Printing device

Abstract

To make a space for providing a driven roller and a leaf spring as small as possible.SOLUTION: A printing device 100 comprises a body B, a printing mechanism 7, and a conveyance mechanism 9. The printing mechanism 7 performs printing on a label sheet LS. The conveyance mechanism 9 includes a first roller 91, a second roller 92, and a leaf spring 93. The first roller 91 rotates around a first shaft 91a extending in a width direction of the body B. The second roller 92 rotates around a second shaft 92a extending in the width direction of the body B according to rotating of the first roller 91. The leaf spring 93 biases the second shaft 92a to a bearing part 96. The conveyance mechanism 9 discharges the label sheet LS outside from between the first roller 91 and the second roller 92. The leaf spring 93 has a body part 93a which is a member extending in an axial direction of the second shaft 92a and biases the second shaft 92a to the bearing part 96 from the axial direction of the second shaft 92a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing device that prints on a predetermined paper sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a printing device that prints on a label sheet on which multiple labels are arranged (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This printing device is equipped with a conveying mechanism that conveys a label sheet supplied to a label sheet supply port to a printing mechanism, where the label is printed on the label by the printing mechanism, and then discharges the label sheet from the printing mechanism. This conveying mechanism has a roller that is rotated by a motor or the like, and a driven roller that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the roller. In the conveying device, the label sheet is conveyed by the rotation of the two rollers that sandwich the label sheet between them. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4119177 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described conveyance mechanism, the rotation shaft of the driven roller is supported by a bearing portion provided in the main body of the printing device by the biasing force of a leaf spring. In conventional conveyance mechanisms, the leaf spring is a member that extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the rotation shaft of the driven roller extends. This requires that the leaf spring be located behind the driven roller, and the space for the driven roller requires a space at least equal to the length of the driven roller in the width direction of the main body, and a space at least equal to the length of the leaf spring in the direction perpendicular to the width direction. In other words, a large space must be provided in the main body to accommodate the driven roller and the leaf spring.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to minimize the space required for providing the driven roller and the leaf spring. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A printing device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a main body, a printing mechanism, and a conveying mechanism. The printing mechanism prints on a predetermined paper. The conveying mechanism has a first roller, a second roller, and a leaf spring. The first roller rotates around a first axis extending in the width direction of the main body. The second roller rotates around a second axis extending in the width direction of the main body in accordance with the rotation of the first roller. The leaf spring biases the second axis against a bearing portion that supports the second axis. This conveying mechanism ejects paper to the outside using the first roller and the second roller. The leaf spring of the conveying mechanism has a main body portion. The main body portion is a member that extends in the axial direction of the second axis, and biases the second axis against the bearing portion from the axial direction of the second axis by elastically deforming.

[0007] In the printing device described above, the leaf spring that biases the second shaft toward the bearing portion is a member that extends in the same axial direction as the second shaft and has a main body that biases the second shaft from the axial direction of the second shaft by elastically deforming. Therefore, in order to provide the second roller and the leaf spring, all that is required is a space at least equal to the diameter of the second roller and / or the width of the leaf spring in a direction perpendicular to the width direction of the main body. Because the diameter of the second roller and the width of the leaf spring are small, the space required to provide the second roller and the leaf spring can be reduced.

[0008] A pair of main bodies may be provided to bias both ends of the second shaft, thereby enabling the second shaft to be stably biased against the bearing portion.

[0009] The leaf spring may further include a connecting member that is fixed to the main body and connects the pair of main body portions together, so that the pair of main body portions can be fixed to the main body at once by simply fixing the connecting member to the main body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The space required to accommodate the second roller and the leaf spring can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a label sheet. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the printing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of the area where the first and second rollers of the printing device are arranged. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] 1. First embodiment (1) Overview of the printing device The following describes a printing device 100 according to a first embodiment. The printing device 100 is capable of printing characters on multiple labels L arranged in mutually separated sections on the same surface of a label sheet LS (an example of a predetermined paper) as shown in FIG. 1. Each label L on the label sheet LS shown in FIG. 1 has a first printing sub-area La and a second printing sub-area Lb. The printing device 100 can print characters individually in the first printing sub-area La and the second printing sub-area Lb of the label L. A label L configured as described above is called an "index label." FIG. 1 shows an example of a label sheet. Each label L can be separated from the label sheet LS. The separated label L can be attached wherever the label L is desired.

[0013] Note that label sheets that can be printed by the printer 100 are not limited to the "index labels" shown in Figure 1. Label sheets that can be printed by the printer 100 include, for example, labels that have only one printable area per label. There are also various sizes (length and width) of labels and / or printable areas. Furthermore, there are also labels that do not have a printable area border.

[0014] (2) Printer configuration The configuration of the printing device 100 will be described below with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the printing device. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the printing device. The printing device 100 includes a display unit 1, an input unit 3, a sheet supply port 5, a printing mechanism 7, a conveying mechanism 9, and a control unit 11.

[0015] The display unit 1 is provided on the upper part of the main body B of the printing device 100. The display unit 1 displays an operation screen for operating the printing device 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the display unit 1 has a rectangular display area, but has a certain degree of dimension not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction, providing a larger display area than conventional devices. The display unit 1 is, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The input unit 3 is provided below the display unit 1 in the main body B, and accepts operations for the printing device 100. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the input unit 3 is composed of a plurality of keys. Specifically, the input unit 3 mainly has character input keys for inputting characters and other operation keys.

[0016] The sheet supply port 5 is located below the input unit 3 in the main body B. Label sheets LS to be printed are supplied to the sheet supply port 5. A pair of paper guides 5a are provided at the sheet supply port 5. The distance between the pair of paper guides 5a can be adjusted by moving them closer or farther apart. This allows the sheet supply port 5 to supply label sheets LS of various sizes.

[0017] The printing mechanism 7 is a mechanism that prints on the label L by thermal transfer. Specifically, the printing mechanism 7 has a thermal head 71, a platen 72, a ribbon cassette 73, and a carriage 74.

[0018] The thermal head 71 applies heat to a strip-shaped ink ribbon to cause ink to adhere to the label L. The thermal head 71 can be raised and lowered by an elevation motor 71a (Fig. 5). The platen 72 presses the ink ribbon and the label L together with the thermal head 71. The ribbon cassette 73 stores an ink ribbon. The ribbon cassette 73 supplies the ink ribbon between the thermal head 71 and the platen 72.

[0019] A thermal head 71 and ribbon cassette 73 are attached to the carriage 74. The carriage 74 is driven by a carriage motor 74a (Figure 5) to move in the width direction of the label sheet LS (i.e., the left-right direction (width direction) of the main body B), and moves the thermal head 71 and ribbon cassette 73 to a predetermined position in the width direction of the label sheet LS. The ribbon cassette 73 is detachable from the carriage.

[0020] The transport mechanism 9 transports the label sheet LS supplied to the sheet supply port 5 along a transport path 9a to the position of the printing mechanism 7, and discharges the label sheet LS printed by the printing mechanism 7 to the outside. The transport path 9a is a gap inside the main body B that extends from the sheet supply port 5 to the rear end of the main body B. The transport mechanism 9 has a first roller 91, a second roller 92, a leaf spring 93, a third roller 94, and a fourth roller 95.

[0021] The first roller 91 is provided on the rear end side of the main body B on the conveying path 9a and rotates around a first shaft 91a extending in the width direction of the main body B. Specifically, the first roller 91 rotates when a conveying motor 9b (FIG. 5) rotates the first shaft 91a. The second roller 92 is provided on the conveying path 9a so as to face the first roller 91. The second roller 92 rotates around a second shaft 92a extending in the width direction of the main body B. The second shaft 92a is provided on the main body B and is supported by a U-shaped bearing portion 96 (FIG. 4) that opens upward.

[0022] 3, the roller surface of the second roller 92 is in contact with the roller surface of the first roller 91. As a result, the second roller 92 rotates around the second shaft 92a in accordance with the rotation of the first roller 91. In other words, the second roller 92 is a driven roller.

[0023] The leaf spring 93 is a member that biases the second shaft 92a of the second roller 92 toward the bearing portion 96. As shown in FIG. 4, the leaf spring 93 has a pair of main bodies 93a. The pair of main bodies 93a are members that extend in the same direction as the axial direction of the second shaft 92a. The main bodies 93a bias both ends of the second shaft 92a in the axial direction of the second shaft 92a by elastically deforming. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the area where the first roller and second roller are arranged in the printing device.

[0024] The leaf spring 93 also has a connecting member 93b. The connecting member 93b is a member that extends in the width direction of the main body B. The pair of main body portions 93a are each connected to an end of the connecting member 93b. The connecting member 93b is fixed to the main body B. In this way, by fixing the connecting member 93b to the main body B, the pair of main body portions 93a are fixed to the main body B.

[0025] As described above, the pair of main bodies 93a of the leaf spring 93 are members extending in the same axial direction as the second shaft 92a, and the second shaft 92a is biased in the axial direction of the second shaft 92a. This eliminates the need for a large space for the second roller 92 and the leaf spring 93. Specifically, the space required for the second roller 92 and the leaf spring 93, in a direction perpendicular to the width direction of the main body B, only needs to be approximately the same as the diameter of the second roller 92 and / or the width of the main body 93a and the connecting member 93b of the leaf spring 93. The diameter of the second roller 92 and the width of the main body 93a and the connecting member 93b (dimensions perpendicular to the width direction of the main body B) are both small. As a result, in the printing device 100 of this embodiment, the space required for the second roller 92 and the leaf spring 93 can be reduced. Reducing the space required for the second roller 92 and the leaf spring 93 allows the main body B to be more compact.

[0026] Furthermore, the pair of main body portions 93a bias both ends of the second shaft 92a, thereby stably biasing the second shaft 92a against the bearing portion 96. Furthermore, the pair of main body portions 93a are fixed to the main body B via the connecting member 93b, so that the pair of main body portions 93a can be fixed to the main body B at once by simply fixing the connecting member 93b to the main body B. In other words, there is no need to fix each of the pair of main body portions 93a to the main body B.

[0027] The leaf spring 93 having a pair of main bodies 93a and a connecting member 93b can be formed, for example, by processing a single metal plate. This makes it easy to form the leaf spring 93 in which the pair of main bodies 93a and the connecting member 93b are integrated. Alternatively, the pair of main bodies 93a and the connecting member 93b can be formed separately, and the pair of main bodies 93a can be connected to the connecting member 93b by welding or the like.

[0028] The third roller 94 is provided on the sheet supply opening 5 side of the conveying path 9a and rotates around a third shaft 94a extending in the width direction of the main body B. Specifically, the conveying motor 9b (FIG. 5) rotates the third shaft 94a, thereby rotating the third roller 94. As described above, the conveying motor 9b rotates not only the third shaft 94a but also the first shaft 91a of the first roller 91. In other words, the conveying motor 9b can rotate the first roller 91 and the third roller 94 simultaneously.

[0029] The fourth roller 95 is provided on the conveying path 9a so as to face the third roller 94. The fourth roller 95 rotates around a fourth shaft 95a extending in the width direction of the main body B. As shown in FIG. 3, the roller surface of the fourth roller 95 is in contact with the roller surface of the third roller 94. As a result, the fourth roller 95 rotates around the fourth shaft 95a in accordance with the rotation of the third roller 94. In other words, the fourth roller 95 is a driven roller.

[0030] In the transport mechanism 9 configured as described above, the label sheet LS is sandwiched between the third roller 94 and the fourth roller 95 and / or between the first roller 91 and the second roller 92, and the first roller 91 to the fourth roller 95 rotate to transport the label sheet LS to the position where the printing mechanism 7 is located. In addition, the rotation of the first roller 91 to the fourth roller 95 allows the transport mechanism 9 to eject the printed label sheet LS from the rear end of the main body B to the outside.

[0031] The control unit 11 is a computer system that controls the printing device 100. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 11 has a CPU 11a, a storage device 11b such as RAM and ROM, and an input / output interface 11c. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control unit. The CPU 11a executes various information processes. The storage device 11b stores programs executed by the CPU 11a, character data, parameters necessary for controlling the printing device 100, etc. The input / output interface 11c inputs and outputs signals and data between the CPU 11a and storage device 11b and each component of the printing device 100.

[0032] The control unit 11 controls the printing device 100, which will be described below, by having the CPU 11a execute a program stored in the storage device 11b. Note that part of the control of the printing device 100 may be realized by other hardware constituting the control unit 11. The control unit 11 may also be realized by a computer system having the CPU 11a, storage device 11b, and input / output interface 11c as separate devices, or may be realized by an SoC (System on Chip) in which these components are integrated on a single chip.

[0033] The control unit 11 controls the screen display of the display unit 1 connected to the input / output interface 11c. The control unit 11 accepts user operations using the input unit 3 connected to the input / output interface 11c and performs control based on the accepted operations. The control unit 11 controls the conveyance motor 9b connected to the input / output interface 11c to control the conveyance of the label sheet LS by the conveyance mechanism 9. The control unit 11 determines whether the label sheet LS has been supplied to the sheet supply port 5 based on a detection signal from the sheet detection unit 9c connected to the input / output interface 11c.

[0034] The control unit 11 controls the heating of the thermal head 71 connected to the input / output interface 11c. The control unit 11 controls the lifting motor 71a connected to the input / output interface 11c to control the lifting and lowering of the thermal head 71. The control unit 11 controls the carriage motor 74a connected to the input / output interface 11c to control the movement of the carriage 74.

[0035] (3) Common features of the embodiments The first embodiment has the following common configurations and functions. A printing device (e.g., printing device 100) includes a main body (e.g., main body B), a printing mechanism (e.g., printing mechanism 7), and a conveying mechanism (e.g., conveying mechanism 9). The printing mechanism prints on a predetermined paper (e.g., label sheet LS). The conveying mechanism includes a first roller (e.g., first roller 91), a second roller (e.g., second roller 92), and a leaf spring (e.g., leaf spring 93). The first roller rotates around a first shaft (e.g., first shaft 91a) extending in the width direction of the main body. The second roller rotates around a second shaft (e.g., second shaft 92a) extending in the width direction of the main body in accordance with the rotation of the first roller. The leaf spring biases the second shaft against a bearing portion (e.g., bearing portion 96) that supports the second shaft. This conveying mechanism ejects paper to the outside using the first roller and the second roller. The leaf spring of the transport mechanism is a member that extends in the axial direction of the second shaft, and has a main body portion (for example, main body portion 93a) that elastically deforms to urge the second shaft toward the bearing portion in the axial direction of the second shaft.

[0036] In the printing device described above, the leaf spring that biases the second shaft toward the bearing portion is a member that extends in the same axial direction as the second shaft and has a main body that biases the second shaft from the axial direction of the second shaft by elastically deforming. Therefore, in order to provide the second roller and the leaf spring, all that is required is a space at least equal to the diameter of the second roller and / or the width of the leaf spring in a direction perpendicular to the width direction of the main body. Because the diameter of the second roller and the width of the leaf spring are small, the space required to provide the second roller and the leaf spring can be reduced.

[0037] (4) Other embodiments Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. In particular, the multiple embodiments and modifications described in this specification can be arbitrarily combined as necessary. The leaf spring 93 can be made of a material other than metal (for example, plastic). [Industrial Applicability]

[0038] The present invention can be widely applied to printing devices that print on predetermined paper. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 100 Printing device 1 Display 3 Input section 5 Sheet supply port 5a Paper guide 7 Printing mechanism 71 Thermal head 71a Lifting motor 72 Platen 73 Ribbon cassette 74 Carriage 74a Carriage motor 9. Transport mechanism 91 First Roller 91a First axis 92 Second Roller 92a 2nd axis 93 Leaf spring 93a Main body 93b Connecting member 94 Third Roller 94a Third axis 95 4th Roller 95a 4th axis 96 Bearing section 9a Transport Route 9b Transport motor 9c Sheet detection unit 11 Control section 11a CPU 11b Storage device 11c input / output interface B body LS Label Sheet L Label

Claims

1. The main body and a printing mechanism for printing on a predetermined paper; a conveying mechanism including a first roller that rotates around a first axis extending in the width direction of the main body, a second roller that rotates around a second axis extending in the width direction of the main body in accordance with the rotation of the first roller, and a leaf spring that biases the second axis against a bearing portion that supports the second axis, and which discharges the paper to the outside using the first roller and the second roller; Equipped with the leaf spring is a member extending in the axial direction of the second shaft, and has a main body that elastically deforms to bias the second shaft toward the bearing portion in the axial direction of the second shaft; a connecting member that is provided vertically to the main body portion to connect the main body portion and is fixed to the main body, The connecting member is fixed to the main body at a portion that stands perpendicular to the main body. Printing device.

2. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the main body portion is provided as a pair and biases both ends of the second shaft.

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