A printer

Abstract

The present invention discloses a printer, which includes a housing, a paper roll shaft disposed in the housing for placing a printing paper roll, and a paper outlet formed on the housing. A paper feeding channel for the printing paper to travel is formed between the paper roll shaft and the paper outlet; it further includes a buffer structure disposed in the paper feeding channel, and the buffer structure includes a contact surface for contacting the printing paper to receive the pressure exerted by the printing paper; wherein, when the printing paper feeds forward in the printing channel, the pressure exerted by the printing paper causes the buffer structure to be in a first state; when the printing paper feeds backward in the printing channel, the pressure exerted by the printing paper causes the buffer structure to be in a second state, and the compression degree of the first state is greater than that of the second state. The present invention can improve the problem of possible printing abnormalities when the printing paper is retracted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of printing technology, and particularly to a printer. Background Art

[0002] In some printers, such as label printers, in order to increase the printing space of labels, a function of label retraction is often added to the printer. The general working process is as follows:

[0003] (1) The printer controls the rubber roller to rotate forward to pull the label paper forward towards the paper outlet; at this time, the paper between the rubber roller and the paper roll is in a tensioned state;

[0004] (2) After printing the current label paper, the printer controls the rubber roller to rotate in the reverse direction to retract the label paper towards the paper roll. At this time, the paper between the rubber roller and the paper roll is in a loose state;

[0005] (3) After performing the retraction operation, when printing the next label paper, the printer controls the rubber roller to rotate forward again, so that the originally loose paper section between the rubber roller and the paper roll is tightened as the rubber roller moves. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The inventors found in the process of implementing the present invention that since the rubber roller drives the paper to move through the friction between the rubber roller and the paper. In the process of the paper changing from loose to tight in the third step, at the moment when the paper is tightened, the force of the paper on the rubber roller is sudden (the pulling force required for the rubber roller to pull the paper without driving the paper roll and driving the paper roll is different), and this sudden change will cause the position where the paper contacts the rubber roller to be misaligned, causing the paper to deviate from the original printing position and resulting in abnormal printing.

[0007] In view of this, a printer proposed in an embodiment of the present invention can improve the problem of possible abnormal printing when the printing paper is retracted.

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention provides a printer, including a housing, a paper reel shaft disposed in the housing for placing a printing paper roll, and a paper outlet opened on the housing. A paper feeding channel for the printing paper to travel is formed between the paper reel shaft and the paper outlet; further including a buffer structure disposed in the paper feeding channel, the buffer structure including a contact surface for contacting the printing paper to receive the pressure applied by the printing paper; wherein, when the printing paper feeds forward in the printing channel, the pressure applied by the printing paper causes the buffer structure to be in a first state; when the printing paper feeds backward in the printing channel, the pressure applied by the printing paper causes the buffer structure to be in a second state, and the compression degree of the first state is greater than that of the second state.

[0009] Preferably, the buffer structure includes a fixed shaft, an outer shaft sleeve, and at least one elastic member; the fixed shaft is fixed inside the housing, the outer side of the outer shaft sleeve forms the contact surface, and the inner side of the outer shaft sleeve is elastically connected to the fixed shaft through the elastic member.

[0010] Preferably, at least one first connection point is provided on the inner side of the outer shaft sleeve; the buffer structure further includes an inner shaft sleeve, and the fixed shaft is sleeved inside the inner shaft sleeve; a guiding groove is formed on one side of the inner shaft sleeve facing the outer shaft sleeve, and a second connection point corresponding to the first connection point is provided in the guiding groove; one end of the elastic member is provided on the first connection point, and the other end is provided on the second connection point.

[0011] Preferably, the inner shaft sleeve is in a U-shaped groove shape, and a through hole for sleeving the fixed shaft is provided at the bottom of the U-shaped groove.

[0012] Preferably, at least one pair of hooks is provided on the two outer side walls of the inner shaft sleeve, and a bayonet corresponding to the hook is further provided on the inner side of the outer shaft sleeve, and the hook is engaged in the bayonet.

[0013] Preferably, limiting portions are further provided on the two outer side walls of the inner shaft sleeve, and a limiting groove corresponding to the limiting is further provided on the inner side of the outer shaft sleeve, and the limiting portion is inserted into the limiting groove.

[0014] Preferably, the buffer structure includes an outer shaft sleeve and a torsion spring; the outer shaft sleeve includes a fixed shaft and a contact plate connected to the fixed shaft; the fixed shaft is fixed inside the housing, and an opening is provided at the fixed shaft near the housing; the fixed end of the torsion spring is fixed on the housing; the main body portion of the torsion spring is arranged in the opening, and the torsion arm of the torsion spring abuts against the inner surface of the contact plate; the outer surface of the contact plate forms the contact surface.

[0015] Preferably, the fixed shaft is of a hollow structure; the buffer structure further includes a cap provided at the top of the fixed shaft.

[0016] Preferably, the position of the buffer structure in the paper feeding channel is set to be close to the paper roll shaft and far from the paper outlet.

[0017] In this embodiment, by adding the buffer structure, it can be made that when retracting, the paper gradually returns from a loose state to a relatively taut state, that is, the sudden force received by the printing paper at the moment of being tightened will be decomposed into a gradually changing force. In this way, the problem that the position where the printing paper contacts the rubber roller is misaligned under the interference of the sudden force, causing the printing paper to deviate from the original printing position and further resulting in printing abnormalities is improved. Description of the Drawings

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the printer provided in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 is Figure 1 Combined schematic diagram of the buffer structure of.

[0021] Figure 3 is Figure 2 Exploded schematic diagram of the buffer structure of.

[0022] Figure 4 is Figure 2 Cross-sectional schematic diagram of the buffer structure of.

[0023] Figure 5 is Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the outer shaft sleeve in the buffer structure of.

[0024] Figure 6 is Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the inner shaft sleeve in the buffer structure of.

[0025] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the printer provided in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 8 is Figure 7 Combined schematic diagram of the buffer structure of.

[0027] Figure 9 is Figure 8 Exploded schematic diagram of the buffer structure of. Detailed implementation manners

[0028] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, rather than all, embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] Please refer to Figure 1, a first embodiment of the present invention provides a printer, which includes a housing, a paper roll shaft 10 disposed in the housing for placing a printing paper roll 11, and a paper outlet 20 opened on the housing. A paper feeding channel for the printing paper 200 to travel is formed between the paper roll shaft 10 and the paper outlet 20. Among them, a buffer structure 30 is disposed in the paper feeding channel. The buffer structure 30 includes a contact surface 31 for contacting the printing paper 200 to receive the pressure exerted by the printing paper 200; when the printing paper 200 feeds forward in the printing channel ( Figure 1 arrow ① in), the pressure exerted by the printing paper 200 causes the buffer structure 30 to be in a first state; when the printing paper 200 feeds backward in the printing channel ( Figure 1 arrow ② in), the pressure exerted by the printing paper 200 causes the buffer structure 30 to be in a second state, and the compression degree of the first state is greater than that of the second state.

[0030] Specifically, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 together. In this embodiment, the buffer structure 30 includes a fixed shaft 32, an outer shaft sleeve 33, and at least one elastic member 34; the fixed shaft 32 is fixed in the housing, the outer side of the outer shaft sleeve 33 forms the contact surface 31, and the inner side of the outer shaft sleeve 33 is elastically connected to the fixed shaft 32 through the elastic member 34.

[0031] Among them, the contact surface 31 is arc-shaped, and its surface generally needs to be set relatively smooth to ensure the normal feeding of the printing paper 200 without generating excessive obstacles.

[0032] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, generally speaking, the printer further includes a printing controller, a driving mechanism disposed in the housing, a rubber roller and a print head disposed in the paper feeding channel; the printing controller is electrically connected to the driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism is in transmission connection with the rubber roller and the print head. Among them, the driving mechanism may include at least one motor and corresponding transmission gears. The motor is in transmission connection with the rubber roller or the print head through the transmission gears. Under the control of the printing controller, the motor can control the rotation direction of the rubber roller or the up and down movement of the print head, thereby realizing each step in the printing process. Its more specific structure can refer to the corresponding printers on the market, such as typical various label printers, and the present invention will not elaborate here.

[0033] The working principle of this embodiment is described in detail below.

[0034] In this embodiment, during operation, when the printing paper 200 feeds forward in the printing channel, the printing paper 200 exerts pressure on the outer shaft sleeve 33 through the contact surface 31. Under the action of this pressure, the outer shaft sleeve 33 moves towards the fixed shaft 32 and squeezes the elastic member 34. When the elastic member 34 is compressed to a certain extent and the force reaches equilibrium, the printing paper 200 will drive the printing paper roll 11 to rotate together to achieve printing. At this time, the buffer structure 30, or rather the elastic member 34, is in the first state. It should be noted that the first state is not a constant state and is affected by multiple factors. For example, when the thickness of the paper roll on the paper reel 10 changes, the compression degree of the first state will change. Additionally, when the printer starts up and feeds forward until it enters a relatively stable paper feeding state, the first state will also change accordingly. Generally speaking, the first state is in a compressed state, but the compression degree may vary under different circumstances.

[0035] After printing the current printing paper (such as printing a label), the printer controls the rubber roller to rotate in the reverse direction through the printing controller, causing the printing paper 200 to retreat, that is, causing the printing paper 200 to feed backward in the printing channel. At this time, the printing paper 200 between the rubber roller and the printing paper roll 11 will become relatively loose. Therefore, the pressure exerted by the printing paper 200 on the contact surface 31 will also become smaller (this pressure may be 0). At this time, the outer shaft sleeve 33 will move away from the fixed shaft 32, causing the printing paper 200 to become taut again and causing the elastic member 34 to reach force equilibrium again. At this time, the buffer structure 30, or rather the elastic member 34, is in the second state (the second state may be a completely uncompressed state, that is, the pressure exerted by the printing paper 200 on the contact surface 31 is 0). Obviously, in the second state, the compression degree of the elastic member 34 is less than that in the first state.

[0036] From the above analysis, it can be seen that by adding the buffer structure 30, when retreating, the paper can gradually return from a loose state to a relatively taut state, that is, the sudden force received by the printing paper 200 when being tightened will be decomposed into a gradually changing force. In this way, the problem that the position where the printing paper 200 contacts the rubber roller is misaligned under the interference of this sudden force, causing the printing paper 200 to deviate from the original printing position and thus resulting in printing abnormalities is improved.

[0037] For the convenience of understanding the present invention, the following further describes some preferred embodiments of the present invention.

[0038] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 6 Based on the above embodiments, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention:

[0039] At least one first connection point 331 is arranged on the inner side of the outer sleeve 33; the buffer structure 30 also includes an inner sleeve 35, and the fixed shaft 32 is sleeved in the inner sleeve 35; a guide groove 351 is formed on the side of the inner sleeve 35 facing the outer sleeve 33, and a second connection point 352 corresponding to the first connection point 331 is arranged in the guide groove 351; one end of the elastic member 34 is arranged on the first connection point 331, and the other end is arranged on the second connection point 352.

[0040] Specifically, in this embodiment, the inner sleeve 35 is roughly in the shape of a U-shaped groove, and the bottom of the U-shaped groove is provided with at least one through hole 353 for sleeve-engaging the fixed shaft 32, wherein the number of the through holes 353 can be one or more, depending on the specific situation, and the present invention does not make specific limitations.

[0041] In this embodiment, on the through hole 353, the inner sleeve 35 is also provided with a second connection point 352 corresponding to the first connection point 331, and the structure of the U-shaped groove itself can constitute a part of the guide groove 351, so that the elastic member 34 can elastically connect the outer sleeve 33 and the inner sleeve 35 through the guide groove 351, the first connection point 331 and the second connection point 352, and the elastic member can only move within the range set by the guide groove 351, thereby guiding the moving direction of the outer sleeve 33 and avoiding printing abnormalities caused by shaking or shaking of the outer sleeve 33 during movement.

[0042] On the basis of the above embodiments, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention:

[0043] The two outer side walls of the inner sleeve 35 are provided with at least one pair of hooks 354 , and the inner side of the outer sleeve 33 is also provided with a bayonet 333 corresponding to the hooks 354 . The hooks 354 are engaged in the bayonet 333 to achieve the connection between the inner sleeve 35 and the outer sleeve 33 .

[0044] On the basis of the above embodiments, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention:

[0045] The two outer side walls of the inner sleeve 35 are further provided with limiting portions 355 , and the inner side of the outer sleeve 33 is further provided with limiting grooves 334 corresponding to the limiting portions 355 , and the limiting portions 355 are inserted into the limiting grooves 334 .

[0046] The limiting groove 334 can be generated by arranging reinforcing ribs on the inner side of the outer sleeve 33. By cooperating with the limiting portion 355 and the limiting groove 334, a stable connection between the outer sleeve 33 and the inner sleeve 35 can be achieved without shaking.

[0047] Based on the above embodiments, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention:

[0048] The position of the buffer structure 30 in the paper feed path is set to be close to the paper reel 10 and far from the paper outlet 20.

[0049] Among them, when the printing paper 200 is retracted, the slack part of the printing paper 200 is generated from the paper outlet 20. If the position of the buffer structure 30 is set to be close to the paper outlet 20, due to the insufficient buffering distance, the buffer structure 30 may generate a relatively large and sudden force on the printing paper 200 during buffering. However, when the position of the buffer structure 30 is set to be far from the paper outlet 20, at this time, due to a relatively large buffering distance, the buffer structure 30 can gradually decompose the sudden force into smaller forces during buffering, further improving the printing effect.

[0050] Based on the above embodiments, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention:

[0051] Preferably, the elastic member 34 is a compression spring, and the number of compression springs is two, which are arranged at opposite ends of the outer shaft sleeve.

[0052] Among them, compression springs are respectively arranged at opposite ends of the outer shaft sleeve 33, which can make the forces on both ends of the buffer structure 30 relatively uniform, and avoid the situation that the contact surface 31 of the buffer structure 30 is inclined due to uneven force.

[0053] Please refer to Figures 7 to 9 , a second embodiment of the present invention provides another printer. The difference from the above first embodiment is that in this embodiment, the buffer structure 230 includes an outer shaft sleeve 231 and a torsion spring 232; the outer shaft sleeve 231 includes a fixed shaft 233 and a contact plate 234 connected to the fixed shaft 233; the fixed shaft 233 is fixed in the machine shell, and an opening 235 is provided at the fixed shaft 233 near the machine shell; the fixed end 236 of the torsion spring 232 is fixed on the machine shell; the main body portion 237 of the torsion spring 232 is arranged in the opening 235, and the torsion arm 238 of the torsion spring 232 abuts against the inner surface of the contact plate 234; the outer surface of the contact plate 234 forms a contact surface 239.

[0054] Among them, the fixed shaft 233 can be of a hollow structure, and a cap 240 can be fixed on its top.

[0055] The working principle of this embodiment is described in detail below.

[0056] In this embodiment, during operation, when the printing paper 200 is fed forward in the printing channel, the printing paper 200 applies pressure to the contact plate 234 through the contact surface 239. Under the action of this pressure, the contact plate 234 rotates counterclockwise (or inward) around the fixed shaft 233 and squeezes the torsion spring 232. When the torsion spring 232 is compressed to a certain extent and the force reaches equilibrium, the printing paper 200 will drive the printing paper roll 11 to rotate together to achieve printing. At this time, the buffer structure 30 or the torsion spring 232 is in the first state.

[0057] After printing the current printing paper (for example, printing a label), the printer controls the rubber roller to rotate in the reverse direction through the printing controller, causing the printing paper 200 to retract, that is, the printing paper 200 is fed backward in the printing channel. At this time, the printing paper 200 between the rubber roller and the printing paper roll 11 will become relatively loose. Therefore, the pressure exerted by the printing paper 200 on the contact surface 239 will also become smaller (this pressure may be 0). At this time, the contact plate 234 rotates clockwise (or outward) around the fixed shaft 233, making the printing paper 200 become taut again and making the torsion spring 232 reach force equilibrium again. At this time, the buffer structure 30 or the torsion spring 232 is in the second state (the second state may be a completely uncompressed state, that is, the pressure exerted by the printing paper 200 on the contact surface 239 is 0). Obviously, in the second state, the compression degree of the torsion spring 232 is less than that in the first state.

[0058] From the above analysis, it can be seen that by adding the buffer structure 230, when retracting, the paper can gradually return from a loose state to a relatively taut state, that is, the sudden force received by the printing paper 200 when being tightened will be decomposed into a gradually changing force. In this way, the problem that the position where the printing paper 200 contacts the rubber roller is misaligned under the interference of this sudden force, causing the printing paper 200 to deviate from the original printing position and resulting in printing abnormalities is improved.

[0059] The above is only a preferred specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A printer, comprising a housing, a paper roll shaft disposed within the housing for placing a paper roll, and a paper outlet formed in the housing, wherein a paper feeding channel for the printing paper to travel is formed between the paper roll shaft and the paper outlet; characterized in that, It further includes a buffer structure disposed in the paper feeding channel. The buffer structure includes a contact surface for contacting the printing paper to receive the pressure exerted by the printing paper. When the printing paper feeds forward in the printing channel, the pressure exerted by the printing paper causes the buffer structure to be in a first state. When the printing paper feeds backward in the printing channel, the pressure exerted by the printing paper causes the buffer structure to be in a second state. The compression degree of the first state is greater than that of the second state. The buffer structure includes a fixed shaft, an outer shaft sleeve, and at least one elastic member. The fixed shaft is fixed in the housing. The outer side of the outer shaft sleeve forms the contact surface. The inner side of the outer shaft sleeve is elastically connected to the fixed shaft through the elastic member. When the printing paper feeds forward in the printing channel, under the action of the pressure exerted by the printing paper, the outer shaft sleeve moves towards the fixed shaft and squeezes the elastic member, causing the buffer structure to be in the first state.

2. The printer according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one first connection point is provided on the inner side of the outer shaft sleeve. The buffer structure further includes an inner shaft sleeve. The fixed shaft is sleeved in the inner shaft sleeve. A guiding groove is formed on one side of the inner shaft sleeve facing the outer shaft sleeve. A second connection point corresponding to the first connection point is provided in the guiding groove. One end of the elastic member is disposed on the first connection point, and the other end is disposed on the second connection point.

3. The printer according to claim 2, wherein, The inner shaft sleeve is in a U-shaped groove form, and a through hole for sleeving the fixed shaft is provided at the bottom of the U-shaped groove.

4. The printer according to claim 2, characterized in that, At least one pair of hooks is provided on the two outer side walls of the inner shaft sleeve. A bayonet corresponding to the hook is further provided on the inner side of the outer shaft sleeve. The hook is engaged in the bayonet.

5. The printer according to claim 2, characterized in that, Limiting portions are further provided on the two outer side walls of the inner shaft sleeve. Limiting grooves corresponding to the limiting portions are further provided on the inner side of the outer shaft sleeve. The limiting portions are inserted into the limiting grooves.

6. The printer according to claim 2, characterized in that, The elastic member is a compression spring, and the number of compression springs is two, which are disposed at opposite ends of the outer shaft sleeve.

7. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The position of the buffer structure in the paper feeding channel is set to be close to the paper reel and far from the paper outlet.

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