Printer and tape cassette

Abstract

To provide a printer capable of stabilizing the attitude of a tape cassette in a mounting part of the printer, and to provide the tape cassette.SOLUTION: When driving a printer 1, an output gear 131 of a tape cassette 100 engages with a platen gear 83 connected to a platen roller. The output gear 131 and the platen gear 83 are helical gears, and a thrust load F generated at an engagement position G when driven, is applied in a direction of making the output gear 131 move forward. The tape cassette 100 is supported by three points, that is, support parts 16, 17, 18 inside a cassette attachment part 10. The tape cassette 100 rotates around a rotation axis LX passing through the support parts 17 and 18 by the thrust load, and a contact part is separated from the support part 16. A regulating part 37 of a rear face cover abuts on a regulated part 169 at a lower right corner of a rear wall 195, and thereby the tape cassette 100 is positioned at three points, that is, the support parts 17 and 18, and the regulated part 169 while keeping a rotation attitude, with the attitude stabilized.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing device and a tape cassette. [Background technology]

[0002] In the tape printer disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the cover is closed, a pressing receiving member protruding from the back surface of the cover and a support receiving member protruding from the bottom surface of the cassette mounting part come into contact with the tip of the arm of the tape cassette mounted in the cassette mounting part. This fixes the position of the ejection port provided at the tip of the arm of the tape cassette, preventing the tape from being misaligned when ejected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-46089 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the case of a tape cassette equipped with an output gear that meshes with the platen gear of the printing device, the stress associated with driving the gear can cause the entire tape cassette to tilt within the mounting section, and simply supporting the arm section can result in the tape being ejected out of position.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a printing device and a tape cassette that can stabilize the attitude of the tape cassette within the mounting portion of the printing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing device comprising a housing, a mounting section formed in a recessed shape in the housing and into which a tape cassette containing a tape used for printing is mounted, a printing section housed within the housing and which prints on the tape pulled out from the tape cassette mounted in the mounting section, and an opening / closing cover attached to the housing and movable between a state in which it closes an opening of the mounting section and a state in which it opens, the mounting section comprising two support sections which support a bottom of the tape cassette which is positioned on the bottom side of the recessed section when the tape cassette is mounted, in a direction opposite to a mounting direction which is a direction in which the tape cassette is mounted in the mounting section, the printing section comprising a print head, a platen roller which faces the print head and is rotatable around an axis parallel to the mounting direction and which transports the tape, and a front and a platen gear connected to the platen roller, the tape cassette being rotatable around an axis parallel to the installation direction, and an output gear for outputting a driving force input from outside the tape cassette to the platen gear, the platen gear and the output gear being helical gears in which a thrust load directed toward the installation direction is generated on the output gear side at a meshing position between them when rotating, the opening / closing cover being provided in an area opposite the meshing position when viewed from the installation direction with respect to a rotation axis connecting the two support parts, and being capable of abutting against a top part of the tape cassette opposite the bottom part, and comprising a regulating part that regulates the rotation of the tape cassette around the rotation axis by the thrust load generated in the output gear.

[0007] The platen gear of the printing device meshes with the output gear of the tape cassette, and the driving force for rotating the platen roller is transmitted from the output gear. The platen gear is a helical gear, and a thrust load toward the mounting direction is generated on the output gear side at the meshing position. Therefore, the tape cassette rotates around the rotation axis connecting the two support parts, and the output gear side moves in the mounting direction. Therefore, the area on the opposite side of the rotation axis to the output gear moves in the opposite direction to the mounting direction. The regulating part of the opening and closing cover abuts against the top part of the tape cassette to regulate the rotation of the tape cassette. Therefore, the printing device stabilizes the position of the tape cassette by maintaining the regulating part abutting against the top part during operation, and can suppress deviation when the tape is pulled out.

[0008] The regulating portion according to the first aspect may protrude in the mounting direction from a wall surface of the closed opening / closing cover that faces the mounting portion. Because the regulating portion protrudes from the wall surface of the opening / closing cover that faces the mounting portion, the printing device can reliably abut the regulating portion against the top portion of the tape cassette when driven, thereby stabilizing the position of the tape cassette.

[0009] The opening / closing cover according to the first aspect may have a window portion through which at least a part of the inside of the mounting portion can be seen from the outside when closed, and the restricting portion may be formed in a window frame portion which is an edge portion of the window portion. The window frame portion is formed thicker than the surrounding wall portion, so that the rigidity around the restricting portion can be increased. Therefore, the opening / closing cover can suppress deflection even when the restricting portion receives a load required to suppress rotation of the tape cassette which rotates due to a thrust load when the printing device is in operation. Therefore, the attitude of the tape cassette can be stabilized when the printing device is in operation.

[0010] In the first aspect, the distance between the regulating portion and the rotation axis in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis when viewed from the mounting direction may be greater than the distance between the meshing position and the rotation axis. The regulating portion abuts against the tape cassette at a position farther from the meshing position with respect to the rotation axis. Therefore, by using this principle, the printing device can reduce the load required by the regulating portion to suppress rotation of the tape cassette, which rotates due to a thrust load, when driven. Therefore, the printing device can easily stabilize the attitude of the tape cassette when driven.

[0011] The mounting portion according to the first aspect may have three or more support portions, and the support portions may be formed at least at the two positions overlapping the rotation axis and at the position of the regulating portion or a position nearby the position when viewed from the mounting direction. When the printing device is not driven, no thrust load is generated in the output gear, so that the area of ​​the tape cassette opposite the meshing position moves in the mounting direction around the rotation axis. Since the support portions are at the position of the regulating portion or a position nearby the position when viewed from the mounting direction, the tape cassette is reliably supported. Therefore, the printing device can stabilize the attitude of the tape cassette even when not driven.

[0012] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape cassette comprising a tape roll on which a tape used for printing is wound, and a case for accommodating the tape roll, the tape cassette being attached to a mounting section formed in a recessed shape in a housing of a printing device, the tape being pulled out from the tape roll in order for the tape to be printed on by a printing section of the printing device, the printing section comprising a print head, a platen roller facing the print head and rotatable about an axis parallel to a mounting direction in which the tape cassette is mounted in the mounting section, a platen roller for transporting the tape, and a platen gear connected to the platen roller, the case being rotatable about an axis parallel to the mounting direction, an output gear for outputting a driving force input from outside the tape cassette to the platen gear, and a drive gear formed on a bottom portion disposed on the bottom side of the recessed portion of the mounting section and disposed at two points on the mounting section. The tape cassette provided has two supported parts that are supported in a direction opposite to the installation direction by support parts provided on the top part opposite the bottom part, and a regulated part that regulates the posture of the tape cassette in the installation part by abutting on a regulating part provided on an opening / closing lid that is attached to the housing so as to be movable between a state of closing and a state of opening the opening of the installation part, wherein the platen gear and the output gear are helical gears in which, when rotating, a thrust load directed toward the installation direction is generated on the output gear side at their respective meshing positions, and the regulated part is located in an area opposite the meshing position as viewed from the installation direction with respect to a rotation axis connecting the two supported parts, and the regulating part regulates the rotation of the tape cassette around the rotation axis due to the thrust load generated in the output gear.

[0013] The output gear of the tape cassette meshes with the platen gear of the printing device and transmits a driving force to rotate the platen roller. The output gear is a helical gear, and a thrust load toward the mounting direction is generated on the output gear side at the meshing position. Therefore, the tape cassette rotates about a rotation axis connecting the two supported parts, and the output gear side moves in the mounting direction. Therefore, the area on the opposite side of the rotation axis to the output gear moves in the opposite direction to the mounting direction. A regulating part of the opening and closing cover provided in that area abuts against the top part of the tape cassette and regulates the rotation of the tape cassette. Therefore, when the printing device is driven, the regulating part presses the top part of the tape cassette, stabilizing the position, and it is possible to suppress deviation when the tape is pulled out.

[0014] When viewed from the mounting direction according to the second aspect, the distance between the regulating portion and the rotation axis in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis may be greater than the distance between the meshing position and the rotation axis. The tape cassette abuts against the regulating portion at a position farther from the rotation axis than the meshing position. Therefore, due to this principle, when the printing device is driven, the tape cassette rotates due to a thrust load, and the load applied to the regulating portion can be reduced, so that the posture of the tape cassette can be easily stabilized.

[0015] According to a second aspect, the regulated portion may be provided at a corner of the top portion of the case. The portion where the regulating portion abuts against the case is the corner portion having high rigidity. Therefore, even if the tape cassette is pressed by the regulating portion when the printing device is in operation, the top portion does not bend, and the position of the tape cassette can be easily stabilized.

[0016] The regulated portion according to the second aspect may be provided at a recessed position toward the mounting direction on the top surface of the top part of the case, which is the surface opposite to the mounting direction. For example, tape cassettes that accommodate tapes of different tape widths each have a different thickness in the mounting direction. By setting the depth of the recess in the regulated portion according to the thickness, the tape cassette can maintain a constant height position in the mounting direction where the regulating portion abuts on the regulated portion. Therefore, the tape cassette can accommodate tapes of various widths.

[0017] In a second embodiment, one of the two supported points may be supported by a heat sink of the print head. The heat sink is made of metal and has high rigidity. Therefore, by having one of the supported points supported by the heat sink, the tape cassette can be stabilized in position when the printer is in operation.

[0018] The case according to the second aspect may have three or more supported parts, and one of the supported parts may be provided at a corner of the bottom of the case. One of the supported parts is provided at a corner of the case that has high rigidity. Therefore, even if the tape cassette is supported by the support parts when the printing device is in operation, the bottom does not bend, and the position of the tape cassette can be easily stabilized.

[0019] The case according to a second aspect has a pull-out section where the tape is pulled out of the case in a pull-out direction that intersects with the mounting direction, and the output gear may be twisted in the meshing position such that an end of the gear teeth on the mounting direction side is located downstream in the pull-out direction relative to an end of the gear teeth on the opposite side to the mounting direction. The output gear meshes with a platen gear that is connected to a platen roller that transports the tape. Thus, the output gear rotates in a direction in which the gear teeth at the meshing position move from upstream to downstream in the pull-out direction. At the meshing position, the gear teeth are twisted in a direction in which the end of the gear teeth on the mounting direction side is located downstream relative to the opposite side. Thus, the gear teeth of the output gear come into contact with the gear teeth of the platen gear at the meshing position, thereby generating a thrust load on the output gear toward the mounting direction side. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printing device 1 as viewed from the lower right front. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printing device 1 with the rear cover 3 removed, viewed from the upper right rear. [Diagram 3] 2 is a rear view of the housing 2 of the printing device 1. FIG. [Figure 4]2 is a perspective view of the housing 2 of the printing device 1 as viewed from the lower left rear. [Diagram 5] 1 is a perspective view of the rear cover 3 as viewed from the front and lower left. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a head unit 70. [Figure 9] 1 is a perspective view of the platen unit 80 as viewed from the lower right rear. [Figure 10] 1 is a perspective view of the platen unit 80 as viewed from the lower left rear. [Figure 11] 1 is a perspective view of a tape cassette 100 as viewed from the upper left front. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the tape cassette 100. [Figure 13] 1 is a perspective view of a first frame portion 160 as viewed from the lower right front. [Figure 14] 1 is an enlarged perspective view of an upper portion of the printing device 1 with the tape cassette 100 installed, as viewed from the upper right rear. [Figure 15] 1 is an enlarged rear view of an upper portion of the printing device 1 with the tape cassette 100 installed. [Figure 16] 1 is a perspective view of the tape cassette 200 as viewed from the upper right rear. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] A printer 1 and a tape cassette 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings are used to explain technical features that may be adopted by the present invention. That is, the configurations and the like shown in the drawings are not intended to be limited to the present invention, but are merely illustrative examples. In the following description, the direction parallel to the axis of the drive shaft 63 of the printer 1 is defined as the front-rear direction. In addition, the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction, which is parallel to the discharge direction of the tape 101 in the discharge path 29, is defined as the up-down direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is defined as the left-right direction. Specifically, the upper right, lower left, left, right, upper left, and lower right of FIG. 1 are defined as the upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear of the printer 1, respectively. In addition, the direction of the tape cassette 100 is defined as the direction of the printer 1 in the installed state, regardless of whether the tape cassette 100 is installed in the printer 1 or not. Specifically, the lower left, upper right, upper left, lower right, lower, and upper in FIG. 2 correspond to the upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear of the tape cassette 100, respectively.

[0022] The configuration of the printing device 1 will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the printing device 1 is a portable label printer that can print images on a tape 101 (see Fig. 11) pulled out from a tape cassette 100 (see Fig. 2) to create labels. The printing device 1 can print images such as characters and figures on the tape 101.

[0023] As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the printing device 1 comprises a housing 2, a rear cover 3, a display unit 4, and an input unit 5. The housing 2 is shaped like a long box in the vertical direction, and is open at the rear. An inner lid 6 is attached to the opening to protect the inside of the housing 2. A top wall 2A of the housing 2 is formed with a discharge passage 29 that penetrates in the vertical direction, and a fastening hole 2C that engages with an opening / closing portion 31 of the rear cover 3.

[0024] The rear cover 3 is removably attached to the housing 2. The rear cover 3 extends in the vertical direction and has a concave shape that is concave toward the rear. When attached, the rear cover 3 covers the entire rear surface of the housing 2 and covers the opening on the rear surface together with the inner lid 6. The rear cover 3 has a pair of engagement claws 32, an opening / closing portion 31, a pair of guide claws 33, a pair of positioning ribs 34, a window portion 35, and a restricting portion 37.

[0025] The pair of engagement claws 32 are provided as a pair at positions spaced apart from each other on the inner surface of the recess at the lower end of the rear cover 3. The engagement claws 32 are claw-shaped, protruding forward and bending downward. The inner lid 6 of the housing 2 has a pair of engagement holes 22 at the lower edge. The pair of engagement holes 22 are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, and are each formed as a recess facing downward. When the rear cover 3 is attached to the housing 2, the pair of engagement claws 32 are inserted into the pair of engagement holes 22. The pair of engagement claws 32 function as a fulcrum when the rear cover 3 is rotated to open and close when the rear cover 3 is attached and detached. In addition, each of the pair of engagement claws 32 has a rib 32A extending in the front-rear direction on the inner side surface in the left-right direction. When the rear cover 3 is attached, the rib 32A abuts against the side surface 22A of the engagement hole 22. The rear cover 3 can be positioned in the left-right direction relative to the housing 2 by sandwiching the side surfaces 22A of the pair of engagement holes 22 with the ribs 32A of the pair of engagement claws 32. The contact area of ​​the ribs 32A with the side surfaces 22A is small, so that the rotation of the rear cover 3 when attached is not hindered.

[0026] The opening / closing part 31 is a part that protrudes forward from the upper edge part of the rear cover 3, and has a hook formed at its tip. The opening / closing part 31 engages with a fastening hole 2C in the top wall 2A of the housing 2. The opening / closing part 31 is a part that fixes the rear cover 3 so that it does not come off from the housing 2 when the rear cover 3 is attached to the housing 2. The rear cover 3 can be detached by rotating the upper part of the rear cover 3 backward with the engagement claw 32 as a fulcrum while pressing the opening / closing part 31 downward in the attached state.

[0027] The pair of guide claws 33 are provided in pairs at positions above the pair of engagement claws 32 and on the outer side in the left-right direction at the lower end of the rear cover 3. The pair of guide claws 33 each protrude forward from the inner surface of the rear cover 3 in a rib-like shape. The guide claw 33 has an upper plate portion 33A and a pair of side plate portions 33B each extending downward from both ends of the upper plate portion. The lower portion of the side plate portion 33B is inclined in the protruding direction. The pair of guide claws 33 are guided by the pair of guide recesses 23 of the inner lid 6 when the rear cover 3 is attached, and have the function of aligning the orientation of the rear cover 3 with the orientation of the housing 2. The guide recesses 23 are provided in pairs at positions above the pair of engagement holes 22 and on the outer side in the left-right direction at the lower end of the inner lid 6. The guide recesses 23 have an upper surface 23A facing downward opposite the upper plate portion 33A of the guide claws 33 when the rear cover 3 is attached, and a pair of side surfaces 23B facing inward opposite the pair of side plate portions 33B. The pair of side surfaces 23B are inclined in a tapered shape that faces diagonally backward with respect to the front-rear direction and widens toward each other. The side surfaces 23B guide the side plate portions 33B of the guide claws 33 so that they are positioned in the center between the side surfaces 23B in the left-right direction, and align the rear cover 3 with the housing 2 in the left-right direction. Therefore, rattling of the rear cover 3 in the left-right direction when attached can be reduced, and the attached state can be stabilized.

[0028] In addition, the guide claw 33 is provided near the engagement claw 32, which serves as a fulcrum of rotation during the process of attaching the rear cover 3. As a result, when the rear cover 3 is attached, it starts to rotate around the engagement claw 32 as a fulcrum, and the guide claw 33 and the guide recess 23 correct the left-right position of the rear cover 3 relative to the housing 2 before the opening / closing part 31 is inserted into the fastening hole 2C. Therefore, the hook of the opening / closing part 31 is smoothly inserted into the fastening hole 2C, so that the printer 1 can improve the ease of attaching the rear cover 3. Note that the guide recess 23 may have a pair of side surfaces 23B, one of which is an inclined surface and the other of which is a vertical surface. In this case, if one side surface 23B of one of the pair of guide recesses 23 is an inclined surface, it is preferable that the other side surface 23B of the other guide recess 23 is an inclined surface.

[0029] The pair of positioning ribs 34 are provided in pairs at positions spaced apart in the left-right direction on the inner surface of the upper end of the recess peripheral wall of the rear cover 3. The positioning rib 34 is a plate-like shape that protrudes downward from the inner surface of the upper end of the recess peripheral wall and extends in the front-rear direction. The front end of the positioning rib 34 is provided in a stepped shape in the up-down direction, and a positioning surface 34A facing downward is formed. The positioning surfaces 34A of the pair of positioning ribs 34 abut against the reference surfaces 24A of the pair of positioning protrusions 24 of the inner lid 6 when the rear cover 3 is attached, and have the function of positioning the rear cover 3 in the up-down direction relative to the housing 2. The positioning protrusions 24 are provided in pairs at positions spaced apart in the left-right direction on the upper end of the inner lid 6, and protrude backward. The reference surface 24A is an upper side surface of the positioning protrusion 24, and is a flat surface that is perpendicular to the up-down direction and faces upward. When the rear cover 3 is attached, the positioning surfaces 34A of the positioning ribs 34 abut against the reference surfaces 24A of the positioning protrusions 24, so that the vertical position of the rear cover 3 is aligned with the vertical position of the housing 2, thereby reducing rattling.

[0030] The rear cover 3 has a window 35 at an upper right position through which the inside of the housing 2 can be seen from the outside. The window 35 is located at the left side of the cassette mounting section 10. When the tape cassette 100 is mounted in the cassette mounting section 10, the user can see a label indicating the type of tape and the like attached to the rear surface of the tape cassette 100 through the window 35. The window 35 is fitted and fixed in a window frame 36 that surrounds the window 35 on all four sides in the vertical and horizontal directions. A restricting portion 37 that protrudes forward is formed at a position near the center of the lower side of the window frame 36. The restricting portion 37 is rod-shaped and formed integrally with the window frame 36. The restricting portion 37 is provided at a position that overlaps with the lower right corner of the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100 in the front-rear direction when the tape cassette 100 is mounted in the cassette mounting section 10. When the printing device 1 is not in operation, the restricting portion 37 does not come into contact with the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100. When the printing device 1 is in operation, if the tape cassette 100 is tilted due to a thrust load generated when a driving force is transmitted to the platen roller 82, the restricting portion 37 comes into contact with the rear wall 195.

[0031] The display unit 4 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and is capable of displaying various types of information. The display unit 4 is provided at a position above approximately the center in the up-down direction on the front surface 2B of the housing 2. The input unit 5 accepts input of various types of information by user operation. The input unit 5 is provided below the display unit 4 on the front surface 2B of the housing 2. The input unit 5 includes a plurality of keys, such as character keys, a print button, an Esc key, etc.

[0032] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the printing device 1 includes a cassette loading section 10, a battery housing section 40, and a printing section 50 inside the housing 2. A tape cassette 100 is removably loaded into the cassette loading section 10. The cassette loading section 10 is formed in an inner cover 6 on the rear surface of the housing 2 at a position above the center in the vertical direction. The cassette loading section 10 is recessed toward the front, and has a recess bottom surface 11 and recess peripheral surfaces 12 to 15 that are connected to the edge of the recess bottom surface 11 and surround the periphery in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0033] The cassette mounting portion 10 is provided with hooks 12A, 13A which extend rearward from the recess bottom surface 11 along the upper recess circumferential surface 12 and the lower recess circumferential surface 13, respectively, and whose tip portions can be bent in the front-rear direction. The hooks 12A, 13A engage with engaging protrusions 162, 163 (see FIG. 13) formed on the upper wall 191 and the lower wall 192 of the tape cassette 100, respectively, and maintain the tape cassette 100 mounted in the cassette mounting portion 10 in the mounted state.

[0034] The cassette mounting section 10 also includes three support portions 16, 17, and 18 that support the tape cassette 100 mounted in the cassette mounting section 10 rearward from the rear to the front of the housing 2. The support portion 16 is provided on the peripheral surface 15 of the recess on the right side, and extends rearward from the bottom surface 11 of the recess at approximately the center in the up-down direction in a rib-like manner. The length that the support portion 16 extends rearward from the bottom surface 11 of the recess is approximately ¼ of the length of the peripheral surface 15 in the front-to-rear direction. When the tape cassette 100 is mounted in the cassette mounting section 10, the support portion 16 comes into contact with a contact portion 166 (see FIG. 13) formed on the right wall 194 of the tape cassette 100, and supports the front end portion of the tape cassette 100 rearward.

[0035] The support portion 17 is disposed near a corner portion where the left recessed portion peripheral surface 14 and the lower recessed portion peripheral surface 13 are connected. The support portion 17 is the rear end portion of a metal pin 19 that extends in a rod shape rearward from the recessed portion bottom surface 11. The pin 19 is provided on the base 51 (see FIG. 6) of the printing portion 50, and is exposed to the inside of the cassette mounting portion 10 from an opening formed in the recessed portion bottom surface 11. The length by which the pin 19 extends rearward from the recessed portion bottom surface 11 is approximately 3 / 4 of the length of the recessed portion peripheral surface 13 in the front-rear direction. When the tape cassette 100 is mounted in the cassette mounting portion 10, the support portion 17 comes into contact with a contact portion 167 (see FIG. 13) formed at the corner portion between the left wall 193 and the lower wall 192 of the tape cassette 100, and supports the front end portion of the tape cassette 100 rearward.

[0036] The support portion 18 is a rear surface portion at the upper end portion of the heat sink 72 of the printing unit 50, and is located near a corner portion where the left recessed portion peripheral surface 14 and the upper recessed portion peripheral surface 12 are connected. The position of the rear surface upper end portion of the heat sink 72 behind the recessed portion bottom surface 11 is a position slightly rearward of approximately 3 / 4 of the length of the recessed portion peripheral surface 13 in the front-to-rear direction. When the tape cassette 100 is mounted in the cassette mounting portion 10, the support portion 18 comes into contact with a contact portion 168 (see FIG. 13) formed at the upper end portion of the head opening 123 of the tape cassette 100, and supports the front end portion of the tape cassette 100 rearward. The head opening 123 is a portion of the tape cassette 100 into which the heat sink 72 and the print head 71 are inserted when the tape cassette 100 is mounted.

[0037] The battery accommodating section 40 accommodates a battery (not shown). The battery accommodating section 40 is formed in the inner lid 6 on the rear of the housing 2, in a recessed shape recessed forward at a position lower than the center of the housing in the vertical direction. When the rear cover 3 is removed from the housing 2, the cassette mounting section 10 and the battery accommodating section 40 are exposed to the outside of the printing device 1 through an opening on the rear of the housing 2. With the rear cover 3 removed from the housing 2, the user can replace the tape cassette 100 and the battery, respectively.

[0038] The printing unit 50 is a unit configured to print on the tape 101. The printing unit 50 is disposed in the upper portion of the housing 2, on the front left end side of the cassette mounting unit 10. As shown in Fig. 6, the printing unit 50 includes a base 51, a drive mechanism 60, a head unit 70, a platen unit 80, and the like.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the drive mechanism 60 includes a motor 61, a gear group 62, and a drive shaft 63, and is assembled to the base 51. The base 51 is a metal plate that supports the components of the printing unit 50, with the plate surface facing the front-rear direction and extending longer in the up-down direction than in the left-right direction. The motor 61 is a drive source and is disposed at the lower end of the base 51. The drive force of the motor 61 is transmitted to a drive shaft 63 disposed on the right side of the upper end of the base 51 by a gear group 62 that connects multiple gears. The motor 61, the gear group 62, and the base 51 are disposed in front of the inner lid 6 inside the housing 2, and the drive shaft 63 is exposed inside the cassette mounting unit 10 from an opening formed in the bottom surface 11 of the recess.

[0040] The drive shaft 63 is inserted into the take-up spool 107 and input gear 134 (see FIG. 12) of the tape cassette 100 mounted in the cassette mounting portion 10. The drive shaft 63 inputs a driving force to the tape cassette 100 for rotating the take-up spool 107 and the input gear 134. The rotation axis 52 of the drive shaft 63 is provided on the right side of the upper end of the base 51 and extends rearward in parallel with the front-to-rear direction.

[0041] The drive shaft 63 includes a transmission cam gear 66, a clutch spring 68, and a ribbon cam 67. The transmission cam gear 66 is a component that is an integrated component of a gear to which the driving force transmitted from the motor 61 via the gear group 62 is input, and a cam for transmitting the driving force to the input gear 134. The transmission cam gear 66 includes a gear portion 66A, a shaft portion 66B, a hook 66C, and a cam portion 66D. The gear portion 66A is a gear portion that meshes with the most downstream gear of the gear group 62, and receives the driving force. The shaft portion 66B is cylindrical and extends rearward of the gear portion 66A, has a smaller diameter than the gear portion 66A, and rotates integrally with the gear portion 66A around the rotation shaft 52. The hook 66C is provided at the rear end of the shaft portion 66B, and positions the ribbon cam 67 arranged around the shaft portion 66B to prevent it from coming off. The cam portion 66D is a portion that is inserted into the input gear 134 and is provided at the rear end of the shaft portion 66B.

[0042] The clutch spring 68 is a coil spring having an annular portion 68A, a locking portion 68B, and a bent end portion 68C. The annular portion 68A is a coil-shaped portion attached to the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion 66B of the transmission cam gear 66. The locking portion 68B is a portion extending radially outward from the rear end of the annular portion 68A. The bent end portion 68C is a portion in which the end of the locking portion 68B is bent in the circumferential direction. When the transmission cam gear 66 tries to rotate in the same direction as the ribbon cam 67 winds up the ink ribbon 104, the clutch spring 68 reduces the diameter of the annular portion 68A due to friction with the shaft portion 66B, and transmits the driving force of the transmission cam gear 66 to the ribbon cam 67. When the transmission cam gear 66 does not rotate and the ribbon cam 67 attempts to rotate in a direction to wind the ink ribbon 104, the annular portion 68A of the clutch spring 68 expands in diameter and does not transmit driving force between the transmission cam gear 66 and the ribbon cam 67. Therefore, the ribbon cam 67 can rotate freely and wind the ink ribbon 104.

[0043] The ribbon cam 67 is a cylindrical part having a cam portion 67A, a groove portion 67B, and a regulating portion 67C. The cam portion 67A is a portion inserted into the take-up spool 107, and is disposed around the shaft portion 66B. The cam portion 67A transmits the driving force transmitted from the transmission cam gear 66 to the take-up spool 107 via the clutch spring 68. The groove portion 67B is a groove that radially connects the inside and outside of the cylinder at the front end of the cam portion 67A. The locking portion 68B of the clutch spring 68 is disposed in the groove portion 67B. The regulating portion 67C is a protruding portion provided on the outer peripheral surface at the front end of the cam portion 67A, on one end side in the circumferential direction with respect to the opening portion of the groove portion 67B. The regulating portion 67C regulates the bent end portion 68C of the clutch spring 68 exposed from the groove portion 67B so that it cannot be disposed on the regulating portion 67C side, and limits the orientation in which the clutch spring 68 is assembled to the shaft portion 66B.

[0044] When assembling the drive shaft 63 to the base 51 in the assembly work of the printing unit 50 in the manufacturing process of the printing device 1, the worker assembles the transmission cam gear 66 to the rotating shaft 52 of the base 51. Next, the worker attaches the clutch spring 68 to the shaft portion 66B of the transmission cam gear 66, and further attaches the ribbon cam 67 to the shaft portion 66B. If the orientation of the clutch spring 68 is not correct, the bent end portion 68C interferes with the regulating portion 67C. In this case, the ribbon cam 67 cannot be positioned to be hooked on the hook 66C, so the worker reassembles the clutch spring 68. If the clutch spring 68 is attached to the ribbon cam 67 in the correct orientation, the bent end portion 68C is positioned on the side without the regulating portion 67C. The ribbon cam 67 is fitted into the shaft portion 66B of the transmission cam gear 66 up to the base portion, and is prevented from coming off by the hook 66C. In this way, the worker does not need to assemble ribbon cam 67 and clutch spring 68 to transmission cam gear 66 in a state in which clutch spring 68 is temporarily assembled to ribbon cam 67, so assembly defects due to clutch spring 68 falling off can be suppressed.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8, the head unit 70 includes a print head 71, a heat sink 72, and a harness 73, and is assembled to the base 51. The print head 71 is a rectangular circuit board on which a plurality of heat generating elements 71A and a driver circuit section 71B are mounted. The plurality of heat generating elements 71A are arranged in a line in the front-rear direction at the upper end of the left surface of the board. The driver circuit section 71B is formed at the lower end of the left surface of the board, and is electrically connected to a control section (not shown) in the housing 2 via the harness 73. The heat sink 72 is a metal plate for holding the print head 71 and dissipating heat, with the plate surface facing left-right and extending longer in the up-down direction than in the front-rear direction. The upper rear end of the heat sink 72 protrudes rearward beyond the front rear end. The rear surface at the upper rear end of the heat sink 72 functions as the support section 18 when the tape cassette 100 is attached. The front end 72F of the heat sink 72 is bent leftward. The heat sink 72 is disposed to the left of the drive shaft 63 at the upper end of the base 51, and a front end 72F is fixed to the base 51 with a screw. The print head 71 and heat sink 72 are exposed inside the cassette mounting part 10 from a notch formed in the left end of the bottom surface 11 of the recess.

[0046] The print head 71 is fixed to the left surface of the heat sink 72 with an adhesive. The heat sink 72 has three protrusions 72A, 72B, and 72C that protrude from the left surface to determine the fixing position of the print head 71. The protrusions 72A, 72B, and 72C are each formed by embossing. The protrusion 72A is formed at the upper end of the heat sink 72 at a position closer to the front than the center in the front-to-rear direction. The protrusion 72A abuts against the upper end of the front surface of the print head 71 and determines the position of the heating element 71A in the main scanning direction (front-to-rear direction). Therefore, the protrusion 72A has the effect of making the size of the heat sink 72 smaller in the front-to-rear direction compared to a case in which the protrusion 72A is provided closer to the rear end in the front-to-rear direction and abuts against the rear surface of the print head 71 to determine the position of the heating element 71A in the main scanning direction. The protrusions 72B and 72C are formed at a position near the rear end in the front-to-rear direction and a position near the center in the front-to-rear direction, respectively, in positions near the center in the up-down direction of the heat sink 72. The protrusions 72B and 72C each abut against the lower surface of the print head 71, and determine the position of the heating element 71A in the sub-scanning direction (up-down direction).

[0047] Additionally, the heat sink 72 has two holes 72D, 72E that penetrate in the left-right direction above the protrusions 72B, 72C. Holes 72D, 72E are each formed in a position that overlaps with the right side of the print head 71 when the print head 71 is fixed to the heat sink 72. During the manufacturing process of the printer 1, a worker can insert a jig into holes 72D, 72E in the assembly work after bonding the print head 71 to the heat sink 72 and check the adhesive strength of the print head 71, thereby preventing assembly defects.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the platen unit 80 is disposed on the left side of the cassette mounting section 10 (see FIG. 2), and its lower end is supported by the rotating shaft 53 so that its upper end can swing left and right. In FIG. 9, the configuration of the parts before assembly is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The rotating shaft 53 of the platen unit 80 is provided on the left side of the upper end of the base 51, and extends rearward in parallel with the front-rear direction. By swinging the platen unit 80, the platen roller 82 can swing between a close position (see FIG. 6) where it approaches the print head 71, and a separate position (see FIG. 3) where it is separated from the print head 71. For convenience, the directions of the parts of the platen unit 80 in the following description are based on the directions of the parts of the printing device 1 when the platen roller 82 is in the close position.

[0049] The platen unit 80 includes a platen holder 81, a platen shaft 84, a platen roller 82, a platen gear 83, and a detection unit 91. The platen holder 81 is long in the vertical direction and is box-shaped with an opening on the right side. The platen holder 81 has support holes 81A that penetrate in the front-rear direction in the front and rear walls at the lower end. The support holes 81A are supported by the rotation shaft 53 of the base 51. The front and rear walls of the platen holder 81 have bulging portions 81B that bulge to the right at the upper end. The bulging portion 81B has a through hole (not shown) that penetrates in the front-rear direction. The through hole is an oblong hole that is long in the left-right direction so that the platen roller 82 can elastically move to the left while pressing rightward against the bulging portion 81B. The platen holder 81 rotatably supports both ends of a platen shaft 84 in through holes in the bulging portions 81B, thereby holding the platen roller 82 between the bulging portions 81B.

[0050] The platen shaft 84 is an axial member extending in the front-rear direction. The platen shaft 84 has insertion holes 84A, 84B, into which engagement pins 85, 86 are inserted, at its rear end and center in the front-rear direction. The engagement pins 85, 86 are rod members and are longer than the diameter of the platen shaft 84. When the engagement pins 85, 86 are inserted into the insertion holes 84A, 84B, they each penetrate the platen shaft 84 in the radial direction. In addition, a groove 84C, which engages with a retaining ring 87, is formed at the front end of the platen shaft 84.

[0051] The platen roller 82 has a roller body 82A and a roller sleeve 82B. The roller sleeve 82B is a cylindrical member through which the platen shaft 84 is inserted. The roller sleeve 82B has an outer diameter D1 at the front end that is smaller than an outer diameter D2 at the rear end and the middle portion where the roller body 82A is disposed. The bulging portions 81B of the front and rear walls have portions that engage with the outer peripheral surfaces of the front and rear ends of the roller sleeve 82B, respectively. Therefore, the platen holder 81 is configured such that the platen roller 82 cannot be disposed between the bulging portions 81B when the front-to-rear direction of the platen roller 82 is opposite to the correct direction. The engagement pin 86 at the center of the platen shaft 84 engages with a groove portion 82D formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical hole 82C of the roller sleeve 82B, and transmits the torque from the platen shaft 84 to the roller sleeve 82B. Therefore, the roller sleeve 82B rotates together with the platen shaft 84. In addition, a notch 82E that penetrates the cylindrical wall surface in the radial direction is formed at the rear end of the roller sleeve 82B in accordance with the formation position of the groove 82D. The roller main body 82A is a cylindrical member that is fitted into the outer circumferential surface of the middle part of the roller sleeve 82B. The roller main body 82A rotates together with the platen shaft 84 and the roller sleeve 82B.

[0052] The platen gear 83 is fixed to the rear end of a platen shaft 84 that protrudes rearward from a bulging portion 81B on the rear wall side. The platen gear 83 is a so-called helical gear in which gear teeth are twisted at a predetermined angle with respect to a rotation axis L4 (see FIG. 12). An engagement pin 85 at the rear end of the platen shaft 84 engages with a groove portion 83B formed on the inner surface of a through hole 83A provided at the rotation center of the platen gear 83, and transmits torque from the platen gear 83 to the platen shaft 84. Thus, the platen shaft 84 rotates together with the platen gear 83.

[0053] When in close proximity to the platen roller 82, the roller body 82A sandwiches the tape 101 and ink ribbon 104 between it and the print head 71. The platen gear 83 meshes with an output gear 131 (see FIG. 11 ) of the tape cassette 100. The driving force of the drive shaft 63 is input to the platen roller 82 via the tape cassette 100 and the platen gear 83. As the platen roller 82 rotates, the roller body 82A transports the tape 101, which is sandwiched between it and the print head 71, towards the discharge path 29.

[0054] When assembling the platen roller 82 to the platen holder 81 during the assembly work of the platen unit 80 in the manufacturing process of the printing device 1, the worker inserts the engagement pin 85 into the insertion hole 84A at the rear end of the platen shaft 84. The worker inserts the platen shaft 84 from the rear into the through hole 83A of the platen gear 83, and when it has been inserted all the way to the rear end, engages the engagement pin 85 with the groove portion 83B. Next, the worker places the platen roller 82 between the bulging portions 81B of the platen holder 81 in the correct orientation in the front-to-rear direction, and while holding down the platen gear 83, inserts the platen shaft 84 with the engagement pin 86 inserted into the insertion hole 84B into the through hole of the bulging portion 81B of the rear wall from the rear. After inserting the engagement pin 86 into the elongated through-hole of the bulging portion 81B, the worker can easily align the engagement pin 86 with the groove portion 82D by visually checking the position of the engagement pin 86 through the notch portion 82E of the roller sleeve 82B. The worker engages the engagement pin 86 with the groove portion 82D, and exposes the front end portion of the platen shaft 84 from the through-hole of the bulging portion 81B of the front wall. The worker fits the retaining ring 87 into the groove portion 84C of the front end portion of the platen shaft 84, and completes the assembly work of assembling the platen roller 82 to the platen holder 81. Since the platen roller 82, the platen gear 83, and the platen shaft 84 are positioned and fixed by the engagement pins 85, 86 and the retaining ring 87, the platen unit 80 can be individually replaced when damaged, and can be easily reassembled. Furthermore, since the platen shaft 84 has the engagement pins 85 and 86 formed separately, production costs can be reduced compared to when they are manufactured integrally by machining.

[0055] As shown in Figs. 6 and 10, the platen holder 81 has a recessed holding portion 81C between the front wall and the rear wall at a position closer to the lower end than the middle portion in the up-down direction, and the holding portion 81C holds the detection portion 91. In Fig. 10, the detection portion 91 before being attached to the platen holder 81 is shown by a two-dot chain line. The detection portion 91 is a sensor that detects the cassette identification information given to the tape cassette 100 from the detected portion 125 (see Fig. 11) of the tape cassette 100 by turning on and off a mechanical switch. The detection portion 91 has a circuit board 92 and a case 93. The circuit board 92 has a detector 92A mounted on its right surface, which is equipped with a plurality of protruding switches that are turned on when pressed. The circuit board 92 has a plurality of lands 92B mounted on its left surface, to which a plurality of signal lines 94 that transmit signals from the detector 92A to a control unit (not shown) are connected by soldering. The lands 92B are formed collectively at the upper end of the circuit board 92.

[0056] The case 93 is box-shaped and is placed inside the holding portion 81C of the platen holder 81 and fixed with hooks. The circuit board 92 is fixed with screws to the left surface of the case 93. The right surface of the case 93 is located at approximately the same position as the right surface of the platen holder 81 in the left-right direction, and the switch of the detector 92A is exposed facing rightward.

[0057] The holding portion 81C of the platen holder 81 has an opening 81D on the left side of the platen holder 81. The opening 81D is formed in accordance with the formation area of ​​the land 92B, and when the detection portion 91 is held in the holding portion 81C, the land 92B is exposed when viewed from the left. The opening 81D has inner walls extending in the left-right direction. An upper inner wall 81F of the inner walls of the opening 81D has notches 81G in two places on the right end. The notches 81G are formed at positions corresponding to two lands 92B located near the upper end of the circuit board 92 out of the multiple lands 92B. The signal line 94 is drawn to the left of the platen holder 81 through the opening 81D. A holding protrusion 81E that holds the signal lines 94 in a bundle is formed below the opening 81D on the left side of the platen holder 81. The signal line 94 drawn out from the opening 81D is disposed between the left surface of the platen holder 81 and the holding protrusion 81E.

[0058] The signal line 94 is soldered to the land 92B from above. Therefore, the signal line 94 extends above the land 92B, is bent so as to be folded back downward, and is drawn downward from the opening 81D. The inner wall 81F of the opening 81D can reduce interference with the folded back portion of the signal line 94 that is folded back above the land 92B due to the cutout portion 81G. Therefore, the platen holder 81 can reduce the load on the signal line 94 due to contact with the signal line 94, and can suppress disconnection of the signal line 94. In addition, the platen holder 81 can suppress the circuit board 92 from being pressed through the signal line 94 due to contact with the signal line 94, which causes the detector 92A to be displaced. Furthermore, in order to avoid interference with the signal line 94, the platen holder 81 can be made smaller in size than if the platen holder 81 was formed larger in the left-right direction to move the land 92B away from the opening 81D.

[0059] Next, the configuration of the tape cassette 100 will be described. The tape cassette 100 stores the tape 101. As shown in Fig. 2, the tape cassette 100 can be attached to and detached from the cassette mounting unit 10 of the printing device 1. By replacing the tape cassette 100, it is possible to replenish the tape 101 and change the type of tape 101 (for example, size, color, material, etc.).

[0060] 11, the tape cassette 100 includes a main case 120 that houses at least a portion of the tape 101 and at least a portion of the ink ribbon 104. The main case 120 has a first case 121 and a second case 122. The first case 121 and the second case 122 are each a rectangular parallelepiped having sides parallel to the up-down direction, sides parallel to the front-rear direction, and sides parallel to the left-right direction. In other words, the external shape of the main case 120 when viewed from the front-rear direction is a square.

[0061] The first case 121 is connected to the second case 122 so as to protrude downward from the lower surface of the second case 122. The main case 120 is inserted into the cassette mounting part 10 with the first case 121 facing the recessed bottom surface 11 (see FIG. 2) of the cassette mounting part 10.

[0062] 12, the tape cassette 100 includes a tape roll 102, a tape spool 103, a ribbon roll 105, a ribbon spool 106, a take-up spool 107, and a drive transmission mechanism 130. The tape roll 102 is formed by winding a strip-shaped tape 101, on which printing is to be performed, around a central axis of the tape spool 103. The printing device 1 performs printing by transferring an ink ribbon 104 heated by a heating element 71A of a print head 71 onto the surface of the tape 101. The central axis of the tape roll 102 is parallel to the front-rear direction.

[0063] Two spacer films 111, 112 are arranged on the outer sides of the tape roll 102 in the front-to-rear direction so as to sandwich the tape roll 102. The spacer film 111 is arranged between the tape roll 102 and the second lid portion 180, and the spacer film 112 is arranged between the tape roll 102 and the second frame portion 170. The tape 101 pulled out from the tape roll 102 is guided by the first roller 113 and the second roller 114.

[0064] The tape spool 103 is rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to the front-rear direction. The tape spool 103 rotates in association with the transport of the tape 101 by the platen roller 82 of the printing device 1, thereby supplying the tape 101 to the head opening 123 (see FIG. 11 ). The rotation axis of the tape spool 103 coincides with the axis of the tape roll 102. A clutch spring (not shown) held by a clutch spring holder 115 provides rotational resistance to the tape spool 103.

[0065] The ribbon roll 105 is a ribbon spool 106 wound around an axis of a strip-shaped ink ribbon 104 used for printing on the tape 101. The ink ribbon 104 is overlapped with the tape 101 at the head opening 123 and used for printing by the print head 71. The ink ribbon 104 used for printing is taken up by a take-up spool 107. The ribbon roll 105 is disposed at a different position (specifically, forward) from the tape roll 102 in the front-rear direction. Moreover, the ribbon roll 105 is disposed at the same position as the head opening 123 in the front-rear direction.

[0066] The ribbon spool 106 is rotatable around its axis of rotation. The axis of rotation of the ribbon spool 106 is parallel to the front-rear direction. The ribbon spool 106 rotates as the ink ribbon 104 is taken up by the take-up spool 107, thereby supplying the ink ribbon 104 to the print head 71. A clutch spring held by a clutch spring holder 116 provides rotational resistance to the ribbon spool 106.

[0067] The take-up spool 107 is rotatable around its axis of rotation. The axis of rotation of the take-up spool 107 is parallel to the axis of rotation of the ribbon spool 106. The take-up spool 107 is cylindrical and has a hollow portion defined by an inner peripheral surface 108. The inner peripheral surface 108 of the take-up spool 107 is provided with spline teeth 109. The ribbon cam 67 of the drive shaft 63 is connected to the spline teeth 109. The take-up spool 107 is rotated by the drive shaft 63 and takes up the ink ribbon 104. A rotational resistance is applied to the take-up spool 107 by a torsion spring 110. The torsion spring 110 is disposed between the take-up spool 107 and the first frame portion 160.

[0068] When the tape cassette 100 is loaded into the cassette loading section 10, the drive transmission mechanism 130 transmits the drive force transmitted from the drive shaft 63 to the platen roller 82. The drive transmission mechanism 130 has an output gear 131, an input gear 134, and an idle gear 137. The tape roll 102, the drive transmission mechanism 130, and the take-up spool 107 are arranged in the front-rear direction in the following order: tape roll 102, drive transmission mechanism 130, take-up spool 107.

[0069] The output gear 131 is an externally toothed gear for outputting to the outside the driving force used to transport the tape 101. The output gear 131 meshes with the platen gear 83 to transmit the driving force for transporting the tape 101 to the platen gear 83. The output gear 131 is a helical gear whose gear teeth are twisted at a predetermined angle with respect to a rotation axis L1. The rotation axis L1 of the output gear 131 is parallel to a rotation axis L2 of the input gear 134 into which the drive shaft 63 is inserted and a rotation axis L4 of the platen gear 83.

[0070] When the output gear 131 rotates, a thrust load is generated in a direction parallel to the rotation axis L1 of the output gear 131 (front-rear direction). The direction of the thrust load is determined by the twist direction of the gear teeth of the output gear 131 and the rotation direction, and is forward or backward. Specifically, the output gear 131 is a helical gear with one stage of external teeth. The twist direction of the gear teeth of the output gear 131 is a direction in which a thrust load F is generated that pushes the output gear 131 forward relative to the platen gear 83 at an engagement position G where the output gear 131 meshes with the platen gear 83. In other words, when the output gear 131 rotates in a direction to transmit a driving force that transports the tape 101 toward the pull-out portion 124 (see FIG. 11), the output gear 131 is twisted in a direction that generates a thrust load F in the mounting direction (forward direction) to the cassette mounting portion 10 of the main case 120 due to meshing with the platen gear 83. The twist angle of the output gear 131 is, for example, 20° or more and 30° or less.

[0071] The rotation axis L4 of the platen gear 83 is the same as that of the platen roller 82. Therefore, when viewed from the rear, the platen roller 82 transports the tape 101 sandwiched between it and the print head 71 at approximately the same position as the meshing position G. The transport direction of the tape 101 at the meshing position G when viewed from the rear is approximately the same as the pull-out direction of the tape 101 pulled out from the pull-out portion 124 to the outside of the tape cassette 100, and is a direction from below to above. In other words, when viewed from the rear, the platen roller 82 and the platen gear 83 rotate clockwise, and the platen gear 83 rotates counterclockwise. The rotation axis L4 of the platen gear 83 is parallel to the direction in which the tape cassette 100 is mounted in the cassette mounting portion 10 (mounting direction) and is perpendicular to the pull-out direction. Therefore, when a thrust load F is generated at the meshing position G, which pushes the output gear 131 forward (in the mounting direction), the twist direction of the gear teeth of the output gear 131 is as follows. That is, the end of the gear teeth at the meshing position G on the mounting direction side (front side) is twisted in a direction to be located downstream (i.e., upper) in the pull-out direction (conveyance direction) than the end of the gear teeth on the opposite side (rear side) to the mounting direction. Due to the rotation of the output gear 131, at the meshing position G, the rearward and upward facing surfaces of the gear teeth of the output gear 131 come into contact with the forward and downward facing surfaces of the gear teeth of the platen gear 83, and press in the conveyance direction (upward). In this way, a thrust load is generated in the output gear 131 in the mounting direction (forward) at the meshing position G.

[0072] 11, a portion of the output gear 131 is exposed in a space communicating with the head opening 123. When the tape cassette 100 is attached to the cassette mounting portion 10, the output gear 131 meshes with the platen gear 83 in the space communicating with the head opening 123. The output gear 131 is disposed rearward of a detection target portion 125 formed on the left wall 193 of the main case 120 in the front-rear direction, and disposed above the detection target portion 125 in the up-down direction. In addition, the output gear 131 is disposed between the tape roll 102 and the ribbon roll 105 in the front-rear direction.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 12, the input gear 134 indirectly engages with the output gear 131 via the idle gear 137, and transmits the driving force to the output gear 131. The input gear 134 has a gear portion 135 and a spool portion 136. The spool portion 136 is a cylindrical internal gear having spline teeth on its inner circumferential surface. The gear portion 135 is an external gear that meshes with an upstream gear 138 of the idle gear 137. The spool portion 136 is fixed to the front side of the gear portion 135, and the ribbon cam 67 of the drive shaft 63 is inserted from the front. The gear portion 135 rotates integrally with the spool portion 136 by the driving force input to the spool portion 136. The rotation axis L2 of the input gear 134 is arranged on the same line as the rotation axis of the take-up spool 107, and is parallel to the rotation axis L1 of the output gear 131.

[0074] The rotation axis L2 of the input gear 134 overlaps with the hollow portion of the take-up spool 107 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, when the tape cassette 100 is attached to the cassette attachment portion 10, the drive shaft 63 is inserted through the take-up spool 107 and the input gear 134 at the same time. As a result, the input gear 134 is not directly connected to the take-up spool 107, but is rotated together with the take-up spool 107 by the drive shaft 63.

[0075] The idle gear 137 meshes with the input gear 134 and the output gear 131, and transmits the driving force input to the input gear 134 to the output gear 131. The idle gear 137 is a stepped gear in which an upstream gear 138 and a downstream gear 139 are arranged side by side on the same axis. The upstream gear 138 is an externally toothed spur gear that meshes with the input gear 134. The downstream gear 139 is an externally toothed helical gear that meshes with the output gear 131. The gear teeth of the downstream gear 139 are twisted in the opposite direction to the output gear 131. The diameter of the downstream gear 139 is smaller than the diameter of the upstream gear 138. The downstream gear 139 is also arranged closer to the tape roll 102 than the upstream gear 138 in the front-rear direction.

[0076] A rotation axis L3 of the idle gear 137 is parallel to the rotation axis L1 of the output gear 131 and the rotation axis L2 of the input gear 134. The idle gear 137 reduces the rotation speed of the driving force input to the input gear 134 and transmits it to the output gear 131. In other words, the drive transmission mechanism 130 includes a speed reduction mechanism that sets a transmission ratio obtained by dividing the rotation speed of the input gear 134 by the rotation speed of the output gear 131 as a reduction ratio.

[0077] The main case 120 has a first lid portion 150, a first frame portion 160, a second frame portion 170, and a second lid portion 180. The first lid portion 150 constitutes the front end portion of the tape cassette 100. The first frame portion 160 is disposed behind the first lid portion 150 and is connected to the first lid portion 150 in the up-down direction. The second frame portion 170 is disposed behind the first frame portion 160 and is connected to the first frame portion 160 in the front-rear direction. The second lid portion 180 constitutes the rear end portion of the tape cassette 100. The second lid portion 180 is connected to the second frame portion 170 in the up-down direction.

[0078] The first cover portion 150, the first frame portion 160, and a part of the second frame portion 170 configure a first case 121 that houses the ribbon roll 105, the ribbon spool 106, the take-up spool 107, and the drive transmission mechanism 130. The first case 121 is disposed at a position different from the tape roll 102 in the front-rear direction (specifically, in front), and has a discharge port 126. The ribbon roll 105, the ribbon spool 106, and the take-up spool 107 are disposed in a space surrounded by the first cover portion 150 and the first frame portion 160. The drive transmission mechanism 130 is disposed in a space surrounded by the first frame portion 160 and the second frame portion 170.

[0079] The second lid portion 180 and the second frame portion 170 constitute a second case 122 that houses the tape roll 102. In other words, the tape roll 102 is disposed in a space surrounded by the second lid portion 180 and the second frame portion 170.

[0080] 11 , main case 120 has an upper wall 191, a lower wall 192, a left wall 193, a right wall 194, a rear wall 195, and a front wall 196. The upper wall 191 and the lower wall 192 form outer walls in the up-down direction of main case 120, and are perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The left wall 193 and the right wall 194 form outer walls in the left-right direction of main case 120, and are perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. The rear wall 195 and the front wall 196 form outer walls in the front-rear direction of main case 120, and are perpendicular to the left-right direction and the up-down direction.

[0081] The upper wall 191, the lower wall 192, the right wall 194, and the rear wall 195 are rectangular plate-shaped. The left wall 193 is a plate-shaped shape that is approximately inverted L-shaped with an opening at the upper front corner. The front wall 196 is a plate-shaped shape that is approximately inverted C-shaped with a rectangular opening at a position near the left end that extends from a position lower than the center to the upper end in the vertical direction. A head opening 123 that communicates with the above-mentioned openings of the left wall 193 and the front wall 196 is formed in the upper left front part of the main case 120. The head opening 123 is formed across the first cover part 150 and the first frame part 160. When the tape cassette 100 is attached to the cassette attachment part 10 of the printing device 1, a print head 71 and a heat sink 72 are arranged inside the head opening 123. The print head 71 prints on the tape 101 inside the head opening 123.

[0082] The head opening 123 is defined by inner walls 123A, 123B, 123C, and 123D. The inner walls 123A and 123B are perpendicular to the left-right direction, the inner wall 123C is perpendicular to the up-down direction, and the inner wall 123D is perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The inner wall 123A is connected to the left ends of the inner walls 123C and 123D and extends forward and upward. The inner wall 123B is connected to the right ends of the inner walls 123C and 123D and extends forward and upward. The inner wall 123A is located to the left of the inner wall 123B and faces the inner wall 123B. In the first case 121, the part that includes the inner wall 123A and extends upward is the arm portion 127. The upper end of the arm portion 127 is formed with a drawer portion 124. The tape 101 and the ink ribbon 104 are pulled out from the pull-out portion 124 into the head opening 123. The tape 101 and the ink ribbon 104 are exposed to the outside of the main case 120 at the head opening 123, and are overlapped with the ink ribbon 104. An outlet 126 is formed at the upper left end of the head opening 123 of the first case 121. The tape 101 pulled out into the head opening 123 is discharged from the outlet 126 to the outside of the main case 120. The outlet 126 discharges the tape 101 in an upward direction. The ink ribbon 104 is pulled into the inside of the main case 120 from an inlet (not shown) provided near the outlet 126, and is wound around the take-up spool 107.

[0083] 11 to 13, the first frame portion 160 has engagement protrusions 162, 163 and contact portions 166, 167, 168. The engagement protrusions 162, 163 are provided on an upper wall 191 and a lower wall 192 of the main case 120, respectively. When the tape cassette 100 is attached to the cassette mounting portion 10, the engagement protrusions 162, 163 engage with hooks 12A, 13A of the cassette mounting portion 10, respectively. The engagement between the engagement protrusions 162, 163 and the hooks 12A, 13A only needs to be strong enough to prevent the tape cassette 100 from falling off the cassette mounting portion 10 when the rear cover 3 is open, and does not prevent a user from attaching or detaching the tape cassette 100.

[0084] The contact portions 166, 167, and 168 are portions that come into contact with the support portions 16, 17, and 18 of the cassette mounting portion 10 from the rear when the tape cassette 100 is mounted in the cassette mounting portion 10. The contact portions 166, 167, and 168 are spaced apart from one another. The contact portion 166 is provided at the rear end of a recess 128A formed by recessing the right wall 194 of the main case 120 to the left at approximately the center in the up-down direction. The recess 128A is connected to the front wall 196 and extends rearward to a position near the front of the first frame portion 160. The contact portion 166 comes into contact with the rear end of the rib-shaped support portion 16.

[0085] The contact portion 167 is provided at the rear end of a recess 128B formed by recessing a corner portion of the left wall 193 and the bottom wall 192 of the main case 120 in an upper right direction. The recess 128B is connected to the front wall 196 and extends rearward to a position near the center of the first frame portion 160 in the front-rear direction. The contact portion 167 comes into contact with the support portion 17 of the rod-shaped pin 19.

[0086] The contact portion 168 is provided on the upper end portion of the inner wall 123D of the head opening 123. The contact portion 168 is exposed toward the bottom of the tape cassette 100 through the head opening 123. The contact portion 168 comes into contact with a support portion 18 provided on the rear surface of the upper end portion of the heat sink 72 that is inserted into the head opening 123.

[0087] Next, the operation during printing will be described. With the tape cassette 100 attached to the printer 1, the print head 71 is disposed in a position in the head opening 123 where it overlaps with the tape 101 and the ink ribbon 104 in the front-to-rear direction. The tape 101 is transported to the head opening 123 by the platen roller 82, and is pressed by the platen roller 82, via the ink ribbon 104, against the print head 71 where the heating element 71A has generated heat. As a result, part of the ink disposed on the surface of the ink ribbon 104 is transferred to the tape 101, and characters, symbols, etc. are printed on the tape 101.

[0088] The platen roller 82 transports the printed tape 101 from inside the tape cassette 100 to the outside via the discharge port 42. The platen roller 82 is rotated by a platen gear 83 that meshes with an output gear 131. The platen roller 82 can be positioned at a remote position away from the print head 71 and at a close position close to the print head 71 by the swinging movement of the platen unit 80.

[0089] When the main case 120 of the tape cassette 100 is inserted into the cassette mounting portion 10, the drive shaft 63 engages with the input gear 134, and the platen gear 83 meshes with the output gear 131. Specifically, when the drive shaft 63 is inserted into the take-up spool 107 of the tape cassette 100 and the input gear 134, the platen roller 82 moves to the adjacent position, causing the platen gear 83 to mesh with the output gear 131.

[0090] When the tape cassette 100 is attached, the input gear 134 is rotated by the drive shaft 63, which rotates the output gear 131 via the idle gear 137. Furthermore, the rotation of the output gear 131 rotates the platen gear 83, which in turn rotates the platen roller 82.

[0091] As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the front end of the tape cassette 100 is supported at three points by the support portions 16, 17, and 18 in the cassette mounting portion 10. When viewed in the front-rear direction, the support portion 18 of the heat sink 72 is located at the upper left of the tape cassette 100, and is located near the meshing position G between the platen gear 83 and the output gear 131. The support portion 17 of the pin 19 is located at the lower left corner of the tape cassette 100. The distance between the support portion 17 and the meshing position G is greater than the distance between the support portion 18 and the meshing position G. The support portion 16 of the rib is located approximately in the center of the right end of the tape cassette 100. The distance between the support portion 16 and the meshing position G is greater than the distance between the support portion 17 and the meshing position G. A thrust load F generated at the meshing position G when transmitting a driving force from the output gear 131 to the platen gear 83 is generated in a direction in which the output gear 131 is pressed forward relative to the platen gear 83. That is, at the meshing position G, a forward thrust load F is applied to the tape cassette 100. Therefore, the tape cassette 100, which is supported at three points by the supports 16, 17, and 18, tends to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow R (see FIG. 14) around an imaginary rotation axis LX connecting the two supports 17 and 18 due to the thrust load F. That is, when viewed from the rear, the tape cassette 100 has the meshing position G in an area on the opposite side of the rotation axis LX from the support 16, and therefore tends to rotate only when driven when the thrust load F is generated. The direction of rotation of the tape cassette 100 is such that the area on the side where the meshing position G is located faces forward, and the area on the side where the contact portion 166 that contacts the support 16 is located faces backward, around the rotation axis LX. Incidentally, the tape cassette 100 does not rotate around a virtual axis line connecting the two support parts 16 and 17, because the support part 18 is on the same side as the meshing position G with respect to the virtual axis line. Similarly, the tape cassette 100 does not rotate around a virtual axis line connecting the two support parts 16 and 18, because the support part 17 is on the same side as the meshing position G with respect to the virtual axis line.

[0092] The restricting portion 37 of the rear cover 3 is located at the lower right corner of the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100 when viewed from the rear in the attached state. When the printing device 1 is in a non-driving state, the thrust load F is not generated, and therefore the restricting portion 37 is not in contact with the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100. Note that, when the printing device 1 is in a non-driving state, the restricting portion 37 may be in contact with the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100. When the printing device 1 is driven and the thrust load F is generated at the meshing position G, causing the tape cassette 100 to rotate about the rotation axis LX, the restricting portion 37 comes into contact with the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100. For convenience, the position at which the restricting portion 37 comes into contact on the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100 when the printing device 1 is driven is referred to as the regulated portion 169. When the regulating portion 37 abuts against the regulated portion 169, the tape cassette 100 is positioned at three points, namely, the support portion 17, the support portion 18, and the regulated portion 169, in a state where the tape cassette 100 has rotated about the rotation axis LX. Therefore, the posture of the tape cassette 100 during driving is stable.

[0093] The restricting portion 37 is formed integrally with a window frame portion 36 that holds the window portion 35 in the rear cover 3. The window frame portion 36 is thicker and has higher rigidity than the wall surface of the rear cover 3. Therefore, even if the regulated portion 169 of the tape cassette 100 comes into contact with the restricting portion 37 due to the thrust load F, the rear cover 3 will not bend.

[0094] Also, when viewed from the rear, in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis LX, the distance between the rotation axis LX and the meshing position G is defined as X1, and the distance between the rotation axis LX and the regulated portion 169 is defined as X2. The distance X2 is longer than the distance X1. That is, when the tape cassette 100 rotates due to the thrust load F and the regulating portion 37 abuts against the regulated portion 169, the stress that the regulating portion 37 receives from the regulated portion 169 is smaller than the thrust load F according to the principle of leverage. Even if the regulated portion 169 of the tape cassette 100 abuts against the regulating portion 37 due to the thrust load F, the rear cover 3 does not bend. Note that, when the distance between the support portion 16 provided at the center of the right end portion of the main case 120 and the rotation axis LX is defined as X3, the distance X2 is longer than the distance X3. By providing regulated portion 169 at the lower right corner of rear wall 195 of tape cassette 100, distance X2 can be made longer than distance X3. Therefore, the stress that regulated portion 169 receives from regulated portion 169 on regulating portion 37 is smaller than when regulated portion 169 is provided at the position of support portion 16.

[0095] When viewed from the rear, the support portion 16 is disposed closer to the regulated portion 169 than the support portions 17 and 18. When the printing device 1 transitions from a driven state to a non-driven state, the thrust load F disappears, and the regulated portion 169 side of the tape cassette 100 moves forward. At this time, the contact portion 166 comes into contact with the support portion 16 located near the regulated portion 169, so that the tape cassette 100 is stably supported by the three support portions 16, 17, and 18.

[0096] To prevent the tape cassette 100 from rotating due to the thrust load F, the meshing position G may be located within an imaginary triangular region connecting the three support portions 16, 17, and 18 when viewed from behind. In this embodiment, the rotation of the tape cassette 100 due to the thrust load F is intentionally permitted, and the tape cassette 100 is positioned in the rotated state, thereby stabilizing the posture of the tape cassette 100. With this configuration, it is not necessary to locate the meshing position G within the imaginary triangular region connecting the three support portions 16, 17, and 18, and the layout of the internal components can be more freely designed.

[0097] As described above, the platen gear 83 of the printing device 1 meshes with the output gear 131 of the tape cassette 100, and a driving force for rotating the platen roller 82 is transmitted from the output gear 131. The platen gear 83 is a helical gear, and a thrust load F toward the mounting direction (forward) is generated on the output gear 131 side at the meshing position G. As a result, the tape cassette 100 rotates about the rotation axis LX connecting the two support parts 17, 18, and the output gear 131 side moves in the mounting direction (forward). Therefore, the area on the opposite side of the rotation axis LX to the output gear 131 moves in the direction opposite to the mounting direction (forward) (rearward). The restricting portion 37 of the rear cover 3 restricts the rotation of the tape cassette 100 by abutting against the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100. Therefore, when the printing device 1 is driven, the restricting portion 37 is kept in contact with the rear wall 195, thereby stabilizing the position of the tape cassette 100 and preventing the tape 101 from shifting when it is pulled out.

[0098] The restricting portion 37 protrudes from a wall surface (inner surface) of the rear cover 3 facing the cassette mounting portion 10. Therefore, when the printing device 1 is driven, the restricting portion 37 can be reliably brought into contact with the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100, thereby stabilizing the position of the tape cassette 100.

[0099] The window frame 36 in which the restricting portion 37 is provided is formed thicker than the surrounding wall portions, thereby increasing the rigidity around the restricting portion 37. Therefore, the rear cover 3 can suppress deflection even when the restricting portion 37 receives a load required to suppress rotation of the tape cassette 100, which rotates due to the thrust load F, when the printing device 1 is in operation. Therefore, the printing device 1 can stabilize the attitude of the tape cassette 100 when in operation.

[0100] The restricting portion 37 comes into contact with the tape cassette 100 at a position farther from the engagement position G with respect to the rotation axis LX. Therefore, due to this principle, the printing device 1 can reduce the load required by the restricting portion 37 to suppress the rotation of the tape cassette 100, which rotates due to the thrust load F, when driven. Therefore, the printing device 1 can easily stabilize the attitude of the tape cassette 100 when driven.

[0101] When the printer 1 is not driven, no thrust load F is generated in the output gear 131, so that the area of ​​the tape cassette 100 opposite the meshing position G moves in the installation direction (forward) about the rotation axis LX. The support portion 16 is at the position of the restricting portion 37 or in a position close to it when viewed from the installation direction (forward), so it reliably supports the tape cassette 100. Therefore, the printer 1 can stabilize the attitude of the tape cassette 100 even when it is not driven.

[0102] The output gear 131 of the tape cassette 100 meshes with the platen gear 83 of the printing device 1 and transmits a driving force that rotates the platen roller 82. The output gear 131 is a helical gear, and a thrust load F toward the mounting direction (forward) is generated on the output gear 131 side at the meshing position G. As a result, the tape cassette 100 rotates about a rotation axis LX connecting the two contact portions 167, 168, and the output gear 131 side moves in the mounting direction (forward). Therefore, the area on the opposite side of the output gear 131 with respect to the rotation axis LX moves in the direction opposite to the mounting direction (forward). The restricting portion 37 of the rear cover 3 provided in that area abuts against the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100 and restricts the rotation of the tape cassette 100. Therefore, when the printing device 1 is in operation, the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100 is pressed by the restricting portion 37, so that the position of the tape cassette 100 is stabilized, and it is possible to prevent the tape 101 from shifting when it is pulled out.

[0103] The tape cassette 100 abuts against the regulating portion 37 at a position farther from the rotation axis LX than the meshing position G. Therefore, due to this principle, when the printing device 1 is driven, the tape cassette 100 rotates due to the thrust load F, and the load applied to the regulating portion 37 can be reduced, so that the posture can be easily stabilized.

[0104] The portion where the restricting portion 37 abuts against the main case 120 is a corner portion with high rigidity. Therefore, even if the tape cassette 100 is pressed by the restricting portion 37 when the printing device 1 is in operation, the rear wall 195 does not bend, and the position can be easily stabilized.

[0105] The contact portion 168 is supported by the heat sink 72 of the print head 71. The heat sink 72 is made of metal and has high rigidity. Therefore, with the contact portion 168 supported by the heat sink 72, the tape cassette 100 can stabilize its posture when the printer 1 is operating.

[0106] The contact portion 167 is provided at a highly rigid corner portion of the main case 120. Therefore, even if the contact portion 167 is supported by the support portion 17 when the printing device 1 is in operation, the front end portion of the tape cassette 100 does not bend, and the position can be easily stabilized.

[0107] The output gear 131 meshes with the platen gear 83 that is connected to the platen roller 82 that transports the tape 101. Therefore, the output gear 131 rotates in a direction in which the gear teeth at the meshing position G move from upstream to downstream in the pull-out direction (the transport direction of the tape 101 in the head opening 123). At the meshing position G, the gear teeth are twisted in a direction in which the end of the gear teeth on the mounting direction (front) side is located more downstream than the opposite side. Therefore, by abutting the gear teeth of the output gear 131 against the gear teeth of the platen gear 83 at the meshing position G, a thrust load F toward the mounting direction (front) can be generated in the output gear 131.

[0108] In the above embodiment, the cassette mounting section 10 is an example of the "mounting section" of the present invention. The rear cover 3 is an example of the "opening and closing lid" of the present invention. The front end of the tape cassette 100 is an example of the "bottom" of the present invention. The front direction is an example of the "mounting direction" of the present invention. The rear direction is an example of the "direction opposite to the mounting direction" of the present invention. The platen shaft 84 and the rotation axis L4 are an example of the "axis" of the platen roller and platen gear of the present invention. The rotation axis L1 is an example of the "axis" of the output gear of the present invention. The rear end of the tape cassette 100 is an example of the "top" of the present invention. The main case 120 is an example of the "case" of the present invention.

[0109] The present invention can be modified from the above embodiment. Within the cassette mounting section 10, the tape cassette 100 is supported by three support sections 16, 17, and 18, but may be supported by four or more support sections. The positions of the support sections within the cassette mounting section 10 may also be modified as appropriate. The position, rotation direction, and orientation of the gear teeth of the output gear 131 may be modified as appropriate, so long as the direction of the thrust load F generated at the meshing position G with the platen gear 83 is a direction that moves the output gear 131 in the mounting direction.

[0110] The restricting portion 37 of the rear cover 3 does not have to be rod-shaped, and may be, for example, rib-shaped. The position of the restricted portion 169 with which the restricting portion 37 abuts is not limited to the lower right corner as long as it is in an area opposite to the area where the meshing position G is located with respect to the rotation axis LX when viewed from behind. For example, the position of the restricted portion 169 on the rear wall 195 may be a position overlapping with the contact portion 166 in the front-rear direction.

[0111] A tape cassette 200 containing a tape of a different width may be mounted in the cassette mounting section 10. As shown in FIG. 16, the tape cassette 200 contains a tape (not shown) that is wider than the tape 101 contained in the tape cassette 100. For this reason, the tape cassette 200 is larger in the front-to-rear direction than the tape cassette 100, and the position of the rear wall 295 is located behind the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100. Note that in FIG. 16, the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. When the tape cassette 200 is mounted in the cassette mounting section 10, if the height position in the front-to-rear direction of the regulated portion 269 with which the regulating portion 37 of the rear cover 3 abuts is the same as the height position in the front-to-rear direction of the regulated portion 169 of the tape cassette 100, there is no need to replace the rear cover 3 to match the tape cassette 200. To achieve this, a recess 265 is formed at the lower right corner of the rear wall 295 at the position where the regulated portion 269 is to be formed, and the front-to-rear height position of the bottom of the recess is adjusted to match the height position of the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100. In this way, the tape cassette 200 sets the recess depth of the recess 265 formed at the lower right corner of the rear wall 295 in accordance with the thickness, and adjusts the height position of the regulated portion 269 formed on the bottom of the recess 265 to match the height position of the rear wall 195 of the tape cassette 100. This makes it possible to keep the height position at which the regulating portion 37 abuts against the regulated portion 269 constant regardless of the tape width. Therefore, the tape cassette 200 can accommodate tapes of various widths.

[0112] The tape cassette 100 is a receptor type that transfers ink from an ink ribbon 104 onto the surface of the tape 101, but is not limited to this and may be a tape cassette capable of printing on various types of tape, such as double-sided adhesive tape, film tape, laminated tape, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] 1 Printing device 2. Chassis 3 Rear cover 10 Cassette mounting section 11 Bottom of recess 17,18 Support part 35 Window 36 Window frame 37 Regulatory Department 50 Printing Department 63 Drive shaft 71 Print Head 72 Heat sink 82 Platen roller 83 Platen Gear 84 Platen shaft 100 Tape Cassettes 101 Tape 102 Tape Roll 120 Main case 124 Drawer section 131 Output Gear 167 Contact Part 168 Contact Part 169 Regulated part 195 Back wall F Thrust load G Meshing position L1, L4, LX Rotation axis

Claims

1. A housing and a mounting portion formed in a recessed shape in the housing, into which a tape cassette containing a tape used for printing is mounted; a printing unit that is accommodated in the housing and that prints on the tape that is pulled out from the tape cassette that is attached to the attachment unit; an opening / closing cover attached to the housing and movable between a closed state and an open state of the opening of the mounting portion; A printing device comprising: The mounting portion is a bottom portion of the tape cassette, which is disposed on a bottom surface side of the recess when the tape cassette is mounted, being supported at two points in a direction opposite to a mounting direction in which the tape cassette is mounted in the mounting portion; The printing unit includes: A print head; a platen roller that faces the print head, is rotatable about an axis parallel to the mounting direction, and transports the tape; a platen gear connected to the platen roller; Equipped with The tape cassette comprises: an output gear that is rotatable about an axis parallel to the mounting direction and that outputs a driving force input from outside the tape cassette to the platen gear; The platen gear and the output gear are a helical gear in which a thrust load in the mounting direction is generated on the output gear side at a meshing position during rotation, The opening and closing cover is a restricting portion that is provided in an area opposite to the meshing position as viewed from the mounting direction with respect to a rotation axis connecting the two support portions, and that is capable of contacting a top portion of the tape cassette opposite to the bottom portion, and that restricts the tape cassette from rotating about the rotation axis due to the thrust load generated in the output gear; A printing device comprising:

2. The restricting portion protrudes in the mounting direction from a wall surface of the closed opening / closing cover that faces the mounting portion.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein:

3. the opening / closing cover has a window through which at least a part of the inside of the mounting portion can be seen from the outside when the opening / closing cover is closed, The restricting portion is formed on a window frame portion which is an edge portion of the window portion.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein:

4. When viewed from the mounting direction, a distance between the regulating portion and the rotation axis in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis is greater than a distance between the meshing position and the rotation axis.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein:

5. The mounting portion has three or more support portions, The support portions are formed at least at the two points overlapping the rotation axis and at the position of the restricting portion or a position in the vicinity thereof when viewed from the mounting direction.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein:

6. A tape roll on which a tape used for printing is wound; a case for housing the tape roll; Equipped with A tape cassette that is attached to a mounting portion formed in a recessed shape in a housing of a printing device, and the tape is pulled out from the tape roll so that printing is performed on the tape by a printing unit of the printing device, The printing unit includes: A print head; a platen roller that faces the print head, is rotatable about an axis parallel to a mounting direction in which the tape cassette is mounted in the mounting portion, and transports the tape; a platen gear connected to the platen roller; It is equipped with The case is an output gear that is rotatable about an axis parallel to the mounting direction and that outputs a driving force input from outside the tape cassette to the platen gear; two supported portions formed on a bottom portion disposed on a bottom surface side of the recess of the mounting portion and supported in a direction opposite to the mounting direction by two support portions provided on the mounting portion; a regulated portion that is formed on a top portion on the opposite side to the bottom portion and that regulates the position of the tape cassette in the mounting portion by abutting against a regulating portion provided on an opening / closing cover that is attached to the housing so as to be movable between a state in which the opening of the mounting portion is closed and a state in which the opening of the mounting portion is opened; Equipped with The platen gear and the output gear are a helical gear in which a thrust load in the mounting direction is generated on the output gear side at a meshing position during rotation, The regulated portion is The tape cassette is prevented from rotating about the rotation axis due to the thrust load generated in the output gear by the regulating portion, the regulating portion being located in an area opposite to the meshing position as viewed from the mounting direction with respect to the rotation axis connecting the two supported portions. A tape cassette characterized by:

7. When viewed from the mounting direction, a distance between the regulating portion and the rotation axis in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis is greater than a distance between the meshing position and the rotation axis.

7. The tape cassette according to claim 6.

8. The restricted portion is provided at a corner of the case on the top portion.

7. The tape cassette according to claim 6.

9. The regulated portion is provided at a recessed position toward the mounting direction on a top surface of the top portion of the case, the top surface being a surface on the opposite side to the mounting direction.

7. The tape cassette according to claim 6.

10. One of the two supported points is supported by a heat sink of the print head.

7. The tape cassette according to claim 6.

11. the case has three or more supported portions, One of the supported portions is provided at a corner of the case at the bottom.

7. The tape cassette according to claim 6.

12. the case has a pull-out portion through which the tape is pulled out to the outside of the case in a pull-out direction along a direction intersecting the mounting direction, The output gear is At the meshing position, an end of the gear teeth on the mounting direction side is twisted in a direction to be located downstream in the pull-out direction relative to an end of the gear teeth on the opposite side to the mounting direction.

7. The tape cassette according to claim 6.

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