JP2007030397A - printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED To facilitate paper jam handling.
A lower frame 3 and an upper frame 4 are connected via a plurality of rotatable link bodies 16, 16,... And the upper frame is moved with respect to the lower frame by a rotation operation of the plurality of link bodies. A plurality of openings that are movable between a closed position that closes the inside of the housing 2 and an open position that opens the inside of the housing, and communicates with the inside of the housing between the lower frame and the upper frame at the open position. 21 and 22 were formed.
[Selection] Figure 12

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technical field for facilitating paper jam processing by forming a plurality of openings communicating with the inside of a housing at an open position where an upper frame is opened with respect to a lower frame.

  There are printers that print on a printing sheet such as printing paper or printing film by thermal transfer or laser. In such a printer, for example, a sheet transport mechanism that transports a print sheet and a print head that prints on the print sheet are arranged in the housing, and the print is drawn from a sheet storage case mounted on the housing. There is one in which a sheet is conveyed by a sheet conveying mechanism and printed on a printing sheet by a printing head.

  In a printer, in general, when a print sheet is conveyed by the sheet conveyance mechanism, for example, when the print sheet is bent or bent, a so-called paper jam (jamming) in which the print sheet is jammed in each part of the sheet conveyance mechanism. May occur, which may hinder the conveying operation of the sheet conveying mechanism.

  In the conventional printer, the casing is configured by a lower frame and an upper frame that is rotatably connected to a rear end portion of the lower frame via a hinge portion (for example, see Patent Document 1). When a paper jam such as this occurs, the opening that communicates with the interior of the housing between the front part of the lower frame and the front part of the upper frame by lifting the front end of the upper frame and rotating with respect to the lower frame And a paper jam is processed by inserting a hand into the housing through the opening.

JP 2003-94675 A

  However, in the above-described conventional printer, there is a problem that it is difficult to perform the paper jam processing depending on the location of the paper jam, because there is one opening for inserting a hand to deal with the paper jam. . In particular, when the upper frame is opened with respect to the lower frame, the space formed in the housing becomes narrower as it goes to the back side. Have difficulty.

  Therefore, an object of the printer of the present invention is to overcome the above-described problems and facilitate paper jam processing.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the printer of the present invention connects the lower frame and the upper frame via a plurality of rotatable link bodies and turns the upper frame to the lower frame by rotating the plurality of link bodies. On the other hand, a plurality of openings that are movable between a closed position that closes the inside of the housing and an open position that opens the inside of the housing and communicates with the inside of the housing between the lower frame and the upper frame at the opened position. Is formed.

  Therefore, in the printer of the present invention, it is possible to insert hands from a plurality of locations inside the housing in the open position.

  The printer of the present invention is a printer in which a sheet conveying mechanism that conveys a printing sheet and a printing head that prints on the printing sheet are arranged in a casing configured by connecting a lower frame and an upper frame, A closed position in which the upper frame is connected via a plurality of rotatable link bodies and the upper frame closes the inside of the casing with respect to the lower frame by the rotation of the plurality of link bodies, and the interior of the casing And a plurality of openings communicating with the inside of the housing between the lower frame and the upper frame at the open position.

  Therefore, when a paper jam occurs inside the housing, a paper jam can be handled by inserting a hand from any of the plurality of openings, and the paper jam processing can be facilitated.

  In the invention described in claim 2, since the upper frame is positioned horizontally with respect to the lower frame in the open position, a plurality of openings having a uniform and sufficient size can be formed. This is possible, and the paper jam handling can be facilitated.

  In the invention described in claim 3, an urging spring for connecting the link body and the lower frame is provided, and the upper frame is moved toward the open position with reference to a predetermined position in the rotation range of the link body. The upper frame is urged to the open position by the urging spring, and the upper frame is urged to the closed position by the urging spring when the upper frame is moved toward the closing position. It can be securely held in the open position and the closed position.

  In the invention described in claim 4, the link body is provided with the rotation restricting pin for restricting the rotation of the link body relative to the lower frame and holding the upper frame in the open position. Can be held in the closed position and the open position, and the mechanism can be simplified.

  In the invention described in claim 5, the rotational moment generated in the link body based on the rotation fulcrum of the link body relative to the lower frame due to the weight of the upper frame is lower than the horizontal direction at the open position of the upper frame. Since it is made to occur in the direction to face, a mechanism for holding the upper frame in the open position is not particularly required, and accordingly, the number of parts and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the printer of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the embodiment described below, the printer of the present invention is applied to an inkjet printer that prints image data that has been used in a hospital and is computed tomographic (CT) on a printing film (printing sheet) using a printing head, for example. It is applied. The scope of application of the present invention is not limited to inkjet printers, and can be widely applied to other various printers such as dot impact printers, thermal (thermal transfer) printers, and laser printers.

  The printer 1 includes a casing 2 in which required parts are arranged. The casing 2 includes a lower frame 3 and an upper frame 4 that can be opened and closed with respect to the lower frame 3 (see FIG. 1).

  The lower frame 3 is mounted on a mounting table such as a desk or a table, and includes a lower panel 5 having a shallow substantially box shape opened upward, and a base chassis 6 disposed on the lower panel 5. A lower panel 5 is attached to the base chassis 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the base chassis 6 has a bottom surface portion 6a and side surface portions 6b and 6b protruding upward from the left and right side edges of the bottom surface portion 6a. is doing. The base chassis 6 is provided with four spring hanging pieces 6c, 6c,.

  Side chassis 7 and 7 are disposed at both left and right ends of the base chassis 6, respectively. The side chassis 7 and 7 are provided with a driving mechanism (not shown) that applies a driving force to a sheet conveying mechanism and the like to be described later.

  A sheet conveying mechanism 8 is disposed between the side chassis 7 and 7 at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the base chassis 6. The sheet conveying mechanism 8 is provided with a plurality of feed rollers 8a, 8a,... For conveying the printing sheet along a predetermined path.

  .. Are rotatably supported between the side chassis 7 and 7 on the back side (rear side) of the sheet conveying mechanism 8. The reversing rollers 9, 9,... Are attached to a rotating shaft 10 extending in the left-right direction and have a function of reversing the printing sheet conveyed from the front and conveying it forward again.

  The upper frame 4 has an upper panel 11 having a substantially box shape opened downward, and a frame chassis 12 disposed in the upper panel 11 (see FIGS. 1 to 4).

  The upper panel 11 has a main body portion 11a and a lid portion 11b supported by the main body portion 11a so as to be opened and closed. The lid portion 11b is positioned behind the main body portion 11a, the front end portion is connected to the main body portion 11a via a hinge portion (not shown), and is rotated with respect to the main body portion 11a with the hinge portion as a fulcrum to be opened and closed.

  An upper panel 11 is attached to the frame chassis 12. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the frame chassis 12 has a top surface portion 12a and side surface portions 12b and 12b that protrude downward from the left and right side edges of the top surface portion 12a. And have.

  Inside the frame chassis 12, a printing head 13 having a discharge surface facing downward is provided (see FIG. 2). The printing head 13 is a so-called line head in which a large number of ink outlets are formed in a line shape on the ejection surface. The print head 13 is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the upper frame 4.

  A head cleaner 14 is provided in front of the printing head 13 inside the frame chassis 12. The head cleaner 14 has a function of eliminating clogging at the ink outlet of the printing head 13 and is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the upper frame 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the printing head 13 in the printer 1 is cleaned from the state where the head cleaner 14 and the printing head 13 are positioned side by side (see FIG. 5). When the head cleaner 14 is moved, the head cleaner 14 is reciprocated back and forth, and the cleaner surface formed on the upper surface of the head cleaner 14 is brought into sliding contact with the ejection surface of the printing head 13 (see FIG. 6). Cleaning ends when the print head 13 is moved downward in a state where the head cleaner 14 is moved forward (see FIG. 5).

  In a state in which the lower frame 3 and the upper frame 4 are connected to form the housing 2, the housing 2 is formed with a mounting recess 2a that opens forward (see FIG. 1). A storage tray 15 is mounted in the mounting recess 2a. The storage tray 15 includes a sheet storage case 15a formed in a box shape that opens upward, and a cover 15b that closes the opening of the sheet storage case 15a. The upper surface of the cover 15b functions as a receiving unit that receives a printed sheet that has been printed and discharged from the housing 2.

  When the printing operation is started in a state where the storage tray 15 storing the printing sheet is mounted in the mounting recess 2a, the printing sheet is drawn into the housing 2 from the storage tray 15 (see FIG. (The conveyance path is indicated by an arrow.) When the printing sheet is drawn into the housing 2, the drawn printing sheet is conveyed backward along the path on the lower side by the conveyance mechanism 8. The printing sheet conveyed to the rear is reversed by the reverse rollers 9, 9,.

  The printing sheet sent forward passes through a path between the printing head 13 and the transport mechanism 8, and at this time, printing is performed on the printing sheet by the printing head 13. The printed sheet on which printing has been performed is transported forward by the transport mechanism 8 to a receiving portion formed on the upper surface of the storage tray 15.

  The upper frame 4 is connected to the lower frame 3 by, for example, four link bodies 16, 16,. In addition, the number of link bodies 16, 16,... Is not limited to four, and may be arbitrary as long as it is plural. Each of the link bodies 16, 16,... Is positioned, for example, so as to be spaced apart from each other on the side surfaces of the lower frame 3 and the upper frame 4.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the link body 16 includes an arm plate 17, a first rotation shaft 18, a second rotation shaft 19, and a second rotation shaft 19 that protrude from the both ends of the arm plate 17 in the longitudinal direction. have.

  In the link body 16, the first rotation shaft 18 is connected to the side surface portion 6 b of the lower frame 3, and the second rotation shaft 19 is connected to the lower end portion of the side surface portion 12 b of the upper frame 4. In the link body 16, for example, the first rotation shaft 18 and the second rotation shaft 19 are fixed to the arm plate 17, and the first rotation shaft 18 is rotatable with respect to the lower frame 3. Two rotating shafts 19 are connected to the upper frame 4 so as to be rotatable relative to each other.

  The arm plate 17 is provided with a first rotation restricting pin 17a and a second rotation restricting pin 17b that protrude to the side. The first rotation restriction pin 17a and the second rotation restriction pin 17b are located in the vicinity of the first rotation shaft 18 and the second rotation shaft 19, respectively. The arm plate 17 is provided with a spring hooking projection 17c at a position between the first rotation restriction pin 17a and the second rotation restriction pin 17b.

  The link body 16 is restricted from rotating with respect to the lower frame 3 when the first rotation restriction pin 17a and the second rotation restriction pin 17b are in contact with the upper edge of the side surface portion 6b of the lower frame 3, respectively. In a state where the rotation restricting pin 17a is in contact with the side surface portion 6b, the upper frame 4 reaches an open position described later where the upper frame 4 is opened with respect to the lower frame 3, and the second rotation restricting pin 17b is in contact with the side surface portion 6b. The upper frame 4 reaches a closing position to be described later where the lower frame 3 is closed.

  A biasing spring 20 is supported between the spring hooking projection 17 c of the arm plate 17 and the spring hooking piece 6 c of the lower frame 3. The biasing spring 20 is, for example, a tension coil spring.

  Hereinafter, an opening / closing operation of the upper frame 4 with respect to the lower frame 3 will be described (see FIGS. 9 to 11).

  In a state where the upper frame 4 is at the lower moving end in the moving range, that is, in the closed position, the second rotating shaft 19 of the link body 16 is connected to the first rotating shaft 18 as shown in FIG. The second rotation restricting pin 17b is in contact with the side surface portion 6b. At this time, the urging spring 20 is positioned below the first rotation shaft 18, and the urging force F1 of the urging spring 20 causes the link body 16 to move the upper frame 4 from the open position to the closed position. A rotation moment M1 about the first rotation axis 18 to (R1 shown in FIG. 9) is generated.

  Further, in the closed position, as shown in FIG. 9, the second rotation shaft 19 is positioned behind the first rotation shaft 18. Therefore, due to the weight component G of the upper frame 4 acting on the second rotating shaft 19, the link body 16 moves the upper frame 4 from the open position to the closed position (R 1 shown in FIG. 9) in the first direction. A rotational moment Mg about the rotation shaft 18 is generated.

  Therefore, the first rotating shaft 18 of the link body 16 is pressed against the side surface portion 6b by the rotational moment M1 based on the biasing force F1 of the biasing spring 20 and the rotational moment Mg based on the weight component G of the upper frame 4. In this state, the upper frame 4 can be reliably held in the closed position.

  When the upper frame 4 is gripped and lifted in the closed position, the link body 16 is rotated with respect to the lower frame 3, and the upper frame 4 is moved toward the open position while maintaining the horizontal state. In a state where the upper frame 4 is in the middle of reaching the open position, the urging spring 20 is located at the side of the first rotation shaft 18 (see FIG. 10). In this state, the direction in which the urging force F of the urging spring 20 acts and the direction connecting the first rotating shaft 18 and the spring hooking projection 17c of the link body 16 are the same. Does not generate a rotational moment about the first rotation shaft 18.

  When the upper frame 4 is further lifted from the state of FIG. 10, the link body 16 is further rotated in the R2 direction with respect to the lower frame 3, and the upper frame 4 is moved toward the open position while maintaining the horizontal state. The At this time, the urging spring 20 is positioned above the first rotation shaft 18, and the urging force F2 of the urging spring 20 causes the link body 16 to move the upper frame 4 from the closed position to the open position ( A rotation moment M2 about the first rotation shaft 18 to R2) shown in FIG. 11 is generated.

  Further, in the open position, as shown in FIG. 11, the second rotation shaft 19 is positioned in front of the first rotation shaft 18. Accordingly, due to the self-weight component G of the upper frame 4 acting on the second rotation shaft 19, the link body 16 has a rotational moment having a vector pointing downward from the horizontal direction, that is, the upper frame 4 is moved from the closed position to the open position. A rotational moment Mg about the first rotation shaft 18 in the moving direction (R2 shown in FIG. 11) is generated.

  Therefore, in the open position, the first rotating shaft 18 of the link body 16 is moved to the side surface portion by the rotational moment M2 based on the biasing force F2 of the biasing spring 20 and the rotational moment Mg based on the weight component G of the upper frame 4. The upper frame 4 can be securely held in the open position by being contacted with being pressed against 6b.

  As described above, the upper frame 4 is held by the rotational moments M1 and Mg at the closed position and is held by the rotational moments M2 and Mg at the opened position, so that the upper frame 4 is held at the closed position and the opened position. A mechanism is not particularly required, and accordingly, the number of parts and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Further, since the upper frame 4 is held at the closed position and the opened position by the first rotation restriction pin 17a and the second rotation restriction pin 17b provided on the arm plate 17 of the link body 16, respectively, it is easy. With this configuration, the upper frame 4 is held in the closed position and the open position, and the mechanism can be simplified.

  In the open position, the upper frame 4 is in a state of being raised with respect to the lower frame 3 in a horizontal state. Openings 21 and 22 communicating with the interior are formed (see FIG. 12). Therefore, when a paper jam occurs inside the housing 2, the upper frame 4 is moved to the open position as described above, and a paper jam is processed by inserting a hand from either the opening 21 or the opening 22. And paper jam handling can be facilitated.

  In particular, a paper jam is likely to occur in the reverse rollers 9, 9,... Located on the rear side inside the housing 2, but since the opening 22 is formed on the rear side in the open position, the reverse rollers 9, 9 ,... Can be easily handled.

  In the printer 1, since the upper frame 4 is positioned in a horizontal state with respect to the lower frame 3 in the open position, it is possible to form the openings 21 and 22 having a uniform and sufficient size. Yes, paper jam handling can be facilitated.

  Further, since the upper panel 11 of the upper frame 4 is provided with a lid portion 11b that is supported by the main body portion 11a so as to be freely opened and closed, the paper jam processing is performed by opening the lid portion 11b at the open position and the closed position. Is possible. In particular, by opening the lid portion 11b at the open position, the size of the opening 22 is increased (see FIG. 13), and the paper jam processing can be further facilitated.

  The specific shapes and structures of the respective parts shown in the above-described best mode are merely examples of the implementation of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is limited by these. It should not be interpreted in a general way.

2 to 13 show the best mode of the printer of the present invention, and this figure is a schematic perspective view showing the entire printer. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the lower frame and the upper frame separately with the lower panel omitted. It is a schematic perspective view which abbreviate | omits an upper panel and a lower panel in the state which has an upper frame in the obstruction | occlusion position. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the state which has an upper frame in an open position, abbreviate | omitting an upper panel and a lower panel. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state by which the cleaning by a head cleaner is not performed. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state in which the cleaning by a head cleaner is performed. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a part of a print sheet conveyance path along with an internal configuration in cross section. It is an expansion perspective view of the principal part. FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 show the operation of the link body, and this figure is an enlarged side view showing a state when the upper frame is in the closed position. It is an enlarged side view which shows the state in the middle of the link body being rotated. It is an enlarged side view which shows a state when an upper frame exists in an open position. It is a schematic side view which shows a state when an upper frame exists in an open position with a part in cross section with an internal structure. It is a schematic side view which shows the state by which the cover part was open | released when an upper frame exists in an open position with a part in cross section with an internal structure.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer, 2 ... Housing | casing, 3 ... Lower frame, 4 ... Upper frame, 8 ... Sheet conveyance mechanism, 13 ... Printing head, 16 ... Link body, 17a ... 1st rotation control pin, 20 ... Energizing spring 21 ... Opening, 22 ... Opening

Claims (5)

A printer in which a sheet conveying mechanism that conveys a print sheet and a print head that prints on a print sheet are arranged in a casing configured by connecting a lower frame and an upper frame,
A closed position in which the lower frame and the upper frame are connected via a plurality of rotatable link bodies, and the upper frame closes the interior of the housing with respect to the lower frame by the rotation of the plurality of link bodies, and the housing. It is possible to move between open positions that open the inside of the body,
A printer characterized in that a plurality of openings communicating with the inside of the housing are formed between the lower frame and the upper frame in the open position. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the upper frame is positioned in a horizontal state with respect to the lower frame in the open position. An urging spring that connects the link body and the lower frame is provided,
With reference to a predetermined position in the rotation range of the link body, when the upper frame is moved toward the open position, the upper frame is biased toward the open position by the biasing spring and the upper frame is moved toward the closed position. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the upper frame is urged to a closed position by an urging spring when the printer is pressed. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the link body is provided with a rotation restriction pin that restricts the rotation of the link body relative to the lower frame and holds the upper frame in the open position. Rotational moment generated in the link body based on the pivot point of the link body with respect to the lower frame due to the weight of the upper frame is generated in a direction facing downward from the horizontal direction at the open position of the upper frame. The printer according to claim 1.

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