JPS5928192B2 - printer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a printer provided with a print range defining means for a print head and a paper width regulating means for recording paper.

Most conventional printers can only use recording paper of one width.

However, in recent years, with the diversification of information, it has become necessary to use recording paper of various widths in one printer depending on the purpose. Therefore, a printer has been developed that is provided with a paper width regulating means (paper guide means) that is movable according to the paper width of the recording paper used.

In this case, since the printing range varies depending on the paper width used, it is necessary to separately provide a printing range regulating means for the print head. Usually, the printing range defining means and the paper width regulating means are structured to operate independently. Therefore,
There is a risk that the printing range will be defined to be wider than the paper width of the recording paper used, and in such a case, the print head will move to areas where there is no recording paper to perform printing. Blank printing from the print head can cause printer malfunctions, and especially in printers where the print head is constantly in contact with the recording paper, such as thermal printers and discharge printers, this problem can affect the lifespan of the print head. Become.

The present invention has been made in order to eliminate such drawbacks, and has a structure in which the printing range defining means cannot move outside the paper width regulating means, so that the print head always moves within the paper width of the recording paper. Furthermore, the present invention provides a printer that can arbitrarily define a printing range within the paper width.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, a carriage 2 with a print head 1 attached thereto is slidable along a slide shaft 3, and a wire 4
and a printhead feed motor (not shown).

Next, left and right head position detectors 5 and 6 are provided so as to be slidable along the guide axis T as printing range defining means.

These can be fixed in any position by a click mechanism.

The left head position detector 5 detects the print start position of the print head, and the right head position detector 6 detects the end position of the print head and sends a carriage return signal.

As these left and right head position detectors 5 and 6, a spring contact switch, a microswitch, a reed switch, a Hall element switch, a photo, a coupler, etc. can be considered.
On the other hand, a paper guide 8 as a paper width regulating means is slidable along guide shafts 9 and 10, and the recording paper 12 to be used is
Move the knob 11 left and right according to the width of the paper,
It regulates paper width.

A stopper 13 is provided on the paper guide 8, and this stopper 13 prevents the right head position detector 6 from moving beyond the paper width of the recording paper 12 in the direction of arrow A. Next, when using recording paper with a narrower paper width, the paper guide 8 is moved in the direction of arrow B as shown in FIG.

Then, the right head position detector 6 is activated by the stopper 13.
The paper guide 8 is also moved in the direction of arrow B.
When the recording paper 12 is set at an appropriate position, a printing range corresponding to the width of the recording paper 12 is automatically obtained.

If it is desired to further narrow the printing range on the same recording paper, the right head position detector 6 can be moved alone in the direction of arrow B. Since the present invention has such a structure, no matter what paper width recording paper is set, the right head position detector 6 is within the paper width, so the movement range 5 of the print head will never exceed the paper width. do not have.

That is, the problem of printing even on areas where there is no recording paper does not occur.

Therefore, failures around the print head and platen can be reduced, resulting in good durability of the print head.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which a paper guide 15 similar to 8 is provided at the left end, making it even easier to use.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention when recording paper having a paper width narrower than that in FIG. 1 is used. FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of a printer according to another embodiment of the present invention. 1・
...Print head, 5...Left head position detector, 6...Right head position detector, 8...
...Paper guide, 12...Recording paper, 1
3...Stopper 14...Fixed paper guide, 15...Paper guide.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A head position detector that can slide left and right along a guide shaft, and a paper width provided at one end with a stopper that prevents the head position detector from moving beyond the paper width of the recording paper. A printer characterized in that it has a regulating means. 2. The printer according to item 1, wherein the head position detector and paper width regulating means are provided on both left and right sides.