Printer and platen module

Abstract

To improve maintainability of a platen roller, a periphery of the platen roller, and a cutter unit.SOLUTION: A printer includes a print head, a platen roller, a cutter unit, and a guide member. The print head makes prints on a belt-like sheet. The platen roller sandwiches the sheet with the print head and is rotationally driven to transport the sheet. The cutter unit is provided at the downstream side of the platen roller in a transport direction of the sheet, has a fixed blade and a movable blade, and cuts the sheet sandwiched between the movable blade and the fixed blade by moving the movable blade. The guide member has a guide part which is provided at a position such that the guide part fills a gap between the cutter unit and the platen roller, guides the sheet, and prevents entry of the sheet into the gap; and support parts which rotatably support both ends of a shaft of the platen roller. The guide member is detachably attached to a position such that the guide member covers the movable blade spaced apart from the fixed blade.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention relate to a printer and a platen module. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, printers that use roll paper with a strip of paper wound around it have a configuration in which the platen roller is detachably mounted on a frame (for example, Patent Document 1), and a configuration in which the movable blade is moved and exposed so that it protrudes from a storage slit or the like when cleaning the cutter (for example, Patent Document 2). Such configurations are intended to allow for platen roller replacement and cutter cleaning.

[0003] Paper types include receipt paper, label paper, and linerless labels. Receipt paper is non-adhesive paper used for receipts, etc. Label paper is a strip of paper with a label cut to a specified size attached to it. Labels have an adhesive layer (sticky layer) on the back of the printed surface. Linerless labels are strips of paper with an adhesive layer on the back.

[0004] Linerless labels have become popular in recent years. When printing, linerless labels are cut by a cutter unit installed in the printer. With linerless labels, label glue adheres to the cutter unit, platen roller, and surrounding paper guide members, so they require regular cleaning and replacement.

[0005] However, with conventional configurations, while it is possible to remove and clean or replace the platen roller, cleaning the surrounding paper guide members and movable blade is a separate task, making it cumbersome. Furthermore, cleaning the movable blade requires moving it so that it protrudes from a storage slit or the like, which means the work is done with the cutting edge protruding, which is dangerous and undesirable. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a printer and a platen module that can improve the ease of maintenance of the platen roller, its surroundings, and the cutter unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The printer of the embodiment comprises a print head that prints on strip-shaped paper, a platen roller that sandwiches the paper between itself and the print head and is driven to rotate to transport the paper, a cutter unit that is located downstream of the platen roller in the paper transport direction and has a fixed blade and a movable blade, the movable blade moving to cut the paper sandwiched between itself and the fixed blade, a guide section that is located in a position that fills the gap between the cutter unit and the platen roller and guides the paper to prevent the paper from entering the gap, and a guide member that has support sections that rotatably support both ends of the shaft of the platen roller and is detachable in a position that covers the movable blade located away from the fixed blade. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of the printer. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the printer with the cover open. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the printer with the cover open. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the state in which the platen module is removed from the cover. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the platen module removed from the lid. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the lid with the platen module removed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (First embodiment) An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a printer 1 according to an embodiment. The perspective view of FIG. 1 shows the printer 1 from the front and right side, but not from the left side and back. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of the printer 1. The printer 1 includes a housing 2, a cover 3, a holder 4, a print head 5, a platen module 6, a cutter unit 8, and the like. The platen module 6 includes a platen roller 61 and a guide member 7.

[0010] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the printer 1 with the cover 3 open. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the printer 1 with the cover 3 open.

[0011] The housing 2 is a container having an opening that is opened and closed by the lid 3. The lid 3 is attached to the edge of the opening of the housing 2 so as to be rotatable around an axis 35 provided at one end, and as it rotates, it moves between a position where it closes the opening of the housing 2 (closed position) and a position where it opens the opening (open position). When the lid 3 is in the closed position, a paper outlet 9 is formed between the other end of the lid 3 (the end opposite to the one end) and the housing 2.

[0012] The holding unit 4 is an example of a roll paper holder, and holds the roll paper while determining its position in the width direction. The roll paper is a rolled strip of paper. The paper can be ordinary paper such as receipt paper, a label of a specified size attached to a strip of paper liner, or a strip of label without a liner (linerless label). The label has an adhesive layer on one side of the sheet (the back side of the printed surface). The sheet can be paper or a plastic film.

[0013] The print head 5 prints on paper sandwiched between it and the platen roller 61, and is, for example, a line thermal head with many heating elements arranged in the paper width direction. The platen roller 61 is a cylindrical roller with an elastic surface, and is driven to rotate around an axis 611 to transport the paper sandwiched between it and the print head 5.

[0014] The print head 5 is provided in the housing 2, and the platen roller 61 is attached to the lid part 3. The print head 5 and the platen roller 61 move toward and away from each other as the lid part 3 rotates. When the print head 5 and the platen roller 61 move away from each other, the paper transport path is opened.

[0015] The cutter unit 8 is attached to the cover portion 3 and is provided downstream of the print head 5 and the platen roller 61 in the paper transport direction, and cuts the paper after printing.

[0016] The cutter unit 8 has, for example, a fixed blade 81 and a movable blade 82. The fixed blade 81 and the movable blade 82 are arranged with their cutting edges facing each other and sandwiching the paper transport path in the paper thickness direction. The fixed blade 81 is fixed inside the housing 2. The movable blade 82 is attached to the cover part 3 and moves toward and away from the fixed blade 81 when it receives a driving force. The cutting edge of the movable blade 82 slides against the cutting edge of the fixed blade 81, cutting the paper sandwiched between them.

[0017] In the printer 1 configured as described above, the cover 3 is opened, the roll paper is held in the holder 4 inside the housing 2, the paper pulled from the roll paper is positioned so that it is sandwiched between the print head 5 and the platen roller 61, and the cover 3 is then closed. This puts the printer 1 into an operational state, i.e., into a printable state.

[0018] When the printer 1 is in operation, it drives the platen roller 61 to rotate, thereby transporting the paper sandwiched between the platen roller 61 and the print head 5, and driving the print head 5 to print on the paper. The printer 1 also controls the cutter unit 8 so that the paper is cut at an appropriate position. More specifically, it controls the drive to move the movable blade 82.

[0019] If the paper is a linerless label, each time the cutter unit 8 cuts the paper, the printer 1 waits for the cut paper to be removed from the paper outlet 9, and begins the next printing after it has been removed. For this control, the printer 1 is equipped with a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of paper at the paper outlet 9. When the printer 1 is using linerless labels, printing is possible when the sensor does not detect paper.

[0020] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the platen module 6 removed from the lid 3. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the platen module 6 removed from the lid 3. The platen roller 61 of this embodiment, together with the guide member 7, constitutes the platen module 6.

[0021] The guide member 7 comprises a pair of support portions 71 and a guide portion 72, and is detachable in a position that covers the movable blade 82 that is positioned away from the fixed blade 81 (i.e., in a retracted state and not exposed to the paper transport path). The support portions 71 are provided at both ends of the guide portion 72, and rotatably support both ends of the shaft 611 of the platen roller 61 with their approximately U-shaped recesses. The guide portions 72 are provided along the longitudinal direction of the platen roller 61 in a position that fills the gap between the cutter unit 8 and the platen roller 61, preventing paper from entering the gap and guiding the paper.

[0022] The platen module 6 is attached to the inner surface of the lid 3 with screws 79 and is detachable from the lid 3. The screws 79 pass through mounting holes 78 formed in each of the support portions 71 of the guide member 7 and are screwed into threaded holes 88 formed in the cutter unit 8.

[0023] The platen module 6 attached to the lid 3 covers at least a portion of the cutter unit 8. Here, Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the lid 3 from which the platen module 6 has been removed. Specifically, the portion is a predetermined range of the surface 821 of the movable blade 82 that includes the cutting edge 825.

[0024] 7 shows the movable blade 82 in a position where it protrudes from the slit 831 of the storage cover 83. The cutter unit 8 further includes the storage cover 83, a first bracket 85, and a second bracket 86.

[0025] Storage cover 83 stores movable blade 82 so that cutting edge 825 of movable blade 82 can be freely retracted and retracted. Storage cover 83 surrounds movable blade 82 to protect it from unexpected damage and ensure a range of movement for movable blade 82. During cutting, movable blade 82 moves in and out through slit 831. Storage cover 83 is shaped to expose a predetermined range of stored movable blade 82, including cutting edge 825.

[0026] The first bracket 85 holds both side portions of the storage cover 83. The second bracket 86 holds both end portions of the platen module 6 by means of recesses 861 formed between the first bracket 85 and the second bracket 86.

[0027] Furthermore, the first bracket 85 has a concave-convex shape (protrusions 851 in this embodiment) on the surface facing the second bracket 86 for positioning the platen module 6 so that it can be attached in an accurate position. The guide member 7 also has a concave-convex shape (recesses in this embodiment) for positioning at a position opposite the convexities 851. The convexities 851 of the first bracket 85 fit into the recesses of the guide member 7, so that the platen module 6 is accurately positioned relative to the print head 5 via the first bracket 85, the cover 3, and the housing 2. In other words, the platen roller 61 is positioned by the fit of the concave-convex shapes (protrusions 851 and the recesses facing them) that the guide member 7 and the first bracket 85 have on their contact surfaces.

[0028] 7 is shown for the purpose of explanation, and the movable blade 82 is in the position shown in Fig. 5 etc. when not in cutting operation. In other words, when the movable blade 82 is not in cutting operation, a predetermined range including the cutting edge 825 is exposed from the slit 831 of the storage cover 83, but the cutting edge 825 does not protrude from the guide portion 72.

[0029] The platen module 6 also serves as a member that covers a surface 821 of the movable blade 82 of the cutter unit 8, the surface 821 facing the platen roller 61. Therefore, when the platen module 6 is removed from the lid portion 3, the surface 821 of the movable blade 82 is exposed.

[0030] A plurality of holes 826 are formed in the vicinity of the cutting edge 825 of the movable blade 82, aligned along the cutting edge 825. The positions at which the holes 826 are formed are included in a predetermined range that includes the cutting edge 825 described above.

[0031] When the paper is, for example, a linerless label, glue that has transferred from the glue layer on the back side of the printing surface to the movable blade 82 moves and accumulates in the hole 826 due to the sliding of the movable blade 82 and the paper. Without the hole 826, the glue that has transferred to the movable blade 82 would remain on the surface 821, etc., and accumulate together with paper dust and the like, causing malfunctions. The hole 826 reduces the volume of glue, paper dust, etc., making it less likely that malfunctions will occur.

[0032] Conventionally, the movable blade 82, fixed blade 81, platen roller 61, and guide portion 72 have been coated with a material that makes them less susceptible to glue. However, while such coatings reduce glue transfer and buildup, they do not completely eliminate it. For this reason, it is necessary to clean the cutter unit 8, especially the movable blade 82, and to clean or replace the platen roller 61 and guide portion 72 as needed.

[0033] Conventionally, cleaning of movable blade 82 has been performed by disassembling cutter unit 8 or positioning movable blade 82 in the protruding position for cutting, but the former is cumbersome and the latter is dangerous. In contrast, in the present application, when platen module 6 is removed from lid portion 3 by removing screws 79, surface 821 is exposed. This makes it easy to clean surface 821, cutting edge 825, and hole 826, and makes it easier to remove glue, paper dust, and the like adhering to movable blade 82 than in the past.

[0034] Furthermore, when the surface of the platen roller 61 or the guide portion 72 becomes soiled with glue, paper dust, or the like, the platen module 6 can be removed and the platen roller 61 and the guide member 7 can be cleaned separately, but cleaning can be made unnecessary by replacing the platen module 6. Because the platen roller 61 is a consumable item, cleaning of the platen roller 61 and the guide portion 72 can be made unnecessary by replacing the platen module 6 as a whole at a timing determined based on the degree of wear.

[0035] In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the ease of maintenance around the platen roller 61 and cutter unit 8 of the printer 1. In other words, it is possible to reduce the amount of work required for maintenance and make maintenance easier.

[0036] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1...printer, 2...casing, 3...Lid, 35...Shaft, 4...holding part, 5...print head, 6...Platen module, 61...platen roller, 611...shaft, 7... Guide member, 71... Support portion, 72... Guide portion, 78... Mounting hole, 8...cutter unit, 81...Fixed blade, 82...movable blade, 821...surface, 825...cutting edge, 826...hole, 83...storage cover, 831...slit, 85...first bracket (an example of a bracket), 851...convex portion (an example of a concave-convex shape), 86...second bracket, 861...recess, 88...screw hole, 9...Paper output port. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0038] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-051308 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-130215

Claims

1. a print head that prints on a strip of paper; a platen roller that sandwiches paper between itself and the print head and is driven to rotate to transport the paper; a cutter unit provided downstream of the platen roller in the paper conveyance direction, the cutter unit having a fixed blade and a movable blade, the movable blade moving to cut the paper sandwiched between the fixed blade and the movable blade; a guide member that has: a guide section that is provided at a position that fills the gap between the cutter unit and the platen roller to guide the paper and prevent the paper from entering the gap; and support sections that rotatably support both ends of the shaft of the platen roller, and that is detachable to a position that covers the movable blade that is positioned away from the fixed blade; A printer comprising:

2. The cutter unit includes a storage cover that stores the movable blade so that the cutting edge of the movable blade can be freely retracted and retracted, and a bracket that holds the storage cover, The storage cover has a shape that exposes a predetermined range including the cutting edge of the stored movable blade, The guide member is detachably attached to the bracket by a fixing member. The printer of claim 1 .

3. The platen roller is positioned by fitting of the concave and convex shapes that the guide member and the bracket have on their contact surfaces. The printer of claim 2 .

4. a platen roller that sandwiches a strip of paper between itself and the print head and is driven to rotate to transport the paper; a guide member that has: a guide section that is provided at a position that fills a gap between the platen roller and a cutter unit that cuts the paper sandwiched between the movable blade and a fixed blade by moving the movable blade; and a guide section that guides the paper and prevents the paper from entering the gap; and support sections that rotatably support both ends of the shaft of the platen roller, and is detachable and can be attached to a position that covers the movable blade that is positioned away from the fixed blade; A platen module comprising:

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