JP4710717B2 - Printer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer apparatus, and more particularly to a printer apparatus provided with a media sensor that identifies the type of paper to be printed.

  One of the printer devices is an ink jet printer device. In an ink jet printer apparatus, depending on the type of paper to be printed, the ink ejected from the ink cartridge may bleed on the paper or the colored state may be different. Therefore, the ink jet printer apparatus is provided with a media sensor for identifying the type of paper so that printing can be performed by ejecting ink in the best state corresponding to the type of paper.

  Therefore, an example of a conventional inkjet printer apparatus having such a media sensor will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, in the ink jet printer apparatus 101, an ink carrier 111 on which an ink cartridge 112 is mounted is disposed in a printer main body 102 so as to be able to scan (see dotted arrows). A top cover 103 that can be freely opened and closed is provided on the upper portion of the printer main body 102. Further, a paper stand 114 for stocking paper 120 is provided at the upper part on the back side of the printer main body 102, and a paper feed port 113 for feeding the paper 120 into the printer main body 102 is provided on the top cover 103. It has been.

  On the back side of the top cover 103, a media sensor 104 for identifying the type of the paper 120 sent from the paper feed port 113 is disposed. As shown in FIG. 9, the media sensor 104 includes a sensor main body 105 provided with a predetermined sensor and a sensor holding unit 106 that holds the sensor main body 105. The media sensor 104 is connected to a control circuit board unit 110 that controls a series of printing operations via a predetermined flatness flexible cable (hereinafter simply referred to as “cable”) 107 (see FIG. 10). On the other hand, on the front side of the ink jet printer apparatus 101, a paper discharge port 115 for discharging the printed paper 120 is provided.

  Next, the operation of the above-described ink jet printer apparatus 101 will be described. First, when the ink jet printer apparatus 101 is in a standby state, the ink carrier 111 stands by at a predetermined home position on the side of the printer main body 102. When the printing operation is started, the ink carrier 111 moves from the home position to a predetermined printing position. Then, the paper 120 on the paper stand 114 is sequentially fed into the printer main body 102 from the paper feed port 113. As shown in FIG. 9, the paper 120 fed from the paper feed port 113 is fed into the printer main body 102 while contacting the media sensor 104 urged toward the paper 120 as indicated by an arrow 130. It is.

  While the media sensor 104 is in contact with the paper 120, predetermined light is emitted from the light emitting element provided in the sensor main body 105 of the media sensor 104 toward the paper 120, and the light reflected on the paper 120 is received. Light is received by the element. At this time, the type of the paper 120 is identified by detecting the difference in the intensity of light received depending on the type of the paper 120.

Ink is ejected from the ink cartridge 112 mounted on the ink carrier 111 while scanning toward the paper 120 in an optimum state based on the type of the paper 120 with respect to the paper of which the type of the paper 120 is specified. Will be. In this way, an image or the like is printed, and the printed paper 120 is discharged from the paper discharge port 115. Note that, for example, Patent Document 1 is one of documents that disclose a printer device including a media sensor.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-2017

  However, the conventional inkjet printer apparatus 101 has the following problems. The media sensor 104 is disposed on the back side of the top cover 103, and the top cover 103 can be opened and closed for maintenance and the like. For this reason, the cable 107 that connects the media sensor 104 and the control circuit board 110 is a cable 107 that is somewhat long in anticipation of opening and closing of the top cover 103. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the cable 107 so that the cable 107 does not become messy in the ink jet printer apparatus 101 with the top cover 103 closed.

  In the conventional ink jet printer apparatus, as shown in FIG. 10, a lock-like locking portion 109 for hooking the cable 107 on the back surface of the top cover 103 is provided. However, in order to hook the cable 107 on the locking portion 109, the cable 107 must be passed through a narrow gap 117 between the tip end portion of the key-shaped locking portion 109 and the top cover 103. There was a problem that the assembly was complicated.

  Further, since such a gap 117 exists, the cable 107 may come off from the gap 117 even after the cable 107 is passed through the locking portion 109. Further, since such a locking portion 109 is integrally formed by molding, there is a problem that an opening 103a is formed in the top cover 103 and the appearance is poor.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer device that can easily lock a cable and that does not easily release the cable once locked. Is to provide.

  The printer device according to the present invention includes a printer main body, a top cover, a media sensor, a torsion coil spring, a control circuit board, and a cable. The printer body prints on a predetermined sheet. The top cover is disposed on the upper part of the printer main body and can be freely opened and closed. The media sensor identifies a predetermined type of paper fed to the printer main body. The torsion coil spring biases the media sensor in such a manner as to contact the paper. The control circuit board unit is disposed in the printer main body unit and controls a series of printing operations. The cable electrically connects the media sensor and the control circuit board part. The media sensor includes a sensor main body portion and a sensor holding portion. Predetermined light emitting elements and light receiving elements are disposed in the sensor body. The sensor holding portion is rotatably supported at a predetermined position on the back side of the top cover, and holds the sensor main body portion. One end of the torsion coil spring is locked to the top cover, and the other end of the torsion coil spring is locked to the sensor holding portion. A cable extending from the media sensor is connected to the control circuit board portion via one end of the torsion coil spring and the top cover.

  According to this configuration, in order to lock the cable connected to the control circuit board portion between the one end portion of the torsion coil spring and the top cover to the one end portion of the torsion coil spring, the one end portion of the torsion coil spring is pushed up Then, the cable can be easily locked with the top cover and the one end of the torsion coil spring held by the top cover. Also, since one end of the torsion coil spring is urged toward the top cover by the urging force of the spring, there is no gap between the one end of the torsion coil spring and the top cover so that the cable can be removed, It is possible to prevent the cable once locked from coming off.

  Another printer apparatus according to the present invention is a printer apparatus having a function of identifying the type of paper, and includes a printer main body, an identification sensor, an urging member, a controller, and a cable. In the printer main body, printing is performed on paper. The identification sensor unit identifies the type of paper. The urging member urges the identification sensor unit in such a manner that the identification sensor unit is brought into contact with the fed paper. The control unit controls the printing operation on the paper. The cable connects the identification sensor and the control unit. The cable extending from the identification sensor unit is locked to the urging member and connected to the control unit.

  According to this configuration, in order to lock the cable locked to the biasing member to the biasing member, the cable may be locked to the biasing member in a state where a predetermined portion of the biasing member is pushed up. The cable can be easily locked. Further, since the cable is urged by the urging force of the urging member, it is possible to prevent the cable once locked from being easily detached.

  More specifically, in order to lock the cable to the urging member, the urging member has one end and the other end, and the one end is locked to the printer main body and the other end is the identification sensor. Preferably, the cable is locked to one end of the biasing member.

More specifically, the urging member is preferably a torsion coil spring.
Further, a maintenance cover disposed in an openable and closable manner may be provided on the upper portion of the printer main body, and the identification sensor unit may be disposed on the back side of the cover.

  An ink jet printer apparatus will be described as an example of a printer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, in the ink jet printer apparatus 1, an ink carrier 11 in which an ink cartridge 12 is mounted is disposed in a printer main body 2 so as to be able to scan (see dotted arrows). A top cover 3 for maintenance and the like is attached to the upper portion of the printer main body 2 so as to be freely opened and closed. A paper stand 14 for stocking paper 20 is disposed at the upper part on the back side of the printer main body 2, and a paper feed port 13 for feeding the paper 20 into the printer main body 2 is provided on the top cover 3. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, on the back side of the top cover 3, a media sensor 4 for identifying the paper 20 fed from the paper feed port 13 is disposed. The media sensor 4 is connected to a control circuit board unit 10 that controls a series of printing operations via a predetermined flatness flexible cable (hereinafter simply referred to as “cable”) 7. On the other hand, on the front side of the inkjet printer 1, a paper discharge port 15 for discharging the printed paper 20 is provided.

  Next, the media sensor 4 and the surrounding structure will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the media sensor 4 includes a sensor main body 5 that accommodates the sensor and a sensor holding portion 6 that holds the sensor main body 5. As will be described later, the sensor body 5 is provided with a light emitting element 5a that emits predetermined light toward the paper 20 and a light receiving element 5b that detects light reflected by the paper 20 (see FIG. 5). 4).

  The sensor holding unit 6 is rotatably attached to the back side of the top cover 3 by a torsion coil spring 8 that urges the sensor body 5 in contact with the paper 20 as indicated by an arrow 30. One end 8 a of the torsion coil spring 8 is locked to the rib 9 provided on the top cover 3, while the other end 8 b of the torsion coil spring 8 is locked to the sensor holding unit 6. The cable 7 extending from the media sensor 4 is locked to one end portion 8 a of the torsion coil spring 8 and is connected to the control circuit board portion 10 via the end portion 8 a and the top cover 3.

  Next, the operation of the above-described ink jet printer apparatus 1 will be described. First, when the inkjet printer apparatus 1 is in a standby state, the ink carrier 11 is waiting at a predetermined home position on the side of the printer main body 2. When a printing operation is started by inputting a predetermined signal such as an image, the ink carrier 11 moves from the home position to a predetermined printing position.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the paper 20 stocked on the paper stand is sequentially fed into the printer main body 2 from the paper feed port 13. As shown in FIG. 5, the paper 20 fed from the paper feed port 13 is in contact with the media sensor 4 urged toward the paper 20 by the torsion coil spring 8, and a predetermined printing position in the printer main body 2. Will be sent to.

  While the media sensor 4 is in contact with the paper 20, predetermined light is emitted from the light emitting element 5a of the sensor body 5 toward the paper, and the light reflected from the paper 20 is received by the light receiving element 5b. A predetermined signal based on the received light is sent from the light receiving element 5 b to the control circuit board unit 10 via the cable 7. In the control circuit board unit 10, the type of the paper 20 is identified by analyzing the input signal.

  When the type of the paper 20 is specified in this way, a predetermined control signal for ejecting ink in an optimal state is issued from the control circuit board unit 20 based on the type of the paper 20. Based on the control signal, ink is ejected from the ink cartridge 12 toward the paper 20 while scanning (see FIG. 2). The paper 20 on which printing of an image or the like has been completed by discharging ink is discharged from the paper discharge port 15 to the outside of the inkjet printer apparatus 1. Thus, a series of printing operations on the paper 20 is completed.

  In the inkjet printer 1 described above, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the cable 7 that connects the media sensor 4 and the control circuit board unit 10, a portion extending from the media sensor 4 is one end 8 a of the torsion coil spring 8. And the top cover 3 are connected to the control circuit board unit 10. In order to lock the cable 7 to the one end 8a of the torsion coil spring 8, as shown in FIG. 6, the top end of the cable 7 is pushed with the one end 8a of the torsion coil spring 8 pushed up by a finger or the like as shown by an arrow 31. The cable 7 can be easily locked to the one end 8a by placing the cover 3 on the cover 3 and releasing the finger to hold the one end 8a of the torsion coil spring 8 on the rib 9.

  In addition, since the one end portion 8a of the torsion coil spring 8 is urged toward the rib 9 by the urging force of the spring, the cable 7 is disconnected between the one end portion 8a of the torsion coil spring 8 and the top cover 3. There is no gap, and the cable 7 once locked can be prevented from coming off. Further, unlike the conventional printer device, there is no possibility that an opening is formed in order to integrally form the locking portion on the top cover by the mold, and the appearance is improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the torsion coil spring 8 has been described as an example of the urging member that urges the media sensor 4 toward the paper 20, but the urging member is not limited to the torsion coil spring 8. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a plate having one end portion and the other end portion can urge the media sensor 4 toward the paper 20 and can lock the cable 7 to the one end portion. An urging member such as a spring 16 may be used.

  In addition, although an ink jet printer apparatus has been described as an example of a printer apparatus having a media sensor, the above-described configuration for locking the cable of the media sensor is not limited to the ink jet printer apparatus. For example, a laser printer apparatus, a thermal transfer printer apparatus, or the like The present invention can be applied to other types of printer apparatuses.

  The embodiment disclosed this time is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the scope described above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

1 is a perspective view of an ink jet printer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the same embodiment, it is a perspective view which shows the inkjet printer apparatus of the state which opened the top cover. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a media sensor and its peripheral portion in the same embodiment. In the embodiment, it is a partially enlarged side surface portion showing a first state for explaining the operation of the ink jet printer apparatus. In the embodiment, it is a partially enlarged side surface portion showing a second state for explaining the operation of the ink jet printer apparatus. In the same embodiment, it is the elements on larger scale which show the method of locking the cable of the media sensor to the torsion coil spring. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a media sensor and a peripheral portion thereof in an inkjet printer device according to a modification in the embodiment. It is a perspective view of the conventional inkjet printer apparatus. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged side view showing one state for explaining the operation of the inkjet printer apparatus shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a media sensor and its peripheral portion in the ink jet printer apparatus shown in FIG. 8.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer apparatus, 2 Printer main-body part, 3 Top cover, 4 Media sensor, 5 Sensor main-body part, 5a Light emitting element, 5b Light receiving element, 6 Sensor holding part, 7 Cable, 8 Torsion coil spring, 8a One end part, 8b Other end Part, 9 rib, 10 control circuit board part, 11 ink carrier, 12 ink cartridge, 13 paper feed port, 14 paper stand, 15 paper discharge port, 16 leaf spring, 20 paper.

Claims (5)

A printer main body for printing on a predetermined paper;
An openable and closable top cover disposed on the upper portion of the printer main body,
A media sensor for identifying the type of the predetermined paper fed to the printer main body;
A torsion coil spring that urges the media sensor in contact with the paper;
A control circuit board unit disposed in the printer main body unit for controlling a series of printing operations;
A cable for electrically connecting the media sensor and the control circuit board unit;
The media sensor is
A sensor main body provided with predetermined light emitting elements and light receiving elements;
A sensor holding portion that is rotatably supported at a predetermined position on the back side of the top cover and holds the sensor body portion;
One end of the torsion coil spring is locked to the top cover, and the other end of the torsion coil spring is locked to the sensor holding part,
The printer device, wherein the cable extending from the media sensor is connected to the control circuit board portion through the space between the one end portion of the torsion coil spring and the top cover. A printer device having a function of identifying the type of paper,
A printer body for printing on paper,
An identification sensor unit for identifying the type of paper;
An urging member that urges the identification sensor unit in a mode of bringing the identification sensor unit into contact with a sheet to be fed;
A control unit for controlling printing operation on paper;
A cable connecting the identification sensor and the control unit;
The printer device, wherein the cable extending from the identification sensor unit is locked to the urging member and connected to the control unit. The biasing member has one end and the other end;
The one end is locked to the printer body, and the other end is locked to the identification sensor.
The printer device according to claim 2, wherein the cable is locked to the one end portion of the biasing member.   The printer device according to claim 2, wherein the biasing member is a torsion coil spring. A maintenance cover is provided on the upper part of the printer main body so as to be freely opened and closed.
The printer device according to claim 2, wherein the identification sensor unit is disposed on a back side of the cover.

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