portion 5 is, for example, a pair of

rollers

51 and 52. The

rollers

51 and 52 are provided at a portion that becomes the bottom of the paper storage section 3 when the printer 1 is placed in the portrait orientation (vertical orientation), and the portrait orientation (i.e., the first orientation) is a state in which the operator carries the friction reducing section 5 under the roll paper 10. In the state shown in fig. 2, the printer 1 is in a horizontal state, and the horizontal state (second state) is a state in which the friction reducing section 5 is fixed in a state in which it is positioned in the lateral direction of the roll paper 10. Therefore, the portion where the friction reducing portion 5 is provided is not the bottom of the sheet housing portion 3 but a side wall. The

rollers

51 and 52 are disposed substantially parallel to the X-axis direction so that the direction of the rotation axis is along the width direction of the web 10 and the sheet 11. The printer 1 can be used in either of the first state and the second state.

In the printer 1 having such a configuration, the paper 11 is replenished in the following manner. First, the operator opens the lid 22 of the case 2 and drops the roll paper 10 into the paper storage 3 through the opening of the main body 21. Next, the operator pulls out the paper 11 from the roll paper 10 stored in the paper storage section 3, and closes the casing 2 so that the end of the pulled-out paper 11 is sandwiched between the print head 41 and the platen roller 42.

In the printer 1, the paper 11 is conveyed in the forward direction or in the reverse direction (back feed) by the rotation of the platen roller 42. The back feeding is performed as needed when the printing position is adjusted.

Here, fig. 3 is a diagram showing a printer 100 of the related art which does not have the friction reducing section 5. For convenience of explanation, the same names and symbols are used for the components of the printer 100 that are common to the printer 1 of the present embodiment.

In any of the lateral and longitudinal postures of the printer 1 and the printer 100, the roll paper 10 is in contact with a portion that becomes the bottom of the paper storage section 3 in this posture. In the printer 1 and the printer 100, the distance from the contact position of the roll paper 10 with the bottom portion of the paper storage section 3 to the platen roller 42 that transports the paper 11 is longer in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction.

More specifically, for example, in the mechanism of the printer 100, the distance from the contact position of the portion that becomes the bottom of the paper storage section 3 and the roll paper 10 to the platen roller 42 in the lateral direction is about one-third of the circumference of the roll paper 10, whereas the distance from the contact position of the portion that becomes the bottom of the paper storage section 3 and the roll paper 10 to the platen roller 42 in the longitudinal direction is about half the circumference. When the loop length of the paper 11 from the contact position between the paper roll 10 and the bottom portion of the paper storage section 3 to the platen roller 42 becomes long, the toughness of the paper 11 is hard to be exerted at the time of back feeding, and the paper roll 10 is hard to be rotated. Here, the toughness (strength, rigidity) of the paper is resistance when a bending force is applied to the paper.

When the diameter of the roll paper 10 is large, such as immediately after the roll paper 10 is replenished, the roll paper 10 is less likely to rotate because the gap between the outer peripheral portions of the roll paper 10 is small and the roll paper 10 overlaps.

When the roll paper 10 is not rotated, problems such as paper jam, wrinkles in the paper 11, slippage of the platen roller 42 with respect to the paper 11, and displacement of the printing position occur as shown by the paper 11 indicated by the broken line in fig. 3.

Fig. 4 and 5 are diagrams for explaining the movement of the roll paper 10 and the paper 11 in the vertical printer 1, and fig. 4 shows a state where the roll paper 10 has a large diameter, and fig. 5 shows a state where the roll paper 10 has a small diameter.

In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, the roll paper 10 having a large diameter is positioned on the

rollers

51 and 52 in the longitudinal direction. In this case, the frictional force between the roll paper 10 and the paper storage section 3 is reduced, and the force required to rotate the roll paper 10 is reduced. Therefore, when returning the sheet 11, the force is applied from the sheet 11 being pushed back, and the roll paper 10 rotates.

As shown in fig. 5, even in the longitudinal direction, the web 10 having a somewhat smaller diameter is positioned between the

rollers

51 and 52 and is not positioned on the

rollers

51 and 52. In this case, the effect of the friction reducing section 5 cannot be obtained, but the roll paper 10 is likely to rotate lightly, and the gap is large in the outer peripheral portion of the roll paper 10. Therefore, the fed back paper 11 does not cause a problem.

In consideration of the miniaturization and portability of the printer 1 for carrying out and using, the internal arrangement of the casing 2 is limited to some extent, and the paper storage section 3 is formed to be larger than the largest roll paper 10 that can be used by one turn, and almost no extra gap is left. Therefore, a space for the fed back paper 11 to bend without curling cannot be secured, and the roll paper 10 needs to be rotated in the return direction.

In this respect, since the printer 1 of the present embodiment includes the friction reducing section 5, in a vertical use state in which toughness of the paper 11 is hard to act, the frictional force between the roll paper 10 and the paper housing section 3 can be reduced, and the roll paper 10 can be made easy to rotate. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the printer 1 in which paper jam, a shift in the printing position, and the like are less likely to occur when the paper 11 is fed back regardless of the posture in which the printer is operating.

(modification example)

The friction reducing section 5 of the above embodiment is realized by the

rollers

51 and 52, and the friction reducing section 5 may reduce friction with the roll paper 10 at this position in the implementation.

Therefore, for example, a resin projection, rib, or the like that slides easily on the paper may be provided as the friction reducing portion 5. That is, the friction reducing section 5 may be a protrusion formed of a smooth material and protruding from the inner wall of the paper storage section 3 to reduce the contact area between the paper storage section 3 and the roll paper 10. When the friction reducing part 5 is the

rollers

51 and 52, friction is suitably reduced. In addition, when the friction reducing portion 5 is the above-described protrusion portion, the cost required for the friction reducing portion 5 can be suppressed.

While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in other various manners, and various omissions, substitutions, combinations, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. These embodiments and modifications are included in the scope and gist of the present invention, and are included in the present invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Claims

1. A printer, comprising:

a paper storage unit configured to store a roll paper wound with a strip-shaped paper in a drop-in manner;

a printing unit that prints on the paper pulled out from the paper storage unit;

a conveying unit that moves the paper in a forward direction of drawing and a reverse direction of returning along a path of the paper from the paper storage unit to the printing unit;

and a friction reducing section provided at a position where a center portion of a wound roll paper of a maximum diameter stored in the paper storing section is sandwiched between the friction reducing section and the printing section, and configured to reduce friction between the paper storing section and the roll paper rotating in the paper storing section.

2. Printer according to claim 1,

further comprising a case having a lid portion and a box-shaped main body portion, the main body portion having an opening portion, the lid portion rotatably supporting one end portion of the main body portion and opening and closing the opening portion in accordance with the rotation,

in a state where the cover portion closes the opening portion, a gap serving as a paper discharge port is formed between the other end portion of the cover portion and the main body portion, the paper storage portion is located in the main body portion at a position opened by the opening portion, and the printing portion is located between the paper discharge port and the paper storage portion.

3. Printer according to claim 1,

the printer is usable in any one of a first state and a second state, wherein the first state is a state carried by an operator in a state where the friction reducing section is located below the web; the second state is a state in which the friction reducing portion is fixed in a state in which the friction reducing portion is positioned in the lateral direction of the roll paper.

4. Printer according to claim 2,

5. Printer according to claim 1,

the friction reducing portion is a roller whose rotation axis direction is along the width direction of the web.

6. Printer according to claim 2,

7. Printer according to claim 3,

8. Printer according to claim 4,

9. Printer according to claim 1,

the friction reducing portion is a resin projection portion projecting from the paper storage portion.

10. Printer according to claim 2,