JPS6044364A - Thermal printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To permit exact reading of timing marks by sufficient photo current from a photo sensor by supporting a thermal head and the photo sensor by a turnable part in a turnable manner in the direction of crossing the drive direction of a card in a ticket selling machine, etc. CONSTITUTION:When a card 4 is inserted between a thermal head 8 and a roller 15, the heating point 8a of the head and the tip 7a of a photo sensor 7 are pushed up toward the direction of separation from the roller 15 by the thermal printing face 4a of the card 4. The elastic force of elastic pieces 10a and 10b acts on the direction of the roller 15 and the heating point 8a is pressed on the printing face 4a with a proper set pressure. At the same time, the detection distance from the tip 7a of the photo sensor 7 to the printed face 4 is rightly kept. The timing mark 4b of the card 4 is detected by the sensor 7, and when photo current is put in a signal processing circuit through a lead wire 20, the head 8 is electrically energized through the lead wire 19, and recording is made on the printing face 4a by the heating point 8 energized. Timing mark can thus be exactly read out by sufficient photo current.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a thermal printing device that can be used in ticket vending machines, ticket processing terminals, etc., and particularly to a device that performs thermal printing in accordance with pre-printed timing marks.

〔background〕

When a pre-printed timing mark is detected by a reflective photosensor and the rising or falling signal is used to energize the thermal nozzle 8 for thermal printing, it is difficult to accurately detect the timing mark. By the way, in general, the photocurrent of a reflective point sensor is greatly affected by the relative distance to the timing mark, and the relationship is pointed, as shown in an example in Figure 1, and even if the relative distance is short, it is long. It can also be seen that the photocurrent is greatly attenuated.

On the other hand, in order to smoothly drive the card, the gap in the guide path of the card naturally needs to be made somewhat larger than the thickness of the card, which causes the card to wobble in the thickness direction, causing the relative distance to the photosensor, ie, t, to fluctuate. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide an adjustment mechanism depending on the mounting load of the pot sensor. Furthermore, if it is desired to use both a thin car 1' and a thick card, the relative distance to the sensor will vary depending on the thickness of the car i'.

[Purpose/Structure]

The present invention aims to solve the above problems,
The photo sensor is configured to follow the thermal printing surface of the card while maintaining a constant relative distance, so that the photo sensor generates a sufficient photocurrent.

〔Example〕

Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. Second
The figure is a plan view showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a front view thereof, FIG. 4 is a sectional view AΔ of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a partial bottom view. The upper guide plate 2 and the lower guide plate 3 are fixed with screws (not shown) to form a passage 5 and a passage 6 for the card 4. 8
is fitted and adhesively fixed to the frame-like body 11 of the resin movable member shown at 9 at the thermal head 1ζ. The terminal 8b of the thermal nozzle 8 is soldered to a printed circuit board 13, and the printed circuit board 13 is adhesively fixed to the frame-shaped body 11. Further, a reflective photosensor 7 is adhesively fixed to the printed circuit board 13, and the distance from its tip to the thermal/heating point 8a of the throat 8 is kept equal to the detection distance of the photosensor 7.

Elastic pieces 10a and lOb are provided on the movable member 9 in a protruding manner corresponding to the driving direction 21 of the inserted card 4, respectively. These elastic pieces 10a and 10b may be configured to be molded with the frame-shaped body 11 into which the head 8 is inserted. A locking shaft 12a is provided at the tip of each of the elastic pieces 10a and 10b.

12b is formed. In this case, the locking shaft 12a has a structure in which a locking groove 12c is formed in the circumferential surface of the cylindrical body so as to surround it, and the upper guide portion 2 is shown in FIG.
It is placed on the locking bearing 14a of the upright piece 2a, and is further locked in the locking groove 12c to prevent axial movement, and the locking shaft 12b is made of a cylindrical body, as shown in FIG. i' [Place it on the locking bearing 14b of the upright piece 2b showing the thinness.

The movable member 9 is moved by the elastic pieces 10a and 10b to the upright piece 2.
The thermal head 8 is supported between a and 2b.
faces into the card passage 6 through the window 2C of the upper guide section 2, and its heat generating point 8a is set in contact with the roller 15, which is a positioning member, and the resting position of the thermal head 8 is defined. The roller 15 is rotatably supported on the lower guide plate 2 by a shaft made of heat-resistant 4J1 oil, and its outer periphery faces the card passage 6. Note that the positioning member is the roller 15.
Alternatively, the lower guide plate 3 may be embossed to provide a convex portion within the card passage. 19 and 20 are lead wires to the thermal head 8 and photosensor 7, respectively.

The card 4 is driven in the direction of the arrow 21 in FIG. 4 by a drive unit (not shown) in the thermal printing device configured as described above,
When inserted between the thermal head 8 and the roller 15, the heating point 8a of the thermal head and the tip 7a of the photosensor 7 move in the direction away from the I/10-ra 15 (white arrow 22) due to the thermal printing surface 4a of the card 4. direction),
The elastic urging force of the elastic pieces 10a and 10b acts in the direction of the roller 15, and the heating point 8a is pressed against the thermal printing surface 4a with an appropriate set pressure, and at the same time the tip 7a of the photo sensor 7
The detection distance from to the thermal printing surface 4a is maintained correctly. Furthermore, the card 4 is driven, and the card 4, not shown in FIG.
When the photo sensor 7 detects the timing mark 4b and a photocurrent flows to the lead cotton 20, it is transmitted to the terminal 8b of the thermal head 8 from a signal processing circuit (not shown) via the lead wire 19.
is energized, the heating point 8a generates heat, and thermal printing is performed on the thermal printing surface 4a as shown in FIG. 40, for example.

〔effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, since the photo sensor is driven together with the thermal head 8, the detection distance of the photo sensor is always kept constant, which has the effect of generating a sufficient photocurrent, and thermal printing can be performed by reliably reading timing marks. It will be done.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a graph showing the relationship between the detection distance and photocurrent of a reflective photosensor, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a front view thereof, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the movable member 9, FIGS. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the card. (2) Guide means, 7 Photo sensor, 8 Thermal head, 9 Movable member, 2a, 2b Upright piece (supporting member), 15 Roller (positioning member). Representative Patent Attorney Takashi Okabe

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A guide means forming a card passage capable of receiving a card provided with at least one thermal printing surface, a movable member having a thermal head and a photo sensor supported by two elastic pieces extending in the driving direction of the card; A supporting member of the movable member acts on the movable member to rotatably support the thermal head and the photo sensor in a direction intersecting the card driving direction, and acts on the thermal head to move the thermal to the print surface. A thermal printing device characterized by comprising a positioning member that positions the elastic piece in a state where the elastic piece is biased in a direction of separation.