JP4469314B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer such as a thermal printer that prints a barcode or the like on label paper, for example.

  Conventionally, in a printer such as a thermal printer that prints a barcode or the like on label paper, a transmissive sensor (including a light emitting element and a light receiving element) or a reflective sensor is used as a sensor for detecting the printing start position of the label paper. Is used.

  The transmissive sensor is provided in the printer with a light emitting element and a light receiving element arranged opposite to each other via a paper conveyance path. When the label paper is transported and passed between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, light is transmitted through only the part of the mount between the label and the label. In the portion, the label is detected by utilizing the fact that light is blocked by the label and the amount of transmitted light is reduced.

  At this time, the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element are attached to a sensor unit including a pair of sensor holding portions that are vertically opposed to each other while maintaining an appropriate interval via the sheet conveyance path. That is, one of the light emitting element and the light receiving element is attached to the lower sensor holding part, and the other is attached to the upper sensor holding part. Such a sensor unit is positioned in the paper transport path and fixed to the printer body (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-11-199097

  By the way, when a sensor fails, it is necessary to replace the sensor. However, the sensor is fixed to a member inside the printer and cannot be easily attached or detached. Also in the sensor unit as described above, a complicated operation such as removing a fixing member such as a screw or removing various parts of the printer using a tool is required.

  Furthermore, the replacement work has been neglected due to the inconvenience of attaching and detaching the sensor unit, and problems such as continuing to use the defective sensor as it is have been caused.

  An object of the present invention is to improve workability when replacing a sensor unit.

The printer of the present invention forms a paper transport path from the paper storage part to the outside between the first unit having a paper storage part and the first unit that opens and closes to the first unit in the closed state. A second sensor unit, a first sensor unit having one of a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element of a transmissive sensor, and a second sensor unit having either one of the light-receiving element and the light-emitting element on the paper transport path. And a sensor unit that is detachably mounted inside the first unit , the sensor unit includes a first locked portion, and the first unit includes the first cover. A first locking part that engages with and disengages from the locking part, and the sensor unit can be attached to and detached from the first unit by locking the first locked part to the first locking part. Attached to.

  By making the sensor unit easily detachable from the printer body, it is possible to improve workability when replacing the sensor unit.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the entire printer 101 according to the present embodiment. The housing 104 of the housing of the printer 101 is divided into upper and lower parts, and the lower housing 104 and its storage constitute the lower unit 102 as the first unit, and the upper housing 104 and its storage Constitutes the upper unit 103 which is the second unit. The upper unit 103 can be freely opened and closed with respect to the lower unit 102 around a fulcrum (not shown) provided at the rear position.

  A front panel 105 is provided on the front surface of the housing 104. The front panel 105 is also divided vertically and distributed to the lower unit 102 and the upper unit 103. An issue port 106 is provided at a boundary portion between the lower unit 102 and the upper unit 103 in the front panel 105. In the housing 104 of the upper unit 103, the portion above the issue port 106 can be freely opened and closed. A power switch 107 is provided on the front panel 105 of the lower unit 102 so as to be positioned on the lower left side.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer 101 showing a state in which the upper unit 103 is opened. A lower base unit 108 is fixed to the lower unit 102 whose upper surface is open. The lower base unit 108 includes a platen roller 109, a sensor unit 110, and the like. Further, the lower unit 102 has a paper storage unit 111, and a label paper 112 wound in a roll shape is installed and stored in the paper holder 112. Although not shown in detail, the label paper 112 is obtained by attaching heat-sensitive labels to a long mount at regular intervals. In the upper unit 103 whose lower surface is opened, the upper base unit 114 is fixed inside, and the print head 115 and the like are attached. The print unit is constituted by the print head 115 and the platen roller 109.

  Between the lower unit 102 and the upper unit 103, a paper transport path 133, which will be described later, is formed in a space from the paper storage unit 111 to the issue port 106. Then, by opening the upper unit 103 with respect to the lower unit 102, the paper transport path 133 is opened.

  The sensor unit 110 is disposed in the paper transport path 133 and includes a transmissive sensor (not shown) and a reflective sensor (not shown). The transmissive sensor includes a light emitting element (not shown) and a light receiving element (not shown), and the light emitting element and the light receiving element are provided in the sensor unit 110 so as to face each other via a paper conveyance path 133. Since the label paper 112 is used in the present embodiment for detecting the paper, when the label paper 112 passes between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, the light is blocked at the label portion and the light transmittance. Is done by lowering.

  Further, since the sensor unit 110 also includes a reflective sensor, it is possible to selectively use tag paper (not shown) having marks marked on the back surface at predetermined intervals.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the lower base unit 108 and the sensor unit 110. The lower base unit 108 is housed and fixed inside the lower unit 102, and the sensor unit 110 is detachably attached to the lower base unit 108.

  The sensor unit 110 includes a lower sensor holding unit 116 and an upper sensor holding unit 117 that are provided with an appropriate interval maintained via a paper conveyance path 133.

  The sensor unit 110 is provided with a locking claw 118 provided at the front which is the first locked portion and a locking claw 119 provided at the rear corner, and the lower base unit 108 has a locking claw. Locking portions 120 and 121 are provided as first locking portions 118 and 119 that can be engaged and disengaged, respectively. When the locking claws 118 and 119 are detachably locked to the locking portions 120 and 121, the sensor unit 110 is detachably attached to the lower base unit 108 and arranged at a fixed position.

  The locking claw 119 is formed as a protrusion on a U-shaped portion 122 that is provided at the rear corner of the lower sensor holding portion 116 and is bent in a U-shape. The lower sensor holding part 116 is formed as a resin molded product, and the U-shaped part 122 provided in the lower sensor holding part 116 has elasticity.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the sensor unit 110 attached to the lower base unit 108. The upper sensor holding unit 117 has a lower sensor holding unit 116 with a support shaft 123 provided at one end as a fulcrum in the longitudinal direction of the sensor unit 110 (a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the label paper 113 is conveyed to the paper conveyance path 133). The paper conveyance path 133 is opened by opening and turning. The support shaft 123 inserted and fixed in the shaft hole of the upper shaft hole portion 124 provided in the upper sensor holding portion 117 is rotatably inserted into the shaft hole of the lower shaft hole portion 125 of the lower sensor holding portion 116. Thus, the upper sensor holding part 117 can be freely opened and closed. Further, the sensor unit 110 is provided with a paper guide portion 126 that is positioned downstream of the lower sensor holding portion 117 in the direction in which the paper is conveyed.

  Further, the sensor unit 110 includes a lock mechanism (not shown) at the free end in the longitudinal direction. In the lock mechanism, the upper sensor holding unit 117 maintains a proper distance from the lower sensor holding unit 116 to form a sheet conveyance path, and the upper sensor holding unit 117 is locked so as not to be separated from the lower sensor holding unit 116. Is. Here, the lock mechanism is not locked by a tool or the like.

  FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the sensor unit 110. The sensor unit 110 in which the support shaft 123 fixed to the upper shaft hole portion 124 is inserted into the lower shaft hole portion 125 and can be freely opened and closed includes a transmission type sensor (not shown) and a reflection type sensor (not shown). Is provided. A light emitting element (not shown) of the transmissive sensor and a reflective sensor are provided in the lower sensor part 127 which is the first sensor part, and a light receiving element (not shown) of the transmissive sensor is the second sensor part. The sensor unit 128 is provided. The lower sensor unit 127 and the upper sensor unit 128 are detachably held by the lower sensor holding unit 116 and the upper sensor holding unit 117, respectively.

  The lower sensor holding portion 116 is provided with a recess, and the lower sensor portion 127 is fitted into the recess. Here, a lower locking claw 129 that is a second locked portion is formed in the lower sensor portion 127, and the lower locking claw 129 is a second locking claw provided in the recess of the lower sensor holding portion 116. The lower sensor part 127 can be easily attached to and detached from the lower sensor holding part 116 (see FIG. 7).

  Similarly, the upper sensor holding portion 117 is also provided with a recess, and the upper sensor portion 128 is fitted therein. The upper sensor portion 128 is provided with an upper locking claw 131 as a third locked portion, and the upper locking claw 131 is a third locking portion provided in the upper sensor holding portion 117. Since the upper sensor unit 128 is detachable with respect to the unit 132, the upper sensor unit 128 is detachable from the upper sensor holding unit 117 (see FIG. 8).

  The transmissive sensor and the reflective sensor are mounted on the wiring board and are held by the lower sensor unit 127 and the upper sensor unit 128. Since this wiring board is slidable in the longitudinal direction of the sensor unit 110, the transmissive sensor and the reflective sensor are slidable with respect to the lower sensor part 127 and the upper sensor part 128.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the attaching / detaching operation of the sensor unit 110 with respect to the lower base unit 108.

  First, when the sensor unit 110 is attached to the lower base unit, as shown in FIG. 6A, the front locking claw 118 is fitted into the locking portion 120 of the lower base unit, and this locking position is With the fulcrum as a fulcrum, the rear portion of the sensor unit 110 is moved downward so that the locking claw 119 is locked to the locking portion 121. At this time, the U-shaped portion 122 having elasticity is bent in the direction of arrow A so that the locking claw 119 provided in the U-shaped portion 122 can be locked to the locking portion 121.

  Then, the shape of the U-shaped portion 122 bent in the direction of the arrow A is restored, and the locking claw 119 is locked to the locking portion 121 as shown in FIG. In this way, the sensor unit 110 is positioned on the printer 101 so as to be detachably attached to the lower base unit 108 so as to form the paper transport path 133 between the lower sensor holding part 116 and the upper sensor holding part 117. It is done.

  When removing the sensor unit 110 from the lower base unit 108, the U-shaped portion 122 is bent in the sensor unit 110 attached to the lower base unit 108 as shown in FIG. The locking of 119 to the locking portion 121 is released. Then, by lifting the rear side of the sensor unit 110 upward, the rear side of the sensor unit 110 can be freely used with a locking point where the locking claw 118 is locked to the locking portion 120 as shown in FIG. It becomes a state. Next, the sensor unit 110 is removed from the lower base unit 108 by releasing the locking claw 118 from the locking portion 120.

  In this manner, the sensor unit 110 can be easily attached to and detached from the printer 101 without using a fastening member such as a screw or a tool such as a driver.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an attaching / detaching operation with respect to the lower sensor holding part 116 of the lower sensor part 127. When the lower sensor unit 127 is attached to the lower sensor holding unit 116, the lower sensor unit 127 is lowered so that the lower locking claw 129 contacts the lower sensor holding unit 116, as shown in FIG. Then, the lower locking claw 129 is pressed and bent by the contact portion with the lower sensor holding portion 116. When the lower sensor portion 127 is further lowered, the curved lower locking claw 129 is engaged with the lower locking portion 130 as shown in FIG. The lower sensor unit 127 is held by the lower sensor holding unit 116.

  Further, when removing the lower sensor portion 127 from the lower sensor holding portion 116, the lower locking portion 129 is locked to the lower locking portion 130 as shown in FIG. The lower locking claw 129 is bent by pressing the lower locking claw 129 from the hole of the lower locking portion 130 so as to release the locking to the lower locking portion 130 of the claw 129. In a state where the lower locking claw 129 is curved and the locking is released, the lower locking claw 129 is further pushed up from the hole of the lower locking portion 130 to raise the lower sensor portion 127. Then, as shown to Fig.7 (a), the lower latching claw 129 will be in the state curved by being pressed by the lower sensor holding | maintenance part 116. FIG. Then, the lower sensor unit 127 is lifted upward and removed from the lower sensor holding unit 116.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an attaching / detaching operation with respect to the upper sensor holding portion 117 of the upper sensor portion 128. When the upper sensor unit 128 is attached to the upper sensor holding unit 117, as shown in FIG. 8A, the upper locking claw 131 is brought into contact with the upper sensor holding unit 117 to be bent and the upper sensor unit 128 is bent. When the upper sensor portion 128 is pressed to fit into the concave portion of the holding portion 117, the curved upper locking claw 131 is restored and locked to the upper locking portion 132 as shown in FIG. The upper sensor unit 128 is held by the upper sensor holding unit 117. On the other hand, from the state shown in FIG. 8B, the upper locking claw 131 is unlocked to the state shown in FIG. The upper sensor unit 128 is removed from the upper sensor holding unit 117.

  According to the present embodiment, since the sensor unit 110 can be attached to or detached from the printer 101 without using a tool such as a driver, the sensor unit 110 can be easily replaced even when the sensor unit 110 breaks down. Can do. And since the lower sensor part 127 and the upper sensor part 128 are each detachable with respect to the sensor unit 110, only arbitrary sensor parts can be replaced | exchanged and workability | operativity can be improved further.

In the present embodiment, the case where the light emitting element of the transmission sensor is provided in the lower sensor holding part 116 and the light receiving element is provided in the upper sensor holding part 117 has been described. However, the light receiving element is provided in the lower sensor holding part 116. A case where the upper sensor holding portion 117 is provided with a light emitting element may be used. Further, the reflective sensor may be provided in the upper sensor holding unit 117.

1 is a perspective view showing a printer of the present embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the printer of the state which opened the upper unit. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a lower base unit and a sensor unit. It is a top view which shows the sensor unit attached to the lower base unit. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a sensor unit. It is a side view explaining attachment / detachment operation with respect to the lower base unit of a sensor unit. It is a side view explaining attachment / detachment operation with respect to the lower sensor holding | maintenance part of a lower sensor part. It is a side view explaining attachment / detachment operation with respect to the upper sensor holding | maintenance part of an upper sensor part.

Explanation of symbols

102: First unit (lower unit), 103: Second unit (upper unit), 110: Sensor unit, 111: Paper storage unit, 118, 119: First locked portion (locking claw), 120, 121 ... 1st locking part (locking part), 127 ... 1st sensor part (lower sensor part), 128 ... 2nd sensor part (upper sensor part), 129 ... 2nd locked part (lower locking claw) , 130 ... second locking part (lower locking part), 131 ... third locked part (upper locking claw), 132 ... third locking part (upper locking part), 133 ... paper transport path

Claims (5)

A first unit having a paper storage section;
A second unit that opens and closes with respect to the first unit, and forms a paper transport path from the paper storage unit to the outside in the closed state with the first unit;
A first sensor unit having one of a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element of a transmissive sensor and a second sensor unit having either one of the light-receiving element and the light-emitting element are arranged to face each other via the paper transport path. A sensor unit detachably attached to the first unit;
The sensor unit includes a first locked portion, the first unit includes a first locking portion that engages with and disengages from the first locked portion, and the first locked portion is the first locked portion. The printer , wherein the sensor unit is detachably attached to the first unit by being locked to one locking portion . The sensor unit is
A first sensor holding unit that detachably holds the first sensor unit;
A second sensor holding unit that is provided to form the paper conveyance path between the first sensor holding unit and detachably holds the second sensor unit;
The printer according to claim 1, comprising: The first sensor part includes a second locked part ,
The first sensor holding portion includes a second locking portion that engages with and disengages from the second locked portion ,
The second sensor part includes a third locked part ,
The second sensor holding portion includes a third locking portion that engages and disengages with the third locked portion ,
When the second locked portion is locked to the second locking portion, the first sensor portion is detachably held with respect to the first sensor holding portion, and the third locked portion is The printer according to claim 2 , wherein the second sensor portion is detachably held with respect to the second sensor holding portion by being locked to the third locking portion. The printer according to claim 3 , wherein the second sensor holding part is capable of rotating and opening with respect to the first sensor holding part with a support shaft provided at one end in the longitudinal direction as a fulcrum. The printer according to claim 4 , wherein the sensor unit includes a reflective sensor.

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