JP2007112529A - Roll paper level detector height position adjustment mechanism and roll paper printer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a height adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the height of a roll paper remaining amount detector by a simple operation even when a sufficient width as an opening of a roll paper storage unit cannot be secured.
In a height adjustment mechanism 40 of a roll paper remaining amount detector 30 of a roll paper printer 1, a detector holder 33 to which a roll paper remaining amount detector 30 is attached is mounted on a side wall portion 61. The mounting recess 62 is mounted so as to be movable in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the printer, and the mounting state is held by the tension coil spring 43. After holding the knob 33a of the detector holder 33 and pulling it forward, the positioning projection 41 is removed from the positioning groove 63b on the mounting recess side, and then moved upward to position the positioning projection 41 in the upper positioning groove 63a. When the knob 33a is released, the positioning projection 41 is inserted into the positioning groove 63a, and the position of the remaining roll paper detector 30 is changed to a higher position.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention provides a roll paper remaining amount detector for detecting that the remaining amount of roll paper has become a predetermined amount or less based on the height position of the roll core of the roll paper stored in the roll paper storage unit of the roll paper printer. The present invention relates to a height position adjusting mechanism.

  In a roll paper printer, a roll paper having a configuration in which a long recording paper is wound around a winding core is used as a recording medium. The roll paper storage unit for storing the roll paper has a bottom surface of the roll paper storage unit without being rotatably supported through a shaft to the roll paper core in order to facilitate replacement of the roll paper. It is known that a roll paper is directly placed on the top, and a long recording paper is pulled out from the bottom while rolling the roll paper on the bottom surface.

  In addition, a roll paper remaining amount detector that detects that the remaining amount of roll paper stored in the roll paper storage section having this configuration has reached a predetermined amount (near end) based on the position of the roll core is known. It has been. For example, when the remaining amount of roll paper is near-end, the detection switch operates when the detector enters the hollow part of the roll core of the roll paper, thereby detecting that the remaining amount of roll paper is very small. What to do is known.

In such a roll paper remaining amount detector, the height of the detector can be changed by changing the mounting height position, and the roll paper remaining amount at the time of detection can be adjusted to an appropriate amount. it can. In order to enable such adjustment, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a roll paper remaining amount detector is attached to a side wall portion of the roll paper storage unit in a state in which the height can be adjusted by an attachment screw. Is disclosed.
JP 2004-268444 A

  Here, the roll paper remaining amount detector is disposed at a substantially central portion in the depth direction in the side wall portion of the roll paper storage unit. When adjusting the height, etc., it is necessary to put a hand with a tool to turn the screw into the roll paper storage unit, loosen the mounting screw, change the height, and then tighten the screw again. It is. However, in a small roll paper printer, there may be a case where it is not possible to secure an opening having a sufficient width that allows a hand holding a tool such as a screwdriver to be inserted as the opening of the roll paper storage unit. In such a case, it is difficult or impossible to adjust the height of the screw-type roll paper remaining amount detector.

  In view of these points, the problem of the present invention is to adjust the height of the roll paper remaining amount detector by a simple operation even when a sufficient area as the opening of the roll paper storage unit cannot be secured. The present invention proposes a height adjustment mechanism of a roll paper remaining amount detector capable of performing the above.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention provides a roll for detecting that the remaining amount of the roll paper has become a predetermined amount or less based on the height position of the roll core of the roll paper stored in the roll paper storage unit. In the height position adjusting mechanism of the remaining paper amount detector, a mounting portion on which the roll paper remaining amount detector is mounted in a state of being movable in first and second directions forming a predetermined angle, and the mounting portion A plurality of positioning grooves formed at different height positions at predetermined intervals along the first direction, and each positioning groove On the other hand, the roll paper remaining amount detector is configured so that the positioning protrusion is formed on the roll paper remaining amount detector so that it can be attached and detached along the second direction, and the positioning protrusion is not removed from the positioning groove. And a biasing member that biases It is characterized in that there.

  When adjusting the height of the roll paper remaining amount detector, the positioning protrusion can be positioned by holding the roll paper remaining amount detector and moving it in the second direction against the urging force of the urging member. Can be removed from the groove. After that, the roll paper remaining amount detector is moved in the first direction, the positioning protrusion is positioned in the positioning groove at the target height position, and the roll paper remaining amount detector is released. The roll paper remaining amount detector is moved in the second direction by the urging force of the member, and the positioning projection is inserted into the positioning groove at the target height. As a result, a state in which the roll paper remaining amount detector is attached to the target height position is formed.

  In this way, the height position can be adjusted by moving the roll paper remaining amount detector. Therefore, the operation of loosening and tightening the screw as in the case of the screwing type becomes unnecessary, and the height adjustment work can be easily performed even in a narrow place.

  Here, the detector holder to which the roll paper remaining amount detector is attached is mounted on the mounting portion in a state where the detector holder can be moved in the first and second directions, and the positioning is performed on the detector holder. A configuration in which a protrusion is formed and the detector holder is urged by the urging member can be employed.

  In this case, it is desirable to form a knob portion used for moving the detector holder in the first and second directions on the detector holder. If the knob portion is extended to the position near the opening of the roll paper storage portion, it is not necessary to put the hand all the way into the roll paper storage portion, so that the height adjustment operation becomes extremely simple.

  Furthermore, the first and second directions, which are the moving directions of the roll paper remaining amount detector, can be directions orthogonal to each other. For example, the first direction can be the up-down direction of the printer, and the second direction can be the front-back direction of the printer.

  Next, the roll paper printer of the present invention is characterized by having the height adjustment mechanism of the roll paper remaining amount detector configured as described above.

  In the present invention, when the height position of the roll paper remaining amount detector is changed, the roll paper remaining amount detector is held, pulled out from the positioning groove along the first direction, and then moved in the second direction. If the roll paper remaining amount detector is released after that, the roll paper remaining amount detector is inserted into the positioning groove, and the target is set. Fixed to the height position. Therefore, unlike the screw-type height adjustment mechanism, it is not necessary to use a tool, and therefore the height can be easily adjusted even in a narrow place. Especially, if you place the knob part of the detector holder to which the roll paper remaining amount detector is attached at a position close to the roll paper opening, you do not need to put your hand into the roll paper storage part. Even if the roll paper opening is narrow, the height can be easily adjusted.

  A roll paper printer provided with a height adjustment mechanism of a roll paper remaining amount detector to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(overall structure)
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a roll paper printer to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a state in which the opening / closing lid is fully opened. The roll paper printer 1 includes an exterior case 1a having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and a recording paper discharge port 2 having a predetermined width is formed on the front surface thereof. A paper discharge guide 3 protrudes forward below the recording paper discharge port 2, and a lid opening / closing lever 4 is disposed on the side of the paper discharge guide 3. A rectangular opening 1b is formed below the paper discharge guide 3 and the lid opening / closing lever 4 in the outer case 1a. The opening 1b is sealed with an opening / closing lid 5 that can be opened forward.

  When the lid opening / closing lever 4 is operated to release the lid locking mechanism (not shown) and the paper discharge guide 3 is pulled forward, the opening / closing lid 5 is substantially horizontal in the front with the lower end as the center as shown in FIG. Open until. When the opening / closing lid 5 is opened, the roll paper storage unit 6 formed inside the printer is opened, and the roll paper can be exchanged from the front of the printer. Here, a roll paper remaining amount detector 30 for detecting that the remaining amount of the roll paper 7 is reduced is attached to the right side wall portion 61 of the roll paper storage unit 6. The roll paper remaining amount detector 30 will be described later.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the roll paper printer 1, with the outer case 1a removed. FIG. 4 is a plan view when viewed from the direction of arrow IV in FIG. The roll paper storage unit 6 formed inside the printer includes a roll paper holder 8 that holds the roll paper 7 in a rollable state. A recording paper guide 9 is disposed horizontally in the front-rear direction of the printer at a rear portion above the roll paper storage unit 6. On the front side of the recording paper guide 9, a platen guide 10 is disposed horizontally in the front-rear direction of the printer at a higher position. An ink jet head 11 is disposed directly above the platen guide 10. The nozzle surface 11a of the inkjet head 11 is opposed to the upper surface 10a of the platen guide 10 with a certain gap, and the printing position is defined by the upper surface 10a.

  Between the platen guide 10 that defines the printing position and the recording paper guide 9, a first paper feed roller 12 is stretched horizontally in the printer width direction. A first paper pressing roller 13 having a predetermined width is pressed against the first paper feeding roller 12 from the lower side with a predetermined pressing force. The first paper pressing roller 13 is driven by a paper feed motor 15 via a belt-pulley type transmission mechanism 14 (see FIG. 4). A second paper feed roller 16 is disposed at the front end side of the platen guide 10. A second paper pressing roller 17 is pressed against the second paper feeding roller 16 from above.

  Next, as can be seen from FIG. 4, the inkjet head 11 is mounted on a carriage 18, and the carriage 18 is movable in the printer width direction (printing width direction) along a carriage guide 19 extending horizontally in the printer width direction. It is supported in the state. The carriage 18 is connected to a timing belt 20 that extends across the width of the printer, and the timing belt 20 is driven by a carriage motor 21. When the carriage motor 21 is driven, the ink-jet head 11 mounted on the carriage 18 moves in the printer width direction, and the ink-jet head 11 is driven in synchronism with this movement and is fed out of the roll paper 7 and passes through the print position. Printing is performed on the surface of the recording paper 7a.

  Note that one end of a flexible printed wiring board 29 is connected to the carriage 18, and power is supplied to the ink jet head 11 through this end. Ink jet head 11 is supplied with ink from an ink cartridge housed in an ink cartridge housing section arranged on the side of roll paper housing section 6 via an ink tube. In the figure, these ink supply systems are omitted.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, a scissors-type recording paper cutting device 22 is disposed at the recording paper discharge port 2. The fixed blade 23 of the recording paper cutting device 22 is vertically arranged in an upward state, and the movable blade 24 is vertically arranged vertically. When the movable blade 24 pivots in the vertical direction with one end in the printer width direction as a fulcrum by the movable blade drive mechanism 25, the contact point with the fixed blade 23 moves in the printer width direction, and the recording paper positioned therebetween 7a can be cut in the width direction.

  In the roll paper printer 1 configured as described above, the recording paper 7a drawn from the roll paper 7 stored in the roll paper storage section 6 is transferred to the recording paper guide 9 as shown by a thick dashed line in FIG. Between the first paper feed roller 12 and the first paper press roller 13 and between the second paper feed roller 16 and the second paper press roller 17 via the upper surface 10a (printing position) of the platen guide 10. It is set in a state of being pulled out from the recording paper discharge port 2 through.

  When the first paper feed roller 12 and the second paper feed roller 16 rotate in this state, the conveyance of the recording paper 7a is started. The inkjet head 11 is driven in synchronization with the conveyance of the recording paper 7a, and printing is performed on the surface of the recording paper 7a passing through the printing position. For example, the conveyance is stopped in a state in which the recording paper 7a after printing is discharged from the recording paper discharge port 2, the recording paper 7a is cut by the recording paper cutting device 22, and the printed recording paper piece having a predetermined length is printed on the receipt. Or it is issued as a coupon.

(Roll paper remaining amount detector and its height adjustment mechanism)
FIG. 5 is a side view showing the roll paper remaining amount detector 30 attached to the side wall portion 61 of the roll paper storage unit 6 and its height adjusting mechanism. FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view and an explanatory view showing the operation of the roll paper remaining amount detector.

  The right side surface of the roll paper holder 8 of the roll paper storage unit 6 is an opening 8a, and the roll paper remaining amount detector 30 is located in this portion. Based on the position of the winding core 71 of the roll paper 7 stored in the roll paper storage unit 6, the roll paper remaining amount detector 30 detects that the remaining amount of the roll paper 7 has become a predetermined amount or less (near end). It is for detection.

  The roll paper remaining amount detector 30 includes a rotation lever 31 extending in the vertical direction of the printer and a limit switch 32, and these are attached to a detector holder 33. The rotation lever 31 is supported by the detector holder 33 so as to be rotatable in the printer width direction around a pair of front and rear rotation pins 34a and 34b attached to the upper end portion thereof. A substantially frustoconical detection protrusion 35 is formed at the lower end of the rotating lever 31 so as to protrude into the roll paper storage portion through the opening 8a. In addition, a substantially truncated pyramid-shaped protrusion 36 that protrudes into the roll paper storage part through the opening 8a is also formed from the middle part in the vertical direction of the rotation lever 31.

  In a state where a sufficient amount of roll paper 7 is stored in the roll paper storage unit 6, the detection protrusion 35 and the protrusion 36 are in contact with the side surface portion of the roll paper 7 below the winding core 71, and the rotation lever 31 is It is in a state of being pushed out to the side (a state indicated by a broken line in FIG. 6B). As the usage amount of the roll paper 7 increases, the outer diameter of the roll paper 7 also decreases, and the position of the winding core 71 gradually decreases. When the height position of the winding core 71 is lowered to the height position of the detection protrusion 35, the detection protrusion 35 enters the winding core 71, and the rotation lever 31 rotates to the roll paper storage portion as a whole (FIG. 6B). ) (Shown by solid line).

  Here, the detection rod 32a of the limit switch 32 attached to the detector holder 33 urges the rotating lever 31 toward the roll paper storage portion by a built-in spring force. When the roll paper 7 is stored, the rotation lever 31 is pushed out to the side, so that the detection rod 32a is pushed in. This state is, for example, the OFF state of the limit switch 32. As described above, when the remaining amount of roll paper is reduced and the winding core 71 is lowered to the height position of the detection projection 35, it is pushed by the detection rod 32a. The turning lever 31 is turned inward, and the detection projection 35 enters the winding core 71. As a result, the limit switch 37 is turned on, and a detection signal indicating that the roll paper 7 is near-end is output.

  The protrusion 36 on the upper side of the rotating lever 31 is a protrusion for preventing erroneous detection. When the roll paper is supplied, the roll paper 7 may be pulled, and the roll paper 7 may move up and down inside the roll paper storage unit 6 as a whole. If the remaining roll paper 7 moves up and down, the entire roll paper 7 may float above the detection protrusion 35, and the detection protrusion 35 may enter the lower side of the raised roll paper 7, resulting in an erroneous detection state. is there. In this case, since the upper protrusion 36 is in contact with the side surface portion of the roll paper 7, the rotation lever 31 does not rotate inward. That is, the detection protrusion 35 is prevented from entering the lower side of the roll paper 7 and falling into an erroneous detection state.

  Next, the roll paper remaining amount detector 30 is provided with a height adjustment mechanism 40 so that the height position thereof, that is, the height position of the detection projection 35 can be adjusted in two stages. The height adjustment mechanism 40 of this example is configured as follows. First, the detector holder 33 holding the roll paper remaining amount detector 30 extends in the front-rear direction of the printer. The rear half portion 33A of the detector holder 33 has a mounting recess 62 (mounting portion) formed on the outer surface portion of the side wall portion 61, in the printer vertical direction (first direction) and the printer longitudinal direction (second direction). (Mounted in a direction). The front half portion 33B of the detector holder 33 protrudes forward from the front edge of the side wall portion 61, and a semicircular knob portion 33a having a non-slip groove on the surface is formed at the front end portion.

  The rear half portion 33A of the detector holder 33 has a rectangular shape with a constant thickness including a rear end surface 33b and an upper end surface 33c and a lower end surface 33d extending forward from the upper and lower ends at a right angle. A positioning protrusion 41 is formed at the center of the rear end surface 3b in the vertical direction and protrudes backward with a constant width.

  The mounting recess 62 formed in the side wall portion 61 includes a rear end face 62a having a constant width extending in the vertical direction of the printer, and an upper end face having a constant width extending forward from the upper and lower ends of the rear end face 62a. 62b and a lower end face 62c. Since the distance between the upper end face 62b and the lower end face 62c is wider than the vertical width of the rear half portion 33A of the detector holder 33, the detector holder 33 is movable in the printer vertical direction. Further, since the mounting recess 62 opens forward, the detector holder 33 is movable in the front-rear direction of the printer.

  As can be seen from FIG. 2, a vertical side wall 70 is disposed outside the detector holder 33 in the printer width direction. Therefore, the detector holder 33 is prevented from coming out of the mounting recess 62 in the printer width direction.

  A pair of upper and lower positioning grooves 63a and 63b are formed in the rear end surface 62a of the mounting recess 62 and are digged rearward with a constant width. It is possible to insert the 33 positioning projections 41 in a detachable state.

  In addition, a spring hook 33e is formed in a portion of the detector holder 33 on the front side of the printer relative to the positioning protrusion 41, and a portion of the printer main frame on the rear side of the printer in the lower positioning groove 63b in the mounting recess 62. Also, a spring hook 42 is formed. Between these, the tension coil spring 43 (biasing member) is stretched over in a tension state.

  In the height position adjusting mechanism 40 of the roll paper remaining amount detector 30 configured as described above, the height of the roll paper remaining amount detector 30 can be adjusted in two steps as follows. First, in FIGS. 5 and 6, the positioning projection 41 is inserted into the lower positioning groove 63 b, and this state is held by the spring force of the tension coil spring 43. In this state, the roll paper remaining amount detector 30 is at a low position.

  When the roll paper remaining amount detector 30 is changed to a high position, the following operation is performed. First, the opening / closing lid 5 is opened to the state shown in FIG. When the opening / closing lid 5 is opened, the roll paper storage unit 6 is in an open state, and the finger 33 a at the front end of the detector holder 33 protruding forward from the right side wall portion 61 can be easily picked with a finger. it can. The knob 33a is picked, the detector holder 33 is pulled out in front of the printer against the spring force, and the positioning projection 41 is removed from the lower positioning groove 63b (arrow a1 in FIG. 6A). Next, the detector holder 33 is moved upward, and the positioning protrusion 41 at the rear end is positioned in front of the upper positioning groove 63a (arrow a2 in FIG. 6A). After that, the knob portion 33a is released. As a result, the detector holder 33 is pulled backward by the spring force of the tension coil spring 43, and the positioning protrusion 41 is inserted into the upper positioning groove 63a (arrow a3 in FIG. 6A). ). In this state, the rear end surface 33 b of the detector holder 33 is in contact with the rear end surface 62 a of the mounting recess 62, and this state is held by the spring force of the tension coil spring 43. Further, the upper end surface 33c of the rear half portion 33A of the detector holder 33 is substantially in contact with the upper end surface 62b of the mounting recess 62, and the detector holder 33 is prevented from rattling up and down.

  Thus, the height of the detector holder 33 can be changed by a simple operation of picking the knob portion 33a of the detector holder 33, pulling it forward, and then moving it upward and then releasing the knob portion 33a. Therefore, the height position of the roll paper remaining amount detector 30 held there can be changed to the upper position. Similarly, an operation of changing the remaining roll paper amount detector 30 at the upper position to the lower height position can be performed.

  In this example, the positioning grooves are provided at two locations, but at three or more different height positions, the height position of the remaining roll paper detector 30 can be adjusted in three or more stages. Also good. The roll paper remaining amount detector 30 may of course have a configuration other than the above as long as the remaining amount is detected based on the height of the winding core.

  As described above, in the roll paper printer 1 of this example, the height position of the roll paper remaining amount detector 30 attached to the roll paper storage unit 6 can be set without using a tool such as a screwdriver. It can be changed by a simple operation of moving the printer back and forth. Therefore, even when the opening 1b of the roll paper storage unit 6 is narrow and a hand cannot be put in, the height can be easily adjusted.

1 is an external perspective view of a roll paper printer to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a roll paper printer with an open / close lid open. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the internal structure of the roll paper printer of FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view when viewed from the direction of arrow IV in FIG. 3. It is a side view which shows a roll paper residual amount detector and a height adjustment mechanism. It is a perspective view and an operation explanatory view showing a roll paper remaining amount detector and a height adjusting mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

1 roll paper printer, 2 recording paper discharge port, 3 paper discharge guide, 4 lid opening / closing lever, 5 opening / closing lid, 6 roll paper storage, 7 roll paper, 7a recording paper, 8 roll paper holder, 8a opening, 30 rolls Remaining paper detector, 31 rotating lever, 32 limit switch, 33 detector holder, 33a knob, 35 detection protrusion, 40 height position adjustment mechanism, 41 detector holder, 41 positioning protrusion, 43 tension coil spring 61 Side wall portion 62 Mounting recess, 63a, 63b Positioning groove, 71 Winding core

Claims (5)

Based on the height position of the roll core of the roll paper stored in the roll paper storage unit, in the height position adjustment mechanism of the roll paper remaining amount detector that detects that the remaining amount of the roll paper is below a predetermined amount
A mounting portion in which the roll paper remaining amount detector is mounted in a state in which the roll paper remaining amount detector can be moved in a first and second directions forming a predetermined angle;
A plurality of positioning grooves formed at different height positions at predetermined intervals along the first direction in order to define the height position of the roll paper remaining amount detector mounted on the mounting portion;
A positioning protrusion formed on the roll paper remaining amount detector side so that it can be attached to and detached from each positioning groove along the second direction;
A height position of the roll paper remaining amount detector, the biasing member biasing the roll paper remaining amount detector so that the positioning protrusion does not come off from the positioning groove. Adjustment mechanism. In claim 1,
It has a detector holder to which the roll paper remaining amount detector is attached,
The detector holder is mounted on the mounting portion in a state where it can move in the first and second directions,
The height adjustment mechanism of the remaining roll paper detector is characterized in that the detector holder is formed with the positioning projection and is urged by the urging member. In claim 2,
The height adjustment mechanism of the roll paper remaining amount detector, wherein the detector holder includes a knob portion used for moving the detector holder in the first and second directions. In claim 3,
The height adjusting mechanism of a roll paper remaining amount detector, wherein the first and second directions are orthogonal directions.   A roll paper printer comprising the height adjustment mechanism of the remaining roll paper detector according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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