JPH09295431A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide good straight line scanning properties and prevent a paper from forming shears and creases. SOLUTION: The winding direction of helical linear protrusions 110 is formed symmetrical on a central section of a roller 2 of a printer, and when the printer is scanned in the B direction, forces F1 and F2 are applied to a paper 11 in the width direction of the roller 2 so as not to form creases on the paper 11. Also the roller 2 is scanned linearly by the forces F1 and F2 applied in the width direction of the roller 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing device for printing on a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a printing apparatus, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
A device as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-17630 is known. Such an apparatus is configured so that an image is recorded on a print medium by a user manually scanning the apparatus. By using such a device,
It is possible to form an image at any position on the print medium. In recent years, thermal transfer recording means and ink jet recording means have been used as image forming means for such devices. These image forming means have been miniaturized by the recent trend toward higher density, smaller size, lower power consumption, etc. of recording heads, and accordingly, the apparatus itself has become smaller. Therefore, such a printing device can be made more portable. Further, adjacent to the image forming means, a speed detecting means and a scanning guide for regulating the positions of the paper and the image forming means while contacting the paper and the leading end of the printing device are configured. The speed detection means and the scanning guide means are in contact with the paper and detect the relative speed between the paper and the printing apparatus as the printing apparatus moves, or move the printing apparatus smoothly with respect to the paper. The contact part was composed of rollers.

Further, conventionally, a roller having an elastic body such as rubber arranged on the surface thereof has been used as the material for increasing the coefficient of friction with the paper and preventing slipping with the paper.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned device, since the device is downsized, the width direction of the roller is naturally shortened, so that the scanning direction of the device is easily bent.
There is a problem that the linear scanning property is poor.

Further, when the printing device scans the paper, a force corresponding to the writing pressure applied to the tip of a writing instrument such as a normal fountain pen or a line marker is applied to the roller in contact with the paper to form on the surface of the roller. There was a drawback that the rubber etc. would be deformed. In this case, if a force corresponding to a biased writing pressure is applied to the roller, the pressure may be largely applied to only one side of the roller, and the roller may be largely deformed only on one side. For this reason, the apparent outer shape of the roller is different between the left and right due to the deformation, so that the scanning direction of the printing device is distorted, and the linear scanning property is further deteriorated.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer having good linear scanning performance.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus which does not cause misalignment or wrinkling on a recording medium.

[0008]

In order to achieve this object, a printing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises an image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium and a rotating device while contacting the recording medium. And a roller for relatively moving the image forming unit and the recording medium, and the linear projection formed on the surface of the roller that contacts the recording medium separates the image forming unit and the recording medium. The relative movement is linear.

Further, in the printing apparatus according to the second aspect, since the roller is made of a rigid material, the roller is not deformed and the image forming means and the recording medium are relatively linearly moved. .

In the printer according to the third aspect of the invention, the linear protrusions are formed in a bilaterally symmetrical shape and are inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the roller, and the image forming means and the recording medium are more linear. Are moved relative to each other.

Further, in the printing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the left and right linear projections are inclined so as to impart a conveying force outwardly to the recording medium, while wrinkling the recording medium. To be scanned.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the linear protrusion has a cross section of any one of a trapezoidal shape having a short side in the outer peripheral direction, a rectangular shape, and a partial circular shape, and the roller rotates smoothly. To do.

In the printer according to the sixth aspect, the height of the linear protrusions is in the range of 0.005 mm to 0.3 mm.

Further, according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a plurality of minute protrusions having substantially the same height as the linear protrusions are formed on a portion of the roller surface where the linear protrusions are not formed, and the roller and the recording medium slip. Prevent.

Further, in the printing apparatus according to the eighth aspect, the minute projections have any one of a spherical shape, a spherical zone, a truncated cone, a prism, a truncated pyramid, a wedge shape, and a column shape, and the roller rotates smoothly.

Further, in the printing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the tops of the fine protrusions have a diameter of 0.5 mm or less.

Further, in the printing apparatus according to the tenth aspect, the linear protrusions or the minute protrusions are formed by the photoetching method.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, an image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium and the image forming means and the recording medium are rotated relative to each other by rotating while being in contact with the recording medium. And a roller for moving the recording medium, and a spiral protrusion formed on the surface of the roller in contact with the recording medium so as to have a winding direction opposite to the left and right with respect to the center of the recording medium. By applying a conveying force outwardly with respect to each other, the apparatus linearly scans and the wrinkles of the recording medium are extended.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an outline view for explaining the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. In the printing apparatus 1, a user manually supports the body portion 10 which is a gripping portion, and the roller portion 2 and the protrusion 3 are brought into contact with the paper sheet 11 which is a recording medium, and the body portion 10 is fixed to the paper sheet 11. On the other hand, the inkjet recording head 9 as an image forming means, which is supported by a hand and maintains a constant distance from the paper 11, is driven to scan at an arbitrary position on the paper 11 as if by scanning like a writing instrument. This is a device for printing.

At the upper end of the body portion 10, there is provided an infrared communication interface portion 4 for transmitting and receiving print data input by an external device (not shown). Switches 5a and 5b for turning on / off the power source and selecting various printing modes are arranged on the side surface of the body portion 10 facing the operator. Further, a display window 6 for displaying a printing mode and the like and a status of various devices is arranged below the display window 6. The display window 6 is composed of a liquid crystal display device. Below the display window 6, a print start switch 5c for placing the apparatus 1 in the print state when printing is started is arranged.

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining the internal structure of the above-mentioned printing apparatus 1. Inside the body portion 10, the above-mentioned switches 5a, b, c, the display device 6, and each control block described later are provided. A substrate 13 on which elements for controlling the ink jet recording head, such as a driver element for controlling the inkjet recording head 9 described above or an element corresponding to the interface unit 4, are arranged. Further, a battery 14 for supplying electric power to each control block described later is arranged on the substrate 13 part. Below the battery 14, an ink tank 15 for supplying ink to the inkjet recording head 9 is arranged.

A frame 12 is arranged at the lower end of the body portion 10. The frame 12 has a box shape made of a material such as metal, and the inkjet recording head 9 is arranged inside the frame 12.
A plurality of ink jet nozzles (not shown) are formed on the lower surface 80 of the ink jet recording head 9, and ink is ejected in a predetermined pattern from these nozzles to print on the paper 11.

Further, the rollers 2 described above are arranged inside the frame 12 so as to be rotatable integrally with a central shaft (not shown). The central shaft is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) arranged on the side plate portion of the frame 12.
In addition, a gear 2 for transmitting rotation to an encoder disk, which will be described later, is provided on the side plate portion side of the central shaft, as the central shaft rotates.
2 are arranged.

The rotation of the gear 22 is transmitted to the gear 23 formed on the frame 12.
The rotation of the gear 23 is configured to be transmitted to the encoder disk 24 also configured on the frame 12. The encoder disk 24 has a plurality of slits 25
Is configured. Similarly, a photo interrupter 26 for detecting the rotation of the encoder disk 24 is arranged on the side plate portion 20. The photo interrupter 26 is for detecting the rotation of the roller 2, and detects the moving speed of the apparatus main body 1 with respect to the paper 11 by detecting the passage of the slit 25 as the roller 2 rotates. Therefore, the ink droplets of the predetermined pattern discharged from the nozzles of the inkjet recording head 9 described above are controlled at a predetermined discharge interval by the detection signal of the photo interrupter 26, and printing is performed.

A contact member 3 is disposed on the side surface of the frame 12 so as to move in contact with the paper 11 and keep the posture of the frame 12 constant with respect to the paper 11. The contact member 3 is made of a material such as resin having good slidability with respect to the paper 11. Paper 11 of this contact member 3 and roller 2
It is configured such that the posture of the frame 12 is kept constant on the contact surface with the.

An elastic member 30 is provided on the upper surface 29 of the frame 12.
Are configured. The elastic member 30 is made of an elastic body such as a coil spring and has one end fixed to the upper surface 29 and the other end fixed to the lower end 31 of the body 10. Therefore, even if the body portion 10 changes its posture with respect to the sheet to some extent, the roller 2 and the contact member 3 come into contact with the sheet, and the elastic member 30 is deformed. On the other hand, it is possible to maintain a predetermined posture.

A signal for driving the above-mentioned ink jet recording head 9 is sent by the flexible cable 40 to the substrate 13.
It is connected to the. Similarly, the photo interrupter 26
Is connected to the substrate 13 with a flexible cable 40. Further, the inkjet recording head 9 is connected to the ink tank 15 by a movable pipe 41. Therefore, even if the frame 12 changes its posture with respect to the body portion 10, these connections are maintained without any inconvenience.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the electrical construction of the manual printer according to this embodiment. In the figure, a control unit (CPU) 80 is connected to a storage device 81 (ROM) containing a control program for controlling each functional block according to a predetermined program. Control unit 80
The element of the interface unit 4 described above is connected to. Further, the signal after the rotational speed of the encoder slit 25 is converted into an electric pulse signal by the photo interrupter 26 is input to the control unit 80. Storage unit (RAM) 8 for storing print data input from the elements of the interface unit 4
2 is connected to the control unit 80. The drive unit 83 that drives the inkjet recording head 9 is also connected to the control unit 80. The signals input from the switches 5a, b, c are connected to the control unit 80 so that they can be detected. A display controller 84 that controls the display unit 6 is also connected to the control unit 80. These functional blocks are provided on the above-mentioned substrate 13 inside the body 10 of the manual scanning type printer of FIG.

The operation of the manual scanning printer having the above construction will be described. The manual scanning printer according to the present embodiment operates according to a predetermined program stored in the storage device 81 described above. The print data is transmitted from an external device by an infrared signal from the interface unit 4
Is input to The input state of the print data is performed by the control unit 80 judging the input state by selecting the mode of the switch 5b.

The input print data is temporarily stored in the storage unit 82. When the control unit 80 receives the print start signal by selecting the mode by operating the switch 5c, it confirms that the print data is stored in the storage unit 82, and the print standby state is set. At this time, the control unit 80
Determines whether the encoder disk 24 (roller 2) has rotated by the detection waveform of the photo interrupter 26,
When it is determined that the roller 2 has been rotated, the rotation amount of the roller 2, that is ,. Printing is performed on the paper 11 by determining the printing timing according to the timing of the detection waveform of the photo interrupter 26, controlling the output of the printing data, and driving the inkjet recording head 9.

Next, the spiral projection structure formed on the surface of the roller 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The roller 2 is configured so as to rotate around the central axis 101 integrally with the central axis 101. The roller 2 is made of a metal rigid material such as stainless steel.

On the surface of the roller 2, a spiral linear projection 11 is formed.
0 is configured. The spiral linear protrusion 110 is configured such that the winding direction is symmetrical at the center of the roller 2. That is, the linear protrusions 110 are formed to be inclined with respect to the traveling direction B of the apparatus body 1 so as to have a bilaterally symmetrical shape. When the printing apparatus main body 1 is scanned and printing is performed on the paper 11, the roller 2 rotates in the direction of arrow A in the figure, and the linear protrusions spiral to the apparatus main body 1 so as to move in the direction B of the figure. 110 is arranged. The spiral linear protrusions 110 are formed on the surface of the roller 2 by photoetching.

In the case of the roller 2 having such a structure,
With respect to the traveling direction on the sheet 11, as shown in FIG.
Forces F1 and F2 are applied to the sheet 11 in the width direction of the roller 2. Since the left and right linear protrusions 110 are inclined so as to apply a conveying force to the sheet 11 outwardly, the roller 2 therefore rotates with the scanning of the sheet 11. The force applied to the sheet 11 is applied so as not to cause the wrinkle of the sheet. Similarly, even when the force corresponding to the writing pressure applied to the roller 2 is biasedly applied to the roller 2, the roller 2 is linearly scanned by the forces F1 and F2 applied in the width direction of the roller 2. To be acted upon. Therefore, it is easy to print smoothly and linearly.

Next, a second embodiment of the roller 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, the minute protrusions 112 are arranged on the portions of the roller 2 of FIG. 4 where the spiral linear protrusions 110 are not formed. The minute protrusion 112 is the linear protrusion 110.
The linear protrusions 110 are formed between the surfaces of the roller 2 at regular intervals.
It is formed by the photo-etching method similar to the formation of the protrusion in FIG. 4 described above at almost the same height.
The height of the linear protrusions 110 and the minute protrusions 112 is 0.
The range of 005 mm to 0.3 mm is desirable, but in the present embodiment, the height is 0.1 mm.
The minute projections 112 mechanically act on the irregularities of the fibers on the surface of the paper 11 so that the roller 2 does not slip with respect to the paper 11 when the roller 2 rotates with respect to the traveling direction arrow B with respect to the paper 11. To be acted on. Therefore, it is possible to print with good print quality.

Next, the shape of the above-mentioned spiral linear projection 110 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C, the linear protrusion 110 is formed in a trapezoidal shape, a rectangular shape, or a circular shape whose cross section has a short side in the outer peripheral direction. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly rotate the roller 2 with respect to the sheet 11 as the roller 2 advances.

Next, regarding the shape of the minute projections 112, FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8G, the minute protrusions 112 are formed in any shape of a sphere, a spherical zone, a truncated cone, a prism, a truncated pyramid, a wedge shape, and a cylinder. Also,
The tops of the minute protrusions 112 are formed with a size of 0.5 mm or less. Therefore, it is possible to mechanically act on the fibers of the paper 11 and rotate the roller 2 relative to the paper without slipping.

In this embodiment, the case where an ink jet recording head is used as a recording element has been described, but a toner flying method of a type in which powder such as toner is jetted to form an image or a thermal transfer method is used. The same effect can be obtained even with the above printing method.

Next, an embodiment in which the above roller structure is used in a paper feeding mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 shows the structure of the rollers of the paper feeding device. The shaft 200 has a spiral linear protrusion 210 and a minute protrusion 2.
Divided rollers 201 and 202 having the structure 11 are arranged. The split rollers 201 and 202 are configured such that the spiral linear projections 210 are symmetrical in winding direction. The dividing rollers 201 and 202 sandwich the sheet 230 between the pressing rollers 203 and 204, and the shaft 200 is rotated by a driving device (not shown) to rotate the sheet 23.
0 is conveyed in the direction of arrow A in the figure. Pressing roller 203
And 204 are connected to the roller 21 by springs 207 and 208.
It is configured to be pressed down to 1. Therefore, the spiral protrusion 210 applies a force to the paper 230 in the direction of the arrow F1 and F2 on the left and right, and it is possible to prevent the paper from wrinkling. Further, since the minute protrusions 210 are formed on the rollers 210, slips and the like do not occur on the paper, so that it is possible to always carry the specified amount of paper.

[0040]

As is apparent from the above description, the printing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention rotates while contacting the recording medium to relatively move the image forming means and the recording medium. Since the linear protrusions are formed on the surface of the roller that contacts the recording medium, the image forming means and the recording medium can be linearly moved relative to each other.

Further, in the printing apparatus according to the second aspect, since the roller is made of a rigid material, the roller is not deformed even when a force corresponding to the writing pressure is not uniformly applied to the roller, The image forming means and the recording medium can be relatively linearly moved.

In the printer according to the third aspect of the invention, since the linear protrusions are formed symmetrically and are inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the roller, the image forming means and the recording medium are more effectively arranged. It is possible to move linearly relative to each other.

Further, in the printer according to the fourth aspect, since the left and right linear protrusions are inclined so as to impart outward conveying force to the recording medium, the wrinkles of the recording medium are extended. You can scan while.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the linear projection has a cross section of any one of a trapezoidal shape having a short side in the outer peripheral direction, a rectangular shape, and a partial circular shape, and the linear projection is covered. The roller can be smoothly rotated without being caught by the recording medium.

Further, in the printing apparatus according to the sixth aspect, since the height of the linear protrusion is in the range of 0.005 mm to 0.3 mm, the recording medium is further prevented from being caught and the roller is moved smoothly. be able to.

Further, in the printing apparatus according to the seventh aspect, since a plurality of minute protrusions having substantially the same height as the linear protrusions are formed on the portion where the linear protrusions are not formed on the roller surface, the irregularities of the recording medium are not affected. It is possible to act mechanically and prevent slipping between the roller and the recording medium.

Further, in the printing apparatus according to the present invention, since the minute protrusion has any one of the shape of a sphere, a spherical zone, a truncated cone, a prism, a truncated pyramid, a wedge shape, or a cylinder, the recording medium can be reliably recorded on the recording medium. It is possible to apply a mechanical force to the recording medium, and it is possible to prevent inconveniences such as the minute protrusions being caught by the recording medium.

Further, in the printing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, since the tops of the fine protrusions have a diameter of 0.5 mm or less, it is possible to form a large number of fine protrusions on the roller even when the roller is downsized. Therefore, it is possible to reliably apply a mechanical force to the recording medium paper.

Further, in the printing apparatus according to the tenth aspect, since the linear protrusions or the minute protrusions are formed by the photo-etching method, it is possible to mass-produce them, and it is possible to inexpensively manufacture the roller itself. Become. Therefore, it is possible to supply an inexpensive printing device.

Further, in the printing apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, since the spiral projection is formed on the surface of the roller that contacts the recording medium, the spiral projections are formed in the opposite winding directions from the center to the left and right. It is possible to linearly scan the apparatus and apply wrinkles to the recording medium by applying the conveying force to the recording medium outwardly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram of the printing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the printing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a roller used in the printing apparatus.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a force applied to the roller.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another roller used in the printing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a cross-sectional shape of a spiral linear protrusion of the roller.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a shape of a minute protrusion of the roller.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram when the roller is used in a sheet conveying device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 2 Roller 9 Ink jet recording head 10 Body part 12 Frame 110 Spiral protrusion 112 Micro protrusion

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An image forming unit for forming an image on a recording medium, and a roller for rotating the image forming unit and the recording medium while being in contact with the recording medium. A printing apparatus provided with a linear projection formed on a surface of the roller that comes into contact with the recording medium. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the roller is made of a rigid material. 3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the linear protrusion has a bilaterally symmetrical shape and is inclined with respect to a rotation direction of the roller. 4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the left and right linear protrusions are inclined so as to apply a conveying force outwardly to the recording medium. 5. The linear projection has a cross section of any one of a trapezoidal shape having a short side in the outer peripheral direction, a rectangular shape, and a partial circular shape. The printing device described in Crab. 6. The height of the linear protrusions is 0.005.
The printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the printing device has a range of millimeters to 0.3 millimeters. 7. The plurality of minute protrusions having substantially the same height as the linear protrusions are formed on a portion of the roller surface where the linear protrusions are not formed. Printing device. 8. The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the minute protrusion has any one of a spherical shape, a spherical zone, a truncated cone, a prism, a truncated pyramid, a wedge shape, and a column shape. 9. The printer according to claim 7, wherein the tops of the minute protrusions have a diameter of 0.5 mm or less. 10. The linear protrusion or the minute protrusion is
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is formed by a photo etching method. 11. An image forming unit for forming an image on a recording medium, and a roller for rotating the image forming unit and the recording medium while being in contact with the recording medium so as to relatively move the image forming unit and the recording medium. In a printing device provided with the recording medium, a spiral protrusion is formed on a surface of the roller that contacts the recording medium, the spiral protrusion having a winding direction that is opposite to the left and right from a central portion of the recording medium. A printing device that applies a conveying force to each other outwardly.