JP2013049174A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely miniaturize the whole housing by keeping a horizontal direction dimension and a vertical direction dimension of the housing to an irreducible minimum.SOLUTION: A printer 1 includes: a battery storage section 163 provided in a lower portion of a first area P located on one side of a longitudinal direction of the housing 100; a control substrate 170 arranged in a substantially horizontal direction in an upper portion of the first area P of the housing 100; a roll storage section 161 provided in a second area Q located on a rear side of the longitudinal direction of the housing 100 to store roll paper S; and a mechanical unit MU which is provided at a boundary portion of the first area P and the second area Q of the housing 100 so that the first area P and the second area Q are divided to perform desired printing on the roll paper S supplied from the roll storage section 161 by power of the battery stored in the battery storage section 163 based on the control of the control substrate 170.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that performs desired printing on a printing medium.

  A battery-driven printing apparatus that performs a printing operation using an electromotive force of a battery is already known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This printing apparatus includes a medium storage chamber (paper feed cassette) for storing a sheet-like print medium in a flat state in a housing (main body cover), a print processing mechanism including a platen roller and a thermal head. And a control board. A battery housing (battery) is detachably provided at the rear of the housing. The print processing mechanism performs desired printing on the print medium based on the control executed by the control board while using the power supplied from the battery stored in the battery storage unit.

JP 2004-82432 A

  In the printing apparatus as described above, for example, a roll-shaped print medium may be used. When such a roll-shaped print medium is stored with its axial direction being horizontal, the medium storage chamber has a relatively large vertical dimension. On the other hand, the control board is generally extended in the horizontal direction as in the above prior art for the convenience of handling and assembling. As a result, the control board has a small vertical dimension but a relatively large horizontal dimension. In addition, the battery is often stored horizontally from the viewpoint of stability and center of gravity arrangement. In this case, the vertical dimension of the battery storage part is small and the horizontal dimension is relatively large, as in the prior art.

  By taking into account the dimensional characteristics of the roll-shaped print medium, control board, and battery compartment as described above, the horizontal dimensions and vertical dimensions of the chassis are devised. There is a possibility that size reduction can be achieved by suppressing the increase in size. However, the above prior art has not taken such points into consideration.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus capable of miniaturizing the entire casing while keeping the horizontal dimension and vertical dimension of the casing to the minimum necessary.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides a substantially box-shaped housing that constitutes the outer shell of the device, and a first region located on one side along a first direction included in the horizontal direction of the housing. A battery housing part for housing a battery for supplying power, a control board disposed substantially horizontally above the first region of the housing, and the first of the housings. Provided in a second region located on the other side along the direction, and a medium storage chamber for storing a print-receiving medium; and the first region at the boundary between the first region and the second region of the housing Based on the control of the control board, a desired medium is supplied to the print medium supplied from the medium storage chamber by the power of the battery stored in the battery storage unit. And a print processing mechanism for performing printing.

  The printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a medium storage chamber that stores a medium to be printed, a print processing mechanism, a battery storage unit, and a control board. The print processing mechanism performs desired printing on the print medium based on the control executed by the control board while using the power supplied from the battery stored in the battery storage unit.

  At this time, in the printing apparatus of the present invention, the casing is divided into a first region on one side in the horizontal direction (specifically, the first direction) and a second region on the other side in the horizontal direction (specifically, the first direction). The battery storage unit and the control board are arranged vertically in the first area, and the medium storage chamber is arranged in the second area. By providing the medium storage chamber alone in the second region, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the casing in the vertical direction as compared with the case where the control substrate and the battery storage unit are provided above and below the medium storage chamber. Also, by arranging the battery storage unit and the control board in the first region on the opposite side so as to be stacked one above the other, it is possible to suppress an increase in the horizontal dimension of the casing as compared with the case where they are arranged in the horizontal direction. can do.

  As described above, in the present invention, the control board having a large horizontal dimension and the battery storage unit are arranged in the first area in the vertical direction, and the medium storage room having a large vertical dimension is provided alone in the second area. By disposing, the horizontal dimension and vertical dimension of the casing can be kept to the minimum necessary, and the entire casing can be reliably reduced in size.

  According to the present invention, the horizontal dimension and vertical dimension of the casing can be kept to the minimum necessary, and the entire casing can be reliably reduced in size.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an external configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the state which removed the top cover of the printer from the front side diagonally upward direction (in the state where a control board was omitted). It is sectional drawing by the FF cross section in FIG. 1, and sectional drawing by the GG cross section. It is a perspective view showing the detailed structure of a mechanical unit. It is the perspective view and top view which looked at the state which removed only the fixed part among the top covers of a housing | casing (however, a control board is abbreviated) seen from the front side diagonally upward direction. It is the perspective view (however, a control board is abbreviate | omitted) and the top view which looked at the state which removed the whole top cover of the housing | casing from the front side diagonally upward direction. It is the perspective view seen from the back side diagonal upper direction showing the state which removed the whole top cover of the housing | casing (however, a control board is abbreviated). It is the perspective view and top view which looked at the state which removed the whole top cover and mechanical unit of a housing | casing (however, a control board is abbreviate | omitted) from the diagonally upward direction of the front side. It is the perspective view and top view which looked at the state which removed the whole top cover, the mechanical unit, and the control board of the housing | casing from the diagonally upward direction of the front side. It is the perspective view and top view which looked at the state which removed the fixing | fixed part of the top cover of a housing | casing, and the mechanical unit from the diagonally upward direction of the front side.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Schematic configuration of printer>
The overall configuration of a printer (printing apparatus) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the lower right direction in FIG. 1 is defined as right, the upper left direction is left, the upper right direction is rearward, the lower left direction is front, the upper direction is upper, and the lower direction is lower (in each figure). (See arrow illustration). In this example, the front-rear direction in the above definition corresponds to the first direction described in each claim, and the left-right direction corresponds to the second direction described in each claim.

  The printer 1 prints print data received from an external device (not shown) such as a PC terminal or a mobile phone on a roll paper S (print medium). The printer 1 can be driven by using a battery (not shown; details will be described later) as a power source.

  The printer 1 includes a substantially box-shaped casing 100 that is made of, for example, a resin material and that forms an outer shell of the apparatus. The housing 100 includes a top cover 101 that constitutes the upper part of the apparatus outer shell and an under cover 102 that constitutes the lower part of the apparatus outer shell. The top cover 101 includes a fixed portion 101A and an opening / closing lid 101B.

  The end portion of the under cover 102 is provided with a pair of left and right insertion portions 102a. For example, a strap or the like is inserted into the insertion portion 102a, and the operator can place the battery-powered printer 1 in various places (including outdoors) as described above by hanging it over the shoulder, neck, or waist belt. It can be easily carried and used.

  A roll storage portion 161 (medium storage chamber) is provided below the opening / closing lid 101B of the top cover 101 (inside the housing 100) (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The roll storage unit 161 stores the roll paper S that is pivotally supported at both ends by the support member 162 so that the roll paper S can be continuously supplied from the roll storage unit 161. It has become. At this time, the opening / closing lid 101B is rotatably connected to the rear end portion of the under cover 102 via the hinge portion H, thereby opening the roll storage portion 161 to the outside, and the roll storage portion 161. It can be switched to the closed state to be accommodated inside. By opening the opening / closing lid 101B, the roll storage unit 161 can be exposed to the outside of the apparatus, and the roll paper S can be easily mounted or replaced.

  A discharge port 107 for discharging the printed roll paper S is provided at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the top cover 101 (in this example, a portion where the fixed portion 101A and the opening / closing lid 101B are attached). At this time, the discharge port 107 is provided so as to open toward one side along the vertical direction (in this example, upward).

  A platen roller 111 (conveyance roller) is rotatably supported at the front end of the opening / closing lid 101B. The platen roller 111 conveys the roll paper S by the rotation of a rotor (not shown) in the motor casing 21 being transmitted when the open / close lid 101B is in the closed state.

<Mechanical unit and surroundings>
On the other hand, a mechanical unit MU (print processing mechanism) including a main chassis member 150 is provided in the vicinity of the central portion in the front-rear direction inside the housing 100. The detailed structure of the mechanical unit MU is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3, in the mechanical unit MU, the head unit HU is disposed inside the main chassis member 150 so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction. The head unit HU is provided with an integrated thermal line head 112 (printing head) and a heat sink 114 for cooling the heat generated by the thermal line head 112. The heat sink 114 is urged toward the platen roller 111 (that is, the rear side) by a plurality of (two in this example) coil springs 115 whose front side ends are supported by the main chassis member 150. Thus, when the open / close lid 101B is in the closed state, the thermal line head 112 contacts the platen roller 111 with a predetermined pressure contact force.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the mechanical unit MU includes a substantially cylindrical motor casing 21 that is an outer shell of the drive motor that generates a driving force for rotationally driving the platen roller 111 on the left side of the main chassis member 150. And a gear mechanism 132 that transmits the driving force of the motor to the platen roller 111 by being operatively connected to the platen roller 111 in a closed state of the opening / closing lid 101B. The motor casing 21 is provided below the discharge port 107 inside the housing 100 (see FIG. 3B described above). The drive of the drive motor is controlled by a control board 170 (see FIG. 3) arranged from the lower side of the mechanical unit MU to the rear of the housing 100. In this example, the control board 170 is extended in the horizontal direction in order to facilitate handling and assembling.

  Below the control board 170 in the housing 100, there is provided a battery storage portion 163 (see FIG. 3) in which the battery is inserted from the lower surface side of the under cover 102. In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted in the battery accommodating part 163, the said battery is accommodated horizontally from a viewpoint of stability or a gravity center arrangement | positioning. The control board 170 controls the thermal line head 112, the drive motor, and the like while using power supplied from the battery stored in the battery storage unit 163.

<Overview of printer operation>
In the above configuration, at the time of printing, print data is transmitted from an external device such as a PC terminal or a mobile phone to the printer 1 via wireless communication (or wired communication or infrared communication). Further, the roll paper S is fed out from the roll storage portion 161 by the rotation of the platen roller 111 based on the driving force of the motor. The fed roll paper S is guided to a pressure contact portion between the platen roller 111 and the thermal line head 112 by a guide member 120 provided below the discharge port 107. The thermal line head 112 performs printing in a desired mode on the roll paper S inserted between the thermal line head 112 and the platen roller 111 based on the print data. The printed roll paper S is discharged from the discharge port 107 to the outside of the housing 100. At this time, fixed teeth 160 are attached to the main chassis member 150 along the discharge port 107 inside the discharge port 107. The operator can manually cut the end portion of the roll paper S that has been printed as described above and discharged from the discharge port 107 using the fixed teeth 160.

  When a paper jam or the like occurs, the platen roller 111 is released from the thermal line head 112 by opening the opening / closing lid 101B of the top cover 101, and the roll paper S can be easily pulled out. .

<Features of this embodiment>
In the above configuration, the feature of the present embodiment is the arrangement of the control board 170, the battery storage unit 163, and the roll storage unit 161 described above in the housing 100. Hereinafter, the details will be described in order with reference to FIGS.

  As described above, in the printer 1 of this embodiment, the roll storage unit 161, the mechanical unit MU including the thermal line head 112, the drive motor, the main chassis member 150, the battery storage unit 163, the control board 170, and the like. Is provided in the housing 100.

  At this time, when the roll paper S is stored in the roll storage unit 161 with its axial direction being horizontal as in the present embodiment, the vertical dimension of the roll storage unit 161 is relatively large (see FIGS. 2 and 3). . When the control board 170 is extended substantially horizontally as in the present embodiment, the vertical dimension of the control board 170 is small, but the horizontal dimension is relatively large. Furthermore, when the battery is stored horizontally as in this embodiment, the vertical dimension of the battery storage unit 163 is small and the horizontal dimension is relatively large (see FIG. 3).

  Therefore, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the interior of the housing 100 is divided into a first region P on one side in the front-rear direction (the front side in this example) and the other side in the front-rear direction (this In the example, it is divided into the second region Q on the rear side. A battery housing 163 is provided below the first region P, and a control board 170 is provided above the first region P. That is, the battery housing part 163 (see FIG. 3A) and the control board 170, both of which have large horizontal dimensions, are arranged in the first region P vertically. In the second region Q, a roll storage unit 161 having a large vertical dimension is arranged. The mechanical unit MU is disposed in the vicinity of the boundary between the first region P in which the battery storage unit 163 and the control board 170 are disposed and the second region Q in which the roll storage unit 161 is disposed.

  As described above, by providing the roll storage unit 161 alone in the second region Q, the vertical dimension of the casing 100 is larger than when the control substrate 170 and the battery storage unit 163 are provided above and below the roll storage unit 161. Increase in size is suppressed. In addition, by arranging the battery storage unit 163 and the control board 170 in the first region P on the opposite side so as to be stacked one above the other, the horizontal dimension of the housing 100 can be reduced as compared with the case where they are arranged in the horizontal direction. Increase in size is suppressed.

<Partition wall>
As described above, the mechanical unit MU is disposed in the vicinity of the boundary between the first region P and the second region Q. As a major feature of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. Is provided with a partition wall R. Details of the partition wall R will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the present embodiment, the casing 100 is provided with an opening / closing lid 101B. Thereby, as described above, the operator opens the opening / closing lid 101B and exposes the roll storage unit 161 to the outside, so that the roll paper S can be mounted on the roll storage unit 161 or replaced with a new roll paper S. Can be easily performed. At this time, since the second region Q inside the housing 100 can be opened to the outside by the opening / closing lid 101B, it is necessary to consider the waterproofness of the control board 170 arranged in the first region P.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the internal structure of the housing 100 is arranged at the boundary between the first region P and the second region Q, and the first region P, the second region Q, and the like. The partition wall R for partitioning is erected from the inner bottom portion of the under cover 102. A mechanical unit MU is provided so as to cover the upper part of the partition wall R. Thereby, between the 2nd area | region Q which can be opened outside as mentioned above, and the 1st area | region P with the control board 170 can be sealed by the partition wall R and the mechanical unit MU.

<Projection shape of control board>
In the present embodiment, the control board 170 includes a protruding board part 170a that protrudes so as to enter below the main chassis member 150, as shown in FIGS. Correspondingly, the first region P inside the housing 100 includes a first base region portion P1 that is a normal portion, and a first protruding region portion that protrudes from the first base region portion P1 to the roll storage portion 161 side. P2 and the protruding substrate portion 170a is disposed in the first protruding region portion P2.

  At this time, the discharge port 170 is located above the protruding substrate portion 170a (see FIG. 10). Since the discharge port 107 opens in the housing 100 regardless of the open / close state of the open / close lid 101B, it is necessary to consider the waterproofness of the protruding substrate portion 170a against splashes that can enter from the discharge port 107. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the protruding substrate portion 170a is disposed so as to enter below the main chassis member 150. In other words, the main chassis member 150 is disposed so as to cover the protruding substrate portion 170a.

  On the other hand, the second region Q inside the housing 100 has a second projecting region Q2 adjacent to the first projecting region P2 in the left-right direction so as to correspond to the projecting shape of the first projecting region P2. I have. At this time, the second region Q includes a second base region portion Q1 disposed so as to be retracted closer to the roll storage portion 161 than the second projecting region portion Q2, and the second base region portion Q1 is the first base region portion Q1. The protruding region portion P2 is disposed so as to face the roll storage portion 161 side (in other words, the rear side). Note that the left and right end portions of the mechanical unit MU are inserted and disposed in the two left and right second projecting region portions Q2. That is, the motor casing 21 and the gear mechanism 132 (see FIG. 4), which are the left end portion of the mechanical unit MU, are inserted and disposed in the left second projecting region Q2. On the other hand, a release mechanism (detailed illustration is omitted), which is the right end portion of the mechanical unit MU, is inserted and disposed in the second protruding region Q2 on the right side.

<Specific configuration of partition wall>
In the present embodiment, the partition wall R corresponds to the boundary between the first projecting region portion P2 of the first region P and the second projecting region portion Q2 of the second region Q, and the first partition portion R1 and The second partition portion R2 and the third partition portion R3 are provided. The first partition R1 extends in the left-right direction so as to partition the first projecting region P2 and the second base region Q1, and is positioned at the projecting end of the projecting substrate 170a. It arrange | positions so that it may dive below. The second partition portion R2 is located in front of the first partition portion R1 (in other words, the battery side), and extends in the left-right direction so as to partition the second projecting region portion Q2 and the first base region portion P1. It is extended. The third partition portion R3 extends along the front-rear direction so as to connect the first partition portion R1 and the second partition portion R2 and partition the first projecting region portion P2 and the second projecting region portion Q2. Is done. As a result, the partition wall R including the first partition R1, the second partition R2, and the third partition R3 has a right angle in plan view as shown in FIGS. 8B and 9B. It has a substantially crank shape that bends.

  At this time, the thermal line head 112 of the mechanical unit MU and the platen roller 111 disposed to face the thermal line head 112 are disposed above the third partition portion R3 (see FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 7). ). The drive motor is disposed in the second projecting region Q2 on the left side of the second region Q below the end of one side in the left-right direction of the thermal line head 112 and the platen roller 111 (left side in this example). Yes. That is, while the thermal line head 112 and the platen roller 111 are provided above the partition wall R, the drive motor is not above the partition wall R but on the side of the second partition portion R2 and the third partition portion R3. It arrange | positions in the protrusion area | region part Q2.

  As described above, in the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the control board 170 and the battery storage unit 163 having a large horizontal dimension are stacked in the vertical direction in the first region P, and the roll is stored with a large vertical dimension. The part 161 is arranged alone in the second region Q. As a result, the horizontal dimension and vertical dimension of the casing 100 can be kept to the minimum necessary, and the entire casing 100 can be reliably downsized.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the space between the second region Q that can be opened to the outside and the first region P where the control board 170 is located can be sealed by the partition wall R and the mechanical unit MU. As a result, the waterproof property of the first region P where the control board 170 is disposed can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the portion of the second region Q that faces the first protruding region P2 of the first region P that protrudes rearward is the second base region Q1 that is retracted forward. . Thereby, the dimension in the front-back direction of the housing | casing 100 required when the 1st area | region P and the 2nd area | region Q are arranged side by side in the front-back direction can be reduced. Thereby, size reduction of the housing | casing 100 can be achieved more reliably.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the thermal line head 112 and the platen roller 111 are provided above the partition wall R, while the drive motor is not on the partition wall R but on the side of the partition wall R. It is arranged in Q2. Thereby, the sealing function between the first region P and the second region Q can be achieved by cooperation with the partition wall R while suppressing an increase in the vertical dimension of the housing 100 due to the installation of the mechanical unit MU. it can.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the protruding substrate portion 170 a is disposed so as to enter the lower part of the main chassis member 150. Thereby, the protrusion board | substrate part 170a can be reliably isolated from the splash which can penetrate | invade from the discharge port 107, and waterproofing can be improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and technical idea of the present invention.

  In addition to those already described above, the methods according to the above-described embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

  In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the present invention is implemented with various modifications within a range not departing from the gist thereof.

1 Printer (printing device)
100 Housing 101B Open / close lid 107 Discharge port 111 Platen roller (conveyance roller)
112 Thermal line head (printing head)
161 Roll storage unit (medium storage room)
170 Control board 170a Protruding board MU Mechanical unit (printing mechanism)
S Roll paper (medium for printing)
P 1st area P1 1st base area part P2 1st protrusion area part Q 2nd area Q1 2nd base area part Q2 2nd protrusion area part R partition wall R1 1st partition part R2 2nd partition part R3 3rd partition part

Claims (5)

A substantially box-shaped housing constituting the outer shell of the apparatus;
A battery storage section for storing a battery for supplying power, provided at a lower portion of a first region located on one side along a first direction included in the horizontal direction of the housing;
A control board disposed substantially horizontally above the first region of the housing;
A medium storage chamber that is provided in a second region located on the other side of the housing along the first direction and stores a print-receiving medium;
Provided at the boundary between the first region and the second region of the casing so as to partition the first region and the second region, and is stored in the battery storage unit based on the control of the control board. A print processing mechanism for performing desired printing on the print-receiving medium supplied from the medium storage chamber by the power of the battery,
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 1.
A partition wall for partitioning the internal structure of the housing into the first region and the second region;
The housing is
An open / close lid capable of exposing the medium storage chamber to the outside in an open state;
The print processing mechanism includes:
A printing apparatus provided to cover an upper portion of the partition wall. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
The first region is
A first base region,
A first projecting region provided to project from the first base region to the other side so as to enter the lower part of the print processing mechanism;
The second region is
A second base region portion;
At least one second projecting region portion disposed adjacent to the first projecting region portion along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and projecting toward the one side from the second base region portion. Including
The control board is
A projecting substrate portion disposed in the first projecting region portion of the first region so as to enter below the print processing mechanism;
The partition wall is
A first partition extending along the second direction so as to partition the first projecting region and the second base region;
A second partition that is located on the one side of the first partition and extends along the second direction so as to partition the second projecting region and the first base region;
The third partition is provided to connect the first partition and the second partition, and extends along the first direction so as to partition the first projecting region and the second projecting region. A partition,
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 3.
The print processing mechanism includes:
A print head for printing on the print medium;
A drive motor for driving a conveyance roller provided opposite to the print head across the conveyance path of the print medium;
With
The transport roller and the print head are:
Arranged to be located above the third partition of the partition wall;
The drive motor is
The printing apparatus, wherein the printing apparatus is disposed in the second projecting region portion of the second region below one end portion of the transport roller and the print head along the second direction. The printing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4,
The housing is
A printing apparatus comprising a discharge port for discharging the print medium on which printing has been formed by the print processing mechanism at a position above the protruding substrate portion of the control board.

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