JPH10166686A - Thermal head support for thermal printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermal head support for thermal printer in which the relative position of a thermal head to a platen roller can be adjusted continuously through a simple operation even from the outside and the adjusted state can be sustained surely. SOLUTION: The thermal head support comprises a main fixing plate being fixed to the printer body side and provided with a first adjusting screw fixing piece 21, a head fixing plate being fixed to a thermal head 11 and slidable relative to the main fixing plate in the transferring direction of a print medium P, a head moving plate movable integrally with the head fixing plate and provided with a second adjusting screw fixing piece 23 facing the first adjusting screw fixing piece 21, and an adjusting screw 24 and a spring 25 interposed between the second adjusting screw fixing piece 23 and the first adjusting screw fixing piece 21.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal head support device for a thermal printer, and more particularly to a thermal printer support device for a thermal printer capable of adjusting the position of a thermal head with respect to a platen roller.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a thermal printer transfers a print medium such as a label or a tag between a platen roller and a thermal head and prints predetermined print information on the print medium. In some cases, the degree of parallelism of the platen roller and the thermal head, or the relative position in the transport direction of the printing medium, etc., may be adjusted depending on the type of printing or to correct an assembly error.

[0003] As a thermal head support device capable of adjusting the parallelism or relative position of the thermal head with respect to a platen roller, there is the following technology. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-357066, the position of the thermal head can be adjusted by rotating two rotary positioning members having different radii with respect to the transport direction of the print medium. There is a problem that can only be adjusted.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-156366, the position of the thermal head can be adjusted by a fine adjustment member such as a screw. However, it is only necessary to adjust the position of the thermal head by pressing a screw or the like onto the head unit. In some cases, it is difficult, and the shape of the head support is complicated and costly, and it is difficult to perform adjustment while the thermal head portion is attached to the printer body.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and has been made in consideration of the above-described problems. It is an object to provide a device.

Further, the present invention provides a thermal head support device for a thermal printer in which an adjusting screw for adjusting the thermal head can be exposed to the outside, and the position of the thermal head can be adjusted even when the thermal head is attached to the printer body. The task is to

Another object of the present invention is to provide a thermal head support device for a thermal printer, which can surely maintain a state in which the position of the thermal head is adjusted by an adjusting screw or the like.

The present invention is also directed to a thermal printer which is excellent in assemblability and can be manufactured at a low cost by simplifying the processing form by forming the constituent members from various plate materials having simple shapes. It is an object to provide a thermal head support device.

[0009]

That is, the present invention is to provide an adjusting screw and a spring between a pair of opposing pieces (a first adjusting screw mounting piece and a second adjusting screw mounting piece). One of the pieces (the first adjustment screw mounting piece) is attached to the printer main body via the main fixing plate, and the other piece (the second adjustment screw mounting piece) is attached to the thermal head via the head moving plate. It focuses on fixing and adjusting the position of the thermal head by operating the adjustment screw, and prints predetermined print information on the print medium transported between the platen roller and the thermal head. A thermal head support device for a thermal printer, which is attached to the printer body side of the thermal printer and A main fixing plate on which the adjusting screw mounting piece is formed, and a head mounting plate on which the thermal head is mounted and which is slidably movable in the transfer direction of the printing medium with respect to the back surface of the main fixing plate. The head mounting plate can be slidably moved integrally with the surface of the main fixed plate in the transfer direction of the print medium,
A head moving plate formed with a second adjusting screw mounting piece facing the adjusting screw mounting piece, and an adjusting screw interposed between the second adjusting screw mounting piece and the first adjusting screw mounting piece And a spring.

[0010] A plate support mechanism for attaching the main fixing plate to the printer body is provided.
This plate support mechanism can enable the main fixing plate to be urged in the direction of the platen roller with a predetermined pressing force.

The head mounting plate and the head moving plate can be fixed to each other by an integrated screw with the main fixing plate interposed therebetween, and the integrated screw and its collar are inserted into the main fixing plate. It is possible to form a long slot for adjusting guide which is possible and is long in the transport direction of the printing medium.

[0012] The head moving plate may be formed with an elongated hole for adjusting a screw mounting piece, through which the integrated screw and the collar can be inserted and which is long in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction of the print medium. .

[0013] A scale mechanism such as a pointer and a scale can be provided so that the distance between the head moving plate and the main fixed plate can be adjusted.

In the thermal head supporting device for a thermal printer according to the present invention, the main fixing plate is
For example, it is provided on the printer body side of the thermal printer via a plate support mechanism, etc., and a head moving plate is provided integrally with the head mounting plate on which the thermal head is mounted. The sliding movement is possible. Further, since the first adjusting screw mounting piece of the main fixing plate and the second adjusting screw mounting piece of the head moving plate are opposed to each other, and the adjusting screw and the spring are interposed therebetween, the adjusting screw is operated. With this, the relative position between the head moving plate and the head mounting plate and the main fixing plate fixed to the printer main body can be adjusted with respect to the printing medium transport direction, and the head mounting plate, that is, the thermal head, can be adjusted with respect to the platen roller. The relative position can be adjusted.
In addition, since the spring is provided together with the adjusting screw, the adjusted state can be reliably held by the urging force of the spring.

Further, since the head moving plate and the head mounting plate are provided on the front and back sides of the main fixing plate, the sliding movement of the head moving plate and the head mounting plate with respect to the main fixing plate can be stabilized. At the same time, by interposing the head moving plate on the front surface side of the main fixing plate, the head mounting plate on which the thermal head is mounted can be securely mounted on the back surface of the main fixing plate.

Further, the first adjusting screw mounting piece of the main fixing plate and the second adjusting screw mounting piece of the head moving plate need only be formed by simply bending the ends of the main fixing plate and the head moving plate. ,
Processing is easy, and the entire thermal head support device can be constituted by a plate member, so that cost can be reduced.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A thermal printer 1 equipped with a thermal head support device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a side view of a main part of a thermal printer 1. The thermal printer 1 includes a printer main body 2 including a frame and the like.
A plate support mechanism 3, a thermal head support device 4,
Having.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the plate supporting mechanism 3, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the thermal head supporting device 4, wherein the plate supporting mechanism 3 is a thermal printer 1.
This is provided in the printer main body 2 of the first embodiment, and includes a cam fixing plate 5, a base plate 6, a pair of pressure plates 7, and a pair of head biasing springs 8. The thermal head support device 4 has a main fixing plate 9, a head mounting plate 12 for mounting the thermal head 11 facing the platen roller 10, and a head moving plate 13.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of head pressure variable cams 14 are pivotally mounted on the cam fixing plate 5 and the variable knob 15 is rotated so that the head pressure variable cam 1 is rotated.
4 is rotatable by a predetermined angle.

The base plate 6 is pivotally supported around a main shaft 16 mounted on the printer main body 2, and the plate support mechanism 3 and the thermal head support device 4 are both opened and closed by operating a head opening and closing mechanism (not shown). Then, the thermal head 11 is brought into contact with and separated from the platen roller 10 so that the print medium P and its ink ribbon R can be loaded.

The pressure plate 7 is rotatable around a pressure plate rotation shaft 17 attached to the base plate 6. The head pressure variable cam 14 is in contact with the front surface of the pressure plate 7 via a cam window 18 formed in the base plate 6, and the head biasing spring 8 is located on the back surface.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, the main fixed plate 9 has a head moving plate 13 on the front surface 9A side and a head mounting plate 12 on the back surface 9B side. Three guide pins 19 are planted at substantially the center of the surface 9A of the main fixing plate 9, and side wall portions 20 are formed at the left and right ends of the main fixing plate 9, respectively. A pair of first adjusting screw mounting pieces 21 are formed on the portions.

The head mounting plate 12 has the thermal head 11 mounted thereon so as to face the platen roller 10 by means of a head mounting screw 22. The head mounting plate 12 is moved along the transfer direction of the print medium P as indicated by an arrow F. , The relative position between the heating element of the thermal head 11 and the platen roller 10 can be made variable, and the parallelism and the relative position in the transport direction of the print medium P can be adjusted. .

The head moving plate 13 is formed with a pair of second adjusting screw mounting pieces 23 at the left and right ends thereof.
When the main fixing plate 9, the head mounting plate 12, and the head moving plate 13 are assembled, the second adjusting screw mounting piece 23 faces the first adjusting screw mounting piece 21 in the printing medium P transfer direction as shown in FIG. It is possible.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an adjusting screw 24 and a spring 25 (compression spring) are interposed between the first adjusting screw mounting piece 21 and the second adjusting screw mounting piece 23, respectively. Dress. That is, the second adjusting screw mounting piece 23 is located on the front side in the transport direction of the print medium P, and a screw through hole 26 through which the adjusting screw 24 is inserted from the front side is formed here. The mounting piece 21 is located on the rear side in the transport direction of the print medium P, and a female screw hole 27 with which the adjustment screw 24 is engaged is formed here.

The head moving plate 13 has a guide pin 19 of the main fixing plate 9 positioned in a rectangular notch 28 formed in the center thereof, and as shown in FIG. The head biasing spring 8 is fitted to the two right and left guide pins 19, and the plate support mechanism 3
Generates a pressing force between the thermal head 11 and the platen roller 10 by the urging force of the head urging spring 8. In addition, this pressing force is variable knob 1
By operating the head 5 to rotate the head pressure variable cam 14 by a predetermined angle, the cam can be made variable via the pressure plate 7 and the head biasing spring 8. In other words, the main fixing plate 9 can be urged toward the platen roller 10 by the plate supporting mechanism 3 with a predetermined pressing force.

A first pin insertion hole 29 is formed at the distal end of the pressure plate 7, and a second pin insertion hole 30 is formed in the base plate 6.
, The top of the guide pin 19 is fixed by an E-shaped washer 31, and the guide pin 19 is fixed to the base plate 6.
The entire main fixing plate 9 of the thermal head support device 4 is fixed to the base plate 6.

The head moving plate 13 is formed with a pair of left and right screw mounting piece adjusting slots 32 long in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the print medium P.
2, the integrated screw 33 and the collar 34 can be inserted. Further, a pair of left and right adjustment guide slots 35 are formed in the main fixing plate 9 so as to intersect with the screw attachment piece adjustment slots 32 and are long in the transport direction of the print medium P, and are integrated with the adjustment guide slots 35. Chemical screw 33 and its collar 3
4 can be inserted. The length of the collar 34 is equal to the total thickness of the head moving plate 13 and the main fixing plate 9.

Therefore, the integrated screw 33 and the collar 34 are inserted through the screw mounting piece adjusting slot 32 of the head moving plate 13 and the adjusting guide slot 35 of the main fixing plate 9, and the head mounting plate 12 is adjusted.
By engaging the integral screw 33 with the integral screw hole 36 of the main fixing plate 9, the front surface 9 A and the rear surface 9
On the B side, the head moving plate 13 and the head mounting plate 12 can be integrated. Thus, the head mounting plate 12 and the head moving plate 13
Can be fixed to each other by an integrated screw 33 with the main fixing plate 9 interposed therebetween.

In this integrated state, since the integrated screw 33 and the collar 34 are inserted into the adjustment guide elongated hole 35, the head mounting plate 12 is fixed to the main by slightly loosening the integrated screw 33. The print medium P can slide on the back surface 9B of the plate 9 in the transport direction of the print medium P, and the head moving plate 13 is integrated with the head mounting plate 12 so that the print medium P It can slide and move in the transfer direction.

Further, since the integrated screw 33 and the collar 34 are inserted through the screw mounting piece adjusting long holes 32, the main fixing plate 9 and the head moving plate 13 can be separated by slightly loosening the integrated screw 33. The relative positions of the print medium P in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction are adjusted, and the relative positions of the screw through hole 26 of the second adjustment screw attachment piece 23 and the female screw hole 27 of the first adjustment screw attachment piece 21 are adjusted. Can be adjusted so that the adjusting screw 24 can be inserted.

A scale mechanism 37 is provided at the left and right ends of the rear portion of the main fixed plate 9 and the head moving plate 13, respectively. That is, the scale mechanism 37 is provided with a pointer 38 formed on the head moving plate 13.
And a scale 39 formed at a corresponding portion of the main fixing plate 9, so that the relative positions of the head moving plate 13, the head mounting plate 12, that is, the thermal head 11 with respect to the main fixing plate 9 can be visually checked.

Further, a pair of left and right operation confirmation windows 40 are formed in the base plate 6 so that the pointer 38 and the scale 39 can be visually recognized from the outside.
, The adjustment amount of the print medium P in the transfer direction of the print medium P with respect to the main fixing plate 9 of the head mounting plate 12 and the head moving plate 13 can be confirmed. Further, even after assembling the thermal printer 1, the integrated screw 33 can be operated from the outside through the operation confirmation window 40.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the main part of the thermal printer 1, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the main part of the thermal printer 1 as viewed from the front to the rear (upstream) in the direction of transport of the print medium P. The screw 24 is exposed to the outside. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the cam fixing plate 5 is provided with a guide roller 41 after the printing of the ink ribbon R on the printing medium P.

The thermal head supporting device 4 having such a configuration
The printing medium P and its ink ribbon R are supplied from the right side in FIG. 1 to perform printing between the platen roller 10 and the thermal head 11. When adjusting the relative position of the thermal head 11 with respect to the platen roller 10 in the transfer direction of the print medium P, the integral fixing screw 33 is slightly loosened, and the pair of right and left adjusting screws 24 are respectively rotated to perform main fixing. Head moving plate 13 and head mounting plate 12 for plate 9
Position is adjusted steplessly. When the adjusting screw 24 is rotated clockwise, the first adjusting screw attaching piece 21 and the second adjusting screw attaching piece 23 come close to each other, and
1 can be moved backward with respect to the platen roller 10, and when rotated counterclockwise, the first adjustment screw mounting piece 21 and the second adjustment screw mounting piece 23 are separated by the biasing force of the spring. Thus, the thermal head 11 can be moved forward with respect to the platen roller 10. After this adjustment, the integrated screw 33 is tightened again to fix the adjustment state.

This adjustment operation is basically performed at the time of assembling a printer manufacturing factory.
Even after assembling as the thermal printer 1, the integrated screw 33 is operated from the operation confirmation window 40 of the base plate 6, that is, from the outside, and the scale 39
The adjustment work can be performed while confirming.

The head mounting plate 12 and the head moving plate 13 slide and move on the front surface 9A and the back surface 9B of the main fixed plate 9 having predetermined areas, respectively, so that the platen roller 10 and the thermal head 1 are moved.
Since the relative position with respect to 1 is adjusted, the moving operation can be performed stably.

Further, as a whole of the thermal head support device 4, the main fixing plate 9, the head mounting plate 1
2. Since this is constituted by a simple plate member such as the head moving plate 13, workability and productivity can be improved.

Since a spring 25 is provided between the first adjusting screw attaching piece 21 and the second adjusting screw attaching piece 23 together with the adjusting screw 24, the thermal head 11 is operated as a result of the operation of the adjusting screw 24. When the integrated screw 33 is re-tightened, the adjustment state is maintained by the spring 2.
5 can be reliably held.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, the head mounting plate and the head moving plate are provided on the front and back surfaces of the main fixing plate, and between the first adjusting screw mounting piece and the second adjusting screw mounting piece. The position of the platen roller and the thermal head is adjusted by adjusting the adjusting screw, so that the operation is simple and stable, and the cost can be reduced with a simple configuration.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a main part of a thermal printer 1 equipped with a thermal head support device 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the plate support mechanism 3;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the thermal head support device 4;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a main part of the thermal printer 1. FIG.

5 is a main part front view of the thermal printer 1 as viewed from the front in the transport direction of the print medium P to the rear side (upstream side). FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thermal printer equipped with thermal head support device 2 Printer main body 3 Plate support mechanism 4 Thermal head support device 5 Cam fixing plate 6 Base plate 7 A pair of pressure plates 8 A pair of head urging springs 9 Main fixing plate 9A Main fixing plate 9 Front surface 9B Back surface of main fixing plate 9 10 Platen roller 11 Thermal head 12 Head mounting plate 13 Head moving plate 14 A pair of head pressure variable cams 15 Variable knob 16 Main shaft 17 Pressure plate rotating shaft 18 A pair of base plate 6 Cam window 19 Three guide pins 20 A pair of side wall portions of the main fixing plate 9 21 A pair of first adjusting screw mounting pieces formed on the main fixing plate 9 22 Head mounting screw 23 Head moving play A pair of second adjusting screw mounting pieces 24 formed on the disk 13 A pair of adjusting screws 25 A pair of springs (compression springs) 26 Screw insertion holes of the second adjusting screw mounting pieces 23 27 First adjusting screw mounting pieces 21 Female screw hole 28 rectangular notch of the head moving plate 13 29 a pair of first pin insertion holes 30 three second pin insertion holes 31 three E-shaped washers 32 a pair formed in the head moving plate 13 Screw mounting piece adjusting slot 33 of a pair of integrated screws 34 pair of collars 35 pair of adjusting guide slots formed in the main fixing plate 9 36 integrating screw hole formed in the head mounting plate 12 37 scale mechanism 38 Pointers formed on the head moving plate 13 39 Scales formed on the main fixing plate 9 40 Operation confirmation window formed on the base plate 6 41 Guide roller F of ink ribbon R F Arrow in the front and rear direction along the transport direction of print medium P Printing medium R such as label or tag R Ink ribbon of print medium P

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A thermal head support device of a thermal printer for printing predetermined print information on a print medium transported between a platen roller and a thermal head, wherein the thermal head support device is attached to a printer main body of the thermal printer. A head fixing plate on which the thermal head is mounted and which is slidably movable in the direction of transport of the printing medium with respect to the back surface of the main fixing plate. A second adjusting screw which is slidably movable with respect to the surface of the main fixing plate in the transfer direction of the printing medium integrally with the head mounting plate, and which faces the first adjusting screw mounting piece. A head moving plate on which a mounting piece is formed; a second adjusting screw mounting piece; Serial thermal head supporting device of a thermal printer, characterized in that it comprises an adjusting screw and a spring interposed between the first adjustment screw mounting piece, the. And a plate supporting mechanism for attaching the main fixing plate to the printer main body, wherein the plate supporting mechanism is capable of urging the main fixing plate toward the platen roller with a predetermined pressing force. The thermal head support device for a thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The head mounting plate and the head moving plate can be fixed to each other by an integrated screw with the main fixing plate interposed therebetween, and the integrated screw and its collar are mounted on the main fixing plate. 2. A thermal head support device for a thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein a slot for adjusting guide is formed so as to be able to pass through the guide medium and to be long in a transfer direction of the print medium. 4. The head moving plate has an elongated hole for adjusting a screw mounting piece that is capable of inserting the integrated screw and the collar and that is long in a direction perpendicular to a transfer direction of the print medium. 4. A thermal head support device for a thermal printer according to claim 3, wherein: 5. A scale mechanism capable of confirming a distance between the head moving plate and the main fixed plate for adjusting a movement of the head moving plate and the main fixed plate.
A thermal head support device for the thermal printer described in the above.