JPH02155780A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable adjustment of a gap between a print head and a platen by a simple structure, by changing the angle of inclination of a cover to a base in a closed state of the cover. CONSTITUTION:In the condition that a cover 20 is locked in a closed state, a gap between a print head 3 and a platen 4 is adjusted. Concretely, an operation knob 65 is rotated in the direction R or S. Thereby an eccentric part 62 of an eccentric pin 61 is rotated and a shaft part 61a is positioned. Then the cover 20 is inclined to a base 10 and the gap between the print head 3 and the platen 4 is set to be a distance corresponding to the angle of inclination. By adjusting the angle of inclination by rotating the eccentric pin 61 in this way, the gap between the print head 3 and the platen 4 is adjusted. Therefore, it is unnecessary to provide any special device for adjusting the gap, and the gap between the print head and the platen can be adjusted by a simple structure.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial applications! F] The present invention relates to a printer that can adjust the gap between a print head and a platen with a simple structure.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, there has been known a printer that has a print head and a carrier that moves the print head along a platen, and that prints characters, etc. by driving the print head while the carrier is moving. It is widely used for data output from computers, etc.

Conventional TFL! of such printers! 12 is simply constructed as shown in FIG.

That is, the printer moves the print head 3 along the platen 4 in the lateral direction (arrow A).

A carrier 70 to be moved in the B direction) and this carrier 7
0, and a gap adjustment device 90 that adjusts the gap between the print head 3 and the platen 4.

The carrier drive mechanism 80 includes a lead screw 81 screwed into the carrier 70 via a bearing 72, and a gear train 82C.
It is formed to include a drive motor 83 that rotationally drives the screw 81 via TLL wheels (82a, 82b), and a guide rail 84 for guiding the carrier 70. Therefore, by driving the drive motor 83 to rotate the lead screw 81 via the gear train 82, the carrier 70 is guided by the guide rail 84 while maintaining a constant gap between the print head 3 and the platen 4. Arrow A
, move in direction B.

The gap adjustment device 90 moves the print head 3 vertically with respect to the platen 4 by swinging the carrier 70 in the direction of arrow J about the support piece 74, thereby adjusting the distance between them, that is, the gap. This is a device that adjusts the

That is, the gap adjustment device 90 has a carrier shaft 91 inserted into the carrier 70 via a bearing 73 so as to be rotatable and movable in the directions of arrows A and B. It is rotatably supported on the base 10 of the printer via an ellipse 94.

The eccentric Il ellipse 94 is connected to the eccentric pin 95 and the adjustment lever 93.
It is formed by including. The eccentric pin 95 is provided at both left and right ends of the carrier shaft 91 so as to be concentric with the axis of the shaft 91, and the 1η center pin 95 has an adjustment lever for rotating the pin from outside the printer. 9
3 is installed.

Therefore, when the eccentric pin 95 is rotated using the lever 93, the carrier 70 swings about the support piece 74 in the direction of arrow J, since the bin 95 is attached to the carrier shaft 91. As a result, print head 3
moves vertically with respect to the platen 4, and the gap between the head 3 and the grating 4 is adjusted.

"Problem U to be solved by the invention" However, in such a printer, the gap adjustment device 90
Since the printer is constructed separately and independently from other components (for example, the carrier drive mechanism 80), the number of component parts of the printer increases, making it difficult to complete the entire device. ! This causes the inconvenience of clutter.

In order to eliminate this inconvenience, a printer has been proposed in which the gap adjustment device 90 and other components, such as the carrier drive mechanism 80, are integrated and integrated.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the printer has a shaft 97 that also functions as the carrier shaft 91 and lead screw 81 (gap adjustment function and carrier drive function). The shaft 97 is the carrier 7
The drive motor 83 is connected to the right end of the shaft 97 through a gear train 82.

Here, the faith nut 96 is attached to the shaft 97 with a steel core, and when the eccentric nut 96 is rotated, the carrier 70 swings about the support piece 74 in the direction of arrow J, and the print head 3 The gap between the platen 4 and the platen 4 is adjusted.

However, in a printer in which the carrier drive RI*BO and the gap adjustment device W190 are integrated in this way, the eccentric nut 96 for gap adjustment is attached to the carrier 10 which is a movable part.
This creates a new inconvenience in that it is extremely difficult to adjust the gap during printing.

An object of the present invention is to provide a printer that can adjust the gap between a print head and a platen with a simple structure. A locking means for locking the cover in the closed state is used to adjust the gap between the print head and the platen by changing the inclination angle of the cover with respect to the base in the closed state without providing a device. 6 In other words, the invention described in claim 1 is such that one of the print head and the platen is attached to the base and the other is attached to the cover, and the cover is attached to the base so as to be openable and closable about the axis. A spring is provided that constantly biases the cover in the direction of opening, and locking means is provided that locks the cover in the closed state against the biasing force of the spring, and the locking means is connected to the base when the cover is in the closed state. The inclination angle can be adjusted with respect to the
The invention as set forth in claim 2 is characterized in that the gap between the print head and the platen can be adjusted by adjusting the inclination angle. A hook member rotatably supported on one side, an engaging member attached to the other side, and a spring that biases the hook member to maintain engagement between the hook member and the engaging member when the cover is closed. The present invention is characterized in that the engaging member is formed from a faith pin member.

[Operation] The invention described in claim 1 uses a locking means to lock the cover in the closed state, and further uses the locking means to adjust the inclination angle of the cover with respect to the base in this state. , adjust the gap between the print head and platen. Therefore, there is no need to provide a special device for adjusting the gap between the print head and the platen. Therefore, the gap between the print head and the platen can be adjusted with a simple 1R3fl without increasing the number of components.

The invention as set forth in claim 2 locks the cover in the closed state by maintaining engagement between the hook member forming the locking means and the engaging member (eccentric pin member) via a spring, and locks the cover in the closed state. By eccentrically adjusting the positional relationship between the hook member and the retaining member, the inclination angle of the cover with respect to the base can be quickly and accurately adjusted.

[Example] Hereinafter, examples of solid cotton of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 has a print head 3, a platen 4, a base 10, a cover 20, and a mechanism that locks the cover 20 in a closed state and adjusts the gap between the print head 3 and the platen 4. It is composed of stopping means 30 and the like.

That is, in this embodiment, the print head 3 is attached to the cover 20, and the platen 4 is attached to the base 10 in a manner corresponding to the print head 3. The cover 20 is attached to the storage portion 12 of the base IO via a support shaft 5 so as to be openable and closable about an axis 6. base 1
A spring 7 is provided between the cover 20 and the spring 7, and the spring 7 is always in the direction of opening the cover 20 (in the direction indicated by the arrow).
is energized.

The locking means 30 is configured to lock the cover 20 in the closed state and also adjust the gap between the print head 3 and the platen 4 by adjusting the angle of inclination of the cover 20 with respect to the base 10 in the closed state. ing. Here, the closed state means a state in which the cover 20 is rotated in the direction of arrow M and stored in the storage section 12 of the base 10, and printing can be performed using the print head 3.

That is, in this embodiment, the locking means 30 is the hook member 40. It is configured to include an engaging member 50 and a spring 43.

The hook member 40 includes a hook 41 rotatably supported by the base 10 via a support shaft 42 in the directions of arrows P and Q, and the hook member 40 and the engaging member 50 when the cover is closed.
It includes a spring 43 that urges the hook 41 in the direction of arrow P to maintain engagement with the base 10, an operating lever 44 that operates the hook 41 from outside the base 10, and the like. In addition,
As shown in FIG. 2, the operating lever 44 is arranged so that its right end in the figure projects to the outside of the base 10. As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the engaging member 50 is provided on the cover 20 in a form corresponding to the hook member 40. The engagement member 50 is formed from an eccentric bottle member 60, and the eccentric bottle member 60 is
As shown in FIG. 2, it is formed to include a steel core bottle 61, an operating section 64, and a holding section 67.

That is, the broken heart bottle 61 has a shaft portion 61a and a shaft portion 6.
Eccentric parts 62.6 provided eccentrically at the left and right ends of 1a
2, and the steel core part 62.62 is formed of a bearing 45.
．． The cover 20 is attached to the cover 20 so as to be rotatably supported in the directions of the arrows R and S via the cover 45.

As shown in FIG. 2, the operating section 64 is formed of an operating knob 65 attached to an eccentric section 62 of the eccentric bottle 61 on the right side in the figure.

As shown in FIG.
5 is formed from a spring 66 that prevents it from rotating inadvertently.

Next, the effect will be explained.

To perform a printing operation using the printer 1, first, as shown in FIG. 1, the cover 20 is rotated in the direction of arrow M while resisting the biasing force of the spring 7 to bring it into the closed state. Then, the eccentric pin 61 also rotates in the direction of arrow M, and the tip end 41 of the hook 41
b, and the hook 41 is moved in the direction of the arrow Q through the tip 41b.
While pressing in the direction, further rotate in the direction of arrow M, and hook 41
It is positioned at the same height as the engaging recess 41a. Then, the hook 41 is rotated in the direction of arrow P by the force of the spring 43, and the four engaging parts 4121 and the shaft part 62 of the inner pin 62 come into contact. As a result, the cover 20 is locked in the closed state by the hook member 40 and the engaging member 50 against the urging force of the spring 7.

At this time, since the hook 41 of the hook member 40 is urged in the direction of arrow P by the spring 43, it is possible to reliably prevent the cover 20 from opening in the direction of the arrow.

In this way, when the cover 20 is locked in the closed state, the gap between the printing head 3 and the platen 4 is adjusted. To do this, the operating knob 65 shown in FIG. 7 is rotated, for example, 180 degrees in the direction of arrow R or S in FIG. Then, the eccentric portion 62 of the eccentric pin 61 rotates 18OI in the direction of arrow R or S from the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, and the eccentric pin 61
The shaft portion 61a is positioned at the position shown in FIG. Here, since the rotation of the operating knob 65 is limited by the spring 66, the wound bottle 61 will not rotate inadvertently after adjustment.

As a result, the cover 20 is rotated in the direction of the arrow [, by the biasing force of the spring 7 until the shaft portion 61a of the eccentric pin 61 comes into contact with the upper part of the engagement recess 41a of the hook 41, as shown in FIG. Then, the cover 20 forms an angle (hereinafter referred to as inclination angle) θ1 with respect to the base 10 as shown in FIG.
The gap between the print head 3 and the platen 4 becomes a distance 11Z1 corresponding to the inclination angle θ1. In this manner, the gap between the print head 3 and the platen 4 is adjusted by rotating the 10-core pin 61 in the directions of the arrows R and S to adjust the inclination angle θ1.

After the gap between the print head 3 and the platen 4 has been adjusted in this way, the print head 3 is driven to print while feeding the paper between the platen 4 and the print head 3.

At this time, the print head 3 is driven at an angle θl with respect to the platen 4, but the inclination angle θ1
Since it is minute, it can be ignored and does not adversely affect print quality.

In order to open the cover 20 for exchanging the ink ribbon, etc., the hook 41 is rotated in the direction of arrow Q via the release lever 44 of the hook member 40. Then hook 4
1 and the f-type stone pin 61 are released against the force of the spring 43, and as a result, the cover 20 is opened by the biasing force of the spring 7.

According to this embodiment, using the locking means 30 that locks the cover 20 in the closed state, which is essential for the printer,
By adjusting the inclination angle θ1 of the cover 20 with respect to the base 10, the gap between the print head 3 and the platen 4 can be adjusted to fl.
Since the configuration allows the gap 1f1 to be adjusted quickly and accurately, there is no need to provide a special device for adjusting the gap 1f1. Moreover, the drawbacks described in the problems shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be eliminated, and the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

Further, since the locking means is formed of the hook member 40, the engaging member 50 (eccentric pin member 60), and the spring 43, the positional relationship between the hook member 40 and the engaging member 50 is changed when the cover 20 is closed. base 10 of cover 20
The inclination angle θ1 can be changed quickly and accurately. Therefore, the minute gap can be adjusted easily and accurately.

Further, the engaging member 50 (eccentric pin member 60) is connected to the cover 20.
Since it is not provided on a movable part such as a carrier, the gap can be easily adjusted using the pin member 60 even during printing.

In the above-described embodiment, a case was described in which the print head 3 was provided on the cover 20 and one Latin 4 was provided on the base 10. However, base 2 of cover 20
Since it is only necessary to adjust the gap between the print head 3 and the platen 4 by adjusting the inclination angle θ1 relative to the base 10, the print head 3 may be provided on the base 10 and the platen 4 may be provided on the cover 20.

Further, the hook member 40 is attached to the base 10, and the engagement member 50 (
Although the case has been described in which the face-centered pin member 60) is provided on the cover 20, the hook member 40 may be provided on the cover 20 and the engagement member 50 may be provided on the base 10, contrary to this.

[Effect of the invention] According to the invention described in claim 1, the gap between the print head and the platen is reduced by changing the inclination angle of the cover with respect to the base by using the locking means that locks the cover in the closed state. Since the printer is configured to adjust the gap between the print head and the platen, there is no need to provide a special device for adjusting the gap, and the gap between the print head and the platen can be adjusted with a simple structure.

According to the invention set forth in claim 2, since the locking means is formed from the hook member, the engaging member (eccentric pin member), and the spring, not only the above-mentioned effects can be achieved, but also the eccentric pin member can be secured when the cover is closed. By making slight rotations, the angle of inclination of the cover relative to the base can be changed quickly and accurately. Therefore, even minute gaps can be easily and accurately adjusted. Further, since the locking means is not attached to a movable part such as a carrier, the gap can be easily adjusted even during printing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the main parts of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view, Fig. 3 is a diagram showing how the gap between the print head and the platen is minimized, and Fig. 4 is a print Figure 5 shows the positional relationship between the hook and eccentric pin shown in Figure 3. Figure 6 shows the position of the hook and eccentric pin shown in Figure 4. FIG. 7 is an external perspective view showing the relationship, and FIGS. 8 and 9 are views showing the structure of a conventional printer. 1...Printer, 3...Print head, 4...Platen, 6...Axis, 7...Spring, 0...Base, 0...Cover 0...Locking means, 0 ... hook member, 3 ... spring, 0 ... engaging member, 0 ... 1η core bottle member,

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Attach one of the print head and platen to the base and the other to the cover, and attach the cover to the base so that it can be opened and closed about its axis, and a spring is attached that constantly biases the cover in the direction of opening. and a locking means for locking the cover in the closed state against the biasing force of the spring, and the locking means is formed so that its inclination angle with respect to the base can be adjusted when the cover is in the closed state, and the inclination angle is adjustable. A printer characterized in that the printer is configured such that the gap between the print head and the platen can be adjusted by adjusting the gap between the print head and the platen. (2) The locking means includes a hook member rotatably supported on either the base or the cover, an engaging member attached to the other, and the hook member and the engaging member in the closed state of the cover. 2. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a spring that urges the hook member to maintain engagement, and wherein the engaging member is formed from an eccentric pin member.