JP2014114082A - Sheet width regulation guide - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet width regulation guide capable of suitably arranging respective widths even if sheet objects have different standard sizes.SOLUTION: A transport base 200 for a recording sheet 4 in a sheet width regulation guide 55 includes a first to-be-engaged part 201 corresponding to a millimeter size standard, and a second to-be-engaged part 202 corresponding to an inch size standard in parallel to each other. In a movable box 210 arranged movably to the transport base 200, there are provided with a first operation lever 230 and a second operation lever 250. The first operation lever 230 has a first engaging part 233 that can engage with and disengage from the second to-be-engaged part 202, and the second operation lever 250 has a second engaging part 253 that can engage with and disengage from the first to-be-engaged part 201. By giving an operation force to either the first operation lever 230 or the second operation lever 250 according to the standard size of the recording sheet 4, either the second to-be-engaged part 202 or the first to-be-engaged part 201 can be selected.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet width regulation guide that regulates and aligns end surfaces in the width direction of sheet-like objects such as paper and labels.

  Generally, when setting a sheet-like object such as a recording paper or a label as a recording medium in an image processing apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine, the sheet-like object is placed on the end face in the width direction by an aligning device such as a stacker. Regulate and align. By aligning the sheet-like object by the aligning device, the sheet-like object can be conveyed straight to the image processing apparatus, and the sheet-like object can be prevented from being conveyed obliquely to the image apparatus. In addition, meandering of the sheet-like material can be suppressed by providing a guide member that regulates the end face in the width direction of the sheet-like material in the path for conveying the sheet-like material.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sheet stacking unit, a regulating member that regulates an end of a sheet that is movable in the sheet width direction, and a fixing unit that changes a fixing state and a releasing state of the regulating member at a predetermined interval. In addition, a sheet stacking device including a concave and convex locked portion formed continuously is disclosed. The fixing means has a plurality of locking portions that can be locked independently of the locked portion in the moving direction of the regulating member. Thereby, since the positioning resolution of the restricting member can be finely set according to the number of the engaging portions, a gap is hardly generated between the sheet and the restricting member, and the sheet is reliably positioned.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-116069

  However, the concave and convex locked portions described in Patent Document 1 are configured with a pitch corresponding to one standard size of the sheet-like material.

However, a plurality of types of standard size sheets such as millimeter sizes and inch sizes are distributed in the market. When using an irregular size locked part designed based on millimeter size when using an inch size standard sheet-like material, it was assumed that it had multiple locking parts to set the resolution finely However, it cannot be used for a sheet-like material of inch size standard. That is, a gap is generated between the regulating member and the sheet-like object.
This means that a gap is generated between the regulating member and the sheet-shaped part with respect to a metric-size standard sheet-like object when a concave and convex-shaped locked part having a pitch designed based on the inch size is used. End up.
Thus, when a clearance gap exists between a control member and a sheet-like object, a sheet-like object will be conveyed diagonally. In such a case, printing and information reading by the image processing apparatus cannot be performed normally.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet width regulation guide capable of properly aligning sheets of different standard sizes and appropriately transporting a recording medium. To do.

  The sheet width regulation guide according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided on the conveyance table through which the sheet-like material passes and the conveyance table, and is arranged in the width direction on the sheet-like material at a pitch corresponding to each of a plurality of types of standard sizes. A plurality of parallel protrusions and recesses to be held in parallel, a plurality of operation levers having a locking part that can be engaged and disengaged for each of the plurality of protrusions and recesses in the protrusions and recesses, and the operation levers are operable And a movable portion having a guide surface that is attached to the conveyance table so as to be movable in the width direction of the sheet-like material and abuts on one side in the width direction of the sheet-like material, and attached to the conveyance table. A fixing portion having a guide surface that contacts the other side in the width direction of the sheet-like material.

In the sheet width regulating guide according to the second aspect of the present invention, the plurality of concave and convex locked portions includes a first locked portion having a pitch of millimeter size standard and a second pitch of an inch size standard. The to-be-latched part is provided.
The sheet width regulation guide according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a biasing unit that biases each of the plurality of operation levers in a direction in which the locking portion is locked to the corresponding uneven locking portion. .
The sheet width regulating guide according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is biased in a direction in which the locking portion of any one of the plurality of operation levers is locked to the concavo-convex locked portion. Therefore, the other operation lever is provided with a mechanism for canceling the urging force of the urging means.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the transport table is provided with a plurality of parallel concave and convex engaging portions extending in the width direction on the sheet-like material at a pitch corresponding to several standard sizes. Locking portions that respectively mesh with the plurality of concave and convex locked portions are provided on different operation levers. When a sheet of a specific standard size passes on the transport table, the movable part can be accurately moved to a position corresponding to the specific standard size by selecting an operation lever corresponding to the standard size. Therefore, the guide surface of the movable portion can be brought into contact with one side in the width direction of the sheet material having a specific standard size without any gap.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the plurality of rows of concave and convex locked portions includes a first locked portion having a pitch of millimeter size standard and a second locked surface having a pitch of inch size standard. And a stop. Thereby, it can be made to correspond to the sheet material of the standard size generally distribute | circulated in a market, and versatility can be improved.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the plurality of operation levers are urged by the urging means provided in each of the operation levers in the direction in which the locking portion is locked to the concave and convex locked portion. As a result, even when any one of the operation levers is in the operation state, the locking portions of the other operation levers can be locked to the corresponding concavo-convex locked portions. Therefore, when the movable part is aligned with the sheet-like object, the movable part can be moved in correspondence with the pitch of the concave and convex locked parts that mesh with the locking parts to which the urging force is applied.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in order to bias the locking portion of any one of the plurality of operation levers in a direction to lock the uneven locking portion, the other operation A mechanism for separating the locking portion of the lever from the uneven locked portion is provided. It is possible to easily select the uneven engagement portion having a pitch corresponding to the standard size of the sheet-like material used mainly.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the printer when the upper module is in a lowered position as viewed from the downstream side surface of the ink ribbon. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the upstream side of the ink ribbon when the upper module is in the lowered position. It is a perspective view of the upper module of the printer shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the lower module of the printer shown in FIG. 1A is a sectional view when the upper module is in the lowered position, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view when the upper module is in the raised position. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the vertical drive mechanism shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the upstream side of the ink ribbon when the upper module is in the raised position. It is a perspective view of a sheet width regulation guide. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematically what overlaps the tooth | gear part of an uneven | corrugated shaped latching | locking part corresponding to a different standard size. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the sheet width restriction guide shown in FIG. 8. It is a perspective view explaining operation of the sheet | seat width regulation guide shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view for explaining another operation of the sheet width restriction guide shown in FIG. 8. It is a perspective view of the sheet width regulation guide of another mode. It is explanatory drawing of the sheet | seat width control guide of another aspect. It is the figure which looked at the 1st operation part from A direction. It is the figure which looked at the 2nd operation part from the B direction. It is explanatory drawing of the mechanism which spaces apart the latching | locking part of an operation lever from a shape to-be-latched part. It is explanatory drawing of the mechanism which spaces apart the latching | locking part of an operation lever from a shape to-be-latched part.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention will be described by the following preferred embodiments, but can be modified in many ways without departing from the scope of the present invention, and other embodiments than the present embodiment are utilized. be able to. Accordingly, all modifications within the scope of the present invention are included in the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case where the sheet width restriction guide is applied to a printer will be described as an example.

  1 and 2 are perspective views of the printer apparatus. The printer 1 includes a head unit 2 as a printing unit, a ribbon mechanism 3 that supplies an ink ribbon 31 to the head unit 2, and a conveyance path 5 that conveys the recording paper 4 as a sheet-like material to the head unit 2. Yes. Furthermore, a control unit for a power supply unit and a general printing unit that do not appear in the drawing is provided. Examples of the recording paper 4 include paper, labels, films, rewritable cards, PET or PVC cards or sheets, and the like.

  The head unit 2 includes a thermal head (not shown). A platen roller 6 is disposed below the thermal head of the head unit 2. When the recording paper 4 is conveyed to the head unit 2, the ink ribbon 31 and the recording paper 4 are fed in a state of being overlapped between the thermal head and the platen roller 6. The ink ribbon 31 is positioned on the upper surface of the recording paper 4, and the print information is transferred to the recording paper 4 via the ink ribbon 31 by selectively generating heat from the heating element of the thermal head. The platen roller 6 presses the recording paper 4 printed by the head unit 2 from the lower side toward the thermal head. As a result, the recording paper 4 is pinched by the thermal head and the platen roller 6.

  The ribbon mechanism 3 includes a supply reel 32 around which the ink ribbon 31 is wound, and a take-up reel 33 that winds up the ink ribbon 31 that has passed through the head unit 2. The ink ribbon 31 supplied from the supply reel 32 passes through the ribbon supply path 34 and is taken up by the take-up reel 33 as shown in FIG.

  The ink ribbon 31 sequentially passes through an inlet 35 formed between the guide plate 20 and the guide shaft, between the feed roller 22 and the receiving roller 23, and between the thermal head of the head unit 2 and the platen roller 6. To do. The ink ribbon 31 that has passed through the head unit 2 is guided by the guide shaft 24 provided above the head unit 2, and is taken up by the take-up reel 33.

  The drive mechanism 5A of the transport path 5 includes a belt (not shown) along the transport direction of the recording paper 4, a platen roller 6, a paper discharge roller 51, a support roller 52, and the like. The recording paper 4 is sandwiched between the paper discharge roller 51 and the support roller 52. A supply roller 56 and a support roller (not shown) are disposed in the vicinity of the insertion port 54 into which the recording paper 4 is inserted, and the recording paper 4 is sandwiched between the supply roller 56 and the support roller. The recording paper 4 is conveyed by the driving of the belt and the rotation of the supply roller 56, the platen roller 6, the paper discharge roller 51, and the support roller 52. A horizontal conveyance portion 53 that conveys the recording paper 4 in a substantially horizontal direction is provided at a portion of the conveyance path 5 facing the thermal head of the head unit 2.

The conveyance direction of the recording paper 4 is from the right side to the left side a in FIG. The recording paper 4 inserted into the right insertion port 54 (see FIG. 2) is fed between the head unit 2 and the platen roller 6. When the recording paper 4 passes through the head unit 2, printing is performed with the ink of the ink ribbon 31. Thereafter, the paper passes between the paper discharge roller 51 and the support roller 52 and is discharged.
In the printer 1, the ink ribbon 31 and the recording paper 4 are overlapped with each other and pass through the head unit 2, and then separated from each other, and the recording paper 4 is discharged to the outside of the printer 1. It is taken up on a take-up reel 33.
In the conveyance path 5, a sheet width regulation guide 55 is provided on the insertion port 54 side of the path start end. The sheet width regulation guide 55 regulates the width direction of the recording paper 4 that is transported from the supply unit (not shown) toward the sheet width regulation guide 55. The sheet width restriction guide 55 will be described later.
The control unit described above controls the head unit 2, the ribbon mechanism 3, and the drive mechanism 5 </ b> A of the transport path 5. The power supply unit supplies power to them.

  In the printer 1, the upper module 1A is configured by modularizing the head unit 2 and the ribbon mechanism 3 as shown in FIG. 3, and as shown in FIG. 4, the conveyance path 5, the power supply unit, and the control unit And the lower module 1B is configured. The upper module 1A and the lower module 1B are configured to be separable in the vertical direction. The upper module 1A is attached to the lower module 1B via the separation drive mechanism 100 so as to be vertically movable.

As shown in FIG. 5, the separation drive mechanism 100 includes a guide unit 120 that guides the upper module 1 </ b> A up and down, a driving force applying unit 130 that pushes the upper module 1 </ b> A upward, and a guide unit 120. And an L-shaped metal fitting 140 for attaching to 1A.
The guide means 120 and the driving force application means 130 are held by a holder member 150 that stands from the lower module 1B. The upper module 1A is supported by the lower module 1B by the holder member 150.

As shown in FIG. 2, the holder member 150 is located on one side of the head unit 2 (on the right side with respect to the conveyance direction “a” of the recording paper 4) on the upstream side and the downstream side in the conveyance direction “a” of the recording paper 4. Is done. On the other side of the head unit 2 (left side with respect to the conveyance direction of the recording paper 4), a holder member 150 is erected on the downstream side in the conveyance direction a of the recording paper 4. A pair of holder members 150 are disposed opposite to each other on the downstream side in the conveyance direction a of the recording paper 4. The upper module 1A is stably supported by the three holder members 150. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 7, the left holder member 150 is omitted with respect to the transport direction a.
The holder member 150 is formed in a U-shaped cross section by the back wall 150a and the two side walls 150b (representing a U-shape instead of a U-shape in consideration of foreign applications). A pair of fixing plates 151 are fixed at two locations above and below at an appropriate interval on the inside.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the pair of fixed plates 151 are formed with bent pieces 151 a at one end disposed on the back side of the holder member 150. A first protrusion 151b is provided at the bent portion of the bent piece 151a. Second protrusions 151 c are provided on both sides of the other end of the fixed plate 151.

  On the other hand, an insertion hole 150 c for inserting the first protrusion 151 b of the fixing plate 151 is formed in the back wall 150 a of the holder member 150. A slit 150d for inserting the second protrusion 151c of the fixed plate 151 is provided on the open side of the two side walls 150b.

When the fixing plate 151 is fixed to the holder member 150, the first protrusion 151b is inserted into the insertion hole 150c while the bent piece 151a is in contact with the inner surface of the back wall 150a. Further, the second protrusion 151c is inserted into the slit 150d. As shown in FIG. 5, the bent piece 151 a is fixed to the holder member 150 with a screw 152. The holder member 150 has a flange 150e at the lower end. The flange 150e is fixed to the base plate 7 of the lower module 1B with screws (not shown).
As shown in FIG. 6, the guide means 120 includes a guide shaft 121 fixed to a pair of fixing plates 151 fixed to the holder member 150 and a pair of upper and lower slides slidably fitted to the guide shaft 121. And a bush 122.

  The guide shaft 121 is disposed vertically between a pair of fixed plates, and both upper and lower ends are fixed to the respective fixed plates 151 by screws 123. The sliding bush 122 has a mounting surface 124 that is coupled to the L-shaped metal fitting 140, and a plurality of protrusions 125 project from the mounting surface 124.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the driving force applying means 130 includes a compression coil spring 131 and a support shaft 132 that is arranged in the vertical direction and is loosely fitted inside the compression coil spring 131. As shown in FIG. 5, the lower end portion of the support shaft 132 is slidably inserted into a bearing 133 attached to an opening portion 151 d formed in the lower fixing plate 151. On the other hand, the upper end portion of the support shaft 132 is passed through the opening 151 e formed in the upper fixed plate 151 together with the compression coil spring 131.

  The L-shaped metal fitting 140 includes a side plate 141 attached to the gantry 8A of the upper module 1A, and a top portion of the side plate 141 bent into a substantially L shape, that is, the pushing force of the driving force applying means 130, that is, the compression coil spring 131. And a top plate 142 to which an urging force is input. The side plate 141 extends in the vertical direction, the top plate 142 is disposed in the horizontal direction, and the side plate 141 and the top plate 142 are substantially L-shaped.

  A plurality of through holes 143 are formed in the side plate 141. By engaging the projection 125 provided on the mounting surface 124 of the sliding bush 122 with the through hole 143, the sliding bush 122 and the side plate 141 are integrally coupled. Since the side plate 141 is attached to the mount 8A of the upper module 1A, the upper module 1A can be moved up and down by the sliding bush 122 moving along the guide shaft 121.

On the other hand, the top end of the support shaft 132 of the driving force applying means 130 is fixed to the top plate 142 with screws 134. As a result, the compression coil spring 131 loosely fitted to the support shaft 132 is supported by the lower plate abutting against the bearing 133 and supported by the lower fixed plate 151, and the upper end abutting against the top plate 142. Therefore, the urging force of the compression coil spring 131 is input to the L-shaped metal fitting 140 via the top plate 142. Thereby, the urging force in the pushing-up direction of the compression coil spring 131 acts on the upper module 1A to which the L-shaped metal fitting 140 is attached.
Note that the compression coil spring 131 is used as a means for generating the pushing force by the driving force applying means 130. However, as a means for generating the pushing force, instead of the compression coil spring 131, for example, an air cylinder or an oil cylinder is used. Can be used.

  When the printer 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is used, the upper module 1A is in the lowered position, and the compression coil spring 131 is compressed as shown in FIG. 5A. A hook 9 is detachably provided across the upper module 1A and the lower module 1B. When the hook 9 is in the locked state, the lowered position of the separation drive mechanism 100 is maintained. The lower module 1B is fixed to the gantry 8B.

  The hook 9 is urged in the locking direction by a spring (not shown), and an inclined surface 92 is formed at the tip. As a result, when the upper module 1A is lowered, the hook 9 once rotates in the releasing direction b (see FIG. 1) while the inclined surface 92 is in contact with the shaft portion of the platen roller 6. Next, when the inclined surface 92 gets over the shaft portion of the platen roller 6, it is reversely rotated in the direction opposite to the release direction b by the urging force of the spring and locked. The shaft part of the platen roller 6 is formed of a round bar made of metal such as stainless steel, and a rubber part is integrally provided on the outer periphery of the shaft part. The rubber part contacts the recording paper 4.

  The hooks 9 are provided on both sides of the head unit 2 as shown in FIG. The pair of hooks 9 are fixed to both ends of the rotary shaft 10 disposed above the head unit 2. The respective hooks 9 are interlocked with each other via a rotating shaft 10. The rotating shaft 10 is supported on the upper module 1A side.

A hook 91 is formed at the lower end of the hook 9. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flange portion 91 is locked to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the shaft portion of the platen roller 6 at the lowered position of the upper module 1A. By manually rotating the hook 9 against the urging force of the spring in the releasing direction b, the hook portion 91 is detached from the platen roller 6 and the locked state is released. Note that the hook 9 is rotated by manually rotating the operation unit 93.
When the hook 9 is unlocked, as shown in FIG. 5A, the driving force applying means 130 causes the compression coil spring 131 in the compressed state to expand as shown in FIG. The upper module 1A is raised by the urging force.

  On the inner side of the pair of hooks 9 (on the center side of the head unit 2), as shown in FIG. 3, a U-shaped member 11 that engages with the shaft portion of the platen roller 6 from above at the lowered position of the upper module 1A. Provided. The U-shaped member 11 is fixed or integrally provided on the side plate 2S of the head unit 2. Thereby, when the upper module 1A is lowered, the U-shaped member 11 can be engaged with the platen roller 6 to maintain the relative position between the head unit 2 and the platen roller 6 with high accuracy.

  There is a standard for the recording paper 4 described above. In the market, generally, the recording paper 4 of the metric size standard and the inch size standard is distributed. The recording paper 4 is transferred from a supply unit (not shown) toward the sheet width regulation guide 55. It is necessary to regulate the lateral width of the recording paper 4 to be transferred by adjusting the sheet width regulation guide 55.

As shown in FIG. 8, the sheet width regulation guide 55 of the present embodiment has a conveyance table 200 through which the recording paper 4 passes. A movable box 210 as a movable portion is attached to the transport table 200 so as to be movable in the width direction of the recording paper 4. In the present embodiment, the width direction of the recording paper 4 is described as the horizontal direction, and the conveyance direction of the recording paper 4 is described as the vertical direction.
The recording paper 4 of various standard sizes passes through the transport table 200. In the present embodiment, as the standard size of the recording paper 4, a millimeter size and an inch size distributed in the market will be described.

  The recording paper 4 of the metric size standard has a lateral width of 32 mm, 58 mm, 80 mm, and 132 mm (hereinafter omitted). On the other hand, in the recording paper 4 of the inch size standard, 1.0 inch (25.4 mm), 2.5 inch (63.5 mm), 4 inch (101.6 mm), 5 inch (127.0 mm) (hereinafter omitted). It has a width of Therefore, the horizontal widths of the recording paper 4 of the millimeter size standard and the inch size standard do not match.

  In the present embodiment, the first locked portion 201 as the concave and convex locked portion corresponding to the millimeter size standard and the concave and convex locked portion corresponding to the inch size standard are provided on the upper surface of the transport table 200. Two locked portions 202 are provided in parallel to each other. The first locked portion 201 and the second locked portion 202 are each formed as a rack gear. The rack gear is provided at the bottom of the laterally extending grooves 203 and 204 formed on the upper surface of the transport table 200.

As shown by a solid line in FIG. 9, the first locked portion 201 is formed with a pitch P1 of the gear teeth T1 of the rack gear having a pitch (for example, 1 mm) corresponding to the millimeter size standard. The second locked portion 202 has a pitch P2 of the gear teeth T2 of the rack gear corresponding to the inch size standard (for example, 1/20 inch = 1.27 mm) as shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure. Is formed.
As shown in FIG. 9, the gear teeth T1 and T2 of the rack gear are formed such that the side facing the outer end of the transport table 200 is an inclined surface, and the center line side of the transport path 5 where the recording paper 4 of the transport table 200 is arranged The side facing is formed with a substantially vertical surface.

  As a result, when the movable box 210 moves inward of the carriage 200 (the other side in the middle of FIG. 8), a second locking portion 253 described later can smoothly go over the inclined surface of the gear tooth T1, or The movement of the movable box 210 is permitted because the one locking portion 233 smoothly climbs over the inclined surface of the gear tooth T2. On the other hand, when the movable box 210 moves in the direction of the outer end of the transport table 200 (front side in FIG. 8), the locking portions 233 and 253 are placed on the vertical surface of one of the gear teeth T1 and T2. The movable box 210 is prevented from moving by being locked.

The movable box 210 is disposed at one end (the front side in FIG. 8) in the lateral direction of the transport table 200 so as to be movable in the lateral direction. The movable box 210 has a top surface 210a, a bottom surface 210b, and longitudinal side surfaces 210c and 210d, and the outer periphery is formed as a substantially rectangular frame. A guide surface 211 that comes into contact with the side in the width direction of the recording paper 4 is integrally provided so as to close the lateral inner ends of the four surfaces 210a to 210d of the rectangular frame. By closing the open ends on the outer sides of the four surfaces 210a to 210d with the cover 212, the movable box 210 is formed into a hollow, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole.
A guide base 220 as a fixed portion having a guide surface that abuts on the other side in the width direction of the recording sheet 4 is provided at the other end portion in the lateral direction of the transport table 200 so as to face the guide surface 211 of the movable box 210. It is done.
Two first operation levers 230 and a second operation lever 250 are rotatably supported on the movable box 210. The first operation lever 230 is provided in a substantially vertical shape and rotates clockwise as viewed from the outside of the movable box 210. On the other hand, the second operation lever 250 is also provided in a substantially vertical shape and is provided outside the movable box 210. It turns counterclockwise when viewed from the side.

  FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the sheet width regulating guide 55 shown in FIG. A support shaft 214 protrudes laterally from the back side of the guide surface 211 at a substantially central portion inside the movable box 210. Two first operation levers 230 and second operation levers 250 are rotatably supported on the support shaft 214. The first operating lever 230 has a first operating portion 231 and a first operating portion 232, and the first operating portion 231 and the first operating portion 232 are arranged in a substantially L shape. The A first shaft hole 230 a that is inserted through the support shaft 214 is formed between the first operation unit 231 and the first operation unit 232. On the other hand, the second operation lever 250 includes a second operation unit 251 and a second operation unit 252, and the second operation unit 251 and the second operation unit 252 are substantially L-shaped. Be placed. A second shaft hole 250 a that is inserted through the support shaft 214 is formed between the second operation unit 251 and the second operation unit 252.

  The first operation unit 231 and the second operation unit 251 protrude upward from the interval between the notches 216 formed in the top surface 210 a of the movable box 210. The first support portion 215 protrudes from the side surface 210c of the movable box 210 so as to face the first operation portion 231 and the second operation portion 251, and the second support portion 218 protrudes from the side surface 210d of the movable box 210. It touches. When the first operation unit 231 is operated, the first operation unit 231 and the first support unit 215 are gripped, so that an operation force can be easily applied to the first operation unit 231. Further, when operating the operation unit 251, the second operation unit 251 and the second support unit 218 are gripped, so that an operation force can be easily applied to the second operation unit 251.

  The first operating portion 232 of the first operating lever 230 has a first locking portion that can be engaged with and disengaged from the second locked portion 202 at a position corresponding to the second locked portion 202. A locking portion 233 is provided. A gear tooth 233 a that can mesh with the second locked portion 202 is formed at the tip of the first locking portion 233. A first compression spring 240 is disposed between the first operating portion 232 of the first operation lever 230 and the top surface 210a of the movable box 210 as an urging means. The first operating portion 232 is pressed and biased downward by the first compression spring 240. As a result, the first locking portion 233 is biased in the direction of locking to the second locked portion 202 through the notch portion 210e formed in the bottom surface 210b.

  On the other hand, the second operating portion 252 of the second operating lever 250 has a first locking portion detachable from the first locked portion 201 at a position corresponding to the first locked portion 201. Two locking portions 253 are provided. A gear tooth 253 a that can mesh with the first locked portion 201 is formed at the tip of the second locking portion 253. A second compression spring 260 is disposed between the second operating portion 252 of the second operation lever 250 and the top surface 210a of the movable box 210 as an urging means. The second operating portion 252 is pressed and urged downward by the second compression spring 260. As a result, the second locking portion 253 is biased in the direction of locking to the first locked portion 201 through the notch portion 210f formed in the bottom surface 210b.

  Therefore, in a state where no operating force is applied to the first operating lever 230 and the second operating lever 250, the first locking portion 233 and the urging force of the first compression spring 240 and the second compression spring 260 are used. One of the second locking portions 253 is locked to one of the second locked portion 202 and the first locked portion 201 corresponding thereto.

  As shown in FIG. 11, when an operating force is applied to the first operating lever 230 in the direction of the first support portion 215 against the urging force of the first compression spring 240, the first operating lever 230 moves to the timepiece. Rotate in the direction. The locked state between the first locking portion 233 and the second locked portion 202 is released. On the other hand, the second locking portion 253 is locked to the first locked portion 201. In this state, when the movable box 210 is moved in the horizontal direction on the transport table 200, the second locking portion 253 moves forward over the first locked portion 201. Thereby, the movable box 210 moves corresponding to the millimeter size standard of the first locked portion 201. When the operation force on the first operation lever 230 is released, the movable box 210 can be stopped at a position corresponding to the millimeter size standard.

  As shown in FIG. 12, when an operating force is applied to the second operating lever 250 in the direction of the second support portion 218 against the urging force of the second compression spring 260, the second operating lever 250 is counteracted. Rotate clockwise. The locked state between the second locking portion 253 and the first locked portion 201 is released. On the other hand, the first locking portion 233 is locked to the second locked portion 202. In this state, when the movable box 210 is moved in the lateral direction on the transport table 200, the first locking portion 233 moves forward over the second locked portion 202. Thereby, the movable box 210 moves corresponding to the inch size standard of the second locked portion 202. When the operation force on the second operation lever 250 is released, the movable box 210 can be stopped at a position corresponding to the inch size standard.

  By applying an operating force to the first operating lever 230 and the second operating lever 250, the biasing force to the first locking portion 233 and the second locking portion 253 can be canceled. Accordingly, the first locking portion 233 and the second locking portion 253 can be detached from the second locked portion 202 and the first locked portion 201. Thereby, the movable box 210 can be moved freely inward and outward direction of the transport table 200.

Next, another embodiment of the sheet width restriction guide 55 will be described with reference to FIG. Even when a plurality of standard size recording papers 4 are used, recording paper 4 having a specific standard size may be mainly used. For example, even when the recording paper 4 of the millimeter size standard and the inch size standard is used, the recording paper 4 of the millimeter size standard is usually used. In such a situation, it is sufficient if the recording paper 4 can be aligned in the width of the millimeter size standard. Under such circumstances, as shown in FIG. 13, the rectangular body 280 is sandwiched between the first operation portion 231 and the second support portion 218, so that the first locking portion 233 and the second locking portion 233 are connected to each other. The to-be-latched part 202 can be separated. In such a situation, the movable box 210 is moved in the width direction with the second locking portion 253 and the first locked portion 201 being locked. As a result, the movable box 210 can always be moved according to the pitch of the first locked portions 201 (millimeter size standard pitch). The first locked portion 201 having a pitch corresponding to the standard size of the recording paper 4 that is mainly used can be easily selected. Although the rectangular body 280 is shown as a mechanism for separating the first locking portion 233 and the second locked portion 202, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first operation portion 231 and the first support portion 215 can be fixed with a resin band or the like.
Although the case where the first locked portion 201 of the metric size standard is selected has been described, the rectangular body 280 is sandwiched between the second operation unit 251 and the first support unit 215, so that the inch size compliant standard is selected. The second locked portion 202 can be selected.
Next, the separation between the first locking portion 233 and the second locked portion 202 and the separation between the second locking portion 253 and the first locked portion 201 can be easily switched. A possible mechanism will be described. 14 is a partial side view of the movable box 210, FIG. 15 is a view of the first operating lever 230 seen from the direction A in FIG. 14, and FIG. 16 is a second view from the direction B in FIG. It is the figure which looked at the operation lever.
In the first operating lever 230, a first key groove 230b is formed in the first shaft hole 230a. In the second operation lever 250, a second keyway 250b is formed in the second shaft hole 250a. The first key groove 230b and the second key groove 250b are notches formed in the respective shaft holes.
A key 214 </ b> A is formed on the support shaft 214 protruding from the guide surface 211. When the first operating lever 230 and the second operating lever 250 are inserted into the support shaft 214, the key 214A engages with the first key groove 230b and the second key groove 250b. A stopper wall 214 </ b> C is formed at the center of the key 214 </ b> A to restrict the first operation lever 230 from sliding toward the second operation lever 250, and the second operation lever 250 is the first operation lever 230. Limit sliding to the side.
A first shaft 241 is formed in the first operating lever 230 in parallel with the support shaft 214 and below the first shaft hole 230a. The first shaft 241 is fitted into a peripheral hole constituting the first shaft hole 230a. As a result, the first operating lever 230 can move along the first axis 241. A second shaft 261 is formed in the second operating lever 250 at a lower portion of the second shaft hole 250a in parallel with the support shaft 214. The second shaft 261 is fixed to the peripheral edge constituting the second shaft hole 250a.
A swing plate 290 is disposed below the first operation lever 230 and the second operation lever 250. The swing plate 290 includes a bottom surface 290A and two side surfaces 290B and 290C. Arc-shaped notches 290D and 290E are formed on the side surfaces 290B and 290C, respectively. The first shaft 241 is inserted into the notch 290D, and the second shaft 261 is inserted into the notch 290E. A retaining member (for example, a C clip or an E clip) (not shown) is provided at the open ends of the first shaft 241 and the second shaft 261. These retaining members prevent the swing plate 290 from coming off the first shaft 241 and the second shaft 261.
The swing plate 290 prevents the first operation lever 230 and the second operation lever 250 from coming off the support shaft 214. Further, in the swing plate 290, only one of the first locking portion 233 of the first operating lever 230 and the second locking portion 253 of the second operating lever 250 is engaged with the locked portion. Adjust to
Next, the operation will be described. In a state where the key 214A is engaged with the first key groove 230b, the first locking portion 233 and the second locked portion 202 are separated from each other. Similarly, when the key 214A is engaged with the second key groove 250b, the second locking portion 253 and the first locked portion 201 are separated from each other. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 14, the first locking portion 233 and the second locked portion 202 are separated from each other, and the second locking portion 253 and the first locked portion 201 are separated from each other. Yes.
As shown in FIG. 17, when the first operating lever 230 is moved along the first axis 241 in the X direction in the drawing, the engaged state between the first key groove 230b and the key 214A is released. The biasing force of the first compression spring 240 is applied to the first operating portion 232, and the first shaft 241 moves along the notch 290D. As a result, the first locking portion 233 is locked to the second locked portion 202. As shown in FIG. 17, the side surface 290 </ b> B of the swing plate 290 prevents the first operation lever 230 from coming off the support shaft 214. On the other hand, the second operation lever 250 is prevented from moving in the Y direction by the side surface 290C of the swing plate 290.
Since the second key groove 250b and the key 214A are engaged, the urging force of the second compression spring 260 is not applied to the second operating portion 252 of the second operation lever 250. As a result, the first operating lever 230 is selected by the swing plate 290, and only the first locking portion 233 is locked to the second locked portion 202.

The operation of the second operation lever 250 will be described. The first operation lever 230 in the state of FIG. 17 is returned to the state shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 18, the second operating lever 250 is moved in the Y direction in the figure. The engaged state between the second keyway 250b and the key 214A is released. The urging force of the second compression spring 260 is applied to the second operating portion 252 and the second shaft 261 moves along the notch 290E. As a result, the second locking portion 253 is locked to the first locked portion 201. As shown in FIG. 18, the side surface 290 </ b> C of the swing plate 290 prevents the second operating lever 250 from coming off the support shaft 214. On the other hand, the first operating lever 230 is prevented from moving in the X direction by the side surface 290B of the swing plate 290. Since the second shaft 261 is fixed to the periphery of the second shaft hole 250a, the second operating lever 250 and the swing plate 290 move simultaneously. With this operation, the first shaft 241 also moves in the Y direction, and the first shaft 241 is inserted into the peripheral hole constituting the first shaft hole 230a.
Since the first key groove 230b and the key 214A are engaged, the urging force of the first compression spring 240 is not applied to the first operating portion 232 of the first operating lever 230. As a result, the second operating lever 250 is selected by the swing plate 290, and only the second locking portion 253 is locked to the first locked portion 201.

  The function of the sheet width restriction guide 55 of this embodiment will be described below together with the operation of the printer 1. When the recording paper 4 is fed into the conveyance path 5, the recording paper 4 passes between the head unit 2 and the platen roller 6, overlaps with the ink ribbon 31 delivered from the supply reel 32, and is printed. Thereafter, the recording paper 4 and the ink ribbon 31 that have passed in a state where the head unit 2 and the platen roller 6 are overlapped are separated on the rear side (downstream side) of the head unit 2.

Then, the separated recording paper 4 is discharged from between the paper discharge roller 51 and the support roller 52. The ink ribbon 31 is taken up on a take-up reel 33. The sheet-like material may be a label other than the recording paper 4 and may be formed of a printable material other than paper.
When the recording paper 4 is fed into the conveyance path 5, one side of the horizontal width of the recording paper 4 is regulated by a sheet width regulation guide 55 provided at the entrance portion thereof. The recording paper 4 can be fed straight between the head unit 2 and the platen roller 6.

  When the sheet width regulation guide 55 is adjusted according to the horizontal width of the recording paper 4, either the first operation lever 230 or the second operation lever 250 is operated according to the standard size of the recording paper 4. For example, when the recording paper 4 has a width of the millimeter size standard, the first operation lever 230 is operated. The first locking portion 233 is detached from the second locked portion 202. In this state, the second locking portion 253 and the first locked portion 201 are locked, and the movable box 210 can move in the width direction corresponding to the position of the millimeter size standard. The other side in the width direction of the recording paper 4 is brought into contact with the guide base 220, and the movable box 210 is moved in accordance with the millimeter size standard. When the guide surface 211 comes into contact with one side in the width direction of the recording paper 4, the finger is released from the first operation unit 231.

The first operating portion 232 of the first operating lever 230 is pressed by the first compression spring 240. The first locking portion 233 is biased toward the second locked portion 202, but the movable box 210 has already meshed with the second locking portion 253 and the first locked portion 201. Therefore, since it stops at the position of the metric size standard, the first locking portion 233 and the second locked portion 202 are in an unlocked state or an incompletely locked state.
That is, the movable box 210 is fixed to the transport table 200 by meshing (locking) between the second locking portion 253 and the first locked portion 201, and between the guide surface 211 and the guide base 220. Both sides of the recording paper 4 can be stably guided.

The first locked portion 201 has rack gear gear teeth formed at a pitch corresponding to the millimeter size standard. The second locked portion 202 has rack gear teeth formed at a pitch corresponding to the inch size standard. Thereby, when the recording paper 4 has a width of the millimeter size standard, the second locking portion 253 is engaged with the gear teeth at the position corresponding to the horizontal width of the recording paper 4 of the first locked portion 201 and is engaged. Stopped. On the other hand, when the recording paper 4 has a width corresponding to the inch size standard, the first locking portion 233 is engaged and locked with the gear teeth at the position corresponding to the horizontal width of the recording paper 4 of the second locked portion 202. Is done.
Therefore, regardless of whether the recording paper 4 is in the millimeter size standard or in the inch size standard, the guide surface 211 is brought into contact with each side in the width direction without any substantial gap, thereby recording the recording paper. 4 can be guided straight.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 4 Recording paper 5 Conveyance path 55 Sheet width regulation guide 200 Conveyance stand 201 1st to-be-latched part 202 2nd to-be-latched part 210 Movable box 211 Guide surface 230 1st operation lever 231 1st operation part 232 1st operation part 233 1st latching part 250 2nd operation lever 251 2nd operation part 252 2nd operation part 253 2nd latching part 240 1st compression spring 260 2nd compression spring P1, P2 Pitch of locked part

Claims (4)

A transport table through which the sheet-like material passes,
A plurality of parallel concave and convex engaging portions provided in the conveying table and extending in the width direction on the sheet-like material at a pitch corresponding to each of a plurality of types of standard sizes;
A plurality of operation levers having a locking part that can be engaged and disengaged for each of the plurality of concave and convex locking parts;
A movable part that supports the plurality of operation levers operably, has a guide surface that is attached to the transport table so that the sheet-like object can be moved in the width direction, and abuts against one side in the width direction of the sheet-like object. When,
A fixed portion having a guide surface that is attached to the transport table and contacts the other side in the width direction of the sheet-like material;
A sheet width regulation guide comprising:   2. The sheet according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of concave and convex locked portions include a first locked portion having a pitch of metric size standard and a second locked portion having a pitch of inch size standard. Width regulation guide.   3. The sheet width regulation guide according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of operation levers includes a biasing unit that biases the locking portion in a direction in which the locking portion is locked to the corresponding concavo-convex locked portion.   In order to bias the locking portion of any one of the plurality of operating levers in a direction to lock the concave and convex locked portion, the locking portions of the other operating levers are The sheet width regulating guide according to claim 3, further comprising a mechanism for separating the concave and convex locked portion.

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