JP2008018592A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out an exact positioning of a printing head in a printer, in which the printing head opens and closes freely to a printer body. <P>SOLUTION: The printer is equipped with a case having a housing portion for storing a printing medium wound roll-like, a platen roller 18 held by a platen roller bearing 18a, a printing head 3 for making a print in the printing medium, a guide roller 24 which is held with spinning freely by a guide roller shaft 24a whose one end is provided with a groove 24b and guides the printing medium, a platen roller hold part 17 which is attached to the case and holds the platen roller bearing and a head hold part 25 which is attached to the case so as to be opened and closed freely and has the printing head and the guide roller shaft and carries out the positioning of the printing head by the way of the groove of the guide roller shaft engaging with the platen roller hold part while engaging with the platen roller bearing when closed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer that performs printing on a print medium such as a label temporarily attached to a mount or a no-mount label without a mount.

  In a label printer, for example, a continuous label body in which labels of a predetermined length are temporarily attached at a predetermined interval on a long strip-like mount (separator) is used as a print medium. The label continuum is conveyed by a platen roller, and printing is performed on the label using a thermal head provided opposite the platen roller via the label continuum.

  At that time, the thermal head presses the label continuum on the platen roller with a predetermined pressure, but if the relative position of the thermal head and the platen roller is different, the pressure of the thermal head on the label continuum also changes, Print quality will deteriorate. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately match the relative position of the thermal head with respect to the platen roller. However, in order to reduce the cost of the label printer, the assembly accuracy when the casing is made of resin molding, or in the model in which the thermal head is attached to the cover side that is rotatable with respect to the printer body When the cover is closed, there is a problem that the position of the thermal head varies and the print quality deteriorates.

As a related technique, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a thermal printer head support mechanism that can perform high-quality printing on a tag or a label by enabling the thermal head to move back and forth. This head support mechanism is characterized in that the thermal head can be set to be positioned on the front side or the rear side of the platen according to the type of print medium. However, Patent Document 1 does not particularly disclose accurate positioning of the thermal head in a model in which the thermal head is openable and closable with respect to the printer body.
JP-A-4-357066 (first page, FIG. 7)

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to accurately position a print head in a printer in which the print head is openable and closable with respect to a printer body.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a printer according to one aspect of the present invention includes a housing in which a storage unit for storing a print medium wound in a roll shape is formed, a platen roller bearing, and a motor. A platen roller that is driven and rotated by the platen roller to convey the print medium, a print head that prints on the print medium with the print medium sandwiched between the platen roller, and a guide having a groove formed at one end A guide roller that is rotatably held by a roller shaft and guides a print medium conveyed from the storage unit toward the platen roller, a platen roller holding unit that is attached to the housing and holds the platen roller bearing, and the housing The print head and the guide roller shaft are provided so as to be openable and closable. Groove of Dorora axis; and a head holding portion for positioning the print head by engaging the platen roller retaining portion.

  According to the present invention, by providing the head holding portion for engaging the platen roller bearing and positioning the print head by engaging the groove of the guide roller shaft with the platen roller holding portion, the print head is connected to the printer main body. In contrast, the print head can be accurately positioned in the printer that can be opened and closed.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same reference number is attached | subjected to the same component and description is abbreviate | omitted.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the structure of the main body side of the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The printer 1 performs printing on a printing medium such as a label continuum in which labels are temporarily attached on a mount (separator) at regular intervals, or a non-mounting label composed only of a long belt-like label without a mount. It is a printer for.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes a housing 2 having a roll paper storage recess 2a for storing a roll paper 20r obtained by winding a print medium 20 in a roll shape, and a roll paper storage recess 2a. A paper holding mechanism 4 that is installed and rotatably holds the roll paper 20r, a platen roller holding portion 17 attached to the housing 2, two platen roller bearings 18a held by the platen roller holding portion 17, and these The platen roller 18 is rotatably supported by the platen roller bearing 18a, and a cover (not shown) rotatably attached to the housing 2.

  In the paper holding mechanism 4, the two paper side surface guides 5 for regulating the position in the width direction (axial direction) of the roll paper 20r can change the position according to the width of the print medium. In addition, the width direction end of the print medium 20 drawn out from the roll paper 20r is pressed from the upper side (cover side) to a sensor 19 (see FIG. 3) described later to prevent paper fluttering, and the sensor 19 detects operation. A sheet upper surface guide 5 a for improving the image quality is integrally formed with at least one sheet side surface guide 5.

  2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a sliding member 11 is integrally provided at the lower end of each paper side guide 5 along the width direction of the roll paper 20r. The pair of guide grooves 12 (FIG. 1) formed on the bottom surface of the roll paper storage recess 2a are slidably fitted. As a result, the two sheet side surface guides 5 can move in directions toward and away from each other while maintaining a parallel state.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the two paper side surface guides 5 are each provided with two racks 13 along the bottom surface of the roll paper storage recess 2a. A pinion 14 meshing with the rack 13 is rotatably provided. Thus, when one paper side guide 5 is moved by a certain distance in a desired direction, the other paper side guide 5 is also moved by the same distance in the opposite direction. In addition, an engagement protrusion (not shown) provided on the paper side guide 5 is engaged with an engagement groove (not shown) provided on the roll paper storage recess 2a, whereby the paper side guide. The position in the width direction of 5 is fixed.

  Referring to FIG. 2, in each sheet side surface guide 5, a pair of swing members 8 are attached so as to be swingable about a shaft 7. Two swinging pins 9 for holding the roll paper 20r are respectively formed on the swinging members 8, and the locking pins 9 are opened when the roll paper 20r is not inserted. A spring 10 for biasing the swing member 8 is provided. As shown by arrows in FIG. 2, when the roll paper 20r is inserted into the roll paper storage recess 2a, the swinging members 8 on both sides swing and the two locking pins 9 close to hold the roll paper 20r. To do.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a label continuum is used as the print medium 20, as shown in FIG. 1, by supporting the central portion in the width direction of the conveyed label continuum from the lower side (housing side). A sheet lower surface guide 6 is provided for preventing deflection of the label continuum. The sheet lower surface guide 6 is fitted into an opening 2b formed in the housing 2 between the roll sheet storage recess 2a and the platen roller 18, and the center of the label continuous body in the width direction is the sheet upper roller. 24 (see FIG. 3), at least one rib 6a (two ribs are shown in FIG. 1) for supporting the same. By providing the sheet lower surface guide 6, the deflection of the label continuum is eliminated, so that the paper jam can be prevented and the drawing and conveyance of the label continuum can be performed smoothly.

  FIG. 3 is a back view showing the structure of the cover side of the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The cover 23 is rotatably attached to the housing 2 with A-A ′ shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 as a rotation axis. A head holding portion 25 is attached to the back surface of the cover 23. The head holding unit 25 holds the thermal head 3 that performs printing on the print medium 20 and also holds a paper upper surface roller (guide roller) 24 that guides the print medium 20 via a guide roller shaft 24a. Yes. The thermal head 3 is urged toward the front side in the figure by an elastic material such as a spring.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the head holding portion 25 is formed with two concave portions 25a at positions facing the two platen roller bearings 18a, respectively. A groove 24b is formed in the guide roller shaft 24a, while a concave portion 17a is formed in the platen roller holding portion 17 at a position facing the groove 24b of the guide roller shaft 24a.

  When setting the print medium 20, the cover 23 is opened, the roll paper 20 r is held by the paper holding mechanism 4, and the print medium 20 drawn from the roll paper 20 r is drawn onto the platen roller 18. When the cover 23 is closed, the thermal head 3 is pressed against the print medium 20 on the platen roller 18.

  FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the head positioning in the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4A shows the positional relationship between the head holding portion and the platen roller holding portion when the cover is slightly opened, and FIG. 4B shows the head when the cover is closed. The positional relationship of a holding | maintenance part and a platen roller holding | maintenance part is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, a concave portion 25a is formed in the head holding portion 25 at a position facing the platen roller bearing 18a. In the platen roller holding portion 17, a groove 24b of the guide roller shaft 24a is formed. A recess 17a is formed at a position opposite to.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, when the cover is closed, the concave portion 25a of the head holding portion 25 is engaged with the platen roller bearing 18a, and the groove 24b of the guide roller shaft 24a is the concave portion of the platen roller holding portion 17. The thermal head 3 is positioned with respect to the platen roller holding part 17 by engaging with 17a. In FIG. 4, only the concave portion 25a and the platen roller bearing 18a on one side are shown, but the concave portion 25a and the platen roller bearing 18a also exist on the other side.

  More specifically, the relative position (paper transport direction) of the print head of the thermal head 3 with respect to the platen roller 18 is defined by engaging the two concave portions 25a of the head holding portion 25 with the two platen roller bearings 18a. The groove 24b of the guide roller shaft 24a is engaged with the recess 17a of the platen roller holding portion 17, whereby the angle and position of the print head with respect to the platen roller holding portion 17 (platen roller axial direction) are defined. In this way, the position and angle of the print head in the three-dimensional space in the printer are uniquely defined.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the roll paper 20 r is rotatably held by the paper holding mechanism 4 in the roll paper storage recess 2 a formed in the housing 2. In FIG. 5, as an example, a label continuous body 20 a configured by temporarily attaching the label 21 to the mount 22 so as to be peelable is shown as a print medium. As the label 21, for example, a thermal paper on which a thermal coloring layer that develops a specific color (such as black or red) is formed when a certain temperature region is reached is used.

  In order to convey the label continuous body 20a, a platen roller 18 that rotates by being driven by a stepping motor via a gear or a belt, a label sensor 19 that detects the position of the label, and a paper holding mechanism 4 are provided on the housing 2 side. And a paper lower surface guide 6 are provided. Further, a cover 23 is attached to the housing 2 so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 26 provided at one end thereof. A thermal head 3 for printing on the label 21 and a paper upper surface roller 24 are attached to the cover 23 via a head holding portion 25 (FIG. 3).

  The thermal head 3 has a set of fine heating elements that generate heat when an electric current is applied. Printing is performed by applying a voltage to these heating elements to cause the heating elements to generate heat by causing a current to flow, and coloring the thermal coloring layer provided on the surface of the label 21. In the case of a label without a mount, a release layer is provided on the thermal coloring layer, and the thermal coloring layer is colored by applying heat from the peeling head to perform printing.

  The control unit 30 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM) storing software for operating the CPU, and a communication interface, and controls the operation of each unit. The CPU can be connected to an external device such as a host computer via a communication interface.

  An input unit 40 and a display unit 50 are connected to the control unit 30. The input unit 40 includes operation buttons and the like, and is operated by an operator to input commands for the printer. The display unit 50 includes LEDs of a plurality of colors, and performs display by lighting or blinking these LEDs based on a control signal supplied from the control unit 30. The power supply unit 60 supplies power to each unit.

  When printing on the label 21, the stepping motor rotates the platen roller 18 with the label continuous body 20 a sandwiched between the thermal head 3 and the platen roller 18. It is transported from the upstream side (right side in the figure) to the downstream side in the transport direction (left side in the figure). Here, the conveyance of the label continuum 20 a is controlled by the control unit 30 based on the detection result of the label sensor 19.

  In this way, by supplying a print signal to the thermal head 3 while transporting the label continuous body 20a, the heating element of the thermal head 3 generates heat and printing is performed on the label 21. The printed label 21 is discharged to the outside together with the mount 22 from a label discharge port provided between the housing 2 and the cover 23. As an option, a cutter may be provided at the label discharge port.

In the present embodiment, as a printing medium, in addition to the label continuous body 20a in which the labels 21 are temporarily attached on the mount 22 at a predetermined interval, a non-mounting label having only a long belt-like label without a mount is used. Can be used.
First, the case where the label continuous body 20a is used will be described. In the conventional printer, when the wide label continuum 20a is used, the central portion in the width direction of the label continuum 20a bends downward due to its own weight, causing flapping of the label continuum 20a and paper jam. There was a fear.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the sheet lower surface guide 6 that fits into the opening 2 b formed in the housing 2 between the roll sheet storage recess 2 a and the platen roller 18 is provided. Provided. The rib 6 a of the sheet lower surface guide 6 supports the central portion in the width direction of the label continuous body 20 a so as to face the sheet upper surface roller 24. As a result, the deflection of the label continuous body 20a is eliminated, so that paper jam can be prevented and the drawing and transport of the label continuous body 20a can be made smooth.

  On the other hand, when a label without a mount is used, since the adhesive layer formed on the back surface of the label is exposed, the label without a mount may stick to the rib 6 a of the sheet lower surface guide 6. Therefore, the sheet lower surface guide 6 has a reversible structure. That is, the paper lower surface guide 6 is temporarily removed from the opening 2b and turned over, and the paper lower surface guide 6 is opened so that the rib 6a is stored in the housing 2 with the rib 6a facing downward as shown by a broken line in FIG. It can be fitted to the portion 2b. Thereby, the problem that the label without mount is stuck on the rib 6a is solved, and the sheet lower surface guide 6 can be prevented from being lost. In general, the label without a mount is not a two-layer structure of a label and a mount as in the label continuum, but it has only one label, so its own weight is light, and the deflection of the label without a mount does not occur much. Even if the lower surface guide 6 does not guide the lower surface, the label without a mount can be smoothly drawn out and conveyed.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of attaching the paper lower surface guide. FIG. 6A shows an opening 2b provided in the housing 2 for attaching the paper lower surface guide. 6A to 6C also show a rack 13 and a pinion 14 provided in the roll paper storage recess 2a.

  FIG. 6B shows a state in which the sheet lower surface guide 6 is arranged with at least one rib 6a facing upward. In this example, two ribs arranged at intervals in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the print medium are shown. As described above, the reason for arranging the two ribs at an interval is to realize good conveyance while reducing the frictional force by bringing the ribs and the label continuous body into line contact. As shown in FIG. 6B, two convex portions 6b are provided on the left and right sides of the paper lower surface guide 6, and as shown in FIG. The concave portions 2c that engage with the convex portions 6b are provided. When the paper lower surface guide 6 is pushed in strongly, the convex portions 6b are fitted into the concave portions 2c provided in the opening 2b of the housing 2. It has become.

  FIG. 6C shows a state in which the paper lower surface guide 6 is arranged with the rib 6a facing downward. Thus, the rib 6a is stored in the housing 2. Even in this case, when the paper lower surface guide 6 is pushed in strongly, the two convex portions 6 b are fitted into the concave portions 2 c provided in the opening 2 b of the housing 2. Further, an extraction recess 6c is provided on the lower side of the sheet lower surface guide 6 in the figure, and the sheet lower surface guide 6 can be detached from the housing 2 by using a minus driver or the like.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, a display is attached to the paper lower surface guide so that the user can easily operate. The other points are the same as in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 7 is a view showing a sheet lower surface guide used in the printer according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7A is a plan view showing a first surface of the sheet lower surface guide. . When a label continuous body in which labels are temporarily attached to the mount is used, the sheet lower surface guide 6 ′ is directed to the printer housing so that the first surface provided with the rib 6 a faces upward. However, when using a label without a mount, the user needs to turn over the paper lower surface guide 6 '. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a display 71 “Please turn over in the case of a label without a mount” is attached to the first surface of the sheet lower surface guide 6 ′.

  FIG. 5B is a rear view showing the second surface of the paper lower surface guide. When a label without a mount is used, the sheet lower surface guide 6 ′ is placed in the printer housing so that the second surface opposite to the first surface (the surface on which the rib 6a is not provided) faces upward. When using a label continuous body that is arranged on the body but has a label temporarily attached to the mount, the user needs to turn over the sheet lower surface guide 6. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a display 72 "Please turn over in the case of a label with a mount" is attached to the second surface of the paper lower surface guide 6 '.

  The present invention can be used in a printer that performs printing on a printing medium such as a label temporarily attached to a mount or a belt-like sheet for manufacturing a tag.

1 is a plan view showing a structure of a main body side of a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing in the II-II of FIG. FIG. 2 is a back view showing the cover side structure of the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a head positioning state in the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an internal structure of a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the attachment method of a paper lower surface guide. It is a figure which shows the paper lower surface guide used in the printer which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 2 Housing | casing 2a Roll paper storage recessed part 2b Opening part 2c Recessed part 3 Thermal head 4 Paper holding mechanism 5 Paper side guide 5a Paper upper surface guide 6, 6 'Paper lower surface guide 6a Rib 6b Protruding part 6c Extraction recessed part 7 Axis 8 Oscillation Member 9 Locking pin 10 Spring 11 Sliding member 12 Guide groove 13 Rack 14 Pinion 17 Platen roller holder 17a Recess 18 Platen roller 18a Platen roller bearing 19 Label sensor 20 Print medium 20a Label continuum 20r Roll paper 21 Label 22 Mount 23 Cover 24 Paper upper surface roller 24a Guide roller shaft 24b Groove 25 Head holding portion 25a Recessed portion 26 Rotating shaft 30 Control portion 40 Input portion 50 Display portion 60 Power supply portion 71, 72 Display

Claims (3)

A housing in which a storage unit for storing a print medium wound in a roll shape is formed;
A platen roller that is held by a platen roller bearing and that is driven by a motor and rotates to convey a print medium;
A print head for printing on a print medium in a state where the print medium is sandwiched between the platen roller,
A guide roller that is rotatably held by a guide roller shaft having a groove formed at one end and guides a print medium conveyed from the storage portion toward the platen roller;
A platen roller holding portion that is attached to the housing and holds the platen roller bearing;
The print head and the guide roller shaft are provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the housing. When the print head and the guide roller shaft are closed, they engage with the platen roller bearing, and a groove of the guide roller shaft forms the platen roller. A head holding portion for positioning the print head by engaging with the holding portion;
A printer comprising:   A guide member that is positioned between the storage portion and the platen roller and fits into an opening formed in the casing, and supports the print medium being conveyed so as to face the guide roller. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising the guide member having at least one rib for preventing the deflection of the printer. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a cover that is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the casing and to which the head holding portion is attached.

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