JPH03182377A - Line thermal printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To sharply improve operability and functionality of a head lever by a method wherein in a first selection position, a thermal head is held in a contact position, in a second selection position, it is held in a non contact position, and in a third selection position, it is held in either of the contact position or the non connect position. CONSTITUTION:In a first selection position, an arm cam 11 of a head lever 7 is separated away from a contact surface part 12 of a thermal head unit 6, and the thermal head unit 6 is forced into pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface part of a platen roller 5 by means of the energizing force of the thermal head unit 6 and held in a contact position. In a second selection position, by rotating the head lever 7 clockwisely in a 90 deg. arc, the head lever is switched from the first selection position to the second selection position. In this state, the arm cam 11 is made to abut on the contact surface part 12 of the thermal head unit 6, and the contact surface part 12 is separated away from the outer peripheral surface of a platen roller 5 end held in a non contact position. By setting a distance between a rotary shaft 9 and a third cam surface 17 to a proper valve, in a third selection position, it is decided whether the thermal head is held in the contact position or the noncontact position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a small line thermal printer, and more particularly to a head lever mechanism for raising and lowering a thermal head.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, the width dimensions of recording paper are 110wm, 80m■,
Small-sized line thermal printers compatible with 112 and the like have been widely used as output terminals for GT measurement and analysis equipment and PO8 communication data terminal equipment. Such a small-sized line thermal printer includes a frame unit having a size and shape matching the width dimension standard of recording paper, a platen roller disposed on the frame unit along the width direction, and a platen roller disposed opposite to the platen roller. The structure includes a thermal head unit that is biased against the thermal head unit and can move between a contact position and a non-contact position, and a head lever for moving the thermal head unit.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, the head lever of conventional line thermal printers only has a first selection position for setting the thermal head unit in the contact position and a second selection position for setting the thermal head unit in the non-contact position. Ta. Since there were two selectable positions for the head gamma drive lever, there was no degree of freedom, and depending on the mounting orientation of the small line thermal printer, the operability and functionality of the head lever deteriorated, posing a problem. In addition, when storing a line thermal printer for a long period of time, the thermal head unit is held in a non-contact position to prevent deformation of the platen roller, but since the selection position of the head lever is fixed at this time, packaging and There was a problem that it was inconvenient to store.

[Means for solving problems]

In view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technology, an object of the present invention is to provide a degree of freedom in the selection position of the head lever and to improve the operability, functionality, and storability of the head lever.

In order to achieve the above object, in the small line thermal printer according to the present invention, the head lever has first to third selection positions, and in the first selection position, the biasing force is released and the thermal head unit is brought into contact. hold in position;
In the second selection position, the thermal head unit is moved against the urging force and held in the non-contact position, and in the third selection position, the thermal head unit is moved to either the contact position or the non-contact position depending on the specifications. can be retained.

Preferably, the head lever has a cam that comes into contact with the thermal head unit, and by setting the cam shape, the thermal head unit is held in the contact position in the third selection position. Alternatively, the thermal head unit may be held in a non-contact position at the third selection position by setting the cam in a different shape.

More preferably, the head lever is mounted on the outer surface of the frame unit in the recording paper width direction so as to be rotatable along this outer surface, and in the first and third selection positions, the head lever is mounted within the outer circumferential shape of the outer surface. It is practically stored. On the other hand, in the second selection position, there is no problem even if the head lever protrudes from the outer peripheral shape of the outer surface portion.

[For production]

For example, if the thermal head unit is set to be in the pressure contact state at the first and third selection positions of the head lever, and the thermal head unit is set to be in the non-pressure contact state at the intermediate second selection position, the line thermal The user of the printer can select the inward position of the first or third selection position, whichever is easier to use, when bringing the thermal head unit into the press-contact state, depending on the installation state and mounting orientation.

Alternatively, it is also possible to set the thermal head unit to be in pressure contact at the first selection position of the head lever, and to be in a non-pressure contact state at the second and third selection positions. In the specification state, use the second selection position to switch the thermal head unit to the non-pressure contact state, and when storing for a long time or store it in a packing case, set the head lever to the third selection position and switch the thermal head unit to the non-pressure contact state. It should be kept at .

At this time, in the third selection position, the head lever is housed within the outer periphery of the outer surface of the frame unit in the width direction of the recording paper, so that it does not interfere with storage or packaging.

〔Example〕

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of a small line thermal printer according to the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the compact line thermal printer has a frame unit as its skeleton. The frame unit includes a pair of side frames 1 and 2 that are arranged opposite each other in accordance with the width dimension standard of the recording paper, and a guide frame 3 that is sandwiched between the pair of side frames 1 and 2 and is used to guide the feeding of the recording paper.
and a frame shaft 4 fixed across a pair of side frames 1 and 2. A platen roller 5 is arranged in a frame unit along the recording paper width direction. In the case of this embodiment, both ends of the rotating shaft of the platen roller 5 are inserted into notches provided in the pair of side frames 1 and 2 and are supported. A thermal head unit 6 is arranged opposite to the platen roller 5 and is urged against the platen roller 5.

Furthermore, the thermal head unit 6 is detachably and swingably locked to the frame beam 4, and is movable with respect to the platen roller 5 between a contact position and a non-contact position. A lever lever 7 is attached to the outer surface of one side frame 1 so as to be movable between first to third selection positions. In this embodiment, the blade lever 7 is slidably supported on one end of the rotating shaft of the platen roller 5. Accordingly, the head lever 7 is rotated by operation and moved between the first to third selection positions. 51 thermal head units 6 1: Head force bar 8
is mounted on the frame unit. head cover 8
is rotatably attached to the frame beam 4, and can be opened and closed by operation. A drive unit 10 is detachably attached to the outer surface of the other side frame 2 and drives the platen roller 5 to rotate.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the line thermal printer shown in FIG. 1. As shown in the figure, a thermal head unit 6 is arranged to face the platen roller 5. And, at one end of the rotating shaft 9 of the platen roller 5, there is a lever lever.
7 is rotatably and slidably mounted. The outer peripheral surface of the head lever 7 constitutes a bowl cam 11. bowl cam 1
1 comes into contact with the contact surface 12 of the thermal head unit 6 as the lever lever 7 rotates, and the thermal head unit 6 is swung around the frame beam 4 and held in a contact position or a non-contact position. In the figure, the helad lever
The bowl cam 11 of 7 is spaced apart from the contact surface portion 12 of the thermal head unit 6, and the contact surface portion 12 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 5. That is, the thermal head unit 6 is set in a contact state.

Note that the head cover 8 is also rotatably locked around the frame shaft 4 and interlocks with the thermal head unit 6. That is, as shown by the dashed line, when the head cover 8 is rotated in the opening direction, the thermal head unit 6 is also rotated in the same direction and retracted from the platen roller 5. This operation makes it possible to perform maintenance, inspection, and replacement of the platen roller 5, and to clean the contact surface portion 12 of the thermal head unit 6.

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the line thermal printer taken along line A--A shown in FIG. The internal structure of the line thermal printer according to the present invention will be explained based on FIG. A recording paper guide frame 3 is fixed between one side frame 1 and the other side frame 2 (not shown).

A platen roller unit 5 is arranged above the paper feed guide surface of the recording paper guide frame 3.

As shown in the figure, there is a U-shaped notch approximately in the center of the side frame 1, into which one end of the rotating shaft 9 of the platen roller 5 is dropped and pivotally supported.

A thermal head unit 6 is disposed facing the platen roller 5, and is detachably and rotatably locked to the frame beam 4. The head cover 8 is also rotatably secured to the common frame beam 4. A recording paper supply path is defined between the lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 5 and the upper surface of the recording paper guide frame 3.

The recording paper fed through this path is transferred to the platen roller 5.
The paper is wound up and fed upward. When the platen roller 5 and the thermal head unit 6 are in a non-contact state, a recording paper is inserted into the gap, and then the platen roller 5 and the thermal head unit 6 are brought into contact, and the platen roller 5 is rotated counterclockwise, and the thermal head is rotated counterclockwise. Line thermal printing is executed by energizing unit 6.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the head lever which constitutes the essential part of the present invention, and shows a first embodiment.

In FIG. 4A, the head lever 7 is in the first selected position. At this time, the bowl cam 11 of the rad lever 7 is separated from the contact surface part 12 of the thermal head unit 6, and the thermal head unit 6 is moved to the platen roller 5 by the urging force.
It is in contact position and is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of. Line printing on the recording paper is performed at this position.

FIG. 4B shows the lever lever 7 in the second selection position. That is, by rotating the head lever 7 90 degrees clockwise, the first selection position can be switched to the second selection position. In this state, the bowl cam 11 is in contact with the contact surface portion 12 of the thermal head unit 6, and the contact surface portion 12 is spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 5. That is, the thermal head unit 6 is separated from the outer circumferential surface of the platen roller 5 by the head lever 7 against the urging force and is in a non-contact position. In this state, recording paper is fed between the platen roller 5 and the thermal head unit 6.

FIG. 4C shows the lever lever 7 in the third selection position. That is, move the head lever 7 clockwise by approximately 45 mm.
By rotating the head lever 7, the head lever 7 is switched from the second selection position to the third selection position. In this state, the bowl cam 11 is again separated from the contact surface portion 12, and the contact surface portion 12 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 5 by the biasing force. That is, the thermal head unit 6 is in a contact position with respect to the platen roller 5, similar to the first selected position.

As is clear from a comparison between FIG. 4A and FIG.
The only difference is the position of Therefore, the user can select between the first selection position and the third selection position, whichever has better operability and functionality, depending on the installation conditions and mounting orientation of the line thermal printer.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the head lever and shows a second embodiment. As shown in Figure 5A, the head lever 7
In the first selected position, the thermal head unit 6
is in a contact position with respect to the platen roller 5. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the second selection position, the thermal head unit 6 is in a non-contact position with respect to the platen roller 5. As shown in FIG. 5C, in the third selection position, the contact surface 12 of the thermal head unit 6 is in contact with the bowl cam 11 of the head lever 7.
is in a non-contact position with respect to the platen roller 5.

As is clear from a comparison with FIG. 4, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the thermal head unit 6 is in a non-contact position at the third selection position.

That is, in the second embodiment, the thermal head unit 12 is in the non-contact position in both the second and third selection positions of the heladium lever 7. However, in the second selected position, a portion of the lever lever 7 is attached to the side frame 1.
In the third selection position, the lever lever 7 is entirely housed within the outer periphery of the side frame 1.

Since the first selection position and the second selection position are adjacent to each other, it is convenient to use these selection positions to raise and lower the thermal head unit in normal use. On the other hand, when storing a line thermal printer or storing it in a packing case, it is preferable to hold the thermal head unit in a non-contact position to prevent deformation of the platen roller, but in this case, the third selection position is used. Good.

That is, in the third selection position, the lever lever 7 is housed within the outer periphery of the side frame 1, so that it does not get in the way.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the head lever. As shown in the figure, the head lever 7 is composed of a bowl cam 1.1, a handle portion 13, and a switch cam 14 fixed coaxially to the bowl cam 11 and the rotating shaft 9. The bowl cam 11 consists of a first cam surface 15 that defines a first selection position, a second cam surface 1B that defines a second selection position, and a third cam surface 17 that defines a third selection position. There is.

By appropriately setting the distance between the rotating shaft 9 and the third cam surface 17, it is possible to determine whether the thermal head unit is in the contact position or the non-contact position at the third selection position. The third cam surface 17 shown by the solid line holds the thermal head unit 6 in a non-contact position by contacting the contact surface part 12 of the thermal head unit 6, and the third cam surface 17 shown by the two-dot chain line contacts the contact surface part 12 of the thermal head unit 6. Since the thermal head unit 6 does not come into contact with the contact surface portion 12, the thermal head unit 6 is held in a contact position with respect to the platen roller. The switch cam 14 has a contact 18 and operates a micro switch (not shown) in response to the rotation of the head lever 7.
The selected position and the holding position of the thermal head unit 6 are electrically detected. Switch cam 14 also hits 19
When the head lever 7 returns from the second selection position to the first selection position, it comes into contact with the frame unit and reduces the impact force generated by the urging force applied to the thermal head unit 6. There is.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the head lever can be operated to the first to third selection positions, and in the third selection position, the thermal head unit can be moved to either the contact position or the non-contact position depending on the specifications. Since the head lever can be held in either one position, the operability and functionality of the head lever are significantly improved compared to conventional line thermal printers which only have first and second selection positions.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a front view of the line thermal printer, Figure 2 is a side view of the line thermal printer, Figure 3 is a sectional view of the line thermal printer, and Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the head lever used in the line thermal printer. A first embodiment is shown, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of a head lever used in a line thermal printer, and a second embodiment is shown, and FIG. 6 is a plan view of the head lever. 1... Side frame 2... Side frame 3... Recording paper guide frame 4... Frame shaft 5... Platen roller 6... Thermal head unit 7... Head lever 8... Head Power, (-
9... Rotating shaft 11... Bowl cam 12.
...Contact surface part 13...Handle part 14...
Switch cam 16...Second cam surface 18...Contact 15...First cam surface 17...Third cam surface 19...Applicant Seiko Electronics Co., Ltd. Agent

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A frame unit having dimensions matching the width direction of recording paper, a platen roller disposed on the frame unit along the width direction, and a frame unit disposed opposite to the platen roller with respect to the platen roller. In a line thermal printer, the line thermal printer includes a thermal head unit that is energized by a user and can move between a contact position and a non-contact position, and a head lever for moving the thermal head unit, the head lever being a first to a second head lever. The first selection position releases the biasing force and holds the thermal head unit in the contact position, and the second selection position moves the thermal head unit against the biasing force and disengages it. A line thermal printer characterized in that the thermal head unit is held in a contact position, and in a third selection position, the thermal head unit is held in either a contact position or a non-contact position depending on specifications. 2. The head lever has a cam that comes into contact with the thermal head unit, and by setting the cam shape, the thermal head unit is held in the contact position at the third selection position. line thermal printer. 3. The head lever has a cam that comes into contact with the thermal head unit, and by setting the cam shape, the thermal head unit is held in a non-contact position in the third selection position. Listed line thermal printer. 4. The head lever is rotatably mounted on the outer surface of the frame unit in the width direction along the outer surface, and in the first and third selection positions, the head lever is mounted within the outer peripheral shape of the outer surface. The line thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein the line thermal printer is substantially housed. 5. The line thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein the head lever has a contact that contacts the frame unit when returning from the second selection position to the first selection position.