JP2011194703A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for facilitating work of attaching and detaching a paper roll.SOLUTION: A printer 1 for printing for a recording paper 3a pulled out from a recording paper roll 3 includes: a housing 5 having an opening 5a; a slide part 6; and a turning part 7. The slide part 6 includes a roll holding part 6a holding the recording paper roll 3 and the roll holding part 6a is slid in the housing 5 so as to freely enter and exit from the housing 5 through the opening 5a. The turning part 7 includes a connection part 7c connected to the slide part 6 in the vicinity of the roll holding part 6, is turned around the connection part 7c as a support point so as to freely get close to and separate from the roll holding part 6a, and can close the opening 5a.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer that prints on paper drawn from a paper roll.

  There is known a printer that prints image data acquired by an imaging device such as a digital camera and image data stored in a recording medium such as a memory card on a sheet such as a recording sheet. Such printers are described in, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

  The types of printers are diversified, and there are business printers in addition to small home printers that print image data output from personal computers and digital cameras.

  A self-printing terminal used as a business printer is a printer that is mainly disposed in a store or the like and is generally operated by a customer. In this self-print terminal, for example, image data stored in a recording medium such as a memory card brought by the customer is input by the customer and the desired image data is selected. Printed. A dry minilab used as a business printer is a printer that is mainly disposed in a store counter and is generally operated by a store vendor. In this dry minilab, image data on a recording medium such as a customer's memory card is input by a contractor and desired image data is selected, whereby the selected image data is printed on recording paper.

  As a self-print terminal or a dry minilab, a printer having a plurality of printer units each having a printer function, a so-called multi-printer may be used. A multi-printer can perform a plurality of print processes in parallel, so that the print processing capability is high, and the printing time can be shortened. On the other hand, since the size of a multi-printer is large and its installation space tends to be wide, a plurality of printer units are arranged in a shelf shape in the vertical direction to reduce the size reasonably.

JP 2000-289272 A JP 2005-219390 A

  Now, a paper roll is attached to the printer, and when the paper runs out, the paper roll is replaced. As described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for a printer, a technique has been proposed in which a paper roll can be replaced even if there is no wide space around the printer. However, in the arrangement of the multi-printer described above, even with such a proposed technique, it is difficult to attach and detach the paper roll because the path of the paper roll when replacing the paper roll is narrow.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique that makes it easy to attach and detach a paper roll.

  A printer according to the present invention is a printer that prints on a sheet drawn from a paper roll, and includes a housing having an opening and a holding unit that holds the paper roll, and the holding unit is configured to pass through the opening. A sliding portion that slides in the housing so as to freely enter and exit the housing; and a connecting portion that is connected to the sliding portion in the vicinity of the holding portion. The connecting portion serves as a fulcrum so that the holding portion can be moved toward and away from the holding portion. And a rotating part capable of closing and closing the opening.

  According to the present invention, since the slide part slides from the housing and the turning part turns around the connecting part with the slide part as a fulcrum, a large space can be made both above and in front of the holding part. Therefore, the work of attaching and detaching the paper roll becomes easy.

2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a printer unit according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of a 1st comparison object printer. It is a figure which shows the structure of the 2nd comparison object printer. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer unit according to the first embodiment. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the printer unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the printer unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer unit according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of a printer unit according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of a printer unit according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a partial configuration of a printer unit according to a third embodiment. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a partial configuration of a printer unit according to Embodiment 3. FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a printer unit according to a fourth embodiment.

<Embodiment 1>
The printer according to the present embodiment is assumed to be a multi-printer including a plurality of printer units, and one of the plurality of printer units will be described below. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a printer unit 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The printer unit 1 is provided with a recording paper roll 3 around which a recording paper 3 a as a paper is wound and an ink ribbon 4. The printer unit 1 prints characters, images, and the like on the recording paper 3 a by attaching the ink of the ink ribbon 4 to the recording paper 3 a drawn from the recording paper roll 3. The recording paper 3a and the ink ribbon 4 are consumables and are replaced in the printer unit 1 when they disappear.

  Before describing each configuration of the printer unit 1 in detail, a printer to be compared with the printer unit 1 (hereinafter, referred to as “a comparison target printer”) will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the first comparison target printer 30 (Patent Document 1). A transport port 31 through which the recording paper 3 a can be inserted is provided in front of the first comparison target printer 30. When the recording paper roll 3 is replaced on the top surface of the first comparison target printer 30. A rotating part 32 to be rotated, for example, a cover is provided. In such a first comparison target printer 30, a space for receiving the recording paper 3 a from the transport port 31 is required in the front, and a space for passing the rotating portion 32 when opening and closing is upward. Is necessary. Therefore, the first comparison target printer 30 requires a relatively large installation space and is not suitable for a multi-printer.

  FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the second comparison target printer 40 (Patent Document 2). On the front side of the second comparison target printer 40, a turning portion 42 that is turned when the recording paper roll 3 is replaced is provided, and a carry-out port 41 is provided in the turning portion 42. In such a second comparison target printer 40, the space necessary for the transport port 41 can be used as a necessary space for the rotation unit 42, so that the installation space is narrower than that of the first comparison target printer 30. can do. However, as shown in FIG. 3, since the passage 43 of the recording paper roll 3 is narrow, it is difficult to attach and detach the recording paper roll 3, which is not suitable for a multi-printer.

  On the other hand, in the printer unit 1 according to the first embodiment, since the path of the recording paper roll 3 when the recording paper roll 3 is replaced is wide, in the multi-printer in which the printer units are arranged in a shelf shape in the vertical direction. However, the operation of attaching and detaching the recording paper roll 3 is facilitated. Hereinafter, the printer unit 1 will be described.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the printer unit 1 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 5, a slide unit 6, and a rotating unit 7. Hereinafter, an XYZ coordinate system in which the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction of the printer unit 1 are respectively used as the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis is appropriately used.

  The housing 5 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in one direction, and has an opening 5a on the front surface (+ X side surface) of two surfaces facing each other in the longitudinal direction (X direction).

  The casing 5 is provided with four projecting portions 5b projecting from the top surface (the surface on the + Z side). The four projecting portions 5b include two projecting portions 5ba facing each other in the Y direction in the portion of the top surface on the opening 5a side, and two projecting portions provided side by side on the back surface of the housing 5 (surface on the -X side). 5bb.

  On the bottom surface (surface on the −Z side) of the housing 5, two fitting portions 5 c that can be fitted with the two protruding portions 5 ba are provided. When the printer unit 1 is connected to another printer unit 1 on the top surface side, the two protruding portions 5ba in the printer unit 1 engage with the two fitting portions 5c in the other printer unit 1, respectively. The same fitting is performed on the bottom side. Thereby, the position of the XY plane of the printer unit 1 and the position of the XY plane of another printer unit 1 are not shifted from each other.

  The slide portion 6 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and holds the recording paper roll 3 at the front side end portion (+ X side end portion) and the ink ribbon 4 in the vicinity of the roll holding portion 6a. And an ink ribbon holding portion 6b. The slide portion 6 slides along the longitudinal direction (X direction) in the housing 5 in a state where the rear side end portion (−X side end portion) is inserted into the housing 5. By this sliding movement, the roll holding unit 6a and the ink ribbon holding unit 6b can enter and leave the housing 5 through the opening 5a.

  The roll holding unit 6a holds the recording paper roll 3 with the axis of the recording paper roll 3 aligned in the Y direction. A space 6c through which the recording paper roll 3 can pass is provided above and in front of the roll holding portion 6a. The ink ribbon holding unit 6b holds the ink ribbon 4 in a state where the axis of the ink ribbon 4 is aligned in the Y direction at a position on the −X side of the roll holding unit 6a. A space 6d through which the ink ribbon 4 can pass is provided above the ink ribbon holding portion 6b.

  The rotating part 7 is mainly composed of a front face part 7a and an insertion part 7b which are orthogonal to each other. Each of the front surface portion 7a and the insertion portion 7b is a substantially plate member, and one end portion of the front surface portion 7a and one end portion of the insertion portion 7b are connected to each other. The rotation part 7 has a connection part 7c connected to the slide part 6 in the vicinity of the roll holding part 6a. The rotating portion 7 according to the present embodiment has the connecting portion 7c at the end opposite to the end connected to the inserting portion 7b among the ends of the front surface portion 7a. The connection part 7c is connected to the tip side (+ X side) of the slide part 6 rather than the roll holding part 6a.

  The rotating part 7 is rotatable with the connecting part 7c as a fulcrum. That is, the rotation part 7 is rotatable around the Y axis passing through the connection part 7c. Then, when the rotating part 7 is rotated counterclockwise as indicated by an arrow A shown in FIG. 4 with the connecting part 7c as a fulcrum, the rotating part 7 comes away from the roll holding part 6a, and the arrow B shown in FIG. When it rotates clockwise like this, it approaches the roll holding part 6a. That is, the rotation part 7 is rotatable so as to be able to approach and separate from the roll holding part 6a.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the state when the recording paper 3a is printed in the printer unit 1 as seen from the Y direction. As shown in the figure, the printer unit 1 includes a platen roller 8, a thermal head 9, and a cutter 10.

  The platen roller 8 is, for example, a rubber roller, and is provided on the slide portion 6 although not shown in the schematic diagram 4. During printing, the platen roller 8 rotates around the Y axis while pressing the recording paper 3 a and the ink ribbon 4 against the thermal head 9, and discharges the recording paper 3 a to the outside of the printer unit 1.

  The thermal head 9 is provided in the housing 5 and prints characters or the like on the recording paper 3 a by partially applying heat to the ink ribbon 4.

  A transport port 11 through which the recording paper 3 a can be inserted is provided on the front surface portion 7 a of the rotating portion 7. The cutter 10 is provided at the transport port 11, and cuts off the recording paper 3 a when the leading end of the recording paper 3 a printed by the thermal head 9 is transported by an appropriate length from the transport port 11.

  Next, the state of each component when the recording paper 3a is printed will be described with reference to FIG. When the recording paper 3a is printed, the roll holding unit 6a holds the recording paper roll 3 and the ink ribbon holding unit 6b holds the ink ribbon 4 as shown in FIG. Then, the recording paper 3 a drawn from the recording paper roll 3 is passed between the platen roller 8 and the thermal head 9 and between the cutters 10 in order. Further, the roll holding part 6 a and the ink ribbon holding part 6 b are located in the housing 5. Further, the rotating unit 7 has a posture in which the main surface of the front surface portion 7a is directed in the X direction and the main surface of the insertion portion 7b is directed in the Z direction. When the rotating unit 7 is in the posture, the space 6c positioned above and in front of the roll holding unit 6a and the space 6d positioned above the ink ribbon holding unit 6b are inserted into the inserting unit of the rotating unit 7. It is blocked by 7b.

  The slide part 6 is restricted from moving to the −X side so that it does not travel from the position shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the position of the slide portion 6 in the slide direction shown in FIG. 4 is referred to as a “slide restricting position”. Further, the rotation of the rotating unit 7 is restricted from the state shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the position of the rotation unit 7 in the rotation direction illustrated in FIG. 4 is referred to as a “rotation restriction position”.

  In the present embodiment, when the slide portion 6 is in the slide restriction position and the rotation portion 7 is in the rotation restriction position, the rotation portion 7 closes the opening 5 a of the housing 5. In the present embodiment, when the rotating part 7 closes the opening 5 a, the insertion part 7 b of the rotating part 7 is inserted into the housing 5. At this time, the rotation portion 7 is restricted from rotating in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 4 by the inner wall of the housing 5.

  Next, a procedure for removing the recording paper roll 3 and the ink ribbon 4 from the printer unit 1 by the user will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the state shown in FIG. 4, when the slide portion 6 is pulled out from the housing 5 in the X direction, the recording paper roll 3, the ink ribbon 4, the rotating portion 7, the platen roller 8, and the cutter 10 are also integrated in the X direction. Move to. When the platen roller 8 moves in the X direction, the pressing of the recording paper 3a and the ink ribbon 4 by the platen roller 8 is released.

  When the slide part 6 is further pulled out in the X direction, as shown in FIG. 5, the roll holding part 6 a and the ink ribbon holding part 6 b, that is, the recording paper roll 3 and the ink ribbon 4 are opened in the opening 5 a of the housing 5. And is carried out of the housing 5 via. When the ink ribbon 4 is carried out to the outside of the housing 5, the inserting portion 7 b of the rotating portion 7 has come out of the housing 5, so that the rotating portion 7 is restricted by the inner wall of the housing 5. Without being able to turn in the direction of arrow A.

  Next, when the rotating unit 7 is rotated in the direction of arrow A, as shown in FIG. 6, a space 6c is opened in front of and above the roll holding unit 6a and a space above the ink ribbon holding unit 6b. 6d is opened. Then, the recording paper roll 3 is removed from the printer unit 1 from the roll holding unit 6a through a space 6c opened upward and forward. Alternatively, the ink ribbon 4 is removed from the printer unit 1 from the ink ribbon holding unit 6b through the space 6d released above.

  Although the procedure for removing the recording paper roll 3 and the like has been described above, in the procedure for attaching the recording paper roll 3 and the like, the removal procedure is performed in the reverse order.

  According to the printer unit 1 according to the present embodiment as described above, the slide unit 6 slides from the housing 5, and the rotation unit 7 rotates about the connection portion 7 c with the slide unit 6, so that the roll A large space can be provided both above and in front of the holding portion 6a. Therefore, the operation of attaching and detaching the recording paper roll 3 is facilitated.

  Further, according to the printer unit 1 according to the present embodiment, the rotation unit 7 is provided with the transport port 11 that can be inserted. Therefore, the space for receiving the recording paper 3a can be used together as a space for the rotating unit 7 to pass when opening and closing. Therefore, the installation space of the printer unit 1 can be reduced.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the state when the recording paper 3a is printed in the printer unit 1 according to the present embodiment as seen from the Y direction. In the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those in the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the printer unit 1 according to the present embodiment is obtained by adding a storage detection unit 12 to the configuration of the first embodiment. In FIG. 7, the ink ribbon 4 is not shown for simplicity.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the slide part 6 is in the slide restriction position and the rotation part 7 is in the rotation restriction position, that is, when the rotation part 7 blocks the opening 5a, The storage detection unit 12 contacts the insertion unit 7b of the rotation unit 7 in the Y direction. When the storage detection unit 12 detects the contact, the storage detection unit 12 detects that the rotation unit 7 blocks the opening 5 a of the housing 5.

  On the other hand, when the slide part 6 is not in the slide restriction position as shown in FIG. 8, and when the rotation part 7 is not in the rotation restriction position as shown in FIG. That is, when the rotation unit 7 does not block the opening 5a, the storage detection unit 12 does not contact the insertion unit 7b of the rotation unit 7 in the Y direction. When the storage detection unit 12 does not detect the contact, the storage detection unit 12 detects that the rotation unit 7 does not block the opening 5 a of the housing 5.

  The detection result of the storage detection unit 12 is notified to a control unit (not shown) that comprehensively controls the multi-printer. When the storage detection unit 12 detects that the rotation unit 7 does not block the opening 5a of the housing 5, the control unit displays a display on the display unit (not shown) to that effect, Printing in part 1 is prohibited.

  According to the printer unit 1 according to the present embodiment as described above, it can be detected that the rotating unit 7 blocks the opening 5 a of the housing 5. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the recording paper 3a from being printed in a state where the opening 5a of the housing 5 is empty.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a part of the configuration of the printer unit 1 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those in the first embodiment. As shown in the drawing, in the printer unit 1 according to the present embodiment, a holding member (hereinafter referred to as “slide holding member 13”) that holds the slide unit 6 is provided on the inner wall on the −Z side of the housing 5. A slide base 14 for sliding the slide unit 6 is provided on the bottom surface of the slide unit 6.

  The slide holding member 13 includes two rails 13a extending in the sliding direction (X direction) and a connection plate 13b connecting the two rails 13a. Each rail 13a has a substantially concave shape in cross section, and the two rails 13a are arranged so that the substantially concave shapes face each other in the Y direction.

  The slide base 14 is provided with four left and right receiving rollers 15 that rotate around the Z axis and four upper and lower receiving rollers 16 that rotate around the Y axis.

  Of the four left and right receiving rollers 15, two left and right receiving rollers 15 are provided at the + Y side end of the slide base 14, and the remaining two left and right receiving rollers 15 are provided at the −Y side end of the slide base 14. ing. One of the two left and right receiving rollers 15 provided at each of the + Y side end and the −Y side end is provided at the −X side end, and the other is provided near the center in the X direction. The four upper and lower receiving rollers 16 are respectively provided in the vicinity of the four left and right receiving rollers 15. FIG. 11 shows two left and right receiving rollers 15 and two upper and lower receiving rollers 16 provided on the + Y side end.

  In the present embodiment, each of the left and right receiving rollers 15 and each of the upper and lower receiving rollers 16 rotates while being in contact with the inner wall of the slide holding member 13. Specifically, each of the left and right receiving rollers 15 and the upper and lower receiving rollers 16 can be fitted to a rail 13a having a substantially concave shape. The two left and right receiving rollers 15 provided at the + Y side end and the −Y side end rotate while abutting in the Y direction with the inner walls of the rails 13 a provided on the + Y side and the −Y side, respectively. Further, the two upper and lower receiving rollers 16 provided at the + Y side end and the −Y side end rotate while abutting in the Z direction with the inner walls of the rails 13 a provided on the + Y side and the −Y side, respectively.

  According to the printer unit 1 according to the present embodiment as described above, since the plurality of rollers 15 and 16 are provided in a portion where the slide unit 6 rubs against the housing 5 when sliding, the slide unit 6 can slide with a light force. The part 6 can be moved.

<Embodiment 4>
FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a part of the configuration of the printer unit 1 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those in the third embodiment. As shown in the figure, the slide base 14 of the slide portion 6 according to the present embodiment is further provided with a plurality of roller urging springs 17. Each roller urging spring 17 is an elastic body and is provided at each of the + Y side end and the −Y side end of the slide base 14.

  In the present embodiment, the plurality of roller urging springs 17 urge the plurality of left and right receiving rollers 15 toward the inner wall of the slide holding member 13. Specifically, one roller biasing spring 17 provided at the + Y side end is provided with one left and right receiving roller 15 provided at the + Y side end on the substantially concave inner wall of the rail 13a provided on the + Y side. Energize towards. Similarly, one roller urging spring 17 provided at the −Y side end replaces one left and right receiving roller 15 provided at the −Y side end with a substantially concave inner wall of the rail 13a provided on the −Y side. Energize towards.

  According to the printer unit 1 according to the present embodiment as described above, even when the slide holding member 13 has necessary backlash, the roller biasing spring 17 can absorb the backlash. Further, by elastically deforming the roller urging spring 17, the recording paper roll 3 held by the slide unit 6 can be moved to some extent in the left-right direction (Y direction) within the housing 5. Thereby, for example, the recording paper roll 3 can be aligned with the thermal head 9 provided in the housing 5.

  3 recording paper roll, 3a recording paper, 5 housing, 5a opening, 6 slide part, 6a roll holding part, 7 rotating part, 7c connecting part, 13 slide holding member, 15 left and right receiving roller, 16 upper and lower receiving roller, 17 Roller bias spring.

Claims (5)

A printer that prints on paper drawn from a paper roll,
A housing having an opening;
A holding portion for holding the paper roll, and the holding portion slides in the housing so as to be freely inserted into and removed from the housing through the opening;
A connecting portion connected to the slide portion in the vicinity of the holding portion, and a rotating portion capable of rotating to and away from the holding portion with the connecting portion as a fulcrum and capable of closing the opening; , Printer. The printer according to claim 1,
When the rotating part is at a predetermined position in the rotating direction and the slide part is at a predetermined position in the sliding direction, the rotating part closes the opening of the housing;
A printer further comprising a storage detection unit that detects that the rotating unit is blocking the opening of the housing. The printer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
In the housing,
A holding member for holding the slide portion is provided;
The slide part is
A printer comprising a plurality of rollers that rotate while contacting an inner wall of the holding member. The printer according to claim 3,
The slide part is
The printer further comprising a plurality of elastic bodies that respectively urge the plurality of rollers toward the inner wall of the holding member. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The printer, wherein the rotation unit is provided with a conveyance port through which the paper can be inserted.

Images