WO2020235193A1

WO2020235193A1 - Printer

Info

Publication number: WO2020235193A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/011279
Authority: WO
Inventors: 健弘菊井; 優和松井; 卓郎神山
Original assignee: シチズン時計株式会社; シチズン・システムズ株式会社
Priority date: 2019-05-23
Filing date: 2020-03-13
Publication date: 2020-11-26
Also published as: JP2020189740A; JP7128772B2

Abstract

This printer has a storage section that stores paper wound into a roll about a cylindrical core, a printing section that prints characters or graphics on the paper, a conveying section that conveys the paper from the storage section to the printing section, a reference surface that faces one end surface of the paper stored in the storage section, and a partitioning plate facing the other end surface of the paper stored in the storage section. The partitioning plate has a support plate capable of turning within the plane of the partitioning plate, a sensor that is mounted on the support plate and that detects when the remaining paper quantity has decreased to a designated quantity, and a pushing member that pushes in the end surface of the paper via a pushing surface disposed so as to at least overlap a point at the center of the turning of the support plate.

Description

Printer

This disclosure relates to printers.

In a printer using roll paper such as a drop-in method, various techniques for improving the detection function of a near-end sensor (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a sensor) for detecting a decrease in the remaining amount of roll paper are known.

For example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-25450 (hereinafter, also referred to as Patent Document 1), the roll paper is located inside the outer circumference of the roll paper so that the roll paper does not rise and is settled in a certain place. A technique for arranging a load applying member that press-contacts the end faces of the paper is described. The technique described in Patent Document 1 removes looseness near the outer periphery of the roll paper by rotating the outside of the pressure-welded portion of the roll paper, and the roll paper does not float and is settled in a certain place. Paper can be fed out.

Further, in Japanese Patent No. 3940880 (also referred to as Patent Document 2), a photointerruptor that functions as a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of paper in a load buffer unit that buffers a load on roll paper is rotated by a shaft portion. Described is a technique for attaching the roll paper so that the position can be adjusted with respect to the end face of the roll paper by attaching it to a movable member. The technique described in Patent Document 2 can adjust the mounting position of the photo interrupter according to the winding direction and angle of the roll paper with respect to the load buffer unit.

However, there are no known printers that have both a pushing member that pushes in the end face of the roll paper and a sensor that detects the remaining amount of paper that is position-adjustably attached to the end face of the roll paper. It is possible to realize a printer having both a pushing member and a position-adjustable sensor by combining the techniques described in

Patent Documents

1 and 2. However, when the pushing member and the sensor are arranged so as to be superposed on the rotating member, The pushing member may interfere with the operation of the rotating member. On the other hand, if the member that rotates the sensor and the pushing member are arranged without overlapping, the size of the printer becomes large, which is contrary to the need for miniaturization of the printer.

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a printer capable of mounting both a pressing member and a position-adjustable sensor in a smaller size.

The printer according to the present disclosure includes a storage unit for storing paper wound in a roll around a cylindrical core material, a printing unit for printing characters or figures on the paper, and a storage unit for printing paper from the storage unit to the printing unit. The partition plate has a transport unit for transporting and a partition plate having an facing surface facing one end surface of the paper stored in the storage unit and facing the other end surface of the paper stored in the storage unit. , A support plate that can rotate in the plane of the partition plate, a sensor that is mounted on the support plate and detects that the remaining amount of paper has decreased to a predetermined amount, and at least the center point when the support plate rotates. It has a push-in surface arranged so as to overlap with each other, and has a push-in member that pushes an end surface of the paper by the push-in surface, and a base material on which a support plate, a sensor, and the push-in member are mounted.

Further, in the printer according to the present disclosure, the support plate has a through hole formed at a position corresponding to the center point, and the pushing member has a shaft portion that penetrates the through hole and is fixed to the base material. preferable.

Further, in the printer according to the present disclosure, the partition plate is arranged between the pushing member and the supporting plate so as to engage with the shaft portion, and further has an urging member for urging the pushing surface in the direction of the reference surface. Is preferable.

Further, in the printer according to the present disclosure, the pushing member may have a central portion covering the central point, a first arm portion extending upward from the central portion, and a second arm portion extending downward from the central portion. preferable.

Further, in the printer according to the present disclosure, it is preferable that the partition plate is arranged so as to be movable in the direction of the reference plane.

The printer according to the present disclosure can be equipped with both a pushing member and a position-adjustable sensor in a smaller size.

It is a perspective view (the 1) of the printer which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view (the 2) of the printer which concerns on embodiment. It is a top view of the printer shown in FIG. (A) is a partially enlarged perspective view (No. 1) of the printer shown in FIG. 1, and (b) is a partially enlarged perspective view (No. 2) of the printer shown in FIG. (A) is a plan view of the partition plate shown in FIG. 1, and (b) is a rear view of the partition plate showing a state in which the rear case of the partition plate 24 is removed. It is an exploded perspective view of the partition plate shown in FIG. 5A is a diagram for explaining the position adjustment of the near-end sensor shown in FIG. 5A, and FIG. 3A shows the position adjustment of the near-end sensor when paper wound around a relatively thin core material is used. It is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the printer along the line BB shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 3B shows the position adjustment of the near-end sensor when the paper wound around a relatively thick core material is used. It is sectional drawing of the main part of the printer along the line BB.

Hereinafter, the printer according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, it should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to those embodiments and extends to the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents.

(Configuration and function of printer according to the embodiment)
The configuration and function of the printer according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a perspective view when the upper case of the printer is opened with no paper stored in the printer, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the upper case of the printer is opened with paper stored in the printer. is there.

The printer 1 includes a storage unit 10, a thermal head 11, a platen roller 12, a fixed blade 13, a movable blade 14, an upper case 15, a lower case 16, a rotating shaft 17, an open / close button 18, and paper. It has a discharge port 19. The printer 1 is a thermal printer of a drop-in method or the like that prints characters or figures by bringing the heated thermal head 11 into contact with the paper 100, which is a thermal paper that changes color by heating. The paper 100 is continuous paper wound in a roll shape around a cylindrical core material.

The storage unit 10 has a paper holder 20, a first paper roller 21, a second paper roller 22, a reference surface 23, a partition plate 24, a first guide shaft 25, and a second guide shaft 26. , Stores the paper 100. Each of the paper holder 20, the first paper roller 21, the second paper roller 22, the reference surface 23, the partition plate 24, the first guide shaft 25, and the second guide shaft 26 is arranged inside the lower case 16.

The paper holder 20 holds the paper 100 stored in the storage unit 10 together with the first paper roller 21 and the second paper roller 22. The first paper roller 21 and the second paper roller 22 rotate as the paper 100 is conveyed while supporting the paper 100 together with the paper holder 20.

The reference surface 23 is arranged so as to face one end surface 102 of the paper 100 stored in the storage unit 10. The partition plate 24 is arranged so as to face the reference surface 23 and be movable in the direction of the reference surface 23, and when the paper 100 is stored in the storage portion 10, it faces the other end surface 101 of the paper 100. The first guide shaft 25 and the second guide shaft 26 are stretched in parallel with the stretching direction of the second paper roller 22, and movably support the partition plate 24 in the direction orthogonal to the reference surface 23.

The thermal head 11 is a printing unit that is arranged at a position facing the platen roller 12 when the upper case 15 is closed and prints characters or figures on the paper 100. The paper 100 is sandwiched between the thermal head 11 and the platen roller 12 for printing. The thermal head 11 is pressed in the direction of the platen roller 12 by the built-in spring material, and at the same time, heats the built-in heating element according to the print data indicating the characters or figures to be printed, and prints the characters or figures on the paper 100. To do.

The platen roller 12 is a transport unit that is rotated by a drive motor (not shown) to transport the paper 100. The paper 100 sandwiched between the thermal head 11 and the platen roller 12 is conveyed by the rotation of the platen roller 12. After printing on the paper 100 by the thermal head 11, the paper 100 is cut by the fixed blade 13 and the movable blade 14 at the rear end of the area to be printed, and is discharged from the paper ejection port 19.

The fixed blade 13 is fixedly arranged between the thermal head 11 and the end face of the upper case 15 on the paper discharge port 19 side, and the movable blade 14 is formed between the platen roller 12 and the end face of the lower case 16 on the paper discharge port 19 side. It is arranged so that it can be moved vertically between them. After being printed by the thermal head 11, the paper 100 is cut by the fixed blade 13 and the movable blade 14, and is ejected from the printer 1 in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG.

The upper case 15 covers the upper part of the lower case 16 and is rotatably supported by the rotating shaft 17 on the upper part of the lower case 16. The upper case 15 has a window portion 150 formed on the surface thereof. The open / close button 18 is arranged in the upper case 15, and when pressed, the upper case 15 rotates upward with respect to the lower case 16 about the rotation shaft 17, and the upper case 15 opens. The printer 1 is used with the upper case 15 closed.

The partition plate 24 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. Note that FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a state in which the rear case of the partition plate 24 has been removed.

The partition plate 24 includes a front case 41, a rear case 42, a pushing member 43, an urging member 44, a near-end sensor 45 which is also simply called a sensor, a sensor cover 46, an operating member 47, and a support plate 48. And a fastening member 49. The front case 41 and the rear case 42 are base materials on which the pushing member 43, the urging member 44, the near-end sensor 45, the sensor cover 46, the operating member 47, the support plate 48, and the fastening member 49 are mounted.

The front case 41 has a facing surface 410 facing the end surface 101 of the paper 100, a first guide shaft support portion 411, a second guide shaft support portion 412, a fixing portion 413, and a first inner surface 414 opposite to the facing surface. And have. Further, the front case 41 is formed with a first opening 415, a second opening 416, and a first shaft hole 417 penetrating from the facing surface 410 to the first inner surface 414, and the pushing member accommodating portion is formed on the facing surface 410. 418 is formed.

The facing surface 410 faces the reference surface 23 and faces the end surface 101 of the paper 100 when the paper 100 is stored in the storage unit 10. Further, on the facing surface 410, the near-end sensor 45 is movably arranged so as to face the end surface 101 of the paper 100 via the first opening 415. Further, in the facing surface 410, the operating member 47 is movably arranged via the second opening 416. On the facing surface 410, a sensor position display 419 indicating the position of the near-end sensor 45 is arranged in the vicinity of the operating member 47. The sensor position display 419 displays five numbers from the number "1" indicating the first position to the number "5" indicating the fifth position.

The first guide shaft 25 penetrates the first guide shaft support portion 411, and the second guide shaft 26 penetrates the second guide shaft support portion 412. The fixing portion 413 is fixed to the paper holder 20 by engaging with the engaging portion formed on the paper holder 20. The distance between the partition plate 24 and the reference surface 23 can be changed via the first guide shaft 25 and the second guide shaft 26 according to the width of the paper 100, and the partition plate 24 is fixed at a position corresponding to the width of the paper 100. It is fixed by the part 413.

The first inner surface 414 is the opposite surface of the facing surface 410, and a corrugated portion 420 having a corrugated shape is formed. The corrugated portion 420 engages with the arm portion 483 of the support plate 48, so that the near-end sensor 45 moved by the operating member 47 is set to each of the numbers “1” to “5” displayed on the sensor position display 419. It is fixed at the corresponding 1st to 5th positions.

The rear case 42 has a second inner surface 421. The second inner surface 421 is formed so that a plurality of convex portions 422 are formed along the outer edge, and the second shaft hole 423 penetrates from the second inner surface 421 to the back surface at a position corresponding to the first shaft hole 417. To. The plurality of convex portions 422 engage with the concave portions formed on the outer edge of the first inner surface 414 of the front case 41 to integrate the front case 41 and the rear case 42. Further, the rear case 42 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the support plate 48 around the second shaft hole 423, and a recess 424 for accommodating the support plate 48 is formed.

The pushing member 43 has a central portion 430, a first arm portion 431, a second arm portion 432, a shaft portion 433, a first engaging portion 434, and a second engaging portion 435. The central portion 430 has a substantially circular planar shape. The first arm portion 431 extends linearly upward in the vertical direction so as to be separated from the central portion 430 from the outer edge of the central portion 430. The second arm portion 432 extends linearly from the outer edge of the central portion 430 in a direction opposite to the extending direction of the first arm portion 431, that is, downward in the vertical direction so as to be separated from the central portion 430. The distance between the ends of the first arm portion 431 and the second arm portion 432 and the center of the central portion 430 is substantially the same as the distance between the near-end sensor 45 and the operating member 47 and the center of the central portion 430. .. The surfaces of the central portion 430, the first arm portion 431, and the second arm portion 432 are push-in surfaces for pushing the end surface 101 of the paper 100.

The shaft portion 433 stands linearly from the back surface of the central portion 430. The first engaging portion 434 is arranged at the tip of the first arm portion 431, and the second engaging portion 435 is arranged at the tip of the second arm portion 432. The first engaging portion 434 and the second engaging portion 435 fix the pushing member 43 to the front case 41 by engaging with the engaging portion formed inside the pushing member accommodating portion 418.

The urging member 44 is a spring that engages with the shaft portion 433 of the pushing member 43, specifically, the shaft portion 433 of the pushing member 43 penetrates the inside, and one end of the first shaft hole 417 of the front case 41. It is arranged so as to be in contact with the receiving portion formed along the inner wall and the other end to be in contact with the back surface of the central portion 430 of the pushing member 43. By pressing the urging member 44 from the back surface of the central portion 430, any portion of the central portion 430, the first arm portion 431, or the second arm portion 432 of the pushing member 43 is brought into contact with the end surface 101 of the paper 100. Then, the paper 100 is pushed in the direction of the reference surface.

The near-end sensor 45 is, for example, an optical sensor, which detects that the remaining amount of the paper 100 is less than a predetermined amount. Since the configuration and function of the near-end sensor 45 are well known, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The sensor cover 46 is arranged on the back surface of the near-end sensor 45, and fixes the near-end sensor 45 to the support plate 48.

The surface of the operating member 47 is fixed to the support plate 48 so that the surface can be seen from the facing surface 410 via the second opening 416, and when an operator (not shown) operates the position of the near-end sensor 45, the operator Manipulated by.

The support plate 48 has a support surface 480, a sensor fixing portion 481, an operating member fixing portion 482, and an arm portion 483, and is rotatable in a plane orthogonal to the moving direction of the partition plate 24. The support plate 48 is formed so that the through hole 484 penetrates from the support surface 480 to the back surface of the support surface 480 at a position corresponding to each of the first shaft hole 417 and the second shaft hole 423. The shaft portion 433 of the pushing member 43 is inserted into the through hole 484 together with the first shaft hole 417 and the second shaft hole 423. The support plate 48 rotates about the center of the shaft portion 433 as a center point in response to the operation member 47 fixed to the operation member fixing portion 482 being operated by the operator. As the support plate 48 rotates, the near-end sensor 45 fixed to the sensor fixing portion 481 rotates about the shaft portion 433.

The fastening member 49 is screwed with the shaft portion 433 of the pushing member 43 to fix the pushing member 43 to the front case 41. The fastening member 49 functions as a stopper that prevents the pushing member 43 from bending more than a certain amount and prevents the pushing member 43 from coming off from the front case 41.

The position adjustment of the near-end sensor 45 will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

The near-end sensor 45 is adjusted to five positions according to the diameter of the core material around which the paper is wound. The first position indicated by the number "1" in the near-end sensor position display 419 is the position where the near-end sensor 45 is arranged when the diameter of the core material around which the paper is wound is the smallest. Further, the fifth position indicated by the number "5" in the near-end sensor position display 419 is a position where the near-end sensor 45 is arranged when the diameter of the core material around which the paper is wound is the largest. In the near-end sensor position display 419, the second position, the third position, and the fourth position indicated by the numbers "2", "3", and "4" are thick in which the diameter of the core material around which the paper is wound is intermediate. This is the position where the near-end sensor 45 is arranged.

The paper 110 wound around the core material 111 having a relatively small diameter moves to a position where it fits into the recess indicated by the arrow C in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b) as the remaining amount decreases. When the near-end sensor 45 is arranged at the first position, it detects that the remaining amount of paper of the paper 110 that has moved to the position where it fits in the recess has decreased to a predetermined amount.

The paper 120 wound around the core material 121 having a relatively large diameter does not fit into the recess indicated by the arrow C even if the remaining amount decreases. When the near-end sensor 45 is arranged at the fifth position, the near-end sensor 45 detects that the remaining amount of paper of the paper 120 that has moved to a position that does not fit in the recess has decreased to a predetermined amount.

(The effect of the printer according to the embodiment)
The printer 1 is arranged so that the pushing surface for pushing the end face of the paper overlaps with the center point when the support plate on which the near-end sensor 45 is mounted rotates, so that the pushing member 43 and the position can be adjusted with a smaller size. Both near-end sensors 45 can be mounted.

Further, in the printer 1, since the urging member 44 for urging the pushing surface of the pushing member 43 in the direction of the reference surface 23 is arranged between the pushing member 43 and the support plate 48, the printer 1 is housed in the storage unit 10. The end face 101 of the paper 100 can be pushed in with a force corresponding to the elastic force of the urging member 44. Further, since the printer 1 is arranged so that the urging member 44 engages with the shaft portion 433 of the pushing member 43, the urging member 44 can be arranged in a smaller size.

Further, in the printer 1, the pushing member 43 can push the end face 101 of the paper 100 on each of the surfaces of the first arm portion 431 and the second arm portion 432 in addition to the central portion 430, so that the diameter of the paper 100 is The end face 101 of the paper 100 can be continuously pushed even if the paper 100 becomes thin.

(Modified example of the printer according to the embodiment)
In the printer 1, the pushing member 43 pushes the end surface 101 of the paper 100 on the surfaces of the central portion 430, the first arm portion 431, and the second arm portion 432, but in the printer according to the embodiment, the pushing surface is the support plate 48. It may be arranged so as to at least overlap the center point when the is rotated.

Further, in the printer 1, each of the first arm portion 431 and the second arm portion 432 of the pushing member 43 extends in the vertical direction, but in the printer according to the embodiment, the arm portion of the pushing member is inclined from the vertical direction. May be placed. Further, in the printer according to the embodiment, the number of arms of the pressing member may be one or three or more.

Further, in the printer 1, the distance between the end portions of the first arm portion 431 and the second arm portion 432 of the pushing member 43 and the center of the central portion 430 is set to the center of the near-end sensor 45, the operating member 47, and the central portion 430. It is almost the same as the distance between. However, in the printer according to the embodiment, the distance between the end of the arm portion of the pushing member and the center of the central portion is longer than the distance between the near-end sensor 45 and the operating member 47 and the center of the central portion 430. It may be short or short.

Further, although the printer 1 is a thermal printer, the printer 1 according to the embodiment is not limited to the thermal printer, and may be any one that uses roll paper. The printer 1 according to the embodiment may be a printer of another printing format such as an inkjet printer, an electrophotographic printer, a dot impact printer, and a sublimation printer.

Further, in the printer 1, the partition plate 24 is arranged so as to be movable in the direction of the reference surface 23, but in the printer according to the embodiment, the partition plate may be fixed inside the accommodating portion 10 without moving. ..

Claims

A storage unit that stores paper that is rolled around a cylindrical core material,
A printing unit that prints characters or figures on paper,
A transport unit that transports paper from the storage unit to the printing unit,
A reference surface facing one end surface of the paper stored in the storage unit, and
It has a partition plate facing the other end face of the paper stored in the storage portion, and has.
The partition plate is
A support plate that can rotate in the plane of the partition plate,
A sensor mounted on the support plate that detects that the remaining amount of paper has decreased to a predetermined amount, and
A pushing member having a pushing surface arranged so as to at least overlap the center point when the support plate rotates, and pushing the end face of the paper by the pushing surface.
The base material on which the support plate, the sensor and the pushing member are mounted,
A printer characterized by having.
The support plate has a through hole formed at a position corresponding to the center point.
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the pushing member further has a shaft portion that penetrates the through hole and is fixed to the base material.
The partition plate is arranged between the pushing member and the supporting plate so as to engage with the shaft portion, and further has an urging member for urging the pushing surface in the direction of the reference surface. 2. The printer according to 2.
The pushing member has a central portion covering the central point, a first arm portion extending upward from the central portion, and a second arm portion extending downward from the central portion, according to claims 1 to 3. The printer according to any one item.
The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the partition plate is arranged so as to be movable in the direction of the reference plane.