JP5030269B2 - Thermal head support device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal head support device in a printer that performs printing using a thermal head, and more particularly to a thermal head support device that supports a thermal head in a state where the position relative to a platen roller can be adjusted.

  In general, a printer that performs printing using a thermal head sandwiches and conveys a printing medium such as a label continuum or a tag continuum between a platen roller and a thermal head, thereby providing predetermined printing information on the printing medium. Printing is performed, and the thermal head is supported by a thermal head support device so that the heating element faces the platen roller.

  Conventionally, the thermal head is attached to the thermal head support device directly by screws or by using a connecting member called a spacer attached to the thermal head with screws (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

  However, in the prior art, when attaching the thermal head to the thermal head support device, a tool such as a screwdriver is required, and after attaching the thermal head, a connector for supplying a drive signal to the thermal head must be connected. In other words, there is a problem that the installation work of the thermal head becomes complicated.

JP-A-11-216889

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is not to require a tool such as a driver, but to attach a thermal head and a connector for supplying a drive signal to the thermal head. It is in providing a thermal head support device that can be connected in a series of operations.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration.
The gist of the invention described in claim 1 is a thermal head support device that supports a thermal head that performs printing by sandwiching and transporting a printing medium with a platen roller, from the downstream side of the conveyance direction of the printing medium. A slot means integrated with a head position adjusting means capable of adjusting a position with the platen roller while a thermal head is inserted, and disposed on the back side of the slot means, and the thermal to the slot means Connector means connected to the thermal head as the head is inserted, guide means for guiding the thermal head inserted into the slot means to the connector means, and locking the thermal head inserted into the slot means Locking means, and an operation from the same direction as the insertion direction of the thermal head into the slot means. , Comprising a ejection means for discharging said thermal head from said slot means, said ejecting means, the push rod disposed along the guide means, together with the slides in the insertion direction of the thermal head, it is accommodated The slider provided with a discharge claw that engages the thermal head to detach the thermal head from the slot means, and the operation force applied to the slider from the same direction as the thermal head insertion direction applied to the push rod. The thermal head support device includes a swinging crank lever for transmitting.

  The thermal head support device of the present invention is provided with slot means into which the thermal head is inserted from the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the print medium, and disposed at the back side of the slot means. By providing connector means connected to the head and guide means for guiding the thermal head inserted into the slot means to the connector means, the thermal head is guided by the guide means as the thermal head is attached to the slot means. Since the connector means is connected to the thermal head, the installation of the thermal head and the connection of the connector for supplying drive signals to the thermal head can be performed in a series of operations without the need for a tool such as a driver. There is an effect that can be done.

  Furthermore, the thermal head support device of the present invention prevents locking of the thermal head inserted into the slot means and poor connection with the connector means by providing a lock means for locking the thermal head inserted into the slot means. There is an effect that can be.

  Furthermore, the thermal head support device of the present invention is configured so that the slot means and the head position adjusting means capable of adjusting the position of the platen roller are integrated so that the head position can be adjusted even if the thermal head is removed. Since the position adjustment by the means is maintained, there is no need to re-adjust the position of the platen roller when the thermal head is replaced, and the thermal head can be easily replaced.

  Furthermore, the thermal head support device of the present invention is provided with an ejecting means for discharging the thermal head from the slot means by an operation from the same direction as the insertion direction of the thermal head into the slot means. And the thermal head can be easily attached to the slot means from the same direction, so that even an inexperienced user can easily replace the thermal head.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a main part of a printer equipped with an embodiment of a thermal head support device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a head pressure adjusting unit in the thermal head support device shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a head position adjusting unit in the thermal head support device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a thermal view of the head mounting portion shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of attaching the head, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the head attaching portion shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the thermal head support device 2 according to the present embodiment is a support means for supporting the thermal head 11, and is a label continuum or tag continuum in which a plurality of labels are temporarily attached to a belt-like mount. The printer 1 that prints on the print medium P using the thermal head 11 is provided. The printer 1 is a printing device of a thermal coloring printing system, and includes a supply unit 101 in which a print medium P wound around a roll is loaded. The print medium P fed from the supply unit 101 is supplied to the platen roller 10. And the thermal head 11 are sandwiched and conveyed, and the heat generating body of the thermal head 11 is selectively heated, whereby the print medium P is thermally developed to print desired characters, barcodes, and the like. Has been. The printer 1 is a thermal transfer system in which the thermal transfer ribbon and the printing medium P are nipped and conveyed between the platen roller 10 and the thermal head 11 and the ink of the thermal transfer ribbon is transferred to the printing medium P to perform printing. You may make it adopt.

  Further, the printer 1 is pivotally supported by a main body housing 102 and a rotating shaft 103 disposed on the rear side of the main body housing 102, that is, on the upstream side in the transport direction of the print medium P, and opens and closes the main body housing 102. 1B, and by opening the upper housing 104, the thermal head 11 and the printing target are released from the space downstream in the transport direction of the released printing medium P, as shown in FIG. Maintenance work such as loading of the medium P can be performed.

  2 and 3, the thermal head support device 2 adjusts the relative position of the thermal head 11 with respect to the platen roller 10 and the head pressure adjustment unit 3 that adjusts the head pressure of the thermal head 11. And a head mounting portion 12 to which the thermal head 11 is mounted.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the head pressure adjusting unit 3 includes a cam fixing plate 5, a base plate 6, a pair of pressure plates 7, and a pair of head biasing springs 8. 3, a main fixing plate 9 and a head moving plate 13 for fixing the head mounting portion 12 are provided.

  Referring to FIG. 2, a pair of head pressure variable cams 14 are pivotally mounted on the cam fixing plate 5, and the variable knob 15 is rotated so that the head pressure variable cam 14 is rotated by a predetermined angle. It has become.

  The base plate 6 is supported by a main shaft 16 attached to the main body housing 102, and the head pressure adjusting unit 3, the head position adjusting unit 4 and the head mounting unit 12 are brought together by operating a head opening / closing mechanism (not shown). When the thermal head 11 is brought into and out of contact with the platen roller 10, maintenance work such as loading and cleaning of the printing medium P can be performed.

  The pressure plate 7 is supported by a pressure plate rotating shaft 17 attached to the base plate 6. On the pressure plate 7, the head pressure variable cam 14 abuts on the front surface side through a cam window 18 formed in the base plate 6, and the head urging spring 8 is located on the rear surface side.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the head moving plate 13 is located on the front surface side of the main fixing plate 9, and the head mounting portion 12 is located on the back surface side. Three guide pins 19 are planted substantially at the center of the surface of the main fixing plate 9, and side wall portions 20 are formed at the left and right ends of the main fixing plate 9, respectively. A pair of first adjustment screw attachment pieces 21 are formed respectively.

  The head attachment unit 12 makes the relative position between the heating element of the attached thermal head 11 and the platen roller 10 variable by moving back and forth in the transport direction of the print medium P, that is, in the direction of the arrow F shown in FIG. The parallelism with the platen roller 10 and the relative position in the transport direction of the print medium P can be adjusted.

  The head moving plate 13 has a pair of second adjusting screw mounting pieces 23 formed at the left and right ends, and the main fixing plate 9, the head mounting portion 12, and the head moving plate 13 are assembled as shown in FIG. At this time, the second adjustment screw attachment piece 23 faces the first adjustment screw attachment piece 21 of the main fixing plate 9 in the conveyance direction of the printing medium P, the direction indicated by the arrow E in FIG. .

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, between the first adjusting screw mounting piece 21 of the main fixing plate 9 and the second adjusting screw mounting piece 23 of the head moving plate 13, as shown in FIGS. 25 are interposed. That is, a screw insertion hole 26 through which the adjustment screw 24 is inserted from the front side is formed in the second adjustment screw attachment piece 23 located on the front side in the transport direction of the print medium P, and the print medium P A female screw hole 27 into which the adjustment screw 24 is engaged is formed in the first adjustment screw attachment piece 21 located on the rear side in the transport direction.

  The head moving plate 13 located on the surface of the main fixing plate 9 is formed with a rectangular notch 28 formed in the center, and the guide pin 19 of the main fixing plate 9 is positioned in the rectangular notch 28. It is supposed to be. As shown in FIG. 2, the head urging spring 8 is fitted to the two left and right guide pins 19 of the three guide pins 19, and the urging force of the head urging spring 8 is closed by closing the head pressure adjusting unit 3. The pressing force between the thermal head 11 and the platen roller 10 is generated. That is, a first pin insertion hole 29 is formed at the tip of the pressure plate 7, and a second pin insertion hole 30 is formed in the base plate 6, so that the guide pin 19 is connected to the pressure plate 7. A head biasing spring 8 is interposed between the main fixing plate 9 and the first pin insertion hole 29 and the second pin insertion hole 30, and the top portion of the guide pin 19 is covered with an E-type washer 31. By fixing, the guide pin 19 is fixed to the base plate 6, and the entire main fixing plate 9 is fixed to the base plate 6. The pressing force by the head urging spring 8 is controlled by operating the variable knob 15 and rotating the head pressure variable cam 14 by a predetermined angle, via the pressure plate 7 and the head urging spring 8. It can be variable. In other words, the main fixing plate 9 can be biased in the direction of the platen roller 10 by the head pressure adjusting unit 3 with a predetermined pressing force.

  The head moving plate 13 is formed with a pair of left and right screw attachment piece adjustment long holes 32 that are long in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the print medium P. The screw attachment piece adjustment long hole 32 has an integrated screw 33 and The collar 34 can be inserted. The main fixing plate 9 is formed with a pair of left and right adjustment guide long holes 35 that can cross the screw attachment piece adjustment long holes 32 of the head moving plate 13 and are long in the transport direction of the print medium P. The integrated screw 33 and its collar 34 can be inserted into the adjustment guide long hole 35. Note that the length of the collar 34 is equal to the total thickness of the head moving plate 13 and the main fixed plate 9.

  Accordingly, the integrated screw 33 and the collar 34 are inserted into the screw attachment piece adjustment long hole 32 of the head moving plate 13 and the adjustment guide long hole 35 of the main fixing plate 9, and the integration screw hole of the head attachment portion 12 is inserted. 36, the head moving plate 13 and the head mounting portion 12 are integrated on the front surface and the back surface side of the main fixing plate 9 by engaging the integrated screw 33, whereby the head mounting portion 12 and the head moving plate are integrated. 13 is fixed by an integrated screw 33 across the main fixing plate 9.

  In a state where the head mounting portion 12 and the head moving plate 13 are fixed to the main fixing plate 9, the integrated screw 33 and the collar 34 are inserted into the adjustment guide long hole 35, so the integrated screw 33 is slightly loosened. As a result, the head mounting portion 12 can be slidably moved in the transport direction of the printing medium P with respect to the back surface of the main fixing plate 9, and the head moving plate 13 can be integrated with the head mounting portion 12. The surface 9A can be slidably moved in the transport direction of the print medium P.

  Further, since the integrated screw 33 and the collar 34 are inserted into the screw attachment piece adjusting long hole 32, the medium to be printed on the main fixing plate 9 and the head moving plate 13 is loosened by slightly loosening the integrated screw 33. The relative positions of each other in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of P can be adjusted. The screw insertion hole 26 of the second adjustment screw attachment piece 23 and the female screw hole 27 of the first adjustment screw attachment piece 21 Can be adjusted so that the adjusting screw 24 can be inserted. Further, the base plate 6 is formed with a pair of left and right screw adjustment windows 40 so that the integrated screw 33 can be operated through the screw adjustment window 40 even after the printer 1 is assembled. .

  In order to adjust the relative position of the thermal head 11 attached to the head attachment portion 12 with respect to the platen roller 10 in the conveyance direction of the print medium P, the integrated screw 33 is slightly loosened and a pair of left and right adjustment screws 24 is provided. , Respectively, to adjust the positions of the head moving plate 13 and the head mounting portion 12 with respect to the main fixing plate 9 steplessly. If the adjustment screw 24 is rotated in the clockwise direction, the first adjustment screw attachment piece 21 and the second adjustment screw attachment piece 23 come close and the thermal head 11 can be moved backward with respect to the platen roller 10. When rotated counterclockwise, the first adjustment screw attachment piece 21 and the second adjustment screw attachment piece 23 are separated by the urging force of the spring, and the thermal head 11 is moved forward with respect to the platen roller 10. be able to. After this adjustment, the integrated screw 33 is tightened again to fix the adjustment state. This adjustment operation is basically performed at the time of assembling the printer manufacturing factory. However, even after the printer 1 is assembled, the integrated screw 33 is provided from the screw adjustment window 40 of the base plate 6. And the adjustment work can be performed while checking the scale 39.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the thermal head 11 is attached to the head mounting portion 12 from the front side, that is, from the downstream side in the transport direction of the print medium P released by opening the upper housing 104, as shown in FIG. The head mounting portion 12 is inserted into the slot 11 while sliding the head 11. The head mounting portion 12 includes a slot portion 121 into which the thermal head 11 is inserted from the front side and a back portion of the slot portion 121 with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. Connector 122 for inserting and connecting the connector portion 111 of the thermal head 11, and guiding the thermal head 11 inserted into the slot portion 121 to the connector portion 122 and the thermal portion inserted into the slot portion 121. A pair of guide rails formed on both sides of the slot portion 121 for positioning the head 11 And 123, and a locking claw 124 for locking the thermal head 11 inserted in the slot portion 121, and eject mechanism for ejecting the thermal head 11.

  Guide grooves 112 into which a pair of guide rails 123 formed on both sides of the slot portion 121 are respectively inserted are formed on both sides of the thermal head 11, and when the thermal head 11 is attached to the head attachment portion 12. The thermal head 11 is held so that the guide groove 112 is parallel to the guide rail 123 of the head mounting portion 12, the guide rail 123 is fitted into the guide groove 112, and then the thermal head 11 is inserted into the slot portion along the guide rail 123. 121 is inserted. An insertion direction positioning surface 113 is formed in the guide groove 112 formed on both sides of the thermal head 11, and the guide rail 123 abuts on the insertion direction positioning surface 113 as shown in FIG. By inserting the thermal head 11 until the thermal head 11 is positioned in the insertion direction with respect to the head mounting portion 12, the connector portion 111 of the thermal head 11 is inserted into the connector portion 122 disposed on the back side of the slot portion 121. Then, the connector part 122 of the slot part 121 and the connector part 111 of the thermal head 11 are connected. Note that the positioning of the thermal head 11 in the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the head mounting portion 12, that is, the direction orthogonal to the insertion direction, is performed by fitting the guide rail 123 into the guide groove 112, and a pair formed on both sides of the slot portion 121. The guide rail 123 functions as a positioning means for positioning the head mounting portion 12 and the thermal head 11 (insertion direction, up / down / left / right direction). Further, the insertion direction positioning surface 113 is provided on the head mounting portion 12, and the thermal head 11 is positioned in the insertion direction with respect to the head mounting portion 12 by bringing the insertion direction positioning surface 113 and the thermal head 11 into contact with each other. Anyway.

  When the thermal head 11 is positioned with respect to the head mounting portion 12, the lock claw 124 of the head mounting portion 12 is engaged with the engaged portion 114 formed on the thermal head 11, so that the thermal head 11 is It is locked so that it does not fall out. The lock claw 124 is provided on the front side, and by opening the upper housing 104, the lock claw 124 can be unlocked by operating the lock claw 124 from the downstream side in the transport direction of the released print medium P. It is like that.

  The eject mechanism of the head mounting portion 12 includes a push rod 125 installed along the guide rail 123, a slider 126 that slides in the insertion direction of the thermal head 11, and a vibration that transmits the force applied to the push rod 125 to the slider 126. A dynamic crank lever 127. The slider 126 is a movable member for detaching the inserted thermal head 11 from the slot portion 121, and has three discharge claws 128 that protrude downward to engage with the thermal head 11.

  To release the thermal head 11 inserted into the slot portion 121 from the slot portion 121, the push rod 125 is operated and pushed in from the front side while the lock claw 124 is operated to release the lock. When the unlocking by operating the push rod 125 is pushed in, the swing crank lever 127 rotates about the pivot 129 and moves the slider 126. As the slider 126 moves, the discharge claw 128 pushes the thermal head 11 forward, so that the thermal head 11 is detached from the head mounting portion 12.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the head mounting portion 12 in which the slot portion 121 into which the thermal head 11 is inserted is formed from the downstream side in the transport direction of the print medium P, and the back side of the slot portion 121. And a guide rail 123 that guides the thermal head 11 inserted into the slot portion 121 to the connector portion 122. The connector portion 122 is connected to the thermal head 11 as the thermal head 11 is inserted into the slot portion 121. Since the thermal head 11 is guided by the guide rail 123 and the connector portion 122 is connected to the thermal head 11 when the thermal head 11 is attached to the slot portion 121, a tool such as a screwdriver is necessary. Instead, the thermal head 11 is attached and the drive signal is sent to the thermal head 11. An effect that it is possible to perform the connection of the connector portion 122 for supplying a series of operations.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the locking claw 124 that locks the thermal head 11 inserted into the slot part 121 is provided, so that the thermal head 11 inserted into the slot part 121 can be removed or the connector part 122 can be removed. There is an effect that poor connection can be prevented.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, by configuring the slot portion 121 and the head position adjusting portion 4 capable of adjusting the position of the platen roller 10 to be integrated, even if the thermal head 11 is removed, Since the position adjustment by the head position adjustment unit 4 is maintained, there is no need to re-adjust the position of the platen roller when the thermal head 11 is replaced, and the thermal head 11 can be easily replaced. Play.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, by providing an ejection mechanism for discharging the thermal head 11 from the slot portion 121 by an operation from the same direction as the insertion direction of the thermal head 11 into the slot portion 121, the slot portion 121 is provided. The removal of the thermal head 11 from the head and the attachment of the thermal head 11 to the slot portion 121 can be easily performed from the same direction, and even an inexperienced user can easily replace the thermal head 11. Play.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is obvious that the embodiments can be appropriately changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. In addition, the number, position, shape, and the like of the constituent members are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be set to a suitable number, position, shape, and the like in practicing the present invention. In each figure, the same numerals are given to the same component.

1 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a main part of a printer equipped with an embodiment of a thermal head support device according to the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the head pressure adjustment part in the thermal head support apparatus shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the head position adjustment part in the thermal head support apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the attachment method of the thermal head to the head attachment part shown in FIG. It is the perspective view seen from diagonally downward which shows the structure of the head attachment part shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 2 Thermal head support apparatus 3 Head pressure adjustment part 4 Head position adjustment part 5 Cam fixing plate 6 Base plate 7 Pressure plate 8 Head biasing spring 9 Main fixing plate 10 Platen roller 11 Thermal head 12 Head mounting part 13 Head moving plate 14 Head pressure variable cam 15 Variable knob 16 Main shaft 17 Pressure plate rotating shaft 18 Cam window 19 Guide pin 20 Side wall 21 First adjustment screw mounting piece 23 Second adjustment screw mounting piece 24 Adjustment screw 25 Compression spring 26 Screw Through hole 27 Female screw hole 28 Rectangular cutout 29 First pin insertion hole 30 Second pin insertion hole 31 E-type washer 32 Long hole for screw attachment piece adjustment 33 Integrated screw 34 Color 35 Adjustment guide length Hole 36 Integration screw hole 40 Adjusting window 101 Supply portion 102 Main body housing 103 Rotating shaft 104 Upper housing 111 Connector portion 112 Guide groove 113 Insertion direction positioning surface 114 Engaged portion 121 Slot portion 122 Connector portion 123 Guide rail 124 Locking claw 125 Push rod 126 Slider 127 Oscillating crank lever 128 Discharge claw 129 Axis P Printing medium

Claims (1)

A thermal head support device that supports a thermal head that performs printing by pinching and conveying a print medium with a platen roller,
Slot means integrated with a head position adjusting means capable of adjusting a position with the platen roller while a thermal head is inserted from the downstream side in the transport direction of the print medium;
Connector means disposed on the back side of the slot means and connected to the thermal head as the thermal head is inserted into the slot means;
Guide means for guiding the thermal head inserted into the slot means to the connector means;
Locking means for locking the thermal head inserted into the slot means;
Ejecting means for discharging the thermal head from the slot means by an operation from the same direction as the insertion direction of the thermal head to the slot means ,
The ejecting means includes
A push rod installed along the guide means;
A slider having a discharge claw that slides in the insertion direction of the thermal head and engages the thermal head so that the stored thermal head is detached from the slot means;
A thermal head support device , comprising: a swing crank lever that transmits an operation force to the slider from the same direction as the thermal head insertion direction applied to the push rod .

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