JP2011251435A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer that appropriately detects a type of a tape in a tape cassette mounted in a cassette mounting portion, while ensuring a flexibility in the design of the printer.SOLUTION: In conjugation with a closing of a cover of the printer, a release rod 17 moves to the left. In conjugation with the moving of the release rod 17 to the left, a roller holder 18 turns rearward, and a platen roller 15 is pressed against a thermal head 10. In conjugation with the moving of the release rod 17 to the left, a sensor holder 19 moves rearward, and a switch terminal 231 is pressed against an indicator portion of the tape cassette 30. A sensor protective plate 90 is provided that moves to a position where it abuts from below on the tape cassette 30 to be mounted in the cassette mounting portion, when the roller holder 18 turns rearward.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus in which a tape cassette is detachable and performs printing on a tape housed in the tape cassette.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printing apparatuses that detect the type (tape width, printing mode, etc.) of a tape stored in a tape cassette mounted in a cassette mounting unit by using a plurality of detection switches are known (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). reference). Specifically, a cassette detection unit in which through holes are formed in a pattern corresponding to the tape type is provided on a part of the lower surface of the tape cassette. When the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, the plurality of detection switches that are always biased upward are selectively pressed according to the pattern of the through holes formed in the cassette detection portion. In the printing apparatus, the tape type of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion is detected according to the combination of pressing or non-pressing on the plurality of detection switches.

JP-A-4-133756 Japanese Patent No. 3543659

  In the conventional printing apparatus, in addition to the above-described detection switch, a head holder that supports the print head, a drive shaft that transports a tape or an ink ribbon, and the like are provided upward from the bottom surface of the cassette mounting portion. Therefore, when a detection switch is provided on the bottom surface of the cassette mounting portion, the number and position of the detection switch may be limited. As a result, there are cases where restrictions on the design of the printing apparatus increase.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problem, and can appropriately detect the tape type of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion while ensuring the design freedom of the printing apparatus. It is to provide a possible printing device.

  A printing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a cassette case having an upper surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces, a tape stored in the cassette case, and at least a type of the tape provided on the front surface. A cassette mounting portion in which a tape cassette having an index portion indicating the upper and lower directions is attached, a print head for printing on the tape when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, and a print head A platen roller disposed oppositely and pressed against the print head, and extends along the front surface of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion, supports the platen roller, and is an axis parallel to the vertical direction. A first position, which is a position where the platen roller is pressed against the print head by rotating around a holder shaft, and the platen roller is moved forward. A roller holder that rotates between a second position that is a position to be separated from the print head, a sensor that detects the type of tape indicated by the indicator, and a sensor that is connected to the holder shaft and the platen roller. A sensor holder that moves between a third position that is a position that holds the sensor close to the indicator portion and a fourth position that is a position that moves the sensor away from the indicator portion, and the roller holder When the roller holder is rotated to the second position, the roller holder moves to a position away from the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion. A protective portion that moves to a position that contacts the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion from below when rotated to a first position; When the sensor holder moves to the third position, the holder moves to the first position before the sensor approaches the indicator, while the sensor holder moves to the fourth position. In the case of movement, the sensor is rotated to the second position after being separated from the indicator portion.

  According to the printing apparatus which concerns on a 1st aspect, the kind of tape is detected by a sensor approaching with respect to the parameter | index part provided in the front surface of the tape cassette. In this case, for example, as compared with the case where a sensor approaching the bottom surface of the tape cassette is disposed, restrictions on the space and position where the sensor is disposed are reduced. Therefore, increase in the size of the device can be suppressed and the degree of freedom in device design can be increased. Further, the sensor holder is movable independently of the roller holder. Therefore, the mobility of the sensor holder can be improved and the tape type can be detected appropriately. Furthermore, when the roller holder is rotated to the first position, a protection unit is provided that moves to a position where it comes into contact with the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting unit from below. Therefore, it can suppress that a user mounts a tape cassette in a cassette mounting part accidentally, and can also suppress that the tape cassette mounted in error is contacting a sensor.

  In the first aspect, the platen roller is opposed to the print head in parallel with the front-rear direction of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion, and is provided on the front side of the print head. The protection portion is a plate-like member that faces the front surface, extends from the sensor holder toward the print head, and is provided above the front surface of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion. May be. In this case, since the protection part is a plate-like member, the sensor can be protected easily and accurately.

  1st aspect WHEREIN: The head holder which supports the said print head in the position facing the said platen roller is provided, The said cassette mounting part is an arm part which contains at least one part of the said front surface when the said tape cassette is mounted | worn The arm housing portion is a space formed between the head holder and the roller holder, and the length of the arm housing portion in the front-rear direction is determined by the roller holder. Regardless of whether the first position or the second position is rotated, the arm part is longer than the longitudinal length of the arm part, and the longitudinal length of the protection part and the head holder is the roller holder When the roller holder is rotated to the second position, the arm portion is longer than the length in the front-rear direction, and when the roller holder is rotated to the first position, the arm It may be smaller than the longitudinal direction length of the. In this case, since the length in the front-rear direction between the protection unit and the head holder is optimally adjusted, the sensor can be protected easily and accurately.

  1st aspect WHEREIN: The rod part which can be moved in the state each connected with the said roller holder and the said sensor holder is provided, The said rod part is in said 1st position according to moving to said 1st direction. The second position according to the rotation of the roller holder toward the third position and the movement of the sensor holder toward the third position in a second direction different from the first direction. The roller holder may be rotated toward and the sensor holder may be moved toward the fourth position. In this case, the printing apparatus does not need to separately include a member that operates the roller holder and a member that operates the sensor holder. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of components of the printing apparatus and suppress an increase in apparatus size.

  In the first aspect, the sensor is a mechanical sensor having a switch terminal that can be advanced and retracted, and includes a determination unit that determines the type of the tape based on the advance and retract of the switch terminal. Also good. In this case, the type of tape can be specified using a mechanical sensor.

  In the first aspect, the sensor includes a plurality of the switch terminals respectively approaching the plurality of indicator portions provided according to the type of the tape when the sensor holder is moved to the third position. Each of the plurality of switch terminals is maintained in an advanced state by being inserted into the hole when approaching the indicator part, which is a hole part into which the switch terminal can be inserted. When approaching the indicator portion, which is a surface portion that can be contacted, the surface portion may be pressed and retracted. In this case, the type of tape can be specified by bringing the mechanical sensor closer to the index portion which is a hole or a surface portion.

  1st aspect WHEREIN: The said sensor is an optical sensor which has a light-receiving part, Comprising: You may provide the judgment means which judges the kind of said tape based on the light reception amount in the said light-receiving part. In this case, the type of tape can be specified using an optical sensor.

  In the first aspect, the sensor may be a reflective sensor having a light emitting unit. In this case, the type of tape can be specified using a reflective optical sensor.

  In the first aspect, the sensor includes a plurality of the light receiving portions respectively facing the plurality of indicator portions provided according to the type of the tape when the sensor holder is moved to the third position. Each of the plurality of light receiving units receives a light amount equal to or greater than the predetermined value when approaching the indicator unit, which is a specific unit that imparts a light amount equal to or greater than a predetermined value to the light receiving unit. When approaching the indicator part, which is a non-specific part that gives less light, the light quantity less than the predetermined value may be received. In this case, the type of tape can be specified using a transmission type optical sensor.

  A printing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a cassette case having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces, a tape stored in the cassette case, and at least a type of the tape provided on the front surface. A tape cassette having an indicator portion indicating a tape cassette, a cassette mounting portion in which the tape cassette is attached and detached in a vertical direction, and a print head that performs printing on the tape when the tape cassette is mounted in the cassette mounting portion; A platen roller disposed opposite to the print head and pressed against the print head; and extending along the front surface of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion, supporting the platen roller, and A first position that is a position that rotates around a holder axis that is a parallel axis and presses the platen roller against the print head; A roller holder that rotates between a platen roller and a second position that is a position for separating the platen roller from the print head, a sensor for detecting the type of tape indicated by the indicator, and the sensor as the holder shaft A sensor holder that holds between the platen roller and moves between a third position, which is a position where the sensor approaches the indicator portion, and a fourth position, which is a position where the sensor is separated from the indicator portion. And provided above the sensor in the roller holder, and when the roller holder is rotated to the second position, while moving to a position away from the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion, When the roller holder is rotated to the first position, the roller holder moves to a position where it comes into contact with the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion from below. The roller holder, when the sensor holder moves to the third position, the sensor holder is rotated to the first position before the sensor is approached to the indicator portion, When the sensor holder moves to the fourth position, the sensor holder is rotated to the second position after being separated from the indicator portion.

  According to the printing apparatus which concerns on a 2nd aspect, the kind of tape is detected by a sensor approaching with respect to the parameter | index part provided in the front surface of the tape cassette. In this case, for example, as compared with the case where a sensor approaching the bottom surface of the tape cassette is disposed, restrictions on the space and position where the sensor is disposed are reduced. Therefore, increase in the size of the device can be suppressed and the degree of freedom in device design can be increased. Further, the sensor holder is movable independently of the roller holder. Therefore, the mobility of the sensor holder can be improved and the tape type can be detected appropriately. Furthermore, when the roller holder is rotated to the first position, a protection unit is provided that moves to a position where it comes into contact with the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting unit from below. Therefore, it can suppress that a user mounts a tape cassette in a cassette mounting part accidentally, and can also suppress that the tape cassette mounted in error is contacting a sensor.

  In the second aspect, the platen roller is opposed to the print head in parallel to the front-rear direction of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion, and is provided on the front side of the print head, and The protection portion is a plate-like member that faces the front surface, extends from the sensor holder toward the print head, and is provided above the front surface of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion. May be. In this case, since the protection part is a plate-like member, the sensor can be protected easily and accurately.

  2nd aspect WHEREIN: The head holder which supports the said print head in the position facing the said platen roller is provided, The said tape cassette is an opening part which penetrates the said cassette case in the attachment or detachment direction of the said tape cassette, Comprising: The said tape cassette An arm including a head insertion portion into which the head holder is inserted when the cassette is mounted on the tape printer, and at least a part of the front surface, and guides the tape to travel and ejects the tape toward the head insertion portion. The cassette mounting portion includes an arm accommodating portion that accommodates the arm portion when the head holder is inserted into the head insertion portion, and the arm accommodating portion includes the head holder and the It is a space formed between the roller holder, and the length of the arm mounting portion in the front-rear direction is such that the roller holder is in the first position. Regardless of which of the second positions is rotated, the arm portion is longer than the longitudinal length of the arm portion, and the longitudinal length of the protection portion and the head holder is determined by the roller holder. When the roller holder is rotated to the second position, the length is equal to or longer than the longitudinal length of the arm portion, whereas when the roller holder is rotated to the first position, the length is smaller than the longitudinal length of the arm portion. There may be. In this case, since the length in the front-rear direction between the protection unit and the head holder is optimally adjusted, the sensor can be protected easily and accurately.

  2nd aspect WHEREIN: The rod part which can be moved in the state connected with the said roller holder and the said sensor holder is provided, The said rod part is in said 1st position according to moving to said 1st direction. The second position according to the rotation of the roller holder toward the third position and the movement of the sensor holder toward the third position in a second direction different from the first direction. The roller holder may be rotated toward and the sensor holder may be moved toward the fourth position. In this case, the printing apparatus does not need to separately include a member that operates the roller holder and a member that operates the sensor holder. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of components of the printing apparatus and suppress an increase in apparatus size.

  2nd aspect WHEREIN: The said sensor is a mechanical sensor which has a switch terminal which can advance and retract, Comprising: The judgment means which judges the kind of said tape based on advance and withdrawal of the said switch terminal is provided Also good. In this case, the type of tape can be specified using a mechanical sensor.

  In the second aspect, the sensor includes a plurality of the switch terminals respectively approaching the plurality of indicator portions provided according to the type of the tape when the sensor holder moves to the third position. The arm portion includes a tape restricting portion that restricts movement of the tape in the width direction, and a plurality of indicator portions respectively corresponding to the plurality of sensors, and the plurality of indicator portions are respectively the switch terminals. A hole that can be inserted into the switch terminal, and a surface that can contact the switch terminal, and each of the plurality of switch terminals approaches the indicator that is a hole into which the switch terminal can be inserted. When the state of advancement is maintained by being inserted into the hole portion, the surface portion is pressed when approaching the indicator portion which is a surface portion capable of contacting the switch terminal. It may be entering and leaving are. In this case, the type of tape can be specified by bringing the mechanical sensor closer to the index portion which is a hole or a surface portion. Further, the type of the tape is detected at the arm portion where the movement of the tape in the width direction is restricted. Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect the type of tape on the basis of the vicinity of the print head that has a large influence on the print quality.

  2nd aspect WHEREIN: The said sensor is an optical sensor which has a light-receiving part, Comprising: You may provide the judgment means which judges the kind of said tape based on the light-receiving amount in the said light-receiving part. In this case, the type of tape can be specified using an optical sensor.

  In the second aspect, the sensor may be a reflective sensor having a light emitting unit. In this case, the type of tape can be specified using a reflective optical sensor.

  2nd aspect WHEREIN: The said tape cassette contains the said some indicator part provided according to the kind of said tape, and the said sensor is the said some indicator when the said sensor holder moves to the said 3rd position. A plurality of the light receiving units respectively approaching the unit, wherein the plurality of indicator units are a specific unit that gives a light amount of a predetermined value or more to the light receiving unit and a non-specific unit that gives a light amount of less than the predetermined value, respectively. Each of the plurality of light receiving units receives a light amount that is equal to or greater than the predetermined value when approaching the specific portion, and receives a light amount that is less than the predetermined value when approaching the non-specific portion. It may receive light. In this case, the type of tape can be specified using a transmission type optical sensor.

  In the second aspect, the plurality of indicator portions are arranged in a plurality of rows with respect to the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette such that one or more indicator portions form a row in a direction orthogonal to the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette. In addition, a line connecting one of the index parts and the other index part may be provided so as to intersect the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette. In this case, the type of tape can be accurately specified even if the cassette cassette is misaligned or floated.

  In the second aspect, the plurality of indicator portions are arranged such that one or more of the indicator portions form a row in a direction orthogonal to the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette, and the width dimension of the tape cassette or the tape cassette Depending on the tape width of the tape, it may be provided in a different number of rows with respect to the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette. In this case, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom of the pattern (quantity, position, etc.) of the index unit by configuring the multiple index units with a plurality of detection units arranged in an optimal number of rows according to the cassette width or tape width. Can do.

2 is a perspective view of the printing apparatus 1 in a state where a cover 6 is closed. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printing apparatus 1 and the tape cassette 30 in a state where a cover 6 is opened. 2 is a perspective view of a tape cassette 30. FIG. It is a top view of tape cassette 30 in the state where upper case 31A was removed. 4 is an enlarged front view of an arm front surface 35 of the tape cassette 30. FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the movable mechanism 100 in which the wall part 20 was removed in the state which the cover 6 was opened from diagonally forward. It is the perspective view which looked at the movable mechanism 100 in which the lever 16 and the release rod 17 were removed in the state where the cover 6 was closed from diagonally forward. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the movable mechanism 100 shown in FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the roller holder 18 and the sensor holder 19 from diagonally backward. 4 is a rear view of the roller holder 18 and the sensor holder 19. FIG. 4 is a left side view of the sensor holder 19. FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the sensor holder 19 shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the printing apparatus 1. It is a front view of the movable mechanism 100 shown in FIG. FIG. 15 is a bottom view showing a cross section taken along the line II-II in FIG. 14 and the tape cassette 30, the tape drive shaft 11, and the head holder 74. FIG. 16 is an enlarged plan view of the vicinity of a roller holder 18, a sensor holder 19, and a head holder 74 in FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the movable mechanism 100 in which the wall part 20 was removed in the state in the middle of the opening and closing of the cover 6 from diagonally forward. It is a front view of the movable mechanism 100 shown in FIG. FIG. 19 is a bottom view showing a cross section taken along line III-III in FIG. 18 and a tape cassette 30, a tape drive shaft 11, and a head holder 74. FIG. 20 is an enlarged plan view of the vicinity of the roller holder 18, the sensor holder 19, and the head holder 74 in FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the movable mechanism 100 in which the wall part 20 was removed in the state which the cover 6 was closed from diagonally forward. It is a front view of the movable mechanism 100 shown in FIG. FIG. 24 is a bottom view showing a cross section taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 22 and the tape cassette 30, the tape drive shaft 11, and the head holder 74. It is the top view to which the vicinity of the roller holder 18, the sensor holder 19, and the head holder 74 in FIG. 23 was expanded. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I in FIG. 5 showing a state in which the sensor holder 19 is pressed against the tape cassette 30.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings to be referred to are used for explaining the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention, and the configuration of the described apparatus is not intended to be limited thereto, but is merely an illustrative example. is there.

  A schematic configuration of the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the description of the present embodiment, the upper right side, lower left side, lower right side, upper left side, upper side, and lower side of FIGS. 1 and 2 are respectively the rear side, front side, right side, left side, upper side, and lower side of the printing apparatus 1. Let it be the side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a character keyboard 3 (characters, symbols, numbers, etc.) is provided on the upper surface of the printing apparatus 1. On the rear side of the keyboard 3 (upper right side of the drawing), a power switch, a print key, a function key group 4 and the like are provided. On the rear side of the function key group 4, a display 5 for displaying characters input from the keyboard 3 is provided. A cover 6 that can be opened and closed is provided at the rear of the upper surface of the printing apparatus 1. A tape tray 7 for receiving the cut printed tape 50 (see FIG. 3) is provided at the left rear corner of the printing apparatus 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a cassette mounting portion 8 is formed on the rear side of the display 5. A tape cassette 30 is attached to and detached from the cassette mounting portion 8 in the vertical direction. A ribbon take-up shaft 9 is erected on the cassette mounting portion 8. The ribbon take-up shaft 9 takes up the ink ribbon 60 (see FIG. 4) after being pulled out from the ribbon spool 42 (see FIG. 4) and used for printing characters and the like. A substantially rectangular head holder 74 (see FIG. 15) is erected on the left front side of the ribbon take-up shaft 9 in a front view. A thermal head 10 (see FIG. 15) for printing characters and the like on the film tape 59 (see FIG. 4) is attached to the front surface of the head holder 74. On the left side of the head holder 74, a tape drive shaft 11 (see FIG. 15) for feeding and driving the printed tape 50 is erected.

  A roller holder 18, a sensor holder 19, a release rod 17 and the like, which will be described later, are disposed on the front side of the cassette mounting portion 8 (see FIG. 6). The roller holder 18, the sensor holder 19, the release rod 17, etc. are covered with the plate portion 13. A lever 16 connected to the release rod 17 is provided on the right side of the plate portion 13.

  When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, an arm portion 34 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) described later is stored in a space formed between the head holder 74 and the roller holder 18. In the cassette mounting portion 8, a space formed between the head holder 74 and the roller holder 18 is an arm accommodating portion 79 (see FIG. 15). The length in the front-rear direction of the arm accommodating portion 79 is equal to or longer than the length L1 in the front-rear direction of the arm portion 34 regardless of the rotation position of the roller holder 18 described later (see FIGS. 16, 20, and 24).

  The cover 6 can be opened and closed with the left-right direction of the rear end portion of the cover 6 as a fulcrum. The cassette mounting portion 8 is closed so that the tape cassette 30 cannot be detached when the cover 6 is in the closed position (see FIG. 1), and the tape cassette 30 is opened detachably when the cover 6 is in the open position (see FIG. 1). (See FIG. 2). A lever pressing portion 61 that presses the lever 16 when the cover 6 is closed is provided at the front side of the back surface of the cover 6. A holding member 62 extends perpendicularly to the back surface of the cover 6 at the right end of the lever pressing portion 61. A plate-like protruding piece 63 protrudes from the lower end portion of the holding member 62 toward the left side. The protruding piece 63 protrudes in parallel with the lever pressing portion 61 and pulls up the lever 16 when the cover 6 is opened.

  A pair of engaging pieces 64, 64 are provided at both end portions on the back surface of the cover 6. A pair of engaging portions 27 are provided outside the cassette mounting portion 8 in plan view. When the cover 6 is closed, the engaging pieces 64 and 64 and the engaging portions 27 and 27 are engaged, and the cover 6 is held in the closed position.

  Next, the structure of the tape cassette 30 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The tape cassette 30 of the present embodiment is mounted on a laminate type general-purpose cassette that can be mounted on various tape types such as a heat sensitive type, a receptor type, and a laminate type. In the description of the present embodiment, the upper left side, lower right side, upper right side, lower left side, upper side, and lower side in FIG. 3 are respectively the rear side, front side, right side, left side, upper side, and lower side of the tape cassette 30. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, the tape cassette 30 includes a cassette case 31 that is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped (box-shaped) housing having rounded corners in plan view as a whole. The cassette case 31 includes a lower case 31B including a bottom surface 30B of the cassette case 31 and an upper case 31A including an upper surface 30A of the cassette case 31. The upper case 31A is fixed to the upper part of the lower case 31B. In the description of this embodiment, the distance from the bottom surface 30B to the top surface 30A is referred to as the height dimension of the tape cassette 30 or the cassette case 31.

  The cassette case 31 has a corner 32A formed with the same width (the same length in the vertical direction) regardless of the tape type (for example, tape width, printing mode, etc.) of the tape cassette 30. The corner 32A protrudes outward so as to form a right angle in plan view. However, in the lower left corner 32A in plan view, the tape discharge port 49 is provided at the corner, so that the right angle is not formed. A portion (including the corner portion 32A) that surrounds the entire side surface of the cassette case 31 with the same position and the same width as the corner portion 32A in the vertical (height) direction of the cassette case 31. That's it.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the common portion 32 is a portion formed symmetrically in the vertical direction with respect to the center line N in the vertical (height) direction of the cassette case 31. The height dimension of the tape cassette 30 differs depending on the tape width of the film tape 59 and the double-sided adhesive tape 58 accommodated in the cassette case 31 (that is, the tape width of the printed tape 50). However, the width (length in the vertical direction) T of the common portion 32 is set to the same dimension regardless of the tape width of the printed tape 50.

  For example, when the width T of the common portion 32 is 12 mm, when the tape width of the printed tape 50 is increased (for example, 18 mm, 24 mm, 36 mm), the height dimension of the cassette case 31 is increased accordingly. The width T of the part 32 is constant. When the tape width of the printed tape 50 is equal to or smaller than the width T of the common portion 32 (for example, 6 mm, 12 mm), the height dimension of the cassette case 31 is the width T of the common portion 32 + the predetermined width. In this case, the height dimension of the cassette case 31 is the smallest.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the upper case 31A and the lower case 31B are provided with support holes 65, 66, and 67 for rotatably supporting spools described later. In FIG. 3, only the support holes 65, 66, and 67 formed in the upper case 31A are shown, but the support holes 65, 66, and 67 are similarly formed in the lower case 31B.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the cassette case 31, a double-sided adhesive tape 58 wound around the first tape spool 40, a transparent film tape 59 wound around the second tape spool 41, and a ribbon spool 42. Three types of tape rolls of the ink ribbon 60 wound around are accommodated. The double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 58 is a double-sided tape having a release paper attached on one side, and is attached to the printing surface side of the printed film tape 59.

  The first tape spool 40 in which the release paper of the double-sided adhesive tape 58 is wound outward is disposed rotatably on the left rear part in the cassette case 31 through the support hole 65 described above. The second tape spool 41 around which the film tape 59 is wound is rotatably arranged through the support hole 66 described above at the right rear portion in the cassette case 31. The ink ribbon 60 wound around the ribbon spool 42 is rotatably arranged at the front right side in the cassette case 31.

  Between the first tape spool 40 and the ribbon spool 42 in the cassette case 31, the ribbon take-up spool 44 is rotatably arranged via the support hole 67 described above. The ribbon take-up spool 44 pulls out the ink ribbon 60 from the ribbon spool 42 and takes up the ink ribbon 60 used for printing characters and the like. A clutch spring (not shown) is attached to the lower portion of the ribbon take-up spool 44 to prevent the ink ribbon 60 taken up by the reverse of the ribbon take-up spool 44 from loosening. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, the front surface of the cassette case 31 has a semicircular groove 34K, which is a groove portion having a semicircular cross section in plan view, across the height direction (from the upper surface 30A to the bottom surface 30B) of the cassette case 31. Is provided. The semicircular groove 34K is a relief provided so that the holder shaft 181 (see FIG. 6), which is the shaft support portion of the roller holder 18, does not interfere with the cassette case 31 when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8. Part.

  A portion of the front surface of the cassette case 31 that extends to the left from the semicircular groove 34 </ b> K is referred to as an arm front surface 35. A portion extending leftward from the right side of the tape cassette 30 is defined by an arm front surface 35 and an arm back surface 37 (see FIG. 4) provided in a height direction at a position spaced rearward from the arm front surface 35. It is called part 34.

  As shown in FIG. 4, both the film tape 59 drawn from the second tape spool 41 and the ink ribbon 60 drawn from the ribbon spool 42 are guided in the arm portion 34. The front end portion of the arm front surface 35 is bent rearward. An opening 34 </ b> A is formed by the tips of the arm front surface 35 and the arm back surface 37. The film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 are overlapped at the opening 34 </ b> A and discharged toward the exposed portion 77 described later. A pair of upper and lower tape restricting portions 71 for restricting the movement of the film tape 59 in the vertical direction (that is, the width direction) is provided on the transport path of the film tape 59 in the arm portion 34.

  A substantially rectangular space in plan view that passes through the cassette case 31 in the vertical direction and is surrounded by the arm back surface 37 and the inner peripheral wall 38 provided continuously from the arm back surface 37 is a head insertion portion 39. The head insertion portion 39 is connected to the outside on the front side of the tape cassette 30 via an exposed portion 77 provided on the front side of the tape cassette 30. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 (see FIG. 2), a head holder 74 (see FIG. 15) is inserted into the head insertion portion 39, and the arm portion 34 is accommodated in the arm accommodating portion 79. The

  In the exposed portion 77, one surface of the film tape 59 discharged from the opening 34A is exposed forward, and the other surface faces the rear thermal head 10 (see FIG. 15). In the present embodiment, the other surface of the film tape 59 faces the thermal head 10 with the ink ribbon 60 interposed therebetween. In the exposed portion 77, printing on the film tape 59 by the thermal head 10 is performed using the ink ribbon 60.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tape drive roller 46 is rotatably supported on the downstream side of the head insertion portion 39 in the transport direction of the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 from the opening 34A to the tape discharge port 49. Has been. The tape drive roller 46 is rotationally driven by a tape drive shaft 11 (see FIG. 15) inserted and fitted therein. The tape drive roller 46 cooperates with the opposing movable conveyance roller 14 (see FIG. 19) to pull out the film tape 59 from the second tape spool 41 and pull out the double-sided adhesive tape 58 from the first tape spool 40. The double-sided adhesive tape 58 is guided and adhered to the print surface 59.

  A pair of upper and lower restricting members 36 are provided on the upstream side of the tape drive roller 46. The base of the regulating member 36 guides the film tape 59 after printing in the vertical direction (tape width direction) toward the tape outlet 49 on the downstream side of the thermal head 10. Thereby, the film tape 59 and the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 58 are properly bonded without causing a positional shift.

  In the vicinity of the regulating member 36, a guide wall 47 is provided for separating the used ink ribbon 60 conveyed via the head insertion portion 39 from the film tape 59 and guiding it toward the ribbon take-up spool 44. It is installed. Between the guide wall 47 and the ribbon take-up spool 44, a used ink ribbon 60 guided along the guide wall 47 and a double-sided adhesive tape 58 wound around and supported by the first tape spool 40 are provided. A separation wall 48 is erected to prevent contact with each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the arm front surface 35 is provided with an arm identification portion 800 indicating the tape type of the tape cassette 30 adjacent to the right side of the exposed portion 77. The arm identification part 800 includes a non-pressing part 801 and a pressing part 802 in a prescribed pattern according to the tape type. The non-pressing portion 801 is a hole having a rectangular shape in front view through which the switch terminal 231 (see FIG. 9) can be inserted and removed. The pressing portion 802 is a surface portion that contacts the switch terminal 231. The arm identification unit 800 of the present embodiment has one of the non-pressing part 801 and the pressing part 802 at five positions corresponding to the five switch terminals 231. Hereinafter, when the non-pressing portion 801 and the pressing portion 802 are collectively referred to, or when neither is specified, it is simply referred to as an identification portion.

  In the arm identification unit 800 of the present embodiment, the plurality of identification units are arranged such that one or more indicator units form a row in a direction (that is, the left-right direction) orthogonal to the tape cassette attachment / detachment direction (that is, the vertical direction). The lines are arranged in a plurality of rows with respect to the vertical direction, and a line connecting one index part and another index part intersects the vertical direction. More specifically, the five identification parts are arranged in three rows in a zigzag so that the positions of the identification parts in the left-right direction are different from each other and do not overlap in the vertical direction. In addition, according to the width dimension or tape width of the tape cassette 30, you may provide by the number of rows (for example, 2 rows or less, 4 rows or more) different from 3 rows with respect to the up-down direction of the tape cassette 30. A tape type detection mode using the mechanical sensor 23 (see FIG. 9) and the arm identification unit 800 will be described later.

  The arm front surface 35 is provided with a locking hole 820 on the upper right side of the arm identification portion 800. The locking hole 820 is a hole into which a locking piece 192 described later (see FIGS. 9 and 10) is inserted when a sensor holder 19 described later moves to an identification position (position shown in FIG. 23) (see FIG. 9 and FIG. 10). FIG. 25). Specifically, the locking hole 820 spans the coupling portion between the upper case 31A and the lower case 31B, and the identification portion located on the rightmost side of the arm identification portion 800 (in the example of FIG. 5, the pressing portion 802 in the lowermost row). ) Is a substantially rectangular through-hole extending in the right and left directions from the top to the right in the front view.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the arm front surface 35, on the left side of the arm identification part 800 of the lower case 31B, a vertically long rectangular through hole 850 is provided in front view. The through hole 850 is provided for releasing the mold when the cassette case 31 is molded, and has no specific function.

  With reference to FIG. 6, a schematic configuration of the movable mechanism 100 provided in the printing apparatus 1 will be described. The movable mechanism 100 of the present embodiment includes a lever 16, a release rod 17, a roller holder 18, a sensor holder 19, and a wall portion 20 (described later) (see FIG. 7), and refers to a series of mechanisms that move according to external pressure.

  In the present embodiment, the lower right side, upper left side, upper right side, lower left side, upper side, and lower side in FIG. 6 correspond to the front side, rear side, right side, left side, upper side, and lower side of the movable mechanism 100, respectively. FIG. 6 is illustrated with the wall portion 20 (see FIG. 7) removed in order to facilitate understanding of the operation mode of the movable mechanism 100 (FIGS. 14 to 15, 17 to 19, and 21 described later). To FIG. 23).

  The user opens the cover 6 upward when attaching or detaching the tape cassette 30 to or from the cassette mounting portion 8. When printing is performed by the printing apparatus 1, the cover 6 is closed downward. The lever 16 rotates in the vertical direction (rotation direction D1 shown in FIG. 6) about the lever shaft portion 161 as the cover 6 opens and closes. Although details will be described later, the lever 16 rotates upward as the cover 6 is opened upward. As the cover 6 is closed downward, the lever 16 rotates downward.

  The lower end of the lever 16 is engaged with a plate-like release rod 17 whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction when viewed from the front. The release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction (movement direction D2 shown in FIG. 6) as the lever 16 rotates. Although details will be described later, when the lever 16 rotates downward (downward in FIG. 6), the release rod 17 moves leftward (downward left in FIG. 6). When the lever 16 rotates upward (upward in FIG. 6), the release rod 17 moves in the right direction (upper right in FIG. 6).

  On the rear side of the release rod 17 (upper left side in FIG. 6), a roller holder 18 that is a box-like body that opens rearward is provided. Inside the roller holder 18, a platen roller 15 (see FIG. 9) and a movable conveying roller 14 are provided. The roller holder 18 is rotatably supported around a holder shaft 181. A movable conveying roller 14 is rotatably supported at the left end edge of the roller holder 18 so that the roller surface is exposed rearward. On the right side of the movable conveying roller 14, a platen roller 15 is rotatably supported with its roller surface exposed rearward. The movable conveyance roller 14 and the platen roller 15 are disposed at positions facing the tape driving roller 46 and the thermal head 10 respectively (see FIG. 15).

  The roller holder 18 is always elastically biased forward (downward right in FIG. 6) by a biasing spring (not shown). As the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction (movement direction D2), the roller holder 18 rotates about the holder shaft 181 in the front-rear direction (rotation direction D3 shown in FIG. 6). Although details will be described later, when the release rod 17 moves to the left, the roller holder 18 rotates backward (upper left in FIG. 6) against the urging force of the urging spring. When the release rod 17 moves in the right direction, the roller holder 18 rotates forward (lower right direction in FIG. 6) by the biasing force of the biasing spring.

  The roller holder 18 is provided with a first holder opening edge 182 that forms a substantially rectangular opening when viewed from the front. A sensor holder 19 is provided behind the release rod 17 and inside the first holder opening edge 182. The sensor holder 19 is provided with a plurality of mechanical sensors 23 having switch terminals 231 protruding rearward (upper left direction in FIG. 6) (see FIG. 9).

  The plurality of mechanical sensors 23 are disposed at positions corresponding to the plurality of identification units provided in the arm identification unit 800, respectively. The sensor holder 19 moves in the front-rear direction (movement direction D4 shown in FIG. 6) as the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction (movement direction D2). Although details will be described later, when the release rod 17 moves to the left, the sensor holder 19 moves rearward (upper left in FIG. 6). When the release rod 17 moves to the right, the sensor holder 19 moves to the front (lower right in FIG. 6). Since the sensor holder 19 is not fixed to the roller holder 18, the sensor holder 19 can move independently of the roller holder 18.

  With the above configuration, in the movable mechanism 100 according to the present embodiment, as the cover 6 is closed downward, the roller holder 18 rotates rearward and the sensor holder 19 moves rearward. When the roller holder 18 rotates rearward, the platen roller 15 is pressed against the thermal head 10, and the movable conveyance roller 14 is pressed against the tape drive roller 46. When the sensor holder 19 moves rearward, the switch terminal 231 of the mechanical sensor 23 is pressed against the arm identification unit 800. As a result, the printing apparatus 1 can perform a printing operation using the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8 and can specify the tape type of the tape cassette 30.

  As the cover 6 is opened upward, the roller holder 18 rotates forward and the sensor holder 19 moves forward. When the roller holder 18 rotates forward, the platen roller 15 is separated from the thermal head 10, and the movable conveyance roller 14 is separated from the tape driving roller 46. When the sensor holder 19 moves forward, the switch terminal 231 of the mechanical sensor 23 is separated from the arm identification unit 800. As a result, in the printer 1, the tape cassette 30 can be attached to and detached from the cassette mounting portion 8.

  With reference to FIGS. 6-10, the detail of the physical structure of each member contained in the movable mechanism 100 is demonstrated. FIG. 7 illustrates the movable mechanism 100 from the same direction as FIG. However, in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, in order to facilitate understanding of the connecting structure of the movable mechanism 100, the roller holder 18 is in the printing position (position shown in FIG. 23), and the sensor holder 19 is in the identification position (FIG. 23). The position at the position shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, the lever 16 and the release rod 17 are removed.

  The physical structure of the lever 16 will be described with reference to FIG. The lever 16 has a predetermined thickness and width, and is curved so as to draw a substantially arc extending in the upper right direction when viewed from the front. A lever shaft 161 that rotatably supports the lever 16 is provided at the lower end of the lever 16. A lever projection 162 projects upward from the tip of the lever 16. On the lower left side of the lever protrusion 162, an upper surface bent portion 163 and a contact surface 164 are provided. The upper surface bent portion 163 is a corner portion formed on the outer peripheral side of the bending direction of the lever 16. The contact surface 164 is a surface portion provided below the upper surface bent portion 163. The lever protrusion 162, the upper surface bent portion 163, and the contact surface 164 are portions that contact the lever pressing portion 61 (see FIG. 2) when the cover 6 is closed, and will be described in detail later.

  The physical structure of the release rod 17 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 shows a cross section of the movable mechanism 100 when the printing apparatus 1 is viewed from the bottom, and the tape cassette 30 is indicated by a virtual line (two-dot chain line). In FIG. 15, the wall portion 20 and the spring member 22 are omitted for easy understanding (the same applies to FIGS. 19 and 23 described later).

  A release rod 17 having a pressing portion 171 and a body portion 172 is engaged with a lower end portion of the lever shaft portion 161 in the lever 16. The trunk portion 172 has a predetermined thickness and height that form a prism shape extending in the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction. The pressing portion 171 is a head formed at the left end portion of the body portion 172.

  The pressing portion 171 rotates the roller holder 18 in the front-rear direction (vertical direction in FIG. 15). Since the pressing portion 171 has a shape protruding in the front-rear direction from the body portion 172 in plan view, the length in the front-rear direction (that is, thickness) is larger than that of the body portion 172. An inclined surface is formed from the left surface to the rear surface of the pressing portion 171 so that the length in the left-right direction gradually decreases from the front-rear direction position of the body portion 172 toward the rear (downward in FIG. 15) in plan view. A rear surface portion that is parallel to the left-right direction in the pressing portion 171 is a rear surface 1711. An inclined surface that is provided on the left side of the rear surface 1711 in the pressing portion 171 and extends leftward is an inclined surface 1712.

  A recess 176 is provided on the upper surface of the body portion 172. The recess 176 is provided in a predetermined range extending rightward from a substantially central position in the left-right direction of the body 172. The recess 176 is a recess portion whose height position is slightly lower than the upper surface. A rod guide portion 175 for guiding the sensor holder 19 in the front-rear direction is formed on the upper surface of the recess 176. The rod guide portion 175 includes a first rod guide portion 1751, a rod guide oblique portion 1752, and a second rod guide portion 1753.

  The first rod guide portion 1751 is a wall portion erected along the front end edge of the recess 176. The first rod guide portion 1751 extends from the left end portion of the recess 176 toward the center and slightly to the left. The second rod guide portion 1753 is a wall portion erected along the rear end edge of the recess 176. The second rod guide portion 1753 extends in the right direction from a slightly right side of the center of the recess 176. The rod guide oblique portion 1752 is a wall portion standing from a recess 176 that obliquely connects the right end portion of the first rod guide portion 1751 and the left end portion of the second rod guide portion 1753 in plan view. The first rod guide portion 1751, the rod guide oblique portion 1752, and the second rod guide portion 1753 have the same thickness and height, respectively, and have a rail-like appearance as a whole.

  A first guide portion 174 is provided on the lower right side of the front surface of the body portion 172 as viewed from the right end portion of the recess 176. The first guide part 174 is a claw part that protrudes forward from the front surface of the body part 172 and has a tip bent downward. The pressing part 171 is provided with a second guide part 173. The second guide portion 173 is provided across the left surface and the right surface of the pressing portion 171. The second guide portion 173 is a portion that is recessed in a groove shape upward from the bottom surface. The second guide part 173 is provided in front of the body part 172. The first guide part 174 and the second guide part 173 are parts that guide the movement of the release rod 17 in the left-right direction.

  The physical structure of the wall part 20 is demonstrated with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. The wall portion 20 is a plate-like member that is long in the left-right direction, and is erected in front of the release rod 17 (lower right side in FIG. 7) in the printing apparatus 1. The upper end side of the wall part 20 is a first upper side part 201, a second upper side part 202, and a third upper side part that are arranged in a stepped manner in order from the left side to the right side (in FIG. 203, a fourth upper side portion 204, and a fifth upper side portion 205.

  The first upper side portion 201 is a side portion that is formed from the left end portion in the left-right direction of the wall portion 20 to the center and slightly leftward, and is parallel to the left-right direction of the printing apparatus 1. The third upper side portion 203 is a side portion that is formed from the middle right side to the right end side to the left side of the wall portion 20 and is parallel to the left-right direction of the printing apparatus 1 above the first upper side portion 201. The fifth upper side portion 205 is a side portion that is formed at the right end edge in the left-right direction of the wall portion 20 and is parallel to the left-right direction of the printing apparatus 1 above the third upper side portion 203. The second upper side portion 202 is a side portion that obliquely connects the first upper side portion 201 and the third upper side portion 203 at different height positions. The fourth upper side portion 204 is a side portion that obliquely connects the third upper side portion 203 and the fifth upper side portion 205 at different height positions.

  A long hole 206 is formed below the third upper side portion 203, the fourth upper side portion 204, and the fifth upper side portion 205. The long hole 206 penetrates in a groove shape extending in the left-right direction. A circular hole 207, which is a circular hole when viewed from the front, is provided on the lower left side of the third upper side portion 203. Below the circular hole 207, a first square hole 208, which is a horizontally long rectangular hole portion when viewed from the front, is provided. Below the first square hole 208, a second square hole 209 which is a hole having a horizontally long rectangular shape in front view is provided.

  The first guide part 174 of the release rod 17 is slidably engaged with the elongated hole 206, and the second guide part 173 is slidably engaged with the first upper side part 201. When the first guide portion 174 is guided along the long hole 206 and the second guide portion 173 is guided along the first upper side portion 201, the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction.

  The physical structure of the roller holder 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. The roller holder 18 is a member that rotatably holds the movable conveyance roller 14 and the platen roller 15 as described above, and is provided on the rear side of the release rod 17. The first holder opening edge 182 is provided between the holder shaft 181 and the platen roller 15 in the left-right direction. A second holder opening edge 183 that forms an opening is formed continuously to the left side of the first holder opening edge 182. The second holder opening edge 183 is a substantially rectangular opening edge smaller than the first holder opening edge 182 in front view. The first holder opening edge 182 and the second holder opening edge 183 are connected to form one opening.

  A holder side receiving part 184 is provided behind the second holder opening edge 183. The holder side receiving portion 184 extends from the front side of the platen roller 15 toward the rear right side (lower right direction in FIG. 15) and has a curved surface along the roller surface of the platen roller 15.

  The release rod 17 extends along the left-right direction of the opening formed by the body 172 by the first holder opening edge 182, and the opening 171 is formed by the second holder opening edge 183. It is arranged to be inserted from the right side. When the pressing part 171 is separated from the holder side receiving part 184, the holder side receiving part 184 is not pressed by the pressing part 171.

  As described above, the roller holder 18 that rotates about the holder shaft 181 is always elastically biased forward. In a state where the holder side receiving portion 184 is not pressed, the roller holder 18 is held at the standby position (position shown in FIG. 15). When the release rod 17 moves to the left side, the pressing portion 171 contacts and presses the holder side receiving portion 184 within the second holder opening edge 183. In this case, the roller holder 18 moves backward (downward in FIG. 15) from the standby position, and details will be described later.

  On the upper surface of the roller holder 18, a sensor protection plate 90, which is a substantially rectangular plate-like member having a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction, is provided. The sensor protection plate 90 is provided above the sensor holder 19, more specifically, above the four mechanical sensors 23 excluding the mechanical sensor 23 positioned immediately below the locking piece 192. The sensor protection plate 90 is fixed on the roller holder 18 at the front side from the approximate center in the front-rear direction, and the rear side protrudes rearward from the roller holder 18 from the approximate center in the front-rear direction.

  The sensor protection plate 90 extends to the rear of the tip of the switch terminal 231 located immediately below the sensor holder 19 in a state where the sensor holder 19 is moved to the identification position (see FIGS. 7 and 8). In other words, when the sensor holder 19 is moved to the identification position, the sensor protection plate 90 conceals the switch terminal 231 positioned immediately below in a plan view. However, the rear end surface of the sensor protection plate 90 is an inclined surface that is substantially parallel to a line extending in a direction orthogonal to the holder shaft 181. Therefore, the sensor protection plate 90 has a larger protruding width from the roller holder 18 as it is separated from the holder shaft 181. The function of the sensor protection plate 90 will be described later separately.

  The physical structure of the sensor holder 19 will be described with reference to FIGS. The sensor holder 19 is provided inside the first holder opening edge 182 on the rear side of the release rod 17 (upper left side in FIG. 6). The sensor holder 19 includes a box-shaped unit main body 191, a mechanical sensor 23, a locking piece 192, an electric board 193, a cylindrical portion 194, a spring member 22, and an anti-rotation member 195. The unit main body 191, the locking piece 192, the cylindrical portion 194, and the rotation preventing member 195 are integrally formed.

  In the unit main body 191, the surface facing the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 is referred to as a cassette facing surface 191A. The cassette facing surface 191A is provided with a first protective part opening 197 and a second protective part opening 198 which are two openings. The first protective part opening 197 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that is vertically long when viewed from the back. The second protection part opening 198 is formed in a rectangular shape with an opening area larger than that of the first protection part opening 197 on the upper left side of the first protection part opening 197 (upper right side in FIG. 10). One mechanical sensor 23 is fitted into the first protective part opening 197. A sensor housing 88 that holds the four mechanical sensors 23 together is fitted into the second protective part opening 198. The mechanical sensor 23 fitted in each of the protection unit openings 197 and 198 is electrically connected to an electric board 193 disposed on the unit main body 191.

  The electric board 193 is provided on the front side of the unit main body 191, and the front surface is exposed forward from the opening formed by the first holder opening edge 182. Although not shown, electrical wiring is connected to the front surface of the electrical substrate 193. The electric board 193 is electrically connected to the control circuit unit 400 (see FIG. 13) provided inside the printing apparatus 1 through this electric wiring. The on / off signal of the mechanical sensor 23 is transmitted to the CPU 401 (see FIG. 13) via the electric wiring connected to the electric board 193.

  The switch terminals 231 included in each of the mechanical sensors 23 protrude rearward from the cassette facing surface 191A. In other words, each switch terminal 231 protrudes so as to face the arm front surface 35 (see FIG. 3) of the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8. Each switch terminal 231 is provided at a position corresponding to the identification unit (non-pressing unit 801 or pressing unit 802) (see FIG. 5) of the arm identification unit 800 described above. In the present embodiment, since the five switch terminals 231 are arranged in a zigzag manner, the positions of the switch terminals 231 in the left-right direction are different from each other, and there is no switch terminal 231 overlapping in the vertical direction. A line connecting the switch terminals 231 intersects with the up and down direction of the printing apparatus 1 which is the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette 30. A locking piece 192, which is a plate-like protrusion having a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction, is provided on the upper right portion (upper left portion in FIG. 10) of the cassette facing surface 191A. The locking piece 192 has a longer rear protrusion length than the switch terminal 231.

  The electric board 193 is provided with an electric board hole 196 that is a circular hole when viewed from the front. The unit main body 191 has a cylindrical cylindrical portion 194 extending forward (rightward in FIG. 8). The cylindrical portion 194 projects forward through an electric board hole 196 provided in the electric board 193. The cylindrical portion 194 has an axial hole extending in the front-rear direction, and a small-diameter columnar member 21 is inserted into the axial hole. The shaft hole of the cylindrical portion 194 includes a first shaft hole 1941 and a second shaft hole 1942 that communicate with each other so as to be coaxial. The first shaft hole 1941 extends forward from the cassette facing surface 191 </ b> A to the vicinity of the center of the cylindrical portion 194. The second shaft hole 1942 extends from the first shaft hole 1941 to the front end of the cylindrical portion 194 and has a larger opening diameter than the first shaft hole 1941. The columnar member 21 inserted into the shaft hole of the cylindrical portion 194 can slide in the front-rear direction along the first shaft hole 1941 having the same diameter as the columnar member 21. A small-diameter insertion pin 21 </ b> A is provided at the front end portion of the cylindrical member 21.

  The opening diameter of the second shaft hole 1942 is larger than the diameter of the cylindrical member 21. Therefore, between the columnar member 21 and the cylindrical portion 194, a spring accommodating portion 1943 that forms an annular groove portion when viewed from the front is formed. In the spring accommodating portion 1943, the spring member 22 having a total length larger than the axial length of the second shaft hole 1942 is accommodated by inserting the cylindrical member 21 into the winding center of the spring member 22. Inside the spring accommodating portion 1943, the rear end of the spring member 22 is in contact with a step portion formed by the difference in diameter between the first shaft hole 1941 and the second shaft hole 1942. With the spring member 22 wound around the columnar member 21, the insertion pin 21 </ b> A is inserted into the circular hole 207, and the front end of the spring member 22 is in contact with the wall portion 20. Thereby, the spring member 22 urges the sensor holder 19 backward (leftward in FIG. 8) by elastic pressure.

  A holder guide portion 199 extending toward the front is provided at the lower portion of the opening edge at the front portion of the cylindrical portion 194. A tip portion bent downward of the holder guide portion 199 is engaged with the rod guide portion 175 of the release rod 17. In FIG. 8, the holder guide part 199 is engaged with the second rod guide part 1753 (see FIG. 23). The rearward movement of the sensor holder 19 urged rearward by the spring member 22 is restricted by the engagement between the holder guide portion 199 and the rod guide portion 175. As the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction, the sensor holder 19 moves in the front-rear direction while being guided by the rod guide portion 175. Details will be described later.

  An anti-rotation member 195 extending forward is provided at the lower end of the unit main body 191 and below the holder guide portion 199. The rotation preventing member 195 passes through the second square hole 209 of the wall portion 20, and a tip portion bent downward is engaged with the front surface of the wall portion 20. The sensor holder 19 is positioned by the wall portion 20 at two points aligned in the vertical direction of the insertion pin 21A and the rotation preventing member 195, so that the rotational movement around the cylindrical member 21 is restricted.

  Details of the mechanical sensor 23 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 12 schematically shows a movable state of the mechanical sensor 23 located at the upper left (upper right in FIG. 10) among the five mechanical sensors 23.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the mechanical sensor 23 has a switch terminal 231 inside a thin sensor body (not shown) having a small length in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in FIGS. 11 and 12). Is provided. The switch terminal 231 is provided so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction around a shaft portion 232 extending in the left-right direction (the frontward direction in FIGS. 11 and 12) inside the sensor body. The switch terminal 231 is always moved to the advanced position rotated backward (leftward in FIGS. 11 and 12) by a spring (not shown). When an external pressure is applied to the distal end side of the switch terminal 231, the switch terminal 231 moves to the retracted position rotated in the forward direction (rightward in FIGS. 11 and 12). A detection body 234 that detects the displacement state of the switch terminal 231 is provided in front of the switch terminal 231.

  The switch terminal 231 is a plate-like member having a flat portion that is curved in a substantially U shape in a side view as a whole. The switch terminal 231 has an arm portion 231A and a protruding portion 231B. The arm portion 231A extends from the shaft portion 232 in the radially outward direction. The protruding portion 231B advances backward from the tip of the arm portion 231A. The protruding portion 231B has a shape that gradually decreases in length in the vertical direction from the arm portion 231A toward the rear, and protrudes into a substantially V shape in a side view. In a state where the switch terminal 231 has moved to the protruding position, the protruding portion 231B has advanced rearward from the cassette facing surface 191A. At this time, the arm portion 231A is not in contact with the detection body 234, and the mechanical sensor 23 is in an off state.

  When external pressure is applied so as to press the substantially V-shaped peripheral edge of the protrusion 231B, the protrusion 231B retracts forward. At this time, the arm portion 231A comes into contact with the detection body 234, and the mechanical sensor 23 is turned on. In other words, not only when the protruding portion 231B is pressed horizontally from the rear side, but also when the protruding portion 231B is pressed vertically from above or below, the protruding portion 231B retracts toward the front, and is mechanical. The sensor 23 is turned on.

  The electrical configuration of the printing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, the printing apparatus 1 includes a control circuit unit 400 formed on a control board. The control circuit unit 400 includes a CPU 401 that controls each device, a ROM 402, a CGROM 403, a RAM 404, an input / output interface 411, and the like connected to the CPU 401 via a data bus 410.

  The ROM 402 stores various programs that the CPU 401 executes to control the printing apparatus 1. A table for specifying the tape type of the tape cassette 30 loaded in the cassette loading unit 8 is also stored in the ROM 402. The CGROM 403 stores printing dot pattern data for printing characters. The RAM 404 is provided with a plurality of storage areas such as a text memory and a print buffer.

  The input / output interface 411 is connected to the mechanical sensor 23, the keyboard 3, a liquid crystal driving circuit (LCDC) 405, driving circuits 406, 407, 408, and the like. The drive circuit 406 is an electronic circuit for driving the thermal head 10. The drive circuit 407 is an electronic circuit for driving the tape feed motor 24 that rotates the ribbon take-up shaft 9 and the tape drive shaft 11. The drive circuit 408 is an electronic circuit for driving the cutter motor 25 that operates a moving blade (not shown) that cuts the printed tape 50. The liquid crystal drive circuit (LCDC) 405 has a video RAM (not shown) for outputting display data to the display 5.

  With reference to FIG. 6 and FIGS. 14-25, the detail of the operation | movement aspect of the movable mechanism 100 is demonstrated. In order to facilitate understanding of the operation mode of the movable mechanism 100, in FIGS. 6, 14, 15, 17 to 19, and 21 to 23, a wall portion 20 (see FIGS. 7 and 8), a spring The member 22 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) and the like are omitted. In FIG. 6 and FIGS. 14 to 24, the lever pressing portion 61, the holding member 62, the protruding piece 63 (see FIG. 2) and the like provided on the cover 6 are omitted. 16, 20, and 24, the tape cassette 30, the roller holder 18, and the sensor holder 19 are illustrated by phantom lines.

  An operation mode of the movable mechanism 100 when the cover 6 is displaced downward from the open position (see FIG. 2) to the closed position (see FIG. 1) will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 14 to 16, the lever 16 is urged upward (rotation direction D5 in FIG. 14) by a lever spring (not shown). When the cover 6 is in the open position by the urging force of the lever 16, the lever protrusion 162 is at the highest position. At this time, the release rod 17 connected to the lower end of the lever 16 is at the right end position of the movable range of the release rod 17.

  In a state where the cover 6 is in the open position, the holder guide portion 199 is engaged with the first rod guide portion 1751. The sensor holder 19 urged rearward (downward in FIG. 15) by the spring member 22 is restricted from moving backward by the first rod guide portion 1751 and is held at the separated position (position shown in FIG. 15). Is done. The holder side receiving portion 184 of the roller holder 18 is separated from the pressing portion 171 of the release rod 17. The roller holder 18 is urged forward by an urging spring (not shown) without being pressed by the pressing portion 171 and is held at the standby position (position shown in FIG. 15).

  When the roller holder 18 is moved to the standby position, the movable conveying roller 14 and the platen roller 15 exposed rearward from the roller holder 18 move to the lower side of the plate portion 13. The sensor protection plate 90 protruding rearward from the roller holder 18 also moves to the lower side of the plate portion 13. At this time, the length L2 in the front-rear direction between the head holder 74 and the sensor protection plate 90 is equal to or longer than the length in the front-rear direction of the arm accommodating portion 79 (and thus the length L1 in the front-rear direction of the arm portion 34).

  When the sensor holder 19 is moved to the separation position, the locking piece 192 and the switch terminal 231 exposed rearward from the sensor holder 19 are moved to the lower side of the plate portion 13. At this time, the front ends of the locking piece 192 and the switch terminal 231 move to the front of the rear end surface of the sensor protection plate 90 in plan view.

  As described above, when the cover 6 is opened (see FIGS. 6 and 14 to 16), the movable conveyance roller 14, the platen roller 15, the sensor protection plate 90, the locking piece 192, and the switch terminal 231 are included in the plate portion 13. Therefore, these members hardly interfere with the tape cassette 30 attached to and detached from the cassette mounting portion 8. In particular, since the length L2 in the front-rear direction is equal to or longer than the length L1 in the front-rear direction, the sensor protection plate 90, the locking piece 192, and the switch terminal 231 are unlikely to interfere with the arm part 34 that is attached to and detached from the arm housing part 79 . That is, the printing apparatus 1 is in a state in which the tape cassette 30 can be attached to and detached from the cassette mounting portion 8.

  When the cover 6 is closed by the user, a downward pressure is applied to the cover 6 in the open position. In the process of moving the cover 6 toward the closed position in accordance with this pressing, the lever pressing portion 61 (see FIG. 2) contacts the lever protrusion 162. When the lever pressing portion 61 presses the lever protrusion 162, the lever 16 rotates downward against the urging force of the lever spring (not shown). As the lever 16 rotates, the release rod 17 moves leftward from the right end position. When the cover 6 further moves toward the closed position, the lever pressing portion 61 (see FIG. 2) contacts the upper surface bent portion 163 of the lever 16. When the lever pressing portion 61 presses the upper surface bent portion 163, the lever 16 is further rotated downward, and the release rod 17 is further moved leftward.

  As described above, the inclined surface 1712 of the pressing portion 171 contacts the holder side receiving portion 184 of the roller holder 18 as the release rod 17 moves leftward. As the inclined surface 1712 presses the holder-side receiving portion 184, the holder-side receiving portion 184 slides along the inclined surface 1712, and the roller holder 18 receives the urging force of the urging spring (not shown). Rotate backwards against it.

  As shown in FIGS. 17 to 20, when the release rod 17 reaches the first position (position shown in FIG. 19), the tape cassette 30 is fixed in the cassette mounting portion 8 by the roller holder 18. Specifically, the platen roller 15 presses the thermal head 10 via the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 located at the exposed portion 77. The movable conveyance roller 14 presses the tape drive roller 46 into which the tape drive shaft 11 is inserted via the film tape 59 and the double-sided adhesive tape 58. The position where the tape cassette 30 is fixed in the cassette mounting portion 8 (the position shown in FIG. 19) is the contact position of the roller holder 18.

  The sensor holder 19 is configured to be movable only in the front-rear direction and does not move in the left-right direction. Therefore, as the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction, the rod guide portion 175 slides in the left-right direction while maintaining the engagement state with the holder guide portion 199. Specifically, when the release rod 17 moves to the left from the right end position to the first position, the first rod guide portion 1751 slides to the left while maintaining the state of being engaged with the holder guide portion 199. Since the first rod guide portion 1751 is a wall portion parallel to the left-right direction, in the state where the first rod guide portion 1751 is engaged with the holder guide portion 199, even if the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction, the sensor The holder 19 does not move in the front-rear direction.

  Thus, in a state in which the cover 6 is being closed (see FIGS. 17 to 20), as the release rod 17 moves leftward from the right end position to the first position, the roller holder 18 moves to the standby position ( It rotates backward from FIG. 15). When the roller holder 18 reaches the contact position (see FIG. 19), the movable conveying roller 14 and the platen roller 15 exposed rearward from the roller holder 18 are rearward from the plate portion 13 (that is, inside the cassette mounting portion 8). To advance). At this time, when the tape cassette 30 is already mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the movable conveyance roller 14 and the platen roller 15 press the tape driving roller 46 and the thermal head 10, respectively, and the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette. It fixes in the part 8.

  The sensor protection plate 90 protruding rearward from the roller holder 18 also advances rearward from the plate portion 13 (that is, into the arm housing portion 79) in plan view. At this time, the length L2 in the front-rear direction between the head holder 74 and the sensor protection plate 90 is less than the length in the front-rear direction of the arm accommodating portion 79 (and thus the length L1 in the front-rear direction of the arm portion 34). That is, it becomes difficult for the arm part 34 attached to and detached from the arm housing part 79 to move in the vertical direction via the space between the head holder 74 and the sensor protection plate 90.

  When the tape cassette 30 is already mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 while the cover 6 is being closed, the sensor protection plate 90 is located above the tape cassette 30 (specifically, above the arm front surface 35). (See FIG. 25). In this state, when the tape cassette 30 moves upward from the cassette mounting portion 8, the sensor protection plate 90 comes into contact with the upper surface of the arm portion 34, so that the upward movement of the tape cassette 30 is restricted. As a result, it is possible to prevent the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 from being pulled out upward due to, for example, a user's erroneous operation or vibration of the printing apparatus 1.

  If the tape cassette 30 is not yet mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 while the cover 6 is being closed, the user may erroneously mount the tape cassette 30 on the cassette mounting portion 8. In such a case, the sensor protection plate 90 prevents the tape cassette 30 from being mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8. Specifically, before the arm portion 34 enters the arm housing portion 79, the sensor protection plate 90 abuts the tape cassette 30 from below (specifically, abuts against the lower surface of the arm portion 34). The approach of the arm part 34 to the part 79 is restricted. Thereby, erroneous mounting of the tape cassette 30 is suppressed, and the arm portion 34 can be prevented from pressing the switch terminal 231 from above. As a result, bending or breakage of the switch terminal 231 can be suppressed.

  Further, in a state where the cover 6 is being closed, the sensor holder 19 is maintained at the separated position, and the switch terminal 231 is retracted behind the plate portion 13. Therefore, even when the tape cassette 30 is mistakenly attached to the cassette attaching portion 8 while the cover 6 is being closed, the switch terminal 231 is prevented from interfering with the tape cassette 30. It is possible to more reliably suppress damage.

  When the cover 6 is further moved toward the closed position from the state in which the cover 6 is being closed (see FIGS. 17 to 20), the lever pressing portion 61 presses the upper surface bent portion 163. As a result, as the lever 16 further pivots downward, the release rod 17 moves further leftward from the first position. When the cover 6 reaches the closed position, the lever pressing portion 61 comes into contact with the contact surface 164 of the lever 16. At this time, the release rod 17 moves to the second position (position shown in FIG. 23) that is the left end position of the movable range of the release rod 17.

  As the release rod 17 moves to the left side of the first position (see FIG. 19), the holder side receiving portion 184 is further pressed backward by the inclined surface 1712. As shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, when the release rod 17 reaches the second position (see FIG. 23), the rear surface 1711 of the pressing portion 171 contacts the holder side receiving portion 184. The position where the roller holder 18 is held in a state where the holder side receiving portion 184 is in contact with the rear surface 1711 (the position shown in FIG. 23) is the printing position of the roller holder 18.

  Thus, in conjunction with the movement of the cover 6 from the open position toward the closed position, the roller holder 18 gradually moves backward. As the cover 6 approaches the closed position, the pressure at which the platen roller 15 presses the thermal head 10 and the pressure at which the movable transport roller 14 presses the tape drive roller 46 gradually increase. When the roller holder 18 is moved to the printing position (see FIG. 23), the tape cassette 30 is fixed in the cassette mounting portion 8 more firmly than when the roller holder 18 is in the contact position (see FIG. 19).

  Even when the roller holder 18 is moved to the printing position, the sensor protective plate 90 is maintained in the arm accommodating portion 79 as in the case of the contact position. Movement upward is restricted.

  The sensor protection plate 90 of the present embodiment has a larger protruding width from the roller holder 18 as the distance from the holder shaft 181 increases. Therefore, when the roller holder 18 is moved to the standby position, the sensor protection plate 90 is moved to a position where the rear end surface thereof is parallel to the horizontal direction (vertical direction in FIG. 16) which is the longitudinal direction of the head holder 74 in plan view. (In other words, retreat to the position completely hidden behind the plate portion 13). On the other hand, when the roller holder 18 is moved to the contact position or the printing position, the sensor protection plate 90 has the left end portion (the lower end portion in FIG. 20) that is farthest from the holder shaft 181 of the rear end surface protruding most rearward. In this manner, the arm 13 is advanced from the plate portion 13.

  As a result, the sensor protection plate 90 can be efficiently advanced into the arm housing portion 79 by simply rotating the roller holder 18 at a minimum rotation angle, while the sensor protection plate 90 is removed from the arm housing portion 79. The plate portion 13 can be efficiently retracted. That is, the sensor protection plate 90 can be efficiently moved between the position where the sensor protection plate 90 interferes with the arm portion 34 and the position where the sensor protection plate 90 does not interfere with the arm portion 34.

  Further, when the release rod 17 moves to the left from the first position (see FIG. 19), the target site with which the holder guide portion 199 is engaged changes from the first rod guide portion 1751 to the rod guide oblique portion 1752. A rod guide inclined portion 1752 which is a wall portion extending rearward from the first rod guide portion 1751 is in a slidable state while being engaged with the holder guide portion 199. When the release rod 17 moves leftward in this state, the holder guide portion 199 moves rearward along the rod guide oblique portion 1752 while being pressed by the spring member 22.

  When the release rod 17 further moves leftward and reaches the second position (see FIG. 23), the target site to which the holder guide portion 199 is engaged changes from the rod guide oblique portion 1752 to the second rod guide portion 1753. . Since the second rod guide portion 1753 is a wall portion parallel to the left-right direction, even if the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction in a state where the second rod guide portion 1753 is engaged with the holder guide portion 199, The sensor holder 19 does not move in the front-rear direction. The position where the holder guide portion 199 is engaged with the second rod guide portion 1753 (the position shown in FIG. 24) is the identification position of the sensor holder 19.

  As shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, when the sensor holder 19 is moved to the identification position, the locking piece 192 and the switch terminal 231 exposed rearward from the sensor holder 19 are rearward from the plate portion 13 in plan view ( That is, it advances into the arm accommodating portion 79). At this time, as shown in FIG. 25, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8, the locking piece 192 provided on the cassette facing surface 191A is the locking hole of the tape cassette 30. 820 is inserted. A mechanical sensor 23 provided on the cassette facing surface 191 </ b> A faces the arm identification unit 800 of the tape cassette 30.

  The five switch terminals 231 are selectively pressed by the identifying portions (non-pressing portion 801 or pressing portion 802) of the arm identifying portion 800 facing each other. Specifically, the switch terminal 231 facing the pressing portion 802 is pressed by the surface portion of the arm front surface 35, and the mechanical sensor 23 is turned on. The switch terminal 231 facing the non-pressing portion 801 is inserted into the non-pressing portion 801, and the mechanical sensor 23 is turned off.

  The CPU 401 (see FIG. 13) provided in the printing apparatus 1 specifies the tape type of the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8 based on the combination of the on / off states of the five mechanical sensors 23. Specifically, referring to a table stored in advance in the ROM 402 (see FIG. 13), the tape type corresponding to the on / off combination of the mechanical sensor 23 is specified.

  In the present embodiment, the tape restricting portion 71 provided on the arm portion 34 restricts the movement of the film tape 59 in the width direction, so that the vertical position of the tape supplied to the thermal head 10 is accurately defined. . The five switch terminals 231 are in pressure contact with the arm identification unit 800 provided in the arm unit 34. Therefore, the CPU 401 (see FIG. 13) can accurately detect the type of tape with the vicinity of the thermal head 10 as a reference.

  As described above, when the cover 6 is closed (see FIGS. 21 to 24), the switch terminal 231 is connected to the arm identification unit 800 while the tape cassette 30 is firmly fixed by the cassette mounting unit 8. Pressed. That is, the printing apparatus 1 is in a state where printing can be performed stably and accurately, and the tape type of the tape cassette 30 can be determined.

  Next, an operation mode of the movable mechanism 100 when the cover 6 is displaced upward from the closed position (see FIG. 1) to the open position (see FIG. 2) will be described. This operation mode is the same as when the cover 6 is closed downward, but the operation order of the roller holder 18 and the sensor holder 19 is reversed.

  Although not shown in FIGS. 6 and 14 to 24, when the cover 6 is in the closed position (see FIGS. 21 to 24), the protruding piece 63 (see FIG. 2) of the cover 6 is the lever protrusion of the lever 16. 162 is located below. When the cover 6 is opened upward from the closed position, the upper surface of the protruding piece 63 pushes the lever 16 upward. The pushed lever 16 is biased by a lever spring (not shown) and rotates upward. As the lever 16 rotates, the release rod 17 moves rightward from the second position (see FIG. 23).

  When the release rod 17 moves rightward from the second position (see FIG. 23), the holder guide portion 199 slides forward along the rod guide portion 175 (specifically, the rod guide oblique portion 1752). As the holder guide part 199 slides forward, the sensor holder 19 moves in the forward direction from the identification position (see FIG. 23), and the switch terminal 231 is separated from the arm identification part 800. Further, when the release rod 17 moves to the right of the first position (see FIG. 19), the sensor holder 19 is held at the separated position (see FIG. 15).

  As the release rod 17 moves rightward from the second position (see FIG. 23) toward the first position (see FIG. 19), the holder side receiving portion 184 is pressed by the urging spring (not shown). It slides forward along 171 (specifically, inclined surface 1712). As the holder side receiving portion 184 slides forward, the roller holder 18 moves toward the contact position (see FIG. 19), compared with the case where the roller holder 18 is in the printing position (see FIG. 23). Thus, the pressure for fixing the tape cassette 30 gradually decreases.

  When the release rod 17 moves rightward from the first position (see FIG. 19), the roller holder 18 rotates forward from the contact position (see FIG. 19). As a result, the platen roller 15 and the movable conveyance roller 14 are separated from the thermal head 10 and the tape drive roller 46, respectively, and the roller holder 18 is held at the standby position (see FIG. 15). As described above, when the cover 6 is opened (see FIGS. 6 and 14 to 16), the roller holder 18 moves to the standby position, and the sensor holder 19 moves to the separation position.

  As described above, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the arm identification unit 800 is provided on the arm front surface 35 of the tape cassette 30. The switch terminal 231 of the mechanical sensor 23 is pressed against the arm identification unit 800 from the front, whereby the tape type is detected. Thereby, compared with the case where the mechanical sensor which protrudes with respect to the bottom face of a tape cassette is arrange | positioned, the tape type of the tape cassette 30 is reduced, reducing the restrictions with respect to the arrangement space and arrangement position of the mechanical sensor 23. It can be detected properly.

  When the cover 6 is closed, the roller holder 18 reaches the contact position before the sensor holder 19 reaches the identification position. In other words, the tape cassette 30 is fixed by the roller holder 18 before the switch terminal 231 is pressed against the arm identification unit 800. When the cover 6 is opened, the sensor holder 19 moves from the identification position toward the separated position before the roller holder 18 moves from the contact position toward the standby position. In other words, after the switch terminal 231 is separated from the arm identification unit 800, the fixing of the tape cassette 30 by the roller holder 18 is released.

  That is, when the sensor holder 19 is pressed against or separated from the tape cassette 30, the tape cassette 30 is always fixed by the roller holder 18. In this case, when the switch terminal 231 is pressed against or separated from the arm identification unit 800, for example, the user touches the tape cassette 30 by hand or abnormal vibration is applied to the printing apparatus 1. In addition, the position fluctuation of the tape cassette 30 is suppressed. Accordingly, the breakage of the switch terminal 231 and the like are suppressed, and the mechanical sensor 23 can be appropriately protected.

  Further, the roller holder 18 is provided with a sensor protection plate 90 that moves to a position where the roller holder 18 contacts the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 from below when the roller holder 18 rotates to the contact position. Thereby, it can suppress that a user mounts the tape cassette 30 in the cassette mounting part 8 accidentally. Furthermore, it can prevent that the arm part 34 presses the switch terminal 231 from upper direction, and can suppress that the switch terminal 231 bends or breaks by extension.

  The sensor protection plate 90 is a plate-like member that extends from the sensor holder 19 toward the thermal head 10 and that is provided above the arm front surface 35 of the tape cassette 30 that is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8. When the roller holder 18 rotates from the standby position to the contact position, the front-rear direction length L2 between the sensor protection plate 90 and the head holder 74 is smaller than the front-rear direction length L1 of the arm portion 34. With such a configuration, the switch terminal 231 of the mechanical sensor 23 disposed below the sensor protection plate 90 can be protected easily and reliably.

  As the release rod 17 moves, the roller holder 18 rotates and the sensor holder 19 moves. In other words, by moving the release rod 17, the roller holder 18 and the sensor holder 19 operate independently. The printing apparatus 1 does not need to include a member for operating the roller holder 18 and a member for operating the sensor holder 19 separately. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of components of the printing apparatus 1 and suppress an increase in apparatus size.

  As the cover 6 is opened and closed, the release rod 17 moves. When the cover 6 is opened, the tape cassette 30 can be attached to and detached from the cassette mounting portion 8. When the cover 6 is closed, printing by the thermal head 10 becomes possible, and the tape type can be detected by the plurality of mechanical sensors 23. Therefore, simply by opening and closing the cover 6, the printing apparatus 1 can be put into an optimal use state according to the opening and closing of the cover 6, and the operability of the printing apparatus 1 can be improved.

  In the above embodiment, the film tape 59 corresponds to the “tape” of the present invention. The arm identification unit 800 corresponds to the “index unit” of the present invention. The thermal head 10 corresponds to the “print head” of the present invention. The plurality of mechanical sensors 23 correspond to “sensors” of the present invention. The sensor protection plate 90 corresponds to the “protection unit” of the present invention. The contact position or printing position corresponds to the “first position” of the present invention, and the standby position corresponds to the “second position” of the present invention. The identification position corresponds to the “third position” of the present invention, and the separated position corresponds to the “fourth position” of the present invention. The release rod 17 corresponds to the “rod portion” of the present invention, and the CPU 401 corresponds to the “determination means” of the present invention.

  Note that the printing apparatus 1 of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the configuration of the mechanical sensor 23 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the switch terminal 231 may be an elastic body such as rubber or a winding spring, and may be a shaft body that can advance and retreat in the front-rear direction. In this case, for example, even if an external pressure is applied to the switch terminal 231 from the up and down direction, the switch terminal 231 is elastically deformed according to the external pressure, thereby preventing damage and the like.

  Further, instead of the mechanical sensor 23, a reflective sensor having a light emitting unit may be used. In this case, for example, the pressing portion 802 in the arm identification unit 800 (see FIGS. 3 and 5) may be changed to a reflecting surface that reflects light, and the non-pressing portion 801 may be changed to a non-reflecting surface that does not reflect light. . In this case, when the light emitted from the reflective sensor is reflected by the reflective surface, the light is detected by the light receiving unit of the reflective sensor, and when the light is not reflected by the non-reflective surface, Light is not detected by the light receiving unit. The CPU 401 (see FIG. 13) can specify the tape type based on the presence or absence of this light. Further, when the pressing portion 802 is a surface portion and the non-pressing portion 801 is a hole portion, the tape type may be specified by detecting the hole portion or the surface portion according to the difference in reflectance.

  Instead of the mechanical sensor 23, an optical sensor (so-called transmission type sensor) that has a light receiving unit and detects the presence or absence of light reception by the light receiving unit may be used. In this case, for example, a hole corresponding to the tape type may be provided in the arm part 34 of the tape cassette 30, and the light emitting part may be provided in the printing apparatus 1. Then, the light emitted from the light emitting part may be detected by the light receiving part of the optical sensor through the hole provided in the arm part 34. The CPU 401 (see FIG. 13) can specify the tape type based on the presence or absence of light detected by the light receiving unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus 6 Cover 8 Cassette mounting part 10 Thermal head 11 Tape drive shaft 14 Movable conveyance roller 15 Platen roller 16 Lever 17 Release rod 18 Roller holder 19 Sensor holder 30 Tape cassette 31 Cassette case 34 Arm part 35 Arm front surface 39 Head insertion part 59 Film Tape 71 Tape Restriction Unit 74 Head Holder 79 Arm Storage Unit 90 Sensor Protection Plate 100 Movable Mechanism 231 Switch Terminal 401 CPU
800 Arm identification part 801 Non-pressing part 802 Pressing part

Claims (20)

A tape cassette having a cassette case having an upper surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces, a tape accommodated in the cassette case, and an indicator portion provided on the front surface and indicating at least the type of the tape is vertically A cassette mounting part to be attached to and detached from,
A print head for printing on the tape when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion;
A platen roller disposed opposite to the print head and pressed against the print head;
It extends along the front surface of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion, supports the platen roller, rotates about a holder shaft that is a shaft parallel to the vertical direction, and moves the platen roller to the printing A roller holder that rotates between a first position that is a position that is pressed against the head and a second position that is a position that separates the platen roller from the print head;
A sensor for detecting the type of tape indicated by the indicator section;
A third position which is a position for holding the sensor between the holder shaft and the platen roller and causing the sensor to approach the index part; and a fourth position for separating the sensor from the index part; A sensor holder that moves between
The roller holder is provided above the sensor, and when the roller holder rotates to the second position, the roller holder moves to a position away from the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion, while the roller A protection unit that moves to a position that contacts the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting unit from below when the holder rotates to the first position;
When the sensor holder moves to the third position, the roller holder rotates to the first position before the sensor approaches the indicator portion, while the sensor holder moves to the fourth position. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when moving to a position, the sensor is rotated to the second position after being separated from the indicator portion. The platen roller is opposed to the print head in parallel to the front-rear direction of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion, and is provided on the front side of the print head to face the front surface of the tape cassette.
The protection unit is a plate-like member that extends from the sensor holder toward the print head and is provided above the front surface of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting unit. The printing apparatus according to claim 1. A head holder that supports the print head at a position facing the platen roller;
The cassette mounting portion includes an arm storage portion that stores an arm portion including at least a part of the front surface when the tape cassette is mounted,
The arm accommodating portion is a space formed between the head holder and the roller holder,
The length in the front-rear direction of the arm accommodating portion is equal to or longer than the length in the front-rear direction of the arm portion regardless of whether the roller holder is rotated to the first position or the second position.
When the roller holder is rotated to the second position, the length of the protection portion and the head holder is equal to or longer than the length of the arm portion, while the roller holder is 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the arm portion is rotated to one position, the length is smaller than a length in a front-rear direction of the arm portion. A rod portion movable in a state of being connected to the roller holder and the sensor holder,
The rod part is
In response to moving in the first direction, the roller holder is rotated toward the first position, and the sensor holder is moved toward the third position,
In response to movement in a second direction different from the first direction, the roller holder is rotated toward the second position and the sensor holder is moved toward the fourth position. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is a printer. The sensor is a mechanical sensor having a switch terminal that can be advanced and retracted,
5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine a type of the tape based on advance and retreat of the switch terminal. The sensor includes a plurality of switch terminals respectively approaching the plurality of indicator portions provided according to the type of the tape when the sensor holder moves to the third position,
Each of the plurality of switch terminals is maintained in an advanced state by being inserted into the hole when approaching the indicator part, which is a hole part into which the switch terminal can be inserted. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, when approaching the indicator portion that is a surface portion capable of abutting, the printing device is pressed and retracted by the surface portion. The sensor is an optical sensor having a light receiving unit,
5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit that determines a type of the tape based on an amount of light received by the light receiving unit.   The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the sensor is a reflective sensor having a light emitting unit. The sensor includes a plurality of the light receiving portions respectively facing the plurality of indicator portions provided according to the type of the tape when the sensor holder moves to the third position,
Each of the plurality of light receiving units receives a light amount equal to or greater than the predetermined value when approaching the indicator unit, which is a specific unit that imparts a light amount equal to or greater than a predetermined value to the light receiving unit. 9. The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a light amount less than the predetermined value is received when approaching the indicator portion that is a non-specific portion that provides a less light amount. A cassette case having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces; a tape stored in the cassette case; and a tape cassette provided on the front surface and having an indicator portion indicating at least the type of the tape;
A cassette mounting part in which the tape cassette is attached and detached in the vertical direction;
A print head for printing on the tape when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion;
A platen roller disposed opposite to the print head and pressed against the print head;
It extends along the front surface of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion, supports the platen roller, rotates about a holder shaft that is a shaft parallel to the vertical direction, and moves the platen roller to the printing A roller holder that rotates between a first position that is a position that is pressed against the head and a second position that is a position that separates the platen roller from the print head;
A sensor for detecting the type of tape indicated by the indicator section;
A third position which is a position for holding the sensor between the holder shaft and the platen roller and causing the sensor to approach the index part; and a fourth position for separating the sensor from the index part; A sensor holder that moves between
The roller holder is provided above the sensor, and when the roller holder rotates to the second position, the roller holder moves to a position away from the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion, while the roller A protection unit that moves to a position that contacts the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting unit from below when the holder rotates to the first position;
When the sensor holder moves to the third position, the roller holder rotates to the first position before the sensor approaches the indicator portion, while the sensor holder moves to the fourth position. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when moving to a position, the sensor is rotated to the second position after being separated from the indicator portion. The platen roller is opposed to the print head in parallel to the front-rear direction of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion, and is provided on the front side of the print head to face the front surface of the tape cassette.
The protection unit is a plate-like member that extends from the sensor holder toward the print head and is provided above the front surface of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting unit. The printing apparatus according to claim 10. A head holder that supports the print head at a position facing the platen roller;
The tape cassette is
An opening that penetrates the cassette case in the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette, and a head insertion portion into which the head holder is inserted when the tape cassette is attached to the tape printer;
Including at least a part of the front surface, including an arm portion that guides the tape to travel and discharges the tape toward the head insertion portion,
The cassette mounting portion includes an arm accommodating portion that accommodates the arm portion when the head holder is inserted into the head inserting portion,
The arm accommodating portion is a space formed between the head holder and the roller holder,
The length in the front-rear direction of the arm mounting portion is equal to or longer than the length in the front-rear direction of the arm portion regardless of whether the roller holder is rotated to the first position or the second position.
When the roller holder is rotated to the second position, the length of the protection portion and the head holder is equal to or longer than the length of the arm portion, while the roller holder is The printing apparatus according to claim 10 or 11, wherein when the arm portion is rotated to one position, the length is smaller than a length in a front-rear direction of the arm portion. A rod portion movable in a state of being connected to the roller holder and the sensor holder,
The rod part is
In response to moving in the first direction, the roller holder is rotated toward the first position, and the sensor holder is moved toward the third position,
In response to movement in a second direction different from the first direction, the roller holder is rotated toward the second position and the sensor holder is moved toward the fourth position. The printing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the printing apparatus is a printer. The sensor is a mechanical sensor having a switch terminal that can be advanced and retracted,
The printing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a determination unit that determines a type of the tape based on advance and retreat of the switch terminal. The sensor includes a plurality of switch terminals respectively approaching the plurality of indicator portions provided according to the type of the tape when the sensor holder moves to the third position,
The arm portion includes a tape restricting portion that restricts movement of the tape in the width direction, and a plurality of the indicator portions respectively corresponding to the plurality of sensors,
Each of the plurality of indicator portions is either a hole portion into which the switch terminal can be inserted, or a surface portion capable of contacting the switch terminal,
Each of the plurality of switch terminals is maintained in an advanced state by being inserted into the hole when approaching the indicator part, which is a hole part into which the switch terminal can be inserted. The printing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein when the indicator portion that is a contactable surface portion approaches, the printing device is pressed and retracted by the surface portion. The sensor is an optical sensor having a light receiving unit,
The printing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine a type of the tape based on an amount of light received by the light receiving unit.   The printing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the sensor is a reflective sensor having a light emitting unit. The tape cassette includes a plurality of the indicator portions provided according to the type of the tape,
The sensor includes a plurality of the light receiving units respectively approaching the plurality of index units when the sensor holder moves to the third position,
Each of the plurality of indicator units is either a specific unit that gives a light amount of a predetermined value or more to the light receiving unit, and a non-specific unit that gives a light amount of less than the predetermined value,
Each of the plurality of light receiving units receives a light amount greater than or equal to the predetermined value when approaching the specific unit, and receives a light amount less than the predetermined value when approaching the non-specific unit. The printing apparatus according to claim 16 or 17.   The plurality of indicator portions are arranged in a plurality of rows with respect to the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette, such that one or more indicator portions form a row in a direction orthogonal to the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette, and 19. The printing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein a line connecting the indicator portion and the other indicator portion is provided so as to intersect a direction in which the tape cassette is attached or detached.   The plurality of indicator portions are arranged so that one or more of the indicator portions form a row in a direction perpendicular to the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette, and the width of the tape cassette or the tape width of the tape is set. The printing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the printing apparatus is provided in a different number of rows with respect to the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette.

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