JPH088834Y2 - Small printing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to a compact printer.

[Conventional technology]

Recently, a handy type small-sized printing apparatus has been developed in which the apparatus itself is scanned and moved along the surface of the recording paper to print on the recording paper.

This compact printing device has a print head at the lower end of the device body that is large enough to be held by hand. The mode changeover switch provided on the device body is operated to set the printing device to the print mode. In this state, the printing device is held in a standing state and placed on an external recording paper, and when the printing device is operated and moved along the recording paper surface while the print head is in contact with the recording paper, the printing device As the operation is moved, the print information stored in the memory of the apparatus main body is sequentially read, and the print head is driven according to the print information to print on the recording paper.

That is, the above-mentioned small-sized printing apparatus prints on a recording paper by scanning and moving the apparatus itself. Although this small-sized printing apparatus has a small print width, it is different from an ordinary printing apparatus using a platen. It can be printed on thick recording paper, and is small and lightweight, making it convenient to carry.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

By the way, in the above-mentioned small-sized printing apparatus, the tip of the print head is projected from the lower surface of the apparatus main body in order to ensure that the print head contacts the recording paper at the time of printing. If it is protruding, even if printing is not performed, the print head contacts the paper surface and slides on the paper surface when the printing device is placed on the paper surface and moved in the same way as when printing. However, there is a problem in that the print head is worn out other than during printing. In addition, when moving the printing device on the paper surface other than during printing, in order to grasp the printing position on the recording paper in advance, it is necessary to try scanning the printing device on the recording paper before printing. , Scanning movement during reading in a copying machine type small printing device that reads a document and prints the read information on recording paper (when reading a document, the printing device is moved along the document surface in the same manner as during printing) It is done by
In particular, the copying machine type small-sized printing apparatus described above has a problem that the life of the printing head is greatly shortened due to wear of the printing head during reading because the original is frequently read. There is.

This invention was made in consideration of the above situation, and its purpose is to prevent the print head from coming into contact with the paper even when the printer is placed on the paper except when printing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a small-sized printing device capable of preventing abrasion of the print head when the printing device is placed on the paper surface and moved other than during printing.

[Means for solving problems]

The compact printing device of the present invention has a mode change switch for switching between a print mode and a mode other than the print mode, a print head provided at the lower end of the main body of the device for printing on a recording sheet, and the print head interposed therebetween. A first and second paper-contacting roller that are provided in front of and in the rear of the moving direction of the apparatus main body, support the apparatus main body in contact with the recording paper, and rotate with the scanning movement of the apparatus main body; The device main body is provided so as to be vertically movable in association with the operation of the mode changeover switch.
And one of the second paper contacting rollers, the one of the paper contacting rollers supporting the one paper contacting roller when the mode changeover switch is switched to the print mode. Together with the paper contacting roller of (1) to a position in contact with the recording paper, and when one of the mode changeover switches is switched to a mode other than the print mode, one of the paper contacting rollers is lowered below the tip of the print head. And an elevating member that separates the print head from the recording paper.

[Action]

That is, in the small-sized printing apparatus of the present invention, the paper-contact roller supporting the main body of the apparatus in contact with the paper surface is moved up and down in conjunction with the mode-switching switch, so that the mode-switching switch is switched to the print-mode and the printing is performed. When performing, the paper contact roller is moved up to a position in contact with the paper surface together with the print head to bring the print head into contact with the paper surface, and the paper contact roller is moved to the position other than during printing, that is, when the mode selector switch is switched to another position. By lowering it below the tip level, the paper contact roller supports the main body of the apparatus in a state where the print head is separated from the paper surface. Even if the printer is placed on the paper surface and moved, the print head does not come into contact with the paper surface, so prevent wear of the print head. It can be. In addition, this small-sized printing apparatus is provided with first and second paper-contacting rollers that contact the recording paper and support the apparatus main body, in front of and behind the moving direction of the apparatus main body with the print head interposed therebetween. Therefore, even if the pressing force of the device main body against the recording paper changes during printing, the contact pressure of the print head on the recording paper hardly changes.Therefore, hold the device main body by hand to scan and move the recording. Even though it is printed on paper, there is no unevenness in the print density. Further, in this small size printing apparatus, the posture of the apparatus main body when the first and second paper contact rollers are brought into contact with the recording paper is such that one of the paper contact rollers is raised and the other one is in contact with the recording paper. Since the state is different from the state in which the paper roller is lowered, it is possible to confirm the mode switching state from the posture of the apparatus main body when the printing apparatus is placed on the recording sheet.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings with respect to a compact copying machine type printing apparatus for reading a document and printing the read information on a recording sheet.

The small-sized printing apparatus of this embodiment has an appearance as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and 1 in the drawing is an apparatus body of a vertically long box-like size that can be held by a hand. An operation start switch 2 is provided at the center of the front surface of the apparatus main body 1, and an enlarged print designation key 3, a reset / clear key 4 and a reading width designation switch 5 are provided on the upper end side and the lower end side. On the back of the device body 1, a mode changeover switch 6 also serving as a power switch, a power-on display LED (light emitting diode) 7a, and a memory remaining amount display that lights up when the memory remaining amount is below a predetermined amount. LED7b and a speed warning that lights up when the printer is moving too fast
LED7c is provided. Further, a print density adjusting knob 8 is provided on one side surface of the apparatus body 1.

The structure of this small-sized printing apparatus will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, this small-sized printing apparatus comprises a front case block A and a rear case block B which form the apparatus main body 1.
And a chassis block C provided in the apparatus body 1.

The front case block A will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the front case block A has an operation start switch 2 and an enlarged print on the front surface of the front case 1a that constitutes the front side of the apparatus main body 1. A designation key 3, a reset / clear key 4 and a reading width designation switch 5 are provided, and a print density adjusting knob 8 is provided on one side surface of the front case 1a. The operation start switch 2 is composed of a large area switch button 2a provided on the surface of the front case 1a, and a switch board 2b mounted on the inner surface of the front case 1a so as to face the central portion of the switch button 2a. The switch button 2a is press-fitted into an opening provided in the front case 1a, and is pressed to the front surface side of the case by a rubber member 9 provided between the rear surface of the switch button 2a and the switch substrate 2b. The operation start switch 2 is turned on by pressing the switch button 2a. When the switch button 2a is pressed, the switch button 2a is pressed while elastically deforming the rubber member 9, and the center of the rear surface of the switch button 2a is pressed. Movable contact 10 formed on the part
The a starts contact with the fixed contact 10b on the surface of the switch substrate 2b to turn on the operation start switch 2. Also, the enlarged print designation key 3 and the reset / clear key 4 are used for the front case.
It is composed of key buttons 3a, 4a fitted so as to be able to be pushed into 1a, and a key contact board 11 attached to the inner surface of the front case 1a so as to oppose both the key buttons 3a, 4a.
4 is turned on by pressing the key buttons 3a, 4a to bring them into contact with the key contact board 11. On the other hand, the reading width designation switch 5 is a slide switch. The reading width designating switch 5 includes a slide operation knob 5a provided on the surface of the front case 1a so as to be slidable in the lateral direction, and a switch board mounted on the inner surface of the front case 1a so as to face the slide area of the operation knob 5a. 5b, the switch board 5b surface is formed with a large number of fixed contacts along the sliding direction of the operation knob 5a, the operation knob 5a slides the switch board 5b surface to the fixed contacts A movable contact is formed so as to selectively contact the movable contact. Further, in FIGS. 1 and 5, reference numeral 12 is a control unit provided in the front case 1a. The control unit 12 is configured by mounting a plurality of LSI chips 13 on a circuit board 12a, and the switch boards 2b and 5b and the key contact board 11 are connected to the control circuit unit 12 by lead wires (not shown). Although not shown, a print density adjusting knob having the print density adjusting knob 8 is attached to the circuit board 12a.
One side portion of the front case 1a is projected to the side surface of the front case 1a.
Further, 14a is a first main paper-contacting roller which is provided on one side of the lower end of the front case 1a so as to be in close proximity thereto. The first main paper-contact roller 14a is brought into scanning contact with the paper surface (original surface or recording paper surface) to scan and move the printing device along the paper surface (original surface or recording paper surface) to read the original or print on the recording paper. This first main paper contact roller 14
The a is rotatably supported by the front case 1a with its lower portion slightly protruding below the front case 1a.
Further, at the lower end of the front case 1a, a horizontal projecting plate 15 is formed to project inward.On the projecting plate 15, a horizontally long LDE array 16 that illuminates the document surface and a printing device are used as a document or an external recording device. A paper surface detection switch 17 for detecting this when placed on paper is provided. The paper surface detection switch 17 is a micro switch having an operation pin 17a. The operating pin 17a is normally pressed by a spring force so as to project below the front case 1a, and is pushed up by coming into contact with the paper surface when the printing apparatus is placed on a document or an external recording paper. The paper surface detection switch 17 is turned on by pushing up the operation pin 17a.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the rear case block 8 includes a mode changeover switch 6 which also functions as a power switch in the rear case 1b which constitutes the rear side of the apparatus body 1.
And LEDs 7a, 7b, and 7c for power-on display, memory remaining amount display, and speed warning. The mode changeover switch 6 is a slide switch. The mode changeover switch 6 includes a slide operation knob 6a provided on the surface of the rear case 1b so as to be slidable in the lateral direction, and a switch board 6b mounted inside the wall thickness of the rear case 1b so as to face the operation knob 6a. The switch board 6b has a plurality of fixed contacts formed along the sliding direction of the operation knob 6a, and the operation knob 6a has a switch board.
A movable contact is formed that slides on the surface 6b and contacts each of the fixed contacts. This operation knob 6a is set to P shown in FIG.
It is slid to a position (print mode switching position), R position (reading mode switching position), OFF position, and E position (ejection position of ink tape cassette 70).
The mode selector switch 6 is in a state where the power is off when the operation knob 6a is in the OFF position, and when the operation knob 6a is slid to the print mode switching position P or the reading mode switching position R, the power is turned on. When turned on, the printer is switched to print mode or read mode. The switch board 6b of the mode switch 6 is connected to the control unit 12 of the front case block A by a lead wire (not shown).

Further, in FIGS. 1 and 5, reference numeral 18 is an auxiliary roller unit provided at the lower end of the rear case block B. The auxiliary roller unit 18 rolls up and down with respect to the paper surface of the elevating plate 19 provided in the rear case 1b so as to be vertically slidable when the printing apparatus is scanned and moved along the paper surface, and the auxiliary roller unit 18 and the main paper contact roller 14a are provided together. With a pair of left and right auxiliary paper contact rollers 18a, 18b supporting the main body 1,
The auxiliary paper contacting rollers 18a, 18b are attached to a horizontal roller shaft 20 having both ends supported on both sides of a lift plate 19.
The auxiliary roller unit 18 is adapted to be moved up and down in conjunction with the sliding operation of the operation knob 6a of the mode changeover switch 6. That is, in FIG. 5, reference numeral 21 denotes a pair of left and right cam grooves formed on the elevating plate 19, and each of the cam grooves 21 has a lower horizontal groove portion 21a and an upper horizontal groove portion 21a having a height difference on both ends thereof. 21b is formed, an inclined groove portion 21c that connects the horizontal groove portions 21a and 21b is formed in the central portion, and a vertical groove portion 21d that rises upward is formed at the end of the upper horizontal groove portion 21b. A pair of cam groove engaging pins 22 fixed to the operation knob 6a are slidably engaged with the respective cam grooves 21. The cam groove engaging pin 22 slides in the cam groove 21 by the sliding movement of the operation knob 6a. The cam groove engaging pin 22 is such that the operation knob 6a of the mode changeover switch 6 is at the print mode switching position. When it is in P, it is located in the lower horizontal groove portion 21a of the cam groove 21, and when the operation knob 6a is moved to the reading mode switching position R, it is in the inclined groove portion.
When moving the operating knob 6a to the OFF position while lowering the elevating plate 19 through 21c and moving the operation knob 6a to the OFF position, it moves to the middle of the upper horizontal groove portion 21b and further moves the operation knob 6a. When it is moved to the eject position E, it moves to the end of the upper horizontal groove 21b, that is, below the vertical groove 21d. That is, the auxiliary roller unit 1
8 is raised when the mode changeover switch 6 is changed over to the print mode changeover position P, and is lowered when the mode changeover switch 6 is changed over to the read mode changeover position R. In the mode, the lower ends of the auxiliary paper-contact rollers 18a, 18b are located below the rear case 1b at a position where they are projected to substantially the same level as the lower end of the first main paper-contact roller 14a. It comes to a position where it projects below the first main paper-contact roller 14a. Although the auxiliary roller unit 18 is at the same level as in the reading mode when the mode selector switch 6 is switched to the OFF position and the eject position E, the eject position E
, The cam groove engagement pin 22 will move the vertical groove part of the cam groove 21.
Since it comes to a state where it comes down to 21d and can enter this vertical groove portion 21d, in this state, the auxiliary roller unit 18 can be further lowered. At this time, the auxiliary roller unit 18 is pulled down and returned to its original position manually.

Next, the chassis block C will be described. The chassis block C is housed in the main body 1 of the apparatus that is configured by combining the front case block A and the rear case block B. The chassis block C has the following configuration. That is, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, reference numeral 23 denotes a chassis vertically installed in the apparatus main body 1 along one side surface thereof. The paper roller 14b is rotatably supported. The second main paper-contact roller 14b is the first main paper-contact roller provided in the front case block A.
14a, and the second main paper-contact roller 14b is the first
It is provided at the same level as the main paper-contacting roller 14a, and the apparatus body 1 has four contacting rollers, namely, the two main paper-contacting rollers 14a and 14b and the two auxiliary paper-contacting rollers 18a and 18b of the rear case block B. The original or recording paper is brought into contact with the paper via a paper roller and is scanned and moved on the paper surface. Reference numeral 24 denotes a scanning movement amount detecting main encoder unit provided on the outer surface of the lower end side of the chassis 23. The main encoder unit 24 detects the amount of scanning movement of the apparatus main body 1 by the rotation of the second main paper-contact roller 14b. The main encoder unit 24 is rotatable on a support shaft 25 fixed to the chassis 23. It comprises a rotating disk 26 supported by a shaft and a rotation amount detector 27 for detecting the rotation amount of the rotating disk 26.
Is provided with a large number of slits 26a at a constant interval on the outer circumference thereof. In addition, the rotation amount detector 27
Is a U-shape that holds the outer peripheral portion of the rotating disk 26 from both sides thereof. The rotation amount detector 27 includes a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode and a light receiving element such as a phototransistor (both not shown). Are provided so as to face each other with the rotating disk 26 sandwiched therebetween. This rotation amount detector 27 is a chassis
It is fixed at 23. The rotary disc 26 is rotated by the rotation of the second main paper-contact roller 14b via the rotation transmission belt 28. The rotation transmission belt 28 is rotated by the second main paper-contact roller 14b.
pulleys 29a, 2 that rotate integrally with b and the rotating disk 26, respectively.
It is wrapped around 9b. That is, the main encoder unit 24 detects the amount of rotation of the rotary disk 26 rotated by the rotation of the second main paper-contact roller 14b, that is, the amount of scanning movement of the apparatus body 1 by the rotation amount detector 27. The quantity detector 27 outputs a pulse signal when the light from the light emitting element passes through the slit 26a of the rotating disk 26 and is received by the light receiving element. Reference numeral 30 is a print head unit attached to the lower end side of the chassis 23. The print head unit 30 includes a head support frame 31, a thermal print head 32, and a pair of left and right pressing springs (coil springs) 33 that press the print head 32 downward. The head support frame 31 includes a vertical back plate portion 31a facing the back surface of the print head 32, a horizontal top plate portion 31b projecting forward from the upper edge thereof, and a vertical end plate portion 31c formed at the tip thereof. The head support frame 31 is cantilevered with its base end fixed to the chassis 23. Also, the end plate portion of the head support frame 31
Print head support shafts 34a and 34b are horizontally fixed to the lower ends of 31c and the chassis 23 so as to face each other. The print head support shafts 34a, 34b are slidably fitted in the longitudinal long grooves 35 formed on both side surfaces of the print head 32, and the print head 32 has the print head support shafts 34a, 34b.
Further, it is supported so as to be tiltable in the front-back direction and vertically movable within the range of the length of the long groove 35. The pair of push springs 33 have the same spring force.
33 is interposed between the upper surface plate portion 31b of the head support frame 31 and the upper end surface of the print head 32 to press the print head 32 downward. Each of the pressing springs 33 is for contacting the print head 32 with a suitable contact pressure to the surface of the recording paper, and the print head 32 moves up and down within the length of the long groove 35 and is always constant on the surface of the recording paper. Not only when the device body 1 is in contact with the contact pressure and the device body 1 is in a posture of standing upright with respect to the recording paper surface, but also when the device body 1 is tilted left and right, the long groove 35
Rolling in the left-right direction within the range of the length of, it always comes into flat contact with the recording paper surface. Further, 36 and 37 are a leaf spring and a head inclination adjusting screw for adjusting the tilt angle of the print head 32 in the front-rear direction.
Is attached to the back plate portion 31a of the head support frame 31 and slidably elastically contacts the back surface of the print head 32 below the print head support shafts 34a and 34b, and the head inclination adjusting screw 37
Is threadedly inserted into the back plate portion 31a of the head support frame 31 and slidably contacts the back surface of the print head 32 above the print head support shafts 34a and 34b. The head tilt adjusting screw 37 is rotated by a driver when adjusting the tilt angle of the print head 32 in the front-rear direction, that is, the contact angle with respect to the recording paper. When the head tilt adjusting screw 37 is rotated in the screwing direction, the printing is performed. The head 32 tilts in the direction of falling to the front side against the spring force of the leaf spring 36, and the head tilt angle adjusting screw
When 37 is rotated in the pull-out direction, the print head 32 tilts in the direction in which the print head 32 falls to the back side by the spring force of the leaf spring 36, so that the contact angle of the print head 32 with respect to the recording paper can be adjusted to an optimum state. Reference numeral 38 denotes a driver insertion hole 38 provided in the rear case 1b so as to face the head inclination adjusting screw 37. To adjust the head inclination, a driver is inserted through the driver insertion hole 38 and the head inclination adjusting screw 37 is rotated. It is performed from the outside of the device body 1. In addition, the adjustment of the head tilt angle is performed from the inside of the apparatus main body 1 with the ink tape cassette 70.
It is performed in a state where the is extracted.

On the other hand, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, 39 is an ink tape winding unit for winding the ink tape 81 of the ink tape cassette 70 loaded in the apparatus main body 1 according to the printing operation. The ink tape take-up unit 39 includes an ink tape take-up shaft 40 that rotates the take-up spool 73 of the ink tape cassette 70 in the take-up direction, and a drive motor 41 for the ink tape take-up shaft 40. The ink tape take-up shaft 40 is fitted and engaged with the take-up side spool 73 of the ink tape cassette 70. The ink tape take-up shaft 40 has a center shaft 40a and a spool engagement along the outer periphery along the axial direction. It has a structure in which an outer shaft 40b having a ridge is fitted and fixed. This ink tape take-up shaft 40 has its central axis
The base end of 40a is rotatably supported by the chassis 23 in a cantilevered manner and horizontally supported by the chassis 23. Further, the take-up shaft drive motor 41 is positioned above the ink tape take-up shaft 40 and is fixed in a motor housing portion 42 formed in the chassis 32, and the motor shaft 41a penetrates the chassis 23 and It is projected on the outer surface. A take-up shaft drive gear 43 is fixed to the tip of the motor shaft 41a, and the drive gear 43 is provided with an ink tape via a first intermediate gear 44 and a second intermediate gear 45 that are axially supported by the chassis 23. It is meshed with a passive gear 46 fixed to the shaft end of the winding shaft 40. Further, 47 is a motor rotation detection encoder unit (hereinafter referred to as a motor encoder unit) provided for the purpose of detecting the rotation speed of the ink tape winding shaft 40, that is, the winding speed of the ink tape 81 from the rotation speed of the winding shaft drive motor 41. This motor encoder unit 47 has a rotary disc 48 having a slit 48a at one location on the outer peripheral portion fixed to the motor shaft 41a.
And a rotation detector 49 fixed to the chassis 23. The rotation speed detector 49 has a light emitting element and a light receiving element (both not shown) sandwiching the rotating disk 49, like the rotation amount detector 27 of the scanning movement amount detecting main encoder unit 24 described above. This rotation detector 49 receives light from the light emitting element through the slit 48a of the rotating disk 48 and is received by the light receiving element every time the rotating disk 48 makes one rotation. Output a pulse signal. Further, 50 is a supply-side spool engagement shaft that is fitted and engaged with the supply-side spool 74 of the ink tape cassette 70, and this spool engagement shaft 50 is horizontally provided below the ink tape take-up shaft 40. . The spool engagement shaft 50 is a hollow shaft having a spool engagement ridge formed along the outer periphery along the axial direction, and is rotatable and axially slidable on a fixed shaft 51 cantilevered by the chassis 23. It is fitted. Reference numeral 52 is a brake spring formed of a coil spring inserted in the spool engagement shaft 50, and 53 is slidably fitted to the fixed shaft in the axial direction thereof to make frictional contact with the inner surface of the tip end portion of the spool engagement shaft 50. It is a brake member, and one end of the brake spring 52 is attached to the chassis 23.
The other end is elastically contacted with the brake member 53 to press the brake member 53 against the inner surface of the front end portion of the spool engagement shaft 50. That is, the brake spring 52 and the brake member 53 are provided on the supply side spool of the ink tape cassette 70.
The spool engagement shaft 50 is fitted into the engagement portion 74 and brakes the rotation of the spool engagement shaft 50 that rotates integrally with the supply side spool 74. The spool engagement shaft 50 is used for winding the ink tape 81 around the winding side spool 73. Along with this, rotation resistance is applied to the supply-side spool 74 that rotates in the tape feeding direction to give back tension to the ink tape 81. The brake spring 52 also has a function of pushing the supply-side spool engagement shaft 50 toward the tip end thereof, and therefore, the ink tape cassette 70 is not loaded in the apparatus body 1 of the spool engagement shaft 50. At this time, as shown in FIG.

Further, 54 is a reading unit for reading an image on the document surface, and this reading unit 54 is also attached to the chassis 23. FIGS. 8 and 9 show the detailed structure of the reading unit 54. Reference numeral 55 denotes a horizontally long base mounted on the chassis 23 so as to project forward from the motor housing 42. A horizontally long reading circuit board 56 is provided on the 55, and the lower surface of the circuit board 56 is opposed to the reading opening 58 provided at the center of the base 55 in the length direction,
A one-dimensional image sensor 57 such as CCD is attached with the light receiving surface facing downward. The image sensor 57 is attached along the length direction of the circuit board 56 so that the direction of the pixel column is orthogonal to the scanning movement direction of the apparatus main body 1. A lens barrel 59 is attached to the lower surface of the base 55 so as to face the reading opening 58.
An image forming lens 60 for forming an image of the reflected light from the document surface illuminated by the LED array 16 on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 57 is provided therein. The reading section circuit board 56 is slidably supported at both ends of the substrate on the board supporting portions 55a formed to project at both ends of the base 55, and the board width direction (direction orthogonal to the pixel column direction of the image sensor 57). ), The image sensor 57 is arranged so that the pixel array is aligned with the optical axis of the imaging lens 60 by laterally moving the circuit board 56. There is. Explaining the position adjustment mechanism of this image sensor,
In FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, 61 is a disk-shaped sensor position adjusting knob provided at both ends of the reading unit 54, and the sensor position adjusting knob 61 has its center penetrating therethrough. It is rotatably supported by a support shaft 62 which is screwed into and fixed to. Further, on the lower surface of the sensor position adjusting knob 61, a disc-shaped rotating cam 63 is integrally formed so as to be eccentric from the rotation center thereof, and the rotating cam 63 is provided at both ends of the circuit board 56. It is fitted in the horizontally long rectangular opening 64. The width of the opening 61 is approximately the same as the diameter of the rotary cam 63, and the rotary cam 63 is in sliding contact with both side surfaces of the opening 64 on both sides of the outer peripheral surface thereof. Note that the thickness of the rotating cam 63 is substantially the same as the thickness of the circuit board 56, and the sensor position adjusting knob 61 is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the circuit board 56 at its outer peripheral portion so that the circuit board 56 does not float. Holding down. The position adjusting mechanism moves the circuit board 56 laterally in the width direction by turning the sensor position adjusting knob 61. When the sensor position adjusting knob 61 is turned, the circuit board 56 is moved to the 9th position by the eccentric rotation of the rotary cam 63. Since it is moved laterally as shown by the chain line in the figure, the position of the image sensor 57 attached to the circuit board 56 can be adjusted so that the pixel row thereof coincides with the optical axis of the imaging lens 60. The sensor position adjusting knob 61 is rotated by inserting a tool such as a screwdriver into the groove 61a provided on the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion thereof.

Further, in FIGS. 1 and 5, reference numeral 65 denotes the chassis 23.
The power supply unit 65 is a power supply unit provided at the upper end of the
A power supply battery 67 is housed in 66.

That is, the chassis block C includes a second main paper-contact roller 14b, a rotary disk 26, a rotation amount detector 27, and a mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the second main paper-contact roller 14b to the rotary disk 26. Main encoder unit 24 and print head 32
And a print head unit 30 having a pressing spring 33 and a head tilt angle adjusting mechanism, an ink tape winding unit 39 having an ink tape winding shaft 40, a drive motor 41 for the same, and a motor encoder unit 47, and a rotation braking mechanism. The supply side spool engaging shaft 50 provided, a reading unit 54 having an image sensor 57, an imaging lens 60 and a position adjusting mechanism of the image sensor 57, and a power supply unit 65 are all provided in the chassis 23. .

Then, the printing apparatus positions the chassis block C so that the second main paper-contact roller 14b thereof is at the same level as the first main paper-contact roller 14a on the front case block A side, and stores the chassis block C in the rear case 1b. Assemble the chassis block C by fixing the chassis 23 to the rear case 1b with screws and attaching the front case block A to the rear case block B and fitting the rear case 1b and the front case 1a together. To be

Next, the ink tape cassette 70 used in the printing apparatus will be described.
Has a shape as shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the ink tape cassette 70. Reference numeral 71 is a vertically long box-shaped cassette case whose lower end surface is open. The cassette case 71 includes the lower end of the apparatus main body 1 and the motor storage section 42. The height is set so that it can be accommodated between the image sensor 57 and the rear case 1b inside the apparatus body 1 so as not to obstruct the reading field of the image sensor 57. The cassette case 71 is configured by combining a front case body 71a forming one side surface with the case front surface and a rear case body 71b forming the other side surface with the case back surface. A vertical cutout 72 for allowing the print head unit 30 of the apparatus main body 1 to enter the cassette case 71 is formed on the lower end side of one side surface. Inside the cassette case 71, the device main body 1 is provided on the upper end side and the intermediate part.
Ink tape take-up shaft 40 and supply side spool engagement shaft 50
A winding-side spool 73 and a supply-side spool 74, which are respectively fitted to, are horizontally provided. Both spools 73,7
4 is the ink tape take-up shaft 40 along the inner peripheral surface in the axial direction.
And a hollow shaft formed with an engagement groove that meshes with the spool engagement projection of the supply side spool engagement shaft 50. Both ends of the spools 73 and 74 are provided on one side surface of the cassette case 71. While being fitted into the bearing holes 75 and 76, the other end is inserted into bearing cylinders 77 and 78 formed on the inner surface of the other side of the cassette case 71 so as to be rotatably supported. Also a cassette case
A pair of tape guide shafts 79
The a and 79b are horizontally provided with one end fixed to both sides of the open end of the cutout portion 72 and the other end fitted and fixed to sockets 80a and 80b formed on the inner surface of the other side of the cassette case 71.
The thermal transfer ink tape 81 wound around the supply side spool 74 is guided by the tape guide shafts 79a and 79b, passed through the open portion at the lower end of the case, and wound around the winding side spool 73. Reference numeral 82 is a tape guide shaft provided in the cassette case 71. In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, inside the supply side spool 74, there is a supply side spool.
When the 74 is completely fitted to the supply side spool engagement shaft 50, the spool engagement shaft 50 comes into contact with the shaft end of the spool engagement shaft 50.
A pushing step 83 is formed to push the 50 toward the base end thereof.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, a cassette loading port 1c formed by cutting out the side faces of the front case 1a and the rear case 1b is opened on the side surface of the apparatus body 1, and this cassette loading port 1c is opened. Is provided with an opening / closing lid 1d. The opening / closing lid 1d has one side edge pivotally supported by a hinge portion 68 on a side edge portion of the cassette loading port 1c on the front case 1a side.
It is attached to the front case 1a so that it can be opened and closed. Further, a hook member 69a for locking the opening / closing lid 1d in a closed state is provided on the inner surface of the other side edge portion of the opening / closing lid 1d, and the side edge portion of the cassette loading port 1c on the rear case 1b side is provided. ,
A lock protrusion 69b for hooking the hook member 69a is provided in a protruding manner. The hook member 69a is a lock knob (not shown) provided on the outer surface of the opening / closing lid 1d so as to be vertically slidable.
It is moved up and down by the slide operation of, and when the lock knob is slid downward with the open / close lid 1d closed,
When the hook member 69a engages the lock protrusion 69b from above to lock the opening / closing lid 1d, and when the lock knob is slid upward, the hook member 69a disengages above the locking protrusion 69b to lock the opening / closing lid 1d. It will be canceled.

The ink tape cassette 70 is the opening / closing lid.
1d is opened, and it is inserted and loaded into the apparatus main body 1 through the cassette loading port 1c. In the ink tape cassette 70, the cutout 72 is formed from the side surface side where the cutout 72 is formed.
Aligned with the print head unit 30 inside, and the spool on the winding side
The ink tape cassette 70 is inserted into the apparatus body 1 by inserting the ink tape cassette 70 into the apparatus body 1 with the exposed ends of the 73 and the supply side spool 74 facing the ink tape winding shaft 40 and the supply side spool engaging shaft 50 in the apparatus body 1. Then, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 7, the ink head portion where the print head unit 30 enters the cassette case 71 through the cutout portion 72 and the tip of the print head 32 is exposed at the open portion at the lower end of the cassette. Then, the ink tape take-up shaft 40 and the supply side spool engagement shaft 50 are fitted and engaged with the take-up side spool 73 and the supply side spool 74 of the ink tape cassette 70, respectively. In this case, the supply side spool engagement shaft 50 is pushed out in the distal direction by the brake spring 52.
Is in the pushed-out state until the supply-side spool 74 is completely fitted, but the supply-side spool 74 is completely fitted and the pushing step 83 in the supply-side spool 74 is
When the supply side spool engagement shaft 50 is inserted into the final loading position of the ink tape cassette 70, the brake spring 52 is compressed and pushed in the proximal direction as shown in FIG. Be done. Therefore, when the ink tape cassette 70 is loaded into the apparatus main body 1, the brake spring
The repulsive force of 52 allows the brake member 53 to be strongly pressed against the inner surface of the shaft end of the supply-side spool engagement shaft 50, whereby the supply-side spool engagement shaft 50 is braked in its rotation and the ink tape cassette. The back tension is applied to the ink tape 81 fed from the supply side spool 74 of 70. The ink tape cassette 70 loaded in the apparatus main body 1 is closed at the opening / closing lid 1d of the cassette loading opening 1c and locked by the opening / closing lid 1d so that the opening / closing lid 1d receives the rear side surface of the ink tape cassette 70. Held in. Also,
The ink tape cassette 70 can be loaded into the apparatus main body 1 after the operation knob 6a of the mode changeover switch 6 is switched to the eject position E and then the auxiliary roller unit 18 is pulled down. The auxiliary paper contact roller 18a on the cassette loading port 1c side of the main body 1 does not interfere with the loading of the cassette. This is the same when the ink tape cassette 70 is pulled out from the inside of the apparatus main body 1. The auxiliary roller unit 18 is pulled down by manually pulling the roller shaft 20 downward. When the operation knob 6a of the mode selector switch 6 is switched to the eject position E, the cam groove that moves together with the operation knob 6a is moved. The engagement pin 22 is a vertical groove portion 21d of the cam groove 21 of the lifting plate 19.
Since it comes under, the auxiliary roller unit 18 can be pulled down. Further, the ink tape cassette 70 is pulled out from the inside of the apparatus main body 1 by opening the opening / closing lid 1d.
In this case, the supply spool 74 of the ink tape cassette 70
Since the supply side spool engagement shaft 50 that is engaged with and is pressed by the brake spring 52 in the front end direction, when the opening / closing lid 1d is opened, the supply side spool engagement shaft 50 due to the spring force of the brake spring 52. At the same time, the ink tape cassette 70 is pushed out to the cassette loading port 1c side, and the ink tape cassette 70
Since the side portion of the cartridge protrudes from the cassette loading port 1c to the outside, the ink tape cassette 70 can be easily removed.

FIG. 11 schematically shows the configuration of the above-mentioned small-sized printing device. This small-sized printing device includes a control unit 12 and an LED.
A front case block A incorporating the array 16, a rear case block B incorporating the auxiliary roller unit 18,
Main encoder unit 24, print head unit 30,
3 with chassis block C incorporating ink tape take-up unit 39, reading unit 54 and power supply unit 65
The LED array 16 of the front case block A and each unit 24, 30, 47, 54 and 65 of the chassis block C are connected to the front case block A by a flexible connector 90 such as a lead wire or a flat cable. It is connected to the control unit 12.

Next, a method of using the above small printing device will be described. First, the reading of the original will be described. When the original is read, the mode changeover switch 6 is switched to the reading mode changeover position R. This mode changeover switch 6
Is switched to the reading mode switching position R, the printer is turned on and the printer is in the reading mode, and the cam groove engaging pin 22 moves to the start end of the upper horizontal groove portion 21b of the cam groove 21. The auxiliary roller unit 18 is lowered, and the auxiliary paper contact rollers 18a and 18b project below the main paper contact rollers 14a and 14b. At this time, the auxiliary paper contact rollers 18a, 18b
Has its lower end at the level of the tip of the print head 32 (press spring 33
The print head 32, which is pressed by, comes to a position lower than the level at which the print head 32 is projected most downward. Next, while the operation start switch 2 provided on the front surface of the apparatus main body 1 is put on with a finger and the operation start switch 2 is turned on, the printer is gripped by hand, and the printer is held by the main contact roller.
The surfaces 14a, 14b and the auxiliary paper contact rollers 18a, 18b are brought into contact with the surface of the original a and placed on the original a as shown in FIG. When the printing device is placed on the document a in this way, the paper surface detection switch 17 comes into contact with the surface of the document a and turns on, and the printing device is turned on by turning on both the paper surface detection switch 17 and the operation start switch 2. The read operation state is entered and the LED array 16 is turned on. Note that this is also the case when printing is performed, which will be described later, and in this case as well, the printing device enters the printing operation state when both the paper surface detection switch 17 and the operation start switch 2 are turned on. After this, the printing device is set to the original a.
It suffices to manually scan and move forward (toward the front surface of the apparatus main body 1) along the surface of the original a while keeping it placed on the original. The rotation disk 27 of the main encoder unit 24 is rotated by the rotation of the second main paper-contact roller 14b of the paper-contact rollers that rotate with the movement, and the main encoder unit is rotated.
A pulse signal corresponding to the amount of movement of the printing device is sent from 24 to the control unit 12, and the printing device synchronizes with this pulse signal the image data read from the original a by the image sensor 57 in order to the memory section of the control unit 12. I will write it down.

In this case, in the printing apparatus, when the document a is read, the auxiliary paper contact roller 18 is interlocked with the switching of the mode changeover switch 6 to the reading mode changeover position R.
Since the a and 18b are lowered below the tip level of the print head 32, the printer supported by the main paper contact rollers 14a and 14b and the auxiliary paper contact rollers 18a and 18b is shown in FIG. As described above, the print head 32, which is slightly inclined forward, that is, the print head 32 protruding to the lower surface of the apparatus, is scanned and moved. Therefore, the tip of the print head 32 and the ink tape 81 below it are moved. Since it does not come into sliding contact with the surface of the original a, it is possible to prevent abrasion of the print head 32 and also to prevent the surface of the original a from being soiled by the ink tape 81.

Further, in the above-mentioned printing apparatus, the reading width can be arbitrarily selected when reading the original a, and the operation knob 5a of the reading width designating switch 5 is set to a desired width scale (see FIG. 3) before the reading is started. In the image data read by the image sensor 57, the printer writes and stores only the image data between the 0 point on the width scale and the scale including the operation knob 5a in the memory unit. When performing the above-mentioned reading, if the moving speed of the printing device is too fast, accurate reading cannot be performed.
The moving speed of the device is detected based on the pulse signal from the main encoder unit 24, and when the moving speed is too fast, the speed warning LED 7c is turned on to issue an alarm. This is the same when printing. Also,
If the memory section overflows during reading, the read image data cannot be written to the memory section anymore.Therefore, in the above printing device, the memory remaining amount display LED 7b is turned on when the memory remaining amount is low. The user is notified that the remaining amount is low.

Next, the printing of the image read from the original a will be described. In this case, the mode selector switch 6 is switched to the print mode selector position P. When the mode changeover switch 6 is changed over to the print mode changeover position P, the printer is set to the reading mode, and the cam groove engaging pin 22 moves to the lower horizontal groove portion 21a of the cam groove 21 to raise the auxiliary roller unit 18. And the auxiliary paper contact rollers 18a, 18
b becomes the same level as the main paper contact rollers 14a, 14b. Next, the printer is gripped in the same manner as during the above-mentioned reading, and the printer is brought into contact with the paper-contact rollers 14a, 14b and 18a, 18b on the outer recording paper b surface of a notebook or the like as shown in FIG. On recording paper b
put on top. When the printer is placed on the recording paper b in this way,
The paper surface detection switch 17 comes into contact with the surface of the recording paper b and turns on, and the print head 32 causes the recording paper b to pass through the ink tape 81.
Touch the surface. In this case, the print head 32 compresses the pressing spring 33 by contact with the recording paper b, and presses each paper contact roller.
14a, 14b and 18a, 18b rises to the recording paper contact level and comes into contact with the recording paper b together with the paper contact rollers 14a, 14b and 18a, 18b, and recording is performed with an appropriate contact pressure by the repulsive force of the pressing spring 33. It is pressed against the surface of paper b. After this, as in the case of reading, the printing apparatus main body 1 may be moved forward by scanning along the surface of the recording paper b. When the printing apparatus is moved by scanning in this way, the printing apparatus is Image data is sequentially read from the memory section according to the pulse signal from the encoder unit 24, the print head 32 is driven based on this image data, and the image read from the original a is printed on the recording paper a via the ink tape 81. To do. The image printed on the recording paper b is printed with the same width as the reading width from the original a. However, if the enlarged print is designated by the enlarged print designation key 3 before printing, the image is printed at a predetermined ratio. Can be enlarged and printed, and the same image can be repeatedly printed by pressing the reset / clear key 4 after printing.
Further, in the above printing apparatus, the print head 32 is pressed against the recording paper b by the spring force of the pressing spring 33.
The print head 32 can always be brought into contact with the recording paper b with a constant contact pressure for printing, and since the print head 32 is provided so as to be rotatable in a rolling manner, the printing device is left and right during the scanning movement. Even if the print head 32 is tilted to, the print head 32 rolls to the opposite side by the tilt angle of the apparatus main body 1 and always makes a flat contact with the surface of the recording paper b, so that the print image is not blurred.

Further, at the time of printing, the winding shaft drive motor 41 is driven at the same time when the printing device starts moving,
As a result, the ink tape take-up shaft 40 is rotationally driven to rotate the take-up side spool 73 of the ink tape cassette 70 in the take-up direction, and the ink tape 81 is taken up according to the printing operation. In this case, the printing device detects the rotation of the take-up shaft drive motor 41 by the motor encoder unit 47, and the ink tape based on the detection result.
The winding speed of 81 is detected, and the torque of the motor 41 is controlled so that the winding speed of the ink tape matches the movement amount of the apparatus, that is, the printing speed. This torque control is
Motor encoder unit each time the motor 41 rotates once
The period of the pulse signal output from 47 is compared with the number of pulse signals from the main encoder unit 24 (hereinafter referred to as the main encoder pulse), and is performed during one rotation of the motor 41. When the number of main encoder pulses output from the encoder unit 24 is larger than a predetermined value (when the moving speed of the device is faster than the tape winding speed), the torque of the motor 41 is increased to increase the tape winding speed. Then, when the number of main encoder pulses is less than the predetermined value (when the moving speed of the device is slower than the tape winding speed), the torque of the motor 41 is reduced to reduce the tape winding speed. This is also the case when the tape winding diameter of the take-up spool 73 is increased and the load on the motor 41 is increased, and also when the tape winding speed is slowed due to the increase of the load on the motor 41. Since the number of main encoder pulses during one rotation of the motor 41 becomes larger than a predetermined value, the torque of the motor 41 is automatically increased also at this time to increase the tape winding speed.

However, in the above-mentioned small-sized printing apparatus, the auxiliary paper contact rollers 18a and 18b that support the apparatus main body 1 in contact with the paper surface (original surface or recording paper surface) are moved up and down by interlocking with the mode changeover switch 6. When the changeover switch 6 is changed over to the print mode changeover position P for printing, the auxiliary paper contact rollers 18a and 18b are moved up to the position where they come into contact with the recording head b together with the print head 32 so that the print head 32 comes into contact with the recording paper b. When the mode selector switch 6 is switched to the reading mode selector position R, the auxiliary paper contact rollers 18a, 18b are lowered below the tip level of the print head 32, and the auxiliary paper contact rollers 18a, 18b are used to move the print heads. The apparatus main body 1 in the state that 32 is separated from the original b side
Therefore, the print head 32 does not come into contact with the paper surface even when the printing device is placed on the paper surface and moved, except when printing, that is, when reading the original document b.
It is possible to prevent abrasion of the print head 32 when the printing apparatus is placed on the paper surface and moved other than during printing.
Moreover, in the above-mentioned small-sized printing apparatus, the recording paper b is placed in front of and in the back of the moving direction of the apparatus main body 1 with the print head 32 interposed therebetween.
Main paper-contact rollers 14a, 14b that contact the main body 1 to support the apparatus main body 1
Also, since the auxiliary paper contact rollers 18a and 18b are provided, even if the pressing force of the apparatus main body 1 against the recording paper b changes during printing, the contact pressure of the print head 32 on the recording paper b hardly changes. Therefore, even though the apparatus main body 1 is held and moved by scanning to print on the recording paper b, there is no unevenness in the print density.

Further, in this small-sized printing apparatus, the posture of the apparatus main body 1 when the main paper contact rollers 14a, 14b and the auxiliary paper contact rollers 18a, 18b are brought into contact with the recording paper b is the auxiliary paper contact rollers.
18a, 18b is raised and this auxiliary paper contact roller 18a, 1
Unlike the state in which 8b is lowered, auxiliary paper contact rollers 18a, 18
In the print mode in which b is raised, the auxiliary body contact rollers 18a and 18b are placed in a posture in which the apparatus main body 1 is substantially upright as shown in FIG.
In the reading mode in which the printer is lowered, the apparatus main body 1 is inclined forward as shown in FIG. 2, and therefore the mode is switched from the attitude of the apparatus main body 1 when the printing apparatus is placed on the recording paper b. You can check the status.

Although the mode changeover switch 6 is a slide switch, the mode changeover switch may be a rotary type or push button type, and a mechanism for moving the paper contact member up and down in conjunction with the mode changeover switch may be, for example, a link mechanism or a solenoid. Etc. may be used. Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the small-sized copying machine type printing apparatus for reading the original and printing the read information is described. However, the present invention is provided with a key input section and prints the print information input from the key input section. Needless to say, it can be applied to a small printing device for printing, and the printing method may be a method of printing on a thermal recording paper by a thermal printing head without using an ink tape.

[Effect of device]

Since the small-sized printing apparatus of the present invention has the above-described configuration, even when the printing apparatus is placed on the paper surface other than during printing, the print head does not come into contact with the paper surface, and the printing apparatus is not operated during printing. It is possible to prevent abrasion of the print head when the print head is moved on the paper surface. Moreover, the small-sized printing apparatus of the present invention is provided with first and second paper-contacting rollers, which contact the recording paper and support the apparatus main body, in front of and behind the apparatus main body with the print head interposed therebetween. Since the contact pressure of the print head on the recording paper hardly changes even if the pressing force of the device main body against the recording paper changes during printing, hold the device main body by hand to scan and move it. Printing on recording paper, there is no unevenness in the print density. Further, in this small-sized printing apparatus, the attitude of the apparatus main body when the first and second paper contact rollers are brought into contact with the recording paper is such that one of the paper contact rollers is raised.
Since this is different from the state in which one of the paper contact rollers is lowered, it is possible to confirm the mode switching state from the posture of the apparatus main body when the printing apparatus is placed on the recording sheet.

[Brief description of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 1 and 2 are vertical side views of a small printing device in a printing state and a reading state, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are front views of the small printing device. And a rear view, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the small-sized printing apparatus, FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional front view of the small-sized printing apparatus, and FIG.
8 and 9 are a vertical sectional front view and a plan view of a reading unit provided in the main body of the apparatus, FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of an ink tape cassette, and FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a basic configuration of a small printing apparatus. Is. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Device main body, 6 ... Mode change switch, 14a, 14b ... Main paper contact roller, 18 ... Auxiliary roller unit, 18a, 18b ... Auxiliary paper contact roller, 19 ... Elevating plate, 21 ... Cam groove, 22 ... Cam groove engagement Dowel pin, 32 ... Print head, 57 ... Image sensor, a
... manuscript, b ... recording paper, 70 ... ink tape cassette, 81 ...
Ink tape.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A small-sized printing apparatus that scans and moves an apparatus main body along a recording sheet to print on the recording sheet, comprising: a mode changeover switch for switching between a print mode and a mode other than the print mode; A print head that is provided at the lower end and prints on the recording paper, and a print head that is provided in front of and behind the apparatus main body in the moving direction with the print head sandwiched between the print head and the recording paper to support the apparatus main body. And the first and second paper-contact rollers that rotate with the scanning movement of the apparatus body, and the first and second paper-contacting rollers that are vertically movable in the apparatus body in association with the operation of the mode changeover switch. One of the two paper contact rollers is supported, and the one paper contact roller is supported when the mode changeover switch is switched to the print mode. , The print head is raised together with the first and second paper contact rollers to a position in contact with the recording paper, and one of the paper contact rollers is moved when the mode changeover switch is switched to a mode other than the print mode. A small-sized printing apparatus, comprising: an elevating member that is moved downward from a front end of the print head to separate the print head from the recording paper.