TWI444302B - Omnidirectional handheld printer - Google Patents

Description

Omnidirectional portable printer

The present invention provides an omnidirectional portable printer, and more particularly to a portable printer that can be held by a user to print various characters or patterns on a printed object.

At present, the surface of any product usually needs to provide some text or pattern for identification or explanation. The text or pattern may be provided on the surface of the product by printing or paper bonding.

There are currently active printers on the factory's production line for printing on products, however these printers are still too bulky, heavy and not easy to carry, or used outside the factory.

For the convenience of carrying printed text or graphics, such as the "portable handheld inkjet printer" of the mainland bulletin number CN201192929Y. Although the problem of large volume and heavy weight is improved, there is still room for improvement in the nozzle portion, which is roughly provided with only a circular arc-shaped protrusion, and the nozzle may be damaged by accidentally touching the surface of the printed object during operation. .

The reason is that the present inventors have felt that the above problems can be improved, and that the present invention has been deliberately studied and used in conjunction with the theory, and a present invention which is reasonable in design and effective in improving the above problems has been proposed.

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an omnidirectional portable printer capable of being applied to various hand-held angles and capable of correctly supplying ink to the nozzle; further, the present invention provides a portable printer , can print text or graphics on a variety of sizes of printed objects.

In order to solve the above technical problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, a portable printer includes a hand-held portion, a main body portion, an ink cartridge, and a power supply portion. The hand piece has a trigger mechanism disposed on a front end surface thereof. The main body portion is disposed at a top end of the hand-held portion, the main body portion includes a spray head, an upper roller is disposed above the spray head, a lower roller is disposed under the spray head, and a gravity sensor is fixed inside the main body portion To sense the orientation of the body portion, a side stop is attached to one side of the head and protrudes from a front end surface of the head, and a microcontroller, wherein the other side of the head forms a recessed space. The ink cartridge is disposed on one side of the main body portion opposite to the shower head. The power supply unit is disposed at a bottom end of the handheld portion. The microcontroller receives the signal from the gravity sensor to detect the position of the head and transmits the signal to the ink supply subsystem to adjust the pressure of the ink cartridge to the nozzle.

The present invention has at least the following advantages: the above-mentioned side members cooperate with the upper and lower rollers to cover various sizes of printed objects, and the front end of the portable printer of the present invention can be abutted against the printed object, thereby avoiding the nozzles. Carefully hit the surface of the printed object. Thereby the invention is suitable for printing on printed objects of various sizes.

The present invention more preferably provides an omnidirectional portable printer, which detects the orientation of the printer by means of a gravity sensor regardless of the hand angle, and cooperates with the microcontroller so that the nozzle is in any position It can print ink correctly.

In order to further understand the technology, method and effect of the present invention in order to achieve the intended purpose, reference should be made to the detailed description and drawings of the present invention. The drawings and the annexed drawings are intended to be illustrative and not to limit the invention.

In order to further understand the objects, structures, features, and functions of the present invention, the embodiments are described in detail as follows:

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , which are perspective views of the portable printer of the present invention at different angles. The invention provides a portable printer 100 comprising a hand piece 10, a power supply unit 20 and a main body portion 30. The hand piece 10 is for the user to hold, and has a trigger 12 disposed on the front end surface thereof for starting the operation printing. The power supply unit 20 is disposed at a bottom end of the handheld unit 10. The power supply unit 20 of the present embodiment has a connecting portion 22 to be connected to the handheld portion 10.

The main body portion 30 is disposed at the top end of the hand-held portion 10 to accommodate most of the components, and the structure thereof will be described later. The front end surface of the main body portion 30 includes a head 31, an upper roller R1, a lower roller R2, and a side stopper (element R3 as shown in FIG. 1). The side stopper R3 is disposed on the side of the head 31 and slightly protrudes from the surface of the head 31, so that the printer can smoothly abut against the surface of the object to be printed. In this embodiment, the side stop is a side roller R3, but is not limited thereto. The rear end surface of the main body portion 30 includes an ink cartridge 34. Further, the inside of the main body portion 30 includes a connecting pipe, an ink supply system, a control system, and the like. The upper roller R1 is disposed above the nozzle 31, the lower roller R2 is disposed below the nozzle 31, and the side roller R3 is disposed at one side of the nozzle 31. The other side of the nozzle 31 forms a recessed space S. The recessed space S allows the user to observe the printing situation.

Please refer to FIG. 3 , which is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the nozzle and the roller of the present invention. The rotating shafts of the upper roller R1 and the lower roller R2 of the present embodiment are located at the center line of the head 31, and the side roller R3 of the present invention has a strip shape having a length equal to or greater than the height of the ink jetting portion of the head 31. The position of the side roller R3 is located in front of the printing direction D (shown by an arrow in the figure). The above design has the advantage that when the printed object is too narrow and smaller than the distance between the upper roller R1 and the lower roller R2, the side roller R3 can compensate for such a disadvantage, and can be used as the front end of the portable printer 100 of the present invention. Abutting on the printed object, the nozzle 31 is prevented from inadvertently hitting the surface of the printed object. The invention is therefore suitable for printing on substrates of various sizes.

The above-mentioned side stop member of the present invention may be another embodiment. For example, the side roller may be provided with at least one or more abutting plates, or more pieces, slightly protruding from the surface of the spray head 31, slidably resisting Connect to the surface of the printed object. The same effect as the side roller R3 can be achieved.

The main body portion 30 has an upper mounting portion 32a and a lower mounting portion 32b respectively located above and below the head 31. The width of the upper mounting portion 32a and the lower mounting portion 32b is greater than the width of the head 31, wherein the upper roller R1 The lower roller R2 is disposed in the lower mounting portion 32b. At least one of the upper roller R1 and the lower roller R2 includes an encoder (not shown) for sensing the linear displacement or speed of the printer, whereby the speed of the nozzle 31 can be adjusted to correctly print Text or pattern. In the embodiment, an encoder is disposed in each of the upper roller R1 and the side roller R3 in the upper mounting portion 32a.

Both ends of the side roller R3 are pivotally disposed at one ends of the upper mounting portion 32a and the lower mounting portion 32b, and the recessed spaces S are formed apart from each other by the other ends of the upper mounting portion 32a and the lower mounting portion 32b.

The head 31 includes a pair of elongated nozzles 311, 312 which are parallel to the side roller R3 and are disposed offset from the outer end surface of the head 31. In the embodiment, the nozzles 311 and 312 are preferably piezoelectric nozzles. The principle is to utilize the conductivity of the quartz crystal. After the current is applied, the quartz crystal generates a fixed oscillation frequency, and the ink is pushed out of the nozzle.

Referring to Figure 1, in order to cooperate with some surfaces that require rapid drying, the present invention may further provide a drying device 314 in the recessed space S for quick drying of the printed ink after listing. The drying device 314 may be an ultraviolet light source and is combined with an ultraviolet light fast drying ink, but is not limited thereto. The above ultraviolet light source may be a light emitting diode (LED), but is not limited thereto. Thus, the portable printer 100 of the present invention can be more suitable for a variety of different printed surfaces.

Referring to FIG. 2, the ink cartridge 34 of the present invention is disposed on one side of the main body portion 30 opposite to the head 31. The ink cartridge 34 may be fixed to the body portion 30 in a spiral manner. The main body portion 30 has a rear panel 35 disposed on the periphery of the ink cartridge 34. The rear panel 35 is provided for the user to perform some functions, for example, a power button 351, an indicator light 352, and a flush button 353 for rinsing the nozzle. A fill key 354 is provided to fill the ink into the pipeline. In addition, the upper half of the rear panel 35 can include a card reader 355 for reading data from the memory card, and an electrical connector 356, such as a USB, for connecting to the computer and inputting data.

The present invention is preferably connected to a computer database by means of wireless communication, or for the user to wirelessly set and operate the portable printer. In conjunction with this feature, as shown in FIG. 2, a built-in antenna 36 (e.g., numeral 36 indicates a position at which the antenna can be disposed) can be disposed in the main body portion 30 at a position close to the side roller R3. Referring to FIG. 1 again, the present invention further includes an operation panel 33 disposed on one side of the main body portion 30, for example, on the side or top surface of the main body portion 30, but is not limited thereto. In the present invention, a human-machine interface subsystem (HMI subsystem) is provided in the main body portion 30, and the operation panel 33 is a part of the human-machine interface subsystem. The operation panel 33 is preferably a touch panel for allowing users to input data, observe various states of the printer, and the like. In conjunction with the operation panel 33, the present invention is provided with a plurality of operation buttons 332 on the top surface of the main body portion 30. With the above operation surface 33, the present invention can input and edit the contents of the print without a computer.

Please refer to FIG. 4 , which is a structural diagram of a control system according to the present invention. The present invention is provided with a microcontroller (MCU) M in the main body 30, and the microcontroller M receives the first encoder E1, the second encoder E2, the human interface subsystem I, and the gravity sensor (G sensor) G. The transmitted signal is transmitted to the ink supply subsystem N, the head 31, and the drying device 314. The ink supply subsystem N is connected to the ink cartridge 34 and the shower head 31. A gravity sensor G is fixed inside the main body portion 30 to sense the orientation of the main body portion 30, which is also the orientation of the printer.

One of the features of the present invention is to provide the gravity sensor G to sense the current position of the head 31, particularly the position of the head 31 relative to the ink cartridge 34, for example, the head 31 is higher than the ink cartridge 34, or lower than the ink cartridge 34. Or both are on the same level to calculate and compensate for the pressure difference created by the difference between the head 31 and the ink cartridge 34. The gravity sensor G transmits a signal to the microcontroller M, and the microcontroller M receives the signal of the gravity sensor G to detect the position of the nozzle 31, and transmits the signal to the ink supply subsystem N to adjust the ink. The pressure of the ink is supplied to the head 31 by the crucible 34. The present invention utilizes the ink supply subsystem N for pressurization or depressurization to maintain a fixed pressure differential between the ink cartridge 34 and the showerhead 31. For example, when the head 31 is printed upward, the pressurizing operation does not cause insufficient ink supply; when the head 31 is printed downward, the decompression operation is performed, and the problem of excessive ink supply is not caused. With the above design, the portable printer 100 of the present invention is not restricted by the hand-held direction, and achieves the function of omnidirectional printing.

In summary, the design of the front end nozzle and the plurality of rollers of the portable printer 100 of the present invention is suitable for the surface of the printed object of various sizes. The invention can flexibly apply the recessed space S, and the user can observe the printing condition or install a drying device for the user to select the required equipment. By means of the drying device, the invention can be quickly dried after printing and is not rubbed off. The rear panel 35 has a variety of external connection functions for inputting a large amount of material for the batch. The operation panel 33 also facilitates the user to input data individually.

The present invention more preferably provides an omnidirectional portable printer, which detects the orientation of the printer by the gravity sensor G regardless of the hand angle, and cooperates with the microcontroller M through the ink supply subsystem N. In order to properly compensate the ink supply pressure so that the head 31 can correctly print the ink regardless of the position, it can be printed upwards, horizontally, or downwardly, which is more suitable for the actual needs of the user.

However, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and thus the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the equivalent technical changes of the present specification and the contents of the drawings are all included in the present invention. Within the scope of the agreement, Chen Ming.

100. . . Portable printer

10. . . Handheld department

12. . . trigger

20. . . Power supply department

twenty two. . . Connection

30. . . Main body

31. . . Nozzle

311, 312. . . nozzle

314. . . Drying device

32a. . . Upper mounting

32b. . . Lower installation

33. . . Operation panel

332. . . Operation button

34. . . Ink cartridges

35. . . Rear panel

351. . . Power button

352. . . Indicator light

353. . . Flush button

354. . . Fill key

355. . . Card reader

356. . . Electrical connector

36. . . Wireless antenna

R1. . . Upper wheel

R2. . . Lower wheel

R3. . . Side roller

S. . . Sag space

M. . . Microcontroller

E1. . . First encoder

E2. . . Second encoder

I. . . Human machine interface subsystem

G. . . Gravity sensor

N. . . Ink supply subsystem

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portable printer of the present invention.

2 is a perspective view of another angle of the portable printer of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the arrangement of the nozzle and the roller of the present invention.

4 is a structural diagram of a control system of the portable printer of the present invention.

100. . . Portable printer

10. . . Handheld department

12. . . trigger

20. . . Power supply department

twenty two. . . Connection

30. . . Main body

31. . . Nozzle

311, 312. . . nozzle

314. . . Drying device

32a. . . Upper mounting

32b. . . Lower installation

33. . . Operation panel

332. . . Operation button

34. . . Ink cartridges

R1. . . Upper wheel

R2. . . Lower wheel

R3. . . Side roller

S. . . Sag space

Claims (9)

An omnidirectional portable printer includes: a hand-held portion having a trigger mechanism disposed on a front end surface thereof; a body portion disposed at a top end of the hand-held portion, the body portion including: a head; an upper roller a gravity sensor is fixed on the main body of the main body. Internally, to sense the orientation of the main body portion; and a recessed space formed on the other side of the spray head opposite to the side stop member; an ink supply subsystem connected to the spray head; an ink cartridge, and the spray head Oppositely disposed on one side of the main body portion and connected to the ink supply subsystem; a power supply portion disposed at a bottom end of the handheld portion; and a microcontroller receiving the signal of the gravity sensor to detect the The position of the printhead and the signal is transmitted to the ink supply subsystem to adjust the pressure at which the ink cartridge supplies ink to the printhead. The omnidirectional portable printer according to claim 1, wherein the main body has an upper mounting portion and a lower mounting portion respectively located above and below the nozzle, the upper mounting portion and the lower mounting portion The width of the nozzle is greater than the width of the nozzle, wherein the upper roller is disposed in the upper mounting portion, and the lower roller is disposed in the lower mounting portion. The omnidirectional portable printer according to claim 1, wherein the side stop is a side roller, and both ends of the side roller are pivotally disposed at the upper mounting portion and one end of the lower mounting portion. Wherein the side roller is elongated and has a length substantially equal to the length of the ink discharge portion of the nozzle. The omnidirectional portable printer according to claim 1, wherein the side member is at least one abutting plate that protrudes from the surface of the nozzle and slidably abuts against a surface of the object to be printed. The omnidirectional portable printer according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle comprises a pair of elongated nozzles, the pair of nozzles being parallel to the side rollers, and being disposed offset on the outer end surface of the nozzle . The omnidirectional portable printer according to claim 1, wherein the pair of nozzles are piezoelectric nozzles. The omnidirectional portable printer of claim 1, wherein at least one of the upper roller and the lower roller includes an encoder to sense a scrolling speed. The omnidirectional portable printer according to claim 1, further comprising a drying device disposed in the recessed space to dry the printed ink. The omnidirectional portable printer according to claim 1, further comprising an operation panel disposed on one side of the main body portion.