JPH02112954A - Device for attaching thermal head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the deviation of the main scanning direction of a thermal head from a suitable direction by bringing a roll provided at the end of a board into contact with a supporting member. CONSTITUTION:Shaft 136 are provided at both ends of a board 120, and ball bearings 138 are engaged with the shafts 136 to roll on a supporting member 60. The bearing 138 hold a distance between the board 120 and the member 60 constant to prevent the board 120 from rotating in a direction designated by an arrow A. The bearing 138 rolls when the board 120 rotates on the shaft 122 to smoothly rotate. Further, a spring 140 is abutted against the upper face of the board 120 to energize downward the board 120. Accordingly, the head 42 can be brought into close contact with a heat sensitive sheet D on a platen roller 46.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a thermal head mounting IT, and more specifically to a CAD (computer-aided automatic drafting device) that records on large-sized recording paper such as an AO plate. ), etc., and relates to a thermal head mounting device effective for adjusting the position of a thermal head installed in a recording device.

[Conventional technology]

As devices for recording on AO recording paper, printing devices using a photographic method, recording devices using an electrostatic recording method, etc. are well known and are used in a variety of fields.

Further, CAD has been put into practical use to facilitate the creation of design drawings, and various recording devices for use therein have also been proposed.

When recording on a large-sized recording paper such as an AO plate, it is not preferable to simultaneously record the entire surface because the configuration of the recording device becomes complicated. It is done by doing.

For example, a recording device using an electrostatic recording method includes a charging member having a main scanning length approximately equal to the width of the recording paper, charges the recording paper to form a latent image, and causes toner or ink droplets to adhere to the latent image. An image is formed using the images.

For example, when thermal paper is used as the recording material, printing is performed by relatively sub-scanning the thermal paper with a thermal head having a predetermined main scanning length. In a recording device where the thermal head is divided into multiple parts along the main scanning direction, these are arranged in multiple rows, and all the thermal heads print one line while conveying the thermal paper. The sub-scanning direction and the moving direction of the thermal head or thermal paper must match.

Furthermore, in order to bring the entire area of the thermal head into close contact with the thermal paper, the thermal head must be rotatable so that the inclination in the longitudinal direction of the thermal head can be changed.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, when the thermal head is rotatably provided, if the rotating components are assembled with play, there is a problem that the position of the thermal head will shift and accurate recording cannot be performed.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to enable a thermal head to be rotatably and reliably mounted.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a thermal head mounting device that can also adjust the mounting position of the thermal head.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The above object of the present invention is a device for attaching a base provided with a line thermal head to a support member, wherein the base is a rectangular parallelepiped with a thermal head on the lower surface in the longitudinal direction. A rotary wheel is provided in a direction perpendicular to the thermal head, the rotary shaft is supported by the support member, rolling elements are provided at both longitudinal ends of the base, and the rolling elements are provided on the support member. This is achieved by a thermal head mounting device that abuts the member and is provided with one guide member movable in height from the support member.

In other words, since the rolling elements provided at the end of the base are in contact with the support member, the distance between the base and the support member is fixed, and even if there is some play in the attachment to the rotating wheel, the main scanning direction of the thermal head will be kept from the appropriate direction. It never shifts. Furthermore, since the height of the guide member that guides the rolling elements from the support member can be adjusted, the thermal head can be positioned in an appropriate direction during assembly.

The heat-sensitive recording material used in the present invention may be any material, such as paper or plastic film, as long as printing can be performed by heating. An embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a recording apparatus using thermal recording paper.

This recording device prints and records on AO-size thermal paper based on an image signal processed by an image processing device (not shown) such as a computer.

The recording device includes a thermal paper storage section 10 that stores a roll of thermal paper, and a print recording section 40 that performs printing and recording on the thermal paper fed out from the storage section 10.

The thermal paper in the storage section 10 has a width of 914 mm and is wound around the winding core 12 to a length of 200 m.

In the accommodating section 10, an upper housing 14 is rotatably supported by a shaft 16, and the accommodating section 10 can be opened when loading or unloading thermal paper.

The housing portion 10 is provided with a motor 2o for rotationally driving a shaft 18 to which the winding core 12 is fixed, and the winding core 12 is rotationally driven by the motor 20 via a belt 22 stretched between the two. Ru. Further, in the storage section 10, a conveyance roller is provided for feeding out the thermal paper wound around the core 12 and conveying it to the front (hereinafter, "front" refers to the downstream direction in the traveling direction of the thermal paper, etc.). 24, 26 and the conveyance roller 24,
A motor 28 is provided for rotationally driving 26. The conveyor rollers 24, 26 are connected to a belt 30 stretched between the ends of the conveyor rollers 24, 26 and the output shaft of the motor 28.
It is rotationally driven by a motor 28 via. Furthermore, a vertically movable dancer roller 32 is provided between the conveying rollers 24 and 26 to keep the tension of the thermal paper constant in contact with the upper surface of the thermal paper.

Note that the conveyance rollers 24 and 26 and the dancer roller 32 located above are provided integrally with the upper housing 14,
It moves together when the upper housing 14 rotates.

The print recording unit 40 includes two rows of thermal heads 4244 arranged at a predetermined interval on the conveyance path of the thermal paper, and the thermal heads 42 and 44 are electrically connected to the image processing device and receive image signals. Printing is performed on thermal paper based on the following.

Platen rollers 46, 48 are provided below each thermal head 42, 44. the platen roller 46,
48 is a gear 50, a one-way clutch 52, and a belt 5
4 and is rotated by a motor 56 as required. Also, the support members 60. of the thermal heads 42.44.
62 is rotatable about an axis 64.66, and an eccentric cam 68.70 abuts on the support member 60.62.

Furthermore, the print recording section 40 is equipped with a conveyance roller 72 for conveying the thermal paper from the storage section 10 toward the thermal head 42, 44, and the conveyance roller 72 is connected to a gear 74, a cruncher 6, and a belt. Motor 8 via 78
Rotationally driven by 0. In addition, the thermal head 42.
44 is provided with a conveyance roller 82 for accurately feeding the printed thermal paper from the print recording section 40, and the conveyance roller 82 is rotationally driven by a motor 86 via a gear 84. Here, the conveyance roller 82 located above
is supported by a rotating member 90 that rotates about a shaft 88, and by rotating the rotating member 90, it can easily come into contact with and separate from the lower conveyance roller 82.

The upper housing 92 of the print recording section 40 is rotatably supported by a shaft 95, and the print recording section 40 can be opened during printing, such as when R thermal paper jams.

Note that the conveyance roller 72 located above is provided integrally with the upper housing 92 and moves together when the upper housing 92 rotates.

Further, the printing and recording section 40 is provided with a discharge table 94 for discharging the thermal paper after printing and recording.

Further, a fixing device 98 consisting of a plurality of lamps 96 may be provided at the t portion of the discharge table 94 as necessary, and fixes the image on the thermal paper by irradiating light onto the printed surface of the thermal paper. .

Furthermore, a cutter 100 for cutting the thermal paper is provided at the front end of the discharge table 94. The ejection table 94, the fixing device 98, and the counter 100 are integrally constructed, and the ejection table 94 is rotatably supported on a shaft 102.

When the recording device is not in operation, the ejection table 94 can be rotated clockwise in the figure to overlap the front surface of the print recording section 40.

To load thermal paper into this recording device, first
Then, rotate the upper part/% housing 14.92 of the print recording section 40 to expose the thermal paper conveyance path.

Next, the rotary member 90 in the printing record (Fiv) 40 is rotated to separate the pair of conveying rollers 82, position the front end of the thermal paper in the width direction, and place it between the pair of channel rollers 82. After the thermal paper is sandwiched between the pair of conveying rollers 82, the upper housing 14 is closed by closing the upper housing 14.
．． Each upper transport roller 24, 2 integral with 92
6.72 and the conveyor rollers 24 and 26.7 located below.
2 sandwich the thermal paper. In addition, 5
First, the dancer roller 32 contacts the upper surface of the thermal paper and applies a predetermined tension to the thermal paper.

In the vicinity of the storage section 10 of the print recording section 40, there is a storage section 10.
Thermal paper D cut into sheets different from the inner thermal paper
An insertion opening 104 is provided for inserting the holder 10a along the inclined surface of the upper housing 14 of the accommodating portion 10. When inserting the thermal paper Da from the insertion slot 104, the thermal paper previously loaded in the print records s and i0 is inserted into the core 12.
The thermal paper Da is reversely conveyed backward by the reverse drive of , prior to insertion of the thermal paper Da, and is retreated backward from the conveyance roller 72 near the insertion opening 104 . Next, when the thermal paper Da is inserted from the insertion slot 104, the conveyance rollers 72 and 82 in the print recording section 40
is driven, and after the thermal paper Da is conveyed and bitten by the conveyance roller 82, printing is performed by the thermal heads 42 and 44. When printing on the thermal paper in the storage section 10 again, the conveyance rollers 24 and 26 in the storage section IO are driven,
Thermal paper is conveyed to the print recording section, 4Q, and then transferred to the conveyance roller 8.
2, printing is performed by the thermal heads 42 and 44.

Next, the printing section will be explained. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printing section.

The thermal heads 42 and 44 are arranged in two rows, and one line of printing is performed by the two rows of thermal heads 42 and 44. Two thermal heads 42 in the rear row
are arranged in the same row, and a conveyance roller 106 is arranged between the thermal heads 42. One thermal head 44 is arranged in the front row, and conveyance rollers 108 are arranged on both sides of the thermal head 440. Each thermal head 42, 44 has a length one-third the width of the thermal paper and prints at a density of 400 dots/inch. That is, in the three equal regions in the width direction of the thermal paper, the regions at both ends are printed by the rear thermal head 42, and the central region is printed by the front thermal head 44. Therefore, when printing one line of thermal paper, first the rear thermal head 42 prints on both ends, and after a predetermined period of time, the thermal paper below the rear thermal head 42 prints on the front thermal head 42. When it reaches below 44,
The front thermal head 44 performs printing in the center.

The thermal paper during printing by the thermal head 42 and 44 is
The paper is transported by a transport roller 82 near the discharge section shown in FIG. Here, since the conveyance rollers 106 and 108 in the same line as the thermal heads 42 and 44 are connected to the motor 56 via the one-way clutch 52, when the conveyance roller 82 near the discharge section is overloaded during conveyance, roller 10
6.108 idles. On the other hand, during automatic paper feeding, the transport rollers 106 and 108 are rotationally driven to transport the thermal paper forward.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the thermal head 42, 44
An eccentric cam 6870 is in contact with the support member 60.62 of the printer, and when printing is not performed such as during automatic paper feeding or reverse conveyance, by rotating the eccentric cam 68.70 by a predetermined angle, the thermal nozzle is 42°44 is separated from the thermal paper.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the thermal head mounting device;
The figure is a plan view of the thermal head mounting device. Since the mounting devices for all the thermal heads 42, 44 have the same configuration, the mounting device for one thermal head 42 will be described.

The thermal head 42 is provided along the longitudinal direction of a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped base 120, and the base 1 is disposed in the center of the base 120.
A shaft 122 for rotationally supporting 20 is attached. axis 1
22 has a head 124 at one end and a threaded portion 126 at the other end, is inserted from the other end into a hole 128 formed in the base 120, passes through a hole 130 formed in the support member 60, and is fitted with a nut 132. Screw together. Then, the base 120 is connected to the support member 60
It is tightened and fixed. Furthermore, the base 120 and the support member 6
0 and 134 around the axis 122.
is installed.

A shaft 136 is provided at both ends of the layered weight 120, and this shaft 1
A ball bearing 138 is fitted into the support member 36, and the ball bearing 138 moves on the support member 60. The ball bearing 138 maintains a constant distance between the base 120 and the support member 60 and prevents the base 120 from rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow. In addition, ball bearing 138
When the base 120 rotates around the shaft 122, the base plate 120 rotates smoothly. Further, a spring 140 is in contact with the upper surface of the base 120 and biases the base 120 downward. Therefore, the thermal head 42 can be brought into close contact with the thermal paper on the platen roller 46.

One ball bearing 138 is in contact with a support screw 144 screwed into a screw hole 142 formed in the support member 60,
The head 146 of this support screw 144 is attached to the ball bearing 1
The size corresponds to 38 transfer areas. By turning the support screw 144 from the back side of the support member 60, the protrusion of the head 146 from the support member 60 can be adjusted. For example, if the thermal head 42 is installed slightly off from the proper direction, the distance between the support member 60 and the base 120 can be slightly changed at both ends by turning the support screw 144. Finely adjust the direction of the thermal head 42.

In the device configured as described above, when the thermal head 42 comes into close contact with the thermal paper, the vertical deflection of the end of the base is zero.
．． It was 01-0.03n+m. On the other hand, in a device in which the ball bearing 138 is removed from the above configuration, the vertical deflection of the base end is 0.05 to 0.1+n.
It was m. Therefore, the thermal head mounting device configured as described above can minimize the adverse effects on printing due to thermal head mounting errors.

Note that by providing a roller instead of the ball bearing 138, the distance between the base 120 and the support member 60 can be kept constant, and vertical wobbling of the end of the base can be suppressed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, since the rolling elements provided at the end of the base are in contact with the support member, the distance between the base and the support member is fixed, and even if there is play in mounting to the rotation axis, the thermal head can be moved in the main scanning direction. will not deviate from the appropriate direction. Further, since the height of the guide member that guides the rolling elements from the support member can be adjusted, the thermal head can be positioned in an appropriate direction during assembly, and accurate print recording can be performed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the recording apparatus, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a printing section, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a thermal head mounting device, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the thermal head mounting device. Symbols in the figure: 10 Accommodation section 24 26.72.82 Conveyance roller 40 Print recording section 32 Dancer roller 42.44 Thermal head 48 Platen roller rotating member discharge table fixing device 6108 Conveyance roller 0 Base 2 shafts 8.130 holes 2 NAND 4 Wave One Shaft 6 Axis 8 Ball Bearing 0 Spring 2 Screw Hole 4 Support Screw 6 Head Agent Patent Attorney (8107) Kiyotaka Sasaki (and 3 others) Legs 1+-

Claims (1)

[Claims] A device for attaching a base provided with a line thermal head to a support member, wherein the base is a rectangular parallelepiped with a thermal head on the lower surface in the longitudinal direction, and has a rotation axis in a direction perpendicular to the thermal head, and the rotation axis is supported by the support member, and includes rolling elements at both ends of the base in the longitudinal direction, the rolling elements abut against a guide member provided on the support member, and one of the guide members adjusts the height from the support member. A movable thermal head mounting device.