JP3855605B2 - Roll paper loading mechanism and roll paper printer - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a roll paper printer that performs printing on a roll paper fed from a recording paper roll body loaded in a roll paper loading unit by an inkjet printer or the like, and in particular, a cover attached to an opening of the roll paper loading unit. The present invention relates to a roll paper loading mechanism capable of reducing an operation force when closing.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As the roll paper loading mechanism of the roll paper printer, the front opening of the roll paper loading section is formed on the front (front side) of the roll paper printer, and the front cover that seals it is forward (front side). A type in which the recording paper roll body is replenished or replaced from here is known.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In a roll paper printer equipped with this type of roll paper loading mechanism, a print head such as an ink jet head is disposed downwardly above the roll paper loading section, and a platen for defining the roll paper printing position facing it. A configuration in which the parts are arranged can be employed. In this case, when the roll paper is loaded or replaced, the platen section that defines the printing position is also moved together with the front cover so that the opening of the roll paper loading section can be sufficiently widened. It is desirable to be able to easily perform the operation of loading the roll paper between the spaces.
[0004]
Here, in order to move the platen part, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the platen part is supported by a four-joint parallel link mechanism and pulled out forward and downward while maintaining a horizontal state. In this case, the front cover is connected to the swing link, which is a component of the parallel link mechanism, and the operation lever for opening and closing the cover is drawn forward from the platen section beyond the upper end of the front cover. Can do. When the operation lever is pulled out, the platen part is pulled out by the action of the four-link parallel link mechanism, and the front cover is opened in conjunction therewith.
[0005]
In this case, if a lock member for locking the front cover in the closed position is attached to the operation lever, and the lock member can be locked and released in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the front cover by the operation lever. It is preferable because operability is improved. For example, the operation lever is always urged in the direction to lock the lock member by a spring force, and when opening the front cover, the lock is released by moving the operation lever against the spring force and the front cover is closed. In this case, a configuration is conceivable in which the lock member is temporarily moved over the engaging member against the spring force to shift to the locked state.
[0006]
However, in the roll paper loading mechanism having such a lock mechanism, when the front cover is closed by the operation lever, it is necessary to shift the lock member attached to the operation lever to the locked state against the spring force. So it requires a great operating force.
[0007]
In order to reduce the operating force for shifting to the locked state, the spring force may be weakened. However, in order to do this, both the mechanical members are prevented so that the locking member does not easily disengage from the engagement side. It is necessary to increase the amount of engagement. For this purpose, measures such as increasing the amount of movement of the lock member and the size of the engagement portion between the lock member and its engagement side are required. As a result, the lock mechanism is increased in size, which is contrary to the reduction in size and size of the roll paper loading mechanism.
[0008]
In addition to the operation of closing the front cover by the operation lever, a method of locking the front cover in the closed position by moving the lock member is conceivable. In this case, the operation of closing the front cover and locking it is also possible. Since the operations need to be performed separately, there arises a problem that the operability is lowered.
[0009]
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to increase the size and operate a roll paper loading mechanism including a lock mechanism that locks the front cover in the closed position in conjunction with the front cover closing operation by the operation lever. It is to reduce the operation force at the time of locking without incurring a decrease in performance.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, a roll paper loading mechanism of the present invention includes a front opening for loading roll paper into a roll paper loading unit, a front cover for opening and closing the front opening, and an operation for opening and closing the front cover. And an operation lever for rotating the front cover from the closed position where the front opening is sealed to the open position where the front opening is tilted forward, and the front cover is rotatable in the front-rear direction around the lower end. A swing link that is connected to the operation lever with its upper end being rotatable, and an operating force that is directed to closing the front cover by the operation lever against a spring force. In a direction to move over to the engagement portion over the engagement portion, and to close the front cover by the lock member that locks the open / close cover in the closed position and the operation lever An operation assisting member that moves the lock member in a direction to get over the engaging portion in conjunction with the operation, and the operation lever is attached to a portion on the rear side of the fulcrum connected to the swing link. The locking member is engageable with the engaging portion from below by a spring force, and the swing link has an operation lever engaging portion that functions as the operation assisting member. The operation lever engaging portion engages with a portion of the operation lever in front of the fulcrum and can be pushed up from the lower side when the swing link is rotated to the near side of the closed position. When it reaches, the operation lever is disengaged.
[0013]
In the roll paper loading mechanism of the present invention, when the front cover is closed by the operation lever, the operation auxiliary member moves the operation lever against the spring force in conjunction with the operation. Therefore, the operation force required to shift the lock member to the locked state can be reduced accordingly.
[0014]
Next, the present invention relates to a roll paper printer including the roll paper loading mechanism having the above-described configuration. According to this roll paper printer, the roll paper loading unit of the roll paper loading mechanism can be opened and closed with a small operating force. Operability during roll paper replacement and replenishment can be improved.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of an ink jet roll paper printer to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of the roll paper printer of this example, and FIGS. 2 to 5 are explanatory views for explaining the opening and closing operation of the front cover in the roll paper loading mechanism in the roll paper printer. The roll paper printer 1 of this example is of the front operation type, and an operation unit, a roll paper discharge port cut after printing, and an opening for loading or replacing the roll paper are arranged on the front surface.
[0017]
First, referring to FIG. 1, the front operation type roll paper printer 1 is incorporated in a main body case 2 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and an operation unit 4 is provided on the right side of the front surface 3. Is arranged. A lower half portion of the left side portion of the front surface 3 is a front cover 6 that covers the roll paper loading front opening 5 in an openable / closable state, and immediately above it is a paper discharge outlet through which the roll paper after printing is discharged. 5A is formed, and from here, an operation lever 7 for opening and closing the front cover 6 protrudes substantially horizontally toward the front. The upper surface of the operation lever 7 functions as a paper discharge table 7a for guiding the printed roll paper discharged from the paper discharge port 5A.
[0018]
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the main part of the internal configuration of the roll paper printer 1 with the outer case removed. The front cover 6 can be rotated forward of the printer with its lower end 6a as the center, and the position shown in the figure is a closed position 6A that blocks the front opening 5 for loading the recording paper roll body. The position that is tilted to the open position is the open position (6B) (see FIG. 5).
[0019]
A roll paper loading unit 8 is defined in the back of the front cover 6, and the roll paper 10 fed out from the recording paper roll body 9 mounted on the front cover 6 passes through the guide roller 11 and then roll paper loading unit. 8 passes horizontally through the printing position 12 formed at the position directly above 8, passes through the arrangement position of the roll paper cutter 13, and is then discharged onto the discharge table 7a.
[0020]
The print position 12 is defined by a platen member 16 disposed between the platen roller pair 14a and 14b and the transport roller pair 15a and 15b. The nozzle surface of the inkjet head 17 is opposed to the flat surface of the platen member 16 with a certain gap therebetween.
[0021]
Next, a roll paper loading mechanism installed in the roll paper printer 1 of this example will be described. First, referring to FIG. 2, a pair of parallel support shafts 21 and 22 extending horizontally in the printer width direction are bridged on the platen member 16 at the same height position. The upper ends of a pair of swing links 23 and 24 extending in the vertical direction are connected to both ends of the support shafts 21 and 22 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction (only the swing link 23 on one side is shown in the figure). It is shown.)
[0022]
The lower ends of the pair of swing links 23 and 24 are respectively opposed to a pair of front and rear parallel support shafts 25 and 26 mounted horizontally in the width direction of the printer at the same height position in the bottom side portion of the main body case 2. And are connected so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction.
[0023]
Therefore, the platen member 16, the support shafts 21, 22, 25, 26 and the pair of swing links 23, 24 constitute a four-joint parallel link mechanism, and when the platen member 16 is pulled toward the front, The member 16 can move forward and downward while maintaining its posture. The platen member 16 has a fixed blade 13b of a cutter 13 attached to the front end side of the printer. Further, on the support shafts 21 and 22, one roller 15b of the conveying roller pair and one roller 14b of the platen roller pair are rotatably attached, respectively. Further, a guide roller 11 is rotatably attached to the printer rear end portion of the platen member 16. Each of these members moves with the platen member 16.
[0024]
Here, as shown in FIG. 2B, the operation lever 7 includes a lever main body 71 whose upper surface functions as a paper discharge table 7a, a lever support member 72 to which the lever main body 71 is attached, and the lever support. Front member lock hooks 73 formed at both ends of the member 72 on the printer rear end side are provided. The lever support member 72 includes a lever body support plate portion 72a that extends horizontally, a fixed blade cover plate portion 72b that is bent downward toward the rear side of the printer and extends from the front to the bottom of the cutter fixed blade 13b. And a connecting plate portion 72c extending in a slightly inclined state toward the rear of the printer.
[0025]
Both end portions of the connecting plate portion 72c in the printer width direction are brackets 72d bent at right angles to the upper side, and hooks 73 are formed at portions where these brackets 72d are extended to the rear side of the printer. The platen member 16 is supported by the brackets 72d on both sides, and the support shaft 22 passes through the bracket 72d in the middle of the front-rear direction in a rotatable state.
[0026]
The operation lever 7 having this configuration is always pulled downward by a coil spring 74 having one end attached to the main body case 2 at a position in front of the printer with respect to the support shaft 22 which is the center of rotation. The engaging claw 73a of the hook 73 located at the rear end of the operation lever 7 is lower than the rear surface of the printer in the hook engaging plate 2a formed in the main body case 2 by the spring force of the coil spring 74. It is hooked from. When the lever main body 71 of the operating lever 7 is pushed upward as shown by the arrow A against the spring force, the hook engaging claw 73a of the hook 73 can be detached from the hook engaging plate 2a. On the contrary, when the front cover 6 is pushed toward the closed position 6A by the operating lever 7, the hook engaging claw 73a of the hook 73 moves downward about the support shaft 22 against the spring force in conjunction with the operation. It moves, gets over the lower surface of the hook engaging plate 2a, fits into the hook engaging plate 2a, and shifts to the locked state.
[0027]
Here, in this example, an operation assisting portion 23 </ b> A capable of pushing up the operation lever 7 from the lower side according to the rotational position is formed on the front side of the upper end portion of the front swing link 23. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the operation assisting portion 23 </ b> A draws a locus indicated by a one-dot chain line B around the support shaft 25. On the other hand, the corner portion 7A at the lower end of the fixed blade cover plate portion 7b of the operating lever 7 moves while being supported by the four-link parallel link mechanism, and thus draws a locus indicated by a one-dot chain line C.
[0028]
As can be seen from these trajectories, in this example, the trajectories B and C intersect at the rotational position shown in FIG. 3 in which the front cover 6 rises to a position before the closed position 6A (the state shown in FIG. 2). Designed. Therefore, at the rotational position shown in FIG. 3, the operation assisting portion 23A pushes up the corner portion 7A of the operation lever 7 from below. As a result, after that, the operation lever 7 is pushed up on the front side of the support shaft 22, so that the hook 73 formed on the rear side moves downward and moves toward the closed position shown in FIG. Immediately before reaching the closed position, the operation assisting portion 23A is disengaged from the corner portion 7A of the operation lever 7, so that the front side of the operation lever 7 is moved downward by the spring force.
[0029]
Thus, the hook 73 of the operating lever 7 reaches the lock position 73C indicated by the imaginary line from the position 73A indicated by the solid line in FIG. 3 through the position 73B indicated by the imaginary line. The operating force for moving the hook 73 to the position 73B against the spring force is reduced by the force by which the operation assisting portion 23A of the swing link 23 pushes up the operating lever corner portion 7A. Therefore, according to this example, since the operating force for locking the front cover 6 in the closed position may be small, the operability of opening and closing the front cover 6 can be improved.
[0030]
Next, brackets 61 extend from both ends of the lower end portion 6a of the front cover 6 in the printer width direction toward the rear of the printer. The support shafts 62 pass through the brackets 61 and are rotatable in the printer width direction. It is stretched horizontally toward the. Therefore, the front cover 6 is rotatable from the closed position 6A to the open position 6B around the support shaft 62.
[0031]
The front cover 6 is always urged toward the closed position 6A by the urging means. In this example, a contact surface 6b that protrudes rearward is formed on the back surface of the upper end portion of the front cover 6, and the contact surface 6b is opposed to the contact surface 23b that protrudes frontward at the upper end portion of the swing link 23. It is always pressed by a torsion spring 63 attached to the support shaft 62. The means for urging the front cover 6 toward the swing link 23 may be other than a torsion spring. For example, the front cover 6 may always be pulled toward the swing link 23 by a coil spring. .
[0032]
As described above, in this example, the pair of swing links 23 and 24 whose upper ends are connected by the operation lever 7 to which the platen member 16 is attached constitutes a four-link parallel link mechanism. The front cover 6 is always pressed against the swing link 23 by the torsion spring 63. Therefore, since the front cover 6 rotates back and forth together with the swing link 23, in this example, the front cover opening / closing mechanism is constituted by the four-link parallel link mechanism.
[0033]
Further, in the operation lever 7 of this example, an engagement protrusion 72e is formed on the bracket 72d, and a contact surface 23b as an engaged portion is formed on the front swing link 23. When the swing link 23 is tilted forward by a predetermined amount, the engaging projection 72e of the operation lever 7 hits the contact surface 23b of the swing link 23. Thereafter, when the swing link 23 is further pushed down, the contact is made. The positions of these protrusions are defined so that the engaging protrusions 16 are pushed upward relatively by the surface 23b. When the engagement protrusion 72e is pushed up, the front portion of the operation lever 7 on which the protrusion 72e is formed rotates upward about the support shaft 22.
[0034]
Next, the structure of the roll paper loading unit 8 of this example will be described. The roll paper loading unit 8 has a shape in which the recording paper roll body 9 can be dropped from above, and is divided into a front part 81 and a rear part 82. The front part 81 includes a trapezoidal left and right side wall part 83, a front wall part 84, and a bottom wall part 85, and the upper end part of the front wall part 84 is in contact with the back surface of the opening cover 6.
[0035]
Here, the front portion 81 is in a state of leaning against the back surface of the opening cover 6, and is rotatable forward together with the opening cover 6. Therefore, when the opening cover 6 is opened, the front portion 81 of the roll paper loading unit 8 is also rotated forward, the opening of the roll paper loading unit 8 is widened, and the roll paper can be easily replaced.
[0036]
(Opening / closing operation of front cover 6)
First, when the front cover 6 is in its closed position, the hook 73 of the operation lever 7 is formed on the main body case 2 by the spring force of the coil spring 74 as shown in FIGS. The hook engaging plate 2a is hooked. In other words, the front cover 6 is in a locked state. In this example, the coil spring 74, the hook 73, and the hook engaging plate 2a constitute a lock mechanism for the front cover 6.
[0037]
In order to release this locked state and open the front cover 6, as shown in FIG. 2B, the operating lever 7 may be pushed upward with a finger or the like. When the front end portion of the operating lever 7 is pushed up against the spring force of the coil spring 74, the operating lever 7 rotates about the support shaft 22 and the hook 73 is lowered downward, disengaged from the engagement plate 2a, and the lock is released. Canceled. In this way, in this example, the mechanism for unlocking is simplified, which is advantageous for reducing the size and size of the roll paper replacement mechanism and hence the roll paper printer.
[0038]
After releasing the lock, if the front end portion of the operation lever 7 is held and pulled to the front of the printer, the platen member 16 protrudes forward in the horizontal posture by the action of the four-link parallel link mechanism. Since the front cover 6 is always pressed by the torsion spring 63 against the swing link 23 on the front side that falls forward of the printer, the front cover 6 moves forward with the support shaft 62 of the lower end portion 6a as a center in conjunction with the swing link 23. Fall down. In this way, the front cover 6 can be opened by pulling the operation lever 7 forward of the printer. Further, when the front cover 6 is tilted forward, the front portion 81 of the roll paper loading unit 8 leaning against the back surface is also tilted forward and rotates together with the front cover 6.
[0039]
When the front cover 6 is opened to some extent, the engaging protrusion 72e formed on the operation table 7 comes into contact with the contact surface 23a formed on the front swing link 23. FIG. 4 shows this state. When the front cover 6 is further opened after this state is formed, the operation lever 7 protrudes forward while being pushed upward by the contact surface 23a. As a result, the operation lever 7 gradually rotates around the support shaft 22 so that the front end side thereof faces upward.
[0040]
FIG. 5 shows a state in which the front cover 6 is completely opened. In this state, the front opening 5 is fully opened, and the table body 71 of the operation lever 7 is inclined upward. In addition, the front side portion 81 of the roll paper loading unit 8 falls forward. In this state, the recording paper roll body 9 can be easily loaded or replaced.
[0041]
Here, when the front cover 6 is fully opened, the upper end portion of the front swing link 23 and the upper end portion of the front cover 6 pressed on the front cover 6 face forward. Since the swing link 23 and the front cover 6 have different rotation centers, when these members are connected by a link member or the like, the clearance between these upper end portions gradually increases when the members are tilted forward. Become wider. However, in this example, since the front cover 6 is not connected to the swing link 23 and is always pressed against the swing link 23 side by a spring force, these members move relative to each other as they rotate. However, the gap between the upper end portions of these members does not widen.
[0042]
In this example, the gap G1 is narrowed so that a finger or the like does not enter like the gap G between the operation lever back surface 71b and the front cover upper end surface 6c in the closed state as shown in FIG. As a result, when the front cover 6 is opened and closed, the operator's finger is not pinched between the operation lever back surface 71b and the front cover upper end surface 6c.
[0043]
In this example, the guide roller 11, the platen roller 14b, the transport roller 15b, and the cutter fixing blade 13b are attached to the platen member 16, and these are separated from the corresponding members attached to the main body case 2 side. Therefore, the operation of drawing the roll paper between these members can be performed very easily.
[0044]
In addition, since the front portion 81 of the roll paper loading unit 8 is also opened, when the recording paper roll body 9 is loaded into the roll paper loading unit 8, the front wall portion 84 of the roll paper loading unit 8 is moved over as in the conventional case. There is no need to drop the recording paper roll body 9 into the roll paper loading section 8 from above, and the recording paper roll body 9 can be loaded almost horizontally from the front of the printer. As described above, in this example, when the recording paper roll body is loaded, the substantial opening of the roll paper loading unit 8 can be widened, so that the loading operation can be easily performed with good operability. In other words, even if the front opening 5 is not widened, the substantial opening of the roll paper loading unit 8 with the front cover 6 opened can be widened, which impairs the operability of the recording paper roll loading operation. In addition, the front opening 5 can be made small, which is extremely advantageous for making the printer small and compact.
[0045]
Further, in this example, when the front cover 6 is opened, the cutter fixed blade cover plate portion 72b of the paper discharge table 7 is moved upward, and a finger or the like is inserted into the roll paper loading unit 9 from the front side. Also, the cutter fixed blade 13b is covered with the cutter fixed blade cover plate portion 72b so as not to touch the cutter fixed blade 13b. Accordingly, it is possible to safely perform roll paper replacement work and the like.
[0046]
Next, in the operation of closing the front cover 6 after the recording paper roll body 9 is loaded, since the operation lever 7 faces obliquely upward, there is a sufficiently wide gap below the tip portion. Yes. Therefore, it is possible to perform the work of putting the finger or the like into the gap and lifting the paper discharge table 7, that is, the work of closing the front cover 6 with good operability.
[0047]
When the operation is performed until the front cover 6 is completely closed (the state shown in FIG. 3), the operation assisting portion 23A formed on the swing link 23 hits the corner portion 7A of the operation lever 7 and lowers as described above. Push up from. As a result, the hook 73 of the operation lever 7 moves backward while being pushed downward. Therefore, the operating force required for the hook 73 to get over the lower surface of the engaging portion 2a on the main body case side is small. When the front cover 6 is moved to the closed position as shown in FIG. 2, the operation assisting portion 23A is disengaged from the corner portion 7A of the operation lever 7, so that the operation lever 7 is locked by the spring 73 moving the hook 73 upward. Is formed. As a result, the front cover 6 is locked in the closed position.
[0048]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the roll paper printer of the present invention and the roll paper loading mechanism mounted thereon have a front opening for loading roll paper into the roll paper loading section, an opening / closing cover for this opening, and this opening / closing The operating lever that opens and closes the cover and the operating force of the operating lever in the direction to close the open / close cover shifts to the state of overcoming the engaging portion against the spring force and engaging with the engaging portion. A configuration is employed that includes a lock member that locks the lock member in a closed position, and an operation assisting member that moves the lock member in a direction to get over the engaging portion in conjunction with an operation of closing the opening / closing cover by the operation lever.
[0049]
Therefore, according to the present invention, since the operating force for locking the front cover to its closed position can be reduced, the operability of the front cover can be improved. Further, since the operating force can be reduced without increasing the size of the lock member and the amount of movement thereof, the size of the roll paper loading mechanism, and hence the roll paper printer, is not increased.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a front surface of a roll paper printer to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the main part of the internal structure of the roll paper printer of FIG. 1;
3 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a front cover in the roll paper printer of FIG. 1 is slightly opened. FIG.
4 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the front cover of the roll paper printer of FIG. 1 is partially opened.
5 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the front cover in the roll paper printer of FIG. 1 is completely opened. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Roll paper printer 2 Main body case 3 Printer front surface 4 Operation part 5 Front opening of roll paper loading part 6 Front cover 6A Closed position 6B Open position 6b Contact surface 6c Front cover upper end surface 61 Bracket 62 Support shaft 63 Torsion spring Means)
7 Operation lever 7A Corner portion C of operation lever Movement locus 71 of operation lever corner portion Lever main body 71a Rear surface of lever main body 73 Hook 73B, 73C Hook movement position 8 Roll paper loading section 21, 22 Swing of four-link parallel link mechanism Support shafts 23 and 24 for defining the moving nodes Swing link 23A of the four-node parallel link mechanism Operation assisting portion B Movement track 23b of the operation assisting portion Contact surface 25 and 26 Support shaft for defining the fixed nodes of the four-node parallel link mechanism

Claims (2)

A front opening for loading roll paper into the roll paper loading section;
A front cover for opening and closing the front opening;
An operation lever for opening and closing the front cover;
A swing link that is rotatable in the front-rear direction around the lower end in order to rotate the front cover from the closed position where the front opening is blocked to the open position where the front cover is tilted forward. The upper end of which is connected to the operation lever in a freely rotatable state,
Due to the operation force in the direction of closing the front cover by the operation lever, the state moves over to the engagement portion against the spring force and engages with the engagement portion, and the opening / closing cover is locked in the closed position. A locking member;
An operation assisting member that moves the lock member in a direction to get over the engagement portion in conjunction with an operation in a direction to close the front cover by the operation lever;
Have
The operation lever includes the lock member attached to a rear side portion of a fulcrum connected to the swing link, and the lock member can be engaged with the engagement portion from below by a spring force. And
The swing link includes an operation lever engaging portion that functions as the operation assisting member, and the operation lever engaging portion is moved from the fulcrum of the operation lever when the swing link is rotated to a position before the closed position. A roll paper loading mechanism characterized in that the roll paper can be pushed up from the lower side by engaging with the front part, and is released from the operation lever when reaching the closed position.   A roll paper printer comprising the roll paper loading mechanism according to claim 1.

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