Printer device

Abstract

To provide a printer device in which an operating portion is installed in the vicinity of a slide portion and that can miniaturize a printer.SOLUTION: A printer device according to an embodiment includes a recessed accommodating portion, a pair of rack gears, a pinion gear, and a pair of paper guides. An accommodating portion accommodates a roll of continuous paper. The pair of rack gears have rows of teeth arranged on a stepped form on a side of a paper conveyance direction of the continuous paper, accommodated in the accommodating portion, and arrayed in a first direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction so as to face each other. The pinion gear is disposed between the pair of rack gears and is fitted to the rows of teeth of the pair of rack gears. The pair of paper guides are provided at one end of an upper rack gear of the pair of rack gears in the first direction and at the other end of the lower rack gear in the first direction and support side surfaces of the continuous paper accommodated in the accommodating portion. The pair of paper guides are opened and closed in the first direction by the pair of rack gears and the pinion gear.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there is a printer device that prints on a recording medium (hereinafter referred to as roll paper), which is a roll of continuous paper such as labels and receipts. Inside the printer device, a storage section (hereinafter referred to as hopper) that stores and holds the continuous paper rotatably supports the center part (hereinafter referred to as core part) of the roll of the continuous paper. In the hopper, a support member that supports the core part has a protrusion that can be inserted into the inner circumference of the core part. For example, the hopper has a pair of paper guides that regulate the movement of the continuous paper along the width direction of the continuous paper. Each of the pair of paper guides is provided with the support member described above. The pair of paper guides face two side surfaces of the continuous paper and are provided in the hopper so as to be movable in conjunction with the width direction of the continuous paper. As a result, the pair of paper guides support the core part so as to align the center part of the continuous paper in the width direction with the center part of the printing area in the printer device.

[0003] To move the paper guide smoothly, it is essential to operate the part close to the sliding part of the paper guide (sliding section). For this reason, the operation part of the paper guide must be located in a position that does not interfere with the roll paper after the roll paper is set. However, if the operation part is installed away from the sliding section, there is a drawback (problem) that the paper guide will not move smoothly. Also, if the operation part is located close to the sliding section, the width of the printer must be increased to ensure there is an area for the user's fingers to operate the operation part after the roll paper is set, which becomes an obstacle to making the printer more compact. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a printer device in which an operation unit is provided near a sliding unit and the printer can be made compact. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The printer device of the embodiment includes a concave storage section, a pair of rack gears, a pinion gear, and a pair of paper guides. The concave storage section stores a roll of continuous paper. The pair of rack gears have rows of teeth arranged in a stepped manner on the paper transport direction side of the continuous paper stored in the storage section, facing each other and arranged in a first direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction. The pinion gear is disposed between the pair of rack gears and engages with the rows of teeth of the pair of rack gears. The pair of paper guides are provided at one end of the upper rack gear in the first direction and at the other end of the lower rack gear in the first direction, and support the side of the continuous paper stored in the storage section. The pair of paper guides move open and closed in the first direction by the pair of rack gears and the pinion gear. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a printer device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer device with an upper cover open according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an example of a perspective view of a lower cover of a printer device according to an embodiment, with a rack-and-pinion cover and a pair of paper guides that support the sides of a roll of continuous paper removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an example of a perspective view illustrating the example of the rack and pinion shown in FIG. 3 according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the rack and pinion shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 as viewed from the rear side of the printer apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a top surface of the rack and pinion illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5 according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an example of a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' in FIG. 2 of a printer device in which roll paper is stored according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an enlarged view of a portion enclosed by a dotted line in FIG. 7 excluding a rack-and-pinion cover in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a mounting portion which is an end portion of the upper rack and a fixing position of the elastic body on the frame in the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an example of a cross-sectional view taken along line BB' in FIG. 2 of a printer device in which roll paper is stored according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] (Embodiment) The embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the outline of the appearance of a printer device 1 according to the embodiment. In the following description, a Cartesian coordinate system consisting of an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis is used. In the figure, the direction indicated by the arrow is the positive direction. The positive X-axis direction is the left direction, and the negative X-axis direction is the right direction. The positive Y-axis direction is the rear side of the printer device 1, and the negative Y-axis direction is the front side of the printer device 1. The positive Z-axis direction is the upward direction, and the negative Z-axis direction is the downward direction.

[0008] The exterior of the printer 1 comprises a lower cover 3, an outlet 5 for discharging the continuous paper S, and an upper cover 7. The printer 1 can accommodate roll paper PR therein.

[0009] The roll paper PR is a roll-shaped printing medium (also called a recording medium) in which the continuous paper S is wound around a hollow core 9. The core 9 corresponds to the cylindrical portion at the center of the winding of the continuous paper S. The roll paper PR is, for example, a receipt roll or a label roll. A receipt roll is a roll of the continuous paper S in the shape of a strip that will become receipts. A label roll is a roll of the continuous paper S in the shape of a strip that has labels affixed thereto, that is, labels with mounts (label paper) wound thereon. The printer device 1 removes the continuous paper S from the roll paper PR and prints information such as transaction details.

[0010] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the printer 1 with the top cover 7 open. The printer 1 includes a printer body 11, a thermal head 13, a platen roller 15, and a storage section 17. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the bottom cover 3 and the top cover 7 cover the printer body 11 and the storage section 17.

[0011] The lower cover 3 is a rectangular parallelepiped case with an open top. The upper surface of the printer body 11 can be opened and closed by the upper cover 7. The lower cover 3 is also provided with a connection terminal (not shown) used to connect the internal printer body 11 to an external device, a power terminal (not shown) that supplies power to the printer body 11, and a storage section 17 including a pair of paper guides 21. The concave storage section 17 stores the rolled continuous paper S.

[0012] An outlet 5 is provided on the front surface of the lower cover 3. The outlet 5 opens horizontally so as to discharge the continuous paper S in front of the printer device 1. Note that the external appearance shown in Fig. 1 is merely an example, and various modifications are possible.

[0013] The upper cover 7 is attached to the lower cover 3 at one side on the rear side of the upper cover 7 so as to be rotatable about the X-axis direction as a rotation axis. The upper cover 7 opens and closes an opening on the top surface of the lower cover 3 as it rotates about the rotation axis.

[0014] The thermal head 13 is fixed, for example, to the inner surface of the upper cover 7. When the opening on the top surface of the lower cover 3 is closed by the upper cover 7, the thermal head 13 is in close contact with the platen roller 15. The thermal head 13 has a plurality of heating elements arranged in parallel, and prints on paper sandwiched between the thermal head 13 and the platen roller 15 by the heat of the heating elements.

[0015] The platen roller 15 rotates when a driving force is transmitted from a stepping motor (not shown), and transports the paper sandwiched between the platen roller 15 and the thermal head 13 .

[0016] Fig. 3 is an example of a perspective view of the lower cover 3 of the printer device 1 with a cover (hereinafter referred to as a rack and pinion cover) covering a rack and pinion 35 having a pair of rack gears 31 and pinion gears 33 and a pair of paper guides 21 supporting the sides of the rolled continuous paper S removed. Fig. 4 is an example of a perspective view showing an example of the rack and pinion 35 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the rack and pinion 35 shown in Figs. 3 and 4 as viewed from the rear side of the printer device 1.

[0017] As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the pair of rack gears 31 in the rack and pinion 35 are arranged in a stepped manner on the paper transport direction side of the continuous paper S stored in the storage section 17. That is, the pair of rack gears 31 are arranged in a stepped manner at different heights along the vertical direction. In other words, a normal rack and pinion is arranged on the same plane, but in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, a rack (a rack on the left side of Fig. 3, which is an upper rack described later) 37 in the positive direction (left direction) of the X axis and a rack (a rack on the right side of Fig. 3, which is a lower rack described later) 39 in the negative direction (right direction) of the X axis are arranged on two planes with steps formed in a stepped manner so that the arrangement heights of these racks change. The pair of rack gears 31 have tooth rows arranged in a first direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction facing each other. As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the first direction corresponds to the positive direction of the X axis.

[0018] 3 to 5, the pinion gear 33 is disposed between the pair of rack gears 31 and engages with the tooth rows of the pair of rack gears 31. Specifically, the pinion gear 33 has a tooth width TW that allows it to engage with an upper rack gear (hereinafter referred to as an upper rack) 37 and a lower rack gear (hereinafter referred to as a lower rack) 39. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tooth width TW of the pinion gear 33 along the vertical direction is a sum of the tooth width of the pair of rack gears 31 and the distance between the upper rack 37 and the lower rack 39 along the vertical direction.

[0019] The pair of paper guides 21 are provided at one end of the upper rack 37 in the first direction and at the other end of the lower rack 39 in the first direction of the pair of rack gears 31. That is, at the end of both ends of the upper rack 37 and the lower rack 39 that faces the wall surface of the lower cover 3, a mounting portion 41 to which the paper guide 21 is attached is provided. In other words, the pair of rack gears 31 are arranged with the pair of paper guides 21 via the mounting portion 41. Specifically, the pair of paper guides 21 are provided at the end of both ends of the pair of rack gears 31 that is closer to the lower cover 3, that is, the end that faces the wall surface of the lower cover 3. The pair of paper guides 21 support the side of the continuous paper S stored in the storage portion 17. The pair of paper guides 21 move in the first direction to open and close by the pair of rack gears 31 and the pinion gear 33. The upper rack 37 and the lower rack 39 may be molded as an integral structure with the paper guide 21. In this case, the mounting portion 41 becomes unnecessary.

[0020] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the upper surface of the rack and pinion 35 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the mounting portions 41 of the upper rack 37 and the lower rack 39 are both offset toward the pinion gear 33. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, one end of the upper rack 37 in the first direction, the other end of the lower rack 39 in the first direction, and the position of the rotation axis of the pinion gear 33 (hereinafter referred to as the pinion rotation axis) 43 are arranged on a straight line parallel to the first direction. That is, the pair of mounting positions 41 to which the pair of paper guides 21 are attached at the ends of both ends of the pair of rack gears 31 facing the wall surface of the lower cover 3, and the pinion rotation axis 43 are arranged on a straight line parallel to the pair of rack gears 31. As shown in FIG. 6, the pair of mounting positions 41 are arranged on a straight line parallel to the X-axis direction.

[0021] When the upper rack 37 and the lower rack 39 are molded as an integral structure with the paper guide 21, the base portion of the paper guide 21, i.e., the boundary portion (corresponding to the attachment portion 41) between the paper guide 21 and the pair of rack gears 31, and the pinion rotation shaft 43 are arranged on a straight line parallel to the pair of rack gears 31. In other words, the base portion of the paper guide 21 is arranged on a straight line parallel to the X-axis direction.

[0022] Fig. 7 is an example of a cross-sectional view of the printer device 1 with roll paper PR accommodated therein, taken along the line A-A' in Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is an example of an enlarged view of the area within the dotted line frame DF in Fig. 7, excluding the rack and pinion cover 45.

[0023] 3, 7, and 8, the rack and pinion 35 is mounted on a frame 47. The frame 47 is provided on the lower cover 3. Specifically, the upper rack 37 is fitted into a sliding groove 51 provided in an upper stage portion (hereinafter referred to as an upper stage plane) 49 of the stepped frame 47 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction, as shown in FIG.

[0024] 7 and 8, the upper rack 37 has a rib 53 along the X-axis direction. The rib 53 of the upper rack 37 fits into a sliding groove 51 provided in the upper flat surface 49. This fixes the upper rack 37 to the upper flat surface 49 of the frame 47. As a result, the positional relationship of the upper rack 37 with respect to the pinion gear 33 is maintained constant.

[0025] Note that an elastic body may be provided between the upper rack 37 and the upper flat surface 49 of the frame 47, which biases the upper rack 37 in a direction from one end of the upper rack 37 in the first direction toward the pinion gear 33 (the negative direction of the X-axis). Specifically, the elastic body is provided between the upper rack 37 and the frame 47 at a position between the lower cover 3 and the pinion gear 33 on the negative direction side of the X-axis (hereinafter referred to as the elastic body fixing position). As a result, the elastic body biases the upper rack 37 in a direction from one end of the upper rack 37 in the first direction toward the pinion gear 33 (the negative direction of the X-axis).

[0026] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the mounting portion 41 which is an end portion of the upper rack 37, and an elastic body fixing position EFP on the frame 47 (not shown in Fig. 9). As shown in Fig. 9, the elastic body 55 biases the upper rack 37 from the mounting position 41 along the negative X-axis direction. The elastic body 55 is realized by, for example, a spring as shown in Fig. 9. Note that the means for realizing the elastic body 55 is not limited to a spring, and can be appropriately realized by, for example, a member having elasticity such as rubber.

[0027] 3, 7 and 8, the lower rack 39 is fitted into a sliding groove 59 provided in a lower portion (hereinafter referred to as the lower plane) 57 of the stepped frame 47 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. The lower rack 39 also has a rib 61 along the X-axis direction. The rib 61 of the lower rack 39 is fitted into the sliding groove 59 provided in the lower plane 57. As a result, the lower rack 39 is fixed to the lower plane 57 of the frame 47. As a result, the positional relationship of the lower rack 39 with respect to the pinion gear 33 is maintained constant.

[0028] As shown in Figs. 3, 7 and 8, the pinion gear 33 is installed on the pinion rotation shaft 43 of the lower plane 57 of the stepped frame 47 so as to be rotatable with the vertical direction as the rotation axis. Also, as shown in Figs. 3 to 8, the teeth of the pinion gear 33 engage with the teeth of the pair of rack gears 31. Since the pair of rack gears 31 are fixed to the frame 47 via the ribs 53 and 61, the pinion gear 33 smoothly transmits the force applied to the upper rack 37 to the lower rack 39. As a result, the upper rack 37 and the lower rack 39 slide along the X-axis direction in conjunction with the user's operation on the upper rack 37.

[0029] Figure 10 is an example of a cross-sectional view of the printer device 1 with roll paper PR stored therein, taken along the line B-B' in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 10, of the pair of paper guides 21, the upper paper guide 211 provided on the upper rack 37 has an operation unit 63 for opening and closing the pair of paper guides 21. That is, the operation unit 63 for operating the paper guide 21 is provided above the upper paper guide 211, of the pair of paper guides 21, which is provided on the upper rack 37. In other words, as shown in Figure 10, the operation unit 63 is provided on the upper paper guide 211 attached to the upper rack 37, which is at the higher position of the two stepped planes.

[0030] At this time, the operation unit 63 operates the interlocking of the pair of paper guides 21 under the operation of the user. Specifically, the operation by the operation unit 63 is transmitted to the lower rack 39 via the upper rack 37 and the pinion gear 33. As a result, the pair of paper guides 21 interlock under the operation of the operation unit 63. The rack and pinion 35 and the pair of paper guides 21 correspond to a sliding unit that is slidable along the X-axis direction.

[0031] 10, the operation unit 63 is disposed near the slide unit. Specifically, the operation unit 63 is preferably disposed in the upper paper guide 211 near the upper rack 37 and protruding upward (in the positive direction of the Z axis) from the upper end TE of the lower cover 3.

[0032] As shown in Figures 3, 7, and 10, the upper plane 49 on which the upper rack 37 is arranged has a first corner 65 at an end in a second direction (positive direction of the Y-axis) perpendicular to the first direction. The lower plane 57 on which the lower rack 39 is arranged has a second corner 67 at an end in the second direction. The rack and pinion cover 45 has an inclined surface 71 that is parallel to a straight line (hereinafter referred to as a corner straight line) 69 that connects the first corner 65 and the second corner 67 on the dotted line of the stepped shape 68. That is, the inclined surface 71 is parallel to the corner straight line 69 that connects the first corner 65 and the second corner 67.

[0033] As shown in Figures 3 and 10, the pair of paper guides 21 are linked in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) by a pair of rack gears 31 and pinion gears 33 along the inclined surface 71 defined by the upper rack 37 and lower rack 39 in the pair of rack gears 31, by user operation via the operating unit 63.

[0034] In other words, of the two stepped planes (upper plane 49 and lower plane 57) of the staircase 68, the lower rack 39 arranged on the lower plane 57 has a protruding portion 73 that protrudes from the corner straight line 69 compared to the upper rack 37. Therefore, the pair of paper guides 21 move in conjunction with each other left and right, slidable in the X-axis direction, along an inclined wall surface (inclined surface 71) that is approximately parallel to the corner straight line 69 connecting the corners of the staircase 68. In other words, the pair of paper guides 21 move to open and close along an inclined surface defined by a straight line parallel to the line connecting the first corner 65 and the second corner 67 and the first direction (the positive direction of the X-axis).

[0035] With this configuration, the printer device 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a pair of rack gears 31 arranged in a stepped manner 68 at different heights along the vertical direction, with a pair of paper guides 21 arranged to support the sides of the rolled continuous paper S, and a pinion gear 33 that engages with the pair of rack gears 31, and the pair of paper guides 21 are moved horizontally by the pair of rack gears 31 and pinion gear 33 along an inclined surface 71 defined by the upper rack 37 and lower rack 39 of the pair of rack gears 31.

[0036] In this case, the inclined surface 71 is parallel to a corner straight line 69 connecting a first corner 65 located at the end in the second direction on the upper plane 49 on which the upper rack 37 is arranged, and a second corner 67 located at the end in the second direction on the lower plane 57 on which the lower rack 39 is arranged.

[0037] Furthermore, in the printer 1 according to this embodiment, the operation unit 63 for operating the opening and closing movement of the pair of paper guides 21 is provided on the upper portion of the upper paper guide 211, which is disposed on the upper rack 37, of the pair of paper guides 21. In this case, the operation unit 63 protrudes upward from the upper end TE of the lower cover 3, as shown in FIG.

[0038] For these reasons, in the printer device 1 according to this embodiment, the rack and pinion 35 is disposed at different heights of the staircase 68, and a part of the upper paper guide 211 attached to the upper rack 37 disposed at the top of the staircase 68 serves as the operation unit 63. As a result, the sliding unit related to the sliding of the paper guide 21 is disposed near the operation unit 63. In other words, since the operation unit 63 is disposed near the sliding unit having the upper rack 37, the user can smoothly move the paper guide 21 via the operation unit 63.

[0039] As described above, according to the printer device 1 of this embodiment, the operation unit 63, which can be operated without interfering with the roll paper PR, can be located near the sliding portion, and the printer device 1 can be made compact.

[0040] Furthermore, according to the printer device 1 of this embodiment, the pair of mounting positions 41 and the pinion rotation shaft 43 are arranged on a straight line parallel to the pair of rack gears 31, as shown in Fig. 6. This allows the user to operate the operation unit 63 to move the paper guide 21 even more smoothly.

[0041] Furthermore, the printer 1 according to this embodiment further includes an elastic body 55 that biases the upper rack 37 in a direction (the negative X-axis direction) from one end of the upper rack 37 in the first direction (mounting position 41 on the upper rack 37) toward the pinion gear 33. This allows the user to set the roll paper PR in the storage section 17 with the simple operation of moving an operation unit 63 provided on the upper rack 37 in the positive X-axis direction.

[0042] As described above, with the printer device 1 according to this embodiment, the number of parts and the amount of work required for molding can be reduced compared to manufacturing a frame in which, for example, the short axis of the rack and pinion 35, i.e., the width of the rack and pinion 35 in a plane perpendicular to the pinion rotation axis 43 of the pinion gear 33, is tilted from the horizontal plane in the paper transport direction TD, and this printer device 1 can be manufactured at low cost.

[0043] In addition, with this printer device 1, it is possible to locate the operation unit 63 near the sliding section at a position that protrudes upward (in the positive direction of the Z axis) from the upper end of the lower cover 3, without providing the operation unit 63 near the bottom surface of the lower cover 3. As a result, no space is required for the user to insert a finger or the like into the storage unit 17 when attaching or detaching the roll paper PR to or from the storage unit 17. For these reasons, with this printer device 1, it is possible to reduce the size of the printer body 11. Furthermore, with this printer device 1, the user's access to the operation unit 63 is improved, thereby improving operability when attaching or detaching the roll paper PR to or from the storage unit 17.

[0044] Although some 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 implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Printer device 3 Bottom cover 5 Outlet 7 Top cover 9 Core 11 Printer body 13 Thermal head 15 Platen roller 17 Storage unit 21 Paper Guide 31 Pair of rack gears 33 Pinion gear 35 Rack and pinion 37 Upper Rack 39 Lower Rack 41 Mounting position, mounting part 43 Pinion Rotating Shaft 45 Rack and pinion cover 47 Frames 49 Upper plane 51 Slide groove 53 Ribs 55 Elastic Body 57 Lower plane 59 Slide groove 61 Rib 63 Operation section 65 1st corner 67 Second corner 68 Staircase 69 Straight Corner 71 Slope 73 Protruding part 211 Upper paper guide [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0046] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-183675 A

Claims

1. a concave storage section for storing a roll of continuous paper; a pair of rack gears arranged in a stepped manner on a paper transport direction side of the continuous paper stored in the storage section, the rack gears having rows of teeth arranged in a first direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction and facing each other; a pinion gear disposed between the pair of rack gears and engaged with a tooth row of the pair of rack gears; a pair of paper guides provided at one end of an upper rack gear in the first direction and at the other end of a lower rack gear in the first direction, the pair of rack gears supporting a side of the continuous paper accommodated in the accommodation section; Equipped with the pair of paper guides are moved to open and close in the first direction by the pair of rack gears and the pinion gear; Of the pair of paper guides, an upper paper guide provided on the upper rack gear further includes an operation unit for performing the opening and closing movement. Printer device.

2. an upper plane on which the upper rack gear is disposed has a first corner portion at an end portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a lower plane on which the lower rack gear is disposed has a second corner portion at an end portion in the second direction, the pair of paper guides move to open and close along an inclined surface defined by a straight line parallel to a straight line connecting the first corner portion and the second corner portion and the first direction; 2. The printer device according to claim 1.

3. one end of the upper rack gear in the first direction, the other end of the lower rack gear in the first direction, and a position of a rotation axis of the pinion gear are disposed on a straight line parallel to the first direction.

3. The printer device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the upper rack gear further includes an elastic body that biases the upper rack gear in a direction from one end of the upper rack gear in the first direction toward the pinion gear, The printer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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