Printing device

Abstract

This invention provides a printing apparatus that minimizes the space required for accommodating the driven roller and leaf spring. The printing apparatus (100) includes a main body (B), a printing mechanism (7), and a conveying mechanism (9). The printing mechanism prints on a label sheet (LS). The conveying mechanism includes a first roller (91), a second roller (92), and a leaf spring (93). The first roller (91) rotates about a first axis (91a) extending in the width direction of the main body (B). The second roller (92) rotates about a second axis (92a) extending in the width direction of the main body (B) as the first roller (91) rotates. The leaf spring (93) applies force to the second axis (92a) through a bearing portion (96). The conveying mechanism discharges the label sheet (LS) to the outside between the first roller (91) and the second roller (92). The leaf spring (93) has a main body (93a) that is a component extending axially along the second shaft (92a) and applies force to the second shaft (92a) from the second shaft (92a) toward the bearing portion (96).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus for printing on a predetermined sheet of paper. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, printing apparatuses are known for printing on label sheets with multiple labels (see, for example, Patent Document 1). These apparatuses include a conveying mechanism that transports the label sheet, supplied to a label sheet feed port, to a printing mechanism. After printing on the label by the printing mechanism, the label sheet is discharged from the printing mechanism. The conveying mechanism has a roller that rotates via a motor or the like, and a driven roller that rotates with the rotation of the roller. In the conveying apparatus, the label sheet is transported by rotating the two rollers, which sandwich the label sheet between them.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4119177 Summary of the Invention

[0004] In the aforementioned conveying mechanism, the rotation axis of the driven roller is supported by a bearing portion located in the main body of the printing device by the force of a leaf spring. In existing conveying mechanisms, the leaf spring is a component extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the rotation axis of the driven roller extends. Therefore, it is necessary to position the leaf spring behind the driven roller. As a space for accommodating the driven roller, at least a space corresponding to the length of the driven roller is required in the width direction of the main body, and at least a space corresponding to the length of the leaf spring is required in the direction perpendicular to the width direction. In other words, a relatively large space needs to be provided in the main body for accommodating the driven roller and the leaf spring.

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to minimize the space required for accommodating the driven roller and leaf spring.

[0006] A printing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a main body, a printing mechanism, and a conveying mechanism. The printing mechanism prints on a predetermined sheet of paper. The conveying mechanism includes a first roller, a second roller, and a leaf spring. The first roller rotates about a first axis extending in the width direction of the main body. The second roller rotates about a second axis extending in the width direction of the main body as the first roller rotates. The leaf spring applies force to the second axis towards a bearing portion supporting the second axis. The conveying mechanism discharges the paper to the outside via the first and second rollers. The leaf spring of the conveying mechanism has a main body portion. The main body portion is a component extending axially along the second axis, and applies force to the second axis towards the bearing portion from the axial direction of the second axis through elastic deformation.

[0007] In the aforementioned printing apparatus, the leaf spring that applies force to the second shaft via the bearing section has a main body that extends in the same direction as the axial direction of the second shaft, applying force to the second shaft from the axial direction through elastic deformation. Therefore, to accommodate the second roller and leaf spring, only a space at least equal to the diameter of the second roller and / or the width of the leaf spring is required in the direction perpendicular to the width direction of the main body. Since the diameter of the second roller and the width of the leaf spring are relatively small, the space required to accommodate the second roller and leaf spring can be reduced.

[0008] The main body may also have a pair of parts to apply force to both ends of the second shaft. This allows for a stable application of force to the bearing part on the second shaft.

[0009] The leaf spring may also have a connecting component. The connecting component is fixed to the main body and connects a pair of main body parts. Thus, by fixing only the connecting component to the main body, a pair of main body parts can be fixed to the main body at once.

[0010] This invention can reduce the space required to install the second roller and leaf spring. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an example of a label.

[0012] Figure 2 It is a 3D view of the printing device.

[0013] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the internal structure of the printing device.

[0014] Figure 4 This is an enlarged view of the part of the printing device that includes the first and second rollers.

[0015] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the structure of the control unit.

[0016] Symbol Explanation

[0017] 100…Printing device; 1…Display unit; 3…Input unit; 5…Sheet supply port; 5a…Paper guide; 7…Printing mechanism; 71…Thermistor head; 71a…Lifting motor; 72…Pressure plate; 73…Ribbon cartridge; 74…Carriage carriage; 74a…Carriage carriage motor; 9…Conveying mechanism; 91…First roller; 91a…First shaft; 92…Second roller; 92a…Second shaft; 93…Leaf spring; 93a…Main body; 93b…Connecting component; 94…Third roller; 94a…Third shaft; 95…Fourth roller; 95a…Fourth shaft; 96…Bearing unit; 9a…Conveying path; 9b…Conveying motor; 9c…Sheet detection unit; 11…Control unit; 11a…CPU; 11b…Storage device; 11c…Input / output interface; B…Main body; LS…Label sheet; L…Label. Detailed Implementation

[0018] 1. First Implementation Method

[0019] (1) Overview of the printing device

[0020] The printing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment will now be described. The printing apparatus 100 is capable of printing... Figure 1 A device for printing characters on multiple labels L arranged in a mutually divided manner on the same side of the label sheet LS (an example of a predetermined sheet of paper). Figure 1 Each label L of the label sheet LS shown has a first printing sub-region La and a second printing sub-region Lb. The printing device 100 is capable of printing characters independently in the first printing sub-region La and the second printing sub-region Lb of the label L. Furthermore, the label L having the above structure is referred to as an "index label". Figure 1 This diagram illustrates an example of a label sheet. Each label L can be detached from the label sheet LS. The label L detached from the label sheet LS can be affixed to the desired location where the label L is to be used.

[0021] Furthermore, the label sheets that can be printed by the printing device 100 are not limited to... Figure 1 The "index label" shown. As a label sheet that can be printed by the printing device 100, there are, for example, label sheets where each label has only one printing area. Furthermore, there are various sizes of labels and / or printing areas (vertical width, horizontal width). Additionally, there are labels without printing area borders.

[0022] (2) Structure of the printing device

[0023] The following uses Figure 2 and Figure 3 The structure of the printing device 100 will be described. Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the printing device. Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the internal structure of the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus 100 includes a display unit 1, an input unit 3, a sheet supply port 5, a printing mechanism 7, a conveying mechanism 9, and a control unit 11.

[0024] Display unit 1 is located at the upper part of the main body B of the printing device 100. Display unit 1 displays an operation screen for operating the printing device 100. Figure 2 As shown, the display unit 1 has a rectangular display area, but it also has a certain size not only in the left-right direction but also in the top-bottom direction, thus having a larger display area than existing technologies. The display unit 1 is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL display. The input unit 3 is located in the lower part of the main body B and receives operations from the printing device 100. Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the input unit 3 consists of multiple buttons. Specifically, the input unit 3 mainly has character input keys for inputting characters and other operation keys.

[0025] The sheet supply port 5 is located in the lower part of the input section 3 within the main body B. Label sheets LS, to be printed, are supplied to the sheet supply port 5. A pair of paper guides 5a are provided at the sheet supply port 5. The spacing between the pair of paper guides 5a can be adjusted by separating or bringing them closer together. Therefore, the sheet supply port 5 can supply label sheets LS of various sizes.

[0026] The printing mechanism 7 is a mechanism that prints on the label L using a thermal transfer method. Specifically, the printing mechanism 7 has a thermal head 71, a pressure plate 72, a ribbon cartridge 73, and a carriage 74.

[0027] The thermal head 71 applies ink to the label L by heating a strip of ink. The thermal head 71 is powered by a lifting motor 71a. Figure 5 The pressure plate 72 presses the ink ribbon against the label L between itself and the thermal head 71. The ink ribbon is stored in the ribbon cassette 73. The ribbon cassette 73 supplies ink ribbon between the thermal head 71 and the pressure plate 72.

[0028] A thermal head 71 and a ribbon cartridge 73 are mounted on the carriage 74. The carriage 74 is connected to a carriage motor 74a. Figure 5 Driven by the label LS, the thermal head 71 and the ribbon cartridge 73 can move along the width direction of the label LS (i.e., the left-right direction (width direction) of the body B), thereby moving the thermal head 71 and the ribbon cartridge 73 to a predetermined position in the width direction of the label LS. Furthermore, the ribbon cartridge 73 can be loaded and unloaded relative to the carriage.

[0029] The conveying mechanism 9 conveys the label sheet LS supplied to the sheet supply port 5 along the conveying path 9a, transports it to the configuration position of the printing mechanism 7, and discharges the label sheet LS printed by the printing mechanism 7 to the outside. The conveying path 9a is a gap extending from the sheet supply port 5 to the rear end of the main body B inside the main body B. The conveying mechanism 9 has a first roller 91, a second roller 92, a leaf spring 93, a third roller 94, and a fourth roller 95.

[0030] The first roller 91 is located at the rear end of the main body B of the conveying path 9a and rotates about a first shaft 91a extending along the width direction of the main body B. Specifically, the conveying motor 9b ( Figure 5 The first shaft 91a rotates, thereby rotating the first roller 91. The second roller 92 is positioned opposite the first roller 91 in the conveying path 9a. The second roller 92 rotates about a second shaft 92a extending along the width direction of the main body B. The second shaft 92a is located in the main body B and consists of an upward-opening U-shaped bearing portion 96. Figure 4 )support.

[0031] like Figure 3As shown, the surface of the second roller 92 is in contact with the surface of the first roller 91. Therefore, the second roller 92 rotates about the second axis 92a as the first roller 91 rotates. That is, the second roller 92 is the driven roller.

[0032] The leaf spring 93 is a component that applies force to the second shaft 92a of the second roller 92 towards the bearing portion 96. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the leaf spring 93 has a pair of main body portions 93a. The pair of main body portions 93a are components that extend in the same direction as the axial direction of the second shaft 92a. The main body portions 93a apply force to both ends of the second shaft 92a from the axial direction of the second shaft 92a through elastic deformation. Figure 4 This is an enlarged view of the part of the printing device that includes the first and second rollers.

[0033] Furthermore, the leaf spring 93 has a connecting member 93b. The connecting member 93b is a member that extends along the width direction of the main body B. A pair of main body portions 93a are respectively connected to the ends of the connecting member 93b. The connecting member 93b is fixed to the main body B. In this way, by fixing the connecting member 93b to the main body B, the pair of main body portions 93a are also fixed to the main body B.

[0034] As described above, the pair of main body portions 93a of the leaf spring 93 are components that extend in the same direction as the axial direction of the second shaft 92a, and force is applied to the second shaft 92a from the axial direction of the second shaft 92a, thus eliminating the need for a large space for assembling the second roller 92 and the leaf spring 93. Specifically, the space for assembling the second roller 92 and the leaf spring 93 only needs to have a size in the direction perpendicular to the width direction of the main body B that is similar to the diameter of the second roller 92 and / or the width of the main body portion 93a and the connecting member 93b. The diameter of the second roller 92, the width of the main body portion 93a and the connecting member 93b (the size in the direction perpendicular to the width direction of the main body B) are all small. As a result, in the printing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the space for assembling the second roller 92 and the leaf spring 93 can be reduced. If the space for assembling the second roller 92 and the leaf spring 93 can be reduced, the main body B can be made more compact.

[0035] Furthermore, the pair of main body portions 93a apply force to both ends of the second shaft 92a, thereby stably applying force to the bearing portion 96 on the second shaft 92a. Additionally, the pair of main body portions 93a are fixed to the main body B via a connecting member 93b, thus allowing the pair of main body portions 93a to be fixed to the main body B at once by simply fixing the connecting member 93b. That is, it is not necessary to fix the pair of main body portions 93a to the main body B separately.

[0036] A leaf spring 93 having a pair of main body portions 93a and connecting members 93b can be formed, for example, by processing a single metal plate. This allows for the easy formation of a leaf spring 93 where the pair of main body portions 93a and connecting members 93b are integrated. Alternatively, a pair of main body portions 93a and connecting members 93b can be formed separately, and the pair of main body portions 93a and connecting members 93b can be connected by welding or the like.

[0037] The third roller 94 is located on the side of the sheet supply port 5 in the conveying path 9a and rotates about the third axis 94a extending along the width direction of the main body B. Specifically, the conveying motor 9b ( Figure 5 The third shaft 94a is rotated, thereby causing the third roller 94 to rotate. Furthermore, as described above, the conveyor motor 9b not only rotates the third shaft 94a but also rotates the first shaft 91a of the first roller 91. That is, the conveyor motor 9b is capable of causing the first roller 91 and the third roller 94 to rotate simultaneously.

[0038] The fourth roller 95 is positioned opposite the third roller 94 in the conveying path 9a. The fourth roller 95 rotates about a fourth axis 95a extending along the width direction of the main body B. Figure 3 As shown, the surface of the fourth roller 95 is in contact with the surface of the third roller 94. Therefore, the fourth roller 95 rotates about the fourth axis 95a as the third roller 94 rotates. That is, the fourth roller 95 is the driven roller.

[0039] In the conveying mechanism 9 with the above-described structure, with a label sheet LS sandwiched between the third roller 94 and the fourth roller 95 and / or between the first roller 91 and the second roller 92, the label sheet LS can be conveyed to the configuration position of the printing mechanism 7 by rotating the first roller 91 to the fourth roller 95. Furthermore, by rotating the first roller 91 to the fourth roller 95, the conveying mechanism 9 can discharge the printed label sheet LS from the rear end of the main body B to the outside.

[0040] The control unit 11 is a computer system that controls the printing device 100. Specifically, as shown in the figure... Figure 5 As shown, the control unit 11 has a CPU 11a, a storage device 11b such as RAM and ROM, and an input / output interface 11c. Figure 5 This diagram illustrates the structure of the control unit. The CPU 11a performs various information processing operations. The storage device 11b stores the programs executed by the CPU 11a, character data, parameters required for controlling the printing device 100, etc. The input / output interface 11c allows for the input and output of signals and data between the CPU 11a, the storage device 11b, and the various components of the printing device 100.

[0041] The control unit 11 controls the printing device 100 described below by executing the program stored in the storage device 11b by the CPU 11a. Furthermore, a portion of the control of the printing device 100 can also be implemented by other hardware constituting the control unit 11. Moreover, the control unit 11 can be implemented either by a computer system having the CPU 11a, storage device 11b, and input / output interface 11c as separate devices, or by a SoC (System on Chip) integrating these structures onto a single chip.

[0042] The control unit 11 controls the screen display of the display unit 1, which is connected to the input / output interface 11c. The control unit 11 accepts user operations using the input unit 3, which is connected to the input / output interface 11c, and performs control based on the accepted operations. The control unit 11 controls the conveyor motor 9b, which is connected to the input / output interface 11c, and controls the conveying of the label sheet LS by the conveyor mechanism 9. The control unit 11 determines whether the label sheet LS has been supplied to the sheet supply port 5 based on the detection signal from the sheet detection unit 9c, which is connected to the input / output interface 11c.

[0043] The control unit 11 controls the heating of the thermal head 71, which is connected to the input / output interface 11c. The control unit 11 also controls the lifting motor 71a, which is connected to the input / output interface 11c, thereby controlling the lifting and lowering of the thermal head 71. Furthermore, the control unit 11 controls the carriage motor 74a, which is connected to the input / output interface 11c, thereby controlling the movement of the carriage 74.

[0044] (3) General considerations for implementation methods

[0045] The first embodiment described above generally has the following structure and function.

[0046] A printing apparatus (e.g., printing apparatus 100) includes a main body (e.g., main body B), a printing mechanism (e.g., printing mechanism 7), and a transport mechanism (e.g., transport mechanism 9). The printing mechanism prints on a predetermined sheet of paper (e.g., label sheet LS). The transport mechanism has a first roller (e.g., first roller 91), a second roller (e.g., second roller 92), and a leaf spring (e.g., leaf spring 93). The first roller rotates about a first axis (e.g., first axis 91a) extending in the width direction of the main body. The second roller rotates about a second axis (e.g., second axis 92a) extending in the width direction of the main body as the first roller rotates. The leaf spring applies force to the second axis towards a bearing portion (e.g., bearing portion 96) supporting the second axis. The transport mechanism discharges the paper to the outside via the first and second rollers. The leaf spring of the transport mechanism has a main body portion (e.g., main body portion 93a), which is a component extending axially along the second axis, and applies force to the second axis from the axial direction toward the bearing portion by elastic deformation.

[0047] In the aforementioned printing apparatus, the leaf spring that applies force to the second shaft via the bearing section has a main body that extends in the same direction as the axial direction of the second shaft, applying force to the second shaft from the axial direction through elastic deformation. Therefore, to accommodate the second roller and leaf spring, only a space at least equal to the diameter of the second roller and / or the width of the leaf spring is required in the direction perpendicular to the width direction of the main body. Since the diameter of the second roller and the width of the leaf spring are relatively small, the space required to accommodate the second roller and leaf spring can be reduced.

[0048] (4) Other implementation methods

[0049] The present invention has been described above as one embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. In particular, the various embodiments and variations described in this specification can be arbitrarily combined as needed.

[0050] The leaf spring 93 can be formed from materials other than metal (such as plastic).

[0051] Industrial availability

[0052] This invention can be widely applied to printing apparatuses that print on predetermined paper.

Claims

1. A printing device, characterized in that, have: main body; A printing unit that prints on predetermined paper; and A conveying mechanism includes a first roller that rotates about a first axis extending along the width direction of the main body, a second roller that rotates about a second axis extending along the width direction of the main body as the first roller rotates, and a leaf spring that applies force to the second axis to a bearing portion supporting the second axis. The conveying mechanism discharges the paper to the outside via the first roller and the second roller. The leaf spring has a main body and a connecting component. The main body is a component that extends axially along the second axis, and it is the main body that applies force to the second axis from the axial direction of the second axis toward the bearing portion through elastic deformation. The connecting component is erected perpendicularly to the main body and connected to the main body, and is fixed to the main body.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body is provided with a pair of components that apply force to both ends of the second shaft.

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