JP6722487B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to printers.

A conventional printer includes an accommodating portion that accommodates a roll-shaped print medium, a platen roller that unwinds the print medium accommodated in the accommodating portion in a strip shape, and conveys the print medium along a conveyance path, and a sensor that detects the print medium. It is provided (for example, see Patent Document 1).
In Patent Document 1, at the position where the sensor is provided on the transport path, a space is secured between the transport path and the sensor for detection by the sensor.

JP 2004-98327 A

However, in the space between the sensor and the transport path, the print medium being transported may flap. If the print medium is flapping during transportation, the sensor may not be able to detect the print medium correctly. In other words, the space between the sensor and the transport path causes a decrease in the accuracy of detection of the print medium by the sensor.

An object of the present invention is to prevent deterioration of detection accuracy of a sensor that detects a print medium.

One aspect of the present invention is
A printer that conveys a print medium in a predetermined conveyance direction and prints on the print medium,
The print medium has a mount and a plurality of labels temporarily attached to the mount at predetermined intervals in the transport direction,
A platen roller for conveying the print medium in the predetermined conveying direction,
An auxiliary roller that is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the platen roller, and that transports the print medium,
Depending on the amount of light transmission provided in the position of the rotation axis of the auxiliary roller in the transport direction, and different between the portion where the label is temporarily attached to the mount of the print medium and the portion where the label is not attached temporarily. A sensor that generates a detected signal
A print head that faces the platen roller and prints on the print medium at a predetermined timing according to the detection signal,
The printer is equipped with.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a decrease in detection accuracy of a sensor that detects a print medium.

1 is a schematic diagram of a print medium according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the printer of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printer according to the present embodiment when the open/close cover is in an open state. The front view of the printer of FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an internal configuration of the printer of FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the sensor of the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the sensor of Modification 1. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the sensor of Modification 2; FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the sensor of Modification 3;

This embodiment will be described.

In the following description, “FR” means the front of the printer, “RR” means the rear of the printer, “UP” means the upper side of the printer, “LO” means the lower side of the printer, and “LO”. "LH" and "RH" mean the width direction orthogonal to the front-back direction and the up-down direction of the printer.
The accommodation portion side is referred to as “upstream side in the transportation direction” with respect to an arbitrary reference on the transportation path, and the discharge port side is referred to as “downstream side in the transportation direction” with respect to the reference.

(1) Print medium (Fig. 1)
The print medium of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a print medium according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the print medium P of the present embodiment has a mount PM and a plurality of labels PL.
A plurality of labels PL are temporarily attached to the first surface of the mount PM at predetermined intervals. Each label PL has a heat generating layer that is colored by heat and an adhesive layer coated with an adhesive.
The amount of light emitted by the light emitting sensor 15a (described later) differs between the portion where the label PL is temporarily attached to the mount PM and the portion where the label PL is not temporarily attached to the mount PM.

(2) Printer configuration (Figs. 2-4)
The configuration of the printer of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the printer of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printer of this embodiment when the open/close cover is in the open state. FIG. 4 is a front view of the printer of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the printer 1 includes a front cover 2, an opening/closing cover 3, a pair of side covers 4 a to 4 b, a touch panel display 5, an accommodating portion 6, a housing 7, and a platen roller. 10, a thermal head (an example of a print head) 12, a pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b, a pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b, and a transmissive optical sensor (a light emitting sensor 15a and a light receiving sensor 15b). Equipped with.

The front cover 2 is provided on the front surface of the printer 1.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4, the opening/closing cover 3 is supported by the housing 7 by the hinge mechanism 3a. The open/close cover 3 is rotatable about the hinge mechanism 3a in a direction away from the housing 7 or in a direction toward the housing 7. That is, the open/close cover 3 is configured to be in a closed state (FIG. 2) or an open state (FIG. 3) with respect to the housing 7.

As shown in FIG. 2, a discharge port 2a is formed between the open/close cover 3 and the housing 7 in the closed state. The print medium P on which printing is performed is discharged from the discharge port 2a.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the pair of side covers 4a to 4b are attached to the outer surface of the housing 7 in the width direction (LH-RH).

As shown in FIG. 2, the touch panel display 5 is provided on the upper surface of the opening/closing cover 3. The touch panel display 5 is configured to display information about the printer 1 and a key image for giving an instruction to the printer 1. When the user touches the key image, the printer 1 receives an instruction according to the touched key image. The touch panel display 5 is, for example, a liquid crystal display including a touch sensor.

The storage unit 6 in FIG. 3 is configured to store the roll paper R. When the open/close cover 3 is in the open state, the storage section 6 is accessible from outside the printer 1, so that the user can set the roll paper R in the storage section 6.

A pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b are provided between the housing portion 6 and the platen roller 10 in the front-rear direction (FR-RR direction) (that is, upstream of the platen roller 10 in the transport direction). .. The pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b are pivotally supported by the first auxiliary shaft 13c (see FIG. 6B). The pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b can rotate synchronously with the first auxiliary shaft 13c as a rotation axis.

A pair of second auxiliary rollers 14 a and 14 b are provided on the lower surface of the opening/closing cover 3. The pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b are pivotally supported by the second auxiliary shaft 14c. The pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b can rotate synchronously with the second auxiliary shaft 14c as a rotation axis.
The pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b and the pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b face each other when the open/close cover 3 is in the closed state.

A platen roller 10 is provided on the front side FR of the pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b. When the open/close cover 3 is in the closed state, the platen roller 10 is configured to convey the print medium P stored in the storage section 6.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4, a thermal head 12 is provided on the lower surface of the opening/closing cover 3. When the open/close cover 3 is in the closed state, the thermal head 12 faces the platen roller 10.

A light emission sensor 15a (an example of a sensor) is provided between the pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b in the rotation axis direction (LH-RH direction) of the pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b. The light emission sensor 15a is provided at the position of the rotation axis of the pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b in the transport direction. The position of the rotation axis of the pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b means that at least a part of the light emission sensor 15a is the rotation axis of the pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b (that is, the first auxiliary shaft 13c) in the transport direction. It is a position that overlaps with the center line). The light emitting sensor 15a is configured to emit light.

A light receiving sensor 15b is provided between the pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b in the rotation axis direction (LH-RH direction) of the pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b. The light receiving sensor 15b is provided at the position of the rotation axis of the pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b in the transport direction. The position of the rotation axis of the pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b means that at least a part of the light receiving sensor 15b is the rotation axis of the pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b (that is, the second auxiliary shaft 14c) in the transport direction. It is a position that overlaps with the center line). The light receiving sensor 15b is configured to generate an electric signal (hereinafter referred to as "detection signal") according to the amount of received light.

(3) Internal structure of the printer (Fig. 5)
The internal configuration of the printer of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an internal configuration of the printer of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, at the first position P1 on the conveyance path of the print medium P, the first auxiliary roller 13 (corresponding to the pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b in FIG. 3) and the second auxiliary roller 14 ( The pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b in FIG. 3) are opposed to each other. The first position P1 is located in the front FR of the accommodation portion 6. That is, the first auxiliary roller 13 and the second auxiliary roller 14 are provided in the front FR of the housing portion 6.
The first auxiliary roller 13 is located below the transport path. Since the first auxiliary roller 13 is connected to the stepping motor via a gear, the first auxiliary roller 13 rotates synchronously with the platen roller 10 by the power of the stepping motor.
The second auxiliary roller 14 is located above the transport path UP. The second auxiliary roller 14 is driven to rotate by the first auxiliary roller 13.

The printer 1 includes a thermal head (an example of a print head) 12.
At the second position P2 on the transport path, the platen roller 10 and the thermal head 12 face each other. The second position P2 is located in front FR of the first position P1. That is, the platen roller 10 and the thermal head 12 are provided in front of the first auxiliary roller 13 and the second auxiliary roller 14 FR.

The thermal head 12 is configured to print on the print medium P at a predetermined timing according to the detection signal generated by the light receiving sensor 15b. The thermal head 12 has a biasing member, a plurality of heating elements, and a control circuit. The biasing member applies a biasing force to the thermal head 12 in the direction of the platen roller 10 (downward LO). The control circuit is configured to cause each heating element to generate heat based on information to be printed (hereinafter referred to as “print information”).

The platen roller 10 is connected to a stepping motor. The stepping motor rotationally drives the platen roller 10 in the forward feed direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 5) or the backfeed direction (clockwise in FIG. 5). In the case of forward feed, the print medium P is transported from the upstream side in the transport direction to the downstream side in the transport direction. In the case of back feed, the print medium P is transported from the downstream side in the transport direction to the upstream side in the transport direction.

When the stepping motor rotates, the platen roller 10 rotates. The first auxiliary roller 13 rotates synchronously with the platen roller 10. The second auxiliary roller 14 contacts the print medium P and is driven to rotate by the first auxiliary roller.

(4) Sensor operation (Fig. 6)
The operation of the sensor of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the sensor of this embodiment.

FIG. 6A is an enlarged view of the transport path between the first position P1 and the second position P2 in FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along the broken line I-I of FIG. 6A.

As shown in FIG. 6A, at the first position P1, the first auxiliary roller 13 and the second auxiliary roller 14 are opposed to each other in the vertical direction (UP-LO direction).
As shown in FIG. 6B, at the first position P1, the light emitting sensor 15a and the light receiving sensor 15b are opposed to each other in the vertical direction (UP-LO direction).

At the first position P1, the print medium P is nipped by the pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a and 13b and the pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a and 14b. At the first position P1, the pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b contact the mount PM, and the pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b contact the label PL. Therefore, the print medium P being conveyed passes through the first position P1 without fluttering in the vertical direction (UP-LO direction).

The stepping motor transports the print medium P downstream in the transport direction by rotating the platen roller 10 in the forward feed direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 6A). The thermal head 12 prints on the label PL of the print medium P being conveyed.

As described above, the print medium P being conveyed passes through the first position P1 without fluttering in the vertical direction (UP-LO direction). Therefore, when the mount PM portion between the labels PL passes through the first position P1, the light emitted by the light emitting sensor 15a passes through the mount PM portion and surely reaches the light receiving sensor 15b. On the other hand, when the label PL passes the first position P1, the light emitted by the light emitting sensor 15a is reliably absorbed by the label PL. This can prevent the detection accuracy of the light emitting sensor 15a and the light receiving sensor 15b from decreasing.

(5) Modified Example Hereinafter, a modified example of the present embodiment will be described.

(5-1) Modification 1 (FIG. 7)
Modification 1 will be described. Modification 1 is an example in which the reflection type optical sensor is provided at the position of the rotation axis of the platen roller in the transport direction.

The operation of the sensor of Modification 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the sensor of the first modification.

FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of the transport path between the first position P1 and the second position P2 in FIG. FIG. 7B is a sectional view taken along the broken line II in FIG. 7A.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the printer 1 of the first modification includes a reflection type optical sensor 16 instead of the light emitting sensor 15a and the light receiving sensor 15b (FIG. 6A).

As shown in FIG. 7B, the printer 1 of Modification 1 includes a pair of platen rollers 10a to 10b. The pair of platen rollers 10a to 10b are pivotally supported by the same platen shaft 10c. The pair of platen rollers 10a to 10b rotate synchronously.
The reflection type optical sensor 16 is provided at the position of the rotation axis of the pair of platen rollers 10a to 10b in the transport direction. The position of the rotating shafts of the pair of platen rollers 10a to 10b means that at least a part of the reflection type optical sensor 16 is the rotating shafts of the pair of platen rollers 10a to 10b in the transport direction (that is, the center line of the platen shaft 10c). It is a position that overlaps with.

Position detection marks of a color (for example, black) that absorbs the light emitted by the reflective optical sensor 16 are formed at predetermined intervals on the lower surface of the mount PM (that is, the surface that contacts the pair of platen rollers 10a to 10b). Has been done.

At the second position P2, the print medium P is nipped by the pair of platen rollers 10a to 10b and the thermal head 12. Therefore, the print medium P being conveyed passes through the second position P2 without fluttering in the vertical direction (UP-LO direction).

The stepping motor transports the print medium P downstream in the transport direction by rotating the platen roller 10 in the forward feed direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 7A). The thermal head 12 prints on the label PL of the print medium P being conveyed.

As described above, the print medium P being conveyed passes through the second position P2 without fluttering in the vertical direction (UP-LO direction). Therefore, the light emitted by the reflective photosensor 16 is reliably absorbed by the position detection mark passing through the second position. As a result, it is possible to prevent the detection accuracy of the reflective optical sensor 16 from being lowered.

In the present embodiment, the light emitting sensor 15a and the light receiving sensor 15b are provided at the first position P1, whereas in the first modification, the reflective optical sensor 16 is closer to the thermal head 12 than the first position P1. It is provided at the second position P2. The second position P2 is a position on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the first position P1. Therefore, the printing position of the printing information printed on the label PL can be optimized (that is, the printing quality can be improved).

(5-2) Modification 2 (FIG. 8)
Modification 2 will be described. The second modification is an example in which the reflection type optical sensor is provided on the end side of the platen roller in the rotation axis direction (LH-RH direction) of the platen roller.

The position of the sensor of Modification 2 will be described. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the sensor of the second modification.

The reflection type optical sensor 16 of FIG. 8 is provided on the end side (RH side) of the platen roller 10a, not between the pair of platen rollers 10a and 10b in the rotation axis direction (LH-RH direction) of the platen roller 10a. This is different from Modified Example 1 (FIG. 7).
The platen roller 10a contacts a part of the mount PM. A portion of the mount PM that does not come into contact with the platen roller 10a passes above the reflection type optical sensor 16. The platen roller 10a and the thermal head 12 sandwich the entire label PL in the width direction (LH-RH direction). Therefore, the biasing force applied to the thermal head 12 by the biasing member extends to the entire label PL. As a result, it is possible to prevent the print quality from deteriorating due to the provision of the reflective optical sensor 16 on the end side (RH side) of the platen roller 10.

The operation of the reflective photosensor 16 of Modification 2 is similar to that of Modification 1.

(5-3) Modification 3 (FIG. 9)
Modification 3 will be described. Modification 3 is an example in which the reflection type optical sensor is provided at the position of one rotation axis of the first auxiliary roller or the second auxiliary roller in the transport direction.

The position of the sensor of Modification 3 will be described. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position of the sensor of Modification 3.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the third modification, a single second auxiliary roller 14 is provided above the conveyance path in place of the pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b (FIG. 6B).
The reflection-type optical sensor 16 is provided between the pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b in the rotation axis direction (LH-RH direction) of the pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b, and is paired in the transport direction. It is provided at the position of the rotation shaft of the first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b.

In Modification 3, in the rotation axis direction (LH-RH direction) of the pair of first auxiliary rollers 13a to 13b, the end side (RH side) of the first auxiliary roller 13a or the first auxiliary roller 13b. The reflective optical sensor 16 may be provided on the end side (LH side).

In Modification 3, the first auxiliary roller 13 may be a single auxiliary roller and the second auxiliary roller 14 may be a pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b (FIG. 6).
As an example, the reflection type optical sensor 16 is provided between the pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b in the rotation axis direction (LH-RH direction) of the pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b, and in the transport direction. Is provided at the position of the rotation axis of the pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b.
As another example, the reflection-type optical sensor 16 has an end portion side (RH side) of the second auxiliary roller 14a or a first auxiliary roller 14a in the rotation axis direction (LH-RH direction) of the pair of second auxiliary rollers 14a to 14b. 2 Provided on the end side (LH side) of the auxiliary roller 14b.

(6) Other Modifications Other modifications will be described.

In the above embodiment, the print medium P having the mount PM and the label PL is illustrated, but the print medium P is not limited to this. The print medium P may be, for example, the following.
・Label PL without backing sheet PM
.Tags that do not have an adhesive layer or RFID tags

In the above embodiment, the example in which the thermal head 12 performs printing has been described, but the means for performing printing is not limited to the thermal head 12.
This embodiment is also applicable when the ink ribbon prints.

As at least one of the platen roller 10, the first auxiliary roller 13, or the second auxiliary roller 14, it is preferable to use the "elastic body roller" disclosed in International Publication No. WO2015/052954.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. In addition, the above-described embodiment can be variously modified and changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. Further, the above-described embodiments and modified examples can be combined.

1: Printer 2: Front cover 2a: Discharge port 3: Opening/closing cover 3a: Hinge mechanism 4a: Side cover 4b: Side cover 5: Touch panel display 6: Housing part 7: Housing 10 (10a-10b): Platen roller 10c: Platen shaft 12: Thermal head 13 (13a to 13b): First auxiliary roller 13c: First auxiliary shaft 14 (14a to 14b): Second auxiliary roller 14c: Second auxiliary shaft 15a: Light emitting sensor 15b: Light receiving sensor 16: Reflective optical sensor

Claims (5)

A printer that conveys a print medium in a predetermined conveyance direction and prints on the print medium,
The print medium has a mount and a plurality of labels temporarily attached to the mount at predetermined intervals in the transport direction,
A platen roller for conveying the print medium in the predetermined conveying direction,
An auxiliary roller that is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the platen roller, and that transports the print medium,
Depending on the amount of light transmission provided in the position of the rotation axis of the auxiliary roller in the transport direction, and different between the portion where the label is temporarily attached to the mount of the print medium and the portion where the label is not attached temporarily. A sensor that generates a detected signal
A print head that faces the platen roller and prints on the print medium at a predetermined timing according to the detection signal,
A printer. The printer includes a housing and an opening/closing cover that can be opened and closed in an open position and a closed position with respect to the housing,
The auxiliary rollers are rotatably supported by a first rotating shaft, and are paired with each other so as to be spaced apart from each other. A second auxiliary roller of
The sensor is a transmissive sensor including a light emitting sensor and a light receiving sensor,
The platen roller and the pair of first auxiliary rollers are disposed in the housing,
The print head and the pair of second auxiliary rollers are disposed on the opening/closing cover,
One of the light emitting sensor and the light receiving sensor is disposed between the pair of first auxiliary rollers in the direction of the first rotation axis,
With respect to the direction of the second rotation axis, the other of the light emitting sensor and the light receiving sensor is disposed between the pair of second auxiliary rollers,
When the open/close cover is at the open position, the print head, the pair of second auxiliary rollers, the light emitting sensor, and the light receiving sensor, which are disposed on the open/close cover, are respectively connected to the platen roller. , Separated from the one of the pair of first auxiliary rollers, the light emitting sensor, and the light receiving sensor,
When the cover is in the closed position, the other of the print head, the pair of second auxiliary rollers, and the light emitting sensor and the light receiving sensor respectively includes the platen roller, the pair of first auxiliary rollers, and Facing the one of the light emitting sensor and the light receiving sensor,
The printer according to claim 1. When the open/close cover is in the closed position, the print medium is sandwiched by the platen roller and the print head, and at the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the sandwiched position, the print medium and the pair of first auxiliary rollers are provided. Sandwiched by the pair of second auxiliary rollers,
The printer according to claim 2. The pair of first auxiliary rollers and the platen roller are connected to a common motor and are rotated in synchronization to convey the print medium,
The printer according to claim 2. With the opening/closing cover in the closed position, the pair of second auxiliary rollers are driven to rotate by the pair of first auxiliary rollers that are rotated by driving the motor.
The printer according to claim 4.

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