JP6517019B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer having a cylindrical storage chamber for storing a roll body in which a band-shaped printing medium is wound in a roll shape.

  Conventionally, as a roll body in which a band-shaped printing medium is wound in a roll shape, for example, a printer is known in which a storage chamber in which roll paper is stored is formed (for example, Patent Document 1). The printer described in Patent Document 1 adopts a so-called drop-in method in which the roll paper is inserted into the storage chamber by inserting the roll paper toward the lower storage chamber from above. Further, in such a printer, the projecting members projecting inward from the side surfaces on both sides of the roll paper storage chamber are biased, and the hollow members of the roll body are pivotally supported from both sides by this projecting member. .

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 11-193014 gazette

  When the drop-in method is adopted for inserting (loading) the roll into the storage chamber of the printer, the side of the roll passes the projecting member at the time of insertion, and the hollow portion of the roll is set to the projecting member Since work is required, the operability when inserting the roll body may be poor. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of improving the workability, when the amount of protrusion of the protruding member is reduced or the storage chamber of the roll is made sufficiently larger than the size of the roll, the roll is covered by the protruding member. After being pivotally supported, the roll body flaps in the storage chamber, and can not be stably transported, which may adversely affect the printing quality.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printer capable of stably conveying a roll after it has been inserted into a storage chamber while improving the operability of inserting the roll into the storage chamber. It is to do.

One aspect of the present invention is a printer in which a storage chamber for storing a roll body in which a band-shaped printing medium is wound in a roll shape is formed.
The printer includes a pair of support portions for supporting the side portions of the roll body from both sides in the storage chamber, and each of the pair of support portions is formed with a hole and is rotated in the rotational direction of the roll body. A first member freely configured to support the side surface of the roll body, and a member protruding from the hole of the first member to the inside of the storage chamber and restricted in movement in the rotational direction, the roll And a second member pivotally supporting the body. The surface of the second member with which the roll body abuts when the roll body is inserted into the storage chamber is an inclined surface which is inclined in the direction in which the roll body is inserted into the storage chamber.
In the printer, in the second member, when the inclined surface which is inclined in a direction in which the roll body is inserted into the storage chamber is a first inclined surface, the second member is the roll body. The surface of the second member with which the roll abuts when taken out from the storage chamber has a second inclined surface which is inclined in the direction in which the roll is removed from the storage chamber, and the inclination angle of the second inclined surface is It may be smaller than the inclination angle of 1 inclined surface.
In the printer, the first member may be elastically supported displaceably toward the outside of the storage chamber.
In the printer, the first member has a cylindrical portion that forms the hole, and the second member is disposed in the cylindrical portion and has a protrusion that protrudes toward the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion. The first member may have a cylindrical portion, and the first member may rotate relative to the second member such that the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion abuts on the protrusion.

  According to the above-described printer, it is possible to stably carry the roll body after the roll body is inserted into the storage chamber while improving the operability of inserting the roll body into the storage chamber.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer of an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the openable cover of the printer according to the embodiment in an open state; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a housing of the printer of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a sheet passing route of the printer of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a roll paper guide unit of the printer of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a roll paper guide unit in a state of being attached to the frame of the printer of the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a front view and a side view of a second guide member of the roll paper guide unit of the printer of the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an operation of inserting the roll paper into the storage chamber when the roll paper is inserted into the storage chamber when the openable cover is in the open state in the printer of the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a front view and a side view of a second guide member of a roll paper guide portion of a printer according to a first modification. FIG. 14 is a front view and a side view of a second guide member of a roll paper guide unit of a printer according to a second modification.

(1) Overall Configuration of Printer Hereinafter, the overall configuration of a portable printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the printer 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a view showing a perspective view of the open / close cover 5 of the printer 1 according to the present embodiment in an open state, together with the roll paper RP which is an example of the roll body. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a housing of the printer 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a sheet passing route of the printer 1 of the present embodiment.

A printer 1 according to the present embodiment is a portable printer for storing roll paper (an example of a roll body) in which band-shaped continuous paper (an example of a printing medium) is wound in a roll and printing on the printing surface of the continuous paper. It is. As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole.
As shown in FIG. 3, the printer 1 has a frame in which the front cover 2 and the body case 3 are fixed to each other by screws (not shown), and the functional unit FU is mounted between the front cover 2 and the body case 3. It is structured to sandwich 4 and thereby the functional unit FU is protected. The frame 4 is fixed to the main body case 3 by screws (not shown).

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the front cover 2 includes an open push button 11, a display unit 19, an operation button group 20 including operation buttons 20 a and 20 b, and a power switch 21, which will be described later. An open / close cover 5 is attached to open or close the storage space SP for storing the roll paper RP.
The release push button 11 is a button for opening the openable cover 5. The display unit 19 is a screen that displays operation commands, messages, and the like, and is configured of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The operation buttons 20 a and 20 b are buttons for the operator to instruct the operation of the printer 1. The power switch 21 is a button for turning on or off the printer 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the main body case 3 is connected to the front cover 2 so as to face the opening / closing cover 5 and forms a printer housing together with the front cover 2. As shown in FIG. 3, a frame 4 on which a functional unit FU of the printer 1 is installed is fastened to the main body case 3 with a screw (not shown). As shown to FIGS. 1-3, the battery cover 12 is attached to main body case 3 in the state which can be opened and closed. The battery cover 12 is an open / close cover of a battery housing 42 (see FIG. 3) of the frame 4 that accommodates a battery (not shown) that is a power supply.

As shown in FIG. 2, the roll paper RP used in the printer 1 is a strip of continuous paper CP wound in a roll, and when the open / close cover 5 of the printer 1 is in the open state, Contained (loaded) by drop-in method. According to the drop-in method, the roll paper RP can be easily loaded from the top to the bottom with respect to the spindle defined by the roll paper guides 6 and 6 'provided in the storage chamber SP. .
In the example of the present embodiment, the roll paper RP has no core material, and the continuous paper CP in a band shape is wound so as to have a cylindrical hollow portion of a predetermined diameter, whereby the roll paper RP is formed.
The continuous paper CP is provided with a meter reading sheet at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction. Adjacent meter reading sheets in the continuous paper CP are separated by perforations. Although not shown, each meter reading sheet is composed of printing areas corresponding to each of a plurality of 3 or 4 votes, and adjacent printing areas are separated by perforations. Further, on the back side of the printing surface of the continuous paper CP, along the longitudinal direction, the printing reference position of each meter reading slip (that is, the printing reference position of the first vote) and the printing area of each vote after the second vote Position detection marks M and M 'are formed to indicate the print reference positions. The position detection marks M and M ′ are rectangular marks printed in black on the back surface of the printing surface of the continuous paper CP. In each meter reading form, position detection marks may be provided which differ between the printing reference position of the first vote and the printing reference position of the printing area of each vote after the second vote.
On the printing surface of the continuous paper CP, a thermosensitive coloring layer is formed which develops a specific color when reaching a predetermined temperature range.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the frame 4 forms a part of a storage space SP of the roll paper RP. Further, the frame 4 is provided with a pair of roll paper guide portions 6, 6 'for supporting the side portions (that is, both end surfaces in the width direction) of the roll paper RP from both sides in the storage chamber SP. The roll paper guides 6, 6 'guide both side surfaces of the roll paper RP while making the roll paper RP rotatable.
The detailed configuration of the roll paper guides 6, 6 'will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the functional unit FU includes a thermal head 15, a gear group 16, a stepping motor 17, and a circuit board 18. The thermal head 15 is provided to face the platen roller 14 when the open / close cover 5 is in the closed state, and applies heat to the thermosensitive coloring layer on the printing surface of the continuous paper CP conveyed by the platen roller 14 It has a heating element. The circuit board 18 is mounted with a controller for controlling the printing operation, and an electronic circuit for driving the stepping motor 17 for transporting the continuous paper CP and for driving the heating elements of the thermal head 15.

The opening and closing cover 5 is an opening and closing cover for opening and closing the accommodation chamber SP, and is pivotally supported by the opening and closing shaft 51 by a hinge or the like. The open / close cover 5 is biased to be in an open state by torsion springs 52 and 52 '(see FIG. 4) disposed along the open / close shaft 51.
As shown in FIG. 2, the open / close cover 5 is provided with a platen roller 14 along an axis parallel to the open / close shaft 51 near an end opposite to the open / close shaft 51. The platen roller 14 is a conveying means for conveying the continuous paper CP drawn from the roll paper RP.

  Side pieces 54 and 54 'are provided at both ends of the opening / closing cover 5. By closing the open / close cover 5, the connection space 53, 53 '(see FIG. 2) can be closed. The connection space 53, 53 'is a space for engaging the platen roller gear 141 of the platen roller 14 with the gear group 16 (see FIG. 3) when the openable cover 5 is in the closed state. When the platen roller gear 141 engages with the gear group 16, the platen roller 14 can operate, and printing can be performed on the printing surface of the continuous paper CP.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the open / close cover 5 is provided with a sensor group 13 including a sensor 13 a and a sensor 13 b on the surface facing the sheet passing route when the open / close cover 5 is closed. .
The sensor 13a is, for example, a sensor for detecting the print reference position of each of the meter reading sheets (that is, one of the position detection marks M and M 'of the continuous paper CP), and is constituted by a reflective optical sensor. The reflection type light sensor includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit (not shown), and the light emitting unit emits light toward the back surface of the printing surface of the continuous paper CP, and the light receiving unit is reflected from the back surface of the printing surface Receive light (reflected light). The light receiving unit photoelectrically converts the reflected light into an electric signal corresponding to the light intensity (that is, the amount of light received per unit time), and outputs the electric signal to a control unit (not shown) in the circuit board 18. Since the reflected light from the black position detection mark and the reflected light from the surface (for example, a white surface) other than the position detection mark have different levels of reflected light, that is, the signal levels output to the control unit The unit can determine the presence or absence of the position detection mark.
The sensor 13b is different from the roll paper RP shown in FIG. 2 in the case of using a roll paper in which the mount is rolled in a state where a plurality of labels are arranged and temporarily attached to a band-like mount. It is used to identify the application start position. For example, a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a label (that is, a position where the label is temporarily attached on the backing sheet or a position where the label is not temporarily attached between adjacent labels). , And a transmissive optical sensor. The transmission type optical sensor includes a light receiving unit and a light emitting unit (not shown) respectively provided on the label pasting surface side and the back side of the backing paper, and the light emitting unit emits light toward the backing paper from the back side of the label pasting surface The light receiving unit receives light (transmission light) of a component of the emitted light that passes through the backing or the backing and the label. The light receiving unit photoelectrically converts the transmitted light into an electric signal according to the light intensity, and outputs the electric signal to the control unit in the circuit board 18. The level of transmitted light, that is, the level of the signal output to the control unit, differs between the portion to which the label is attached and the portion to which the label is not attached in the backing sheet. Can be identified.
The control unit in the circuit board 18 controls the print timing based on the signal level output from the reflective sensor or the transmissive sensor.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cover inner surface 55 of the open / close cover 5 includes a curved surface 55 a and a guide surface 55 b along the axis of the platen roller 14. The sensors 13 a and 13 b described above are attached to the guide surface 55 b of the cover inner surface 55. Further, the conveyance guide portion 22 is fixed to the frame 4. A wall surface 22 a and a guide surface 22 b are formed in the conveyance guide portion 22.

  FIG. 4 shows a part of a schematic side cross section of the printer 1 when the roll paper RP is accommodated and the openable cover 5 is in the closed state. FIG. 4A illustrates a sheet passing route in the case where the roll paper RP is inserted into the storage chamber SP of the printer 1 in a state where the continuous paper CP is wound counterclockwise in a side view of the printer 1 by a thick line. 4B shows a sheet passing route in the case where the roll paper RP is inserted into the storage chamber SP of the printer 1 in a state in which the continuous paper CP is wound clockwise in a side view of the printer 1 in a side view of the printer 1. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the open / close cover 5 is in the closed state, the curved surface 55a of the open / close cover 5 and the wall surface 22a of the conveyance guide portion 22 constitute a part of the inner wall of the storage chamber SP. The guide surface 55b of 5 and the guide surface 22b of the conveyance guide portion 22 are disposed to face each other with a slight gap. The gap serves as a sheet passing route from which the continuous paper CP fed from the roll paper RP is directed from the storage chamber SP to the platen roller 14. The sensors 13a and 13b are disposed on the guide surface 55b of the open / close cover 5 at the gap in the sheet passing route, and one of the position detection marks M and M 'through which the continuous paper CP passes through the gap is detected. I do.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the roll paper RP is inserted into the storage chamber SP of the printer 1 with the continuous paper CP wound in the counterclockwise direction in a side view of the printer 1, the roll paper RP is The leading end of the fed continuous paper CP travels to the platen roller 14 along the wall surface 22 a of the conveyance guide portion 22 and the gap between the guide surface 22 b and the guide surface 55 b. Here, since the guide surface 22b and the guide surface 55b are angled on the side opposite to the winding direction of the roll paper RP with reference to the wall surface 22a, the continuous paper CP wound in the counterclockwise direction Curling is suppressed as it travels to the platen roller 14.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the roll paper RP is inserted into the storage chamber SP of the printer 1 with the continuous paper CP wound clockwise in a side view of the printer 1, the roll paper RP The leading end of the continuous paper CP unwound from the sheet travels toward the platen roller 14 along the curved surface 55a of the open / close cover 5 and the gap between the guide surface 22b and the guide surface 55b. Here, since the guide surface 22b and the guide surface 55b are angled on the opposite side to the winding direction of the roll paper RP with reference to the curved surface 55a, the continuous paper CP wound clockwise is Curling is suppressed as it travels to the platen roller 14.
Therefore, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, regardless of the winding direction of the roll paper RP, the curling of the continuous paper CP is suppressed in the conveyance process of the continuous paper CP drawn out from the roll paper RP.
In the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the continuous sheet CP fed from the roll sheet RP is conveyed to the platen roller 14 by the sheet passing route shown in FIG. 4A or 4B, and the platen roller 14 and the thermal head 15 While the continuous paper CP is held between the sheets, printing is performed on each of the test labels. At this time, printing on each of the meter reading sheets is performed while setting the printing timing based on, for example, one of the position detection marks M and M ′ detected by the sensor 13a.

(2) Configuration of Roll Paper Guide Portion Next, the configuration of the roll paper guide portions 6, 6 ′ will be described with reference to FIGS. The roll paper guide portion 6 ′ has the same configuration as that of the roll paper guide portion 6, and therefore, the duplicate description will be omitted.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the roll paper guide portion 6. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the roll paper guide portion 6 in a state of being attached to the frame 4 of the printer 1. FIG. 7 is a front view and a side view of the second guide member 62 of the roll paper guide portion 6. 7, the first guide member 61 (except for the claws 611) when the roll paper guide 6 is attached to the frame 4 is also shown in the side view.
The roll paper guides 6 and 6 'are an example of a pair of support parts of the present invention. The first guide member 61 and the second guide member 62 are respectively an example of the first member and the second member of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the roll paper guide portion 6 includes a first guide member 61, a second guide member 62, a guide receiving member 63, and coil springs 64 and 65, and the guide mounting portion of the frame 4 as a whole. Attached to 41 The guide attachment portion 41 is provided with engagement holes 411 (three locations in FIG. 5), engagement holes 421 and 422, and an insertion hole 423.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the guide receiving member 63 is a generally disk-shaped member provided with a circular hole 63h at the center. The guide receiving member 63 includes claws 631 (three locations in FIG. 5), a spring receiving portion 632, an engaging portion 633, and a spring positioning portion 634. The three claw portions 631 of the guide receiving member 63 engage with the three engaging holes 411 of the guide mounting portion 41, whereby the movement of the guide receiving member 63 in the rotational direction with respect to the guide mounting portion 41 is restricted. Ru.

Between the guide receiving member 63 and the guide mounting surface 41S of the guide mounting portion 41, a coil spring 65 for biasing the guide receiving member 63 in a direction away from the guide mounting surface 41S is disposed. The spring receiving portion 632 of the guide receiving member 63 is formed to face the guide mounting surface 41S of the guide mounting portion 41, and has a circumferential shape to support one end of the coil spring 65. One end of the coil spring 65 is disposed in the spring receiving portion 632, and the other end of the coil spring 65 is disposed on the guide mounting surface 41 S of the guide mounting portion 41.
The circumferential shape of the spring receiving portion 632 is defined by an engaging portion 633 provided on the periphery of the hole 63 h and a cylindrical spring positioning portion 634 protruding toward the guide mounting surface 41S. The engaging portion 633 provided on the periphery of the hole 63 h is a circumferentially shaped protrusion that protrudes to the side of the guide mounting surface 41 S more than the spring receiving portion 632 in order to engage the first guide member 61.

The length of the claw portion 631 in the axial direction of the guide receiving member 63 is such that the guide receiving member 63 mounts a guide when a force is applied to the guide receiving member 63 toward the guide mounting surface 41S (that is, outward). It is longer than the thickness of the guide mounting portion 41 so as to be displaceable toward the surface 41S.
In the example shown in FIG. 5, the guide receiving member 63 is provided with holes (three places in FIG. 5) for weight reduction in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical spring positioning portion 634.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first guide member 61 is a disk-shaped member as a whole, in which a circular hole 61 h is provided at the center. The first guide member 61 is formed on the periphery of the hole 61h, and has a cylindrical cylindrical portion 613 protruding toward the guide mounting surface 41S, and a claw portion 611 formed on the periphery of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 613 (see FIG. 5). In three places). As shown in FIG. 6, the three claws 611 of the first guide member 61 engage with the engaging portions 633 of the guide receiving member 63. As a result, the three claws 611 can slide in the rotational direction along the top surface of the circumferentially shaped engaging portion 633, and the sliding provided on the periphery of the first guide member 61 The surface 612 is slidable (that is, rotatable) in the rotational direction on the contact surface 63S on the second guide member 62 side of the guide receiving member 63 (see FIG. 6). The length of the axial claw portion 611 of the first guide member 61 is set so as to restrict the axial displacement of the first guide member 61 when the claw portion 611 engages with the engagement portion 633. .

In addition, although the sliding surface 612 of the 1st guide member 61 is made into the circumferential shape provided in the periphery of the 1st guide member 61 in order to reduce sliding resistance, it is not restricted to such a shape. The shape of the sliding surface 612 can be any shape as long as the sliding surface 612 abuts on the contact surface 63S of the guide receiving member 63.
The guide surface 61S of the first guide member 61 forms a side wall of the storage space SP of the roll paper RP, and supports the side surface of the roll paper RP.
In the example shown in FIG. 5, the first guide member 61 is provided with holes (six points in FIG. 5) for weight reduction radially from the hole 61h.

  The second guide member 62 is a boss that protrudes from the guide surface 61S toward the inside of the storage chamber SP of the roll paper RP in the hole 61h of the first guide member 61, and pivotally supports the roll paper RP. The second guide member 62 includes claws 621 and 622, a spring positioning portion 623, and a spring receiving portion 626. The claws 621 and 622 of the second guide member 62 respectively engage with the engagement holes 421 and 422 of the guide attachment portion 41, whereby the movement of the second guide member 62 in the rotational direction with respect to the guide attachment portion 41 is restricted. Be done.

  Between the second guide member 62 and the guide mounting surface 41S of the guide mounting portion 41, a coil spring 64 for biasing the second guide member 62 in a direction away from the guide mounting surface 41S is disposed. The spring positioning portion 623 has a shape projecting from the spring receiving portion 626 toward the guide mounting surface 41S. As shown in FIG. 6, the coil spring 64 is inserted into the spring positioning portion 623. Further, the spring positioning portion 623 is inserted into the insertion hole 423 of the guide attaching portion 41. Therefore, the coil spring 64 is held between the second guide member 62 and the guide mounting surface 41S of the guide mounting portion 41 so that the coil spring 64 does not come out of the spring positioning portion 623.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second guide member 62 further includes a top portion 624, a cylindrical portion 627, and a tapered portion 625 formed between the top portion 624 and the cylindrical portion 627.
The top portion 624 and the tapered portion 625 of the second guide member 62 protrude from the hole 61 h of the first guide member 61 toward the inside of the accommodation chamber SP more than the guide surface 61 S of the first guide member 61. The tapered portion 625 is formed by a tapered surface that tapers from the cylindrical portion 627 to the top portion 624.
The cylindrical portion 627 is a cylindrical portion that is the basis of the claws 621 and 622. The cylindrical portion 627 is provided to configure the second guide member 62 so as to be rotatable relative to the first guide member 61. That is, when the inner peripheral surface 613a of the cylindrical portion 613 of the first guide member 61 slides and rotates around the cylindrical portion 627, the first guide member 61 can rotate relative to the second guide member 62. It becomes.

As shown in FIG. 7, the surface of the tapered portion 625 is formed by continuously connecting the inclined surface 625a and the inclined surface 625b. The inclined surface 625a and the inclined surface 625b are examples of the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface of the present invention, respectively.
The inclined surface 625a is a surface that comes into contact when inserting the roll paper RP into the storage chamber SP, and is inclined at a first angle α1 in the direction in which the roll paper RP is inserted into the storage chamber SP. The inclined surface 625b is a surface that comes into contact when the roll paper RP is removed from the storage chamber SP, and is inclined at a second angle α2 in the direction in which the roll paper RP is removed from the storage chamber SP. The first angle α1 can be appropriately set in the range of 0 <α1 <90 degrees. The second angle α2 can be appropriately set in the range of 0 ≦ α2 <90 degrees.

(3) Roll Paper Insertion Operation and Transport Operation Operation Next, the roll paper insertion operation and transport operation in the printer 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8A to 8C illustrate the operation of inserting the roll paper RP into the storage chamber SP when the roll paper RP is inserted into the storage chamber SP when the openable cover 5 is in the open state in the front view of the printer 1; It has shown in order of (c). (A) to (c) in FIG. 8 show the states regarding the positional relationship between the roll paper RP and the second guide member 62 in the order in which the roll paper RP is inserted into the storage chamber SP.

  FIG. 8A shows the state immediately after the roll paper RP is inserted into the storage chamber SP. In this state, the top 624 of the second guide member 62 protrudes inward from the side Rpa of the roll paper RP.

  In FIG. 8B, the side portion RPa of the roll paper RP contacts the second guide member 62 in the storage chamber SP. At this time, when the end of the side portion RPa of the roll paper RP first abuts on the inclined surface 625a of the tapered portion 625 of the second guide member 62, and the roll paper RP is further pushed downward, the second guide member 62 is biased. The coil spring 64 (see FIG. 5) is contracted, and the second guide member 62 moves outward. Thereby, the roll paper RP moves downward while the side RPa of the roll paper RP abuts on the top 624 of the second guide member 62.

  In FIG. 8C, the roll paper RP moves further downward than the state shown in FIG. 8B. Then, when the vertical heights of the hollow portion RPb of the roll paper RP and the top portion 624 of the second guide member 62 become substantially the same, the urging force of the coil spring 64 causes the hollow portion RPb of the roll paper RP to The top portion 624 of the guide member 62 enters. Thus, the roll paper RP is pivotally supported by the second guide member 62 such that the inclined surface 625a and the inclined surface 625b of the second guide member 62 abut the end of the hollow portion RPb of the roll paper RP.

  As described with reference to FIG. 8, in the roll paper guide unit 6 of the printer 1 according to this embodiment, the surface of the second guide member 62 with which the roll paper RP abuts when the roll paper RP is inserted into the storage chamber SP. (The inclined surface 625a) is inclined in the direction to insert the roll paper RP into the storage chamber SP, the axis of the second guide member 62 when the downward pushing force on the roll paper RP acts on the inclined surface 625b. The component force in the direction displaces the second guide member 62 outward. Therefore, when the roll paper RP is inserted into the storage chamber SP, the roll paper RP can easily pass through the second guide member 62 and be supported by the second guide member 62. That is, the operability of inserting the roll paper RP into the storage chamber SP is good.

  Although FIG. 8 shows an example in which a gap is present between the side portion RPa of the roll paper RP and the guide surface 61S of the first guide member 61 for convenience of explanation, this is a case where the gap is hardly present. It is also possible to insert the roll paper RP into the storage chamber SP. In that case, the amount of displacement of the second guide member 62 to the outside when inserting the roll paper RP into the storage chamber SP becomes large.

  As described with reference to FIG. 5, in the roll paper guide portion 6 of the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the first guide member 61 is urged to the inside of the storage chamber SP by the coil spring 65 together with the guide receiving member 63. . Therefore, even if there is almost no gap between the side surface of the roll paper RP and the guide surface 61S of the first guide member 61, the roll paper RP is displaced by the outward displacement of the guide surface 61S against the biasing force of the coil spring 65. Smooth rotation in the storage chamber SP is not impeded.

  When the printer 1 of the present embodiment performs a printing operation, the continuous paper CP is sequentially fed from the roll paper RP in the storage chamber SP, whereby the roll paper RP rotates in the storage chamber SP. At this time, since the first guide member 61 is configured to be rotatable in the rotation direction of the roll paper RP, the side portion RPa of the roll paper RP is of the first guide member 61 while the roll paper RP is rotating. Even when contacting the guide surface 61S, the sliding resistance between the roll paper RP and the first guide member 61 is kept small. Therefore, even if there is almost no gap between the side portion RPa of the roll paper RP and the guide surface 61S of the first guide member 61, the roll paper RP smoothly rotates in the storage chamber SP, and is continuous. The paper CP can be fed out smoothly. In other words, even if the gap between the side RPa of the roll paper RP and the guide surface 61S of the first guide member 61 is reduced to prevent the roll paper RP from fluttering in the storage chamber SP, the roll The paper RP can be stably transported, and the adverse effect on the print quality can be suppressed.

  As described above, according to the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the roll paper RP is inserted after the roll paper RP is inserted into the storage space SP while the operability of inserting the roll paper RP into the storage space SP is improved. It can be transported stably.

  Although a preferred example in which the roll paper guides 6 and 6 'include the coil spring 65 has been described with reference to FIG. 5, the coil springs 65 may not be included in the roll paper guides 6 and 6'.

  In the embodiment described above, the case of using roll paper without a core material has been described, but the same effect can be obtained even when using roll paper with a core material.

(4) Modified Examples (4-1) First Modified Example A preferred modified example of the second guide member in the case of using roll paper without a core material will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a front view and a side view of a second guide member 62A according to a modification.
As shown in FIG. 9, the second guide member 62A includes a top 624A and a taper 625A. The tapered portion 625A is configured of a tapered surface 625Aa and a flat surface 625Ab. In the second guide member 62A, the same portions as those of the second guide member 62 shown in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals as the corresponding portions of the second guide member 62, and the redundant description will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the tapered surface 625Aa of the tapered portion 625A abuts when inserting the roll paper RP into the storage chamber SP, and inclines at a first angle α1 in the direction of inserting the roll paper RP into the storage chamber SP. Including inclined surfaces. On the other hand, the flat surface 625Ab of the tapered portion 625A is a surface that comes into contact when the roll paper RP is removed from the storage space SP, and is orthogonal to the direction in which the roll paper RP is removed from the storage space SP. That is, unlike the second guide member 62, the second guide member 62A is not inclined in the direction in which the roll paper RP is removed from the storage space SP, with the surface in contact with the roll paper RP being removed from the storage space SP. Therefore, it is possible to easily insert the roll paper RP into the storage space SP of the printer 1, and at the same time, the roll paper RP by the first guide member 61 by an impact (for example, an impact when the printer 1 drops) applied to the printer 1. Can be prevented from being easily released. In the case of using the roll paper RP having no core material, the structure shown in the second guide member 62A is particularly preferable because the roll paper RP is generally easily detached from the guide member.

  From the same point of view, in order to make it possible to easily insert the roll paper RP into the storage chamber SP and to make it difficult to remove the roll paper RP from the storage chamber SP, the first guide member 61 shown in FIG. The two angles α2 are preferably smaller than the first angle α1 of the inclined surface 625a.

(4-2) Second Modified Example A preferred other modified example of the second guide member 62 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 includes a side view of a second guide member 62B according to a modification and an XX cross-sectional view in the side view. In FIG. 10, as in FIG. 7, the side view also describes the first guide member 61A (except for the claws 611) when the roll paper guide 6 is attached to the frame 4. In the second guide member 62B, the same portions as the second guide member 62 are denoted by the same reference numerals as the corresponding portions of the second guide member 62, and the redundant description will be omitted. The first guide member 61A differs from the first guide member 61 in that the diameter of the cylindrical portion is determined by the tip of a protrusion 627Ba described later.

  As shown in the side view of FIG. 10, the second guide member 62B of this modification includes a cylindrical portion 627B disposed in the cylindrical portion 613A of the first guide member 61A. Further, as shown in the X-X cross-sectional view of FIG. 10, a protrusion 627Ba is provided which protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 627B toward the inner peripheral surface 613Aa of the cylindrical portion 613A. Although the case where four protrusions 627Ba are provided is illustrated in FIG. 10, the number of the protrusions 627Ba is not limited, and may be set arbitrarily.

  In this modification, the tips of the four projections 627Ba provided on the cylindrical portion 627B of the second guide member 62B abut on the inner peripheral surface 613Aa of the cylindrical portion 613A of the first guide member 61A, thereby the first guide The member 61 pivots relative to the second guide member 62. Therefore, compared with the case shown in FIG. 7, the sliding resistance between the first guide member 61 and the second guide member 62 can be reduced, and the side surface of the roll paper RP in the accommodation chamber SP is the first. When coming into contact with the guide member 61, the roll paper RP can be rotated more smoothly. That is, the continuous paper CP can be fed out from the roll paper RP more stably.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which heat is applied to the thermosensitive coloring layer of the continuous paper CP to print by using the thermal head 15 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The printer may be a printer that performs printing by other methods such as a method using an ink ribbon, an inkjet method, and the like.

As mentioned above, although the embodiment of the present invention was described in detail, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. Further, various modifications and changes can be made to the embodiment described above without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Moreover, the several technical matter described in said embodiment and modification is combinable suitably.
For example, in the embodiment described above, the case where the print medium is a roll paper in which a strip of continuous paper in which a meter reading sheet is divided by perforations is wound in a roll is described, but the print medium is limited to that case. Absent.
As described above, the printing medium may be roll paper in which continuous paper in which a plurality of labels are temporarily attached at fixed intervals on one side (a label pasting surface) of a backing sheet is wound in a roll. In that case, the label application surface of the continuous paper is coated with a release agent such as silicone so that the label can be easily peeled off.
Alternatively, the print medium may be a strip of continuous paper on which the thermosensitive coloring layer is provided on the printing surface and the adhesive layer is formed on the back surface of the printing surface (a label without a backing sheet), or journal paper. May be

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer 2 ... Front cover 3 ... Body case 4 ... Frame 41 ... Guide attachment part 41S ... Guide attachment surface 42 ... Battery housing 5 ... Opening / closing cover 51 ... Opening / closing axis 52, 52 '... ... Torsion spring 53, 53' ... for connection Space 54, 54 '... Side piece 55 ... Cover inner surface 6, 6' ... Roll paper guide part 61 ... First guide member 62 ... Second guide member 63 ... Guide receiving member 64, 65 ... Coil spring 11 ... Push button 12 for opening ... Battery cover 13 ... Sensor group 13a, 13b ... Sensor 14 ... Platen roller 141 ... Platen roller gear 15 ... Thermal head 16 ... Gear group 17 ... Stepping motor 18 ... Circuit board 19 ... Display part 20 ... Operation button group 20a, 20b ... Operation button 21 ... power switch 22 ... transport guide unit FU ... functional unit SP ... accommodation chamber RP ... b Roll paper CP ... Continuous paper M, M '... Position detection mark

Claims (4)

A printer having a storage chamber for storing a roll body in which a band-shaped print medium is wound in a roll shape,
The storage chamber includes a pair of support portions that support the sides of the roll body from both sides, each of the pair of support portions being
A first member formed with a hole and configured to be rotatable in a rotational direction of the roll body and supporting a side surface of the roll body;
A member that is elastically supported displaceably in the width direction of the roll body , protrudes inside the storage chamber from the hole of the first member, and is restricted from moving in the rotational direction, and supports the roll body and a second member which, a,
The second member is
A first inclined surface in which a surface with which the roll body abuts when the roll body is inserted into the storage chamber is inclined in a direction in which the roll body is inserted into the storage chamber;
A surface on which the roll body abuts when the roll body is taken out from the storage chamber is formed with a second inclined surface which is inclined in a direction in which the roll body is taken out from the storage chamber.
The inclination angle of the second inclined surface is smaller than the inclination angle of the first inclined surface.
Printer. The first member is elastically supported displaceably in the width direction of the roll body .
The printer according to claim 1 . The first member has a cylindrical portion forming the hole,
The second member has a cylindrical portion disposed in the cylindrical portion,
The first member rotates relative to the second member as the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion slides and rotates the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion.
A printer according to claim 1 or 2. The first member has a cylindrical portion forming the hole,
The second member includes a cylindrical portion disposed in the cylindrical portion and provided with a protrusion that protrudes toward the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion.
The first member rotates relative to the second member such that the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion abuts on the protrusion.
A printer according to claim 1 or 2 .

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