JPH0371834B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a mobile recording device in which a recording head is protected.

[Prior art]

A mobile recording device is one in which the device is manually moved in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of a built-in recording head, and images and characters are recorded every predetermined movement amount. In conventional recording devices of this type, especially when a thermal head is used as a recording head, the head needs to come into contact with the recording surface (recording paper), so the head always butts downward ( (protrudes from the main body), so there is a risk of damaging the important heating element at the tip even when not in use. Especially in thermal transfer type, the ribbon is also exposed at the tip of the head, so the ribbon There was also a risk of damage to the

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile recording device in which the recording head or ribbon is protected from damage.

[Structure of the invention]

To this end, the present invention has a configuration in which the recording head is stored inside the apparatus from the recording position, and the stored recording head is protected by a cover.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described in which the present invention is applied to a mobile type simple copying apparatus that is moved and scanned by pushing it by hand. This simple copying apparatus has a reading function for reading images and characters, and a recording function for recording (writing) the read contents on recording paper.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall outline of the simple copying device A. On its top surface, there is a lever-type main power on/off switch 1, a reading/recording switch 2 for switching between reading mode and recording mode, and a press-operated switch. A mode changeover switch 3 for changing the reading and recording range (width and length), etc., and a monitor display section 4 for displaying the latest content read are provided.
Further, a start/stop switch 5 is provided on the side for switching between a start operation and an end operation.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, on the bottom of this simple copying device A, there is a
A reading window 6, an axially elongated running reference roller 7, a recording window 8, and an axially elongated running auxiliary roller 9 are arranged, and the running reference roller 7 and the axially elongated running auxiliary roller 9 are fixed to each other. The rollers are supported by rollers 7 and 9, and are located at almost both ends of the device A, and the center of gravity is set between the rollers 7 and 9, so that a stable posture can be maintained in the longitudinal and vertical directions when traveling.

The inside of this simple copying machine A is shown in Figures 3 and 4.
As shown in the figure, it is composed of a reading section A1, a recording section A2, and a storage/control section A3.

First, the reading section A1 includes an illumination light source 10 consisting of a group of light emitting diodes, etc. arranged in two rows in the X direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3) to illuminate the downward direction from the reading window 6; The image light reflected by the CCD,
A reading image sensor 11 consisting of a MOS solid-state image sensor and the like (has an elongated shape in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3, that is, parallel to the axial direction of the rollers 7 and 9).
It is composed of a lens 12 that focuses and images light on the
The reading image sensor 11 is main-scanned in the longitudinal direction (X direction) by a signal generated by an encoder to be described later every time the entire apparatus A moves a certain amount in the Y direction, and the image sensor 11 scans a line of images (including characters, the same applies hereinafter). ) is read. That is, reading is performed section by section, for example, line by line, so that the lines are read at equal intervals. The sub-scanning is performed by moving the entire apparatus A in the direction of arrow Y (direction perpendicular to the X direction).

In this way, the reading window 6 of the reading section A1 is set closer to the tip than the traveling reference roller 7, that is, closer to the tip corner of the device A, so that it is possible to read even the binding margin of the book. Become. In addition,
The lower surface A11 of the leading end of this reading section A1 protrudes downward, and this portion and the running reference roller make it possible to read even when the running assist roller is not on the surface to be read.

The recording unit A2 forms a reference surface B (the surface of the recording paper or the surface to be read) at the lowermost surface of each of the running reference roller 7 and the running auxiliary roller 9, and the running reference roller 7 and the running auxiliary roller 9 Recording window 8 between
, a thermal head 13 as a recording head.
(having an elongated shape in the X direction) faces, and recording is performed on a recording sheet placed on a reference plane B every time the entire apparatus A moves a certain amount. That is, since recording is performed section by section, for example, line by line, recording is performed so that the lines are equally spaced.

The thermal head 13 has heating elements arranged in the longitudinal direction at its tip, and can move up and down while receiving downward elastic force from the recording window 8. That is, this head 13 is fixed to a head holding plate 14, and this head 14 can move up and down with respect to a head regulating plate 15.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the vertical movement mechanism of this part consists of a U-shaped shaft 18 fixed to the head holding plate 14 and a shaft 18 between head regulating blocks 16 and 17 fixed to the head regulating plate 15. A positioning block 19 of the same shape is inserted, and a positioning block 22 fixed to the head holding plate 14 is inserted into the shaft 21 of the head regulation block 20 fixed to the head regulation plate 15.
It can be assembled by inserting the

A tension spring 25 is suspended between a pin 23 installed on the lower side of the head regulating plate 15 and a pin 24 installed on the upper side of the head holding plate 14.

Further, a lever 26 is attached to the shaft 2 on the head regulating plate 15.
One end 26a of the lever 26 protrudes from a slit 28a formed in the outer case 28, and the other end 26b extends from a pin 29 implanted in the head holding plate 14. It touches the bottom surface.

Further, a release plate 30 is attached to the shaft 27 of the lever 26, which does not move with respect to the main body, on the side of the head regulating plate 15 opposite to the head holding plate 14 side.
This release plate 30 is rotatable in accordance with the rotation of the lever 26.

Further, a micro switch 31 is arranged below the lever 26, and when the end 26a of the lever 26 is pushed downward, the switch 31 is turned off. This switch 31 is inserted in series with the main power switch 1 and functions as a power switch for the recording section.

From the above, the head 13 is guided in movement by the vertical movement mechanism made of the above-mentioned blocks, etc.
The spring 25 applies a downward elastic force, but the pin 29 of the head holding plate 14
When the other end 26a of the lever 26 comes into contact with the upper corner _28a1 of the slit 28a as shown in FIG. The lowest position is determined, and this position is set to be slightly below the reference plane B described above.

Therefore, if the entire apparatus A is pressurized so that the lower end of the head 13 is flush with the reference surface B, the head 13 will be pressed against the reference surface B with a predetermined pressure.

Note that when one end 26a of the lever 26 is pushed downward and locked to the intermediate step _28a2 of the slit 28a, the head 13 is moved by the spring 25.
The micro switch 31 is turned off as described above.

On the other hand, 32 is a wide ink ribbon (thermal transfer ribbon), which is connected from the source reel 33 to the take-up reel 34.
The ribbon is suspended at the tip of the head 13 so that it can be wound up by a ribbon winding mechanism (ribbon winding mechanism). Original reel 33
is arranged substantially vertically above the running assist roller 9, and the take-up reel 34 is arranged substantially vertically above the running reference roller 7. The above-mentioned suspension of the ribbon 32 is carried out by applying appropriate tension to the ribbon holding rollers 35 to 39, and a ribbon feeding roller 40 is provided between the rollers 38 and 39 therein.

This ribbon feed roller 40 is the running reference roller 7.
The ribbon 32 is rotated by receiving the rotational force of the ribbon 32 through a plurality of gears 41, and constitutes a ribbon feeding mechanism together with the ribbon holding roller 42, which forces the ribbon 32 to move in accordance with the rotation of the running reference roller 7. Depending on the amount of travel of device A, an amount approximately equal to the amount of travel of device A is sent.

Note that the ribbon presser roller 42 is attached to the tip of a lever 44 that is pivotally supported by a presser roller support pin 43, and a spring 4 that is suspended from the pin 43.
5 provides a pressing force to the ribbon feed roller 40. The protruding portion 44a of the lever 44 is engaged with a release plate 30 that rotates with the rotation of the lever 26 described above.

Therefore, as described above, when one end 26a of the lever 26 is pushed downward and locked to the intermediate step _28a2 of the slit 28a, the lever 26
The rotation of 6 rotates the release plate 30, pushes the lever 26 upward against the spring 45, and releases the ribbon 3.
Release the pressure on 2. In this state, even if the running reference roller 7 rotates and the ribbon feed roller 40 rotates, the ribbon will not be forcibly fed.

The above-mentioned take-up reel 34 has a running auxiliary roller 9
The running auxiliary roller 9 is suspended by a square belt 46 suspended between the
The ribbon is wound in response to the rotational force of the ribbon, and due to consideration of the inner diameter, the ribbon is wound more than the feed amount by the ribbon feed roller 40.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the diameter of the travel assist roller 9 is D ₁ , the diameter of the pulley 51 coaxial with this roller 9 is d ₁ , and the inner cylinder 3 of the take-up reel 34 is
4a is D ₂ , and the outer diameter of the pulley 79 for the square belt 46 coaxial with this reel 34 is d ₂ , D ₂
The outer diameter D ₂ is set (initial value) to satisfy ≧D ₁ (d ₂ /d ₁ ). Therefore, the ribbon 32 is placed on the take-up reel 34.
As the ribbon is wound up, the outer diameter of the ribbon on the winding side gradually becomes larger than D ₂ , so the amount of ribbon winding increases for a constant amount of movement. As a result, winding is performed by an amount greater than the amount of movement.

Therefore, the used ribbon can be wound up without using any other parts, and there will be no inconvenience caused by unnecessary ribbon. Note that the take-up reel 34 can also be configured to be driven by the rotational force of the traveling reference roller 7.

On the other hand, a ribbon running direction regulating mechanism (reversal prevention mechanism) is provided to make the running direction of the ribbon 32 unidirectional. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the wheel 7 is coaxially fixed to the bottom (back plate 71) side of the take-up reel 34 and fixed to the reel 34.
2 is attached, and a reversal prevention wheel 74 is arranged between this wheel 72 and the upper plate 73, so that the wheel 74 is always pulled toward the narrow side. 75 is a lever that holds the shaft 74a of the wheel 74. This lever 75 has a pin 76 implanted in the back plate 71 in a guide hole 75a formed therein.
It is installed with it inserted. and,
This pin 76 and a pin 77 implanted in the lever 75
A spring 78 is suspended between the
The wheel 74 is pulled in this direction.

Therefore, when the device A moves in the Y direction, the travel assist roller 9 rotates in the direction of arrow b, and the square belt 46
The take-up reel 34 connected by rotates in the direction of arrow c, and at the same time the wheel 72 also rotates in the same direction. At this time, the reverse rotation prevention wheel 74 is moved by the arrow a
It rotates while receiving a force that pushes it in the opposite direction. However, when the wheel 72 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow c, the anti-reverse rotation wheel 74 moves in the direction of the arrow a, receives a force that draws it between the upper plate 73 and the wheel 72, and the upper plate 73
and the wheel 72 to stop the rotation of the wheel 72.

Note that this ribbon running direction regulating mechanism is constructed by separately fixing a ratchet wheel (not shown) coaxially with the shaft of the ribbon feed roller 40, and disposing a pawl (not shown) and a spring (not shown) on this ratchet wheel. It can also be configured by In addition to this, it is also possible to configure a set of a ratchet, pawl, and spring on the shaft of the gear 41, or on the reel shaft of the take-up reel 34, or on the shaft of the traveling reference roller 7, and further on those shafts. It can also be constructed by incorporating a one-way crack.

With this running direction regulating mechanism, even if the device A is run in the opposite direction (opposite direction to arrow Y), the ribbon will not be fed or wound in the opposite direction, and there is no risk of damage to the ribbon 32. do not have.
Note that this running direction regulating mechanism is connected to the running reference roller 7.
If it is also provided on the travel assist roller 9, unnecessary reverse running can be prevented from occurring.

Further, a brake mechanism is incorporated in the original reel 33 of the ribbon. As shown in FIG. 3, this brake mechanism consists of a cylindrical member 47 fixed to the shaft of the main reel 33 outside the region around which the ribbon is wound.
a presser spring 48 that performs a braking action by elastically rubbing against the cylindrical member 47; a spring holding member 49 that fixes the base of the presser spring 48; and a presser spring 48 that applies appropriate pressure to the cylindrical member 47. The spring regulating member 50 is brought into contact with the spring regulating member 50.

This brake mechanism prevents the main reel 33 from running out of control. To adjust the brake effect, in addition to changing the shape of the presser spring 48,
This can also be done by adhering different materials to the cylindrical member 47 and pressing this material into contact with the cylindrical member 47.

Furthermore, a square belt 52 is suspended between a pulley 51 on the axis of the travel reference roller 7 provided on the side closer to the reading section A1 and an encoder 53 serving as a movement detection mechanism, and the rotation of the travel reference roller 7 (travel amount and speed) are detected by the encoder 53.

The storage/control unit A3, as shown in FIG.
It is composed of a control section 54 equipped with a ROM containing a CPU, system programs, etc., and a storage section 55 consisting of a memory such as RAM or a small floppy disk for storing read image information. The stored image contents are stored in the storage section 55 via the control section 54, and the stored image contents are recorded from the recording section A2 via the control section 54. Note that this reading and recording is timed by a movement amount detection signal from the encoder 53.

Now, when the power switch 1 is turned on and the lever 26 is removed from the step _28a2 of the slit 28 and returned to the upper corner _28a1 , the head 13 descends under the tension of the spring 25 and moves together with the ribbon 32 to the reference position. It comes into contact with surface B under a predetermined pressure due to the spring 25. At this time, the microswitch 31 is also switched from off to on, and power is turned on to the recording section A2. Further, the release plate 30 rotates the lever 44 of the ribbon pressing roller 42 counterclockwise to press the ribbon pressing roller 42 against the ribbon feeding roller 54.

Therefore, one sub-scan (movement) in the arrow Y direction
Depending on the width of the ribbon 32 or the head 13
Recording can be performed by the width of the image, and as the width becomes larger, the number of scans can be reduced.

On the other hand, when the end 26a of the lever 26 is pushed and engaged with the stepped portion _28a1 of the slit 28, the head 13 rises and rises from the reference plane B.
3 and the ribbon 32 due to external force, the power of the recording section A2 is turned off, and the release plate 3
0 is the ribbon holding roller 42 and the ribbon feeding roller 4.
When the ribbon is moved away from 0, the ribbon feeding is also canceled.

That is, by checking the vertical position of the head 13, it is possible to check the power on/off status and the functional status of the ribbon feeding mechanism.

Note that when the head 13 is raised, the function of the feed roller 40 is stopped, and when the device A is run at this time, the take-up reel 34 rotates and a winding force is generated for the ribbon 32, but the original Ribbon feeding is regulated by the brake mechanism of the winding reel 33 and the resistance of the feeding system caused by the rollers 32 to 39.

FIG. 11 shows a functional flow for reading and recording operations of apparatus A. Control operations after the power is turned on are performed by the read/record switch 2, mode changeover switch 3, and start/stop switch 4.

Step 60 becomes YES by turning on the mode changeover switch 3. Step 61 is a step for deciding whether to decide or change the range (length and width) for reading or recording. By doing so, the answer is NO. 62 is a step for selecting one range from a plurality of predetermined ranges, and the start/stop switch 5
Determine by pressing the predetermined number of times.

63 is a step for selecting whether or not to enter the reading mode, and once the recording/reading switch 2 is pressed, the
YES. 64 is a step for determining the start of reading, 65 is a step for reading operation, 6
6 is a step for determining the end of reading (stop).

67 is a step for selecting whether or not to enter the recording mode, and by pressing the recording/reading switch 2 twice, YES is selected. 68 is a step for determining the start of recording, 69 is a step for recording operation, and 70 is a step for determining the end of recording (stop).

First, a reading operation is performed as follows.
Turn on the mode selector switch 3, and step 61 →
62 to determine the reading range, then proceed to steps 60, 61, and 63 to set the reading mode with the reading/record switch 2, and then turn on the start/stop switch 5 to start reading. be able to. When the device A is moved by hand, the travel reference roller 7 and the travel auxiliary roller 9 rotate, and this rotation is detected by the encoder 53 to detect the amount of movement of the device A. The image is changed in synchronization with this detection signal. Reading is performed through the reading window 6. The read image information is stored in the memory of the storage section A2, and the latest content is displayed on the monitor display section 4. Reading is completed by turning on start/stop switch 2 again.

Next, set the apparatus A on the recording paper, lower the head 13 using the lever 26, and then operate the mode changeover switch 3 and other parts to reach step 67, and then turn the read/record switch 2 on.
to select the recording mode, and select the head 13
position in place. When the start/stop switch 5 is turned on, the recording standby state is entered, and as the apparatus A moves in the direction of the arrow Y, the heating element of the head 13 is selectively turned on in accordance with the amount of movement detected by the encoder 53, as in the case of reading. The ribbon 32 on the front side is transferred to the recording paper by being driven by heat generation, and the image stored in the storage section A3 is recorded. Start after desired recording ends/
The recording operation is ended by turning on the stop switch 5. Finally, when the head 13 is retracted upward using the lever 26, the power is also turned off.

During the reading and recording operations described above, if RAM is used as the storage unit 54, it is not possible to store more than the capacity of the memory, so the contents must be recorded once, but a small 2-inch floppy disk is used. If you use a floppy disk, it has a large capacity of 800K bytes, so you can read continuously, and you can also exchange it with another floppy disk, so you can continue reading one after another.

Furthermore, since the encoder 53 is operated by the rotation of the traveling reference roller 7, even if the traveling auxiliary roller 9 comes off the surface to be read at the time of reading, reading is possible. Since a pseudo reading surface is formed by the running reference roller 7, if the surface to be read is aligned with this surface, it is possible to read the surface without causing any deviation in the surface to be read. Also,
The binding margin of a book or the like can also be read by pushing it apart with the protrusion A11.

FIG. 12 shows another embodiment. Components that perform the same functions as those in the above-described embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals with a dash (') appended to them. In this embodiment, the vertical movement of the head 13' is driven by a solenoid 81 so that the head 13' can be retracted.
The head 13' is connected to a lever 82 which is connected to one end 83a of another swinging lever 83.
is supported by. This swinging lever 83 has its central portion pivoted by a fixing pin 84, and the other end portion 83.
A portion near b is pivotally supported by a piston 85 of a lenoid 81, and an end portion 83b receives a downward tensile force from a spring 86.

In this embodiment, the solenoid 81 is in a de-energized state before the power is turned on, so the head 13'
is retracted upward by the tensile force of the spring 86 and is housed inside (the state shown in Fig. 12), but when the power is turned on, the solenoid 81 is energized and the piston 85 is attracted, and the head 13' is It protrudes downward from the recording window 8' and becomes ready for recording. (shown in phantom).

Although each of the above embodiments is concerned only with evacuation and storage of the recording head, it is also possible to cover the recording windows 8 and 8' with a cover after the recording head is stored. protection becomes more effective.

FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show an example that can be covered in this way. Here, the example head 13' shown in FIG. 12 is used.
A block 87 is fixed to the back of the upper part of the head 13', and the lower surface of the back side is a slope 87a. 8
8 is a lid for closing the recording window 8', and the bottom plate 8
9 is guided in movement in the direction of mark d by guide plates 90, 90'. Rising pieces 88a and 88b are formed on both sides of the back of the lid 88, and are pulled toward the back by springs 91 and 91'. Reference numeral 92 denotes a drive plate, which is rotatable around a fixed shaft 93, and has both arms 92a, 9.
2b is in contact with the back surface of the rising pieces 88a and 88b.

In this embodiment, when the head 13' is in the state shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the driving plate 92 receives rotational force from the springs 91 and 91', and its upper end is in contact with the block 87. When the head 13' moves downward from this state, the slope 87a of the block 87 moves the upper end of the drive plate 92 toward the back (13th
rightward in the figure) and push the arm 92 of the drive plate 92.
a, 92b with the rising pieces 88a, 88b in front, the lid 88 is moved away from the window 8', and the window 8' is exposed. When the head 13' is completely lowered, the lid 88 completely opens the window 8'.

On the other hand, when the head 13' rises, the drive plate 92
Since the lid 8 no longer receives pressure from the block 87, the lid 8
8 is moved back by the tensile force of springs 91, 91', and closes the window 8'.

The slope of the slope 87a of the block 87 is
It is determined by considering the amount of downward movement of the recording window 8' and the opening amount of the recording window 8'. That is, the lid 88 and the head 1
3' is determined not to touch.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the recording head is stored inside the device and is protected by a cover when stored, so that by storing the recording head when not in use, damage caused by external force to the recording head can be prevented. In addition, if a ribbon is used, the ribbon can be protected.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a simple copying device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the device, FIG. 3 is a side view of the inside of the device, and FIG.
The figure shows the head regulating plate inside the device.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a locking diagram of a lever that moves the head, FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a head holding plate and a head regulating plate, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a mechanism for winding the ribbon beyond the amount of movement. FIG. 8 is a side view showing a portion of the ribbon running direction regulating mechanism, FIG. 9 is a view of the ribbon running direction regulating mechanism in FIG. 8 viewed from below, and
0 is a diagram showing the overall functional block, FIG. 11 is an overall functional flowchart, FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view of a simple copying apparatus according to another embodiment, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the first
FIG. 2 is a side view showing the mechanism for opening the window below the head, and FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the same mechanism. [Explanation of symbols], 1... Main power switch, 2
...Reading/recording switch, 3...Mode changeover switch, 4...Monitor display section, 5...Start/stop switch, 6...Reading window, 7...Travel reference roller, 8...Record window, 9...Travel assist roller, 10... Illumination light source, 11...reading sensor, 12...lens, 13
...Thermal head, 14...Head holding plate, 15...
Head regulating plate, 16, 17...block, 18...
Axis, 19...Block, 20...Block, 21...
Shaft, 22...Block, 23, 24...Pin, 25...
Tension spring, 26... Lever, 27... Shaft, 28
...Case plate, 29...Pin, 30...Release plate, 31...
Micro switch, 32... Ink ribbon, 33...
Source reel, 34... Take-up reel, 35-39... Ribbon holding roller, 40... Ribbon feeding roller, 41
...Gear, 42...Ribbon press roller, 43...Roller holding shaft, 44...Lever, 45...Spring, 46
... Square belt, 47 ... Cylindrical member, 48 ... Presser spring,
49... Spring holding member, 50... Spring regulating member, 51
...Pulley, 52...Square belt, 53...Encoder,
54...Control unit, 55...Storage unit, 71...Back plate, 72
...Wheel, 73...Top plate, 74...Reverse rotation prevention wheel, 75...Lever, 76, 77...Pin, 78...
Spring, 81... Solenoid, 82, 83... Lever, 84... Fixing pin, 85... Piston, 86
...Spring, 87...Block, 88...Lid, 89
...Bottom plate, 90, 90'...Guide plate, 91, 91'...
Spring, 92... Drive plate, 93... Fixed shaft.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a mobile recording device that records images and characters by moving the entire recording head in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the recording head, the recording head is stored inside the device from a recording position. What is claimed is: 1. A mobile recording device having a structure in which a stored recording head is protected by a cover. 2. The mobile recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover operation is linked to movement of the head.