Printing apparatus and tape cartridge

Abstract

The invention provides a printing device and a tape cartridge capable of stabilizing the posture of the tape cartridge in a mounting part of the printing device. When a printing device (1) is driven, an output gear (131) of a tape cartridge (100) is engaged with an imprint gear (83) connected to an imprint roller. The output gear (131) and the embossing gear (83) are helical gears, and a thrust load (F) generated at the meshing position (G) during driving is applied in the direction in which the output gear (131) moves forward. The tape cartridge (100) is supported by three support parts (16, 17, 18) in the cartridge mounting part (10). The tape cassette (100) rotates about a rotation axis (LX) passing through the support parts (17, 18) by a thrust load, and the contact part is separated from the support part (16). A limiting part (37) of the back cover abuts against a limited part (169) at the lower right corner part of the back wall (195), so that the tape box (100) is positioned at three parts of the supporting parts (17, 18) and the limited part (169) in a rotating posture, and the posture is stable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a printing device and a tape box. Background Art

[0002] In the tape printing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the cover is closed, the pressing receiving member protruding from the back of the cover and the supporting receiving member protruding from the bottom of the box mounting portion abut against the top end of the arm of the tape box mounted on the box mounting portion. Thus, the position of the discharge port provided at the top end of the arm of the tape box is fixed, thereby suppressing the discharge deviation of the tape.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-46089

[0006] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] However, when the tape cassette is provided with an output gear that meshes with the stamping gear of the printing device, there is a possibility that the entire tape cassette will tilt in the mounting portion due to the stress associated with driving the gear, and the tape discharge may be offset only in the supporting arm portion. Summary of the invention

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a printing device and a tape cassette capable of stabilizing the posture of a tape cassette in a mounting portion of the printing device.

[0009] Technical means for solving technical problems

[0010] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing device comprising: a casing; a mounting portion, which is formed in the casing in a recessed shape and is used to mount a tape box for storing a tape for printing; a printing portion, which is housed in the casing and prints on the tape pulled out from the tape box mounted on the mounting portion; and an opening and closing cover, which is mounted on the casing and can be moved between a state of closing an opening portion of the mounting portion and a state of opening the opening portion of the mounting portion, wherein the mounting portion comprises: a supporting portion at two locations, which, when the tape box is installed, supports the bottom of the tape box arranged on the bottom surface side of the recess in a direction opposite to an installation direction, the installation direction being a direction in which the tape box is installed toward the mounting portion, and the printing portion comprises: a printing head; a platen roller, which is opposite to the printing head and can be moved around the printing head. The belt is driven by the toothed wheel and the toothed wheel is connected to the belt box, and the toothed wheel is used for driving the belt box to rotate along the axis parallel to the installation direction and convey the belt; and an embossing gear, which is connected to the embossing roller, the belt box comprises: an output gear, which can rotate around the axis parallel to the installation direction and is used to output the driving force input from the outside of the belt box to the embossing gear, the embossing gear and the output gear are helical gears that generate a thrust load toward the installation direction on the output gear side at the meshing position with each other when rotating, and the opening and closing cover comprises: a limiting portion, which is an area arranged on the opposite side of the meshing position when viewed from the installation direction relative to the rotation axis of the supporting portion connecting the two parts, and can abut against the top on the opposite side of the bottom of the belt box, and the limiting portion limits the belt box from rotating around the rotation axis due to the thrust load generated on the output gear.

[0011] The embossing gear of the printing device meshes with the output gear of the tape cassette, and the driving force that rotates the embossing roller is transmitted from the output gear. The embossing gear is a helical gear, and in the meshing position, a thrust load toward the installation direction is generated on the output gear side. Therefore, the tape cassette rotates around the rotation axis of the support portion connecting the two parts, and the output gear side moves in the installation direction. Therefore, the area on the opposite side of the output gear relative to the rotation axis moves in the direction opposite to the installation direction. The limiting portion of the opening and closing cover limits the rotation of the tape cassette by abutting against the top of the tape cassette. Therefore, when the printing device is driven, by maintaining the state in which the limiting portion abuts against the top, the posture of the tape cassette can be stabilized, and the deviation of the tape when it is pulled out can be suppressed.

[0012] Alternatively, the limiting portion involved in the first embodiment may protrude from the wall surface of the closed opening and closing cover facing the mounting portion in the mounting direction. Since the limiting portion protrudes from the wall surface facing the mounting portion of the opening and closing cover, the limiting portion can reliably contact the top of the tape cassette when the printing device is driven, thereby stabilizing the posture of the tape cassette.

[0013] Alternatively, the opening and closing cover involved in the first embodiment has a window portion through which at least a portion of the inside of the mounting portion can be visually confirmed from the outside when closed, and the limiting portion is formed on a window frame portion as an edge portion of the window portion. Since the window frame portion is formed to be thicker than the wall portion surrounding it, the rigidity around the limiting portion can be increased. Therefore, when the opening and closing cover is driven by the printing device, even if the limiting portion is subjected to a load required to suppress the rotation of the tape cassette that rotates due to the thrust load, the bending can be suppressed. Therefore, the printing device can stabilize the posture of the tape cassette when it is driven.

[0014] In the first embodiment, the distance between the limiting portion and the rotation axis in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis, as viewed from the installation direction, may be greater than the distance between the meshing position and the rotation axis. The limiting portion abuts against the tape cassette at a position farther than the meshing position relative to the rotation axis. Therefore, according to the lever principle, when the printing device is driven, the load required by the limiting portion to suppress the rotation of the tape cassette due to the thrust load can be reduced. Therefore, when the printing device is driven, the posture of the tape cassette can be easily stabilized.

[0015] Alternatively, the mounting portion of the first embodiment has the supporting portion at three or more locations, and the supporting portion is formed at least at the positions of the two locations that overlap with the rotation axis, and at the position of the limiting portion or at a position near the limiting portion when viewed from the mounting direction. When the printing device is not driven, since no thrust load is generated on the output gear, the area on the opposite side of the meshing position of the tape cassette moves toward the mounting direction with the rotation axis as the center. Since the supporting portion is located at the position of the limiting portion or at a position near the limiting portion when viewed from the mounting direction, the tape cassette is reliably supported. Therefore, the printing device can stabilize the posture of the tape cassette even when it is not driven.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a tape box is provided, comprising: a tape reel, on which a tape for printing is wound; and a shell, which accommodates the tape reel, the tape box is mounted on a mounting portion formed in a recessed shape on a casing of a printing device, and in order to print on the tape by a printing portion of the printing device, the tape is pulled out from the tape reel, and the printing portion comprises: a printing head; a platen roller, which is opposite to the printing head and can rotate around an axis parallel to an installation direction and convey the tape, and the installation direction is a direction in which the tape box is installed toward the mounting portion; and a platen gear, which is connected to the platen roller, and the shell comprises: an output gear, which can rotate around an axis parallel to the installation direction and is used to output a driving force input from the outside of the tape box to the platen gear; and two supported portions, the two supported portions being formed on the mounting portion arranged at the mounting portion The bottom of the bottom surface side of the recess is supported in the direction opposite to the installation direction by supporting parts arranged at two positions of the installation part; and a restricted part is formed at the top on the opposite side of the bottom, which restricts the posture of the tape box in the installation part by abutting with a restricting part arranged on an opening and closing cover, and the opening and closing cover is installed on the housing in a manner that can be moved to a state of closing the opening part of the installation part and a state of opening the opening part of the installation part. The stamping gear and the output gear are helical gears that generate a thrust load toward the installation direction on the output gear side at the meshing position with each other when rotating. The restricted part is an area located on the opposite side of the meshing position when viewed from the installation direction relative to the rotation axis of the supported part connecting the two parts, and the tape box is restricted by the restricting part from rotating around the rotation axis due to the thrust load generated on the output gear.

[0017] The output gear of the tape cassette meshes with the embossing gear of the printing device, transmitting the driving force that rotates the embossing roller. The output gear is a helical gear, and in the meshing position, a thrust load toward the installation direction is generated on the output gear side. Therefore, the tape cassette rotates around the rotation axis of the support portion connecting the two parts, and the output gear side moves in the installation direction. Therefore, the area on the opposite side of the output gear relative to the rotation axis moves in the direction opposite to the installation direction. The limiting portion of the opening and closing cover provided in this area limits the rotation of the tape cassette by abutting against the top of the tape cassette. Therefore, when the printing device is driven, the tape cassette is stabilized in posture by the limiting portion pressing the top, thereby being able to suppress the deviation of the tape when it is pulled out.

[0018] In the second aspect, the distance between the limiting portion and the rotation axis in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis as viewed from the mounting direction may be greater than the distance between the meshing position and the rotation axis. The tape cassette contacts the limiting portion at a position farther from the rotation axis than the meshing position. Therefore, according to the lever principle, when the printing device is driven, the tape cassette rotates due to the thrust load and can reduce the load applied to the limiting portion, so that the posture can be easily stabilized.

[0019] Alternatively, the restricted portion of the second embodiment is provided at a corner portion of the housing in the top portion. The portion where the restricting portion contacts the housing is a corner portion with high rigidity. Therefore, when the tape cassette is driven by the printing device, even if the restricting portion is pressed, the top portion will not bend, and the posture can be easily stabilized.

[0020] Alternatively, the restricted portion of the second embodiment is provided at a top surface of the top portion of the housing at a position recessed toward the installation direction, and the top surface is a surface of the top portion on the opposite side of the installation direction. For example, tape cassettes that accommodate tapes of different widths have different thicknesses in the installation direction. By setting the depth of the recess of the restricted portion according to the thickness, the height position of the restricting portion in the installation direction where the restricted portion contacts the restricted portion can be made constant. Therefore, the tape cassette can accommodate tapes of various widths.

[0021] In the second embodiment, one of the two supported parts may be supported by a heat sink of the print head. The heat sink is made of metal and has high rigidity. Therefore, the tape cassette is supported by the heat sink through one of the supported parts, so that the posture of the printing device during driving can be stabilized.

[0022] Alternatively, the housing of the second embodiment has the supported portion at three or more locations, and one of the supported portions is provided at a corner portion of the housing at the bottom. One of the supported portions is provided at a corner portion of the housing having high rigidity. Therefore, when the tape cassette is driven by the printing device, even if it is supported by the supporting portion, the bottom portion does not bend, and the posture can be easily stabilized.

[0023] Alternatively, the housing of the second embodiment has a pull-out portion that pulls the belt out of the housing in a pull-out direction, the pull-out direction being along a direction intersecting the installation direction, and at the meshing position, the end of the gear teeth on the installation direction side of the output gear is twisted in a direction that is downstream of the end of the gear teeth on the opposite side of the installation direction. The output gear meshes with an embossing gear, which is connected to an embossing roller of the conveyor belt. Therefore, the output gear rotates in a direction in which the gear teeth at the meshing position move from the upstream of the pull-out direction toward the downstream. At the meshing position, the gear teeth are twisted in a direction in which the end of the gear teeth on the installation direction side is downstream of the opposite side. Therefore, the gear teeth of the output gear abut against the gear teeth of the embossing gear at the meshing position, so that the output gear can generate a thrust load toward the installation direction side. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the printing device 1 as viewed from the lower right front.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the printing device 1 with the back cover 3 removed, as seen from the upper right rear side.

[0026] Figure 3 It is a rear view of the housing 2 of the printing device 1.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the housing 2 of the printing device 1 as viewed from the lower left rear.

[0028] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the back cover 3 as viewed from the lower left front.

[0029] Figure 6 It is a perspective view of the printing unit 50 .

[0030] Figure 7 It is a perspective view of the driving mechanism 60 .

[0031] Figure 8 It is a perspective view of the head unit 70 .

[0032] Fig. 9 It is a perspective view of the platen unit 80 as viewed from the lower right rear.

[0033] Fig.10 It is a perspective view of the imprint unit 80 as viewed from the lower left rear.

[0034] Fig.11 This is a perspective view of the tape cassette 100 as viewed from the upper left front.

[0035] Fig.12 It is an exploded perspective view of the tape cassette 100.

[0036] Fig.13 This is a perspective view of the first frame portion 160 as viewed from the lower right front.

[0037] Fig.14 This is a perspective view showing an enlarged upper portion of the printing device 1 with the tape cassette 100 mounted thereon, viewed from the upper right rear side.

[0038] Fig.15 It is a rear view showing an enlarged upper portion of the printing device 1 with the tape cassette 100 mounted thereon.

[0039] Fig.16 This is a perspective view of the tape box 200 as viewed from the upper right rear.

[0040] Explanation of symbols

[0041] 1 Printing device

[0042] 2. Chassis

[0043] 3 Back cover

[0044] 10. Box installation

[0045] 11 Bottom of concave part

[0046] 17, 18 support part

[0047] 35 Window

[0048] 36 Window frame

[0049] 37 Restriction Department

[0050] 50 Printing Department

[0051] 63 Drive shaft

[0052] 71 Printing head

[0053] 72 Radiator

[0054] 82 embossing roller

[0055] 83 Stamped gear

[0056] 84 Stamping shaft

[0057] 100 with box

[0058] 101 belt

[0059] 102 with reel

[0060] 120 main housing

[0061] 124 Pull-out section

[0062] 131 Output gear

[0063] 167 Contact Department

[0064] 168 Contact Department

[0065] 169 Restricted Department

[0066] 195 Back Wall

[0067] F Thrust load

[0068] G Engaged position

[0069] L1, L4 rotation axis

[0070] LX axis of rotation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0071] A printing device 1 and a tape cassette 100 as an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the accompanying drawings are used to illustrate technical features that can be adopted by the present invention. That is, the structures and the like described in the accompanying drawings are not limited thereto, and are merely simple illustrative examples. In the following description, a direction parallel to the axis of the drive shaft 63 of the printing device 1 is defined as a front-to-back direction. In addition, a direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction and parallel to the discharge direction of the tape 101 in the discharge path 29 is defined as an up-and-down direction, and a direction perpendicular to both the front-to-back direction and the up-and-down direction is defined as a left-to-right direction. Specifically, Figure 1 The upper right, lower left, left, right, upper left, and lower right of are respectively set as the upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear of the printing device 1. In addition, the direction of the tape cassette 100 is based on the direction of the printing device 1 in the installed state, regardless of whether the tape cassette 100 is installed in the printing device 1 or not. Specifically, Figure 2 The lower left, upper right, upper left, lower right, lower and upper are respectively set as the upper, lower, left, right, front and rear of the tape box 100.

[0072] The structure of the printing device 1 is described. Figure 1 As shown, the printing device 1 is capable of receiving a signal from a tape cassette 100 (see Figure 2 ) pulled out belt 101 (refer to Fig.11 ) is a portable label printer for printing images and making labels. The printing device 1 can print images such as text and graphics on the tape 101.

[0073] like Figure 1 to Figure 5 As shown, the printing device 1 includes a housing 2, a back cover 3, a display unit 4, and an input unit 5. The housing 2 is in the shape of a box that is long in the vertical direction and has an opening in the back. An inner cover 6 is assembled in the opening portion to protect the inside of the housing 2. A discharge path 29 that passes through in the vertical direction and a fixing hole 2C that engages with the opening and closing portion 31 of the back cover 3 are formed on the top wall 2A of the housing 2.

[0074] The back cover 3 is detachably mounted relative to the housing 2. The back cover 3 extends in the up-down direction and is in the shape of a recessed portion that is recessed toward the rear. When mounted, the back cover 3 covers the entire back side of the housing 2 and covers the back opening together with the inner cover 6. The back cover 3 has a pair of engaging claws 32, an opening and closing portion 31, a pair of guide claws 33, a pair of positioning ribs 34, a window portion 35, and a restricting portion 37.

[0075] A pair of engaging claws 32 are arranged in pairs on the inner surface of the recess at the lower end of the back cover 3 at a position separated from each other. The engaging claws 32 are in the shape of hooks that protrude forward and bend downward. The inner cover 6 of the housing 2 has a pair of engaging holes 22 at the lower edge. The positions of the pair of engaging holes 22 separated in the left-right direction are respectively formed in a recessed shape facing downward. When the back cover 3 is mounted on the housing 2, the pair of engaging claws 32 are inserted into the pair of engaging holes 22. The pair of engaging claws 32 function as a fulcrum when the back cover 3 is rotated and opened and closed when the back cover 3 is mounted and detached. In addition, the pair of engaging claws 32 have ribs 32A extending in the front-back direction on the inner side of the left-right direction. When the back cover 3 is mounted, the ribs 32A abut against the side 22A of the engaging hole 22. By sandwiching the side 22A of the pair of engaging holes 22 with the ribs 32A of the pair of engaging claws 32, the back cover 3 can be positioned relative to the left-right direction of the housing 2. Since the contact area between the rib 32A and the side surface 22A is small, the rotation of the rear cover 3 during installation is not hindered.

[0076] The opening and closing portion 31 is a portion protruding forward from the edge portion of the upper side of the back cover 3, and a hook is formed at the top. The opening and closing portion 31 is engaged with the fixing hole 2C of the top wall 2A of the housing 2. The opening and closing portion 31 is a portion that is fixed so that the back cover 3 does not come off the housing 2 when the back cover 3 is attached to the housing 2. When the back cover 3 is attached, the upper portion of the back cover 3 is rotated backward while pressing the opening and closing portion 31 downward, using the engagement claw 32 as a fulcrum, so that the back cover 3 can be detached.

[0077] A pair of guide claws 33 are provided in pairs at the lower end of the back cover 3 at the upper side of the pair of engaging claws 32 and at the outer side in the left-right direction. The pair of guide claws 33 protrude from the inner surface of the back cover 3 toward the front in a rib-like manner. The guide claw 33 has an upper plate portion 33A and a pair of side plate portions 33B extending downward from both ends of the upper plate portion. The lower portion of the side plate portion 33B is inclined in the protruding direction. The pair of guide claws 33 are guided by the pair of guide recesses 23 of the inner cover 6 when the back cover 3 is installed, and have the function of making the direction of the back cover 3 consistent with the direction of the housing 2. The guide recesses 23 are provided in pairs at the lower end of the inner cover 6 at the upper side of the pair of engaging holes 22 and at the outer side in the left-right direction. The guide recesses 23 have an upper surface 23A facing downward relative to the upper plate portion 33A of the guide claws 33 when the back cover 3 is installed, and a pair of side surfaces 23B facing inward relative to the pair of side plate portions 33B. The pair of side surfaces 23B are inclined relative to the front-rear direction in a tapered shape that expands toward the oblique rear. The side surfaces 23B guide the side plate portions 33B of the guide claws 33 so that the side plate portions 33B of the guide claws 33 are arranged in the center between the side surfaces 23B in the left-right direction, thereby aligning the back cover 3 with respect to the housing 2 in the left-right direction. Therefore, the back cover 3 can reduce the looseness in the left-right direction during installation, making the installation state stable.

[0078] In addition, the guide claw 33 is provided near the engaging claw 32 which becomes the fulcrum of rotation during the installation of the back cover 3. Thus, the back cover 3 starts to rotate with the engaging claw 32 as the fulcrum during installation, and the position of the back cover 3 in the left-right direction relative to the housing 2 is corrected by the guide claw 33 and the guide recess 23 before the opening and closing portion 31 is inserted into the fixing hole 2C. Therefore, since the hook of the opening and closing portion 31 is smoothly inserted into the fixing hole 2C, the printing device 1 can improve the installability of the back cover 3. In addition, one of the pair of side surfaces 23B of the guide recess 23 may be an inclined surface, and the other may be a vertical surface. In this case, if the side surface 23B of one of the pair of guide recesses 23 is an inclined surface, the side surface 23B of the other guide recess 23 may be an inclined surface.

[0079] A pair of positioning ribs 34 are arranged in pairs on the inner surface of the upper end of the concave peripheral wall of the back cover 3 at positions separated in the left-right direction. The positioning rib 34 is a plate-shaped member that protrudes downward from the inner surface of the upper end of the concave peripheral wall and extends in the front-back direction. The front end of the positioning rib 34 is arranged in a step-like shape in the up-down direction, and a positioning surface 34A facing downward is formed. When the back cover 3 is installed, the respective positioning surfaces 34A of the pair of positioning ribs 34 abut against the reference surfaces 24A of the pair of positioning protrusions 24 of the inner cover 6, respectively, and have the function of positioning the back cover 3 in the up-down direction relative to the housing 2. The positioning protrusions 24 are arranged in pairs at the upper end of the inner cover 6 at positions separated in the left-right direction, and protrude rearward. The reference surface 24A is the side surface on the upper side of the positioning protrusion 24, and is a plane that is orthogonal to the up-down direction and faces upward. When the back cover 3 is mounted, the positioning surface 34A of the positioning rib 34 abuts against the reference surface 24A of the positioning protrusion 24, so that the vertical position of the back cover 3 coincides with the vertical position of the housing 2, thereby suppressing looseness.

[0080] The back cover 3 has a window portion 35 at the upper right position through which the inside of the housing 2 can be observed from the outside. The window portion 35 is located at the left part in the box mounting portion 10. When the tape box 100 is installed in the box mounting portion 10, the user can observe a label indicating the type of tape affixed to the surface of the tape box 100 via the window portion 35. The window portion 35 is fixed to a window frame portion 36 that surrounds the window portion 35 in four directions in the up-down direction and the left-right direction. A limiting portion 37 that protrudes forward is formed at a position near the center of the lower side of the window frame portion 36. The limiting portion 37 is rod-shaped and is formed integrally with the window frame portion 36. When the tape box 100 is installed in the box mounting portion 10, the limiting portion 37 is arranged at a position overlapping with the lower right corner of the rear wall 195 of the tape box 100 in the front-to-back direction. When the printing device 1 is not driven, the limiting portion 37 does not contact the rear wall 195 of the tape box 100. When the printing device 1 is driven, the restriction portion 37 comes into contact with the rear wall 195 when the tape cassette 100 is tilted by a thrust load generated when the driving force is transmitted to the platen roller 82 .

[0081] The display unit 4 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and can display various information. The display unit 4 is disposed above the center of the front surface 2B of the housing 2 in the vertical direction. The input unit 5 receives input of various information based on user operations. The input unit 5 is disposed below the display unit 4 in the front surface 2B of the housing 2. The input unit 5 includes a plurality of keys such as a character key, a print button, and an Esc key.

[0082] like Figure 2 to Figure 5As shown, the printing device 1 includes a cartridge installation portion 10, a battery storage portion 40, and a printing portion 50 inside a housing 2. The cartridge installation portion 10 is used to install a tape cartridge 100 in a detachable manner. The cartridge installation portion 10 is formed in an inner cover 6 on the back of the housing 2 at a position higher than the center in the vertical direction. The cartridge installation portion 10 is a concave portion that is recessed toward the front and has a concave portion bottom surface 11 and concave portion peripheral surfaces 12 to 15 that are connected to the edge of the concave portion bottom surface 11 and surround the periphery in the vertical direction and the left-right direction.

[0083] The cassette mounting portion 10 includes hooks 12A and 13A, which extend rearward from the recess bottom surface 11 along the upper recess circumferential surface 12 and the lower recess circumferential surface 13, respectively, and the top end portions of the hooks 12A and 13A are bendable in the front-rear direction. The hooks 12A and 13A engage with the engagement protrusions 162 and 163 formed on the upper wall 191 and the lower wall 192 of the tape cassette 100, respectively (see Fig.13 ) engages to maintain the tape box 100 installed in the box installation portion 10 in an installed state.

[0084] In addition, the box installation portion 10 has three support portions 16, 17, and 18 for supporting the tape box 100 toward the rear, and the tape box 100 is installed in the box installation portion 10 from the rear to the front of the housing 2. The support portion 16 is provided on the recessed portion peripheral surface 15 on the right side, and extends in a rib-like manner from the recessed portion bottom surface 11 toward the rear at a position approximately in the center in the up-down direction. The length of the support portion 16 extending from the recessed portion bottom surface 11 toward the rear is approximately 1 / 4 of the length of the recessed portion peripheral surface 15 in the front-to-back direction. When the tape box 100 is installed in the box installation portion 10, the support portion 16 and the contact portion 166 (refer to Fig.13 ) contacts and supports the front end of the tape box 100 rearward.

[0085] The support portion 17 is disposed near the corner portion where the left recessed portion peripheral surface 14 and the lower recessed portion peripheral surface 13 are connected. The support portion 17 is the rear end portion of a metal pin 19 extending in a rod shape from the recessed portion bottom surface 11 toward the rear. The pin 19 is provided on the base 51 of the printing unit 50 (see Figure 6 ), and is exposed from the opening formed in the bottom surface 11 of the recess into the box installation portion 10. The length of the pin 19 extending rearward from the bottom surface 11 of the recess is approximately 3 / 4 of the length of the front-to-back direction of the peripheral surface 13 of the recess. When the tape box 100 is installed in the box installation portion 10, the support portion 17 and the contact portion 167 (see Fig.13 ) contacts and supports the front end of the tape box 100 toward the rear. The contact portion 167 is formed at the corner portion of the left wall 193 and the lower wall 192 of the tape box 100.

[0086] The support portion 18 is a portion of the rear surface of the upper end portion of the heat sink 72 of the printing unit 50, and is located near the corner portion where the left recessed peripheral surface 14 and the upper recessed peripheral surface 12 are connected. The position of the upper end portion of the rear surface of the heat sink 72 behind the recessed bottom surface 11 is slightly to the rear of approximately 3 / 4 of the length of the recessed peripheral surface 13 in the front-to-back direction. When the tape cassette 100 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 10, the support portion 18 contacts the contact portion 168 (see FIG. 1 ) formed at the upper end portion of the head opening 123 of the tape cassette 100. Fig.13 ) to support the front end of the tape cassette 100 rearward. The head opening 123 is a portion of the tape cassette 100 into which the heat sink 72 and the print head 71 are inserted when the tape cassette 100 is installed.

[0087] The battery storage section 40 stores a battery (not shown). The battery storage section 40 is formed in a recessed shape that is recessed toward the front at a position lower than the center of the housing in the vertical direction in the inner cover 6 on the back of the housing 2. When the back cover 3 is removed from the housing 2, the cartridge mounting section 10 and the battery storage section 40 are exposed to the outside of the printing device 1 from the opening on the back of the housing 2. The user can replace the tape cartridge 100 and the battery separately in a state where the back cover 3 is removed from the housing 2.

[0088] The printing unit 50 is a unit configured to print on the tape 101. The printing unit 50 is arranged at the upper part of the housing 2 and at the front side of the left end of the cartridge mounting unit 10. Figure 6 As shown, the printing section 50 includes a base 51 , a driving mechanism 60 , a head unit 70 , a platen unit 80 , and the like.

[0089] like Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, the driving mechanism 60 includes a motor 61, a gear set 62, and a driving shaft 63, and is assembled on a base 51. The base 51 is a metal plate that supports the structure of the printing unit 50, and extends longer in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction toward the plate surface in the front-to-back direction. The motor 61 is a driving source, and is disposed at the lower end of the base 51. The driving force of the motor 61 is transmitted to the driving shaft 63 disposed on the right side of the upper end of the base 51 through the gear set 62 connected with a plurality of gears. The motor 61, the gear set 62, and the base 51 are disposed on the front side of the inner cover 6 in the casing 2, and the driving shaft 63 is exposed from the opening formed in the bottom surface 11 of the recess to the box mounting portion 10.

[0090] The drive shaft 63 is inserted into the winding drum 107 of the tape cassette 100 mounted on the cassette mounting portion 10 and the input gear 134 (see Fig.12 The drive shaft 63 inputs a driving force for rotating the winding drum 107 and the input gear 134 into the tape cassette 100. The rotation axis 52 of the drive shaft 63 is provided on the right side of the upper end portion of the base 51 and extends rearward in parallel with the front-rear direction.

[0091] The drive shaft 63 includes a transmission cam gear 66, a clutch spring 68, and a ribbon cam 67. The transmission cam gear 66 is a component that integrates a gear that receives the driving force transmitted from the motor 61 via the gear group 62 and a cam for transmitting the driving force to the input gear 134. The transmission cam gear 66 includes a gear portion 66A, a shaft portion 66B, a hook 66C, and a cam portion 66D. The gear portion 66A is a gear portion that meshes with the gear at the most downstream of the gear group 62, and receives the driving force. The shaft portion 66B is cylindrical and extends to the rear of the gear portion 66A, has a smaller diameter than the gear portion 66A, and rotates integrally with the gear portion 66A around the rotating shaft 52. The hook 66C is provided at the rear end of the shaft portion 66B to position the ribbon cam 67 disposed around the shaft portion 66B and prevent it from falling off. The cam portion 66D is a portion to be inserted into the input gear 134 , is provided at the rear end of the shaft portion 66B, and transmits the driving force from the motor 61 to the input gear 134 .

[0092] The clutch spring 68 is a coil spring having an annular portion 68A, a locking portion 68B, and a bent end portion 68C. The annular portion 68A is a spiral portion mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 66B of the transmission cam gear 66. The locking portion 68B is a portion extending radially outward from the rear end of the annular portion 68A. The bent end portion 68C is a portion where the end of the locking portion 68B is bent in the circumferential direction. When the transmission cam gear 66 is to rotate in the same direction as the direction in which the ribbon cam 67 is wound around the ink ribbon 104, the clutch spring 68 reduces the diameter of the annular portion 68A by friction with the shaft portion 66B, and transmits the driving force of the transmission cam gear 66 to the ribbon cam 67. When the transmission cam gear 66 does not rotate and the ribbon cam 67 is to rotate in the direction in which the ink ribbon 104 is wound around, the annular portion 68A of the clutch spring 68 expands in diameter, and the transmission of the driving force between the transmission cam gear 66 and the ribbon cam 67 is not performed. Therefore, the ribbon cam 67 can rotate freely and can wind the ink ribbon 104.

[0093] The ribbon cam 67 is a cylindrical component having a cam portion 67A, a groove portion 67B, and a limiting portion 67C. The cam portion 67A is a portion inserted into the winding drum 107 and is arranged around the shaft portion 66B. The cam portion 67A transmits the driving force transmitted from the transmission cam gear 66 via the clutch spring 68 to the winding drum 107. The groove portion 67B is a groove that connects the cylindrical inner and outer parts in the radial direction at the front end of the cam portion 67A. The locking portion 68B of the clutch spring 68 is arranged in the groove portion 67B. The limiting portion 67C is a protruding portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the front end of the cam portion 67A at one end side of the circumferential direction relative to the opening portion of the groove portion 67B. The limiting portion 67C is limited in such a way that the bent end portion 68C of the clutch spring 68 exposed from the groove portion 67B cannot be arranged on the limiting portion 67C side, and defines the direction in which the clutch spring 68 is assembled to the shaft portion 66B.

[0094] When the drive shaft 63 is assembled to the base 51 during the assembly operation of the printing unit 50 in the manufacturing process of the printing device 1, the operator assembles the transmission cam gear 66 to the rotating shaft 52 of the base 51. Next, the operator attaches the clutch spring 68 to the shaft portion 66B of the transmission cam gear 66, and further assembles the ribbon cam 67 to the shaft portion 66B. When the clutch spring 68 is not installed in the correct direction, the bent end portion 68C interferes with the restriction portion 67C. In this case, since the ribbon cam 67 cannot be arranged at a position to be hung on the hook 66C, the operator reassembles the clutch spring 68. When the clutch spring 68 is installed to the ribbon cam 67 in the correct direction, the bent end portion 68C is arranged on the side without the restriction portion 67C. The ribbon cam 67 is embedded in the root portion of the shaft portion 66B of the transmission cam gear 66, and is prevented from falling off by the hook 66C. In this way, the operator can also temporarily assemble the clutch spring 68 to the ribbon cam 67 without assembling the ribbon cam 67 and the clutch spring 68 to the transmission cam gear 66, thereby preventing assembly defects caused by the clutch spring 68 falling off.

[0095] like Figure 6 , Figure 8As shown, the head unit 70 includes a print head 71, a heat sink 72, and a wiring harness 73, and is assembled on a base 51. The print head 71 is a rectangular circuit substrate on which a plurality of heating elements 71A and a driver circuit unit 71B are installed. The plurality of heating elements 71A are arranged in the front-to-back direction at the upper end of the left surface of the substrate. The driver circuit unit 71B is formed at the lower end of the left surface of the substrate and is electrically connected to a control unit (not shown) in the housing 2 via a wiring harness 73. The heat sink 72 is a metal plate for holding the print head 71 and dissipating heat, which faces the plate surface in the left-right direction and extends longer than the front-to-back direction in the upper-lower direction. The upper rear end of the heat sink 72 protrudes rearward compared to the front rear end. The rear surface of the upper rear end of the heat sink 72 functions as a support portion 18 when the tape box 100 is installed. The front end 72F of the heat sink 72 is bent to the left. The heat sink 72 is disposed on the left side of the drive shaft 63 in the upper end of the base 51, and the front end 72F is fixed to the base 51 by screws. The print head 71 and the heat sink 72 are exposed in the cartridge mounting portion 10 from a notch formed in the left end of the recessed bottom surface 11.

[0096] The print head 71 is fixed to the left surface of the radiator 72 by an adhesive. The radiator 72 has three protrusions 72A, 72B, and 72C protruding to the left surface side in order to locate the fixed position of the print head 71. The protrusions 72A, 72B, and 72C are formed by embossing. The protrusion 72A is formed at the upper end of the radiator 72 at a position forward of the center in the front-to-back direction. The protrusion 72A abuts against the upper end of the front surface of the print head 71 to position the heating element 71A in the main scanning direction (front-to-back direction). Therefore, compared with the case where the protrusion 72A is set near the rear end in the front-to-back direction and abuts against the rear surface of the print head 71 to position the heating element 71A in the main scanning direction, the protrusion 72A has the effect of further reducing the size of the radiator 72 in the front-to-back direction. The protrusions 72B and 72C are formed at the center of the up-down direction of the radiator 72 at the rear end position in the front-to-back direction and the center position in the front-to-back direction, respectively. The protrusions 72B and 72C are in contact with the lower surface of the print head 71 , respectively, to position the heating element 71A in the sub-scanning direction (vertical direction).

[0097] In addition, the heat sink 72 has two holes 72D and 72E that penetrate in the left-right direction at the upper positions of the protrusions 72B and 72C, respectively. The holes 72D and 72E are formed at positions overlapping the right surface of the print head 71 when the print head 71 is fixed to the heat sink 72. In the manufacturing process of the printing device 1, the operator inserts a jig into the holes 72D and 72E in the assembly work after the print head 71 is bonded to the heat sink 72 to check the bonding strength of the print head 71, thereby preventing assembly defects.

[0098] like Figure 6 , Fig. 9 As shown, the stamping unit 80 is arranged on the left side of the cartridge mounting portion 10 (see Figure 2 ), the lower end is supported by the rotating shaft 53 so that the upper end can swing in the left and right directions. Fig. 9 In FIG. 8 , the structure of the components before assembly is indicated by a double-dashed line. The rotating shaft 53 of the stamping unit 80 is provided on the left side of the upper end of the base 51 and extends toward the rear in parallel with the front-rear direction. By swinging the stamping unit 80, the stamping roller 82 can be moved to a position close to the printing head 71 (see FIG. 8 ). Figure 6 ) and a separation position away from the print head 71 (refer to Figure 3 ) swing. In addition, for the convenience of description, the directions of the various parts of the printing unit 80 described below are based on the directions of the various parts of the printing device 1 when the platen roller 82 is located in the close position.

[0099] The stamping unit 80 includes a stamping holder 81, a stamping shaft 84, a stamping roller 82, a stamping gear 83, and a detection unit 91. The stamping holder 81 is a box-shaped frame that is long in the up-down direction and open on the right side. The stamping holder 81 has a support hole 81A that penetrates in the front-to-back direction at the front wall and the rear wall at the lower end. The support hole 81A is supported by the rotating shaft 53 of the base 51. The front wall and the rear wall of the stamping holder 81 have a raised portion 81B that bulges to the right at the upper end. The raised portion 81B has a through hole (not shown) that penetrates in the front-to-back direction. In addition, since the through hole is configured to be able to press the stamping roller 82 to the right relative to the raised portion 81B and elastically move it to the left, the through hole is a long hole shape that is long in the left-right direction. The platen holder 81 rotatably supports both end portions of the platen shaft 84 in the through holes of the raised portions 81B, thereby holding the platen roller 82 between the raised portions 81B.

[0100] The stamping shaft 84 is a shaft member extending in the front-to-back direction. The stamping shaft 84 has insertion holes 84A and 84B for inserting engagement pins 85 and 86 at the rear end and the center in the front-to-back direction. The engagement pins 85 and 86 are rod members and are longer than the diameter of the stamping shaft 84. When the engagement pins 85 and 86 are inserted into the holes 84A and 84B, they penetrate the stamping shaft 84 in the radial direction. In addition, a groove 84C is formed at the front end of the stamping shaft 84 to engage with the fixed wheel 87.

[0101] The platen roller 82 includes a roller body 82A and a roller sleeve 82B. The roller sleeve 82B is a cylindrical member through which the platen shaft 84 is inserted. The outer diameter D1 of the front end of the roller sleeve 82B is smaller than the outer diameter D2 of the rear end and the middle part where the roller body 82A is arranged. The raised portions 81B of the front wall and the rear wall respectively have portions that engage with the outer peripheral surface of the front end and the outer peripheral surface of the rear end of the roller sleeve 82B. Therefore, the platen holder 81 has the following structure: when the front-to-back direction of the platen roller 82 is opposite to the correct direction, the platen roller 82 cannot be arranged between the raised portions 81B. The engaging pin 86 of the central portion of the platen shaft 84 engages with the groove portion 82D formed on the inner surface of the barrel hole 82C of the roller sleeve 82B, and transmits the torque from the platen shaft 84 to the roller sleeve 82B. Therefore, the roller sleeve 82B rotates with the platen shaft 84. In addition, at the rear end of the roller sleeve 82B, a cutout portion 82E is formed that penetrates the cylinder wall surface in the radial direction corresponding to the formation position of the groove portion 82D. The roller body 82A is a cylinder member that is embedded in the outer peripheral surface of the middle portion of the roller sleeve 82B. The roller body 82A rotates along the axis together with the platen shaft 84 and the roller sleeve 82B.

[0102] The stamping gear 83 is fixed to the rear end of the stamping shaft 84 protruding rearward from the raised portion 81B on the rear wall side. The stamping gear 83 is a gear whose teeth are relative to the rotation axis L4 (refer to Fig.12 ) is a so-called helical gear that is twisted at a predetermined angle. The engagement pin 85 at the rear end of the stamping shaft 84 engages with a groove 83B formed on the inner surface of a through hole 83A provided at the rotation center of the stamping gear 83, and the torque from the stamping gear 83 is transmitted to the stamping shaft 84. Therefore, the stamping shaft 84 rotates along the axis with the stamping gear 83.

[0103] In the approach position of the platen roller 82, the roller body 82A sandwiches the tape 101 and the ink ribbon 104 between the roller body 82A and the print head 71. The platen gear 83 is connected to the output gear 131 (see FIG. 1 ) of the tape cassette 100. Fig.11 The driving force of the drive shaft 63 is input to the platen roller 82 via the tape cassette 100 and the platen gear 83. As the axis of the platen roller 82 rotates, the roller body 82A conveys the tape 101 sandwiched between the roller body 82A and the print head 71 toward the discharge path 29.

[0104] During the assembly operation of the platen unit 80 in the manufacturing process of the printing device 1, when the platen roller 82 is assembled to the platen holder 81, the operator inserts the engaging pin 85 into the insertion hole 84A at the rear end portion of the platen shaft 84. The operator inserts the platen shaft 84 into the through hole 83A of the platen gear 83 from the rear, and engages the engaging pin 85 with the groove 83B when the platen shaft 84 is inserted to the rear end portion. Next, the operator arranges the platen roller 82 between the raised portions 81B of the platen holder 81 in the correct orientation in the front-to-back direction, and while pressing the platen gear 83, inserts the engaging pin 86 into the through hole 84B of the platen shaft 84 from the rear into the through hole of the raised portion 81B of the rear wall. After inserting the engaging pin 86 through the long hole-shaped through hole of the raised portion 81B, the operator can easily align the engaging pin 86 with the groove portion 82D by visually observing the position of the engaging pin 86 from the cutout portion 82E of the roller sleeve 82B. The operator engages the engaging pin 86 with the groove portion 82D, so that the front end of the stamping shaft 84 is exposed from the through hole of the raised portion 81B of the front wall. The operator inserts the fixing wheel 87 into the groove portion 84C at the front end of the stamping shaft 84, and completes the assembly operation of assembling the stamping roller 82 to the stamping holder 81. Since the stamping roller 82, the stamping gear 83 and the stamping shaft 84 are positioned and fixed by the engaging pins 85, 86 and the fixing wheel 87, the stamping unit 80 can replace the parts individually when they are damaged, and can be easily reassembled. Furthermore, since the engaging pins 85 and 86 of the platen shaft 84 are formed as separate bodies, the production cost can be reduced compared to the case where the engaging pins 85 and 86 are formed as a single body by cutting.

[0105] like Figure 6 , Fig.10 As shown, the stamp holder 81 has a concave holding portion 81C between the front wall and the rear wall at a position closer to the lower end than the middle portion in the vertical direction, and the holding portion 81C holds the detection unit 91. Fig.10 In FIG. 1 , the detection unit 91 before being assembled to the stamp holder 81 is indicated by a double-dashed line. The detection unit 91 is turned on / off by a mechanical switch from the detected unit 125 (see FIG. 1 ) of the tape cassette 100. Fig.11 ) is a sensor for detecting the box identification information given to the tape box 100. The detection unit 91 has a circuit substrate 92 and a housing 93. The circuit substrate 92 has a detector 92A mounted on the right surface, and the detector 92A has a plurality of protruding switches that are turned on by pressing. The circuit substrate 92 has a plurality of pads 92B mounted on the left surface, and the pads 92B are connected by welding to a plurality of signal lines 94 that send signals from the detector 92A to a control unit (not shown). The pads 92B are formed concentratedly at the upper end of the circuit substrate 92.

[0106] The housing 93 is box-shaped and is disposed in the holding portion 81C of the stamp holder 81 and fixed by hooks. The circuit board 92 is fixed to the left surface of the housing 93 by screws. The right surface of the housing 93 is located at approximately the same position as the right surface of the stamp holder 81 in the left-right direction, so that the switch of the detector 92A is exposed toward the right.

[0107] The holding portion 81C of the stamping holder 81 has an opening 81D on the left surface of the stamping holder 81. The opening 81D is formed corresponding to the formation area of ​​the pad 92B, and when the detection unit 91 is held in the holding portion 81C, the pad 92B is exposed when viewed from the left. The opening 81D has an inner wall extending in the left-right direction. The inner wall 81F on the upper side of the inner wall of the opening 81D has cutouts 81G at two locations on the right end. The cutouts 81G are formed at positions corresponding to two pads 92B located near the upper end of the circuit substrate 92 among the plurality of pads 92B. The signal line 94 is pulled out to the left of the stamping holder 81 via the opening 81D. A holding protrusion 81E for bundling and holding the signal line 94 is formed on the lower side of the opening 81D on the left surface of the stamping holder 81. The signal line 94 led out from the opening 81D is arranged between the left surface of the platen holder 81 and the holding protrusion 81E.

[0108] The signal line 94 is soldered to the pad 92B from the upper side. Therefore, the signal line 94 extends to the upper side of the pad 92B, bends in a manner of folding back downward, and is pulled out from the opening 81D toward the lower side. The inner wall 81F of the opening 81D can reduce the interference with the folded back portion of the signal line 94 folded back on the upper side of the pad 92B through the cutout 81G. Therefore, the stamping holder 81 can reduce the load applied to the signal line 94 by contacting with the signal line 94, so that the disconnection of the signal line 94 can be suppressed. In addition, the stamping holder 81 can suppress the circuit substrate 92 from being pressed via the signal line 94 due to contact with the signal line 94, and the configuration position of the detector 92A is shifted. Furthermore, in order to avoid interference with the signal line 94, the stamping holder 81 can be miniaturized compared to the case where the pad 92B is moved away from the opening 81D by making the stamping holder 81 larger in the left-right direction.

[0109] Next, the structure of the tape cassette 100 will be described. The tape cassette 100 stores the tape 101. Figure 2 As shown, the tape cassette 100 can be installed in the cassette installation portion 10 of the printing device 1 and can be removed from the cassette installation portion 10. By replacing the tape cassette 100, the tape 101 can be replenished and the type of the tape 101 (e.g., size, color, material, etc.) can be changed.

[0110] like Fig.11As shown, the tape cassette 100 includes a main housing 120 for accommodating at least a portion of the tape 101 and at least a portion of the ink ribbon 104. The main housing 120 includes a first housing 121 and a second housing 122. The first housing 121 and the second housing 122 are rectangular parallelepiped shapes having sides parallel to the up-down direction, sides parallel to the front-back direction, and sides parallel to the left-right direction. That is, the outer shape of the main housing 120 when viewed from the front-back direction is a quadrilateral shape.

[0111] The first housing 121 is connected to the second housing 122 in a manner that it protrudes downward from the lower surface of the second housing 122. The main housing 120 is formed by the first housing 121 and the concave bottom surface 11 of the cartridge mounting portion 10 (see Figure 2 ) is opposite to the insertion box mounting portion 10.

[0112] like Fig.12 As shown, the tape cassette 100 includes a tape reel 102, a tape reel 103, a ribbon reel 105, a ribbon reel 106, a winding drum 107, and a drive transmission mechanism 130. The tape reel 102 is a structure for winding a ribbon-shaped tape 101 to be printed around an axis around the tape reel 103. The printing device 1 performs printing by transferring an ink ribbon 104 heated by a heating element 71A of a print head 71 to the surface of the tape 101. The axis of the tape reel 102 is parallel to the front-rear direction.

[0113] Two spacers 111 and 112 are arranged outside the tape reel 102 in the front-rear direction so as to sandwich the tape reel 102. The spacer 111 is arranged between the tape reel 102 and the second cover 180, and the spacer 112 is arranged between the tape reel 102 and the second frame 170. The tape 101 pulled out from the tape reel 102 is guided by a first roller 113 and a second roller 114.

[0114] The tape reel 103 is rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to the front-rear direction. The tape reel 103 rotates as the platen roller 82 of the printing device 1 feeds the tape 101, thereby feeding the tape 101 to the head opening 123 (see FIG. 1 ). Fig.11 The rotation axis of the tape reel 103 coincides with the axis of the tape drum 102. A clutch spring (not shown) held by a clutch spring holder 115 applies rotation resistance to the tape reel 103.

[0115] The ribbon reel 105 is a structure in which a ribbon-shaped ink ribbon 104 used for printing with the tape 101 is wound around an axis on a ribbon reel 106. The ink ribbon 104 overlaps with the tape 101 in the head opening 123 and is used for printing by the print head 71. The ink ribbon 104 used for printing is wound around a winding drum 107. The ribbon reel 105 is arranged at a different position (specifically, in front) from the tape reel 102 in the front-to-back direction. In addition, the ribbon reel 105 is arranged at the same position as the head opening 123 in the front-to-back direction.

[0116] The ribbon reel 106 can rotate around a rotation axis. The rotation axis of the ribbon reel 106 is parallel to the front-rear direction. The ribbon reel 106 rotates as the winding drum 107 of the ink ribbon 104 is wound, thereby supplying the ink ribbon 104 to the print head 71. The clutch spring held by the clutch spring bracket 116 applies rotation resistance to the ribbon reel 106.

[0117] The winding drum 107 can rotate around the rotation axis. The rotation axis of the winding drum 107 is parallel to the rotation axis of the ribbon reel 106. The winding drum 107 is cylindrical and has a hollow portion defined by an inner circumferential surface 108. Spline teeth 109 are provided on the inner circumferential surface 108 of the winding drum 107. The spline teeth 109 are connected to the ribbon cam 67 of the drive shaft 63. The winding drum 107 rotates by the drive shaft 63 to wind the ink ribbon 104. The rotation resistance is applied to the winding drum 107 by the torsion spring 110. The torsion spring 110 is arranged between the winding drum 107 and the first frame portion 160.

[0118] The drive transmission mechanism 130 transmits the driving force transmitted from the drive shaft 63 to the platen roller 82 when the tape cassette 100 is installed in the cassette installation portion 10. The drive transmission mechanism 130 includes an output gear 131, an input gear 134, and an idler gear 137. The tape reel 102, the drive transmission mechanism 130, and the winding drum 107 are arranged in the order of the tape reel 102, the drive transmission mechanism 130, and the winding drum 107 in the front-to-back direction.

[0119] The output gear 131 is an external gear for outputting the driving force used for conveying the belt 101 to the outside. The output gear 131 transmits the driving force for conveying the belt 101 to the stamping gear 83 by meshing with the stamping gear 83. The output gear 131 is a helical gear in which the gear teeth are twisted at a predetermined angle relative to the rotation axis L1. The rotation axis L1 of the output gear 131 is parallel to the rotation axis L2 of the input gear 134 into which the drive shaft 63 is inserted and the rotation axis L4 of the stamping gear 83.

[0120] When the output gear 131 rotates, a thrust load is generated in a direction parallel to the rotation axis L1 of the output gear 131 (front-rear direction). The direction of the thrust load is determined by the torsion direction of the gear teeth of the output gear 131 and the rotation direction, and is forward or backward. Specifically, the output gear 131 is a first-order externally toothed helical gear. The torsion direction of the gear teeth of the output gear 131 is the direction in which the thrust load F that pushes the output gear 131 forward relative to the stamping gear 83 is generated at the meshing position G with the stamping gear 83. That is, when the output gear 131 is in the direction of transmitting the belt 101 toward the pull-out portion 124 (refer to Fig.11 ), the output gear 131 is twisted in a direction in which a thrust load F is generated in the mounting direction (forward direction) of the main housing 120 to the cartridge mounting portion 10 by meshing with the stamping gear 83. The torsion angle of the output gear 131 is, for example, not less than 20° and not more than 30°.

[0121] The rotation axis L4 of the stamping gear 83 is the same as that of the stamping roller 82. Therefore, when observed from the rear, the stamping roller 82 conveys the tape 101 sandwiched between the print head 71 at a position substantially the same as the meshing position G. The conveying direction of the tape 101 at the meshing position G when observed from the rear is substantially the same as the pull-out direction of the tape 101 pulled out from the pull-out portion 124 to the outside of the tape box 100, which is a direction from the bottom to the top. That is, when observed from the rear, the stamping roller 82 and the stamping gear 83 rotate clockwise, and the output gear 131 rotates counterclockwise. The rotation axis L4 of the stamping gear 83 is parallel to the direction (installation direction) in which the tape box 100 is installed in the box installation portion 10, and is orthogonal to the pull-out direction. Therefore, the torsion direction of the gear teeth of the output gear 131 when the thrust load F that pushes the output gear 131 forward (installation direction) is generated at the meshing position G is as follows. That is, the end of the gear teeth at the meshing position G on the installation direction side (front side) is twisted in a direction that is located downstream (i.e., upward) in the pull-out direction (transport direction) compared to the end of the gear teeth on the opposite side (rear side) to the installation direction. By the rotation of the output gear 131, at the meshing position G, the surface of the gear teeth of the output gear 131 facing backward and upward abuts against the surface of the gear teeth of the stamping gear 83 facing forward and downward, and is pressed in the transport direction (upward). In this way, the output gear 131 generates a thrust load toward the installation direction (front) at the meshing position G.

[0122] like Fig.11As shown, a part of the output gear 131 is exposed in the space communicating with the head opening 123. The output gear 131 meshes with the stamping gear 83 in the space communicating with the head opening 123 when the tape cassette 100 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 10. The output gear 131 is arranged at a position behind the detection portion 125 formed on the left wall 193 of the main housing 120 in the front-to-back direction, and is arranged at a position above the detection portion 125 in the up-down direction. In addition, the output gear 131 is arranged between the tape reel 102 and the ribbon reel 105 in the front-to-back direction.

[0123] like Fig.12 As shown, the input gear 134 is indirectly engaged with the output gear 131 via the idle gear 137, and transmits the driving force to the output gear 131. The input gear 134 has a gear portion 135 and a reel portion 136. The reel portion 136 is a cylindrical internal gear having spline teeth on the inner circumferential surface. The gear portion 135 is an external gear meshing with the upstream gear 138 of the idle gear 137. The reel portion 136 is fixed to the front surface side of the gear portion 135, and the ribbon cam 67 of the drive shaft 63 is inserted from the front. The gear portion 135 rotates integrally with the reel portion 136 by the driving force input to the reel portion 136. The rotation axis L2 of the input gear 134 and the rotation axis of the winding drum 107 are arranged on the same line and are parallel to the rotation axis L1 of the output gear 131.

[0124] The rotation axis L2 of the input gear 134 overlaps with the hollow portion of the winding drum 107 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, when the tape cassette 100 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 10, the drive shaft 63 is inserted through both the winding drum 107 and the input gear 134. As a result, the input gear 134 is not directly connected to the winding drum 107, but rotates together with the winding drum 107 through the drive shaft 63.

[0125] The idler gear 137 meshes with the input gear 134 and the output gear 131, and transmits the driving force input to the input gear 134 to the output gear 131. The idler gear 137 is a step gear in which the upstream gear 138 and the downstream gear 139 are arranged coaxially. The upstream gear 138 is a flat gear with external teeth meshing with the input gear 134. The downstream gear 139 is a helical gear with external teeth meshing with the output gear 131. The torsion direction of the gear teeth of the downstream gear 139 is the opposite direction to the output gear 131. The diameter of the downstream gear 139 is smaller than that of the upstream gear 138. In addition, the downstream gear 139 is arranged at a position closer to the belt reel 102 than the upstream gear 138 in the front-to-back direction.

[0126] The rotation axis L3 of the idle gear 137 is parallel to the rotation axis L1 of the output gear 131 and the rotation axis L2 of the input gear 134. The idle gear 137 reduces the rotation speed of the driving force input to the input gear 134 and transmits it to the output gear 131. That is, the drive transmission mechanism 130 includes a reduction mechanism that uses the transmission ratio obtained by dividing the rotation speed of the input gear 134 by the rotation speed of the output gear 131 as the reduction ratio.

[0127] The main housing 120 includes a first cover 150, a first frame 160, a second frame 170, and a second cover 180. The first cover 150 constitutes the front end of the tape cassette 100. The first frame 160 is disposed behind the first cover 150 and is connected to the first cover 150 in the up-down direction. The second frame 170 is disposed behind the first frame 160 and is connected to the first frame 160 in the front-back direction. The second cover 180 constitutes the rear end of the tape cassette 100. The second cover 180 is connected to the second frame 170 in the up-down direction.

[0128] The first cover 150, the first frame 160, and a part of the second frame 170 constitute a first housing 121 that accommodates the ribbon reel 105, the ribbon reel 106, the winding drum 107, and the drive transmission mechanism 130. The first housing 121 is arranged at a different position (specifically, in front) from the ribbon reel 102 in the front-back direction, and has a discharge port 126. The ribbon reel 105, the ribbon reel 106, and the winding drum 107 are arranged in a space surrounded by the first cover 150 and the first frame 160. The drive transmission mechanism 130 is arranged in a space surrounded by the first frame 160 and the second frame 170.

[0129] The second cover 180 and the second frame 170 constitute the second housing 122 that accommodates the tape reel 102. That is, the tape reel 102 is arranged in a space surrounded by the second cover 180 and the second frame 170.

[0130] like Fig.11 As shown, the main housing 120 has an upper wall 191, a lower wall 192, a left wall 193, a right wall 194, a rear wall 195, and a front wall 196. The upper wall 191 and the lower wall 192 constitute the outer wall of the main housing 120 in the up-down direction, and are orthogonal to the front-back direction and the left-right direction. The left wall 193 and the right wall 194 constitute the outer wall of the main housing 120 in the left-right direction, and are orthogonal to the up-down direction and the front-back direction. The rear wall 195 and the front wall 196 constitute the outer wall of the main housing 120 in the front-back direction, and are orthogonal to the left-right direction and the up-down direction.

[0131] The upper wall 191, the lower wall 192, the right wall 194 and the rear wall 195 are rectangular plates. The left wall 193 is a plate-shaped in the shape of a roughly inverted L with an opening at the corner portion of the upper front side. The front wall 196 is a plate-shaped in the shape of a roughly inverted C with a rectangular opening extending from a position lower than the center to the upper end in the vertical direction at the left end. A head opening portion 123 connected to the above-mentioned opening portions of the left wall 193 and the front wall 196 is formed in the upper left front portion of the main housing 120. The head opening portion 123 is formed across the first cover portion 150 and the first frame portion 160. When the tape box 100 is installed in the box installation portion 10 of the printing device 1, the print head 71 and the heat sink 72 are arranged inside the head opening portion 123. The print head 71 prints on the tape 101 inside the head opening portion 123.

[0132] The head opening 123 is defined by inner walls 123A, 123B, 123C, and 123D. The inner wall 123A and the inner wall 123B are orthogonal to the left-right direction, the inner wall 123C is orthogonal to the up-down direction, and the inner wall 123D is orthogonal to the front-back direction. The inner wall 123A is connected to the left ends of the inner walls 123C and 123D, and extends forward and upward. The inner wall 123B is connected to the right ends of the inner walls 123C and 123D, and extends forward and upward. The inner wall 123A is located on the left side of the inner wall 123B, opposite to the inner wall 123B. In the first housing 121, the portion extending upward including the inner wall 123A is the arm 127. A pull-out portion 124 is formed at the upper end of the arm 127. The belt 101 and the ink ribbon 104 are pulled out from the pull-out portion 124 into the head opening 123. The tape 101 and the ink ribbon 104 are exposed to the outside of the main housing 120 in the head opening 123, and overlap with the ink ribbon 104. A discharge port 126 is formed at the upper left end of the head opening 123 of the first housing 121. The tape 101 pulled into the head opening 123 is discharged from the discharge port 126 to the outside of the main housing 120. The discharge direction of the tape 101 in the discharge port 126 is upward. The ink ribbon 104 is pulled into the inside of the main housing 120 from a pull-in port (not shown) provided near the discharge port 126, and is wound around the winding drum 107.

[0133] like Figure 11 to Figure 13 As shown, the first frame portion 160 has engaging protrusions 162, 163, and contact portions 166, 167, 168. The engaging protrusions 162, 163 are respectively provided on the upper wall 191 and the lower wall 192 of the main housing 120. When the tape cassette 100 is installed in the cassette mounting portion 10, the engaging protrusions 162, 163 are respectively engaged with the hooks 12A, 13A of the cassette mounting portion 10. The engagement of the engaging protrusions 162, 163 with the hooks 12A, 13A is sufficient as long as the strength is sufficient to prevent the tape cassette 100 from falling off the cassette mounting portion 10 when the back cover 3 is open, and does not hinder the user from installing and removing the tape cassette 100.

[0134] The contact portions 166, 167, and 168 are portions that contact the support portions 16, 17, and 18 of the box mounting portion 10 from the rear when the tape box 100 is mounted on the box mounting portion 10. The contact portions 166, 167, and 168 are arranged separately from each other. The contact portion 166 is provided at the rear end of a recess 128A that is recessed toward the left at approximately the center in the up-down direction of the right wall 194 of the main housing 120. The recess 128A is connected to the front wall 196 and extends toward the rear to a position close to the front of the first frame portion 160. The contact portion 166 contacts the rear end of the rib-shaped support portion 16.

[0135] The contact portion 167 is provided at the rear end of the recess 128B that is recessed toward the upper right direction at the corner portion of the left wall 193 and the lower wall 192 of the main housing 120. The recess 128B is connected to the front wall 196 and extends toward the rear to a position near the center in the front-rear direction of the first frame portion 160. The contact portion 167 contacts the support portion 17 of the rod-shaped pin 19.

[0136] Contact portion 168 is provided at the upper end of inner wall 123D of head opening 123. Contact portion 168 is exposed downward from tape cassette 100 through head opening 123. Contact portion 168 contacts support portion 18 provided at the rear surface of the upper end of heat sink 72 inserted into head opening 123.

[0137] Next, the operation during printing is described. When the tape cassette 100 is installed in the printing device 1, the print head 71 is arranged in the head opening 123 at a position overlapping with the tape 101 and the ink ribbon 104 in the front-back direction. The tape 101 is conveyed to the head opening 123 by the platen roller 82, and is pressed against the print head 71 where the heating element 71A generates heat via the ink ribbon 104 by the platen roller 82. As a result, a portion of the ink arranged on the surface of the ink ribbon 104 is transferred to the tape 101, and text, marks, etc. are printed on the tape 101.

[0138] The platen roller 82 conveys the printed tape 101 from the tape cassette 100 to the outside through the discharge port 126. The platen roller 82 is rotated by the platen gear 83 meshing with the output gear 131. The platen roller 82 can be located at a separation position separated from the print head 71 and a proximity position close to the print head 71 by the swing of the platen unit 80.

[0139] When the main body 120 of the tape cassette 100 is inserted into the cassette mounting portion 10, the drive shaft 63 engages with the input gear 134, and the stamping gear 83 meshes with the output gear 131. Specifically, when the drive shaft 63 is inserted into the winding drum 107 of the tape cassette 100 and the input gear 134, the stamping roller 82 moves to a close position, so that the stamping gear 83 meshes with the output gear 131.

[0140] When the tape cassette 100 is mounted, the input gear 134 is rotated by the drive shaft 63, thereby rotating the output gear 131 via the idler gear 137. Furthermore, the rotation of the output gear 131 rotates the platen gear 83, thereby rotating the platen roller 82.

[0141] like Fig.14 , Fig.15 As shown, the front end of the tape cassette 100 is supported at three locations by support portions 16, 17, and 18 in the cassette mounting portion 10. When viewed in the front-to-back direction, the support portion 18 of the radiator 72 is located at the upper left portion of the tape cassette 100, near the meshing position G of the stamping gear 83 and the output gear 131. The support portion 17 of the pin 19 is located at the lower left corner of the tape cassette 100. The distance between the support portion 17 and the meshing position G is greater than the distance between the support portion 18 and the meshing position G. The support portion 16 of the rib is located approximately in the center of the right end of the tape cassette 100. The distance between the support portion 16 and the meshing position G is greater than the distance between the support portion 17 and the meshing position G. When the driving force is transmitted from the output gear 131 to the stamping gear 83, the thrust load F generated at the meshing position G is generated in the direction of pressing the output gear 131 forward relative to the stamping gear 83. That is, at the meshing position G, a thrust load F toward the front is applied to the tape cassette 100. Therefore, the tape cassette 100 supported at three locations by the support portions 16, 17, and 18 is rotated by the thrust load F about the imaginary rotation axis LX connecting the support portion 17 and the support portion 18 at the two locations toward the arrow R (see FIG. Fig.14 ) is rotated in the direction shown. That is, when viewed from the rear, the tape box 100 has a meshing position G in an area on the opposite side of the support portion 16 relative to the rotation axis LX, and therefore rotates only when driven to generate a thrust load F. The rotation direction of the tape box 100 is a direction in which the area on the side where the meshing position G is located is centered on the rotation axis LX, with the area on the side where the contact portion 166 that contacts the support portion 16 is located being rotated toward the rear. In addition, the tape box 100 has a support portion 18 on the same side as the meshing position G with respect to an imaginary rotation axis of the support portion 16 and the support portion 17 connecting the two portions, and therefore does not rotate around the imaginary axis. Similarly, the support portion 17 is provided on the same side as the meshing position G with respect to the imaginary rotation axis of the support portion 16 and the support portion 18 connecting the two portions, and therefore the tape box 100 does not rotate around the imaginary axis.

[0142] The limiting portion 37 of the back cover 3 is located at the lower right corner of the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100 when viewed from the rear in the installed state. When the printing device 1 is in a non-driven state, the limiting portion 37 does not contact the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100 because no thrust load F is generated. In addition, the limiting portion 37 may also contact the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100 in the non-driven state of the printing device 1. When the printing device 1 is driven and a thrust load F is generated at the meshing position G so that the tape cassette 100 rotates around the rotation axis LX, the limiting portion 37 abuts against the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100. When the printing device 1 is driven, for convenience of explanation, the position in the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100 where the limiting portion 37 abuts is set as the restricted portion 169. The restricting portion 37 abuts against the restricted portion 169, so that the tape cassette 100 is positioned at the three locations of the support portion 17, the support portion 18, and the restricted portion 169 while rotating about the rotation axis LX. Therefore, the posture of the tape cassette 100 during driving is stabilized.

[0143] The limiting portion 37 is formed integrally with a window frame portion 36 that holds the window portion 35 in the back cover 3. The window frame portion 36 is thicker than the wall surface of the back cover 3 and has high rigidity. Therefore, even if the restricted portion 169 of the tape cassette 100 abuts against the limiting portion 37 due to the thrust load F, the back cover 3 will not bend.

[0144] In addition, when viewed from the rear, in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis LX, the distance between the rotation axis LX and the meshing position G is set to X1, and the distance between the rotation axis LX and the restricted portion 169 is set to X2. Distance X2 is longer than distance X1. That is, when the tape cassette 100 rotates due to the thrust load F and the restricting portion 37 abuts against the restricted portion 169, the stress received by the restricting portion 37 from the restricted portion 169 is smaller than the thrust load F according to the principle of the lever. Even if the restricted portion 169 of the tape cassette 100 abuts against the restricting portion 37 due to the thrust load F, the back cover 3 will not bend. In addition, when the distance between the support portion 16 provided at the center of the right end portion of the main housing 120 and the rotation axis LX is set to X3, distance X2 is longer than distance X3. By providing the restricted portion 169 at the lower right corner of the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100, it is possible to ensure that distance X2 is longer than distance X3. Therefore, the stress received by the restricting portion 37 from the restricted portion 169 is smaller than that in the case where the restricted portion 169 is provided at the position of the support portion 16 .

[0145] When viewed from the rear, the support portion 16 is arranged near the restricted portion 169 compared with the support portions 17 and 18. When the printing device 1 is transferred from the driven state to the non-driven state, the thrust load F disappears, and the restricted portion 169 of the tape cassette 100 moves forward. At this time, the contact portion 166 contacts the support portion 16 located near the restricted portion 169, and the tape cassette 100 is stably supported by the support portions 16, 17, and 18 at three locations.

[0146] In addition, in order to prevent the rotation of the tape cassette 100 due to the thrust load F, the meshing position G may be arranged in the region of the imaginary triangle connecting the three support portions 16, 17, and 18 when viewed from the rear. In the present embodiment, the rotation of the tape cassette 100 due to the thrust load F is allowed, and the posture of the tape cassette 100 is stabilized by positioning in the rotating state. With this structure, it is not necessary to arrange the meshing position G in the region of the imaginary triangle connecting the three support portions 16, 17, and 18, and the layout of the internal components can be liberalized.

[0147] As described above, the platen gear 83 of the printing device 1 meshes with the output gear 131 of the tape cassette 100, and the driving force for rotating the platen roller 82 is transmitted from the output gear 131. The platen gear 83 is a helical gear, and at the meshing position G, a thrust load F toward the installation direction (front) is generated on the output gear 131 side. Therefore, the tape cassette 100 rotates around the rotation axis LX of the support parts 17 and 18 connecting the two parts, and the output gear 131 side moves toward the installation direction (front). Therefore, with respect to the rotation axis LX, the area on the opposite side of the output gear 131 moves in the direction (rear) opposite to the installation direction (front). The limiting part 37 of the back cover 3 limits the rotation of the tape cassette 100 by abutting against the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100. Therefore, when the printing device 1 is driven, by maintaining the state in which the limiting part 37 abuts against the rear wall 195, the posture of the tape cassette 100 can be stabilized, and the deviation when the tape 101 is pulled out can be suppressed.

[0148] The restriction portion 37 protrudes from the wall surface (inner surface) of the rear cover 3 facing the cassette mounting portion 10. Therefore, when the printing device 1 is driven, the restriction portion 37 is reliably in contact with the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100, and the posture of the tape cassette 100 can be stabilized.

[0149] Since the window frame portion 36 provided with the restriction portion 37 is formed thicker than the surrounding wall portion, the rigidity around the restriction portion 37 can be increased. Therefore, when the printing device 1 is driven, the rear cover 3 can suppress deflection even if the restriction portion 37 receives a load required to suppress the rotation of the tape cassette 100 due to the thrust load F. Therefore, when the printing device 1 is driven, the posture of the tape cassette 100 can be stabilized.

[0150] The restriction portion 37 contacts the tape cassette 100 at a position farther from the engagement position G relative to the rotation axis LX. Therefore, based on the lever principle, when the printing device 1 is driven, the load required by the restriction portion 37 to suppress the rotation of the tape cassette 100 due to the thrust load F can be reduced. Therefore, when the printing device 1 is driven, the posture of the tape cassette 100 can be easily stabilized.

[0151] When the printing device 1 is not driven, since the output gear 131 does not generate the thrust load F, the tape cartridge 100 moves in the installation direction (forward) around the rotation axis LX in the area on the opposite side of the meshing position G. When viewed from the installation direction (forward), the support portion 16 is located at the position of the restriction portion 37 or a position near the restriction portion 37, so the tape cartridge 100 is reliably supported. Therefore, the printing device 1 can stabilize the posture of the tape cartridge 100 even when it is not driven.

[0152] The output gear 131 of the tape cassette 100 meshes with the platen gear 83 of the printing device 1, transmitting the driving force that rotates the platen roller 82. The output gear 131 is a helical gear, and at the meshing position G, a thrust load F toward the installation direction (front) is generated on the output gear 131 side. Therefore, the tape cassette 100 rotates around the rotation axis LX of the contact portions 167 and 168 connecting the two parts, and the output gear 131 side moves toward the installation direction (front). Therefore, relative to the rotation axis LX, the area on the opposite side of the output gear 131 moves in the direction opposite to the installation direction (front). The limiting portion 37 of the back cover 3 provided in this area abuts against the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100, limiting the rotation of the tape cassette 100. Therefore, when the printing device 1 is driven, the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100 is pressed by the limiting portion 37 and the posture is stable, so that the deviation of the tape 101 when it is pulled out can be suppressed.

[0153] The tape cassette 100 contacts the limiting portion 37 at a position farther from the engagement position G relative to the rotation axis LX. Therefore, according to the lever principle, when the printing device 1 is driven, the tape cassette 100 rotated by the thrust load F can reduce the load applied to the limiting portion 37, so the posture can be easily stabilized.

[0154] The portion where the restriction portion 37 contacts the main housing 120 is a corner portion having high rigidity. Therefore, even if the tape cassette 100 is pressed by the restriction portion 37 when the printing device 1 is driven, the rear wall 195 does not bend and the posture can be easily stabilized.

[0155] The contact portion 168 is supported by the heat sink 72 of the print head 71. The heat sink 72 is made of metal and has high rigidity. Therefore, by supporting the contact portion 168 of the tape cassette 100 by the heat sink 72, the posture of the printing device 1 during driving can be stabilized.

[0156] The contact portion 167 is provided at a highly rigid corner portion of the main housing 120. Therefore, when the printing device 1 is driven, even if the contact portion 167 is supported by the support portion 17, the front end of the tape cassette 100 does not bend, and the posture can be easily stabilized.

[0157] The output gear 131 meshes with the embossing gear 83, which is connected to the embossing roller 82 of the conveyor belt 101. Therefore, the output gear 131 rotates in the direction in which the gear teeth at the meshing position G move from the upstream of the pull-out direction (the conveying direction of the belt 101 in the head opening 123) toward the downstream. At the meshing position G, the gear teeth are twisted in the direction in which the end of the gear teeth on the installation direction (front) side is located on the downstream side compared to the opposite side. Therefore, the gear teeth of the output gear 131 abut against the gear teeth of the embossing gear 83 at the meshing position G, so that a thrust load F toward the installation direction (front) side can be generated on the output gear 131.

[0158] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the box mounting portion 10 is an example of the "mounting portion" of the present invention. The back cover 3 is an example of the "opening and closing cover" of the present invention. The front end of the tape box 100 is an example of the "bottom" of the present invention. The front direction is an example of the "mounting direction" of the present invention. The rear direction is an example of the "direction opposite to the mounting direction" of the present invention. The platen shaft 84 and the rotation axis L4 are examples of the "axis" of the platen roller and the platen gear of the present invention. The rotation axis L1 is an example of the "axis" of the output gear of the present invention. The rear end of the tape box 100 is an example of the "top" of the present invention. The main shell 120 is an example of the "shell" of the present invention.

[0159] The present invention can be modified according to the above-mentioned embodiment. In the box installation part 10, the tape box 100 is supported by the support parts 16, 17, and 18 at three locations, but it can also be supported by the support parts at more than four locations. In addition, the configuration position of the support part in the box installation part 10 can also be appropriately changed. As long as the direction of the thrust load F generated by the output gear 131 at the meshing position G with the stamping gear 83 is the direction that moves the output gear 131 in the installation direction, the configuration position, rotation direction, and gear tooth direction of the output gear 131 can also be appropriately changed.

[0160] The restricting portion 37 of the back cover 3 may not be in the shape of a rod, but may be in the shape of a rib, for example. The position of the restricted portion 169 with which the restricting portion 37 abuts is not limited to the lower right corner if it is located in the area on the opposite side of the area where the meshing position G is arranged with respect to the rotation axis LX when viewed from the rear. For example, the position of the restricted portion 169 in the rear wall 195 may be located at a position overlapping with the contact portion 166 in the front-rear direction.

[0161] It is also possible to install a tape cassette 200 containing tapes of different widths in the cassette installation portion 10. Fig.16As shown, the tape box 200 accommodates a tape that is wider than the tape 101 accommodated in the tape box 100 (not shown). Therefore, the tape box 200 is larger than the tape box 100 in the front-to-back direction, and the rear wall 295 is located at the rear of the rear wall 195 of the tape box 100. Fig.16 In the figure, the rear wall 195 of the tape box 100 is indicated by a double-dotted line. When the tape box 200 is installed in the box installation portion 10, if the height position of the restricted portion 269 in the front-to-back direction that the restricting portion 37 of the back cover 3 abuts is the same as the height position of the restricted portion 169 in the front-to-back direction of the tape box 100, it is not necessary to replace the back cover 3 and the tape box 200 together. To this end, it is sufficient to form a recess 265 at the formation position of the restricted portion 269 in the lower right corner of the rear wall 295, and set the height position of the bottom surface of the recess in the front-to-back direction to a height position consistent with the rear wall 195 of the tape box 100. In this way, the depth of the recess 265 formed in the lower right corner of the rear wall 295 in the tape box 200 is set according to the thickness, so that the height position of the restricted portion 269 formed on the bottom surface of the recess 265 is consistent with the height position of the rear wall 195 of the tape box 100. This allows the height position at which the regulating portion 37 and the regulated portion 269 abut against each other to be constant regardless of changes in the tape width. Therefore, the tape cassette 200 can be used with tapes of various widths.

[0162] The tape cassette 100 is a container-type tape cassette that transfers ink of the ink ribbon 104 onto the surface of the tape 101, but is not limited thereto and may be a tape cassette that can print on various tapes such as double-sided tape, film tape, laminated tape, etc.

Claims

1. A printing device comprising: chassis; An installation portion, the installation portion is formed in the housing in a recessed shape, for installing a tape cassette that accommodates a tape for printing; a printing unit, which is accommodated in the housing and prints on the tape pulled out from the tape cassette mounted on the mounting unit; as well as The opening and closing cover is mounted on the housing and can be moved to a state of closing the opening of the mounting portion and a state of opening the opening of the mounting portion, wherein: The mounting portion comprises: The two supporting parts support the bottom of the tape box arranged on the bottom surface side of the recess in a direction opposite to the installation direction when the tape box is installed. The installation direction is the direction of installing the tape box toward the installation part. The printing unit comprises: Printing head; a platen roller, which is opposite to the printing head, is rotatable about an axis parallel to the mounting direction, and conveys the tape; and an embossing gear connected to the embossing roller, The tape box has: an output gear rotatable about an axis parallel to the mounting direction and used to output a driving force input from the outside of the tape cassette to the stamping gear, The stamping gear and the output gear are helical gears that generate a thrust load in the mounting direction on the output gear side at a meshing position with each other during rotation. The opening and closing cover has: A limiting portion, which is arranged in an area on the opposite side of the meshing position when viewed from the installation direction relative to the rotation axis of the supporting portion connecting the two parts, and can abut against the top on the opposite side of the bottom of the belt box, and the limiting portion limits the belt box from rotating around the rotation axis due to the thrust load generated on the output gear.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The restricting portion protrudes in the mounting direction from a wall surface of the closed opening and closing cover that faces the mounting portion.

3. The printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The opening and closing cover has a window portion through which at least a portion of the interior of the mounting portion can be visually confirmed from the outside when the opening and closing cover is closed. The restricting portion is formed on a window frame portion which is an edge portion of the window portion.

4. The printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that When viewed from the mounting direction, a distance between the restriction portion and the rotation axis in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis is greater than a distance between the meshing position and the rotation axis.

5. The printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting portion has the supporting portion at three or more locations, The support portion is formed at least at the positions of the two locations that coincide with the rotation axis and at the position of the restriction portion or at a position near the restriction portion when viewed from the mounting direction.

6. A tape box, comprising: a tape reel that winds a tape for printing; and a housing for housing the belt reel, The tape cassette is mounted on a mounting portion formed in a recessed shape on a housing of a printing device, and the tape is pulled out from the tape reel in order to print on the tape by a printing portion of the printing device, wherein: The printing unit comprises: Printing head; a platen roller, which is opposite to the print head and can rotate around an axis parallel to an installation direction and convey the tape, wherein the installation direction is a direction in which the tape cassette is installed on the installation portion; and an embossing gear connected to the embossing roller, The housing comprises: an output gear rotatable about an axis parallel to the mounting direction and configured to output a driving force input from the outside of the tape cassette to the stamping gear; and Two supported portions, the two supported portions being formed at the bottom of the bottom surface side of the recessed portion arranged in the mounting portion and being supported in the direction opposite to the mounting direction by supporting portions provided at two positions of the mounting portion; and A restricted portion is formed at the top on the opposite side of the bottom, and restricts the posture of the tape box in the mounting portion by abutting against a restricting portion provided on an opening and closing cover, and the opening and closing cover is mounted on the housing in a manner that can be moved to a state of closing the opening portion of the mounting portion and a state of opening the opening portion of the mounting portion, The stamping gear and the output gear are helical gears that generate a thrust load in the mounting direction on the output gear side at a meshing position with each other during rotation. The restricted portion is an area located on the opposite side of the meshing position when viewed from the installation direction relative to the rotation axis of the supported portion connecting the two parts, and the belt box is restricted by the restricting portion from rotating around the rotation axis due to the thrust load generated on the output gear.

7. The tape cassette according to claim 6, characterized in that: When viewed from the mounting direction, a distance between the restricted portion and the rotation axis in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis is greater than a distance between the meshing position and the rotation axis.

8. The tape cassette according to claim 6, characterized in that: The restricted portion is provided at a corner portion of the housing in the top portion.

9. The tape cassette according to claim 6, characterized in that: The restricted portion has a top surface in the top portion of the housing provided at a position recessed toward the mounting direction, and the top surface is a surface of the top portion on the opposite side to the mounting direction.

10. The tape cassette according to claim 6, characterized in that: One of the two supported portions is supported by a heat sink of the print head.

11. The tape cassette according to claim 6, characterized in that: The housing has the supported portion at three or more locations, One of the supported portions is provided at a corner portion of the housing at the bottom portion.

12. The tape cassette according to claim 6, characterized in that: The housing has a pull-out portion for pulling the belt out to the outside of the housing in a pull-out direction, the pull-out direction being along a direction intersecting the mounting direction, At the meshing position, the end portion of the gear teeth on the mounting direction side of the output gear is twisted in a direction downstream in the pull-out direction relative to the end portion of the gear teeth on the opposite side to the mounting direction.

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