Modular thermal printer

Abstract

The present invention discloses a modular thermal printer, comprising a printing module and a detachable functional module, the functional module comprising at least one of a paper cutting module and a paper holding module, the paper cutting module being provided with a first paper output end and a first paper input end; the printing module being provided with a second paper output end; and the paper holding module being provided with a third paper input end; wherein the paper holding module can be detachably connected to the printing module so that the third paper input end is connected to the second paper output end; or the paper cutting module can be detachably connected to the printing module so that the first paper input end is connected to the second paper output end; or the paper holding module can be detachably connected to one end of the paper cutting module, and the other end of the paper cutting module can be detachably connected to the printing module so that the third paper input end is connected to the first paper output end, and the first paper input end is connected to the second paper output end. The various functions of the thermal printer are modularly designed, and can be assembled differently according to the functional modules according to actual use requirements, thereby improving the applicability of the thermal printer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of printer equipment, and in particular to a modular thermal printer. Background Art

[0002] In the related art, the working principle of thermal printers is that a semiconductor heating element is installed on the print head. After the print head is heated and contacts the thermal printing paper, the required pattern can be printed. Thermal printers have been widely used in the fields of ticket printing terminals, POS terminal systems, banking systems and medical instruments. However, the functional components of traditional thermal printers are generally assembled one by one and cannot be combined at will, resulting in low applicability of thermal printers. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention provides a modular thermal printer that can be modularly assembled according to functions, and multiple assemblies can be switched, thereby improving the applicability of the thermal printer.

[0004] A modular thermal printer according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises:

[0005] A printing module and a detachable functional module, wherein the functional module includes at least one of a paper cutting module and a paper holding module, wherein:

[0006] The paper cutting module is provided with a first paper outlet and a first paper feed end;

[0007] The printing module is provided with a second paper output end;

[0008] The paper holding module is provided with a third paper feeding end;

[0009] The paper holding module can be detachably connected to the printing module so that the third paper feed end is connected to the second paper output end; or the paper cutting module can be detachably connected to the printing module so that the first paper feed end is connected to the second paper output end; or the paper holding module can be detachably connected to one end of the paper cutting module, and the other end of the paper cutting module can be detachably connected to the printing module, so that the third paper feed end is connected to the first paper output end, and the first paper feed end is connected to the second paper output end.

[0010] The modular thermal printer according to the embodiment of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: the modular thermal printer includes a printing module and a detachable functional module, the functional module includes at least one of a paper cutting module and a paper holding module, the paper cutting module is provided with a first paper outlet and a first paper feed end; the printing module is provided with a second paper outlet; the paper holding module is provided with a third paper feed end; wherein the paper holding module can be detachably connected to the printing module so that the third paper feed end is connected to the second paper outlet end; or the paper cutting module can be detachably connected to the printing module so that the first paper feed end is connected to the second paper outlet end; or the paper holding module is detachably connected to one end of the paper cutting module, and the other end of the paper cutting module is detachably connected to the printing module so that the third paper feed end is connected to the first paper outlet end, and the first paper feed end is connected to the second paper outlet end. The modular thermal printer proposed in the present application modularizes the various functions of the thermal printer, and can be assembled differently according to the different functions of the functional modules according to actual use requirements, thereby improving the applicability of the thermal printer.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the paper cutting module is provided with a first connecting part, the printing module is provided with a second connecting part, and the paper holding module is provided with a third connecting part, and both ends of the first connecting part can be respectively connected to the detachable third connecting part and the second connecting part.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the first connecting portion includes a first connecting plate, the first connecting plate is located at the first paper feeding end, and the paper cutting module can be connected to the second connecting portion through the first connecting plate.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the first connecting portion further includes a second connecting plate, the second connecting plate is located at the first paper output end, and the paper cutting module can be connected to the third connecting portion through the second connecting plate.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the printing module is provided with a second connecting portion, and the paper holding module is provided with a third connecting portion, and the paper holding module can be detachably connected to the second connecting portion via the third connecting portion.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the third connecting portion includes a third connecting plate located at the third paper feed end, the second connecting portion includes a fourth connecting plate located at the second paper output end, and the third connecting plate can be connected to the fourth connecting plate.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the modular thermal printer further includes a paper bin module, the printing module is provided with a second paper feed end, and the paper bin module is connected to the second paper feed end.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the printing module includes a base and an upper cover, one end of the upper cover is rotatably connected to the base, and the other end of the upper cover and the base constitute the second paper output end.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the paper cutting module includes a fixed knife bracket and a movable knife bracket, the fixed knife bracket can be detachably connected to the upper cover, and the movable knife bracket can be detachably connected to the base.

[0019] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the paper holding module includes an upper bracket and a lower bracket, the upper bracket can be detachably connected to the fixed knife bracket, and the lower bracket can be detachably connected to the movable knife bracket.

[0020] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein:

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a partial structure of a modular thermal printer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structural breakdown of a modular thermal printer is shown;

[0024] Figure 3 for Figure 2 An enlarged view of point A is shown;

[0025] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a partial structure of a modular thermal printer according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a modular thermal printer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Reference numerals:

[0028] Paper cutting module 100; fixed knife support 110; movable knife support 120; first connecting portion 130; first connecting plate 131; second connecting plate 132;

[0029] Printing module 200; upper cover 210; base 220; second connecting portion 230; mounting frame 240;

[0030] Paper holding module 300; upper bracket 310; lower bracket 320; third connecting portion 330;

[0031] Paper bin module 400. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that descriptions involving orientations, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., and orientations or positional relationships indicated are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, "several" means one or more, "more" means more than two, "greater than", "less than", "exceed", etc. are understood to exclude the number itself, and "above", "below", "within", etc. are understood to include the number itself. If there is a description of "second" or "first", it is only used for the purpose of distinguishing technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0035] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, connecting, etc. should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific content of the technical solution.

[0036] The working principle of thermal printers is that semiconductor heating elements are installed on the print head. After the print head is heated and contacts the thermal printing paper, the required pattern can be printed. Thermal printers have been widely used in ticket printing terminals, POS terminal systems, banking systems, medical equipment and other fields. However, the various functional components of traditional thermal printers are generally assembled one by one and cannot be combined at will, resulting in low applicability of thermal printers. For use in specific occasions, they generally need to be customized according to actual needs to meet the use requirements.

[0037] To solve the above problems, the present application proposes a modular thermal printer, which modularly designs the various functions of the thermal printer and can be assembled differently according to the different functions of each module based on actual usage requirements, thereby improving the applicability of the thermal printer. The thermal printer can be used to print tickets, invoices or receipts, etc.

[0038] Reference Figures 1 to 3The modular thermal printer proposed in the present invention includes: a printing module 200 for printing thermal paper and a functional module, the functional module includes at least one of a paper cutting module 100 and a paper holding module 300, the paper cutting module 100 is used for cutting paper, the paper holding module 300 can clamp the printing paper, the paper cutting module 100 is provided with a first paper output end and a first paper input end; the printing module 200 is provided with a second paper output end; the paper holding module 300 is provided with a third paper input end; wherein the paper holding module 300 can be detachably connected to the printing module 200 so that the third paper input end is connected to the second paper output end; or the paper cutting module 100 can be detachably connected to the printing module 200 so that the first paper input end is connected to the second paper output end; or the paper holding module 300 can be detachably connected to one end of the paper cutting module 100, and the other end of the paper cutting module 100 can be detachably connected to the printing module 200 so that the third paper input end is connected to the first paper output end, and the first paper input end is connected to the second paper output end.

[0039] In some embodiments of the present application, the third paper feed end of the paper holding module 300 is connected to the first paper outlet end of the paper cutting module 100, and the first paper feed end of the paper cutting module 100 is connected to the second paper outlet end of the printing module 200. That is, the paper holding module 300, the paper cutting module 100 and the printing module 200 are sequentially connected from front to back, and the printing paper is printed in the printing module 200. After printing, it can be outputted into the paper cutting module 100 through the second paper outlet end of the printing module 200, and then transported into the paper holding module 300, and outputted from the third paper outlet end of the paper holding module 300. It should be noted that the third paper outlet end is also provided on the side of the paper holding module 300 relative to the third paper feed end, that is, the third paper outlet end is located at the front end of the paper holding module 300, and the paper cutting module 100 can cut the printing paper at a suitable position, and a part of the printed printing paper can be outputted from the third paper outlet end of the paper holding module 300, and the paper holding module 300 can hold the printing paper, and the user can manually pull out the printing paper.

[0040] It should be noted that, in some embodiments of the present application, the rear end of the paper holding module 300 is the third paper feed end, and the front end of the printing module 200 is the second paper output end. In the thermal printer of the present application, the paper holding module 300 can also be directly connected to the printing module 200, that is, the third paper feed end of the paper holding module 300 is connected to the second paper output end of the printing module 200, that is, the rear end of the paper holding module 300 is directly connected to the front end of the printing module 200, and when the printing paper is printed by the printing module 200, it can be output from the second paper output end and transported into the paper holding module 300 from the third paper feed end. A portion of the printed paper can be output from the third paper output end of the paper holding module 300, and the paper holding module 300 can hold the printing paper, and the user can manually pull out the printing paper.

[0041] It should be noted that in some embodiments of the present application, the front and rear ends of the paper cutting module 100 are respectively provided with a first paper outlet and a first paper feed end. The thermal printer of the present application can also only connect the first paper feed end of the paper cutting module 100 to the second paper outlet end of the printing module 200. After the printing paper is printed in the printing module 200, it enters the paper cutting module 100 from the first paper feed end through the second paper outlet end, and then outputs from the first paper outlet end. When the printing paper moves to a suitable position, the paper cutting module 100 can cut the printed paper for the user to take out. It should be noted that the user can set other paper receiving devices at the first paper outlet end of the paper cutting module 100, or the user can take the printing paper manually, which can be determined according to the actual needs of the user and is not specifically limited here.

[0042] Reference Figure 2 In some embodiments of the present application, the printing module 200 includes an upper cover 210 and a base 220. One end of the upper cover 210 is rotatably connected to the base 220, for example, it can be hinged. The other end of the upper cover 210 can cover the base 220 and form a second paper output end between the upper cover 210 and the base 220. The printed paper is printed between the upper cover 210 and the base 220, and can be output from the second paper output end after printing is completed.

[0043] It should be noted that the paper cutting module 100 includes a fixed knife bracket 110 and a movable knife bracket 120. The fixed knife bracket 110 can be detachably connected to the upper cover 210, and the movable knife bracket 120 can be detachably connected to the base 220 and is located on one side of the second paper output end. The fixed knife bracket 110 is used to install the fixed knife, and the movable knife bracket 120 is used to install the movable knife. The printing paper can move between the fixed knife and the movable knife, and when the printing paper moves to a suitable position, the movable knife can move toward the fixed knife to cut the printing paper.

[0044] It should also be noted that the paper holding module 300 includes an upper bracket 310 and a lower bracket 320. The upper bracket 310 can be detachably mounted on the fixed knife bracket 110, and the lower bracket 320 can be detachably mounted on the movable knife bracket 120, and is located on one side of the first paper output end of the paper cutting module 100. A clamping channel can be formed between the upper bracket 310 and the lower bracket 320, and the printing paper can pass through and move in the paper clamping channel, and the paper clamping channel can also clamp the printing paper. Of course, it can be understood that the upper bracket 310 can also be connected to the upper cover 210 of the printing module 200, and the lower bracket 320 is connected to the base 220 of the printing module 200, and is located on one side of the second paper output end of the printing module 200.

[0045] It should be noted that the paper cutting module 100 is provided with a first connection part 130, the printing module 200 is provided with a second connection part 230, and the paper holding module 300 is connected to a third connection part 330. The front and rear ends of the first connection part 130 can be detachably connected to the third connection part 330 and the second connection part 230 respectively; alternatively, the third connection part 330 of the paper holding module 300 can also be directly connected to the second connection part 230 of the printing module 200.

[0046] In some embodiments of the present invention, reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the first connection part 130 includes a first connection plate 131. The first connection plate 131 is located at the first paper feeding end, that is, the first connection plate 131 is arranged at the rear end of the movable knife bracket 120, and the paper cutting module 100 can be connected to the second connection part 230 of the printing module 200 through the first connection plate 131. It should be noted that the second connection part 230 includes a fourth connection plate located at the second paper output end of the printing module 200, and the fourth connection plate is arranged at the base 220 of the printing module 200. The first connection plate 131 can be connected with the fourth connection plate in cooperation with each other. For example, fasteners such as screws or bolts can be sequentially penetrated through the fourth connection plate and the first connection plate 131 to fix the first connection plate 131 to the fourth connection plate, so as to connect the movable knife bracket 120 of the paper cutting module 100 to the base 220 of the printing module 200. It should also be noted that the fixed blade bracket 110 is also provided with a first connecting plate 131 , and the upper cover 210 is provided with a matching fourth connecting plate so as to connect the fixed blade bracket 110 to the upper cover 210 .

[0047] In some embodiments of the present invention, the first connection part 130 further includes a second connection plate 132, and the second connection plate 132 is located at the first paper output end. When the paper holding module 300 needs to be connected at the first paper output end, the paper cutting module 100 can be connected to the third connection part 330 of the paper holding module 300 through the second connection plate 132. It should be noted that the third connection part 330 includes a third connection plate, and the third connection plate is located at the third paper input end of the paper holding module 300. The third connection plate can be arranged on the lower bracket 320 of the paper holding module 300, and the second connection plate 132 is arranged on the movable knife bracket 120 of the paper cutting module 100. The third connection plate can be connected with the second connection plate 132 in cooperation with each other, that is, fasteners such as bolts or screws can be sequentially penetrated through the third connection plate and the second connection plate 132 to fix the third connection plate to the second connection plate 132, so that the lower bracket 320 is fixedly connected to the movable knife bracket 120. It should be noted that the fixed knife bracket 110 is also correspondingly provided with a second connecting plate 132, and the upper bracket 310 is also correspondingly provided with a third connecting plate, so as to fix the upper bracket 310 to the fixed knife bracket 110, thereby fixing the paper holding module 300 to the first paper output end of the paper cutting module 100.

[0048] It should also be noted that the paper holding module 300 can also be directly connected to the printing module 200, that is, the paper holding module 300 is detachably connected to the second connecting portion 230 of the printing module 200 through the third connecting portion 330. It can be understood that the third connecting portion 330 includes a third connecting plate located at the third paper feeding end, the second connecting portion 230 includes a fourth connecting plate located at the second paper output end, and the third connecting plate can be connected to the fourth connecting plate. It should be noted that the third connecting plate can be arranged on the lower bracket 320 of the paper holding module 300, and the fourth connecting plate can be arranged on the base 220 of the printing module 200. When the lower bracket 320 is connected to the base 220, screws or fasteners such as screws can be passed through the third connecting plate and the fourth connecting plate in sequence to connect the third connecting part 330 to the second connecting part 230. It should be noted that the upper bracket 310 of the paper holding module 300 is also provided with a third connecting plate, and the upper cover 210 of the printing module 200 is also provided with a fourth connecting plate to fix the upper bracket 310 to the upper cover 210, thereby connecting the paper holding module 300 to the printing module 200.

[0049] Reference Figure 4 In some embodiments of the present invention, the modular thermal printer further comprises a paper bin module 400, the printing module 200 is provided with a second paper feed end on one side relative to the second paper output end, the paper bin module 400 is connected to the printing module 200, for example, it can be fixedly connected to the base 220 of the printing module 200 by fasteners such as screws or bolts, and is located on one side of the second paper feed end. The third paper feed end of the paper holding module 300 is connected to the first paper output end of the paper cutting module 100, and the first paper feed end of the paper cutting module 100 is connected to the second paper output end of the printing module 200. That is, the paper holding module 300, the paper cutting module 100, the printing module 200 and the paper bin module 400 are sequentially connected from front to back. It should be noted that the paper bin module 400 is used to set the printing paper, the printing paper is set in the paper bin module 400, and one end of the printing paper can enter the printing module 200 from the second paper feed end, and can move so that the printing module 200 can print the printing paper.

[0050] It should also be noted that, referring to Figure 5 Alternatively, only the printing module 200 may be connected to the paper bin module 400. A mounting bracket 240 for mounting a control panel is connected to the upper cover 210 of the printing module 200. The control panel is mounted on the mounting bracket 240 and electrically connected to the printing module 200, so that the user can control the printing module 200 to perform printing operations, etc. through the control panel.

[0051] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made within the knowledge scope of ordinary technicians in the relevant technical field without departing from the purpose of the present invention.

Claims

1. A modular thermal printer, characterized in that: It includes a printing module and a detachable functional module, wherein the functional module includes a paper cutting module and a paper holding module, wherein: The paper cutting module is provided with a first paper outlet and a first paper feed end; The printing module is provided with a second paper output end; The paper holding module is provided with a third paper feeding end; The paper holding module can be detachably connected to the printing module so that the third paper feed end is connected to the second paper output end; or the paper cutting module can be detachably connected to the printing module so that the first paper feed end is connected to the second paper output end; or the paper holding module can be detachably connected to one end of the paper cutting module, and the other end of the paper cutting module can be detachably connected to the printing module so that the third paper feed end is connected to the first paper output end, and the first paper feed end is connected to the second paper output end; The printing module includes a base and an upper cover, one end of the upper cover is rotatably connected to the base, and the other end of the upper cover and the base constitute the second paper output end, the paper cutting module includes a fixed knife bracket and a movable knife bracket, the fixed knife bracket can be detachably connected to the upper cover, and the movable knife bracket can be detachably connected to the base, the paper holding module includes an upper bracket and a lower bracket, the upper bracket can be detachably connected to the fixed knife bracket, and the lower bracket can be detachably connected to the movable knife bracket.

2. The modular thermal printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The paper cutting module is provided with a first connecting part, the printing module is provided with a second connecting part, and the paper holding module is provided with a third connecting part. Both ends of the first connecting part can be detachably connected to the third connecting part and the second connecting part respectively.

3. The modular thermal printer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first connecting portion includes a first connecting plate, the first connecting plate is located at the first paper feeding end, and the paper cutting module can be connected to the second connecting portion through the first connecting plate.

4. The modular thermal printer according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The first connecting portion further includes a second connecting plate, and the second connecting plate is located at the first paper output end. The paper cutting module can be connected to the third connecting portion through the second connecting plate.

5. The modular thermal printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The printing module is provided with a second connecting portion, and the paper holding module is provided with a third connecting portion. The paper holding module can be detachably connected to the second connecting portion through the third connecting portion.

6. The modular thermal printer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The third connecting portion includes a third connecting plate located at the third paper feeding end, the second connecting portion includes a fourth connecting plate located at the second paper discharging end, and the third connecting plate can be connected to the fourth connecting plate.

7. The modular thermal printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The modular thermal printer further comprises a paper bin module, the printing module is provided with a second paper feed end, and the paper bin module is connected to the second paper feed end.

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