JP2009023109A - Printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing apparatus which can prevent a cut label from falling in the printing apparatus and improve the conveying function of the label while guiding a printed label to a cutting means stably. <P>SOLUTION: The printing apparatus includes a body in which a roll-like printing medium is loaded, a printing means for performing the printing in the printing medium, and a cutting means which is arranged at the downstream of the conveying direction of the printing medium and cuts the printing medium with the cooperation of a fixed blade and movable blade. The printing means is composed of a platen roller attached to the body, a thermal head which can freely move to and fro between the press-contact state with the thermal head and the saparate state from the same and a heat radiation member installed at the bottom of the thermal head. The heat radiation member is equipped with the first guide member for guiding the printing medium upward to the downstream end rim of the conveyance direction toward the cutting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus provided with a heat radiating member for guiding a printed long roll sheet to a cutting means.

Conventionally, various printing apparatuses including cutting means for cutting a long roll sheet over the entire width have been proposed.
For example, there is a printing apparatus including a slide-type cutting unit that cuts a roll sheet in the width direction by sliding the movable blade in the width direction of the roll sheet (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-212139 A

In the slide method described in Patent Document 1 described above, when cutting the print medium, the movable blade slides, and by this movement, the cutter transports the cutter unit to which the movable blade is attached reciprocally moves in the cutting direction. A mechanism is provided. However, this cutter transport mechanism has a problem of reducing the durability of the movable blade because the cutting points for cutting the roll sheet of the movable blade are concentrated locally.
For this reason, the fixed blade provided over the entire width in the width direction on one side of the roll sheet and the full width of the width of the other surface on the other side of the roll sheet are contacted and then slid on the fixed blade A cutting mechanism (so-called guillotine cutter) that cuts the roll sheet with a movable blade that moves in the thickness direction is conceivable.

However, since the guillotine cutter has a space between the printing unit that performs printing and the cutter, a conveyance path member that guides the printed roll-shaped print medium to the cutter unit is required. In addition, since the roll-shaped print medium is wound in a roll shape, the print medium drawn from the roll has a curl. Therefore, in the guillotine cutter described above, the cutting position of the printing medium is slightly shifted due to the winding curl. Due to this, there is a problem that a large variation occurs in the length of the cut label.
Therefore, in the guillotine cutter, in order to cancel the curl of the roll-shaped print medium and always cut the print medium at a stable cutting position, the print medium is desired to be horizontal at the cutting point of the cutter. Yes. Therefore, it is necessary to separately provide a guide member for guiding the print medium upward so that the print medium is horizontal at the cutting point of the cutter without being affected by the curl.
Further, it is necessary to provide a label guide wall in the vicinity of the cutter so that the label cut by the guillotine cutter does not fall into the printing apparatus. This makes it difficult to reduce the thickness of the printing apparatus and complicates the component configuration.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. By providing the heat dissipation member with an upward guide member and a downward guide wall, the heat dissipation member is provided with a label guide member and a label guide wall. Providing a printing device that can guide the printed label to the cutting means stably and prevent the cut label from dropping into the printing device, and improve the label transport function. The purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a printing apparatus according to claim 1 is disposed on a downstream side of a main body on which a roll-shaped printing medium is mounted, a printing unit for printing on the printing medium, and a conveyance direction of the printing unit. And a cutting means for cutting the print medium, wherein the cutting means includes a fixed blade provided with the roll-shaped print medium over the entire width in the width direction on one side, and the roll-shaped print medium. A movable blade that is provided so as to be movable in the thickness direction of the roll-shaped printing medium, moves from the other surface side of the roll-shaped print medium toward the fixed blade, and cuts the roll sheet across the entire width in the width direction, The printing means includes a plantain roller provided in the main body, a thermal head movable in a press-contact state or a separated state with the plantain roller, and a heat radiating member provided below the thermal head. Is, the heat dissipation member is characterized by comprising a first guide member for upwardly guiding the print medium toward the cutting means on the downstream side edge portion of the conveyance direction.

  The printing apparatus according to claim 2 is the printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiating member includes a second guide member that is bent downward from a downstream end edge in a transport direction. To do.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus according to the second aspect, comprising a plurality of the first guide members.

In the printing apparatus according to claim 1, the heat radiating member guides the print medium upward toward the cutting means at the downstream edge in the conveying direction between the cutting means constituted by the fixed blade and the movable blade and the thermal head. By providing the first guide member, the leading end of the roll-shaped print medium comes into contact with the first guide member and is guided obliquely upward to the cutting means.
In this manner, the upward first guide member is interposed between the cutting means and the printing means, and can guide the roll-shaped print medium upward. The roll-shaped print medium passes through the first guide member, thereby giving a certain distortion that can cancel the curl of the print medium, and guiding the print medium to be horizontal at the cutting point of the cutter. Further, the upward guidance of the first guide member allows the roll-shaped print medium to be stably and smoothly guided to the cutting means without applying a strong deformation force, and has the function of conveying the print medium in the printing apparatus. It becomes possible to dramatically improve.
Furthermore, since a part of the heat radiating member also serves as the first guide member, it is not necessary to separately provide a label guide member for guiding the print medium to the vicinity of the cutting means, and the component configuration can be simplified.

  Further, in the printing apparatus according to claim 2, the transport mechanism includes a second guide member that is bent downward at a downstream edge in the transport direction and perpendicular to the transport direction, so that the cut print medium is printed. It is possible to prevent falling into the apparatus and improve the label transport function. In addition, when a roll sheet cut from the opening is mistakenly entered, the cut print medium is in contact with the second guide member bent downward in the vertical direction, and further prevents falling into the inside of the printing apparatus. It becomes possible to do.

  The printing apparatus according to claim 3 includes a plurality of upward first guide members. Thereby, the part which a 1st guide member and a roll-shaped printing medium contact can be reduced, and also it becomes possible to reduce the noise at the time of conveying a printing medium.

  Hereinafter, a printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings based on an embodiment of the present invention.

First, a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus to which a roll sheet holder according to this embodiment is mounted will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the printing apparatus 1 includes a main body housing 2 and a roll sheet holder 3 around which an indefinite length roll sheet 3A (hereinafter referred to as “roll sheet 3A”) having a predetermined width is wound. Is accommodated in the roll sheet holder accommodating portion 4, and the upper portion is covered with an upper cover 5 made of a transparent resin that is attached to the upper edge of the rear side so as to be freely opened and closed.

  A front cover 6 is formed on the front side of the upper cover 5. The front cover 6 is covered with the front cover 6 by pressing the power button 7A, the feed button 7B that discharges the roll sheet 3A in the transport direction while being pressed, in the substantially central part of the front cover 6 (the central part in FIG. 1). A cut button 7C and the like for driving the cutter unit 8 (see FIG. 7) to cut the roll sheet 3A are disposed. Further, a sheet discharge port 6A for discharging the printed roll sheet 3A to the outside is formed at the front end portion of the front cover 6.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an inlet 9 to which a power cord (not shown) is connected is disposed on the right side end portion, and the left side end portion is provided on the rear side portion of the main body housing 2. A USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector 10 connected to a personal computer (not shown) or the like is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the roll sheet 3 </ b> A includes a long heat-sensitive sheet (so-called thermal paper) 3 </ b> C having self-coloring properties, and a release paper 3 </ b> E via an adhesive layer 3 </ b> D on the back side of the heat-sensitive sheet 3 </ b> C. Are wound together so that the printing surface of the heat-sensitive sheet 3C is on the inside.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the roll sheet holder 3 includes a positioning holding member 12. An attachment member 13 having a substantially rectangular cross section is provided projecting from the positioning holding member 12 in the outer direction.
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 6, the printing apparatus 1 is arranged on one side edge portion (right side edge portion in FIG. 3) in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the roll sheet holder storage portion 4. A holder support member 15 that supports the roll sheet holder 3 is provided. The holder support member 15 is formed with a first positioning groove portion 16 that is open in the upper direction in the width direction and that is open in both sides in the width direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the roll sheet holder 3, which will be described later, extends substantially horizontally from the rear end edge portion of the insertion opening 18 for inserting the roll sheet 3 </ b> A to the front upper end edge portion of the roll sheet holder storage portion 4. There is provided a mounting portion 21 on which the tip portion of the guide member 20 that constitutes the same is mounted. Further, five second positioning groove portions 22A to 22E having a substantially L-shaped cross section corresponding to a plurality of width dimensions of the roll sheet 3A are formed at the edge corners on the rear side in the transport direction of the placement portion 21. Has been. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the second positioning groove portions 22 </ b> A to 22 </ b> E is formed so that the lower end portion of the tip that contacts the placement portion 21 of the guide member 20 constituting the roll sheet holder 3 can be fitted from above. Has been.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the bottom surface portion of the roll sheet holder storage portion 4 is horizontally long in a plan view substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction from the inner base end portion of the holder support member 15 to the opposite side surface base end portion. The rectangular positioning recess 4A is formed with a predetermined depth (in this embodiment, it is approximately 1.5 to 3 mm deep). The width of the positioning recess 4A in the conveying direction is formed so as to be approximately equal to the width of the lower end edges of the positioning holding member 12 (see FIG. 3) and the guide member 20 constituting the roll sheet holder 3. Further, at the inner base end portion of the holder support member 15 of the positioning recess 4A, a portion facing a sheet discrimination portion (not shown) extending from the lower end edge of the positioning holding member 12 in a substantially right-angle inner direction is located in the positioning recess 4A. Further, a discrimination recess 4B having a vertically long plan view rectangular shape is formed in the conveying direction formed so as to be deeper by a predetermined depth (in this embodiment, a depth of about 1.5 to 3 mm). Yes.

The discrimination recess 4B is composed of a push-type microswitch or the like, and has six sheet discrimination sensors P1, P2 for discriminating the type of the roll sheet 3A, the material of the thermal sheet 3C, the roll sheet width, and the like. , P3, P4, P5, and P6 are provided in an L shape. FIG. 6 shows six sheet discrimination sensors P1 to P6.
Each of the sheet discrimination sensors P1 to P6 is a known mechanical switch including a plunger and a micro switch, and the upper end of each plunger extends from the bottom of the discrimination recess 4B to the bottom of the positioning recess 4A. It is provided so that it may protrude to the part vicinity. Then, it is detected whether or not each of the sheet discrimination sensors P1 to P6 has sensor holes (not shown) formed in the sheet discrimination portion that extends in the substantially right-angle inner direction from the lower edge of the positioning holding member 12. The type of the roll sheet 3A attached to the roll sheet holder 3, the material of the heat sensitive sheet, the roll sheet width, and the like are detected by the on / off signal.

  In the present embodiment, the plungers of the sheet discrimination sensors P1 to P6 always protrude from the bottom of the discrimination recess 4B to the vicinity of the bottom of the positioning recess 4A, and the microswitch is turned off. ing. When each sensor hole of the sheet determination unit is located at a position facing each of the sheet determination sensors P1 to P6, the plunger is not pressed and the microswitch is in the OFF state, so an OFF signal is output. When each sensor hole of the sheet determination unit is not located at a position facing each of the sheet determination sensors P1 to P6, the plunger is pressed and the micro switch is turned on, so that an ON signal is output. Accordingly, when the sheet discrimination sensors P1 to P6 output 6-bit “0” and “1” signals and all the sheet discrimination sensors P1 to P6 are in the off state, that is, the roll sheet holder 3 is not mounted. In this case, a 6-bit “000000” signal is output.

  Further, the side edge (on the right edge in FIG. 3) of the insertion port 18 on the holder support member 15 side is formed at a position facing the inner end surface of the positioning member 12 fitted into the holder support member 15. . Thereby, the roll sheet holder 3 to which the roll sheet 3A wound around the winding core is fitted fits the mounting member 13 of the positioning member 12 into the first positioning groove portion 16 of the holder support member 15, and is shown in FIG. As described above, the lower end portion of the guide member 20 is fitted into any one of the second positioning groove portions 22A to 22E, and the lower end portion of the guide member 20 is fitted into the positioning recess 4A to be brought into contact therewith. It is detachably attached to the holder storage part 4.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper cover is connected to the side edge (the right edge in FIG. 4) of the main body housing 2 at the other edge of the roll sheet holder storage 4. 5 is provided. While the slide member 29 slides, the upper cover 5 is supported and the thermal head 31 is moved up and down as will be described later.
As shown in FIG. 5, a platen roller 26 is rotatably supported below the rear end of the front cover 6. A thermal head 31 is provided below the platen roller 26. The thermal head 31 is moved up and down by the slide member 29. The roll sheet 3 </ b> A is printed between the platen roller 26 and the thermal head 31.

That is, by sliding the slide member 29 and closing the upper cover 5, the thermal head 31 is moved upward, and the roll sheet 3 A is pressed against the platen roller 26 to be in a printable state. Further, by closing the upper cover 5, each locking claw 25 (see FIG. 3) having a substantially L shape in side view provided on both front edge portions of the upper cover 5 is formed on the lower side of the front cover 6. It latches by each latching hole 28 (refer FIG. 4) made.
On the other hand, by opening the upper cover 5, the locking claws 25, 25 are detached from the locking holes 28, 28. At the same time, the thermal head 31 moves downward and moves away from the platen roller 26 in conjunction with the opening of the upper cover 5 by the slide member 29 connected to the upper cover 5.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a control board 36 on which a control circuit unit that drives and controls each mechanism unit according to a command from an external personal computer or the like is provided below the roll sheet holder storage unit 4. ing. A power supply substrate 37 on which a power supply circuit unit is formed is provided below the thermal head 31. The control board 36 and the power supply board 37 are covered with a bottom cover 38 made of a thin steel plate (in this embodiment, made of steel plate such as SPCC having a thickness of about 0.5 mm) screwed to the bottom surface portion. ing.

Further, the cutter unit 8 is provided on the downstream side of the thermal head 31. A schematic configuration of the cutter unit 8 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the cutter unit 8 has a U-shaped rear frame 51 arranged on the rear side in the transport direction and fixed to the fixed blade 41, and the rear frame 51 to which the cutting motor 43 and the like are fixed. The front frame 52 covers the front side in the transport direction.
When the printed roll sheet 3A is conveyed to a cutting position on the rear side in the conveying direction, that is, a position facing the fixed blade 41 of the cutter unit 8, the V-shaped movable blade 42 of the cutter unit 8 is a DC motor. Is moved back and forth by a cutting motor 43 constituted by the like, cut by the fixed blade 41 and the movable blade 42, and discharged from the sheet discharge port 6A.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the rear frame 51 is provided with a horizontally long opening 68 through which the roll sheet 3A is inserted. Further, the left and right edge portions of the movable blade 42 are extended upward with a width substantially equal to the gap between the left and right edge portions of the opening 68 and the side wall portions 51A and 51B. When positioned at a point, the guide portions 42B and 42C having upper ends riding on the left and right ends of the fixed blade 41 are formed.

A fixed blade 41 longer than the lateral width of the opening 68 is screwed to the upper edge of the opening 68 between the side walls 51A and 51B on the front side in the transport direction by screws 63 and 63. . Further, the blade edge of the fixed blade 41 is disposed so as to be slightly below the upper edge of the opening 68, and is provided so as to be able to contact the entire width of the roll sheet 3A.
When the cutting motor 43 is turned on, the movable blade 42 is moved from the original position (the position of the lowest point) toward the upper side perpendicular to the conveying direction, rises to the cutting position, and slides with the fixed blade 41. The roll sheet 3A is cut. On the other hand, when the cutting motor 43 is stopped, the movable blade 42 is moved from the cutting position toward the lower side perpendicular to the conveying direction and lowered to the position of the lowest point. In that case, the lower end edge part of the opening part 68 is located below predetermined | prescribed height rather than the lowest end part of the V-shaped blade edge | tip of the movable blade 42. FIG.

Next, an outline of the printing unit 60 provided on the upstream side of the cutter unit 8 and the periphery thereof will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an outline of the printing unit 60 and its surroundings. As shown in FIG. 8, the printing unit 60 includes a pair of side plates 61, and a platen roller 26, a thermal head 31, a heat radiating plate 62, and the like (not shown) are provided between the pair of side plates 61. It has been.

As shown in FIG. 8, the thermal head 31, the FPC board 65 of the thermal head 31, and the like are fixed on the upper surface of the heat radiating plate 62. The heat radiating plate 62 includes a planar portion 62A, an upward guide member 62B, and a guide wall 62C having a U-shape in plan view.
Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the guide member 62B is configured to be bent obliquely upward from the rear end edge in the transport direction at each of the left and right ends and the center of the heat radiating plate 62, and in plan view. The U-shaped guide wall 62 </ b> C is formed by being bent downward from the rear edge of the heat radiating plate 62 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

  FIG. 9 is a side view showing an outline of the printing unit and its periphery in a state where the thermal head is pressed by the platen roller with the roll sheet interposed therebetween in the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the roll sheet 3 </ b> A is conveyed to the cutter unit 8 disposed on the downstream side of the thermal head 31 after the printing is finished between the thermal head 31 and the platen roller 26.

The roll sheet 3 </ b> A wound in a roll shape has a curl when pulled out from the roll, and tends to be rounded by the curl. The upward guide member 62B is a member that guides the roll sheet 3A so as to be parallel to the cutting point of the cutter.
That is, the front end or front end portion of the printed roll sheet 3A is in contact with the upward guide member 62B formed at the rear end edge of the heat radiating plate 62 in the transport direction, and substantially obliquely upward to the rear side in the transport direction. Guided. Thereby, the front-end | tip of the said roll sheet 3A can be guide | induced almost horizontally to the opening part 68 of the cutter unit 8 in the downstream, without receiving the influence of a curl.

On the other hand, the C-shaped guide wall 62C in plan view is formed by bending the rear edge of the heat radiating plate 62 in the downward direction perpendicular to the transport direction. The guide wall 62C is formed by being bent in the opposite direction (downward) to the guide member 62B, thereby preventing the cut roll sheet 3A from falling into the printing apparatus 1.
As shown in FIG. 9, since the guide wall 62C is adjacent to the opening 68 of the cutter unit 8, when the cut roll sheet 3A or the like enters the opening 68 from the sheet discharge port 6A. Thus, it is possible to prevent further intrusion into the inside of the printing apparatus 1 by coming into contact with the guide wall 62C.

When the roll sheet 3A printed by the thermal head 31 is fed to the opening 68 of the cutter unit 8 by the guide of the guide member 62B, as shown in FIG. The movable blade 42 is moved from the lowest point position toward the upper side perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the lowermost end portion of the V-shaped cutting edge of the movable blade 42 is moved to the upper side of the fixed blade 41. By sliding between the movable blade 42 and the fixed blade 41, the roll sheet 3A conveyed into the opening 68 is cut over the entire width in the width direction.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of the printing unit and its periphery in a state where the thermal head is separated from the platen roller in the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, when the upper cover is opened, the thermal head 31 is separated from the platen roller 26, and the movable blade 42 is moved from the cutting position toward the lower side perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the position of the lowest point Go down.

In this way, by providing the guide member 62B with the heat radiating plate 62, the printed roll sheet 3A is guided to the cutter unit 8 with the upward guide member 62B offsetting curl. Thereby, the roll sheet 3A can be guided so as to be substantially horizontal at the cutting point of the cutter unit 8, and deviation of the cutting position of the roll sheet 3A can be reduced. Furthermore, by cutting the roll sheet in a horizontal state, it is possible to improve the durability of the guillotine cutter and to maintain stable paper cutting quality.
Further, by providing the guide wall 62C with the heat radiating plate 62, the cut roll sheet 3A can be prevented from falling into the printing apparatus, and the label transport function can be greatly improved.
Further, the heat radiating plate 62 includes a planar heat radiating plate 62A, a guide member 62B, and a guide wall 62C, so that the heat radiating plate 62 serves as both a printing unit and a label guide member. There is no need to provide a separate label guide and guide wall in the vicinity of the cutter as in the prior art. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced, space can be saved, and the structure of the parts can be simplified.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Of course, various improvement and deformation | transformation are possible within the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.

It is an external appearance perspective view from the front side of the printing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is an external appearance perspective view from the rear side of the printing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a perspective view from the upper right side shown by opening an upper cover in a state where a roll sheet is mounted on the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view from the upper right side of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment when the upper cover is opened and a roll sheet having a small width is mounted. It is a sectional side view which shows the state with which the roll sheet holder was mounted | worn with the printing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is the schematic perspective view which looked at the state which removed the upper cover of the printing apparatus concerning this embodiment from the back upper part. It is a front view of the cutter unit of the printing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a principal part expansion perspective view of the printing part of the printing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. In the printing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment, it is the side view which showed the outline of the printing part and its periphery in the state by which the thermal head was pressed by the platen roller on both sides of the roll sheet. FIG. 5 is a side view schematically illustrating a printing unit and its periphery in a state where a thermal head is separated from a platen roller in the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus 2 Main body case 8 Cutter unit 26 Platen roller 31 Thermal head 41 Fixed blade 42 Movable blade 60 Printing part 62 Heat sink 62B Guide member 62C Guide wall

Claims (3)

A body on which a roll-shaped print medium is mounted;
Printing means for printing on the print medium;
In a printing apparatus comprising: a cutting unit that is arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction of the printing unit and cuts the printing medium;
The cutting means is provided so that the roll-shaped print medium can be moved in the thickness direction of the roll-shaped print medium, and a fixed blade provided over the entire width of the one-surface side. A movable blade that moves from the other side of the medium toward the fixed blade and cuts the roll sheet across the entire width in the width direction;
The printing unit includes a plantain roller provided in the main body, a thermal head movable in a pressure contact state or a separated state with the plantain roller, and a heat radiating member provided below the thermal head. ,
The said heat radiating member is provided with the 1st guide member which guides a printing medium upward toward a cutting | disconnection means in the downstream edge part of a conveyance direction, The printing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiating member includes a second guide member that is bent downward from a downstream edge portion in a transport direction.   The printing apparatus according to claim 2, comprising a plurality of the first guide members.

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