Printer device

Abstract

A printer device comprises a printer housing, a cover part, lock members, a lever member, an actuator, and a sensor. The cover part is a member capable of opening and closing the printer housing. The lock member is provided on both sides in the width direction of the cover part and engages with a member to be locked provided inside the printer housing to lock the closed state of the printer housing and the cover part. The lever member has movable parts each provided at a position corresponding to a lock member of the cover part, and a shaft part connecting between the movable parts, and the movable parts press each corresponding lock member by a closing operation for closing the cover part. The actuator is provided at a position where the lock members and the member to be locked are engaged, and is pushed by the lock members moved to said position. The sensor detects the opening / closing state of the cover part on the basis of the amount of movement of the actuator.

Description

Printer device

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

[0002] Printers that use roll paper have become widespread. A printer has a lower housing that houses the roll paper and an upper cover that opens and closes the lower housing. In such printers, if the upper cover is not properly closed, the print head and platen may separate or make uneven contact, resulting in poor printing.

[0003] In response to this, in order to prevent the above-mentioned printing defects, a technology has been proposed that provides a means for detecting when the upper cover has closed the lower housing and is locked to the main body (hereinafter also referred to as the locked state), and prohibits printing if it is not detected that the upper cover is in the locked state.

[0004] However, in the prior art, the sensor for detecting whether the top cover is locked is only located at a position corresponding to one side of the top cover of the main body, and there is a possibility that the side where the sensor is not located may be detected as locked even if it is not in a locked state.

[0005] Although technology to install sensors on both sides has been proposed, such products are not widely used due to concerns that the additional components would increase costs and the size of the device. In other words, there is room for further improvement in the mechanism for detecting the opening and closing of the top cover.

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a printer device that can reliably detect whether the cover of the printer device is open or closed at low cost.

[0007] A printer device according to an embodiment includes a printer housing, a cover, a locking member, a lever member, an actuator, and a sensor. The cover is a member that can open and close the printer housing. The locking members are provided on both widthwise sides of the cover and engage with locked members provided inside the printer housing to lock the printer housing and the cover in a closed state. The lever members have movable portions provided at positions corresponding to the locking members on the cover and a shaft portion connecting the movable portions. The movable portions press the corresponding locking members when the cover is closed. The actuator is provided at a position where the locking member and the locked member engage, and is pressed by the locking member when moved to that position. The sensor detects the open / closed state of the cover based on the amount of movement of the actuator.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a printer according to an embodiment, as seen from the front side. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the internal configuration and structure of a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a lever member according to an embodiment, as seen from the front side. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the lever member and locking member according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the locking member and actuator according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the locking member and actuator according to an embodiment.

[0009] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a printer according to an embodiment, as seen from the front side.

[0010] For ease of explanation, a three-dimensional coordinate system is also shown. The width direction (left-right direction) of the printer 1 is the X-axis direction, the depth direction (front-back direction) is the Y-axis direction, and the height direction (up-down direction) is the Z-axis direction. The positive direction of the Y-axis is the direction from the front to the back, and the state viewed in the positive Y-axis direction is the front view.

[0011] The positive direction of the Z axis is the direction from top to bottom, and the state viewed from the positive direction of the Z axis is a plan view. The positive direction of the X axis is the direction from left to right in a front view. The left and right sides of the printer 1 and each part when viewed from the front (positive direction of the Y axis) are sometimes referred to as both sides.

[0012] Printer 1 is an example of a printer device. Printer 1 includes a housing 2, a display / operation unit 3, a lever member 4, and an outlet 5. Housing 2 includes an upper cover 21 and a lower housing 22. Upper cover 21 covers the opening of lower housing 22. Upper cover 21 is an example of a cover unit. Specifically, the rear edge of upper cover 21 is rotatably attached to lower housing 22 by hinge 20, and as it rotates, it opens and closes the opening on the top surface of lower housing 22.

[0013] The hinge 20 is a connecting member that connects the upper cover 21 and the lower housing 22 so that they can rotate freely.

[0014] The upper cover 21 is rotatably connected to the lower housing 22 and covers the opening. The upper cover 21 houses a printing unit (not shown). The printing unit prints on paper as it is transported, and includes a print head, an ink ribbon, and a platen roller 201 (see FIG. 2). The print head is fixed to the inner surface of the upper cover 21, and comes into close contact with the platen roller 201 when the upper cover 21 closes the opening on the top surface of the lower housing 22.

[0015] The print head is, for example, a thermal head, and is equipped with a plurality of heating elements arranged in parallel. The print head uses the heat of the heating elements to print on the paper sandwiched between the print head and the platen roller 201, with the paper and ink ribbon interposed between the print head and the platen roller 201. The platen roller 201 rotates when the driving force of the stepping motor is transmitted, and transports the paper sandwiched between it and the print head.

[0016] The display / operation unit 3 is provided on the top surface of the upper cover 21. The display / operation unit 3 receives various operation inputs and displays various information. The lever member 4 is provided on the top surface of the upper cover 21 on the side where the hinge 20 is located in the Y-axis direction. The lever member 4 pushes and moves the lock member 6 (see FIG. 2). The lever member 4 will be described later.

[0017] The lower housing 22 has an opening on one side. Specifically, the lower housing 22 is a housing having an opening facing upward, and the opening is closed by the upper cover 21. A part of the front surface of the lower housing 22 is formed by the front cover 23.

[0018] The issuing port 5 is an opening for issuing (discharging) receipts and other paper, and is located between the upper end of the front cover 23 and the lower front edge of the top cover 21. The front cover 23 is equipped with a paper discharge guide 51 at its upper end. The paper discharge guide 51 guides paper discharged from the issuing port 5.

[0019] The lower housing 22 houses a paper holder (not shown). The paper holder stores and rotatably holds roll paper, which is, for example, a strip of paper wound into a roll. Examples of roll paper include receipt rolls and label rolls. A receipt roll is a roll of receipt paper.

[0020] Receipt paper is a strip of paper that is printed and cut into receipts. A label roll is a roll of strip-shaped label paper. Label paper includes labels attached to a strip of backing paper, and strip-shaped labels. Labels have an adhesive layer on the back of the printed surface.

[0021] However, if a printing operation is performed with the top cover 21 incompletely closed, problems such as the print head (not shown) becoming separated from the platen roller 201 may occur, resulting in poor printing. To prevent this, the printer 1 has a locking mechanism that locks the top cover 21 in a closed state. The locking mechanism will be described below.

[0022] Fig. 2 is a diagram that schematically illustrates an example of the internal configuration and structure of the printer 1 according to the embodiment. Fig. 2 illustrates the internal configuration and structure of the printer 1 on the left side when viewed from the front. As shown in Fig. 2, the printer 1 includes, inside the housing 2, a lever member 4, a locking member 6, and a cylindrical member 7 as a locking mechanism. The cylindrical member 7 is an example of a locked member.

[0023] The locking members 6 are provided on both sides of the upper cover 21 in the width direction. The cylindrical members 7 are provided on both sides of the lower housing 22 in the width direction, at positions corresponding to the locking members 6 of the upper cover 21. For example, the cylindrical members 7 are cylindrical members made of metal. When the upper cover 21 is closed, the locking members 6 engage with the corresponding cylindrical members 7, locking the upper cover 21 in the closed state. The detailed configuration of the locking members 6 will be described later.

[0024] The locking members 6 are provided on both widthwise sides of the top cover 21, but consider the case where only one side is locked and the other side is not. In this case, the print head and platen roller 201 may separate or come into contact with each other, resulting in problems such as poor printing. For this reason, the printer 1 of this embodiment has a lever member 4 that prevents the top cover 21 from being locked in the closed state on only one side.

[0025] The lever member 4 will now be described. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the lever member 4 according to the embodiment, as seen from the front side. As shown in Fig. 3, the lever member 4 includes a lock operation portion 41, a shaft portion 42, and a movable portion 43. The lever member 4 is provided on the back side of the upper cover 21, but as shown in Fig. 1, the lock operation portion 41 is accessible to the user from the top surface of the printer 1.

[0026] When pressed, the lock operation portion 41 rotates the shaft portion 42. The shaft portion 42 connects a pair of movable portions 43. When the lock operation portion 41 is pressed, the shaft portion 42 rotates around an axis in the X-axis direction, causing each of the pair of movable portions 43 to rotate.

[0027] The movable parts 43 are provided at positions corresponding to the respective locking members 6 of the upper cover 21. The pair of movable parts 43 rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the shaft parts 42, and press the corresponding locking members 6 with pressing claws 431, which will be described later.

[0028] An example of the operation of the lever member 4 and the locking member 6 will now be described. Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the lever member 4 and the locking member 6 according to the embodiment. First, the configuration of the locking member 6 will be described. As shown in Figure 6, the locking member 6 includes a shaft portion 61, a protrusion portion 62, an engagement portion 63, and a pressing portion 64.

[0029] The shaft 61 rotatably holds the locking member 6 on the upper cover 21. The protrusion 62 is pressed by the pressing claw 431 of the movable portion 43 of the lever member 4, causing the locking member 6 to rotate clockwise in the figure around the shaft 61 as a rotation axis. The engaging portion 63 engages with the cylindrical member 7 as the locking member 6 rotates, locking the upper cover 21 in a closed state. The pressing portion 64 is a convex portion that protrudes in the outer circumferential direction of the locking member 6 (engaging portion 63). At the position where the engaging portion 63 engages with the cylindrical member 7, the pressing portion 64 presses a pressed portion 82 (see FIGS. 5 and 6 ) of the actuator 8, which will be described later.

[0030] Here, for example, when a user presses the lock operation portion 41 of the lever member 4 downward with a finger, the shaft portion 42 rotates counterclockwise. Accordingly, the movable portions 43 on both sides connected by the shaft portion 42 rotate in unison, and each pressing claw 431 presses downward the corresponding protrusion 62 of the lock member 6. When the pressing claw 431 presses the protrusion 62, the entire lock member 6 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4 around the shaft portion 61 as the rotation axis.

[0031] When the entire locking member 6 rotates in the direction of the arrow, the engaging portion 63 engages with the cylindrical member 7, locking the closed state of the upper cover 21. When the engaging portion 63 engages with the cylindrical member 7, the pressing portion 64 of the locking member 6 presses the pressed portion 82 of the actuator 8.

[0032] Next, a description will be given of an example of the operation of the locking member 6 and the actuator 8. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the locking member 6 and the actuator 8 according to the embodiment.

[0033] 5, the printer 1 is provided with an actuator 8 and a sensor 9 inside the lower housing 22. In this embodiment, the actuator 8 and the sensor 9 are provided only on the right side when the printer 1 is viewed from the front. However, the actuator 8 and the sensor 9 may be provided only on the left side when the printer 1 is viewed from the front. Alternatively, the actuator 8 and the sensor 9 may be provided on both sides when the printer 1 is viewed from the front.

[0034] First, the configurations of the actuator 8 and the sensor 9 will be described. The actuator 8 is provided below the cylindrical member 7 at a position where it comes into contact with the tip of the pressing portion 64 when the locking member 6 engages with the cylindrical member 7. In other words, the actuator 8 is provided at a position where the locking member 6 engages with the cylindrical member 7. The actuator 8 is pressed by the locking member 6 (pressing portion 64) that has moved to that position by being pressed by the movable portion 43 of the lever member 4. As shown in FIG. 5 , the actuator 8 includes a shaft portion 81, a pressed portion 82, and a detected portion 83.

[0035] The shaft portion 81 rotatably holds the actuator 8 inside the lower housing 22. When the closed state of the upper cover 21 is locked, the pressed portion 82 is pressed by the pressing portion 64 of the locking member 6. When the pressed portion 82 is pressed, the detected portion 83 rotates around the axis of the shaft portion 81 (clockwise in the figure) and moves upward (positive direction of the Z axis).

[0036] The sensor 9 detects the open / closed state of the upper cover 21 based on the amount of movement of the actuator 8. For example, the sensor 9 is configured by a microswitch, which is a mechanical sensor.

[0037] For example, when the pressed portion 82 of the actuator 8 is not pressed, the detected portion 83 of the actuator 8 does not move, and the amount of movement of the actuator 8 is less than the predetermined threshold. At this time, the microswitch is in an OFF state where no current flows through the sensor 9.

[0038] In contrast, when the pressed portion 82 of the actuator 8 is pressed, the detected portion 83 of the actuator 8 rotates clockwise in the figure around the shaft portion 81 as the rotation axis and moves upward, so that the amount of movement of the actuator 8 exceeds the threshold. When the amount of movement of the actuator 8 exceeds the threshold, the detected portion 83 comes into contact with the microswitch of the sensor 9. This causes the microswitch to enter an ON state, allowing current to flow to the sensor 9.

[0039] The sensor 9 is not limited to the microswitch described above, and may be, for example, a non-contact switch equipped with an optical sensor.

[0040] The non-contact switch is composed of, for example, a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit. When the amount of movement of the actuator 8 is less than a threshold, the non-contact switch is in an OFF state in which the light-receiving unit receives laser light or the like emitted from the light-emitting unit. In contrast, when the amount of movement of the actuator 8 is equal to or greater than the threshold, the laser light or the like emitted from the light-emitting unit is blocked by the detected unit 83. As a result, the non-contact switch is in an ON state in which the light-receiving unit does not receive laser light or the like.

[0041] Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 5(1), when the engaging portion 63 of the locking member 6 and the cylindrical member 7 are engaged (when the closed state of the upper cover 21 is locked), the pressing portion 64 of the locking member 6 presses the pressed portion 82 of the actuator 8, as shown in FIG. 5(2).

[0042] When the pressed portion 82 is pressed, the detected portion 83 rotates in the positive direction of the Y axis with the shaft portion 81 as the rotation axis. As a result, the detected portion 83 is detected by the sensor 9, as shown in (3) in Figure 5. Therefore, when the sensor 9 detects the detected portion 83, it can detect that the closed state of the upper cover 21 is locked (that the upper cover 21 is in the closed state).

[0043] On the other hand, when the engaging portion 63 of the locking member 6 and the cylindrical member 7 are not engaged (when the closed state of the upper cover 21 is not locked), as described above, the amount of movement of the actuator 8 does not exceed the threshold value, and therefore the detected portion 83 is not detected by the sensor 9. Therefore, when the sensor 9 does not detect the detected portion 83, it can detect that the closed state of the upper cover 21 is not locked (the upper cover 21 is in the open state).

[0044] However, in a configuration in which the actuator 8 and the sensor 9 are provided on only one side inside the lower housing 22, the sensor 9 cannot directly detect that the cylindrical member 7 is engaged with the engagement portion 63 of the locking member 6 on the side where the actuator 8 and the sensor 9 are not provided.

[0045] However, as described above, the printer 1 of this embodiment is provided with the lever member 4 that prevents the closed state of the top cover 21 from being locked on only one side. Therefore, by detecting that the engaging portion 63 of the locking member 6 on the side where the actuator 8 and sensor 9 are provided is engaged with the cylindrical member 7, the sensor 9 can also detect that the engaging portion 63 of the locking member 6 on the opposite side is engaged with the cylindrical member 7.

[0046] The reason why the lever member 4 can prevent the closed state of the top cover 21 from being locked on only one side will be described below. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the locking member 6 and the actuator 8 according to this embodiment. Although not shown, in the example of Figure 6, it is assumed that one side of the top cover 21 cannot be closed due to the presence of a foreign object near the locking member 6 on the side where the actuator 8 and the sensor 9 are not provided.

[0047] In the above state, for example, consider a case where the user presses only the side of the top surface of the upper cover 21 where the actuator 8 and sensor 9 are provided. In this case, since the pair of movable parts 43 of the lever member 4 are connected by the shaft part 42, the movable part 43 on the side where the actuator 8 and sensor 9 are not provided (hereinafter also referred to as the opposite side) also rotates in conjunction with the movable part 43, with the shaft part 42 as the rotation axis.

[0048] As described above, the foreign object prevents the upper cover 21 from closing on the opposite side, so even if the protrusion 62 on the opposite side is pressed by the pressing claw 431, the engagement portion 63 on the opposite side is prevented from moving by the foreign object and does not move to a position where it engages with the cylindrical member 7.

[0049] On the other hand, on the side where the actuator 8 and sensor 9 are provided, there is no foreign object, so the movement of the locking member 6 is not impeded. However, as described above, the movable part 43 is connected to the movable part 43 on the opposite side by the shaft part 42, and moves in conjunction with the movable part 43 on the opposite side. Therefore, if the movement of the locking member 6 on the opposite side is impeded, the movement of the locking member 6 on the side where the actuator 8 and sensor 9 are provided is also impeded.

[0050] In other words, the engaging portion 63 on the side where the actuator 8 and the sensor 9 are provided will not move to a position where it engages with the cylindrical member 7 unless the engaging portion 63 on the opposite side moves to a position where it engages with the cylindrical member 7. This prevents the closed state of the upper cover 21 from being locked on only one side.

[0051] Next, consider a case where, for example, there is no foreign object present, both sides of the top cover 21 are closed, and the user presses only the side of the top surface of the top cover 21 where the actuator 8 and sensor 9 are provided. In this case, when the engaging portion 63 on the side where the actuator 8 and sensor 9 are provided moves to a position where it engages with the cylindrical member 7, the engaging portion 63 on the opposite side also moves in conjunction with the position where it engages with the cylindrical member 7.

[0052] Therefore, in this case too, it is possible to prevent the closed state of the upper cover 21 from being locked on only one side.

[0053] The printer 1 according to the embodiment described above includes a lower housing 22, an upper cover 21, a locking member 6, a lever member 4, an actuator 8, and a sensor 9. The upper cover 21 is provided on the top of the lower housing 22 so as to be openable and closable. The locking members 6 are provided on both widthwise sides of the upper cover 21 and engage with cylindrical members 7 provided inside the lower housing 22 to lock the lower housing 22 and the upper cover 21 in a closed state. The lever members 4 have movable portions 43 provided at positions corresponding to the locking members 6 of the upper cover 21 and shaft portions 42 connecting the movable portions. When the upper cover 21 is closed, the movable portions 43 push the corresponding locking members 6. The actuator 8 is provided at a position where the locking members 6 engage with the cylindrical members 7. The actuator 8 is pushed by the locking members 6, which are moved to that position by being pushed by the movable portions 43. The sensor 9 detects the open / closed state of the upper cover 21 based on the amount of movement of the actuator 8.

[0054] The shafts 42 connect the movable portions 43 on both sides of the upper cover 21, allowing the locking members 6 on both sides to move in unison. As the locking members 6 move in unison, when one locking member 6 engages with the cylindrical member 7, the other locking member 6 also engages with the cylindrical member 7. Furthermore, when one locking member 6 is disengaged from the cylindrical member 7, the other locking member 6 is also disengaged from the cylindrical member 7. This prevents the lower housing 22 and upper cover 21 from being locked in a closed state on only one side of the printer 1. Therefore, the sensor 9 will not detect that the upper cover 21 is closed unless the lower housing 22 and upper cover 21 are locked in a closed state. In other words, the printer 1 according to this embodiment can reliably detect whether the upper cover 21 is open or closed.

[0055] Furthermore, as described above, the printer 1 according to this embodiment does not detect that the upper cover 21 is closed unless the lower housing 22 and the upper cover 21 are locked in their closed state. Therefore, it is possible to reliably detect whether the upper cover is open or closed without providing the actuator 8 and the sensor 9 on both sides of the lower housing 22. In other words, the printer 1 according to this embodiment can provide a printer device that reliably detects whether the upper cover 21 is open or closed at low cost.

[0056] The above-described embodiment can be modified as needed by changing a portion of the configuration or function of the above-described device. Therefore, several modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described below as other embodiments. The following mainly focuses on differences from the above-described embodiment, and detailed descriptions of commonalities with the content already described will be omitted. The modifications described below may be implemented individually or in appropriate combination.

[0057] (Modification) In the above embodiment, the lever member 4 is provided with the lock operation portion 41. In this modification, a configuration in which the lever member 4 does not include the lock operation portion 41 will be described.

[0058] In this modification, when the user closes the upper cover 21, the pressing claw 431 of the lever member 4 provided on the back side of the upper cover 21 presses the protrusion 62 of the locking member 6. This causes the entire locking member 6 to rotate around the shaft 61 as the rotation axis.

[0059] According to this modification, the opening and closing of the upper cover 21 can be detected reliably and at low cost with a simpler configuration.

[0060] 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.

[0061] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-071524

Claims

1. A printer device comprising: a printer housing; a cover section that can open and close the printer housing; locking members that are provided on both sides of the cover section in the width direction and that lock the printer housing and the cover section in a closed state by engaging with lockable members provided inside the printer housing; lever members that have movable sections provided on the cover section at positions corresponding to the locking members and shaft sections connecting the movable sections, and that cause the movable sections to push the corresponding locking members when the cover section is closed; actuators that are provided at positions where the locking members and lockable members engage, and that are pushed by the locking members that have moved to that position; and a sensor that detects the open / closed state of the cover section based on the amount of movement of the actuator.

2. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the lever member moves the movable portion in response to a rotational operation relative to the shaft portion, thereby moving the locking member to a position where it engages with the locked member.

3. The printer device according to claim 2, wherein the lever member further comprises an operating portion that is provided at approximately the center of the shaft portion in the width direction and that receives the rotational operation when pressed.

4. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a mechanical sensor that turns on when the amount of movement of the actuator exceeds a threshold value, and a current flows through it, or an optical sensor that detects when the amount of movement of the actuator exceeds a threshold value, and the light emitted by the light-emitting element is blocked by the actuator.

5. The printer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the actuator and the sensor are provided on only one side in the width direction inside the printer housing.

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