Printing device

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes: a housing capable of accommodating a roll of paper on which a recording medium is wound; a cover rotatably mounted on the housing and capable of opening and closing the housing; a conveying unit having a conveying motor mounted on the housing and a conveying roller mounted on the cover, the conveying unit pulling out the recording medium from the roll of paper and conveying it along a recording medium path; and a cutting unit having a first blade mounted on the cover and a first blade motor and a second blade mounted on the housing, the first blade motor moving the first blade, the cutting unit capable of cutting the recording medium, the first blade motor having a first blade motor shaft, the first blade motor being mounted on the cover such that, when the cover is closed, a first extension line extending from the first blade motor shaft intersects with a second extension line extending from at least a portion of the recording medium path in the width direction of the recording medium.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to printing apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] In the prior art, as shown in Patent Document 1, there are known printing apparatuses that generate ineffective space around a motor used to move a blade for cutting a recording medium.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-72981

[0004] However, in the printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to miniaturize the printing apparatus because ineffective space is generated around the motor used to move the blade for cutting the recording medium. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The printing apparatus includes: a housing capable of accommodating a roll of paper wound with a recording medium; a cover rotatably mounted on the housing and capable of opening and closing the housing; a conveying unit having a conveying motor mounted on the housing and a conveying roller mounted on the cover, the conveying unit pulling the recording medium from the roll of paper and conveying it along a recording medium path; and a cutting unit having a first blade mounted on the cover and a first blade motor, and a second blade mounted on the housing, the first blade motor causing the first blade to move, the cutting unit being capable of cutting the recording medium, the first blade motor having a first blade motor shaft, the first blade motor being mounted on the cover such that, when the cover is closed, a first extension line extending from the first blade motor shaft intersects with a second extension line extending from at least a portion of the recording medium path in the width direction of the recording medium. Attached Figure Description

[0006] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing apparatus.

[0007] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the printing device when the cover is open.

[0008] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the printing apparatus when the cover is closed and the first blade is in the standby position.

[0009] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the printing device when the cover is closed and the first blade is in the cutting position.

[0010] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the components mounted on the cover when the cover is opened.

[0011] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the cutting section and the conveying section when the cover is closed.

[0012] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the printing department.

[0013] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship of the first blade relative to the path of the recording medium when it is in the standby position.

[0014] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship of the first cutter relative to the path of the recording medium when it is in the cutting position.

[0015] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0016] 1…printing apparatus, 10…control unit, 11…storage unit, 20…printing unit, 21…head, 23…FFC, 30…conveying unit, 31…conveying motor, 35…conveying roller, 36…conveying roller shaft, 38…gear train, 50…receiving unit, 51…cover, 60…main substrate, 61…sub-substrate, M…recording medium, P…recording medium path, P1…range, R…roll paper. Detailed Implementation

[0017] 1. Implementation Method

[0018] The implementation method will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that a three-dimensional coordinate system in which the X, Y, and Z axes are orthogonal to each other is used to explain the directions in the figures. For ease of explanation, the positive direction of the Z-axis will be referred to as "up" or simply "up," and the negative direction will be referred to as "down" or simply "down." The positive direction of the X-axis will be referred to as "right" or simply "right," and the negative direction will be referred to as "left" or simply "left." The positive direction of the Y-axis will be referred to as "back" or simply "back," and the negative direction will be referred to as "forward" or simply "forward."

[0019] The printing apparatus 1 involved in the implementation method is used, for example, in a POS (Point of Sale) system. A POS system is used in retail businesses such as shopping malls, department stores, convenience stores, and mobile sales, as well as in food and beverage businesses such as restaurants, eateries, and izakayas. A POS system has the function of settling accounts based on the goods and services purchased by customers and issuing receipts based on the settlement.

[0020] When shop assistants in retail, catering, and other businesses need to issue receipts during checkout, they will operate the POS system to send printing data from the computer to the printing device 1, which will then issue the receipt and hand it to the customer.

[0021] The printing device 1 is installed at the checkout counter inside the store. Due to space constraints at the counter, the printing device 1 also needs to be miniaturized.

[0022] 1-1. Composition of a printing apparatus

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, the printing apparatus 1 is configured to include a control unit 10, a storage unit 11, a printing unit 20, a transport unit 30, and a cutting unit 40. See also... Figures 2-7 The configuration of printing apparatus 1 will be described.

[0024] like Figure 2 As shown, the cover 51 is mounted on the housing 54 in a manner that allows it to rotate around the hinge 52. A roll of paper R wound with the recording medium M can be accommodated via a receiving portion 50 provided on the housing 54. The cover 51 can be moved between a state where the receiving portion 50 is open and a state where the receiving portion 50 of the housing 54 is closed by rotation.

[0025] Figure 2 The diagram shows the state in which the cover 51 opens the receiving portion 50 of the housing 54. In the following description, the cover 51 opening the receiving portion 50 of the housing 54 will also be referred to as opening the cover 51.

[0026] also, Figure 3 The state in which the cover 51 closes the receiving portion 50 of the housing 54 is shown. In the following description, the cover 51 closing the receiving portion 50 of the housing 54 will also be referred to as the closed cover 51.

[0027] First, the components mounted on cover 51 will be explained. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the cover 51 is equipped with a conveyor roller 35 included in the conveying unit 30, a movable blade 42 serving as the first blade included in the cutting unit 40, and a guide member 53, which can restrict the roll paper R as described later. A conveyor roller shaft 36 and a conveyor roller gear 37 are mounted on the conveyor roller 35.

[0028] Also adopted Figure 5 The components included in the cutting section 40 mounted on the cover 51 will be described in detail.

[0029] like Figure 5 As shown, in addition to the movable blade 42, the cover 51 is also equipped with a moving mechanism for moving the movable blade 42, which includes a movable blade motor 43 as the first blade motor, a movable blade motor shaft 43a as the first blade motor shaft, a movable blade motor gear 44, a transmission gear 45, a worm gear 46, a worm wheel 47, a gear 48, and a pin 49 provided on the gear 48.

[0030] like Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, the cover 51 has a motor cover 56 that serves as a first blade motor cover, covering at least a portion of the movable blade motor 43 of the cutting section 40.

[0031] The device is configured such that when a shop employee opens cover 51 and places the roll of paper R into the receiving portion 50 of housing 54, the motor cover 56 prevents the employee from touching the movable blade motor 43. This prevents malfunctions of the cutting portion 40 caused by the employee touching the movable blade motor 43 and resulting in positional deviation. It should be noted that it is preferable to cover at least the portion of the movable blade motor 43 near the movable blade motor gear 44 that transmits torque with the motor cover 56. This prevents malfunctions such as improper transmission of torque that generates the cutting portion 40.

[0032] Furthermore, the motor cover 56 may also cover a portion of the moving mechanism of the cutting section 40. For example, the motor cover 56 may also cover the movable blade motor shaft 43a, the movable blade motor gear 44, the transmission gear 45, and the worm gear 46. This can prevent defects in the cutting section 40 caused by the shop staff touching the various parts and causing the position to deviate.

[0033] It should be noted that the worm gear 47 and gear 48, which are other components of the moving mechanism constituting the cutting section 40, are covered by the guide 53, which is configured to prevent the shop's employees from touching them.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the movable blade motor 43 is mounted on the cover 51 such that a straight line F, which extends as a third extension line through the hinge 52, which serves as the rotation center of the cover 51, and the conveyor roller shaft 36 of the conveyor roller 35, falls on at least a portion of the movable blade motor 43. At least a portion of the movable blade motor 43 may also include at least a portion of the frame covering the movable blade motor 43. In this case, the straight line F falls on at least a portion of the frame covering the movable blade motor 43.

[0035] It should be noted that a threaded hole is provided on the frame of the movable blade motor 43 on the side of the movable blade motor gear 44. Furthermore, the first fixing plate and the second fixing plate are fixed to the cover 51. The movable blade motor gear 44 side of the movable blade motor 43 is supported on the cover 51 by screws that fit through the threaded hole and across the first fixing plate. The opposite side of the movable blade motor gear 44 of the movable blade motor 43 is supported on the cover 51 by being clamped by the second fixing plate. The first fixing plate and the second fixing plate can be the same component, or they can be the same component as the motor cover 56.

[0036] As described later, the guide 53 provided on the cover 51 is an arc shape following the shape of the roll paper R. Therefore, the space on the left and right sides of this arc-shaped guide 53, that is, the space enclosed by the cover 51 and the straight line F, easily creates empty space, also known as ineffective space. It should be noted that the positions of the hinge 52 and the conveyor roller 36 correspond to the positions of the two ends of the arc shape of the guide 53, respectively.

[0037] By mounting the movable blade motor 43 on the cover 51 in the configuration described above, the ineffective space enclosed by the cover 51 and the straight line F can be suppressed, and the printing device 1 can be made smaller.

[0038] Next, the components mounted on housing 54 will be described. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the housing 54 is equipped with a fixed blade 41, which is a second blade, including the cutting part 40; a printing part 20 including the head 21; a conveying motor 31, including the conveying part 30; and a receiving part 50.

[0039] It should be pointed out that, such as Figure 7 As shown, the printing section 20 is configured to include a head 21, a head substrate 22, and an FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) 23. (As shown...) Figure 6 As shown, the conveying unit 30 is configured to include a conveying motor 31, a wheel system 38, and a conveying roller 35.

[0040] In addition, a main substrate 60 serving as a first substrate and a sub-substrate 61 serving as a second substrate are provided on the housing 54.

[0041] The main substrate 60 is equipped with a control unit 10, which will be described later, controlling the printed circuit board 20. The FFC23 of the printed circuit board 20 is connected to the main substrate 60. The sub-substrate 61 is equipped with communication circuitry and power supply circuitry with relatively large connectors. These connectors are exposed externally from the housing 54.

[0042] The main substrate 60 and the sub-substrate 61 are connected to each other via an internal connector. The internal connector is, for example, a connector that connects the substrates to each other in a vertical orientation. By using such an internal connector, the main substrate 60 and the sub-substrate 61 are arranged in a cross-shaped configuration.

[0043] Figure 3 The diagram shows the closed state of the cover 51. In this state, the transport roller 35 of the transport section 30 on the cover 51 is positioned opposite the head 21 of the printing section 20 on the housing 54. As a result, the recording medium M is sandwiched between the head 21 and the transport roller 35. Thus, when the cover 51 is closed, the head 21 of the printing section 20 is positioned opposite the transport roller 35, allowing it to contact the recording medium M for printing.

[0044] Furthermore, as described later, when the cover 51 is closed, the gear train 38 engages with the conveyor roller gear 37 of the conveyor roller 35, enabling the transmission of torque from the conveyor motor 31 to the conveyor roller 35. Thus, when the cover 51 is closed, the conveyor roller 35 is able to convey the recording medium M.

[0045] Thus, when the shop clerk opens the cover 51 to accommodate the roll of paper R in the receiving section 50 and closes the cover 51, the printing apparatus 1 is in a state where it can print on the recording medium M.

[0046] It should be pointed out that, in Figure 3 The example shown is of the printing apparatus 1 with the cover 51 located on the front surface of the printing apparatus 1. However, the printing apparatus 1 can also be arranged with the cover 51 located on the upper surface. Depending on the arrangement of these printing apparatus 1, the discharge port 55 formed by the cover 51 (described later) is located on the front or upper surface of the printing apparatus 1, so that the shop clerk can easily pick up the recording medium M that has been printed and discharged from the discharge port 55.

[0047] like Figure 3 As shown, when the cover 51 is closed, the movable blade 42 of the cutting portion 40 of the cover 51 is positioned opposite the fixed blade 41 of the housing 54, allowing them to rub against each other. Figure 3 As shown, the position where the movable blade 42 is separated from the fixed blade 41 is set as the standby position A.

[0048] Furthermore, when the cover 51 is closed, a discharge port 55 for discharging the recording medium M is formed at the boundary between the cover 51 and the housing 54. Specifically, when the cover 51 is closed, a rectangular discharge port 55 is formed at the boundary between the end of the cover 51 on the opposite side of the hinge 52 and the housing 54 at the position opposite the end of the cover 51.

[0049] When the cover 51 is closed, a recording medium path P is further formed. The recording medium path P is formed to restrict the recording medium M from upstream to downstream in the transport direction of the recording medium M through the receiving part 50, the head 21, the transport roller 35, and the discharge port 55.

[0050] The recording medium M is pulled out of the roll of paper R by the transport unit 30 and transported along the recording medium path P. It should be noted that the range from the head 21 to the outlet 55 in the recording medium path P is specifically defined as range P1.

[0051] In other words, the range P1 includes at least a portion of the recording medium path P from the position of the head 21 of the printing section 20 and the position of the transport roller 35 of the transport section 30 to the position of the discharge port 55.

[0052] The printing unit 20 may also include a pressing mechanism that presses the head 21 against the conveyor roller 35. The pressing mechanism clamps the recording medium M between the head 21 and the conveyor roller 35 with a predetermined pressing force. When the conveyor roller 35 is rotated clockwise by the conveyor motor 31, the recording medium M, which is clamped between the head 21 and the conveyor roller 35 with a predetermined pressing force, is conveyed.

[0053] It should be noted that the conveyor roller 35 is made of a flexible material such as silicone rubber. Therefore, the conveyor roller 35, together with the head 21, can clamp the recording medium M with a specified pressing pressure and generate a frictional force capable of conveying the recording medium M.

[0054] Next, when the recording medium M is pulled out from the roll of paper R via the conveyor 30, the roll of paper R may sometimes roll in the back-and-forth direction. The guide 53 provided on the cover 51 is also arc-shaped, matching the shape of the roll of paper R, just like the receiving part 50. Through the receiving part 50 and the guide 53, the roll of paper R is restricted in the back-and-forth direction, suppressing its rolling.

[0055] The head 21 of the printing section 20 is, for example, a row-type thermal head in which multiple heating elements are arranged in a linear pattern.

[0056] The recording medium M is thermal paper. The recording medium M comes into contact with the head 21, and the color develops through the heating element, allowing printing to proceed in accordance with the printing data.

[0057] It should be noted that head 21 is a line-type thermal head; therefore, the recording medium M is conveyed by the conveyor roller 35 while being printed by head 21. The printed recording medium M is discharged from the discharge port 55.

[0058] In the cutting section 40, the movable blade 42 moves from the cutting section 40 via the aforementioned moving mechanism, which includes the movable blade motor 43. Figure 3 Standby position A shown Figure 4 The cutting position B shown is moved. That is, the movable blade 42 moves toward the fixed blade 41, which can cut the recording medium M located in the range P1 of the recording medium path P and located between the movable blade 42 and the fixed blade 41.

[0059] Figure 1 The control unit 10 shown is configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that comprehensively controls all parts of the printing apparatus 1, a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) that manages input and output, and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and PLD (Programmable Logic Device) as logic circuits. The CPU is also called a processor. The storage unit 11 is configured to include flash ROM (Read Only Memory) as rewritable non-volatile memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and RAM (Random Access Memory) as volatile memory.

[0060] The CPU of the control unit 10 reads the firmware and other programs stored in the non-volatile memory of the storage unit 11 and uses the RAM of the storage unit 11 as the working area to execute them.

[0061] like Figure 7 As shown, the printing unit 20 is configured to include a head 21, a head substrate 22, and an FFC 23. Specifically, the head 21 is mounted on the head substrate 22, which is made of ceramic or the like. The head 21 is connected to the main substrate 60 via a cable such as an FFC 23.

[0062] When printing data is received from the computer, the control unit 10 on the main board 60 generates a control signal for the control head 21 and applies it to the head 21 via the FFC 23. Based on the applied control signal, the head 21 prints a receipt on the recording medium M.

[0063] 1-2. Layout of the conveying and cutting sections

[0064] use Figure 5 and Figure 6 The layout of the conveying section 30 and the cutting section 40 will be described in detail.

[0065] like Figure 6 As shown, a gear train 38 is provided in the housing 54 on the side of the conveyor motor 31 where the conveyor motor gear 33 is mounted. The gear train 38 meshes with the conveyor motor gear 33 and can transmit the torque of the conveyor motor 31 to the conveyor roller 35. The gear train 38 is composed of multiple gears, which simultaneously reduce the rotational speed of the conveyor motor 31 and transmit torque to the conveyor roller 35.

[0066] like Figure 5 As shown, the conveyor roller gear 37 of the conveyor roller 35 is also disposed on the left side of the cover 51. When the cover 51 is closed, the gear train 38 mounted on the housing 54 meshes with the conveyor roller gear 37 mounted on the cover 51, enabling the conveyor roller 35 to rotate clockwise.

[0067] like Figure 6 As shown, the conveyor motor gear 33 of the conveyor motor 31, the gear train 38, and the conveyor roller gear 37 of the conveyor roller 35 included in the conveyor section 30 are efficiently and well arranged in the left space of the printing device 1.

[0068] On the other hand, such as Figure 5 As shown, the movable blade motor 43, movable blade motor shaft 43a, movable blade motor gear 44, transmission gear 45, and worm gear 46 included in the cutting section 40 are efficiently arranged in the space on the left side of the guide member 53 in the cover 51. In addition, the conveyor roller gear 37 of the conveyor roller 35 is also arranged in this space.

[0069] Thus, in the cover 51, on the side with the wheel system 38 opposite to the conveyor motor 31, there are also components such as the movable blade motor 43 and the cutting part 40.

[0070] Next, as Figure 5As shown, the lengths of the receiving section 50, the guide 53, and the conveying roller 35, which respectively store, restrict, and transport the roll paper R and the recording medium M, are all longer than the widths of the roll paper R and the recording medium M, occupying a considerable amount of space within the printing apparatus 1.

[0071] Including when the cover 51 is closed, the components that constitute the conveying section 30 and the cutting section 40 can be efficiently arranged in the space within the printing apparatus 1, as described above, while avoiding interference with the conveying roller 35, the guide 53, the receiving section 50, etc., so as to make the printing apparatus 1 compact.

[0072] The movable blade motor 43 of the cutting section 40 is a particularly large component. For example, by efficiently positioning the movable blade motor 43 in the left-side space of the printing apparatus 1, where ineffective space is easily generated, ineffective space within the printing apparatus 1 can be suppressed, thereby achieving miniaturization of the printing apparatus 1.

[0073] Furthermore, at least the movable blade motor gear 44, transmission gear 45, and worm gear 46 constituting the cutting section 40, and at least the conveyor motor gear 33, gear train 38, and conveyor roller gear 37 constituting the conveying section 30, are also efficiently arranged in the left-side space of the printing apparatus 1, thereby further suppressing the ineffective space in the printing apparatus 1 and further miniaturizing the printing apparatus 1.

[0074] 1-3. Operation of the cutting section

[0075] use Figure 8 and Figure 9 The operation of the cutting section 40 will be described in detail. It should be noted that... Figure 8 and Figure 9 The closed cover 51 is shown, and the retaining knife 41 is omitted.

[0076] First, such as Figure 8 As shown, assume the movable blade 42 is in standby position A. In standby position A, the movable blade 42 retracts downwards from the range P1 of the recording medium path P.

[0077] When the recording medium M is cut by the movable blade 42, the movable blade motor 43 is started under the control of the control unit 10. Then, as the movable blade motor shaft 43a rotates with the start of the movable blade motor 43, the movable blade motor gear 44 mounted on the movable blade motor shaft 43a also rotates. The movable blade motor gear 44 meshes with the transmission gear 45, which is coaxial with the worm 46. When the movable blade motor gear 44 rotates, the worm 46 also rotates via the transmission gear 45. As a result, the worm wheel 47, which meshes with the worm 46, rotates counterclockwise around the worm wheel shaft 47a. The worm 46 and the worm wheel 47 together constitute a so-called worm gear.

[0078] Pin 49 is mounted on gear 48 in a manner that protrudes forward from gear 48. On the other hand, an elongated elliptical hole 42a with a relatively long lateral shape is formed on movable blade 42. Hereinafter, the upper edge of the elliptical shape on the elongated hole 42a is referred to as the upper edge, and the lower edge is referred to as the lower edge. Pin 49 of gear 48 is slidably fitted into the elongated hole 42a of movable blade 42.

[0079] It should be pointed out that, such as Figure 8 As shown, when pin 49 of gear 48 is at its lowest point, movable blade 42 is in standby position A.

[0080] When the worm gear 47 rotates counterclockwise, the gear 48 meshing with the worm gear 47 rotates clockwise around the gear shaft 48a.

[0081] As gear 48 rotates clockwise, pin 49 also rotates clockwise, moving while rubbing against the upper edge of elongated hole 42a, pushing the movable cutter 42 upward. The result is as follows: Figure 9 As shown, the movable blade 42 moves towards the cutting position B. As the movable blade 42 moves from the standby position A to the cutting position B, the movable blade 42 enters the range P1 of the recording medium path P, and is able to cut the recording medium M located in the range P1 of the recording medium path P.

[0082] The movable blade 42 is made of V-shaped metal, with the tip of the V-shape forming the blade point. The movable blade 42 is a so-called piercing blade that moves the V-shaped blade point towards the fixed blade 41. The movable blade 42 can cut the recording medium M from both ends while moving the V-shaped blade point. At this time, cutting the entire width of the recording medium M through the movable blade 42 is called a full cut.

[0083] Furthermore, by moving only the center of the V-shape of the movable blade 42 to a position that does not cut the recording medium M and stopping it under the control of the control unit 10, it is also possible to perform a so-called partial cut that leaves the central portion of the recording medium M intact.

[0084] In this case, it is sufficient to have other detectors in advance to detect the position where the movable blade 42 is making local cuts. When the movable blade 42 is detected by other detectors to have reached the position for making local cuts, the control unit 10 stops the drive of the movable blade motor 43, so that the movable blade 42 can be stopped at the position for local cuts.

[0085] When the movable blade 42 reaches the cutting position B, the cutting of the recording medium M ends. Figure 9 As shown, when pin 49 of gear 48 is at its uppermost point, movable blade 42 is in the cutting position B. Then, control unit 10 returns movable blade 42 to standby position A.

[0086] Under the control of the control unit 10, when the movable tool motor 43 is further driven to rotate the movable tool motor shaft 43a, the worm wheel 47 is further rotated counterclockwise via the movable tool motor gear 44, the transmission gear 45, and the worm 46.

[0087] As gear 48 rotates clockwise, pin 49 also rotates clockwise. This time, pin 49 pushes movable blade 42 downward while rubbing against the lower edge of elongated hole 42a. Movable blade 42 moves downward from the range P1 of recording medium path P and moves towards standby position A.

[0088] like Figure 8 As shown, when the pin 49 of gear 48 returns to its lowest point and the movable blade 42 moves downward from range P1 to standby position A, it is detected by detector 70. When detector 70 detects that the movable blade 42 has reached standby position A, control unit 10 stops the drive of movable blade motor 43.

[0089] In the case of partial cutting, the movable blade motor 43 can be reversed under the control of the control unit 10. The movable blade 42 will not advance further from the position where partial cutting was performed, and can return to the standby position A while retaining the central portion of the recording medium M.

[0090] When the movable blade motor 43 reverses, the gear 48 and pin 49 rotate counterclockwise. The pin 49 rubs against the lower edge of the elongated hole 42a while pushing the movable blade 42 downward, which can move it to the standby position A.

[0091] It should be noted that a longer groove in the vertical direction of the movable blade 42 can also be formed at the center position on the left or right side of the movable blade 42, and configured to engage with other pins provided on the cover 51.

[0092] Because the groove edge of the movable blade 42 moves along the other pin edges, the movable blade 42 does not swing left or right. As a result, the movable blade 42 can enter and exit in a straight line relative to the range P1 of the recording medium path P. The movable blade 42 can cut the recording medium M with excellent precision.

[0093] Furthermore, if the control unit 10 determines that an error has occurred if, despite driving the movable blade motor 43, the detector 70 fails to detect the movable blade 42 moving from standby position A to cutting position B and then returning to standby position A within a specified time, this could be due to a situation where the recording medium M is stuck within range P1 of the recording medium path P, preventing the movable blade 42 from moving.

[0094] In this situation, the control unit 10 stops the drive of the movable blade motor 43 and reports the error of the cutting unit 40 through a reporting device such as an LCD display and a speaker.

[0095] 1-4. Layout of the cutting section and recording medium path

[0096] use Figure 8 and Figure 9 The layout of the cutting section 40 and the recording medium path P is described in detail.

[0097] As mentioned above, in Figure 8 In this configuration, the movable blade 42 of the cutting section 40 is located in a standby position A, retracted from a range P1 that is at least a part of the recording medium path P. A recording medium M, conveyed by the transport section 30 and printed by the printing section 20, exists within range P1 and can be cut by the movable blade 42. Furthermore, in... Figure 9 In the middle, the movable blade 42 enters the range P1 and is located at the cut position B that cuts off the recording medium M.

[0098] Figure 8 and Figure 9 The diagram shows a second extension line, namely a straight line E, extending from at least a portion of the range P1 of the recording medium path P to the left side, which is the width direction of the recording medium. Furthermore, a first extension line, namely a straight line D, extending from the movable blade motor shaft 43a of the movable blade motor 43 is shown.

[0099] like Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, the movable blade motor 43 is mounted on the cover 51 in such a way that the straight lines D and E intersect each other when the cover 51 is closed.

[0100] As mentioned above, the space on the left side of the printing apparatus 1 is prone to becoming invalid space. That is, the space on the left side of the range P1 of the recording medium path P within the printing apparatus 1 is also prone to becoming invalid space.

[0101] On the other hand, the movable tool motor 43 is formed as a cylindrical shape with the movable tool motor shaft 43a as the center of the circle and longer in the direction of the movable tool motor shaft 43a.

[0102] When the cover 51 is closed, the movable blade motor 43 is mounted on the cover 51 in the invalid space on the left side of the printing device 1, which is located at a position passing through the straight line E and located in at least a part of the range P1, by means of the straight line D of the movable blade motor shaft 43a of the cylindrical movable blade motor 43 intersecting the straight line E.

[0103] As a result, while avoiding interference with the range P1 of the recording medium path P, and suppressing the ineffective space within the printing device 1, the cylindrical movable blade motor 43 can be mounted on the cover 51 with excellent efficiency, making the printing device 1 smaller.

[0104] Furthermore, by mounting the movable blade motor 43 on the cover 51 such that straight lines D and E intersect each other, the rotation centers (axis of rotation) of the movable blade motor gear 44, transmission gear 45, and worm gear 46 of the cutting section 40 can also be mounted on the cover 51 in a manner parallel to straight line D. In other words, the rotation axes of these components, including the movable blade motor shaft 43a of the movable blade motor 43, can be arranged in the same direction.

[0105] As a result, by suppressing the ineffective space within the printing device 1, the components of these cut portions 40 can be efficiently mounted on the cover 51, and the printing device 1 can be further made smaller.

[0106] According to the embodiment described above, the movable blade motor 43 of the cutting section 40 is mounted on the cover 51 in such a way that the aforementioned straight lines D and E intersect each other when the cover 51 is closed.

[0107] As a result, the ineffective space within the printing device 1 that is not occupied by other components can be suppressed around the movable blade motor 43, making the printing device 1 smaller.

[0108] These embodiments have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments. Changes, substitutions, deletions, etc., can be made without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0109] As described above, an example of a line-type thermal printhead 21 being used in the printing apparatus 1 has been given; however, the type of printhead 21 is not limited. For example, printhead 21 could also be a line-type inkjet printhead.

[0110] An example of thermal paper being used as the recording medium M has been given; however, when the head 21 is an inkjet head, the recording medium M can also be plain paper.

[0111] Furthermore, the recording medium M can also be a label paper with a label of a certain shape pasted on a backing paper. The printing device 1 can be a label dispensing device installed in a store. In this case, a photoelectric sensor for detecting the position of the label pasted on the backing paper can be provided upstream of the recording medium path P in the transport direction of the recording medium M. For example, if the photoelectric sensor is reflective, either the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part can be mounted on the guide 53 and the receiving part 50 of the cover 51 at that position. Alternatively, if the photoelectric sensor is transmissive, the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part can be separately mounted on the guide 53 and the receiving part 50 of the cover 51.

[0112] The movable blade 42 can also be made of cuboid-shaped metal, with the tip of any one side serving as the blade point. In this case, the movable blade 42 is a so-called scissor-like blade supported so as to be able to rotate around the pivot of the cover 51. The movable blade motor 43 enables the movable blade 42 to rotate around the pivot, moving relative to the fixed blade 41 from one end of the blade point to the other, cutting the recording medium M while rubbing against the fixed blade 41.

[0113] The movable blade motor 43 can be a DC motor, a stepper motor, or another type of motor. Furthermore, while a cylindrical shape has been described as the movable blade motor 43, it can also be any other shape. Any shape that can be positioned within the unused space on the left side of the printing apparatus 1 is acceptable.

[0114] As a component that transmits the torque of the conveyor motor 31 to the conveyor roller 35, an example of a gear train 38 using multiple gears has been described. However, the torque can also be transmitted via a conveyor belt.

[0115] The detector 70 for detecting the position of the movable blade 42 can be a mechanical switch or an optical photoelectric sensor.

[0116] Alternatively, a locking mechanism that can be provided in the space on the left side of the housing 54 to maintain the position when the cover 51 is closed can be provided. This can suppress the inefficient use of space on the left side of the printing device 1 and improve space efficiency.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus, characterized in that, have: The housing is capable of holding the roll of paper wound with the recording medium; The cover is rotatably mounted on the housing and is capable of opening and closing the housing; A conveying unit, comprising a conveying motor mounted on the housing and a conveying roller mounted on the cover, the conveying unit pulls the recording medium from the roll of paper and conveys it along the recording medium path; and The cutting section includes a first blade mounted on the cover and a first blade motor, and a second blade mounted on the housing. The first blade motor moves the first blade, and the cutting section is capable of cutting the recording medium. The first blade motor has a first blade motor shaft, and the first blade motor is mounted on the cover such that, when the cover is closed, a first extension line extending from the first blade motor shaft intersects with a second extension line extending from at least a portion of the recording medium path in the width direction of the recording medium. The cover has a guide that, when the cover is closed, restricts the roll of paper. The first blade is covered by the guide. The first blade motor is positioned on the outer side of the guide in the width direction.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying roller has a conveying roller shaft. The first blade motor is mounted on the cover in such a way that a third extension line passing through the conveyor roller shaft and the rotation center of the cover falls on at least a portion of the first blade motor.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The printing apparatus includes a printing unit that, when the cover is closed, prints on the recording medium at a position opposite to the conveyor roller. When the cover is closed, a discharge port for discharging the recording medium is formed at the boundary between the cover and the housing. At least a portion of the recording medium path is from the position of the conveying roller and the printing section opposite to each other to the position of the discharge port.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The printing apparatus includes a gear train that transmits the torque of the conveyor motor to the conveyor rollers. The first blade motor is mounted on the side of the cover where the wheel system is located relative to the conveying motor.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The printing device has a first blade motor cover on the cover, which covers at least a portion of the first blade motor.

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