JP2012051112A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer which facilitates assembly operations and improves the maintainability.SOLUTION: The printer includes a cutter unit 14, a spring 32 which urges a printing head 44 towards a platen, and an upper frame 42 in which a fixed position where the cutter unit 14 is fixed and an initial arrangement position where the cutter unit 14 is initially arranged before being fixed to the fixed position are prepared. The upper frame 42 has a rear guide surface and a front guide surface 68 which guide the cutter unit 14 initially arranged on the initial arrangement position to the fixed position, and a protrusion and a notched groove 67 which fix the cutter unit 14 to the fixed position. The spring 32 is disposed at a position where a position of one end of the spring 32 is opposed to a corresponding positioning part in the state that the cutter unit 14 is arranged on the initial arrangement position. A position of one end of the spring 32 is positioned by the corresponding positioning part in the state that the cutter unit 14 is moved to the fixed position.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer including a print head that prints on a recording medium, a processing unit that performs predetermined processing on the recording medium, and a biasing member that biases the print head toward a platen.

  2. Description of the Related Art There is known a printer that includes a platen and a print head and urges the print head toward the platen by a biasing member such as a spring to perform printing on a recording medium. The printer is provided with various processing devices that perform processing on a recording medium. Here, a description will be given using a cutting device for cutting a recording medium as an example of a processing device. Various types of printers equipped with a cutting device have been developed as disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3.

  Since the cutting device and the print head need to perform processing on the recording medium, the cutting apparatus and the print head are respectively disposed facing the conveyance path through which the recording medium passes. In addition, a holder for positioning the biasing member may be provided in order to apply a predetermined biasing force to the print head. Furthermore, some printers have improved cutting work and replacement workability by unitizing the cutting device. Some printers that include a unitized cutting device and holder assemble the print head, the biasing member, the holder, and the cutting device separately in order in the printer frame during assembly work. For this reason, there exists a problem that assembly work takes time. Also, when replacing the print head of this printer, remove the cutting device, remove the holder and biasing member, remove the print head, and then attach these components in the reverse order. become. For this reason, there also exists a problem that maintenance work takes time.

JP-A-9-193493 Utility Model Registration No. 2581427 JP 2003-103866 A

  In order to solve these problems, it is conceivable to reduce the man-hours for assembly work and maintenance work by providing the cutting device with a function of a holder for positioning the biasing member. However, when the function of the holder is given to the cutting device, the biasing member must be positioned when the cutting device is assembled, which causes a problem that the work becomes complicated. In addition, the positioning part of the biasing member provided on the print head installed near the conveyance path is hidden by a cutting device that is also installed facing the conveyance path, and is correctly attached during assembly and maintenance. The subject that it becomes difficult to attach a biasing member also arises. In particular, when the cutting device is closer to the operator than the print head, the urging member is covered with the cutting device and is completely invisible, so that it is very difficult to attach the urging member. The direction in which the operator removes the cutting device is the operator side.

  In the above description, the example in which the cutting device has the function of a holder for positioning the biasing member is used. However, the processing device that performs processing on a recording medium such as a scanner has the function of the holder for positioning the biasing member. A similar problem arises when this is done.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a printer that facilitates assembly work and has improved maintainability.

The printer of the present invention that solves the above-described object includes a print head that prints on the recording medium conveyed between the platen,
Processing means for performing predetermined processing on the recording medium;
An urging member that is disposed between the processing means and the print head and urges the print head toward the platen;
A fixed position where the processing means is fixed, and a frame provided with an initial arrangement position where the processing means is initially arranged before fixing the processing means at the fixed position;
The processing means has a positioning portion on one end side for positioning the position of the one end corresponding to one end of the biasing member,
The print head has a positioning portion on the other end side for positioning the position of the other end corresponding to the other end of the biasing member,
The frame includes a guide unit that guides the processing unit initially arranged at the initial arrangement position to the fixed position, and a fixing unit that fixes the processing unit to the fixed position.
In the state in which the processing means is initially arranged at the initial arrangement position, the biasing member is positioned at one end of the other end and the other end by a positioning unit corresponding to the one end. In the state where the position of the other end with respect to the one end is disposed at a position facing the positioning portion corresponding to the other end and the processing means is moved to the fixed position, The position of the other end is positioned by the positioning portion corresponding to the one end, and the position of the other end is positioned by the positioning portion corresponding to the other end. .

  According to the printer of the present invention, both ends of the urging member are positioned at predetermined positions by moving the processing means from the initial arrangement position of the frame to the fixed position. Therefore, the assembling property of the printer is improved and the maintainability is also improved.

  Here, the processing means may be provided closer to the operator than the print head. Further, in the case of a printer that prints on the recording medium with the print head while conveying the recording medium in a predetermined conveying direction between the platen and the print head, the processing means includes a predetermined process relating to the recording medium. May be applied downstream of the print head in the transport direction. That is, the processing means may be provided downstream of the print head in the transport direction.

  The present invention also provides a printer for printing on a recording medium with the print head while conveying a long recording medium between a platen and the print head in a predetermined conveyance direction, and the conveyance of the recording medium more than the print head. The present invention can also be applied to a recording medium storage unit that stores a recording medium wound in a roll shape on the upstream side in the direction.

  Further, the positioning portion on the one end side may be one in which the position of the one end of the biasing member is positioned before the processing means is initially arranged at the initial arrangement position. After the initial placement at the initial placement position, the position of one end of the biasing member may be positioned. The same applies to the positioning portion on the other end side.

  The frame may have a mark representing the initial arrangement position, and the mark is visible to a person who initially arranges the processing means at the initial arrangement position.

  The mark may be an accommodation groove for accommodating a set piece provided in the processing means.

  In the printer according to the aspect of the invention, the fixing unit may include a first fixing unit that restricts movement of the processing unit in the guide direction and the anti-guide direction by the guide unit, and the processing unit of the processing unit. It is preferable that it has a 2nd fixing | fixed part which controls the movement to a reverse direction with respect to the direction initially arranged in an initial arrangement position.

  In this way, the movement of the processing means in each direction can be restricted simply by moving the processing means to the fixed portion, and the processing means does not move even if the operator removes his / her hand from the processing means. Therefore, workability such as subsequent screwing is improved.

  Here, the first fixing part is a protruding part protruding in the opposite direction, the second fixing part is a notch groove cut out in the guiding direction, and the processing means includes the protruding part. It may have a receiving part in which is inserted and a set piece that enters the notch groove.

  The receiving groove may be a groove that is recessed in a direction in which the processing means is initially arranged at the initial arrangement position, and the guide portion may connect the receiving groove and the notch groove.

  The processing unit may be a recording medium cutting unit including a movable blade and a transmission mechanism that transmits a driving force to the movable blade.

  Since the recording medium cutting unit incorporates the movable blade and the transmission mechanism, the outer dimensions are likely to be large. The positioning unit provided on the print head is obstructed by the recording medium cutting unit, which makes it very difficult to see. According to the present invention, both ends of the urging member can be arranged at predetermined positions simply by moving the recording medium cutting unit to the fixed position. Therefore, the present invention is particularly effective when a recording medium cutting unit is employed as the processing means.

  According to the printer of the present invention, the assembling work can be facilitated and the maintainability can be improved.

It is the perspective view which looked at the printer of this embodiment from the front upper part. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front upper side with the printer cover opened and the front cover removed from the printer body case. It is the perspective view which looked at the cutter unit mounted in the printer shown in FIG. 1 from diagonally lower left. It is the perspective view which removed the housing | casing and the cutter unit from the printer shown in FIG. 1, and was seen from upper right. It is the perspective view which removed the housing | casing and the cutter unit from the printer shown in FIG. 1, and was seen from front upper direction. FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing a cutter unit, a lower frame, a control board, and an upper frame of the printer of FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing of the state by which the cutter unit was arrange | positioned in the initial arrangement position of an upper frame. It is explanatory drawing of the state by which the cutter unit was arrange | positioned in the fixed position of an upper frame, and was screwed. It is a side view showing the meshing relationship between the cutter gear and the transmission gear in a state where the cutter unit is arranged at the initial arrangement position. It is a side view showing the meshing relationship between a cutter gear and a transmission gear in a state where the cutter unit is disposed at a fixed position.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  A printer according to an embodiment of the present invention is a thermal printer that stores paper such as thermal paper wound up in a roll shape, prints the paper while feeding the stored paper, and cuts the printed paper. is there.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer P according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front upper side. In FIG. 1, the lower side is the front (front side), and the upper side is the rear (back side). In the following description of the present embodiment, directions such as front and rear, left and right are described with reference to the printer P in a state where each component is assembled. In each figure, arrows indicating front and rear, right and left directions in the figure are described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer P is covered with a housing 1. The housing 1 includes a printer main body case 2 that covers the lower part of the printer P, a printer cover 3 that covers the upper rear, and a front cover 4 that covers the upper front. The printer cover 3 is engaged with the printer main body case 2 and is rotatable about the engaging portion. The front cover 4 is detachably attached to the printer main body case 2.

  FIG. 1 shows the printer P with the printer cover 3 closed and the front cover 4 attached. In this state, the upper side of the printer P is covered with the printer cover 3 and the front cover 4. A paper discharge port 5 is formed between the printer cover 3 and the front cover 4 for discharging printed paper. The paper in this embodiment corresponds to an example of the recording medium of the present invention.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer P with the printer cover 3 opened and the front cover 4 removed, as viewed from the front upper side.

  A cutter unit 14 is detachably attached to the front portion of the printer P by two screws 13. The cutter unit 14 in the present embodiment corresponds to an example of a recording medium cutting unit of the present invention. A paper storage unit 15 that stores paper wound in a roll shape is formed at the rear of the printer P. The upper part of the paper storage unit 15 is opened by opening the printer cover 3. A fixed blade 16 and a roller-shaped platen 17 are attached to the printer cover 3. The fixed blade 16 is fixed to the printer cover 3 at a position facing the cutter unit 14 when the printer cover 3 is closed. The platen 17 includes a driving gear 18 at an end portion in the longitudinal direction, and is rotatably held by the printer cover 3.

  The paper stored in the paper storage unit 15 passes between the platen 17 and a print head 44 described later, passes between the cutter unit 14 and the fixed blade 16, and passes from the paper discharge port 5 to the outside of the printer P. Discharged. A path through which the sheet passes is a sheet conveyance path, and a direction from the platen 17 toward the sheet discharge port 5 is a sheet conveyance direction.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cutter unit 14 as viewed obliquely from the lower left.

  The cutter unit 14 is provided with a metal cutter frame 20 and a case 21. The cutter frame 20 is equipped with a movable blade 22 that can be advanced and retracted in the direction of the opposed fixed blade 16 (see FIG. 2), and a transmission mechanism 23 that transmits a driving force to the movable blade 22. FIG. 3 shows a state where the movable blade 22 is located at the most retracted home position. The transmission mechanism 23 includes a cutter gear 24, and the cutter gear 24 is disposed on the side surface of the cutter unit 14.

  When the driving force is transmitted to the movable blade 22 via the transmission mechanism 23, the movable blade 22 projects from the home position toward the fixed blade 16 and retreats away from the fixed blade 16 and retracts to the home position. Perform the action. When the movable blade 22 protrudes, the sheet existing between the cutter unit 14 and the fixed blade 16 is cut. Further, the cutter unit 14 includes a sensor (not shown) for detecting the home position of the movable blade 22, and the output of the sensor is transmitted to the outside of the cutter unit 14 via the cable 25. The case 21 is attached to the cutter frame 20 so as to cover the upper part of the movable blade 22 and the transmission mechanism 23 located at the home position.

  The cutter frame 20 is provided with a pair of left and right rear set pieces 26 and a pair of left and right front set pieces 27. The rear set piece 26 is formed with a reference hole 28 serving as a reference when the cutter unit 14 is attached and a through hole 29 through which the screw 13 for fixing the cutter unit 14 to the printer P passes. The reference hole 28 has a circular shape on the left side and an oval shape on the right side. The distance between the two straight portions of the oval reference hole 28 is equal to the diameter of the circular reference hole 28. Note that the right and left sides of the reference hole 28 may be circular.

  In addition, the spring frame 30 formed by cutting and bending a part of the cutter frame 20 downward is formed on the cutter frame 20. A columnar protrusion 31 is provided near the lower end of the spring holder 30. One end of a spiral spring 32 having an inner diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the protrusion 31 is fitted into the protrusion 31. The spring 32 in the present embodiment corresponds to an example of an urging member of the present invention. Hereinafter, one end of the spring 32 is referred to as a fixed end 321 and the other end is referred to as a free end 322. The fixed end 321 of the spring 32 is fixed and positioned to the cutter frame 20 by being fitted into the protrusion 31. That is, the protrusion 31 functions as a positioning portion for the fixed end 321 of the spring 32. It should be noted that only one spring 32 may be provided, or three or more springs 32 may be provided. Corresponding to the number of the springs 32, the protrusion 31 may have only one or three or more. In the spring holder 30, a slit may be provided in the spring holder 30 instead of the columnar protrusion, and the spring 32 may be held by the slit.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the printer P with the housing 1 and the cutter unit 14 removed as viewed from the upper right. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the printer P with the casing 1 and the cutter unit 14 removed as seen from the front upper side as in FIG. As will be described later, a flat cable 48 exists between the print head 44 and the control board 41, but the flat cable 48 is omitted in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a metal lower frame 40 is provided in the lower part of the printer P. A control board 41 for controlling the operation of the printer P is fixed inside the lower frame 40. A pair of left and right metal upper frames 42 are fixed to the upper surface of the lower frame 40. The upper frame 42 in the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the frame of the present invention. A paper guide 43 is fixed to the upper frame 42 between the left and right upper frames 42 and behind the printer P (left side in FIG. 4).

  An L-shaped head holding hole 45 for mounting the print head 44 is formed in the upper frame 42. The print head 44 is formed in a plate shape, and is placed on the lower surface of the head holding hole 45 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, whereby the print head 44 is held by the upper frame 42. Heat generating elements are arranged on the rear surface of the print head 44. The paper drawn from the paper storage unit 15 is guided by the paper guide 43 and guided between the print head 44 and the platen 17. The print head 44 sandwiches the sheet with the platen 17 and selectively heats the sheet with a heating element to perform desired printing.

  Two spring receivers 46 (see FIG. 5) into which the springs 32 provided on the cutter frame 20 shown in FIG. 3 are inserted are provided on the front surface of the print head 44. The spring receiver 46 has a cylindrical shape protruding forward, and the diameter of the spring receiver 46 is smaller than the inner diameter of the spring 32. In this embodiment, the tip of the spring receiver 46 is a flat surface, but it may be conical or hemispherical. The free end 322 of the spring 32 is positioned by the free end 322 of the spring 32 shown in FIG. That is, the spring receiver 46 acts as a positioning portion for the spring 32. The number of the spring receivers 46 is not limited to two, and one or three or more spring receivers 46 may be provided corresponding to the number of the springs 32.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a head connector 47 is attached to the front surface of the print head 44. The other end of the flat cable 48 having one end attached to the control board 41 is detachably inserted into the head connector 47. The flat cable 48 is bent at a bent portion 480, and a folded portion 481 is formed by folding the flat cable 48 by this bending. Hereinafter, the head connector 47 side portion from the bent portion 480 of the flat cable 48 is referred to as a print head side portion 483, and the control board 41 side portion from the bent portion 480 is referred to as a control board side portion 484. The folding direction in the folding portion 481 is a direction in which the print head side portion 483 of the flat cable 48 is folded over the upper surface of the control board side portion 484 of the flat cable 48. Since the print head side portion 483 is folded from the upper side, which is the removal direction when the print head 44 is removed from the upper frame 42, the flat cable 48 can be folded when the print head 44 is lifted in the removal direction. The overlapping parts are separated from each other. Thereby, the distance which can be lifted in the removal direction of the print head 44 into which the flat cable 48 is inserted can be made longer than in the case where the folding direction is reversed.

  A motor 60 and a transmission gear train 61 that transmits the driving force from the motor 60 to the cutter unit 14 shown in FIG. 3 and the platen 17 shown in FIG. 2 are attached to the upper frame 42 on the left side (upper side in FIG. 4). ing. As one of the gears of the transmission gear train 61, a transmission gear 611 that meshes with the cutter gear 24 shown in FIG. 3 is provided.

  Near the center of the upper frame 42 in the front-rear direction, a placement piece 62 on which the rear set piece 26 shown in FIG. 3 is placed is provided. The mounting piece 62 is formed by bending the upper end portion of the upper frame 42 outward. Further, the mounting piece 62 is provided with a pilot hole 63 for fixing the cutter unit 14 with the screw 13 and a columnar protruding portion 64 protruding upward. The protruding portion 64 in the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the first fixing portion of the present invention. The diameter of the protrusion 64 is only slightly smaller than the diameter of the reference hole 28 provided in the rear set piece 26. The upper surface of the protrusion 64 and the upper surface of the mounting piece 62 act as a rear guide surface 65 that guides the rear set piece 26 when the cutter unit 14 is attached to the upper frame 42.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a concave placement groove 66 on which the front set piece 27 of the cutter unit 14 shown in FIG. 3 is placed is provided in front of the placement piece 62 of the upper frame 42. The length of the mounting groove 66 in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the front set piece 27 in the front-rear direction. A notch groove 67 extending rearward into which the front set piece 27 is inserted is formed behind the mounting groove 66. The notch groove 67 in the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the second fixing portion of the present invention. Moreover, what combined the protrusion part 64 and the notch groove 67 in this Embodiment corresponds to an example of the fixing | fixed part of this invention. The bottom edge of the notch groove 67 is continuous with the bottom edge of the mounting groove 66. Further, the gap in the height direction of the notch groove 67 is only slightly wider than the thickness of the front set piece 27. The bottom edge of the notch groove 67 and the bottom edge of the mounting groove 66 act as a front guide surface 68 that guides the front set piece 27 when the cutter unit 14 is attached to the upper frame 42. A combination of the rear guide surface 65 and the front guide surface 68 in the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the guide portion of the present invention.

  The cutter unit 14 is screwed to the upper frame 42 with screws 13 in a state where the projecting portion 64 is fitted into the reference hole 28 and the front set piece 27 is inserted into the notch groove 67 (see FIG. 8A). .

  FIG. 6 is a front view of the printer P schematically showing the cutter unit 14, the lower frame 40, the control board 41, the upper frame 42, and the print head 44.

  A plurality of capacitors 80, a gate array 81, a CPU 82, and the like are mounted on the lower surface of the control board 41. A connection connector 83 to which the cable 25 is connected is mounted on the upper surface of the control board 41. That is, the connection connector 83 is provided on the upper surface of the control board 41 on the cutter unit 14 side when viewed from the control board 41. With this configuration, the cutter unit 14 and the cable 25 can be attached and detached from the same direction (upper side). As a result, the cutter unit 14 can be easily attached to and detached from the printer P, and assemblability and maintainability can be improved. It is also possible to provide the connection connector 83 on the lower surface of the control board 41, which is the surface opposite to the direction in which the cutter unit 14 is arranged. In this case, by using a cable connector provided separately from the connection connector 83, the auxiliary cable connected to the connection connector 83 is drawn upward to be connected to the cable connector, and the cable connector and the cable 25 are connected. The cutter unit 14 can be easily removed from P. Further, by disposing a relatively high component such as the capacitor 80 on the lower surface of the control board 41, the position of the control board 41 is kept away from the installation surface (lowermost surface) of the printer P. With this configuration, even if water, dust, or the like enters the lower side of the printer P without increasing the height of the printer P, it is possible to avoid a problem that these contact with the control board 41 and cause a short circuit. .

  An insertion connector 84 is also provided on the lower surface of the control board 41. The insertion connector 84 has an insertion port that opens downward. The end of the flat cable 48 is inserted into the insertion port of the insertion connector 84. By inserting the end portion of the flat cable 48 from below the control board 41, a drooping portion 482 of the flat cable 48 extending from below to above is created below the control board 41. With this configuration, water drops fall on the flat cable 48, and even if the water drops flow along the surface of the flat cable 48, they drop down on the drooping portion 482. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the problem that the water droplet reaches the control board 41 and short-circuits. The drooping portion 482 can be expected to have the same effect even if it is created above the control board 41 or directly beside the control board 41 as long as the drooping part 482 is located away from the projection region in the direction opposite to the gravity direction of the control board 41. .

  Next, the operation when assembling the printer P of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the printer P in a state where the cutter unit 14 is arranged at the initial arrangement position before being fixed to the upper frame 42 as viewed from the upper right. FIG. 7B is a schematic view of the positional relationship among the protrusion 31, the spring 32, and the spring receiver 46 as viewed from the right side in a state where the cutter unit 14 is arranged at the initial arrangement position.

  The upper frame 42 has an initial arrangement position where the cutter unit 14 is placed and a fixing position where the cutter unit 14 is fixed. In the present embodiment, the initial arrangement position is located in front of the fixed position. When placing the cutter unit 14 at the initial arrangement position of the upper frame 42, the operator performs work while viewing the printer P from the operator side, which is the direction in which the cutter unit 14 is removed from the printer P. That is, the operation is performed by looking at the printer P from above, located on the front side of the printer P (on the right side of the printer P in FIG. 7A). Since the operator's viewpoint is above the front of the printer P, the operator can work while looking at the mounting piece 62 and the mounting groove 66 of the upper frame 42. Also, when moving the cutter unit 14 from the initial arrangement position to the fixed position, the operator can work while looking at the rear set piece 26 and the front set piece 27.

  Prior to the initial placement of the cutter unit 14 at the initial placement position of the upper frame 42, the operator inserts the print head 44 into the head holding hole 45 from above, and then slides the print head 44 rearward to place the head holding hole. It hits behind 45. Next, the front set piece 27 of the cutter unit 14 is placed on the bottom edge of the placement groove 66 with the placement piece 62 and the placement groove 66 of the upper frame 42 as marks, and the rear set piece 26 is placed on the placement piece 62. Put it on. As a result, the cutter unit 14 is in the state shown in FIG. 7A in which the cutter unit 14 is arranged at the initial arrangement position of the upper frame 42. The direction in which the front set piece 27 and the rear set piece 26 are placed on the bottom edge of the placement groove 66 and the placement piece 62 in the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the initial arrangement direction of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the free end 322 of the spring 32 is arranged at a position facing the spring receiver 46 in the state of being arranged at the initial arrangement position. This opposing position refers to a position where the free end 322 of the spring 32 is inserted into the spring receiver 46 when the cutter unit 14 is moved to a fixed position. Specifically, this is a position where the tip of the spring receiver 46 is completely inside the free end 322 of the spring 32 when the cutter unit 14 is moved from the initial arrangement position to the fixed position. However, even if the tip of the spring receiver 46 does not completely fit inside the free end 322, when the spring 32 is compressed by the movement toward the fixed position of the cutter unit 14, the free end 322 is compressed by the compression force. If it is a position shifted in the radial direction and inserted into the spring receiver 46, it can be said to be a facing position.

  Next, the operator moves the cutter unit 14 by pushing it backward. By the movement, the rear set piece 26 of the cutter unit 14 moves along a rear guide surface 65 constituted by the upper surface of the projecting portion 64 and the upper surface of the mounting piece 62. The moving direction of the rear set piece 26 in the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the guiding direction of the present invention, and the direction opposite to the guiding direction corresponds to an example of the counter-guiding direction. The front set piece 27 also moves along the front guide surface 68. The direction in which the cutter unit 14 moves along the rear guide surface 65 and the front guide surface 68 is substantially the same as the longitudinal direction of the spring 32. When the cutter unit 14 moves, the front set piece 27 is inserted into a notch groove 67 provided in the upper frame 42. Then, the cutter unit 14 is disposed at a fixed position of the upper frame 42 by moving to a predetermined position.

  FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the printer P in a state in which the cutter unit 14 is disposed at a fixed position of the upper frame 42 and is screwed to the upper frame 42 with screws 13 as viewed from the upper right. FIG. 8B is a schematic view of the positional relationship among the protrusion 31, the spring 32, and the spring receiver 46 when the cutter unit 14 is disposed at the fixed position, as viewed from the right side.

  When the cutter unit 14 moves to the fixed position, the columnar protrusion 64 provided on the placing piece 62 enters the reference hole 28 provided on the rear set piece 26. That is, the protrusion 64 automatically enters the reference hole 28 due to the weight of the cutter unit 14, and the cutter unit 14 is moved to the rear guide surface 65 (more precisely, the plane shifted from the rear guide surface 65 by the height of the protrusion 64. The movement is restricted at a predetermined position.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the front set piece 27 of the cutter unit 14 is inserted into the notch groove 67 at this fixed position. Since the front set piece 27 is inserted into the notch groove 67, the cutter unit 14 is restricted from moving in the direction in which the cutter unit 14 is removed, which is opposite to the direction in which the front set piece 27 is placed on the notch groove 67. ing. That is, the movement in the direction opposite to the direction in which the cutter unit 14 is initially arranged at the initial arrangement position is restricted by the upper surface of the notch groove 67.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the cutter unit 14 moves to the fixed position, the free end 322 of the spring 32 is inserted into the spring receiver 46 that was opposed to the initial arrangement position, and further compressed by a predetermined amount. It will be in the state. In this fixed position, the spring 32 urges the print head 44 with a predetermined urging force toward the rear where the platen 17 is disposed. Further, both ends of the spring 32 are positioned by the spring receiver 46 and the protrusion 31.

  FIG. 9 is a side view showing the meshing relationship between the cutter gear 24 and the transmission gear 611 in a state in which the cutter unit 14 is arranged at the initial arrangement position. FIG. 9 is a side view of the printer P with the housing 1 removed as viewed from the left side.

  In a state where the cutter unit 14 is arranged at the initial arrangement position, the tooth tip of the cutter gear 24 is separated from the tooth tip of the transmission gear 611. The moving direction when the cutter unit 14 is pushed rearward is a direction substantially coincident with a common tangent line connecting the cutting edge circle of the cutter gear 24 and the cutting edge circle of the transmission gear 611.

  FIG. 10 is a side view showing the meshing relationship between the cutter gear 24 and the transmission gear 611 in a state where the cutter unit 14 is disposed at the fixed position. FIG. 10 is also a side view of the printer P with the housing 1 removed as seen from the left side, as in FIG.

  When the cutter unit 14 is fixed at the fixed position, the cutter gear 24 and the transmission gear 611 are engaged with each other so that the driving force can be transmitted. When one of the two gears moves and meshes in the direction toward the center point of the other gear, there is a problem that the tooth tips may collide with each other due to the positional relationship of the cutting edges, and the meshing of the gears is hindered. Arise. In order to avoid this problem, the operator has to adjust the cutting edge position by rotating the gear, and the operation becomes complicated. On the other hand, when the cutter unit 14 is moved from the initial arrangement position to the fixed position, the cutter gear 24 is moved in a direction close to the common tangential direction, so that contact between the cutting edges does not occur. Therefore, the operator can smoothly mesh the gear without rotating the gear and adjusting the blade edge position. This improves workability.

  According to the configuration of the present embodiment, since the cutter unit 14 has the function of a holder for holding the spring 32, there is no need to provide a dedicated holder, thereby reducing the number of parts and the number of assembly steps and maintenance steps. be able to. Further, it is possible to facilitate the attaching operation of the spring, which becomes a problem when the cutter unit 14 holds the spring 32. In other words, the rear surface of the plate-like print head 44 is disposed facing the sheet conveyance path, and the spring receiver 46 is provided on the front surface thereof. The cutter unit 14 covers the front side where the worker is present from the paper transport path. While the cutter unit 14 reaches from the initial arrangement position to the rear fixed position, it is difficult for the operator to see the position of the free end 322 of the spring by being blocked by the cutter unit 14. In the present embodiment, the operator simply places the cutter unit 14 at the initial arrangement position, pushes it back, and aligns the positions of the protrusion 64 and the reference hole 28, so that the cutter unit 14 is fixed at the fixed position. In addition, the free end 322 of the spring 32 holding the fixed end 321 in the cutter unit 14 is also automatically inserted into the spring receiver 46 of the print head 44. Thereby, the operator can perform the attachment work without being aware of the position of the free end 322 of the spring 32. Therefore, workability in assembly work and maintenance work is greatly improved.

  In the configuration of the present embodiment, in the state where the cutter unit 14 is disposed at the fixed position, the cutter unit 14 is restricted from moving on the rear guide surface 65 by the protrusion 64 being inserted into the reference hole 28. ing. Furthermore, by inserting the front set piece 27 into the notch groove 67, movement in the direction opposite to the direction in which the cutter unit 14 is arranged at the initial arrangement position, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the front guide surface 68 is also restricted. Yes. By restricting the movement in each direction, the operator can release the hand from the cutter unit 14 and perform screwing with the screw 13 as the next operation. Therefore, workability in assembly work and maintenance work is improved. It is also conceivable to maintain the printer P being used with the printer P mounted on a wall or the like with the back side down. Also in this case, since the movement in each direction is restricted after being arranged at the fixed position, the workability at the time of maintenance can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the cutter unit 14 having the configuration of the present embodiment incorporates the movable blade 22 and the transmission mechanism 23, the outer dimensions must be increased. In addition, a relatively large case 21 is provided to cover the movable blade 22 and the transmission mechanism 23 so that the operator's hand does not touch them. For this reason, when the cutter unit 14 is attached, the free end 322 of the spring 32 and the spring receiver 46 are almost invisible due to being blocked by the cutter unit 14. In the present embodiment, the free end 322 of the spring 32 is automatically inserted into the spring receiver 46 only by moving the cutter unit 14 to the fixed position without looking at the free end 322 of the spring 32 and the spring receiver 46. Therefore, workability in assembly work and maintenance work is improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope described in the claims. For example, in the present embodiment, the spring 32 is held on the protrusion 31 of the cutter unit 14 and inserted into the spring receiver 46 of the print head 44, but conversely, the spring 32 is attached to the spring receiver 46 of the print head 44. The projection 31 of the cutter unit 14 may be inserted and held. Moreover, although the example which provides both the mounting piece 62 and the mounting groove 66 in the upper frame 42 was given, it is good also as only the mounting piece 62 or only the mounting groove 66. Moreover, although the example which provides the rear side set piece 26 and the front side set piece 27 in the cutter unit 14 was given, it is good also as only the back side set piece 26 or only the front side set piece 27. Further, the example in which the projection 31 is provided as the positioning portion of the spring 32 in the cutter unit 14 has been described, but a configuration in which a positioning portion is provided in a scanner, a hand-cut cutter, a paper sensor unit, or the like instead of the cutter unit 14 may be employed. Further, although the example in which the cutter unit 14 is arranged on the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction of the print head 44 has been described, it may be arranged on the upstream side in the paper conveyance direction. Further, the present invention may be applied to a printer P other than a thermal method such as a dot impact method or an ink jet method. Further, plain paper or a resin film may be employed as the recording medium, and a leaf spring may be employed as the biasing member. These changes can be combined as appropriate.

  Finally, I will add what I have explained so far.

(Appendix 1)
A cutting unit that is detachably attached to the frame and cuts the paper printed by the print head;
A control board disposed below the cutting unit and controlling the operation of the cutting unit;
In a printer provided with a cable connecting the cutting unit and the control board,
The control board has a connection connector to which the cable is connected disposed on the upper surface, and a mounting component mounted on the lower surface.

(Appendix 2)
A print head detachably attached to the frame;
A control board for controlling the operation of the print head;
In a printer comprising a cable connecting the print head and the control board,
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the cable is provided with a drooping portion that extends from the bottom to the top at a position deviating from a projection area opposite to the direction of gravity of the control board.

(Appendix 3)
The printer according to appendix 2, wherein the cable is a flat cable.

(Appendix 4)
A print head removably held in a frame;
A control board for controlling the operation of the print head;
In a printer comprising a flat cable connecting the print head and the control board,
The flat cable has a folded portion formed by folding the print head side portion of the flat cable from the removal direction side when removing the print head to the control board side portion of the flat cable. Features printer.

14 Cutter unit 17 Platen 31 Projection 32 Spring 42 Upper frame 44 Print head 46 Spring receiver 62 Placement piece 64 Projection portion 65 Rear guide surface 66 Placement groove 67 Notch groove 68 Front guide surface P Printer

Claims (3)

A print head for printing on a recording medium conveyed between the platen and
Processing means for performing predetermined processing on the recording medium;
An urging member that is disposed between the processing means and the print head and urges the print head toward the platen;
A fixed position where the processing means is fixed, and a frame provided with an initial arrangement position where the processing means is initially arranged before fixing the processing means at the fixed position;
The processing means has a positioning portion on one end side for positioning the position of the one end corresponding to one end of the biasing member,
The print head has a positioning portion on the other end side for positioning the position of the other end corresponding to the other end of the biasing member,
The frame includes a guide unit that guides the processing unit initially arranged at the initial arrangement position to the fixed position, and a fixing unit that fixes the processing unit to the fixed position.
In the state in which the processing means is initially arranged at the initial arrangement position, the biasing member is positioned at one end of the other end and the other end by a positioning unit corresponding to the one end. In the state where the position of the other end with respect to the one end is disposed at a position facing the positioning portion corresponding to the other end and the processing means is moved to the fixed position, The position of the other end is positioned by the positioning portion corresponding to the one end, and the position of the other end is positioned by the positioning portion corresponding to the other end. Printer.   The fixing unit includes a first fixing unit that restricts movement of the processing unit in the guide direction and the counter-guiding direction by the guide unit, and a direction of the processing unit in which the processing unit is initially arranged at the initial arrangement position. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a second fixing portion that restricts movement in a direction opposite to the first direction.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is a recording medium cutting unit including a movable blade and a transmission mechanism that transmits a driving force to the movable blade.