JP2986349B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer for performing a printing operation by transporting a print medium to a predetermined position corresponding to a print head at which a print medium is to be printed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the above-mentioned printer, generally, a width shift, a shutter opening / closing, a conveyance assisting guide movement, which will be described later, and the like.
And operations such as raising and lowering the platen.

[0003] In order to correct the inclination of the medium with respect to the transport direction, a side edge of the medium is brought into contact with a predetermined transport reference plane parallel to the transport direction to make an abutment. The width adjustment is performed by separating the pair of rollers for nipping and transporting the medium from the medium, and also adjusting the width of the medium to the transport reference plane by the width adjustment member. (2) Opening and Closing of Shutter When the medium has a magnetic recording surface for recording the account number, the previous print execution, etc., the magnetic head is stopped via the opening provided in the transport guide. The R / W operation is executed by contacting the magnetic recording surface of the passbook.
An opening shutter is provided to prevent the passbook from jamming in the opening during conveyance of the medium. The opening shutter is opened during R / W and closed during conveyance. (3) Movement of the transport assist guide The transport assist guide is moved onto the platen to smoothly transport the medium, and during the printing operation, the transport assist guide is retracted from above the platen. (4) Elevation of platen In order to form an optimum gap between the print head and the print surface of the medium, the platen is raised and lowered according to the thickness of the medium.

In a conventional printer, a separate drive source, for example, a solenoid or a pulse motor, and a transmission mechanism are provided for each of the above operations. Therefore, in the conventional printer, the manufacturing cost is increased by the number of the driving sources, the power consumption is increased, and since a plurality of driving sources and transmission mechanisms are built in, it is difficult to reduce the size of the printer body.

[0005] Therefore, in order to solve such a drawback, the applicant of the present invention described in the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 5-289996, in which a special cam was attached to a single drive source, and rotation of the cam was performed. The above-mentioned (1) to (1) to (3) are provided by providing two operating plates that slide in conjunction with each other, and by three swinging arms inserted into guide grooves provided in each operating plate.
A printer that performs each operation of (4) has been proposed.
FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of such a printer. The drive source 100 rotates the cam 211 on which the spiral cam groove 211a is formed. When the driven roller 215 provided on the slider 212 is driven by the cam groove 211a, the slider 212 is moved by the guide rods 213a and 213a.
13b guides the slide motion in the direction of arrow A (linear motion)
I do. The swing lever 217 whose one end is engaged with the protruding pin 212c of the slider 212 swings around the fulcrum 218 in the direction of arrow B. Roller 21 of swing lever 217
9 is loosely inserted and connected to a long hole 221b provided at one end of the operation plate 221. Another operation plate 225 is
A fixed support 226 is provided at a predetermined interval on the operation plate 221.
a, 226b. Both operating plates 22
Guide rods 222a and 222b fixed to the housing are inserted into the guide grooves 221a and 225a of the first and second 225, respectively. Therefore, both operating plates are connected to the swing lever 21.
7 slides in the direction of arrow C (linear motion)
Is done.

Guide holes 223, 224, and 226 provided in both operation plates 221 and 225 have shaft portions 231 respectively.
a, guide rollers 231b of swing arms 231, 232, 233 rotatably supported by 232a, 233a;
232b and 233c are inserted respectively. Therefore, each swing arm rotates by following each guide hole by the sliding motion of the operation plate.

At the end (not shown) of the shaft portion of each swing arm, a width shifting member, a transport roller, a shutter, and a transport auxiliary guide are connected so as to operate in conjunction with each of the rotating swing arms. Have been.

On the other hand, the rotational driving force of the rotational driving source 100 is
The power is transmitted to the cam 604 via the transmission belt 601 and the torque limiter 605. Thereby, the platen 602
Is raised and lowered by rotation of the cam 604. As described above, in the printer according to the proposal, (1)
Among the operations of (2) opening and closing the shutter, (3) moving the transport guide, and (4) raising and lowering the platen, the use of a mechanism that shares one rotary drive source 100 for as many operations as possible reduces costs and saves costs. Power and miniaturization are realized.

[0009]

However, in the above-described improved printer, the guide rollers 23 of the swing arms 231, 232, 233 are provided on the operation plates 221, 225 having a two-layer structure.
Since 1b, 232b, and 233b are inserted, the number of parts is large, and the structure is also complicated. For this reason, the reduction of the component cost and the miniaturization of the printer main body are insufficient, and the assembling work and the maintenance work are troublesome. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer that can further reduce costs and reduce the size, and that is easy to assemble and maintain. .

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a printer comprising: a rotary drive source capable of rotating a rotating shaft forward and backward by a required angle; and a plurality of interlocking members connected to the rotating shaft and corresponding to the rotating angle of the rotating shaft. A magnetic recording unit provided on the conveyance guide in response to the rotation of the interlocking member, a width-adjustment drive unit that adjusts the width of the print medium in response to the rotation of the interlocking member, A shutter drive unit for opening and closing the shutter of the opening for
In response to the rotation of the interlocking member, there is provided a conveyance assist guide driving unit for moving the conveyance assist guide for guiding the print medium to and from the gap for moving the print head, and the motion conversion unit has a guide hole of a predetermined shape. A single operating plate that is set up and linearly reciprocates in accordance with the rotation angle of the rotating shaft and a guide roller inserted in the guide hole are swingably supported, and interlocked with the swing of the guide roller. A rotating interlocking member.

[0011]

When each of the interlocking members rotates along with a guide hole provided in one of the operation plates of the motion conversion section, the width-shift drive section, the shutter drive section, and the conveyance assist guide drive section are driven. .

[0012]

Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part in the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the main part. 4
FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view of FIG. 3. 1 to 4, the same or corresponding members as those in FIG. 11 showing the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer according to the present embodiment generally includes a rotary drive source 100 and a motion conversion unit 200.
A, a width shifting drive unit 300, a shutter drive unit 400, a transport assist guide drive unit 500, and a platen moving unit 600.

[Configuration] 1) Rotary drive source 100 In FIGS. 2 and 3, a motor 101 includes a rotating shaft 101.
a can be rotated forward and backward to a required angle, and is driven and controlled by motor control means (not shown). Motor 101
The rotation drive source 100 is constituted by the motor control means.

2) Motion Conversion Unit 200A As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the motion conversion unit 200A generally includes a rotation / oscillation conversion mechanism 210, an oscillation / linear motion conversion mechanism 240, And a linear motion swing conversion mechanism 250. (2-1) Rotational Oscillation Conversion Mechanism 210 In FIGS. 2 and 3, a cam 211 having a spiral and eccentric cam groove 211a is connected to the rotation shaft 101a by a cam rotation shaft 211b. . The above cam groove 2
11a is formed over a range of approximately 720 degrees of cam rotation angle.

The slider 212 has a guide hole 212a extending in the longitudinal direction thereof. Two guide rods 213 having one ends fixed to the main body FL of the printer 1 are provided.
The slider 212 is supported so as to be able to reciprocate in the direction of arrow A by guiding the peripheral edge of the guide hole 212a with the guide holes a and 213b.

A driven roller 215 is fixed to one end of the slider 212 so as to be inserted into the cam groove 211a. The driven roller 215 follows the cam groove 211a and follows the cam groove 211a. I have. Therefore, the slider 212 reciprocates in the arrow A direction according to the rotation angle of the cam groove 211a.

The projecting piece 212b formed at the intermediate portion of the slider 212 has a projecting pin 212c which is inserted into a cutout groove or slot 216 formed at one end of the swing lever 217. Have been. Swing lever 21
The intermediate portion 7 is supported so as to be swingable in the direction of arrow B about a fulcrum 218 having one end fixed to the main body FL of the printer 1, and a roller 219 is provided at the other end.

The above-described cam 211, slider 212,
Projecting pin 212c, guide rods 213a, 213b,
Driven roller 215, swing lever 217, and fulcrum 218
Thus, a rotation / oscillation conversion mechanism 210 that converts the rotation of the motor 101 of the rotary drive source 100 into the oscillation of the oscillation lever 217 in the direction of arrow B is configured.

(2-2) Swing-to-linear motion converting mechanism 240 In FIGS. 2 to 4, the operating plate 241 has a guide hole 241a at its center portion and a lower portion along its longitudinal direction.
241b is established. Two guide rods 242a, one ends of which are fixed to the main body FL of the printer 1, are inserted through the guide holes 241a, and one guide rod 242b is inserted through the guide holes 241b. Operation plate 24
The roller 219 of the swing lever 217 is inserted into and engaged with the long hole engaging hole 241 c formed at one end of the first lever 1. Therefore, the operation plate 241 is provided with the swing lever 217.
Of the guide rod 242a,
Guided by 242b, it reciprocates linearly in the direction of arrow C.

The operation plate 241 has a first guide hole 243 partially bent above the guide hole 242a, and a second guide hole partially bent between the guide hole 242a and the guide hole 242b. Guide holes 244 are respectively opened.

The PD 1 is connected to the end 24 of the operation plate 241.
The optical sensor is fixed to the main body FL of the printer 1 so as to detect 1c, which will be described later.

The above-described operating plate 241 and the guide rods 242a and 242b allow the swinging reciprocating motion of the swinging lever 217 in the direction of arrow B to be converted into a linear reciprocating motion of the operating plate 241 in the direction of arrow C. A conversion mechanism 240 is configured.

(2-3) Linear motion rotation conversion mechanism 250 In FIGS. 2 to 4, the first interlocking member 251 has a shaft portion 251a extending at a right angle at one end thereof so as to be rotatable with respect to the main body FL of the printer 1. The other end of the first interlocking member 251 is supported and has a guide roller 251b protruding in a direction opposite to the shaft portion 251a.
Are inserted through the first guide holes 243.

Accordingly, as the operation plate 241 moves in the direction of arrow C, the guide roller 251b follows the first guide hole 243, and the first interlocking member 251 is moved to the first guide hole. 243 in the direction of arrow D1.

The second interlocking member 252 includes a lever 253 and a swing arm 254 connected to each other. The lever 253 has a substantially rectangular shape, and a shaft portion 253a protruding from an intermediate portion thereof is connected to the main body FL of the printer 1.
Has a guide roller 253b protruding in the opposite direction to the shaft 253a at one end, and an engagement groove 253c at the other end. Guide roller 25
3b is inserted into the first guide hole 243. On the other hand, the swing arm 254 has a shaft portion 254a extending at a right angle at one end thereof rotatably supported by the main body FL of the printer 1, and an engagement protrusion 254b projecting in the opposite direction to the shaft portion 254a at the other end. The engagement groove 253c of the lever 253
Is provided so as to be engaged.

Therefore, as the operation plate 241 moves in the direction of arrow C, the guide roller 253b follows the first guide hole 243 and is driven by the lever 253.
Rotates, and the swing arm 254 connected thereto rotates in the opposite direction to the lever 253. That is, the shaft 254a of the second interlocking member 252 rotates in the direction of the arrow D2 by an angle corresponding to the shape of the first guide hole 243.

As described above, the first interlocking member 251
And the second interlocking member 252 rotate according to the same shape of the guide hole 243, respectively.
Since the insertion positions of 51b and 253b are different,
Of course, it turns at a different timing.

On the other hand, the third interlocking member 255 has a shaft portion 255a extending at a right angle at one end thereof rotatably supported by the main body FL of the printer 1, and a shaft portion 255a at the other end of the third interlocking member 255. It has a guide roller 255b protruding in the direction opposite to 255a, and the guide roller 255b is inserted into the second guide hole 244.

Accordingly, with the movement of the operation plate 241 in the direction of arrow C, the third interlocking member 255 causes the guide roller 255b to follow the second guide hole 244 and follow the third interlocking member. The member 255 rotates in an arrow D3 direction by an angle corresponding to the shape of the second guide hole 244.

As described above, the first to third interlocking members 2
Numerals 51, 252, and 255 constitute a linear motion rotation conversion mechanism 250 that converts the linear reciprocating motion of the operation plate 241 in the direction of arrow C into each of the rotary reciprocating motions in the directions of arrows D1 to D3.

Therefore, the above-mentioned rotation / oscillation conversion mechanism 2
10, a motion that finally converts the rotational motion of the rotary drive source 100 into a rotational motion of each of the interlocking members 251, 252, and 255 by the swing / linear motion conversion mechanism 240 and the linear motion rotation conversion mechanism 250. The conversion unit 200A is configured. That is, since the swinging / linear motion converting mechanism 240 is constituted by one operating plate 241, the number of parts is reduced and the mechanism is simplified as compared with the related art. Therefore, low cost and downsizing can be realized,
Moreover, the assembling work and the maintenance work are facilitated.

The position of the end plate 241d of the operation plate 241 is detected by the optical sensor PD1 to detect the position of the operation plate 241, that is, the entire reference position of the motion conversion unit 200A linked therewith. Can be. Therefore, for example, the control of the rotary drive source 100 can be performed using the reference position as the origin.

3) Width-adjusting drive unit 300 As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8 described below, the width-adjustment drive unit 300 generally includes a width-adjusting-roller moving mechanism 310 for moving a medium to a transport reference plane. And a pressing roller lifting mechanism 350 that lifts and lowers a pressing roller that presses and clamps the medium against the feed roller.

(3-1) Width-adjusting-roller moving mechanism 310 FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the configuration of the width-adjusting-roller moving mechanism 310 in the width-adjusting drive section 300 that performs the medium-width-adjusting operation. 5 is a side view of a main part when FIG. 5 is viewed from the arrow V direction, and FIG. 7 is a side view of a main part when FIG. 5 is viewed from the arrow W direction.

In FIGS. 5 to 7, a feed roller 311 fixed to a drive shaft 311a and rotating in the direction of arrow R1 is provided.
The medium P is pinched together with the opposed pressing roller 312 and transported along the transport path L in the direction of arrow F.

6 and 7, the pressing roller 312
Is rotatably supported by a pressing roller supporting member 351 and is urged toward the feed roller 311 by the elasticity of the pressing roller supporting member 351 or an urging means (not shown). The outer peripheral surface of the press roller 312 is
As shown in FIG. 6, the sheet P slightly projects from an opening formed in the transport guide G and is pressed against the medium P. 6 and 7 show a state in which the pressing roller 312 does not protrude (a state in which the pressing roller 312 is lowered).

The feed roller 31 of the press roller 312
The bias in the direction 1 is released by lowering the pressing roller 312 by a pressing roller lifting mechanism 350 shown in FIG. When the pressing roller 312 is released from the pressing roller lifting mechanism by the pressing roller 350, the outer peripheral surface of the pressing roller 312 is retracted below the upper surface position of the transport guide G as shown by a broken line in FIG. Go to Therefore, medium P
Escapes from the feed roller 311, so that the feed roller 31
1 slips, and the conveyance force is not applied to the medium P.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 313 denotes a substantially U-shaped support member as viewed from above, and has arm portions 313b and 313c extending at right angles from both ends of the frame portion 313a.
At the tips of both arms, two width shifting rollers 314 are supported rotatably about an axis parallel to the transport direction F.
Further, the support member 313 is rotatably supported on a support shaft 313d in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the width shifting roller 314.

Further, as shown in FIG.
a is formed with a protruding piece 313e extending downward,
An operating pin 315 to be described later is loosely inserted into the engagement hole 313f formed at the lower end.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the operating pin 315 engaged with the engaging hole 313f moves to the position shown by the solid line and the two-dot chain line, the support member 313 moves to the support shaft 31.
It turns around 3d and is moved to the following position.

That is, when the operating pin 315 is located at the upper position Pu shown by the solid line, the support member 313 is moved to the position where the width adjusting roller 314 contacts the feed roller 311 as shown by the solid line. At this time, the width adjustment roller 3
The outer peripheral edge of the truncated cone 14 is the feed roller 3 being rotated.
By contacting the outer peripheral edge of the truncated conical shape of No. 11, the width adjusting roller 314 is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow, and the width adjusting roller 314 abuts and presses the medium P present on the transport surface. In addition, a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the width approach roller 314 that contacts the medium P is located slightly below a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the feed roller 311 that contacts the medium P. The position of the support member 313 at this time is called a transmission position.

On the other hand, the operating pin 315 engaged with the engaging hole 313f of the support member 313 is positioned at the lower position P indicated by a two-dot chain line.
When the position is at d, the support member 313 is moved to a position where the width adjusting roller 314 is separated from the feed roller 311 as shown by a two-dot chain line. At this time, the feed roller 311
Is not transmitted to the width adjusting roller 314, the driven rotation of the width adjusting roller 314 is stopped, and
The width shifting roller 314 is separated from the medium P present on the transport surface. The position of the support member 313 at this time is called a non-transmission position.

By the way, as shown in FIG.
One end of an engaging arm 317 is fixed to the other end of the shaft portion 351a of the first interlocking member 251 rotatably supported by a bearing portion 316 fixed to the main body FL, and to the other end. The operating pin 315 is fixed.

As described above, the guide roller 251 b of the first interlocking member 251 is inserted through the first guide hole 243 of the operation plate 241. Therefore, the operation plate 241
Moves in the directions of arrows C1 and C2, the engagement arm 317 rotates about the shaft portion 251a as a fulcrum.
Operating pin 315 provided at the end of engagement arm 317
Moves up and down in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of FIG.

When the engagement arm 317 is rotated clockwise and counterclockwise as viewed from the direction of arrow V in FIG. 5, the operating pin 315 is moved upward in FIG.
And moves to the lower position Pd.

The above-mentioned width shifting roller 311 and support member 3
13, the operating pin 315, and the engaging arm 317 constitute a width approaching roller moving mechanism 310.

(3-2) Pressing Roller Elevating Mechanism 350 FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the main part showing the structure of the presser roller raising and lowering mechanism 350 of the width adjusting drive unit for performing the media width adjusting operation. The lower part of G is seen from below.

Pressing roller support members 351 for rotatably supporting the pressing roller 312 are formed at both ends of a support plate 352 having appropriate elasticity. Two support plates 352
Are fixed to both ends of a rigid connecting plate 353. Guide portions 354 are provided at two locations symmetrical in the longitudinal direction of the connection plate 353, and the connection plate 353 is provided with two guide pins that penetrate the guide portion 354 and are vertically installed on the transport guide G. It can be moved up and down by being guided by 355. In FIG. 8, the pressing roller support member 351 is illustrated as being supported and fixed on the upper surface side of the connecting plate 353, but it is needless to say that the pressing roller supporting member 351 may be supported and fixed on the lower surface side of the connecting plate 353.

An elevating arm 356 formed of a round bar
Are formed at the wall portions G formed on the side edges of the transport guide G.
1, and is rotatably supported by a bearing hole 357a provided in the transport guide G and a bearing portion 357b provided vertically to the transport guide G. One end of the lifting arm 356 is connected to the third interlocking member 25.
5 is connected to the shaft part 255a. Lifting arm 356
The other end 356a bent in a substantially U-shape is pivotally attached to a bearing 353a formed at the center of the connection plate 353.

Therefore, when the elevating arm 356 is rotated in accordance with the rotation of the third interlocking member 255 in the direction of arrow D3, the connecting plate 353 pivotally attached to the tip of the elevating arm 356 becomes two guides. It is guided by the pin 355 and moves up and down.

As the connecting plate 353 moves up and down, the outer peripheral surface of the pressing roller 312 supported by the pressing roller supporting member 351 is protruded from the opening of the conveying guide G toward the conveying path. Further, when the connecting plate 353 is lifted, the medium P is nipped by the outer peripheral surface of the pressing roller 312 protruding toward the conveying path and the feed roller 311 provided opposite thereto. The pressing roller 312 is urged by the elastic force in a direction approaching the feed roller 311.

The above-described press roller support member 351, support plate 352, connecting plate 353, guide pin 355, and lift arm 356 constitute a press roller lifting mechanism 350.

Further, the above-described width shifting roller moving mechanism 31
0 and the pressing roller elevating mechanism 350 constitute a width moving drive unit 300 that performs a medium width moving operation.

4) Shutter drive section 400 and conveyance assist guide drive section 500 FIG. 9 shows a shutter drive section 400 for opening and closing the shutter.
10 is a plan view illustrating a mechanism of a transport assist guide driving unit 500 that opens and closes the transport assist guide, and illustrates a state in which an upper side of the transport guide G is viewed from above.

Reference numeral 401 denotes a transport guide for moving a magnetic head (not shown) provided on the upper side of the transport guide G in the left-right direction in the drawing to perform R / W operation on the magnetic recording surface of the medium P. It is an opening established in G. Reference numeral 402 denotes a shutter that shields and opens the opening 401 on the lower surface side of the transport guide G. The shutter 402 has both side edges supported by a pair of guide members 403 so as to be slidable in the directions of arrows Y1 and Y2.

The shutter 402 is pivotally attached to one end of a shutter lever 405 by an operating pin 404 projecting therefrom. The central portion of the shutter lever 404 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 406 projecting from the lower surface of the transport guide G. An operating pin 405 a protruding from the other end of the shutter lever 404 is engaged with an elongated engaging hole 451 a provided at one end of the connecting member 451. Therefore, the shutter 402 is
05, the connection member 451 is connected to the connection member 451.
It moves in the directions of arrows Y1 and Y2. That is, the shutter 4
When the shutter 02 moves in the direction of the arrow Y1, the opening 401 is covered by the shutter 402, and the conveyance of the medium P is smoothly guided. When the shutter 402 moves in the direction of the arrow Y2, the opening 401 is opened. R /
W operation becomes possible.

A substantially fan-shaped transport assisting guide 501 disposed near the end of the platen 602 is
Arrows Z1 and Z2 around a support shaft 502 protruding from L
It is supported to be rotatable in the direction. Transport assist guide 50
1 is pivotally connected to the above-mentioned connecting member 451 by a pivot shaft 503 provided at the end thereof. Therefore,
The transport assist guide 501 is connected to the arrow X1 of the connecting member 451.
It rotates in the directions of arrows Z1 and Z2, respectively, according to the movement in the X2 direction. That is, when the transport assist guide 501 moves in the arrow Z1 direction from the moving gap of the print head HD on the platen 602 and retreats, the platen 60
2 does not interfere with the print head HD that moves back and forth. When the transport assist guide 501 moves in the direction of arrow Z2 and is located on the platen 602, the transport assist guide 501 smoothly guides one side in the width direction of the medium P onto the platen 602. At this time, the print head HD is connected to the platen 602
Has a mask M which extends from substantially the center in the longitudinal direction in the direction opposite to the transport assisting guide 501.
Guides the other side of the medium P onto the platen 602.

The shaft 254a of the swing arm 254 constituting the second interlocking member 252 is connected to the main body F of the printer 1.
L is rotatably supported by a bearing 452 fixed to L, and an engagement arm 454 having an operation pin 453 fixed to one end of the shaft 254a is fixed to one end of the shaft 254a. The operation pin 453 is engaged with an engagement hole 451b formed in the connection member 451. On the other hand, the second interlocking member 252
The shaft 253a of the lever 253 constituting the
Is rotatably supported by a bearing 452A fixed to the main body FL of the lever 253, and an engagement groove 253c at the end of the lever 253.
Is engaged with the engagement protrusion 254b of the swing arm 254. Accordingly, the guide roller 253 b of the second interlocking member 252 is moved by the operation
3, the lever 253 and the swing arm 254
Are rotated, the engagement arm 454 is rotated, and the connecting member 451 moves in the directions of the arrows X1 and X2.

The shutter 402, the shutter lever 405, the connecting member 451, the operating pin 453, and the engaging arm 454 constitute a shutter driving unit 400.

Further, the above-described transport assisting guide 501, connecting member 451, operating pin 453, and engaging arm 454
This constitutes the transport assist guide driving unit 500.

5) Platen Moving Unit 600 Next, the configuration of the platen moving unit 600 will be described with reference to FIG. The rotating shaft 101a of the motor 101 has a gear 10
2 is fixed, and the rotational force of the rotating shaft 101a is
02 is transmitted to a later-described platen moving unit 600 via a toothed belt 601 constituting a transmission member.

The platen 602 is mounted on the outer peripheral surface (cam surface) of a platen elevating cam 604 fixed to both ends of a rotary shaft 603 provided thereunder. One end of a rotating shaft 603 is connected to the output side of the torque limiter 605, and a pulley 606 around which a toothed belt 601 is stretched is connected to the input side.

Since the transmission power of the toothed belt 601 is transmitted to the cam 604 via the torque limiter 605, when the raised platen 602 comes into contact with the mask of the print head HD, the force applied to the platen 602 is torque Limiter 6
05 is not exceeded.

With the above configuration, when the rotating shaft 101a of the motor 101 rotates, the rotating force is applied to the gear 102, the toothed belt 601, the pulley 606, and the torque limiter 6.
The cam 604 is rotated by the transmission to the rotating shaft 603 via the lever 05 to move the platen 602 up and down.

The operation of raising and lowering the platen 602 is as follows.
As described above, by moving the platen 602 according to the thickness of the medium, the printing gap between the print head and the medium is set to an optimum value. That is,
This gap adjusting operation is performed as follows. FIG.
, The medium is conveyed between a print head (neither is shown) and a platen 602, and
Is rotated by a predetermined angle in a predetermined direction, the platen 602 is raised, and the medium is pinched by the platen 602 and the print head. The pressing force is limited to a predetermined value by the action of the torque limiter 605. . Next, the motor 10
When 1 is rotated by a predetermined angle in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction, the platen 602 is lowered to set an optimum print gap between the medium and the print head.

The above-described toothed belt 601, platen 60
2. Rotating shaft 603, cam 604, and torque limiter 6
05 constitutes a platen moving unit 603. The transmission means for transmitting the rotational force of the motor 101 is not limited to the toothed belt 601 of this embodiment, but may be a round belt, for example. Further, the torque may be transmitted by a gear train or the like instead of the belt.

[Operation] Next, the operation of the printer of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition to FIGS. 2 to 9 described above, reference is made to FIG. 10 which is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printer of this embodiment, and Table 1 which shows the setting states of the respective mechanical elements corresponding to the operation states of the printer. .

[Table 1]

In FIG. 9, the control unit (not shown) of the printer determines that the medium P is inserted into and ejected from the printer (not shown).
In response to the fact that the detector (not shown) disposed near the insertion / discharge port detects that the paper has been inserted into the printer, the conveyance is started (FIG. 10: Steps 10 and 11 and thereafter). That is, when the operation plate 241 is moved by rotating the motor 101 of the rotary drive source 100 by a predetermined angle, the first interlocking member 2
51, second interlocking member 252, and third interlocking member 25
Since each of the members 5 rotates by a predetermined angle, each mechanism element is set as shown in the transport A of Table 1.

Therefore, the pressing roller 312
Is set to a raised position for nipping and conveying with the feed roller 311, the width shifting roller 314 is set to the non-transmission position, the shutter 402 is set to the closed position, and the conveyance auxiliary guide 501 rotates in the direction of the arrow Z <b> 1. The platen 602 is set to the retracted position, and the platen 602 is set to the lowered position. Then, when the feed roller 311 rotates in this state, the medium P passes through the opening 401 blocked by the shutter 402 and is transported to a predetermined width approaching area Z.

When the detector (not shown) detects that the medium P has been transported to the width-adjusting area Z, the width-adjusting operation is executed in response to this (step 12). That is, by rotating the motor 101 by a predetermined angle,
Each mechanism element is set as shown in the column of width adjustment in Table 1. The pressing roller 312 is set in a state of descending and separating from the medium P, and the width adjusting roller 314 is
The shutter 402 is maintained in a closed state, the transport assist guide 501 is maintained in a retracted state, and the platen 602 is maintained.
Is maintained in the lowered position.

When the medium P is brought into contact with a predetermined transport reference surface H and the width shifting operation is completed, the medium P is moved to a predetermined R / W position so that the magnetic head can perform an R / W operation on the magnetic recording surface of the medium P. It is transported to the W position (step 13). At the time of this transport operation, each mechanism element is set as shown in the column of transport B in Table 1 by rotating the motor 101 by a predetermined angle. That is, the press roller 312 moves up to hold the medium between the feed roller 311, and conveys the medium. The width shifting roller 314 is retracted to the non-transmission position, the shutter 402 opens the opening 401, and conveys the medium. The auxiliary guide 501 rotates in the direction of arrow Z2 and moves above the platen 602 to guide the medium P so that the leading end of the medium P does not jam, and the platen 602 is maintained at the lowered position.

Next, the opening 4 with the magnetic head in the open state.
01 and moves in contact with the magnetic recording surface of the medium P to perform a predetermined R / W operation (step 14).
At the time of this R / W operation, each unit maintains the same state as the transport B as shown in the R / W column of Table 1.

When the R / W operation by the magnetic head is completed, the medium P is transported to a predetermined printing position (Step 15). At the time of this transport operation, each mechanism element is set as shown in the column of transport C in Table 1 by rotating the motor 101 by a predetermined angle. That is, the shutter 4
02 shields the opening 401, and
01 is set in a state where it is turned in the direction of arrow Z1 and retracted from the platen 602.

When the medium P is transported to the printing position, a printing operation including the above-described printing gap setting operation is performed (step 16). That is, by rotating the motor 101 by a predetermined amount and rotating the cam 604 via the toothed belt 601, the pulley 606, the torque limiter 605, and the rotating shaft 603, the platen 602 is raised to move the print head and the platen 602. When the reaction force generated when the medium is sandwiched therebetween and reaches a predetermined level, the platen 602 is stopped from rising by the action of the torque limiter 605. Thereafter, the motor 101 is reversely rotated by a predetermined amount to
By slightly lowering 02, an optimum print gap is set between the medium P and the print head. At the time of this print gap setting operation, each unit maintains the same state as the above-described conveyance C.

Next, a printing operation is performed (step 1).
7). At this time, since the transport assist guide 501 is at a position retracted from the platen 602 as described above,
It does not become an obstacle when the print head HD reciprocates on the platen 602.

After the end of the printing operation, the medium P is conveyed toward the insertion / ejection port and ejected, and a series of operations ends (steps 18 and 19). At the time of this transport operation, as shown in the column of transport D in Table 1, each mechanism element
When 2 is lowered, the initial state is restored, and a series of operations is completed.

Each of the operations described above, that is, width shifting,
The timing of opening and closing the shutter, moving the conveyance assist guide, and raising and lowering the platen are determined by the rotation angle of the motor 101, the cam 211
Of the cam groove 211a of the first to third interlocking members 25
Guide holes 243, 244 in which 1, 252, 255 follow
Is determined by the shape of

In the printer of this embodiment, four types of operations (width shifting, shutter opening / closing, conveyance assist guide movement, and platen elevating) are performed by a single rotary drive source. What is necessary is just to comprise.

As described above, according to the printer of this embodiment, the first to third interlocking members 251, 252, 25
5 rotates along with the guide holes 243 and 244 provided in one operation plate 241 of the motion conversion unit 200, so that the width shifting drive unit 300, the shutter drive unit 400, and the conveyance assist guide drive unit 500 are rotated. Each is driven.
Therefore, since only one operation plate is required, the number of components of the motion conversion unit 200 can be reduced and the configuration can be simplified as compared with the related art.

[0082]

As described in detail above, according to the printer of the present invention, unlike the related art, the number of parts of the motion conversion unit is reduced as compared with the conventional one because the operating plate is constituted by one sheet. The structure can be simplified. Therefore, the cost of parts can be reduced, and the size of the housing can be reduced. Further, the simplification of the configuration facilitates adjustment and maintenance work.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part showing the configuration of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a main part in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view in which a part of FIG. 3 is enlarged.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a width shifting drive unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side view as seen from the direction of arrow V in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side view seen from the direction of arrow W in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a press roller elevating mechanism in the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a configuration of a shutter driving unit and a conveyance assist guide driving unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation in the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of a conventional printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 P medium H conveyance reference plane F conveyance direction 100 rotation drive source 101 motor 200A motion conversion unit 210 rotation oscillation conversion mechanism 240 oscillation linear motion conversion mechanism 250 linear motion rotation conversion mechanism 251 first interlocking member 252 second interlock Member 255 Third interlocking member 300 Width shift drive unit 310 Width shift roller moving mechanism 350 Pressing roller elevating mechanism 400 Shutter drive unit 500 Transport assist guide drive unit 600 Platen

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Junichi Takahashi 4-3 Jonai, Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture Inside Shinko Works, Ltd. (72) Inventor Masayuki Segawa 4-3 Jonai, Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture Shinko Works, Ltd. (58) Investigated field (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B41J 23/02 B41J 11/14 B41J 13/10 B41J 13/26

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A rotary drive source capable of rotating a rotating shaft forward or backward by a required angle; a motion converting unit coupled to the rotating shaft and rotating a plurality of interlocking members in accordance with the rotating angle of the rotating shaft; In response to the rotation of the interlocking member, a width shifting drive unit that adjusts the width of the print medium, and in response to the rotation of the interlocking member, a shutter of a magnetic recording opening provided in the transport guide is provided. A shutter drive unit that opens and closes; and a transport assist guide drive unit that moves a transport assist guide that guides the print medium in and out of a print head moving gap in response to the rotation of the interlocking member. The conversion unit is provided with a guide hole of a predetermined shape, and swingably supports one operating plate that linearly reciprocates in accordance with the rotation angle of the rotation shaft, and a guide roller inserted into the guide hole. And interlocks with the swing of the guide roller And an interlocking member that rotates.