JP3006743B2 - Line type thermal 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 line type thermal head mounting mechanism used as a print head in a small printer. Recent printers have been downsized,
There is a demand for a device that tends to be low in price and has excellent operability and maintainability. For this reason, it is important that the head portion is also small and the head can be easily replaced.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an outline of a conventional line type thermal printer. Reference numeral 1 denotes a roll paper, and the continuous paper portion 1a at the leading end is guided between the platen P and the pinch roller 5 via the guide roller 2, the bracket bottom plate 3 and the guide plate 4, and is fed to the platen P and the pinch roller 5. It is caught and pulled out. Then, the heat is supplied between the platen P and the thermal head H, and thermal recording is performed by the thermal head H.

A thermal head H is fixedly mounted on a tip of a bracket 7 rotatably supported on the apparatus frame via a shaft 6 by screws 8, and is pressed against a platen P by a spring 9 mounted on the apparatus frame. Have been. A thermal head H and a head-side connector 11 are fixedly mounted on the printed circuit board 10, and the head-side connector 11 is connected to a connector 12 on the apparatus side. The device-side connector 12 is connected to a character pattern information generation circuit of the device via a flexible cable 13 or the like.

It is sufficient if the hands can be inserted into the bracket 7 and the connectors 11 and 12 can be attached and detached. However, if the space for inserting the hands is insufficient, the device-side connector 12 is mounted in advance as shown in FIG. Printed circuit board 1 for relay
4 is fixed to the bracket 7 with screws 15. In this case, since the device-side connector 12 is fixed to the bracket 7 and stability is good, the head-side connector 11 can be inserted into or removed from the device-side connector 12 while holding the thermal head H in hand.

[0005]

Assuming that the life of the thermal printer is about 5 years, the life of the thermal head, which is the central part of the apparatus, is usually about 1 year, so it is about once a year. The thermal head must be replaced.

However, in the above-described head mounting structure, when the thermal head H needs to be replaced, the screw 8 is first removed and the thermal head H is free, and the head-side connector 11 is connected to the device-side connector. 12 and removed together with the printed circuit board 10.

Next, in order to mount a new thermal head H, the head-side connector 11 of the new thermal head H is required.
And the thermal head H is fixed to the bracket 7 with screws 8. However, in this case, since the heating element of the thermal head H needs to be accurately aligned with a predetermined position of the platen P, the screw 8 must be tightened after careful alignment. Further, even if the alignment is performed with great effort, the alignment may be incorrect when the screws are tightened.

[0008] As described above, in the conventional thermal head mounting structure, in order to attach and detach the thermal head, it is necessary to perform the operation of attaching and detaching the connector, and to accurately position and attach and detach the thermal head. It was impossible to replace.

A technical object of the present invention is to focus on such a problem and to make it possible for even an amateur user to easily replace the thermal head.

[0010]

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, a thermal head H and a platen P are provided.
In a line-type thermal printer apparatus for supplying a recording sheet 1a between them and performing thermal recording, a thermal head H and a thermal head unit U including a support member for the thermal head H are inserted into the right and left sides of a thermal head accommodating area. And guide grooves 16a and 16b for positioning the thermal head unit U in the left-right direction and the up-down direction.

Further, stoppers 17a and 17b for positioning the thermal head H in the depth direction are provided at the back of the guide grooves 16a and 16b. Further, the thermal head unit U has at least one (two in the illustrated example) hooks 18a and 18b for hooking the thermal head unit U to the inserted thermal head unit U.
They are arranged via 20a and 20b.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the claws 18a and 18b provided on the arms 20a and 20b are provided on both sides of the center c on one side of the end surface of the thermal head unit U. Are arranged on at least one side (in the illustrated example, both sides), and both arms 20a and 20b are connected via a handle 21 arranged along the one side.

A second aspect of the present invention is a line type thermal printer which supplies a recording sheet between a thermal head H and a platen P to perform thermal recording, as exemplified in FIG. Guide means for positioning the thermal head unit U in at least the up and down direction in at least one of the left and right portions of the thermal head housing area into which the thermal head unit U including the support member is inserted. I have.

As shown in FIG. 8, levers 23 rotatably supported on the left and right sides of the thermal head unit U in the inserted state are provided at the back of the thermal head housing area.
a and 23b are provided, and claw 24a and 24b for hooking the thermal head unit U are provided at the tip of each lever. In the vicinity of the support portions 25a, 25b of the levers 23a, 23b, there are push-out portions 26a, 26b which come into contact with the back surface of the thermal head unit U, and the push-out portions 26a, 26b
The ends 22a and 22b on the side of the thermal head H are stoppers in the depth direction of the thermal head H.

According to a third aspect, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the first and second aspects, the thermal head unit U has a head-side connector 11i fixed to an inner deep portion thereof. I have.

On the other hand, the device-side connector 12i has positioning means. When the device-side connector 12i is mounted, the device-side connector 12i is hooked from both sides to prevent the device-side connector 12i from dropping off. But arm 28
a, 28b.

[0017]

According to the present invention, a thermal head unit is provided.
The thermal head unit U
And guide grooves 16a and 16b for positioning the guide grooves 16a and 16b in the horizontal and vertical directions.
Behind b, there are stopper portions 17a and 17b for positioning the thermal head H in the depth direction, so that the thermal head unit U can be easily positioned only by inserting the thermal head unit U into the guide grooves 16a and 16b. And connector connection is performed.

When the thermal head unit U is inserted, the claws 18a and 18b at the tips of the arms 20a and 20b are caught and fixed so that the thermal head unit U cannot fall off. No alignment work is required. As a result, even an amateur user can easily replace the thermal head.

The claws 18 provided on the arms 20a, 20b
Since the thermal head unit U is disposed on at least one of the two sides with respect to the center c on one side of the end face shape of the thermal head unit U, the thermal head unit U can be stably locked, and further, both the arms 20a, 20b is connected via the handle 21 arranged along the one side, so that even when the claws 18a, 18b are arranged on both sides, the claws 18a, 18b on both sides are held together by the handle 21. The thermal head unit U can be easily removed from the thermal head unit U, and the operation for removing the thermal head unit U is simple and easy.

According to the second aspect, the thermal head unit U is removed because the hooks 24a and 24b are provided at the tips of the levers 23a and 23b rotatably supported in the depths of the guide grooves 16a and 16b. At this time, after removing the claws 24a and 24b from the thermal head unit U and subsequently pushing and opening the levers 23a and 23b outward, the pushing portions 26a and 26b at the lever rear end push the thermal head unit U in the direction of pushing out. The thermal head unit U and the device can be separated from each other with a light force by leverage, and the thermal head unit U can be easily removed.

As described in claim 3, since the claws 27a, 27b for locking the device side connector 12i are formed at the tip of the arm on the bracket B, the device side connector 12i is also inserted by one-touch and the claws 27a, 27b are formed. , Which makes assembly and manufacture simple.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, how the line type thermal printer according to the present invention is actually embodied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 are side views of the internal structure of the line type thermal printer according to the present invention.
2 shows a state where the bracket B is opened and the thermal head unit U is removed, and FIG. 2 shows a state where the thermal head unit U is inserted and the bracket B is closed. Parts corresponding to those in the apparatus of FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The rotational force of the motor M shown in FIG.
When transmitted to the platen P via G4 and the platen P rotates, the continuous paper 1a sandwiched between the pinch roller 5 is pulled out from the roll paper 1 and supplied to the printing unit, where printing is performed by the thermal head H. It is.

A bracket B into which the thermal head unit U is inserted is rotatably mounted on a frame of the apparatus main body via a shaft 29, and a cover unit 49 for covering the bracket B is provided with a shaft. It is rotatably mounted via 29. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the cover unit 49 and the bracket B can be pivotally opened about the shaft 29, and when the thermal head unit U is inserted into the bracket B in this state, The head side connector 11i is connected to the device side connector 12i as shown in FIG.

When the bracket B is rotated clockwise and closed with the thermal head unit U inserted in this way, and subsequently the cover unit 49 is rotated clockwise and closed, the bracket B is supported by the apparatus frame. The key portion 47 of the cover unit 49 is hooked and locked by the claw 46 that has been set.
The leaf spring 48 supported on the inner surface of the cover unit 49
As a result, the thermal head H is pressed against the platen P, and the state shown in FIG. 2 is reached, and the thermal recording is performed on the continuous paper 1a between the platen P and the thermal head H.

Next, an embodiment of the mounting structure of the thermal head unit U and the connector on the bracket B employed in the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the bracket B, the thermal head unit U and the apparatus-side connector 12i, and corresponds to the first and third embodiments.

The bracket B includes both side walls B1, B2, a back wall B3, and a bottom wall B4, and is integrally formed of synthetic resin, aluminum, or the like. In addition, shaft holes 30a, 30b through which the shaft 29 of FIGS.
Are formed integrally with each other.

The arms 20a and 20b having the claws 18a and 18b for retaining the thermal head unit U are
1 and stopper walls 33a, 33b integral with the roots 32a, 32b of both arms 20a, 20b.
In the illustrated example, pins 34a, 34 are attached to the inner walls of both bracket walls B1, B2.
It is positioned and connected integrally at b.

[0029] Thus, the bracket two wall B1, B2 inner surface formed in the guide groove 16a of the 16b, the thermal head unit U is inserted from the arrow a ₁ direction, both ends U1, U
2 is positioned in the guide grooves 16a and 16b also shown in FIG. 7 (1) by the step 35 in the downward direction, is positioned by the ceiling wall 36 of the arm roots 32a and 32b in the upward direction, Are positioned on the inner wall surfaces of the guide grooves 16a and 16b.

When the thermal head unit U is inserted, the inner ends U ₃₁ and U ₃₂ come into contact with the stopper walls 33a and 33b.
The stopper portions 17a and 17b are abutted to perform positioning in the depth direction. Note that the outer end U4 of the thermal head unit U is locked by the claws 18a and 18b, whereby positioning in the pull-out direction is performed.

To remove the thermal head unit U inserted in the bracket B, put the fingertip on the handle 21 and pull it up. Both arms 20a and 20b are pulled up together, and the claw 18a, 18b Is detached from the outer end U4 of the thermal head unit U, so that the thermal head unit U can be easily removed simply by extracting it.

Next, an apparatus-side connector 12 according to a third aspect of the present invention.
The mounting structure of i will be described. The device side connector 12i has a slit 38 in a vertical direction parallel to the connected cable 37.
have. On the other hand, inside the back wall B3 of the bracket B, a vertical plate 39 inserted into the slit 38 and arms 28a and 28b on both sides thereof are formed integrally with the bracket bottom wall B4.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 (2),
When the bracket-side vertical plate 39 is mounted so as to fit into the slit 38 of the device-side connector 12i, the arms 28a, 28b
The hooks 27a and 27b at the upper end of the device are hooked to both ends of the device side connector 12i, and are attached so as not to fall off. When the thermal head unit U is inserted as described above in a state where the device-side connector 12i is mounted in the bracket B, the head-side connector 11i is connected to the device-side connector 12i as shown in FIG. You.

4 to 6 show a state in which the thermal head unit U and the apparatus side connector 12i are mounted in the bracket B, FIG. 4 is a side view, FIG. 5 is a plan view, and FIG. 6 is a front view. . FIG. 4 is a side view as viewed from a position IV-IV in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, by mounting the vertical plate 39 on the bracket side into the slit 38 of the device side connector 12i on the back wall B3 side inside the bracket as described above, Positioned, left and right arms
Claws 27a, 27b at the upper ends of 28a, 28b are connected to device-side connector 12i.
It is fixed by being hooked on both ends.

As shown in FIG. 6, the left and right bracket walls B
1, guide grooves 16a and 16b are formed on the inner surface of B2,
On the upper side, left and right claws 18a and 18b and a handle portion 21 appear. These are both arms 20 when viewed in the plan view of FIG.
The handle portions 21 are integrally connected between the root portions 32a and 32b of the a and 20b. Therefore, when the fingertip is applied to the handle portion 21 and lifted, both claws 18a and 18b are lifted together and come off the thermal head unit U.

In the illustrated example, the root portions 32 of the arms 20a and 20b
The stopper walls 33a, 33b integral with the a and 32b are positioned and joined to the inner surfaces of both bracket walls B1, B2 with pins 34a, 34b, but are convenient for molding, and can be integrally molded in advance or separately. And may be integrally joined with an adhesive.

In the example shown, the thermal head unit U inserted into the bracket B is mounted with a thermal head H and a head-side connector 11i on a printed circuit board 10 and fixed by soldering. A positioning bracket 40 is placed on the side wall of the slab and fixed with screws 41. A paper guide 42 also serving as a reinforcement is fixed to the printed board 10 and the lower surface of the thermal head H with screws 43.

Therefore, when the thermal head unit U having this structure is inserted into the bracket B, the head side connector 11i is connected to the apparatus side connector 12i as shown in FIGS. At the same time, both ends 40a, 40 of the positioning bracket 40
6 is inserted into the left and right guide grooves 16a and 16b as shown in FIG.
Positioning in the downward direction is performed by the lower end of b and the step portion 35. Also, the upper ends of both ends 40a and 40b and the arm base 32a,
Upward positioning is performed with respect to the lower surface 36 of 32b.

The inner ends (corresponding to the inner ends U ₃₁ and U ₃₂ in FIG. 3) of both ends 40 a and 40 b of the positioning bracket 40 are formed by stopper walls.
Abuts against the stopper portions 17a, 17b of 33a, 33b,
Positioning in the depth direction is performed, and positioning in the removal direction is performed by hooking the claws 18a, 18b on the outer ends of both ends 40a, 40b as shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. Similar to the guide grooves 16a and 16b of FIGS. 3 to 7, guide grooves for positioning the thermal head unit U in the left-right direction and the up-down direction are provided. Yes, but not shown.

In this embodiment, levers 23a and 23b are disposed on both left and right sides of the thermal head unit U, and the rear ends thereof are rotatably supported by brackets B by support shafts 25a and 25b. The levers 23a and 23b are integrally formed with push-out portions 26a and 26b which are located on the rear side of the thermal head unit U and press the back of the thermal head unit U. Therefore, in the plan view, almost L
It becomes letter-shaped.

The distal ends of the levers 23a and 23b have claws 24a and 24b which are hooked on the front end of the thermal head unit U. The claws 24a and 24b and the pushing portions 26a and 26b
The positioning of the thermal head unit U in the front-rear direction is performed.

To insert the thermal head unit U into the bracket B, first, with the levers 23a and 23b opened outward, insert the thermal head unit U into the left and right guide grooves as described above. Then, the thermal head unit U is inserted until the thermal head unit U comes into contact with the stopper portion 22 of the push-out portions 26a, 26b.
The levers 23a and 23b are pivoted inward about the center, and the pawls 24a and 24b at the tips are moved to the thermal head unit U as shown in the figure.
On the outside edge of the

Next, in order to remove the inserted thermal head unit U, the lever 23a,
The claw 24a, 24b at the tip of 23b is the thermal head unit U
Opening outward into and out from, the extrusion portion 26a of the lever rear end, 26b is moved in the arrow a ₃ direction, the thermal head unit U is extruded. As described above, in this embodiment, the levers 23a and 23b are used to push out the thermal head unit U by leverage, so that the connectors 11i and 12i can be easily separated with a small force.

The extruding portions 26a, 26b in this embodiment
Is pulled by the springs 44a and 44b, so that the lever 23
It is also possible to always provide elasticity in the direction in which a and 23b close. In order to obtain this elasticity, a torsion spring may be attached to the support shafts 25a, 25b, or a structure in which both levers 23a, 23b are pressed by the compression springs 45a, 45b may be used.

In the above description, the levers 23a and 23b are provided in the guide grooves 16a and 16b as shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, and the positioning in the left-right direction is performed by the guide grooves 16a and 16b. Lever 23a, 23b instead of guide groove 16a, 16b
It is also possible to use only. That is, the levers 23a, 23
When the thermal head unit U is inserted between b
The positioning of the thermal head unit U in the left-right direction is performed on the inner surfaces of 23a and 23b.

[0048]

According to the first aspect, the guide grooves 16a and 16b are provided on the left and right sides of the bracket B, and the stopper portions 17a and 17b are provided at the back thereof, so that the guide grooves 16a and 16b are provided.
By simply inserting the thermal head unit U therein, positioning in each direction is easily performed and connector connection is performed.

Further, when the thermal head unit U is inserted, the claws 18a, 18b at the tips of the arms 20a, 20b are caught and cannot be dropped, so that troublesome operations such as conventional screw tightening and special positioning are required. In this way, even an amateur user can easily replace the thermal head.

The claws 18 provided on the arms 20a, 20b
Since the a and 18b are arranged on at least one of the two sides with respect to the center c on one side of the end face shape of the thermal head unit U, the thermal head unit U can be stably locked. Further, since both arms 20a and 20b are connected via the handle 21 arranged along the one side, even when the claws 18a and 18b are arranged on both sides, the handle 21 is bent outward. Just pull the nails 18a on both sides,
The thermal head unit U can be removed together with the thermal head unit U, so that the operability when removing the thermal head unit U is good.

According to the second aspect, since the hooks 24a and 24b are provided at the tips of the rotatably supported levers 23a and 23b, when the thermal head unit U is removed, both levers 23a and 23b are used. When the lever is pushed outward, the push-out portions 26a and 26b at the rear end of the lever rotate in the direction in which the thermal head unit U is pushed out, and the connector connection between the thermal head unit U and the device is separated by a light force by leverage. The thermal head unit U can be easily removed.

According to the third aspect, the claws 27a and 27b for locking the device-side connector 12i are provided at the tip of the arm of the bracket B.
Is formed, the device-side connector 12i can also be inserted into the bracket B with a single touch and locked with the claws 27a, 27b, thereby simplifying assembly and manufacture.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of the internal structure of a line type thermal printer according to the present invention, with a bracket opened and a thermal head unit removed.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the internal structure of the line type thermal printer according to the present invention, in a state where a thermal head unit is inserted and a bracket is closed.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a bracket, a thermal head unit, and an apparatus-side connector.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which a thermal head unit and a device-side connector are mounted in a bracket.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state where a thermal head unit and a device side connector are mounted in a bracket.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a state in which a thermal head unit and an apparatus-side connector are mounted in a bracket.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating a positioning operation of a thermal head unit in a guide groove, and FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating a mounting structure of an apparatus-side connector;

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an outline of a conventional line type thermal printer.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing connector connection in a conventional line type thermal printer.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 25/34 B41J 2/32 B41J 29/00

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A thermal head in which a thermal head unit including a thermal head and a supporting member is inserted in a line type thermal printer apparatus for performing thermal recording by supplying recording paper between a thermal head and a platen. On the left and right sides of the housing area, there are guide grooves for positioning the thermal head unit in the left and right direction and up and down direction, and behind both guide grooves, there are stopper portions for positioning the thermal head in the depth direction. That the thermal head unit in the inserted state is provided with at least one claw for hooking the thermal head unit through an arm; and the claw provided on each arm is an end surface of the thermal head unit in the inserted state. Disposed on at least one of the two sides with respect to the center of one side of the shape; A line type thermal printer device, wherein both the arms are connected via a handle portion arranged along the one side portion. 2. A thermal head in which a thermal head unit including a thermal head and a supporting member is inserted in a line-type thermal printer apparatus for performing thermal recording by supplying recording paper between a thermal head and a platen. At least one of the left and right portions of the housing area has guide means for positioning the thermal head unit at least in the vertical direction. A rotatable lever is provided at the back, and a claw for hooking the thermal head unit is provided at the end of each lever. Near both supports of the levers, the thermal head also serves as a stopper. A push-out portion for abutting the back of the unit; Mar printer. 3. A head-side connector is fixed to an inner part of the thermal head unit, and the apparatus-side connector has a positioning means. When the apparatus-side connector is mounted, the head-side connector has a positioning means. 3. The line type thermal printer device according to claim 1, wherein a claw is provided via an arm for hooking the device side connector from both sides to prevent the connector from dropping off.