JP2001301253A - Recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording apparatus including a recording medium retainer mechanism which secures a recording quality, prevents an increase of recording sound and is advantageous to be made compact by constituting in a simple constitution in a small space a recording medium retainer means which can record and transfer a recording medium with pressing the recording medium to a platen. SOLUTION: A spherical member 16 is set to a recording head 4 to be freely rotatable and be able to butt against the platen. The spherical member 16 is formed of a magnetic material and the platen 5 is constituted of a magnet. The spherical member 16 presses the recording medium P attracted by a magnetic force to the platen 5 against the platen 5 and rotates while the recording head moves and the recording medium is transferred.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a recording apparatus mounted on a POS terminal or the like capable of recording characters, symbols, pictures, etc. on a recording medium such as cut-sheet paper or roll paper. More specifically, the present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs recording while maintaining a fixed distance from a recording medium such as an impact dot method or an ink jet method, in which the recording medium approaches the recording head side and deteriorates print quality. The present invention relates to a technique for preventing an increase in recording operation sound.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording apparatus mounted on a POS terminal or the like has a recording head of an impact dot type which performs recording by hitting a recording medium with a recording wire via an ink ribbon, or directly ejects ink from a nozzle. There is an ink jet type recording head which performs recording by attaching the recording medium to a recording medium, and in any case, it is necessary to keep a certain distance between the recording medium and the recording head. When the recording medium approaches the recording head side, in the case of the impact dot method, there arises a problem that the ink ribbon touches the ink ribbon and stains occur, and the impact noise of the recording wire increases. In addition, in the case of the ink jet system, there is a problem that the recording medium comes into contact with the recording head and the ink near the nozzles adheres to the recording head and becomes dirty.

For this reason, as shown in JP-A-2-209276, the recording medium is pressed from the recording head by pressing the recording medium against a platen provided at a position facing the recording head using a plate-like member. A method of keeping the recording medium away from the recording head side by providing a guide plate having a small gap corresponding to the thickness of the recording medium with respect to the platen on the recording head is used. Further, as disclosed in JP-A-63-35371, a through hole is provided in a guide plate provided on the recording head to expose the spherical member rotatably held from the through hole, and the spherical member is moved to the platen side by a spring or the like. There has been proposed a configuration in which the recording medium is pressed against the platen by urging the recording medium toward the recording head side.

[0004]

However, in the case of the conventional pressing means using a plate-like member, paper jam occurs between the recording medium and a platen when the recording medium is inserted or conveyed. Further, in the guide plate having a small gap with respect to the conventional platen, the recording medium is regulated by using the gap, so that the recording medium cannot be brought into close contact with the platen, and a slight floating occurs. As a result, the operation sound during recording may become loud. Further, in the holding mechanism combining the conventional guide plate and the spherical member,
Although the recording medium can be pressed against the platen, a space for incorporating a spring member or the like is required, and it is not suitable for mounting on a small recording apparatus.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium pressing means capable of obtaining a similar effect in a simpler configuration and in a small space with respect to the pressing mechanism in which the conventional guide plate and the spherical member are combined. The present invention provides a recording device provided with:

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus comprising: a recording head for recording on a recording medium; and a recording head opposed to the recording head via a recording medium transport path. In a recording apparatus having a platen disposed, a spherical member, and a holding unit for rotatably holding the spherical member are provided at a position of the recording head opposed to the platen, and the platen is configured by a magnet, The spherical member is made of a magnetic material.

According to the above construction, since the spherical member is attracted by the magnetic force of the platen, the recording medium can be pressed against the platen, and the recording medium can be prevented from floating from the platen. When the recording medium is conveyed, the spherical member can be rotated while pressing the recording medium, so that it is not necessary to separate the spherical member from the platen, the movement of the recording head can be minimized, and the recording throughput can be improved. It has the effect that can be. Further, there is no need to provide a spring member or the like for urging the spherical member toward the platen, which can be realized in a small space, and is effective in miniaturizing the apparatus.

The recording apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that only a portion of the platen near the area where the spherical member abuts is formed by a magnet.

According to the above configuration, only the area of the platen which comes into contact with the spherical member is formed of the magnet and presses the recording medium, so that the recording surface is less affected by the magnet and there is a concern that the function of the recording head may be impaired. Few. In addition, since the magnet material is generally relatively expensive, it is effective to partially configure the platen with a magnet because it is considered that it is advantageous in terms of cost.

The recording apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that only a portion of the platen near the area where the end of the recording medium passes is constituted by a magnet.

[0011] According to the above configuration, only the end of the recording medium where a problem is particularly likely to occur, such as bending, bending, warping, etc., is pressed by the spherical member, so that it is rational and more cost effective.

Further, the recording apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that magnetizing means for selectively magnetizing the platen is provided.

According to the above configuration, the platen can be controlled to be magnetized only when the recording operation is performed. Therefore, unlike the permanent magnet, a magnetic field is always generated regardless of the operation and the surroundings are generated. This has no effect on the electronic circuit, electronic equipment, etc., and is less likely to cause a malfunction in the function.

Further, in the recording apparatus according to the present invention, a plurality of the spherical members are arranged near a recording operation section of the recording head.

According to the above arrangement, since the vicinity of the recording surface of the recording medium is pressed by the plurality of spherical members, the recording surface is concentrated even on the recording medium having various irregularities such as wrinkles and folds. This is more effective because the recording medium is pressed against the platen and the recording surface of the recording medium can be kept away from the recording head.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a recording apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing a recording medium transport path. Recording device 1
Is provided with a conveyance path 10 for the recording medium P, which is continuous from the front to the top in the housing,
Above, the recording unit 2 and the transport rollers 12 and 13 are arranged. The recording unit 2 is provided with a recording head 4 movably supported by a carriage shaft 3 and a platen 5 opposed thereto. The recording head 4 is attached to the recording medium P by a dot impact method using, for example, an ink ribbon. The necessary recording is performed.

The recording medium P is inserted from an insertion port 11 on the front of the apparatus, and is conveyed by conveyance rollers 12 and 13 toward a recording medium discharge port 14. The transport roller 12 near the insertion opening 11 is composed of a pair of drive roller 12a and driven roller 12b, and the driven roller 12b is supported by a roller lever 6 that is swingably supported. The roller lever 6 swings up and down about the fulcrum shaft 6a by rotation of the rotary cam 7, and causes the driven roller 12b to protrude and retract from the transport path 10. The transport roller 13 near the discharge port 14 includes a pair of drive rollers 13a and driven rollers 13b, and includes a platen 5 and driven rollers 1a.
3b is provided on the platen lever 9
Is rotatably held by a fulcrum shaft 9a, and is driven by a driven roller 13b.
Are held in contact with the drive roller 13a.
The platen lever 9 is rotated about the fulcrum shaft 9a by the rotary cam 15, and causes the platen 5 and the driven roller 13b disposed on the platen lever 9 to protrude and retract from the transport path 10.

When the recording medium P is inserted, the driven roller 1
2b, the platen 5, and the driven roller 13b
0, the recording medium P can be inserted between the transport rollers 12, the recording medium P is inserted between the transport rollers 12 by the user, and the leading end of the recording medium P is detected by the recording medium end sensor 8. Then, the rotating cam 7 is rotated, the driven roller 12b is lifted, and the driving roller 12b is rotated.
a and the recording medium P is sandwiched. And the drive roller 12a
Is driven by the power of a motor or the like (not shown), and the recording medium P is pulled into the apparatus. Further, the recording medium P is conveyed by a predetermined amount in the conveyance path 10 and reaches the space between the recording head 4 and the platen 5, the rotating cam 15 is rotated, and the recording medium P is moved by the driven roller 13b and the driving roller 13a. Pinch it. Then, the recording head 4 records the information of the recording command on the recording medium P while moving in the width direction of the recording medium P. Further, after the recording head 4 performs recording for one line, the drive rollers 12 and 13 rotate by a predetermined amount, and convey the recording medium P to the next recording position. Then, the recording head 4 again records the information of the recording command while moving in the width direction of the recording medium P.

As shown in FIG. 3, spherical members 16 are arranged at positions facing the platen 5 of the recording head 4 upstream and downstream of the recording medium conveyance with the recording operation unit 20 interposed therebetween. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view near the spherical member 16.
The structure in which the spherical member 16 is arranged is shown. At a position where the spherical member 16 of the recording head 4 is disposed, a cylindrical concave portion 4a having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the spherical member 16 is formed, and a lid 17 is attached to the concave portion 4a. A tapered through hole 17 is formed in the plate 17 so that the inner diameter becomes smaller than the outer diameter of the spherical member 16 toward the platen 5 side. The structure is exposed. As a result, the spherical member 16 is held in a state where it can rotate and can contact the platen side. Further, the spherical member 16 is formed of a magnetic material or has a structure in which the surface is covered with a magnetic material, and the platen 5 is formed of a magnet. Therefore, a magnetic force is generated between the spherical member 16 and the platen 5 in the attracting direction, and the spherical member 16
Presses the platen 5 to press the recording medium P. With the above configuration, the spherical member 16
Presses the recording medium P against the platen 5 while the spherical member 1 is pressed.
Since the plate 6 can be rotated, there is no need to release the pressing of the recording medium by separating the platen 5 from the recording head or moving the recording head out of the platen, and the recording head can be moved and the recording medium can be transported. Therefore, it is possible to increase the throughput when performing the recording operation continuously. Furthermore, because of the simple structure with few components,
As it is hard to break down and can be realized in a small space,
The apparatus can be reduced in size, which is more effective than the conventional example.

Next, an embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The difference from the first embodiment is that the platen 5
Is that only the area near the spherical member 16 abutting (the hatched area 5a shown in FIG. 5) is a magnet. As shown in FIG. 6, a method of forming the region 5a with a magnet is to provide a groove 18 in the region 5a of the platen, attach the magnet 19 to the groove 18 with an adhesive or a double-sided tape, or configure the platen with a magnetic material. The region 5a is magnetized by a structure in which the magnet 19 is fixed to the groove 18 by magnetic force. As a result, only the vicinity of the area where the platen comes into contact with the spherical member 16 is constituted by the magnet,
There is little influence of the magnet on the recording surface, and there is little fear that the function of the recording head is hindered. In addition, since a magnet material is generally expensive, it is effective to partially configure the platen with a magnet because it is considered that it is advantageous in terms of cost.

Next, an embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The difference from the configuration of the second embodiment is that the area 5a described in the above embodiment is further limited to the vicinity of the area where both ends of the platen recording medium P pass (the hatched area 5b shown in FIG. 7). ) Is made up of magnets. The method of making the region 5b a magnet is the same as the case where the region 5a is made a magnet. According to this, only the vicinity of both ends where the recording medium is likely to be warped or bent can be pressed by the spherical member, so that it is rational, the area where the magnet material is used is small, and the cost is more effective. It is.

Next, an embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 8 shows the configuration of a recording section provided with means for selectively magnetizing the platen. An electromagnet 21 is provided on the back side of the area where the platen comes into contact with the spherical member 16. Further, the electromagnet 21 is connected to a power supply control unit 22, and the power supply control unit 22 is connected to a recording control unit 23. A command signal for operating the electromagnet 21 is issued from the recording control unit 23 to the energization control unit 22 in synchronization with the recording operation instruction, and the electromagnet 21 is energized by the energization control unit 22. When the electromagnet 21 is energized, a magnetic field is generated in a region of the platen that comes into contact with the spherical member 16, and the spherical member 16 is attracted to the platen and can press the recording medium P against the platen. Further, when the recording operation is not performed, the electromagnet 21 is not energized, so that no magnetic field is generated on the platen. Therefore, unlike the configuration using the permanent magnet described in the above embodiment, since a magnetic field is not always generated, there is little concern about affecting the functions of surrounding electronic circuits and electronic devices, which is effective. Here, when the material of the platen is a magnetic material, the magnetic flux generated by the electromagnet 21 is drawn into the platen, the magnetic flux density generated outside the platen decreases, and the magnetic force by the electromagnet 21 is applied to the spherical member 16. It cannot work sufficiently, and the pressing force of the recording member decreases. Therefore, the material of the platen is desirably non-magnetic, and the platen can be efficiently magnetized.

In general, some recording media have irregularities on the surface with various habits such as wrinkles and folds, and a single spherical member cannot sufficiently press the recording medium against the platen. It may be difficult to reliably keep the recording surface of the recording medium away from the recording head. Therefore,
As shown in FIG. 3, as the embodiment of the configuration described in claim 5, the spherical member 16 is provided in the recording operation unit 2 of the recording head 4.
By arranging a plurality of recording media near zero, the effect is doubled, and the recording surface of the recording medium can be pressed against the platen 5 even when the recording medium has wrinkles, folds, curls, and the like.
The gap between the recording medium and the recording head can be reliably ensured. In the present embodiment, the spherical members 16 are arranged one by one on the upstream and downstream sides in the recording medium conveyance direction near the recording operation unit 20. However, when the platen shape is a cylindrical type, the spherical member 16 is a conventional example. Arbitrarily selecting the mounting position and the number of the spherical members, such as disposing them in the width direction of the recording medium like the guide plate described above, has the same effect and is included in the present invention.

[0028]

As described above, according to the recording apparatus of the present invention, the spherical member made of a magnetic material held rotatably is attracted to the platen made of a magnet by a magnetic force, so that the recording medium is produced. Can be pressed against the platen, and in the movement of the recording head and the conveyance of the recording medium,
There is no need to separate the platen from the recording head or move the recording head out of the recording medium. Therefore, the movement of the recording head can be minimized, and the recording throughput can be improved. Furthermore, since the structure is simple and has few components, the number of failures is small, and it can be realized in a small space.

Further, since the magnet is formed only in the vicinity of the area where the spherical member of the platen comes into contact, the influence of the magnet on the recording surface is small, and there is little fear that the function of the recording head is hindered. Also, since the use of the magnet material is small, the cost can be reduced and it is effective.

Further, since only the area near the platen through which both ends of the recording medium pass is constituted by the magnet, only the portion where the recording member is likely to be warped or broken can be pressed mainly, so that the number of recording members can be reduced. The function can be satisfied by the magnet material, the influence of the external magnetic field can be minimized, and the cost can be reduced more effectively.

Further, since the magnetizing means for selectively magnetizing the platen is provided, it is possible to control the platen to be magnetized in synchronization with the recording operation, and not to generate a magnetic field when the recording operation is not performed. This is effective because it can reduce the influence on surrounding electronic circuits and electronic devices.

By arranging a plurality of spherical members in the vicinity of the recording operation portion of the recording head, even a recording medium having wrinkles or folds can be reliably separated from the recording head, which is effective.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a recording medium conveyance path in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a recording head on which the spherical member of the present invention is arranged.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view illustrating a structure in which the spherical member of the present invention is arranged.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a region of a platen which comes into contact with the spherical member of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4. Recording head 4a. Recess 5. Platen 5a. Platen area where spherical member abuts 5b. 9. Platen area where the vicinity of the edge of the recording medium passes Transport route 16. Spherical member 17. Lid 19. Magnet 20. Recording operation unit 21. Electromagnet 22. Energization control unit 23. Recording control unit recoding media

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A recording apparatus comprising: a recording head that performs recording on a recording medium; and a platen that is opposed to the recording head via a recording medium conveyance path, wherein the recording head faces the platen. A recording apparatus, comprising: a spherical member at a position; and holding means for rotatably holding the spherical member, wherein the platen is formed of a magnet, and the spherical member is formed of a magnetic material. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein only a portion of the platen near the area where the spherical member abuts is formed by a magnet. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein only a portion of the platen near the area where the end portion of the recording medium passes is constituted by a magnet. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a magnetizing means for selectively magnetizing the platen. 5. A recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said spherical members are arranged near a recording operation section of said recording head.