Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to designate identical or similar elements, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. The suffix "module" and " part "for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role. In the following description of the embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description of related arts will be omitted when it is determined that the gist of the embodiments disclosed herein may be blurred. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. , ≪ / RTI > equivalents, and alternatives.
Terms including ordinals, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited to these terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.
It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.
The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
In the present application, the terms "comprises", "having", and the like are used to specify that a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.
1 is a block diagram for explaining a photo printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
1, a photo printer 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit 110, an operation unit 120, an output unit 130, a sensing unit 140, a memory 150, a power unit 160, A transfer unit 170, an image forming unit 180, and a control unit 190. [
The communication unit 110 connects the photo printer 100 to an external device through a wired / wireless network. Here, the external device is not limited to a portable electronic device such as a smart phone, but may be a fixed electronic device such as a desktop, and is not particularly limited as long as the device can communicate with the photo printer 100. The communication unit 110 is connected to an external device and can transmit / receive various information including image data (e.g., photographed photo file) from an external device. To this end, the communication unit 110 may include at least one module that enables wired communication or wireless communication. Specifically, the communication unit 110 may include a short-range communication module 111 and a wired communication module 112.
The near field communication module 111 supports contactless communication with an external device. The short-range communication module 111 may be at least one of Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), ZigBee, Near Field Communication (NFC), and Wi-Fi It is possible to receive image data and various commands or information related to the operation of the photo printer 100 from an external apparatus by supporting short-range communication using one.
The wired communication module 112 supports contact communication with an external device. The wired communication module 112 may include a memory card port, a USB port, and the like, and is directly connected to an external device to support transmission and reception of various information including image data, as in the case of the near field communication module 111.
The operation unit 120 includes at least one operation module operatively associated with the operation of the photo printer 100. [ For example, the operation unit 120 may include a first operation module 121 and a second operation module 122. [ The first operation module 121 can be interlocked with the power on / off function of the photo printer 100. The first operation module 121 can operate power on / off of the photo printer 100 in a physical manner such as a slide switch method or a button method. For example, the user can move the first operation module 121 to the left side to turn the power of the photo printer 100 on or move the power to the right side to turn off the power. The second operation module 122 may be a reset button.
The memory 150 stores data supporting various functions of the photo printer 100. [ The memory 150 may store application programs necessary for driving the photo printer 100, data for performing various operations related to image printing, and image data received through the communication unit 110 together with instructions. At least some of these applications may be stored in the memory 150 from the time of shipment. Alternatively, at least a part of the application program may be transmitted from an external server or an external device via the communication unit 110. An application program stored in the memory 150 may be installed in the photo printer 100 under the control of the control unit 190. [
The sensing unit 140 may sense various information generated inside or outside the photo printer 100. The sensing unit 140 may include a paper detection sensor 141, a temperature sensor 142, an opening and closing sensor 143, a horizontal sensor 144, and a mark recognition sensor. First, the paper detection sensor 141 is disposed in the paper conveyance path, and detects the presence or absence of the paper in the conveyance path. For example, the paper detecting sensor 141 may be disposed at a position adjacent to the loading unit 165 on which the paper is loaded. It is determined whether the illuminance value, which varies as the paper is covered by the paper, is less than a predetermined value, Can be detected. Alternatively, the paper detecting sensor 141 may include a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion. The paper detecting sensor 141 may detect whether or not the paper is seated in the loading portion according to the distance or time that light emitted through the light emitting portion is reflected and returned to the light receiving portion have. If the control unit 190 receives the print command for the predetermined image data in a state in which the paper is not detected through the paper detection sensor 141, the control unit 190 can guide the user to the absence of paper through the output unit 130 . The temperature sensor 142 detects whether the battery or the motor is operating at a temperature within the normal range.
The temperature sensor 142 transmits a corresponding signal to the control unit 190 when the battery or the motor is operating at a temperature outside the normal range (i.e., low temperature or superheat), and the control unit 190 controls the output unit 130, The information corresponding to the signal input from the temperature sensor 142 can be output in a form recognizable to the user.
The horizontal sensor 144 detects whether the photo printer 100 is placed horizontally with respect to the ground. The controller 190 detects the angle of the gravitational direction with respect to the main body of the photo printer 100 based on the information provided from the horizontal sensor 144, It can be judged whether or not it is horizontally seated on the ground. When the control unit 190 determines that the photoprinter 100 is not horizontally mounted on the ground, the predetermined information is output through the output unit 130 so that the user can select the inclination of the photoprinter 100 You can be guided to change your posture.
The opening / closing sensor 143 senses whether or not the first case 101A and the second case 101B, which will be described later, are fastened together. The control unit 190 can stop the operation of the image forming unit 180 when it senses that the first case 101A and the second case 101B are not engaged with each other through the opening and closing sensor 143. [
A mark recognition sensor (not shown) reads the mark displayed on the paper and recognizes information about the paper. For example, on the bottom surface of the paper, information related to the characteristics of the paper may be displayed in a barcode format. The mark recognition sensor sequentially reads the barcode information of the paper along the paper feed direction. The image forming unit 180 is controlled in accordance with the detected barcode information, so that an image can be printed with an optimum image quality suited to the sheet.
The output unit 130 outputs information on the status of the photo printer 100 to the outside. The output unit 130 may include a light emitting module 131, a display module 132, a haptic module 133, a sound module 134, and the like.
The light emitting module 131 may flicker or change color at different periods according to the state of the photo printer 100. A plurality of such light emitting modules 131 may be provided.
The display module 132 displays various information processed by the photo printer 100. For example, the display module 132 may display print progress, failure information, remaining battery power, battery information, a preview image of an image to be formed, and the like. The display module 132 may be coupled to the photo printer 100 so as to be tiltable along one side thereof.
The sound module 134 outputs sound corresponding to the state of the photo printer 100 (e.g., completion of charging, paper jam, no paper, printing completion, and the like).
The vibration module 212 generates vibration having a predetermined intensity or pattern according to a predetermined condition or input. The intensity or pattern of the vibration generated by the vibration module 212 may be different for each state of the photo printer 100. [ For example, when the image data is transmitted from the external device through the communication unit 110, the vibration module 212 may vibrate once to the first intensity, and may vibrate twice to the second intensity when printing according to the received image data is completed .
The power supply unit 160 receives an external power supply or an internal power supply under the control of the controller 190 and supplies power required for operation of each component. The power supply unit 160 may include a battery. The battery may be an internal battery configured to be rechargeable, and may be detachably coupled to the case and replaced with another battery. In addition, the power supply unit 160 may include a charging port 161 connected to an external power source for charging the battery. For example, the charging port may be a micro USB type port. The charging port can be connected to a wired cable in addition to the power supply, and can have a function of transmitting and receiving data.
The transfer unit 170 includes at least one motor 171 and a pickup roller 172. The pick-up roller 172 rotates in the forward direction (the direction in which the sheet is fed along the sheet feeding direction) or the reverse direction through the driving force transmitted from the motor 171, Lt; / RTI > The motor 171 may be driven or stopped under the control of the controller 190, or the rotational speed of the pickup roller 172 may be increased or decreased by varying the driving force.
The image forming unit 180 forms an image on a sheet conveyed by the conveying unit 170. [ The image forming unit 180 converts electrical energy supplied from the power supply unit 160 into heat energy through a plurality of heat generating resistors, and applies the heat energy to the paper. The paper is gradually conveyed along the paper feeding direction through the conveying unit 170 and at the same time, different colors are developed according to the size and time of the heat applied from the image forming unit 180, so that the images from the front end to the rear end are formed do.
The control unit 190 controls the overall operation of the photo printer 100. The control unit 190 processes signals, data, information, and the like input or output through the above-described components or drives an application program stored in the memory 150 so that an image corresponding to the image data can be properly formed on the paper . The control unit 190 generates print data that can be processed by the image forming unit 180 based on the image data transmitted from the external device. The control unit 190 may control the power supply unit 160 to supply appropriate power to the respective heating resistors of the thermal head 181 according to the print data.
1 are not essential to the implementation of the photo printer 100, so that the photo printer 100 described herein may have more or fewer components than the components listed above, Lt; / RTI >
2 is an exploded perspective view of a photo printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 2, various components may be mounted inside the case while forming the appearance of the photo printer 100, and some components may be partially exposed to the outside through the outer surface of the case. Such a case may include a first case 101A and a second case 101B. The first case 101A and the second case 101B are provided on the outermost side of the photo printer 100 to support internal components and function as a buffer.
The first case 101A separates the various components disposed therein from the ground by a predetermined distance. The second case 101B may be formed to be engageable with the first case 101A. For example, one end of the second case 101B may be hinged to one end of the first case 101A. In addition, the other end of the second case 101B may be formed in a structure detachable from the other end of the first case 101A. All or a part of each of the components described above with reference to Fig. 1 may be disposed in the inner space formed by the first case 101A and the second case 101B.
Specifically, the loading unit 165, the transfer unit 170, the guide unit 210, and the image forming unit 180 may be disposed in the inner space of the first case 101A. That is, since the stacking unit 165, the transferring unit 170, and the image forming unit 180 are arranged in parallel along one row, the total size of the photo printer 100 can be reduced.
The paper is seated in the loading section 165. Since the paper size may have a predetermined error, the loading unit 165 may be formed to have a predetermined value larger than the predetermined paper size so that the clearance can be provided. The mounting portion 165 may be formed with a stepped portion having a predetermined height downwardly from the upper end of the first case 101A. The left end, the right end, and the rear end of a plurality of sheets are supported by such a step, and can be stably stowed on the stacking unit 165. The height of the step can be designed variously according to the number of sheets which can be set at one time.
The transfer unit 170 may be disposed in parallel with the front end of the loading unit 165 along the paper feeding direction. The conveyance unit 170 may include a motor 171, a pickup roller 172 and a gear assembly (not shown). The conveyance unit 170 may convey the paper, which is placed on the loading unit 165, And can be transferred to the image forming unit 180. The pickup roller 172 can be disposed adjacent to the front end of the loading section 165 so that the paper loaded in the loading section 165 can be transported in the paper feeding direction.
At this time, the length of the stacking unit 165 may be shorter than the length of the sheet, so that a part of the front end of the sheet placed on the stacking unit 165 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the pickup roller 172 along the width direction, 172, respectively. When the motor 171 is driven under the control of the control unit 190, the driving force of the motor 171 is transmitted to the pick-up roller 172, Can be fed in the feeding direction.
The gear assembly is interposed between the motor 171 and the pickup roller 172 and includes at least one gear for transmitting the driving force of the motor 171 to the pickup roller 172. On the other hand, when the pickup roller 172 is disposed at a position where it can directly receive the driving force of the motor 171, all or a part of the gear assembly may be omitted. At this time, the first paper detecting sensor 141A may be disposed at a position substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the pickup roller 172 in the upper surface of the conveying path. 2, the first paper detecting sensor 141A is disposed on the right side of the pickup roller 172. However, the first paper detecting sensor 141A may be disposed on the left side or on both the left side and the right side.
The pressing portion 200 can be mounted on the lower surface of the second case 101B, that is, the surface facing the upper surface of the first case 101A. The pressing portion 200 may include a pressing plate 201 and an elastic member 202. The rear end of the pressure play portion can be hinged to one side of the rear end of the second case 101B. The elastic member 202 is interposed between one side of the front end of the pressing plate 201 and the second case 101B to elastically support the pressing plate 201. [ Such an elastic member 202 may be, for example, a coil spring, but is not limited thereto. The pressing portion 200 may further include a stopper 203 for limiting a range in which the elastic member 202 is deformed between the lower end of the second case 101B and the pressing plate 201. [ One end and the other end of the stopper 203 are rotatably coupled to the pressure plate 201 and the second case 101B respectively so that the stopper 203 is pushed by the auxiliary member 202 so that the elastic member 202 does not extend beyond a certain range. can do.
The guide unit 210 guides the front end of the sheet conveyed through the conveying unit 170 to the image forming unit 180. The paper conveyed through the conveying unit 170 is spaced apart from the conveying unit 170 by a gap formed between the guide unit 210 and the conveying unit 170, To the image forming unit 180 through the intermediary of the image forming unit.
On the other hand, the paper on which the image is formed in the photo printer 100 according to the present invention may be a thermal paper having dye-based color ink including cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow have. In this paper, a heat-meltable protective member can be laminated together with the color ink layer. The image forming unit 180 is configured to apply heat to the paper so that the ink layer stacked on the paper can react and form an image. The image forming unit 180 includes a thermal head 181, a heating member, And a roller 182.
Specifically, the heat radiating member 183 may include first to fourth heat radiating members 183A, 183B, 183C and 183D as shown in FIG. First, the first heat discharging body 183A abuts on the upper surface of the thermal head 181 directly or through a heat insulating body, so that the heat radiated from the thermal head 181 can be absorbed quickly. A portion of the upper surface of the first heat discharging body 183A is fixed to the first case 101B by a bracket 184 and a portion of the upper surface of the first heat discharging body 183A The second heat discharging body 183B is disposed. In addition, the third heat discharging body 183C is formed to have a larger area than the second heat discharging body 183B, and can be stacked on the second heat discharging body 183B. The third heat discharging body 183C is in contact with the fourth heat discharging body 183D through an area larger than that of the second heat discharging body 183B so that heat is diffused more quickly.
At this time, the bracket 184 may serve to fix the first heat discharging body 183A to the first case 101A and to maintain the pressing strength of the thermal head 181 against the paper at a predetermined level or more. The bracket 184 and the first heat discharging body 183A can be coupled to each other through fastening means such as a bolt.
The second heat discharging body 183B and the third heat discharging body 183C may be made of a silicone material. In this case, the contact area with the first heat discharging body 183A The heat emitted from the thermal head 181 can be transmitted to the outside more effectively. The fourth heat discharging body 183D may be disposed above the third heat radiating body 183C and the heat transmitted through the first to third heat radiating bodies 183A, 183B and 183C Diffuse outward. For this, the fourth heat discharging body 183D may be formed to have a wider area than the first to third heat discharging bodies 183A, 183B and 183C. However, the first to fourth heat sinks 183A, 183B, 183C and 183D are not essential components, and some of them may be omitted. For example, the second heat discharging body 183B and the third heat radiating body 183C may be integrally manufactured or may not include any one of the second heat radiating body 183B and the third heat radiating body 183C.
A more detailed structure of the image forming unit 180 will be further described below with reference to FIG. 4 and the like.
The outlet (H) may be formed in the first case (101A) or the second case (101B). The paper can be discharged to the outside of the case through the discharge port H by the rotation of the platen roller 182 from the front end where printing (i.e., image formation) by the image forming unit 180 is completed first.
3 is a perspective view of the photo printer 100 according to the present invention viewed from the outside.
3 (a) is an exemplary view for explaining a state in which the first case 101A and the rear end of the second case 101B are engaged (that is, the state in which the cover is closed), and FIG. 3 Fig. 11 is an exemplary view for explaining a state in which one case 101A and the rear end of the second case 101B are separated (i.e., the cover is opened).
Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the second case 101B can function as a cover of the photo printer 100. In the cover fixing state, when the paper is separated or foreign matter (for example, dust, ) Can be blocked.
When the first case 101A and the second case 101B are hinged to each other, the first case 101A and the second case 101B are fixed to the other end with a locking ring 102 One or more fixing grooves 103 may be formed. Also, a fixing release button 104 connected to the fixing ring 102 may be disposed outside the first case 101A. When the release button 104 is pressed, the engagement between the retainer ring 102 and the fixing groove 103 is released so that the other end of the second case 101B can be separated from the other end of the first case 101A. In a state in which the engagement of the first case 101A and the second case 101B is released, the user can insert the paper into the loading section 165. [ 3 shows the first case 101A in which the fixing ring 102 and the fixing release button 104 are formed and is formed in the fixing groove 103 in the second case 101B, It goes without saying that the fixing ring 103 may be formed in the case 101A and the fixing ring 102 may be formed in the second case 101B.
The first case 101A and the second case 101B may each have receiving grooves 105 and insertion protrusions 106 and an opening and closing sensor 143 may be provided inside the receiving grooves 105 . When the other end of the first case 101A is engaged with the other end of the second case 101B, the insertion protrusion 106 formed in the second case 101B is formed in the first case 101A, do. When the insertion protrusion 106 is inserted into the receiving groove 105 and the opening and closing sensor 143 provided inside the receiving groove 105 is pressed downward, the opening and closing sensor 143 detects that the first case 101A The control unit 190 can transmit a signal indicating that the two cases 101B are closed.
At least one light emitting module 131 may be disposed on one side of the first case 101A. When the light emitting module 131 is disposed on the upper surface of the first case 101A, a through hole 107 is formed in the second case 101B at a position facing the light emitting module 131 of the first case 101A . The light emitted from the light emitting module 131 of the first case 101A is transmitted through the through holes of the second case 101B regardless of whether the second case 101B is opened or closed with respect to the first case 101A 107). ≪ / RTI >
The first light emitting module 131A emits light when the image is printed under the control of the controller 190, and can terminate the emission of light when the image is printed. That is, the first light emitting module 131A can emit light until the printing of the image data is completed through the outlet H from the start of printing of the predetermined image data. The second light emitting module 131B can blink or change the color depending on the battery remaining amount or the battery temperature of the power supply unit 160 in conjunction with the power supply unit 160. [ For example, the second light emitting module 131B emits light of a first color when the battery is fully charged, and emits light of a second color different from the first color when the battery temperature exceeds the normal range can do. The third light emitting module 131C may blink a predetermined number of times when an error occurs in the printing process. However, it is merely an example, and it is apparent to those skilled in the art that each light emitting module can output the information about the state of the photo printer or the printing process through light in various other ways. The light emitting module 131 may be an LED, an LCD, or the like, but is not limited thereto. The light emitting module 131 is not particularly limited as long as the light can be blinked or the color of light can be changed under the control of the controller 190.
The first operation module 121, the second operation module 122, and the power supply port 161 may be disposed on one side of the first case 101A. The user can turn on or off the photo printer 100 by operating the first operation module 121 and can reset the photo printer 100 by operating the second operation module 122. [ The power port 161 may be connected to an external power source through a USB cable or the like to function as a connection path for charging the battery or supplying power to each component.
4 is a cross-sectional side view taken along the line A-B shown in FIG. 3 (a) to explain the sheet feeding process of the photo printer 100 related to the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 4, a plurality of sheets can be seated on the upper surface of the stacking unit 165. Specifically, the loading section 165 may have a top surface on which the paper is loaded, and side walls that support the left, right, and rear ends of the paper placed on the top surface. At this time, the length of the loading section 165 may be shorter than the length of the paper, and thus, a part of the front end of the paper loaded on the loading section 165 may be a pickup roller, And the outer circumferential surface of the outer ring 172. That is, the pickup roller 172 may partially take charge of the function of the loading unit 165 in a state in which printing is not in progress.
When the rear end of the second case 101B is fastened to the rear end of the first case 101A (i.e., the cover is in the closed state), the front end of the pressurizing plate 201 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction, And one side of the outer peripheral surface of the pickup roller 172 can be pressed downward along the direction parallel to the rotation axis of the pickup roller 172 through the elastic force of the elastic member 202. [ The paper positioned between the pressing plate 201 and the pickup roller 172 can be pressed downward by the elastic force of the elastic member 202 and fixed to the upper surface of the loading section 165. [ For example, even when the user wiggles or tilts the photo printer 100, the sheet can be stably held in the loading unit 165 by the pressing force of the pressing unit 200. [
The paper P1 directly contacting the pick-up roller 172 among the plurality of sheets vertically seated on the upper surface of the stacking unit 165 is guided by the pickup roller 172, And is conveyed to the image forming portion 180 along the guide of the guide portion 210 by a frictional force generated between the guide portion 210 and the image forming portion 180. [
As shown in Fig. 4, the image forming unit 180 includes a thermal head 181 disposed on the upper side of the paper feeding path and a platen roller 182 disposed on the lower side. The sheet P1 conveyed to the image forming unit 180 through the guide unit 210 is interposed between the thermal head 181 and the platen roller 182 as shown in FIG. An image is formed while being applied with the heat radiated from the thermal head 181.
Specifically, the thermal head 181 applies heat to the sheet P1 conveyed through the guide portion 210, discolors the heat applied portion, and forms an image on the sheet P1. The thermal head 181 can be formed by laminating a heat generating resistor on a substrate. The plurality of heat generating resistors may be arranged in parallel along a line orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction. Each of the heat generating resistors is connected to an electrode formed on the substrate. The controller 190 adjusts the electric power supplied to each electrode according to a color to be formed on the sheet through the heat generating resistors, . The control unit 190 may calculate the heat to be generated through each heat generating resistor based on the print data and may control the power supply unit 160 to transmit the power corresponding to the calculated heat to each heat generating resistor.
The heat radiating member 183 is configured to radiate heat generated in the thermal head 181 to the outside as described above. At least a part of the heat radiating member 183 may be formed in a concavo-convex shape in order to increase the contact area with air.
The platen roller 182 may be spaced apart from the lower portion of the thermal head 181. That is, the platen roller 182 and the heat generating resistor may be arranged to face each other up and down along a line orthogonal to the feeding direction. The platen roller 182 supports the lower surface of the paper and also presses the paper toward the thermal head 181 upward. Accordingly, the heat released from the heat generating resistor of the thermal head 181 can be applied to the paper interposed between the thermal head 181 and the plastic pick-up roller 172. [
At this time, the platen roller 182 rotates at a predetermined speed to discharge the printed paper P1 through the discharge port H to the outside of the photo printer 100. The rotation of the platen roller 182 may be caused by a rotational force transmitted from a motor or may be caused by a frictional force generated by contact with a sheet conveyed along the sheet feeding direction. At this time, the rotational speed of the platen roller 182 may be a speed corresponding to the printing speed of the paper by the thermal head 181. [
FIG. 5 is an exemplary view for explaining a process of forming an image on a sheet of paper by the photo printer 100 according to the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 5, the control unit 190 can calculate the amount of heat generated for each of the plurality of heat generating resistors S included in the thermal head 181 based on the image data.
Specifically, the control unit 190 can generate print data of m rows and n columns by sampling image data having a predetermined resolution.
For example, assuming that n heat generating resistors S are provided in the thermal head 181, the print data is written in the column a (n? A? 1) during printing for the row b (m? B? 1) Information about how much heat is to be generated for the a-th heat generating resistor S corresponding to the heat generating resistor S, that is, information about the heat generation amount of each heat generating resistor S.
A pickup roller 172 is disposed below the thermal head 181 at a position opposite to the paper feed direction to feed the paper. At this time, as described above, the first paper detecting sensor 141 is disposed at a position close to the pickup roller 172, so that the presence or absence of paper on the paper feeding path can be detected.
In this structure, when the image formation for the first to n-th rows of the b-th row (m? B? 1) is completed, the control unit 190 causes the motor to drive the platen roller 182 at a distance So as to control the thermal head 181 to form an image of the portion corresponding to the next row (i.e., row b + 1) of the print data on the sheet. The control unit 190 repeats the above-described process from the first row to the mth row, and can print an image corresponding to the image data on the sheet.
On the other hand, the control unit 190 can generate different print data according to the feeding speed (or the printing speed) even if the same image data is used.
6 is an exploded perspective view of a photo printer 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of description, the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent elements mentioned above.
6, among the first through fourth heat sinks 183A, 183B, 183C, and 183D that can be included in the heat dissipating member 180, The four heat sinks 183B, 183C and 183D are omitted and the pressing plate 201, the elastic member 202 and the stopper 203 which can be included in the pressing portion 200 are omitted.
Specifically, the second to fourth heat discharging members 183B, 183C and 183D, the pressing plate 201, the elastic member 202 and the stopper 203, which are omitted from the photo printer 100 shown in Fig. 6, And is replaced with a heat dissipating unit 230. That is, the pressurized heat dissipating unit 230 is provided between the 'heat radiating function' of the second to fourth heat discharging members 183B, 183C and 183D and the pressing function of the pressing plate 201, the elastic member 202 and the stopper 203 Is performed simultaneously.
One side of the pressure-type heat-radiating portion 230 is in contact with the heat-radiating body 183A and the heat-radiating body 183A is in contact with the heat-radiating body 183A. (181). The heat transmitted through the one side of the pressure-type radiation part 230 is diffused to the outside through the surface of the pressure-type radiation part 230, so that the heat radiated from the thermal head 181 for image formation on the paper It is possible to remarkably reduce the phenomenon that the image quality of the image formed on the paper is deteriorated due to excessive increase in the other constitution.
In addition, the other side of the pressurized-type heat radiation portion 230 presses down the paper that is seated on the loading portion 165. For this, at least a part of the pressurized-type heat dissipation unit 230 may be formed to have a material and a shape capable of imparting a predetermined elastic force to an area in contact with the paper. A more specific structure of the pressurized-type heat-dissipating unit 230 will be described separately with reference to FIG.
The thermal head 181 may be connected to the substrate 185 and the substrate 185 may be connected to the control unit 190 via the cable 186. [ The plurality of heat generating resistors S provided in the thermal head 181 are connected to the electrodes formed on the substrate 185 and the cables 186 are connected to the substrate 185 can supply or shut off electric energy to control the amount of heat generated by each of the heat generating resistors S, respectively. It goes without saying that the substrate 185 and the cable 186 are equally applicable to the photo printer 100 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the first case 101A may include a first body 101A-1 that supports a lower portion and a side surface of the photo printer 100, and a second body 101A-2 that covers the upper portion. have. The front end region of the second body 101A-2 extends along the longitudinal direction so as to cover up to the position corresponding to the image forming portion 180 or the transfer portion 170 disposed in the first case 101A, The rear portion of the two bodies 101A-2 is provided with a mounting portion 165 having a vertically downward point formed by a predetermined distance from the left, right, and rear edges of the body 101A-2. The paper that is seated in the loading section 165 can be stably supported in contact with the edge surface (i.e., the fence) formed by the left, right, and rear side steps of the loading section 165. [ The front end of the second body 101A-2 may be formed in a discharge groove H2 for discharging the paper fed through the image forming unit 180 to the outside of the photo printer 100. [
2, the second case 101B does not extend to the front end of the first case 101B but covers the rear end region of the second body 101A-2 so as to cover the loading section 165. [ As shown in FIG. At least one side of the second case 101B may be detachably or rotatably coupled to the first case 101A. For example, the front end of the second body 101B and the front end of the second body 101A-2 disposed at the corresponding position can be hinge-engaged with each other.
FIG. 7 is an exemplary view showing the structure of the pressurized-type heat radiation unit 230 shown in FIG. 6 in more detail.
7 (a) is a perspective view of the pressurizing-type heat dissipating unit 230, and FIG. 7 (b) is a side view of the pressurizing-type heat dissipating unit 230. FIG.
7 (a) and 7 (b), the pressurized-type heat radiation portion 230 includes a fixing portion 231, a contact portion 232, a pressing portion 233, a first connection portion 234, and a second connection portion 235).
The fixing portion 231 is fixed to one side of the case 101 to support the pressurizing type heat releasing portion 230. At this time, at least one fastening member K may be formed on the fixing portion 231 so as to be fixed to the lower surface of the case 101.
7 (a), first to third fasteners K1, K2 and K3 are formed on the fixing portion 231, and on the lower surface of the case 101A-1 or 101B, The first fastening protrusion L1 and the second fastening protrusion L2 may be formed. The first fastening protrusion L1 may protrude from the lower surface of the case 101A-1 or 101B opposite to the first fastening hole K1 in the shape of ".". The second fastening member K2 is formed such that one region of the upper surface of the fixing member 231 is opened up and down in the shape of a circle and a third fastening member K3 is formed in a region surrounded by the second fastening member K2 . The second fastening protrusion L2 may protrude downward in a convex shape at a position opposite to the second fastening tool K2. The first fastening protrusion L1 and the second fastening protrusion L2 are inserted into the first fastening hole K1 and the second fastening hole K2 and then slid forward, L1 can be held in contact with the thickness surface of the fixing portion 231 and the second fastening protrusion L2 can be inserted into the third fastening member K2 and fixedly supported on the case 101A-1 or 101B. To this end, the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the second fastening protrusion L2 is preferably formed to be the same as the shape of the third fastening hole K2.
As another example, a bolt provided at a designated position of the case 101 is inserted into the third fastening hole K3 of the fixing portion 231, and a nut, which is projected downward through the third fastening hole K3, So that the fixing portion 231 can be fixed to the case 101.
Meanwhile, the fastening tool K is not essential. When the fastening tool K is omitted, the fastening portion 231 can be fixedly supported on the case 101 through a separate fastening means or an adhesive, to be.
The contact portion 232 is configured to contact the heat discharging body 183A by a predetermined area so that the heat radiating body 183A receives heat absorbed from the thermal head 181. [ The contact portion 232 may be in the form of a flat plate having a predetermined width, length, and thickness, and thus may be in surface contact with at least a part of the upper surface of the heat discharging body 183A. That is, during the driving of the thermal head 181, the contact portion 232 and the heat discharging body 183A are arranged so as to be in surface contact with each other, not in line contact, whereby heat radiated from the thermal head 181 flows through the heat discharging body 183A It can be easily transferred to the contact portion 232, so that the heat radiation performance can be maintained at a certain level or more.
The pressing portion 233 presses the paper placed on the loading portion 165 downward. The pushing portion 233 extends obliquely toward the front end of the case 101 so that the end portion of the pushing portion 233 presses down the paper placed on the loading portion 165. In addition, when the pressing portion 233 is inclined downward toward the front end of the case 101 rather than the rear end of the case 101, when the sheet placed on the loading portion 165 is fed along the feeding direction, Can be eliminated.
Of course, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the presser portion 233 can press the outer circumferential surface of the pickup roller 172 along the width direction, without any sheet placed on the loading portion 165. [
It is preferable that the pressing portion 233 is formed with a rounded shape R as shown in Fig. 7 from one end of the pressing portion 233 so that an area of the pressing portion 233 in contact with the sheet placed on the stacking portion 165 has a predetermined curvature. When the cut end of the pressing portion 233 directly presses the paper, the paper may be damaged, so that the paper that is seated on the loading portion 165 can be stably transported along the paper feeding direction have.
The first connection part 234 connects the contact part 232 with one end of the fixing part 231. The first connection portion 234 may be connected to one end of the contact portion 232 by extending downward from the one end of the fixing portion 231 by a predetermined angle downward. That is, the first connection portion 234 extends downward with a predetermined inclination so that the contact portion 232 can contact the heat discharging member 183A. The contact portion 232 positioned lower than the height of the fixing portion 231 due to the inclination of the first connection portion 234 is pressed by the elastic force of the first connection portion 234 in contact with the heat radiation body 183A from the distal end, The heat can be transferred to the heat discharging body 183A through the opening 232. According to the elastic deformation of the first connection portion 234, the contact portion 232 connected to the first connection portion 234 can be in surface contact with the heat discharging member 183A.
The second connecting portion 235 connects the other end of the fixing portion 231 and the pressing portion 233. The second connection portion 235 may be bent in a curved shape (for example, an arch shape) as shown in the figure, and may connect the fixing portion 231 and the pressing portion 233 through both ends. The second connection portion 235 is formed in such a curved shape as to maintain the positions of the fixing portion 231 and the pressing portion 233 in a manner similar to a clamp or a tweezer, 233) can press the paper positioned below the paper sheet to the vertical downward direction. The angle between the pressing portion 234 and the fixing portion 231 decreases as the end of the pressing portion 234 moves toward the fixing portion 231 as the number of sheets of paper stacked on the loading portion 165 increases, As the paper becomes smaller, the pressing portion 234 can be restored to its original position by the elasticity of the second connecting portion 235. [
Meanwhile, the pressurized heat sink 230 may be integrally formed. That is, the fixing part 231, the contact part 232, the pressing part 233, the first connecting part 234, and the second connecting part 235 may be separately manufactured and then interconnected through fastening means, Or may be formed by machining such as cutting, polishing, bending, or punching on a single plate made of a predetermined material. The pressurized heat sink 230 may be made of at least one of aluminum, stainless steel, copper, gold, and silver. However, this is an example, and the material of the pressurized-type heat radiation portion 230 is not limited thereto. For example, the pressurizing-type heat sink 230 may be formed of other materials such as carbon fiber and thermally conductive plastic having excellent thermal conductivity. The fixing portion 231, the contact portion 232, the pressing portion 233, the first connection portion 234, and the second connection portion 235 need not be separately manufactured in the case where the pressure type heat radiation portion 230 is integrally formed , Productivity can be improved.
At least one opening 236 may be formed in the pressurized-type heat-dissipating unit 230. The openings 236 can be formed in various shapes and sizes, so that the pressing force against the paper loaded on the loading portion 165 can be adjusted. That is, when the overall width of the pressurized-type heat dissipating unit 230 is reduced in order to generate a pressing force applied to the paper through the pressurizing-type heat dissipating unit 230, the contact unit 232 contacts the heat dissipating member 183A Since the heat dissipation performance can be reduced by reducing the area of the heat dissipation unit 230, the heat dissipation performance can be maintained and the appropriate pressure can be applied to the paper by forming the opening 236 while maintaining the entire width of the pressure- have.
The width, length, and thickness of the pressurizing-type heat discharging unit 230 may be variously changed depending on the thermal conductivity of the material used to form the pressurizing-type heat discharging unit 230, and the like. The size of the contact area between the abutting portion 232 and the heat discharging body 183A can be determined according to a predetermined width, length and thickness of the pressurizing heat releasing portion 230. [
Fig. 8 is a side cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which the photo printer 100 is vertically cut along the longitudinal direction in Fig.
8A is an example of a state in which the second case 101B is opened in order to feed the paper P into the loading section 165 which is an empty state of the photo printer 100. Fig. The front end of the second case 101B may be connected to one side of the front end region of the first body 101A-1 of the first case 101A through a predetermined coupling means R1. For example, as shown, this engaging means R1 may be a hinge, so that the second case 101B may be rotatably coupled from the first case 101A about a hinged front end edge .
The pressing portion 233 of the pressurized heat releasing portion 230 may press the outer peripheral surface of the pickup roller 172 downward along the width direction instead of the sheet P because the pressing portion 233 of the pressing heat releasing portion 230 is before the sheet P is inserted .
8B illustrates a case in which the paper P is seated in the loading section 165 and the second case 101B and the first body 101A-1 come into contact with each other to close the cover. A portion of the front end portion of the paper P is positioned between the pressing portion 233 and the pickup roller 172 as the paper P is seated on the loading portion 165. [ The height of the pickup roller 172 may be fixed and the pressing portion 233 may be deformed upward by the thickness of the paper P about the point connected to the second connection portion 235. [ At this time, the pressing portion 233 presses the paper P downward by the elastic force transmitted from the second connecting portion 235, and the pick-up roller 172 supports the pressed point of the paper P from below, A frictional force corresponding to the pressing force of the pressing portion 233 is generated between the paper P and the pickup roller 172. [ In this state, when image formation based on predetermined print data is started, the pickup roller 172 rotates, and the paper P is conveyed along the paper feeding direction through the frictional force with the pickup roller 172.
The heat emitted from the thermal head 181 in the image forming process is absorbed by the heat radiator 183A connected to the upper part of the heat exchanger 183A, The heat absorbing member 183A absorbs the heat absorbed by the contact portion 232 of the heat sink 183A. The heat transmitted to the contact portion 232 can be diffused to the outside through the first connection portion 234, the fixing portion 231, the second connection portion 235, and the pressing portion 233. [
FIG. 9 is a view showing a modification of the structure of the pressurized type heat radiation unit 230 shown in FIG.
9 (a), the pressurized-type heat radiation portion 230 may include a heat insulation portion 237. [ The heat insulating portion 237 is provided with a pressing portion 233 for pressing the paper P downward so as to block the phenomenon that the heat transferred from the heat discharging body 183A is applied to the paper, Or the like. The heat insulating portion 237 may be formed of a material having a high thermal insulation property such as a rock surface, a slab surface, a glass fiber, a carbonized cork, an artificial rubber material, or the like. Further, the heat insulating portion 237 is formed in a thin film form (for example, in the form of a film), so that the expansion of space due to the adhering of the heat insulating portion 237 can be minimized.
9 (b), the heat dissipating fin 238 may be provided on at least one surface of the pressurizing heat dissipating unit 230. For example, a plurality of heat radiating fins 238 may be arranged along the lower surface of the fixing portion 231 as shown in FIG. In this case, since the fixing portion 231 and the pressing portion 233 are located on the inner side facing each other in the vertical direction, the heat dissipating fin 238 is expanded by the heat dissipating fin 238 to expand the space necessary for mounting the pressing heat dissipating portion 230 May not be required.
The heat dissipation performance of the pressure type heat dissipation unit 230 can be improved by widening the area where the heat transmitted from the contact unit 232 is in contact with the air inside the photo printer 100, that is, the heat dissipation area.
Instead of providing the radiating fin 238 in one region of the pressurized heat releasing portion 230, one region of the pressurizing type heat releasing portion 230 may have a plurality of convex portions and concave portions, (Concave). Since the heat dissipating area of the pressure-application heat dissipating unit 230 is increased through the concave-convex shape, the heat dissipating performance by the pressurizing heat dissipating unit 230 can be increased like the heat dissipating fin 238 shown in FIG. 9 (b) .
FIG. 10 is a view showing a modification of the shape of the heat discharging body 183A shown in FIG.
Referring to FIG. 10A, a contact groove G may be formed on the upper surface of the heat discharging body 183A. The contact groove G is formed to have a size corresponding to the width and the length of the contact portion 232 of the pressurized heat dissipating portion 230 and can be in surface contact with the contact portion 232. [ When the contact portion 232 contacts the heat discharging body 183A by opening and closing the case 101 or the like due to the contact groove G being formed in the heat discharging body 183A, As shown in Fig.
10 (b) is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the heat discharging body 183A and the pressurized heat discharging unit 230 are in contact with each other. 10 (b), the lower surface of the contact portion 232 comes into surface contact with the upper surface of the contact groove G, and the terminal end and the left and right side surfaces of the contact portion 232 are brought into contact with each other by the step of the contact groove G Can be supported. The step length of the contact groove G, that is, the height of the contact groove G may be equal to or greater than the thickness of the contact portion 232. [
In addition, the distal end and the left and right sides of the contact portion 232 are disposed to abut the step of the contact groove G, so that the contact area between the contact portion 232 and the heat discharging body 183A is widened. That is, since the total contact area is increased by the area corresponding to the thickness of the front end of the contact portion 232 and the thickness of the left and right side surfaces, the contact portion 232 can be made thinner than when the contact portion 232 and the heat discharging body 183A are in contact with each other Heat can be more smoothly transmitted from the heat discharging body 183A.
11 is a view showing a modified example of the opening and closing structure of the second case 101B shown in Fig.
11A is an example of a state in which the second case 101B is opened in order to feed paper P into the loading section 165 of the photo printer 100 with the open / closed structure deformed. 8, the second case 101B is further extended along the longitudinal direction to a position where the pickup roller 172 as well as the stacking unit 165 is disposed, as shown in FIG. 11 (a) And may be formed so as to cover the upper part.
The rear end of the second case 101B may be connected to the rear end of the first case 101A through a predetermined coupling means R2. 8, the engaging means R2 may be a hinge, so that the second case 101B has a trailing edge that is hinged to the rear, and the rear end of the first case 101A As shown in Fig. At this time, the pressurized radiation part 230 may be fixed to the lower surface of the second case 101B rather than the first body 101A-2, thereby moving together with the second case 101B.
11B shows a case in which a plurality of sheets of paper P are placed on the loading section 165 and the lower surface of the second case 101B and the upper surface of the first case 101A are brought into contact with each other in a side- For example. A plurality of sheets P are stacked in a space provided as the second case 101B rotates about the hinge in a state where the rear end of the second case 101B is engaged with the rear end of the first case 101A, 11 (b), a plurality of sheets of paper P are stacked in a state (dotted line area) aligned by the rear fences of the stacking unit 165 , And can be seated on the upper surface of the loading section 165.
That is, even if the paper P does not form a predetermined inclination in the stacking portion 165 so that the paper P can be aligned in accordance with the gravity, the skew can be formed through the structure in which the second case 101B is opened from the front end. Can be suppressed. In addition, the paper P that is seated on the stacking unit 165 can be conveyed at the same time by two or more sheets, and can be inserted into the gap of the guide unit 210 to reduce the paper jamming phenomenon that can no longer be conveyed along the paper feeding direction.
The embodiments of the present invention described above are disclosed for the purpose of illustration, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Accordingly, the above description should not be construed in a limiting sense in all respects and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by rational interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the scope of equivalents of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.
