Printer device

Abstract

To provide a printer in which a cut and discharged sheet is made hard to fall by a structure capable of being constituted of parts hard to be consumed.SOLUTION: A printer apparatus includes a printing unit configured to perform printing while pulling out and conveying a paper from a roll paper in which a strip-shaped paper is wound with a printing surface facing outward, a cutting unit provided on a downstream side of the printing unit in a paper conveying direction and configured to cut the paper, a support unit provided on a downstream side of the cutting unit in the paper conveying direction and having a surface configured to support the paper in contact with a back surface of the printing surface, and a pressing unit provided on the downstream side of the cutting unit in the paper conveying direction and configured to press the printing surface of the paper supported by the support unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD An embodiment of the present invention relates to a printer device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are printers that pull paper from a roll and print it out. Such printers are used, for example, to print receipts. Receipts are cut off each time they are printed. To prevent receipts from falling out of the paper outlet, printers are equipped with a support section that supports the cut receipt from below and a member that presses the paper down on this support section. This member is typically brush-shaped, with the tips of the bristles that make up the brush sliding against the top surface of the paper being discharged.

[0003] The tips of the bristles of the brush-like member described above wear down due to sliding against the paper, and therefore the brush-like member is a consumable item that requires periodic replacement (maintenance). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a printer device that is structured using parts that are less likely to wear out, making it less likely that cut and discharged paper will fall. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The printer device of the embodiment comprises a printing unit that pulls out a strip of paper from a roll of paper that is wound with the printing surface facing outward and prints on the paper while transporting it; a cutting unit that is located downstream in the paper transport direction of the printing unit and cuts the paper; a support unit that is located downstream in the paper transport direction of the cutting unit and has a surface that supports the paper in contact with the back of the printing surface, the surface being an inclined surface that displaces the leading edge of the paper that moves as it is transported in a direction from the back side of the paper toward the printing surface; and a pressing unit that is located downstream in the paper transport direction of the cutting unit and presses the printing surface of the paper supported by the support unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the appearance of a printer apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the printer device with the housing open. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of a printer device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the printer device with the housing open. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the paper discharge port. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the paper discharge port. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how the paper is supported by the support section and the swinging section. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how the paper is supported by the support section and the swinging section. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how the paper is supported by the support section and the swinging section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] 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 device 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the printer device 1 with the housing 2 open. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of the printer device 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the printer device 1 with the housing 2 open. FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views of the printer device 1 in FIGS. 1 and 2 taken along the line AA.

[0008] The printer device 1 comprises a housing 2, a paper storage section 3, a printing section 4, a cutting section 5, a buffer section 7, a swinging section 8, etc. In the diagram, the X-axis direction indicates the width direction (left-right direction) of the printer device 1, the Y-axis direction indicates the depth direction (front-back direction) of the printer device 1, and the Z-axis direction indicates the height direction (up-down direction) of the printer device 1. The positive direction of the Z-axis is from the bottom of the printer device 1 upward. The positive direction of the Y-axis is from the front to the rear of the printer device 1. The positive direction of the X-axis is from left to right when looking at the printer device 1 from the positive direction of the Y-axis.

[0009] The printer device 1 of this embodiment is a thermal printer, and is used as a receipt printer for printing (printing, outputting, issuing) receipts and the like, for example.

[0010] The housing 2 houses the other components (paper storage unit 3, printing unit 4, cutting unit 5, buffer unit 7, swinging unit 8, etc.). The housing 2 is box-shaped and has a lid 21 on the front for opening and closing the main body unit 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower side of the lid 21 in this embodiment is rotatably supported on the edge of the opening of the main body unit 20, and opens and closes the opening of the main body unit 20 as it rotates. When the lid 21 closes the main body unit 20, a paper outlet 22 is formed between the upper side of the lid 21 and the edge of the opening of the main body unit 20, as shown in FIG. 1. The paper outlet 22 is an opening for discharging paper 91 from the housing 2.

[0011] The lid 21 of the printer device 1 has a support section 211 on its upper edge. The support section 211 is located downstream of the cutting section 5 in the paper transport direction, and has an inclined surface that contacts the back side of the printing surface of the paper 91 and supports the paper 91. The inclined surface displaces the leading edge of the paper 91, which moves as it is transported, in the direction from the back side of the paper 91 toward the printing surface.

[0012] More specifically, the support portion 211 is located outside the paper discharge port 22 and supports the underside of the paper sheet 91 discharged from the paper discharge port 22. The support portion 211 is provided so as to be detachable from the paper discharge port 22 or integrally with the paper discharge port 22. In other words, the support portion 211 is formed so as to be detachable from the lid 21 or integrally with the lid 21. The support portion 211 may also be referred to as a table.

[0013] The paper storage unit 3 stores the roll paper 90 so that the paper 91 can be pulled out from the roll paper 90. The roll paper 90 is a rolled up strip of paper 91. The paper 91 is an example of a sheet-like printing medium. When the lid 21 is in a position that opens the main body 20, the paper storage unit 3 is open, and the roll paper 90 can be replaced or added.

[0014] The printer device 1 prints on paper 91 while drawing out and transporting paper 91 from a roll of paper 90 stored in a paper storage unit 3 .

[0015] The buffer unit 7 functions as a damper, absorbing the tension on the paper 91 until the roll paper 90 begins to rotate stably as the paper 91 begins to be transported. In this way, the buffer unit 7 stabilizes printing in the printing unit 4.

[0016] 5 and 6 are enlarged cross-sectional views showing the periphery of the paper discharge port 22, with FIG. 5 showing the state before the paper 91 is cut and FIG. 6 showing the state after the paper 91 has been cut.

[0017] The printing unit 4 prints on the paper 91 while pulling out and transporting the paper 91 from a roll paper 90 on which the paper is wound, and is equipped with a print head 41 and a platen 42. The print head 41 is provided on the main body 20, and the platen 42 is provided on the lid 21. In this embodiment, the platen 42 is a roller that is driven to rotate and transports the paper 91 sandwiched between it and the print head 41.

[0018] The print head 41 is a thermal head having a structure in which multiple heating elements are aligned. The print head 41 prints on the paper 91 held between the platen 42 and the print head 41 by heating the heating elements corresponding to the print pattern.

[0019] More specifically, the print head 41 is attached to a support portion 45, and is positioned opposite the platen 42. The support portion 45 is biased by the elastic force of a spring 46 in a direction in which the print head 41 comes into pressure contact with the platen 42. As a result, the print head 41 is biased in a direction in which it is pressed against the platen 42.

[0020] When refilling or replacing the roll paper 90, the user opens the lid 21, refills or replaces the roll paper 90, pulls out the leading edge of the paper 91 from the roll paper 90, sandwiches it between the platen 42 and the print head 41, and closes the lid 21. This holds the leading edge of the paper 91 between the platen 42 and the print head 41.

[0021] The cutting unit 5 is provided downstream of the printing unit 4 in the paper transport direction, and cuts the paper 91. It has a fixed blade 51 and a movable blade 52. The movable blade 52 is a blade that can move in the thickness direction of the paper. A movement mechanism that moves the movable blade 52 moves the movable blade 52 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) in the figure under the control of a control unit installed in the printer device 1. The fixed blade 51 is provided in a position opposite the movable blade 52, and is in a fixed position within the main body 20.

[0022] When printing on the paper 91 is completed, the movable blade 52 moves from the back side of the paper to the front side of the paper 91, and the paper 91 is sandwiched between the moved movable blade 52 and the fixed blade 51, thereby cutting the paper 91. The front side of the paper 91 corresponds to, for example, the printed side of the paper 91. The back side of the paper 91 corresponds to the side opposite the printed side of the paper 91 (the non-printed side).

[0023] The use of the cutting unit 5 is not limited to cutting (full cut) the paper 91. For example, the cutting unit 5 can also perform partial cut, which cuts off a part of the paper 91. Full cut and partial cut are set in advance by a user via an operation unit (not shown).

[0024] The swinging unit 8 is an example of a pressing unit, and is provided downstream of the cutting unit 5 in the paper transport direction, and presses the printing surface of the paper 91 supported by the support unit 211. More specifically, the swinging unit 8 is provided at a position downstream of the cutting unit 5 and upstream of the paper discharge outlet 22, and swings in contact with the paper 91 heading toward the paper discharge outlet 22. The swinging unit 8 may also be called a flapper.

[0025] The swinging unit 8 is rotatably supported within the main body 20 by a shaft 81 at the end on the upstream side in the paper transport direction. The swinging unit 8 is biased by a spring or the like in a direction to press down (press) the top surface of the paper 91. This biasing force will be referred to below as the biasing force. The force that pushes up the swinging unit 8 against the biasing force will be referred to below as the push-up force. When the push-up force exceeds the biasing force, the swinging unit 8 swings by rotating around the shaft 81.

[0026] The printer device 1 is equipped with a sensor 85 that detects the swinging part 8 swinging beyond a predetermined degree. When paper 91 gets stuck near the paper discharge port 22 and a jam occurs, the swinging part 8 swings greatly, and the amount of movement (or rotation angle) exceeds a predetermined degree. When the sensor 85 equipped in the printer device 1 detects that the swinging part 8 has swinged beyond a predetermined degree, the control part of the printer device 1 determines that a jam has occurred. The control part is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and the CPU implements predetermined functional parts by expanding programs stored in the ROM, etc., into the RAM and executing them.

[0027] The biasing force of the spring or the like that biases the swinging portion 8 is preferably sufficiently larger than the pushing-up force caused by the stiffness of about one sheet of paper 91, but not larger than the pushing-up force when a jam occurs.

[0028] The swinging section 8 also serves to provide another function, which is to hold the paper sheet 91 on the support section 211 after cutting (paper sheet holding function).

[0029] The swinging unit 8 holds the trailing end of the cut paper 91 downstream in the conveyance direction between it and the upper surface (inclined surface) of the support unit 211, preventing it from falling out of the paper discharge outlet 22. The swinging unit 8 does not need to press against the support unit 211 to hold the paper 91; it faces the support unit 211 with a specified gap between them. The paper 91 curves according to the diameter of the roll paper 90 and has a stiffness according to its thickness, etc., so the center of the length moves away from the upper surface of the support unit 211, maintaining its curved state. The swinging unit 8 operates to press the paper 91 in a direction to weaken this curve and bring it closer to the upper surface of the support unit 211, so that the paper 91 is subjected to the biasing force of the swinging unit 8, and the swinging unit 8 is subjected to a pushing-up force from the stiffness of about one sheet of paper 91, and the paper 91 is held between the swinging unit 8 and the support unit 211.

[0030] The swinging unit 8 is set to a desired position and operation in order to support the paper 91 between itself and the support unit 211. FIGS. 7 to 9 are schematic diagrams showing examples of how the support unit 211 and the swinging unit 8 support the paper 91. The swinging unit 8 is designed to be in a position and operate in a manner that satisfies one of the support states (settings) shown in FIGS. 7 to 9. The support states shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 will be described below.

[0031] 7 to 9, the printer device 1 includes a support section 221. The support section 221 is located inside the paper discharge outlet 22 and supports the paper 91 from below in the section from the downstream side of the printing section 4, through the cutting section 5, to just before the paper discharge outlet 22. After the support section 221, the support section 211 supports the underside of the paper 91 from the paper discharge outlet 22 onwards.

[0032] Here, the swinging unit 8 is roughly plate-shaped, elongated in the paper width direction, has an axis 81 on one longitudinal side, and has a shape in which the portion including the side farthest from the axis 81 is bent in a valley fold along a folding line parallel to the axis 81. The axis 81 is located upstream in the paper transport direction, and the bent portion is located downstream in the paper transport direction. Due to this shape and arrangement of the swinging unit 8, the leading edge of the paper 91 is guided by the underside of the paper 91 and reaches the gap between the bent portion of the swinging unit 8 and the support unit 221. The paper 91 then passes through the gap between the swinging unit 8 and the support unit 221, exits the paper discharge outlet 22, and reaches the support unit 211.

[0033] The support section 211 is inclined so that it is positioned higher on the downstream side in the paper transport direction to prevent paper 91 that hangs down beyond the tip of the support section 211 from falling. An imaginary line 95 shown by a two-dot chain line connects the downstream end of the support section 211 in the paper transport direction to the position where the paper 91 is cut by the cutting section 5. In this embodiment, this imaginary line 95 is used as a reference for setting the initial position of the swinging section 8.

[0034] The printer device 1 of this embodiment uses roll paper 90, which is wound with the printing surface of paper 91 facing outward. Therefore, if the cut paper 91 is not pressed by the swinging unit 8, it will rest on the support units 221 and 211 with its center curved like a high mountain.

[0035] In the schematic diagrams of Figures 7 to 9, the swinging part 8 and the curved paper 91 when not pressed by the swinging part 8 are shown overlapping (crossed), but in reality, the swinging part 8 presses the paper 91 from above, so the paper 91 is positioned near the imaginary line 95.

[0036] <Example 1> In the example shown in FIG. 7, the lower end of the swinging portion 8 is located at a position where it interferes with (intersects with) the imaginary line 95 when it is not receiving any pushing-up force from the paper 91.

[0037] More specifically, as described above, the paper 91 curves and has a certain stiffness in accordance with the diameter of the paper roll 90, so that the paper 91 on the support part 211 maintains a curved state with the center of its length separated from the top surface of the support part 211. The swinging part 8 presses the paper 91 in a direction that weakens this curvature and brings it closer to the top surface of the support part 211. In particular, the degree of curvature of the paper 91 is thought to be close to or less than the curve of the paper 91 just before it is pulled out from the paper roll 90. This arrangement allows the swinging part 8 to apply just enough pressure to the paper 91 to prevent it from falling off the support part 211.

[0038] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a printer device 1 that makes it difficult for the cut and discharged paper 91 to fall by utilizing the swinging part 8 that is not a consumable item such as a brush.

[0039] <Example 2> Next, in the example shown in Fig. 8, support portion 215 is used instead of support portion 211 in Fig. 7, and support portion 225 is used instead of support portion 221. The upper surfaces of support portion 215 and support portion 225 are adjacent to each other and have smoothly continuous concave curved surfaces. Even in this configuration, a similar imaginary line 95 is set, and swing portion 8 is positioned at a position where its lower end interferes with (intersects with) imaginary line 95, thereby achieving the same effect as the configuration in Fig. 7.

[0040] <Example 3> Next, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the lower end of the swinging unit 8 is positioned higher than in the example shown in FIG. 7. In this example, the lower end of the swinging unit 8 is positioned between the imaginary line 95 and the curved state of the paper 91 that would occur if not pressed by the swinging unit 8. The curved state of the paper 91 assumed here is the one with the lowest peak height among the possible states. Specifically, the curved state of the paper 91 shown in FIG. 9 is that of the paper 91 pulled out from the paper roll 90 with the largest diameter used in the printer device 1, for example.

[0041] Even with this configuration, it is possible to achieve substantially the same effects as the configurations shown in FIGS.

[0042] The above-described embodiment can be modified as appropriate by changing part of the configuration or function of each of the above-described devices.

[0043] 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]

[0044] 1...printer device, 2...housing, 20...main body, 21...lid, 22...paper outlet, 211,215...Support part, 221,225...Support part, 3...paper storage section, 4...printing unit, 41...print head, 42...platen, 45...supporting unit, 46...spring, 5...cutting section, 51...fixed blade, 52...movable blade, 7...buffer section, 8...oscillating part (an example of a holding part), 81...shaft, 85...sensor, 90...roll paper, 91...paper, 95...virtual line. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0045] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-179860

Claims

1. a printing unit that prints on a strip of paper while pulling out and transporting the paper from a roll of paper wound with the print surface facing outward; a cutting unit provided downstream of the printing unit in a paper transport direction and configured to cut the paper; a support section provided downstream of the cutting section in the paper conveyance direction, the support section having a surface that contacts the back side of the printing surface and supports the paper, the surface being an inclined surface that displaces the leading edge of the paper, which moves with conveyance, in a direction from the back side of the paper toward the printing surface; a pressing section provided downstream of the cutting section in the paper conveyance direction and configured to press the printing surface of the paper supported by the support section; A printer device comprising:

2. The pressing portion has a rotation shaft at an end portion on the upstream side in the paper transport direction and is swingable, and a portion on the downstream side in the paper transport direction from the rotation shaft presses the paper.

2. The printer device according to claim 1.

3. The pressing portion is biased in a direction in which a portion downstream of the rotation shaft in the paper transport direction presses the paper.

3. The printer device according to claim 2.

4. The portion of the pressing portion that presses the paper is located at a position that interferes with an imaginary line that connects the tip of the support portion and the cutting position of the cutting portion when the paper is not in contact with the pressing portion.

2. The printer device according to claim 1.

5. The inclined surface of the support portion is a concave curved surface.

2. The printer device according to claim 1.

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