JP2002059600A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adjust the center of the rotating shaft of a platen roller to a regular position when a heating resistor transfers ink to a recording sheet by improving ease of assembly and assembly accuracy. SOLUTION: The horizontal direction of an engagement portion 50a is accurately determined by the shape of the hole portion 50c of a side plate 12b, and simultaneously as for the horizontal direction of the engagement portion, the engagement portion can freely slides a certain distance and is constantly urged by a spring 14c in the direction of an arrow A. Therefore, during printing the peripheral face of the platen roller can be contacted to a heating resistor of a thermal head by prescribed pressure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer, and more particularly, to a printer and a position adjusting mechanism which can easily adjust the position of a thermal head for holding an ink ribbon and recording paper and a platen roller when transferring ink. The present invention relates to a printer device provided.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, personal computers and video recording devices have become widespread, and various printer devices capable of recording images of these devices have been proposed, and their demand has been increasing. Therefore, there is a demand for an inexpensive printer device capable of producing high-quality printed images, and there is also a strong demand for a small, lightweight, and portable printer device so that printing can be performed anytime and anywhere as a mobile printer device.

Generally, in a thermal transfer type printer, an ink ribbon in which three color thermal transfer inks of yellow (Y), magenta (M) and cyan (C) are circulated on a thin film film and a recording paper for thermal transfer Are transferred while being pressed between the thermal head and the platen roller, and an electric current is caused to flow through the heating resistor of the thermal head to generate heat, and the heat transfer ink of the ink ribbon is transferred to the recording paper by the heating resistor. By transferring, color printing of one screen is performed. Further, in such a printer device, by controlling the time width of the current applied to the Samar head, the amount of the thermal transfer ink to be transferred is adjusted to control the gradation. After recording in this manner, the recorded recording paper is transported by the recording paper transport mechanism of the printer device. For example, the recording paper is sent out and accommodated in a paper discharge case to perform a recording step for one screen (one page). Will be completed.

In general, this type of printer has a structure in which transfer is performed in an area sandwiched between a platen roller and a thermal head. Therefore, a grip roller for holding recording paper is disposed at a position distant from a transfer section. For this reason, a margin portion that cannot be transferred becomes large, and since it has a capstan roller and a pinch roller for feeding paper in addition to the platen roller, the structure becomes complicated,
There has been an inconvenience that the downsizing of the device is hindered.

[0005] In order to solve such inconveniences, the prior art has proposed a paper transport device for a printing press described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-40610.

In the paper transport apparatus according to this proposal, the platen roller is hollow, and a plurality of radially extending suction holes penetrating from the hollow portion to the peripheral surface are provided in the platen roller.
Along with disposing a piston that is slidable in the suction hole, a piston drive shaft that is rotationally driven in the hollow portion of the platen roller and has the piston connected to the peripheral surface is provided,
In addition, the rotation center of the piston drive shaft and the platen roller is eccentric.

According to this proposal, the rotation of the piston drive shaft causes the platen roller to rotate synchronously via the piston and the suction hole, and the center of rotation between the piston drive shaft and the platen roller is decentered. With the rotation of the shaft, the piston sequentially withdraws from the peripheral surface of the platen roller into the suction hole, and a negative pressure is generated in the suction hole. The negative pressure causes the recording paper to be attracted to the peripheral surface of the platen roller. , The displacement of the platen roller is reduced, and highly accurate paper conveyance can be performed, and printing can be performed over almost the entire surface of the recording paper. In addition, since a transport roller or the like is not required, downsizing can be achieved.

In the thermal transfer type printer described above, in order to obtain a high-definition print image, a thermal head for sandwiching the ink ribbon and the recording paper during printing and a heating resistor of a platen roller are used. It is desirable that it is always in close contact. However, since the printer device is an industrial product, the mounting position of the platen roller with respect to the heating resistor of the thermal head may be slightly shifted, so that printing is performed using such a printer device. In some cases, the contact position between the heating resistor of the thermal head and the platen roller is different from the normal position, so the heat from the heating resistor is not transmitted normally, and as a result, the color of the ink to be transferred becomes lighter. As a result, a high-definition print image cannot be obtained.
Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the positions of the platen roller and the thermal head to regular positions in accordance with the displacement of the platen roller with respect to the heating resistor of the thermal head.

[0009]

However, in the prior art described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H7-40610 described above,
No description is given of a specific embodiment for adjusting the position of the platen roller and the thermal head to a regular position in accordance with the displacement of the platen roller with respect to the heating resistor of the thermal head. Since the roller has a complicated configuration in which a piston drive shaft is provided, the processing of the platen roller is not only complicated, but also eccentricity adjustment is difficult and assembly is difficult.

In view of the above, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has a structure in which a pair of bushes of a plurality of sets capable of correcting a positional shift with respect to a heating resistor and a platen roller can be fitted. Therefore, it is possible to provide a printer device which can improve assemblability and assembling accuracy, and can easily adjust the center of the rotation axis of the platen roller to a regular position when the heating resistor transfers ink to recording paper. With the goal.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer device capable of transferring recording paper on a platen roller to ink by a head, wherein the platen roller is attached in the direction of the head. A pair of bushes having a biasing member for biasing, a fitting portion rotatably fitted to the platen roller, and slidable in a direction away from the head or in a direction close to the head; and a pair of bushes. And a support member having a hole for slidably supporting the head in a direction away from the head or in a direction approaching the head.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the printer according to the first aspect, wherein the pair of bushes have different rotational center positions of the fitting portions rotatably fitted with the platen roller. A plurality of sets are prepared, and by exchanging the pushes, the head can be adjusted so that the center of the rotation axis of the platen roller at the time of transferring the ink to the recording paper is at a regular position. It is assumed that.

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, when the contact point of the platen roller with the thermal head deviates from the proper position, a pair of bushes corresponding to the position deviation is selected from a plurality of sets. The bush is replaced and the fitting portion of the bush is fitted and mounted on the platen roller via the hole of the support member. This bush is formed so that the contact position corrects the positional deviation of the thermal head to the normal position. For example, the rotational axis center position of the shaft support hole in the fitting portion is shifted by a predetermined distance via the center line. Configuration. By pivotally supporting the rotation shaft of the platen roller in the shaft support hole of the fitting portion, the center position of the rotation shaft of the platen roller can be decentered by a predetermined distance from the center line in the normal position direction. This makes it very easy to adjust the contact position of the platen roller with respect to the thermal head when the thermal head transfers each thermal transfer ink of the ink ribbon onto the recording paper to a regular position. In addition, since eccentricity adjustment can be performed reliably with a simple structure,
The assemblability and assembling accuracy can be improved, and the thermal head is always biased in the direction of the thermal head or in the direction close to the thermal head by the biasing member. Contact can always be made at a predetermined pressure. Thereby, it is possible to execute a good printing operation without wrinkling of the ink ribbon, and it is possible to obtain a high-precision print image.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to the first aspect, the support member is located between the platen roller and the bush. .

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the same operation and effects as those of the first and second aspects of the present invention are obtained, and the support member is disposed between the platen roller and the bush. With this configuration, in addition to facilitating the assembling work, it is possible to configure an ideal mounting structure for reducing the size and weight of the device for portable use.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the printer of the first aspect, the hole provided in the support member is substantially rectangular.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the same operation and effect as those of the first and second aspects of the present invention are obtained, and the hole provided in the support member is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. Therefore, a pair of bushes having a fitting portion fitted into the hole can be slid while reliably guiding each of the bushes in a direction away from the head or in a direction close to the head. It is possible to perform high-precision positioning without displacing the fitting portion in the horizontal direction. Further, since the fitting portion is configured to be slidable in the substantially rectangular hole, the fitting portion engaged with the biasing means can always be urged with a predetermined amount of force. The surface can always be brought into contact with the thermal head with a constant force, which greatly contributes to the improvement of print performance.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to the second aspect, the center of the rotation shaft of the fitting portion is substantially moved by the pair of bushes in the moving direction of the recording paper or in the opposite direction. The characteristic is corrected in the direction.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the same operation and effect as those of the first and second aspects of the present invention can be obtained. Since the correction is made in the substantially moving direction of the recording paper or in the opposite direction, any misalignment can be surely corrected and highly accurate positioning can be performed.

[0020]

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

(Structure) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a printer device according to the present invention and showing the entire structure of the device.

As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 1 according to the present embodiment has a main body cover 2 for accommodating various mechanical mechanisms and components required for a printing function, a board, and the like, and a lower part of the main body cover 2. A main body of the apparatus 1 is formed by forming a housing with the main body bottom 3 attached to the main body.

A paper cassette mounting opening for mounting a paper cassette 5 capable of accommodating a plurality of recording papers 6 is provided on a main body cover 2 on the front side (the left front side in the figure) of the apparatus 1. 2a are formed, and the sheet cassette 5 is detachably mounted through the sheet cassette mounting opening 2a.

An opening / closing cover 4a for closing the sheet cassette mounting opening 2a when the sheet cassette 5 is removed from the apparatus is provided at a corresponding portion of the main body bottom 3 so as to be openable and closable. The opening / closing lid 4a is provided with a locking means 4c for holding the closed state when the lid is closed, and a locking means provided at a position corresponding to the locking means 4c and the main body cover 2 (FIG. (Not shown), the opening / closing lid 4a is locked.

An opening 2f is formed in a right side surface of the main body cover 2 when viewed from the front side. The main frame 12b is exposed through the opening 2f and disposed inside the apparatus.
Is formed with an ink cassette insertion opening 2b for mounting the ink cassette 7 around which the ink ribbon 7a is wound. The ink ribbon 7a is formed by sequentially and repeatedly applying a plurality of thermal transfer inks such as yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and transparent overcoat ink (OP).

An opening / closing lid 4b for closing the opening 2f is provided on the main body cover 2 so as to be openable and closable.
Locking means 4d for holding the closed state when closed as in the case of the opening / closing lid 4a is provided, and locking means (not shown) provided at a position corresponding to the locking means 4d and the main body cover 2. ), The opening / closing lid 4b is locked.

A battery mounting groove 2c for detachably mounting a battery 8 as driving power supply means required for portable use is formed on the rear side (rear right side in the figure) of the main body cover 2. ing. A mounting portion 8a formed on a mounting surface of the battery 8 is fitted into and fitted to the battery mounting groove 2c, and a locking portion provided on the upper portion of the battery mounting portion 8a. The engagement state of the battery 8 can be maintained by engaging the engaging portion (not shown) provided at a position corresponding to the battery mounting groove 2c with the portion 8c.

On the surface of the mounting portion 8a of the battery 8, a plurality of battery pieces 8b for supplying the power stored in the battery 8 to the inside of the device 1 are provided.
When the battery 8 is mounted in the battery mounting groove 2c, the battery 8 comes into contact with a battery section (not shown) provided on the back side of the device 1 and is electrically conducted, so that power is supplied to the inside of the device 1. Can be supplied.

An operation panel 2 is provided on the upper surface of the main body cover 2.
d, display unit 2e, first and second memory card insertion slots 2
h, 2i, etc. are provided. The operation panel 2d includes an operation unit necessary for operating the apparatus 1 to execute various control operations. The operation unit includes, for example, a print execution button, various control buttons, and an LED indicating a control mode during execution. Etc. are provided. The display section 2e is arranged in a cutout portion in the operation panel 2d. The display unit 2e is, for example, an LCD, and displays control processing contents (information such as print mode, date print designation, number of prints, remaining battery capacity, image quality mode, and execution mode) at the time of a print operation by the apparatus 1.

The first and second memory card insertion slots 2
h and 2i are formed corresponding to sockets (not shown) provided inside the main body, respectively.
And two different types of first and second memory cards 9a and 9b on which image information signals to be printed are recorded via the memory card insertion openings 2h and 2i. Also,
The first and second memory cards 2h and 2i are detachably mountable to corresponding sockets. For example, smart media is used as the first memory card 9a, and Compact Flash (registered trademark) is used as the second memory card 9b, for example. In the present embodiment, the type of the memory card and the number of the memory cards are not limited to those described above, and it is needless to say that another memory card or the like may be combined.

As described above, the first memory card 9a or the second memory card 9b is inserted into each slot (not shown) provided with the first and second memory card insertion holes 2h and 2i. Thus, an image information signal necessary for printing from any of the memory cards 9 can be captured.

A dust cover 2j for opening and closing the memory card insertion openings 2h and 2i is provided in the body cover 2 near the first and second memory card insertion openings 2h and 2i. I have. This dust cover 2
j has a notch 2k provided at a predetermined position of the main body cover 2 so that the end thereof can be easily gripped and can be easily opened. By opening the dust cover 2j, the first and second memory card insertion slots 2h and 2i are opened.
Is exposed.

In the vicinity of the second memory card insertion slot 2h, an eject button 21 for ejecting the second memory card 9b such as a compact flash is provided.
Is provided. When the second memory card 9b is ejected, the second memory card 9b is ejected by pressing the eject button 21.

On the other hand, a normal AC power is converted into direct current (DC) and supplied into the apparatus 1 at the rear end of the side of the main body cover 2 opposite to the side where the ink cassette insertion slot 2b is provided. DC connector 10 is detachably attached. The DC connector 10 receives a general AC power supply through an AC outlet 10a, and converts the received AC power supply into an AC receptacle 10a or an AC / DC converter provided between the AC outlet 10a and the DC connector 10. The electric power is converted into a direct current power supply (DC) by a power supply (not shown) and supplied to the apparatus 1 as driving power for the apparatus 1.

Further, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, not only the image information signal is simply taken in by the first and second memory cards 9a and 9b, but also the image information from a personal computer, a video recording / reproducing device or the like. It is also possible to capture signals. That is, body cover 2
A PC connector (not shown) to which the PC connector 11 connected to the above-described personal computer, video recording / reproducing device, or the like can be removably mounted is provided on the front side of the side surface of the PC. Therefore, in the printer device 1 of the present embodiment, the first and second memory cards 9a, 9a
PC connector 1 connected to various image equipment other than b
Since various image information signals can be captured by the method 1, the range of use can be expanded.

The paper supply cassette 5 used in the printer 1 is capable of storing a plurality of recording papers 6, and has a removable cover 5a on the upper surface. This hippo 5
“a” is formed by cutting out the leading end of the sheet feeding cassette 5 on the insertion side, and the uppermost layer of the plurality of recording papers 6 stored is exposed through the cutout. When the paper feed cassette 5 is inserted, a paper feed roller (not shown) disposed inside the apparatus 1 is positioned by the leading end of the paper feed cassette 5 so that one recording paper 6 exposed from the cutout portion of the cover 5a. The recording paper 6 can be reliably conveyed to the inside of the apparatus by being in contact with the upper part and driven to rotate.

Next, the configuration inside the printer will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the internal configuration of the printer shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 1 of the present embodiment has a main body cover 2 and a main body bottom 3 as described above.
And a main frame 12 to which various mechanisms are attached, which are main components of the apparatus, and are attached to the inside of the housing. A substrate 22 is provided on the bottom surface of the main frame 12.

The main frame 12 has a pair of side plates 12a and 12b made of a lightweight metal plate, and these side plates 12a and 12b.
Auxiliary plates 12c and 12d attached to the back side of 12b and formed of similar metal plates, respectively,
a, formed at the lower portion between a and 12b, and formed with a similar metal plate so that the back side is bent into a U-shape. The recording paper 6 conveyed during printing is brought into contact with the surface thereof. Guide plates 13a and 13b for guiding
The thermal head 20 is driven by being attached between the auxiliary plates 12c and 12d and disposed in a U-shaped space (inside the apparatus) formed by the U-shaped guide plates 13a and 13b. And a metal plate 12e to which a thermal head driving mechanism 21 is attached.

The ink cassette insertion slot 2b for inserting the ink cassette 7 is formed in one side plate 12b shown on the right side in the drawing as described above.
On the front side between the recording paper 6 and the other side plate 12a, the recording paper 6 is rotated while holding the recording paper 6 with the thermal head 20 at the time of printing, thereby applying pressure necessary for a printing operation to the recording paper 6 and 6, a pinch roller 15 and a grip roller 40, which are disposed in front of the platen roller 14, and are a pair of upper and lower rotating rollers for transporting the recording paper 6 required for printing. ) And the pair of rotating rollers 15,
A paper feed roller (also referred to as a rubber roller) 18 disposed on the front side of the reference numeral 40 is provided.

The platen roller 14 has a shaft 14a mounted on the platen roller 14 via a pair of bushes 50 via both side plates 12a and 12b.

The side plate 12a on the left side in the drawing has
The platen roller 14 and the pinch roller 1 described above
5, grip roller 40, paper feed roller 18, ink ribbon supply reel 7b, and ink ribbon take-up reel 7c
Paper feed / ribbon feed mechanism 17 for rotating the paper
Can be attached.

Two motors 16 and 19 are used as a driving source of the recording paper feed / ribbon feed mechanism 17.
The one motor 16 is a stepping motor that transmits a rotational force to the grip roller 40 and that can control the feed amount by drive control means (not shown) for the entire recording paper feeding operation of the apparatus 1. The other motor 19 is
It is a DC motor that supplies a rotating force for winding up the ink ribbon of the ink cassette 7 and for feeding paper by the feed roller 18.

The stepping motor 16 is installed inside an auxiliary plate 12d arranged on the rear side. This motor is supported by a gear 17a, and another gear 17b, a toothed 17c, and a gear 17 meshed with the gear 17a.
d, a rotational force is transmitted coaxially to the gear 17f via a mechanism including a toothed 17e and a gear 17f, and a printing operation is performed on the grip roller 40 which is axially supported by the gear 17f. To transmit the necessary torque.

On the other hand, the DC motor 19 is installed outside the side plate 12a, and is used for winding up the ink ribbon and for feeding the paper.
8, for supplying a rotational force to the ink ribbon take-up reel 7c and the paper supply roller 18 for paper supply, and attached between the side plates 12a, 12b via a gear mechanism 19a meshed with the rotation shaft of the motor 19. The rotational force is transmitted to the supplied paper feed roller 18 to feed one sheet of recording paper 6 from the paper feed cassette 5. The motor 19 is provided with a gear mechanism 19.
a of the ink ribbon take-up reel 7c to which the rotating member 19b is engaged.
Is rotated to wind up the ink ribbon 7a necessary for printing.

A thermal head 20 and a thermal head drive mechanism 21 are disposed inside the U-shaped portions of the guide plates 13a and 13b between the auxiliary plates 12c and 12d. The thermal head 20 is provided with a heating element on the surface on the platen roller 14 side, and performs one screen color printing on the recording paper 6 (recording paper for thermal transfer) by sublimating the dye of the ink ribbon 7a of the ink cassette 7. Things. The thermal head 20 is attached to a support member 20a formed integrally with the coaxial shaft 20b.
The vertical movement can be performed by the rotation by. One side surface of the support member 20a is a spring 20d.
The thermal head drive mechanism 21 is always urged by the spring 20d to rotate the rotating shaft 20b to rotate the thermal head 20 during printing standby or at the end of printing. Moves upward. The rotating shaft 20b is attached to auxiliary plates 12c and 12d on both side surfaces.

The thermal head drive mechanism 21 uses a motor 21a as a drive source for moving the thermal head 20 in the vertical direction. This motor 2
Reference numeral 1a denotes a DC motor, which is a U-shaped guide plate 13.
It is arranged inside the rear of the main frame 12 above a and 13b. The motor 21a is attached to a back plate 12e attached to both side plates 12a, 12b via a support member 21b. In addition, the motor 21a transmits a rotational force so as to rotate the first cam 21d mounted coaxially via a gear 21c meshing with the rotation shaft of the motor. This first cam 21
d is a second cam 20c that is rotatably provided at a corresponding position of a support member 20a that supports the thermal head 20.
And the support member 20a rotates about the rotation shaft 20b, so that the thermal head 20 required for the printing operation can be moved in the vertical direction.

The power is transmitted to one end of the slider 24 engaged with the rotating shaft 21g by rotating the rotating shaft 21g by engaging with the third cam 21e. On the other hand, the other end of the slider 24 is disposed inside the side plate 12b, and is engaged with a rotating member 15a which is pivotally supported by the pinch roller 15 and moves the roller in a predetermined direction.
In other words, with such a configuration, it is possible to move the pinch roller 15 in a predetermined direction in conjunction with the vertical operation of the thermal head 20 during a printing operation, and the recording paper nipped by the grip roller 40. 6 can be performed in accordance with the recording paper feeding operation.

On the other hand, the substrate 22 is disposed on the bottom side of the printer 1 as shown in FIG. 2, and is a circuit group necessary for performing a printing operation, for example, an IC circuit for controlling a recording paper feed (not shown). ) And at least one of an ink ribbon feed control IC circuit (not shown) mounted thereon.
A power board 22b provided on the control board 22a so as to be arranged on one side of the printer device 1 and provided with a charging circuit and the like capable of charging the battery 8, and a power board 22b on the back side of the power board 22b. And a medium socket unit substrate 22c provided with slots for mounting the first and second memory cards 2h and 2i.

The control circuit board 22a and the power board 22b are connected to the control circuit board 22a as shown in FIG.
23 as a connecting means provided at one end of the connector
Is connected to one end of the power board 22b. As shown in FIG. 6, the control circuit board 22a and the medium socket unit board 22c are connected to each other via a connector 63 provided at one end of the control circuit board 22a. 2
One end of 2c is connected. That is, by mounting each substrate in this manner, the entire substrate 22 is formed in a substantially L-shape, and an arrangement configuration suitable for miniaturization of the device is obtained.

On the control board 22a, there are provided a circuit group necessary for the printing operation, for example, an IC circuit (not shown) for controlling the recording paper feed or an IC for controlling the ink ribbon feed.
And a circuit such as a video signal processing circuit. A PC connector 11a to which the PC connector 11 is removably mounted is provided at a side end on the control board 22a. Further, various electronic components (not shown) mounted on the device are provided at the front end on the control board 22a.
Connectors 30a-30 for electrically connecting to
f is provided. Note that these circuits and connectors are electrically connected by a print pattern 31 provided on the control board based on a necessary wiring form.

The power board 22b is formed in an L-shape with the control board 22a by a connector 23. The connector 23 is electrically connected to various electronic components on the control board side. ing. Although not shown, a charging circuit for charging the battery 8, a control IC circuit for controlling the thermal head 20, the thermal head driving mechanism 21, and the like are disposed on the inner surface of the power board 22b. It has become. further,
A connector (not shown) for making an electrical connection to the thermal head driving mechanism 21, a large capacitor (not shown), and the like is provided at a side end portion of the power board 22b.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, a medium socket board 22c is provided with a first memory card socket (not shown).
And the second memory card socket 62 are attached to the mounting member 61.
Each is attached to the inner surface. The attachment member 61 is attached to the power board 22b,
Each socket is fixed by screwing the base end of the mounting member 61 to the medium socket board 22c with a screw 64.

The medium socket unit board 22
c is a support member 60 whose base end is attached to the surface of the main body bottom 3 in order to secure a certain degree of strength against a pressing force generated when various memory cards are mounted.
Are fixed by screws 64. That is, when the medium socket unit substrate 22c is attached to the support member 60, various memory cards 9 are mounted.
It is possible to prevent the device from being damaged by the pressing force generated due to the mounting of a and 9b.

Although not shown, the power board 22b is provided on the back side of the medium socket unit board 22c.
A connection member electrically connected to the charging circuit is arranged, and the connection member includes a battery section 8b of the battery 8.
A battery piece for contacting and electrically connecting the battery is provided so as to protrude. Therefore, when the battery 8 is mounted in the battery mounting groove 2c of the main body cover 2, the battery piece of the connecting member and the battery piece 8b of the battery 8 come into contact with each other and become conductive, so that the battery 8
Can be supplied into the main body of the printer device 1.

According to the above configuration, the length of the wiring can be shortened, the size and weight of the printer can be reduced, and an optimal printer for portable use can be configured. Further, even if the manufacturing process of the substrate is taken into consideration, the substrate 22 is composed of the three substrates 22a, 22b, and 22c, so that the manufacturing process of the substrate can be performed by sharing each of the substrates, and the assembling process is also possible. Because it can be easily performed, it is possible to simplify the manufacturing process,
It greatly contributes to cost reduction.

By the way, the printer 1 of the present embodiment
Therefore, in order to achieve the above-described object, it is possible to improve the assemblability and assembling accuracy of a device including a platen roller and a thermal head, and to easily perform the platen roller transfer when the heating resistor transfers ink to recording paper. Is characterized in that a position adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting the center of the rotation shaft to a regular position is provided.

The mechanism for adjusting the position of the platen roller and the thermal head, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a position adjusting mechanism mounted in the printer shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 shows a state in which the position adjusting mechanism of FIG. 1 is attached via a side plate. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of each of a plurality of bushes provided in accordance with a positional shift with respect to the heating resistor. Although FIGS. 3 and 4 show the configuration of only one side surface on which the bush is mounted, for the sake of simplification of description, the same configuration is applied to the other side surface.

FIG. 3 shows a printer 1 according to this embodiment.
And a spring 14c as an urging member for constantly urging the platen roller 14 in the direction of the thermal head 20, as shown in the figure, 14 and a pair of bushes 50 slidable in a direction away from the thermal head 20 or in a direction close to the thermal head 20, and a pair of bushes 50 respectively. Driving means for driving the side plates 12a and 12b as support members having holes 50c slidably supporting the direction away from the head 20 or the direction close to the thermal head 20, and the platen roller 14 fitted with the bush 50 And a recording paper feeding / ribbon feeding mechanism 17.

The recording paper feed / ribbon feed mechanism 17 is as described above.

The fitting portion 50a of the bush 50 is such that both sides of the projecting fitting portion 50 are clear and the upper and lower surfaces are rounded.
A shaft support hole 50b for rotatably supporting the rotating shaft 14a of the platen roller 14 therein.
Are formed.

The rotating shaft 14a of the platen roller 14
A groove 14b for pivotally supporting the shaft 50b of the push 50 is formed at the tip of the push.

On the other hand, the side plates 12a, 12
b, a hole 50c for fitting the fitting portion 50a of the bush 50 is formed. The shape of the hole 50c is, for example, substantially rectangular, and the upper and lower portions of the hole 50c are fitting portions. It is formed in substantially the same manner as the R shape of 50. The dimension of the hole 50c in the vertical direction is such that the fitting portion 50a to be fitted can freely slide a certain distance.

The platen roller 14 is connected to the side plates 12a, 12b.
When mounting on the platen roller 1 as shown in FIG.
4 is connected to both side plates 1 of the main frame 12.
2a, 12b, and a pair of bushes 5 from outside the side plates 12a, 12b.
The rotary shaft 14a is inserted into the shaft support hole 50b of the fitting portion 50c while each of the fitting portions 50c is fitted into the hole 50c, and the shaft support hole 50c is formed according to the shape of the groove 14b of the rotary shaft 14a.
b, a rotating shaft 14 is attached to a bearing portion (not shown) formed inside.
A groove 14b is mounted. Thus, the rotation shaft 14 a of the platen roller 14 is supported by the bush 50.

Then, one of the springs 14c attached to the lower portion of the side plate 12b or the other of the springs 14c mounted on the surface of the control board 22a is engaged near the lower portion of the fitting portion 50a. Thus, the platen roller 14 is always urged toward the thermal head 20 by the spring 14c. Attachment of the platen roller 14 is completed by assembling the same on the opposite side.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the platen roller 14 is mounted by the bush 50. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the horizontal direction of the fitted portion 50a is accurately positioned by the shape of the hole 50c of the side plates 12a and 12b on both sides, and at the same time, the vertical direction of the fitted portion 50a is Is a state in which the fitting portion 50a can be freely slid over a certain distance.
4c, it is urged in the direction of arrow A shown in the figure.
As a result, the peripheral surface of the platen roller 14 can always be brought into contact with the heating resistor 20H (see FIG. 7) of the thermal head 20 at a predetermined pressure during printing.

In the present embodiment, the pair of bushes 50 are fitted so that the positional deviation of the contact point between the heating resistor of the thermal head 20 and the platen roller 14 can always be adjusted to a proper position. Shaft support hole 50b of joint 50a
The platen roller 14 is manufactured such that the center position of the rotation shaft 14a of the platen roller 14 is different from the center position in the horizontal direction. An example of the configuration of the bush 50 is shown in FIG. For example, in the bush 50A shown in FIG. 5A, the contact position of the platen roller 14 with the heating resistor 20H of the thermal head 20 is different from that of the heating resistor 20H.
It is formed to correct a position shift on the right side of H, and the center position of the rotation axis of the shaft support hole 50b in the fitting portion 50a is indicated by an arrow B direction (horizontal direction) shown in FIG. Is shifted only by the distance L1. That is, by pivotally supporting the rotating shaft 14a of the platen roller 14 in the shaft supporting hole 50b of the fitting portion 50a, the center position of the rotating shaft 14a of the platen roller 14 is shifted from the center line by a distance L1 in the direction of arrow B in the drawing. Only eccentricity is possible.

The bush 50 shown in FIG.
Heating resistor of thermal head 20 and platen roller 14
This is used when there is no displacement of the contact portion with the shaft, and the center of the rotation axis of the shaft support hole 50b in the fitting portion 50a is the same as the center line. That is, by pivotally supporting the rotation shaft 14a of the platen roller 14 in the shaft support hole 50b of the fitting portion 50a, the center position of the rotation shaft 14a of the platen roller 14 is substantially the same as the center line.

The bush 50B shown in FIG.
Is formed in order to correct a positional shift in which the contact position of the platen roller 14 with the heating resistor 20H of the thermal head 20 is on the left side of the heating resistor 20H.
The center position of the rotation shaft of the shaft support hole 50b in the fitting portion 50a is a distance L in the direction of the arrow C (horizontal direction) shown in the figure through the center line.
The configuration is shifted only by two. That is, this fitting portion 5
The rotation shaft 14 of the platen roller 14 is
By supporting a, the center position of the rotation shaft 14a of the platen roller 14 can be decentered from the center line by a distance L2 in the direction of arrow C in the figure.

The distances L1 and L2 can be appropriately set and changed in accordance with the degree of positional deviation of the contact point between the heating resistor of the thermal head 20 and the platen roller 14. It is sufficient to prepare a plurality of sets of bushes 50, 50A, 50B configured by setting the distances L1 and L2 more finely so as to be able to cope with the above. Accordingly, the platen roller 14 is mounted using the optimal pair of bushes in accordance with the degree of displacement of the contact portion between the heating resistor of the thermal head 20 and the platen roller 14, and thereby the heating resistance of the thermal head 20 is reduced. It is possible to adjust the center of the rotation shaft 14a of the platen roller 14 when the body 20H transfers the ink onto the recording paper 6 so as to be at a regular position.

(Operation) Next, the operation of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a printer device equipped with the above-described position adjusting mechanism. FIGS. 7 and 8 are enlarged cross-sectional views of a contact portion between a heating resistor of a thermal head and a platen roller. 7 shows a state in which the contact position of the platen roller with respect to the heating resistor of the thermal head is shifted to the right, and FIG. 8 shows a state in which the bush of the present embodiment has been adjusted to the normal position.

As shown in FIG. 6, first, the uppermost recording paper 6 stored in the paper supply cassette 5 is transported by the paper supply rollers 18 into the printer apparatus 1. At this time, the recording paper 6 can be transported smoothly by the rotation of the paper feed roller 18 since the base end of the paper feed cassette 5 on the printer side is formed in an R shape.

A pinch roller 1 disposed in front of the inside of the apparatus
The guide plates 41a, 41b, and 43c that form recording paper transport paths 43a and 43b to which the main frame 12 is attached are provided at a stage preceding the grip roller 40 and the grip roller 40, and the recording paper transported by the paper feed roller 18 is provided. 6 is conveyed between the pinch roller 15 and the grip roller 40 via the formed conveyance path 43a while pushing up the tape member 42 attached to the guide plate 41c. At this time, although not shown, whether or not the recording paper 6 is normally conveyed is detected by a sensor attached near the recording and conveying path of the guide plate 41b, and provided on the control board 22a in accordance with the detection result. The presence or absence of the start of the printing operation is determined by the main control unit. When the sheet is not conveyed normally, the control section causes the display section 2e on the surface of the main body cover 2 to display an error or the like. Otherwise, the control section performs drive control to start the printing operation.

When the printing operation is started, the recording paper 6 is nipped by the pinch roller 15 and the grip roller 40, and the recording paper is controlled by a control unit, ie, a recording paper feed control IC circuit provided on the control board 22a. The drive of the feed / ribbon feed mechanism 17 is controlled, and the rotation of the grip roller 40 provided with a non-slip means on its surface causes
The conveyance of the recording paper 6 during printing is adjusted. That is, the leading end of the recording paper 6 is conveyed through the recording paper conveyance path 44 formed by the guide plates 13a and 13b, and the rear end of the recording paper 6 is located at the print start point between the thermal head 20 and the platen roller 14. The conveyance of the recording paper 6 is controlled so that the recording paper 6 arrives.

At the time of printing, the recording paper 6 and the ink ribbon 7a are separated from the thermal head 20 and the platen roller 1 by the rotation of the grip roller 40 and the pinch roller 15.
4 while being pressed and transferred, and a control circuit provided on the power board 22b allows a current to flow through the heating element of the thermal head 20, thereby dissolving or sublimating the thermal transfer ink on the ink ribbon 7a and recording. The image is transferred to paper 6 and printed. At the same time, at the time of printing, the ink ribbon 7a feed required at the time of printing is also controlled by the ink ribbon feed control circuit.

In this case, when printing the first color yellow (Y) of the ink ribbon 7 a on the recording paper 6, the recording paper 6 is transported to the left side in the figure by the pinch roller 15 and the grip roller 40, and this recording is performed. Paper 6 and ink ribbon 7
is transferred while being pressed between the thermal head 20 and the platen roller 14, and an image information signal corresponding to yellow (Y) is supplied to a heating element (not shown) of the thermal head 20.

The leading end of the recording paper 6 at this time is in a recording paper transport path 44 composed of a U-shaped guide plate 13a and a guide plate 13b of the same shape provided inside the U-shaped guide plate 13a. On the other hand, the rear end portion of the recording paper 6 is transported to the recording paper transport path 43b while pushing down the tape member 42 attached to the guide plate 41c via the transport path 43a.
The first color printing is performed.

The position of the thermal head 20 at the time of printing is, for example, three positions (a position moved upward, a position moved downward as shown in the figure, and an intermediate position between them) in a standby state. A switching operation can be performed by the thermal head driving mechanism 21 so that the position becomes a (partial position), and the position is controlled by a control IC circuit provided on the power board 22b in accordance with the printing operation. .

When the printing of the first color yellow (Y) on the recording paper 6 is completed, the control IC circuit 38
Drives the thermal head drive mechanism 21 to move the thermal head 20 away from the platen roller 14 and to the partial position, while the pinch roller 15 and the grip roller 40 move the recording paper 6 to the rear of the printer 1. (Rightward direction in the figure), and thereafter, the above operation is repeated, and the recording paper 6 in the order of magenta (M) for the second color, cyan (C) for the third color, and a transparent overcoat (OP).
Color printing is performed by superimposing each color sequentially on the top.

The recording paper 6 is held by the grip roller 40 and the pinch roller 15 until printing of each color is started.
The recording paper 6 is transported to the rear side (to the right in the drawing) of the printer apparatus 1 at this time. When the trailing end of the recording paper 6 is detected by a sensor (not shown), the rotation of the pinch roller 15 and the grip roller 40 controls the trailing end of the recording paper 6 based on the detection result. Is set at the print start position of the thermal head 20 and the platen roller 14.

Here, as described above, the thermal head 20
When the heat-generating resistor 20H transfers the thermal transfer ink of the ink ribbon 7a to the recording paper 6, for example, the contact position C of the platen roller 14 with the heat-generating resistor 20H of the thermal head 20 is a regular position as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the position is shifted to the right side, not to the (the vicinity of the center of the heating resistor 20H). Then, in this case, the thermal head 20
Contact position C between the heating resistor 20H and the platen roller
However, since it differs from the ideal normal position near the center of the heating resistor 20H, the heat from the heating resistor is not transmitted normally, and as a result, the color of the ink to be transferred becomes lighter, and Fine prints cannot be obtained.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the platen roller 14 with respect to the heating resistor 20H of the thermal head 20 is used.
In order to adjust the contact point to a proper position, a pair of bushes 50A corresponding to this positional shift is selected, and replaced with a pair of bushes 50 shown in FIG. 7, and the platen roller 14 is replaced as shown in FIG. Installing.

The contact position C of the platen roller 14 with respect to the heating resistor 20H of the thermal head 20, as shown in FIG.
Is formed in order to correct the position shift on the right side of the figure, in which the rotational axis center position of the shaft support hole 50b in the fitting portion 50a is shifted by the distance L1 leftward in the figure via the center line. Has become. That is, the shaft support hole 50b of the fitting portion 50a
By pivotally supporting the rotation shaft 14a of the platen roller 14, the center position of the rotation shaft 14a of the platen roller 14 can be decentered leftward from the center line by a distance L1 in the drawing.

Therefore, such a pair of bushes 5
By mounting the platen roller 14 using the recording paper 6A, the heating resistor 20H of the thermal head 20
When transferring each thermal transfer ink of the ink ribbon 7a to the
For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the contact position C of the platen roller 14 with respect to the heating resistor 20H of the thermal head 20 can be adjusted to a regular position C1 (a portion near the center of the heating resistor 20H). In this case, the thermal head 14 is always urged by the spring 14c in the direction of the thermal head 20 or in the direction close to the thermal head 20, so that the center of the rotation axis of the platen roller 14 is lowered by the distance L2. , The peripheral surface of the platen roller 14 can always be brought into contact with the heating resistor 20H at a predetermined pressure. This makes it possible to execute a good printing operation without wrinkling the ink ribbon 7a, and to obtain a high-precision print image.

When the printing of all the colors is completed in this way, the printed recording paper 6 is discharged to the outside of the apparatus through the recording paper transport path 43b by a paper feeding mechanism (not shown), and the printing operation is completed. I do.

(Effects) Therefore, according to the present embodiment, an optimum pair of bushes 50 is exchanged according to the degree of displacement of the contact portion between the heating resistor 20H of the thermal head 20 and the platen roller 14. By attaching the platen roller 14, the center of the rotating shaft 14a of the platen roller 14 when the heating resistor 20H of the thermal head 20 transfers the ink onto the recording paper 6 can be adjusted to the normal position. It becomes possible.

Further, the position adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting the positional deviation as described above simply mounts the pair of exchanged bushes 50 on the rotating shaft 14a of the platen roller 14 through the holes 50c of the side plates 12a and 12b. Therefore, there are advantages that assemblability and assembling accuracy can be improved, and eccentricity adjustment can be easily performed.

Further, since the bush 50 can be easily manufactured, the manufacturing process can be simplified, and as a result, it greatly contributes to the reduction of the manufacturing cost of the device.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but is included in the present invention even when the above-described embodiment is applied.

[0090]

As described above, according to the present invention, by adopting a structure in which a pair of bushes of a plurality of sets capable of correcting a displacement with respect to a heating resistor and a platen roller can be fitted. The present invention provides a printer device which can improve assemblability and assembling accuracy, and can easily adjust the center of the rotation axis of a platen roller to a regular position when a heating resistor transfers ink to recording paper. It becomes possible. In addition, since the eccentricity can be adjusted with a simple configuration, and the assemblability and the assembling accuracy can be improved, the manufacturing process and the assembling process can be simplified, and as a result, the manufacturing cost of the device is greatly reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a printer device according to the present invention and showing an overall configuration of the device.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the printer shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a position adjusting mechanism mounted in the printer shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the position adjusting mechanism of FIG. 3 viewed from the inside of the side plate in a state where the position adjusting mechanism is attached via the side plate.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing an example of each of a plurality of bushes provided in accordance with a displacement with respect to a heating resistor.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an operation of the printer device according to the present embodiment and illustrating a main part of the printer device equipped with the position adjusting mechanism.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part when a contact position of a platen roller with respect to a heating resistor of a thermal head is shifted to the right.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part when adjusted to a normal position by the position adjusting mechanism of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer apparatus, 2 ... Body cover, 2a ... Feeding cassette mounting opening, 2b ... Ink cassette insertion opening, 2c ... Battery mounting groove, 2d ... Operation panel, 2e ... Display part, 2f ... Vent hole, 2g ... Opening 2h: 1st memory card slot, 2i: 2nd memory card slot, 2j ... dust cover, 2k ... notch 2l ... eject button, 3 ... bottom part of main body, 4a, 4b ... open / close lid, 4c, 4d ... lock Means 5 Paper feed cassette 5a Cover 6 Recording paper 7 Ink cassette 7a Ink ribbon 7b Ink ribbon supply reel 7c Ink ribbon take-up reel 8 Battery 8a Mounting section Ink ribbon 8b: battery section, 8c: locking part, 9a: first memory card (smart media), 9b: second memory card (compact) Flash), 10 DC connector, 10a AC outlet, 11 PC connector, 11a PC connector, 12 main frame, 12a, 12b side plate, 12c, 12d auxiliary plate, 13 guide plate, 14 platen Roller, 14a: rotating shaft, 14b: groove, 14c: spring, 15: pinch roller, 17: recording paper feed mechanism, 18: paper feed roller, 20: thermal head, 20H: heat generating resistor, 21: thermal head drive mechanism Reference numeral 22: board, 22a: control board, 22b: power board, 22c: medium socket unit board, 23: connector, 34: connecting member, 34a: battery section 50, 50A, 50B: bush, 50a: fitting part, 50b ... shaft support holes, 50c ... holes.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A printer device capable of transferring recording paper on a platen roller to ink by a head, comprising: an urging member for urging the platen roller in the direction of the head; and a rotatable member rotatable with the platen roller. A pair of bushes having a fitting portion to be fitted and slidable in a direction away from the head or in a direction close to the head; and a direction in which the pair of bushes are separated from the head or close to the head. And a support member having a hole portion slidably supported in a direction. 2. A plurality of sets of a pair of bushings having different rotation center positions of fitting portions rotatably fitted with the platen roller are prepared, and by exchanging the pushes, the head is formed. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the center of the rotation axis of the platen roller when transferring the ink to the recording paper is adjusted to be at a regular position.
The printer device according to 1. 3. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the support member is located between the platen roller and the bush. 4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the hole provided in the support member is substantially rectangular. 5. The printer device according to claim 2, wherein the center position of the rotation shaft of the fitting portion is corrected by the pair of bushes in a substantially moving direction of the recording paper or a direction opposite thereto. .