JP2008030231A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that a conventional printer, keeping a thermal head placed in a passing range of printing paper and a drive motor out of the above range, enables a single fan motor not to cool the thermal head and the drive motor at the same time, makes the single fan motor available for cooling the thermal head in general, and therefore is unable to prevent the temperature of the drive motor from rising due to difficulty in miniaturizing of the printer or faster printing speed. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of plate-shaped heat exchange fins 3 are provided to one end of a heat pipe 2 fixed to the thermal head 1. The drive motor 4, the heat exchange fins 3 and the fan motor 5 are arranged in the portion out of the passing range B of paper to be on a roughly straight line in parallel to the faces of the heat exchange fins 3. As a result of the above structure, efficient cooling effects to the two heating sources of the thermal head 1 and the drive motor 4 at the same time can be achieved, and adhesion of dust caused by stirring of air in the enclosure and change of the environment out of the enclosure are prevented, thereby reducing defects in an image. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer apparatus.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a printing operation in a conventional printer apparatus (thermal transfer recording apparatus). 4 and 5 are plan views showing a general configuration of a conventional printer apparatus.

  Hereinafter, the printing operation will be described with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the thermal head 1 is composed of a heating unit having a plurality of heating elements 10, and selectively heats the heating elements 10 according to the recording information and uniformly coats the ink sheet 11. The transferred ink 12 is heated and transferred to the printing paper P. On the other hand, the thermal head 1 and the platen roller 13 are opposed to each other with the paper transport path for printing P interposed therebetween. The thermal head 1 and the platen roller 13 are pressed and the ink sheet 11 unwound and supplied from the supply bobbin shaft 14 and the printing paper P are pressure-bonded with an appropriate pressure, so that the heat transfer to the printing paper P can be performed. It becomes possible. The heat transfer to the printing paper P is performed while the printing paper P is conveyed in the printing direction C from the printing start position to the printing end position by the rotational drive of the opposed capstan roller 15 and pinch roller 16. At this time, the ink sheet 11 peeled off from the printing paper P is wound around the winding bobbin shaft 17.

  By the way, in such color printing by heat transfer, a desired print image is generally obtained by sequentially superposing a plurality of colors on the printing paper P. Therefore, it is necessary to return the printing paper P conveyed to the printing end position to the printing start position again by the reverse rotation of the capstan roller 15 and the pinch roller 16 facing each other, and to repeat the above-described printing operation a plurality of times. However, if the heat generated by the heating element 10 is stored in the thermal head 1 each time, the temperature of the thermal head 1 may exceed the upper limit temperature of a driver IC (not shown) mounted on the thermal head 1. May not be able to print normally. For these reasons, it is necessary to interrupt the above-described printing operation and wait until the temperature of the thermal head 1 drops, and the temperature rise of the thermal head 1 is an obstacle to speeding up the printer apparatus.

  As described above, the conventional printer apparatus generally has some means for cooling the thermal head 1. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a printer apparatus configured to generate an air flow in the longitudinal direction or the lateral direction of the thermal head 1 has been put into practical use. 4 and 5, reference numeral 1 denotes a thermal head for printing on paper, 4 denotes a driving motor for carrying paper, winding an ink ribbon, and switching a paper carrying path, and 105 and 205 are for example to the thermal head 1. It is a fan motor that generates a flow of air. In FIG. 4, the fan motor 105 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the thermal head 1 and the rotation axis direction of the fan motor 105 are orthogonal to each other, and the air flow is generated in the short direction with respect to the thermal head 1. is there. On the other hand, in FIG. 5, the fan motor 205 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the thermal head 1 is parallel to the rotational axis direction of the fan motor 205, and an air flow is generated in the longitudinal direction with respect to the thermal head 1. It is a configuration.

  Further, as a development of FIGS. 4 and 5, a member (not shown) having a heat dissipation effect is fixed with, for example, screws so that the back surface thereof is in direct contact with the back surface of the thermal head 1, and the thermal storage of the thermal head 1 is performed. A printer device configured to dissipate heat is put into practical use. In such a configuration, a method for increasing the heat dissipation effect of a member having a heat dissipation effect and increasing the speed of the printer device includes increasing the size of the heat dissipation member and forming the heat dissipation member into a fin shape by die casting or the like. An example of enlarging the surface area of the heat dissipation member is given.

  However, in order to perform efficient cooling with the above-described configuration, there is an inconvenience that an increase in the size of the printer device accompanying an increase in installation space is inevitable. In addition, since the air blown on the thermal head 1 or the heat radiating member (not shown) circulates in the printer apparatus and is not easily discharged outside the apparatus, there is a drawback that the temperature in the printer apparatus rises. . On the other hand, since it is necessary to arrange the thermal head 1 or the heat radiating member (not shown) on the extension line of the rotation shafts of the fan motors 105 and 205, the range in which the printing paper P is reciprocated during the printing operation, that is, the printing paper There is a possibility that air flows in the passage range A, and dust adheres to the printing paper P due to agitation of air inside the casing, environmental change outside the casing, and the like. When dust adheres to the printing paper P in this way, it becomes impossible to transfer ink to the printing surface, resulting in image quality defects. Therefore, it has been difficult to realize high-quality printing.

In view of this, a conventional example in which heat transport means such as a heat pipe having a very high heat transport speed is provided to extract heat from the printer device has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). A heat pipe is one in which the inside of a substantially cylindrical tube with a large number of grooves on the inner wall is kept in a vacuum, and a small amount of water droplets are sealed in it and sealed. It has the function of transporting to a plurality of plate-like heat exchange fins fixed to one end by the latent heat of evaporation of water. By using such a heat pipe, heat exchange fins having a shape that efficiently obtains a heat dissipation effect can be freely arranged in an arbitrary space (for example, outside the printer apparatus), while efficiently suppressing the temperature rise of the thermal head. Thus, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the printing paper P and reduce image quality defects.
JP 6-67655 JP 2004-9327 A Japanese Utility Model Sho 62-35840

  However, in any of the above-described conventional examples, the air from the fan motor cannot be flown through the driving motor disposed outside the print paper passage range, and the temperature increase of the driving motor cannot be suppressed. There was a drawback. That is, there is a possibility that the coil is damaged due to the temperature rise in the printer device and the temperature rise of the drive motor due to the increase in the amount of heat generated due to the downsizing and high speed rotation of the drive motor. For this reason, in the conventional example, it has been difficult to reduce the size and speed of the printer.

  The first object of the invention according to the present application is to efficiently flow air from the fan motor to the heat exchange fin and the drive motor, and to efficiently suppress the two temperature rises of the thermal head and the drive motor simultaneously. It is. As a result, the temperature rise in the apparatus housing can be suppressed, and the printer apparatus can be reduced in size and speed.

  The second object of the invention according to the present application is to secure an efficient air flow path outside the printing paper passage range, and dust on the printing paper due to agitation of air inside the housing and environmental changes outside the housing. It is to prevent adhesion. As a result, image quality defects can be reduced and high-quality printing can be realized.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first invention according to the present application is a thermal head for printing on printing paper, and a heat pipe fixed to the thermal head in a direction substantially parallel to a main scanning direction of the thermal head. The heat pipe having at least one end that has reached the outside of the printing paper passage range and the portion of the heat pipe that has reached the outside of the printing paper passage range are fixed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main scanning direction of the thermal head. A plurality of plate-like heat exchange fins, a drive motor arranged outside the printing paper passage range, and a fan motor arranged outside the printing paper passage range, the heat exchange fin and the driving motor And the fan motor are arranged substantially linearly in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main scanning direction of the thermal head.

  As described above, according to the present application, by arranging the drive motor, the heat exchange fin, and the fan motor substantially linearly in a direction parallel to the surface of the heat exchange fin, For both the drive motor and the drive motor, the air flow is generated simultaneously by one fan motor. As a result, efficient cooling can be simultaneously performed on both of the two heat sources of the thermal head and the driving motor. These effects prevent temperature rise in the device casing and damage to the drive motor, and realize not only cooling of the thermal head, but also downsizing and speeding up of the printer device by downsizing and high speed rotation of the drive motor. It is.

  Further, the heat exchange fin, the driving motor, and the fan motor are arranged outside the printing paper passage range, and the air flow is generated limitedly outside the printing paper passage range. Further, a rectifying effect is obtained by a plurality of plate-like heat exchange fins provided in a direction parallel to the air flow. These effects are achieved by efficiently generating an air flow outside the printing range inside the printer device, preventing dust from adhering due to agitation of air inside the housing and environmental changes outside the housing, and reducing image quality defects. It achieves high-quality printing.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in accordance with the illustrated examples. 1 and 2 show the configuration of a printer apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a plan view and FIG. 2 is a side view.

  1 and 2, 1 is a thermal head for printing on paper, 2 is a heat pipe fixed in a direction parallel to the main scanning direction of the thermal head 1, and 3 is a main of the thermal head 1 at one end of the heat pipe 2. It is a heat exchange fin fixed in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. A is the above-described printing paper passage range, B is outside the printing paper passage range, C is the printing direction, and D is the vertical upward direction of the ground plane. Here, 4 is a paper feed motor arranged outside the printing paper passage range B, 5 is a fan motor arranged outside the printing paper passage range B, and 6 is an intake air provided outside the printing paper passage range B. A port 7 is an exhaust port provided outside the printing paper passage range B. Reference numeral 8 denotes a duct formed on an extension line of the rotation shaft of the fan motor 5 so that an air flow by the fan motor 5 is generated substantially linearly in a direction parallel to the surface of the heat exchange fin 3. As a general configuration of the printer, the printing paper passage range A and out-of-range B are partitioned by a side plate member 9 on which a paper feed motor 4 and a paper feed drive gear train (not shown) are supported. On the other hand, the intake port 6 is provided on the lower side surface or the lower surface of the printer device, and the exhaust port 7 is provided on the upper side surface of the printer device. It is arranged in the direction of occurrence. Further, the air flow from the fan motor 5 is directed to the surface of the heat exchange fin 3 in the vertical upward direction D in the order of the intake port 6, the paper feed motor 4, the heat exchange fin 3, the fan motor 5, and the exhaust port 7. They are arranged substantially linearly in a direction parallel to the direction.

  In the following, a cooling method during conveyance of the printing paper P and during printing operation in the configuration of the embodiment of FIGS. First, when the printing paper P is transported, it is necessary to drive the paper feed motor 4 with a certain current or more, and the coil inside the paper feed motor generates heat. On the other hand, as described above, the thermal head 1 is configured by a heating unit having a plurality of heating elements 10 and causes a temperature rise due to heat storage during a printing operation. In response to these heat generations, for example, when the printing paper P is transported or during printing operation, the fan motor 5 is driven as necessary, and air outside the apparatus is provided from the air inlet 6 provided on the lower side surface or lower surface of the printer device. Is taken into the printer apparatus, and air inside the printer apparatus is discharged from the exhaust port 7 provided in the upper side surface of the printer apparatus. The outside air taken in from the air inlet 6 strikes the paper feed motor 4 disposed in the vicinity of the air inlet 6 outside the printing paper passage range B, and has a function of suppressing the temperature rise of the paper feed motor 4. After that, the air taken in from the intake port 6 and hitting the paper feed motor 4 of the plate-like heat exchange fins 3 fixed to the portion of the heat pipe 2 reaching the outside B of the printing paper passage range is fixed. Go through. At this time, the flow of air obtains a rectifying effect by providing a plurality of plate-like heat exchange fins 3 in a direction parallel to the flow of air.

  In addition, heat of the thermal head 1 that has been transported by the heat pipe 2 is released from the heat exchange fins 3, and air passing between the heat exchange fins 3 obtains a rectifying effect and at the same time performs heat exchange, The heat exchange fin 3 is cooled. By cooling the heat exchange fins 3 in this way, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise of the thermal head 1. Next, the air taken in from the air inlet 6 and hitting the paper feed motor 4 and passing between the heat exchange fins 3 was formed on the extended line of the rotation shaft of the fan motor 5 outside the printing paper passage range B. The duct 8 smoothly guides the fan motor 5. Finally, the air taken in from the intake port 6, hits the paper feed motor 4, passes between the heat exchange fins 3, and is led to the fan motor 5 by the duct 8 is driven by the fan motor 5 that is driven as necessary. Then, it is discharged out of the apparatus through an exhaust port 7 provided on the upper side surface of the printer device. As a result, it is possible to efficiently suppress the temperature rise of the paper feed motor 4 and the thermal head 1 simultaneously by generating the above air flow. Further, by placing the paper feed motor 4 having a relatively large drive current value and a relatively long drive time close to the intake port 6 and disposing it below the vertical direction of the ground plane with respect to other components, The cooling efficiency of the paper feed motor 4 is improved. For this reason, it is possible to flow a driving current larger than that in the conventional case to the paper feed motor 4, and it is possible to speed up the conveyance of the printing paper P. On the other hand, since the heat exchange fin 3 having a shape that efficiently obtains a heat dissipation effect can be freely arranged in an arbitrary space (for example, a position close to the duct 8 in this embodiment) by the heat pipe 2, The temperature rise can be efficiently suppressed, and printing can be continuously performed without temporarily stopping printing. At this time, the air heated and expanded by heat exchange with the paper feed motor 4 and the heat exchange fins 3 easily rises to the upper side inside the printer device, and the exhaust port 7 provided on the upper side with respect to the vertical direction of the ground plane. It will be in the state where it is easy to be discharged from.

  Therefore, by arranging the components of the printer device substantially linearly in the vertically upward direction D as in this embodiment, it is possible not only to reduce the ground contact area but also to improve the cooling efficiency. Further, such an air flow path is generated only outside the printing paper passage range B, with the side plate member 9 on which the paper feed motor 4 and the paper feed drive gear train (not shown) are supported as a boundary. On the other hand, the absence of air flow in the printing paper passage area A prevents dust from adhering to the printing paper due to agitation of air inside the housing and environmental changes outside the housing, and reduces image quality defects. High quality printing is possible. As described above, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 2 generates the above-described efficient and less harmful air flow, and is most suitable for realizing downsizing / high-speed printing and high-quality printing. It is.

  However, the present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs monochromatic recording, a color recording apparatus that records in a plurality of different colors using one or a plurality of recording heads, a gradation recording apparatus that records in a plurality of different densities of the same color, Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to a recording apparatus that combines these, and can achieve the same effect.

1 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a printer apparatus to which the present invention is applied. 1 is a side view illustrating a configuration of a printer apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a schematic diagram showing a printing operation in a conventional printer device (thermal transfer recording device). It is a top view which shows the general structure of the conventional printer apparatus. It is a top view which shows the general structure of the conventional printer apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thermal head 2 Heat pipe 3 Heat exchange fin 4 Drive motor (paper feed motor)
5, 105, 205 Fan motor 6 Intake port 7 Exhaust port 8 Duct 9 Side plate member 10 Heating element 11 Ink sheet 12 Ink 13 Platen roller 14 Supply bobbin shaft 15 Capstan roller 16 Pinch roller 17 Winding bobbin shaft P Printing paper A Printing Paper passing range B Outside printing paper passing range C Printing direction D Vertical upward direction

Claims (4)

A thermal head for printing on printing paper;
A heat pipe fixed to the thermal head in a direction substantially parallel to the main scanning direction of the thermal head, wherein the heat pipe has at least one end that has reached the outside of the passing range of the printing paper; and
A plurality of plate-like heat exchange fins fixed to a portion of the heat pipe that has reached the outside of the passing range of the printing paper, in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the thermal head;
A drive motor arranged outside the printing paper passage range;
A fan motor arranged outside the passing range of the printing paper,
The heat exchange fin, the drive motor, and the fan motor are:
A printer apparatus, wherein the printer is arranged substantially linearly in a direction substantially orthogonal to a main scanning direction of the thermal head.   The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving motor is a motor for conveying printing paper.   A duct formed so that an air flow is generated by the fan motor in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the thermal head, and formed in a direction substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the fan motor. The printer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving motor, the heat exchange fins, and the fan motor are arranged in this order.

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