JPH10283072A - Electronic information equipment with built-in printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the feed resistance of recording paper and to prevent the recording paper from being curled by guiding the recording paper from a paper supply port to a paper ejection port in the state of keeping it almost flat, thereby eliminating a curve on a paper passage. SOLUTION: The recording paper P is placed on the surface of an equipment main body 3 which is a flat part 41. Then, when rollers 64-66 are driven, the recording paper P is moved in the direction of a printing head 68. In the meantime, the equipment main body 3 is provided with a position control means (guide) for controlling the movement of the recording paper P in a direction vertical to both of the direction of the printing head 68 and the direction vertical to the surface from the surface of the recording paper P. Thus, the recording paper P is carried in the direction of the printing head 68 while keeping a fixed direction by the means. Signals outputted from a display controller are inputted to a display 5. Then, a keyboard 4 is arranged so as to cover a recessed part constituted of the surface and a step part with a prescribed interval to the surface where the recording paper P is arranged.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic information device such as a personal computer (personal computer) or a word processor (word processor) having a built-in printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a so-called laptop personal computer (personal computer) in which a printer is built in and a liquid crystal display is relatively movable with respect to the apparatus main body by rotating the liquid crystal display relative to the apparatus main body. In a word processor (word processor) or the like, a printer is built in the front of the display, that is, in the rear part of the device main body, and a paper feed port and a paper discharge port are provided on the upper surface of the rear part of the device main body. A paper path from the paper supply port to the paper discharge port is provided inside such a device body, and the paper path is substantially at a platen roller provided opposite to a print head forming a main part of the printer. As described in a word processor or a Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-235632, which is curved in a “U” shape, a transparent display surface is provided on the main body of the apparatus, and a print is made below the display surface. 2. Description of the Related Art A typewriter having a structure through which paper (recording paper) to be passed passes is known, and a driving roller for feeding recording paper is attached to a portion where a paper feed port (insertion port) is formed. This device has a bottom surface that comes into contact with the installation location in a normal use state, and the recording paper is inclined with respect to this bottom surface.

[0003]

In such a conventional apparatus, the inventor of the present application has tried to print on a thick paper such as a postcard, a label, or the like. The recording paper is bent greatly by the drive roller and the platen roller, increasing the feeding resistance, which is a load when feeding the recording paper, and hindering the paper feed. I noticed that the paper was bent beyond the limit, and that the paper had a curl not only in the vertical direction but also in the horizontal direction. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer built-in type electronic information device which is excellent in operability and does not curve recording paper such as postcards and labels when printing.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is directed to a so-called word processor or personal computer or other electronic information equipment having a built-in printer.

An electronic information device with a built-in printer according to the present invention includes a print head for printing on a recording sheet, a surface on which the recording sheet is placed substantially flat, and a recording sheet conveyed from the surface toward the print head. Roller, and a step portion that regulates the movement of the recording paper in a direction perpendicular to both the print head direction and the direction perpendicular to the surface from the surface continuously to the surface,
, A display for displaying a signal from the device main body, and a keyboard for inputting the signal to the device main body and covering the stepped portion.

The electronic information device with a built-in printer according to the present invention has a print head for printing on recording paper, a surface on which the recording paper is placed, and a device for conveying the recording paper from the surface to the print head. A device body having a roller, and a step portion that regulates the movement of the recording paper in a direction perpendicular to both the print head direction and the direction perpendicular to the surface from the surface continuously from the surface, and attached to the device body. A display device;
And an input device attached to the device body.

Further, in an electronic information device of a printer built-in type having a display and a keyboard attached to a device main body according to the present invention, the device main body is provided with a print head for printing on recording paper and a recording paper. Surface, a roller that transports the recording paper from the surface to the print head, and the movement of the recording paper in a direction that is continuous with the surface and that is perpendicular to both the print head and the surface. Step, a motor for driving rollers, a ROM (ROM) storing a program, a video ram (VRAM) for outputting image information, and a printing operation of a print head based on a control program stored in the ROM. A microprocessor (MPU) for controlling the transport operation of the roller, and a display controller for outputting a signal read from the video ram. Comprising a circuit having a Ra, an interface for inputting a control signal from the microprocessor to connect the motor and the print head and the microprocessor to the motor and the print head, and
A signal output from the display controller is input to the display, and the keyboard transmits the input signal to the circuit via the interface and covers the step.

Further, the electronic information device with a built-in printer according to the present invention comprises a holding means for holding the recording paper, a paper feeding port for the recording paper to be introduced, and a recording paper passing through the paper feeding port. A print head for performing printing, a device main body having a stepped portion that regulates a lateral movement of a recording sheet disposed in a holding unit in a sheet feeding direction, and an input device that inputs a signal to the device main body. Features.

[0009]

The device body of the present invention is installed with its bottom face down. When printing (printing) on recording paper, first, the recording paper is set on the surface of the device body, which is a flat portion. When the roller is driven, the recording paper moves in the direction of the print head. On the other hand, since the main body of the apparatus is provided with position regulating means for regulating movement of the recording paper in a direction perpendicular to both the print head direction and the direction perpendicular to the surface from the surface of the recording paper, The recording paper is conveyed toward the print head while maintaining a certain direction by this means. The keyboard is an input device for transmitting an input signal to the electronic information device. The keyboard is attached to the device body. An input signal from the keyboard can be transmitted to a circuit board constituting a circuit built in the device body. The keyboard is arranged at a predetermined distance from the surface on which the recording paper is arranged so as to cover the recess formed by this surface and the step, so that the keyboard does not obstruct the recording paper at all. And the recording paper can be easily placed on this surface.

The apparatus main body includes a ROM (ROM) in which a control program is stored, a video ram (VRAM) for outputting image information, and a printing operation of a print head and a transport operation of a roller based on the control program stored in the ROM. And a display controller that outputs a signal read from the video ram. The signal output from the display controller is input to the display, and the device body has an interface that outputs control signals to the motor for driving the print head and the rollers.The input signal input from the keyboard is used for the interface. Input to this system via Further, the electronic information device is provided with a printer cover for releasing a mechanism of the printer. Although this cover is released at the time of maintenance, if it is installed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body, it is easy to use and the whole apparatus can be compactly assembled.

A paper feed port is formed in front of the main body of the device, and a paper discharge port is formed in the rear of the main body of the device. A paper feed port and a paper discharge port are formed in front of the main body of the apparatus, and a paper feeding means is provided with a first paper path for introducing recording paper from the paper feed port and guiding it backward. It is also possible to have a second paper path for guiding the recording paper to the front discharge port, and a transfer means for switching back the recording paper from the first paper path to the second paper path. In the case of forward paper feeding, a keyboard is provided in the front half of the upper surface of the device main body, and a paper path (first paper path) is formed between the lower surface of the keyboard and the upper surface of the device main body. The opening is preferably formed at the front end of the paper path. The keyboard may be configured to be detachable from the device body.
The recording paper supplied from the paper feed port into the apparatus main body is fed along the paper path by the paper feeding means, and after the printing is performed, is discharged to the outside from the paper output port. In this case, since the paper path can be guided while holding the recording paper, the feeding resistance is small and the recording paper does not have a curl. In this case, the supply of recording paper is facilitated by forming the paper feed port in the front and the paper discharge port in the rear. Conversely, since the paper discharge port is formed at the front and the paper supply port is formed at the rear, the printing state can be confirmed during the printout. In addition, if both the paper feed port and the paper discharge port are formed in front, a series of operations from supply of recording paper to verification of printout can be performed extremely easily. In addition, if the paper path (first paper path) is formed between the lower surface of the keyboard and the upper surface of the device main body, the upper surface of the device main body can be used as the paper path without disturbing the keyboard. can do. In this case, if the keyboard can be detached from the apparatus main body, the upper surface of the paper path is released, and this paper path can be used as a paper feed guide for supplying recording paper.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A laptop personal computer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, a personal computer 1 includes a printer 2
, A keyboard 4 serving as an input device detachably attached to the device body 3, and a display 5 serving as a display device also serving as a cover of the keyboard 4. The keyboard 4 is connected to the device main body 3 so that an input signal can be transmitted wirelessly, and is used while mounted on the device main body 3 by moving the keyboard 4 relatively to the device main body 3. And use in a state of being detached from the device main body 3 can be selectively performed. That is, since the paper passage (first paper passage) 52 is formed between the lower surface of the keyboard 4 and the upper surface of the device main body 3, the upper surface of the device main body 3 can be moved without interrupting the keyboard 4. In this case, the keyboard 4 can be detached from the apparatus main body 3, so that the upper surface of the paper path is released, and this paper path can be used as a paper feed guide for supplying recording paper.
The display 5 has a liquid crystal display body 6,
The display 5 is movable relative to the device main body 3 so as to be openable and closable at an intermediate portion of the device main body 3 via a hinge 7. Then, the display 5 during operation, which is in a normal use state, is used in an upright position, with the device slightly turned upside down, and the bottom surface of the device body contacts the installation location.

In the following description, the left side of FIG.
The right side is referred to as front and back, the upper side and the lower side are referred to as upper and lower sides, respectively, and the direction perpendicular to the paper is referred to as the width direction. The device main body 3 has a thin front half and a thick rear half, a keyboard 4 mounted on the front half, and a display 5 in a closed state on which the keyboard 5 is mounted. In addition, it functions as a cover of the keyboard 4 which is relatively movable, and has a rectangular shape as a whole. When the display 5 is in the closed state, the keyboard 4 is disposed between the display 5 and the surface 41 which is a flat portion of the device main body, and the display 5 protects the keyboard 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the front half of the first half has a flat portion 41 in the middle of the upper surface and a stepped portion 4 on both sides in the width direction.
2 and 42 have a "concave" -shaped cross-sectional shape with an intermediate recess as a whole, and a concave portion is formed including a surface 41 on which the recording paper P is installed and a continuous step on the surface. I have.
The keyboard 4 is mounted on the stepped portions 42, 42, and a flat portion 41 substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the device main body 4 in the mounted state.
A gap 43 is formed between the keyboard and the lower surface of the keyboard 4, and this bottom surface is in contact with the installation place in a normal use state. The gap 43 can be used as a paper path with the front end of the keyboard 4 as a paper feed port during printing. In the present embodiment, the keyboard 4 is removed so that the flat portion 41 can be viewed, and this portion is connected to the paper feed guide 40. We use as. That is, on the flat portion 41 (first surface, front surface), two convex ridges 44, 44 extending in the front-rear direction (position regulating means, 44, 44 are provided in the direction of the print head from the surface and the direction perpendicular to the surface). The movement of the recording paper in the direction perpendicular to both sides is formed. The position of the ridge 44 indicates the width (size) of the recording paper P from the left stepped portion 42. Of course, a simple display may be used instead of the ridges 44, but the size from the stepped portion 42 on the left side to the ridges 44 on the left is B5 size, and the ridge 44 from the right is A4.
And the entire width of the flat portion 41 corresponds to the B4 size, and the ridges 44 serving as the position regulating means can regulate the size corresponding to the size of the recording paper. For example, the right-handed operator supplies the recording paper P from the paper feed guide 40 to the mechanism of the printer 2 of the apparatus main body 3 with reference to the left end of the flat portion 41. However, in this case, since the recording paper P is inserted on the basis of the left end of the flat portion 41, it is easy for the operator to use, and in particular, other than the recording paper P of the predetermined size, for example, a postcard or a label can be appropriately guided. . The mechanism of the printer 2 includes the paper feed guide 40
And a first paper path 5 connected to the paper supply port 51 for supplying the recording paper P into the mechanism of the printer 2.
2, a paper discharge port 53 formed on the surface of the device main body 3 near the upper side of the paper supply port 51, and a second paper path 5 connected to the paper discharge port 53.
4 is provided.

The first paper path 52 extends in a plane in the apparatus main body 3 and penetrates through the rear part of the apparatus main body 3, and an exposure port 57 described later is formed in this penetrating portion. On the other hand, the second paper path 54 branches off at a branch portion 55 at an intermediate portion of the first paper path 52 and extends slightly obliquely upward to the paper discharge port 53. An openable / closable printer cover 56 is provided on a second plane provided above the second paper path 54 and parallel to the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 3. Can be opened. The recording paper P is supplied from the paper supply port 51, is introduced into the mechanism of the printer 2 through the first paper passage 52, and stops when the trailing end of the paper reaches the branch portion 55. In this case, a part of the recording paper P is squeezed out through the exposure port 57 and is exposed. Therefore, recording papers P of various sizes can be used without increasing the size of the device main body 3, and the recording papers P are not bent. Next, the recording paper P is switched back and guided to the second paper path 54, and printing is started at the same time. As the printing progresses, the recording paper P is discharged from the second paper path 54 to the outside through the paper discharge port 53. After printing on the recording paper P by the print head 68, the recording paper P is discharged through the exposure port 57. It can also be discharged as paper exit.

The branching section 55 of the second paper path 54 is provided with a transfer means for transferring the recording paper P from the first paper path 52 to the second paper path 54, and therefore enables the recording paper P to be switched back. ing. The transfer means appropriately controls the first and second paper passages 5 according to the movement of supply and discharge of the recording paper P.
A gate 58 for opening and closing the gates 2 and 54, a solenoid 59 and a coil spring 60 for driving the gate 58 to open and close,
It comprises a first paper detection sensor 61 that detects the recording paper P and sends an open / close signal to the solenoid 59, and a second detection sensor 62 that detects the print start position of the recording paper P. The gate 58 oscillates about the pivot 63 as appropriate to open the first paper path 52 and to open the second paper path 5 when the recording paper P is supplied.
When the recording paper P is discharged, the first paper path 52 is set to "closed" and the second paper path 54 is set to "open". A coil spring 60 and a solenoid 59 are connected to the rear end of the gate 58 at the top and bottom, respectively.
Closes the first paper path 52 by the coil spring 60
It is biased in the direction to become the state. The solenoid 59 is excited based on a detection signal of the first paper detection sensor 61, and swings the gate 58 in a direction to bring the second paper path 54 into a “closed” state.

The two-sheet detection sensors 61 and 62 include first and second paper detection sensors.
The first paper detection sensor 61 is provided on the upstream side of the branch portion 55 of the two paper passages 52, 54 so as to face the paper passages 52, 54, respectively. Upon detection, the second paper detection sensor 62 detects the leading end in the feed direction of the recording paper P that has been switched back to the print position. That is, when the recording paper P is introduced into the first paper path 52 and its leading end is detected by the first paper detection sensor 61, the solenoid 59 is driven to open the gate 58 to open the first paper path 52, The paper path 54 is swung to the "closed" position. When the recording paper P is further fed and the second paper detection sensor 62 detects the trailing end of the recording paper P, the solenoid 59 is driven after a predetermined time to move the gate 58 through the first paper path 52 to ""Closed" and the second paper path 54 is swung to the "open" position. At the same time as the swing, the paper feeding direction is reversed, and the recording paper P is switched back and introduced into the second paper passage 54. Here, the leading end of the recording paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor 62, and the recording paper P temporarily stops at the print start position (home position), and printing is started from this stop position. These paper feeds are performed by various rollers provided in each section of the first and second paper paths 52 and 54.

The first paper path 52 is provided with a first feed roller 64 provided on the paper feed port 51 side and a second feed roller 65 provided on the exposure port 57 side. The third paper feed roller 66 is provided in the second paper path 54 on the paper discharge port 53 side. Each of these feed rollers 64, 65, 66 is
4a, 65a, 66a and pressing rollers 64b, 65b, 6
6b, and the recording paper P is pressed against the drive rollers 64a, 65a, 66a by freely rotating pressing rollers 64b, 65b, 66b, and the paper is driven by the driving rollers 64a, 65a, 66a. The feed is configured to be performed. Therefore, the first and second paper paths 52 and 54 and the first, second and third feed rollers 6
4, 65, 66 constitute paper feeding means. on the other hand,
A print head 68 for printing (printing) on the recording paper P is provided near the upstream side of the branch portion 55 of the first paper path 52 so as to face the paper path 52. Further, a platen roller 67 is provided to face the print head 68. The recording paper P is held between the print head 68 and the platen roller 67, and
Printing is performed by line feed of the feed roller 66 and printing operation of the print head 68 in the left-right direction.

A main circuit board 8 is provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body 3 over the entire area of the apparatus main body 3, and a receiving section 9 of the keyboard 4 wirelessly connected to the main circuit board 8 is connected to the main circuit board 8. Have been. The receiving unit 9 communicates with the transmitting unit 10 provided at the far end of the keyboard 4 by optical communication.
Is transmitted to the main circuit board 8 of the device main body 3. The receiving unit 9 is composed of an optical receiving module incorporating a phototransistor or the like, and two receiving units are provided at a center portion and a front end portion of the device main body 3.
It is possible to cope with both use modes of attachment and detachment. The transmission unit 10 is configured by an optical transmission module incorporating a light emitting diode or the like, and transmits an input signal to the device body 3 by transmitting a remote command. Equipment body 3,
That is, this computer has a system configuration as shown in the block diagram of FIG. That is, the microprocessor (MPU) 11 and the R in which the control program is stored are stored.
OM (Read Only Memory) 12, a ram (R
AM, Random Access Memory (random access memory) 13, floppy disk controller (FDC) 14, video ram (VRAM) 15 for storing information output to display 5, and outputs signals read from video ram 15 to display 5. The display controller (CRTC) 16 and the like are connected to the input / output interface (I /
O) 18.

The input / output interface 18 receives a signal from the keyboard 4 via the receiving units 9 and 9 and an OR gate with one of the receiving circuits (RC, RC) 19 and 19 corresponding to the receiving units 9 and 9. (OR) 20. The input / output interface 18 receives detection signals from the first and second paper detection sensors 61 and 62.
From the input / output interface 18, the output circuit (DC) 2
Control signals are outputted to the print head 68, the feed rollers 64, 65, 66, the motor (M) 22 for driving the platen roller 67, and the solenoid 59 via 1, 21, 21. That is, the printing operation of the printer 2 of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment is controlled by the microprocessor 11 based on the control program stored in the ROM 12. In this embodiment, as described above, the first and second paper paths 5 are used.
Since the recording paper P is fed while the recording paper P is maintained in a flat state by switchback, the paper feeding resistance of the recording paper P is extremely small, and the recording paper P is bent. I can't get it. Therefore, even a thick paper such as a postcard or a label can be appropriately printed without any trouble. When the switchback operation is performed, the operator can perform a series of printing operations in front of the display 5 without having to tilt the display 5 forward or reach for the rear of the device body 3 during printing. And a series of operations can be easily performed.

When the recording paper P after printing is discharged to the front of the display 5, the operator can compare the screen of the display 5 with the printout on the recording paper P during printing. Checking and canceling printing can be performed quickly. Further, by moving the keyboard 4 relatively to the flat portion 41, the recording paper P can be easily set on the flat portion 41, and the ridges 44 are formed on the flat portion 41. Therefore, the recording paper P can be reliably transported according to the size of the recording paper P.
In the above embodiment, after the recording paper P is once moved backward, the paper feeding direction is reversed, and the recording paper P is moved forward and discharged forward. However, this is achieved by changing the control program. The paper feeding procedure can be variously changed. For example, the recording paper P is supplied from a paper feed port 51 to a first paper path 52.
And the recording paper P may be discharged from the exposure port 57 using the exposure port 57 as a discharge port, or conversely, the first paper path 52 and the second
The paper may be moved backward through the paper path 54 and discharged from the discharge port 53.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the recording paper can be guided from the paper feed port to the paper discharge port in a state where the recording paper is held substantially flat. And the recording paper is not bent. The keyboard is arranged at a predetermined distance from the surface on which the recording paper is arranged so as to cover the recess formed by this surface and the step, so that the keyboard does not obstruct the recording paper at all. The recording paper can be easily placed on this surface without any need.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of a personal computer according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in the left-right direction of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computer main body of the personal computer in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Device main body, 4 ... Keyboard (input device), 5 ... Display (display device), 41 ... Flat part (holding means, surface), 51 ... Paper feed port, 52 ... 1st paper path, 53, 57 ...
Discharge port, 54: second paper path, 64: first feed roller, 6
5: second feed roller, 66: third feed roller, P: recording paper, 44: position regulating means (guide), 56: printer cover, 68: print head.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An electronic information device having a built-in printer, comprising: a print head for printing on a recording sheet; a surface on which the recording sheet is placed substantially flat; And a step for regulating the movement of the recording paper in a direction perpendicular to both the print head direction and the direction perpendicular to the surface from the surface continuously from the surface. An electronic information device with a built-in printer, comprising: a device main body; a display for displaying a signal from the device main body; and a keyboard for inputting a signal to the device main body and covering the step portion. 2. An electronic information device having a built-in printer, comprising: a print head for printing on a recording sheet; a surface on which the recording sheet is placed; and the recording sheet being conveyed from the surface toward the print head. A device body having a roller for, and a step that regulates movement of the recording paper in a direction perpendicular to both the print head direction and a direction perpendicular to the surface from the surface continuous to the surface. An electronic information device with a built-in printer, comprising: a display device attached to the device body; and an input device attached to the device body. 3. An electronic information device of a printer built-in type having a display and a keyboard attached to a device main body, wherein the device main body is provided with a print head for printing on recording paper and the recording paper. And a roller that conveys the recording paper from the surface to the print head, and a roller that is continuous with the surface and extends in a direction perpendicular to both the print head direction and the direction perpendicular to the surface. A step for regulating the movement of the recording paper, a motor for driving the rollers, a ROM storing a program, and a video ram (VRA) for outputting image information.
M) a microprocessor (MPU) for controlling a printing operation of the print head and a transport operation of the roller based on a control program stored in the ROM;
A circuit having a display controller that outputs a signal read from the video ram, and a circuit for connecting the motor and the print head to the microprocessor and inputting a control signal from the microprocessor to the motor and the print head. Interface and
A printer, wherein a signal output from the display controller is input to the display, and the keyboard transmits an input signal to the circuit via the interface and covers the step portion. Built-in electronic information equipment. 4. An electronic information device with a built-in printer, a holding means for holding a recording paper, a paper feeding port for introducing the recording paper arranged in the holding means, and printing on a recording paper passing through the paper feeding port. And a device main body having a stepped portion arranged in the holding means for restricting the lateral movement of the recording paper in the paper feeding direction, and an input device for inputting a signal to the device main body. Electronic information equipment with a built-in printer.