Printer

Abstract

To provide a printer that performs printing on a paper pulled out from a roll paper, which is configured so that conveyance of the paper and printing quality can be stabilized.SOLUTION: A printer comprises: a storage part that stores a roll paper having a belt-like paper wound therearound; a conveying part that pulls out the paper from the storage part; and a holding part, provided between the storage part and the conveying part, which keeps an angle at the time when a cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the roll paper is separated from the paper pulled out from the roll paper, at a predetermined acute angle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional printers, if the paper transport state is disturbed, the printing state will be disturbed, so in order to stabilize print quality, it is necessary to stabilize the paper transport state. In particular, in printers that use roll paper with a strip of paper wound around it (for example, Patent Document 1), printing is performed while the paper is being pulled from the roll paper, so a damper is provided in the paper transport path to prevent fluctuations in the force required for transport (transport force), such as when the roll paper starts to rotate, from affecting the printing.

[0003] However, if the roll paper is, for example, one that is wrapped with labels without a liner, the paper feed force is also affected by variations in the force required to peel the label, which can have a significant impact on print quality. This is especially true if the roll paper storage unit is a drop-in type. It is also more pronounced if the printer supports multiple paper widths or multiple paper widths. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide stability in paper transport and print quality in a printer that prints on paper pulled from a paper roll. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The printer of this embodiment includes a storage section that stores roll paper wrapped around a strip of paper, a transport section that pulls the paper out of the storage section, and a holding section that is provided between the storage section and the transport section and that maintains a predetermined acute angle between the cylindrical outer surface of the roll paper and the paper pulled out from the roll paper as they separate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a printer 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of the printer 1. As shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the printer 1 with the cover 3 open. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the printer 1 with the cover 3 open. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the paper 21 and the holder 10 as it peels off from the roll paper 20. As shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] (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 in a state where the top, front, and right side are visible, but the bottom, back, and left side are not. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of the printer 1.

[0008] Printer 1 comprises a housing 2, a cover 3, a storage section 4, a print head 5, a platen roller 6, a damper 7, a cutter unit 8, and a holding section 10. Printer 1 is mainly used with the cover 3 facing upward as shown in Figure 1, or with the front side of the printer facing upward in Figure 1.

[0009] 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.

[0010] 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.

[0011] The storage section 4 stores the roll paper, 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 (adhesive layer) on one side of the sheet (the back side of the printed surface). The sheet can be paper or a plastic film.

[0012] The print head 5 prints on paper sandwiched between it and the platen roller 6, and is, for example, a line thermal head with many heating elements arranged in the paper width direction. The platen roller 6 is an example of a component that makes up the conveying section, and is a cylindrical roller with an elastic surface that receives driving force from a motor or the like and is driven to rotate around an axis 61, thereby conveying the paper sandwiched between it and the print head 5.

[0013] The print head 5 is provided in the housing 2, and the platen roller 6 is attached to the lid 3. The print head 5 and the platen roller 6 move toward and away from each other as the lid 3 rotates. When the print head 5 and the platen roller 6 move away from each other, the paper transport path is opened.

[0014] Cutter unit 8 is attached to cover portion 3 and is provided downstream of print head 5 and platen roller 6 in the paper transport direction, and cuts the paper after printing.

[0015] The cutter unit 8 has, for example, a fixed blade and a movable blade. The fixed blade and the movable blade are arranged with their cutting edges facing each other and sandwiching the paper transport path in the paper thickness direction. The fixed blade is fixed inside the housing 2. The movable blade is attached to the cover 3 and moves toward and away from the fixed blade when it receives a driving force. The cutting edge of the movable blade slides against the cutting edge of the fixed blade, cutting the paper sandwiched between them.

[0016] In the printer 1 configured as described above, the cover 3 is opened, roll paper is placed in the storage compartment 4 inside the housing 2, and the paper pulled from the roll is positioned so that it is sandwiched between the print head 5 and the platen roller 6, and then the cover 3 is closed. This puts the printer 1 into an operational state, i.e., a state where it is ready to print.

[0017] When the printer 1 is in operation, it drives the platen roller 6 to rotate, transporting the paper sandwiched between the platen roller 6 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 the appropriate position. More specifically, it controls the drive to move the movable blade.

[0018] 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.

[0019] The damper 7 is a plate-shaped member with one side rotatably attached to a position downstream of the pressure surface 405 of the storage unit 4 in the paper transport direction, and the opposite side swings along the paper transport path. The damper 7 is biased by a biasing member in a direction that lengthens the paper transport path. When the paper tension is high, the damper 7 rotates against the biasing force, and when the paper tension is low, the damper 7 rotates in a direction that returns to its original position in accordance with the biasing force. Through this movement, the damper 7 reduces fluctuations in the tension of the paper sandwiched between the print head 5 and the platen roller 6 and alleviates sudden impacts. The damper 7 also absorbs fluctuations in the force required to transport the paper (transport force) due to the rotation of the platen roller 6. Note that the damper 7 does not have to have the shape shown in this embodiment, and any other damper that performs a similar function may be used.

[0020] In printers 1 that print on roll paper, there is often a large fluctuation (change) in the feed force just before and after the roll paper starts to rotate when the paper begins to be fed. If this fluctuation in feed force is directly transmitted to the position sandwiched between the print head 5 and the platen roller 6, it can result in a deterioration in print quality. A specific example of a deterioration in print quality is when the feed force suddenly decreases as the roll paper begins to rotate, causing the print position to jump and white streaks to appear. Installing a damper 7 has traditionally been used to avoid these types of problems.

[0021] When the paper is a linerless label, the printed surface and adhesive surface of the rolled paper, i.e., the rolled portion, are in contact with each other. The adhesive surface is the reverse side of the printed surface of the paper, the surface on which an adhesive layer is provided (the surface coated with adhesive), and the surface that peels off from the outer surface (printed surface) of the rolled paper. Depending on the storage conditions and storage period, rolled paper for such linerless labels may have air trapped between the printed surface and the adhesive surface in places, meaning that the surfaces may be peeled off.

[0022] When the paper is a linerless label, the paper is peeled off from the cylindrical outer surface of the roll paper as it is transported, so the fluctuations in transport force tend to be greater than when using labels with a liner or receipt paper. Moreover, as mentioned above, if air is trapped between the printing surface and the adhesive surface, the transport force is likely to be disrupted.

[0023] One of the reasons for fluctuations in the transport force (the force required to transport paper) is that storage unit 4 is a so-called drop-in type. If storage unit 4 were equipped with a shaft that holds the hollow part of the roll paper, the position of the roll paper would be largely regulated even when the paper is transported, making the transport force less likely to be disturbed. However, with a drop-in type, the roll paper moves inside storage unit 4 as the paper is transported, making the transport force more likely to fluctuate.

[0024] In this way, in the case of linerless labels, the fluctuations in the force required to transport the paper may not be absorbed by the damper 7 alone. Therefore, the printer 1 of this embodiment is configured to further include a holding unit 10.

[0025] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the holding portion 10 has a shape that protrudes from the inner surface of the lid portion 3. The holding portion 10 also has auxiliary rollers 11 and 12. The auxiliary roller 11 is provided at the tip of the protruding holding portion 10. The tip of the damper 7 (the side opposite the rotating side) is located downstream in the paper transport direction from the auxiliary roller 11. The auxiliary roller 12 is located further downstream in the paper transport direction than the position of the tip of the damper 7 when it is not subjected to paper tension.

[0026] Auxiliary rollers 11 and 12 reduce friction caused by sliding with the paper. Auxiliary roller 11 in particular comes into contact with the adhesive surface and rolls to guide the adhesive surface while preventing it from sticking. Auxiliary roller 11 also comes into contact with the outer surface of roll paper 20, reducing friction between roll paper 20 and pressing surface 105.

[0027] The storage section 4 is equipped with auxiliary rollers 41 and 42. The auxiliary rollers 41 and 42 come into contact with the outer surface of the paper roll 20 to reduce friction between the paper roll 20 and the storage section 4.

[0028] A pressing surface 405 is located opposite the tip of the holding unit 10. The pressing surface 405 is a portion of the inner surface of the storage unit 4 that stores paper, near the print head 5, etc., and presses down on the outer surface of the roll paper. The holding unit 10 has a pressing surface 105 that pairs with the pressing surface 405. The pressing surface 105 is the surface of the holding unit 10 that faces the storage unit 4, and like the pressing surface 405, presses down on the outer surface of the roll paper. These pressing surfaces 105, 405 press down on the outer surface of the roll paper from opposite sides of the paper transport path.

[0029] Damper 7 is located downstream in the paper transport direction from the opposing position of pressing surfaces 105, 405. In other words, the tip of holding unit 10 is located upstream in the paper transport direction from damper 7. This prevents the roll paper, which is pulled toward print head 5 as the paper is transported, from directly hitting damper 7.

[0030] This printer 1 supports three types of paper widths (for example, 80, 59, and 40 mm) and is capable of printing using these. The position where this printer 1 comes into contact with roll paper of all paper widths is the center of the paper width. For this reason, the holding unit 10 is located in the center of the paper width, as shown in Figure 4. This allows the holding unit 10 to be compatible with the types of paper supported by the printer 1. If the printer 1 only supports one type of paper width, it would be more effective to have the holding unit 10 span the entire width of that paper.

[0031] 5 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between paper 21 and holder 10 as it peels off from roll paper 20. Printing surface 205 is an example of the outer circumferential surface of roll paper 20, and is the surface that faces print head 5 and is printed on. Adhesive surface 215 is the reverse side of printing surface 205 of paper 21, the surface on which an adhesive layer is provided (the surface coated with adhesive), and the surface that peels off from the outer circumferential surface (printing surface 205) of the roll paper.

[0032] The peeling edge (the beginning of peeling) between the print surface 205 and the adhesive surface 215 is an example of the separation (the beginning of separation) between the outer circumferential surface of the roll paper and the paper being pulled out from the roll paper. The holding unit 10 keeps the peeling state of the adhesive surface 215 from the print surface 205 almost constant by inserting itself between the outer circumferential surface (print surface 205) of the roll paper around which the paper 21, which is a linerless label, is wound and the back surface (adhesive surface 215) of the paper 21. More specifically, the holding unit 10 keeps the peeling angle α at a predetermined acute angle. This angle α is, for example, approximately 28 degrees. This angle α is just an example and may be different in practice.

[0033] The inventors conducted various experiments on the acute angle α. The experiments revealed that, while a smaller angle α is preferable for suppressing fluctuations in the conveying force, making the angle α too small can cause problems, such as the label peeling off from the backing when, for example, a label with a backing is used as the paper. Based on this, the inventors set the acute angle α to, for example, 28 degrees. The optimal value for this angle α varies depending on the type and adhesive strength of the paper used. Therefore, if the printer 1 is to support a variety of paper types, it is preferable to set the angle α to an acceptable value.

[0034] Furthermore, the protruding holding portion 10 narrows the path of the transported paper 21. This limits the behavior of the transported paper 21, making it possible to keep the behavior of the paper 21 within the expected range.

[0035] For verification, it is preferable to use a holder 10 that is suitable for roll paper stored in the storage section 4 when the diameter is between maximum and medium. This is because roll paper that is smaller than medium is also lighter, so even if it rattles inside the storage section 4, it does not have a significant effect on print quality.

[0036] In a printer 1 configured as described above, when the roll paper 20 stored in the storage section 4 separates from the paper 21, an auxiliary roller 11 at the leading end of the holder 10 is inserted. This ensures that, if the paper 21 is a label without a liner, the peeling angle α is maintained at a predetermined acute angle (for example, approximately 28 degrees). This also stabilizes the behavior of the adhesive surface 215 as it peels off from the printing surface 205, which is the outer circumferential surface of the roll paper 20, and stabilizes the force (feed force) required to pull out the paper 21. This prevents degradation of print quality due to fluctuations in the feed force, ensuring stable print quality.

[0037] Furthermore, the holding section 10 prevents the roll paper 20 from pressing the damper 7, so the function of the damper 7 is not impaired by the moved roll paper 20, allowing the damper 7 to fully function and achieve the desired effect.

[0038] The above-described embodiment can be modified as appropriate by changing part of the configuration or function of each of the above-described devices.

[0039] Although several 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]

[0040] 1...printer, 2...casing, 3...Lid, 35...Shaft, 4...accommodation section, 405...pressure surface, 41, 42...auxiliary rollers, 5...print head, 6...platen roller (an example of a component constituting the conveying unit), 61...shaft, 7...Damper, 8...cutter unit, 9...paper outlet, 10...holding portion, 105...pressing surface, 11, 12...auxiliary rollers, 20... roll paper, 205... printing surface (an example of the outer peripheral surface), 21...paper, 215...adhesive surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0041] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-052613

Claims

1. a storage section for storing roll paper around which a strip of paper is wound; a conveying unit that draws out the paper from the storage unit; a holder provided between the storage unit and the transport unit, which maintains a predetermined acute angle between the cylindrical outer circumferential surface of the roll paper and the paper being pulled out from the roll paper; A printer comprising:

2. The holding portion has a protruding shape that presses the outer peripheral surface of the roll paper when the paper is released and fits between the outer peripheral surface and the paper, and a roller that rolls in contact with the paper is provided at the tip of the protruding shape. The printer of claim 1 .

3. The storage section has a pressing surface at a position facing the tip of the protruding shape that presses the outer circumferential surface of the roll paper pressed by the protruding shape. The printer of claim 2 .

4. a damper that absorbs fluctuations in the force required for the conveyance unit to convey the paper, provided downstream of the position where the tip of the protruding shape of the pressing surface faces; The printer according to claim 3 .

5. The transport unit includes a platen roller that is driven to rotate and transports a strip of paper, sandwiching the paper between itself and a print head that prints on the paper. The printer of claim 1 .

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