JP4589345B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that simultaneously prints on both sides of a sheet.

  In this type of printing apparatus, a first printing unit is disposed in the sheet conveyance path on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction in the apparatus main body, and a second printing unit is disposed on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, Some of the first and second printing units print on both sides of the paper at the same time.

The first printing unit includes a first thermal head as a print head, and a first platen roller that is disposed to face the first thermal head via a paper conveyance path and conveys the paper. . The second printing unit includes a second thermal head as a print head, and a second platen roller that is disposed to face the second thermal head via a paper conveyance path and conveys the paper. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
US Pat. No. 6,784,906

  By the way, an opening / closing member is provided in the apparatus main body, and replenishment of paper is performed by opening the opening / closing member. The first platen roller of the first printing unit and the second thermal head of the second printing unit are attached to the opening / closing member, and the opening / closing member is closed, so that the first platen roller The first thermal head is pressed, and the second thermal head is pressed against the second platen roller. The first and second thermal heads are pressed by the spring force of the first and second spring materials.

  However, in the related art, the pressing directions of the first and second thermal heads against the first and second platen rollers are opposite to each other. There is a disadvantage that it becomes difficult to make the head loads of the first and second thermal heads appropriate for the platen roller, and good printing cannot be expected.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to appropriately obtain the head loads of the first and second print heads with respect to the first and second platens. An object is to provide a printing apparatus.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the first aspect of the present invention includes a device main body having a lid portion, and a first print head that is disposed to face the device main body via a paper conveyance path and prints on one side of the paper. And the second platen and the second platen for printing on the other side of the sheet, and the first and second printheads are elastically pressed against the first and second platens. The first and second spring members, a locking member provided on the lid, and a hook member that is detachably engaged with the locking member are configured, and the lid is closed. Locking means that locks the lid portion when it is pressed, an open / close button that is pressed, lid portion biasing means that biases the lid portion in the opening direction, and latching the hook member to the locking portion Hook biasing member biasing in the direction, the first print head, and the hook An interlocking member that interlocks the material, and the first platen and the second print head are attached to the lid portion, and the first print head and the second platen are attached to the apparatus main body side, respectively. The first and second print heads are disposed so that the pressing directions against the first and second platens intersect each other, and one end side of the lid portion is connected to the apparatus main body via a support shaft. The first platen is attached to the rotation end side of the lid portion, the first print head is supported by the apparatus main body, and the lid portion is supported by the first spring material. Is elastically pressed in a direction crossing the rotation trajectory, and pressed against the first platen, and the second print head is attached to a substantially central portion of the lid portion , and is moved by the second spring material. Along the rotation trajectory of the lid Elastically be pressed in direction, is pressed against the second platen, the sheet from one end of the lid of the apparatus main body, said through between the second platen and the second printhead The first platen is bent by being wound around the rotating end portion and is discharged between the first platen and the first print head in a direction along the rotating locus from the rotating end portion. Further, the bending of the sheet conveying path in the first platen on the downstream side is larger than the bending of the sheet conveying path in the second platen on the upstream side, and the winding angle of the sheet on the first platen on the downstream side is larger. The second platen on the upstream side is configured to be larger than the wrapping angle of the paper, and the hook member is pressed according to the operation of the open / close button, so that the hook member is separated from the locking member. A hooked portion that is pivoted in a direction of disengagement, and a latched portion configured to be able to be locked and released by the locking member along with the rotation, and the opening / closing button is pressed, and the hook When the hook member rotates against the urging force of the urging member, the locking of the locking member and the locked portion is released, and the first print head is connected via the interlocking member. Is retracted from the first platen.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately obtain the head loads of the first and second print heads with respect to the first and second platens, and it is possible to perform good printing.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an apparatus main body, and a reel unit 3 for supplying paper 2 is provided in the apparatus main body 1. Both sides of the sheet 2 are thermal printing surfaces, and are drawn out along the sheet transport path 4.

  First and second printing units 6 and 7 are disposed in the sheet conveyance path 4. The first printing unit 6 is located on the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction, and the second printing unit 7 is located on the upstream side in the paper conveyance direction.

  The first printing unit 6 has a first thermal head 10 as a first printing head, and a platen roller 11 is disposed opposite to the first thermal head 10 via a paper conveyance path 4. . The lower side of the first thermal head 10 is rotatably supported by the main body frame 1a via a support shaft 10a, and the upper side is elastically pressed by a first spring 13 as a first spring material, thereby generating a heat generating surface. Is brought into pressure contact with the first platen roller 11. The first platen roller 11 is rotationally driven by a drive mechanism (not shown).

  The second printing unit 7 has a second thermal head 20 as a second printing head, and a second platen roller 21 is disposed opposite to the second thermal head 20 via the paper transport path 4. Has been. The second platen roller 21 is rotatably attached to the central portion on the upper side of the main body frame 1a and is driven to rotate by a drive mechanism (not shown).

  The second thermal head 20 is rotatably attached to a substantially central portion of an upper frame 23 as an opening / closing member via a support shaft 20a. The second thermal head 20 is elastically pressed downward by a second spring 24 as a second spring material, and the heat generating surface thereof is brought into pressure contact with the second platen roller 21.

  One end of the upper frame 23 is rotatably supported by the main body frame 1a via a support shaft 23a, and the first platen roller 11 described above is rotatably attached to the rotating end of the upper frame 23. ing.

  That is, the first platen roller 11 and the second thermal head 20 are attached to the upper frame 23, and the first thermal head 10 and the second platen roller 21 are attached to the main body frame 1a.

  As described above, the first and second thermal heads 10 and 20 are pressed against the first and second platen rollers 11 and 21 by the biasing force of the first and second springs 13 and 24. Are crossing each other. That is, the first thermal head 10 is pressed in the direction intersecting the opening / closing direction of the opening / closing member 23, and the second thermal head 20 is pressed in the opening / closing direction of the opening / closing member 23.

  Further, a locking pin 26 as a locking member is provided on a side surface portion of the upper frame 23, and a hook lever 27 as a hook member is detachably engaged with the locking pin 26. The lower part of the hook lever 27 is rotatably attached via a support shaft 27a. The locking pin 26 and the hook lever 27 constitute a lock means 28.

  The upper frame 23 is released when the engagement of the locking pin 26 and the hook lever 27 is released by a lock release mechanism (not shown) when the paper 2 is replenished.

  Next, the printing operation of the printing apparatus configured as described above will be described.

  First, the sheet 2 is pulled out from the reel unit 3, and the sheet 2 is stretched between the first printing unit 6 and the second printing unit 7, and the first and second thermal heads 10, 20 are combined with the first and second printing units. Between the two platen rollers 11 and 21. From this state, the first platen roller 11 of the first printing unit 6 and the platen roller 21 of the second printing unit 7 are rotationally driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) as indicated by an arrow. As a result, the paper 2 is fed in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, and printed on the one surface side of the paper 2 by the first thermal head 10 and printed on the other surface side of the paper 2 by the second thermal head 20. Become.

  By the way, when the paper 2 is used up by this printing, it is necessary to replenish the paper 2 anew.

  Next, the replenishment operation of the paper 2 will be described.

  In this case, first, an operation button (not shown) is pushed down to rotate the hook lever 27 clockwise around the support shaft 27a. By this rotation, the hook lever 27 is detached from the locking pin 26 and the lock is released. As a result of this unlocking, the upper frame 23 is rotated slightly upward about the support shaft 23a by the repulsive force of the second spring 24. The operator holds the turning end of the upper frame 23 turned upward in his hand and opens the upper frame 23 by turning about 90 degrees as shown in FIG. After the upper frame 23 is thus opened, the paper 2 is replenished. After the replenishment of the paper 2 is completed, the upper frame 23 is rotated downward to be closed again.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the first and second thermal heads 10 and 20 are pressed against the first and second platen rollers 11 and 21 in a direction orthogonal to each other. The pressing forces of the second thermal heads 10 and 20 do not affect each other, can be set to an appropriate head load, and good printing is possible.

  When the upper frame 23 is closed and the locking pin 26 and the hook lever 27 are engaged and locked, the second thermal head 20 is pressed against the second platen roller 21 and the second spring 24. Is compressed, and the first platen roller 21 is pressed against the first thermal head 10 to compress the first spring 13.

  Accordingly, the backlash in the vertical direction of the locking pin 26 and the hook lever 27 can be absorbed by the reaction force of the second spring 24, and the backlash in the horizontal direction can be absorbed by the reaction force of the first spring 13. The positioning accuracy of the first and second thermal heads 10 and 20 with respect to the platen rollers 11 and 21 can be improved.

When the engagement between the locking pin 26 and the hook lever 27 is released and the lock is released, the upper frame 23 is pushed up slightly by the reaction force of the second spring 24, so that the upper frame 23 is moved upward. The opening operation becomes easy.
[Second Embodiment]
Next, a printing apparatus 110 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the printing apparatus 110 when the upper frame 23 and the cover unit 30 are closed. In addition, description is abbreviate | omitted about the structure similar to 1st Embodiment.

  The printing apparatus 110 includes an upper frame 23 and a cover section 30 that operates integrally with the upper frame 23 as a lid that opens and closes the opening of the apparatus main body 1. The upper frame 23 is rotatably connected to a housing 111 serving as a housing that constitutes the outline of the apparatus main body 1 by a support shaft 23a. The support hole 23b in which the support shaft 23a is supported has an elliptical shape with the major axis in the horizontal direction, and the support shaft 23a is movable in the horizontal direction.

  The cover portion 30 provided above the upper frame 23 includes a button portion 31 as an unlocking mechanism, an arm 32, a support shaft body 33, and a leaf spring 34. These are configured integrally, and among these, the button portion 31, the support shaft body 33, and the leaf spring 34 are arranged in a straight line.

  The lower surface of the button part 31 is opened, and the recessed part 35 in which the hook lever 27 can be inserted is provided. The recess 35 is provided with an inclined surface 31a formed so that an inclined surface 27b provided at the tip of the hook lever 27 is slidable. The inclined surface 31a is inclined so as to approach the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 1 as it approaches the support shaft 23a. A steeply inclined surface 31b having a larger inclination angle is connected to the upper side of the inclined surface 31a. By pushing down the button part 31, the inclined surface 31a contacts the inclined surface 27b, and the inclined surface 27b is pressed. As a result, the tip of the hook lever 27 is moved to the right side, and the hook lever 27 is rotated in the R1 direction around the support shaft 27a, so that the locking pin 26 and the hook lever 27 are resisted against the urging force of the elastic member 29. Can be released.

  The arm 32 is disposed inside the cover portion 30 and extends from the side portion of the button portion 31 toward the support shaft 23a. The support shaft 33 is connected to the end of the arm 32 opposite to the button portion 31. The support shaft 33 is supported by a support means (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the cover 30 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the support shaft 23a.

  The leaf spring 34 extends from a portion of the support shaft 33 opposite to the arm 32 toward the support shaft 23 a, and a contact portion extending toward the upper wall of the cover portion 30 at a portion closest to the support shaft 23 a. 34a is formed. Note that the abutting portion 34 a always abuts elastically against the upper wall of the cover portion 30, and the button portion 31 is always urged upward by the leaf spring 34.

  An abutting member 38 that abuts against the housing 111 of the apparatus main body 1 is provided at an intermediate portion of the upper frame 23. One end of the contact member 38 is connected to the upper frame 23 via a spring member 37 that can expand and contract. The posture of the contact member 38 is regulated by the elastic restoring force of the spring member 37, the contact member 38 biases the apparatus main body 1, and the upper frame 23 is biased in the opening direction.

  The upper end portion of the hook lever 27 can be inserted into and removed from the concave portion 35 of the button portion 31 with the rotation in the R1 direction around the support shaft 27a. In the closed state in which the upper end of the hook lever 27, that is, the cover 30 closes the accommodation space of the apparatus main body 1, an inclined surface 27 b that is pressed by the inclined surface 31 a of the button portion 31 is provided at a portion facing the cover 30. Is formed. The inclined surface 27b is inclined so as to approach the bottom wall of the apparatus main body 1 as it approaches the support shaft 23a in the same manner as the inclined surface 31a. The inclined surface 27 b is formed so as to be slidable with respect to the inclined surface 31 a of the concave portion 35 of the button portion 31. An engaging recess 27 c that engages with the locking pin 26 is formed in the upper portion of the hook lever 27.

  One end of a link member 16, which is an example of an interlocking member, is attached to the opposite side of the engaging recess 27 c centering on the support shaft 27 a of the hook lever 27, that is, the lower portion. The other end of the link member 16 is rotatably attached with a clearance through a long hole-like attachment portion 10b formed at an end portion below the support shaft 10a of the first thermal head 10. It is done. That is, the first thermal head 10 and the hook lever 27 are connected by the rod-shaped link member 16. Due to this clearance, the hook lever 27 does not rotate unless a force exceeding a certain level is applied to the button portion 31, so that a constant printing pressure is ensured during normal operation.

  Further, one end of the elastic member 29 is attached to the lower end of the hook lever 27. The elastic member 29 is composed of, for example, an elastic spring member. The other end of the elastic member 29 is connected to the housing 111 of the apparatus main body 1. When the button portion 31 is pressed with a certain force or more, the hook lever 27 tilts in the R1 direction and the elastic member 29 extends. The elastic member 29 contracts when the pressing force applied to the button portion 31 is removed, and the elastic lever 29 pulls the lower end of the hook lever 27 by its elastic restoring force, so that the hook lever 27 is inclined to the locking pin 26 and the engaging recess 27c. Is restricted in the direction of locking, that is, the direction opposite to R1.

  A cutter mechanism 17 for cutting the paper 2 is provided above the platen roller 11 in the closed state. The leading edge of the sheet 2 advances in the vertical direction from the bottom to the top between the first thermal head 10 and the first platen roller 11, passes through the cutter mechanism 17, and then is discharged upward as indicated by the arrow B. It has come to be.

  In the printing apparatus 110 configured as described above, the sheet 2 is replaced as follows. That is, when the button portion 31 is pushed down, the inclined surface 31 a of the recess 35 presses the inclined surface 27 b of the hook lever 27. Since the inclined surface 31a and the inclined surface 27b are inclined, they slide with each other as the button portion 31 moves downward, the upper end portion of the hook lever 27 moves to the right side in the figure, and the hook lever 27 is pivotally supported. It rotates in the R1 direction around 27a. As a result, the locking between the locking pin 26 and the engaging recess 27c is released.

  When the engagement between the hook lever 27 and the locking pin 26 is released, the upper frame 23 is centered on the support shaft 23a by the force that the contact member 38 rotates in the R2 direction by the biasing force of the spring member 37. The tip of the upper frame 23 is slightly raised.

  At this time, the button part 31 is still pressed by the user's finger. Therefore, although the upper frame 23 opens slightly and the locking pin 26 slightly rises, the positions of the button portion 31 and the hook lever 27 do not change. As a result, the locking pin 26 moves to a position higher than the engaging recess 27 c of the hook lever 27. Thereby, even if the pressing of the button part 31 is released, the locking pin 26 and the hook lever 27 are not re-engaged. In this state, the inclined surface 27b of the hook lever 27 presses the inclined surface 31a of the recess 35 to the left in the figure. Therefore, the upper frame 23 is generally biased to the left side in the drawing. For this reason, since the support hole 23b is elliptical, the support shaft 23a of the upper frame 23 moves to the left.

  Further, as the hook lever 27 rotates in the R1 direction, the elastic member 29 attached to the lower end portion of the hook lever 27 is pulled and extended to generate an elastic restoring force. Further, as the hook lever 27 rotates, the link member 16 is pulled to the left in the drawing. When the link member 16 moves by a predetermined value or more determined by the clearance provided in the mounting portion 10b, the lower end portion of the first thermal head 10 is pulled to the left side in the drawing. Accordingly, the first thermal head 10 rotates in the R4 direction around the support shaft 10a. At this time, the thermal head 10 is retracted in a direction away from the movement locus of the platen roller 11 that moves in accordance with opening and closing of the upper frame 23. For this reason, the frictional force by the thermal head 10 and the platen roller 11 is removed.

  When the pressing of the button part 31 is released, the cover part 30 and the upper frame 23 are greatly rotated in the R3 direction to be in an open state. When the pressing of the button part 31 is released, the button part 31 is rotated about the support shaft 33 by the urging force from the leaf spring 34 and returns to the original position with respect to the cover part 30.

  Furthermore, the lower end of the hook lever 27 is pulled in the left direction in the drawing by the elastic restoring force of the elastic member 29 in accordance with the release of the force that presses the button portion 31, and the hook lever 27 stands up. Along with this, the link member 16 returns to the right side in the figure again, and the first thermal head 10 also rotates in the opposite direction of R4 to return to the same posture as the closed state.

  After the replacement of the paper 2, when the cover 30 is pressed and rotated in the direction opposite to R3, the contact member 38 first contacts the apparatus main body 1 and the spring member 37 is slowly extended. The upper frame 23 closes slowly. Further, when the upper frame 23 is pressed in the closing direction, the locking pin 26 is brought into contact with and guided by the engaging recess 27c. Then, the locking pin 26 and the hook lever 27 are engaged, and the platen roller 11 is brought into contact with the thermal head 10.

  The printing apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment can provide the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Further, when the paper 2 is exchanged, the cover 30 can be opened and closed with a simple operation by simply depressing the button 31, and the platen roller 11 can be prevented from interfering with other members. By retracting the thermal head 10 from the platen roller 11 during the opening / closing operation, friction between them can be prevented, the opening / closing operation can be facilitated, and damage to the members can be prevented. By the elastic member 29 that can be expanded and contracted, the inclination of the hook lever 27 can be restricted when no force is applied. By forming the attachment portion 10b in the shape of a long hole and providing a clearance, the thermal head 10 does not move unless a force greater than a predetermined value is input, so that the printing pressure during normal times other than opening and closing can be stabilized. .

  Further, since the leaf spring 34 is used to return the button portion 31 pressed by the user to the original position, a large accommodation space as in the conventional coil spring is not required, and the thermal printer is downsized. Since the button portion 31, the support shaft body 33, and the contact portion 34 a of the leaf spring 34 are arranged in a straight line, even when a large force is applied to the button portion 31, the opening / closing member can be prevented from being twisted and the button portion 31. Can be prevented.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, you may delete some components from all the components shown by embodiment mentioned above. Furthermore, you may combine the component covering different embodiment suitably.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state where an upper frame of the printing apparatus of FIG. 1 is opened. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a printing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Apparatus main body, 2 ... Paper, 4 ... Paper conveyance path, 6 ... 1st printing part, 7 ... 2nd printing part,
10: First thermal head (first print head),
11: First platen roller (first platen),
13 ... 1st spring (1st spring material), 16 ... Link member (interlocking member),
20 ... 2nd thermal head (2nd print head),
21 ... Second platen roller (second platen),
23 ... Upper frame (opening / closing member), 24 ... Second spring (second spring material),
26 ... Locking pin (locking member), 27 ... Hook lever (hook member), 28 ... Locking means, 29 ... Elastic member, 30 ... Cover part, 31 ... Button part, 37 ... Spring member, 38 ... Contact member 110: Printing device.

Claims (2)

An apparatus body having a lid,
A first print head and a first platen which are disposed opposite to each other through a paper conveyance path in the apparatus main body and print on one side of the paper, and further, a second print head and a second print which print on the other side of the paper. Platen
First and second spring members that elastically press the first and second print heads against the first and second platens;
A lock that includes a locking member provided on the lid and a hook member that is detachably engaged with the locking member, and locks the lid when the lid is closed. Means,
An open / close button to be pressed;
Lid portion biasing means for biasing the lid portion in the opening direction;
A hook urging member that urges the hook member in a direction to lock the hook member to the locking portion;
An interlocking member that interlocks the first print head and the hook member;
Comprising
The first platen and the second print head are respectively attached to the lid portion, and the first print head and the second platen are attached to the apparatus main body side,
The first and second print heads are arranged so that the pressing directions against the first and second platens intersect each other.
One end of the lid is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body via a support shaft, and the first platen is attached to the rotating end of the lid.
The first print head is supported by the apparatus main body, is elastically pressed by the first spring material in a direction crossing the rotation trajectory of the lid, and is pressed against the first platen.
The second print head is mounted on a substantially central portion of the lid portion, elastically is pressed by the second spring member in a direction along the rotational path of the lid, it is pressed against the second platen ,
The sheet passes from the one end side of the lid portion of the apparatus main body to the rotating end portion side through the second platen and the second print head and is wound around the first platen. And is discharged in a direction along the rotation trajectory from the rotating end between the first platen and the first print head,
The bending of the sheet conveying path in the first platen on the downstream side is larger than the bending of the sheet conveying path in the second platen on the upstream side, and the winding angle of the sheet on the first platen on the downstream side is upstream. Configured to be larger than the wrapping angle of the paper in the second platen on the side,
Said hook member, said hook member by being pressed in response to the operation of the opening and closing buttons, a pressed portion to be rotated in a direction to escape from said locking member, said locking member in association with the rotation And a locked portion configured to be able to be locked and released,
When the open / close button is pressed and the hook member rotates against the urging force of the hook urging member, the locking member and the locked portion are unlocked and the interlocking member The first printing head is retracted from the first platen via the printing apparatus.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second spring members are compressed against a pressing force when the lid is locked.

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