JP2018043380A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To readily replace a component such as a roller and a sensor.SOLUTION: A printer can store a roll body in which a belt-like printing medium is wound. This printer includes: a storage part for storing the roll body; a transportation roller for transporting the printing medium drawn from the roll body that is stored in the storage part; and an inner cover to be a transportation passage for the printing medium in proceeding to the transportation roller from the storage part. The inner cover is detachably attached.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer that can accommodate a roll body (for example, roll paper) around which a belt-shaped print medium is wound.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printers that can accommodate roll paper wound with a belt-like printing paper are known. In such a printer, an inner cover is provided that serves as a transport path when transporting the print paper drawn from the storage unit that stores the roll paper to the platen roller.
As an example of the printing paper, there is one having an adhesive on the side opposite to the printing surface for pasting after printing. When such a printing paper is used, the surface of the printing paper with the adhesive (adhesive surface) drawn from the roll paper contacts the inner cover while facing the platen roller. The surface that contacts the surface may be subjected to non-adhesive processing (for example, “conveying plate” in Patent Document 1).

Japanese National Patent Publication No. 9-506053

  By the way, since printing paper is conveyed on the inner cover, printer components such as a conveyance roller and a sensor for detecting the printing paper are often provided near the inner cover or below the inner cover. For example, the transport roller may be worn and need to be replaced, and the sensor may need to be replaced due to a failure. In this case, the replacement work becomes difficult due to the presence of the inner cover, or the replacement work becomes impossible. Sometimes it becomes.

  Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the ease of replacement of components constituting the printer.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a printer that can accommodate a roll body around which a belt-shaped print medium is wound,
An accommodating portion for accommodating the roll body;
A transport roller for transporting a print medium drawn from the roll body housed in the housing section;
An inner cover that serves as a conveyance path for the print medium when heading from the container to the conveyance roller,
In the printer, the inner cover is detachably attached.

  According to the printer according to the present disclosure, it is possible to enhance the ease of replacement of components constituting the printer.

It is a perspective view which shows the case where an opening / closing part is a closed state about the printer which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the case where an opening / closing part is an open state about the printer which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3A shows a roll paper obtained by winding a continuous paper on which a plurality of labels are temporarily attached on a mount. FIG. 3B is a roll paper obtained by winding a continuous paper (label) having an adhesive coated on the back surface. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the printer for explaining the operation of the printer according to the first embodiment. It is a top view about a part of printer concerning a 1st embodiment which removed an inner cover. It is a figure explaining the method to attach an inner cover to the printer which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bottom side of the inner cover of the printer according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state which removed the front part of the housing | casing from the printer which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the connection mechanism of the front part of the housing | casing of the printer which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the method to attach an inner cover to the printer which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

(1) First Embodiment Hereinafter, a printer 1 according to a first embodiment will be described.

(1-1) Overall Configuration and Operation of Printer 1 According to Embodiment First, the overall configuration and operation of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a case where the opening / closing unit 3 is in a closed state with respect to the printer 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the printer 1 according to the embodiment when the opening / closing unit 3 is in an open state. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a roll paper R obtained by winding a continuous paper P on which a plurality of labels PL are temporarily attached on a mount PM. FIG. 3B is a view showing a roll paper R in which a continuous paper P (label) coated with an adhesive on the back surface is wound. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the printer 1 for explaining the operation of the printer 1 according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the printer 1 of the present embodiment includes a housing 2, an opening / closing unit 3, a display panel 4, a platen roller 5, a thermal head 6, a storage unit 8, and an auxiliary unit. The rollers 13 and 17, the peeling plate 15, the sensor 18, the inner cover 25, a first nip roller 28, and a second nip roller 29 are provided. The housing 2 is formed according to the outer shape of the printer 1 and has a frame F formed therein.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bottom surface of the printer 1 has a substantially rectangular shape, and the direction along the long side is defined as the front-rear direction. That is, the side where the platen roller 5 on the downstream side in the transport direction is provided is defined as the front (FR), and the upstream side in the transport direction on the opposite side is defined as the rear (RR). The right side (RH), left side (LH), upper side (UP), and lower side (LO) are defined on the basis of the front-rear direction. In the following description, the right (RH) direction or the left (LH) direction is referred to as a lateral direction, and the upper (UP) direction or the lower (LO) direction is referred to as an up-down direction, as appropriate.

  The accommodating portion 8 is a space that is provided inside the housing 2 and accommodates the roll paper R. The opening / closing part 3 is a cover that opens or closes the accommodating part 8. The opening / closing part 3 and the rear end of the housing 2 are pivotally supported by a shaft 31 (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 3A, the roll paper R may be one obtained by winding a continuous belt P in a roll shape. The continuous paper P shown in FIG. 3A includes a strip-shaped mount PM and a plurality of labels PL temporarily attached to the mount at predetermined intervals.
As shown in FIG. 3B, the roll paper R may be a roll of continuous paper P made of a strip-shaped label. The continuous paper P shown in FIG. 3B is coated with an adhesive on the surface opposite to the printing surface.
In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the continuous paper P is fed out from the roll paper R by the rotation of the platen roller 5.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a display panel 4 is provided on the front side of the opening / closing part 3. The display panel 4 provides an input / output interface for the user in a state where the opening / closing unit 3 is closed, and is a liquid crystal display panel having a touch panel function, for example.

As shown in FIG. 2, a platen roller 5 is pivotally supported on the downstream side of the casing 2 in the transport direction so as to be rotatable in the forward and reverse directions. The platen roller 5 is a conveying unit that conveys the continuous paper P fed out from the roll paper R, and is formed in a state of extending along the width direction of the continuous paper P. The platen roller 5 is driven by a motor (not shown).
An auxiliary roller 13 is provided on the housing 2 side, and an auxiliary roller 17 is provided on the opening / closing unit 3 side. As shown in FIG. 4, when the opening / closing part 3 is in the closed state, the auxiliary rollers 13 and 17 face each other with the continuous paper P interposed therebetween, and assist the conveyance of the continuous paper P to the platen roller 5.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a sensor 18 for detecting the presence or absence of the label PL is provided on the upstream side of conveyance of the auxiliary roller 13. The sensor 18 includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. The sensor 18 may be a light reflection type sensor or a light transmission type sensor.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an inner cover 25 serving as a conveyance path for the continuous paper P is provided as a conveyance path until the continuous paper P drawn from the roll paper R is conveyed from the storage unit 8 to the platen roller 5. It has been. The configuration of the inner cover 25 will be described later.

The thermal head 6 is disposed in the opening / closing part 3 so as to face the platen roller 5 when the opening / closing part 3 is in a closed state.
The thermal head 6 is a printing unit that prints information such as characters, symbols, figures, barcodes, or the like on the continuous paper P or the label PL fed out from the roll paper R. As shown in FIG. 4, in the thermal head 6, the printing surface of the thermal head 6 faces the sheet passing route of the continuous paper P and faces the platen roller 5 when the opening / closing part 3 is closed. On the printing surface of the thermal head 6, a plurality of heating resistors (heating elements) that generate heat when energized are arranged along the width direction of the continuous paper P.

Although not shown, a coil spring is provided on the back side of the thermal head 6 as a biasing member that applies a biasing force to the thermal head 6.
When the open / close unit 3 is closed and printing is being performed, the continuous paper P fed from the roll paper R is conveyed between the platen roller 5 and the thermal head 6 while being conveyed by the platen roller 5. At this time, the thermal head 6 is pressed against the platen roller 5 by the urging force, thereby generating a head pressure suitable for printing.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the platen roller 5 is driven in the forward direction with the opening / closing portion 3 in the closed state, the continuous paper P fed out from the roll paper R is sandwiched between the auxiliary rollers 13 and 17 and the platen roller 5. Head to.

In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the continuous paper P made of the base sheet PM on which a plurality of labels PL are temporarily attached is transported, the continuous paper P is discharged without peeling off the labels PL. The case where the label PL is peeled off from the mount PM and discharged is selectable. When the continuous paper P is discharged without peeling off the label PL, the continuous paper P printed on the label PL by the thermal head 6 is discharged from the label discharge port 7.
On the other hand, when the label PL is peeled off and discharged from the mount PM, the peeled label PL is discharged from the label discharge port 7, but the mount PM is turned downward at the front end of the release plate 15, and the first Heading toward the nip roller 28 and the second nip roller 29. The first nip roller 28 and the second nip roller 29 face each other. The first nip roller 28 and the second nip roller 29 rotate while sandwiching the mount PM, and convey the mount PM to the mount discharge port 11.
The second nip roller 29 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), and the first nip roller 28 is driven to rotate by the rotation of the second nip roller 29.

(1-2) Configuration and Mounting Method of Inner Cover 25 Next, the inner cover 25 of the printer 1 of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The inner cover 25 of this embodiment is characterized in that it can be detached from the printer 1.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a part of the printer 1 according to the first embodiment with the inner cover 25 removed. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method of attaching the inner cover 25 to the printer 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the bottom side of the inner cover 25 of the printer 1 according to the first embodiment.

  A frame F for attaching each part of the printer 1 is attached inside the housing 2 of the printer 1. Referring to FIG. 5, the sensor 18 is attached to the frame F of the printer 1 so that the inner cover 25 is removed from the printer 1, and a recess 27 </ b> L for attaching the inner cover 25 to the frame F is seen. , 27R are formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the inner cover 25 includes a base portion 251, extension portions 252L and 252R formed on the left and right sides of the base portion 251, and elastic portions 253L and 253R formed at the tips of the extension portions 252L and 252R. Prepare. The material of the inner cover 25 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, ABS resin.

The elastic portions 253L and 253R constitute a leaf spring. That is, the tip portions 253La and 253Ra of the elastic portions 253L and 253R are configured to be vertically displaceable with the extension portions 252L and 252R as fulcrums, respectively, according to the external force in the vertical direction.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, protrusions 253Lb and 253Rb projecting downward are provided on the back sides of the tip portions 253La and 253Ra of the elastic portions 253L and 253R, respectively.
The functions of the elastic portions 253L and 253R will be described later.

  The base 251 functions as a conveyance path when the continuous paper P drawn from the roll paper R stored in the storage unit 8 goes to the platen roller 5. As described above, in order to prevent sticking when the adhesive is coated and exposed on the back surface of the continuous paper P and to enable smooth conveyance of the continuous paper P, it faces the continuous paper P of the base 251. The surface is preferably subjected to non-adhesive processing. As an example of non-adhesive processing, for example, a coating treatment with silicone may be mentioned.

  In order to further facilitate smooth conveyance of the continuous paper P, the base 251 is preferably formed with ribs 251r as shown in FIG. 6 for the purpose of reducing the contact area with the adhesive surface of the continuous paper P. .

  As shown in FIG. 6, the base 251 has an opening 254 for preventing interference with the auxiliary roller 13. The opening 255 of the base 251 is positioned to face the sensor 18 when the inner cover 25 is attached to the frame F so as not to block the light emitted from the sensor 18 (see FIG. 5) and reaching the continuous paper P. Is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, U-shaped attachment claws 257 </ b> L and 257 </ b> R are formed on the back side of the base portion 251. As shown in FIG. 6, the U-shaped attachment claws 257L and 257R are attached by being inserted (press-fitted) into the recesses 27L and 27R of the frame F while being bent. That is, the inner cover 25 is configured to be detachable from the printer 1 by inserting and removing the U-shaped attachment claws 257L and 257R with respect to the recesses 27L and 27R of the frame F.

  As described above, the printer 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that the inner cover 25 is detachable from the printer 1A. Therefore, when the platen roller 5 and the auxiliary roller 13 are worn or when the sensor 18 fails, it is possible to remove the inner cover 25 and easily replace components such as these rollers and sensors.

Preferably, the surface of the inner cover 25 is subjected to non-adhesive processing. As a result, when the continuous paper P (so-called non-mounting label) with the adhesive coated on the back surface is used, the continuous paper P becomes difficult to stick to the surface of the inner cover 25, and the continuous paper P is smoothly conveyed. Demonstrate the effect.
However, even if the inner cover 25 is subjected to non-adhesive processing, it is inevitable that the adhesive adheres to the surface of the inner cover, and the smooth conveyance of the continuous paper P may be hindered. For this reason, a regular cleaning operation for removing the adhesive from the surface of the inner cover 25 is required, but the effect of the non-adhesive processing of the inner cover 25 is lost by this cleaning operation. However, in this embodiment, since the inner cover 25 can be detached from the printer 1, the inner cover 25 that has lost the effect of non-adhesive processing can be replaced with a new one. Therefore, coupled with the fact that the inner cover 25 subjected to non-adhesive processing can be removed, the continuous paper P can be smoothly conveyed over a long period of time.

(1-3) Removal Function of Front Part 2F of Housing 2 Using Inner Cover 25 Inner cover 25 of the present embodiment has a function of removing front part 2F of housing 2. This function will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state where the front portion 2F of the housing 2 is removed from the printer 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a view for explaining the connecting mechanism 20L of the front portion 2F of the casing 2 of the printer 1 according to the present embodiment.

As described above, when the inner cover 25 of the present embodiment is attached to the frame F, the tip portions 253La and 253Ra of the elastic portions 253L and 253R of the inner cover 25 are positioned immediately above the holes 201L and 201R of the frame F. To do. As shown in FIG. 9, a protrusion 253Rb of the inner cover 25 is disposed immediately above the movable pin 202 (described later). The distal end of the movable pin 202 and the distal end of the protrusion 253Rb may be locked or slightly separated.
In this state, when a downward force is applied to the front end portions 253La and 253Ra, the front portion 2F of the housing 2 can be detached from the left side portion 2L and the right side portion 2R.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the peeling plate 15, the first nip roller 28, and the second nip roller 29 are attached to the front portion 2 </ b> F of the housing 2. Connection mechanisms 20L and 20R for connecting to the left side 2L and the right side 2R are provided at the left and right ends of the front part 2F of the housing 2, respectively.

In the left part 2L and the right part 2R of the housing 2, grooves 205L and 205R are formed in the lower part for connection with the front part 2F, and holding parts 206L and 206R are formed in the upper part.
The groove portions 205L and 205R include U-shaped grooves as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. By engaging the groove portions 205L and 205R with the projecting portions 207L and 207R provided on the front portion 2F, the front portion 2F, the left side portion 2L, and the right side portion 2R of the housing 2 are coupled on the lower side. The protrusions 207L and 207R are generally cylindrical.
The holding portions 206L and 206R are plate-like portions in which holes 201L and 201R (described later) are formed. The front portion 2F, the left side portion 2L, and the right side portion 2R of the housing 2 are connected on the upper side by the holding portions 206L and 206R and the connecting mechanisms 20L and 20R.

The connection by the connection mechanisms 20L and 20R and the release of the connection will be described with reference to FIG. 9 shows only the connection mechanism 20L that connects the front part 2F and the left side part 2L of the housing 2, the same applies to the connection mechanism 20R.
As shown in FIG. 9, in a state where the front portion 2F and the left side portion 2L of the housing 2 are connected, the movable pin 202 is inserted into the hole 201L of the holding portion 206L formed in the left side portion 2L of the housing 2. Thereby, the front part 2F and the left side part 2L of the housing 2 are connected on the upper side. As described above, the cylindrical projecting portion 207L of the front portion 2F is inserted into the groove portion 205L of the left side portion 2L, thereby connecting the front portion 2F and the left side portion 2L of the housing 2 on the lower side.

Support portions 212 and 214 are formed on the left and right ends of the front portion 2F of the housing 2. The support 212 is provided with a hole for inserting and moving the movable pin 202. The movable pin 202 has a seat surface portion 202 a disposed on the lower surface of the support portion 212.
A coil spring 203 is attached between the seating surface portion 202 a of the movable pin 202 and the support portion 214. That is, the coil spring 203 is attached so that one end of the coil spring 203 is positioned on the support surface 214 a of the support portion 214 and the other end of the coil spring 203 is positioned on the lower surface of the seat surface portion 202 a of the movable pin 202. Since the seating surface portion 202a of the movable pin 202 is pressed against the lower surface of the support portion 212 by the biasing force of the coil spring 203, the state where the movable pin 202 is inserted into the hole 201L is maintained.

In this state, when a downward force is applied to the tip portion 253La of the inner cover 25, the protrusion 253Lb on the back side of the tip portion 253La abuts on the movable pin 202. When the tip end portion 253La of the inner cover 25 is further pushed down against the urging force of the coil spring 203, the upper end of the movable pin 202 moves below the contact surface 212a of the support portion 212. Then, since the stopper function by the movable pin 202 is lost, the upper portion of the front portion 2F of the housing 2 can be moved relative to the holding portion 206L. That is, the connection between the upper part of the front part 2F of the housing 2 and the left part 2L is released. Therefore, in a state where the front end portion 253La of the inner cover 25 is pushed down, the front portion 2F of the housing 2 can be rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 9 with the protruding portion 207L as a fulcrum.
Since the lower part of the front part 2F of the housing 2 is merely engaged with the U-shaped groove part 205L in the cylindrical protrusion part 207L, the connection of the upper part of the front part 2F is once released. For example, the front part 2F of the housing 2 can be easily separated from the left side part 2L.
Therefore, components such as the first nip roller 28 and the second nip roller 29 attached to the front portion 2F of the housing 2 can be easily replaced when worn or broken.

(2) Second Embodiment Next, a printer 1A according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an inner cover 25A and a method for attaching the inner cover 25A in the printer 1A according to the second embodiment. The printer 1A according to this embodiment is an inner cover compared to the printer 1 according to the first embodiment. The cover and its mounting method are different. Unlike the inner cover 25 of the first embodiment, the inner cover 25A of the present embodiment cannot separate the front portion of the housing of the printer 1A.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the inner cover 25A includes a base portion 251A and an elastic portion 256L formed on the left rear side of the base portion 251A. The material of the inner cover 25 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, ABS resin.

  The elastic portion 256L has a U shape in plan view, and functions as a leaf spring that is flexible in the left-right direction. A protrusion 256La protruding leftward is formed at the tip of the elastic portion 256L. On the right side of the inner cover 25A, a protrusion 256Ra protruding rightward from the base portion 251A is formed at a position corresponding to the protrusion 256La.

  Similarly to the base 251, the base 251 </ b> A functions as a conveyance path when the continuous paper P drawn from the roll paper R stored in the storage unit 8 goes to the platen roller 5. As with the base 251, in order to prevent sticking when the adhesive is coated and exposed on the back surface of the continuous paper P and to enable smooth conveyance of the continuous paper P, it faces the continuous paper P of the base 251 A. It is preferable that non-adhesive processing is given to the surface to perform.

  Ribs 251Ar are formed on the base 251A for the purpose of reducing the contact area with the adhesive surface of the continuous paper P in order to further facilitate the smooth conveyance of the continuous paper P.

  The base 251A is formed with an opening 254A for preventing interference with the auxiliary roller 13 and not blocking light emitted from the sensor 18 and reaching the continuous paper P.

As shown in FIG. 10, openings 258L and 258R are formed in front of the base 251A. On the other hand, mounting claws 259L and 259R protrude from the frame F between the auxiliary roller 13 and the platen roller 5.
The inner cover 25A is attached to the printer 1 by engaging the openings 258L and 258R of the base 251A and the protrusions 256La and 256Ra with the frame F. That is, in order to attach the inner cover 25A to the printer 1, the openings 258L and 258R of the inner cover 25A are inserted (press-fitted) into the attachment claws 259L and 259R of the frame F. Further, the protrusions 256La and 256Ra are inserted into the holes 261L and 261R of the frame F, respectively. By bending the elastic portion 256L, the protrusions 256La and 256Ra can be easily inserted into the holes 261L and 261R from the side.
The inner cover 25A is configured to be detachable from the printer 1A by inserting / removing the openings 258L, 258R of the base 251A and the projections 256La, 256Ra with respect to the frame F.

  As described above, the printer 1A according to the present embodiment, like the printer 1 according to the first embodiment, is configured such that the inner cover 25A is detachable from the printer 1A. It is possible to exchange it.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, the printer of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It is.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1A ... Printer F ... Frame 2 ... Housing 2F ... Front part 20L, 20R ... Connection mechanism 201L, 201R ... Hole 202 ... Movable pin 203 ... Coil spring 205L, 205R ... Groove part 206L, 206R ... Holding part 207L, 207R ... Protruding portions 212, 214 ... support portion 212a ... abutting surface 214a ... support surface 2L ... left side portion 2R ... right side portion 3 ... opening / closing portion 31 ... shaft 4 ... display panel 5 ... platen roller 6 ... thermal head 7 ... label discharge port 8 ... Accommodating part 11 ... Mount outlet 13, 17 ... Auxiliary roller 15 ... Release plate 18 ... Sensor 25, 25A ... Inner cover 251, 251A ... Base part 251r, 251Ar ... Rib 252L, 252R ... Extension part 253L, 253R ... Elastic part 253La 253Ra: Protrusions 254, 254A, 255 ... Openings 256L ... Elasticity Part 256La, 256Ra ... Tip part 256Lb, 256Rb ... Projection 257L, 257R ... Mounting claw 258L, 258R ... Opening 259L, 259R ... Mounting claw 261L, 261R ... Hole 27L, 27R ... Recess 28 ... First nip roller 29 ... Second nip roller 31 ... shaft R ... roll paper P ... continuous paper PM ... mounting paper PL ... label

Claims (3)

A printer capable of accommodating a roll body around which a belt-shaped print medium is wound,
An accommodating portion for accommodating the roll body;
A transport roller for transporting a print medium drawn from the roll body housed in the housing section;
An inner cover serving as a conveyance path for the print medium when traveling from the housing portion toward the conveyance roller;
With
The inner cover is detachably attached,
Printer. The inner cover is subjected to non-adhesive processing on the surface facing the print medium to be conveyed,
The printer according to claim 1. The printer is
A housing including a first portion and a second portion;
A coupling mechanism coupling the first part and the second part;
Further comprising
The inner cover has a base part serving as a conveyance path for the print medium and an elastic part extending from the base part, and a protrusion is formed on each elastic part,
The connection between the first part and the second part is released by causing the protrusion to act on the connection mechanism against the elastic force of the elastic part with the inner cover attached to the printer. The coupling mechanism is configured as follows,
The printer according to claim 1 or 2.

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