JPH0263372A - Simple printer with scanner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow a scanner and a printer to function independently by providing a scanner to a casing removably in interlocking with a drive system, a frame and a printer head fitted to the frame. CONSTITUTION:A scanner 98 fitted to the casing 2 with a scanner area 6 formed thereto removably in a direction crossing the scanner area 6 in interlocking with the drive system is provided. Moreover, the frame 12 fitted to the casing 2 removably in interlocking with the drive system and the printer head 50 fitted to the frame 12 in opposition to a plane prolonged from the bottom face of the casing 2 are provided. Thus, an image data read by the scanner 98 is printed out by the printer head 50 and an input data from a print input keyboard or a host computer is printed out on paper by driving the printer head 50.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention is a simple scanner-based printer that prints input data using a printer head at a desired position on a sheet of paper on an arbitrary placement surface such as a table. Regarding.

[Conventional technology]

A printer in which a casing is placed on a sheet of paper on a placement surface such as a desk, and prints on the sheet of paper using a printer head provided on an arm protruding from the casing was disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent No.-32771. Furthermore, there are commercially available devices that print scanned image data read by a scanner on roll paper housed in a case.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

As shown in the above-mentioned conventional example, there is currently no device in which a printer and a scanner function independently. An object of the present invention is to provide a printer equipped with such a function.

[Means to solve problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a casing 2 having a bottom portion suitable for being placed on a table and in which a scanner area 6 is formed, and a drive system connected to the casing 2 to provide the scanner area. 6, a frame 12 movably attached to the casing 2 in conjunction with the drive system; It is equipped with a printer head 50 attached thereto.

[Effect]

In the above configuration, image data read by the scanner 98 can be printed by the printer head 50, and input data from a print input keyboard or host computer can be printed out on paper by driving the printer head 50. can do.

【Example〕

The structure of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a casing consisting of a substrate 4 and a cover covering the upper part of the substrate, and a scanner area 6 consisting of a rectangular space opened vertically is formed in the center of the casing. Both ends of a Y-axis seal 8 are fixed to the sides of the substrate 4 via brackets.

A guide hole of a Y-cursor 10 is slidably fitted into the Y-axis seal 8. The Y cursor 10 has a U-shaped σ
One end of one side portion 12a of the frame 12 is fixed. The side portion 126 of the frame 12 is slidably supported via rollers 16 and 18 on a guide rail 14 fixed to the other side of the substrate 4 in parallel with the Y rail 8j. Reference numeral 20 denotes a frame drive motor fixed to the board 4, and the output shaft of the motor 20 is connected to the support shaft of a drum 22 rotatably supported at the rear of the board 4 via a gear mechanism.

24 is a drum rotatably supported in front of the side part of the substrate 4, and a flexible wire rope 26 is tensioned between the drum 24 and the drum 22.
The stake has been passed. One side of the pair of horizontal parts of the wire rope 26 is fixed to the Y cursor 10. The above configuration constitutes a Y drive mechanism that drives the frame 12 in the front-rear direction along both sides of the casing 2.

Next, the X drive mechanism for driving the X cursor 28 for transporting the printer head along the horizontal shaft portion 12c of the frame 12 will be described.

30 is an X-axis seal whose both ends are fixed to the frame 12 via brackets at right angles to the Y-axis seal 8, and the guide hole of the X cursor 28 is slidably fitted into this. . As shown in FIG. 16, a guide rail 32 is fixed to the frame 12 in parallel with the X-axis seal 30, and a roller guide groove having a U-shaped cross section in the guide rail 32 allows the X cursor 28 to freely rotate. A guide roller 34 that is pivotally supported is disposed so as to be freely movable. The guide rollers 34 and the roller guide grooves of the X guide rail 32 restrict movement of the X cursor 28 in the rotational direction about the X-axis seal 30. 36 is a head drive motor fixed to the board 4, and its output shaft is connected to the head drive motor via a gear mechanism.
It is connected to a support shaft of a drum 38 rotatably supported by the base plate 4.

The wire rope 40 wound around the drum 38 is
As shown in Figure 0, the wire rope 40 is fixed to the X cursor 28, and the wire rope 40 is fixed to the X cursor 28. There is. The pulley 42 is
The pulley 44 is rotatably supported by the Y cursor 10.
, 48 are located on the left end side of the horizontal shaft portion 12c of the frame 12 and are rotatably supported on the same axis, and the pulley 46 is
It is located on the right end side of the horizontal shaft portion 12c of the frame 12 and is rotatably supported.

Next, a description will be given of a printer head elevating mechanism that controls elevating and lowering the printer head 50 in a direction perpendicular to the printing surface.

In FIGS. 8 and 16, 52 indicates the X cursor 28
A guide shaft 54 is fixed to this bracket perpendicularly to the extension plane of the bottom surface of the casing 2, and a hole in the lifting frame 56 and the lifting body 58 is fixed to the guide shaft 54. However, they are slidably fitted together so as not to rotate about the guide shaft 54. A thermal printer head 50 is fixed to the elevating body 58. A coil spring 60 fitted into the guide shaft 54 is disposed between the lower surface of the elevating frame 56 and the upper surface of the lower part of the bracket 52, and is arranged between the upper surface of the elevating body 58 and the lower surface of one arm of the elevating frame 56. A coil spring 62 is compressed and inserted into the guide shaft 54 . Reference numeral 64 designates an elevation guide bar having a U-shape as a whole, and both sides of the bar 64 are rotatably fitted to both ends of the X-axis seal 30. Reference numeral 66 denotes an L-shaped piece rotatably supported by the X cursor 28, one of which faces the guide bar 64, and the other faces the upper surface of the protrusion 68 protruding from the lifting frame 56. are doing. 70 is frame 1
A pin 74 fixed to the output shaft 72 of this solenoid is fixed to the frame 1.
The rotary shaft 76 is slidably inserted into an elongated hole formed in a projecting piece of a rotary shaft 76 rotatably supported by the rotary shaft 76 . The rotating shaft 7
A pushing piece 76a integrally formed in a direction perpendicular to 6 faces the lifting guide bar 64.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, 78 is an ink ribbon cassette, and a supply reel shaft 82 that supports a ribbon supply reel 80 is rotatably provided on the ink ribbon cassette. The ink ribbon cassette 78 is removably attached to the X cursor 28, and a swing plate 8 is attached to the internal substrate of the cassette 78.
4 is rotatably supported. The swing plate 84 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 5 by a coil spring 86, and a protrusion 84a formed on the swing plate 84 is in elastic contact with the lower surface of the protrusion 68. Gears 88 and 90 are rotatably supported on the rocking plate 84 in a mutually meshed state, and one gear 88 is meshed with a gear 94 fixed to a shaft that interlocks with the ribbon winding shaft 92. . In FIG. 4, reference numeral 96 indicates the frame 12 parallel to the X rail 30.
This is a rack gear fixed to the gear 90, and is arranged directly below the gear 90 at an appropriate interval.

Next, a scanner feeding mechanism that drives the scanner 98 in the X-axis direction will be described.

In FIG. 4, 100 is a scanner guide shaft fixed to the substrate 4 via a bracket.

It is arranged at right angles to the Y-axis seal 8.

A tubular cursor body 1 is provided on one end side of the line scanner 98.
02 is fixedly installed, and the cursor body 102 is slidably fitted to the scanner guide shaft 100. A plurality of rollers 1 are connected to the other end of the scanner 98 via a bracket.
04 is rotatably supported, and the surface of the roller 104 is movably in contact with the wall surface of a groove of a guide rail 106 fixed to the substrate 4 in parallel to the scanner guide shaft 100. . 108 and 110 are drums located near both ends of the scanner guide shaft 100 and rotatably supported by the substrate 4; one drum 110 is
It is connected via a gear mechanism to the output shaft of a scanner feed motor 112 fixed to the substrate 4. The drum 10
An endless wire rope 114 is passed between 8 and 110, and the horizontal part of the rope 114 is connected to the cursor body 102.
is fixed. The lower surface of the scanner 98 in the scanner area 6 is set substantially on the same plane as the bottom surface of the substrate 4.

The casing 2 has a built-in data processing circuit that processes scanner data and keyboard print input data as input data to the printer head 50, and also includes a print input keyboard 120 equipped with a connection terminal with the host computer 118 and a display section. A connection terminal is provided.

The casing 2 also includes the motors 36, 20,
A controller for controlling the 112 solenoid 70, printer head 50, and scanner 98 is built in, and a main operation panel 116 for operating the controller is provided on the top surface of the casing 2.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

First, a case will be described in which character data input from the main operation panel 116 or the keyboard 120 is printed on paper.

When the power of this machine is turned on, the motor 20 is driven and the frame 12 is moved between the Y-axis seal 8 and the guide rail 1 as shown in FIG.
4 to a predetermined position, that is, in front of the casing 2, and then stops. Further, the X cursor 28 moves leftward to a predetermined position along the X-axis seal 3o and the X guide rail 32, and then stops. The operator is the casing 2
Move the printer head over the paper on a surface such as a desk to align the print head with the print start point on the paper.

Next, or in advance, the print data is input from the print input keyboard 120 or the host computer 118 into the data processing circuit inside the casing 2, and the main operation panel 1
When the print start key 16 is turned on, the solenoid 70 is energized and its output shaft 72 is driven in the direction shown in FIG. This drive rotates the rotating shaft 76, and the protruding piece 76a rotates the head elevation guide bar 64 about the X-axis seal 30. As a result, the L-shaped piece 66 rotates counterclockwise around the central axis of one rotation in FIG. The print head 50 resists the elasticity of the coil spring 62 and comes into elastic contact with the printing surface via the ink ribbon. Due to the lowering of the protrusion 68,
The slowing plate 84 resists the tensile force of the coil spring 86 and
In the figure, the gear 90 rotates clockwise about its rotation center, descends, and comes into elastic contact with the rack gear 96.

Next, the printer head 50 and motor 36 are driven,
The printer head 50 prints on the paper while printing the fourth
It is sent rightward along the X-axis rail 30 in the figure. As the printer head 50 moves, the gear 90 rotates, and the take-up shaft 92 interlocked with the gear 90 rotates in the ink ribbon winding direction, so that a new ink ribbon is placed on the printing surface of the printer head 50 on the supply reel. Supplied from 80.

When the printing of the first line is completed, the solenoid 70 is turned off, the printer head 50 is raised, and the gear 9 is turned off.
0 is separated from the rack gear 96 and the printer head 50
The horizontal shaft portion 1 of the frame 12 is driven by the motor 36.
It moves back to the predetermined left end of 2c. Next, the motor 20
is driven, the frame 12 moves downward a predetermined amount in FIG. 4 along the Y-axis seal 8, and the printer head 5
The 0 printing position is aligned with the line feed position, and then the first line is printed in the manner described above. In this way,
The above operation is repeated within the drawing area 122 until printing of a predetermined number of lines is completed.

Next, the operation of printing out image data read by the scanner 98 will be explained.

When you align the scanner area 6 of the casing 2 with the part you want to copy, such as a drawing, and press the scan key on the main operation panel 116, the motor 112 is driven and the scanner 98 scans the inside of the scanner area 6 as shown in FIG. Guide shaft 1 to the right from
00 and the guide rail 106, the scanner 98 reads image data such as a drawing directly below the scanner area 98 and stores it in a memory. This read image data may be stored in the host computer 118. The read image data or the image data stored in the host computer 118 can be printed out on a desired drawing screen using the printer head 50 by pressing the print key on the main operation panel 116. Further, while scanning with the scanner 98, this scan data can be printed out with the printer head 50. Furthermore, the image data read by the scanner 98 can be edited on the host computer 118 side, and the edited data can be printed out on paper using the printer head 50. Also, while driving the scanner 98,
Print data other than this scanner data can also be printed out on paper using the printer head 50. When the frame 12 is retracted to the most retracted position with the printer head 50 raised, the frame 1
The side surface of the second horizontal shaft portion 12c contacts the upper edge of the substrate 14. In this state, the printer head 50 is positioned on the head cover portion 4a of the substrate 4, and the printing surface of the printer head 50 is protected.

〔effect〕

As described above, the present invention has the advantage that it can be used in multiple functions because the scanner section and the printer section function independently.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is an external view, Figure 2 is an external view, Figure 3 is an external view, Figure 4 is a plan view with the casing cover removed,
Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along line B-B, Figure 6 is a rear view, and Figure 7 is A.
-A! 8 is a right side view, 9 is a plan view with the frame protruding, 10 is a rear view of the same, 11 is a sectional view.
The figure is the same, left side view, Figure 12 is the same, right side view, 1st
3 is an explanatory diagram of the X drive mechanism, FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the Y drive mechanism, FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of the scanner feeding mechanism, and FIG. 16 is an external view. 2... Casing, 4... Board, 6... Scanner area, 8... Y-axis seal, 10... Y-cursor,
12... Frame, 14... Guide rail, 16.1
8=-・Colo, 20・・Motor, 22, 24・・Drum, 26・・Wire rope, 28・・X cursor,
30...X-axis seal, 32...X guide rail, 3
4... Guide roller, 36... Motor, 38... Drum, 40... Wire rope, 42, 44, 46.4
8... Pulley, 50... Printer head, 52...
・Bracket, 54... Guide shaft, 56... Elevating frame, 58... Elevating body, 60.62... Coil spring, 6
4... Lifting guide bar, 66... L-shaped piece, 68... Convex, 70... Solenoid, 72... Output shaft, 74...
Pin, 76... Rotating shaft, 78-... Cassette, 80.
... Ribbon supply reel, 82 ... Supply reel shaft, 84
... Rocking plate, 86... Coil spring, 88.90...
・Gear, 92... Winding shaft, 94... Gear, 96
...Rack gear, 98...Scanner, 100...
Scanner guide axis, 102...Cursor body, ]-04
...Koro, 106...Guide rail, 108, 11
0...Drum, 112...Motor, 114...Rope, 116...Operation panel, 118...Host computer, 120...Keyboard

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A casing 2 having a bottom suitable for being placed on a table and in which a scanner area 6 is formed, and a casing 2 that is movable in a direction across the scanner area 6 in conjunction with a drive system. The attached scanner 98 and
A simple printer with a scanner, comprising a frame 12 movably attached to the casing 2 in conjunction with a drive system, and a printer head 50 attached to the frame 12 to face an extended plane of the bottom surface of the casing 2.