Printing device

Abstract

A printing device capable of reducing the possibility of conveying defects even when conveying a wide print medium and performing printing. A first roller mechanism comprises: a first shaft having a first gear rotatably supported; and a platen roller having the first shaft portion inserted therethrough, which is movable toward or away from the print head by a shift mechanism; and a second roller mechanism comprising: a roller bracket movable toward or away from the print medium by a shift mechanism; a second shaft portion rotatably supported by the roller bracket and having a second gear at a position on a first side along the axis; a hollow cylindrical auxiliary roller having the second shaft portion inserted therethrough and capable of tilting relative to the axis of the second shaft portion; an engaging groove recessed in the inner circumferential surface of the auxiliary roller in the middle portion in the axial direction; and a protrusion protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the second shaft portion and engaging with the engaging groove of the auxiliary roller.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a printing apparatus, and more particularly to a printing apparatus having a delivery unit for conveying the medium to be printed. Background Art

[0002] Previously, printing devices were known to produce strip labels suitable for use as spines of folders.

[0003] As such printing devices, for example, there are known label making devices that print text or patterns input using an input unit such as a keyboard onto a strip-shaped printing medium by means of a print head and an ink ribbon.

[0004] Furthermore, in such a label making apparatus, as a conveying mechanism for conveying the printing medium toward the print head, there is a known mechanism that includes: a first roller mechanism having an impression roller; a second roller mechanism having an auxiliary roller disposed downstream of the first roller mechanism in the conveying direction; and a displacement mechanism that displaces the first roller mechanism and the second roller mechanism in a manner that approaches / moves away from the print head (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0005] Existing technical documents

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4075888 Summary of the Invention

[0008] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0009] However, in the aforementioned auxiliary roller, a core-aligning mechanism is required to handle load changes when approaching the printing medium. Furthermore, to handle wide printing media, the axial length of both the impression roller and the auxiliary roller needs to be increased. In this case, if the core-aligning mechanism is not sufficiently strong, the roller shaft supporting the auxiliary roller in a rotatable manner will deflect, leading to poor transport.

[0010] The purpose of this invention is to provide a printing apparatus that can reduce the possibility of poor delivery even when printing on a wide-width printing medium.

[0011] Technical solutions for solving the problem

[0012] To achieve the above objectives, this invention provides a printer comprising: a conveying unit for conveying a printable medium, including a first roller mechanism having a first roller and a second roller mechanism having a second roller, the second roller mechanism being disposed downstream of the first roller mechanism in the conveying direction; a print head for printing the printable medium conveyed by the conveying unit; and a displacement mechanism for displacing the first roller mechanism, the second roller mechanism, and the print head between an approach position and a separation position further away from the approach position, wherein the first roller mechanism has: a first shaft portion supported in a rotatable manner and having a first gear on a first side along the axial direction; and a first roller through which the first roller is inserted. The shaft portion is rotatably supported and can move in a direction relative to the print head or away from it via the displacement mechanism. The second roller mechanism includes: a movable support that moves in a direction relative to the printed medium via the displacement mechanism; a second shaft portion that is rotatably supported by the movable support and has a second gear on a first side along the axial direction; a hollow cylindrical second roller through which the second shaft portion is inserted and which can tilt relative to the axis of the second shaft portion; a locking groove recessed in the inner circumferential surface of the middle portion in the axial direction of the second roller; and a protrusion that protrudes from the outer circumferential surface of the second shaft portion and engages with the locking groove of the second roller.

[0013] In this invention, a first roller mechanism and a second roller mechanism are provided along the transport path of the transport unit. The first roller mechanism has a first roller with a first shaft inserted through it, and the second roller mechanism, located downstream of the first roller mechanism in the transport direction, has a second roller with a second shaft inserted through it. The second roller mechanism is also provided with a movable support that moves towards or away from the printed medium via a displacement mechanism, and the second shaft is disposed on this movable support. Thus, the second shaft of the second roller becomes a structure that moves appropriately towards or away from the printed medium, for example, corresponding to the tension or transport action of the printed medium, thereby achieving a so-called core-adjusting function.

[0014] In this invention, the second roller is configured as a hollow cylinder, with an engagement groove recessed on its inner circumferential surface. Furthermore, a protrusion is provided in the second shaft portion inserted into the hollow cylinder of the second roller, and this protrusion engages with the aforementioned engagement groove. Thus, a driving force is transmitted from the second gear located on the first side of the second shaft portion to the second shaft portion, and this driving force is transmitted to the second roller via the aforementioned protrusion and engagement groove.

[0015] Thus, according to the present invention, the driving force is transmitted from the cylindrical rod-shaped second shaft inside the cylindrical shape to the cylindrical second roller located on its outer periphery.

[0016] Therefore, compared with the existing structure in which a hollow cylindrical drive shaft is rotated on the outer periphery of the shaft of the movable housing, a hollow cylindrical roller is arranged on its outer periphery, and the protrusion on the inner periphery of the roller engages with the engagement groove of the drive shaft, the overall rigidity can be improved. That is, according to the present invention, since the driving force is transmitted through the path of cylindrical drive shaft → engagement groove → protrusion → cylindrical roller, unlike the existing structure, the transmission is carried out through the path of bar-shaped second shaft → protrusion → engagement groove → cylindrical second roller, thus reducing the likelihood of deflection.

[0017] Therefore, even when printing on wide-width printing media, the possibility of poor delivery can be reduced.

[0018] Invention Effects

[0019] According to the present invention, even when printing on a wide-width printing medium, the possibility of poor conveying can be reduced. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is the front view with the printing unit's cover removed.

[0021] Figure 2 It is a 3D diagram of the surrounding structure of the box.

[0022] Figure 3 This is the front view of the print delivery unit.

[0023] Figure 4 This indicates the movement of the second roller mechanism linked to the lever. Figure 4 (A) is a front view of the main part of the pole in its collapsed state. Figure 4 (B) is a front view of the main part of the pole in the upright position.

[0024] Figure 5 This indicates the movement of the second roller mechanism linked to the lever. Figure 5 (A) is a side view of the main part of the pole in a collapsed state. Figure 5 (B) is a side view of the main part of the pole in the upright position.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a front view of the second roller mechanism after a portion has been cut apart.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a side view of the second roller mechanism.

[0027] Figure 8 This indicates the main part of the second roller mechanism. Figure 8 (A) is the front view of the second roller mechanism. Figure 8 (B) is a side view of the second roller mechanism after a portion has been cut apart.

[0028] Figure 9 This is a front view of the second roller mechanism after a portion has been cut apart.

[0029] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the second roller mechanism.

[0030] Figure 11 This is a front view of the other second roller mechanism after a portion has been cut apart.

[0031] Figure 12 This is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of the other second roller mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Next, a printing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The scale of the components of the embodiment shown in the drawings has been appropriately altered to facilitate understanding of the present invention. Furthermore, in the following description, the printing apparatus will be used when printing is performed by inputting text, for example, when it is placed on a table or similar surface, and the description will be based on the up, down, left, and right directions as viewed from the user's side.

[0033] In this embodiment, a printing device that prints on a medium by installing a cartridge containing the medium to be printed in a detachable manner will be described as an example.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, the printing device 1 has a box storage section 3 for mounting the box (described later) and a keyboard section 4 for inputting text, etc., on the upper surface of the frame-shaped main body housing 2.

[0035] Furthermore, the box storage section 3 is covered by a lid (not shown in the illustration). This lid is a hinged type that rotates relative to the main body housing 2. Additionally, the lid (not shown in the illustration) may include a display section for showing text entered by the user using the keyboard section 4.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown, the cartridge 5 used by the printing device 1 can be installed in the printing delivery unit 6 configured in the cartridge storage section 3.

[0037] The tape cassette 5 includes: a first roll 5b wound with a strip of substrate tape (not shown); a second roll 5a wound with a transparent cover tape (not shown); an ink tape supply side roll 5d wound with an ink tape (not shown); an ink tape take-up roll 5c for taking up the printed ink tape; and a tape feed roller 5e. The substrate tape is made of double-sided adhesive tape, with a release liner attached to one side and an adhesive layer on the other side, and is used to create the desired label by bonding it to the printed cover tape. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the cover tape is generally referred to as the printing medium.

[0038] like Figure 3 As shown, the printing transport unit 6 has a first transport section 14 and a second transport section 16. The first transport section 14 has: a spool section 9 that is driven by a drive motor 15 to rotate the ink tape take-up roll 5c; a drive roller 11 that is driven by a drive motor 15 to rotate the tape feed roller 5e; and a print head 13 including a print head. Details will be described later. The second transport section 16 has: an impression roller 18 that transports the ink tape and cover tape while overlapping and pressing them against the print head 13, and prints on the cover tape; and a sub-roller 20 that clamps the cover tape and substrate tape with the tape feed roller 5e, thereby bonding and transporting them simultaneously.

[0039] The second conveying section 16 includes a rod 17, which is as follows: Figure 4 (A) and Figure 5 As shown in (A), when the box storage section 3 is closed by the aforementioned cover, it is pressed by the cover and rotates towards the folding side, and as... Figure 4 (B) and Figure 5 As shown in (B), the box storage section 3 is opened by the cover and rotated to the upright side.

[0040] The second transport section 16 constitutes a transport unit for transporting the printed medium, such as... Figures 6-10 As shown, it includes: a first roller mechanism 19 having an impression roller 18 as the first roller; and a second roller mechanism 21 having an auxiliary roller 20 as the second roller disposed downstream of the first roller mechanism 19 in the conveying direction.

[0041] The second conveying section 16 includes a roller support 22, which constitutes the displacement mechanism of the head movable mechanism. The displacement mechanism of the head movable mechanism is linked with the rotation of the rod 17 to move the first roller mechanism 19 and the second roller mechanism 21 relative to the printing head 13 to the approach position and the separation position.

[0042] Furthermore, the drive motor 15, the rod 17 constituting the displacement mechanism, and the roller support 22 are mounted on the main housing 2 via the base frame 23 and the side frame 24. Additionally, the rod 17 is subjected to force in the cover opening direction by a spring 26 mounted on the roller support 22 via a shaft 25.

[0043] The first roller mechanism 19 includes a first shaft portion 28, which is rotatably supported on the roller support 22, and has a first gear 27 on a first side (the lower side in this example) along the axial direction. The impression roller 18 is rotatably supported on the roller support 22 via the first shaft portion 28. When the roller support 22 swings in conjunction with the rotation of the rod 17, the impression roller 18 moves in a direction that approaches or moves away from the print head 13.

[0044] The second roller mechanism 21 includes: a movable support 29 that can move in a direction that is closer to or further away from the printing medium by means of a displacement mechanism; a second shaft portion 30 that is held by a first bearing portion 29a on the first side of the movable support 29 and a second bearing portion 29b on the second side (the upper side in this example) on the side opposite to the first side along the axial direction; and a second gear 31 that is disposed on the second side of the movable support 29 that is closer to the first bearing portion 29a and is rotatably supported on the second shaft portion 30.

[0045] The auxiliary roller 20 is configured as a hollow cylinder supported between the second bearing portion 29b of the movable support 29 and the second gear 31, capable of rotating relative to the second shaft portion 30 and tilting relative to the axis of the second shaft portion 30. Here, the auxiliary roller 20 has, for example, a dual structure of an outer cylinder 20a made of soft resin or the like and an inner cylinder 20b made of hard resin or the like. The second shaft portion 30 is inserted through the inner cylinder 20b, and the inner circumferential surface of the middle portion in the axial direction contacts the second shaft portion 30. Furthermore, the terms "soft" and "hard" do not refer to the hardness as a chemical classification of resin materials, but rather to the hardness when comparing the outer and inner sides.

[0046] Additionally, an engagement groove 20c is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the middle portion of the inner cylindrical body 20b in the axial direction. In this embodiment, the engagement groove 20c is formed from the first side of the inner cylindrical body 20b to the middle portion, and a pair of them are formed facing each other.

[0047] On the other hand, in the second shaft portion 30, a shaft-shaped protrusion 34 extending in a direction orthogonal to the axis is provided protruding from the outer peripheral surface. The two ends of the protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 34 engage with the engagement groove 20c of the auxiliary roller 20. Therefore, the second shaft portion 30 adopts a structure in which only the protrusion 34 contacts the inner cylinder 20b.

[0048] In addition, elongated holes 22a and 22b are formed on the roller support 22 in such a way as to allow displacement of the first shaft portion 28 and the second shaft portion 30 relative to the displacement direction of the roller support 22.

[0049] Each of the gears G1 to G7, including the transmission gear G6 which meshes with the first gear 27 and the transmission gear G7 which meshes with the second gear 31, is rotatably supported on the base frame 23. Furthermore, as... Figure 4As shown in (B), the base frame 23 has a first through hole 23A and a second through hole 23B through which the first side portion of the first shaft portion 28 and the first side portion of the second shaft portion 30 pass. The first through hole 23A and the second through hole 23B allow the first shaft portion 28 and the second shaft portion 30 to be inserted in a manner that allows them to move in a direction orthogonal to the through direction. When the roller support 22 is in the retracted position, the first shaft portion 28 and the second shaft portion 30 do not contact the first edge portion 23Aa of the first through hole 23A and the second edge portion 23Ba of the second through hole 23B, respectively. When the roller support 22 is in the printing position, the first shaft portion 28 and the second shaft portion 30 abut against the first positioning portion 23Ab provided on the first edge portion 23Aa and the second positioning portion 23Bb provided on the second edge portion 23Ba, respectively.

[0050] Therefore, when the roller support 22 is in the printing position, the first shaft portion 28 and the second shaft portion 30 can be positioned at predetermined positions within the first edge portion 23Aa and the second edge portion 23Ba. As a result, the distance between the meshing gears, i.e., the distance between the first gear 27 and the third gear, and the distance between the second gear 31 and the fourth gear, can be kept constant. Consequently, gear backlash deviation can be suppressed, improving conveying accuracy.

[0051] The displacement mechanism includes a roller support 22 that moves the first roller mechanism 19 and the second roller mechanism 21 toward or away from the print head 13 by oscillation. The first roller mechanism 19 is disposed on the roller support 22. The impression roller 18 is rotatably supported on the roller support 22 and moves toward or away from the print head 13 by oscillation of the roller support 22. The second roller mechanism 21 is disposed in the roller support 22 at a downstream position along the conveying direction compared to the first roller mechanism 19. A movable support 29 is supported on the roller support 22 and moves toward or away from the printed medium.

[0052] Thus, the first roller mechanism 19 and the second roller mechanism 21 are mounted on the oscillating roller support 22. As a result, by oscillating the roller support 22, the impression roller 18 of the first roller mechanism 19 can be moved toward or away from the print head 13, and the movable support 29 of the second roller mechanism 21 can be moved toward or away from the printed medium.

[0053] Here, the second shaft portion 30 of the auxiliary roller 20 is a metal shaft portion, and the protrusion 34 functions as a first pin (metal or non-metal) extending in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the second shaft portion 30. The engagement groove 20c of the auxiliary roller 20 engages with the protrusion 34, which is the first pin, and the rotation of the second shaft portion 30 is transmitted to the auxiliary roller 20 via the mutually engaging protrusion 34 and engagement groove 20c.

[0054] In this way, the protrusion 34, which serves as the first pin, on the metal second shaft portion 30 engages with the engaging groove 20c of the auxiliary roller 20, and the rotation of the second shaft portion 30 is transmitted along the path of second shaft portion 30 → protrusion 34 → engaging groove 20c → auxiliary roller 20. Thus, since the driving force is transmitted from the bar-shaped second shaft portion 30 to the hollow cylindrical auxiliary roller 20 located on its outer periphery, rigidity is increased compared to the existing structure where the driving force is transmitted from the hollow cylindrical drive shaft to the hollow cylindrical auxiliary roller 20.

[0055] Here, the second roller mechanism 21 also has a second pin 35 that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the second shaft portion 30 and extends in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the second shaft portion 30. The second gear 31 engages with the second pin 35, and the rotation of the second gear 31 is transmitted to the second shaft portion 30 via the engaged second pin 35. In this case, the extending direction of the protrusion 34 is the same as the extending direction of the second pin 35.

[0056] In this way, the second pin 35, which protrudes from the second shaft portion 30, engages with the second gear 31, and the rotation of the second gear 31 is transmitted to the second shaft portion 30 via the second pin 35. Thus, the rotation from the second gear 31 can be transmitted to the second shaft portion 30 with a highly rigid structure.

[0057] The end face of the auxiliary roller 20 on the first side along the axial direction and the end face of the second gear 31 on the opposite side along the axial direction, i.e., the second side, are separated from each other in the axial direction.

[0058] Therefore, the auxiliary roller 20 and the second gear 31 can be separately configured in the axial direction, thereby realizing a structure different from the existing structure that transmits from the hollow cylindrical drive shaft to the hollow cylindrical auxiliary roller 20.

[0059] Here, a movable body 36 is also provided, which swings the roller support 22 between a retracted position and a printing position by moving between a first position and a second position. This movable body 36 has a support portion 36a, which contacts the surface opposite to the side of the roller support 22 where the impression roller 18 is disposed, thereby preventing the roller support 22 from tilting. The axial length of the support portion 36a ( Figure 5 The length of the paper in the vertical direction is greater than 1 / 2 of the length of the roller support 22 in the axial direction.

[0060] That is, by moving the movable body 36 between the first position and the second position, the roller support 22 swings between the retracted position and the printing position. At this time, the movable body 36 is provided with a support portion 36a whose length in the axial direction is greater than half the length in the axial direction of the roller support 22. Furthermore, this support portion 36a keeps the roller support 22 from tilting by contacting the opposite side of the impression roller 18 in the roller support 22. As a result, it is possible to suppress the possibility of the roller support 22 tipping or tilting due to the reaction force when the impression roller 18 contacts the print head 13.

[0061] Thus, the displacement mechanism includes a roller support 22, which oscillates in conjunction with the rotation of a rod, thereby moving the first roller mechanism 19 and the second roller mechanism 21 toward or away from the print head 13. The first roller mechanism 19 is disposed on the roller support 22. The impression roller 18 is rotatably supported on the roller support 22 and moves toward or away from the print head 13 by the oscillation of the roller support 22. The second roller mechanism 21 is disposed in the roller support 22 at a downstream position along the transport direction compared to the first roller mechanism 19. A movable support 29 is supported on the roller support and moves toward or away from the printed medium.

[0062] That is, the first roller mechanism 19 and the second roller mechanism 21 are mounted on the oscillating roller support 22. Thus, by oscillating the roller support 22, the impression roller 18 of the first roller mechanism 19 can be moved toward or away from the print head 13, and the movable support 29 of the second roller mechanism 21 can be moved toward or away from the printed medium.

[0063] Here, the second roller mechanism 21 includes a plurality of compression springs 33 disposed between the roller support 22 and the movable support 29, which act as force-applying units to the movable support 29 in a direction close to the printed medium.

[0064] Therefore, the auxiliary roller 20 is forced in the direction that brings the movable support 29 closer to the printing medium by means of the compression spring 33 disposed between the roller support 22 and the movable support 29. Thus, for example, even if the tension or conveying action of the printing medium changes, the movable support 29 can be forced in the direction of the printing medium and moved in the direction of approaching or moving away from the printing medium, thereby achieving a smooth core-aligning function.

[0065] Here, the force-applying unit can also be configured such that the first pressing force of the printing roller support 22 on the first side is greater than the second pressing force of the printing roller support 22 on the second side, which is opposite to the first side.

[0066] In this case, the pressing force of the force-applying unit on the first side near the second gear 31 is greater than the pressing force on the second side. As a result, it is possible to suppress the movement of the second gear 31 away from the gear that is being meshed with it.

[0067] like Figure 6 As shown, a plurality of transmission gears G1 to G7 of different diameters are arranged on the base frame 23 for transmitting the drive of the drive motor 15. The spool 9 rotates by the rotation of the transmission gear G4, and the transmission gears G6 and G7 rotate by the rotation of the transmission gear G5.

[0068] In the above basic structure, when the cover is opened and the box 5 is stored in the box storage part 3, and the cover is closed to close the box storage part 3, the upright rod 17 is pressed and rotates to the side of falling.

[0069] When rod 17 rotates to the collapsing side, roller support 22 moves in conjunction with it to move closer to print head 13, and transmission gears G6 and G7 rotate through drive motor 15.

[0070] When the drive gear G6 rotates, the impression roller 18 rotates via the first gear 27 meshing with it. When the drive gear G7 rotates, the drive roller 11 rotates, and the auxiliary roller 20 rotates via the second gear 31 meshing with the drive gear G7.

[0071] Since the substrate strip and cover strip are sandwiched between the drive roller 11 and the auxiliary roller 20, the substrate strip and cover strip are bonded and conveyed by the rotation of the drive roller 11 and the auxiliary roller 20.

[0072] At this time, even when the auxiliary roller 20 conveys a wide printable medium through the above-mentioned reinforced structure and performs printing, the possibility of poor conveying can be reduced.

[0073] As described above, the printing apparatus 1 includes: a conveying unit for conveying the printing medium, comprising a first roller mechanism 19 having an impression roller 18 and a second roller mechanism 21 having an auxiliary roller 20, the second roller mechanism 21 being disposed downstream of the first roller mechanism 19 in the conveying direction; a printing head 3 for printing the printing medium conveyed by the conveying unit; and a displacement mechanism (rod 17 and roller support 22) for displacing between an approach position that brings the first roller mechanism 19 and the second roller mechanism 21 and the printing head 13 closer together and a separation position that is farther away from the approach position, wherein the first roller mechanism 19 includes: a first shaft portion 28 that is rotatably supported and has a first gear 27 on a first side along the axial direction; and an impression roller for the first shaft portion. The second roller mechanism 21 includes: a roller support 22, which moves toward or away from the print head 13 via a displacement mechanism; a second shaft portion 30, which is rotatably supported on the roller support 22 and has a second gear 31 on a first side along the axial direction; a hollow cylindrical auxiliary roller 20 through which the second shaft portion 30 is inserted and which can tilt relative to the axis of the second shaft portion 30; a locking groove 20c, which is recessed in the inner circumferential surface of the middle portion in the axial direction of the auxiliary roller 20; and a protrusion 34, which protrudes from the outer circumferential surface of the second shaft portion 30 and engages with the locking groove 20c of the auxiliary roller 20.

[0074] Thus, the printing apparatus 1 is provided with a first roller mechanism 19 and a second roller mechanism 21 along the transport path of the transport unit. The first roller mechanism 19 has an impression roller 18 with a first shaft portion 28 inserted through it. The second roller mechanism 21, located downstream of the first roller mechanism 19 in the transport direction, has a secondary roller 20 with a second shaft portion 30 inserted through it. The second roller mechanism 21 also has a roller support 22 that moves towards or away from the printed medium via a displacement mechanism. The second shaft portion 30 is provided on this roller support 22. Therefore, the second shaft portion 30 of the secondary roller 20 is configured to move appropriately towards or away from the printed medium, for example, in accordance with the tension or transport action of the printed medium, thus achieving a so-called core-aligning function.

[0075] Here, the auxiliary roller 20 is configured as a hollow cylinder, and an engagement groove 20c is recessed on the inner circumferential surface of the hollow cylinder. On the other hand, a protrusion 34 is provided in the second shaft portion 30 inserted into the hollow cylinder of the auxiliary roller 20, and the protrusion 34 engages with the engagement groove 20c. Thus, a driving force is transmitted from the second gear 31 located on the first side of the second shaft portion 30 to the second shaft portion 30, and this driving force is transmitted to the auxiliary roller 20 via the protrusion 34 and the engagement groove 20c.

[0076] This is a structure that transmits the driving force of the drive motor 15 from the cylindrical rod-shaped second shaft portion 30 inside the cylindrical shape to the cylindrical auxiliary roller 20 located on its outer periphery.

[0077] Therefore, compared to the existing structure where a hollow cylindrical drive shaft rotates on the outer periphery of the shaft located in the movable housing, a hollow cylindrical roller is arranged on its outermost periphery, and the protrusion on the inner periphery of the roller engages with the engagement groove of the drive shaft, the overall rigidity can be improved. That is, since the driving force is transmitted via the path of cylindrical drive shaft → engagement groove 20c → protrusion 34 → cylindrical roller, unlike the existing structure where the driving force is transmitted via the path of bar-shaped second shaft 30 → protrusion 34 → engagement groove 20c → cylindrical auxiliary roller 20, deflection is less likely to occur. Therefore, even when conveying and printing wide-width printing media, the possibility of poor conveying can be reduced.

[0078] In addition, if Figure 11 and Figure 12 As shown, the extension direction of the protrusion 34 in the second shaft portion 30 and the extension direction of the second pin 35 in the second shaft portion 30 can also be configured to have a phase difference of approximately 90°.

[0079] In this case, by arranging the protrusion 34 and the second pin 35 with a phase difference of approximately 90° from each other, when transmitting rotation using the aforementioned path, the effects of loosening in the engagement of the protrusion 34 with the auxiliary roller 20 and the effects of loosening in the engagement of the second pin 35 with the second gear 31 will not occur simultaneously, but will occur at different times. Therefore, the impact of these two types of loosening on the overall second roller mechanism 21 can be reduced.

[0080] In addition, during component manufacturing, the protrusion 34 can be pressed into the second shaft portion 30 and the second pin 35 can be pressed into the second shaft portion 30 in different processes, thus improving workability during processing.

[0081] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein. It is clear that those skilled in the art will be able to conceive of various modifications, alterations, combinations, etc., within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention as described in the claims. Therefore, the technology resulting from these modifications, alterations, combinations, etc., also falls within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

[0082] Furthermore, the aforementioned tape box 5 is a type in which printing is performed on the cover tape and bonded to the substrate tape, but it is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to a type in which printing is performed on the printed tape layer provided on the substrate tape without using a cover tape (a type in which bonding is not performed).

[0083] Furthermore, the structure of the cartridge 5 is not limited to the structure described above. For example, long strips of flat paper or short strips of paper (including strips or sheets formed by cutting strips wound on rollers into appropriate lengths after being released) can be stacked in a designated storage section (e.g., flattened in a tray-shaped storage section) to form a cartridge, and the cartridge can be mounted on a cartridge holder on the side of the printing device 1, and the cartridge or sheet can be transferred from the storage section for printing.

[0084] Furthermore, a structure is adopted in which the roller support 22 is brought closer to or away from the print head 13 by means of the rod 17, but for example, a structure in which the print head 13 is brought closer to or away from the roller support 22 can also be adopted.

[0085] In addition to the above-described contents, the methods of the above-described embodiments and various modifications can also be appropriately combined and utilized.

[0086] Furthermore, although not all examples are provided, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from its spirit.

[0087] Label Explanation

[0088] 1. Printing device

[0089] 11 Drive Roller

[0090] 13 Print Header

[0091] 14 First Conveying Section

[0092] 15 Drive motor

[0093] 16 Second Conveying Section

[0094] 17-bar (displacement mechanism)

[0095] 18 Impression Rollers

[0096] 19 First Roller Mechanism

[0097] 20 auxiliary roller

[0098] 21 Second Roller Mechanism

[0099] 22 Roller Support (Displacement Mechanism)

[0100] 23 Base frame

[0101] 24 side frames

[0102] 25 axis

[0103] 26 Springs

[0104] 27 First Gear

[0105] 28 First shaft section

[0106] 29 Movable support

[0107] 30 Second shaft section

[0108] 31 Second Gear

[0109] 33 Compression Spring

[0110] 34. Protrusion (First Pin)

[0111] 35 Second Selling

[0112] 36 moving bodies

Claims

1. A printing device comprising: The conveying unit conveys the printing medium and includes a first roller mechanism and a second roller mechanism, wherein the second roller mechanism is disposed downstream of the first roller mechanism in the conveying direction. The print head prints onto the medium being printed, which is conveyed by the conveying unit. The displacement mechanism moves the first roller mechanism and the second roller mechanism between an approach position close to the print head and a separation position farther away from the print head. The printing device is characterized in that... The first roller mechanism has: A first shaft portion is rotatably supported and has a first gear on a first side along the axial direction; and The first roller, having the first shaft inserted through it and supported in a rotatable manner, moves toward or away from the printhead via the displacement mechanism. The second roller mechanism has: The movable support moves in a direction relative to the printing medium, either closer to or further away, via the displacement mechanism. The second shaft is rotatably supported on the movable bracket and has a second gear on the first side along the axial direction; The second roller is hollow and cylindrical, with the second shaft portion inserted through it and capable of tilting relative to the axis of the second shaft portion; A locking groove, recessed into the inner circumferential surface of the middle portion in the axial direction of the second roller; and A protrusion is provided protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the second shaft portion and engages with the engagement groove of the second roller. The rotation of the second shaft is transmitted via a path from the second shaft to the protrusion, to the engagement groove, and to the second roller. The protrusion of the second shaft portion protrudes further radially compared to the portion of the second shaft portion with the largest outer diameter between the two ends of the second roller.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The displacement mechanism is a roller support that moves the first roller mechanism and the second roller mechanism in a direction relative to the print head by oscillating. The first roller mechanism is disposed on the roller support. The first roller is rotatably supported by the roller bracket and moves toward or away from the printhead by the swinging of the roller bracket. The second roller mechanism is located in the roller support at a downstream position along the conveying direction compared to the first roller mechanism. The movable support is supported by the roller support and moves in a direction that is closer to or further away from the printed medium.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second shaft portion of the second roller is a metal shaft portion. The protrusion is a first pin extending in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the second shaft portion. The engagement groove of the second roller engages with the first pin. The rotation of the second shaft is transmitted to the second roller via the interlocking first pin and the interlocking groove.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second roller mechanism also has a second pin, which protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the second shaft portion and extends in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the second shaft portion. The second gear engages with the second pin. The rotation of the second gear is transmitted to the second shaft via the engaged second pin.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The phase difference between the extension direction of the first pin in the second shaft portion and the extension direction of the second pin in the second shaft portion is approximately 90°.

6. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, The end face of the second roller on the first side along the axial direction is separated from the end face of the second gear on the second side, which is opposite to the first side along the axial direction.

7. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, The printing device also includes a force application unit disposed between the roller support and the movable support, which applies force to the movable support in a direction close to the printed medium.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The force-applying unit is configured such that a first pressing force applied to the movable bracket at the first side is greater than a second pressing force applied to the movable bracket at the second side, which is opposite to the first side.

9. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5 and 8, characterized in that, The printing apparatus further includes a movable body that moves between a first position and a second position, causing the roller support to swing between a retracted position and a printing position. The movable body has a support portion that contacts the surface opposite to the side of the roller bracket on which the first roller is disposed, thereby holding the roller bracket in a manner that prevents it from tilting. The length of the support portion in the axial direction is greater than 1 / 2 of the length of the roller bracket in the axial direction.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The printing device also includes: The third gear meshes with the first gear; The fourth gear meshes with the second gear; and The frame rotatably supports the third and fourth gears. The frame has a first through hole and a second through hole, which respectively allow the first side portion of the first shaft portion and the first side portion of the second shaft portion to pass through the first through hole and the second through hole. The first shaft portion and the second shaft portion are respectively inserted through the first through hole and the second through hole in a manner that allows them to move in a direction orthogonal to the through direction. When the roller support is in the retracted position, the first shaft portion and the second shaft portion do not contact the first edge portion of the first through hole and the second edge portion of the second through hole, respectively. When the roller support is in the printing position, the first shaft portion and the second shaft portion abut against the first positioning portion provided on the first edge portion and the second positioning portion provided on the second edge portion, respectively.

Images