Printer device

Abstract

This printer device includes: a printing part which performs printing while drawing and conveying a sheet from a roll sheet on which a belt-like sheet is wound; an operation part which is positioned in a conveyance path of the sheet toward the printing part and bends the conveyance path, and which causes the sheet to be pressed to a position where the sheet is subjected to said bending; a link part which is interposed between the operation part and a biasing member, is connected to the operation part and the biasing member, is rotatably supported by a shaft positioned between the operation part and the biasing member, and is biased by the biasing member in a rotation direction against the pressing of the sheet; and a guide part which guides the sheet on a downstream side in a sheet conveyance direction of the operation part, and narrows an angle formed by the sheet between a downstream side of the operation part and an upstream side of the operation part by bending the conveyance path between the operation part and the shaft.

Description

Printer device

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

[0002] Conventionally, printers that pull paper from a roll of paper and print output are equipped with a buffer (known as a damper) to absorb shocks when printing begins. In printers that use roll paper, the tension on the paper changes when printing begins until the roll paper stabilizes and begins to rotate. To prevent a deterioration in print quality during this time, the buffer buffers the change in paper tension. While there are various types of buffers used in printers, small printers tend to use rotating buffers, which are advantageous for saving space.

[0003] However, in the case of a rotary buffer unit, the direction of rotation from the initial state where it is not pressed by the paper often does not match the direction of pressure from the paper. The greater the difference between the direction of rotation of the part that is pressed by the paper and the direction of pressure from the paper, the more difficult it is to obtain the buffering effect of the buffer unit at the start of printing, so improvement is required.

[0004] The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a printer device in which, in a buffer section that suppresses changes in paper tension when printing starts, the direction in which the part that receives pressure from the paper moves due to rotation is close to the direction in which the pressure received from the paper is received, making it easy to obtain a buffer effect when printing starts.

[0005] The printer device of the embodiment comprises a printing unit that pulls out a strip of paper from a roll of paper around which the paper is wound and prints on it while transporting it; an action unit that is located on the transport path of the paper heading toward the printing unit and bends the transport path, with the paper pressed against the bent position; a link unit that is interposed between the action unit and a biasing member and connected to the action unit and the biasing member, is rotatably supported on a shaft located between the action unit and the biasing member, and is biased by the biasing member in a rotational direction that resists the pressure of the paper; and a guide unit that guides the paper downstream of the action unit in the paper transport direction and narrows the angle formed by the paper between the downstream side of the action unit and the upstream side of the action unit by bending the transport path between the action unit and the shaft.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a printer device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of a printer device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a printer device with the housing open. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a buffer section for comparison with the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the structure of the buffer section according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining another example of the structure of the buffer section. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the buffer section of FIG. 6 is applied to the printer device of FIG. 2. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of members that realize the action section and link section, among the components that make up the buffer section shown in FIG. 7.

[0007] An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the exterior of a printer device 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of the printer device 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the printer device 1 taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1. The printer device 1 includes a housing 2, a paper storage section 3, a printing section 4, a cutting section 5, a buffer section 7, and a swinging section 8. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the printer device 1 with the housing 2 open. In the figure, the X-axis direction indicates the width (left-right direction) of the printer device 1, the Y-axis direction indicates the depth (front-back direction) of the printer device 1, and the Z-axis direction indicates the height (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 viewing the printer device 1 from the positive Y-axis direction.

[0008] The printer device 1 of this embodiment is a thermal printer, and is used as a receipt printer for printing (printing, outputting) receipts and the like, for example.

[0009] 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 is closed on the main body unit 20, as shown in FIG. 1, 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. The paper outlet 22 is an opening for discharging paper 91 from the housing 2.

[0010] The lid 21 of the printer device 1 has a support portion 211 on its upper edge. The support portion 211 supports the underside of the paper 91 discharged from the paper discharge outlet 22. The support portion 211 is provided so as to be detachable from the paper discharge outlet 22 or integrally with the paper discharge outlet 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 called a table.

[0011] The paper storage unit 3 stores roll paper 90 so that 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.

[0012] The printer device 1 prints on paper 91 while drawing out and transporting paper 91 from a roll of paper 90 stored in the paper storage unit 3 .

[0013] 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.

[0014] The print head 41 is a thermal head having a structure in which a plurality of 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. The print head 41 is biased by a biasing mechanism in a direction in which it is pressed against the platen 42.

[0015] The cutting unit 5 cuts the paper 91 and has a movable blade and a fixed blade. The movable blade is a blade that can move in the thickness direction of the paper. The movable blade is moved up and down in the drawing (Z-axis direction) by a movement mechanism that moves the blade under the control of a control unit installed in the printer device 1. The fixed blade is provided in a fixed position within the main body 20, facing the movable blade.

[0016] When printing on the paper 91 is completed, the movable blade moves from the back side of the paper to the front side of the paper, and the paper 91 is sandwiched between the moved movable blade and the fixed blade, thereby cutting the paper 91. The front side of the paper corresponds to, for example, the printed side of the paper. The back side of the paper corresponds to the side opposite the printed side of the paper (the non-printed side).

[0017] 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 portion of the paper 91. Full cut and partial cut are set in advance by a user via an operation unit (not shown).

[0018] 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 is also biased in a direction to press down on the top surface of the paper 91. The printer device 1 is equipped with a sensor that detects when the swinging unit 8 swings beyond a predetermined degree.

[0019] When the paper 91 gets stuck near the paper outlet 22 and a jam occurs, the swinging unit 8 swings significantly beyond a predetermined degree. When the sensor provided in the printer 1 detects that the swinging unit 8 has swung significantly beyond the predetermined degree, the control unit of the printer 1 determines that a jam has occurred.

[0020] The swinging unit 8 also holds the cut paper 91 between itself and the upper surface of the support unit 211 to prevent it from falling out of the paper exit 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 direction moves away from the upper surface of the support unit 211 and maintains its curved state. The swinging unit 8 operates to press the paper 91 in a direction that weakens this curve and brings it closer to the upper surface of the support unit 211, thereby holding the paper 91 between the swinging unit 8 and the support unit 211.

[0021] 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.

[0022] To facilitate understanding of the buffer unit 7 of this embodiment, a buffer unit 700 will be described first as a comparison target with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the buffer unit 700 as a comparison target for the embodiment. In the schematic diagram of Fig. 4, the printer device 1 is used in a position where the cover 21 and the paper outlet 22 face upward.

[0023] The buffer unit 700 has an action portion 71, a link portion 72, and a biasing portion 73. The buffer unit 700 does not have a partial component (a guide portion 75 described later, see FIG. 5 ) that is included in the buffer unit 7 of this embodiment. This partial component (the guide portion 75) is not included in conventional buffer units.

[0024] The biasing portion 73 is configured to include a tension spring (an example of a biasing member), and, for example, one end (fixed end 731) is fixed inside the main body 20, and the other end (connecting end 732) is connected to the link portion 72. The biasing portion 73 biases the link portion 72 in a direction that rotates it counterclockwise in the figure.

[0025] The link portion 72 is interposed between the acting portion 71 and the urging portion 73 and is connected to the acting portion 71 and the urging portion 73, is rotatably supported by a pivot shaft 721 located between the acting portion 71 and the urging portion 73, and is urged by the urging portion 73 in a rotational direction that resists the pressure of the paper 91.

[0026] More specifically, the link portion 72 is provided inside the main body 20 so as to be rotatable in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions in the figure around a rotation shaft 721. One end of the link portion 72 is pulled by a biasing portion 73, and is thereby biased in the counterclockwise direction in the figure. An acting portion 71 is provided at one end of the link portion 72.

[0027] The acting portion 71 is located in the transport path of the paper 91 heading toward the printing unit 4 and bends the transport path, with the paper 91 being pressed against the bending position. More specifically, the acting portion 71 presses the paper 91 pulled out from the roll paper 90 on the upstream side of the printing unit 4.

[0028] The action portion 71 is provided at one end of the link portion 72 and moves in accordance with the rotation of the link portion 72. In this figure, the action portion 71 is shown in a roller shape, but this is not a limitation in practice and any shape suitable for pressing the paper 91 may be used.

[0029] The action portion 71 bends and detours the path of the paper 91 by pressing against the paper 91. The amount of this bending changes as the link portion 72 rotates, becoming smaller at the end of the rotation. The path of the paper 91 in the final state with a small amount of bending, and the action portion 71 and link portion 72 are shown by two-dot chain lines. Hereinafter, the positions of the action portion 71 and link portion 72 shown by the two-dot chain lines will be referred to as the final position. In contrast, the positions shown by the solid lines will be referred to as the initial position. The action portion 71 and link portion 72 are located in the initial position when the action portion 71 is not pressed against the paper 91.

[0030] In this configuration, the action unit 71 moves from the initial position shown by the solid line to the final position shown by the two-dot chain line as the paper 91 is transported. The action unit 71 moves on a rotational path centered on the rotation axis 721, so the direction of movement from the initial position shown by the solid line is the direction indicated by arrow P. The force that the action unit 71 receives from the paper 91 is in the direction indicated by arrow Q. Arrow Q is approximately parallel to a line that equally divides the angle between the paper 91 on the upstream side of the action unit 71 and the paper 91 on the downstream side.

[0031] To improve the printing performance of the printing unit 4, it is desirable that the tension of the paper 91 be stable, but when the paper 91 starts to be transported, the tension of the paper 91 changes until the roll paper 90 begins to rotate stably. Therefore, the buffer unit 7 (700) is provided to absorb the tension on the paper 91 and minimize the change.

[0032] However, with a configuration like that of the buffer unit 700, the difference in direction between the arrow P and the arrow Q is large (i.e., the angle between the arrows P and Q is large). The smaller the angle between the arrows P and Q, the more efficient the action unit 71 is in consuming (absorbing) the tension of the paper 91 as a force to move it. Therefore, the buffer unit 7 of this embodiment shown in Figure 5 is provided with a configuration for bringing the arrow Q closer to the arrow P.

[0033] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the buffer unit 7 in this embodiment. In FIG. 5, the printer device 1 is used in a position where the cover 21 and the paper outlet 22 face upward, similar to FIG. 4. The buffer unit 7 includes a guide unit 75 in addition to the configuration of the buffer unit 700. In this buffer unit 7, the force that the action unit 71 receives from the paper 91 is in the direction indicated by arrow R. Arrow R corresponds to arrow Q in the buffer unit 700.

[0034] The guide section 75 guides the paper 91 downstream in the paper transport direction from the action section 71, and narrows the angle formed by the paper 91 between the downstream and upstream sides of the action section 71 by bending the transport path of the paper 91 between the action section 71 and the pivot shaft 721.

[0035] More specifically, the guide unit 75 is provided, for example, as part of a member that forms a path along which the paper 91 passes as it is transported from the paper storage unit 3 to the printing unit 4. The guide unit 75 is provided, for example, as a convex shape on the paper transport path between the initial position of the action unit 71 and the printing unit 4, and bends the paper 91.

[0036] As a result, the angle formed by the paper 91 on the upstream side and the paper 91 on the downstream side of the action unit 71 in the initial position is smaller than that in the configuration shown in Fig. 4. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the angle formed by the paper 91 on the downstream side and the upstream side of the action unit 71 at the start of conveyance of the paper 91 is an acute angle slightly smaller than 90°.

[0037] Guide portion 75 makes the angle between arrow R and arrow P smaller than the angle between arrow Q and arrow P, and arrow R corresponding to arrow Q becomes closer to arrow P. This improves the efficiency of consuming (absorbing) the tension of paper 91 by moving action portion 71. This reduces the change in tension of paper 91 at the start of printing, thereby achieving good print quality.

[0038] It is preferable that the biasing portion 73 is attached so as to be positioned in a direction that allows it to expand and contract most easily when conveyance of the paper 91 begins. In other words, it is preferable that the direction in which the biasing portion 73 biases the connecting end 732 with the link portion 72 is substantially the opposite direction to the movement direction of the connecting end 732 due to the rotation of the link portion 72 when conveyance of the paper 91 begins.

[0039] Furthermore, it is desirable that the spring constant of the biasing portion 73 be a value that can adequately cushion (absorb the tension of the paper 91) when the paper 91 starts to be conveyed.

[0040] Next, the structure shown in FIG. 6 will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example structure of the buffer unit 7. The structure in FIG. 6 is a partial modification of the structure in FIG. 5. In FIG. 6, the printer device 1 is used in a position where the cover 21 and the paper outlet 22 face upward, similar to FIGS. 4 and 5. In this example, the link unit 72 has a bent portion 725. The bent portion 725 is located between the pivot shaft 721 and the action unit 71, and has a shape in which a concave surface faces the guide unit 75. The guide unit 75 is located in a position that allows the paper 91 to approach the bent portion 725.

[0041] The link portion 72 is bent at the bent portion 725, and is shaped to follow the paper transport path, and this shape allows the tip of the guide portion 75 to avoid being caught by the tip of the guide portion 75. This allows the tip of the guide portion 75 to be inserted deeper between the action portion 71 and the pivot shaft 721. In the buffer unit 7 in Figure 6, the force that the action portion 71 receives from the paper 91 is in the direction indicated by arrow S. Arrow S corresponds to arrow R in Figure 5.

[0042] In the buffer unit 7 of Fig. 6, the angle formed by the paper 91 on the upstream side of the action unit 71 and the paper 91 on the downstream side in the initial position is even smaller than in the configuration of Fig. 5. As a result, the angle formed by arrow S and arrow P is even smaller than the angle formed by arrow R and arrow P, and the arrow S corresponding to arrow R is even closer to arrow P. This further improves the efficiency of consuming (absorbing) the tension of the paper 91 by moving the action unit 71. This further reduces the change in tension of the paper 91 at the start of printing, resulting in better print quality.

[0043] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the buffer unit 7 of Fig. 6 is applied to the printer device 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 shows a state in which the printer device 1 is used in a manner in which the lid 21 and the paper discharge port 22 face upward, similar to Figs. 4 to 6. Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the members that realize the action unit 71 and the link unit 72, among the components that make up the buffer unit 7 shown in Fig. 7.

[0044] 7 and 8, the action portion 71 is not a roller, but is provided integrally with the link portion 72 and forms one side of the link portion 72. In other words, the action portion 71 is provided integrally with the link portion 72 as a portion that includes one side of the link portion 72.

[0045] 7, the paper 91 is bent between the action portion 71 and the guide portion 75. If the printer device 1 is left overnight after printing, for example, and the distance between the action portion 71 and the guide portion 75 is too narrow, the paper 91 may have difficulty returning to its original bent state in that area. To avoid this problem, it is desirable to appropriately set the positions and sizes of the action portion 71 and the guide portion 75, taking into consideration the properties of the printing medium used as the paper 91.

[0046] Thus, according to this embodiment, in the buffer section 7 that suppresses changes in tension of the paper 91 when printing starts, the direction in which the action section 71 that receives pressure from the paper 91 moves due to the rotation of the link section 72 is close to the direction in which the action section 71 receives pressure from the paper 91, making it easier to obtain a buffer effect when printing starts.

[0047] 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.

[0048] JP 2012-179860 A

Claims

1. A printer device comprising: a printing unit that prints on strip-shaped paper as it is pulled out from a roll of paper around which the paper is wound; an action unit that is located on the paper transport path toward the printing unit and bends the transport path, with the paper being pressed against the bent position; a link unit that is interposed between the action unit and a biasing member and is connected to the action unit and the biasing member, is rotatably supported by a shaft located between the action unit and the biasing member, and is biased by the biasing member in a rotational direction that resists the pressure of the paper; and a guide unit that guides the paper on the downstream side of the action unit in the paper transport direction, and narrows the angle made by the paper between the downstream side of the action unit and the upstream side of the action unit by bending the transport path between the action unit and the shaft.

2. A printer device as described in claim 1, wherein the link portion has a bent portion between the shaft and the acting portion that faces a concave surface toward the guide portion, and the guide portion is positioned to bring the paper closer to the bent portion.

3. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein said guide section makes an acute angle between the downstream side of said action section and the upstream side of said action section when said paper starts to be conveyed.

4. A printer device as described in claim 1, wherein the direction in which the biasing member biases the connection position with the link portion is approximately the opposite direction to the movement direction of the connection position due to the rotation of the link portion when the paper starts to be transported.

5. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the action portion is provided integrally with the link portion as a portion including one side of the link portion.

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