JPH06297806A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase a pressing force of a pressing mechaism, raise a printing speed, and easily load and unload a printing head even if a pressing force is increased to raise a working efficiency. CONSTITUTION:A title printer comprises a transport mechanism 2 for transporting a card C; a recording head 5 provided retractably from a platen 4 on a transport path and pressed on the platen 4 for recording information on the card C; a pressing mechanism 40 pressing the precording head 5 forward on the platen 4; and a drive mechanism 50 retracting the recording head 5 against the pressing force of the pressing mechanism 40 at the time of non- recording. The recording head 5 is held in a holder 30. A support body 34 supports the holder 30 detachably and retractably. The pressing mechanism 40 is composed by providing a presser roller 41 that can rotatively move between a pressing position A where it presses the top surface of the holder 30 and a separating position B where it is separated from the top surface of the holder 30; a shaft 42 supporting the presser roller 41 by bearings; and a spring 43 constantly pressing the shaft 42 in the forward direction of the holder 30.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer that conveys paper sheets and records information, and more particularly to a printer that presses a recording head against a platen during recording and retracts the recording head during non-recording. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a printer of this type, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, there is a printer for reading and recording information on a card C as a paper sheet. This card C can record information such as a Carla code,
For example, including prepaid cards that have become popular recently, point cards, media cards, gift cards, ID cards, program cards, ROM cards,
It can be used as a record card for vending machines.

Conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, this printer has a card C inserted from an entrance / exit 1 of the card C.
A transport mechanism 2 including a set of transport rollers for reciprocating
A read head 3 for reading the information displayed on the card C,
The platen 4 on the transport path downstream of the read head 3
A recording head 5 which is provided so as to be capable of advancing and retracting and which is pressed to record information on the card C; an urging mechanism 6 which urges the recording head 5 in the advancing direction and presses it against the platen 4; And a drive mechanism 7 for retracting the recording head against the urging force of the urging mechanism 6 during recording.

The drive mechanism 7 is provided with a link 10 that swings about a fulcrum 7b by an input to the force point 7a and moves the recording head 5 fixed at the action point 7c forward and backward with respect to the platen 4. Then, the recording head 5 is fixed to the holder 8, and the holder 8 is fixed to the working point of the link 10 by the screw 9
It is fixed to the link 10 by stopping with. In the drive mechanism 7, reference numeral 15 is an eccentric cam which is driven to rotate by the geared motor 16 and contacts the force point 7a of the link 10 to input the force to the force point 7a.

The urging mechanism 6 presses the link 10 to urge the recording head 5 toward the platen 4 by a spring 12.
The spring 12 is attached to a spring pressing member 13 that rotates about the fulcrum 7b. The spring pressing member 13 is releasably pressed by the pin 14 of the machine frame 11 at its tip.

When the card C is processed, the card C inserted from the entrance / exit 1 is carried by the carrying mechanism 2, first the information is read from the card C by the reading head 3, and then by the recording head 5. Record the information,
When the recording is completed, it is conveyed in the opposite direction by the conveying mechanism 2 and discharged from the inlet / outlet 1. in this case,
At the time of recording, the recording head 5 is pressed by the platen 4 by the urging force of the spring 12 of the urging mechanism 6 for recording, and at the time of non-recording, the link 10 is urged by the eccentric cam 15 of the drive mechanism 7 so that the link 12 is urged by the spring 12. The recording head 5 is rotated against the force, and the recording head 5 is retracted to allow the card C to be conveyed.

When the recording head 5 is detached and mounted when a jam occurs or the recording head is replaced, the machine frame 1
The pin 14 of No. 1 is moved to release the retainer of the spring retainer member 13, and then the screw 9 is loosened to attach the holder 8 to the link 10
After the recording head 5 is replaced and the recording head 5 is replaced, the screw 9 is tightened again to attach the holder 8 to the link 10, and then the spring pressing member 13 is rotated to press the spring 12 against the link 10 14 is moved so as to press the spring pressing member 13.

[0008]

In the printer described above, the screw 9 of the holder 8 must be loosened or tightened when the recording head 5 is attached or detached, so that the work can be done easily. There was a problem that it became complicated. Further, at this time, when removing the spring pressing member 13, the spring 12 jumps up,
When the spring pressing member 13 is pressed by the pin 14, the spring 12 must be pressed,
Also in this respect, there is a problem that the work is difficult and complicated.

Further, when the spring pressure is increased to increase the printing speed and the pressing force of the recording head 5 is increased to increase the printing density, there is the problem of the spring 12 jumping up and pressing. However, there is a problem that there is a limit in increasing the spring force and increasing the biasing force of the biasing mechanism 6.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to make it possible to increase the urging force of the urging mechanism, to increase the printing speed, and to increase the urging force. Even if the number of print heads is increased, it is possible to easily attach and detach the print head to improve work efficiency.

[0011]

The technical means of the present invention for solving such a problem is a transport mechanism for transporting paper sheets, and a platen provided so as to be movable back and forth with respect to the platen on the transport path. A recording head that is pressed to record information on paper sheets, an urging mechanism that urges the recording head in the advancing direction and presses it against the platen, and a recording head that resists the urging force of the urging mechanism when not recording. In a printer provided with a drive mechanism for retreating, a support for holding the recording head in a holder and supporting the holder in an insertable / retractable and retractable manner is provided, and the urging mechanism is provided with a pressing position for pressing the upper surface of the holder. And a pressing roller that can roll and move to two positions separated from the upper surface of the holder, a shaft that pivotally supports the pressing roller,
The shaft is provided with a spring that constantly biases the shaft in the advancing direction of the holder.

If necessary, a groove with which the roller of the biasing mechanism is engaged is formed on the upper surface of the holder.

Further, a stopper wall is provided on the support body so as to be close to the upper surface of the holder and to press the pressing roller at the separated position of the pressing roller to restrict the movement toward the pressing position side, and the pressing roller is provided on the upper surface of the stopper wall. A guide groove for guiding is formed.

[0014]

According to the printer having such a structure, when the recording head is detached and mounted, first, the pressing roller of the urging mechanism is moved from the pressing position to the separating position. In this case, since the pressing roller rolls, it moves easily even if the spring force is strong. Next, the holder is pulled out. In this case, you only have to remove the holder,
Easily removed. After that, the recording head of the removed holder is replaced, and then the holder is inserted into the support body. In this case as well, it is only necessary to insert the holder, so that the holder is easily mounted. Then, the pressing roller of the biasing mechanism is moved from the separated position to the pressing position. In this case as well, since the pressing roller rolls, it moves easily even if the spring force is strong.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The printer according to this embodiment reads and records information on the card C as a paper sheet, as described above. The same components as those described above will be designated by the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, in the printer according to the embodiment, reference numeral 2 denotes a transport mechanism for reciprocally transporting the card C inserted from the inlet / outlet 1 of the card C. A plurality of sets of the transport rollers 17 are arranged in the machine frame 11. The machine frame 11 is divided into two parts so that the upper and lower conveying rollers 17 are divided into upper and lower parts, respectively.
1 is a shaft 1 at one end that can be tilted with respect to the lower machine casing 11.
It is supported by 8. Reference numeral 20 denotes a lock device that releasably locks both machine casings 11 when the upper and lower machine casings 11 are joined to each other. A hook 22 rotatably provided on the other end of the upper machine casing 11 by operating a lever 21. The pin 23 is provided at the other end of the lower machine casing 11 and is engaged with the hook 22. Reference numeral 19 in FIG. 5 is a control unit for performing various controls such as information processing regarding the card.

The card 3 is provided downstream of the entrance / exit 1 and has a card C.
It is a read head for reading the information displayed on. A recording head 5 is a thermal head which is provided downstream of the reading head 3 so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the platen 4 on the conveyance path and which records information on the card C when it advances. The recording head 5 is held by a holder 30. Holder 3
As shown in FIG. 3, 0 is provided with a mounting block 31 to which the recording head 5 is fixed, and a pair of rods 33 suspended from extended portions 32 extending left and right above the mounting block 31. There is. Reference numeral 34 denotes a support body which is installed on the machine frame 11 and supports the holder 30 so that the holder 30 can be inserted and removed and can be moved back and forth by linear movement. This support 34 is the same as the rod 3 of the holder 30.
3 has a pair of insertion holes 35 through which the rod 33 is slidably inserted and which guides the rod 33.

Reference numeral 40 denotes an urging mechanism for constantly urging the holder 30 in the advancing direction on the platen 4 side so that the recording head 5 is pressed against the platen 4. This biasing mechanism 40
A pair of presser rollers 41 that are rollable and movable to two positions, a presser position A that presses the upper surface of the holder 30 of the recording head 5 and a spaced position B that is separated from the upper surface of the holder 30, and the presser roller 41 are pivotally supported. Shaft 42 and this shaft 42
And a pair of coil springs 43 that are provided between the both ends of the machine frame 11 and the machine frame 11 and constantly bias the holder 30 in the advancing direction on the platen 4 side.

Further, a V groove 36 with which the pressing roller 41 is engaged is formed on the upper surface of the mounting block 31. Furthermore,
The support body 34 is provided with a stopper wall 38 which is close to the upper surface of the holder 30 and restricts the movement of the pressing roller 41 toward the pressing position side A by pressing the pressing roller 41 on the back surface thereof at the separated position B. An inclined guide groove 39 that guides the pressing roller 41 is formed on the upper surface of the stopper wall 38.

Reference numeral 50 is a drive mechanism for retracting the recording head 5 against the urging force of the urging mechanism 40 during non-recording. The driving mechanism 50 swings around a fulcrum 53 by an input to a force point 54, and at a point of action 52, a link 51 that moves the recording head 5 forward and backward with respect to the platen 4 via the holder 30.
have. The link 51 positions an action point 52, a fulcrum 53, and a force point 54 in order from the position of the read head 3. The action point 52 side of the link 51 is on the holder 3 side.
The support roller 37 provided on the side of the mounting block 31 of the holder 30 passes through the underside of the support body 34 of 0, and one end of the link 51 as an action point 52 is formed in a fork shape.
I support you. 53a is installed on the machine frame 11 and is a link 5
It is a fulcrum shaft which constitutes a fulcrum 53 provided in the middle of 1. The force point 54 is the roller body 5 provided at the other end of the link 51.
4a.

In the drive mechanism 50, reference numeral 55 is an eccentric cam which is rotationally driven by the geared motor 56 via the transmission gear train 57 and the shaft 58 and contacts the force point 54 of the link 51 for input. That is, at the time of recording, the recording head 5 is advanced to the platen 4 via the holder 30 by the urging force of the coil spring 43 to perform recording, and at the time of non-recording,
By pressing the eccentric cam 55 against the force point 54 of the link 51,
The link 51 is rotated against the urging force of the coil spring 43, so that the recording head 5 passes through the holder 30.
The card C is moved backward so that the card C can be conveyed.

Therefore, according to the printer of this embodiment, when the recording head 5 is detached and mounted when a jam occurs or the recording head is replaced, as shown in FIGS. The pressing roller 41 of the biasing mechanism 40 is pressed to the pressing position A.
To the separated position B. In this case, the pressing roller 41
Is removed from the V groove 36 and the upper surface of the holder 30 and the support member 34.
Rolls on the upper surface of the support member 34, reaches the rear surface of the stopper wall 38 of the support member 34, and is restricted from moving toward the holding position A, and then stops.
Since the pressing roller 41 rolls, it can be easily moved even if the spring force is strong, so that the work can be easily performed. Moreover, since the inclined guide groove 39 that guides the pressing roller 41 is formed on the upper surface of the stopper wall 38, the pressing roller 41 can easily get over the stopper wall 38. 41 can be moved, and the work is easily performed. Further, even if the spring force is strong, the pressing roller 41 can be easily moved.
The printing pressure can be increased by increasing the pressing force of to increase the printing density.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, the holder 3
Remove 0. In this case, since the rod 33 of the holder 30 slides out of the insertion hole 35 of the support body 34 and comes out, the rod 33 can be easily removed and the work is facilitated.
Then, after exchanging the recording head 5 of the removed holder 30, the holder 30 is inserted into the support body 34. In this case, the rod 33 of the holder 30 is slid through the insertion hole 35 and inserted, so that the holder 30 is easily mounted. It is possible to do the work easily.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 4 (c) and (a),
The pressing roller 41 of the holder urging mechanism 40 is moved from the separated position B to the pressing position A. In this case, the pressing roller 41 rolls on the upper surface of the support body 34 and the upper surface of the holder 30 and reaches the V groove 36 of the holder 30 and stops. However, since the pressing roller 41 rolls, even if the spring force is strong. , Can be easily moved, so that the work is easily performed. And
When the presser roller 41 is located at the presser position A, the movement of the presser roller 41 is restricted by the V groove 36, so that the recording head 5 does not wobble and the recording head 5 passes through the holder 30.
Press.

Next, when the card C is processed by the printer according to this embodiment, the card C is inserted from the entrance / exit 1. The inserted card C is transported by the transport mechanism 2, and first, the information of the card C is read by the reading head 3. Next, the recording head 5 is conveyed to the recording head 5 and necessary information is recorded by the recording head 5.

At the time of this recording, the recording head 5 advances toward the platen 4 via the holder 30 and is pressed by the urging force of the coil spring 43 of the urging mechanism 40. In this case, since the recording head 5 is pressed against the platen 4 by the linear movement of the holder 30, the recording head 5 can be pressed in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the platen 4 and no component force is generated in the other direction. Therefore, the card C is satisfactorily hit and the printing conditions are good, so that the printing quality such as the density is good.

When the recording by the recording head 5 is completed, the eccentric cam 55 of the drive mechanism 50 presses the force point 54 of the link 51, and this pressing causes the link 51 to resist the urging force of the coil spring 43 of the urging mechanism 40. The recording head 5 is retracted via the holder 30. Then, the card C is transported in the opposite direction by the transport mechanism 2 and discharged from the inlet / outlet 1.

In this case, the link 51 is the read head 3
Since the action point 52, the fulcrum 53, and the force point 54 are located in order from the position of, and the recording head 5 is provided close to the reading head 3, the distance between the reading head 3 and the recording head 5 is correspondingly increased. Since L is short, the reciprocating distance of the card C is short, the transport time is short accordingly, and high-speed processing is performed.

In the above embodiment, the recording head 5
Is a thermal head, but is not necessarily limited to this and may be another type of head.
Further, although the present invention is applied to the printer provided with the read head 3 in the above embodiment, it is needless to say that the present invention may be applied to a printer not provided with the read head 3.

[0030]

As described above, according to the printer of the present invention, when the recording head is replaced, the pressing roller of the urging mechanism is rolled and moved between the pressing position and the separated position. Even if the spring force is strong, it can be moved easily, and since the holder can be inserted into and removed from the support, it can be attached and detached with one touch. Therefore, the work of attaching and detaching the recording head can be performed easily. The work efficiency has improved significantly.

Further, even if the spring force is strong, the pressing roller of the urging mechanism can be easily moved, so that the spring pressure can be increased and the head pressing force can be increased to darken the printing. You can speed up,
There is an effect that the performance can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of a printer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation of the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of an external appearance of a printer to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing an example of a conventional printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 C card 1 entrance / exit 2 transport mechanism 3 reading head 4 platen 5 recording head 11 machine frame 20 locking device 30 holder 33 rod 34 support 35 insertion hole 36 V groove 38 stopper wall 39 guide groove 40 biasing mechanism 41 presser roller 42 shaft 43 coil spring 50 drive mechanism 51 link

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display location B41J 3/44 25/304 B41J 25/30 U

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A transport mechanism for transporting paper sheets, a recording head for advancing and retracting with respect to a platen on a transport path, which is pressed by the platen to record information on the paper sheets, and a recording head in the advancing direction. In a printer equipped with a biasing mechanism that biases and presses against the platen, and a drive mechanism that retracts the recording head against the biasing force of the biasing mechanism during non-recording, hold the recording head in a holder, A supporting body that supports the holder so that the holder can be inserted and removed and can be moved back and forth is provided, and the pressing mechanism that can be moved by rolling the pressing mechanism into two positions, a pressing position for pressing the upper surface of the holder and a separating position for separating from the upper surface of the holder. A printer comprising: a roller; a shaft that axially supports the pressing roller; and a spring that constantly biases the shaft in the holder advancing direction. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein a groove on which the roller of the biasing mechanism is engaged is formed on the upper surface of the holder. 3. A stopper wall is provided on the support body so as to be close to the upper surface of the holder and press the pressing roller at a separated position of the pressing roller to restrict movement to the pressing position side, and guide the pressing roller to the upper surface of the stopper wall. 3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein a guide groove is formed.