JP6225567B2 - Print head and printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that prints while conveying a recording medium by putting the recording medium between a printing head and a platen roller to be in a pressed state and rotationally driving the platen roller, and the printing head.

In general, a printer (printing apparatus) is known in which a platen roller is disposed so as to face a print head, and printing is performed while a recording medium is sandwiched and conveyed between the print head and the platen roller. In this type of printer, a standby state may be entered with a recording medium sandwiched between the print head and the platen roller, and a long time may elapse while the recording medium is pressed against the print head. is there. For this reason, for example, when printing on a recording medium that is easy to stick when pressed, such as a recording medium with a coating on the printing surface, the recording medium sticks to the print head when left in a standby state for a long time. There is.
In order to solve this problem, the recording medium attached to the print head is peeled off by moving the print head in a direction that changes the position of contact with the platen roller while the print head is pressed against the platen roller. The thing which can do is proposed (for example, refer patent document 1).

JP 2012-61848 A

  However, the print head of Patent Document 1 includes a support frame that fixes the head main body, and the position of the support frame when it is moved is regulated by protrusions formed on the inner surfaces of both side plates of the housing. . For example, if the print head is subject to component variations such as positional tolerance or twisting of the head main body, even if the print head is pressed against the platen roller, the movement of the print head is restricted by the protrusions and the press is uneven. As a result, there has been a problem that print quality is lowered or paper feed skew occurs.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a print head and a printing apparatus that peel off a recording medium attached to the print head and make the press of the print head and the platen uniform, thereby preventing deterioration in print quality or paper feed skew. It is in.

In order to solve the above problem, the print head of the present invention includes a head body portion to be printed on the recording medium is placed on the platen roller opposed to the position for conveying a record medium, the platen roller and the head main body portion and a support mechanism for supporting and pressing the said supporting mechanism supporting portion for supporting the fulcrum provided in said width direction of the head main body portion extending in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the recording medium central the provided, the head main body portion around the fulcrum together when swingably supported, characterized in that for movably supporting the head main body portion in a direction of changing the pre-Symbol platen roller abutting position .
According to the configuration described above, the head main body is supported so as to be swingable in the width direction around the fulcrum, so that the head main body can be uniformly pressed against the platen roller. As a result, it is possible to make the pressing of the head main body and the platen roller uniform, and to prevent a decrease in print quality or a paper feed skew.
Also, the support mechanism supports the head body so that it can move in a direction that changes the position of contact with the platen roller while the head body is pressed against the platen roller. In addition, the portion where the recording medium is adhered (the portion being pressed) can be released from being pressed by the platen roller. When the pressure is released, the recording medium can be moved in a direction in which the recording medium is peeled off from the head main body. When the recording medium is peeled off, the recording medium can be peeled off with a smaller force than when the recording medium is peeled off only by the shearing force, so that the sticking of the recording medium can be easily eliminated.

Moreover, the head main body, the rotation the platen roller to the first direction, or by rotating the second direction of the first direction and the opposite direction, it may be moved. According to this configuration, the sticking elimination operation can be performed by the transport operation by the existing platen roller, and there is no need to newly provide a drive source for moving the head main body.
Therefore, it is not necessary to complicate the apparatus configuration, and sticking can be eliminated at low cost.

Further, the support portion has an inclined surface inclined in a direction away from the platen roller, may guide the fulcrum along the inclined surface. The support mechanism may support the head main body so as to be swingable in a direction perpendicular to the printing surface of the recording medium around the fulcrum. According to this configuration, the head main body is separated from the platen roller as the fulcrum is guided along the inclined surface to move the pressing position. As a result, the rising angle of the recording medium with respect to the sticking surface increases, and the force that causes the recording medium to peel off from the head main body acts more, so that the sticking of the recording medium can be quickly eliminated.
Furthermore, according to this configuration, both the operation of swinging the head main body and the operation of moving the head abutment with the platen roller in the direction of changing are realized by the fulcrum provided on the head main body and the support portion. This simplifies the configuration.

The printing apparatus of the present invention, pressing a platen roller for conveying a recording medium, and the head body portion to be printed before SL is disposed on the platen roller and a position facing said recording medium, said head body portion to said platen roller and a support mechanism for supporting and the support mechanism, a support for supporting a fulcrum provided in said width direction of the head main body portion extending in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the recording medium central provided, the head main body portion around the fulcrum together when swingably supported, characterized in that for movably supporting the head main body portion in a direction of changing the position of contact with the platen roller.

  According to the present invention, the head main body is supported so as to be swingable in a direction intersecting the recording medium conveyance direction around the fulcrum, so that the head main body can be uniformly pressed against the platen roller, It is possible to make the pressing of the head main body and the platen roller uniform, and to prevent deterioration in print quality or paper feed skew. In addition, since the support mechanism supports the head body so that it can move in a direction to change the position of contact with the platen roller while the head body is pressed against the platen roller, the sticking of the recording medium can be easily eliminated. Can do.

It is a principal part side view of the printer of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the arrangement configuration of a platen roller and a print head. FIG. 3 is a diagram when FIG. 2 is viewed from the upstream side of conveyance of the recording medium. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of a printer. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of a printer.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view of an essential part showing a configuration of a printer 1 (printing apparatus) according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an arrangement configuration of a platen roller 11 and a print head 30. It is. FIG. 1 shows a configuration inside the main body case 10 of the printer 1 in a side view. The left side of FIG. 1 corresponds to the front side of the printer 1.
The printer 1 includes various functional units such as a platen roller 11, a print head 30, an auto cutter 13, and a manual cutter 14 inside a substantially box-shaped main body case 10. The printer 1 conveys the continuous paper M as a recording medium by the rotation of the platen roller 11, and prints characters and images on the printing surface of the continuous paper M by the print head 30. The printed continuous paper M is discharged from a paper discharge port 16 opened on the front surface of the main body case 10.

  The continuous paper M is stored in a paper storage portion (not shown) provided at the rear of the main body case 10 or a paper stacking portion (not shown) provided rearward of the main body case 10. The continuous paper M is a continuous paper such as fanfold paper or roll paper, and may be a sheet made of synthetic resin in addition to the paper, or may be subjected to surface processing. The continuous paper M of the present embodiment is a thermal paper and is colored by being heated by the print head 30.

The print head 30 is disposed together with the platen roller 11 in the approximate center of the main body case 10. The print head 30 is configured by attaching the head main body 12 to a base 21 made of a metal plate or the like, and the base 21 is described later on a pair of side frames 15 (FIG. 2) disposed at the left and right ends of the main body case 10. Is supported so as to be movable.
The head main body 12 of the print head 30 extends in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the continuous paper M (the axial direction of the platen roller 11), and faces the platen roller 11 across the transport path of the continuous paper M. Is arranged. Further, the platen roller 11 is stretched over a pair of side frames 15 (FIG. 2) of the main body case 10 and is rotatably supported.
A spring 22 (biasing means) is disposed between the base 21 of the print head 30 and the upper frame 31 positioned at the upper part of the main body case 10. The spring 22 is a compression coil spring, and one end is fixed to the upper frame 31. For this reason, the spring 22 pushes the base 21 toward the platen roller 11, and the head main body 12 of the print head 30 is pressed against the platen roller 11 by the force of the spring 22.

The platen roller 11 is connected to a transport motor 32 disposed inside the main body case 10 via a driving wheel train (not shown). The platen roller 11 is driven to rotate by the transport motor 32.
As described above, the platen roller 11 is in close contact with the head main body 12 of the print head 30, and the continuous paper M is sandwiched between the head main body 12 and the platen roller 11. When the platen roller 11 is rotated by the operation of the transport motor 32, the continuous paper M is transported along with the rotation of the platen roller 11. The surface of the platen roller 11 is covered with a material having elasticity and a high friction coefficient, such as an elastomer. Together with the fact that the platen roller 11 and the head main body 12 are pressed by the force of the spring 22, the continuous paper M is conveyed by the platen roller 11 without slipping.

  The transport motor 32 is rotatable by switching the rotation direction between normal rotation and reverse rotation under the control of a control unit (not shown). For this reason, the platen roller 11 rotates in the forward direction indicated by the arrow FR and the reverse direction indicated by the arrow RR in the drawing. When the platen roller 11 rotates in the forward direction (FR), the continuous paper M is conveyed in the forward direction indicated by F in the figure. When the platen roller 11 rotates in the reverse direction (RR), the continuous paper M is conveyed in the reverse direction indicated by R in the drawing. The forward direction (FR) of the platen roller 11 and the forward direction (F) of the continuous paper M are reference transport directions when printing on the continuous paper M.

A pair of paper guides 25 and 26 for guiding the continuous paper M toward the head main body 12 are disposed behind the platen roller 11 and the head main body 12. The paper guide 25 is positioned below the transport path of the continuous paper M, and the paper guide 26 is positioned above the transport path of the continuous paper M. The continuous paper M is fed between the platen roller 11 and the head main body 12 through the paper guides 25 and 26 from the rear of the head main body 12 and is sandwiched between the platen roller 11 and the head main body 12. (Nipped) and conveyed.
The print surface of the continuous paper M is in contact with the head main body 12. The head main body 12 has a plurality of heat generating portions 12a (printing portions) arranged in the width direction of the continuous paper M, and heats the heat generating portions 12a as appropriate to heat the printing surface of the continuous paper M, so that characters, images, etc. To print.

  A paper guide 27 positioned below the continuous paper M is disposed in front of the platen roller 11, that is, on the downstream side in the conveyance path, and an auto cutter 13 is disposed in front of the paper guide 27. The auto cutter 13 includes a fixed blade 41 fixed below the continuous paper M, a movable blade 42 positioned above the continuous paper M, and a cutter drive motor (not shown) that moves the movable blade 42. When a cutter driving motor (not shown) is rotated by a control unit to be described later, the movable blade 42 rotates toward the continuous paper M and cuts the continuous paper M.

  A manual cutter 14 is disposed in front of the auto cutter 13. The manual cutter 14 is a blade inside the paper discharge port 16 and protruding downward from above the continuous paper M. The manual cutter 14 is provided for manually cutting the continuous paper M without using the auto cutter 13. When the operator operating the printer 1 holds the continuous paper M discharged from the paper discharge port 16 so as to hit the manual cutter 14, the continuous paper M is cut by the manual cutter 14.

Next, a support structure for the print head 30 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the print head 30 includes a support mechanism 50 that presses and supports the head main body 12 against the platen roller 11. The support mechanism 50 is fixed to a base 21 that supports the head main body 12, a spring 22 that biases the base 21 in a direction to press the base 21 against the platen roller 11, and an upper frame 31 to which one end of the spring 22 is fixed. And a support frame 33.
As shown in FIG. 2, the base 21 has side portions 34 formed by bending both ends in the width direction, and an end located on the upstream side in the reference transport direction of the continuous paper M (hereinafter referred to as upstream transport). And a bent tongue piece 35. The side surface portions 34 are respectively disposed to face the side frames 15 of the main body case 10. Further, the side surface portion 34 is formed with a notch 34A on the upstream side of the continuous paper M transport, and a pin 36 (protrusion) erected on the side frame 15 enters the notch 34A. The pin 36 is in contact with the inner edge 34B of the notch 34A and restricts the side surface 34 from moving further to the downstream side in the reference transport direction of the continuous paper M (hereinafter referred to as the transport downstream side). For this reason, the head main body 12 is pressed against the platen roller 11 by the urging force of the spring 22, and movement of the continuous paper M to the downstream side (arrow F direction side) is restricted by the side surface 34 and the pin 36. Keeps the right position. The position where the pin 36 contacts the inner edge 34B of the notch 34A is the normal printing position of the print head 30.

  Since the notch 34A is formed larger than the pin 36, the side part 34 can be moved as long as the pin 36 moves in the notch 34A. Specifically, the side surface portion 34 can move to the upstream side (arrow R direction side) of the continuous paper M. On the side frame 15, another pin 37 (protrusion) is provided on the upstream side of the continuous paper M with respect to the pin 36 and above the height direction. When the side surface portion 34 moves to the upstream side of conveyance of the continuous paper M, the pin 37 abuts on the outer edge 34C of the side surface portion 34 and is restricted so as not to move further to the upstream side of conveyance of the continuous paper M. Yes. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the print head 30 (head body portion 12) is configured to be movable along the transport direction of the continuous paper M within the range restricted by the two pins 36 and 37.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tongue piece portion 35 is formed with an opening 35A in a substantially central portion, and a fulcrum 39 extending toward the inside of the opening 35A is provided on the edge portion of the opening 35A far from the platen roller 11. It has been. The fulcrum 39 is provided at a substantially central portion in the extending direction (width direction) of the head main body 12 extending facing the platen roller 11. In addition, the fulcrum 39 is formed by, for example, a resin material and is fixed to the fixing bracket 38, and is provided by attaching the fixing bracket 38 to the edge of the opening 35A. Note that the fulcrum 39 can be formed not only when the fixing bracket 38 is formed of a resin material or the like, which is a separate member, but also integrally with the same member as the fixing bracket.
As shown in FIG. 1, the support frame 33 is fixed to the upper frame 31 with screws 45. The support frame 33 includes a support piece (support part) 40 that is bent on the back side of the head main body 12 on the upstream side of conveyance of the continuous paper M. The support piece 40 is an opening of the tongue piece part 35 described above. It extends into 35A and comes into contact with the fulcrum 39.
In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, the head main body 12 is pressed against the platen roller 11 by a pair of springs 22, 22 via a base 21, and is a fulcrum disposed between the springs 22, 22. 39 abuts on the support piece 40 of the support frame 33. For this reason, the head main body 12 can swing in the X direction in FIG. 3 around the fulcrum 39 in accordance with the extension of the springs 22, 22, and presses the head main body 12 uniformly against the platen roller 11. be able to. Therefore, even if the head main body 12 has component variations such as mounting position tolerance and twist, for example, the variation can be absorbed and uniformly pressed against the platen roller 11. The skew of the paper M can be prevented.
Further, in this configuration, the cutout 34A formed in the side surface portion 34 is formed large enough not to contact the pin 36 except for the inner edge 34B described above. For this reason, when the head main body 12 swings, the pin 36 does not restrict the swinging operation, and the head main body 12 can be pressed against the platen roller 11 uniformly.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the support piece 40 includes an inclined surface 40 </ b> A whose tip is inclined in a direction away from the platen roller 11. For this reason, when the side surface portion 34 moves to the upstream side of the continuous paper M conveyance, the fulcrum 39 is guided on the inclined surface 40 </ b> A, so that the head main body portion 12 moves away from the platen roller 11. .

Next, an operation for peeling the continuous paper M attached to the head main body 12 will be described.
Since the printer 1 has a configuration in which the printing surface of the continuous paper M is in close contact with the head main body 12, the continuous paper M sticks to the head main body 12 when the continuous paper M is stopped without being conveyed. As a result, the continuous paper M may not slide on the surface of the head main body 12. The printer 1 has a structure for eliminating this sticking.

  FIG. 4 shows a state where the platen roller 11 rotates in the forward direction (FR). That is, the state shown in FIG. 4 is obtained during rotation of the platen roller 11 in the forward direction (FR) and after rotation in the forward direction (FR) is stopped. Further, when the platen roller 11 rotates in the reverse direction (RR), the head main body portion 12, the base 21 and the side surface portion 34 integrally move rearward, and shift to the state shown in FIG.

In this configuration, the support frame 33 includes a support piece 40 that comes into contact with a fulcrum 39 provided substantially at the center in the extending direction of the base 21 that extends in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the continuous paper M. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an inclined surface 40 </ b> A whose tip is inclined in a direction away from the platen roller 11 is provided.
When the platen roller 11 rotates in the reverse direction (RR) (first direction), the head main body 12 and the base 21 move to the upstream side of the continuous paper M transport, and the fulcrum 39 is guided on the inclined surface 40A. For this reason, the head main body portion 12 moves rearward and upward together with the side surface portion 34, thereby moving in a direction away from the platen roller 11 (a direction in which the position in contact with the platen roller is changed). Further, in the state shown in FIG. 4, the force of the spring 22 is directed toward the nip portion between the platen roller 11 and the head main body 12, whereas in the state shown in FIG. Is directed in a direction deviating from the platen roller 11. For this reason, when the head main body 12 moves rearward, the force for bringing the platen roller 11 and the head main body 12 into close contact with each other is weakened and released from being pressed by the platen roller 11.

  In the state shown in FIG. 4, when the printing surface of the continuous paper M sticks to the head main body 12, the sticking is released when the platen roller 11 rotates in the reverse direction (RR). That is, since the head main body 12 moves in a direction away from the platen roller 11 due to the reverse rotation of the platen roller 11, the pressure is weakened at the position where the head main body 12 and the continuous paper M are in close contact, and the continuous paper M is transferred to the head. It becomes easy to peel off from the main body 12. In addition, the continuous paper M is guided downward by the paper guide 26 by the conveying force in the reverse direction (R). As a result, the sheet is conveyed away from the head main body 12. Thus, in the printer 1, the sticking between the head main body 12 and the continuous paper M can be easily eliminated by rotating the platen roller 11 in the reverse direction (RR). Furthermore, by repeatedly rotating the platen roller 11 in the reverse direction (RR) and then in the forward direction (second direction), the head main body 12 and the continuous paper M can be more reliably attached. Can be resolved.

As described above, the printer 1 according to this embodiment includes the platen roller 11 that transports the continuous paper M and the head main body unit 12 that has the heat generating unit 12 a that prints the continuous paper M and faces the platen roller 11. A print head 30. The print head 30 includes a support mechanism 50 that presses and supports the head main body 12 against the platen roller 11. The support mechanism 50 includes a support piece 40 that supports a fulcrum 39 provided substantially at the center in the extending direction of the head main body 12 that extends in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the continuous paper M.
As a result, the head main body 12 is supported so as to be swingable around the fulcrum 39, so that the head main body 12 can be uniformly pressed against the platen roller 11, and the head main body 12 and the platen roller 11 are pressed. Can be made uniform to prevent deterioration in printing quality or paper feed skew. Further, the support mechanism 50 rotates the platen roller 11 in the reverse direction while pressing the head main body 12 against the platen roller 11 to support the head main body 12 movably upstream of the continuous paper M. Thus, sticking of the recording medium can be easily eliminated.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the support mechanism 50 moves the head body 12 to the upstream side in the transport direction of the continuous paper M by guiding the fulcrum 39 along the opposing surface of the support piece 40. Both the operation of swinging the main body 12 and the operation of moving the platen roller 11 can be realized by the fulcrum 39 and the support piece 40 provided on the head main body 12, and the configuration can be simplified. Can do.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the support mechanism 50 rotates the platen roller 11 in the reverse direction (RR) to move the head main body 12 to the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the continuous paper M. The sticking eliminating operation can be performed by the transport operation by the roller 11, and there is no need to newly provide a drive source for moving the head main body 12. Therefore, it is not necessary to complicate the apparatus configuration, and sticking can be eliminated at low cost.

  According to the present embodiment, the support piece 40 includes the inclined surface 40A that is inclined in the direction away from the platen roller 11, and the fulcrum 39 guides the fulcrum 39 along the inclined surface 40A. The head main body 12 is moved away from the platen roller 11 as the pressure position is moved along the guide. As a result, the rising angle of the continuous paper M with respect to the sticking surface increases, and the force that peels the continuous paper M from the head main body 12 acts more, so that the sticking of the continuous paper M can be quickly eliminated.

  In addition, the said embodiment illustrated the preferable one aspect | mode which applied this invention, and this invention is not limited to this. In the above embodiment, the continuous paper M sticks to the head main body 12 with the heat generating part 12a as the center, but the sticking position is not limited to the part where the heat generating part 12a is provided.

  In the above embodiment, the head main body 12 is pulled and moved by the conveying force for conveying the continuous paper M. However, the head main body 12 is moved by a driving source different from the conveying means for the continuous paper M. In this case, the contact position with the platen roller 11 may be shifted.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer (printing apparatus), 11 ... Platen roller, 12 ... Head main-body part, 12a ... Heat generating part (printing part), 15 ... Side frame, 21 ... Base, 22 ... Spring, 30 ... Print head, 33 ... Support frame , 34 ... side face part, 35 ... tongue piece part, 35A ... opening, 36 ... pin (projection), 37 ... pin (projection), 39 ... fulcrum, 40 ... support piece (support part), 40A ... inclined surface, 50 ... Support mechanism.

Claims (5)

A head main body that is disposed at a position facing a platen roller that conveys the recording medium and that prints on the recording medium; and a support mechanism that supports the head main body by pressing the head main body against the platen roller.
The support mechanism includes a support portion that supports a fulcrum provided at a center in the width direction of the head main body extending in a direction intersecting with the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and the head main body is arranged around the fulcrum. The head main body is supported so as to be swingable, and the head main body is movably supported in a direction to change the position in contact with the platen roller ,
The head main body is moved by rotating the platen roller in a first direction or in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
A print head characterized by that. A head main body that is disposed at a position facing a platen roller that conveys the recording medium and that prints on the recording medium; and a support mechanism that supports the head main body by pressing the head main body against the platen roller.
The support mechanism includes a support portion that supports a fulcrum provided at a center in the width direction of the head main body extending in a direction intersecting with the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and the head main body is arranged around the fulcrum. The head main body is supported so as to be swingable, and the head main body is movably supported in a direction to change the position in contact with the platen roller,
The support portion has an inclined surface inclined in a direction away from the platen roller, and guides the fulcrum along the inclined surface.
A print head characterized by that. The support mechanism, the fulcrum around a print head according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that swingably supported by the head body portion in a direction perpendicular to the printing surface of the recording medium. A platen roller that conveys the recording medium, a head main body that is disposed at a position facing the platen roller and prints on the recording medium, and a support mechanism that supports the head main body by pressing the head main body against the platen roller. ,
The support mechanism includes a support portion that supports a fulcrum provided at a center in the width direction of the head main body extending in a direction intersecting with the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and the head main body is arranged around the fulcrum. The head main body is supported so as to be swingable, and the head main body is movably supported in a direction to change the position in contact with the platen roller ,
The head main body is moved by rotating the platen roller in a first direction or in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
A printing apparatus characterized by that. A platen roller that conveys the recording medium, a head main body that is disposed at a position facing the platen roller and prints on the recording medium, and a support mechanism that supports the head main body by pressing the head main body against the platen roller. ,
The support mechanism includes a support portion that supports a fulcrum provided at a center in the width direction of the head main body extending in a direction intersecting with the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and the head main body is arranged around the fulcrum. The head main body is supported so as to be swingable, and the head main body is movably supported in a direction to change the position in contact with the platen roller,
The support portion has an inclined surface inclined in a direction away from the platen roller, and guides the fulcrum along the inclined surface.
A printing apparatus characterized by that.

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