JP2007062158A - Printer for roll paper - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To assemble into a printer for a roll paper a recording paper energizing mechanism, without increasing the dimension, which performs stable conveying operation of the recording paper, while holding in a bending state a part of the recording paper delivered from the roll paper energized by an elastic force so as to prevent the inertia of the roll paper from directly exerting thereupon. <P>SOLUTION: An opening/closing lid unit 3 is fitted to the front surface of the printer 1 for a roll paper, and when the lid unit is opened, the roll paper storing part 9 formed inside the printer main body 2 opens, allowing the roll paper 10 to be put in and out in front. A platen roller 15 is arranged at an upper front end, inside the roll paper storage part 9, and the recording paper energizing mechanism 20 is assembled in a position on the upper rear side. The recording paper energizing mechanism 20 is disposed mainly using the dead space which is created at a corner on the upper rear side of the roll paper storing part 9 in a state of storing the roll paper 10, to realize a small and compact printer for a roll paper with the recording paper energizing mechanism. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a roll paper printer having a recording paper urging mechanism for reducing the inertial force acting from the roll paper side and smoothly feeding the recording paper, and in particular, a small and compact roll paper. The present invention relates to an arrangement structure of a recording paper urging mechanism suitable for a printer.

  A roll paper printer disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known as a roll paper printer that performs printing on a roll paper having a configuration in which a tape-like recording paper is wound around a core tube. In the printer disclosed in this document, a lid is attached to the upper surface of the printer main body so that it can be opened and closed, a platen roller is attached to the printer main body, and a print head is attached to the lid. . When the lid is opened, the upper side of the paper storage unit is opened, and the roll paper can be easily replaced from the upper side. Further, since the print head and the platen roller are separated from each other, the operation of setting the paper between them can be easily performed.

  In such a roll paper printer, when the recording paper is fed by the platen roller, the inertia force of the roll paper stored in the roll paper storage section (paper storage section) acts on the recording paper, and the recording paper is removed by the force. There is a possibility that the platen roller may slip without being fed out. If the recording paper cannot be fed out properly, there will be problems such as the printing interval being clogged. Therefore, conventionally, there has been used a recording paper urging mechanism capable of urging the portion of the recording paper fed from the roll paper toward the platen roller in an out-of-plane direction by an elastic force and holding the portion in a curved state. Yes.

When the recording paper is fed out by the platen roller, the pulling force in the feeding direction acting on the recording paper does not act directly on the roll paper, but acts on the curved recording paper portion. Therefore, when the recording paper is fed, the recording paper is not subjected to the inertial force of the roll paper but is subjected to a certain tensile force defined by the elastic force. Therefore, since a large tensile force due to the inertial force of the roll paper does not act, a stable recording paper feeding operation by the platen roller can be ensured.
JP 2000-289272 A

  Here, when a roll paper printer is installed in a place where the height is not sufficient, a configuration in which roll paper is taken in and out from the upper side with respect to the roll paper storage unit cannot be adopted. In such a case, the roll paper can be taken in and out of the roll paper storage unit from the front of the printer. Also in this case, it is desirable to incorporate a recording paper urging mechanism so that the inertial force of the roll paper does not directly act on the recording paper fed from here. However, since the height dimension is limited, it is necessary to devise arrangement of the recording paper urging mechanism.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a roll paper printer in which a recording paper urging mechanism is incorporated without causing an increase in height.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a roll paper printer according to the present invention has a roll paper storage unit for storing roll paper in a rollable state inside the printer main body. An opening / closing lid unit that can be opened forward around the lower end is attached to the front surface, and by opening the opening / closing lid unit, roll paper can be taken in and out of the roll paper storage unit from the front of the printer, A roll for recording paper is disposed in the upper front portion of the roll paper storage portion, and the roll paper stored in the roll paper storage portion extends from the upper rear portion to the upper front portion of the roll paper storage portion. A recording paper urging mechanism capable of holding the recording paper fed out from the roller toward the roller with a predetermined elastic force in the out-of-plane direction is disposed. It is characterized.

  The printer body of a roll paper printer generally has a rectangular parallelepiped outline shape, and a roll paper storage portion for storing a cylindrical roll paper having a constant width is formed therein. In order to load and remove roll paper from the front of the printer with respect to the roll paper storage section, the roll paper storage section is generally made into a rectangular cross section having a width and height that is slightly larger than the width and maximum outer diameter of the roll paper. There are many. For this reason, when the roll paper is stored in the roll paper storage unit, a dead space having a substantially triangular cross section extending in the printer width direction is easily formed in the front and rear corners above the roll paper, particularly the rear corner.

  In the roll paper printer of the present invention, the roll for recording paper is disposed in the upper front portion of the roll paper storage unit, and the dead space formed at the upper rear corner of the roll paper storage unit is mainly used. A recording paper urging mechanism is arranged. Therefore, it is possible to realize a roll paper printer in which the recording paper urging mechanism is incorporated without increasing the height dimension of the roll paper printer and the longitudinal dimension.

  Here, in the present invention, the recording paper biasing mechanism extends from the rear side of the roller to the upper rear side portion of the roll paper storage unit, and a recording paper biasing plate having substantially the same width as the roll paper; From a support shaft that supports the recording paper urging plate so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction at a site behind the center in the front-rear direction of the roll paper storage unit, and the support shaft of the recording paper urging plate And a spring member that urges the rear portion upward, and the recording paper pressing plate is pressed from above by the front end of the recording paper urging plate, and the recording paper portion is bent downward. It is characterized in that it can be held in a state in which it is held.

  By arranging the support shaft and the spring member of the recording paper urging plate in the dead space on the upper rear side of the roll paper storage unit, an increase in the size of the roll paper printer can be avoided or suppressed. Further, by positioning the support shaft of the recording paper urging plate on the rear side, a sufficient vertical stroke can be secured at the front end of the recording paper urging plate.

  Further, when the support shaft is arranged on the rear side of the center in the front-rear direction of the roll paper storage unit, the height position can be lowered to substantially the same height as the upper end of the roll paper stored in the roll paper storage unit. . If the position of the support shaft can be lowered, when the roll paper hits the front end of the recording paper urging plate at the time of roll paper replacement, the recording paper urging plate can be pushed upward about the support shaft. Therefore, the recording paper urging plate can be prevented from interfering with the roll paper replacement work.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the recording paper urging plate is arranged along the outer peripheral surface portion of the maximum diameter roll paper that can be stored in the roll paper storage section. By disposing the recording paper urging plate in a state along the outer peripheral surface portion of the roll paper, the dead space on the upper side of the roll paper storage unit can be effectively used.

  Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the roller and the recording paper urging mechanism are arranged so as to be accommodated within a length dimension in the front-rear direction of the roll paper storage unit. By adopting this layout, an increase in the size of the printer in the front-rear direction can be suppressed.

  Next, the present invention is characterized in that the recording paper biasing plate is formed of a conductive material, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel. Since the recording paper is conveyed in a state of being urged by the front end portion of the recording paper urging plate, the recording paper urging plate is likely to be in a frictional charging state. If the recording paper urging plate is made conductive, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a charged state, for example, it is possible to prevent the adverse effect that the recording paper detection sensor disposed near the recording paper is damaged by the discharge. .

  As described above, in the roll paper printer of the present invention, a roll for recording paper conveyance and a recording are mainly performed by using the dead space generated at the front and rear corners above the roll paper storage portion in a state in which the roll paper is stored. A paper biasing mechanism is arranged. By adopting such a layout, there is an effect that a small and compact roll paper printer with a recording paper urging mechanism can be realized.

  Embodiments of a roll paper printer to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(overall structure)
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a roll paper printer to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a state in which the opening / closing lid unit is opened.

  A roll paper printer 1 according to the present embodiment has a printer main body 2 and an opening / closing lid unit 3 attached to the front surface thereof, and an operation panel unit 4 is attached to the front end of the printer main body 2. . A recording paper discharge port 5 extending in the printer width direction is formed at the upper end portion of the opening / closing lid unit 3 on the front surface of the printer.

  The printer main body 2 is covered with a box-shaped main body case 6 which is long before and after the front and bottom surfaces are opened. On the front surface of the open / close lid unit 3, an open / close lid case 7 that defines the front surface of the printer is attached. When the operating lever 8 disposed on the operation panel unit 4 is operated, the opening / closing lid unit 3 is released from the closed position 3A shown in FIG. ing. When the opening / closing lid unit 3 is opened to the fully open position 3B shown in FIG. 2, the front side of the roll paper storage unit 9 formed inside is opened, and the roll paper 10 can be replaced from the front of the printer. On the front surface of the operation panel unit 4, a status display lamp group 4a made of LEDs and the like, a feed button 4b, and a power switch 4c are arranged.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the inside of the roll paper printer 1. The roll paper storage unit 9 formed inside the roll paper printer 1 stores the roll paper 10 in a horizontal posture with its center line facing the printer width direction. The roll paper storage unit 9 is surrounded by an arc-shaped bottom plate 12 extending in the printer width direction, a top plate 13 extending in the printer width direction, and a front plate 14 extending in the printer width direction. The roll paper 10 is placed in a free state. From the roll paper 10, the tape-like recording paper 10a is fed out in the counterclockwise direction toward FIG. 3, passed through the printing position 17 between the platen roller 15 and the thermal head 16, and drawn forward. The paper is discharged forward from the recording paper discharge port 5 located in front of it.

  The portion of the recording paper 10 a that is fed out from the roll paper 10 and reaches the printing position 17 is urged downward by an elastic force by the recording paper urging mechanism 20 and is held in a curved state downward. The recording paper urging mechanism 20 is elastic to the recording paper urging plate 21, a support shaft 22 that supports the recording paper urging plate 21 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and the recording paper urging plate 21. The tension coil spring 23 is provided with a force. The recording paper urging mechanism 20 prevents the inertial force of the roll paper 10 from directly acting on the recording paper 10a delivered by the platen roller 15, and ensures a stable feeding operation of the recording paper 10a. It has become.

  A scissors-type recording paper cutting device 30 is disposed in front of the recording paper discharge port 5. The recording paper cutting device 30 has a fixed blade 31 mounted on the printer body 2 side, a movable blade 32 and a movable blade drive mechanism 33 mounted on the opening / closing lid unit 3 side. The fixed blades 31 are arranged in the printer width direction in a substantially horizontal posture with the blade tip 31a facing forward. The movable blades 32 are arranged in the printer width direction at a position almost directly below the blade edge 31a of the fixed blade 31, with the blade edge 32a facing substantially upward. In a state where the recording paper 10a is discharged between the blade edges 31a and 32a, the portion of the recording paper 10a sandwiched between the two blade edges 31a and 32a is moved by turning the lower movable blade 32 upward. Cut in the printer width direction.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the mechanism (the printer body 2 and the opening / closing lid unit 3) of the roll paper printer with the main body case 6 and the opening / closing lid case 7 removed. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a portion of the roll paper storage unit 10.

  Referring to these drawings, the printer main body 2 includes a base plate 41, left and right side plates 42 and 43 erected vertically from the base plate 41, and rear sides of the left and right side plates 42 and 43. A back plate 44 spanned between the parts in the printer width direction and a top plate 45 spanned between the upper ends of the left and right side plates 42 and 43 in the printer width direction are provided. Further, a head mounting plate 46 is horizontally stretched between the side plates 42 and 43 below the top plate 45 in the printer width direction. The head surface 16a is substantially horizontal with the head surface 16a facing downward on the lower surface of the head mounting plate 46. The thermal head 16 is attached in a posture. The top plate 13 of the roll paper storage unit 9 is disposed below the rear portion of the head mounting plate 46. Further, the front side portion of the bottom plate 12 of the roll paper storage unit 9 is attached to the upper surface of the base plate 41.

  A fixed blade mounting plate 47 is horizontally disposed in the printer width direction between the top plate 45 and the head mounting plate 46, and the fixed blade 31 of the recording paper cutting device 30 is located below the front end of the fixed blade mounting plate 47. Is facing forward and almost horizontally. The fixed blade mounting plate 47 is bridged between the upper ends of left and right swing arms 48 and 49 (only the swing arm 48 is shown in the drawing) arranged outside the side plates 42 and 43. The swing arms 48 and 49 can swing slightly in the front-rear direction of the printer around their lower end portions 48a and 49a (only the lower end portion 48a is shown in the figure). When the recording paper 10a is cut by the recording paper cutting device 30, both the cutting edges 31a and 32a intersect in a point contact state while the movable blade 32 turns upward from the lower side and pushes the fixed blade 31 rearward. 10a is cut. In order to slightly retract the fixed blade 31 during cutting, the fixed blade 31 is supported by swing arms 48 and 49.

  On the other hand, the open / close lid unit 3 is configured to open at a predetermined angle forward of the printer around the support shafts 51 and 52 attached to the lower ends of the side plates 42 and 43 of the printer body 2. The open / close lid unit 3 includes a front plate portion 53 and narrow side plate portions 54 and 55 that are bent at a right angle from both sides to the rear. Although omitted in FIGS. 4 and 5, the movable blade 32 and the movable blade drive mechanism 33 of the recording paper cutting device 30 are attached to the front surface of the front plate portion 53, and these portions are covered by the protection plate 34. The front side of the protection plate 34 is covered with the open / close lid case 7 (see FIG. 3). Further, the platen roller 15 is spanned between the side plate portions 54 and 55 in a rotatable state. Under the platen roller 15, the front plate 14 of the roll paper storage unit 9 attached to the back surface of the front plate portion 53 is disposed.

  As described above, the opening / closing lid unit 3 is mounted with the front plate 14 of the roll paper storage unit 9, the platen roller 15, and the movable blade 32 of the recording paper cutting device 30. When the opening / closing lid unit 3 is opened, the roll paper storage unit 9 is opened as shown in FIG. 2, and recording is performed from the roll paper storage unit 9 via the printing position 17 and the cutting position of the recording paper cutting device 30. The recording paper conveyance path to the paper discharge port 5 is opened. Therefore, when the open / close lid unit 3 is closed in a state where the recording paper 10a is pulled out from the roll paper 10 stored in the roll paper storage unit 9, the state in which the recording paper 10a is set along the recording paper conveyance path is automatically set. Can be formed.

(Arrangement of platen roller and recording paper urging mechanism)
As can be seen from FIG. 5, in this example, the thermal head 16 is disposed horizontally with the head surface 16 a facing downward at the upper front end portion of the roll paper storage unit 9, and the thermal head 16 moves the platen roller 15. It is in a state of pressing. A recording paper urging mechanism 20 is disposed behind the platen roller 15. As described above, the recording paper urging mechanism 20 includes the recording paper urging plate 21, the support shaft 22 that supports the recording paper urging plate 21 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and the rear end of the recording paper urging plate 21. It is comprised from the tension coil spring 23 which has pulled up upwards.

  The recording paper urging plate 21 is disposed from the rear part to the front part above the roll paper storage unit 9. The recording paper urging plate 21 of this example is a plate having substantially the same width as that of the roll paper 10, and a horizontal plate portion 21a disposed substantially horizontally at the center portion in the front-rear direction above the roll paper storage unit 9, An inclined plate portion 21b extending slightly inclined downward from the rear end of the horizontal plate portion 21a, and a front end portion 21c extending in a circular arc upward at the front end of the horizontal plate portion 21a. The rear end of the inclined plate portion 21b is bent upward, and left and right spring hooks 21d are formed at the left and right ends of the bent portion.

  The inclined plate portion 21b is located in the upper rear corner portion of the roll paper storage unit 9, and left and right flanges 21e bent upward are formed on the left and right edges of the front portion, and these portions are It is supported in a rotatable state by left and right support shafts 22 attached to the inner side surfaces of the left and right side plate portions 48 and 49. Between the left and right spring receiving portions 21d at the rear end of the inclined plate portion 21b and the left and right spring coil portions 45a formed at the left and right rear end portions of the top plate 45 positioned above the left and right spring coil springs 23 is stretched in a tension state.

  Here, the front end portion 21 c of the recording paper urging plate 21 is pressed from above by the spring force against the portion of the recording paper 10 a that is fed from the roll paper 10 stored in the roll paper storage portion 9 and heads toward the printing position 17. The portion of the recording paper 10a can be held in a curved state downward. When the recording paper 10a is conveyed by the platen roller 15, a tensile force acts on the recording paper 10a by the recording paper urging plate 21, and the inertial force of the roll paper 10 is not directly applied to the recording paper 10a. Can be stably conveyed in a predetermined tension state for printing. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the adverse effects such as the printing pitch being clogged because the platen roller 15 is idled without the recording paper 10a being conveyed due to the inertial force of the roll paper 10.

  A stopper 24 for restricting the downward rotation of the recording paper biasing plate 21 is disposed below the horizontal plate portion 21 a of the recording paper biasing plate 21. The stopper 24 is attached to the inner side surfaces of the side plate portions 48 and 49. In the state where the roll paper 10 is taken out, the rotation of the recording paper urging plate 21 is not limited by the recording paper 10a, so that the portion on the front side of the support shaft 22 is centered on the support shaft 22 by the spring force of the tension coil spring 23. It will turn downward. If the front end portion 21c of the recording paper urging plate 21 moves too much downward, the front end portion 21c closes the front opening of the roll paper storage unit 9 and hinders the roll paper replacement operation. In this example, a stopper 24 for preventing such harmful effects is provided.

  The recording paper urging mechanism 20 of this example is formed between the L-shaped top plate 13 of the roll paper storage unit 9 and the outer peripheral surface portion of the maximum diameter roll paper 10 that can be stored in the roll paper storage unit 9. The dead space having a substantially triangular cross section extending in the printer width direction is mainly used. Further, the roll paper 10 is arranged along the outer peripheral surface portion. Therefore, it is not necessary to secure a separate installation space for installing the recording paper urging mechanism 20, and this does not hinder downsizing and downsizing of the roll paper printer 1.

  Further, the platen roller 15 and the recording paper urging mechanism 20 are arranged so as to fit within the length dimension of the roll paper storage unit 9 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, an increase in the size of the roll paper printer 1 in the front-rear direction can also be suppressed.

  Further, the support shaft 22 of the recording paper urging plate 21 is disposed in a rear portion of the roll paper storage unit 9 from the center in the front-rear direction. Therefore, as can be seen from FIG. 3, the height position of the support shaft 22 can be lowered to a height position substantially the same as the upper end of the roll paper 10 stored in the roll paper storage unit 9. If the position of the support shaft 22 can be lowered, when the roll paper hits the front end portion 21c of the recording paper urging plate 21 when replacing the roll paper, the recording paper urging plate 21 is centered on the support shaft 22. As a result, a force in the upward direction acts. Therefore, there is an advantage that the recording paper urging plate 21 does not get in the way when the roll paper is replaced.

  Next, the recording paper urging plate 21 is preferably formed from a conductive material such as a stainless steel plate. Since the recording paper is conveyed while being urged by the front end portion 21c of the recording paper urging plate 21, the recording paper urging plate 21 is likely to be in a frictional charging state. If the recording paper urging plate 21 is made conductive, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a charged state, and it is possible to prevent the adverse effect that the recording paper detection sensor disposed near the recording paper 10 is damaged by the discharge. For example, in the roll paper printer 1 of this example, a recording paper sensor mounting portion 60 is formed on the upper side of the recording paper urging plate 21 (see FIGS. 3 and 5), and if the sensor is arranged here, the recording paper urging force is provided. The plate 21 can protect the sensor from electric discharge.

  Thus, in the roll paper printer 1 of this example, the recording paper urging mechanism is arranged by effectively using the dead space in the upper part of the roll paper storage unit 9. Therefore, such a recording paper urging mechanism can be incorporated without hindering downsizing and downsizing of the roll paper printer 1. In particular, it is suitable for use in a roll paper printer having a restriction in height.

  Although the roll paper printer of this example is a thermal printer, the present invention can be similarly applied to a roll paper printer having a different type of print head, for example, a roll paper printer having an inkjet head.

1 is an external perspective view of a roll paper printer to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the roll paper printer with an opening / closing lid opened. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the internal structure of a roll paper printer. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the roll paper printer with a main body case and an open / close lid of the roll paper printer removed. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the roll paper storage part in the state of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Roll paper printer, 2 Printer main body, 3 Opening / closing lid unit, 5 Recording paper discharge port, 6 Main body case, 7 Opening / closing lid case, 9 Roll paper storage part, 10 Roll paper, 10a Recording paper 12 Bottom plate, 13 Top plate, 14 Front plate, 15 Platen roller, 16 Thermal head, 20 Recording paper urging mechanism, 21 Recording paper urging plate, 21a Horizontal flat plate portion, 21b Inclined plate portion, 21c Front end portion, 21d Spring hook portion, 22 Support shaft, 23 Tension Coil spring

Claims (5)

Inside the printer body, a roll paper storage unit for storing roll paper in a rollable state is formed,
An opening / closing lid unit that can be opened forward around the lower end is attached to the front surface of the printer main body. By opening the opening / closing lid unit, roll paper can be taken in and out of the roll paper storage unit from the front of the printer. Is possible,
A roller for recording paper conveyance is disposed on the upper front portion of the roll paper storage unit,
By energizing the recording paper that is fed from the roll paper stored in the roll paper storage unit and directed to the roller from the upper rear side portion of the roll paper storage unit to the upper front side portion with a predetermined elastic force. A roll paper printer comprising a recording paper urging mechanism capable of being held in a curved state. In claim 1,
The recording paper biasing mechanism extends from the rear side of the roller to the upper rear side portion of the roll paper storage unit, and has a recording paper biasing plate having substantially the same width as the roll paper, and the recording paper biasing plate. A support shaft that is supported so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction at a position behind the center in the front-rear direction of the roll paper storage unit, and a position rearward from the support shaft of the recording paper urging plate And a spring member biased toward the
A roll paper printer, wherein the recording paper is pressed from above by a front end portion of the recording paper urging plate so that the recording paper portion is curved downward. In claim 2,
The roll paper printer, wherein the recording paper urging plate is arranged along an outer peripheral surface portion of the maximum diameter roll paper that can be stored in the roll paper storage section. In any one of claims 1 to 3,
The roll paper printer, wherein the roller and the recording paper urging mechanism are disposed so as to fit within a length dimension of the roll paper storage unit in the front-rear direction. In any one of claims 1 to 4,
A roll paper printer, wherein the recording paper urging plate is formed of a conductive material.

Images