JP2019156561A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a printer capable of smoothly and surely feeding a tip of a roll sheet set in a roll supporting unit to a conveyance path.SOLUTION: A printer 11 of the present invention includes a housing 12 having a printing part 30 and a roll supporting unit 1 disposed below the housing 12 to support a roll sheet R; the roll supporting unit 1 includes a bearing part 21 for bearing a support shaft 22 of the roll sheet R and a contact part 23 brought into contact with a surface of the roll sheet R staying in a state where the support shaft 22 is supported by the bearing part 21; and the printer includes a guide part 41 for guiding a tip S of the roll sheet R to a predetermined position Q of a conveyance path 2 extending from the contact part 23 to the printing part 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus such as an ink jet printer that includes a casing having a printing unit and a roll support unit provided below the casing and supporting roll paper.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a printer including a roll support unit that supports roll paper below a casing having a printing unit.

JP 2002-205850 A

  The printing apparatus of Patent Document 1 has no problem in workability of the paper set because the support portion on which the roll paper is supported is exposed. However, if there is a structural change such as the printer casing becoming larger in the front-rear direction or other attachment mechanisms being attached, the visibility of the support part will be lowered, and it will be difficult to set the larger roll paper The problem arises. In particular, after setting the roll paper, it is difficult to insert the leading end of the roll paper into the transport path.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problem, and after setting roll paper on a roll support unit, the tip of the roll paper can be easily inserted into a conveyance path.

  In order to achieve the above object, a printing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a casing having a printing unit, and a roll support unit provided below the casing and supporting roll paper, The roll support unit includes a bearing portion that receives a support shaft of the roll paper, and a contact portion that contacts a surface of the roll paper in a state where the support shaft is supported by the bearing portion. And a guide unit that guides to a predetermined position on a conveyance path from the contact unit to the printing unit.

Here, the “predetermined position on the transport path” means a position where the leading edge of the roll paper is automatically guided by a transport path component and serves as an entrance of a part transported downstream.
In addition, “guide” in the “guide unit that guides the leading edge of the roll paper to a predetermined position on the conveyance path from the contact portion to the printing section” means that the leading edge of the roll paper is just before reaching the predetermined position on the conveyance path. Means that the vehicle is guided to the predetermined position so as not to enter a direction deviating from the route toward the predetermined position.

According to this aspect, the roll support unit has a bearing portion that receives a support shaft of the roll paper, and a contact portion that contacts the surface of the roll paper in a state where the support shaft is supported by the bearing portion, A guide unit that guides the leading end of the roll paper to a predetermined position on a conveyance path from the contact unit to the printing unit. As a result, when the leading edge of the roll paper is peeled off from the roll paper surface at the position of the contact portion, the leading edge of the roll paper is guided to the predetermined position that is guided by the guiding portion and becomes the entrance of the transport path. Is done.
Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the leading edge of the roll paper enters in a direction deviating from the path toward the predetermined position in the region before the predetermined position of the transport path. Therefore, after setting the roll paper on the roll paper support unit, the leading edge of the roll paper can be easily inserted into the transport path.

  The printing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the printing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the guide portion includes a guide portion that guides the leading end of the roll paper, and a fulcrum that supports the guide portion and supports the base end. And a swinging portion that swings so that a contact position of the contact portion is displaced in response to a change in the diameter of the roll paper.

  According to this aspect, the swinging portion, which is a component of the guide portion, supports the guide portion that performs the guide with respect to the leading end of the roll paper, and the contact portion responds to a change in the diameter of the roll paper. It swings so that the contact position is displaced. As a result, the diameter of the roll paper varies with the continuation of printing, but the guide can be executed through the contact portion corresponding to the variation without waste. Therefore, the effect of the first aspect can be obtained effectively.

  The printing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the printing apparatus according to the first aspect or the second aspect, wherein the guide length up to a predetermined position of the transport path, which is the length of the portion that performs the guide, is the length of the roll paper. It is characterized in that the structure changes between a state where the diameter is small and a state where the diameter of the roll paper is large.

In this aspect, the guide length to the predetermined position changes in accordance with the change in the diameter of the roll paper. That is, as the diameter of the roll paper decreases, the position of the contact portion approaches the roll paper axis, so the guide length increases. On the other hand, when the diameter of the roll paper is increased, the position of the contact portion is separated from the axis of the roll paper, so that the guide length is shortened.
Accordingly, the guide length changes as described above according to the diameter of the roll paper. Therefore, in the structure in which the guide length is fixed, when the guide length is short, the extra guide portion is released. Although an extra space is required, according to this aspect, it is not necessary to provide the extra space. Thereby, the enlargement of an apparatus can be suppressed.

  In a printing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the guide portion is supported by a fixed guide portion whose position is fixed and the swinging portion, and the guide is supported with respect to the fixed guide portion. And one or more movable guide portions that move in a direction in which the length changes.

  According to this aspect, the guide portion includes a fixed guide portion and one or more movable guide portions that are supported by the swinging portion and move in a direction in which the guide length changes with respect to the fixed guide portion. Prepare. That is, the guide part is constituted by a combination of the fixed guide part and the movable guide part. Therefore, the structure can be simplified and the effect of the third aspect can be obtained.

  The printing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the printing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein a plurality of the guide portions are provided at different positions in the axial direction of the support shaft. The guide portion is attached to a single support frame.

  According to this aspect, since the plurality of guide portions are attached to a single support frame, an effect that the positions of the plurality of guide portions can be easily adjusted is obtained.

  A printing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the printing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the casing is supported by being spanned between the pair of struts and the pair of struts. The roll support unit is fixed to the beam portion, and the beam portion is detachable from the support column in a state where the roll support unit is fixed.

  According to this aspect, the roll support unit is fixed to the beam portion, and the beam portion is detachable from the support column in a state where the roll support unit is fixed. Thereby, when removing the said roll support unit from the said support | pillar, since the rigid intensity | strength of the said roll support unit has increased by presence of the said beam part, the workability | operativity can be improved.

  According to a seventh aspect of the printing apparatus of the present invention, in the sixth aspect, the length of the beam portion is longer than the length between the pair of struts.

  According to this aspect, since the length of the beam portion is longer than the length between the pair of struts, the work can be easily performed when the roll support unit is attached to or detached from the pair of struts.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect or the seventh aspect, the contact portion is elastically pressed against the surface of the roll paper.

  According to this aspect, since the contact portion is elastically pressed against the surface of the roll paper, it can easily follow the change in the diameter of the roll paper.

  The printing apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the printing apparatus according to any one of the sixth to eighth aspects, wherein a plurality of the guide portions are attached to a single support frame, and the axial direction At least one of the guide portions is provided on one side and the other side with respect to the center position.

  According to this aspect, at least one guide part is provided on one side and the other side with respect to the center position in the axial direction of a single support frame, whereby the guide by the guide part is executed with less deviation. can do.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view illustrating an example of an internal structure of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment. The perspective view showing the housing | casing of the printing apparatus which concerns on the same embodiment. The front view which expands and represents the maintenance part periphery of the printing apparatus which concerns on the same embodiment. The perspective view showing the state which attached the roll support unit of the printing apparatus which concerns on the embodiment to the leg part. The disassembled perspective view showing the state which attaches a beam part to the roll support unit of the printing apparatus which concerns on the same embodiment. The disassembled perspective view showing the state which attaches the roll support unit which attached the beam part of the printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of the invention to a leg part. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing an internal structure of a roll support unit of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment and showing a state immediately after feeding when roll paper having a large diameter is mounted. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the roll paper has been advanced and the diameter of the roll paper is reduced by one step. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the roll paper has been advanced and the roll paper diameter has been reduced by two levels. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a state where the roll paper is advanced and the diameter of the roll paper is reduced by three levels. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the roll paper has been advanced and the diameter of the roll paper is reduced by four steps. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the roll paper has been advanced and the diameter of the roll paper is reduced by five levels. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the roll paper is advanced and reaches the end of the roll paper. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing a roll paper fed out from a roll support unit of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a side sectional view when the diameter of the roll paper is large. The side sectional drawing in case the diameter of roll paper is small same as the above.

Hereinafter, a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, an outline of the overall configuration of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described first based on FIGS. Next, based on FIGS. 5-8 and FIGS. 15, 16, the specific structure of the roll support unit which is the characteristic structure of this invention, and its attachment procedure are demonstrated.

Subsequently, based on FIG. 5 and FIGS. 8 to 16, the operation of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is performed in such a manner that the leading end of the roll paper serving as the printing medium fed out from the roll support unit reaches a predetermined position on the transport path. A specific description will be given centering on the operation up to.
Finally, reference will be made to another embodiment that differs in partial configuration from the embodiment thus configured.

  A printing apparatus 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an apparatus main body 12 that is a housing having a printing unit 30, and a roll support unit 1 that is provided below the apparatus main body 12 and supports the roll paper R2. It is basically composed of And the roll support unit 1 has the contact part 23 comprised by the roller 25 as an example which contacts the surface of the roll paper R2 of the supported state, and the front-end | tip S (FIG. 1, FIG. 15) of roll paper R2 is used. The guide part 41 guides to the predetermined position Q (FIG. 2, FIG. 8) of the 2nd conveyance path | route 2B from the contact part 23 to the printing part 30 is comprised as an example.

Further, the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment is provided with a leg portion 13 that supports the apparatus main body 12, and the leg portion 13 is bridged between a pair of left and right columns 7L and 7R and columns 7L and 7R. And two upper and lower beam portions 8U and 8D to be supported.
Among these, the beam portion 8U attached to the upper portions of the support columns 7L and 7R functions as a support member for supporting the apparatus main body 12, and is mechanically attached to the roll support unit 1 so as to be mechanical. And a function as a reinforcing member for improving the strength.
As shown in FIG. 7, the roll support unit 1 to which the beam portion 8U is attached and integrated with the beam portion 8U is configured to be detachably attached to the left and right columns 7L and 7R. The mechanical strength of the leg portion 13 can be improved by being attached and fixed to the left and right support columns 7L and 7R.

(1) Outline of overall configuration of recording apparatus (see FIGS. 1 to 4)
The illustrated printing apparatus 11 is a large inkjet printer capable of printing on a roll paper R and a cut sheet as a medium. The printing apparatus 11 has a structure in which an apparatus main body 12 is installed on a leg portion 13 that functions as an installation table. As an example of the apparatus main body 12, a roll paper R1 serving as a first medium is located at an upper rear position. A first accommodating portion 20A having a bearing portion 21A that fits and is set on the support shaft 22A is provided.
When the upper surface and the upper part of the front surface of the first storage unit 20A are covered by the cover 19, and a sheet paper (not shown) serving as the first medium is manually inserted and inserted into the lower part of the front surface not covered by the cover 19, A feeding port 14 to be used is formed.

Further, as an example of the apparatus main body 12, an operation unit 16 including a monitor that executes operations of each unit of the printing apparatus 11 and operation buttons is provided on an upper surface near a corner portion on the right front side when viewed from the front of the printing apparatus 11. It has been. Further, a discharge port 18 for discharging the printed medium (roll paper R or cut paper) to the outside is provided in the front of the apparatus main body 12 so that the medium (roll paper R or cut paper) can be printed. As an example, a liquid storage portion 15 such as an ink cartridge for storing a liquid such as ink discharged on the surface A is provided at the lower right end.
A first transport path 2 </ b> A is formed in the apparatus main body 12 from the first accommodating portion 20 </ b> A to the main feed roller pair 5. Further, with respect to the first transport path 2A, a first roller pair 3 having a driven roller 3A and a driving roller 3B, a path member (not shown) constituted by a guide roller or a guide plate, and a medium (roll paper R or a single sheet). A main feed roller pair 5 having a driven roller 5 </ b> A and a driving roller 5 </ b> B for conveying the paper sheet) toward the downstream printing unit 30, and a medium (roll paper R or single-cut paper) is fed into the main feed roller pair 5. The feeding roller 27 is disposed as an example along the transport direction Y1.

  In addition, the printing unit 30 performs printing that discharges the liquid supplied from the liquid storage unit 15 via a tube or the like toward the printing surface A of the medium (roll paper R or cut paper) conveyed in the conveyance direction Y. A head 31, a carriage 32 that reciprocates in the width direction X that is the scanning direction with the print head 31 mounted, a carriage main shaft 33 and a carriage subshaft 34 that guide the carriage 32 to move in the width direction X, and printing Carriage drive that transmits power to the carriage 32 via a platen 35 that supports a support surface B opposite to the printing surface A of the medium (roll paper R or cut sheet), and a timing belt and timing pulley (not shown). The motor 36 (FIG. 3) is provided as an example.

Further, a cutter frame 28 is provided at a downstream position of the printing unit 30 in the medium transport direction Y, and is used when the printed roll paper R is cut to a predetermined length. Then, the printed roll paper R and the cut cut paper cut by a predetermined length pass through the discharge port 18 formed in the center of the front surface of the apparatus main body 12 in the width direction X and pass through the apparatus main body. 12 is configured to be discharged to the outside.
Further, in the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment, a second transport path 2B is provided using the space between the inside of the apparatus main body 12 and the leg 13 separately from the first transport path 2A. And it has the spindle 22B which supports the roll paper R2 used as the 2nd medium with respect to the leg part 13 which becomes the upstream position of the conveyance direction Y2 of the 2nd conveyance path 2B, and the bearing part 21B which supports the spindle 22B. A second housing portion 20B including the roll support unit 1 is provided.
In this embodiment, the support shaft 22B that supports the roll paper R2 and the support shaft 22A that supports the roll paper R1 are separate members, but they may be the same member. In this case, when the roll paper R accommodated in one of the accommodating portion 20A and the accommodating portion 20B is accommodated in the other, it is not necessary to change the support shaft inserted into the roll paper R.

Further, the roll paper R2 serving as the second medium fed from the roll support unit 1 is guided by the upstream path member 6A provided on the second transport path 2B, and has a driven roller 4A and a drive roller 4B. Supplied to the second roller pair 4 provided on the second transport path 2B.
Further, the roll paper R2 to which the conveyance force is applied by the second roller pair 4 is configured to be guided to the downstream path member 6B, join the first conveyance path 2A, and be supplied to the supply roller 27. ing.

  In addition, the apparatus main body 12 includes a control unit 50 that controls the operation of each unit based on commands from an external device such as the operation unit 16 or a personal computer, and a medium being printed (roll paper R or cut sheet paper). And a suction part 51 having a suction fan 55 for sucking and holding the support surface B. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a cap unit 61 that suppresses drying of the print head 31, a flushing unit 63 that suppresses clogging of nozzles of the print head 31, and a wiping unit 62 that wipes off dirt on the nozzle surface of the print head 31. And a maintenance unit 60 provided with.

(2) Specific configuration of roll support unit and installation procedure thereof (see FIGS. 5 to 8 and FIGS. 15 and 16)
The roll support unit 1 is a part constituting the characteristic configuration of the present embodiment, and is provided using the leg portion 13 of the printing apparatus 11. Specifically, as an example, it has installation guides 71L and 71R that function as auxiliary members and guide members when the roll paper R2 is set on the front side, and as an example, it is gripped by hand when the roll support unit 1 is attached or detached on the rear side. It is basically configured by including a unit main body 75 having handles 73L and 73R like handles to be held, and constituent members described below provided inside the unit main body 75.

As shown in FIG. 8, upstream and downstream path members 6 </ b> A and 6 </ b> B that guide the paper fed from the roll portion of the roll paper R <b> 2 to the end portions of the installation guides 71 </ b> L and 71 </ b> R are provided inside the unit main body 75. A second roller pair 4 that is arranged in the middle of these path members 6A and 6B and applies the conveying force in the conveying direction Y2 to the fed roll paper R2, and a contact portion that is a characteristic component of the present embodiment. And a guide part 41 having 23.
In addition, concave portions 81L and 81R (FIG. 6) for receiving upper beam portions 8U described later are formed on the left and right side frames 79L and 79R of the unit main body 75.

  The guide portion 41 acts on the leading edge S of the paper fed out from the roll portion of the roll paper R2, and guides the region G from the contact position O of the contact portion 23 to the predetermined position Q serving as the entrance of the 23rd transport path 2B. And a guide portion 43 that supports or is integrated with the distal end, can swing around the swing axis C with the base end as a fulcrum, and contacts the roll paper R2 in accordance with the change in diameter. And swinging portions 45B and 45C that swing so that the contact position O of the portion 23 is displaced.

In the present embodiment, the length L of the region G from the contact position O of the contact portion 23 to the predetermined position Q serving as the entrance of the second transport path 2B by providing the swinging portions 45B and 45C is the roll paper R2. The structure changes between a state where the diameter of the roll paper is small and a state where the diameter of the roll paper R2 is large.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, in a state where the diameter of the roll paper R2 is large, the length L of the region G from the contact position O to the predetermined position Q is as short as L1, as shown in FIG. In the state where the diameter of the roll paper R2 immediately before the end E of the roll paper R2 is fed out is small, the length L of the region G from the contact position O to the predetermined position Q is as long as L2.

In the present embodiment, the guide portion 43 is supported by the fixed portion 45A whose position is fixed or is fixed to the fixed guide portion 43A integral with the fixed portion 45A, and is supported by the swing portions 45B and 45C, or the swing portions 45B and 45C. And two movable guide portions 43B and 43C that move in a direction in which the length L of the region G changes with respect to the fixed guide portion 43A.
Specifically, the front surface on the roll paper R2 side is formed into a curved shape along the outer peripheral surface shape of the roll paper R2, and in this embodiment, two side plates 47L in which a fixed guide portion 43A is formed in the lower portion, A fixed portion 45A is configured as an example by horizontally swinging the swing shaft C over the upper portion of 47R and the two side plates 47L (FIG. 8) and 47R (FIG. 15).
The arrangement (order) in the axial direction of the swing axis C of the fixed portion 45A, swing portion 45B, and swing portion 45C in FIGS. 15 and 16 is opposite to that in FIGS. It shows that any arrangement is acceptable.

In addition, the swinging portions 45B and 45C have arm portions 49B and 49C whose front surface on the roll paper R2 side is formed in a curved shape along the outer peripheral surface shape of the roll paper R2, and the arm portions 49B and 49C (FIG. 15). ), And the movable guide portions 43B and 43C extending from the lower end portion toward the predetermined position Q, as an example.
And these two rocking | swiveling parts 45B and 45C are accommodated between the two side plates 47L and 47R of the fixing | fixed part 45A, and the bearing part provided in the base end part is made to fit in the rocking | fluctuation shaft C. It is supported in a swingable state with respect to the fixed portion 45A.

Further, the swinging portions 45B and 45C are always subjected to a pressing force (spring force) so as to protrude toward the roll paper R2 by the torsion coil spring 89 shown in FIGS. And in the state where the roll paper R2 is not set as shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 7 or the diameter of the roll paper R2 just before the end E of the roll paper R2 shown in FIG. The swinging part 45C is in the most protruding state, and the protruding amount is reduced in the order of the swinging part 45B and the fixing part 45A.
Further, the contact portion 23 is configured by a freely rotatable roller 25 in the present embodiment, and the roller 25 is provided to a connection portion between the arm portion 49C of the swinging portion 45C and the movable guide portion 43C. Regardless of the contracted state in which the swinging part 45C is completely accommodated in the fixed part 45A and the protruding state in which the swinging part 45C protrudes most, the contact part 23 is always located at the position closest to the roll paper R2. It is configured as follows. In the state in which the roll paper R2 is set, the contact portion 23 is always pressed against the surface of the roll paper R2.

Further, the guide portion 41 including the fixing portion 45A having the two side plates 47L and 47R and the two swinging portions 45B and 45C has the support shaft 22 of the roll paper R2 as shown in FIGS. A plurality of positions are provided at different positions in the width direction X which is the axial direction. The plurality of guide portions 41 are attached to a single support frame 83 having path members 6A and 6B disposed between the side frames 79L and 79R of the unit main body 75.
The length in the width direction X of the single support frame 83 is set to be longer than the length in the width direction X of the maximum width roll paper R2 that can be set, and the roll paper R2 is attached and detached. It is configured so that the chuck operation and the chuck release operation of the support shaft 22 of the roll paper R2 by the bearing portion 21B which are sometimes required can be smoothly executed.

In addition, a plurality of guide portions 41 provided for a single support frame 83 has at least one guide on one X1 side and the other X2 side with respect to the center position in the width direction X that is the axial direction of the swing axis C. The part 41 is configured to be provided.
Incidentally, by configuring in this way, the guide of the roll paper R2 in the region G from the contact position O to the predetermined position Q executed by the guide unit 41 is executed with less bias, and the roll paper R2 is smoothly transferred to the second transport path. 2B can be supplied.

Further, the upper beam portion 8U engaged with the recesses 81L and 81R (FIG. 6) of the roll support unit 1 functions as a reinforcing frame that increases the rigidity of the roll support unit 1 as described above, and It also functions as a reinforcing frame that increases rigidity.
The upper beam portion 8U is attached to and fixed to the roll support unit 1 and is detachable from the left and right support columns 7L and 7R of the leg portion 13 as shown in FIGS. ing.

Further, the upper beam portion 8U and the lower beam portion 8D are both constituted by rectangular bar-shaped members having a rectangular cross section as an example, and the apparatus main body 12 is placed upward near the left and right ends of the upper beam portion 8U. Mounting brackets 9L and 9R for installation and fixing are attached.
Further, the length of the upper beam portion 8U is formed to be longer than the length of the lower beam portion 8D spanned between the pair of left and right columns 7L and 7R, and the left and right columns 7L and 7R. Projecting outwards. Further, both end portions 10L, 10R of the upper beam portion 8U protruding outward from the left and right columns 7L, 7R are formed on the upper portions of the holder portions 26L, 26R attached to the left and right columns 7L, 7R. It is configured to be engaged and held in the combined recess 26a.

In addition, leg frames 85L and 85R extending horizontally in the front-rear direction are provided below the left and right support columns 7L and 7R, and casters 87 are provided on the lower surfaces of the front and rear ends of the leg frames 85L and 85R. It is attached.
And when attaching the roll support unit 1 comprised in this way to the leg part 13, as shown to FIG.6 and FIG.7, the upper beam part 8U in which the attachment brackets 9L and 9R are provided is roll-supported. The roll support unit 1 and the upper beam portion 8U are integrated by fitting into the recesses 81L and 81R formed in the upper part of the left and right side frames 79L and 79R in the unit body 75 of the unit 1 and fixing with screws or the like. Yes.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 5, the roll support unit 1 to which the upper beam portion 8U is fixed is attached to the leg portion 13 to which the holder portions 26L and 26R are attached from above. In this case, both end portions 10L, 10R projecting outward from the upper beam portion 8U are attached so as to fit into engagement recesses 26a formed on the upper portions of the holder portions 26L, 26R.
Since the roll support unit 1 and the leg part 13 assembled in this way use the upper beam part 8U as a shared part, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the case where structural parts are separately provided. The product cost can be reduced and the weight of the printing apparatus 11 can be reduced, and the printing apparatus 11 can be easily assembled. And the printing apparatus 11 which concerns on this embodiment is assembled by installing the apparatus main body 12 using the attachment brackets 9L and 9R on the leg part 13 to which the roll support unit 1 was attached in this way.

(3) Operation of the printing apparatus (see FIGS. 5 and 8 to 16)
Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment configured as described above is performed until the leading edge S of the roll paper R2 fed out from the roll support unit 1 reaches the predetermined position Q of the second transport path 2B. A description will be given of the relationship with the change in the diameter of the roll paper R2, focusing on the operation.
For example, when the roll paper R2 having the maximum diameter that can be used as the roll paper R2 is used, the swinging portions 45B and 45C are fixed when the roll paper R2 is set in the unit main body 75 as shown in FIG. The space between the left and right side plates 47L and 47R in the portion 45A is completely or almost entirely accommodated.

Further, from this state, when the roll paper R2 is advanced by one step and the roll diameter is slightly reduced, the state shown in FIG. 9 is obtained, and the oscillating portions 45B and 45C have the rolls reduced by the length of the roll paper R2 fed out. According to the reduction amount of the diameter of the paper R2, it swings around the roll paper R2 with the swing shaft C as a fulcrum.
Similarly, when the roll paper R2 is advanced by two stages, the state shown in FIG. 10 is obtained, and the swinging amounts of the swinging portions 45B and 45C are increased. Further, as the swinging portions 45B and 45C swing, the working length L of the guide portion 43 becomes longer. In the initial state shown in FIG. 8, only the length a of the fixed guide portion 43A of the fixed portion 45A is the guide portion. In the state shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the movable guide portion 43B of the swinging portion 45B is added to the length a of the fixed guide portion 43A of the fixed portion 45A. Is added, and the working length L of the guide portion 43 is L = a + b.

Further, when the roll paper R2 is advanced three stages, the state shown in FIG. 11 is obtained, and the swinging amount of the swinging portion 45B is maximized and the swinging of the swinging portion 45B in the direction of the roll paper R2 is stopped. . On the other hand, the swinging of the swinging part 45C is continued, and the swinging part 45C hidden by the swinging part 45B appears.
Thereafter, only the swinging portion 45C swings toward the roll paper R2, and when the roll paper R2 is advanced four stages, the roll paper R2 is advanced five stages in the state shown in FIG. The state shown in FIG. As the swinging portion 45C swings, the working length L of the guide portion 43 further increases. In the state shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the swinging portion is set to the length a of the fixed guide portion 43A of the fixing portion 45A. The length b of the movable guide portion 43B of 45B and the length c corresponding to the protrusion amount accompanying the swing of the movable guide portion 43C of the swing portion 45C are added, so that the action length L of the guide portion 43 becomes L = a + b + c. ing.

When all the roll paper R2 is unrolled and reaches the end E of the roll paper R2, the state shown in FIG. 14 is reached, and the roller 25, which is the contact portion 23 provided in the swing part 45C, supports the roll paper R2. The action length L of the guide portion 43 is the longest in contact with the shaft 22.
As described above, in the present embodiment, by adopting the so-called nested guiding portion 41 including the swinging portions 45B and 45C, the size of the fixed portion 45A and the swinging portions 45B and 45C as a single unit is increased. Therefore, it is possible to set the working length L of the guide portion 43 to be substantially large. As a result, it is not necessary to secure a large space for accommodating the swinging portions 45B and 45C, and the occurrence of interference with other components, which becomes a problem when a single structure is adopted, is greatly reduced.
In the present embodiment, the state of the oscillating portion has been described by dividing the stage, but in actuality, it changes steplessly.

Next, the process of guiding the roll paper R2 until the roll paper R2 set on the roll support unit 1 is supplied to the predetermined position Q serving as the entrance of the second transport path 2B based on FIGS. I will explain it.
When the roll paper R2 is set on the roll support unit 1, the roller 25, which is the contact portion 23 attached to the swing part 45C, is applied to the surface of the roll part of the roll paper R2 by the spring force of the torsion coil spring 89. Contact. Then, the roller 25 in contact with the surface of the roll part is pushed by the roll part and retracts against the spring force of the torsion coil spring 89.

When the roll paper R2 is set in the roll support unit 1 and fed out, the position of the roller 25 that is the contact portion 23 is a contact position O that contacts the surface of the roll portion of the roll paper R2. If the diameter of the roll paper R2 to be set changes, the position of the roller 25 (contact position O) changes as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 corresponding to the size of the diameter. Note that the leading edge S of the roll paper R2 at this time is in a state of adhering to the surface of the roll portion, and the adhesion force is strong enough to be easily peeled off.
Next, when the roll paper R2 in the set state is rotated around the support shaft 22 in the direction indicated by the arrow F ′ in FIG. 15, the leading edge S of the roll paper R2 is lightly attached to the roll portion as described above. When passing through the contact position O in this state, a pressing force is received from the roller 25, and by the reaction, the leading edge S of the roll paper R2 is lifted and peels from the surface of the roll portion as shown in FIG.

Next, when the roll paper R2 is rotated about the support shaft 22 in the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 16 with the leading edge S of the roll paper R2 peeled off from the surface of the roll portion, the leading edge S of the roll paper R2 is rotated. Is guided in contact with all of the fixed guide portion 43A, the fixed guide portion 43A and the movable guide portion 43B, or the fixed guide portion 43A, the movable guide portions 43B and 43C according to the diameter of the roll portion. It is guided to a predetermined position Q serving as an entrance.
Then, after the leading edge S of the roll paper R2 reaches the predetermined position Q, it is guided by the upstream path member 6A on the second transport path 2B, and the driven roller 4A and the driving roller 4B of the second roller pair 4 are in contact with each other. A feeding force is applied by being supplied to the nip position. In addition, the roll paper R2 to which the conveyance force is applied by the second roller pair 4 is guided to the downstream path member 6B on the second conveyance path 2B, and passes through the feeding roller 27 to the main feeding roller pair 5. The paper is supplied toward the nip position between the driven roller 5A and the driving roller 5B and further conveyed toward the printing area of the downstream printing unit 30 where the print head 31 exists in a state where the conveyance force is applied.

As the roll paper R2 advances, the swinging portions 45B and 45C swing and protrude from the fixed portion 45A as shown in FIG. 16, and the working length L of the guide portion 43 is, for example, L1 shown in FIG. To L2 shown in FIG.
Finally, the end E of the roll paper R2 is unwound and sequentially formed into the movable guide portions 43C and 43B and the fixed guide portion 43A formed by the swinging portions 45C and 45B and the fixed portion 45A in the protruding state. The guided roll paper R2 is all supplied to the second transport path 2B.

And according to printing apparatus 11 concerning this embodiment constituted in this way, the number of parts of roll support unit 1 and leg part 13 can be reduced by sharing parts of upper beam part 8U, and printing apparatus 11 It is possible to reduce the weight and reduce the product cost, facilitate the assembly, and improve the productivity of the printing apparatus 11.
Further, by adopting the guide portion 41 configured by combining a plurality of members including the fixed portion 45A and the swinging portions 45B and 45C having a nested structure, the necessary retracting space for the guide portion 41 without increasing the size of the roll support unit 1 is achieved. And the smooth and reliable guide of the roll paper R2 in the region G from the contact position O to the predetermined position Q becomes possible.

[Other Embodiments]
The printing apparatus 11 according to the present invention is basically configured to have the above-described configuration. However, the partial configuration may be changed or omitted without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course it is possible.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the printing apparatus 11 including the first transport path 2A and the second transport path 2B has been described. However, the printing apparatus 11 including only the second transport path 2B that does not include the first transport path 2A may be used. It is also possible to make the first transport path 2A a transport path dedicated to cut sheets. The second transport path 2B including the roll support unit 1 can be provided with a plurality of paths in addition to providing only one path. Furthermore, when applied to the printing apparatus 11 capable of duplex printing, the printing apparatus 11 having a configuration in which a reverse conveyance path is added as the third conveyance path may be used.

Further, the number of the swinging portions 45B and 45C is not limited to two, and may be one, or three or more. Further, the contact portion 23 is not limited to the roller 25 that freely rotates but may be a contact piece that does not rotate. Further, the mechanism for moving the contact portion 23 back and forth is not limited to the swing mechanism using the swing portions 45B and 45C, and the contact portion 23 is linearly moved using a cam mechanism, a rack / pinion mechanism, a link mechanism, or the like. It may be a mechanism for advancing and retracting.
In addition, the configuration of the guide unit 41 employed in the roll support unit 1 in the printing apparatus 11 of the present invention is not limited to a large-sized ink jet printer, and may be applied to small and medium-sized ink jet printers. The present invention may be applied to other printing apparatuses 11 such as facsimiles and XY plotters, or to other processing apparatuses other than the printing apparatus 11, such as a roll support unit such as a cutting machine.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Roll support unit, 2 ... Conveyance path, 3 ... First roller pair, 3A ... Driven roller,
3B ... drive roller, 4 ... second roller pair, 4A ... driven roller, 4B ... drive roller,
5 ... Pair of main feed rollers, 5A ... Driven roller, 5B ... Drive roller, 6 ... Path member,
7 ... post, 8 ... beam, 9 ... mounting bracket, 10 ... end, 11 ... printing device,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Apparatus main body (housing | casing), 13 ... Leg part, 14 ... Feeding port, 15 ... Liquid storage part, 16 ... Operation part,
18 ... discharge port, 19 ... cover, 20 ... storage part, 21A ... bearing part, 22A ... support shaft,
21B ... bearing part, 22B ... support shaft, 23 ... contact part,
25 ... Roller, 26 ... Holder part, 26a ... Engaging recess, 27 ... Feeding roller,
28 ... Cutter frame, 30 ... Printing section, 31 ... Print head, 32 ... Carriage,
33 ... carriage main shaft, 34 ... carriage auxiliary shaft, 35 ... platen,
36 ... Carriage drive motor, 41 ... Guide part, 43 ... Guide part, 45 ... Swing part (fixed part),
47 ... side plate, 49 ... arm part, 50 ... control part, 51 ... suction part, 55 ... suction fan,
60 ... maintenance part, 61 ... cap part, 62 ... wiping part, 63 ... flushing part,
71L, 71R ... installation guide, 73L, 73R ... handle,
75 ... Unit body, 79 ... Side frame, 81 ... Recess, 83 ... Support frame,
85 ... leg frame, 87 ... caster, 89 ... torsion coil spring, X ... width direction,
Y: transport direction, A: printing surface, B: support surface, R (R1, R2) ... roll paper (medium),
S ... tip, E ... end, Q ... predetermined position, O ... contact position, G ... area, C ... swing axis,
L ... length (action length), a ... length, b ... length, c ... length, F ... arrow, F '... arrow

Claims (9)

A housing having a printing section;
A roll support unit provided below the housing and supporting roll paper;
The roll support unit has a contact portion that contacts the surface of the roll paper in a supported state, and guides the leading end of the roll paper to a predetermined position on a conveyance path from the contact portion to the printing portion. And a printing apparatus. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
The guiding portion is
A guide portion for performing the guide with respect to the leading end of the roll paper;
An oscillating part that supports the guide part and is oscillatable with a base end as a fulcrum, and oscillates so that the contact position of the contact part is displaced in response to a change in the diameter of the roll paper. A printing apparatus characterized by that. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The guide length to the predetermined position of the transport path, which is the length of the part that performs the guide, is a structure that changes between a state in which the diameter of the roll paper is small and a state in which the diameter of the roll paper is large.
A printing apparatus characterized by that. The printing apparatus according to claim 3.
The guide portion is
A fixed guide portion whose position is fixed;
One or more movable guide parts supported by the rocking part and moving in a direction in which the guide length changes with respect to the fixed guide part. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A plurality of the guide portions are provided at different positions in the axial direction of the support shaft,
The plurality of guide portions are attached to a single support frame;
A printing apparatus characterized by that. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A pair of struts;
A beam part supported across the pair of support columns and supporting the housing,
The roll support unit is fixed to the beam portion;
The beam portion is detachable from the support column in a state where the roll support unit is fixed.
A printing apparatus characterized by that. The printing apparatus according to claim 6.
The length of the beam portion is longer than the length between the pair of struts,
A printing apparatus characterized by that. The printing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7,
The contact portion is pressed against the surface of the roll paper,
A printing apparatus characterized by that. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
A plurality of the guide portions are attached to a single support frame,
At least one guide portion is provided on one side and the other side with respect to the center position in the axial direction.
A printing apparatus characterized by that.

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