Printer

Abstract

The present invention provides a printer, comprising a housing, a cover and a printer core. The cover is rotatably supported on the housing about a first rotation axis. The printer core includes an upper bracket, a lower bracket, a rubber roller, a print head and a locking member. The upper bracket is rotatably supported on the lower bracket about a second rotation axis parallel to the first rotation axis. One of the rubber roller and the print head is disposed on the upper bracket, and the other is disposed on the lower bracket. The first rotation axis and the axis of the rubber roller are perpendicular to each other. The locking member has a locking position and an unlocking position. The cover includes a pushing structure and has a first rotation angle and a second rotation angle of rotating relative to the housing. The second rotation angle is not less than the first rotation angle. At least a part of the locking member is located on the moving track of the pushing structure. When the cover is at the first rotation angle, the locking member is pushed by the pushing structure to the unlocking position. When the cover is at the second rotation angle, the cover applies a force to the upper bracket in the direction of opening the upper bracket.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer. Background Art

[0002] A small printer with an open cover structure generally includes a housing, a cover rotatably supported on the housing about a first rotation axis, and a printer core. The printer core includes a rubber roller and a print head that are separately arranged. One of the rubber roller and the print head is arranged in the housing, and the other is arranged on the cover and can be moved by being carried by the cover. Among them, the first rotation axis is parallel to the axis of the rubber roller.

[0003] In this type of printer, if it is necessary to configure electrical components such as sensors, displays, and print heads on the cover, it is inevitable to arrange wiring extending from the power supply in the housing to the electrical components in the cover. The above wiring generally enters the cover from the rotational connection between the cover and the housing. This type of wiring arrangement places certain requirements on the structural design of the printer, the bending resistance of the wiring, and the manufacturing accuracy of the printer, and to a certain extent increases the failure rate of the printer.

[0004] Japanese Utility Model Patent No. JP3210425U discloses a printer core, which includes a lower bracket, an upper bracket rotatably supported on the lower bracket about a second rotation axis, a rubber roller, a print head, and a locking member for locking the upper bracket to the lower bracket. Among them, one of the rubber roller and the print head is arranged on the lower bracket, and the other is arranged on the upper bracket and can be moved by being carried by the upper bracket. The projection of the second rotation axis and the axis of the rubber roller in the vertical direction are perpendicular to each other. When this type of printer core is configured in a printer, power can be supplied to each electrical component on the upper bracket through a flexible circuit board entering the upper bracket from one end of the upper bracket close to the second rotation axis. The flexible circuit board does not have to be buried in the housing of the printer, thereby greatly reducing the complexity of the printer wiring, facilitating the maintenance of the printer, and reducing the failure rate of the printer.

[0005] However, in the prior art, there is no small printer that applies the above printer core and can drive the upper bracket of the above printer core to open during the opening of the cover. One technical problem is that when opening the cover, the locking member needs to be unlocked before the upper bracket can be driven to rotate by the cover, so as to separate the upper bracket from the lower bracket. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to solve the above related technical problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a printer that applies the above printer core and can unlock the locking member first and then pull the upper bracket when opening the cover.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A printer, comprising a housing, a cover, and a printer core. The cover is rotatably supported on the housing about a first rotation axis. The printer core includes an upper bracket, a lower bracket, a rubber roller, a print head, and a locking member. The upper bracket is rotatably supported on the lower bracket about a second rotation axis parallel to the first rotation axis. One of the rubber roller and the print head is disposed on the upper bracket, and the other is disposed on the lower bracket. The projection of the first rotation axis and the axis line of the rubber roller in the vertical direction are perpendicular to each other. The locking member has a locking position for locking the upper bracket to the lower bracket and an unlocking position for allowing the upper bracket to rotate relative to the lower bracket. The cover includes a pushing structure and a linkage portion and has a first rotation angle and a second rotation angle of rotating relative to the housing. The second rotation angle is not less than the first rotation angle. At least a part of the locking member is located on the moving track of the pushing structure. When the cover is at the first rotation angle, the locking member is pushed by the pushing structure to the unlocking position. When the cover is at the second rotation angle, the linkage portion applies a force to the upper bracket in a direction to open the upper bracket.

[0008] In the above technical solution, preferably, at least a part of the upper bracket is located on the moving track of the linkage portion. During the process of the cover rotating from the closed state to the second rotation angle, the linkage portion does not contact the upper bracket. When the cover is at the second rotation angle, the linkage portion contacts the upper bracket to allow the cover to pull the upper bracket in the opening direction. Further preferably, the upper bracket includes a bracket body and a housing fixedly connected to the upper side of the bracket body. The housing and the bracket body form an activity space. The linkage portion includes a first cover-opening hook at least partially extending into the activity space.

[0009] In the above technical solution, preferably, the cover further includes a thrust component that can push the upper bracket during the process of closing the cover. The upper bracket has a push-rack position that contacts the thrust component during the process of closing the cover. When the cover is in the closed state, the thrust component and the push-rack position have a first distance in the vertical direction.

[0010] In the above preferred solution, further preferably, the locking member is a hook lock, and the lower bracket is configured with a cross bar that is adapted to the hook lock and extends along the direction of the first rotation axis; when the cover is in the closed state as observed from the direction of the first rotation axis, the contact position between the hook lock and the cross bar is located on the side closer to the first rotation axis of the vertical line passing through the cross bar. It can be further preferably that the cover has a first side wall away from the first rotation axis, and the housing has a second side wall away from the first rotation axis; when the cover is in the closed state, there is a second spacing in the vertical direction between the first side wall and the second side wall, the second side wall and the first rotation axis have a second length in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis, the position of the push frame and the first rotation axis part have a first length in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis, and the ratio of the first spacing to the first length is less than the ratio of the second spacing to the second length.

[0011] In the above preferred solution, further preferably, the upper bracket is further configured with an elastic buffer arm extending towards the inner wall of the cover. When the cover is in the closed state, a third spacing is formed between the elastic buffer arm and the inner wall of the cover. The elastic buffer arm and the first rotation axis have a third length in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis. The position of the push frame and the first rotation axis part have a first length in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis, and the ratio of the first spacing to the first length is greater than the ratio of the third spacing to the third length.

[0012] In the above preferred solution, further preferably, the cover further includes a linkage part. The linkage part can contact the upper bracket when the cover is at the second rotation angle to allow the cover to pull the upper bracket; the thrust component is integrated on the linkage part.

[0013] In the above technical solution, preferably, the locking member is a hook lock. The hook lock includes a hook lock rotating shaft rotatably connected to the upper bracket around a third rotation axis, a locking part, and a force receiving part arranged at an angle to the locking part. The third rotation axis is parallel to the first rotation axis, and the force receiving part is located on the rotation trajectory of the pushing structure.

[0014] In the above preferred solution, further preferably, as observed from the direction of the first rotation axis, the force receiving part is located on the side of the third rotation axis away from the first rotation axis.

[0015] In the above preferred solution, more preferably, the pushing structure is a second lid-opening hook extending towards the direction where the force-receiving part is located. When the lid is in the closed state, the second lid-opening hook is arranged at an interval from the force-receiving part.

[0016] In the above technical solution, preferably, the printer further includes a lid-opening mechanism. The lid-opening mechanism includes a hook that can be movably arranged on the lid and a trigger that can contact the hook. The trigger is movably arranged in the housing; the hook is between a first position where the lid can be locked to the housing and a second position where the lid is allowed to open and close relative to the housing; the hook and / or the trigger has a first contact surface, and the first contact surface is configured such that when the trigger abuts against the hook, at least part of the force exerted by the trigger on the hook forces the hook located at the first position to move towards the second position and at least part of the force exerted by the trigger on the hook forces the hook located at the second position to move in the direction of opening the lid.

[0017] In the process of the lid of the printer provided by the technical solution of the present invention being opened from the closed state to the first rotation angle, the pushing structure of the lid contacts and pushes the locking member to the unlocking position; when the lid is opened to the second rotation angle, a force in the direction of opening the upper bracket is applied to the upper bracket through linkage, thereby driving the upper bracket to move. It can be understood that during the opening process of the lid provided by the present invention, the locking member can be automatically unlocked first, and then the upper bracket of the printer core can be driven. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the printer in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the printer in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at this time the lid is at the first rotation angle;

[0020] Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the printer in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at this time the lid is at the second rotation angle;

[0021] Figure 4 is one of the cross-sectional views of the printer in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at this time the hook is at the first position;

[0022] Figure 5 is the second cross-sectional view of the printer in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at this time the hook is at the second position;

[0023] Figure 6 is one of the perspective views of the lid-opening button, transmission arm, trigger and hook in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 This is the second three-dimensional schematic diagram of the cover opening button, transmission arm, trigger member and hook in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 A schematic cross-sectional view of a printer in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 9 1 is a simplified structural diagram of a printer in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0028] Figures 1-9 The printer provided by the present invention is shown. The printer includes a housing 1, a cover 2, and a printer mechanism 31. The housing 1 includes an upper opening 11. The cover 2 is rotatably supported on the housing 1 about a first rotation axis (not shown) to selectively open or close the upper opening 11. The printer mechanism 31 includes an upper bracket 312 and a lower bracket 311. The upper bracket 312 is rotatably supported on the lower bracket 311 about a second rotation axis (not shown) parallel to the first rotation axis. The lower bracket 311 is disposed within the housing 1. The printer mechanism 31 also includes a rubber roller 3111 and a print head 3121. The rubber roller 3111 and the print head 3121 are disposed on the upper bracket 312 and the lower bracket 311, respectively. In this embodiment, the print head 3121 is disposed on the upper bracket 312, and the rubber roller 3111 is disposed on the lower bracket 311. However, in some simple alternatives, the print head 3121 may also be disposed on the lower bracket 311, and the rubber roller 3111 may be disposed on the upper bracket 312, without limitation.

[0029] The upper bracket 312 can be moved by the cover 2. The printer also includes a receiving compartment 32 for receiving a roll of printing paper, which is removably arranged therein. When the printer is in operation, the cover 2 is closed, and the printing paper passes between the print head 3121 and the rubber roller 3111. The rubber roller 3111 presses the printing paper against the print head 3121 from the bottom side and drives the printing paper, allowing the print head 3121 to print on the upper surface of the printing paper. When the cover 2 is opened, the receiving compartment 32 is exposed, and the upper bracket 312 and lower bracket 311 of the printer mechanism 31 are opened, allowing the user to easily replace the printing paper roll and place the printing paper between the rubber roller 3111 and the print head 3121. In this embodiment, the axis of the rubber roller 3111 is perpendicular to the vertical projection of the first rotation axis of the cover 2. This type of opening is called side opening.

[0030] In this application, the "closed state" of the cover 2 means that the cover 2 is locked on the housing 1 and is not subject to external force. In this application, the extending direction of the first rotation axis is defined as the front-back direction, wherein the printer core 31 is located on the front side of the receiving bin 32; the extending direction of the axis of the rubber roller 3111 when the cover 2 is in the closed state is defined as the left-right direction, wherein the locking mechanism 313 (see below) is located on the left side of the first rotation axis.

[0031] The printer core 31 further includes a locking mechanism 313 that can lock the upper bracket 312 of the core on the lower bracket 311, and the locking mechanism 313 can be controlled to release the locking state between the upper bracket 312 and the lower bracket 311. The cover 2 further includes a linkage portion 21 and a pushing structure 22. The cover 2 has a first rotation angle and a second rotation angle for rotating relative to the housing 1, and the second rotation angle is not less than the first rotation angle. Among them, at least part of the upper bracket 312 is located on the movement track of the linkage portion 21, and at least part of the locking mechanism 313 is located on the movement track of the pushing structure 22. When the cover 2 rotates to the first rotation angle, the locking mechanism 313 is unlocked. When the cover 2 continues to rotate to the second rotation angle, the linkage portion 21 of the cover 2 contacts the upper bracket 312. During the process of the cover 2 opening continuously after exceeding the second rotation angle, the upper bracket 312 is continuously pulled by the linkage portion 21 to rotate relative to the lower bracket 311. Since the upper bracket 312 is pulled by the linkage portion 21 instead of the cover 2 continuously pulling the upper bracket 312 through the locking mechanism 313, the transmission effect is good and the relatively fragile hook lock 3131 (see below) can be protected from being damaged by the cover 2.

[0032] The printer further includes an opening cover spring 5 connected between the housing 1 and the cover 2. The opening cover spring 5 can be a torsion spring or the like, and is not limited thereto. During the opening process of the cover 2, the cover 2 first rotates to the first rotation angle, at which time the cover 2 drives the locking mechanism 313 to unlock. When the cover 2 rotates to the second rotation angle, the linkage portion 21 of the cover 2 contacts the upper bracket 312. When the cover 2 is opened from the closed state to the first rotation angle, at least part of the rotational power required for the cover 2 is provided by the opening cover spring 5, and when rotating to an angle greater than the second rotation angle, all of the rotational power required for the cover 2 and the upper bracket 312 of the core 31 is provided by the opening cover spring 5.

[0033] The locking mechanism 313 includes a locking member disposed on the upper bracket 312 and a mating member disposed on the lower bracket 311 and adapted to the locking member. In this embodiment, the locking member is a hook lock 3131, and the mating member is a cross bar 3132 extending along the direction of the first rotation axis. The locking mechanism 313 further includes an elastic member (not shown in the figure) connecting the hook lock 3131, and the hook lock 3131 is rotatably connected to the upper bracket 312. The elastic member applies a force to the hook lock 3131 to maintain the locking connection with the lower bracket 311. When the cover 2 is opened from the closed state to the first rotation angle, the hook lock 3131 will be driven to rotate to achieve unlocking.

[0034] When in the initial state, the hook lock 3131 is latched onto the cross bar 3132. The hook lock 3131 has a locking position for locking the upper bracket 312 to the lower bracket 311 and an unlocking position that allows the upper bracket 312 to rotate relative to the lower bracket 311. Understandably, to avoid interfering with the cover body 2 pulling the upper bracket 312, the hook lock 3131 should be switched to the unlocking position before the cover body 2 pulls the upper bracket 312 (i.e., at the latest when the cover body 2 rotates to the second rotation angle).

[0035] Specifically, the pushing structure 22 includes a second opening cover hook 221 extending in the direction of the hook lock 3131. The hook lock 3131 includes a locking portion (not marked in the figure) that can lock the cross bar 3132, a hook lock rotating shaft (not marked in the figure) defining a third rotation axis parallel to the first rotation axis, and a force receiving portion (not marked in the figure) extending in the direction of the second hook 221 and capable of receiving the force exerted by the second hook 221. When observed from the front-rear direction, the force receiving portion of the hook lock 3131 is arranged on the side away from the first rotation axis of the vertical line passing through the cross bar 3132.

[0036] When the cover body 2 is closed, the second opening cover hook 221 is located below the force receiving portion of the hook lock 3131 and is spaced from the force receiving portion to prevent the hook lock 3131 from being switched to the unlocking state under the drive of the vibrating opening cover hook 221 when the cover body 2 is impacted; the locking portion of the hook lock 3131 locks the cross bar 3132, and the locking mechanism 313 is in the locked state. During the process of the cover body 2 opening from the closed state to the first rotation angle, the second opening cover hook 221 rotates around the first rotation axis together with the cover body 2. During this rotation, the second opening cover hook 221 contacts the force receiving portion of the hook lock 3131 and forces the hook lock 3131 to rotate in the unlocking direction through the force receiving portion. The locking portion of the hook lock 3131 gradually disengages from the cross bar 3131 during this process. When the cover body 2 rotates to the first rotation angle, the locking portion of the hook lock 3131 completely disengages from the cross bar 3131, and the locking mechanism 313 changes from the locked state to the unlocked state.

[0037] In other embodiments, the locking member in the locking mechanism can also be a rotatable buckle, a horizontally movable slide lock, etc. The cooperating member in the locking mechanism can also be a limiting protrusion integrated on the lower bracket, etc. On the premise that the locking mechanism can lock the upper bracket of the printer core to the lower bracket and can be unlocked by being driven by the cover body during the process of the cover body rotating from the closed state to the first rotation angle (such as pushing the slide lock in the unlocking direction by the pushing structure of the cover body), the specific structure of the locking mechanism does not limit the protection scope of this application.

[0038] The upper bracket 312 includes a housing 3122 which forms an activity space 3123. When the cover body 2 is at the second rotation angle, the first cover-opening hook 211 (see below) abuts against the inner top wall of the activity space 3123 (see below) to drive the upper bracket 312 to rotate. Specifically, the upper bracket 312 includes a bracket body 3124 that supports the print head 3121 and a housing 3122 connected to the bracket body 3124. The housing 3122 is located above the bracket body 3124 and can play a protective role to prevent the bracket body 3124 from being damaged. A part of the housing 3122 is located above the bracket body 3124 and is spaced apart from the bracket body 3124 by a certain distance to form the activity space 3123. The linkage part 21 includes a first cover-opening hook 211 that extends into the activity space 3123. When the cover body 2 is closed, the first cover-opening hook 211 is located above the bracket body 3124 and there is a gap between it and the bracket body 3124. This gap can serve as a buffer space between the cover body 2 and the upper bracket 3124 to prevent the external impact from being transmitted to the movement 31 through the first cover-opening hook 211 when the cover body 2 is subjected to an external impact. When the cover body 2 rotates to the second rotation angle, the first cover-opening hook 211 abuts against the top wall of the activity space 3123.

[0039] In other embodiments, the structural design of the above-mentioned housing or activity space can also be cancelled. When the three technical features that at least part of the upper bracket (such as the side part of the upper bracket) is located on the rotation path of the linkage part, the linkage part disengages from the upper bracket between the closed state of the cover body and the second rotation angle (excluding both end points), and the linkage part contacts the upper bracket when the cover body is at the second rotation angle are satisfied, the technical effect that the cover body pulls the upper bracket by the linkage part after the second rotation angle can be achieved.

[0040] In other embodiments, the linkage part can also be a pull ring (the pull spring is tightened when the rotation angle of the cover body is not less than the second rotation angle), a flexible connecting member (such as a rope or a chain with both ends connected to the cover body and the upper bracket respectively, and the flexible connecting member is tightened when the rotation angle of the cover body is not less than the second rotation angle), etc. In addition, a hook lock or a hook structure can also be configured on the upper bracket of the printer movement, and an activity space adapted to it can be configured on the cover body (the relevant wall surface constituting the activity space is the linkage part of the cover body in this type of embodiment). When the rotation angle of the cover body is not less than the second rotation angle, the hook lock or the hook on the upper bracket abuts against the wall surface of the activity space of the cover body so that the cover body can pull the upper bracket of the printer movement. Therefore, on the premise that the linkage part of the cover body can apply a force in the direction of opening the upper bracket to the upper bracket of the printer movement when the cover body is opened to the second rotation angle, the specific structure of the linkage part does not limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0041] In this embodiment, when the cover body 2 is in the closed state, the print head 3121 of the upper bracket 312 abuts against the rubber roller 3111 on the lower bracket 311, the pushing structure 22 of the cover body 2 and the locking mechanism 313 are arranged at intervals, and the linkage part 21 of the cover body 2 and the upper bracket 312 are arranged at intervals (that is, the first cover-opening hook 211 of the linkage part 21 and the bracket body 3124 are arranged at intervals).

[0042] In this embodiment, during the closing process of the cover body 2, the linkage part 21 at least correspondingly pushes against the upper bracket 312. During the closing process of the cover body 2, the second cover-opening hook 221 of the linkage part 21 correspondingly pushes against the upper side of the bracket body 3124 to push the upper bracket 312 to close relative to the lower bracket 311.

[0043] As Figure 2 shown, the locking part of the hook lock 3131 has an inclined surface (not marked in the figure) located at the bottom and inclined towards the lower left and a contact surface (not marked in the figure) that is arc-shaped and contacts the cross bar 3132 in the locked state. When the locking mechanism 313 is in the locked state, viewed from the front-rear direction, the contact position between the hook lock 3131 and the cross bar 3132 is on the side close to the first rotation axis of the vertical line passing through the center of the cross bar 3132. In this way, when the hook lock 3131 receives an impact and vibrates, the force exerted by the cross bar 3132 on the hook lock 3132 can be decomposed into a component force towards the first rotation axis, that is, a force towards the locking direction of the hook lock 3131, thus preventing the hook lock 3132 from disengaging from the cross bar 3131.

[0044] During the closing process of the cover body 2, the inclined surface of the hook lock 3132 first contacts the cross bar 3131, and the cross bar 3131 exerts a force on the hook lock 3132 with a component force towards the left, that is, a component force towards the unlocking position of the hook lock 3132, to open the hook lock 3132. After the inclined surface of the hook lock 3132 disengages from the cross bar 3131, the contact surface of the hook lock 3132 contacts the cross bar 3131 and moves along the outer peripheral surface of the cross bar 3131 until it reaches the locked position.

[0045] In the locked position, the contact position between the hook lock 3131 and the cross bar 3132 is not the lowest point of the outer peripheral surface of the cross bar 3131. It can be understood that during the locking process, the upper bracket 312 needs to drive the contact surface of the hook lock 3131 to cross the lowest point of the outer peripheral surface of the cross bar 3131. In addition, the main body part of the locking part is in an inclined posture during the locking process, reducing the distance between the contact surface and the center of the hook lock rotation axis in the vertical direction (as Figure 3 ). The above two factors make the lowest point of the movement path of the upper bracket 312 during the closing process of the cover body 2 be below the position where the upper bracket 312 is located when the cover body 2 is in the closed state.

[0046] Refer to Figure 9, when the cover body 2 is in the closed state, there is a gap between the cover body 2 and the lower shell 1. Among them, the left wall of the cover body 2 and the left wall of the housing 1 have a first gap d1 in the vertical direction, and the left wall of the housing 1 and the rotation center a of the cover body 2 have a first length L1 in the left-right direction. The upper bracket body 3124 has a push-rack position that contacts the first opening hook 211 during the closing process of the cover body 2. When the cover body 2 is in the closed state, the first opening hook 211 and the push-rack position of the upper bracket body 3124 have a second gap d2 in the vertical direction, and the first opening hook 211 and the rotation center a of the cover body 2 have a second length L2 in the left-right direction. The ratio of the first gap d1 to the first length L1 should be at least greater than the ratio of the second gap d2 to the second length L2, so that after the cover body 2 passes the closed position of 0° relative to the housing 1 and before it touches the housing 1 (the touching position of the cover body 2 and the housing 1 during the closing process is on their respective left walls), the first opening hook 211 remains in contact with the upper bracket body 3124 for at least a certain stroke, so as to force the upper bracket body 3124 to move downward to the position where the upper bracket body 3124 is located when the cover body 2 is in the closed state, and then drive the contact surface of the hook lock 3132 to cross the lowest point of the outer peripheral surface of the cross bar 3131. Among them, the margin of the ratio of the first gap d1 to the first length L1 relative to the ratio of the second gap d2 to the second length L2 should be determined according to specific factors such as the radian of the contact surface of the hook lock 3131, the radius and the lowest point position of the cross bar 3132, and the inclination angle of the hook lock 3131 during the locking process.

[0047] In this embodiment, the cover body 2 is rotatably arranged on the housing 1 around the first rotation axis, and the upper bracket 312 is rotatably arranged on the lower bracket 311 around the second rotation axis. The locking mechanism 313 is arranged at one end of the printer core 31 away from the second rotation axis. The pushing structure 22 is located at one end of the cover body 2 away from the first rotation axis. When the cover body 2 is at the first rotation angle, the pushing structure 22 of the cover body 2 drives the locking mechanism 313 to unlock. The linkage part 21 of the cover body 2 is located between the first rotation axis and the pushing structure 22. When the cover body 2 is at the second rotation angle, it abuts against the upper wall of the moving space 3123 to drive the upper bracket 312 to rotate. When the cover body 2 is fully opened, the elastic member drives the locking mechanism 313 to return to the initial position so that the cover body 2 and the upper bracket 312 return to the initial relative position.

[0048] Further, during the process in which the cover body 2 rotates beyond the second rotation angle until it is fully opened, the hook lock 3132 is always in the "unlocked position". After the cover body 2 is fully opened, the hook lock 3132 rotates in the locking direction by the elastic force of the elastic member and simultaneously drives the upper bracket 312 to move towards the cover body 2. Subsequently, the upper bracket 312 collides with the first cover-opening hook 211 and rebounds. Then, the upper bracket 312 drives the hook lock 3132 to rotate in the unlocking direction and compresses the elastic member, so that the upper bracket 312 vibrates continuously until it stabilizes under the damping action of the elastic member.

[0049] To prevent the upper bracket 312 from being damaged by colliding with the first cover-opening hook 211 during repeated vibrations, an elastic buffer arm (not shown in the figure) is further provided on the upper bracket 312. The elastic buffer arm extends towards the inner wall of the cover body 2 and has a third spacing from the inner wall of the cover body 2 when the cover body 2 is in the closed state. The elastic buffer arm has a third length in the left-right direction with respect to the rotation center a of the cover body 2. The ratio of the third spacing to the third length is less than the ratio of the second spacing d2 to the second length, so that the elastic buffer arm contacts the inner wall of the cover body 2 before the upper bracket 312 collides with the first cover-opening hook 211, thereby buffering the upper bracket 312.

[0050] It can be understood that the first cover-opening hook 211 provided in this embodiment integrates the function of the linkage part that pulls the upper bracket 312 to open during the opening process of the cover body 2 and the "thrust component" that pushes the upper bracket 312 to close during the closing process of the cover body 2. In other embodiments, a distinct linkage part and thrust component may also be provided, that is, when the cover body is opened to not less than the second rotation angle, the linkage part of the cover body pulls the upper bracket to open, and during the closing process of the cover body, the thrust component on the cover body pushes the cover body to close. The thrust component can be configured in any shape or structure that can contact the upper bracket.

[0051] The printer further includes a cover-opening mechanism. The cover-opening mechanism includes a hook assembly 42 that is movably arranged on the cover body 2 and a trigger 41 that can contact the hook assembly 42. The hook assembly 42 includes a hook 421 that is movably arranged on the cover body 2. The hook 421 has a first position where the cover body 2 can be locked to the housing 1 and a second position where the cover body 2 is allowed to open and close relative to the housing 1. The hook 421 and / or the trigger 41 has a first contact surface, and the first contact surface is configured such that when the trigger 41 abuts against the hook 421, at least part of the force exerted by the trigger 41 on the hook 421 forces the hook 421 in the first position to move towards the second position and at least part of the force exerted by the trigger 41 on the hook 421 forces the hook 421 in the second position to move in the direction of opening the cover body 2.

[0052] The trigger member 41 can drive the hook 421 to move from the first position to the second position. Wherein, when the hook 421 is in the second position, the trigger member 41 can abut against the hook 421 and provide at least part of the force for driving the cover body 2 to open relative to the housing 1.

[0053] In this embodiment, the housing 1 includes a snap hole 12, and a protrusion (not marked in the figure) adapted to the hook 421 is arranged in the snap hole 12. When the hook 421 is in the first position, it is snapped onto the protrusion in the snap hole 12, and the cover body 2 is locked to the housing 1. When the hook 421 is in the second position, it disengages from the protrusion in the snap hole 12 to allow the cover body 2 to rotate relative to the housing 1.

[0054] In other embodiments, the hook assembly can also be other forms of mechanical latching structures, including but not limited to bolt structures, etc., as long as it moves and includes two positions for fixing relative to the cover body.

[0055] In this embodiment, the hook 421 is rotatably connected to the inner side surface of the cover body 2 facing the housing 1. The hook assembly 42 further includes an elastic member 422 connecting the hook 421, and the elastic member 422 can be a spring or the like. Specifically, the elastic member 422 is an elastic arm connected to the hook 421, and the elastic arm drives the hook 421 to rotate onto the protrusion of the snap hole 12. That is, the elastic member 422 exerts a force on the hook 421 pointing to the first position. First limit members 423 and second limit members 424 are arranged on both sides of the rotation axis of the hook 421. When the hook 421 is in the first position, the first limit member 423 abuts against the cover body 2 and the second limit member 424 disengages from the cover body 2; when the hook 421 is in the second position, the second limit member 424 abuts against the cover body 2 and the first limit member 421 disengages from the cover body 2. Thus, the movable stroke of the hook 421 is limited between the first and second positions. The elastic arm can exert a force on the hook 421 always pointing to the first position. When the trigger member 41 pushes the hook assembly 42 to move from the first position to the second position, the elastic arm stores elastic force, and when the external force acting on the trigger member 41 is removed, the hook assembly 42 can return to the first position.

[0056] The hook assembly 42 further includes a hook rotation shaft 425, and the hook assembly 42 is rotatably connected to the hook rotation shaft 425, and the hook rotation shaft 425 and the elastic member 422 are respectively arranged on both sides of the hook assembly 42. When observing from the front-rear direction, when the cover body 2 is in the closed state, the contact position between the hook 421 and the protrusion in the snap hole 12 is on one side of the vertical line passing through the center of the hook rotation shaft 425 in the direction from the first position to the second position. Taking this embodiment as an example, the second position is on the right side of the first position, and the direction from the first position to the second position is the rightward direction. Therefore, the contact position between the hook 421 and the protrusion in the snap hole 12 is on the right side of the vertical line passing through the center of the hook rotation shaft 425.

[0057] When the cover body 2 vibrates due to an external impact, the protrusion in the buckle hole 12 exerts a downward force on the hook 421. The above structural design enables the force exerted by the protrusion to generate a moment that forces the hook 421 to rotate around the axis of the hook rotation shaft 425 in the direction from the second position to the first position (i.e., the locking direction), thereby preventing the hook 421 from unhooking.

[0058] In this embodiment, the hook 421 switches between the first and second positions by rotating. In other embodiments, the hook also switches between the first position where the cover body is locked to the housing and the second position where the cover body is allowed to rotate relative to the housing by translation. For example: The hook is slidably connected to the cover body, and the cover body limits the stroke of the hook between the first and second positions by providing corresponding limiting components. At the same time, the cover body can apply a force towards the first position to the hook by providing a spring, a magnetic component, etc., so that the hook remains in the first position without external force.

[0059] In this embodiment, the trigger 41 can be controlled to move. Specifically, the open cover button 6 drives the trigger 41 to move up and down through a transmission arm 7. Refer to Figures 6-7 , the transmission arm 7 is rotatably connected to the housing body 1. The transmission arm 7 includes a trigger arm 71 located below its own rotation shaft. The trigger 41 is fixedly connected to the transmission arm 7 and is located on the right side of the rotation shaft of the transmission arm 7. When the open cover button 6 is pressed downwards, the lower end of the open cover button 6 pushes the transmission arm 7 to rotate. Correspondingly, the trigger 41 moves upwards.

[0060] It should be understood by the reader that the transmission arm provided in this embodiment is only a non-limiting example, and the transmission arm can be constructed in any structure as long as it can transfer the force applied by the user to the open cover button to the trigger and make the trigger move in the specified direction.

[0061] In addition, since this type of printer is relatively light in weight, if a horizontally pressed open cover button is used, the user needs to hold the printer by hand when opening the cover to prevent the printer from tipping over due to the horizontal force. The open cover button 6 in this embodiment is configured to move in the vertical direction to drive the trigger 41 to move upwards. Therefore, the user only needs to place the housing body 1 on the placement surface, and the user can open and close the cover body 2 by simply pressing the open cover button 6 downwards with a single finger, which is more convenient and fast. A torsion spring can also be provided at the rotation shaft of the transmission arm 7, and the torsion spring can drive the transmission arm 7 to always abut against the lower end of the open cover handle.

[0062] However, it can be understood that the technical solution of the opening mechanism provided in this application can also be used for a horizontally pressed opening button. Correspondingly, in the form of this opening button, the triggering member can be directly connected to the opening button and is defined to move in the horizontal direction. A first contact surface is arranged on the triggering member and / or the hook, so that during the horizontal movement of the triggering member, the hook located at the first position is forced to move towards the second position, and the hook located at the second position is forced to move in the direction of opening the cover body.

[0063] In addition, in other embodiments, the opening button provided in this embodiment can also be replaced with an opening knob. During the process of the user applying force to rotate the opening knob, at least part of it abuts against the transmission arm and applies a force to the transmission arm that can make the triggering member move in a specified direction.

[0064] The triggering member 41 includes at least a first moving stroke and a second moving stroke. The first moving stroke at least corresponds to driving the hook assembly 42 to change from the first position to the second position. The second moving stroke at least corresponds to driving the cover body 2 to open relative to the housing 1. The first moving stroke and the second moving stroke can be continuous or segmented. Taking the triggering member 41 moving upward as an example, the triggering member 41 first performs the first moving stroke, and then can directly perform the second moving stroke, or there can also be a free stroke between the first moving stroke and the second moving stroke, etc.

[0065] In this embodiment, the first contact surface is an inclined surface. When the trigger member 41 moves, the first contact surface can at least decompose the force applied by the trigger member 41 to the catch 421 into a first acting force that forces the catch 421 at the first position to move towards the second position. In this embodiment, the lower end of the catch 421 includes a first contact inclined surface 4211 that faces left and downward, and the upper end of the trigger member 41 includes a second contact inclined surface 411 that faces right and upward. When the second contact inclined surface 411 moves upward, it abuts against the first contact inclined surface 4211. With the cooperation of the first contact inclined surface 4211 and the second contact inclined surface 411, the acting direction of the force applied by the trigger member 41 to the catch 421 is perpendicular to the first and second contact inclined surfaces and points to the catch 421. This acting force can be at least partially decomposed into a first acting force towards the right (i.e., towards the second position) to force the catch 421 at the first position to move towards the second position and disconnect from the snap hole 12. During this process, since the catch 421 is limited from above by the protrusion in the snap hole 12, that is, the catch 421 has no tendency to move upward during this process, the cover body 2 remains basically stationary. The catch assembly 42 is rotatably arranged on the cover body 2, and the first acting force is used to drive the catch assembly 42 to rotate. In other embodiments, the first contact surface can also be configured as an arc surface, and only one of the catch and the trigger member can be configured with the first contact surface, as long as the first contact surface can vectorially decompose the force applied by the trigger member to the catch into a first acting force that forces the catch to move from the first position to the second position.

[0066] When the trigger member 41 moves, the contact inclined surface can at least decompose the force applied by the trigger member 41 to the catch 421 into a second acting force that forces the catch 421 at the second position to move towards the direction of opening the cover body 2. As can be seen from the above, due to the angular relationship between the first contact inclined surface 4211 and the second contact inclined surface 411, the force applied by the trigger member to the catch 421 can be correspondingly decomposed into an upward second acting force. The catch 421 at the second position is limited by the second limiting member 424 and the trigger member 41 in the front-rear direction, and the cover body 2 and the catch 421 are pushed by the trigger member 41 in the direction of opening the cover body 2 together.

[0067] The catch 421 and / or the trigger member 41 has a second contact surface. Specifically, the lower end of the catch 421 includes a second horizontal surface 4212 that is close to or connected to the first contact inclined surface 4211, and the trigger member 41 includes a first horizontal surface 412 that is close to or connected to the second contact inclined surface 411. The second horizontal surface 4212 faces downward, and the first horizontal surface 412 faces upward. When the catch 421 moves to the second position, the first and second horizontal surfaces come into contact to change the acting direction of the force applied by the trigger member 41 to the catch 421 and reduce the magnitude of the decomposed acting force pointing to the second position, that is, more component forces are used to push the cover body 2 to open to achieve a better force conduction effect.

[0068] During the opening process of the cover body 2, when the cover body 2 rotates from the closed state to the first rotation angle (hereinafter referred to as the first stage), the rotation resistance of the cover body 2 mainly comes from the elastic force of the locking mechanism 313 and the resistance generated by the cross bar 3131 on the hook lock 3132 (including the force required to force the upper bracket 312 to move downward), and the remaining part comes from the self-weight of the cover body 2. When the cover body 2 rotates from the first rotation angle to the second rotation angle (hereinafter referred to as the second stage), the rotation resistance of the cover body 2 comes from its own gravity. During the process of the cover body 2 exceeding the second rotation angle until the cover body 2 is completely opened (hereinafter referred to as the third stage), the rotation resistance of the cover body 2 comes from the gravity of itself and the upper bracket 312 of the movement mechanism 31. In the actual application scenario, the weights of the cover body 2 and the upper bracket 312 are relatively small, and the resistance generated by the cross bar 3131 on the hook lock 3132 is relatively large. Therefore, the rotation power required in the first stage during the opening process of the cover body 2 is significantly greater than the rotation power required in the second and third stages.

[0069] When the printer provided in this embodiment opens the cover, first, the trigger member 41 forces the catch 421 to move to the second position to unlock the cover body 2. Subsequently, the trigger member 41 pushes the catch 421 and the cover body 2 to move in the opening direction, and this process corresponds to the cover body 2 rotating from the closed state to the first rotation angle. Through this structural design, the trigger member 41 of the printer can transmit the force applied by the user on the cover opening button 6 to the cover body 2 to provide part of the rotation power of the cover body 2 in the first stage. Thus, the elastic force provided by the cover opening spring 5 configured in this printer only needs to meet the rotation power required in the second and third stages during the opening process of the cover body 2. That is, a cover opening spring 5 with a relatively weak elastic force can be selected for this printer to slow down the rotation speed of the cover body 2 in the second and third stages and reduce the impact between the cover body 2 and the housing 1 when the cover body 2 is completely opened, thereby achieving the technical effect of protecting the cover body 2 and the housing 1.

[0070] It can be understood that when the catch 421 is pushed by the trigger member 41 to move in the direction of opening the cover from the second position, if the rotation angle of the cover body 2 corresponding to the end of the second stroke of the trigger member 41 is less than the first rotation angle (that is, when the hook lock 3132 has not been switched to the unlocked position), the catch 421 and the cover body 2 still have a certain inertia and can continue to pull the hook lock 3132 until it is switched to the unlocked position. However, there is a possibility of failure to unlock the hook lock 3132 in this case. Therefore, in a better embodiment, the catch also has a third position corresponding to the end of the trigger member stroke, and when the catch is in the third position, the corresponding rotation angle of the cover body is not less than the first rotation angle to ensure that the hook lock is switched to the unlocked position before the user withdraws the force applied to the cover opening button.

[0071] In this embodiment, a side-opening printer using a printer core 31 is taken as an example to illustrate the technical effect of the opening mechanism provided by the present invention. However, it should be understood by the reader that in a printer in which a type of rubber roller and a print head are respectively arranged on a cover body and a housing, the axis line of the rubber roller is parallel to the rotation axis line of the cover body, and the rubber roller and the print head are kept in a pressed state under the action of a locking member when the cover body is closed, the opening mechanism provided by the present invention can also be adopted to borrow the force applied by the user to the opening button to overcome the elastic force of the locking member, so that the printer can be configured with an opening spring having a relatively weak elastic force. In this type of printer, the cover body can pull the print head or the rubber roller, and then apply a force to the locking member through the print head or the rubber roller to force the locking member to move in the direction of the unlocking position.

[0072] The above is only a preferred specific embodiment of the present invention, but the design concept of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention who makes a non-substantive modification to the present invention using this concept shall fall within the scope of infringement of the protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A printer, comprising a housing, a cover, and a printer core, wherein the cover is rotatably supported on the housing about a first rotation axis, characterized in that, The printer core includes an upper bracket, a lower bracket, a rubber roller, a print head and a locking member. The upper bracket is rotatably supported on the lower bracket about a second rotation axis parallel to the first rotation axis. One of the rubber roller and the print head is arranged on the upper bracket, and the other is arranged on the lower bracket. The projection of the first rotation axis and the axis line of the rubber roller in the vertical direction are perpendicular to each other. The locking member has a locking position for locking the upper bracket to the lower bracket and an unlocking position for allowing the upper bracket to rotate relative to the lower bracket. The cover body includes a pushing structure and a linkage part and has a first rotation angle and a second rotation angle for rotating relative to the housing. The second rotation angle is not less than the first rotation angle. At least part of the locking member is located on the movement track of the pushing structure. When the cover body is at the first rotation angle, the locking member is pushed by the pushing structure to the unlocking position. When the cover body is at the second rotation angle, the linkage part applies a force to the upper bracket in a direction towards opening the upper bracket.

2. The printer according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least part of the upper bracket is located on the movement track of the linkage part. During the process of the cover body rotating from the closed state to the second rotation angle, the linkage part does not contact the upper bracket. When the cover body is at the second rotation angle, the linkage part contacts the upper bracket to allow the cover body to pull the upper bracket in the opening direction.

3. The printer according to claim 2, characterized in that, The upper bracket includes a bracket body and a housing fixedly connected to the upper side of the bracket body. The housing and the bracket body form an activity space. The linkage part includes a first cover-opening hook at least partially extending into the activity space.

4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein, The cover body further includes a thrust component that can push the upper bracket during the process of closing the cover. The upper bracket has a push-rack position that contacts the thrust component during the process of closing the cover. When the cover body is in the closed state, the thrust component and the push-rack position have a first distance in the vertical direction.

5. The printer according to claim 4, wherein, The locking member is a hook lock, and the lower bracket is configured with a cross bar that is adapted to the hook lock and extends along the direction of the first rotation axis. When observing from the direction of the first rotation axis, when the cover body is in the closed state, the contact position between the hook lock and the cross bar is located on the side close to the first rotation axis of the vertical line passing through the cross bar.

6. The printer according to claim 5, wherein, The cover body has a first side wall away from the first rotation axis, and the housing has a second side wall away from the first rotation axis. When the cover body is in the closed state, there is a second distance in the vertical direction between the first side wall and the second side wall. The second side wall and the first rotation axis have a second length in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis. The push-rack position and the first rotation axis part have a first length in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis. The ratio of the first distance to the first length is less than the ratio of the second distance to the second length.

7. The printer according to claim 4, wherein The upper bracket is further provided with elastic buffer arms extending towards the inner wall of the cover body. When the cover body is in the closed state, a third spacing is formed between the elastic buffer arms and the inner wall of the cover body. The elastic buffer arms have a third length in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis. The position of the push frame and the first rotation axis part have a first length in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis. The ratio of the first spacing to the first length is greater than the ratio of the third spacing to the third length.

8. The printer according to claim 4, characterized in that, The cover body further includes a linkage part. The linkage part can contact the upper bracket when the cover body is at the second rotation angle to allow the cover body to pull the upper bracket. The thrust component is integrated on the linkage part.

9. The printer according to claim 1, wherein The locking member is a hook lock. The hook lock includes a hook lock rotating shaft rotatably connected to the upper bracket around a third rotation axis, a locking part, and a force-receiving part arranged at an angle to the locking part. The third rotation axis is parallel to the first rotation axis, and the force-receiving part is located on the rotation trajectory of the pushing structure.

10. The printer according to claim 9, characterized in that, Viewed from the direction of the first rotation axis, the force-receiving part is located on the side of the third rotation axis away from the first rotation axis.

11. The printer according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The pushing structure is a second cover-opening catch extending towards the direction where the force-receiving part is located. When the cover body is in the closed state, the second cover-opening catch is arranged at an interval from the force-receiving part.

12. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, It further includes a cover-opening mechanism. The cover-opening mechanism includes a catch that can be movably arranged on the cover body and a trigger that can contact the catch. The trigger is movably arranged in the housing. The catch has a first position where the cover body can be locked to the housing and a second position where the cover body can be opened and closed relative to the housing. The catch and / or the trigger has a first contact surface, and the first contact surface is configured such that when the trigger abuts against the catch, at least part of the force exerted by the trigger on the catch forces the catch at the first position to move towards the second position and at least part of the force exerted by the trigger on the catch forces the catch at the second position to move in the direction of opening the cover body.

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