JP6889763B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printer, for example, a printer having a label printing function for printing desired information such as characters, symbols, figures, barcodes, etc. on a label or the like.

The label printer is, for example, a printer having a function of printing desired information on a label of continuous paper when the continuous paper rolled in a roll shape is fed out in a sheet shape and conveyed.

In the printing section of this label printer, a thermal head section for printing labels and a platen roller section for transporting continuous paper are arranged so as to face each other.

Further, in the printing section, a damper section for applying tension to continuous paper is installed between the paper supply section and the thermal head section. At the lower part of the damper portion, a width adjusting guide portion is installed which contacts the side edges of the continuous paper in the width direction to guide the transport of the continuous paper. Below the width adjustment guide portion, the bottom surface of the printer housing is formed flat, and the lower end portion of the width adjustment guide portion is terminated at a position where it does not contact the bottom surface.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for preventing the occurrence of a paper jam due to winding of paper in a paper transport mechanism.

Jikkai Sho 63-88651

By the way, in the operation of the printer, there is a so-called back feed in which the continuous paper is conveyed in the direction opposite to the printing direction in which the continuous paper is conveyed for printing in order to adjust the position of the continuous paper.

In this buff feed, the continuous paper may come into contact with the bottom surface of the printer housing and loosen. In that case, the continuous paper is located below the lower end of the width adjustment guide section, so it is determined by the width adjustment guide section. It may be out of the specified range. However, if the printing operation is returned in that state, the continuous paper rides on the width adjustment guide section and is conveyed in a state where the damper section does not function. As a result, the printing position deviates from the planned position or the printing density becomes low. Therefore, there is a problem that the print quality is deteriorated. In particular, in the case of continuous paper having a short width, it often comes off from the width adjustment guide portion. In addition, the roll-shaped continuous paper loaded in the paper supply unit may loosen due to inertia due to rotation.

The present invention has been made from the above-mentioned technical background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of ensuring the print quality of a printer.

In order to solve the above problems, the printer of the present invention according to claim 1 has a transport unit that conveys a long printing medium, a printing unit that prints on the printing medium, and the printing unit rather than the printing unit. A damper section that applies tension to the print medium on the upstream side in the transport direction of the medium, and a guide section that is provided on the damper section and contacts at least one side edge of the print medium to guide the transport of the print medium. A recess formed by opening on the bottom surface of the printer housing, and at least a part of the guide portion for guiding the transport of the print medium is located in the recess and away from the bottom surface of the recess. It is characterized by being.

According to the first aspect of the present invention , the printing medium is tensioned by providing the damper portion that applies tension to the printing medium on the upstream side of the printing medium in the transport direction, so that the printing medium is tensioned. Does not run on the guide piece. Further, the damper unit includes a guide portion for guiding the conveyance of the print medium in contact with at least one side edge of the print medium, the bottom surface of the printer housing, the recess is formed, the guide portion at least A part is configured to be located in the recess. Therefore, when the printing operation is returned, the printing medium does not run on the guide piece . Therefore, the print quality of the printer can be ensured.

It is an overall perspective view of the appearance of the printer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which showed the inside of the printer of FIG. It is a perspective view which showed the side surface of the printer of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the printed portion of FIG. 3 as viewed from the front side. It is a side view of the printing part of FIG. It is a perspective view which looked at the printed part of FIG. 4 from the back side. (A) is a perspective view of the printed portion in the closed state of FIG. 4 from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the printed portion in the open state of the print head portion of FIG. 4 as viewed from the front. is there. It is a perspective view which took out the print head part of FIG. 4 and was seen from the lower side. It is an exploded perspective view of the printing part of FIG. (A) is an enlarged side view of a main part of the damper part of FIG. 5, and (b) is an enlarged side view of a main part of the damper part of FIG. 10A in the printing process. (A) is an enlarged side view of a main part of a damper portion of a comparative example in the back feed process, and (b) is a plan view of the damper portion of FIG. 11 (a) as viewed from above. It is an enlarged side view of the main part of the damper part of FIG. 10A in the back feed process. It is a perspective view of the main part of the damper part of FIG. It is a perspective view of the damper part and the main part around it when the printed part was seen from the back side. It is an enlarged perspective view of the damper part and the main part around it when the printed part was seen from the back side. (A) is an enlarged side view of a main part of the damper part of the printer, and (b) is a side view of the main part of the damper part of FIG. 16A in the back feed process. (A) is an enlarged side view of a main part of the width adjustment guide part of the printer and the bottom of the housing, and (b) is an enlarged front view of the main part of the width adjustment guide part of the printer and the bottom of the housing as viewed from the front side. ..

Hereinafter, embodiments as an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the drawing for demonstrating the embodiment, the same constituent elements are in principle given the same reference numerals, and the repeated description thereof will be omitted.

Further, the direction in which continuous paper (printing medium) is conveyed for printing, specifically, the direction in which continuous paper is sent from the paper supply unit to the thermal head unit is referred to as the printing direction, and unless otherwise specified, the direction upstream of the conveying direction. Refers to the upstream side in the printing direction, and the downstream side in the transport direction means the downstream side in the printing direction.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the appearance of the printer according to the present embodiment.

The printer 1 of the present embodiment has, for example, a label printing function for printing information such as characters, symbols, figures, and barcodes on a label temporarily attached to a backing sheet of continuous paper.

The front cover portion 2 on the front surface of the printer 1 is provided with an operation panel portion 3, a power switch 4, and an issue port (medium discharge port) 5.

The operation panel unit 3 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) for displaying messages and the like, a plurality of keys (line key, feed key, function key, direction instruction key, cancel key, etc.) for operating the operation of the printer 1. A plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) indicating the state of the printer 1 are arranged.

An open cover portion 6 is mounted on one side surface of the printer 1 by two hinge portions 7 so as to be openable and closable in the vertical direction.

Next, the internal structure of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the printer of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a side surface of the printer of FIG. In the following description, the front side (front cover portion 2 side) of the printer 1 is referred to as the front side (downstream side in the transport direction), and the back side (back cover portion side) opposite to the front side (back cover portion side) is referred to as the rear side (upstream side in the transport direction).

Inside the printer 1, a paper supply unit (medium supply unit) 10 arranged behind the printer 1, a printing unit 11 arranged in front of the paper supply unit (medium supply unit) 10, and an ink ribbon unit 12 arranged above the printing unit 11 are installed. ..

The paper supply unit 10 is a configuration unit that supplies continuous paper (printing medium) P to the printing unit 11, and includes a support shaft 10a and a roll guide unit 10b installed at one end thereof.

The support shaft 10a is a component that rotatably supports the continuous paper P wound in a roll shape. The roll guide portion 10b is a component for fixing the roll-shaped continuous paper P, and is installed in a movable state along the axial direction of the support shaft 10a so that the position can be changed according to the width of the continuous paper P. ing.

The continuous paper P has, for example, a long mount and a plurality of labels temporarily attached at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction thereof. The surface of the mount that comes into contact with the adhesive surface of the label is coated with a release agent such as silicone, so that the label can be easily peeled off. Further, on the surface of the mount on which the label is not affixed, a position detection mark indicating the position of the label is formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction. The label may be made of thermal paper or plain paper. In the case of thermal paper, a thermal color-developing layer that develops a specific color (black, red, etc.) when it reaches a predetermined temperature range is formed on the surface thereof.

Further, there are two types of continuous paper P, a front-wrapping label and a back-wrapping label. The front roll label is wound with the label of the continuous paper P located on the outer peripheral surface of the roll-shaped continuous paper P, and as shown in FIG. 3, the continuous paper Ps (P: broken line) is the paper supply unit. It is extended from around the center in the height direction of 10 toward the bottom of the printing unit 11. On the other hand, the back-wound label is wound with the label of the continuous paper P located on the inner peripheral surface of the roll-shaped continuous paper P, and as shown in FIG. 3, the continuous paper Pb (P: A solid line) is drawn out from around the inner bottom surface of the printer 1 toward the bottom portion of the printing unit 11. The paper passing route of the continuous paper P (Ps, Pb) in the printing unit 11 is the same regardless of whether the paper is wound on the front or the back. Further, in both the front-wrapped label and the back-wrapped label, the continuous paper P is conveyed with the surface (printed surface) on which the label is temporarily attached facing upward.

The above-mentioned printing unit 11 is a component unit that prints on a label or the like of continuous paper P, and is located behind a printing head unit 13, a support base 14 arranged below the printing head unit 13, and behind them (upstream of transportation in the printing direction). It is provided with an arranged damper portion 15.

As will be described later, the print head unit 13 is installed inside the printer 1 in a state where it can be opened and closed. When the print head portion 13 is in the closed state, a paper passage route (medium transport path) is formed between the print head portion 13 and the support base 14. Then, the paper passage route is connected to the above-mentioned issue port 5 (see FIG. 1).

The support base 14 is provided with a head lock lever portion 16 that maintains the closed state of the print head portion 13. When the head lock lever portion 16 is operated, the closed state of the print head portion 13 is released, the front portion of the print head portion 13 is lifted, and the print head portion 13 is opened (separated from the platen roller portion described later). It has become.

The damper portion 15 is a constituent portion that applies tension to the continuous paper P. In the present embodiment, the damper portion 15 includes an outer damper portion 15a and an inner damper portion 15b, and moves (opens and closes) up and down in conjunction with the opening and closing of the print head portion 13. .. However, when the print head portion 13 is closed, the outer damper portion 15a and the inner damper portion 15b are each installed in a swingable state so that tension can be applied to the continuous paper P.

The ink ribbon portion 12 described above is a configuration portion for supplying and winding the ink ribbon RB coated with printing ink, and includes a ribbon supply portion 12a and a ribbon winding portion 12b arranged on the front side thereof. There is. The ribbon supply unit 12a is a component that rotatably supports the ink ribbon RB wound in a roll shape. The ribbon winding unit 12b is a component that winds up and collects the printed ink ribbon RB. When the ink ribbon RB is used, the ink ribbon drawn from the ribbon supply unit 12a is passed under the print head unit 13 and wound by the ribbon winding unit 12b.

In such a printer 1, continuous paper P (Ps, Pb) unwound from the paper supply unit 10 in the form of a sheet is used as a paper passing route between the print head unit 13 and the support base 14 via the damper unit 15. After being inserted and printed on a label or the like of continuous paper P in the middle of the insertion, the paper is discharged from the issuing port 5 to the outside of the printer 1.

Next, the configuration of the printing unit 11 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the printed portion of FIG. 3 viewed from the front side, FIG. 5 is a side view of the printed portion of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the printed portion of FIG. 4 viewed from the rear side, and FIG. a) is a perspective view of the printed portion when the print head portion of FIG. 4 is closed, and FIG. 7 (b) is a perspective view of the printed portion of the print head portion of FIG. 4 when the print head portion is open. 8 is a perspective view of the print head portion of FIG. 4 taken out and viewed from below, and FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the print portion of FIG.

The print head portion 13 constituting the print portion 11 is supported by a head support plate 17 on one side surface thereof. The head support plate 17 is pivotally supported around a rotation shaft S1 (see FIGS. 6 and 8) in a swingable state. As a result, the print head portion 13 is supported in a state in which the front portion thereof can swing (that is, open / close) in the vertical direction about the rear rotation shaft S1.

In the head support plate 17, a restraining portion 17a (see FIGS. 5, 6 and 8) is integrated at the end portion on the damper portion 15 side (the position opposite to the front portion of the head support plate 17 with the rotation axis S1 as a boundary). It is formed. A pin 17b (see FIGS. 6 and 8) projecting from the surface of the restraining portion 17a facing the damper portion 15 is provided on the tip end side.

The print head unit 13 includes a thermal head unit 18 (see FIGS. 7 (b) and 8). The thermal head unit 18 is a printing means for printing on a label or the like of continuous paper P by a heat generating resistor of a printing line 18L arranged on the printing surface, and the printing head is in a state where the printing surface faces the paper route. It is installed on the lower surface of the portion 13. On the printing line 18L, a plurality of heat generating resistors (heating elements) that generate heat when energized are arranged side by side along the width direction of the continuous paper P (direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the continuous paper P).

Recessed claws 19 and 19 (see FIGS. 7B and 8) are provided on the lower surface of the print head portion 13 on the front side so as to sandwich the thermal head portion 18. Further, on the lower surface of the print head portion 13, behind the concave claw portion 19, pins 20 and 20 projecting outward from both side surfaces of the print head portion 13 are provided.

Such a print head portion 13 is urged in the opening direction by a torsion spring 21 mounted on the rotation shaft S1 (see FIGS. 6 and 8), but the pins 20 and 20 at the lower portion of the print head portion 13 are used. , The closed state is maintained by the lock claws 22, 22 of the support base 14 being caught. When the head lock lever portion 16 is pulled to the right in FIG. 5, the lock claw portion 22 moves to the right in FIG. 5 in conjunction with the pull, and is detached from the pin 20. When the lock claw portion 22 is disengaged from the pin 20, as shown in FIG. 7B, the print head portion 13 is automatically opened by the urging force of the torsion spring 21.

Further, when the print head portion 13 is closed, the concave claw portions 19, 19 (see FIGS. 7 (b) and 8) of the print head portion 13 are the platen shafts 23s of the platen roller portion 23 (FIGS. 4, 7, and 7). (See 5), and the platen roller portion 23 (see FIGS. 4 and 7 (a) and 7 (b)) whose printing surface of the thermal head portion 18 is lowered by the pressing device provided on the print head portion 13 while being fitted to both ends. ) Is pressed.

The platen roller unit 23 is a transport means for transporting the continuous paper P unwound from the paper supply unit 10 to the ejection port 5 (see FIG. 1) along the paper route, and supports the continuous paper P in a state of being rotatable in the forward and reverse directions. It is pivotally supported by the support frame 14a (see FIGS. 5 and 9) of the base 14.

A gear G1 (see FIG. 6) is connected to one end of the platen roller portion 23 in the axial direction of the platen shaft 23s. The platen shaft 23s on the gear G1 side is engaged with a rotating shaft of a driving body (not shown) such as a stepping motor via, for example, a timing belt (not shown). Further, the gear G1 is connected to the gear G4 via the connecting gears G2 and G3 (see FIG. 6).

Further, on the upper surface of the support base 14, a paper guide portion (see FIG. 9) 24 for guiding the transport of the continuous paper P is installed upstream of the platen roller portion 23. The paper guide portion 24 is installed in a state of being inclined so that the height of the upper surface thereof increases from the upstream of the transport to the downstream of the transport. Further, on the upper surface of the paper guide portion 24, protrusions extending along the conveying direction of the continuous paper P are arranged at predetermined intervals along the width direction of the continuous paper P. As a result, the contact area between the paper guide portion 24 and the continuous paper P can be reduced, so that the continuous paper P can be conveyed satisfactorily. Further, continuous paper P such as a label without a backing sheet on which the adhesive is exposed can be satisfactorily conveyed. The protrusion on the upper surface of the paper guide portion 24 is not limited to the protrusion extending in the transport direction of the continuous paper P, and may be a point-shaped protrusion.

A paper position detection sensor (not shown) is provided between the thermal head unit 18 and the damper unit 15 in the paper passage route of the printing unit 11. This paper position detection sensor is a sensor that detects the position of the label of the continuous paper P by detecting the position detection mark formed on the continuous paper P and the mount portion between the adjacent labels, and is, for example, a light reflection type or a sensor. It is composed of a light-transmitting sensor.

During the printing process, the thermal head portion 18 is pressed against the platen roller portion 23, and the platen roller portion 23 is rotated with the continuous paper P sandwiched between the thermal head portion 18 and the platen roller portion 23 to rotate the continuous paper P. To carry. Then, the printing timing is set based on the information detected by the paper position detection sensor, and the heat generating resistor of the printing line 18L is selectively generated by the printing signal transmitted to the thermal head unit 18. As a result, desired information such as characters, symbols, figures, or barcodes is printed on the label of the continuous paper P during the transportation of the continuous paper P.

Next, the damper unit 15 constituting the printing unit 11 will be described.

The outer damper portion 15a extends diagonally downward from the front side toward the rear side when the side surface of the printing portion 11 is viewed, and is centered on the rotation axis S3 (see FIGS. 5 and 7) on the front side. The rear portion is supported by the damper support member 25 in a state where it can swing in the vertical direction. The coil spring 26 in FIG. 6 is a member that suppresses the outer damper portion 15a from going too far to the upper side (rear side) and supports the outer damper portion 15a in a swingable state.

Further, the outer damper portion 15a is provided with a guide mechanism portion (guide means) 27. The guide mechanism unit 27 includes a width adjusting guide unit (guide piece) 27a and a guide operation unit 27b. The width adjustment guide unit 27a is a component that abuts on one side edge of the continuous paper P conveyed from the paper supply unit 10 in the width direction to guide the transfer of the continuous paper P, and is a shaft of the rotating shafts S3 and S4. It is installed in the lower part of the outer damper portion 15a so as to be movable along the direction. On the other hand, the guide operation unit 27b is a knob for moving the width adjustment guide unit 27a according to the width of the continuous paper P and fixing the position of the width adjustment guide unit 27a, and is connected to the width adjustment guide unit 27a. , S3 and S4 are installed on the back side of the outer damper portion 15a so as to be movable along the axial direction.

The damper support member 25 that supports such an outer damper portion 15a is inside the printer 1 in a state in which the rear portion is swingable in the vertical direction about the rotation shaft S5 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) on the front portion side. Is supported by. A long groove portion (induction portion) 25a (see FIG. 6) extending along the longitudinal direction of the damper support member 25 is formed on the upper portion of the damper support member 25. The pin 17b of the head support plate 17 is fitted in the long groove portion 25a in a movable state along the long groove portion 25a. As a result, the damper support member 25 is engaged with the head support plate 17. Further, the damper support member 25 is opened upward with respect to the rotation shaft S5 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) by a torsion spring 28 (see FIG. 6) whose rear portion is mounted on the rotation shaft S5 (damper portion). Although it is urged in the direction in which the entire 15 is raised), it is suppressed by the restraining portion 17a while the restraining portion 17a of the head support plate 17 is located at the restraining position (outer damper portion 15a side), and the closed state is maintained. Has been done. With this configuration, the damper unit 15 can move (open and close) up and down in conjunction with the opening and closing of the print head unit 13.

That is, when the print head portion 13 is opened, the restraint portion 17a moves from the restraint position (outer damper portion 15a side) to the restraint release position (rotation shaft S5 side) along the long groove portion 25a, and as a result, the damper support member 25 is opened. The restraint on the operation is released and the damper unit 15 is lifted. As a result, the frontage through which the continuous paper P is inserted becomes wide, and the visibility of the lower portion of the damper portion 15 can be improved. Therefore, the continuous paper P drawn from the paper supply unit 10 can be easily passed under the damper unit 15 without being hooked on the width adjustment guide unit described later. Therefore, it is possible to facilitate the work of inserting the continuous paper P into the paper passing route of the printer 1. On the other hand, when the print head portion 13 is closed, the restraint portion 17a moves from the restraint release position to the restraint position along the long groove portion 25a, and as a result, the damper portion 15 is lowered and returns to the original height. As a result, it is possible to prevent the damper portion 15 from being forgotten to be closed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem that printing is performed in a state where tension is not applied to the continuous paper P. Further, it is possible to simplify a series of insertion operations of the continuous paper P. Further, it is not necessary to separately provide a mechanism portion for manually opening the damper portion 15, and since the opening mechanism portion and the closing mechanism portion of the damper portion 15 are shared with each other, the structure can be simplified. In addition, the number of parts can be reduced. Therefore, the cost of the printer 1 can be reduced, and the miniaturization of the printer 1 can be promoted.

The opening / closing mechanism of the damper portion 15 described above is not limited to the above configuration, and may be, for example, as follows. That is, the damper support member 25 may be urged in a direction in which the rear portion thereof is closed around the rotation shaft S5 by a torsion spring 28 mounted on the rotation shaft S5 (a direction in which the entire damper portion 15 is lowered). In this case, when the print head portion 13 is opened, as the restraint portion 17a moves from the restraint position to the restraint release position along the elongated groove portion 25a, the rear portion of the damper support member 25 is pulled so as to rise. As a result, the rear portion of the damper portion 15 opens in conjunction with the opening operation of the print head portion 13. On the other hand, when the print head portion 13 is closed, as the restraint portion 17a moves from the restraint release position to the restraint position along the long groove portion 25a, the rear portion of the damper support member 25 is lowered by the action of the torsion spring 28. There is. As a result, the rear portion of the damper portion 15 closes in conjunction with the closing operation of the print head portion 13. In this case, the urging force of the torsion spring 21 on the print head portion 13 side is set to be larger than the urging force of the torsion spring 28 on the damper support member 25 side.

The inner damper portion 15b constituting the damper portion 15 described above extends diagonally downward from the rear side toward the front side, contrary to the outer damper portion 15a, when the side surface of the printing portion 11 is viewed, and is on the rear side. The front portion is supported by the rear portion of the outer damper portion 15a in a state where the front portion can swing in the vertical direction with the rotation axis S4 (see FIGS. 5 and 7) of the above.

At the time of the printing process, the paper contact portion of the inner damper portion 15b is located downstream of the paper contact portion of the outer damper portion 15a to convey the continuous paper P. That is, the paper contact portion of the inner damper portion 15b is arranged between the print head portion 13 and the paper contact portion of the outer damper portion 15a.

Further, in the stage before paper passing, the height of the paper contact portion of the inner damper portion 15b is arranged at a position lower than the height of the paper contact portion of the outer damper portion 15a. That is, the height of the paper contact portion of the inner damper portion 15b is arranged between the paper contact portion of the outer damper portion 15a and the bottom surface of the printer 1 in the housing.

By providing such an inner damper portion 15b, even in the case of a back-wound label, the continuous paper Pb is inserted into the paper passing route in a state of being in contact with the inner damper portion 15b. Therefore, even in the case of the back-wound label, sufficient tension can be applied to the continuous paper Pb by the inner damper portion 15b, so that the continuous paper Pb can be satisfactorily conveyed and the print quality can be ensured. it can.

Further, by pivotally supporting the inner damper portion 15b to the outer damper portion 15a, it is possible to add a damper function capable of applying sufficient tension even in the case of a back-wound label without inviting an increase in size of the printer 1. Can be done.

By the way, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, a recess 30 (see FIG. 5) is formed in the bottom portion 29 in the housing of the printer 1 below the damper portion 15. Here, the recess 30 and the width adjusting guide portion 27a will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 15. 10 (a) is an enlarged side view of the main part of the damper part of FIG. 5, FIG. 10 (b) is an enlarged side view of the main part of the damper part of FIG. 10 (a) in the printing process, and FIG. 11 (a) is a back feed. An enlarged side view of a main part of a damper portion of a comparative example in the process, FIG. 11 (b) is a plan view of the damper portion of FIG. 11 (a) viewed from above, and FIG. 12 is a damper of FIG. 10 (a) in the back feed process. An enlarged side view of the main part of the part, FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the main part of the damper part of FIG. 10, FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the main part of the damper part and its surroundings when the printed part is viewed from the back side, and FIG. It is an enlarged perspective view of the damper part and the main part around it seen from the back side.

As shown in FIG. 10, the recess 30 has inner wall surfaces 30a and 30b and a bottom surface 30c between them, and the lower end portion of the width adjustment guide portion 27a is larger than the bottom surface 29a in the housing of the printer 1. It is formed so as to be located below. That is, the recess 30 is formed so that the inner wall surface (wall surface) 30a arranged downstream of the width adjustment guide portion 27a is higher than the lower end portion of the width adjustment guide portion 27a.

Here, the operation of the printer 1 includes a so-called back feed in which the continuous paper P is conveyed in a direction opposite to the direction in which the continuous paper P is conveyed for printing in order to adjust the position of the continuous paper P. In this buff feed, as shown in FIG. 11A, the continuous paper P may come into contact with the bottom surface 29a in the housing of the printer 1 and bend. In that case, the continuous paper P is the width adjustment guide. Since it is located below the lower end of the portion 27a, it may deviate from the range defined by the width adjusting guide portion 27a as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 11B. However, when the printing operation is returned in that state, the continuous paper P rides on the width adjustment guide portion 27a and is conveyed in a state where the damper portion 15 is not functioning. As a result, the printing position deviates from the planned position or the printing density is low. There is a problem that the print quality is deteriorated.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, even if the continuous paper P comes into contact with the bottom surface 29a in the housing of the printer 1 and bends during backfeeding, the width adjustment guide portion 27a Since the lower end portion is located in the recess 30 and is located below the bottom surface 29a in the housing of the printer 1, the continuous paper P does not deviate from the range determined by the width adjustment guide portion 27a. Therefore, when the printing operation is returned, the continuous paper P does not run on the width adjusting guide portion 27a, so that the function of the damper portion 15 is not impaired. Therefore, it is possible to avoid problems such as the print position deviating from the planned position and the print density becoming low, so that the print quality of the printer 1 can be ensured.

From the above, the position of the recess 30 is located in the surface of the bottom surface 29a in the housing of the printer 1 on the upstream side of the transport from the position where the continuous paper P lands at the time of back feed, and the inner wall surface 30a of the recess 30 is back. It may be located between the position where the continuous paper P lands at the time of feeding and the width adjustment guide portion 27a. In the present embodiment, the position where the inner damper portion 15b abuts on the continuous paper P is located downstream of the position of the inner wall surface 30a of the recess 30 in the transport direction of the continuous paper P. Therefore, since the continuous paper P hits the inner damper portion 15b during back feed, it lands on the bottom surface 29a downstream of the recess 30. As a result, the inner wall surface 30a of the recess 30 is located between the position where the continuous paper P lands during back feed and the width adjustment guide portion 27a.

Further, the inner wall surface 30a on the downstream side of the transport and the inner wall surface 30b on the upstream side of the transport of the recess 30 are formed in a state of being inclined with respect to the bottom surface 29a in the printer housing. The inner wall surface 30a on the downstream side of the transport is formed so as to gradually rise along the printing direction.

Further, the inclination angle θ1 of the inner wall surface 30a on the transport downstream side of the recess 30 is larger than the inclination angle θ2 of the inner wall surface 30b on the transport upstream side of the recess 30 (θ1> θ2). This is because, as shown in FIG. 10B, the flow of the continuous paper P during the printing process gently enters from the transport upstream side of the damper section 15 and rapidly rises on the transport downstream side of the damper section 15. It is tailored to what you are doing. As a result, the continuous paper P can be satisfactorily conveyed. The wall surface is a part of a step portion formed on the bottom surface of the printer housing.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 15, the lower end of the width adjustment guide portion 27a is located in the recess 30, but is not in contact with the bottom surface of the recess 30, and is predetermined from the bottom surface of the recess 30. They are separated by the distance. The lower end of the width adjusting guide portion 27a may be formed in an arc shape, for example.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the lower end portion of the width adjustment guide portion 27a gradually bends outward in the width direction of the continuous paper P (direction away from the continuous paper P: left direction in FIG. 15) toward the lower tip. ing. As a result, the continuous paper P that moves outward in the width direction is returned to the original inward position in the width direction. In FIG. 15, a hatching is provided on a part of the width adjustment guide portion 27a in order to make it easy to see. Further, in FIG. 15, the continuous paper P is set on the right side of the width adjustment guide portion 27a.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, a part of the bottom surface 29a in the housing of the printer 1 and the inner surface (inner wall surfaces 30a, 30b and the bottom surface 30c) of the recess 30 are formed along the transport direction of the continuous paper P. A plurality of extending protrusions 31 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the width direction of the continuous paper P. As a result, the contact area between the bottom surface 29a (including the inner surface of the recess 30) in the housing of the printer 1 and the continuous paper P can be reduced, so that the continuous paper P can be conveyed satisfactorily. In addition, continuous paper P such as a label without a mount on which the adhesive is exposed can be satisfactorily conveyed. Further, the provision of the recess 30 may reduce the mechanical strength of the bottom 29 in the housing of the printer 1, but the provision of the plurality of protrusions 31 may reduce the mechanical strength of the bottom 29 in the housing of the printer 1. Mechanical strength can be ensured.

Next, a modified example of the recess 30 is shown in FIG. FIG. 16A is an enlarged side view of a main part of the damper part of the printer, and FIG. 16B is a side view of the main part of the damper part of FIG. 16A in the back feed process.

In the above, the case where the inner wall surfaces 30a and 30b of the recess 30 are inclined has been described, but in FIG. 16, the inner wall surface of the recess 30 is not inclined with respect to the bottom surface 29a in the housing of the printer 1. It is formed almost vertically. In this case, as shown in FIG. 16B, since the continuous paper P can be made difficult to enter the recess 30 during the back feed process, it is possible to prevent the continuous paper P from being displaced in the width direction. Other than this, it is the same as above.

Next, an example of the relationship between the width adjusting guide portion 27a and the protrusion 31 is shown in FIG. FIG. 17A is an enlarged side view of the main part of the printer width adjustment guide portion and the bottom of the housing, and FIG. 17B is an enlargement of the main part of the printer width adjustment guide and the bottom of the housing as viewed from the front side. It is a front view.

Here, the bottom of the width adjusting guide portion 27a is positioned between the heights of the bottom surface 29a of the housing and the protrusion 31. As a result, the lower portion of the width adjustment guide portion 27a is located below the position of the continuous paper P, so that it is possible to prevent the continuous paper P from being displaced in the width direction during back feed or the like. Other than this, it is the same as above.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiments, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification are exemplary in all respects and are limited to the disclosed techniques. You should think that it is not a thing. That is, the technical scope of the present invention is not limitedly interpreted based on the description in the above-described embodiment, but should be interpreted according to the description of the claims, and the scope of claims. All changes are included as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the technology and claims equivalent to the described technology of.

In the above embodiment, a case where a continuous paper in which a plurality of labels are temporarily attached to a mount is used as a printing medium has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a continuous paper having an adhesive surface on one side is used. A label (label without mount), a continuous sheet having no adhesive surface (continuous sheet), or a film that can be printed by a thermal head, not limited to papers, can be used as a printing medium. Labels without mounts, continuous sheets or films can have position detection marks. Further, when transporting a label without a mount on which the adhesive is exposed, the transport path can be non-adhesively coated and a roller containing silicone can be provided.
Further, the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention has a printing means for printing on the printing medium while transporting the printing medium supplied from the medium supply unit along the printing direction, and the printing means in the printing direction. Also, below the upstream of the transfer, a guide means including a guide piece that comes into contact with at least one side edge of the print medium and guides the transfer of the print medium is provided, and a recess is provided in a part of the bottom surface of the printer housing. It is characterized in that a part of the guide piece is formed and is located in the recess.
According to this, the lower end of the guide piece is located below the print medium in the inertia of the back feed or the roll-shaped continuous paper in the rotation direction, so that the print medium may be out of the range determined by the guide piece. Absent. Therefore, when the printing operation is returned, the printing medium does not run on the guide piece, so that the printing quality of the printer can be ensured.
Further, in the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention, a damper section for applying tension to the printing medium is provided between the printing means and the medium supply section, and the guide means is provided in the damper section. It is a feature.
According to this, when the printing operation is returned from the back feed, the printing medium does not run on the guide piece, so that the function of the damper portion is not impaired. Therefore, the print quality of the printer can be ensured.
Further, the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with an inner damper portion in the damper portion, and the position where the inner damper portion abuts on the printing medium is in the printing direction of the printing medium rather than the position of the recess. It is characterized in that it is located downstream in the transport direction.
According to this, it is possible to prevent the print medium from deviating from the range determined by the guide piece, so that the print quality of the printer can be ensured.

In the above description, the present invention has been described when the present invention is applied to a stand-alone printer in which the input operation to the printer is performed without going through a personal computer, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, to a printer. It may also be applied to an online printer in which input operations are performed via a personal computer.

1 Printer 10 Paper supply section 11 Printing section 13 Printing head section 14 Support base 14a Support frame 15 Damper section 15a Outer damper section 15b Inner damper section 17 Head support plate 18 Thermal head section 18L Printing line 23 Platen roller section 23s Platen shaft 24 Paper Guide part 25 Damper support member 27 Guide mechanism part 27a Width adjustment guide part 27b Guide operation part 29 Bottom part 29a Bottom part 30 Recessions 30a, 30b Inner wall surface 30c Bottom surface 31 Protrusions 32a, 32b Block members P, Ps, Pb Continuous paper

Claims (35)

A transport unit that transports long print media and
A printing unit that prints on the printing medium,
A damper section that applies tension to the print medium on the upstream side of the print section in the transport direction of the print medium, and a damper section.
A guide portion provided on the damper portion that comes into contact with at least one side edge of the print medium to guide the transport of the print medium, and a guide portion.
A recess formed by opening on the bottom surface of the printer housing is provided.
A printer in which at least a part of the guide portion for guiding the transfer of the print medium is located in the recess and is separated from the bottom surface of the recess . The printer according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion is supported by the damper portion at a position separated from the bottom surface of the recess. The printer according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the damper portion is swingable. The damper part is
Outer damper part and
The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising an inner damper portion swingably supported by the outer damper portion. Position where the front Symbol inner damper unit abuts the printing medium, than the position of the recess, situated on the downstream side in the carrying direction of the print medium, the printer of claim 4. According to claim 4 or 5 , the inner damper portion is supported on the upstream side in the transport direction of the outer damper portion, and is provided so as to be inclined toward the bottom surface in the printer housing toward the downstream side in the transport direction. Described printer. The paper contact portion of the inner damper portion where the inner damper portion abuts on the print medium is arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction from the paper contact portion of the outer damper portion where the outer damper portion abuts on the print medium. The printer according to any one of claims 4 to 6. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the transport unit can transport the print medium toward the upstream side or the downstream side in the transport direction of the print unit. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the recess is continuously formed on a part of the bottom surface of the printer housing. The printing medium is a long mount and
The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , further comprising a plurality of labels temporarily attached to the mount at predetermined intervals. The lower end of the guide portion in the height direction away from the bottom surface of the recess is located between the bottom surface of the printer housing and the bottom surface of the recess.
The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , wherein the guide portion can be moved in the concave portion in the width direction of the printing medium. A transport unit that transports long print media and
A printing unit that prints on the printing medium,
A damper section that applies tension to the print medium on the upstream side of the print section in the transport direction of the print medium, and a damper section.
A guide portion provided on the damper portion that comes into contact with at least one side edge of the print medium to guide the transport of the print medium, and a guide portion.
A recess formed by opening on the bottom surface of the printer housing is provided.
The length of the recess in the width direction of the print medium is formed to be longer than the length in the width direction of the print medium.
A printer in which at least a part of the guide portion for guiding the transfer of the print medium is located in the recess. The printer according to claim 12, wherein the guide portion is supported by the damper portion at a position separated from the bottom surface of the recess. The printer according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the guide portion is separated from the bottom surface of the recess. The printer according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the damper portion is swingable. The damper part is
Outer damper part and
The printer according to any one of claims 12 to 15, further comprising an inner damper portion swingably supported by the outer damper portion. The printer according to claim 16, wherein the position where the inner damper portion abuts on the print medium is located on the downstream side in the transport direction of the print medium from the position of the recess. 16 or 17, claim 16 or 17, wherein the inner damper portion is supported on the upstream side in the transport direction of the outer damper portion, and is provided so as to be inclined toward the bottom surface in the printer housing toward the downstream side in the transport direction. Described printer. The paper contact portion of the inner damper portion where the inner damper portion abuts on the print medium is arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction from the paper contact portion of the outer damper portion where the outer damper portion abuts on the print medium. The printer according to any one of claims 16 to 18. The printer according to any one of claims 12 to 19, wherein the transport unit can transport the print medium toward the upstream side or the downstream side in the transport direction of the print unit. The printer according to any one of claims 12 to 20, wherein the recess is continuously formed in a part of a bottom surface in the printer housing. The printing medium is a long mount and
The printer according to any one of claims 12 to 21, which has a plurality of labels temporarily attached to the mount at predetermined intervals. The lower end of the guide portion in the height direction away from the bottom surface of the recess is located between the bottom surface of the printer housing and the bottom surface of the recess.
The printer according to any one of claims 12 to 22, wherein the guide portion can be moved in the concave portion in the width direction of the printing medium. A transport unit that transports long print media and
A printing unit that prints on the printing medium,
A damper section that applies tension to the print medium on the upstream side of the print section in the transport direction of the print medium, and a damper section.
A guide portion provided on the damper portion that comes into contact with at least one side edge of the print medium to guide the transport of the print medium, and a guide portion.
A recess formed by opening on the bottom surface of the printer housing is provided.
A printer in which at least a part of the guide portion for guiding the transfer of the print medium is located in the recess and can be moved in the width direction of the print medium in the recess. The printer according to claim 24, wherein the guide portion is supported by the damper portion at a position separated from the bottom surface of the recess. The printer according to claim 24 or 25, wherein the guide portion is separated from the bottom surface of the recess. The printer according to any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein the damper portion is swingable. The damper part is
Outer damper part and
The printer according to any one of claims 24 to 27, which has an inner damper portion swingably supported by the outer damper portion. 28. The printer according to claim 28, wherein the position where the inner damper portion abuts on the print medium is located on the downstream side in the transport direction of the print medium from the position of the recess. 28 or 29, claim 28 or 29, wherein the inner damper portion is supported on the upstream side in the transport direction of the outer damper portion, and is provided so as to be inclined toward the bottom surface in the printer housing toward the downstream side in the transport direction. Described printer. The paper contact portion of the inner damper portion where the inner damper portion abuts on the print medium is arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction from the paper contact portion of the outer damper portion where the outer damper portion abuts on the print medium. The printer according to any one of claims 28 to 30. The printer according to any one of claims 24 to 31, wherein the transport unit can transport the print medium toward the upstream side or the downstream side in the transport direction of the print unit. The printer according to any one of claims 24 to 32, wherein the recess is continuously formed in a part of a bottom surface in the printer housing. The printing medium is a long mount and
The printer according to any one of claims 24 to 33, which has a plurality of labels temporarily attached to the mount at predetermined intervals. The printer according to any one of claims 24 to 34, wherein the lower end portion of the guide portion in the height direction away from the bottom surface of the recess is located between the bottom surface of the printer housing and the bottom surface of the recess. ..

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