JP5933343B2 - printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer using roll paper.

  In a conventional thermal transfer type sublimation printer using roll paper, the position and posture of the paper discharge port and the internal paper discharge guide are fixed. Therefore, when performing a large amount of continuous printing, there are the following problems.

(Problem A)
When a certain amount of printed matter is accumulated in the tray, there arises a problem that the newly ejected printed matter does not fit in the discharge tray and falls from the discharge tray.

(Problem B)
As the paper discharge proceeds, the prints accumulated on the paper discharge tray increase in height. Eventually, the printed material on the paper discharge tray comes into contact with the front end of the newly ejected printed material. The printed matter is charged due to friction inside the printer, and sticking due to static electricity occurs when the printed matter comes into contact with the printed matter on the paper discharge tray. As a result, there arises a problem that the stuck printed matter becomes an obstacle and the alignment of the load is disturbed or the paper discharge is disturbed to cause a paper jam.

  In order to solve the problem A, there is a means of simply enlarging the discharge tray. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for adjusting the height and inclination of the paper discharge tray itself (hereinafter also referred to as Conventional Technology A). Specifically, in the conventional technique A, the height (weight) of the printed matter accumulated in the paper discharge tray is detected and feedback is performed to adjust the height and inclination of the paper discharge tray.

  In order to solve the problem B, there is means for disposing the charge eliminating brush near the paper discharge port. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique (hereinafter also referred to as Conventional Technology B) in which a charge of reverse polarity is imparted to a sheet (paper) by a member of a sheet transport unit to neutralize the charge.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-060023 JP 2002-173242 A

  However, the prior art has the following problems. Specifically, conventionally, a large discharge tray is used for a printer that performs a large amount of continuous printing to achieve a large capacity. In the prior art A, the angle and height of the paper discharge tray are changed to a suitable one according to the amount of sheets stacked on the paper discharge tray. In either case, the discharge tray becomes large and complicated, leading to deterioration in maintainability and high cost.

  Further, in general, in the paper conveyance process inside the printer, the paper comes into contact with various members made of different materials and is charged by receiving friction. Conventionally, a charge eliminating brush, which is a conductive member, is disposed in the vicinity of the paper discharge port, and the electric charge on the paper surface is removed by touching the paper surface with the hair of the brush.

  Further, in the prior art B, sticking due to static electricity is avoided by applying to the paper a charge having a polarity opposite to that of the charge on the paper. However, in the prior art B, every time the specifications of some members in the paper and the transport path change, the entire transport path must be reviewed. As a result, it leads to restrictions in terms of management and use members, leading to higher costs. In other words, conventionally, there is a problem that it is expensive to improve the paper storage performance of the paper discharge tray.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a printer capable of improving paper accumulation performance at low cost.

In order to achieve the above object, a printer according to one embodiment of the present invention discharges paper constituting roll paper to a paper discharge tray. The printer includes a paper discharge guide for discharging the paper to the paper discharge tray. The paper discharge guide is configured to be rotatable, and one end of the paper discharge guide abuts against an outer surface of the roll paper. The other end of the paper discharge guide is provided with a paper discharge port for discharging the paper to the paper discharge tray, and the paper discharge guide responds to a change in the outer diameter of the roll paper. The height of the paper discharge port is changed, and the paper discharge guide is configured such that the position of the paper discharge port becomes farther from the paper discharge tray as the outer diameter of the roll paper is smaller .
A printer according to another aspect of the present invention discharges paper constituting roll paper to a paper discharge tray. The printer includes a paper discharge guide for discharging the paper to the paper discharge tray. The paper discharge guide is configured to be rotatable, and one end of the paper discharge guide abuts against an outer surface of the roll paper. The other end of the paper discharge guide is provided with a paper discharge port for discharging the paper to the paper discharge tray, and the paper discharge guide responds to a change in the outer diameter of the roll paper. The height of the paper discharge port is changed, and the position of the paper discharge guide is more distant from the paper discharge tray as the amount of curl of the paper discharged from the paper discharge port is larger. Configured to be

  According to the present invention, the paper discharge guide is configured to be rotatable. One end of the paper discharge guide is in contact with the outer surface of the roll paper. A discharge port for discharging the paper to a discharge tray is provided at the other end of the discharge guide. The paper discharge guide changes the height of the paper discharge port according to a change in the outer diameter of the roll paper. Therefore, the height of the paper discharge port can be changed with a simple configuration, that is, at low cost.

  In addition, by changing the height of the paper discharge port according to the change in the outer diameter of the roll paper, the distance between the paper discharged from the paper discharge port and the paper accumulated in the paper discharge tray can be adjusted. Can be controlled. This makes it difficult for the paper discharged from the paper discharge port to stick due to static electricity or the like. Therefore, a large amount of paper can be accumulated in the paper discharge tray. As a result, the paper accumulation performance can be improved.

  As described above, the printer of the present invention can improve the paper storage performance at low cost.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer according to a first embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer according to a first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the printer which concerns on a comparative example. It is a figure which shows the state of the printed matter which comes out of the printer which concerns on a comparative example. It is a figure which shows the state in which a printed matter falls. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a printed material to be discharged is attached to a printed material on a paper discharge tray.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof may be omitted.

  It should be noted that the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the constituent elements exemplified in the embodiments are appropriately changed depending on the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. It is not limited to those examples. Moreover, the dimension of each component in each figure may differ from an actual dimension.

<Comparative example>
Hereinafter, a printer as a comparative example will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer 1000 according to the comparative example. The printer 1000 performs printing using roll paper (roll paper) composed of roll-shaped paper 1. The printer 1000 includes a fixed paper discharge guide 50.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the roll paper is stored inside the printer 1000 in a state of being wound around a paper flange (not shown).

  In the printer 1000, when printing is started, the paper 1 is supplied from a paper flange to a transfer unit (not shown), and a printing process is performed in the transfer unit. Thereafter, the paper 1 is sent out of the printer 1000 through the paper discharge guide 50. At that time, when the paper 1 outside the printer 1000 has an appropriate length, it is cut by a cutter (not shown) provided in the paper discharge port 8, and the cut paper is stacked on the paper discharge tray 7. It will be done.

  In a transfer section (not shown), the paper 1 and ink are pressed against the thermal head 3 by the platen roller 4. At the time of pressure bonding, an image divided into Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) by applying heat from the thermal head 3 is transferred onto paper in a layer-sequential manner for each color component, and then OP (over) Transfer coat) layer. Thereby, the weather resistance and fingerprint resistance of the printed matter are improved. In the following, the printed paper 1 is also referred to as a printed matter.

  However, the printer 1000 has the following problems. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4A, the curling amount of the paper 1 causes the curl amount to be small outside the roll paper, so that the leading edge of the printed matter falls from the position away from the printer 1000 to the discharge tray 7. To do. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the curl amount of the paper 1 is large in the vicinity of the roll paper core, and the leading edge of the printed matter falls from the position close to the printer 1000 to the paper discharge tray 7.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the front end of the printed matter printed on the paper near the roll core of the roll paper is considerably more than the apex of the curled portion of the printed matter already accumulated in the paper discharge tray 7. There is a case where it collides with the stored printed matter. In this case, the printed matter may be turned over, and the printed matter may fall out of the paper discharge tray 7.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, as the paper discharge proceeds, the printed matter accumulated on the paper discharge tray 7 increases in height. Eventually, the printed material on the paper discharge tray 7 comes into contact with the front end of the newly ejected printed material. The printed material is charged due to friction inside the printer 1000. Therefore, sticking due to static electricity occurs when the printed material before cutting comes into contact with the printed material on the paper discharge tray 7. That is, the printer 1000 cannot cope with an increase in static electricity due to continuous printing. In this case, the printed matter cannot be further accumulated in the paper discharge tray 7.

  As described above, the configuration of the printer 1000 according to the comparative example has a problem that the paper storage performance of the paper discharge tray is not sufficient.

<Embodiment 1>
In the present embodiment, the above problem described in the comparative example is solved.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer 100 according to the first embodiment. The printer 100 is, for example, a thermal transfer type sublimation printer. The printer 100 may be another type of printer as long as it uses roll paper.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 includes paper guide rollers 2 a and 2 b, a thermal head 3, a platen roller 4, and a paper discharge guide 5. A paper discharge tray 7 is mounted outside the printer 100. The paper discharge tray 7 may be a part of the printer 100.

  The printer 100 accommodates roll paper 20 composed of roll-shaped paper 1. The printer 100 performs a printing process for printing on the paper 1. Although details will be described later, the printer 100 discharges the paper 1 constituting the roll paper 20 to the paper discharge tray 7.

  Each of the paper guide rollers 2a and 2b has a rotatable structure. Each of the paper guide rollers 2 a and 2 b is held by the printer 100 at both ends. Each of the paper guide rollers 2 a and 2 b rotates in accordance with the movement of the paper 1 to assist the conveyance of the paper 1 and manipulate the traveling direction of the paper 1.

  The platen roller 4 is pressed against the thermal head 3 via the paper 1. The thermal head 3 applies heat to the paper 1 to sublimate a dye on an ink ribbon (not shown) and prints on the paper 1.

  The paper discharge guide 5 has a configuration for discharging the paper 1 to the paper discharge tray 7. The discharge guide 5 has a long shape. The paper discharge guide 5 is rotatably fixed inside the printer 100 by a fulcrum 6 (rotary shaft). That is, the paper discharge guide 5 is configured to be rotatable about the fulcrum 6 as a rotation axis. Thus, the paper discharge guide 5 is configured so that the angle can be adjusted to some extent with the fulcrum 6 as the rotation axis.

  Next, the configuration of the paper discharge guide 5 will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 2A, the paper discharge guide 5 includes plate members 5a and 5b, a guide portion 5c, and a roller 5d. The shape of the plate member 5b is long. Specifically, the shape of the plate member 5b is linear. The plate member 5a has a shape that is partially bent. The plate members 5a and 5b are configured to provide a conveyance space 5e between the plate member 5a and the plate member 5b.

  The transport space 5 e is a space used for transporting the paper 1. A paper feed port 8a is formed at the right end of the transport space 5e. A paper discharge port 8b is formed at the left end of the conveyance space 5e. The paper discharge port 8 b is an opening for discharging the cut paper 1 to the paper discharge tray 7. The paper discharge tray 7 has a shape capable of storing the paper discharged from the paper discharge port 8b.

  The guide part 5c is a member for guiding the paper 1 to the paper feed port 8a. The guide part 5c is provided on the plate member 5b. The roller 5d is a roller for transporting the paper 1 using the transport space 5e.

  The fulcrum 6 is provided on the left side of the plate member 5b in the plate member 5b. Therefore, in the plate member 5 b, the portion on the right side from the fulcrum 6 is longer than the portion on the left side from the fulcrum 6. Therefore, the right end portion of the plate member 5 b is always in contact with the outer surface (circumferential portion) of the roll paper 20. That is, one end of the paper discharge guide 5 including the plate member 5 b is in contact with the outer surface of the roll paper 20. Further, the other end of the paper discharge guide 5 is provided with the paper discharge port 8b described above.

  With the above configuration, the paper discharge guide 5 changes the height of the paper discharge port 8 b of the paper discharge guide 5 in accordance with the change in the outer diameter of the roll paper 20.

  The paper 1 that has passed through the paper guide roller 2 b is discharged along the plate member 5 b of the paper discharge guide 5 from the paper discharge port 8 b to the paper discharge tray 7.

  When the printing process is started in the printer 100, the roll-shaped paper 1 is rotated counterclockwise by power (not shown). Accordingly, the paper 1 is discharged out of the printer 100 through the paper guide roller 2a, the platen roller 4, the paper guide roller 2b, and the paper discharge guide 5 (paper discharge port 8b). At that time, the paper 1 outside the printer 100 is cut by a cutter (not shown) provided outside the paper discharge port 8 b, and the cut paper 1 (printed material) is accumulated in the paper discharge tray 7. .

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating changes in the angle of the paper discharge guide 5 and the height of the paper discharge port 8b in accordance with the remaining amount of paper during the printing process. As described above, the paper discharge guide 5 changes the height of the paper discharge port 8 b of the paper discharge guide 5 in accordance with the change in the outer diameter of the roll paper 20. Specifically, the paper discharge guide 5 is configured such that the smaller the outer diameter of the roll paper 20, the farther the position of the paper discharge port 8 b is from the paper discharge tray 7.

  FIG. 2A shows the positional relationship between the paper 1 and the paper discharge guide 5 when the outer diameter of the roll paper 20 is large. When the outer diameter of the roll paper 20 is large, the remaining amount of the roll paper 20 is large.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the discharge guide 5 is heavier at the paper feed port 8a than at the discharge port 8b, so the right end of the discharge guide 5 (plate member 5b) is The contact A is in contact with the outer surface of the roll paper 20. In this case, the paper discharge port 8b is at a lower position than the paper supply port 8a. At this time, since the printing process (continuous printing) is an initial stage, the printed matter is not accumulated so much on the paper discharge tray 7. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2A, the new printed material (paper 1) before cutting, which is discharged from the paper discharge port 8b, does not come into contact with the printed material on the paper discharge tray 7.

  FIG. 2B shows the positional relationship between the paper 1 and the paper discharge guide 5 when the outer diameter of the roll paper 20 is small. When the outer diameter of the roll paper 20 is small, the remaining amount of the roll paper 20 is small. In this case, the curl amount of the new printed material (paper 1) before cutting, which is discharged from the paper discharge port 8b, is larger than that in the state of FIG. Therefore, if the paper discharge guide 5 is fixed as in the prior art, the leading edge of the new printed material that is discharged from the paper discharge port 8b before cutting is shown in FIG. Close to. In this case, as described above, there is a possibility that the printed material as shown in FIG.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the discharge guide 5 is configured such that the smaller the outer diameter of the roll paper 20 is, the farther the position of the discharge port 8b is from the discharge tray 7. . In other words, the paper discharge guide 5 is configured such that the position of the paper discharge port 8b is farther from the paper discharge tray 7 as the curl amount of the paper 1 discharged from the paper discharge port 8b is larger. That is, in the present embodiment, it is possible to cope with a change in the curl amount of the paper 1, and therefore it is possible to prevent the printed matter from spilling out from the paper discharge tray 7. Hereinafter, a specific example will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the right end portion of the paper discharge guide 5 (plate member 5 b) is inclined by the weight of the paper discharge guide 5 itself and is in contact with the outer surface of the roll paper 20 at the contact point B. In this case, the paper discharge port 8b is located higher than the paper supply port 8a. At this time, since the printing process (continuous printing) is proceeding, a large amount of printed matter is accumulated on the paper discharge tray 7. Therefore, the height of the load (printed material) on the paper discharge tray 7 is also increased.

  However, as shown in FIG. 2B, the paper discharge port 8b is located higher than the state shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2B, the distance between the printed material stacked on the paper discharge tray 7 and the new printed material before being cut out from the paper discharge port 8b is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance X (constant). To be kept. In other words, the distance between the front end of the printed material discharged from the paper discharge port 8b and the printed material accumulated in the paper discharge tray 7 can be maintained at a certain level or more.

  As a result, sticking due to contact between the printed matter discharged from the paper discharge port 8 b and the printed matter accumulated in the paper discharge tray 7 can be avoided. In other words, it is possible to prevent sticking of the printed material loaded on the paper discharge tray 7 and the newly discharged printed material due to static electricity.

  Hereinafter, the maximum amount of prints that can be stacked on the paper discharge tray 7 is also referred to as the maximum load prints. Here, the predetermined distance X is a new pre-cutting paper that is discharged from the uppermost surface of the maximum stacked printed material and the paper discharge port 8b when the maximum stacked printed material is stacked on the paper discharge tray 7. This is a distance that does not contact the front end of the printed matter on the paper discharge tray 7 side. In other words, in the present embodiment, when the maximum stacked printed material is stacked on the paper discharge tray 7, regardless of the rotation angle of the paper discharge tray 7, the top surface of the maximum stacked printed material and the paper discharge port 8b. It is configured so that the front end of the new printed matter to be discharged before cutting is not in contact with the front end of the discharge tray 7 side.

  As described above, in the printer 100 according to the present embodiment, the discharge guide 5 changes the height of the discharge outlet 8 b of the discharge guide 5 in accordance with the change in the outer diameter of the roll paper 20. Therefore, the height of the discharge port 8b can be changed with a simple (simple) configuration, that is, at low cost.

  Further, by changing the height of the paper discharge outlet 8b of the paper discharge guide 5 according to the change in the outer diameter of the roll paper 20, the paper discharged from the paper discharge outlet 8b and the paper discharge tray 7 are accumulated. It is possible to control the distance between the paper and the printed paper (printed material). This makes it difficult for the paper discharged from the paper discharge port 8b to stick due to static electricity or the like. Accordingly, a large amount of paper can be stored in the paper discharge tray 7. As a result, the paper accumulation performance can be improved. As described above, the printer 100 according to the present embodiment can improve the paper storage performance at low cost.

  Further, the printer 100 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which the paper discharge guide 5 is always in contact with the outer surface of the roll paper 20 due to the weight of the paper discharge guide 5 itself. Therefore, the configuration in which the paper discharge guide 5 contacts the outer surface of the roll paper 20 is a simple configuration (mechanism). That is, the configuration in which the paper discharge guide 5 abuts on the outer surface of the roll paper 20 can be realized at low cost (low cost). Therefore, it is possible to prevent a new printed material (paper output) before cutting and a load (printed material loaded on the paper discharge tray 7) from coming into contact with each other without increasing the size of the paper discharge tray as in the prior art. be able to. As a result, sticking of the printed matter and dropping of the printed matter from the paper discharge tray 7 can be prevented with a simple structure.

  In addition, as described above, since it is not necessary to increase the size of the paper discharge tray, it is possible to realize cost reduction and space saving of the printer by reducing the number of parts.

  In addition, as described above, it is possible to prevent the discharged paper and the load from coming into contact with each other. Therefore, there is little influence by changing the material of the paper (paper 1) and the internal parts of the printer, and the specification can be easily changed. It is.

  In the present embodiment, as the printing process proceeds and the curl amount of the paper 1 increases, the paper discharge port 8b is raised. Therefore, the tip of the printed material discharged from the paper discharge port 8b is separated from the printer, and the paper discharge port 8b becomes high, so that contact with the already stored printed material is eliminated, and sticking due to static electricity can be avoided. As a result, it is possible to cope with an increase in static electricity due to continuous printing.

  In the printer 100, one end of the paper discharge guide 5 is always brought into contact (biased) with the outer surface of the roll paper 20, and the angle of the paper discharge guide 5 is changed in accordance with the change in the outer diameter of the roll paper 20. However, the configuration for changing the angle of the paper discharge guide 5 is not limited to this configuration.

  For example, a configuration may be used in which the outer diameter of the roll paper 20 is detected using a sensor, and the angle of the paper discharge guide 5 (the height of the paper discharge port 8b) is changed according to the detected outer diameter. . Even in this configuration, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  In the present invention, the embodiments can be appropriately modified and omitted within the scope of the invention.

  The present invention can be used as a printer capable of improving the paper storage performance at low cost.

  2a, 2b Paper guide roller, 3 thermal head, 4 platen roller, 5,50 paper discharge guide, 7 paper output tray, 8, 8b paper output port, 8a paper supply port, 20 roll paper, 100, 1000 printer.

Claims (2)

A printer that discharges paper constituting roll paper to a paper discharge tray,
A paper discharge guide for discharging the paper to the paper discharge tray;
The paper discharge guide is configured to be rotatable,
One end of the paper discharge guide is in contact with the outer surface of the roll paper,
A discharge port for discharging the paper to the discharge tray is provided at the other end of the discharge guide.
The paper discharge guide changes the height of the paper discharge port according to a change in the outer diameter of the roll paper ,
The paper discharge guide is a printer configured such that the smaller the outer diameter of the roll paper, the farther the position of the paper discharge port is from the paper discharge tray . A printer that discharges paper constituting roll paper to a paper discharge tray,
A paper discharge guide for discharging the paper to the paper discharge tray;
The paper discharge guide is configured to be rotatable,
One end of the paper discharge guide is in contact with the outer surface of the roll paper,
A discharge port for discharging the paper to the discharge tray is provided at the other end of the discharge guide.
The paper discharge guide changes the height of the paper discharge port according to a change in the outer diameter of the roll paper ,
The printer is configured such that the paper discharge guide is positioned farther from the paper discharge tray as the curl amount of the paper discharged from the paper discharge outlet is larger .

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