JP2005324535A - Paper loading device and mini printer equipped with this - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper loading device for movement of a paper in a mini printer. <P>SOLUTION: The paper loading device is equipped with an upper paper guide assembly 20, a lock means, and an elastic spring. The upper paper guide assembly 20 can adjust an interval to a lower paper guide 12 to an open position and a close position by rotating centering a hinge while coupled by the hinge to a printer 11 body. The lock means locks and releases the upper paper guide assembly 20 so as to adjust the upper paper guide assembly 20 to the open position and the close position. The elastic spring interposed by the hinge of the upper paper guide assembly 20 returns the upper paper guide assembly 20 to the open position when the lock means is released. Accordingly, paper loading is greatly facilitated, and the paper can be easily and perfectly taken out even when paper jamming is brought about. In addition, the device is made compact to be small and light-weight. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper loading device for moving paper in a mini printer, and in particular, in a mini printer for credit card front-side printing, paper loading is extremely easy, and even when a paper jam occurs, the paper is loaded. The present invention relates to a paper loading device and a mini printer provided with the paper loading device that can be easily and completely removed, and that can be reduced in size and weight by greatly reducing the size of the device.

  Usually, a mini printer is used to print a receipt on which a product name, price, etc. are printed, and a loading device that loads and moves a large paper and prints the product name, price, etc. on the paper. And a printing device.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional mini printer, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a paper loading device of a conventional mini printer, showing an example of a mini printer for printing a credit card slip. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a conventional paper loading device of a mini-printer includes a lower paper guide 2 that is coupled to a front end portion of a printer body 1 for loading paper, the lower paper guide 2 and a predetermined paper guide. A driving force is generated to feed the upper paper guide 3 which is spaced apart and provided so as to be able to sandwich the paper between them, and the paper sandwiched between the lower paper guide 2 and the upper paper guide 3. A paper feeding motor 4, a feeding speed reduction gear member 5 that reduces the rotational speed of the paper feeding motor 4, a rotating shaft 6 that is axially coupled to the feeding speed reducing gear member 5, and a rotating shaft 6. A sprocket wheel 7 fitted on both sides and a machine provided at the end of the rotary shaft 7 Includes a Yuarunobu 8, the.

  As shown in FIG. 3, such a conventional paper loading apparatus is configured such that the user manually places a certain amount of paper 9 between the lower paper guide 2 and the upper paper guide 3 fixed to the printer body 1. The sprocket wheel 7 is rotated and loaded while being sandwiched. Usually, this loading system includes an automatic loading system and a manual loading system.

  According to the automatic loading method, when the feeding key attached to the terminal is pressed, the paper feeding motor 4 rotates according to the signal, and the driving force is rotated through the feeding reduction gear member 5 to the rotating shaft. 6, the sprocket wheel 7 interlocked with the rotating shaft 6 is rotated, and the projection 7 a of the wheel 7 and the transfer hole 9 a formed in the paper 9 are fitted, so that the paper according to the rotation of the sprocket wheel 7. 9 is loaded at a fixed position.

  On the other hand, in the case of the manual loading method, by manually turning the manual knob 8 fixed to the rotating shaft 6, the sprocket wheel 7 interlocked with the rotating shaft 6 rotates and the projection 7 a of the wheel 7 and the paper 9 are rotated. As a result of the alignment of the formed transfer holes 9a, the paper 9 can be loaded by a certain amount, and then the above-described operation during automatic loading is performed in the same manner for accurate positioning of the paper 9.

  However, since the interval between the lower paper guide 2 and the upper paper guide 3 is narrow in the conventional mini printer paper loading device as described above, the user picks up the paper 9 and holds the lower paper guide. When sandwiched between the upper paper guide 3 and the upper paper guide 3, there is a problem that it is easy to bend and thereby cannot be loaded correctly or a paper jam occurs.

  Further, when a paper jam occurs in this way, in the conventional mini printer, since the interval between the lower paper guide 2 and the upper paper guide 3 is narrow, it is not easy to remove the jammed paper.

  Further, if the paper is torn during the removal of the paper 9, the torn paper piece 9b is clogged between the lower paper guide 2 and the upper paper guide 3 as shown in FIG. It was difficult. For this reason, the use of the mini printer must be stopped for a while until the piece of paper 9b is taken out, and in order to take out the piece of paper 9b jammed between the lower paper guide 2 and the upper paper guide 3, an apparatus is used. In addition, there is a disadvantage that it becomes necessary to disassemble or to receive a separate A / S.

  As described above, the paper loading device of the conventional mini printer has a complicated way of pinching the paper 9, and if the paper 9 is not properly pinched during the initial paper loading, the paper 9 cannot be loaded at a desired position or a paper jam occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the paper carefully, so that the paper must be carefully and well loaded.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to make it very easy to load a mini printer when loading paper, and to easily and completely take out paper even when a paper jam occurs. There is a paper loading device.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a paper loading apparatus that can be miniaturized and reduced in weight by miniaturizing the apparatus significantly.

  These objects of the present invention will become more apparent from those skilled in the art from the preferred embodiments of the present invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  To achieve the object of the present invention, according to the present invention, a lower paper guide coupled to a front end portion of a printer main body, a head mounted on the upper portion of the lower paper guide, and hinged to the printer main body are coupled to the hinge. An upper paper guide assembly that can be adjusted to an open position and a closed position by rotating about the lower paper guide, and a paper that is sandwiched between the lower paper guide and the upper paper guide assembly A paper feeding motor that generates a driving force to feed, a feeding reduction gear member for reducing the rotation speed of the paper feeding motor, and a rotating shaft that is axially coupled to the feeding reduction gear member and rotates. , Fitted on both sides of the rotating shaft, into the transfer hole formed in the paper A sprocket wheel having a pair of projecting protrusions formed at regular intervals; locking means for locking and releasing the upper paper guide assembly to adjust the upper paper guide assembly to an open position and a closed position; There is provided a paper loading device including an elastic spring interposed in a hinge of the paper guide assembly to return the upper paper guide assembly to an open position when the locking means is released.

  Here, the upper paper guide assembly includes an upper paper guide formed in a shape corresponding to a curved surface of the lower paper guide, vertical plates erected on both ends of the upper paper guide, and the upper paper guide assembly. A hinge shaft for rotating the lock plate, and a lock projection provided on the outer surface of the vertical plate.

  The paper feeding motor, the rotating shaft, and the sprocket wheel are provided in the upper paper guide assembly and rotate together with the upper paper guide assembly.

  Further, the feeding speed reduction gear member is provided on one side of the upper paper guide assembly and rotated together with the upper paper guide assembly. When the upper paper guide assembly is in a closed position on the printer body, A manual knob gear that is engaged with any one of the feeding reduction gear members is provided, and the manual knob gear is provided with a manual knob.

  Meanwhile, the lock means is formed with a lock groove into which the lock protrusion of the upper paper guide assembly can be inserted and removed, one end is restrained by a hole formed in the printer body, and the center is hinged to the printer body, An operation knob that can be rotated around a hinge part is provided, and the support knob is restored by elastic force from the hinge part to one end restrained by the printer main body.

  Here, the operating knob is formed with a guide surface that is inclined so as to be fitted into the lock groove while the lock protrusion is lowered.

  Further, the lower paper guide is provided with a guide portion formed on a vertical surface for guiding both sides of the loaded paper.

  The paper loading device of the mini-printer according to the present invention is such that the upper paper guide assembly is not fixed, but is provided so as to be rotatable about the hinge shaft so that the paper is sandwiched in the open position. If the loading operation is performed in the closed position, there is an advantage that the paper can be easily loaded.

  Further, even when a paper jam occurs during paper loading, the structure is simple, so the paper can be easily taken out and A / S is easy.

  Furthermore, since the paper loading mechanism is simple, the paper loading apparatus can be greatly reduced in size, and the mini printer can be reduced in size and weight. In addition, since the paper can be prevented from tearing, there is an advantage that the reliability of the mini printer can be improved.

  Hereinafter, a paper loading device of the present invention and a mini printer including the same will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the mini printer of the present invention. Referring to this, the mini-printer of the present invention is mounted on the printer main body 11, the lower paper guide 12 coupled to the front end of the printer main body 11 for loading paper, and the upper portion of the lower paper guide 12. An upper paper guide assembly 20 hinged to the printer body 11 and rotatable about the hinge; a head carriage 13a to which a head 13 for printing on paper is attached; and a projection ( A groove 15a is formed in the outer periphery of the outer periphery so that the head carriage 13a can be fitted freely, and a lead cam 15 that moves the head carriage 13a to the left and right while rotating by receiving rotational force from the drive motor 14 is provided. It becomes.

  In the paper loading apparatus of the present invention, the lower paper guide 12 is provided at the front end of the printer main body 11, and the upper paper guide assembly 20 for loading paper is provided above the lower paper guide 12. The upper paper guide assembly 20 is hinged to the printer body 11 and rotated about the hinge so that the distance from the lower paper guide 12 can be adjusted to an open position and a closed position. It has become.

  The lower paper guide 12 is provided with guide portions 12b formed on a vertical surface on both sides for guiding both sides of the paper to be loaded.

  FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the paper loading device of the mini printer of the present invention. Referring to this, the upper paper guide assembly 20 includes an upper paper guide 21 formed in a shape corresponding to the curved surface of the lower paper guide 12, and vertical plates erected on both ends of the upper paper guide 21. 22, a hinge shaft 23 inserted through the vertical plate 22 to rotate the upper paper guide assembly 20, and lock protrusions 24 provided on the outer surface of the vertical plate 22.

  Meanwhile, the paper loading apparatus of the present invention includes a paper feeding motor 41 that generates a driving force to feed the paper sandwiched between the lower paper guide 12 and the upper paper guide assembly 20, and the paper feeding. A feeding reduction gear member 42 for reducing the rotation speed of the motor 41, a rotating shaft 43 that is coupled to one of the feeding reduction gear members 42 to rotate, and both sides of the rotating shaft 43 And a sprocket wheel 44 having protrusions 44a formed at regular intervals and fitted into a transfer hole formed in the paper, and the upper paper guide assembly 20 is adjusted to an open position and a closed position. Therefore, the upper paper guide assembly 20 is locked and released. A click means, interposed hinge shaft 23 of the upper paper guide assembly 20 and disengaging said locking means further comprises a, an elastic spring 26 to return the upper paper guide assembly 20 in the open position.

  Reference numeral 25 in the drawings denotes a platen that the head 13 strikes when printing on paper.

  Here, the paper feeding motor 41, the rotating shaft 43 and the sprocket wheel 44 are provided inside the upper paper guide assembly 20.

  That is, the paper feeding motor 41, the rotating shaft 43, and the sprocket wheel 44 are provided in a space formed by the upper paper guide 21 and the vertical plates 22 at both ends thereof.

  Further, a drive motor 14 for rotating the lead cam 15 that moves the head carriage 13 a to the left and right is provided in a position corresponding to the paper feeding motor 41 in the upper paper guide assembly 20.

  Meanwhile, the feeding reduction gear member 42 is provided on one side of the upper paper guide assembly 20, that is, on the outer surface of the vertical plate 22, and is rotated together with the upper paper guide assembly 20.

  Accordingly, the paper feeding motor 41, the driving motor 14, the rotating shaft 43, the sprocket wheel 44, and the feeding reduction gear member 42 provided in the upper paper guide assembly 20 are When the paper guide assembly 20 is rotated about the hinge, the paper guide assembly 20 is rotated together to constitute an upper loader for loading paper.

  For this reason, the loading device of the present invention can be made more compact than the conventional paper loading device.

  The printer body 11 is provided with a manual knob gear 34 that is engaged with any one of the feeding reduction gear members 42 when the upper paper guide assembly 20 is in the closed position, A manual knob 33 is axially coupled to the manual knob gear 34.

  Therefore, as described above, when the feeding reduction gear member 42 is rotated together with the upper paper guide assembly 20 to the closed position, the manual knob gear 34 provided on the manual knob 33 and the reduction gear 42a are engaged. Therefore, by rotating the manual knob 33 by hand, the sprocket wheel 44 interlocked with the rotary shaft 43 is rotated and the projection 44a of the wheel 44 and the transfer hole formed in the paper are aligned. Only a certain amount of paper can be loaded.

  In addition, the upper paper guide 21 is bent to have a shape corresponding to the curved surface of the lower paper guide 12, and when the upper paper guide 21 is rotated about the hinge to be in a closed position, the lower paper guide 12 and the upper paper guide 21 It is preferable that the space | interval with 21 is formed so that paper can pass freely.

  The upper paper guide 21 has cut portions 21a formed on both sides of the bottom surface, and is provided so that the sprocket wheel 44 and the protrusions 44a are exposed through the cut portions 21a.

  Also, the lower paper guide 12 is formed with a cutout portion 12a at a position corresponding to the cutout portion 21a. When the upper paper guide assembly 20 is closed upon loading of the paper, both sides of the paper in which the transfer holes are formed are formed. The paper is easily transferred by rotating the paper in a state where the protrusion 44a is fitted in the paper transfer hole exposed at the cutout portion 12a.

  7A and 7B are side views showing the locking means of the present invention. FIG. 7A shows a locked state, and FIG. 7B shows a released state.

  In the present invention, as the locking means, a lock groove 31a in which a lock protrusion 24 formed on the vertical plate 22 of the upper paper guide assembly 20 can be inserted and removed is formed, and one end of the hole 11a formed in the printer main body 11 is formed. The operation knob 31 is proposed in which the center is hinged to the printer main body 11 and is rotatable about the hinge portion 31c.

  A rod-like support base 32 is formed from the hinge portion 31c of the operation knob 31 to one end of the operation knob 31 constrained by the printer main body 11, and the support base 32 itself is made of a material having an elastic force. If the operating knob 31 is released after being rotated about the hinge portion 31c, the operating knob 31 returns to its original position by the elastic force of the support base 32.

  In addition, a guide surface 31b that is inclined to be fitted into the lock groove 31a is formed on the lock groove 31a of the operation knob 31 after the compression protrusion 32 is lowered and the compression spring 32 is compressed. .

  As shown in FIG. 7B, when the operation knob 31 is pushed in the direction of the arrow, the support base 32 is bent and rotated about the hinge portion 31c, so that the lock protrusion 24 is released from the lock groove 31a. The

  For this reason, in a state where the operation knob 31 is released, the upper paper guide assembly 20 is rotated by the restoring force of the elastic spring 26 to the open position.

  Next, the operation of the paper loading apparatus of the present invention having such a configuration will be described.

  8A and 8B are perspective views showing the usage state of the paper loading apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a bottom view showing the usage state of the paper loading apparatus of the present invention. Referring to this, in the paper loading apparatus according to the present invention, the elastic knob 26 for returning the upper paper guide assembly 20 to the open position is interposed in the hinge 23 of the upper paper guide assembly 20. In a state where the locking means is released by turning, the upper paper guide assembly 20 is rotated by the restoring force of the elastic spring 26 to the open position.

  In this way, the paper 9 is sandwiched between the upper paper guide assembly 20 and the lower paper guide 12 in the open position (FIG. 8A).

  At this time, the gap between the upper paper guide assembly 20 and the lower paper guide 12 in the open position is formed to be very wide as compared to the thickness of the paper 9, so that the paper 9 is very easily sandwiched.

  Further, the lower paper guide 12 of the present invention is provided with guide portions 12b formed on the vertical surfaces for guiding both sides of the loaded paper on both sides, so that the paper 9 can be loaded straight without bending. can do.

  Thereafter, when the upper paper guide assembly 20 is rotated, the lock protrusion 24 is guided by the guide surface 31b of the operation knob 31 while being lowered, and is fitted into the lock groove 31a. 20 is in the closed position.

  At this time, any one of the reduction gears 42a of the feeding reduction gear member 42 is engaged with the manual knob gear 34, so that the rotary shaft 43 can be rotated only by turning the manual knob 33 by hand.

  Next, when the manual knob 33 is turned by hand to rotate the sprocket wheel 44 linked to the rotary shaft 43, the projection 44a of the sprocket wheel 44 is fitted into the transfer hole 9a of the paper 9, as shown in FIG. As a result, a certain amount of paper 9 can be loaded.

  Next, the head 13 prints on the paper 9 in response to an electrical signal from the substrate.

  On the other hand, when releasing the locking means, if the other end of the operating knob 31 is pushed and the operating knob 31 is rotated around the hinge portion 31c, the support protrusion 32 is bent and the locking protrusion 24 is locked. In order to be released from 31a, the upper paper guide assembly 20 is in the open position.

  Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be determined by the above-described embodiment, but should be determined by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

It is a perspective view which shows the conventional mini printer. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the paper loading apparatus of the conventional mini printer. It is a perspective view which shows the use condition of the paper loading apparatus of the conventional mini printer. It is a perspective view which shows that the paper torn is jammed in the paper loading apparatus of the conventional mini printer. 1 is a perspective view showing a mini printer of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the paper loading apparatus of the mini printer of this invention. It is a side view which shows the locking means of this invention. It is a side view which shows the locking means of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the use condition of the paper loading apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the use condition of the paper loading apparatus of this invention. It is a bottom view which shows the use condition of the paper loading apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

11: Printer body 12: Lower paper guide
12a: Cut-out part 13: Head
13a: head carriage 14: drive motor
15: Lead cam 15a: Groove
20: Upper paper guide assembly 21: Upper paper guide 21a: Cutout portion 22: Vertical plate 23: Hinge shaft 24: Lock projection 26: Elastic spring 31: Actuating knob 31a: Lock groove 31b: Guide surface 31c: Hinge portion 32: Compression Spring 33: Manual knob 34: Manual knob gear 41: Paper feeding motor 42: Feeding reduction gear member 43: Rotating shaft 44: Sprocket wheel 44a: Projection

Claims (10)

A lower paper guide coupled to the front end of the printer body;
An upper paper guide that is mounted on the upper portion of the lower paper guide, is hinged to the printer body, and is pivotable about the hinge so that the distance from the lower paper guide can be adjusted to an open position and a closed position. Assembly,
A paper feeding motor that generates a driving force to feed the paper sandwiched between the lower paper guide and the upper paper guide assembly;
A feeding reduction gear member for reducing the rotation speed of the paper feeding motor;
A rotating shaft that is axially coupled to the feeding reduction gear member and rotates;
A sprocket wheel that is fitted on both sides of the rotating shaft and has protrusions that can be fitted into a transfer hole formed in the paper at regular intervals;
Locking means for locking and releasing the upper paper guide assembly to adjust the upper paper guide assembly to an open position and a closed position;
An elastic spring interposed between the hinges of the upper paper guide assembly and returning the upper paper guide assembly to an open position when the locking means is released. The upper paper guide assembly includes an upper paper guide formed in a shape corresponding to a curved surface of the lower paper guide;
Vertical plates erected on both ends of the upper paper guide;
A hinge shaft for rotating the upper paper guide assembly;
The paper loading device according to claim 1, further comprising a lock protrusion provided on an outer surface of the vertical plate.    The said upper paper guide assembly is provided with the said paper feeding motor, the said rotating shaft, the said sprocket wheel, and a drive motor, and rotates with the said upper paper guide assembly. Paper loading device.   The feeding reduction gear member is provided on one side of the upper paper guide assembly and rotated together with the upper paper guide assembly. When the upper paper guide assembly is in a closed position, The paper loading device according to claim 1, wherein a manual knob gear engaged with any one of the reduction gear members is provided, and the manual knob gear is provided with the manual knob gear.   The lock means is formed with a lock groove into which the lock protrusion of the upper paper guide assembly can be inserted and removed, one end is constrained by a hole formed in the printer body, and the center is hinged to the printer body, and the hinge portion 2. The operation knob that is rotatable about an axis, wherein a support base from the hinge portion to one end restrained by the printer body is restored by an elastic force. Paper loading device.    The paper loading device according to claim 5, wherein the operation knob is provided with a guide surface inclined so as to be fitted into the lock groove while the lock protrusion is lowered.    The paper loading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower paper guide is provided with a guide portion formed on a vertical surface to guide both sides of the paper to be loaded. A lower paper guide coupled to the front end of the printer body;
An upper paper guide that is mounted on the upper portion of the lower paper guide, is hinged to the printer body, and is pivotable about the hinge so that the distance from the lower paper guide can be adjusted to an open position and a closed position. Assembly,
A paper feeding motor for feeding paper,
A feeding reduction gear member for reducing the rotation speed of the paper feeding motor;
A sprocket wheel fitted on both sides of a rotating shaft that is axially coupled to the feeding reduction gear member;
Locking means for locking and releasing the upper paper guide assembly to adjust the upper paper guide assembly to an open position and a closed position;
An elastic spring interposed in the hinge of the upper paper guide assembly to return the upper paper guide assembly to an open position when the locking means is released;
A head carriage to which a head for printing on the paper is attached;
A lead cam that is formed with a long groove on the outer peripheral edge so that the protrusion of the head carriage can be fitted, and moves the head carriage to the right and left while rotating by receiving rotational force from a drive motor;
A mini-printer comprising: a printed circuit board for transmitting an electrical signal to the head.   9. The mini printer according to claim 8, wherein the paper feeding motor, the rotating shaft, and the sprocket wheel are provided inside the upper paper guide assembly and rotate together with the upper paper guide assembly.   The feeding reduction gear member is provided on one side of the upper paper guide assembly and rotated together with the upper paper guide assembly. When the upper paper guide assembly is in a closed position, 9. The mini printer according to claim 8, wherein a manual knob gear that is engaged with any one of the reduction gear members is provided, and the manual knob gear is provided with a manual knob.

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