JP2014231191A - Opening and closing structure - Google Patents

Abstract

An open / close structure that suppresses an increase in force required when a lever is rotated is provided. The tape printer includes a cover 6 that rotates about a first fulcrum extending in the axial direction and a lever 16 that rotates about a second fulcrum 63 orthogonal to the axial direction. The lever 16 includes a lever tip 168. The cover 6 rotates between an open position for opening the cassette mounting portion, which is an opening, and a closed position for closing the cassette mounting portion. The cover 6 includes a lever operation unit 62. The lever operation part 62 has a rail part 621. The rail portion 621 extends in the axial direction. The rail part 621 includes a first inclined part 623. When the cover 6 rotates in the closing direction, the rail portion 621 presses the lever tip 168 and rotates the lever 16. [Selection] Figure 11

Description

  The present invention relates to an opening / closing structure that opens and closes an opening.

  Conventionally, an opening / closing structure for opening / closing an opening is known. For example, the tape printer described in Patent Document 1 includes a cassette mounting portion and a cover. The cassette mounting part opens upward. A tape cassette containing a tape as a printing medium is attached to and detached from the cassette mounting portion. The cover rotates between an open position for opening the cassette mounting portion and a closed position for closing the cassette mounting portion, with the left-right direction of the rear end portion of the cover as a fulcrum. A roller holder, a sensor holder, a release rod, and the like are disposed on the front side of the cassette mounting portion 8. A lever is connected to the release rod. A lever pressing portion for pressing the lever when the cover is closed is provided on the front side of the back side of the cover. The lever pressing part is a rectangular surface.

  When the cover moves from the open position to the closed position, the lever pressing portion presses the lever, and the lever rotates. As the lever rotates, the release rod moves, and the roller holder and sensor holder move toward the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion. When the lever pressing portion rotates the lever, the contact position between the lever pressing portion and the lever moves from the tip of the lever to the fulcrum side of the lever as the lever rotates.

JP 2012-6209 A

  However, in the conventional tape printer, the contact position between the lever pressing portion and the lever moves from the tip of the lever to the fulcrum side of the lever as the lever rotates, so that the force from the lever pressing portion is The distance between the acting contact position and the fulcrum of the lever is shortened. For this reason, the force required for rotating the lever may increase.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an open / close structure that suppresses an increase in force required when a lever is rotated.

  The opening / closing structure according to the present invention includes a main body having an opening, an open position that rotates about a first fulcrum extending in the axial direction, and opens the opening, and a closed position that closes the opening. A cover that rotates between the first fulcrum, a lever provided at the main body, and rotated about a second fulcrum in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and a lever tip that is a tip, and the lever tip from the second fulcrum A lever having an arm part extending to the part, a moving member that moves in conjunction with the rotation of the lever, and provided in the cover, extending in the axial direction, and the cover going from the open position to the closed position. A rail portion that can come into contact with the tip of the lever when rotated in a closing direction, which is a direction, and toward a rotation start direction that is a direction of the axis in a direction where the lever starts to rotate. The second located on the first fulcrum side A rail portion having an inclined portion, and when the cover rotates in the closing direction, the rail portion pushes the lever tip portion to rotate the lever to move the moving member, and the lever The abutting position between the tip portion and the rail portion moves along the rail portion toward the rotation start direction along with the rotation of the lever, and the arm portion and the rail portion do not interfere with each other. In this case, even if the lever rotates, the contact between the lever tip and the rail is maintained. For this reason, the distance between the contact position where the force from the rail portion acts and the second fulcrum of the lever is substantially constant. For this reason, an increase in force for rotating the lever can be suppressed.

  The said opening-closing structure WHEREIN: The said rail part may be provided with the 2nd inclination part located in the said closing direction side, so that it goes to the said rotation start direction. In this case, the change in the rotation angle of the lever with respect to the change in the rotation angle of the cover is larger than in the case where the second inclined portion is not provided. Therefore, the lever can be rotated more quickly.

  In the opening / closing structure, an end of the rail portion on the rotation start direction side is rotated from a portion of the rail portion on the opposite side of the rotation start direction from an end portion on the rotation start direction side. The surface shape may be wide in the direction orthogonal to the start direction. When the cover moves from the open position to the closed position, the lever tip moves along the rail, and immediately before the cover reaches the closed position, the lever tip moves to the end of the rail on the rotation start direction side. Moving. Immediately before the cover is in the closed position, the cover is often pushed toward the closed position. In this case, the rail portion pushes the lever. At this time, since the end of the rail portion on the rotation start direction side has a planar shape, the force from the rail portion can be transmitted more efficiently when the lever is pushed.

  In the lever tip portion in the opening / closing structure, a portion that contacts the rail portion may be a first curved surface. In this case, the lever tip slides more smoothly with respect to the rail. Therefore, the cover can be rotated more smoothly from the open position to the closed position.

  The cover in the opening / closing structure is provided on the closing direction side so as to be opposed to the end of the rail portion on the rotation start direction side, and when the cover is in the closed position, the closing direction from the lever tip portion A facing portion that is a portion of the tip of the lever that faces the hooking portion when the cover is in the closed position, and has a smaller radius than the corner portion or the first curved surface When the cover is a second curved surface and the cover is rotated from the closed position to the open position, the hooking part may be hooked on the facing portion and the cover may be rotated. In this case, since the facing portion is a corner portion or a second curved surface having a smaller radius than the first curved surface, the hooking portion is easily caught on the facing portion as compared with the case where the radius is larger than that of the first curved surface. Therefore, the cover can be rotated more reliably.

It is a perspective view of the tape printer 1 in case a cover 6 exists in a closed position. It is a perspective view of the tape printer 1 and the tape cassette 30 when the cover 6 is in the open position. It is a perspective view of the lever operation part 62 in direction when the cover 6 exists in an open position. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tape cassette 30 with an upper case 311 removed. It is a perspective view of the movable mechanism 100 when the lever 16 is in the uppermost position. It is a perspective view of the movable mechanism 100 when the lever 16 is in the lowest position. It is a perspective view of the movable mechanism 100 when the lever 16 is in the uppermost position. It is a perspective view of the movable mechanism 100 when the lever 16 is in the lowest position. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a peripheral structure of a sensor holder 19. FIG. It is sectional drawing of the movable mechanism 100 in case the lever 16 exists in the highest position. It is a state transition diagram of the lever 16 and the lever operation part 62 when the cover 6 moves from an open position to a closed position. It is a state transition diagram of the lever 16 and the lever operation part 62 when the cover 6 moves from an open position to a closed position. It is sectional drawing of the movable mechanism 100 in case the lever 16 exists in a 1st intermediate position. It is sectional drawing of the movable mechanism 100 in case the lever 16 exists in a 2nd intermediate posture. It is sectional drawing of the movable mechanism 100 in case the lever 16 exists in the lowest position. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the lever 16 and the lever operation part 62 seen from the upper side in case the lever 16 exists in the lowest position. It is a figure of the state which 167D of the lever 16 and the hook part 627 of the lever operation part 62 contact | abutted when the cover 6 moves from a closed position to an open position.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the present embodiment, the lower right side, the upper left side, the lower left side, the upper right side, the upper side, and the lower side of FIG. 2 are respectively the front side, the rear side, the left side, the right side, the upper side, and the tape printer 30. Lower side. Note that the front, rear, left, right, top and bottom directions of the tape printer 1 and the tape cassette 30 are defined for convenience, and the tape printer 1 and the tape cassette 30 are not necessarily directed upward as shown in FIG. Not necessarily in posture.

  In the present embodiment, various tapes (for example, a thermal paper tape, a printing tape, a double-sided adhesive tape 58 described later, a tube tape, and a film tape 59 described later) stored in the tape cassette 30 are collectively referred to as a tape. Types of tapes stored in the tape cassette 30 (for example, tape width, printing mode, tape color, character color, etc.) are collectively referred to as tape types.

  The tape printer 1 will be described. The tape printer 1 is a general-purpose tape printer that can use various types of tape cassettes such as a thermal type, a receptor type, a laminate type, and a tube type. Thermal type tape cassettes are equipped with thermal paper tape. The receptor type tape cassette includes a printing tape and an ink ribbon. The laminate type tape cassette includes a double-sided adhesive tape, a film tape, and an ink ribbon. A tube-type tape cassette includes a heat-shrinkable tube tape and an ink ribbon.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tape printer 1 includes a main body 11 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 11 includes a main body cover 2, a cassette mounting portion 8 (see FIG. 2), a control circuit (not shown), and the like. The main body cover 2 includes an upper cover 201 that forms the upper part of the main body cover 2 and a lower cover 202 that forms the lower part. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, three switches 3 for operating the tape printer 1, such as a power switch of the tape printer 1, are disposed on the front surface of the main body cover 2. On the right surface of the tape printer 1, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) jack (not shown) and the like are provided. The tape printer 1 is connected to a personal computer (not shown; hereinafter referred to as a PC) via a USB cable (not shown) connected to a USB jack. The tape printer 1 prints characters on a tape based on data of characters (characters, numbers, figures, etc.) transmitted from a PC.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the main body cover 2 is provided with a cassette mounting portion 8 which is an area where the tape cassette 30 can be attached and detached. When the cover 6 (described later) is in the open position shown in FIG. 2, the cassette mounting portion 8 opens upward. The cassette mounting portion 8 includes a cavity 80 and the like. The cavity 80 is a recess that is recessed so as to substantially correspond to the shape of the bottom surface 302 of the cassette case 31.

  A head holder 74 is erected on the front portion of the cassette mounting portion 8. The head holder 74 is formed of a single plate-like member that extends in the left-right direction. A thermal head 10 (see FIG. 10) including a heating element (not shown) is provided on the front surface of the head holder 74. A ribbon take-up shaft 95 is erected on the rear side of the head holder 74. The ribbon take-up shaft 95 is a shaft that can be attached to and detached from the ribbon take-up spool 44 (see FIG. 4) of the tape cassette 30. A tape drive shaft 101 is erected on the left side of the head holder 74. The tape drive shaft 101 is a shaft body that can be attached to and detached from the tape drive roller 46 (see FIG. 4) of the tape cassette 30. An auxiliary shaft 110 is erected on the right rear side of the tape drive shaft 101. The auxiliary shaft 110 is a shaft body that can be attached to and detached from the support hole 65 of the tape cassette 30. A guide shaft 120 is erected on the right rear portion of the cassette mounting portion. The guide shaft 120 is a shaft body that can be attached to and detached from the guide hole 47 (see FIG. 4) of the tape cassette 30. A tape drive motor (not shown) that is a stepping motor is disposed outside the cassette mounting portion 8. The ribbon take-up shaft 95 and the tape drive roller 46 are connected to the tape drive motor via a plurality of gears (not shown), and rotate as the tape drive motor is driven. In this case, printing is performed by the thermal head 10 while the tape in the tape cassette 30 is conveyed, and the printed tape 50 (see FIG. 4) is discharged from the discharge slit 111 provided on the left side surface of the main body cover 2. The

  A roller holder 18, a sensor holder 19, a release rod 17 and the like, which will be described later, are disposed on the front side of the cassette mounting portion 8 (see FIG. 10). The roller holder 18, the sensor holder 19, the release rod 17, etc. are covered with the plate portion 13. On the right side of the plate portion 13, a lever 16 (see FIG. 5) connected to the release rod 17 is provided. In FIG. 2, the lever 16 is shown in a simplified manner.

  The cover 6 rotates between an open position (see FIG. 2) where the cassette mounting portion 8 is opened and a closed position (see FIG. 1) where the cassette mounting portion 8 is closed. The cover 6 has a top wall 601 and a rear wall 602. The upper wall 601 forms the upper surface of the tape printer 1 and covers the cassette mounting portion 8 (see FIG. 2) when in the closed position. The left and right end portions and the rear end portion of the upper surface wall 601 are curved downward. A transparent plate-like window 603 is provided at the center of the upper surface wall 601 in the front-rear and left-right directions. The user can confirm whether or not the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 via the window portion 603. The rear wall 602 is a wall portion that extends downward from the left and right ends and the rear end of the rear portion of the top wall 601. The cover 6 is pivotally supported at the rear lower portions of the left and right side walls of the rear wall 602, and is rotatable about a first fulcrum 61 (see FIGS. 2 and 12) extending in the left-right direction. When the cover 6 is in the open position, the tape cassette 30 can be attached to and detached from the cassette mounting portion 8.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of engagement pieces 64 are provided at the left and right ends of the back surface of the cover 6. A pair of engaging portions 27 are provided at the left and right ends of the cassette mounting portion 8. When the cover 6 is closed, the engaging piece 64 and the engaging portion 27 are engaged, and the cover 6 is held in the closed position.

  A lever operating portion 62 for operating the lever 16 when the cover 6 is opened and closed is provided at the upper right portion on the back side of the cover 6 when the cover 6 is in the open position. The lever operation unit 62 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the direction in which the cover 6 moves from the open position (see FIG. 2) to the closed position (see FIG. 1) may be referred to as the closing direction, and the left-right direction in which the first fulcrum 61 extends may be referred to as the axial direction. . Of the axial directions, when the cover 6 moves in the closing direction, the right direction where the lever 16 starts to rotate may be referred to as the rotation start direction. In addition, the direction of the lever operation unit 62 in FIG. 3 is the direction when the cover 6 is in the open position (see FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lever operation portion 62 protrudes from the back surface of the cover 6 to the front side in the posture in which the cover 6 is in the open position. As shown in FIG. 3, the lever operation unit 62 includes a rail unit 621, a support column unit 626, and a hooking unit 627. The rail portion 621 is erected in the forward direction from the back surface of the cover 6. When the cover 6 rotates in the closing direction (the direction of the arrow D10 shown in FIG. 2), the rail portion 621 contacts the lever tip 168 (described later) of the lever 16 to rotate the lever 16 (see FIG. 11). ).

  The rail portion 621 extends in the axial direction (left-right direction). The rail portion 621 includes a first inclined portion 623 that is inclined so as to be positioned on the first fulcrum 61 side (lower side in FIGS. 2 and 3) as it goes in the rotation start direction (right direction) (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 16). The first inclined portion 623 is located at the approximate center of the rail portion 621 in the axial direction. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 11 (A), the rail portion 621 is positioned closer to the closing direction (forward in FIG. 3 and downward in FIG. 11) toward the right as the rotation start direction. An inclined portion 624 is provided. That is, as a whole, the rail portion 621 is inclined toward the first fulcrum 61 side (lower side) as it goes in the rotation start direction (right direction), and is inclined toward the closing direction side as it goes toward the rotation start direction (right direction). . In the present embodiment, the left and right ranges of the first inclined portion 623 and the second inclined portion 624 are substantially the same. A support portion 628 is connected to the lower wall surface at the left end portion of the rail portion 621. The support portion 628 is a wall portion erected forward from the back surface of the cover 6, and the thickness in the vertical direction becomes smaller toward the front. By providing the support portion 628, the strength of the rail portion 621 is increased.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a surface portion 625 is provided at an end of the rail portion 621 on the rotation start direction side. The surface portion 625 has a surface shape that is wider in a direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) perpendicular to the rotation start direction than a portion on the left side that is the direction opposite to the rotation start direction of the surface portion 625 in the rail portion 621. .

  The column portion 626 is erected from the rotation start direction side of the surface portion 625 toward the front direction. The support column 626 has a plate shape. The hook portion 627 extends leftward from the front end portion of the support column portion 626. That is, the hook portion 627 is provided on the closing direction side (front side in FIG. 3) so as to face the end portion of the rail portion 621 on the rotation start direction side. The position of the left end portion of the hook portion 627 in the left-right direction is between the position of the left end portion of the rail portion 621 and the position of the right end portion of the surface portion 625. As shown in FIG. 11D, the hooking portion 627 is located closer to the closing direction (lower side in FIG. 11) than the lever tip 168 when the cover 6 is in the closed position. When the cover 6 rotates from the closed position to the open position, the hook portion 627 is hooked on the facing portion 167D of the lever tip 168 and rotates the lever 16 upward (see FIG. 17).

  With reference to FIG.2 and FIG.4, the structure of the tape cassette 30 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. The tape cassette 30 of the present embodiment is mounted on a laminate type general-purpose cassette that can be mounted on various tape types such as a heat sensitive type, a receptor type, and a laminate type. As shown in FIG. 2, the tape cassette 30 has a cassette case 31 that is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped (box-shaped) housing having rounded corners in plan view as a whole. The cassette case 31 has a lower case 312 including a bottom surface 302 of the cassette case 31 and an upper case 311 including an upper surface 301 of the cassette case 31. The upper case 311 is fixed to the upper part of the lower case 312.

  The cassette case 31 has a corner 32A formed with the same width (the same length in the vertical direction) regardless of the tape type (for example, tape width, printing mode, etc.) of the tape cassette 30. The corner 32A protrudes outward so as to form a right angle in plan view. However, in the lower left corner 32A in plan view, the tape discharge port 49 is provided at the corner, so that the right angle is not formed.

  The upper case 311 and the lower case 312 are provided with support holes 65, 66, 67 for rotatably supporting spools described later. In FIG. 2, only the support holes 65, 66, and 67 formed in the upper case 311 are shown, but the support holes 65, 66, and 67 are similarly formed in the lower case 312.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the cassette case 31, a double-sided adhesive tape 58 wound around the first tape spool 40, a transparent film tape 59 wound around the second tape spool 41, and a ribbon spool 42. Three types of tape rolls of the ink ribbon 60 wound around are accommodated. The double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 58 is a double-sided tape having a release paper attached on one side, and is attached to the printing surface side of the printed film tape 59.

  The first tape spool 40 in which the release paper of the double-sided adhesive tape 58 is wound outward is disposed rotatably on the left rear part in the cassette case 31 through the support hole 65 described above. The second tape spool 41 around which the film tape 59 is wound is rotatably arranged through the support hole 66 described above at the right rear portion in the cassette case 31. The ink ribbon 60 wound around the ribbon spool 42 is rotatably arranged at the front right side in the cassette case 31.

  Between the first tape spool 40 and the ribbon spool 42 in the cassette case 31, the ribbon take-up spool 44 is rotatably arranged via the support hole 67 described above. The ribbon take-up spool 44 pulls out the ink ribbon 60 from the ribbon spool 42 and takes up the ink ribbon 60 used for printing characters and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the front surface of the cassette case 31 has a semicircular groove 34 </ b> K, which is a groove portion having a semicircular cross section in plan view, across the height direction (from the upper surface 301 to the bottom surface 302) of the cassette case 31. Is provided. A portion of the front surface of the cassette case 31 that extends to the left from the semicircular groove 34 </ b> K is referred to as an arm front surface 35. A portion extending from the right side to the left side of the tape cassette 30 defined by the arm front surface 35 and the arm back surface 37 provided across the height direction at a position spaced rearward from the arm front surface 35 is referred to as an arm portion 34.

  As shown in FIG. 4, both the film tape 59 drawn from the second tape spool 41 and the ink ribbon 60 drawn from the ribbon spool 42 are guided in the arm portion 34. The front end portion of the arm front surface 35 is bent rearward. An opening 34 </ b> A is formed by the tips of the arm front surface 35 and the arm back surface 37. The film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 are overlapped at the opening 34 </ b> A and discharged toward the exposed portion 77 described later.

  A substantially rectangular space in plan view that penetrates the cassette case 31 in the vertical direction and is surrounded by the arm back surface 37 and the peripheral wall continuously provided from the arm back surface 37 is a head insertion portion 39. The head insertion portion 39 is connected to the outside on the front side of the tape cassette 30 via an exposed portion 77 provided on the front side of the tape cassette 30. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 (see FIG. 2), a head holder 74 (see FIG. 10) is inserted into the head insertion portion 39.

  In the exposed portion 77, one surface of the film tape 59 discharged from the opening 34A is exposed forward, and the other surface faces the rear thermal head 10 (see FIG. 10). In the present embodiment, the other surface of the film tape 59 faces the thermal head 10 with the ink ribbon 60 interposed therebetween. In the exposed portion 77, printing on the film tape 59 by the thermal head 10 is performed using the ink ribbon 60.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the tape drive roller 46 is rotatably supported on the downstream side of the head insertion portion 39 in the transport direction of the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 from the opening 34 </ b> A to the tape discharge port 49. Has been. The tape drive roller 46 is rotationally driven by a tape drive shaft 101 (see FIG. 12) inserted therein. The tape drive roller 46 pulls out the film tape 59 from the second tape spool 41 and pulls out the double-sided adhesive tape 58 from the first tape spool 40 in cooperation with the opposing movable conveyance roller 14 (see FIG. 15). The double-sided adhesive tape 58 is guided and adhered to the print surface 59. The ink ribbon 60 is separated from the film tape 59 on the upstream side of the tape driving roller 46 and guided toward the ribbon take-up spool 44.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the arm front surface 35 is provided with an arm identification portion 800 indicating the tape type of the tape cassette 30 adjacent to the right side of the exposed portion 77. The arm identification part 800 includes a non-pressing part 801 and a pressing part 802 in a prescribed pattern according to the tape type. The non-pressing portion 801 is a hole having a rectangular shape in front view through which the switch terminal 231 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) can be inserted and removed. The pressing portion 802 is a surface portion that contacts the switch terminal 231. The arm identification unit 800 of the present embodiment has one of the non-pressing part 801 and the pressing part 802 at five positions corresponding to the five switch terminals 231. Hereinafter, when the non-pressing portion 801 and the pressing portion 802 are collectively referred to, or when neither is specified, it is simply referred to as an identification portion.

  The arm front surface 35 is provided with a locking hole 820 on the upper right side of the arm identification portion 800. The locking hole 820 is a hole into which a locking piece 192 (see FIG. 5) described later is inserted when a sensor holder 19 (described later) moves to an identification position (position shown in FIG. 15).

  With reference to FIGS. 5-10, the schematic structure of the movable mechanism 100 with which the tape printer 1 was equipped is demonstrated. The movable mechanism 100 according to the present embodiment includes a lever 16, a release rod 17, a roller holder 18, a sensor holder 19, and a wall portion 20 (see FIG. 8), and refers to a series of mechanisms that can move according to external pressure.

  In the present embodiment, the upper right side, lower left side, upper left side, lower right side, upper side, and lower side in FIG. 5 correspond to the left side, right side, front side, rear side, upper side, and lower side of the movable mechanism 100, respectively. The lower right side, upper left side, upper right side, lower left side, upper side, and lower side in FIG. 7 correspond to the front side, rear side, right side, left side, upper side, and lower side of the movable mechanism 100, respectively. In FIG. 7, the wall portion 20 (see FIG. 8), the spring member 22 (see FIGS. 8 and 9), and the like are omitted in order to facilitate understanding of the operation mode of the movable mechanism 100. In FIG. 8, the lever 16 and the release rod 17 are omitted.

  In FIG. 6, the lever 16 is in the lowest position (described later), the roller holder 18 is in the printing position (position shown in FIG. 15), and the sensor holder 19 is in the identification position (position shown in FIG. 15). Is shown. 7 shows a state in which the lever 16 is in the uppermost position (described later), the roller holder 18 is in the standby position (position shown in FIG. 10), and the sensor holder 19 is in the separated position (position shown in FIG. 10). Is shown.

  The user opens the cover 6 upward when attaching or detaching the tape cassette 30 to or from the cassette mounting portion 8. When printing is performed by the tape printer 1, the cover 6 is closed downward. As the cover 6 opens and closes, the lever 16 rotates in the vertical direction (rotation direction D1 shown in FIG. 7) about the center of the lever rotation shaft portion 160. Although details will be described later, the lever 16 rotates upward as the cover 6 is opened upward. As the cover 6 is closed downward, the lever 16 rotates downward. In conjunction with the rotation of the lever 16, the release rod 17, the roller holder 18, and the sensor holder 19 move.

  The lower end of the lever 16 is engaged with a plate-like release rod 17 whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction when viewed from the front. The release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction (movement direction D2 shown in FIG. 7) as the lever 16 rotates. Although details will be described later, when the lever 16 rotates downward (downward in FIG. 7), the release rod 17 moves leftward (downward left in FIG. 7). When the lever 16 rotates upward (upward in FIG. 7), the release rod 17 moves in the right direction (upper right in FIG. 7).

  On the rear side of the release rod 17, a roller holder 18 that is a box-like body that opens rearward is provided. Inside the roller holder 18, a platen roller 15 and a movable conveying roller 14 are provided. The roller holder 18 is rotatably supported around a holder shaft 181. A movable conveying roller 14 is rotatably supported at the left end edge of the roller holder 18 so that the roller surface is exposed rearward. On the right side of the movable conveying roller 14, a platen roller 15 is rotatably supported with its roller surface exposed rearward. The movable conveyance roller 14 and the platen roller 15 are disposed at positions facing the tape driving roller 46 and the thermal head 10 (see FIG. 10).

  The roller holder 18 is always elastically urged forward (downward right in FIG. 7) by a later-described winding spring 185. As the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction (movement direction D2), the roller holder 18 rotates in the front-rear direction (rotation direction D3 shown in FIG. 7) about the holder shaft 181. Although details will be described later, when the release rod 17 moves to the left, the roller holder 18 rotates backward (upper left in FIG. 7) against the urging force of the winding spring 185. When the release rod 17 moves to the right, the roller holder 18 is rotated forward (lower right in FIG. 7) by the urging force of the winding spring 185.

  The roller holder 18 is provided with a first holder opening 182 that forms a substantially rectangular opening when viewed from the front. A sensor holder 19 is provided behind the release rod 17 and inside the first holder opening 182. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the sensor holder 19 is provided with a plurality of mechanical sensors 23 each having a switch terminal 231 protruding rearward (upper left direction in FIG. 7).

  The plurality of mechanical sensors 23 are arranged at positions corresponding to the plurality of identification units provided in the arm identification unit 800 (see FIG. 2). The sensor holder 19 moves in the front-rear direction (movement direction D4 shown in FIG. 7) as the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction (movement direction D2). Although details will be described later, when the release rod 17 moves to the left, the sensor holder 19 moves rearward (upper left in FIG. 7). When the release rod 17 moves to the right, the sensor holder 19 moves to the front (lower right in FIG. 7). Since the sensor holder 19 is not fixed to the roller holder 18, the sensor holder 19 can move independently of the roller holder 18.

  With the above configuration, in the movable mechanism 100 according to the present embodiment, as the cover 6 is closed downward, the lever 16 rotates downward (more specifically, clockwise as viewed from the front), and the roller holder 18. Rotates backward and the sensor holder 19 moves backward. When the roller holder 18 rotates rearward, the platen roller 15 is pressed against the thermal head 10 and the movable conveying roller 14 is pressed against the tape drive roller 46 (see FIG. 15). When the sensor holder 19 moves rearward, the switch terminal 231 of the mechanical sensor 23 is pressed against the arm identification unit 800. As a result, the tape printer 1 can perform a printing operation using the tape cassette 30 mounted in the cassette mounting portion 8 and can specify the tape type of the tape cassette 30.

  As the cover 6 is opened upward, the lever 16 rotates upward (more specifically, counterclockwise in front view), the roller holder 18 rotates forward, and the sensor holder 19 Moves forward (see FIG. 10). When the roller holder 18 rotates forward, the platen roller 15 is separated from the thermal head 10, and the movable conveyance roller 14 is separated from the tape driving roller 46. When the sensor holder 19 moves forward, the switch terminal 231 of the mechanical sensor 23 is separated from the arm identification unit 800. As a result, in the tape printer 1, the tape cassette 30 can be freely attached to and detached from the cassette mounting portion 8.

  Details of the physical configuration of each member included in the movable mechanism 100 will be described. First, the physical structure of the lever 16 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. In the following description, as shown in FIG. 5, the posture of the lever 16 when the lever tip 168 (described later) is at the uppermost position is referred to as the uppermost posture. As shown in FIG. 6, the posture of the lever 16 when the lever tip 168 is at the lowest position is referred to as the lowest position. As shown in FIG. 5, the lever 16 in the uppermost posture is curved so as to draw a substantially arc extending in the upper right direction when viewed from the front. A lever rotation shaft portion 160 is provided below the lever 16. The lever rotation shaft portion 160 has a circular outer shape when viewed from the front, and is provided with a hole 160A (see FIG. 7) penetrating in the front-rear direction at the center. A support pin 161 that rotatably supports the lever 16 is inserted through the hole 160A. The front end portion of the support pin 161 is supported by the wall portion 20. The center of the lever rotation shaft portion 160 is the rotation center of the lever 16, and the second fulcrum 63 in the front-rear direction orthogonal to the axial direction (left-right direction) in which the first fulcrum 61 (see FIG. 2) extends (see FIGS. 7 and 7). FIG. 11).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first arm portion 162 extends from the lever rotation shaft portion 160 toward the upper right side when the lever 16 is in the uppermost position. The first arm portion 162 has a predetermined width in the front-rear direction. A second arm portion 163 is connected to the upper end portion of the first arm portion 162. The second arm portion 163 extends slightly inclined to the right with respect to the first arm portion 162. A lever inclined portion 164 (see FIGS. 7 and 16) that inclines so as to be located rearward as it goes in the rotation start direction (rightward direction) from the central portion in the left-right direction of the second arm portion 163 to the right end portion. Is provided. The second arm portion 163 includes a first wall portion 163A and a second wall portion 163B. The first wall portion 163A is a wall portion that forms the front surface of the second arm portion 163. The second wall portion 163B is a wall portion extending rearward from the lower end of the first wall portion 163A (see FIG. 6). The first wall portion 163A and the second wall portion 163B form a recess 165 in which the upper surface of the lever 16 is recessed downward.

  A lever tip 168 that forms the tip of the lever 16 is connected to the right end of the first wall 163A. The lever distal end portion 168 includes a distal end wall portion 166 and a cylindrical portion 167. The tip wall portion 166 is connected to the first wall portion 163A and is inclined slightly upward with respect to the first wall portion 163A. The tube portion 167 is provided in the rearward direction from the tip wall portion 166. The cylindrical portion 167 has a cylindrical shape having a left and right hole portion 167A. The front end portion of the hole portion 167A is blocked by the tip wall portion 166.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cylindrical portion 167 of the lever tip 168 includes a curved surface 167B, a flat surface 167C, and a facing portion 167D. When the lever 16 is in the uppermost position, the curved surface 167B is provided in an arc shape from the right part of the cylinder part 167 of the lever tip part 168 to the lower left part through the upper part. The curved surface 167B is a portion that abuts on the rail portion 621 of the lever operation portion 62 (see FIG. 11). The plane 167C extends downward from the right end of the curved surface 167B. The facing portion 167D is a rounded curved surface that bends rightward from the lower end of the flat surface 167C. The curved surface of the facing portion 167D is a curved surface having a smaller radius than the curved surface 167B. When the cover 6 is in the closed position and the lever 16 is in the lowest position, the facing portion 167D faces the hooking portion 627 of the lever operating portion 62 (see FIG. 11D).

  A plate portion 169 extends from the lever rotation shaft portion 160 toward the lower right. The plate portion 169 includes a hole portion 169A extending toward the lower right. The hole portion 169A penetrates the plate portion 169 in the front-rear direction. A coil portion of a winding spring 250 is disposed on the lever rotation shaft portion 160. Of the arm portions extending radially outward from the coil portion of the winding spring 250, one arm portion is fixed to the lever 16, and the other arm portion is fixed to the spring fixing portion 210 of the wall portion 20. Yes. The winding spring 250 is always elastically biased so as to rotate the lever 16 upward.

  The physical structure of the release rod 17 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 shows a cross section of the movable mechanism 100 when the tape printer 1 is viewed in plan, and a plan view of the tape cassette 30 arranged in the cassette mounting portion 8 (see FIG. 2). In FIG. 10, the spring member 22 and the like are omitted for easy understanding (the same applies to FIGS. 13 to 15 described later).

  The release rod 17 includes a pressing part 171 and a body part 172. The trunk 172 has a predetermined thickness and height that form a prism shape extending in the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction. The pressing portion 171 is a head formed at the left end portion of the body portion 172. A shaft portion 179 projects rearward from the front surface of the rear end of the body portion 172 and is engaged with a hole portion 169A of the lever 16 (see FIG. 5).

  The pressing portion 171 rotates the roller holder 18 in the front-rear direction (vertical direction in FIG. 10). Since the pressing portion 171 has a shape protruding in the front-rear direction from the body portion 172 in plan view, the length in the front-rear direction (that is, thickness) is larger than that of the body portion 172. An inclined surface is formed from the left surface to the rear surface of the pressing portion 171 so that the length in the left-right direction gradually decreases from the front-rear direction position of the body portion 172 in the plan view toward the rear (upward in FIG. 10). A rear surface portion parallel to the left-right direction in the pressing portion 171 is a rear surface 1711 (see FIG. 10). An inclined surface that is connected to the left side of the rear surface 1711 and extends to the front left in the pressing portion 171 is an inclined surface 1712 (see FIG. 10).

  As shown in FIG. 7, a recess 176 is provided on the upper surface of the body portion 172. The recess 176 is provided in a predetermined range extending rightward from a substantially central position in the left-right direction of the body 172. The recess 176 is a recess portion whose height position is slightly lower than the upper surface. A rod guide portion 175 for guiding the sensor holder 19 in the front-rear direction is formed on the upper surface of the recess 176.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the rod guide portion 175 includes a first rod guide portion 1751, a rod guide oblique portion 1752, and a second rod guide portion 1753. The first rod guide portion 1751 is a wall portion erected along the front end edge of the recess 176. The first rod guide portion 1751 extends from the left end portion of the recess 176 toward the center and slightly to the left. The second rod guide portion 1753 is a wall portion erected along the rear end edge of the recess 176. The second rod guide portion 1753 extends in the right direction from a slightly right side of the center of the recess 176. The rod guide oblique portion 1752 is a wall portion standing from a recess 176 that obliquely connects the right end portion of the first rod guide portion 1751 and the left end portion of the second rod guide portion 1753 in plan view. The first rod guide portion 1751, the rod guide oblique portion 1752, and the second rod guide portion 1753 have the same thickness and height, respectively, and have a rail-like appearance as a whole.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a first guide portion 174 is provided on the lower right side of the front surface of the body portion 172 as viewed from the right end portion of the recess 176. The first guide part 174 is a claw part that protrudes forward from the front surface of the body part 172 and has a tip bent downward. The pressing part 171 is provided with a second guide part 173. The second guide portion 173 is provided across the left surface and the right surface of the pressing portion 171. The second guide portion 173 is a portion that is recessed in a groove shape upward from the bottom surface. The second guide part 173 is provided in front of the body part 172. The first guide part 174 and the second guide part 173 are parts that guide the movement of the release rod 17 in the left-right direction.

  With reference to FIG.8 and FIG.9, the physical structure of the wall part 20 is demonstrated. The wall portion 20 is a plate-like member that is long in the left-right direction, and is erected in front of the release rod 17 in the tape printer 1. The upper end side 204 of the wall part 20 is formed so as to be positioned on the upper side in a stepped manner in order from the left side to the right side of the wall part 20.

  A long hole 206 is formed below the right end portion of the upper end side 204. The long hole 206 penetrates in a groove shape extending in the left-right direction. On the left side of the long hole 206, a square hole 208, which is a horizontally long rectangular hole portion when viewed from the front, is provided. On the upper side of the square hole 208, a circular hole 207, which is a circular hole portion when viewed from the front, is provided. A spring fixing portion 210 (see FIG. 6) is formed at the right edge of the wall portion 20 as a notch portion to which the arm portion of the winding spring 250 extending from the lever 16 is locked.

  The first guide portion 174 of the release rod 17 is slidably engaged with the long hole 206, and the second guide portion 173 is slidably engaged with the front end portion of the upper end side 204. When the first guide portion 174 is guided along the long hole 206 and the second guide portion 173 is guided along the front end portion of the upper end side 204, the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction.

  A physical structure of the roller holder 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. The roller holder 18 is a member that rotatably holds the movable conveyance roller 14 and the platen roller 15 as described above, and is provided on the rear side of the release rod 17. As shown in FIG. 7, the shaft portion 141, which is the rotation center axis of the movable conveyance roller 14, is rotatably supported by shaft support holes 188 provided on the upper surface and the bottom surface of the roller holder 18. A shaft portion 151, which is the rotation center shaft of the platen roller 15, is rotatably supported by shaft support holes 189 provided on the upper surface and the bottom surface of the roller holder 18. The shaft support holes 188 and 189 are long holes in the front-rear direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the first holder opening 182 is provided between the holder shaft 181 and the platen roller 15 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 7, a second holder opening 183 that forms an opening is formed continuously to the left side of the first holder opening 182. The second holder opening 183 is a substantially rectangular opening smaller than the first holder opening 182 in front view. The first holder opening 182 and the second holder opening 183 are connected to form one opening.

  As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 10, a holder side receiving portion 184 is provided behind the second holder opening 183. The holder side receiving portion 184 extends from the front side of the platen roller 15 toward the rear right side (the lower right direction in FIG. 10), and has a curved surface along the roller surface of the platen roller 15. However, the front edge portion of the holder side receiving portion 184 is a position fixing portion 184A that forms a surface parallel to the left-right direction.

  The release rod 17 extends along the left-right direction of the opening formed by the first holder opening 182 and the pressing portion 171 is formed with respect to the opening formed by the second holder opening 183. It is arranged to be inserted from the right side. When the pressing part 171 is separated from the holder side receiving part 184, the holder side receiving part 184 is not pressed by the pressing part 171 (see FIG. 10).

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a coil portion of a winding spring 185 is attached to the lower portion of the holder shaft 181. Of the two arm portions extending radially outward from the coil portion of the winding spring 185, one arm portion is fixed to a spring fixing portion 220 that protrudes downward from the lower end surface of the roller holder 18, and the other arm portion. Is fixed to the bottom plate 8A of the cassette mounting portion 8 (see FIG. 2). The winding spring 185 is always elastically biased so as to rotate the roller holder 18 in the forward direction. As a result, the roller holder 18 is held at the standby position (position shown in FIG. 10) when the holder side receiving portion 184 is not pressed. When the release rod 17 moves to the left side, the pressing portion 171 contacts and presses the holder side receiving portion 184 in the second holder opening 183. In this case, the roller holder 18 moves backward (forward in FIG. 10) from the standby position, and details will be described later.

  On the inner surface of the roller holder 18, a spring holding portion 221 that protrudes downward from the upper plate of the roller holder 18 and a spring holding portion 222 that protrudes upward from the lower plate of the roller holder 18 are vertically opposed. Is provided. Coil portions of roller springs 186 and 187 which are a pair of upper and lower winding springs are mounted on the spring holding portions 221 and 222, respectively. Both arm portions extending radially outward from the coil portions of the roller springs 186 and 187 extend to the left along the upper and lower plates of the roller holder 18, respectively.

  Of the two arm portions extending radially outward from the coil portions of the roller springs 186 and 187, one arm portion is fixed to the inner surface of the roller holder 18. However, the other arm portion of the roller spring 186 is in contact with the front side of the shaft portion 151 on the upper side of the platen roller 15, and is in contact with the front side of the shaft portion 141 on the upper side of the movable conveying roller 14. The other arm portion of the roller spring 187 is in contact with the front side of the shaft portion 151 below the platen roller 15 and is in contact with the front side of the shaft portion 141 below the movable conveyance roller 14.

  The roller springs 186 and 187 always elastically bias the shaft portions 141 and 151 with a predetermined pressure so as to move the movable conveyance roller 14 and the platen roller 15 backward. Thereby, in a state where the movable conveyance roller 14 and the platen roller 15 are not pressed, the movable conveyance roller 14 and the platen roller 15 are moved to positions where the shaft portions 141 and 151 come into contact with the rear ends of the shaft support holes 188 and 189, respectively. Move backwards.

  The physical structure of the sensor holder 19 will be described with reference to FIGS. The sensor holder 19 is provided inside the first holder opening 182 on the rear side of the release rod 17. The sensor holder 19 includes a box-shaped unit main body 191, a mechanical sensor 23, a locking piece 192, an electric board 193, a cylindrical portion 194, and a spring member 22. The unit main body 191, the locking piece 192, and the cylindrical portion 194 are integrally formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the unit main body 191, the surface facing the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 is referred to as a cassette facing surface 191A. Two openings 197 and 198 are provided in the cassette facing surface 191A. Five mechanical sensors 23 are arranged inside the unit main body 191. The mechanical sensor 23 is electrically connected to an electric board 193 (see FIG. 9) disposed on the unit main body 191.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the electric board 193 is provided on the front side of the unit main body 191. Although not shown, electrical wiring is connected to the front surface of the electrical substrate 193. An on / off signal of the mechanical sensor 23 is transmitted to a CPU (not shown) included in the control circuit of the tape printer 1 through an electric wiring connected to the electric substrate 193.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the switch terminals 231 included in each of the mechanical sensors 23 project rearward from the cassette facing surface 191 </ b> A. Each switch terminal 231 is provided at a position corresponding to the identification unit (non-pressing unit 801 or pressing unit 802) (see FIG. 2) of the arm identification unit 800 described above. In the present embodiment, five switch terminals 231 are arranged in a zigzag manner. When the switch terminal 231 is moved to the projecting position, the switch terminal 231 is urged rearward and advanced rearward from the cassette facing surface 191A. In this case, the mechanical sensor 23 is turned off. When an external pressure is applied to the switch terminal 231, the switch terminal 231 retracts forward. In this case, the mechanical sensor 23 is turned off. A locking piece 192 that is a plate-like protrusion having a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction is provided on the upper right portion of the cassette facing surface 191A.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the unit main body 191 has a cylindrical cylindrical portion 194 that extends forward. The cylindrical portion 194 projects forward through an electric board hole 196 (see FIG. 9) provided in the electric board 193. As shown in FIG. 9, the cylindrical portion 194 has a shaft hole extending in the front-rear direction, and a small-diameter columnar member 21 is inserted into the shaft hole. The shaft hole of the cylindrical portion 194 includes a first shaft hole 1941 and a second shaft hole 1942 that communicate with each other so as to be coaxial. The first shaft hole 1941 extends forward from the cassette facing surface 191 </ b> A to the vicinity of the center of the cylindrical portion 194. The second shaft hole 1942 extends from the first shaft hole 1941 to the front end of the cylindrical portion 194 and has a larger opening diameter than the first shaft hole 1941. The columnar member 21 inserted into the shaft hole of the cylindrical portion 194 can slide in the front-rear direction along the first shaft hole 1941 having the same diameter as the columnar member 21. A small-diameter insertion pin 21 </ b> A is provided at the front end portion of the cylindrical member 21.

  The opening diameter of the second shaft hole 1942 is larger than the diameter of the cylindrical member 21. Therefore, between the columnar member 21 and the cylindrical portion 194, a spring accommodating portion 1943 that forms an annular groove portion when viewed from the front is formed. In the spring accommodating portion 1943, the spring member 22 having a total length larger than the axial length of the second shaft hole 1942 is accommodated by inserting the cylindrical member 21 into the winding center of the spring member 22. Inside the spring accommodating portion 1943, the rear end of the spring member 22 is in contact with a step portion formed by the difference in diameter between the first shaft hole 1941 and the second shaft hole 1942. With the spring member 22 wound around the columnar member 21, the insertion pin 21 </ b> A is inserted into the circular hole 207, and the front end of the spring member 22 is in contact with the wall portion 20. Thereby, the spring member 22 urges the sensor holder 19 backward (leftward in FIG. 9) by the elastic pressure.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a holder guide portion 199 extending forward is provided at the lower portion of the opening edge in the front portion of the cylindrical portion 194. A tip portion bent downward of the holder guide portion 199 is engaged with the rod guide portion 175 of the release rod 17. In FIG. 7, the holder guide portion 199 is engaged with the first rod guide portion 1751. The rearward movement of the sensor holder 19 urged rearward by the spring member 22 is restricted by the engagement between the holder guide portion 199 and the rod guide portion 175. As the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction, the sensor holder 19 moves in the front-rear direction while being guided by the rod guide portion 175. Details will be described later.

  Details of the operation mode of the movable mechanism 100 will be described. First, an operation mode of the movable mechanism 100 when the cover 6 is closed and rotated from the open position (see FIG. 2) to the closed position (see FIG. 1) will be described. In addition, (A)-(D) of FIG. 12 is the figure which looked at the state of (A) -FIG. 11 (D) of FIG. 11 from the right direction, respectively. Further, in FIG. 12, a part of the lever operation unit 62 is cut away to make it easy to see the position of the contact position 200 (described later). FIG. 16 shows the positional relationship between the lever 16 and the lever operation unit 62 as viewed from above when the lever 16 is in the lowest position (see FIG. 11D).

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, when the cover 6 is in the open position, the lever 16 is urged upward by the winding spring 250. In this case, the lever 16 is in the uppermost position by the biasing force of the lever 16. At this time, the release rod 17 connected to the lower end of the lever 16 is at the right end position of the movable range of the release rod 17. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, the holder guide portion 199 is engaged with the first rod guide portion 1751 when the cover 6 is in the open position. The sensor holder 19 urged rearward (downward in FIG. 10) by the spring member 22 is held in the separated position (position shown in FIG. 10), with the rearward movement restricted by the first rod guide portion 1751. Is done. The holder side receiving portion 184 of the roller holder 18 is separated from the pressing portion 171 of the release rod 17. The roller holder 18 is urged forward by the winding spring 185 (see FIG. 6) without being pressed by the pressing portion 171 and is held at the standby position (position shown in FIG. 10).

  As shown in FIGS. 11A and 12A, when the movement of the cover 6 in the closing direction is started, the rail portion 621 contacts the lever tip portion 168. The contact position 200 when the rail part 621 contacts the lever tip 168 is on the left side of the second inclined part 624 (see FIG. 11A). The position in the front-rear direction of the contact position 200 is a position slightly behind the center in the front-rear direction of the lever tip 168 (see FIG. 12A).

  When the cover 6 further moves in the closing direction, the rail portion 621 presses the lever tip 168 downward. For this reason, the lever 16 rotates counterclockwise around the second fulcrum 63 against the urging force of the winding spring 250 (see FIG. 6). The lever tip 168 moves in the lower right direction along the rail portion 621. As shown in FIGS. 11B and 11C, the contact position 200 between the rail portion 621 and the lever tip portion 168 passes through the first inclined portion 623 and the second inclined portion 624, and the surface portion 625. Move to the left edge. The posture of the lever 16 shown in FIG. 11C is referred to as a first intermediate posture.

  Since the second inclined portion 624 is positioned downward (closed direction) toward the right direction (rotation start direction), the angle of the cover 6 is compared with the case where the second inclined portion 624 is parallel to the left-right direction. The angle change amount of the lever 16 with respect to the change amount increases. For this reason, when the lever 16 changes from the highest position (see FIG. 11A) to the first intermediate position (see FIG. 11B), the lever 16 rotates quickly. In addition, the movement distance of the lever 16 in the left-right direction (axial direction) is increased as compared with the case where the second inclined portion 624 is parallel to the left-right direction. Note that the movement distance in the left-right direction (axial direction) when the lever 16 changes from the highest position to the first intermediate position is a distance L11 shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, since the first fulcrum 61 of the cover 6 and the second fulcrum 63 of the lever 16 are perpendicular to each other, when the cover 6 rotates in the closing direction, the relative position of the lever tip 168 to the cover 6 is Move to one fulcrum 61 side (see FIG. 12). Since the second inclined portion 624 of the rail portion 621 is positioned closer to the first fulcrum 61 toward the right direction (starting start direction), the lever 16 is moved from the uppermost posture (FIG. 12A) to the first intermediate posture. The position in the front-rear direction on the lever tip 168 of the contact position 200 when changing to (FIG. 12B) is substantially the same. Therefore, the distance L22 parallel to the cover 6 between the contact position 200 and the first fulcrum 61 in the first intermediate posture (FIG. 12B) is the contact in the uppermost posture (FIG. 12A). It becomes shorter than the distance L21 parallel to the cover 6 between the position 200 and the first fulcrum 61. In other words, by making the distance L22 shorter than the distance L21 by the second inclined portion 624, the position in the front-rear direction on the lever tip 168 of the contact position 200 is kept substantially the same. Accordingly, the rail portion 621 is not positioned in front of the lever tip portion 168, and the contact between the rail portion 621 and the lever tip portion 168 is maintained. The difference in distance between L21 and L22 is L23 shown in FIG. That is, the relative position of the lever tip 168 with respect to the cover 6 is moved to the first fulcrum 61 side by the distance L23.

  As the lever 16 rotates, the release rod 17 moves to the left. As shown in FIG. 13, as the release rod 17 moves leftward, the inclined surface 1712 of the pressing portion 171 contacts and presses against the holder side receiving portion 184 of the roller holder 18. When the lever 16 rotates to the first intermediate posture (see FIG. 11B), the holder side receiving portion 184 slides along the inclined surface 1712 as the inclined surface 1712 presses the holder side receiving portion 184. And the roller holder 18 rotates backward against the elastic energy of the winding spring 185 (see FIG. 6).

  As shown in FIG. 11C, when the cover 6 is further moved in the closing direction, the lever tip 168 is pressed by the surface 625, and the lever 16 moves rightward along the rail 621 by a distance L12. Then, the lever 16 changes to the second intermediate posture in which the lever front end portion 168 is located at the rightmost end of the rail portion 621. When the lever 16 changes from the first intermediate posture (see FIG. 11B and FIG. 12B) to the second intermediate posture, the inclined surface 1712 presses the holder-side receiving portion 184, so that the holder side The receiving portion 184 slides along the inclined surface 1712, and the roller holder 18 further rotates backward against the elastic energy of the winding spring 185 (see FIG. 6) (FIG. 14). Then, the tape cassette 30 is fixed in the cassette mounting portion 8 by the roller holder 18. Specifically, the platen roller 15 presses the thermal head 10 via the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 located at the exposed portion 77. The movable conveyance roller 14 presses the tape driving roller 46 into which the tape driving shaft 101 is inserted via the film tape 59 and the double-sided adhesive tape 58. That is, the position of the roller holder 18 shown in FIG.

  The sensor holder 19 is configured to be movable only in the front-rear direction and does not move in the left-right direction. Therefore, as the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction, the rod guide portion 175 slides in the left-right direction while maintaining the engagement state with the holder guide portion 199. Specifically, when the release rod 17 moves to the left from the right end position, the first rod guide portion 1751 slides to the left while maintaining the state of being engaged with the holder guide portion 199. Since the first rod guide portion 1751 is a wall portion parallel to the left-right direction, in the state where the first rod guide portion 1751 is engaged with the holder guide portion 199, even if the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction, the sensor The holder 19 does not move in the front-rear direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 14, when the lever 16 changes to the second intermediate posture, the target site to which the holder guide portion 199 is engaged changes from the first rod guide portion 1751 to the rod guide oblique portion 1752. The holder guide portion 199 starts to move rearward along the rod guide inclined portion 1752 while being pressed by the spring member 22.

  Thus, when the lever 16 changes from the highest position to the second intermediate position, the roller holder 18 moves to the standby position as the release rod 17 moves from the right end position to the left (see FIG. 10). Rotate backward from When the roller holder 18 reaches the contact position (see FIG. 14), the platen roller 15 is pressed against the thermal head 10 and the movable conveyance roller 14 is pressed against the tape drive roller 46.

  When the cover 6 further moves toward the closed position and the cover 6 reaches the closed position (see FIG. 11D), the lever tip 168 is pressed against the surface 625, and the lever 16 is in the second intermediate posture (FIG. 11). (See (C)) to the lowest position (see FIG. 11D). At this time, the left end portion of the rail portion 621 enters the concave portion 165 of the lever 16 (see FIGS. 6 and 16). That is, the rail portion 621 and the second arm portion 163 of the lever 16 do not interfere with each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the rail portion 621 is provided with a first inclined portion 623, and the lever 16 is provided with a lever inclined portion 164. Since the lever inclined portion 164 is provided so as to follow the first inclined portion 623 in plan view, the rail portion 621 and the second arm portion 163 of the lever 16 are formed in parallel with the left and right direction. It does not interfere with the second arm portion 163 of the lever 16. That is, the concave portion 165 and the lever inclined portion 164 of the lever 16 are portions provided to avoid interference with the rail portion 621 inclined by the first inclined portion 623.

  The release rod 17 moves to the left end position (position shown in FIG. 15) of the movable range of the release rod 17. As the lever 16 rotates from the second intermediate position to the lowest position, and the release rod 17 moves to the left end position (see FIG. 20), the holder side receiving portion 184 is further pressed backward by the inclined surface 1712. Is done. As shown in FIG. 15, when the lever 16 reaches the lowest position (see FIG. 12D), the rear surface 1711 of the pressing portion 171 comes into surface contact with the above-described position fixing portion 184A. The position fixing portion 184A is a surface portion extending in parallel with the rear surface 1711, and fixes the release rod 17 to the left end position by being in surface contact with the rear surface 1711. Further, the surface portion 625 of the rail portion 621 holds the lever 16 in the lowest position while being in contact with the lever tip portion 168. The position (position shown in FIG. 20) where the roller holder 18 is held in a state where the position fixing portion 184A and the rear surface 1711 are in surface contact is the printing position of the roller holder 18.

  Thus, in conjunction with the movement of the cover 6 from the open position toward the closed position, the roller holder 18 gradually moves backward. As the cover 6 approaches the closed position, the pressure at which the platen roller 15 presses the thermal head 10 and the pressure at which the movable transport roller 14 presses the tape drive roller 46 gradually increase. Further, the elastic energy accumulated in the roller springs 186 and 187 (that is, the platen roller 15 is pressed against the thermal head 10 with a predetermined pressure, and the movable conveying roller 14 is pressed against the tape drive roller 46 with a predetermined pressure. The elastic energy generated in the state where the pressure is applied is also gradually increased.

  When the roller holder 18 is moved to the printing position (see FIG. 15), the tape cassette 30 is fixed in the cassette mounting portion 8 more firmly than when the roller holder 18 is in the contact position (see FIG. 14). As the roller springs 186 and 187 contract, the shaft portions 141 and 151 move to the center positions in the front-rear direction in the shaft support holes 188 and 189, respectively. At this time, the elastic energy accumulated in the roller springs 186 and 187 increases.

  Further, when the lever 16 rotates from the second intermediate posture (see FIG. 12C) to the lowest position (see FIG. 12D) and the release rod 17 moves to the left, the engagement of the holder guide portion 199 is increased. The target portion to be combined is changed from the rod guide oblique portion 1752 to the second rod guide portion 1753. Since the second rod guide portion 1753 is a wall portion parallel to the left-right direction, even if the release rod 17 moves in the left-right direction in a state where the second rod guide portion 1753 is engaged with the holder guide portion 199, The sensor holder 19 does not move in the front-rear direction. The position where the holder guide portion 199 is engaged with the second rod guide portion 1753 (the position shown in FIG. 15) is the identification position of the sensor holder 19.

  As shown in FIG. 15, when the cover 6 is closed and the sensor holder 19 is moved to the identification position, the locking piece 192 provided on the cassette facing surface 191 </ b> A is inserted into the locking hole 820 of the tape cassette 30. The mechanical sensor 23 provided on the cassette facing surface 191A faces the arm identification unit 800 (see FIG. 2) of the tape cassette 30.

  The five switch terminals 231 are selectively pressed by the identifying portions (non-pressing portion 801 or pressing portion 802) of the arm identifying portion 800 facing each other. Specifically, the switch terminal 231 facing the pressing portion 802 is pressed by the surface portion of the arm front surface 35, and the mechanical sensor 23 is turned on. The switch terminal 231 facing the non-pressing portion 801 is inserted into the non-pressing portion 801, and the mechanical sensor 23 is turned off.

  A CPU (not shown) provided in the tape printer 1 identifies the tape type of the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8 based on the combination of on / off of the five mechanical sensors 23. Specifically, referring to a table for specifying the tape type of the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8 and stored in advance in a storage device such as a ROM (not shown) provided in the tape printer 1. The tape type corresponding to the on / off combination of the mechanical sensor 23 is specified.

  Thus, when the cover 6 is in the closed position, the switch terminal 231 is pressed against the arm identification unit 800 while the tape cassette 30 is firmly fixed by the cassette mounting unit 8. That is, the tape printer 1 is in a state where printing can be performed stably and accurately, and the tape type of the tape cassette 30 can be determined.

  Next, an operation mode of the movable mechanism 100 when the cover 6 is displaced upward from the closed position (see FIG. 1) to the open position (see FIG. 2) will be described. The movable mechanism 100 performs the reverse operation when the cover 6 is closed downward.

  As shown in FIG. 11D, when the cover 6 is in the closed position, the hooking portion 627 of the cover 6 is located below the lever tip portion 168 and faces the facing portion 167D. As shown in FIG. 17, when the cover 6 is opened upward from the closed position, the hooking portion 627 comes into contact with the facing portion 167D from below and pushes the lever 16 upward. The release rod 17 moves to the right from the left end position (see FIG. 15) as the pushed lever 16 rotates, so that the surface contact between the position fixing portion 184A and the rear surface 1711 is released, and as a result, the roller holder The fixing at the printing position 18 is released.

  When the fixing of the roller holder 18 at the printing position is released, the elastic energy accumulated in the roller springs 186 and 187 is released, so that the movable transport roller 14 and the platen roller 15 are moved back by the roller springs 186 and 187. Played in the direction. At this time, the movable conveyance roller 14 and the platen roller 15 receive a repulsive force from the thermal head 10 and the tape drive roller 46, respectively. Due to this repulsive force, the roller holder 18 moves forward from the printing position (see FIG. 15) to the contact position (see FIG. 14).

  At this time, the holder side receiving part 184 presses the inclined surface 1712, whereby the release rod 17 moves to the right. As the release rod 17 moves, the holder guide portion 199 slides from the second rod guide portion 1753 to the first rod guide portion 1751 along the rod guide inclined portion 1752. As a result, the sensor holder 19 moves forward from the identification position (see FIG. 15).

  As described above, the roller holder 18 is provided with the winding spring 185 (see FIG. 6) that urges the roller holder 18 forward. For this reason, the release rod 17 moves further to the right by being pressed by the roller holder 18 that moves forward by the urging force of the winding spring 185 (see FIG. 6). The roller holder 18 is moved forward and held to the standby position (see FIG. 10) by the urging force of the winding spring 185 (see FIG. 6).

  Further, the lever 16 is provided with a winding spring 250 (see FIG. 6) that urges the lever 16 upward. Therefore, the release rod 17 that has moved to a position away from the roller holder 18 is interlocked with the lever 16 that moves upward by the urging force of the winding spring 250 (see FIG. 6), and the right end position of the movable range of the release rod 17 ( (See FIG. 10). The lever 16 is rotated and held up to the uppermost position (see FIG. 12A) by the urging force of the winding spring 250 (see FIG. 6).

  As described above, the opening / closing operation of the cover 6 in the present embodiment is performed. In the present embodiment, even if the lever 16 rotates, the contact between the lever tip 168 and the rail 621 is maintained (see FIGS. 11 and 12). For this reason, the distance between the contact position 200 where the force from the rail portion 621 acts and the second fulcrum 63 of the lever 16 is substantially constant. For this reason, compared with the case where the contact position 200 where the force from the rail portion 621 acts moves to the second fulcrum 63 side as the lever 16 rotates, the force necessary to rotate the lever 16 is greater. The increase can be suppressed. Therefore, the cover 6 smoothly rotates from the open position to the closed position.

  Further, as described above, since the first fulcrum 61 of the cover 6 and the second fulcrum 63 of the lever 16 are perpendicular to each other, when the cover 6 rotates in the closing direction, the lever tip 168 relative to the cover 6 is obtained. The relative position moves to the first fulcrum 61 side. Since the rail portion 621 is positioned closer to the first fulcrum 61 toward the right as the rotation start direction, even if the relative position of the lever tip 168 to the cover moves toward the first fulcrum 61, the lever tip The contact between the portion 168 and the rail portion 621 can be continued (see FIGS. 11 and 12). For this reason, the rail part 621 does not come off from the lever tip part 168, and the rail part 621 can reliably rotate by pressing the lever tip part 168.

  Moreover, the rail part 621 is formed in rail shape, and an area is small compared with the conventional rectangular lever pressing part. Therefore, the lever operation part 62 of the present invention can be reduced in size, and consequently the tape printer 1 can be reduced in size.

  In addition, the rail portion 621 is provided with a second inclined portion 624 that is positioned closer to the closing direction toward the rotation start direction. In this case, the change in the rotation angle of the lever 16 with respect to the change in the rotation angle of the cover 6 is greater than in the case where the second inclined portion 624 is not provided. Therefore, the lever 16 can be rotated faster.

  When the cover 6 moves from the open position to the closed position, the lever tip 168 moves along the rail 621, and immediately before the cover 6 reaches the closed position, the lever tip 168 starts to rotate in the rail 621. Move to the right end, which is the direction. Immediately before the cover 6 is in the closed position, the cover 6 is often pushed toward the closed position. In the present embodiment, the lever 16 resists the elastic energy of the roller springs 186 and 187 within the range in which the lever 16 moves from the first intermediate position (FIG. 11B) to the lowest position (FIG. 11D). Since the release rod 17 is pushed leftward, the lever 16 is subjected to a repulsive force due to the elastic energy of the roller springs 186 and 187. In this case, the rail portion 621 pushes the lever 16 against the repulsive force of the roller springs 186 and 187 transmitted via the lever 16. At this time, since the end portion of the rail portion 621 in the right direction, which is the rotation start direction, is the surface portion 625, the lever tip portion 168 can be pressed with a larger area than when the surface shape is not formed, and the lever 16 is pushed in The force from the rail portion 621 can be transmitted more efficiently. Therefore, the cover 6 can be smoothly pushed into the closed position, and the lever tip 168 can be pushed so that the lever 16 is in the lowest position.

  That is, in this embodiment, the repulsive force due to the elastic energy of the roller springs 186 and 187 is not applied, and the lever 16 can be moved rearward with a small force (see FIG. 11A). In FIG. 12B, the lever 16 can be quickly rotated by the second inclined portion 624. In the rotation range of the lever 16 to which the repulsive force due to the elastic energy of the roller springs 186 and 187 is applied (see FIGS. 11B to 11D), the force from the rail portion 621 is applied to the front end of the lever by the surface portion 625. The lever tip 168 can be pushed in by efficiently transmitting to the portion 168. Moreover, since the surface part 625 is a surface shape, intensity | strength is strong. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rail portion 621 from being bent by a force when the lever 16 is pushed.

  Further, the portion of the lever tip 168 that contacts the rail 621 is a curved surface 167B. For this reason, the lever front end 168 slides more smoothly with respect to the rail portion 621 than in the case where there is a corner at the contact portion of the lever front end 168. Therefore, the cover 6 can be rotated more smoothly from the open position to the closed position.

  Further, since the facing portion 167D is a curved surface having a smaller radius than the curved surface 167B, the hooking portion 627 is easily hooked on the facing portion 167D as compared to a curved surface having a larger radius than the curved surface 167B (see FIG. 17). Therefore, the cover 6 can be rotated more reliably from the closed position toward the open position.

  In the above embodiment, the cassette mounting portion 8 is an example of the “opening” in the present invention. At least one of the release rod 17, the roller holder 18, and the sensor holder 19 is an example of the “moving member” in the present invention. The curved surface 167B is an example of the “first curved surface” in the present invention.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, A various change is possible. For example, the facing portion 167D is a curved surface, but is not limited thereto. For example, the facing portion 167D may be a corner portion formed by two surfaces. Further, the shape of the lever tip 168 may be other shapes. For example, the shape of the lever tip 168 may be a quadrangle or a pentagon when viewed from the front. Moreover, although the support part 628 was provided in the lever operation part 62, it does not need to be provided.

  Moreover, although the range of the left-right direction of the 1st inclination part 623 and the 2nd inclination part 624 was substantially the same, even if the range of the left-right direction of the 1st inclination part 623 and the 2nd inclination part 624 differs. Good. Moreover, the range of the left-right direction of the 1st inclination part 623 and the 2nd inclination part 624 may be a different range from this embodiment. For example, the horizontal range of the first inclined part 623 and the second inclined part 624 may be the entire horizontal range of the rail part 621. Moreover, the 2nd inclination part 624 is not provided, but the rail part 621 may be parallel to the left-right direction by front view. The surface portion 625 may not be provided, and the entire rail portion 621 may have a thickness in the front-rear direction of the portion of the rail portion 621 on the left side of the surface portion 625 in the present embodiment.

  Although the rail portion 621 and the second arm portion 163 of the lever 16 do not interfere with each other because the recess 165 and the lever inclined portion 164 are provided, other configurations may be used to prevent the interference. For example, the concave portion 165 and the lever inclined portion 164 may not be provided, and the arm portion of the lever 16 may extend downward from the lever tip portion 168 and then extend toward the lever rotation shaft portion 160. In this case, since the rail portion 621 and the arm portion of the lever 16 are separated in the vertical direction, the rail portion 621 and the arm portion of the lever 16 do not interfere with each other. Note that the rail portion 621 and the arm portion of the lever 16 need not interfere with each other so as to push each other, and the rail portion 621 and the arm portion of the lever 16 may contact each other.

  The apparatus having the opening / closing structure of the present embodiment is the tape printer 1, but is not limited to this. If it is a structure provided with the main body part which has an opening part, a cover, a lever, the moving member which moves in conjunction with a lever, and a rail part, it can be used for other various objects. For example, it may be a battery lid opening / closing structure of a mobile device. A rail portion is provided on the lid of the battery, and a lever provided on the mobile device body is pressed. In this case, a lock mechanism that moves in conjunction with the rotation of the lever to lock the lid may be provided. In the case of this modification, the lock mechanism is an example of the “moving member” in the present invention. The opening of the battery storage unit that stores the battery is an example of the “opening” in the present invention. The main body of the mobile device having the battery storage portion is an example of the “main body portion” in the present invention. The battery lid is an example of the “cover” of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tape printer 6 Cover 8 Cassette mounting part 11 Main body part 16 Lever 17 Release rod 18 Roller holder 19 Sensor holder 61 1st fulcrum 62 Lever operation part 63 2nd fulcrum 162 1st arm part 163 2nd arm part 167B Curved surface 167D Opposite Part 168 Lever tip 621 Rail 623 First slope 624 Second slope 627 Hook

Claims (5)

A main body having an opening;
A cover that rotates about a first fulcrum extending in the axial direction and rotates between an open position that opens the opening and a closed position that closes the opening;
A lever tip provided on the main body and pivoting about a second fulcrum in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, and a lever tip that is a tip, and an arm that extends from the second fulcrum to the lever tip. Lever,
A moving member that moves in conjunction with rotation of the lever;
A rail portion provided on the cover, extending in the axial direction, and capable of contacting the lever tip when the cover rotates in a closing direction that is a direction from the open position toward the closed position; A rail portion having a first inclined portion located on the first fulcrum side as it goes in a rotation start direction that is a direction on the side where the lever starts to rotate in the axial direction;
When the cover rotates in the closing direction,
The rail portion moves the moving member by pushing the lever tip and rotating the lever.
The contact position between the lever tip and the rail moves to the rotation start direction side along the rail along with the rotation of the lever.
An opening / closing structure, wherein the arm portion and the rail portion do not interfere with each other.   2. The opening / closing structure according to claim 1, wherein the rail portion includes a second inclined portion that is positioned closer to the closing direction toward the rotation start direction.   An end of the rail portion on the rotation start direction side is orthogonal to the rotation start direction from a portion on the opposite side of the rotation start direction from the end portion of the rail portion on the rotation start direction side. The opening / closing structure according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing structure has a wide surface shape.   The opening / closing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a portion of the lever tip portion that contacts the rail portion is a first curved surface. The cover is provided on the closing direction side so as to face the end of the rail portion on the rotation start direction side, and is located closer to the closing direction than the lever tip when the cover is in the closed position. With a hook,
The facing part that is the part of the tip of the lever that faces the hooking part when the cover is in the closed position is a corner or a second curved surface having a smaller radius than the first curved surface,
5. The opening / closing structure according to claim 4, wherein, when the cover is rotated from the closed position to the open position, the hooking portion is hooked on the facing portion to rotate the cover.

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