JP2011037096A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer which can dissipate static electricity on the cover side without securing the space for routing the ground wire. <P>SOLUTION: The printer 100 for printing on a roll paper 11 has a body 15 which can be connected to the earth, a cover 21 equipped with a platen roller 19 for conveying the roll paper 11 by opening and closing an opening 20 through which the roll paper 11 is contained, and a conduction mechanism 57 which dissipates static electricity on the cover 21 side to the body 15 when the opening 20 is closed. A conductive urging member 59 which urges the cover 21 in the opening direction when it is closed is provided on the body 15 side. The conduction mechanism 57 is equipped with a first engaging part 71 formed on the cover 21 side, and a second engaging part 73 formed on the body 15. The first engaging part 71 and the second engaging part 73 may be engaged and conducted when the cover 21 is closed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer that performs printing on a print medium.

  As disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, there has been proposed a printer that prints a roll-shaped print medium with a thermal head, and then cuts and discharges the printed roll paper with a cutter. In the printer 500 shown in FIG. 5, when the cover 501 is opened, the roll paper holder 503 and the paper delivery path 505 are exposed. When the roll paper 507 is loaded into the roll paper holder 503 and the cover 501 is closed, the paper setting is completed.

  The printer 500 is formed so that a resin main body case 509 and a cover 501 are substantially box-shaped. The cover 501 is attached to the main body case 509 side so as to be openable and closable around the opposite side of the paper discharge port 511 as a rotation center. A platen roller 513 is provided on the lower surface of the cover 501. The platen roller 513 is disposed to face the print head 515 on the main body case 509 side with the cover 501 closed. By driving the print head 515 in this state, the printer 500 performs printing on the roll paper 507.

  In the vicinity of the paper discharge port 511, a fixed blade 517 is installed on the cover 501 side. On the other hand, an auto cutter unit 523 including a movable blade 521 driven by a drive motor 519 is provided on the main body case 509 side. When the cover 501 is closed, the fixed blade 517 and the auto cutter unit 523 constitute a scissor cutting mechanism. With this cutting mechanism, the roll paper piece is cut and can be taken out from the paper discharge port 511.

JP-A-9-141595 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-592

  However, if there is a rotating member or a member that rubs with printing on the cover 501 side, static electricity is generated due to frictional contact between the rollers or frictional contact between the platen roller 513 and the roll paper 507. In particular, the influence of static electricity generated by friction with the roll paper 507 is great. In the case of a thermal printer, since the print head is in direct contact with the roll paper, static electricity is generated during that time. The metal shaft 513a of the platen roller 513 is conductively supported by the frame 525. A metal fixed blade 517 is also conductively fixed to the frame 525. When the frame 525 is fixed to the resin cover 501, these metal parts become so-called floating metal, and are electrically connected from the metal part on the main body frame 527 side that is grounded through the ground terminal of the power source or by the ground wire. Insulated state. Even though the metal shaft 513a is interposed, sufficient rotation cannot be obtained because of the rotation. For this reason, static electricity is charged when printing is performed for a long time. This static electricity discharges the user when the cover 501 is opened, and makes the user feel uncomfortable. In addition, discharging to other electrical components such as the drive motor 519 and the circuit board may cause malfunction. On the other hand, for example, if the rotating frame 525 is connected to the grounded main body frame 527 with a ground wire, it is necessary to secure a wiring space and complicated wiring assembly work is increased.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a printer capable of discharging static electricity charged on the cover side without securing a wiring space for a ground wire.

The present invention that can solve the above-described problems is a printer that performs printing on a print medium, and opens and closes a main body that can be connected to a ground, and an opening that houses the print medium. A cover provided with a rotating member or a print head in contact with the print medium, and static electricity charged on the cover side from the conductive member on the cover side when the opening is closed. And a conduction mechanism for letting it escape to the conductive member on the part side.
According to the above configuration, when the cover is closed and printing is performed, and static electricity is generated by frictional contact between the rotating member or the print head and the print medium, the generated static electricity is released to the main body through the conduction mechanism. Static electricity charged on the cover side can be released without securing a space for grounding. As a result, static electricity is charged on the cover side, and discharge to the user which becomes uncomfortable when the cover is opened does not occur. In addition, malfunctions can be prevented without causing discharge to other electrical components such as a drive motor and a circuit board.

In the present invention, the conductive member on the main body side is a conductive urging member that urges the cover in the opening direction when the cover is closed.
According to the above configuration, when the cover is closed, it hits the urging member, and when the cover is further closed, the urging member is deformed. When the cover is engaged with the main body in this state, the urging member urges the cover in a direction to open the cover by a restoring force. As a result, the biasing member reliably contacts the cover, and a highly reliable electrical connection mechanism is obtained.
Further, in the present invention, the cover is configured to be lockable to the main body, and when the lock is released, a gap is provided between the cover and the main body by the urging force of the urging member. Features.
An operator can unlock the cover, put a finger on the gap, and easily open the cover.

In the present invention, the conductive member on the cover side is a first engaging portion formed on the cover side, and the conductive member on the main body portion side is a second formed on the main body portion. The first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are engaged and conducted when the cover is closed.
According to the above configuration, when the cover is closed, the first engagement portion hits the second engagement portion. When the cover is further closed and the cover is closed, the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are engaged. The first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are independently engaged with each other independently of the engagement between the cover and the main body portion. Compared to simply pressing and deforming the spring member, poor contact due to plastic deformation is less likely to occur. Thereby, a cover and a main-body part contact reliably, and a highly reliable electrical connection mechanism is obtained.

In the present invention, the print medium is roll paper, and the cover includes a cutter having a movable blade and a fixed blade for cutting the roll paper, and the conduction mechanism includes at least the movable blade. Static electricity charged on either one of the fixed blades is also released to the main body side.
According to the said structure, the discharge of cutters can be prevented. That is, when roll paper is continuously printed, the cutter (fixed blade) on the cover side is easily charged. When the auto cutter unit on the main body side operates in this state, the cutter (movable blade) of the auto cutter unit contacts the fixed blade while cutting the roll paper. If the mechanism is not provided, the static electricity of the fixed blade may be discharged to the movable blade at the same time as the contact, which may cause the drive motor or the like to malfunction. According to the present invention provided with the above mechanism, the static electricity of the fixed blade is released to the main body through the mechanism, so that the discharge between the cutters at the time of cutting does not occur. The arrangement of the movable blade and the fixed blade may be reversed.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the printer in the cover closed state according to the embodiment of the present invention cut out along a vertical plane in the front-rear direction. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the main part in the middle of closing the cover of the printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of a main part with a cover of the printer shown in FIG. 1 closed. FIG. 4A is an enlarged side view of the main part in the middle of closing the cover of the mechanism according to the modification, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged side view of the main part in the state of closing the cover of the mechanism according to the modification. is there. It is the side view which notched the printer of the conventional cover open state by the vertical surface of the front-back direction.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The printer 100 performs printing on the roll paper 11 that is a printing medium. The printer 100 includes a printer main body 13. In the printer main body 13, a main body frame 15 which is a metal main body is covered with a main body case 17 as an exterior. The main body frame 15 is connected to the ground. Connection to the ground can be made by connecting a ground wire to a ground terminal provided on the main body frame 15. In addition, when applied to an electronic cash register of a POS system, it may be connected to the ground of a circuit board connected to the host via a connection cable.

  The printer main body 13 is provided with an opening 20 for storing the roll paper 11. The printer 100 has a cover 21 that opens and closes the opening 20. The cover 21 includes a platen roller 19 that is a rotating member for transporting the roll paper 11. The cover 21 is provided with a cover frame 23. The main body case 17 and the cover 21 are each formed in a substantially box shape using resin. A paper discharge port 25 is provided on the upper surface of the printer 100, and an end portion of the printed roll paper 11 is discharged from the paper discharge port 25.

  Bearing portions 27 are formed at both ends of the rear portion of the cover frame 23, and the bearing portions 27 are supported by the main body frame 15 via a support shaft 29 so as to be freely opened and closed. Inside the printer main body 13, a roll paper holder 31 that can accommodate the roll paper 11 is provided. A print head 33 is provided in front of the roll paper holder 31. The print head 33 is disposed at a portion between the roll paper holder 31 and the front portion 35 of the printer main body 13. The platen roller 19 is disposed so as to face the print head 33 in a state where the cover 21 is closed, and is in a state of sandwiching a roll of paper to be fed. By driving the print head 33 in this state, the printer 100 performs printing on the roll paper 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the platen roller 19 is provided in a platen holder 39 of the platen unit 37. The platen holder 39 is made of a metal material. The platen holder 39 has a release lever mechanism. The release lever mechanism includes an engagement claw and a release lever that can be interlocked with the engagement claw, and constitutes a lock mechanism. The release lever mechanism engages or disengages the cover 21 with respect to the main body case 17 in a closed state.

  The cover 21 includes a fixed blade 41 that is a cutter for cutting the roll paper 11 in the vicinity of the paper discharge port 25. On the other hand, an auto cutter unit 45 incorporating a movable blade 43 shown in FIG. The fixed blade 41 and the movable blade 43 constitute a cutting mechanism for cutting the roll paper 11 by the scissor method.

  The auto cutter unit 45 includes a drive motor 47. A worm gear is attached to the rotation shaft of the drive motor 47, and the worm gear meshes with the worm wheel 49. The worm wheel 49 engages with the movable blade 43 via a crank pin. When the cover 21 is closed, the fixed blade 41 and the auto cutter unit 45 constitute a cutting mechanism. With this cutting mechanism, the output roll paper piece conveyed to the output path is cut and can be taken out from the paper discharge port 25.

  In the auto cutter unit 45, as shown in FIG. 2, when the cover 21 is opened, the blade shutter 53 is pulled in the direction of the movable blade 43 by the coil spring 51. The tip 53a abuts against the blade of the fixed blade 41 and covers the blade. Thereby, for example, when replacing the roll paper 11 or the like, a finger or the like does not touch the blade portion of the fixed blade 41, so that safety can be improved.

  On the other hand, when the cover 21 is closed, the blade shutter 53 is rotated in the direction of arrow a with the lead portion 53b shown in FIG. Further, when the cover 21 is closed, the engagement between the locking shaft 55 and the lead portion 53b is released, and the blade shutter 53 rotates in the direction of arrow b until the positioning portion 53c comes into contact with the coil spring 51 as shown in FIG. Monkey. As a result, the fixed blade 41 is exposed from the tip 53a of the blade shutter 53.

  The printer 100 includes a mechanism 57 that allows static electricity charged on the cover 21 side to escape from the cover 21 to the main body frame 15 when the opening 20 of the roll paper holder 31 is closed. The mechanism 57 includes a platen holder 39 and opposing portions 61 and 63 of the main body frame 15, and a conductive leaf spring 59 that is an urging member fixed to the opposing portion 63 of the main body frame 15 by a fixing screw 65. Become.

  The leaf spring 59 is formed of a base portion 59a and a contact portion 59b by bending a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular plate into a U shape or a U shape at a bent portion parallel to the short side. The leaf spring 59 is electrically connected to the main body frame 15 by fixing the base portion 59 a to the facing portion 63 with a fixing screw 65. When the cover 21 is closed, the leaf spring 59 abuts against the facing portion 61 and biases the cover 21 in the opening direction. As a material of the leaf spring 59, a metal (for example, phosphor bronze) having high conductivity and excellent spring property is suitable.

  The fixed blade 41 is electrically connected to the platen holder 39. As shown in FIG. 1, the platen roller 19 has a metal platen roller shaft 19b on the central axis of the outer peripheral side roller portion 19a. The platen roller shaft 19b is electrically connected to the platen holder 39. That is, in the present embodiment, the fixed blade 41, the platen roller shaft 19b, and the platen holder 39 are in a state of being electrically insulated in the cover 21.

  Therefore, the mechanism 57 allows the static electricity charged on the fixed blade 41 to escape to the main body frame 15.

Next, the operation of the printer 100 having the above configuration will be described.
When printing is performed for a long time in the printer 100 in which the cover 21 is closed, the roll paper 11 and the platen roller 19 are brought into frictional contact to generate static electricity. If static electricity continues to be generated, it flows to the platen holder 39 via the platen roller shaft 19b.

The static electricity flowing to the platen holder 39 flows to the main body frame 15 via the leaf spring 59 and is released to the ground. In the printer 100, the cover 21 hits the leaf spring 59 when the cover 21 is closed, and the leaf spring 59 is deformed when the cover 21 is further closed. When the cover 21 is engaged with the printer main body 13 in this state, the leaf spring 59 biases the facing portion 61 of the platen holder 39 in the direction to open the cover 21 by a restoring force. As a result, the conductive leaf spring 59 is surely in contact with the cover 21 and a highly reliable electrical connection mechanism can be obtained.
Between the cover 21 and the printer main body 13, the above-described locking mechanism is configured. When the cover 21 is closed, the printer 21 is engaged and locked. Further, when the operator operates the release lever, the engagement is released and the lock is released. At this time, if there is a gap between the cover 21 and the printer main body 13, the operator can easily open the cover 21 if the operator puts a finger on the gap. As described above, the leaf spring 59 urges the cover 21 in the direction of opening the cover 21 by a restoring force, so that a gap can be provided between the cover 21 and the printer main body 13 when the lock is released.

  Moreover, in the printer 100, discharge between cutters can be prevented. That is, when the roll paper 11 is continuously printed, the cutter (fixed blade 41) on the cover side is easily charged. When the auto cutter unit 45 on the main body side operates in this state, the cutter (movable blade 43) of the auto cutter unit 45 contacts the fixed blade 41 while cutting the roll paper 11. If the above-described mechanism 57 is not provided, static electricity of the fixed blade 41 may be discharged to the movable blade 43 at the same time as the contact, causing the drive motor 47 and the like to malfunction. According to the present invention in which the mechanism 57 is provided, the static electricity of the fixed blade 41 is released to the main body frame 15 via the leaf spring 59 of the mechanism 57, so that discharge between the cutters at the time of cutting does not occur.

  As a structure for discharging static electricity of the cover 21 to the main body frame 15 without using the leaf spring 59 and connecting the ground wire, the cover frame 23 made of a metal material and the main body frame 15 are connected to the metal support shaft 29. It is possible to consider a structure in which the two are pivotably connected to each other. However, a large metal cover frame 23 is required, which increases the weight and lowers the opening / closing operability, and increases the part cost. Further, in this case, since the support shaft 29 is a sliding portion, unstable contact with the bearing is caused. Furthermore, if lubricating oil is applied between the support shaft 29 and the bearing to make the rotation smooth, the grounding effect is blocked by the coating. According to the printer 100 according to the present embodiment, a highly reliable electrical connection mechanism can be obtained at a low cost by using a small metal cover frame 23 or a non-metal cover frame 23.

  According to the printer 100 according to the present embodiment configured as described above, when the cover 21 is closed and printing is performed, and static electricity is generated by frictional contact between the platen roller 19 and the roll paper 11, the generated static electricity is a mechanism. The main body frame 15 is escaped through 57. As a result, the static electricity charged on the cover 21 side can be released without securing a space for the ground wire. As a result, static electricity is charged on the cover 21 side, so that no unpleasant discharge to the user occurs when the cover 21 is opened. In addition, malfunctions can be prevented without causing discharge to other electrical components such as the drive motor 47 and the circuit board.

Next, a modified example of the mechanism 57 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the mechanism 57A according to the modified example includes a first engagement portion 71 formed on the cover 21 side and a first engagement portion 71 formed on the main body frame 15. 2 engaging portions 73.

  The first engaging portion 71 forms a substantially diamond-shaped contact portion 71a and a fixing portion 71b in a side view by bending the metal plate. The fixing portion 71b is fixed to the facing portion 61 of the platen holder 39 with a fixing screw or the like. The contact portion 71a is composed of a pointed tip portion 71c and an inclined portion 71d that approaches toward the rear.

  On the other hand, the second engaging portion 73 forms a substantially triangular fixing portion 73a and a sandwiching portion 73b that opens continuously by bending the metal plate. The fixing portion 73 a is fixed to the facing portion 63 of the main body frame 15 by a fixing screw 75. When the cover 21 is closed, the first engaging portion 71 and the second engaging portion 73 are engaged with and electrically connected to the contact portion 71a and the clamping portion 73b.

  That is, when the cover 21 is closed, the contact part 71a hits the clamping part 73b. When the cover 21 is further closed, the clamping portion 73b is elastically deformed and opened, and receives the contact portion 71a as shown in FIG. 4B. When the cover 21 is closed, the contact portion 71a and the holding portion 73b are engaged, and the tip portions of the holding portion 73b hold the inclined portion 71d of the contact portion 71a in a pressed state.

According to the mechanism 57A according to this modification, the first engagement portion 71 and the second engagement portion 73 are engaged with each other independently of the engagement between the cover 21 and the printer main body 13. To maintain. Compared to simply pressing and deforming the spring member, poor contact due to plastic deformation is less likely to occur. Thereby, the cover 21 and the platen holder 39 are reliably in contact with each other, and a highly reliable electrical connection mechanism is obtained.
In the above embodiment, the platen roller 19 is arranged on the cover 21 side and the print head 33 is arranged on the main body frame 15 side. However, the print head 33 is arranged on the cover 21 side and the platen roller on the main body frame 15 side. It is also possible to arrange 19. When the print head 33 is a thermal head, static electricity is likely to be generated because it rubs directly against the roll paper 11.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Roll paper (printing medium), 15 ... Main body frame (main body part), 19 ... Platen roller (rotating member), 20 ... Opening part, 21 ... Cover, 41 ... Fixed blade (cutter), 43 ... Movable blade fixed blade (Cutter), 57 ... mechanism, 59 ... leaf spring (biasing member), 71 ... first engaging portion, 73 ... second engaging portion, 100 ... printer.

Claims (5)

A printer that prints on a print medium,
A body that can be connected to earth,
A cover provided with a print head that opens and closes an opening for storing the print medium and contacts the print medium with a rotating member for conveying the print medium;
A printer comprising: a conduction mechanism for releasing static electricity charged on the cover side from the conductive member on the cover side to the conductive member on the main body side when the opening is closed.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein the conductive member on the main body side is a conductive urging member that urges the cover to open when the cover is closed.   3. The cover is configured to be lockable to the main body, and when the lock is released, a gap is provided between the cover and the main body by the biasing force of the biasing member. Printer. The conductive member on the cover side is a first engaging part formed on the cover side, and the conductive member on the main body part side is a second engaging part formed on the main body part. ,
The printer according to claim 1, wherein when the cover is closed, the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are engaged and conducted. The printing medium is roll paper, and the cover includes a cutter having a movable blade and a fixed blade for cutting the roll paper,
The said conduction | electrical_connection mechanism contacts at least any one of the said movable blade and a fixed blade, The static electricity charged to the said cutter is also released to the said main-body part side, The any one of Claim 1 to 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The printer according to item.

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