Thermal Printer Separator for Sheet Jam Prevention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Thermal printers face issues with paper jams and incorrect sheet detection due to the turn-back shape of the recording sheet at the rolling start portion, leading to potential thermal destruction of the heat-generating element and poor printing quality, especially in automated systems like ATMs and kiosks.
Innovation Solution
A thermal printer design incorporating a separator with a first and second separation wall, a tension bar, and guide portions to effectively separate and guide the recording sheet, preventing paper jams and ensuring accurate sheet detection by maintaining the sheet's integrity during unrolling and printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the recording sheet is rolled into a roll shape with a turn-back shape at the rolling start portion, then the recording sheet can be properly fed and printed, but a paper jam may occur causing step out of driving motor or tooth skipping of gear
Solution Approach 1:
The separator is installed in advance in the recording sheet receiving portion to proactively separate the folded parts of the rolling start portion before they can cause a paper jam. This preliminary separation action prevents the turn-back shape from interfering with the narrow gap between the platen roller and thermal head, thereby avoiding motor step-out and gear tooth skipping.
2Productivity
If the recording sheet is continuously printed at the same position without proper separation, then printing processing continues, but heat stays in the heat-generating element causing thermal destruction and poor printing
Solution Approach 1:
The separator performs preliminary separation of the recording sheet folds before they reach the printing position. This ensures that the sheet is properly fed through the printing mechanism, preventing continuous printing at the same position and allowing heat to dissipate from the heat-generating element, thereby avoiding thermal destruction and maintaining print quality.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the rolling start portion with turn-back shape is conveyed into the narrow gap, then the recording sheet path is maintained, but a paper jam may occur causing driving force transmission failure
Solution Approach 1:
The separator extracts and separates the folded parts of the rolling start portion from the main sheet path before they can enter the narrow gap between the platen roller and thermal head. By removing the turn-back shape interference, the separator prevents paper jams and ensures continuous driving force transmission to the recording sheet.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A thermal printer (1), includes: a head unit (5) including a thermal head configured to perform printing on a recording sheet (100); a platen unit (4), which includes a platen roller (33) configured to convey the recording sheet (100), and is separably combined with the head unit (5); a printer main body (2), which has a recording-sheet receiving portion (10) configured to receive the recording sheet (100), and has the head unit (5) mounted thereto; a printer cover (3), which has the platen unit (4) mounted thereto, and is coupled to the printer main body (2) so as to be pivotable; and a separator (80), which is provided in the recording-sheet receiving portion (10), and is configured to separate parts of the recording sheet (100), which is rolled into a roll shape around a core body (101), folded on each other at a rolling start portion (102), which is rolled around the core body (101) and has a turn-back shape.