JP2015124037A - Sensor unit for printing medium, and printer equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology to insert/extract a sensor body accommodated in a sensor unit for a printing medium.SOLUTION: When a sensor substrate (upper sensor substrate 47 and lower sensor substrate 48) is extracted from a sensor unit 41, screws 58 are removed from the sensor unit 41, and an upper sensor fitting part 42R and an upper sensor fitting part 42L are divided into two while a lower sensor fitting part 43R and a lower sensor fitting part 43L are divided into two. This facilitates the work to inspect/repair the sensor substrate accommodated in the sensor unit 41, or the work to replace a defective sensor substrate with a new sensor substrate.

Description

  The present invention relates to a print medium sensor unit and a printer including the same, and for example, printing in a printer having a function of printing desired information such as characters, symbols, figures, or barcodes on a print medium such as a label. The present invention relates to a medium sensor unit and a printer including the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art A printer that prints information such as characters, symbols, figures, or barcodes on a print medium such as a label is equipped with a sensor for detecting the print medium.

  As this type of print medium detection sensor, the light signal from the light emitting element that has passed through the print medium is detected by the light receiving element, and the position of the print medium is detected based on the difference in local light transmittance of the print medium. There are known transmission sensors, reflection sensors that detect the position of a print medium based on black and white light signals reflected from the surface of the print medium, and the like.

  For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-178309 discloses a print medium sensor unit in which a position detection sensor is accommodated in each of a pair of sensor mounting members facing each other. The print medium sensor unit is mounted on the printing unit of the printer and detects the position of the print medium conveyed through the medium conveyance path.

JP 2005-178309 A

  The sensor unit for the print medium examined by the inventor is integrally formed with a sensor main body on which a position detection sensor is mounted and a sensor attachment member that accommodates the sensor main body.

  For this reason, it is difficult to inspect and repair the sensor body housed in the print medium sensor unit, or to replace the failed sensor body with a new sensor body. However, there is a problem that the sensor unit for the print medium must be replaced.

  The present invention has been made from the above-described technical background, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of inserting and removing a sensor main body accommodated in a print medium sensor unit.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the sensor unit for a print medium according to the first aspect of the present invention is mounted with a sensor that detects a position of a print medium that is conveyed in a predetermined medium conveyance path and used for printing in a printing unit. And a sensor attachment member that accommodates the sensor body, wherein the sensor attachment member is composed of a plurality of members that can be divided and reassembled.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the print medium sensor unit according to the first aspect is characterized in that the separation and reassembly of the plurality of members is performed by attaching and detaching screws.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sensor unit for a print medium according to the first aspect, wherein the sensor mounting member is a first sensor mounting member that houses a first sensor body on which the first sensor is mounted. And a second sensor mounting member that accommodates a second sensor main body on which the second sensor is mounted. Each of the first sensor mounting member and the second sensor mounting member can be divided and reassembled. It is characterized by comprising a plurality of such members.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a printer includes the print medium sensor unit according to the first, second, or third aspect.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the sensor main body can be inserted and removed even after being accommodated in the sensor mounting member of the print medium sensor unit.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily separate and reassemble a plurality of members constituting the sensor mounting member.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, even in a print medium sensor unit including a plurality of sensor mounting members in which the sensor main bodies are accommodated, the sensor main bodies accommodated in the respective sensor mounting members can be inserted and removed. .

  According to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to realize a printer that can be inserted and removed even after the sensor body is accommodated in the sensor mounting member of the print medium sensor unit.

1 is an overall perspective view of the appearance of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the printer of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a side view of the printer of FIG. 2. It is the expansion perspective view which looked at the printing part of Drawing 3 from the front side. It is a side view of the printing part of FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the printing part of Drawing 4 from the back side. 4A is a perspective view of the print unit when the print head unit is closed in FIG. 4 as viewed from the front, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the print unit when the print head unit is in FIG. FIG. It is the perspective view which extracted the printing head part of FIG. 4 and was seen from the lower side. It is a disassembled perspective view of the printing part of FIG. It is a perspective view of an example of continuous paper. It is the perspective view of the support part seen from the direction opposite to FIG. (A) is a side view along the longitudinal direction of the sensor unit in a closed state, (b) is a side view along the longitudinal direction of the sensor unit in an open state. It is sectional drawing which followed the AA line of Fig.12 (a). It is principal part sectional drawing along the longitudinal direction of a sensor unit. It is a disassembled perspective view of a sensor unit. It is a principal part perspective view of a label press. It is a principal part perspective view which shows the state which inserted the front end side of the sensor unit in the notch of a label holding | suppressing. It is sectional drawing along the BB line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the method of fixing a label press to a sensor unit. It is a perspective view which shows the process of mounting | wearing a sensor unit with a sensor unit. It is the perspective view which looked at the label holder from the back side.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment as an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiment, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

  In the embodiment, the direction in which continuous paper (print medium) is conveyed for printing, specifically, the direction in which continuous paper is fed from the paper supply unit of the printer to the thermal head unit is referred to as the print direction. If there is no, the upstream in the transport direction means the upstream side in the printing direction, and the downstream in the transport direction means the downstream side in the printing direction.

  FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing the appearance of the printer according to the present embodiment. The printer 1 of the present embodiment has a label printing function for printing information such as characters, symbols, figures, or barcodes on a label temporarily attached to a continuous paper (printing medium) mount. .

  A front cover 2 on the front side of the printer 1 is provided with an operation panel 3, a power switch 4, and an issue port (medium discharge port) 5. The operation panel 3 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) for displaying a message necessary for printing operation, and a plurality of keys (line key, feed key, function key, direction key, and cancel key) for operating the printer 1. Etc.) and a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) indicating the operating state of the printer 1 are arranged. An open cover 6 is attached to one side surface of the printer 1 by two hinges 7 so as to be opened and closed in the vertical direction. Further, the back surface of the printer 1 is covered with a back cover 8.

  Next, an outline of the internal structure of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the printer 1, and FIG. 3 is a side view showing the inside of the printer 1. In the following description, the front side (front cover side) of the printer 1 is referred to as the front side (downstream side in the transport direction), and the back side (back cover side) is referred to as the rear side (upstream side in the transport direction).

  A paper supply unit (medium supply unit) 10 is disposed behind the inside of the printer 1, and a printing unit 11 is disposed in front thereof. An ink ribbon unit 12 is disposed above the printing unit 11.

  The paper supply unit 10 disposed in the rear of the printer 1 is a component that supplies the continuous paper P to the front printing unit 11 and includes a support shaft 10a and a roll guide 10b installed at one end thereof. ing. The support shaft 10a is a component that rotatably supports the continuous paper P wound up in a roll shape. The roll guide 10b is a component that fixes the roll-shaped continuous paper P, and is movably installed along the axial direction of the support shaft 10a so that the position can be changed according to the width of the continuous paper P. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 10, for example, the continuous paper P is temporarily attached to a long mount 70 and one surface (printed surface) of the mount 70, and is arranged at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction of the mount 70. And a plurality of labels 71. The surface to be printed of the mount 70 on which the label 71 is temporarily attached is coated with a release agent such as silicone, so that the label 71 can be easily peeled off. Further, on the other surface (back surface) of the mount 70, black eye marks 72 for detecting the position of the label 71 are formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the mount 70.

  There are two types of labels: thermal paper and plain paper. When the label is thermal paper, a thermal coloring layer that forms a specific color (such as black or red) is formed on the surface when the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature range.

  Further, there are two types of continuous paper P, a front winding label and a back winding label. The front wound label is wound in a state where the label is positioned on the outer peripheral surface side of the roll-shaped continuous paper P, and the portion indicated by the broken line Ps of the continuous paper P is the portion of the paper supply unit 10 as shown in FIG. It is fed out from near the center in the height direction toward the bottom of the printing unit 11. On the other hand, the back-wrapped label is wound in a state where the label is located on the inner peripheral surface side of the roll-shaped continuous paper P, and a portion indicated by a solid line Pb of the continuous paper P as shown in FIG. Is fed from the vicinity of the inner bottom surface of the printer 1 toward the bottom of the printing unit 11. It should be noted that the continuous paper P is routed through the printing section 11 in the same manner for both the front and back labels. In addition, the continuous paper P is conveyed to the printing unit 11 with the surface (printed surface) on which the label is temporarily attached facing upward, regardless of whether the front winding label or the back winding label.

  The printing unit 11 disposed in front of the paper supply unit 10 is a component that performs printing on a label or the like of the continuous paper P, and includes a print head unit 13, a support unit 14 disposed below the support unit 14, and a support unit. And a damper portion 15 disposed behind the portion 14.

  As will be described later, the print head unit 13 is installed inside the printer 1 so as to be openable and closable with respect to the support unit 14. When the print head unit 13 is in a closed state with respect to the support unit 14, a paper passage route (medium conveyance path) is formed between the print head unit 13 and the support unit 14. The sheet passing route communicates with an issue port 5 (see FIG. 1) provided in the front cover portion 2 on the front surface of the printer 1.

  A head lock lever 16 that maintains the closed state of the print head unit 13 is installed on the support unit 14 disposed below the print head unit 13. When the head lock lever 16 is manually tilted backward, the closed state of the print head unit 13 is released and the front portion of the print head unit 13 is lifted, so that the print head unit 13 is opened. That is, the print head unit 13 moves in a direction away from the support unit 14.

  The damper portion 15 disposed behind the support portion 14 is a constituent portion that applies a tension to the continuous paper P to perform accurate label printing, and includes an outer damper 15a and an inner damper 15b. The outer damper 15a and the inner damper 15b are swingably installed so that tension can be applied to the continuous paper P when the print head unit 13 is in the closed state.

  The ink ribbon unit 12 disposed above the printing unit 11 is a component that supplies and winds up the ink ribbon RB coated with printing ink. The ribbon unit 12 is disposed in front of the ribbon supply unit 12a. And a ribbon take-up portion 12b. The ribbon supply unit 12a is a component that rotatably supports the ink ribbon RB wound in a roll shape, and the ribbon take-up unit 12b is a component that winds and collects the printed ink ribbon RB.

  When the ink ribbon RB is attached to the ink ribbon unit 12, the print head unit 13 is opened with respect to the support unit 14, and then the ink ribbon RB pulled out from the ribbon supply unit 12a is connected to the print head unit 13 and a label described later. The tip of the ink ribbon RB is taken up by the ribbon take-up part 12b through the presser 40.

  During the printing process, the ink ribbon RB fed from the ribbon supply unit 12 a and the continuous paper P fed from the paper supply unit 10 are conveyed between the print head unit 13 and the support unit 14. Then, after the printing process is performed on the label 71 and the like of the continuous paper P, the continuous paper P is discharged to the outside from the issue port 5 of the front cover portion 2, and the printed ink ribbon RB is transferred to the ribbon take-up portion 12b. Collected.

  Next, the configuration of the printing unit 11 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the printing unit 11 as viewed from the front side, FIG. 5 is a side view of the printing unit 11, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the printing unit 11 as viewed from the back side, and FIG. FIG. 7B is a perspective view of the print unit 11 when the print head unit 13 is in the closed state, and FIG. 7B is a perspective view of the print unit 11 when the print head unit 13 is in the open state. 8 is a perspective view of the print head unit 13 as viewed from below, and FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the print head unit 13 and the support unit 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the print head portion 13 of the print portion 11 has a head support plate 17 in a state in which the front portion thereof can freely rotate (that is, open and close) in the vertical direction about the rear rotation shaft S <b> 1. It is supported by.

  As shown in FIGS. 7B and 8, the thermal head unit 18 is installed on the lower surface of the print head unit 13 (the surface facing the sheet passing route) with the printing surface facing the sheet passing route. ing. The thermal head unit 18 is a printing unit that performs printing on the label 71 or the like of the continuous paper P by a printing line 18L arranged on the printing surface. Although not shown, a plurality of heating resistors (heating elements) that generate heat when energized are provided in the print line 18L of the thermal head unit 18 in the width direction of the continuous paper P (the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the continuous paper P). Are arranged along.

  A pair of concave claw portions 19 are provided on the lower surface on the front side of the print head portion 13 so as to sandwich the thermal head portion 18, and both side surfaces of the print head portion 13 are behind each of the concave claw portions 19. A pin 20 protruding outward is provided. The print head unit 13 is biased in the opening direction by a torsion spring 21 (see FIGS. 6 and 8) attached to the rotation shaft S1, but the support unit 14 is locked to the pin 20 below the print head unit 13. The closed state is maintained by locking the claw portion 22. When the head lock lever 16 is tilted in the right direction in FIG. 5, the lock claw portion 22 moves in the right direction in FIG. When the lock claw portion 22 is detached from the pin 20, the print head portion 13 is opened by the urging force of the torsion spring 21 (see FIG. 7B).

  As shown in FIG. 7A, when the print head portion 13 is closed, the concave claw portion 19 of the print head portion 13 is fitted to the platen shaft 23s of the platen roller portion 23 provided on the support portion 14. At the same time, the printing surface of the thermal head unit 18 is pressed against the lower platen roller unit 23 by a pressing device (not shown) provided in the print head unit 13. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a gear G1 is connected to one end of the platen shaft 23s. The gear G1 is connected to the gear G4 via coupling gears G2 and G3, and is engaged with a rotating shaft of a driving body such as a stepping motor via a timing belt (not shown), for example. Yes.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the outer damper portion 15 a provided in the damper portion 15 extends obliquely downward from the front side to the rear side when the printing unit 11 is viewed from the side surface direction. Centering on the rotation axis S3 (see FIGS. 5 and 7), the rear portion is supported by the damper support member 25 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction. The coil spring 26 of the damper portion 15 shown in FIG. 6 is a member that supports the outer damper portion 15a in a swingable manner while preventing the outer damper portion 15a from going too far upward (rear side).

  On the other hand, the inner damper portion 15b provided in the damper portion 15 extends obliquely downward from the rear side toward the front side when the printing unit 11 is viewed from the side surface direction, and the rear rotation shaft S4 (FIG. 5). And the front portion is supported by the rear portion of the outer damper portion 15a so as to be swingable in the vertical direction.

  In the previous stage of paper passing, the paper contact portion of the inner damper portion 15b is disposed at a position lower than the paper contact portion of the outer damper portion 15a. That is, the paper contact portion of the inner damper portion 15 b is disposed in the middle of the height direction between the paper contact portion of the outer damper portion 15 a and the inner bottom surface 29 of the printer 1. On the other hand, during the printing process, the paper contact portion of the inner damper portion 15b is located on the downstream side of the continuous paper P conveyance with respect to the paper contact portion of the outer damper portion 15a. That is, the paper contact portion of the inner damper portion 15b is disposed between the print head portion 13 and the paper contact portion of the outer damper portion 15a.

  A pair of width adjustment guides 27 are installed below the outer damper portion 15a so as to be movable along the axial direction of the rotation shafts S3 and S4. These width adjustment guides 27 are components that contact both ends of the continuous paper P conveyed from the paper supply unit 10 in the width direction and guide the conveyance of the continuous paper P. Each of the width adjustment guides 27 is connected to a guide operation portion 28 on the back side of the outer damper portion 15a. The guide operation unit 28 is a knob for moving the width adjustment guide unit 27 according to the width of the continuous paper P and fixing the position of the width adjustment guide unit 27.

  The damper support member 25 that supports the outer damper portion 15a is supported in the printer 1 with its rear portion swingable in the vertical direction around the front rotation shaft S5 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Yes. The damper support member 25 has a rear portion that opens upward about the rotation axis S5 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) by a torsion spring 30 (see FIG. 6) attached to the rotation axis S5 (the entire damper portion 15). Is energized in the direction of lifting).

  The platen roller unit 23 of the support unit 14 is a conveying unit that conveys the continuous paper P supplied from the paper supply unit 10 to the issuing port 5 (see FIG. 1) along the paper route, as shown in FIG. The shaft is fixed to the support frame 14a of the support portion 14 so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions.

  The main body of the platen roller portion 23 is formed of an elastic material such as an elongated cylindrical rubber. Further, the platen shaft 23s is formed of, for example, an elongated columnar metal, and is inserted and fixed in the cylinder of the main body in a state in which both end portions in the longitudinal direction protrude from both end portions of the main body of the platen roller portion 23. ing.

  A paper guide portion (medium guide portion) 24 that guides the conveyance of the continuous paper P is installed on the upper surface of the support portion 14 on the upstream side of the platen roller portion 23 in the conveyance direction. The sheet guide unit 24 is installed in an inclined state so that the height of the upper surface thereof increases from the upstream in the transport direction toward the downstream in the transport direction.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the support portion 14 as seen from the opposite direction (backward) to FIG. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, a label press 40 and a sensor unit 41 that supports and positions the label press 40 are disposed above the paper guide portion 24. The structure of the label presser 40 in FIGS. 9 and 11 is schematically shown.

  The label presser 40 is a member that prevents the continuous paper P from flapping, and the continuous paper P that has been conveyed to the upper surface of the paper guide unit 24 through the damper unit 15 is separated from the upper surface of the paper guide unit 24 and the label presser 40. It is conveyed to the platen roller unit 23 through a gap with the lower surface.

  The sensor unit 41 is a container that accommodates sensors (a light receiving element 45, a light emitting element 46, and a reflection sensor 49 described later) that detect the position of the continuous paper P that has been conveyed to the upper surface of the paper guide unit 24. The support frame 14a is detachably mounted, but also has a function as a member for supporting and positioning the label presser 40. As will be described later, the label presser 40 is fixed to the sensor unit 41 by a sensor unit lock lever 60 attached to a part thereof.

  12A and 12B are side views along the longitudinal direction of the sensor unit 41, FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 12A, and FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing along the longitudinal direction.

  The sensor unit 41 includes an upper sensor attachment portion 42 and a lower sensor attachment portion 43 that are formed of a synthetic resin molding or the like. As shown in FIG. 12, the upper sensor attachment portion 42 and the lower sensor attachment portion 43 are connected to each other via a pivotal support portion 44 on the rear end side (left side in FIG. 12).

  For example, when the front end side (the right side in FIG. 12) of the upper sensor mounting portion 42 is lifted upward with a finger or the like, the upper sensor mounting portion 42 rotates around the shaft support portion 44 as a fulcrum as shown in FIG. The leading ends of the two are widely separated from each other (opened). In this state, when the finger or the like is released from the upper sensor mounting portion 42, the upper sensor mounting portion 42 rotates in the reverse direction due to its own weight, and the leading ends of both approach each other as shown in FIG. (Closed).

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, upper guide grooves 52 for supporting the label presser 40 (see FIGS. 9 and 11) of the printer 1 are provided on both side surfaces of the upper sensor mounting portion 42. On the other hand, lower guide grooves 53 for mounting the sensor unit 41 to the support portion 14 of the printer 1 are provided on both side surfaces of the lower sensor mounting portion 43. A convex portion 54 for fixing the label presser 40 to a predetermined position of the sensor unit 41 is provided on one side surface of the upper sensor mounting portion 42. Further, a sawtooth uneven groove 55 is provided along the longitudinal direction of the sensor unit 41 on the bottom surface of the lower sensor mounting portion 43. The uneven groove 55 is used for positioning the position detection sensor (the transmission sensor and the reflection sensor 49) and the label presser 40. As schematically shown in FIG. 12, the concave and convex groove 55 is engaged with a leaf spring 31 attached to the support portion 14 when the sensor unit 41 is mounted on the printer 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, an upper sensor substrate (upper sensor main body) 47 on which the light receiving element 45 and the connector 50 are mounted is detachably attached to the fitting groove 42 a provided on the inner wall of the upper sensor mounting portion 42. It is inserted in. A lower sensor substrate (lower sensor body) 48 on which the light emitting element 46, the reflection sensor 49, and the connector 51 are mounted is detachably fitted in the fitting groove 43a provided on the inner wall of the lower sensor mounting portion 43. Yes.

  The light receiving element 45 mounted on the upper sensor substrate 47 and the light emitting element 46 mounted on the lower sensor substrate 48 constitute a pair of transmission sensors that face each other along the vertical direction of FIGS. 13 and 14. Placed in position. The transmission sensor is a sensor that detects an optical signal from the light emitting element 46 that has passed through the continuous paper P by the light receiving element 45 and detects the position of the continuous paper P based on a difference in light transmittance between the mount and the label.

  Although not shown, a light emitting element and a light receiving element are arranged side by side inside the reflection sensor 49 mounted on the lower sensor substrate 48. The reflection sensor 49 is a sensor that detects the position of the continuous paper P based on the black and white light signals reflected from the surface of the continuous paper P, and an eye mark 72 for detecting the label position as shown in FIG. It is used for detecting the position of the formed continuous paper P. That is, the sensor unit 41 includes two types of position detection sensors (a transmission sensor and a reflection sensor 49), and selectively uses one of these two types of position detection sensors according to the type of the continuous paper P. It is configured to do.

  In the sensor unit 41, a gap C is formed between the lower surface of the upper sensor mounting portion 42 and the lower sensor mounting portion 43 at a portion where the two sensor substrates (the upper sensor substrate 47 and the lower sensor substrate 48) are fitted. Has been. This gap C is a paper passing route through which a part of the continuous paper P passes in the width direction when the sensor unit 41 is mounted on the support portion 14 of the printer 1.

  FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor unit 41. In the sensor unit 41 of the present embodiment, each of the upper sensor mounting portion 42 and the lower sensor mounting portion 43 can be divided into two in the left-right direction (the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the sensor unit 41). That is, the upper sensor mounting portion 42 is configured by an upper sensor mounting portion 42R and an upper sensor mounting portion 42L, and the lower sensor mounting portion 43 is configured by a lower sensor mounting portion 43R and a lower sensor mounting portion 43L.

  When two sensor substrates (upper sensor substrate 47 and lower sensor substrate 48) are accommodated in the sensor unit 41, first, the pin 56 provided in the lower sensor attachment portion 43R is replaced with the pin hole provided in the upper sensor attachment portion 42R. The pin (not shown) provided in the upper sensor attachment portion 42L is inserted into the pin hole 57 provided in the lower sensor attachment portion 42L. The pin 56 and the pin hole 57 are members corresponding to the shaft support portion 44 of the sensor unit 41 shown in FIG.

  A convex knob 33 and a concave depression 34 are formed on the upper surface on the distal end side of the upper sensor attachment portion 42L. When the sensor unit 41 is mounted on the support portion 14 of the printer 1, if the sensor unit 41 is slid while putting a finger or the like in the recess 34 and sandwiching the knob 33, the sensor unit 41 is mounted on the support portion 14 smoothly. Can do.

  Next, the upper sensor substrate 47 is fitted into the fitting grooves 42a provided on the inner walls of the upper sensor attachment portion 42R and the upper sensor attachment portion 42L, and the lower sensor attachment portion 43R and the lower sensor attachment portion 43L are respectively fitted. The lower sensor substrate 48 is fitted into the fitting groove 43a provided on the inner wall.

  Thereafter, the upper sensor mounting portion 42R and the upper sensor mounting portion 42L are assembled integrally with the two screws 58, and the lower sensor mounting portion 43R and the lower sensor mounting portion 43L are integrally assembled with the two screws 58. The sensor unit 41 shown in FIGS. 12 to 14 is completed.

  Further, when removing the sensor substrate (upper sensor substrate 47 and lower sensor substrate 48) from the sensor unit 41, the screw 58 is removed from the sensor unit 41, and the upper sensor attachment portion 42R and the upper sensor attachment portion 42L are divided into two. The lower sensor attachment portion 43R and the lower sensor attachment portion 43L may be divided into two.

  As described above, the sensor unit 41 according to the present embodiment enables each of the upper sensor mounting portion 42 and the lower sensor mounting portion 43 to be divided into two parts, and the sensor board (the upper sensor board 47 and the lower sensor board 48) can be extracted and reused. By enabling the accommodation, the work of inspecting / repairing the sensor substrate accommodated in the sensor unit 41 or replacing the failed sensor substrate with a new sensor substrate can be easily performed.

  In addition, each of the upper sensor attachment portion 42 and the lower sensor attachment portion 43 can be easily divided or reassembled simply by attaching or detaching the screw 58.

  Next, a method for attaching the label presser 40 to the sensor unit 41 will be described.

  FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a main part of the label presser 40. The label presser 40 is a synthetic resin plate having a substantially rectangular planar shape, and a tip side of the sensor unit 41, that is, a portion to which the sensor substrates (the upper sensor substrate 47 and the lower sensor substrate 48) are attached is inserted on one side thereof. A cutout 40a is provided. In addition, a guide rail 40b to be inserted into upper guide grooves 52 (see FIGS. 11 and 13) provided on both side surfaces of the sensor unit 41 is formed in a part of the notch 40a.

  A sensor unit lock lever (sensor displacement prevention mechanism) 60 formed separately from the label press 40 is attached to the label press 40.

  The sensor unit lock lever 60 is attached to the label holder 40 by fitting a pair of pins 61 provided at both ends thereof into the pin holes 40 c of the label holder 40. The sensor unit lock lever 60 attached to the label presser 40 is rotatable in the vertical direction with the pin 61a fitted in the pin hole 40c of the label presser 40 as a fulcrum.

  When the leading end side of the sensor unit 41 is inserted into the notch 40a of the label presser 40, first, as shown in FIG. 20, the guide rail 14b of the support frame 14a is fitted into the lower guide groove 53 of the sensor unit 41, and the sensor unit. 41 is slid.

  Next, after the guide rail 40b of the label presser 40 is fitted into the upper guide groove 52 of the sensor unit 41, the sensor unit 41 is moved until the tip of the sensor unit 41 contacts the innermost part of the notch 40a of the guide rail 40b. Slide (or label holder 40).

  FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 (a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 17) show the state in which the front end side of the sensor unit 41 is inserted into the notch 40a of the label presser 40 in this way.

  As shown in FIG. 18, when the leading end side of the sensor unit 41 is inserted into the notch 40 a of the label presser 40, the sensor unit lock lever 60 of the label presser 40 is not in contact with the sensor unit 41. A concave portion 60b is formed on the surface of the sensor unit lock lever 60. When the sensor unit lock lever 60 and the sensor unit 41 are not in contact with each other, the concave portion 60b is provided on the side surface of the sensor unit 41. The convex portions 54 are at positions separated from each other.

  Note that the upstream end (the right side in FIG. 18) of the label retainer 40 in the transport direction has a round cross-sectional shape. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the problem that the ink ribbon RB conveyed through between the print head unit 13 and the label presser 40 is caught on the upper surface of the label presser 40, and the ink ribbon RB can be smoothly transferred. Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the end of the label presser 40 on the upstream side in the conveying direction is inclined obliquely upward from the left to the right in the same figure at a position protruding to the upper surface side of the paper guide 24. When the taper 37 is provided, the loadability of the ink ribbon RB can be improved.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 19, one end of the sensor unit lock lever 60 exposed to the outside of the label presser 40 is picked with a finger or the like, and this one end is directed upward (in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 19). Rotate. Thereby, the convex portion 54 of the sensor unit 41 is fitted into the concave portion 60 b of the sensor unit lock lever 60, so that the label presser 40 is securely fixed to the sensor unit 41. When releasing the fixation of the label presser 40 with respect to the sensor unit 41, one end of the sensor unit lock lever 60 may be rotated in a direction opposite to the direction shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 17, marks 35 and 36 indicating the positions of the two types of sensors (transmission sensor and reflection sensor 49) accommodated in the sensor unit 41 are engraved on the top surface on the front end side of the sensor unit 41. When the label presser 40 is fixed to the sensor unit 41, the position of the sensor can be easily seen from the outside.

  Thereafter, the sensor unit 41 is slid according to the size of the continuous paper P and the position of the label, whereby the positioning of the sensor with respect to the print medium is completed. Since the concave / convex groove 55 (see FIG. 12) with which the leaf spring 31 attached to the support portion 14 is engaged is provided on the bottom surface of the sensor unit 41, the sensor is positioned after the positioning of the sensor with respect to the print medium is completed. There is no possibility that the unit 41 moves and the position of the sensor with respect to the print medium shifts.

  When the sensor unit 41 is slid, the convex knob 33 provided on the sensor unit 41 is operated and slid. Therefore, there is no possibility that the label presser 40 is displaced with respect to the sensor unit 41.

  During the printing process, the thermal head unit 18 is pressed against the platen roller unit 23 side, and the continuous paper P is conveyed by rotating the platen roller unit 23 in a state where the continuous paper P is inserted into the gap C of the sensor unit 41.

  Then, the printing timing is set based on the information detected by the sensor, and the heating resistor of the printing line 18L is selectively heated by the printing signal transmitted to the thermal head unit 18. Thus, desired information such as characters, symbols, figures, barcodes, or the like is printed on the label of the continuous paper P while the continuous paper P is being conveyed.

  As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment. However, the embodiment disclosed in this specification is an example in all respects and is limited to the disclosed technology. It should be considered not a thing. That is, the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed restrictively based on the description in the above-described embodiment, but should be construed according to the description of the scope of claims. All modifications are included without departing from the technical scope equivalent to the described technique and the gist of the claims.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, a sensor unit having a pair of upper and lower sensor mounting portions has been described. For example, a single sensor mounting portion such as a sensor unit that accommodates a sensor substrate on which only a reflective sensor is mounted. It can also be applied to a sensor unit having Further, the sensor mounted on the sensor substrate is not limited to the transmission sensor or the reflection sensor, and may be another type of sensor such as a magnetic sensor.

  In the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to a sensor unit mounted on a stand-alone printer in which an input operation to the printer is performed without using a personal computer has been described. However, the printer is not limited to this. For example, an online printer in which an input operation is performed via a personal computer may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 10 Paper supply part 10a Support shaft 10b Roll guide part 11 Print part 13 Print head part 14 Support base 14a Support frame 14b Guide rail 15 Damper part 15a Outer damper part 15b Inner damper part 16 Head lock lever part 17 Head support plate 18 Thermal head portion 18L Printing line 19 Concave claw portion 20 Pin 21 Torsion spring 22 Lock claw portion 23 Platen roller portion 23a Platen shaft 24 Paper guide portion 25 Damper support member 26 Coil spring 27 Width adjustment guide portion 28 Guide operation portion 30 Torsion spring 31 Plate Spring 33 Knob 34 Recess 35, 36 Mark 37 Taper 40 Label retainer 40a Notch 40b Guide rail 40c Pin hole 41 Sensor unit 42, 42L, 42R Upper sensor mounting part 43, 43L, 43R Bottom Sensor mounting parts 42a, 43b fitting groove 44 shaft support 45 light receiving element 46 light emitting element 47 upper sensor board 48 lower sensor board 49 reflection sensor 50, 51 connector 52 upper guide groove 53 lower guide groove 54 convex part 55 uneven groove 56 pin 57 Pin hole 58 Screw 60 Sensor unit lock lever 60a Pin 60b Recess 70 Mount 71 Label 72 Eye mark C Gap P Continuous paper RB Ink ribbon G1, G5 Gear S1 Rotating shaft

Claims (4)

A sensor body mounted with a sensor that detects a position of a print medium that is transported through a predetermined medium transport path and is used for printing in the print unit;
A sensor mounting member that houses the sensor body;
With
The sensor mounting member is composed of a plurality of members that can be divided and reassembled.
A print medium sensor unit. The division and reassembly of the plurality of members is performed by attaching and detaching screws.
The sensor unit for a print medium according to claim 1. The sensor mounting member includes a first sensor mounting member that houses a first sensor body on which a first sensor is mounted, and a second sensor mounting member that houses a second sensor body on which a second sensor is mounted. Have
Each of the first sensor attachment member and the second sensor attachment member is composed of a plurality of members that can be divided and reassembled.
The sensor unit for a print medium according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is a print medium sensor unit. The sensor unit for a printing medium according to claim 1, 2, or 3,
A printer characterized by that.

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