Printer

Abstract

To attach or detach a thermal head easily and make reliable electric connection of the thermal head at the same time.SOLUTION: A printer of the invention performs printing on a conveyed sheet. The printer has: a holding part which holds a thermal head; a first restriction part which restricts an orientation of the thermal head attached to the holding part; and a second restriction part which restricts a position of the thermal head in a sheet width direction. Further, the holding part includes: a body pivotally supported by a lid part of the printer; and a door which is pivotally supported by the body and rotated between an open position in which the thermal head is attached or detached and a closed position in which the thermal head is held. The thermal head is sandwiched by the door rotated to the closed position and the body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer and a thermal head that have a plurality of heating elements arranged in the width direction of a paper being transported, and that prints on the paper by heat generated by any one of the plurality of heating elements. [Background technology]

[0002] Thermal printers that use a thermal head to print on print media such as strip-shaped labels and paper are commonly available. Thermal heads are consumables, and when they reach the end of their life or break down, they must be replaced. Thermal heads are replaced by sending them to a factory owned by the thermal printer's distributor or by a maintenance company, so replacing the thermal head places a heavy burden on the owner of the thermal printer.

[0003] In recent years, thermal printers have been proposed that allow owners to easily replace the thermal head (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). In Patent Document 1, the thermal head is held inside the printer with one end of the thermal head engaged with the print head holder, with one end of the thermal head fitted into the print head base. In Patent Document 1, the thermal head is removed from the print head holder by deforming the print head holder to release the engagement at one end of the thermal head.

[0004] In addition, in Patent Document 2, the thermal head is fixed to the head unit by fitting a protrusion provided on the claw into a groove provided on the side of the thermal head. Patent Document 2 discloses that the connector is connected to the connection part of the thermal head by rotating the shielding member toward the head unit. Therefore, in Patent Document 2, the operation of removing the thermal head from the head unit requires the operation of rotating the shielding member in a direction away from the head unit to disconnect the connector from the connection part of the thermal head, and the operation of releasing the engagement between the protrusion provided on the inside of the claw and the groove of the thermal head. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-133364 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-147347 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As described above, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the thermal head is attached and detached by elastically deforming the tabs of the print head holder or head unit. Therefore, when an inexperienced user replaces the thermal head, there is a problem that the thermal head itself may be damaged, in addition to the tabs of the print head holder or head unit.

[0007] In Patent Document 2, the connector and the connection part of the thermal head are connected or disconnected by opening and closing a shielding member. The thermal head is attached to the head unit, for example, by inserting a convex part of the head unit into a concave part of the thermal head, and then fitting a protrusion on the claw into a groove on the side of the thermal head. Therefore, if the assembly accuracy of the connector to the head unit is poor, there is a problem that the connector is not reliably connected to the connection part of the thermal head.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a technique that enables the thermal head to be easily attached and detached, and at the same time, enables the electrical connection of the thermal head to be reliably performed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problem, according to a first aspect, a printer that prints on transported paper is characterized in having a holding portion that holds a thermal head, a first regulating portion that regulates the orientation of the thermal head attached to the holding portion, and a second regulating portion that regulates the position of the thermal head in the width direction of the paper.

[0010] According to another aspect, a thermal head that is held in a holding section provided in a printer and prints while the transported paper is pressed against a platen roller includes a substrate having a plurality of heating elements, a heat dissipation member that dissipates heat generated by the plurality of heating elements, a first surface on which the plurality of heating elements are arranged along the width direction of the paper, and a second surface located on the back side of the first surface and having contact portions that come into contact with the heat dissipation member and a terminal portion provided on the holding section, wherein the substrate has a regulating portion that receives a guide portion provided on the holding section when the thermal head in a first orientation is attached to the holding section, and that is unable to receive the guide portion when the thermal head in a second orientation different from the first orientation is attached to the holding section, thereby regulating the orientation of the thermal head attached to the holding section. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, the thermal head can be easily attached and detached, and at the same time, the electrical connection of the thermal head can be reliably performed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the appearance of a printer according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a main configuration related to printing among the internal configurations of the printer. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3(a) is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the roller holding portion when the protective cover is in the closed position, and FIG. 3(b) is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the roller holding portion when the protective cover is in the closed position. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a configuration of a head holding unit and a thermal head. [Diagram 5] 11 is a perspective view showing an example of a head holding portion when a thermal head is attached to an opening / closing door. FIG. [Figure 6] 11 is a perspective view showing an example of a head holding portion when the opening and closing door is rotated to a closed position. FIG. [Figure 7] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the head holding part and the roller holding part when the lid part is open, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the head holding part and the roller holding part when the lid part is closed. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a head holding section and a thermal head in a second embodiment. [Figure 9] 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a head holding portion when a thermal head is attached to a main body. FIG. [Figure 10] 11 is a perspective view showing an example of a head holding portion when the opening and closing door is rotated to a closed position. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a head holding section and a thermal head in a third embodiment. [Figure 12] 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a head holding portion when a thermal head is attached to a main body. FIG. [Figure 13] 11 is a perspective view showing an example of a head holding portion when the opening and closing door is rotated to a closed position. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a printer to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] First Embodiment Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a printer according to the present embodiment, and Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a main configuration related to printing among the internal configuration of the printer.

[0015] 1 and 2, the printer 10 is a device that performs thermal head printing in the process of transporting paper 21a fed from a paper roll 21 stored inside, and ejects the printed paper, for example, from the front of the printer 10. The information printed on the paper is, for example, information based on the user's operation of the display panel 22.

[0016] The printer 10 includes a printer body 15, a lid 16, and a handle 17. The lid 16 is pivotally supported on the rear side of the printer body 15, and is opened and closed, for example, when loading a paper roll 21 or replacing a thermal head 85, which will be described later. The lid 16 has a display panel 22 located on its upper surface.

[0017] The handles 17 are rotatably supported on both sides of the printer body 15. The handles 17 are held by a user when carrying the printer 10.

[0018] The printer 10 has a roller holding part 23 in the printer body 15. The printer 10 also has a head holding part 26 journaled on a lid main body 25 of the lid part 16. The roller holding part 23 and the head holding part 26 are each positioned so that, when the lid part 16 is closed, a heating element array 90 of a thermal head 85 can be pressed against a platen roller 28, which will be described later.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the roller holding portion 23 axially supports a transport roller 27 and a platen roller 28.

[0020] The roller holding portion 23 has side plates 31 and 32, a connecting plate 33, and a holding cover 34. The side plates 31 and 32 are arranged at a fixed interval in the y direction in Figure 3(b). The connecting plate 33 is arranged between the side plates 31 and 32 which are arranged at a fixed interval.

[0021] The side plates 31 and 32 detachably hold the platen roller 28 at one end in the x direction in Figure 3(a) or 3(b), and support a holding cover 34 at the other end in the x direction in Figure 3(a) or 3(b).

[0022] The side plates 31, 32 support a connecting shaft 35. Both ends of the connecting shaft 35 in the axial direction (y direction in FIG. 3 ) protrude outward from the side plates 31, 32. Locking pieces 36, 37 are fixed to the portions of the connecting shaft 35 protruding outward from the side plates 31, 32, respectively.

[0023] Although not shown, the locking pieces 36, 37 are biased in the direction A shown in Fig. 3(a) and are held at the locking position shown in Fig. 3(a). The locking position is the position of the locking pieces 36, 37 when the lid part 16 is closed and locked to a connecting shaft 63 described below. Note that engagement portions provided on the lid main body 25 of the lid part 16 are provided corresponding to the locking pieces 36, 37, respectively. Furthermore, the locking pieces 36, 37 rotate in the direction B in Fig. 3(a) when an opening / closing lever (not shown) is operated or when the connecting shaft 63 is pressed.

[0024] Of the side plates 31 and 32, the side plate 31 is provided with a drive mechanism (not shown) for rotating the conveying roller 27 and the platen roller 28. The drive mechanism may be, for example, a mechanism including a plurality of gears, or a mechanism including a belt and a pulley.

[0025] The connecting plate 33 is an L-shaped member arranged straddling from the upper surface of the roller holding portion 23 to the rear surface of the roller holding portion 23. The connecting plate 33 has bearing portions 41, 42 on the upper surface and in the vicinity of the bent portion of the connecting plate 33. The bearing portions 41, 42 hold the transport roller 27.

[0026] Furthermore, the connecting plate 33 has openings 43, 44 along the axial direction (y direction in FIG. 3(a) or FIG. 3(b)) of the conveying roller 27 held by the bearing portions 41, 42. A locking piece 50 provided on the underside of the retaining cover 34 is inserted into the opening 43 when the retaining cover 34 is moved to the closed position. A locking piece 51 provided on the underside of the retaining cover 34 is inserted into the opening 44 when the retaining cover 34 is moved to the closed position.

[0027] The holding cover 34 is supported around a rotation center near the conveying roller 27 held by the roller holding portion 23. The holding cover 34 rotates between a closed position shown in Fig. 3(a) and an open position shown in Fig. 3(b).

[0028] When the retaining cover 34 is in the closed position, the retaining cover 34 is located above the connecting plate 33. In this state, the conveying roller 27 held by the roller holding portion 23 is axially supported by the connecting plate 33 and the retaining cover 34. In addition, the platen roller 28 is axially supported by the side plates 31, 32 and the retaining cover 34.

[0029] On the other hand, when the holding cover 34 is in the open position, the holding cover 34 retreats from above the connecting plate 33. In this state, the conveying roller 27 is released from its axial support by the connecting plate 33 and the holding cover 34, and is held by the connecting plate 33. At the same time, the platen roller 28 is released from its axial support by the side plates 31, 32 and the holding cover 34, and is held straddling the side plates 31, 32. Therefore, when the holding cover 34 is in the open position, the conveying roller 27 can be attached and detached from the connecting plate 33. The platen roller 28 can also be attached and detached from the side plates 31, 32.

[0030] The holding cover 34 has a guide piece 34a and a shaft insertion portion 34b at one end which is the rotation center of the holding cover 34 and is also both ends in the width direction of the holding cover 34, i.e., one end in the axial direction of the conveying roller 27 (y direction in FIG. 3(a) or FIG. 3(b)), and a guide piece 34c and a shaft insertion portion 34d at the other end. When the holding cover 34 is rotated from the open position to the closed position, the guide piece 34a enters between the side plate 31 and the bearing portion 41 of the connecting plate 33. When the holding cover 34 is rotated from the open position to the closed position, the guide piece 34c enters between the side plate 32 and the bearing portion 42 of the connecting plate 33.

[0031] When the holding cover 34 is rotated to the closed position, one end (the left end in FIG. 3(a) or FIG. 3(b)) in the axial direction of the conveying roller 27 fits into the shaft insertion portion 34b. When the holding cover 34 is rotated to the closed position, the other end (the right end in FIG. 3(a) or FIG. 3(b)) in the axial direction of the conveying roller 27 fits into the shaft insertion portion 34d.

[0032] The holding cover 34 has shaft pressing parts 45, 46 at the free end and both ends in the width direction of the holding cover 34, i.e., both ends in the axial direction of the conveying roller 27. The shaft pressing part 45 has a shaft insertion part 45a and a positioning protrusion 45b. When the holding cover 34 is rotated to the closed position, one end in the axial direction of the platen roller 28 (the left end in FIG. 3(a) or FIG. 3(b)) enters the shaft insertion part 45a. When the lid part 16 is closed, the positioning protrusion 45b abuts against a regulating piece 65 provided on the main body 61 of the head holding part 26 pivotally supported on the lid main body 25 of the lid part 16 from the rotation center side of the lid part 16 (see FIG. 7(a) and FIG. 7(b)).

[0033] The shaft pressing portion 46 has a shaft insertion portion 46a and a positioning protrusion 46b. When the holding cover 34 is rotated to the closed position, the other end portion in the axial direction of the platen roller 28 (the right end portion in FIG. 3(a) or FIG. 3(b)) fits into the shaft insertion portion 46a. When the lid portion 16 is closed, the positioning protrusion 46b comes into contact with a regulating piece 66 provided on the main body 61 of the head holding portion 26 that is pivotally supported on the lid main body 25 of the lid portion 16 from the rotation center side of the lid portion 16 (see FIG. 7(a) and FIG. 7(b)).

[0034] Therefore, when the holding cover 34 rotates to the closed position, the conveying roller 27 is supported between the connecting plate 33 and the holding cover 34, and at the same time, the platen roller 28 is supported between the side plates 31, 32 and the holding cover 34. Furthermore, when the lid portion 16 is closed while the holding cover 34 is in the closed position, the positioning protrusion 45b comes into contact with a restricting piece 65 provided on the main body 61 of the head holding portion 26, and the positioning protrusion 46b comes into contact with a restricting piece 66 provided on the main body 61 of the head holding portion 26, respectively, and the head holding portion 26 is positioned with respect to the roller holding portion 23.

[0035] The retaining cover 34 has openings 47, 48 along the width direction (y direction in FIG. 3(a) or FIG. 3(b)). The retaining cover 34 has locking pieces 50, 51 protruding downward from the periphery of the openings 47, 48, respectively. The locking pieces 50, 51 are generally V-shaped and convex downward. One end of the locking piece 50 is fixed to the periphery of the opening 47 on the lower surface of the retaining cover 34. The locking piece 50 has a locking projection 50a on its free end. When the retaining cover 34 is rotated to the closed position, when the locking piece 50 is inserted into the opening 43 of the connecting plate 33, the locking projection 50a is locked to the periphery of the opening 43 on the lower surface of the connecting plate 33. Similarly, one end of the locking piece 51 is fixed to the periphery of the opening 48 on the lower surface of the retaining cover 34. The locking piece 51 has a locking projection 51a on its free end. When the retaining cover 34 is rotated to the closed position, the locking pieces 51 are inserted into the openings 44 of the connecting plate 33 , and the locking projections 51 a are locked to the peripheral edge of the openings 44 on the lower surface of the connecting plate 33 .

[0036] In addition, the engagement of the locking pieces 50, 51 with the connecting plate 33 can be released, for example, by inserting fingers through each of the openings 47, 48 provided in the retaining cover 34 and pressing the free ends of the locking pieces 50, 51 toward the fixed side, thereby elastically deforming each of the locking pieces 50, 51.

[0037] The transport roller 27 is held on the upper surface of the connecting plate 33 of the roller holding portion 23. The transport roller 27 rotates while clamping the paper 22a sent out from the paper roll 21 between itself and the transport roller 55 axially supported by the lid body 25 of the lid portion 16, and sends out the strip-shaped paper 21a downstream in the transport direction, i.e., toward the platen roller 28.

[0038] The platen roller 28 is held across the side plates 31, 32 of the roller holding unit 23, downstream of the transport roller 27. When the lid unit 16 is closed, the platen roller 28 rotates while receiving the back surface of the paper 21a against which the heating element array 90 of the thermal head 85 is pressed. The paper 21a sent out from the paper roll 21 is sandwiched between the transport roller 27 and the transport roller 55, and at the same time, is sandwiched between the thermal head 85 and the platen roller 28. In this state, the paper 21a located between the transport roller 27 and the platen roller 28 is held in a state where it is floating above the upper surface of the connecting plate 33.

[0039] 2, the lid portion 16 is pivotally supported at the rear end side of the above-mentioned printer body 15. The lid portion 16 has a lid main body 25. The lid main body 25 holds a head holding portion 26 on the front side of the printer 10.

[0040] 4 to 6, the head holding unit 26 has a main body 61 and an opening / closing door 62. The main body 61 is pivotally supported, for example, by the lid main body 25. By pivotally supporting the main body 61 by the lid main body 25, the heating element array 90 of the thermal head 85 can be reliably pressed against the platen roller 28.

[0041] The main body 61 pivotally supports the opening / closing door 62 at its lower end in the z direction in Fig. 4. Therefore, the axial direction of the opening / closing door 62 is the y direction in Fig. 4. The main body 61 is pivotally supported by the lid main body 25 via a connecting shaft 63 on the back side opposite to the side where the opening / closing door 62 opens and closes. The connecting shaft 63 is held with both ends protruding from the main body 61. When the lid 16 is closed, the locking pieces 36, 37 provided on the roller holding portion 23 are locked to both ends of the connecting shaft 63.

[0042] The main body 61 has regulating pieces 65, 66 at the upper end side in the z direction in FIG. 4 and at both ends in the y direction. The length (distance) from the inner wall surface of the regulating piece 65 to the inner wall surface of the regulating piece 66 is set to be approximately the same as the length of the thermal head 85. The regulating pieces 65, 66 regulate the movement of the thermal head 85 attached to the head holding part 26 in the width direction when the opening and closing door 62 is rotated to the closed position. When the lid part 16 is closed, the regulating piece 65 abuts against the positioning protrusion 45b of the shaft pressing part 45 of the holding cover 34 of the printer main body 15, and the regulating piece 66 abuts against the positioning protrusion 46b of the shaft pressing part 46 of the holding cover 34 of the printer main body 15 from the rotation center side of the lid part 16. The head holding part 26 is positioned in the roller holding part 23 by these abutments.

[0043] The main body 61 has positioning protrusions 67, 68 between the restricting pieces 65, 66. The positioning protrusion 67 is inserted into an insertion hole 97 of the thermal head 85 attached to the opening / closing door 62 when the opening / closing door 62 is rotated to the closed position. The positioning protrusion 68 is inserted into an insertion hole 98 of the thermal head 85 attached to the opening / closing door 62 when the opening / closing door 62 is rotated to the closed position. This allows the thermal head 85 to be positioned relative to the main body 61.

[0044] The main body 61 has bosses 69, 70 below the positioning protrusions 67, 68. The boss 69 has a recess 69a at its tip. The recess 69a comes into contact with a positioning protrusion 81 provided on the opening / closing door 62 when the opening / closing door 62 rotates to the closed position. The boss 70 has a recess 70a at its tip. The recess 70a comes into contact with a positioning protrusion 82 provided on the opening / closing door 62 when the opening / closing door 62 rotates to the closed position.

[0045] The main body 61 has an opening (not shown) between the bosses 69, 70. The opening is disposed on the lower end side where the opening / closing door 62 is pivotally supported. A terminal portion 71 is inserted into the opening. The terminal portion 71 has a plurality of connection terminals 72 that come into contact with contact portions 88 of the thermal head 85.

[0046] 4. The engaging portion 73 engages with a recess 77a provided in a locking piece 77 of the opening / closing door 62. The engaging portion 74 engages with a recess 78a provided in a locking piece 78 of the opening / closing door 62.

[0047] The opening / closing door 62 is, for example, a substantially rectangular member. The opening / closing door 62 is pivotally supported on the lower end side of the main body 61 with one end side in the short side direction as the center of rotation. With the thermal head 85 attached, the opening / closing door 62 rotates with the y direction in FIG. 4 as the center line of rotation between the closed position (see FIG. 6) and the open position (see FIG. 4). When the opening / closing door 62 is in the closed position, the thermal head 85 is held with the contact portion 88 pressed against a plurality of connection terminals 72 provided on the terminal portion 71 of the main body 61.

[0048] On the other hand, when the opening / closing door 62 is in the open position, the thermal head 85 rotates together with the opening / closing door 62. This releases the pressure contact between the contact portion 88 of the thermal head 85 and the multiple connection terminals 72 provided on the terminal portion 71 of the main body 61.

[0049] The opening / closing door 62 has locking pieces 77, 78 at both ends in the longitudinal direction, which are opposite to the end serving as the center of rotation, among both ends in the short side direction. The locking pieces 77, 78 are substantially V-shaped members with one end connected to the opening / closing door 62. The locking piece 77 has a recess 77a on the free end side. The recess 77a engages with an engagement portion 73 provided on the main body 61. The locking piece 78 has a recess 78a on the free end side. The recess 78a engages with an engagement portion 74 provided on the main body 61. The recess 77a of the locking piece 77 engages with the engagement portion 73 of the main body 61, and the recess 78a of the locking piece 78 engages with the engagement portion 74 of the main body 61, so that the opening / closing door 62 is held in the closed position.

[0050] The opening / closing door 62 has positioning protrusions 81, 82 and a guide piece 83 on a surface that faces the main body 61 when the door 62 is in the closed position. The positioning protrusion 81 is inserted into an insertion hole 91 provided in a substrate 86 of the thermal head 85 when the thermal head 85 is attached. In addition, the positioning protrusion 82 is inserted into an insertion hole 92 provided in the substrate 86 of the thermal head 85 when the thermal head 85 is attached.

[0051] The guide pieces 83 fit into the notches 93 provided in the base plate 86 of the thermal head 85, so that the thermal head 85 can be attached to the opening and closing door 62 in the correct orientation. When the thermal head 85 is attached in the correct orientation, the thermal head 85 is held with the contact portions 88 of the base plate 86 on the upper surface side.

[0052] The thermal head 85 includes a substrate 86 and a heat sink 87. The substrate 86 has a contact portion 88 having multiple contacts on one surface to which the heat sink 87 is fixed. When the thermal head 85 is attached to the head holding portion 26, the contact portion 88 is pressed against multiple connection terminals 72 protruding from the terminal portion 71 of the main body 61. As shown in FIG. 6, the substrate 86 has a heating element row 90 extending in the width direction of the paper 22a (y direction in FIG. 6) on the surface opposite to the surface on which the contact portion 88 is provided. The heating element row 90 is composed of an array of multiple heating elements.

[0053] The substrate 86 has insertion holes 91, 92 outward from the contact portion 88. The positioning protrusion 81 of the opening / closing door 62 is inserted through the insertion hole 91, and the positioning protrusion 82 of the opening / closing door 62 is inserted through the insertion hole 92. The substrate 86 also has a notch 93 on one end side in the width direction. The notch 86a receives the guide piece 83 of the opening / closing door 62 when the thermal head 85 is attached to the opening / closing door 62.

[0054] The heat sink 87 dissipates heat generated by the heating element array 90. The heat sink 87 has insertion holes 95 and 96. The positioning protrusion 67 is inserted into the insertion hole 95 when the opening / closing door 62 is moved to the closed position. The positioning protrusion 68 is inserted into the insertion hole 96 when the opening / closing door 62 is moved to the closed position.

[0055] Next, a procedure for mounting the thermal head 85 to the head holding part 26 will be described. The cover 16 of the printer 10 is opened to expose the head holding part 26 pivotally supported by the cover body 25. At this time, the opening and closing door 62 of the head holding part 26 is in the closed position. Therefore, the free ends of the locking pieces 77 and 78 of the opening and closing door 62 are pressed downward (in the direction C in FIG. 6). When the free ends of the locking pieces 77 and 78 are pressed downward, the locking pieces 77 and 78 are elastically deformed. As a result, the engagement between the recessed portion 77a of the locking piece 77 and the engagement part 73 of the main body 61, and the engagement between the recessed portion 78a of the locking piece 78 and the engagement part 74 of the main body 61 are released, respectively. In this state, the opening and closing door 62 is rotated from the closed position to the open position. The opening and closing door 62 holds the thermal head 85. Therefore, when the opening / closing door 62 is rotated to the open position, the connection between the contact portion 88 of the thermal head 85 held by the opening / closing door 62 and the terminal portion 71 of the main body 61 is released.

[0056] After the door 62 has rotated to the open position, the thermal head 85 is removed from the door 62, and a new thermal head 85 is attached to the door 62. At this time, the thermal head 85 is attached to the door 62 so that the contact portion 88 of the substrate 86 of the thermal head 85 is positioned on the upper surface side.

[0057] When attaching the thermal head 85 to the opening / closing door 62, the positioning protrusions 81 of the opening / closing door 62 are inserted into the insertion holes 91, and the positioning protrusions 82 of the opening / closing door 62 are inserted into the insertion holes 92. At this time, the notches 93 of the base plate 86 of the thermal head 85 receive the guide pieces 83 of the opening / closing door 62. This allows the thermal head 85 to be attached in the correct orientation.

[0058] In this state, the opening / closing door 62 is rotated from the open position to the closed position. When the opening / closing door 62 is rotated from the open position to the closed position, the engaging portion 73 of the main body 61 abuts against a guide surface 77b provided in the vicinity of the recess 77a of the locking piece 77 of the opening / closing door 62, causing the locking piece 77 to elastically deform. At the same time, the engaging portion 74 of the main body 61 abuts against a guide surface 78b provided in the vicinity of the recess 78a of the locking piece 78 of the opening / closing door 62, causing the locking piece 78 to elastically deform.

[0059] When the door 62 is rotated to the closed position, the engaging portion 73 of the main body 61 engages with the recessed portion 77a of the locking piece 77. At the same time, the engaging portion 74 of the main body 61 engages with the recessed portion 78a of the locking piece 78. This causes the door 62 to be held in the closed position.

[0060] When the opening / closing door 62 is in the closed position, the positioning projection 67 of the main body 61 is inserted into the insertion hole 95 of the thermal head 85 attached to the opening / closing door 62. At the same time, the positioning projection 68 of the main body 61 is inserted into the insertion hole 96 of the thermal head 85 attached to the opening / closing door 62. This positions the thermal head 85 relative to the main body 61. In this state, the contact portion 88 of the thermal head 85 is held in a state of being pressed against each of the connection terminals 72 of the terminal portion 71 provided on the main body 61. At this time, the terminal portion 71 provided on the main body 61 is positioned on the rotation center side of the opening / closing door 62, so that the contact portion 88 of the thermal head 85 is reliably pressed against each of the connection terminals 72 of the terminal portion 71 provided on the main body 61.

[0061] Furthermore, the positioning protrusion 81 of the opening / closing door 62 abuts against the recess 69a of the boss 69 of the main body 61, and the positioning protrusion 82 of the opening / closing door 62 abuts against the recess 70a of the boss 70 of the main body 61. This allows the opening / closing door 62 to be positioned relative to the main body 61.

[0062] In this state, when the lid 16 is closed, one end of the connecting shaft 63 of the head holding part 26 pivotally supported on the lid body 25 presses the locking claw 36a of the locking piece 36, and the other end presses the locking claw 37a of the locking piece 37. This causes the locking pieces 36 and 37 to rotate in the direction B in FIG. 4(a). Then, when the lid 16 is completely closed, the locking pieces 36 and 37 rotate in the direction A in FIG. 4(a) and return from the retracted position to the locking position. As a result, the locking pieces 36 and 37 are locked to the connecting shaft 63.

[0063] Here, when the holding cover 34 of the roller holding part 23 is in the closed position, the positioning protrusion 45b of the shaft pressing part 45 of the holding cover 34 is located outside the movement locus of the regulating piece 65 of the main body 61 of the head holding part 26 when the lid part 16 rotates. Similarly, the positioning protrusion 46b of the shaft pressing part 46 of the holding cover 34 is located outside the movement locus of the regulating piece 66 of the main body 61 of the head holding part 26 when the lid part 16 rotates. Therefore, as shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), when the lid part 16 is closed (rotated in the D direction in Figure 7(a)) with the holding cover 34 of the roller holding part 23 in the closed position, the regulating piece 65 of the main body 61 of the head holding part 26 abuts against the positioning protrusion 45b of the shaft pressing part 45 of the holding cover 34 from the rotation center side of the lid part 16. At the same time, the restricting piece 66 of the main body 61 of the head holding part 26 abuts against the positioning protrusion 46b of the shaft pressing part 46 of the holding cover 34 from the rotation center side of the lid part 16. As a result, the head holding part 26 is positioned in the front-rear direction of the printer 10 with respect to the roller holding part 23. When the lid part 16 is closed, the heating element array 90 of the thermal head 85 held by the head holding part 26 is in pressure contact with the platen roller 28. When the thermal head 85 is attached to the head holding part 26, the heating element array 90 provided on the substrate 86 of the thermal head 85 is exposed from the opening and closing door 62.

[0064] After the thermal head 85 is attached to the opening / closing door 62, the opening / closing door 62 can be rotated to the closed position, whereby the thermal head 85 can be easily attached to the head holding part 26. In addition, by rotating the opening / closing door 62 to the closed position, the contact parts 88 of the substrate 86 of the thermal head 85 can be pressed against the multiple connection terminals 72 provided on the terminal part 71 of the main body 61. This eliminates the need to use a connector configuration for the thermal head 85 and the head holding part 26, and allows the thermal head 85 and the head holding part 26 to have a simple configuration.

[0065] In this embodiment, the opening / closing door 62 is rotated from the open position to the closed position with the thermal head 85 positioned and held on the opening / closing door 62. When the opening / closing door 62 is rotated to the closed position, the contact parts 88 of the thermal head 85 come into contact with the connection terminals 72 of the terminal part 71 of the main body 61. In order to ensure contact between the contact parts 88 of the thermal head 85 and the connection terminals 72 of the terminal part 71 of the main body 61, the positioning protrusions 81, 82 provided on the opening / closing door 62 can be provided with a function of pressing the vicinity of the insertion holes 91, 92 provided on the substrate 86 of the thermal head 85 toward the main body 61 when the opening / closing door 62 is rotated to the closed position.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the thermal head 85 is attached to the opening and closing door 62 in the head holding part 26, and then the opening and closing door 62 is rotated to the closed position to mount the thermal head 85 on the head holding part 26, but the method of mounting the thermal head on the head holding part is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to mount the thermal head on the main body instead of the opening and closing door, and then rotate the opening and closing door to the closed position to mount the thermal head on the head holding part.

[0067] <Second embodiment> As shown in FIG. 8, the head holding unit 100 has a main body 101 and an opening / closing door 102, similar to the head holding unit 26 illustrated in the first embodiment. The main body 101 has a regulating piece 103 and an engaging portion 104 at one end in the width direction (y direction in FIG. 8), and a regulating piece 105 and an engaging portion 106 at the other end. The length (distance) from the inner wall surface of the regulating piece 103 to the inner wall surface of the regulating piece 105 is set to be approximately the same as the length of the thermal head 120. The main body 101 has a terminal portion 107 at the lower end, which is the rotation center of the opening / closing door 102, and at the center lower portion in the width direction. The terminal portion 107 has a plurality of connection terminals 108. The plurality of connection terminals 108 are pressed against the contact portion 123 of the thermal head 120 when the opening / closing door 102 is in the closed position.

[0068] 8, the main body 101 has magnets 111 and 112 between the restriction pieces 103 and 105. The magnets 111 and 112 may be electromagnets or permanent magnets. The magnets 111 and 112 attract ferromagnetic bodies 127 and 128 provided on the thermal head 120.

[0069] 8, the main body 101 has positioning bosses 113, 114 below the magnets 111, 112. The positioning bosses 113, 114 have protrusions 113a, 114a at their tips. The protrusion 113a is inserted into an opening 124 provided in the substrate 121 of the thermal head 120. The protrusion 114a is inserted into an opening 125 provided in the substrate 121 of the thermal head 120. This positions the thermal head 120 relative to the main body 101.

[0070] 8, the main body 101 has a guide protrusion 115 below the regulating piece 103. The guide protrusion 115 enters a notch 126 provided in the substrate 121 of the thermal head 120 when the thermal head 120 is attracted to the magnets 111 and 112 of the main body 101.

[0071] The opening / closing door 102 has the same basic configuration as the opening / closing door exemplified in the first embodiment. That is, the opening / closing door 102 has a rectangular shape and is pivotally supported on the lower end side of the main body 101 with one end side in the short side direction as the center of rotation. The opening / closing door 102 has locking pieces 116, 117 on both ends in the long side direction (y direction in FIG. 8) that are opposite the one end side pivotally supported on the main body 101.

[0072] The opening / closing door 102 has pressing protrusions 118, 119 on a surface facing the main body 101 when the opening / closing door 102 is rotated to the closed position, and at a position shifted from the center in the short direction toward the end side that is the rotation center of the opening / closing door 102. The pressing protrusions 118, 119 press the thermal head 120, which is attracted to the main body 101, toward the main body 101 when the opening / closing door 102 is rotated to the closed position. This pressing brings the contact portion 123 of the thermal head 120 into pressure contact with each of the connection terminals 108 of the terminal portion 107 of the main body 101.

[0073] The thermal head 120 has a substrate 121 and a heat sink 122. The substrate 121 has a contact portion 123 on a surface facing the main body 101. The substrate 121 also has openings 124 and 125 in the vicinity of the contact portion 123. The opening 124 receives a protrusion 113a provided at the tip of the boss 113 of the main body 101 when the thermal head 120 is attached to the main body 101. The opening 125 receives a protrusion 114a provided at the tip of the boss 114 of the main body 101 when the thermal head 120 is attached to the main body 101. The substrate 121 also has a cutout portion 126 at the left end in the width direction in FIG. 8. The cutout portion 126 receives a guide protrusion 115 provided on the main body 101 when the thermal head 120 is attached to the main body 101. This allows the thermal head 120 to be attached to the main body 101 in the correct orientation.

[0074] The heat sink 122 has ferromagnetic bodies 127 and 128. The ferromagnetic bodies 127 and 128 are made of a metal such as iron. When the thermal head 120 is attached to the main body 101, the ferromagnetic body 127 is attracted to the magnet 111 of the main body 101, and the ferromagnetic body 128 is attracted to the magnet 112 of the main body 101, respectively.

[0075] As shown in Fig. 8 to Fig. 10, when the thermal head 120 is attached to the head holding part 100, the opening and closing door 102 is rotated to the open position. Then, the old thermal head 120 is removed, and a new thermal head 120 is attached to the main body 101. At this time, the thermal head 120 is attached to the main body 101 with the contact part 123 of the substrate 121 facing the main body 101. When the thermal head 120 is attached to the main body 101, the ferromagnetic body 127 provided on the heat sink 122 is attracted to the magnet 111 of the main body 101, and the ferromagnetic body 128 is attracted to the magnet 112 of the main body 101. At this time, the convex part 113a of the boss 113 is inserted into the opening 124 of the thermal head 120, and the convex part 114a of the boss 114 is inserted into the opening 125 of the thermal head 120. At the same time, the guide protrusions 115 on the main body 101 fit into the cutouts 126 on the substrate 121 of the thermal head 120. This positions the thermal head 120 relative to the main body 101. In this state, the thermal head 120 is positioned between the regulating pieces 103 and 105 of the main body 101, preventing the thermal head 120 from shifting in position in the width direction.

[0076] Thereafter, when the opening / closing door 102 is rotated from the open position to the closed position, the pressing protrusions 118, 119 of the opening / closing door 102 press the substrate 121 of the thermal head 120. As a result, the contact portion 123 of the thermal head 120 is pressed against the multiple connection terminals 108 of the terminal portion 107 of the main body 101. At this time, since the terminal portion 107 of the main body 101 is positioned on the rotation center side of the opening / closing door 102, the contact portion 123 of the thermal head 120 is reliably pressed against each connection terminal 108 of the terminal portion 107 provided on the main body 101.

[0077] When the opening / closing door 102 is rotated to the closed position, the engaging portion 104 of the main body 101 engages with the recess 116a of the locking piece 116 of the opening / closing door 102, and the engaging portion 106 of the main body 101 engages with the recess 117a of the locking piece 117 of the opening / closing door 102. This holds the opening / closing door 102 in the closed position. This allows the thermal head 120 to be attached to the head holding part 100. When the thermal head 120 is attached to the head holding part 100, the heating element array 129 provided on the substrate 121 of the thermal head 120 is exposed from the opening / closing door 102.

[0078] Although not shown, when the lid portion 16 is closed after the thermal head 120 is attached, the regulating piece 103 of the main body 101 abuts against the positioning protrusion 45b of the shaft pressing portion 45 of the holding cover 34 of the roller holding portion 23 from the rotation center side of the lid portion 16, as in the first embodiment. At the same time, the regulating piece 105 of the main body 101 abuts against the positioning protrusion 46b of the shaft pressing portion 46 of the holding cover 34 of the roller holding portion 23 from the rotation center side of the lid portion 16. As a result, the head holding portion 26 is positioned with respect to the roller holding portion 23.

[0079] In this case, after the thermal head 120 is attached to the main body 101, the opening and closing door 102 is rotated to the closed position, whereby the thermal head 120 can be easily attached to the head holding part 100. Furthermore, by rotating the opening and closing door 102 to the closed position, the contact parts 123 of the substrate 121 of the thermal head 120 and the multiple connection terminals 108 provided on the main body 101 can be pressed into contact with each other. This eliminates the need to use a connector configuration for the thermal head 120 and the head holding part 100, and allows the thermal head 120 and the head holding part 100 to have a simple configuration.

[0080] In this embodiment, the magnets 111, 112 provided on the main body 101 attract and hold the ferromagnetic bodies 127, 128 provided on the heat sink 122 of the thermal head 120, and then the opening / closing door 102 is rotated to the closed position. When the opening / closing door 102 is rotated to the closed position, the pressing protrusions 118, 119 provided on the opening / closing door 102 press the substrate 121 of the thermal head 120 attracted to the main body 101. When the pressing protrusions 118, 119 provided on the opening / closing door 102 press the substrate 121 of the thermal head 120, the contact portions 123 of the substrate 121 of the thermal head 120 and the multiple connection terminals 108 provided on the main body 101 are pressed into contact with each other. In addition, when the opening / closing door 102 is rotated to the closed position, the contact portion 123 of the substrate 121 of the thermal head 120 is pressed against a plurality of connection terminals 108 provided on the main body 101, and it is also possible that the pressing protrusion 118 provided on the opening / closing door 102 presses the opening 124 of the substrate 121 of the thermal head 120 and its vicinity, and the pressing protrusion 119 presses the opening 125 of the substrate 121 of the thermal head 120 and its vicinity.

[0081] In the head holding part 100 shown in the second embodiment, the ferromagnetic bodies 127, 128 provided on the heat sink 122 of the thermal head 120 are attracted by the magnets 111, 112 provided on the main body 101, and then the opening and closing door 102 is rotated to the closed position to mount the thermal head 120 on the head holding part 100. However, the method of mounting the thermal head on the head holding part is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to provide a holding member for holding the thermal head on the main body of the head holding part, which will be described below as the third embodiment. Note that in the head holding part shown in the third embodiment, the configuration of the opening and closing door is the same as that of the second embodiment, so in the following description, the description of the opening and closing door will be omitted, and the same reference numerals as those in the second embodiment will be used to describe each component of the opening and closing door.

[0082] <Third embodiment> As shown in FIG. 11, a head holding unit 130 shown in the third embodiment has a main body 131 and an opening / closing door 102, similar to the head holding unit 26 shown in the first embodiment and the head holding unit 100 shown in the second embodiment.

[0083] The main body 131 has a restricting piece 135 and an engaging portion 136 at one end in the y direction in Fig. 11, and a restricting piece 137 and an engaging portion 138 at the other end. The length (distance) from the inner wall surface of the restricting piece 135 to the inner wall surface of the restricting piece 137 is set to be approximately the same as the length of the thermal head 150. The main body 131 has a terminal portion 139 at the center lower portion in the y direction in Fig. 11. The terminal portion 139 has a plurality of connection terminals. In Fig. 11, the reference numerals are omitted for the plurality of connection terminals because they are located on the back side of the holding member.

[0084] 11, the main body 131 has positioning protrusions 140, 141 between the regulating pieces 135, 137. The positioning protrusions 140, 141 are inserted into recesses (not shown) provided in the thermal head 150.

[0085] 11, the main body 131 has positioning bosses 142, 143 below the positioning protrusions 140, 141. The positioning bosses 142, 143 have protrusions 142a, 143a at their tips. The protrusion 142a is inserted into an opening 153 provided in a substrate 151 of the thermal head 150. Similarly, the protrusion 143a is inserted into an opening 154 provided in the substrate 151 of the thermal head 150. This positions the thermal head 120 relative to the main body 131.

[0086] 11, below the restricting piece 135. The guide protrusion 144 fits into a notch 155 provided in a substrate 151 of the thermal head 150 when the thermal head 150 is held by the main body 131.

[0087] The main body 131 has a support portion 145 on the front surface of the terminal portion 38. The support portion 145 is an L-shaped plate member that extends forward from the lower portion of the terminal portion 139 and then bends upward. The support portion 145 holds the thermal head 150 that is inserted between the main body 131 and the support portion 145.

[0088] The thermal head 150 has a substrate 151 and a heat sink 152. The substrate 151 has a contact portion on a surface facing the main body 131. The substrate 151 also has openings 153 and 154 in the vicinity of the contact portion. A convex portion 142a provided at the tip of the boss 142 of the main body 131 is inserted into the opening 153 when the opening / closing door 102 is rotated to the closed position. A convex portion 143a provided at the tip of the boss 143 of the main body 131 is inserted into the opening 154 when the opening / closing door 102 is rotated to the closed position. The substrate 151 also has a notch portion 155 at one end in the y direction in FIG. 11 (the left end portion in FIG. 11). The notch portion 155 receives the guide protrusion 144 provided on the main body 131 when the thermal head 150 is held by the main body 131. This allows the thermal head 150 to be held in the main body 131 in the correct orientation.

[0089] As shown in Figs. 11 to 13, when the thermal head 150 is attached to the head holding portion 130, the opening and closing door 102 is rotated to the open position. Then, the old thermal head 150 is removed, and a new thermal head 150 is inserted between the main body 131 and the support portion 145. At this time, the notch portion 155 of the substrate 151 of the thermal head 150 receives the guide protrusion 144 of the main body 131. This allows the thermal head 150 to be held in the correct orientation relative to the main body 131. In this state, the convex portion 142a of the boss 142 of the main body 131 is inserted into the opening 153 of the substrate 151 of the thermal head 150, and the convex portion 143a of the boss 143 of the main body 131 is inserted into the opening 154 of the substrate 151 of the thermal head 150. Furthermore, since the thermal head 150 is positioned between the regulating pieces 135 and 137 of the main body 131, the thermal head 150 is prevented from shifting in position in the width direction.

[0090] Thereafter, when the opening / closing door 102 is rotated from the open position to the closed position, the pressing protrusions 118, 119 of the opening / closing door 102 press the substrate 151 of the thermal head 150. This pressure causes the positioning protrusions 140, 141 of the main body 131 to enter the recesses of the heat sink 152 of the thermal head 150. This positions the thermal head 150 on the main body 131. At the same time, the contact portion of the thermal head 150 is pressed against the terminal portion 139 of the main body 131. At this time, the terminal portion 139 provided on the main body 131 is positioned on the rotation center side of the opening / closing door 102, so that the contact portion of the thermal head 150 is reliably pressed against each connection terminal of the terminal portion 139 provided on the main body 131.

[0091] When the opening / closing door 102 is rotated to the closed position, the recess 116a of the locking piece 116 of the opening / closing door 102 engages with the engagement part 136 of the main body 131, and at the same time, the recess 117a of the locking piece 117 of the opening / closing door 102 engages with the engagement part 138 of the main body 131. This holds the opening / closing door 102 in the closed position. This causes the thermal head 150 to be attached to the head holding part 130. In this state, the heating element array 156 provided on the substrate 151 of the thermal head 150 is exposed from the opening / closing door 102.

[0092] Although not shown, when the lid portion 16 is closed after the thermal head 150 is attached, the regulating piece 135 of the main body 101 abuts against the positioning protrusion 45b of the shaft pressing portion 45 of the holding cover 34 of the roller holding portion 23 from the rotation center side of the lid portion 16, as in the first and second embodiments. At the same time, the regulating piece 137 of the main body 101 abuts against the positioning protrusion 46b of the shaft pressing portion 46 of the holding cover 34 of the roller holding portion 23 from the rotation center side of the lid portion 16. As a result, the head holding portion 130 is positioned with respect to the roller holding portion 23.

[0093] In this case as well, the thermal head 150 can be easily attached to the head holding part 130 by rotating the opening and closing door 102 to the closed position after the thermal head 150 is held in the main body 131. In addition, by rotating the opening and closing door 102 to the closed position, the contact part of the substrate 151 of the thermal head 150 and the terminal part provided on the main body 131 can be pressed into contact with each other. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a connector configuration for the thermal head 150 and the head holding part 130, and the configuration of the thermal head 150 and the head holding part 130 can be simplified.

[0094] In this embodiment, when the opening / closing door 102 is rotated to the closed position, the pressing protrusions 118, 119 provided on the opening / closing door 102 press the substrate 151 of the thermal head 150 supported by the support portion 145 of the main body 131 toward the main body 131. When the pressing protrusions 118, 119 provided on the opening / closing door 102 press the substrate 151 of the thermal head 150 toward the main body 131, the contact portions of the substrate 151 of the thermal head 150 and the multiple connection terminals provided on the main body 131 are pressed into contact with each other. In addition, when the opening / closing door 102 is rotated to the closed position, the contact portion of the substrate 151 of the thermal head 150 is pressed against a plurality of connection terminals provided on the main body 131, and it is also possible that the pressing protrusion 118 provided on the opening / closing door 102 presses the opening 124 of the substrate 151 of the thermal head 150 and its vicinity, and the pressing protrusion 119 presses the opening 125 of the substrate 151 of the thermal head 150 and its vicinity.

[0095] <Summary of the embodiment> The present invention relates to a holding structure for a thermal head that has a plurality of heating elements arranged in the width direction of a paper sheet being transported, and prints on the paper sheet by heat generated by any one of the plurality of heating elements.

[0096] When attaching and detaching a thermal head by elastically deforming the tabs of the print head holder or head unit, if an inexperienced user attempts to replace the thermal head, there is a problem that the thermal head itself may be damaged, in addition to the tabs of the print head holder or head unit.

[0097] Furthermore, when opening and closing the shielding member to connect or disconnect the connector and the connection portion of the thermal head, if the assembly precision of the connector to the head unit is poor, the connector may not be securely connected to the connection portion of the thermal head.

[0098] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal head holding structure and a thermal head that allow the thermal head to be easily attached and detached and at the same time ensure reliable electrical connection of the thermal head.

[0099] One aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a printer that prints on transported paper 21a has a head holding portion 26, 100, 130 that holds a thermal head 85, 120, 150, a guide piece 83 or a guide protrusion 115, 144 that regulates the orientation of the thermal head 85, 120, 150 attached to the head holding portion 26, 100, 130, and a regulating piece 65, 66, 103, 105, 135, 137 that regulates the position of the thermal head 85, 120, 150 in the width direction of the paper 21a.

[0100] According to this configuration, the thermal heads 85, 120, 150 are attached to the head holding parts 26, 100, 130 in the correct orientation, which can prevent the thermal heads 85, 120, 150 from being attached to the head holding parts 26, 100, 130 in the wrong orientation. Furthermore, by providing the guide pieces 83 or the guide protrusions 115, 144, it can be prevented that the thermal heads 85, 120, 150 are misaligned in the width direction of the paper 21a when the thermal heads 85, 120, 150 are attached to the head holding parts 26, 100, 130.

[0101] In addition, the head holding portion 26, 100, 130 includes a main body 61, 101, 131 that is pivotally supported on the lid portion 16 of the printer 10, and an opening / closing door 62, 102 that is pivotally supported on the main body 61, 101, 131 and that is rotated between an open position for attaching and detaching the thermal head 85, 120, 150 and a closed position for holding the thermal head 85, 120, 150, and is characterized in that the thermal head 85, 120, 150 is clamped between the opening / closing door 62, 102 that has been rotated to the closed position and the main body 61, 101, 131.

[0102] According to this configuration, after the thermal head 85, 120, 150 is attached to either the main body 61, 101, 131 or the opening / closing door 62, 102, the thermal head 85, 120, 150 can be easily held by the head holding part 26, 100, 130 simply by rotating the opening / closing door 62, 102 to the closed position. In addition, the thermal head 85, 120, 150 can be easily removed from the head holding part 26, 100, 130 by rotating the opening / closing door 62, 102 to the open position.

[0103] The opening and closing door 62 is characterized by having positioning projections 81 and 82 which are inserted into insertion holes 91 and 92 provided in the thermal head 85 to position the thermal head 85 on the door.

[0104] According to this configuration, after the thermal head 85 is positioned on the opening / closing door 62, when the opening / closing door 62 is rotated to the closed position, the opening / closing door 62 in the closed position is positioned on the main body 61. Since the thermal head 85 is positioned with respect to the opening / closing door 62, the thermal head 85 can be held in an accurate position with respect to the main body 61 by closing the opening / closing door 62.

[0105] The main body 101 has magnets 111 and 112 for attracting and holding the thermal head 120, and the opening and closing door 102 is rotated to a closed position with the thermal head 120 being attracted and held by the main body 101.

[0106] According to this configuration, the thermal head 120 is attached to the main body 101 in a state where it is positioned on the main body 101 by the magnets 111 and 112, and then the thermal head 120 is held in position by the magnets 111 and 112. Since the opening and closing door 102 is closed in this state, the thermal head 85 can be held in an accurate position relative to the main body 61.

[0107] The main body 131 also has a support portion 145 that supports the thermal head 150 attached to the main body 131 from below, and positioning protrusions 140, 141 and convex portions 142a, 143a of bosses 142, 143 that position the thermal head 150 supported by the support portion 145 onto the main body 131.

[0108] According to this configuration, after the thermal head 150 is attached to the support portion 145 of the main body 131, the thermal head 150 can be positioned relative to the main body 131 and attached to the head holding portion 130 by simply rotating the opening / closing door 102 to the closed position.

[0109] It also has terminal portions 107, 139 that abut against the contact portions 123 of the thermal heads 120, 150 and supply power to the thermal heads 120, 150, and pressing protrusions 118, 119 that maintain the connection between the contact portions 123 of the thermal heads 120, 150 and the terminal portions 107, 139 that supply power to the thermal heads 120, 150.

[0110] According to this configuration, simply by mounting the thermal heads 120, 150 on the head holding parts 100, 130, the contact parts 123 of the substrates 121, 151 of the thermal heads 120, 150 and the terminal parts 107, 139 of the main bodies 101, 131 are pressed into contact with each other, eliminating the need to provide connectors on the thermal heads 120, 150 and the main bodies 101, 131. As a result, the thermal heads 120, 150 can be simplified.

[0111] In addition, the head holding portions 26, 100, 130 are held by the lid portion 16 which is axially supported on the printer body 15 so as to be freely rotatable, and the printer body 15 has a roller holding portion 23 which axially supports the platen roller 28 which is pressed against the thermal heads 85, 120, 150 when the lid portion 16 is closed, and the regulating pieces 65, 66, 103, 105, 135, 137 abut against positioning protrusions 45b, 46b provided on the roller holding portion 23 from the rotation center side of the lid portion 16 when the lid portion 16 is closed.

[0112] According to this configuration, the regulating pieces 65, 66, 103, 105, 135, 137 can function to prevent the thermal heads 85, 120, 150 from shifting in position, as well as to position the head holding parts 26, 100, 130 relative to the roller holding part 23, all in one member.

[0113] In addition, in a thermal head 85, 120, 150 that is held by a head holding portion 26, 100, 130 provided in the printer 10 and performs printing while the transported paper 21a is pressed against a platen roller 28, the thermal head 85, 120, 150 includes a heating element array 90, 129, 156, a heat sink 87, 122, 152 that dissipates heat generated by the heating element array 90, 129, 156, and a substrate 86, 121, 152 having a first surface on which the heating element array 90, 129, 156 is arranged along the width direction of the paper 21a, and a second surface that is located behind the first surface and has contact portions 88, 123 that come into contact with the heat sink 87, 122, 152 and terminal portions 71, 107, 139 provided on the head holding portion 26, 100, 130. 1, and the substrate 86, 121, 151 has a notch portion 93, 126, 155 that receives the guide piece 83 or the guide protrusion 115, 144 provided on the head holding portion 26, 100, 130 when the thermal head 85, 120, 150 in a first orientation is attached to the head holding portion 26, 100, 130, while being unable to receive the guide piece 83 or the guide protrusion 115, 144 when the thermal head 85, 120, 150 in a second orientation different from the first orientation is attached to the head holding portion 26, 100, 130.

[0114] According to this configuration, when the thermal head 85, 120, 150 is attached to the head holding portion 26, 100, 130, the thermal head 85, 120, 150 can be attached to the head holding portion 26, 94, 130 only if the orientation of the thermal head 85, 120, 150 is correct. In other words, it is possible to prevent the thermal head 85, 120, 150 from being attached to the head holding portion 26, 94, 130 in the wrong orientation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] 10. Printer 15…Printer body 16...Lid part 23...Roller holding part 26, 100, 130…Head holder 61,101,131…Main unit 62,102…Opening and closing doors 65,66,103,105,135,137…Regulation piece 71,107,139…Terminal section 81, 82... Positioning protrusions 83...Guide piece 85, 120, 150…Thermal head 88,123…Contact part 90, 129, 156…Heater element row 93, 126, 155…Notch 111,112…Magnet 115,144…Guide protrusion 118, 119…Pressure protrusion 127,128...Ferromagnetic material 142,143…Boss 145...Support part

Claims

1. In a printer that prints on transported paper, A holding portion for holding a thermal head is provided. The holding portion is a main body pivotally supported on a cover portion of the printer; a door that is pivotally supported on the main body and that can be rotated between an open position for attaching and detaching the thermal head and a closed position; The main body has a suction means for suction-holding the thermal head. A printer comprising:

2. 2. The printer according to claim 1, a first restricting portion that restricts an orientation of the thermal head attached to the holding portion; A printer characterized by:

3. 2. The printer according to claim 1, The main body has a positioning means that is inserted into an insertion portion provided on the thermal head to position the thermal head on the main body. A printer characterized by:

4. 4. The printer according to claim 1, The printer is characterized in that the door is rotated to the closed position with the thermal head being attracted and held to the main body.

5. 4. The printer according to claim 1, The body includes: The thermal head is attached to the main body. A printer characterized by:

6. 4. The printer according to claim 1, a connection portion that is brought into contact with a contact of the thermal head and supplies power to the thermal head; a maintaining portion provided on the door, which maintains a connection between the contacts of the thermal head and the connection portion when the door is closed.

Images