JP6355176B2 - printer - Google Patents

Description

    The present invention relates to a paper cutting device for a printer, and more particularly to a paper cutting device for a printer with a reduced number of parts.

Conventionally, in order to load a continuous strip of label or other printing paper into various printers such as desktop printers and portable printers, it has been necessary to open the opening / closing cover and store the printing paper in the printer housing. is there.
There has been proposed a printer provided with an opening push button that is operated to open the opening / closing cover.

    On the other hand, it is necessary to manually cut the printed paper to a predetermined length, and it is necessary to provide a so-called manual cutter for this cutting.

    However, as a printer, separately providing the push button for opening the opening / closing cover and the manual cutter has the problem that the device becomes complicated and large, and in particular, portable printers are small, light and easy to handle. However, there is a problem that the number of parts should be as small as possible and the structure should be simplified.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 64-22449

    The present invention has been considered in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a paper cutting device for a printer that can be easily operated with a small size and light weight without reducing the number of components and complicating the device. Let it be an issue.

    It is another object of the present invention to provide a paper cutting device for a printer in which the configuration of the opening push button and the manual cutter is simplified.

    Another object of the present invention is to provide a paper cutting device for a printer that can be used both as a push button for opening an opening / closing cover and a manual cutter for cutting printing paper.

    That is, the present invention focuses on the integration of the release push button and the manual cutter, and includes a printer housing, a print head capable of printing on print paper loaded in the printer housing, and the print head. Paper cutting of a printer having a platen roller capable of transporting the printing paper by sandwiching and rotating the printing paper and an opening push button for operating the platen roller and the printing head to move away from each other In the apparatus, the push button for opening is made to face an issue port of the printing paper printed by the print head, and a lower end portion of the push button for opening is formed as a paper cutting end portion. This is a paper cutting device for a printer.

    The paper cutting end of the opening push button can be opposed to the print paper issued to the issuing port from between the print head and the platen roller.

    A head biasing spring that presses the print head against the platen roller is provided, and the release push button is operated with respect to the printer housing against the biasing force of the head biasing spring. The platen rollers can be separated from each other.

    The print head is attached to the printer housing, and the platen roller is rotatably attached to an open / close cover provided in the printer housing so as to be openable / closable. The open / close cover is attached by operating the release push button. The platen roller can be separated from the print head by opening the printer housing.

    A metal plate can be attached to the paper cutting end.

    In the paper cutting device of the printer according to the present invention, the release push button is made to face the print paper issuing port printed by the print head, and the lower end of the release push button is formed as the paper cut end. Therefore, the push button for opening and the manual cutter can be integrated, the number of parts can be reduced, and the printer, especially the portable printer, can be reduced in size and weight.

1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a portable printer 1 having a paper cutting device 15 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the opening push button 30 (paper cutting device 15). 3 is a perspective view of the release push button 30. FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing of the push button 30 for release (paper cutting device 50) part in the paper cutting device 50 by 2nd Example of this invention.

    According to the present invention, the release push button is made to face the printing paper issuing port, and the release push button and the manual cutter are integrated. It was realized.

Next, a paper cutting device for a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the above-described printer, for example, a portable printer 1. The portable printer 1 is configured as a thermal printer, and includes a printer housing 2, an opening / closing cover 3, and a label continuum 4. (Printing paper) supply unit 5, position detection unit 6, printing unit 7, battery storage chamber 9 for charging battery 8, adapter connection terminal 10, input unit 11, display unit 12, and control unit 13. And a power switch 14 and a paper cutting device 15.

The printer housing 2 has a size that can be carried by an operator. In FIG. 1, the printer housing 2 is provided with a belt hanging portion 16 at the top, and the entire portable printer 1 can be suspended from the shoulder of the operator by a shoulder belt 17. Yes. Of course, it can also be set as the structure which can be mounted | worn to a worker's waist | hip | lumbar.
Further, in the printer housing 2, the opening / closing cover 3 is provided so as to be openable / closable around a cover shaft 18 positioned at a lower corner in FIG. 1, and the label continuous body 4 is stored in the supply unit 5 and the portable printer 1. Can be loaded.

The label continuous body 4 has a configuration in which a plurality of label pieces 20 are temporarily attached on a strip-shaped mount 19. The label piece 20 is a so-called thermal label, and a surface is coated with a thermosensitive coloring layer so that printing is possible.
The supply unit 5 rolls the label continuous body 4 in a roll shape and stores it in the roll shape, and can feed the label continuous body 4 in the direction of the position detection unit 6 and the printing unit 7 in a strip shape.
A position detection mark 21 is printed in advance at a predetermined pitch on the back side of the mount 19.

    The position detection unit 6 includes a position detection sensor 22 attached to the opening / closing cover 3 side, detects a position detection mark 21 located on the back side of the label continuous body 4, and detects the label continuous body 4 (label) for the printing unit 7. The relative position of the piece 20) can be detected.

The printing unit 7 includes a thermal head 23 (printing head) attached to the printer housing 2 side, a platen roller 24 attached to the opening / closing cover 3 side, and a head biasing spring 25 that biases the thermal head 23 toward the platen roller 24. And a drive motor 26.
A platen roller gear 28 is provided at one end of the platen roller shaft 27 of the platen roller 24, and a connection gear 29 for transmitting the rotation of the drive motor 26 is provided. By closing the open / close cover 3 to the printer housing 2, The platen roller gear 28 and the connecting gear 29 are engaged, and the platen roller 24 can be rotationally driven by the drive motor 26.

    That is, the label continuum 4 is sandwiched between the thermal head 23 and the platen roller 24, the platen roller 24 is rotated by the drive motor 26, and the thermal is generated according to the print data supplied from the control unit 13 to the thermal head 23. A heating element (not shown) of the head 23 is heated to perform thermal printing on the label continuum 4 (label piece 20).

The printer housing 2 is provided with an opening push button 30 and is operated so as to push the opening push button 30 inward of the printer housing 2, thereby resisting the urging force of the head urging spring 25. 1 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1 around the head shaft 31 to separate the platen roller 24 from the thermal head 23, and the label continuous body 4 can be inserted and loaded between the thermal head 23 and the platen roller 24. To do.
As described above, the platen roller 24 and the position detection sensor 22 are attached to the opening / closing cover 3, and the opening / closing cover 3 moves away from the thermal head 23 as the opening / closing of the opening / closing cover 3 from the printer housing 2.

    The rechargeable battery 8 can be removed from and stored in the battery storage chamber 9, and supplies power to the entire portable printer 1 as well as the printing unit 7 (the thermal head 23 and the drive motor 26).

    The adapter connection terminal 10 is provided in the printer housing 2 and is connected to an external power source (not shown) to connect an AC adapter 32 for charging the charging battery 8.

The input unit 11 can input data or commands necessary for the portable printer 1.
The display unit 12 can display information input by the input unit 11 and other necessary information.

    The control unit 13 is provided on an electronic board or the like, and is between the position detection unit 6, the printing unit 7, the charging battery 8, the adapter connection terminal 10, the input unit 11, the display unit 12, and the power switch 14 described above. Data and commands are exchanged and these are controlled appropriately.

In the portable printer 1, in order to ensure resistance to impact caused by dropping or the like, the input unit 11, the display unit 12, the power switch 14, the paper cutting device 15 (particularly located on the surface side of the printer housing 2) The area surface on which the opening push button 30), the opening / closing cover 3 and the like are disposed is recessed from the other area surface of the printer housing 2 (in the illustrated example, the edge of the printer housing 2), and the other area. A cushion material 33 made of an elastomer or other shock absorbing material is provided on the surface.
Similarly, the cushion member 33 is provided on the other ridge edge of the rectangular parallelepiped printer housing 2 to ensure the impact resistance of the entire portable printer 1.

The paper cutting device 15 according to the present embodiment is provided with the above-described opening push button 30.
2 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the opening push button 30 (paper cutting device 15), and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the opening push button 30. In the paper cutting device 15, the opening push button 30 is A button main body 34, a waterproof adhesion surface 35 formed on the entire periphery of the peripheral edge of the button main body 34, a button shaft 36 formed integrally with the button main body 34, and a button urging spring 37 as an elastic body; A push-out protrusion 38 (FIG. 2) formed to protrude from the back side of the button main body 34 and a paper cutting end 39 formed at the lower end of the waterproof adhesion surface 35.

    As shown in FIG. 1, the button main body 34 is a portion exposed to the surface side of the printer housing 2, and an operator who uses the portable printer 1 can move the inside of the printer housing 2 (from the right side in FIG. 2). It is the part pushed in toward the left.

The waterproof contact surface 35 can be formed in a state of being recessed toward the inner side of the printer housing 2 relative to the button body 34 to enter the inside of the printer housing 2, and the inner wall surface 2 </ b> A of the printer housing 2. This is a planar area that can be closely attached to the surface.
However, as shown in FIG. 3 in particular, the waterproof contact surface 35 extends longer like a ridge along the length direction of the thermal head 23 (the width direction of the label continuous body 4). The heating element 23A (FIG. 2) can be covered entirely, and the sheet cutting end 39, which is the lower end of the heating element 23A, can cut the continuous label body 4 along the width direction.

    The pair of left and right button shafts 36 are pivotally attached to an internal bracket (not shown) of the printer housing 2, and the entire push button 30 for opening can be rotated by pushing the button body 34.

The pair of left and right button urging springs 37 meander in the same plane as the waterproof contact surface 35 and form it at the end of the release push button 30, and the part beyond the button shaft 36 from the button body 34. The abutting shaft portion 40 is erected at each end portion located in the position.
In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, the respective abutting shaft portions 40 abut against the inner wall surface 2 </ b> A of the printer housing 2, and the pair of left and right button urging springs 37 bend to exhibit their urging force and open. The waterproof adhesion surface 35 of the push button 30 can be adhered to the inner wall surface 2 </ b> A of the printer housing 2.
In other words, the button shaft 36 of the release push button 30 is located between the button urging spring 37 and the waterproof contact surface 35, and the waterproof contact surface 35 is the inner wall surface of the printer housing 2. The button urging spring 37 can urge the release push button 30 so as to be in close contact with 2A.
By forming the button urging spring 37 in a meandering manner, it becomes possible to obtain a necessary length for obtaining a predetermined urging force in a narrow space, and by integrally forming with the button body 34, This is particularly advantageous for this type of portable printer 1 that needs to be manufactured in a small and lightweight manner.

2 (1), (2), and (3) are plan explanatory views schematically showing the button main body 34 and the button urging spring 37 of the release push button 30. FIG. However, the flexibility of the button urging springs 37 is approximately the same.
FIG. 2A is an explanatory diagram when the abutting shaft portion 40 of the button urging spring 37 abuts against the inner wall surface 2A of the printer housing 2, and the urging force by the button urging spring 37 will be described later. 2 (2) and smaller than in the case of FIG. 2 (3).
In FIG. 2 (2), the button urging spring 37 is not formed with the abutting shaft portion 40, and the spring tip portion 37 A (the portion indicated by hatching in the drawing) is brought into contact with the inner wall surface 2 A of the printer housing 2. In the case of contact (or even if the contact shaft portion 40 is formed on the button urging spring 37, an engagement recess (not shown) is formed on the inner wall surface 2A of the printer housing 2, and the contact shaft portion 40 is connected to this engagement shaft portion 40. It is explanatory drawing of the case where it engages with a joint recessed part, Comprising: The urging | biasing force by the button urging | biasing spring 37 is moderate (stronger than the case of FIG. 2 (1), rather than the case of FIG. weak).
In FIG. 2 (3), the button urging spring 37 is not formed with the contact shaft portion 40, and the entire button urging spring 37 (the portion indicated by hatching in the figure) is attached to the inner wall surface 2 A of the printer housing 2. It is explanatory drawing in the case of contact | abutting, Comprising: The biasing force by the button biasing spring 37 is larger than the case of FIG. 2 (2) and FIG. 2 (3).
That is, by selecting the urging posture or the contact area of the button urging spring 37 with respect to the inner wall surface 2A of the printer housing 2, a necessary urging force can be applied according to the degree of the waterproof function required for the waterproof contact surface 35. It can be designed as appropriate.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, a cover lock 41 holding the thermal head 23 is rotated around the head shaft 31 on the back side of the release push button 30 (inner side of the printer housing 2). It is provided as possible.
The cover lock 41 is provided with an abutting inclined plate 42 integrally formed at a portion facing the push-in protrusion 38 at the center of the upper edge portion, and has a cross section on the opposite side through the thermal head 23. A pair of left and right platen roller lock engaging portions 43 having a semicircular arc shape are formed.
A pair of left and right lock pins 44 (FIG. 1) of the platen roller 24 can be engaged with and disengaged from the platen roller lock engaging portion 43. With the lock pin 44 engaged with the platen roller lock engaging portion 43, the platen roller 24 can be brought into contact with the thermal head 23 with a predetermined pressing force (printing pressure), and the label continuous body 4 sandwiched therebetween can Printing is possible.

The pushing protrusion 38 located on the back side of the button main body 34 faces the contact inclined plate 42 of the cover lock 41, and is used for opening around the button shaft 36 against the urging force of the button urging spring 37. As the push button 30 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2, the pushing protrusion 38 presses the contact inclined plate 42, and the cover locks around the head shaft 31 against the urging force of the head urging spring 25. 41 is rotated together with the thermal head 23 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.
Accordingly, the lock pin 44 of the platen roller 24 is released from the platen roller lock engaging portion 43 of the cover lock 41, the thermal head 23 and the platen roller 24 are separated from each other, and the label continuous body 4 can be loaded therebetween. Become.

    Further, a tapered surface 45 is formed at the upper end portion of the platen roller lock engaging portion 43, and after the lock pin 44 of the platen roller 24 contacts the tapered surface 45 during the closing operation of the opening / closing cover 3, It is easy to engage with the roller lock engaging portion 43.

In particular, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sheet cutting end 39 is formed from the lower end of the waterproof adhesion surface 35 of the release push button 30, and is formed between the thermal head 23 and the platen roller 24. The sheet cutting end 39 is opposed to the label continuum 4 that has been transferred to the issuing port 46, so that the label continuum 4 (mounting sheet 19 and label piece 20) can be cut at a predetermined location.
As a material for the release push button 30 (paper cutting end 39), a synthetic resin material having a predetermined rigidity and elasticity is generally adopted according to the type of the label continuous body 4 and other printing paper. can do.

Further, particularly as shown in FIG. 1, the portable printer 1 can carry the thermal head 23 so that the thermal head 23 is positioned above the platen roller 24, and in particular, as shown in FIG. The lower end portion (sheet cutting end portion 39) of the button 30 is located on the outer side of the opening / closing cover 3.
That is, the paper cutting end 39 is positioned slightly outward (distance D shown in FIG. 2) from the outer surface of the front end portion of the opening / closing cover 3, so that it can be pressed in the rain or other times. Even if the water droplet W reaches the paper cutting end 39 through the button 30, it simply hangs down on the ground without touching the opening / closing cover 3 from the paper cutting end 39 protruding like a bag. The risk of intrusion is reduced.
Further, since the label continuum 4 printed and issued to the issuing port 46 faces the paper cutting end 39 on the outer side of the issuing port 46, the label continuous body 4 in the portion of the paper cutting end 39 is provided. Cutting operation can be performed easily and reliably.

In the portable printer 1 having such a configuration, the push-out protrusion 38 is pushed into the inside of the printer housing 2 against the urging force of the button urging spring 37 (FIG. 2), so that the push-out protrusion 38 is covered with a cover lock. The abutting inclined plate 42 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2 around the head shaft 31 against the urging force of the head urging spring 25, and the platen roller lock engaging portion 43, the lock pin 44, And the platen roller 24 together with the opening / closing cover 3 is released from the thermal head 23.
When the roll-shaped continuous label body 4 is accommodated in the supply unit 5 in this open state and the open / close cover 3 is closed in the direction of the printer housing 2, the lock pin 44 of the platen roller 24 comes into contact with the tapered surface 45 of the cover lock 41. . When the opening / closing cover 3 (platen roller 24) is further pushed in the closing direction against the urging force of the head urging spring 25, the lock pin 44 is engaged with the platen roller lock engaging portion 43, and the opening / closing cover 3 is moved. The thermal head 23 and the platen roller 24 can be pressed against each other.

In such a closed state of the open / close cover 3, the push button 30 for opening in the paper cutting device 15 has the button body 34 exposed to the outside, and the opening operation itself is secured. Since the waterproof contact surface 35 is in close contact with the inner wall surface 2A of the printer housing 2 with a predetermined pressing force by the biasing force of the biasing spring 37, it is possible to prevent water from entering from this portion.
That is, since the part of the release push button 30 is adjacent to the part of the printing unit 7 reaching the thermal head 23 and further to the control unit 13, by performing the waterproof function described above, the printing unit 7 and the control unit 13 are provided. It is possible to reduce the frequency of failures and ensure the stability of operation even when the portable printer 1 is used outdoors.

Furthermore, as described above, in the paper cutting device 15 according to the present embodiment, the lower end of the push button 30 for opening facing the issuing port 46 of the label continuous body 4 is used as the paper cutting end 39. If the operation is performed so that the predetermined portion of the finished label continuous body 4 is torn off in a state where the predetermined portion is applied to the paper cutting end portion 39, the label continuous body 4 can be easily cut manually.
When the opening push button 30 is operated to open the opening / closing cover 3, the position of the sheet cutting end 39, which is the lower end of the opening push button 30, is shifted from a predetermined portion. Since the release push button 30 is not operated during the cutting operation of the body 4, the cutting operation itself is not hindered.

Thus, since the paper cutting end 39 is integrally formed with the opening push button 30 for opening the opening / closing cover 3 and the platen roller 24, the number of parts is reduced, and the entire portable printer 1 is reduced in size and weight. Can contribute.
Of course, the paper cutting device according to the present invention can also be adopted in a desktop printer or other printers.

Next, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the opening push button 30 (paper cutting device 50) portion in the paper cutting device 50 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 2 and FIG. 3, the metal plate 51 is attached to the inner side edge portion of the paper cutting end portion 39 of the opening push button 30 as described above.
Therefore, in this paper cutting device 50, the lower end portion of the metal plate 51 functions as a paper cutting end portion 52 for manually cutting the label continuous body 4 instead of the paper cutting end portion 39. become.
Although the material of the metal plate 51 is arbitrary, a general stainless steel material etc. are employable.

    4 (1), (2), and (3) show the button main body 34 and the button urging spring 37 of the release push button 30 similar to FIGS. 2 (1), (2), and (3). FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view illustrating the biasing posture of the button biasing spring 37 against the inner wall surface 2A of the printer housing 2 in the same manner as described with reference to FIGS. 2 (1), (2), and (3). Alternatively, by selecting the contact area, it is possible to appropriately design the required urging force according to the degree of the waterproof function required for the waterproof contact surface 35.

    Also in the paper cutting device 50 having such a configuration, the paper cutting end 52 of the metal plate 51 faces the issuing port 46 through which the printed label continuous body 4 is transferred. Can be more easily performed, and can be mounted on the portable printer 1 (FIG. 1) as described above to reduce the number of parts, thereby contributing to a reduction in size and weight.

1 Portable printer (printer, Fig. 1)
2 Printer housing 2A Inner wall surface of the printer housing 2 (Fig. 2)
3 Open / close cover 4 Label continuum (printing paper)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Supply part 6 Position detection part 7 Printing part 8 Charging battery 9 Battery storage chamber 10 Adapter connection terminal 11 which connects AC adapter 32 Input part 12 Display part 13 Control part 14 Power switch 15 Paper cutting device of portable printer 1 (first 1 embodiment, FIG. 2)
16 Belt hanging portion 17 Shoulder belt 18 Cover shaft 19 of opening / closing cover 3 Mount 20 of label continuous body 4 Label piece 21 Position detection mark 22 Position detection sensor 23 Thermal head (printing head)
23A Heating element of thermal head 23 (FIG. 2)
24 Platen Roller 25 Head Biasing Spring 26 Drive Motor 27 Platen Roller Shaft 28 of Platen Roller 24 Platen Roller Gear 29 of Platen Roller 24 Connection Gear 30 Push Button 31 for Opening 31 Head Shaft 32 of Thermal Head 23 AC Adapter 33 Cushion by Elastomer Material 34 Button body 35 of the release push button 30 Waterproof contact surface 36 of the release push button 30 Button shaft 37 of the release push button 30 Button bias spring 37A of the release push button 30A Spring tip of the button bias spring 37 Part (Fig. 2 (2), Fig. 4 (2))
38 Push-in protrusion 39 of the release push button 30 Paper cutting end (lower end) of the release push button 30
40 Abutting shaft portion 41 of the button urging spring 37 Cover lock 42 Abutting inclined plate 43 of the cover lock 41 Platen roller lock engaging portion 44 Lock pin 45 of the platen roller 24 Tapered surface 46 Issuing the printed label continuous body 4 The paper cutting device of the portable printer 1 (second embodiment, FIG. 4)
51 Metal plate 52 Paper cutting end of metal plate 51 (lower end)
D Distance between the paper cutting end 39 of the release push button 30 and the outer surface of the front end of the opening / closing cover 3 (FIG. 2)
W Water droplets that reach the paper cutting edge 39 through the opening push button 30 in rainy weather

Claims (11)

A printer housing;
A print head provided in the printer housing and capable of printing on printing paper;
An opening and closing cover that can be opened and closed with respect to the printer housing;
Wherein provided on the cover, located in a position opposed to the printing head in a state of closing the cover, the printing paper sandwiched SL before Ri by the fact rotated printing paper between the printing head A platen roller that can be transported,
An open button to operate the pre-Symbol printhead so as to away from said platen roller,
The printing paper printed by the printing head is discharged, one end of the opening / closing cover faces one side of the printing paper, and the tip of the opening button faces the other side of the printing paper, and the opening / closing cover An issue port that is a gap between the one end of the release button and the tip of the opening button ,
A printer in which a front end of an opening button facing the issuing port is positioned outside one end of the opening / closing cover in a state where the opening / closing cover is closed. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the other surface side of the printing paper is a printing surface of the printing paper facing the print head. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the opening button is provided on the printer housing. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a tip of the opening button is disposed above one end of the opening / closing cover. The printer is portable to an operator who operates the printer,
The printer according to claim 4, wherein a tip of the opening button is disposed above one end of the opening / closing cover in a state where the operator carries the printer. A cover lock that holds the print head and includes an engaging portion that is detachable from the platen roller;
The printer according to claim 1, comprising: The cover lock is provided opposite to the opening button,
The printer according to claim 6 , wherein a cover lock is rotated by an operation of pushing the release button toward the inside of the printer housing, and the platen roller is detached from the engaging portion. 4. The printer according to claim 3, further comprising a button urging portion that urges the opening button in a direction in close contact with an inner wall surface of the printer housing. The printer according to claim 3 , wherein the opening button has a waterproof contact surface that is in close contact with an inner wall surface of the printer housing.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein a front end portion of the release button is a paper cutting end portion. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the opening button has a plate shape.

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