Adaptive paper path structure and control method for thermal printer

Abstract

The present application relates to printer equipment technical field, especially a kind of self-adapting paper path structure and control method of thermal printer, for the problems such as existing traditional thermal printer paper path limiting structure needs manual adjustment, poor adaptability, tedious operation, insufficient running stability, etc., provide a kind of self-adapting paper path structure of thermal printer, including box body, box body inside is equipped with the bracket that can move up and down, clamping component includes positioning tablet, when the bracket moves down, can make positioning tablet overturn upwards, after turning to vertical state, it will move to one side along shaft body again;Box body inside is also equipped with drive assembly, drive assembly includes two rotatable drive rollers;Optimize paper path clamping positioning structure design, with many core advantages such as structure design reasonable, self-adapting strong adaptive capacity, practical application convenient, running stable and reliable, low operating cost, widely applicable scenarios, etc., the comprehensive use benefit is remarkable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of printer equipment technology, and in particular to an adaptive paper feed path structure and control method for a thermal printer. Background Technology

[0002] Thermal printers, as core printing devices in commercial and civilian scenarios such as invoice printing, label printing, cash register ticketing, and logistics waybill printing, are widely used in various industries including retail supermarkets, logistics and express delivery, food delivery, warehouse management, and government offices due to their advantages such as high printing speed, no need for ribbon consumables, convenient maintenance, and compact size. The paper path clamping and positioning structure is a core component of thermal printers, directly determining the alignment accuracy, paper feeding stability, and finished product qualification rate of different paper roll sizes during the printing process. It is a key structural element ensuring the continuous and stable operation of thermal printers. Currently, most mainstream thermal printers on the market are equipped with a paper feeding clamping and positioning structure that uses a traditional design with fixed limits and manual mechanical adjustment. The paper feeding clamping limit distance is a fixed reference size after the equipment leaves the factory. When the actual printing job requires changing to thermal roll paper of different widths to adapt to different ticket, label, and waybill printing needs, the operator must manually disassemble the printer's paper tray cover, manually move, slide, and lock the limit clamping blocks on both sides, and repeatedly calibrate the limit distance to match the actual width of the current roll paper before the roll paper installation and printing preparation work can be completed. This purely manual mechanical adjustment method has many inherent defects and drawbacks in practical applications. On the one hand, the manual adjustment process is cumbersome and redundant, requiring a certain level of operator proficiency. Novices are prone to problems such as adjustment deviations, incomplete locking, and inaccurate alignment, significantly increasing the time required for initial equipment setup and reducing the overall efficiency of printing operations. On the other hand, manual adjustment relies on human experience, and repeated adjustments can easily cause wear, loosening, and jamming of the limit adjustment mechanical parts. Long-term use can lead to limit offset and inconsistent clamping tightness, which in turn can cause problems during printing. Faults such as paper roll misalignment, paper jams, wrinkling, misaligned printed patterns, and paper deviation and tearing not only affect the quality of printed products and lead to waste of consumables, but also frequently cause printing interruptions and increase the frequency of equipment downtime for maintenance. At the same time, for high-frequency operation scenarios that frequently switch between multiple sizes of paper rolls, repeatedly manually adjusting the limit structure is time-consuming and labor-intensive, increasing manual operation costs. The equipment has poor adaptability and versatility, making it difficult to meet the current needs of high-efficiency, fast-switching, and automated batch printing operations. To address these issues, we provide a paper path clamping structure that can automatically adapt to different widths of paper rolls without manual intervention, solving many practical pain points of existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention addresses the problems of existing traditional thermal printer paper feed limiting structures, such as the need for manual adjustment, poor adaptability, cumbersome operation, and insufficient operational stability. It provides an adaptive paper feed path structure for thermal printers, optimizing the paper feed path clamping and positioning structure design. This structure boasts numerous core advantages, including reasonable structural design, strong adaptability, convenient practical application, stable and reliable operation, low maintenance costs, and wide applicability. Its comprehensive benefits are significant, effectively solving the problems mentioned in the background section.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above problems is as follows: An adaptive paper feeding path structure for a thermal printer includes a housing, a flip-up top cover, a vertically movable support inside the housing, a shaft at the top of the support, and a clamping assembly on one side of the support. The clamping assembly includes a positioning plate. When the support moves downward, the positioning plate flips upward. After flipping to a vertical position, it moves to one side along the shaft. A drive assembly is also provided inside the housing, including two rotatable drive rollers. A paper output port is opened on one side of the housing, and a printhead is also provided inside the housing.

[0005] The drive assembly also includes a mounting base, and the drive roller includes a fixed roller and a movable roller. The fixed roller is rotatably connected inside the mounting base, and the movable roller is slidably connected inside the mounting base.

[0006] The support is slidably connected inside the box. Inside the box, there is a crossbar that can move up and down. The inner wall of the crossbar is provided with a long keyway. Both ends of the long keyway are provided with a drive pin. Two second connecting rods are rotatably connected to the outer surface of the drive pins. The outer ends of the two second connecting rods are respectively hinged to the corresponding support and the box.

[0007] The top cover is hinged to one side of the upper end of the box body, and a first connecting rod is hinged to one end face of the top cover. The lower end of the first connecting rod is hinged to the crossbar.

[0008] The inner wall of the support is slidably connected to a positioning slider, a positioning pressure plate is installed on the positioning slider, an extension plate is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the positioning slider, a driven pin is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the lower end of the extension plate, a wedge plate is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the bottom end of the box, a long inclined surface that cooperates with the driven pin is opened on one side of the wedge plate, and a tension spring that cooperates with the positioning slider is also provided on the inner wall of the support.

[0009] A spur gear is rotatably connected to one end face of the positioning slider, and a support ring is coaxially fixed to one side of the spur gear. The positioning pressure plate is rotatably connected to the support ring. The inner wall of the positioning slider is provided with a spur rack that can move up and down, and the spur rack meshes with the spur gear.

[0010] The lower end of the rack is fixedly connected to a first sliding pin, and both sides of the lower end surface of the support are fixedly connected to guide plates. The inner walls of the guide plates are provided with short oblique grooves and long transverse grooves that cooperate with the first sliding pin.

[0011] A fixed guide roller is provided on one end face of the support, and a movable guide roller is provided on one end face of the positioning slider.

[0012] A side seat is fixedly connected to the upper surface of the support, the shaft is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the side seat, and a baffle is fixedly connected to one side of the outer surface of the shaft.

[0013] A control method for an adaptive paper feed path structure of a thermal printer includes the following steps: S1. Opening the cover and resetting the paper: Open the cover, drive the support to rise and lift out of the box working area, the positioning pressure plate of the clamping component automatically flips to the horizontal storage state, the clamping component resets and releases, and the thermal roll paper is put on the shaft to complete the pre-installation. S2. Adaptive clamping control with lid: When the lid is closed, the support is lowered and returned to its original position. The positioning plate automatically slides laterally to align itself according to the actual width of the thermal paper roll and simultaneously flips to the vertical clamping state, automatically completing the adaptive clamping limit of the paper roll. S3, Adaptive paper feeding and printing control: Automatically adjusts the distance between the two drive rollers according to the thickness of the roll paper. The drive rollers clamp and pull the roll paper to be smoothly conveyed along the paper feeding path, and the print head works synchronously to complete the thermal printing operation. S4. Printing End Paper Unloading Reset Control: After printing is completed, the drive roller stops, the print head resets, and when the top cover is opened again, the clamping component automatically releases and resets.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: 1. Fully automatic and adaptive, no manual adjustment required; it changes the cumbersome operation of manually adjusting the stops and manually calibrating the locking mechanism of traditional printers. Regardless of the width or thickness of the roll paper, the device can automatically complete the alignment, clamping and adaptation simply by opening and closing the cover. It is fast to change paper and requires less adjustment. Even beginners can use it immediately, which greatly reduces the intensity of operation and improves printing efficiency.

[0015] 2. Stable paper feeding with fewer malfunctions and high print quality; the mechanical adaptive clamping force is uniform and the alignment is precise, eliminating problems such as manual adjustment deviation, loose locking, and inaccurate alignment. It reduces common faults such as paper roll deviation, paper jams, wrinkling, printing misalignment, and paper tearing from the root, resulting in a high pass rate of printed products and reducing waste of consumables and defective prints.

[0016] 3. High durability and low maintenance cost; no need for frequent manual adjustment of mechanical parts, reducing structural wear, extending the service life of paper feeding parts, reducing the frequency of equipment failure repairs and subsequent maintenance costs, and making the equipment more stable in long-term operation.

[0017] 4. Wide versatility and adaptability to multiple scenarios; compatible with various standard width thermal rolls, no structural changes are required when switching specifications, suitable for various high-frequency and multi-specification printing scenarios such as POS retail, logistics waybills, catering invoices, and warehouse labels, making the equipment more practical and competitive in the market. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a first isometric view of an adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a second isometric view of an adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer according to the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the printhead installation of an adaptive paper path structure for a thermal printer according to the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the drive roller installation for an adaptive paper path structure of a thermal printer according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the crossbar installation of an adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer according to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the follower pin installation of an adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the positioning slider in the adaptive paper feed path structure of a thermal printer according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the tension spring installation of an adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the spur gear installation of an adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer according to the present invention.

[0027] The following are the numbered components in the diagram: 1-Box body, 2-Top cover, 3-Mounting seat, 4-Fixed roller, 5-Moving roller, 6-First connecting rod, 7-Crossbar, 8-Long keyway, 9-Support, 10-Side seat, 11-Shaft body, 12-Baffle, 13-Limiting telescopic rod, 14-Second connecting rod, 15-Drive pin, 16-Tension spring, 17-Positioning slider, 18-Extension plate, 19-Driven pin, 20-Wedge plate, 21-Long inclined surface, 22-First sliding pin, 23-Guide plate, 24-Short inclined groove, 25-Long horizontal groove, 26-Straight rack, 27-Straight gear, 28-Extension seat, 29-Support ring, 30-Positioning pressure plate, 31-Fixed guide roller, 32-Moving guide roller, 33-Paper outlet, 34-Print head. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The following are specific embodiments of the present invention, and the technical solutions of the present invention will be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0029] like Figures 1-9 As shown, the present invention provides an adaptive paper feeding path structure for a thermal printer, including a housing 1. The upper end of the housing 1 is provided with a flip-up cover 2. Inside the housing 1 is a support 9 that can move up and down. The upper end of the support 9 is provided with a shaft 11. A clamping assembly is also provided on one side of the support 9. The clamping assembly includes a positioning pressure plate 30. When the support 9 moves downward, the positioning pressure plate 30 can be flipped upward. After flipping to a vertical state, it will move to one side along the shaft 11. Inside the housing 1 is a driving assembly, which includes two rotatable driving rollers. A paper output port 33 is opened on one side of the housing 1. Inside the housing 1 is a print head 34.

[0030] like Figures 1-7As shown, the housing 1 supports and mounts the entire device. A control system is located at the bottom of housing 1 to control the operation of electrical components such as the drive roller and printhead 34. The control system, drive roller, and printhead 34 are existing technologies and will not be described further. The top cover 2 seals the upper port of housing 1. A movable support 9 is provided; when the support 9 is at its highest position, it can be moved into housing 1, facilitating paper roll replacement. In use, the paper roll is placed on the outer surface of the shaft 11. When the support 9 moves downwards, the shaft 11, paper roll, and clamping assembly move downwards synchronously. As the clamping assembly moves downwards, the positioning plate 30 rotates 90 degrees, i.e., rotates to a vertical position, and then moves to one side along the direction of the shaft 11. The positioning pressure plate 30 can squeeze and limit the paper roll, ensuring that the paper roll can only rotate in a designated position for feeding. Two rotatable drive rollers are used to insert one end of the paper roll between them. As the drive rollers rotate, the paper roll moves and exits from the paper outlet 33. At this time, the print head 34 operates to print on the paper roll. This device eliminates the traditional manual adjustment mode of sliding, calibrating, and locking the limiting blocks. It can automatically and adaptively fit and position the paper feeding clamping structure according to the actual width and specifications of the loaded thermal paper roll, eliminating the need for manual size adjustment, alignment calibration, and locking operations. This significantly simplifies the installation preparation process for paper roll replacement and specification switching, and greatly reduces equipment setup time. The adaptive design effectively improves the overall printing efficiency of thermal printers, reduces operator workload, and allows even beginners with no prior experience to quickly change paper rolls. It's ready to use immediately without professional training. Secondly, the fully mechanical adaptive clamping and positioning ensures uniform and controllable clamping tightness and high precision in limit alignment, completely eliminating human error issues such as manual adjustment deviations, loose locking, and misalignment. This structurally prevents common malfunctions during printing, such as paper roll misalignment, paper jams, paper wrinkling, misaligned print content, and paper tearing. It significantly improves paper feeding stability and print quality, reduces thermal paper waste, lowers the probability of defective or waste prints, and ensures continuous and smooth printing operations. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for frequent manual adjustments. The manual adjustment of mechanical limit components significantly reduces mechanical friction and reciprocating wear of the adjustment structure, effectively extending the overall service life of the printer's paper feeding components, reducing the frequency of equipment failures and maintenance costs, and greatly improving the long-term operational stability and durability of the equipment. Finally, this adaptive paper feeding path structure is compatible with various widths of conventional thermal paper rolls, and no structural adjustments are required when switching paper roll sizes. This greatly improves the equipment's adaptability and versatility, perfectly adapting to multi-specification, high-frequency printing scenarios such as retail POS, logistics waybills, restaurant receipts, and warehouse labels. This effectively enhances the practical application value and market competitiveness of thermal printers, helping various commercial printing scenarios achieve efficient, convenient, and stable operations.

[0031] The drive assembly also includes a mounting base 3, and the drive roller includes a fixed roller 4 and a movable roller 5. The fixed roller 4 is rotatably connected inside the mounting base 3, and the movable roller 5 is slidably connected inside the mounting base 3.

[0032] like Figure 4 As shown, the mounting base 3 is used to install and support the entire drive assembly. The mounting base 3 can be detachably installed inside the housing 1 for easy periodic inspection of the fixed roller 4 and the movable roller 5. The mounting base 3 is also equipped with two drive motors, which can drive the two corresponding fixed rollers 4 and movable rollers 5 to rotate. The movable roller 5 can slide up and down and rotate inside the mounting base 3. The mounting base 3 is also equipped with an electric telescopic rod, which can drive the movable roller 5 to move up and down. When the movable roller 5 moves up and down, the distance between the two drive rollers can be adjusted to make adaptive adjustments according to the thickness of the paper.

[0033] The support 9 is slidably connected inside the box 1. The box 1 is provided with a horizontal bar 7 that can move up and down. The inner wall of the horizontal bar 7 is provided with a long keyway 8. The inner walls at both ends of the long keyway 8 are provided with driving pins 15. Two second connecting rods 14 are rotatably connected to the outer surface of the driving pins 15. The outer ends of the two second connecting rods 14 are respectively hinged to the corresponding support 9 and the box 1.

[0034] like Figures 5-6 As shown, the support 9 can slide vertically inside the box 1. A limiting telescopic rod 13 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the bottom end of the box 1. The upper end of the limiting telescopic rod 13 is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the support 9. The limiting telescopic rod 13 can limit the vertical sliding of the support 9 more stably. The crossbar 7 can slide vertically inside the box 1 and can also move vertically. The installation and shape of the drive pin 15 and the second connecting rod 14 are as shown. Figure 5 As shown, the outer ends of the two second connecting rods 14 are respectively hinged to one side of the support 9 and the inner wall of the bottom end of the box 1. When the crossbar 7 moves downward, it can drive the two second connecting rods 14 to move inward and retract. The drive pin 15 can slide inward along the inner wall of the long keyway 8. At the same time, the support 9 can move downward. Similarly, when the crossbar 7 moves upward, the support 9 can move upward.

[0035] The upper cover 2 is hinged to one side of the upper end of the box body 1. A first connecting rod 6 is hinged to one side end face of the upper cover 2, and the lower end of the first connecting rod 6 is hinged to the crossbar 7.

[0036] like Figure 1 and Figure 5As shown, when the upper cover 2 is flipped down to close, the first connecting rod 6 can drive the crossbar 7 to move downward and the support 9 to move downward. Similarly, when the upper cover 2 is flipped up to open, the crossbar 7 can be driven to move upward and the support 9 to move upward. The upper cover 2 is also provided with a buckle assembly, that is, when the upper cover 2 is closed, the buckle assembly can limit and lock the upper cover 2. The buckle assembly is existing technology and will not be described in detail.

[0037] The inner wall of the support 9 is slidably connected to a positioning slider 17, and a positioning pressure plate 30 is installed on the positioning slider 17. An extension plate 18 is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the positioning slider 17, and a driven pin 19 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the lower end of the extension plate 18. A wedge plate 20 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the bottom end of the box 1. A long inclined surface 21 that cooperates with the driven pin 19 is opened on one side of the wedge plate 20. The inner wall of the support 9 is also provided with a tension spring 16 that cooperates with the positioning slider 17.

[0038] like Figures 6-8 As shown, the positioning slider 17 is slidably connected to the inner wall of the support 9. When the positioning slider 17 moves left and right, it drives the positioning pressure plate 30 to move left and right. One end of the tension spring 16 is fixed to the positioning slider 17, and the other end of the tension spring 16 is fixed to the inner wall of the support 9. The tension spring 16 always exerts a rightward driving force on the positioning slider 17. Even if the positioning slider 17 and the positioning pressure plate 30 have a rightward driving force under normal conditions, even if the positioning pressure plate 30 has a rightward clamping force under normal conditions, the positioning pressure plate 30 can squeeze and limit the paper roll. The installation and shape of the extension plate 18, the driven pin 19, and the wedge plate 20 are as follows. Figure 6As shown, since the tension spring 16 always exerts a rightward driving force on the positioning slider 17, extension plate 18, driven pin 19, etc., the driven pin 19 can contact and engage with the long inclined surface 21 of the wedge plate 20. When the support 9 moves downward, it can drive the extension plate 18, driven pin 19, etc., to move downward synchronously. When the driven pin 19 moves downward, under the tension of the tension spring 16, it can move to the right along the long inclined surface 21. That is, the corresponding positioning slider 17, positioning pressure plate 30, etc., can move downward and to the right at the same time. After moving to the designated position to the right, that is, when the positioning pressure plate 30 squeezes and contacts the roll paper, it will no longer move to the right. Similarly, when the support 9 moves upward, the driven pin 19, positioning slider 17, positioning pressure plate 30, etc., can move upward synchronously. When the driven pin 19 moves upward, under the contact and engagement with the long inclined surface 21, it can make the positioning slider 17, positioning pressure plate 30, etc. The synchronous movement moves upward and to the left. After reaching the top, the positioning slider 17 and positioning pressure plate 30 can move to the top left, allowing the paper roll to be disassembled and replaced. Through the contact engagement between the driven pin 19 and the long inclined surface 21, the positioning pressure plate 30 can move downward and to the right as the support 9 moves downward. It can automatically move to the appropriate clamping position according to the width of the paper roll. After the positioning pressure plate 30 clamps and fixes the paper roll, when the support 9 continues to move downward, the positioning pressure plate 30, driven pin 19, etc., no longer move to the right, that is, the driven pin 19 and the long inclined surface 21 disengage. When the support 9 moves upward and resets, the corresponding positioning slider 17, positioning pressure plate 30, etc., can move to the leftmost position again under the contact engagement between the driven pin 19 and the long inclined surface 21, so that the positioning pressure plate 30 can adaptively clamp and limit according to the width of the paper roll.

[0039] A spur gear 27 is rotatably connected to one end face of the positioning slider 17, and a support ring 29 is coaxially fixed to one side of the spur gear 27. The positioning pressure plate 30 is rotatably connected to the support ring 29. The inner wall of the positioning slider 17 is provided with a spur rack 26 that can move up and down, and the spur rack 26 meshes with the spur gear 27.

[0040] like Figures 7-9As shown, the support ring 29 is provided with an extension seat 28. A rotating shaft is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the center of the extension seat 28 and the spur gear 27. A bearing seat is rotatably connected to the outer surface of the rotating shaft. The bearing seat is fixedly connected to one end face of the positioning slider 17. That is, the spur gear 27 is rotatably connected to one side of the positioning slider 17. The spur gear 27 is coaxially fixed to the support ring 29. The rack 26 can slide up and down on the inner wall of the positioning slider 17. When the rack 26 moves up and down, it can drive the spur gear 27 to rotate through meshing with the spur gear 27. When the spur gear 27 rotates, it can drive the support ring 29 and the positioning pressure plate 30 to flip, so that the positioning pressure plate 30 rotates 90 degrees to a vertical or horizontal state. The positioning pressure plate 30 is rotatably connected to the support ring 29. After the positioning pressure plate 30 squeezes and fixes the roll paper, when the roll paper rotates, the positioning pressure plate 30 can be driven to rotate synchronously under the contact friction force, reducing the friction between the roll paper and the parts.

[0041] The lower end of the rack 26 is fixedly connected to a first sliding pin 22, and both sides of the lower end surface of the support 9 are fixedly connected to guide plates 23. The inner walls of the guide plates 23 are provided with short oblique grooves 24 and long transverse grooves 25 that cooperate with the first sliding pin 22.

[0042] like Figure 7 As shown, a support base is fixed to the lower end surface of the rack 26, and the first sliding pin 22 is fixed to the inner wall of the support base, which is equivalent to the first sliding pin 22 being fixed to the lower end of the rack 26; the installation and shape of the guide plate 23, the first sliding pin 22, the short keyway, and the long transverse groove 25 are as follows. Figure 7 As shown, the first sliding pin 22, limited by the rack 26, can move up and down at the lower end of the positioning slider 17, and can also move left and right with the positioning slider 17. When the positioning slider 17, the first sliding pin 22, etc., move from left to right, the first sliding pin 22 engages with the short inclined groove 24. Under the engagement of the first sliding pin 22 and the short inclined groove 24, the first sliding pin 22 can move to the right and down at the same time, that is, the rack 26 moves down and the positioning pressure plate 30 flips up. When the positioning slider 17, the first sliding pin 22, etc. continue to move to the right to the designated position, that is, when the first sliding pin 22 moves down to enter the inner wall of the long horizontal groove 25, the first sliding pin 22 is at the designated height, that is, in the long horizontal groove 25. When the groove 25 is engaged, it no longer moves upward or downward. At this time, the corresponding support plate is rotated 90 degrees to a vertical position. Under the engagement of the first sliding pin 22 and the long horizontal groove 25, it can stably maintain a vertical position and will not rotate or move. When the positioning slider 17, the first sliding pin 22, etc. continue to move to the right, the positioning plate 30 can stably move to the right in a vertical position, thereby squeezing and fixing the roll of paper. Similarly, when the positioning slider 17 and the first sliding pin 22 move from right to left, the first sliding pin 22 can slide from the inner wall of the long horizontal groove 25 into the inner wall of the short inclined groove 24. That is, the corresponding positioning plate 30 can rotate downward 90 degrees to a horizontal position, which facilitates the replacement of a new roll of paper.

[0043] A fixed guide roller 31 is provided on one end face of the support 9, and a movable guide roller 32 is provided on one end face of the positioning slider 17.

[0044] like Figure 8 As shown, support seats are fixed to one end face of both the support 9 and the positioning slider 17. The fixed guide roller 31 and the moving guide roller 32 are rotatably connected to the support seats through a rotating shaft. The fixed guide roller 31 and the moving guide roller 32 can limit and guide the two ends of the unrolled paper roll when the paper roll moves, so that the paper roll moves more stably. The moving guide roller 32 is installed on the positioning slider 17. That is, when the positioning slider 17 makes adaptive adjustments according to the width of the paper roll, the moving guide roller 32 can move synchronously. In other words, the moving guide roller 32 automatically makes adaptive adjustments according to the width of the paper roll.

[0045] A side seat 10 is fixedly connected to the upper surface of the support 9, and a shaft 11 is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the side seat 10. A baffle 12 is fixedly connected to one side of the outer surface of the shaft 11.

[0046] like Figure 7 As shown, the side seat 10 supports and limits the shaft 11, allowing the shaft 11 to rotate. The baffle 12 can block and limit the paper roll, enabling more precise clamping and positioning of the paper roll.

[0047] A control method for an adaptive paper feed path structure of a thermal printer includes the following steps: S1. Opening the cover and resetting the paper: Open the top cover 2, drive the support 9 to rise and lift out of the working area of ​​the box 1, the positioning pressure plate 30 of the clamping component automatically flips to the horizontal storage state, the clamping component resets and releases, and the thermal roll paper is put on the shaft 11 to complete the pre-installation. S2, Cover Adaptive Clamping Control: When the upper cover 2 is closed, the support 9 is driven to fall back down. The positioning plate 30 automatically slides horizontally to align according to the actual width of the thermal paper roll and simultaneously flips to the vertical clamping state, automatically completing the adaptive clamping limit of the paper roll. S3, Adaptive paper feeding and printing control: Automatically adjusts the distance between the two drive rollers according to the thickness of the roll paper. The drive rollers clamp and pull the roll paper to be smoothly conveyed along the paper feeding path. The print head 34 works synchronously to complete the thermal printing operation. S4. Printing End Paper Unloading and Reset Control: After printing is completed, the drive roller stops and the print head 34 resets. When the top cover 2 is opened again, the clamping component automatically releases and resets, allowing you to replace the roll paper or remove the remaining roll paper to complete the work cycle.

[0048] When the upper cover 2 is opened, the connecting rod drives the internal support 9 to rise and extend out of the machine housing. The paper roll can be directly fitted onto the shaft 11 of the support 9 without any alignment adjustment. After the upper cover 2 is closed, the connecting rod drives the support 9 to move down as a whole. During the downward movement, the device has a structure that cooperates with the inclined surface and the tension spring 16 to automatically drive the positioning pressure plate 30 to flip and stand up. It also automatically slides laterally according to the actual width of the thermal paper roll, adaptively and tightly adhering to both sides of the paper roll to complete the centering clamping limit. It automatically adapts to different paper roll specifications. After positioning, the position is automatically locked and will not loosen or shift. After the paper is positioned, the paper head is fed between the two sets of drive rollers. The equipment can automatically adjust the roller gap according to the paper thickness to ensure stable paper feeding and adhesion. During operation, the drive rollers rotate to pull the paper at a uniform speed. With the help of the front and rear guide rollers to limit deviation, the paper is smoothly fed out from the paper outlet 33 after printing by the print head 34. When it is necessary to change the paper or change to a different size roll of paper, simply open the top cover 2. The structure will automatically reset, the positioning plate 30 will flip to the storage state, the clamp will automatically release, and the support 9 will be raised to directly change the roll of paper. The printing operation can be repeated continuously.

Claims

1. An adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer, comprising a housing (1), characterized in that: The upper end of the box body (1) is provided with a flip-up cover (2), and the inside of the box body (1) is provided with a support (9) that can move up and down. The upper end of the support (9) is provided with a shaft (11), and a clamping component is also provided on one side of the support (9). The clamping component includes a positioning pressure plate (30). When the support (9) moves down, the positioning pressure plate (30) can be flipped up. After flipping to a vertical state, it will move to one side along the shaft (11). The inside of the box body (1) is also provided with a driving component, which includes two rotatable driving rollers. A paper outlet (33) is opened on one side of the box body (1), and a print head (34) is also provided inside the box body (1).

2. The adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The drive assembly also includes a mounting base (3), and the drive roller includes a fixed roller (4) and a movable roller (5). The fixed roller (4) is rotatably connected inside the mounting base (3), and the movable roller (5) is slidably connected inside the mounting base (3).

3. The adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The support (9) is slidably connected inside the box (1). Inside the box (1) is a horizontal bar (7) that can move up and down. The inner wall of the horizontal bar (7) is provided with a long keyway (8). The inner walls at both ends of the long keyway (8) are provided with a drive pin (15). Two second connecting rods (14) are rotatably connected to the outer surface of the drive pin (15). The outer ends of the two second connecting rods (14) are respectively hinged to the corresponding support (9) and the box (1).

4. The adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The upper cover (2) is hinged to one side of the upper end of the box body (1), and a first connecting rod (6) is hinged to one side end face of the upper cover (2). The lower end of the first connecting rod (6) is hinged to the crossbar (7).

5. The adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The inner wall of the support (9) is slidably connected to a positioning slider (17), and a positioning pressure plate (30) is installed on the positioning slider (17). An extension plate (18) is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the positioning slider (17), and a driven pin (19) is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the lower end of the extension plate (18). A wedge plate (20) is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the bottom end of the box (1). A long inclined surface (21) that cooperates with the driven pin (19) is opened on one side of the wedge plate (20). A tension spring (16) that cooperates with the positioning slider (17) is also provided on the inner wall of the support (9).

6. The adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer as described in claim 5, characterized in that: A spur gear (27) is rotatably connected to one end face of the positioning slider (17), and a support ring (29) is coaxially fixed to one side of the spur gear (27). The positioning pressure plate (30) is rotatably connected to the support ring (29). The inner wall of the positioning slider (17) is provided with a spur rack (26) that can move up and down, and the spur rack (26) meshes with the spur gear (27).

7. The adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The lower end of the rack (26) is fixedly connected to a first sliding pin (22), and both sides of the lower end surface of the support (9) are fixedly connected to guide plates (23). The inner wall of the guide plates (23) is provided with short oblique grooves (24) and long transverse grooves (25) that cooperate with the first sliding pin (22).

8. The adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The support (9) has a fixed guide roller (31) on one side end face and a moving guide roller (32) on one side end face of the positioning slider (17).

9. The adaptive paper feed path structure for a thermal printer as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The upper surface of the support (9) is fixedly connected to a side seat (10), the shaft (11) is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the side seat (10), and a baffle (12) is fixedly connected to one side of the outer surface of the shaft (11).

10. A method of using the adaptive paper feed path structure of a thermal printer as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: S1, Opening the cover and changing the paper reset control: Open the top cover (2), drive the support (9) to rise and lift out of the box body (1) working area, the positioning pressure plate (30) of the clamping component automatically flips to the horizontal storage state, the clamping component resets and releases, and the thermal roll paper is put on the shaft (11) to complete the pre-installation. S2, Cover Adaptive Clamping Control: When the upper cover (2) is closed, the support (9) is driven to fall back down. The positioning plate (30) automatically slides horizontally to align according to the actual width of the thermal paper roll and simultaneously flips to the vertical clamping state, automatically completing the adaptive clamping limit of the paper roll. S3, Adaptive paper feeding and printing control: The distance between the two drive rollers is automatically adjusted according to the thickness of the roll paper. The drive rollers clamp and pull the roll paper to be smoothly conveyed along the paper feeding path. The print head (34) works synchronously to complete the thermal printing operation. S4. Printing End Paper Unloading Reset Control: After printing is completed, the drive roller stops, the print head (34) resets, the top cover (2) is opened again, and the clamping component automatically releases and resets.

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