JP2018165028A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the occurrence of printing failures caused by half-closing of a cover while suppressing a cost.SOLUTION: A printer includes: a cover capable of switching an open state of opening an opening of a housing, and a closed state of closing it; a platen roller provided in the cover and having a roller shaft; and a lock member oscillatably provided in the housing, and oscillating between a first position where shift from an open state of the cover to a closed state is allowed, and a second position where the cover is kept in a closed state through engagement with the roller shaft. The lock member has: a first abutting portion for making a pressing force of putting the cover in a closed state act on the lock member in a direction in which the lock member oscillates from the second position to the first position by abutting on one end side of the roller shaft when putting the cover in a closed state; and a second abutting portion for making a pressing force act on the lock member in a direction in which the lock member does not oscillate from the second position to the first position by abutting on the other end side of the roller shaft when putting the cover in a closed state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer.

  In Patent Document 1, a cover that can be switched between an open state in which an opening of a housing is opened and a closed state in which the housing is closed and a roller shaft of a platen roller provided on the cover are engaged to maintain the cover in a closed state. A printer including a locking member is disclosed.

  In the above printer, when both end portions of the roller shaft are engaged with the engaging portions formed at both end portions of the lock member, the cover is maintained in the closed state and the thermal attached to the platen roller and the lock member. The head faces.

  When the cover is pressed toward the lock member in order to change the cover from the open state to the closed state, the roller shaft first comes into contact with the inclined surface provided on the cover side of the lock member, and the cover is shifted to the closed state. A pressing force acts on the lock member in a direction in which the lock member swings toward the permissible position. Thereby, the lock member moves to a position allowing the cover to move to the closed state, and the cover can be closed.

JP 2014-188710 A

  In the printer described above, it is considered that only one end portion of the roller shaft is closed by being engaged with the lock member. In this case, if printing is performed as it is, printing failure may occur.

  On the other hand, it is conceivable to detect the single closing of the cover by providing detection sensors in the vicinity of the two engaging portions of the lock member. However, in this case, there is a problem that the cost of the printer increases.

  An object of the present invention is to prevent the occurrence of printing defects due to a single closing of a cover while suppressing costs.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, a housing, a cover that is pivotally provided on the housing and that can be switched between an open state that opens the opening of the housing and a closed state that closes the housing, and the cover are provided. A platen roller having a roller shaft, a first position which is swingably provided in the housing and allows the cover to shift from the open state to the closed state, and engages with the roller shaft to cover the cover And a lock member that swings between the second position for maintaining the cover in the closed state, and the lock member is in contact with one end side of the roller shaft when the cover is in the closed state. A first abutting portion for causing the lock member to act on the lock member in a direction in which the lock member swings from the second position toward the first position; In the closed state, a first contact is made with the other end side of the roller shaft so that the pressing force acts on the lock member in a direction in which the lock member does not swing from the second position toward the first position. A printer having two abutting portions is provided.

  According to this, the lock member does not move to the first position unless the cover is pressed so that a pressing force acts on the lock member from one end side of the roller shaft. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of one-side closure in which only the other end side of the roller shaft is engaged with the lock member. Accordingly, by providing the detection sensor only on the second contact portion side of the lock member, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of printing failure due to the one-side closing of the cover while suppressing cost.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the right side. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the left side. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the lock member. FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the first contact portion of the lock member. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the second contact portion of the lock member. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state where the lock member has moved to the first position.

  Hereinafter, a printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The printer 100 is a so-called mobile printer that is carried and used by a user, and is configured as a thermal printer that performs printing by heating a print medium that is a thermal medium.

  In the present embodiment, the print medium is a continuous label body M in which a plurality of labels are continuously attached to a belt-like mount at intervals. The printer 100 can also use a label without a mount as a printing medium.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer 100 includes a housing 10 and a cover 11 that covers an opening of the housing 10.

  The label continuous body M is accommodated in the housing 10 in a state of being wound in a roll shape. A guide portion 10 a that supports the outer periphery of the label continuum M is formed on the bottom surface of the housing 10.

  One end of the cover 11 is supported by the housing 10 via the shaft 12. The cover 11 is rotated with the shaft 12 as a fulcrum, so that the opening of the housing 10 is opened (a state indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) and a closed state (a solid line in FIGS. 1 and 2). Can be switched.

  The printer 100 can set the label continuous body M and perform maintenance of the internal mechanism by opening the cover 11.

  A discharge port 13 through which the printed label continuous body M is discharged from the printer 100 is formed between the end of the cover 11 on the other end side and the housing 10.

  A platen roller 15 is attached to the inner surface of the other end of the cover 11 via a roller support member 14. Specifically, the roller support member 14 rotatably supports the roller shaft 16 of the platen roller 15.

  The housing 10 accommodates a printing unit 20 for printing on the label continuum M, a controller 30 for controlling the operation of the printer 100, a battery 40 for supplying power to each part of the printer 100, and the like.

  An operation unit 17 for operating the printer 100 and an open button 18 for changing the cover 11 from the closed state to the open state are provided on the upper surface of the housing 10. The operation unit 17 includes various operation buttons and a display. The release button 18 will be described later.

  The printing unit 20 includes a main body 21 fixed to the housing 10, a lock member 23 that is swingably supported by the main body 21 via a shaft 22, and a thermal head 24 attached to the lock member 23. .

  1 and 2, the lock member 23 is engaged with the roller shaft 16 of the platen roller 15 to maintain the cover 11 in the closed state, and as shown in FIG. It swings between the first position allowing the transition from the open state to the closed state.

  Hereinafter, the lock member 23 will be described in detail.

  The lock member 23 of the present embodiment is a press-molded product, and as shown in FIG. 3, a base portion 23a, bent portions 23b and 23c formed at both ends of the base portion 23a, and an upper center of the base portion 23a. And extending portions 23d extending to the opposite side of the bent portions 23b and 23c. A thermal head 24 is attached to the base portion 23a. The lock member 23 is not limited to a press-formed product, and may be made of a resin having a certain degree of strength.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bent portion 23 b is formed with an engaging portion 23 e that engages with one end side 16 a of the roller shaft 16 and a hole 23 f through which the shaft 22 is inserted. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a first abutting portion 23i that abuts one end side 16a of the roller shaft 16 when the cover 11 is changed from the open state to the closed state is provided at the top end of the bent portion 23b. It is done.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bent portion 23c is formed with an engaging portion 23g that engages with the other end 16b of the roller shaft 16 and a hole 23h through which the shaft 22 is inserted. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a second abutting portion 23j with which the other end side 16b of the roller shaft 16 abuts when the cover 11 is changed from the open state to the closed state is provided at the tip on the upper surface side of the bent portion 23c. Provided.

  The lock member 23 is configured as described above. In the printer 100, when the cover 11 is closed, that is, the roller shaft 16 of the platen roller 15 is engaged with the engaging portions 23e and 23g of the lock member 23. 1 and 2, the platen roller 15 and the thermal head 24 attached to the lock member 23 face each other.

  A spring 25 that biases the lock member 23 toward the platen roller 15 is provided between the main body 21 of the print unit 20 and the lock member 23. As a result, the lock member 23 is always biased toward the second position. In the closed state of the cover 11, the thermal head 24 is pressed against the platen roller 15.

  The continuous label body M is sandwiched between the platen roller 15 and the thermal head 24 facing each other, and is conveyed toward the discharge port 13 by rotationally driving the platen roller 15 by a drive motor (not shown). . At this time, a heat generating element (not shown) provided in the thermal head 24 selectively generates heat, thereby causing the thermosensitive coloring layer of the label to develop color and printing characters, symbols, and the like.

  The extending portion 23d of the lock member 23 is formed so as to be close to the lower surface of the release button 18 described above. When the user presses the release button 18, the extending portion 23 d is pushed by the release button 18. As a result, the lock member 23 swings and moves from the second position to the first position.

  In the present embodiment, the cover 11 is always urged by a spring (not shown) in the opening direction. Therefore, when the cover 11 is in the closed state, when the release button 18 is pressed to move the lock member 23 from the second position to the first position, the cover 11 is automatically rotated to be in the open state.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, detection is made on the second contact portion 23j side of the lock member 23 and in the vicinity of the engagement portion 23g to detect that the roller shaft 16 is engaged with the engagement portion 23g. A sensor 26 is provided. As the detection sensor 26, for example, a proximity sensor, a photoelectric sensor, a limit switch, or the like can be used.

  Next, how the cover 11 is changed from the open state to the closed state will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

  When the cover 11 is closed, the user applies a pressing force (black arrow) to the cover 11 as shown in FIGS.

  Here, when the cover 11 is in the open state, the lock member 23 is in the second position. Therefore, when the cover 11 is in the closed state, first, as shown in FIG. 4, the one end side 16a of the roller shaft 16 contacts the first contact portion 23i of the lock member 23, and as shown in FIG. The other end 16b of the roller shaft 16 contacts the second contact portion 23j of the lock member 23.

  Note that the cover 11 of the present embodiment is made of resin, and the cover 11 is bent so that one end side 16a of the roller shaft 16 comes into contact with the first contact portion 23i and the other end side 16b has a second contact. A state of contacting the contact portion 23j is realized.

  The first contact portion 23i is provided as a surface inclined with respect to the direction in which the roller shaft 16 moves as the cover 11 rotates, and closes the cover 11 as indicated by a white arrow in FIG. A pressing force (black arrow) for setting the state acts on the lock member 23 in a direction in which the lock member 23 swings toward the first position.

  On the other hand, the second contact portion 23j is provided as a surface substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the roller shaft 16 moves in accordance with the rotation of the cover 11, and as shown by a white arrow in FIG. A pressing force (black arrow) for closing 11 is applied to the lock member 23 in a direction in which the lock member 23 does not swing toward the first position.

  That is, the printer 100 transmits the pressing force from the cover 11 to the first contact portion 23i side of the lock member 23 and moves the lock member 23 to the first position, so that the one end side 16a of the roller shaft 16 is first moved. Then, the other end 16b of the roller shaft 16 is engaged with the engaging portion 23g as the bending of the cover 11 is restored.

  In other words, when the user presses the cover 11, when the cover 11 is pressed so that the pressing force is transmitted mainly to the second contact portion 23j side, the lock member 23 does not move to the first position. 11 cannot be closed.

  Thus, the printer 100 cannot move the lock member 23 to the first position unless the cover 11 is pressed so that the pressing force acts on the first contact portion 23 i side of the lock member 23. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of one-side closure in which only the other end side 16b of the roller shaft 16 is engaged with the lock member 23.

  Further, as described above, the detection sensor 26 that detects that the other end side 16b of the roller shaft 16 is engaged with the engaging portion 23g is provided in the vicinity of the engaging portion 23g of the lock member 23. Therefore, when the one end side 16a of the roller shaft 16 is engaged with the lock member 23, the detection sensor 26 can detect that the cover 11 is not closed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the printing from being performed in a state where the cover 11 is partially closed.

  As described above, the printer 100 according to the present embodiment includes the housing 10 and the cover 11 that is rotatably provided in the housing 10 and can be switched between an open state in which the opening of the housing 10 is opened and a closed state in which the opening is closed. A platen roller 15 provided on the cover 11 and having a roller shaft 16; a first position swingably provided on the housing 10; and allowing the cover 11 to shift from an open state to a closed state; and the roller shaft 16 And a lock member 23 that swings between the second position that maintains the cover 11 in the closed state by engaging the lock shaft 23. A first force that abuts against the one end side 16a and causes the cover 11 to close is applied to the lock member 23 in a direction in which the lock member 23 swings from the second position toward the first position. When the contact portion 23i and the cover 11 are closed, the lock member 23 abuts against the other end 16b of the roller shaft 16 so that the pressing force does not swing from the second position toward the first position. A second contact portion 23j that acts on the second contact portion 23j.

  Further, a detection sensor 26 that detects that the other end side 16 b of the roller shaft 16 is engaged with the lock member 23 is provided on the second contact portion 23 j side of the lock member 23.

  According to this, the lock member 23 does not move to the first position unless the cover 11 is pressed so that a pressing force acts on the lock member 23 from the one end side 16 a of the roller shaft 16. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of one-sided closure in which only the other end 16b of the roller shaft 16 is engaged with the lock member 23. Thus, by providing the detection sensor 26 only on the second contact portion 23j side of the lock member 23, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of printing failure due to the cover 11 being partially closed while suppressing the cost.

  The cover 11 is made of resin.

  Accordingly, it is possible to realize a state in which the one end side 16a of the roller shaft 16 is in contact with the first contact portion 23i and the other end side 16b is in contact with the second contact portion 23j.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the above embodiment is merely one example of application of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is limited to the specific configuration of the above embodiment. is not.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Housing 10a Guide part 11 Cover 12 Shaft 13 Discharge port 14 Roller support member 15 Platen roller 16 Roller shaft 16a One end side 16b The other end side 17 Operation unit 18 Release button 20 Printing unit 21 Main body part 22 Shaft 23 Lock member 23a Base part 23b Bending portion 23c Bending portion 23d Extending portion 23e Engaging portion 23f Hole 23g Engaging portion 23h Hole 23i First abutting portion 23j Second abutting portion 24 Thermal head 25 Spring 26 Detection sensor 30 Controller 40 Battery 100 Printer

Claims (3)

A housing;
A cover rotatably provided in the housing, and capable of switching between an open state for opening the opening of the housing and a closed state for closing;
A platen roller provided on the cover and having a roller shaft;
A first position that is swingably provided in the housing and that allows the cover to transition from the open state to the closed state, and a second position that engages with the roller shaft and maintains the cover in the closed state. And a locking member that swings between the positions,
With
The locking member is
When the cover is in the closed state, the lock member swings from the second position toward the first position with a pressing force that contacts the one end of the roller shaft to bring the cover into the closed state. A first abutting portion that acts on the locking member in a direction;
When the cover is in the closed state, it comes into contact with the other end side of the roller shaft, and the pressing force is applied to the lock member in a direction in which the lock member does not swing from the second position toward the first position. A second contact portion to be acted on;
Having a printer. The printer according to claim 1,
A detection sensor for detecting that the other end side of the roller shaft is engaged with the lock member on the second contact portion side;
Printer. The printer according to claim 1 or 2,
The cover is formed of resin;
Printer.

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