JPH05238030A - printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] It is an object of the present invention to obtain a printer which can facilitate the replacement work of a ribbon cassette and can prevent the control unit and the like from being adversely affected by this work. A print mechanism unit 21 is provided in front of the case 1 in which a power source unit 11 and a control unit 12 are built, and the print mechanism unit 21 includes a front panel 22 and this panel. A mechanical frame 23 that is provided to project rearward at 22 and is exposed to the outside of the case 1 when the printing mechanism unit 21 is pulled out;
The print head 33, the platen 34, and the detachable ribbon cassette 35 are provided, and at least one print portion 24 to 28 attached to the surface of the mechanism frame 23.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer having a printing unit for printing by printing ink of an ink ribbon on a recording medium passing between a platen and a print head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a printer for printing using an ink ribbon, it is necessary to replace the ribbon cassette having the ink ribbon with a new one. Therefore, conventionally, there is known a configuration in which a printing unit is built in an upper portion of a case in which a power supply unit and a control unit are built, and a top cover of the case is detachably screwed. With this configuration, the printing portion can be exposed by removing or opening the top cover, and the ribbon cassette can be replaced.

As another conventional technique, a base frame having a front panel that opens and closes the front opening is provided in a case having a front opening so that the base frame can be drawn out in front of the case, and a power supply unit is provided in the base frame. , Control unit,
Also known is a configuration in which all devices such as a printing unit are attached. With this configuration, the printing unit can be exposed together with the control unit by pulling out the base frame, and the ribbon cassette can be replaced outside the case.

[0004]

However, in the former configuration described above, the screw for fixing the top cover needs to be attached and detached every time the ribbon cassette is replaced, and the ribbon cassette is replaced inside the case. Therefore, there is a problem that the ribbon cassette replacement work is troublesome. Further, in the latter configuration described above, the power supply unit and the control unit, which are unnecessary for replacing the ribbon cassette, are drawn out,
There is a problem in that the base frame is heavy to put in and take out, the workability is poor, and the impact caused by the putting in and out is large, which easily adversely affects the control unit.

An object of the present invention is to obtain a printer which can facilitate the replacement work of the ribbon cassette and can prevent the control unit and the like from being adversely affected by this work.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the printer of the present invention is provided with a print mechanism unit which can be pulled out in front of a case in which a power source section and a control section are respectively incorporated. The printing mechanism unit includes a front panel, a mechanism frame that is provided on the panel so as to project rearward, and is exposed to the outside of the case when the printing mechanism unit is pulled out, a print head, a platen, and a detachable ribbon cassette. And at least one printing unit attached to the surface of the mechanism frame.

[0007]

In the above structure, the recording medium is passed between the print head of the printing unit and the platen, and at that time, the printing unit transfers the ink of the ink ribbon of the ribbon cassette to the recording medium to perform printing. .. The printing mechanism unit can be pulled out to the front of the case when the ribbon cassette is replaced, and when the unit is moved, the power supply unit and the control unit remain arranged inside the case and It will not be moved with. Since the printing section is attached to the surface of the mechanism frame, the printing section can be exposed outside the case by being positioned in the lateral width of the case by pulling the printing mechanism unit forward of the case.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

Reference numeral 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and the like is a box-shaped case having an open front surface, and an upper rear portion of the case 1 is formed by a slanted inclined wall 1b. Reference numeral 2 in FIG. 4 is a caster fixed to the bottom wall of the case 1, and 3
Is a level adjuster which can adjust the length in the vertical direction and is provided so as to project between the floor surface and the bottom wall to stop the movement of the case 1.

A fixed front panel 4 closes, for example, the right half of the case 1. The screw (not shown) that connects the panel 4 and the case 1 can be removed as necessary.
An operation unit 5 for displaying and operating the state of the printer P is provided above the fixed front panel 4, and
A pair of upper and lower drawers 6, 7 that can be drawn out to the front of the case 1 are attached to the lower part. Further, the fixed front panel 4 is provided with a maintenance panel section 8, a power switch 9 and the like, which is located between the operation section 5 and the drawers 6, 7. The maintenance panel unit 8 is opened during maintenance and inspection of the printer P.

Inside the case 1, a power supply unit 11 and a control unit 12 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 12 includes an external interface unit 14 connected to the master unit 13, the operation unit 5, and the maintenance panel unit 8, and a main control unit 15 including a microcomputer or the like to which these units are connected. Is equipped with.

A print mechanism unit 21 that can be drawn out is provided in front of the case 1 in a substantially left half of the case 1. In addition, the movement of this unit 21 in the front-back direction is
For example, the left side wall 1a of the case 1 (see FIG. 1) is similar to the guide structure that is usually used in a desk drawer or the like.
Alternatively, a guide structure (not shown) including a guide provided on at least one of the bottom walls and a slider provided in the printing mechanism unit 21 and slidingly contacting the guide is used.

The printing mechanism unit 21 includes a front panel 22.
A mechanical frame 23, five printing units 24 to 28,
A printing unit drive mechanism (not shown) and a pair of hoppers 29, 30
A transport path 31, a stacker 32, and the like.

The front panel 22 is a printing mechanism unit 21.
When it is stored in the case 1, the panel 4 and the left side wall 1 a of the case 1 are flush with the fixed front panel 4.
It is arranged by closing the opening between and. The mechanism frame 23 is provided on the front panel 22 so as to project rearward. As shown in FIG. 1, the frame 23 is exposed to the outside of the case 1 when the printing mechanism unit 21 is pulled out, and includes a bottom plate portion (not shown) and, for example, a vertical vertical plate portion extending in the vertical direction. 23a and this vertical plate portion 23a
And an upper plate portion 23b that is bent at a right angle toward the side wall 1a and is formed at the upper end of the. In the printing unit drive mechanism, the side plate 1a of the vertical plate portion 23a is attached to the side surface of the frame, and the upper side thereof is covered with the upper plate portion 23b.

On the upper surface of the vertical plate portion 23a, that is, on the upper side surface on the side opposite to the side on which the printing section drive mechanism is attached,
The printing units 24-28 are attached. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the printing units 24 to 28 is formed by including a print head 33, a platen 34, and a ribbon cassette 35.

As the print head 33, for example, an end surface type line thermal head is used. This head 33
As shown in FIG. 6, a head main body 36 in the form of a strip plate having a heat generation pattern provided on the front end surface thereof, a heat dissipation plate 37 made of an aluminum alloy for heat dissipation to which the main body 36 is adhered, and a head main body 36. A printed wiring board 38 adhered to the heat sink 37, a control component 39 such as a driver mounted on the board 38 for controlling the heat generation of the heating pattern, the head body 36 and the printed wiring board 38 by wire bonding. An insulating protective cover 40 that covers the connected bonding wire (not shown) and is screwed to the heat sink 37.
It is formed from and.

The heat radiating plate 37 is provided with a hole 37a penetrating in its longitudinal direction, and a screw 41 is penetrating the hole 37a. The tip end of the screw 41 is screwed into a screw hole (not shown) provided in the vertical plate portion 23a, and the print head 33 is attached to the outer surface of the vertical plate portion 23a by tightening the screw hole. The screw 41 is removable so that the print head 33 can be replaced as needed.
The structure for attaching / detaching the print head 33 is not limited to this example, and a stay is provided on the heat dissipation plate 37, and the print head 33 is attached / detached via a screw penetrating the stay and screwed into the vertical plate portion 23a. May be.

The platen 34 is composed of a roller that is appropriately rotated, and the peripheral surface thereof is the head body 3 of the print head 33.
It is arranged so as to be brought into contact with the tip of 6. The platen 34 is provided so that it can be manually moved in a direction of approaching and separating from the head main body 36 so that the ribbon can be set.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ribbon cassette 35 has a pair of ring-shaped ribbon winding cores 46, 47 in a cassette case 45 having a pair of arms 45a spaced from each other at one end thereof.
Is rotatably provided, a plurality of cylindrical ribbon guides 48a to 48d are provided, ribbon guides 49a and 49b each made of a round bar are provided at the tip ends of both arm portions 45a, and an ink ribbon 50 is attached to a ribbon core. It is formed by being provided over 46 and 47.

The ink ribbon 50 is composed of one ribbon core 4
The tip end portion wound around the outer circumference of 6 passes through the ribbon guide 48b, then through the pair of ribbon guides 49a and 49b, and further through the ribbon guides 48c and 48d, and the other ribbon core. It is fixed at 47. Therefore, the pair of ribbon cores 46, 47
Is rotated clockwise in FIG. 5, the ink ribbon 50 is fed.

The ribbon cassette 35 has the vertical plate portion 2
3a, a pair of drive shafts 51 protruding from the head mounting surface,
The ribbon winding cores 46 and 47 are detachably fitted to 52 and are attached to the outer surface of the vertical plate portion 23a. The drive shafts 51 and 52 are rotated in the same direction by the printing unit drive mechanism (not shown), and in the fitted state with the ribbon winding cores 46 and 47, irregularities (not shown) provided on both of them. The ribbon winding cores 46 and 47 are simultaneously rotated by the fitting.

As shown in FIG. 4, the transport path 31 is composed of an upper transport path portion 31a and a lower transport path portion 31b. Each of the printing units 24 to 27 having the above-described configuration is located above the upper conveyance path unit 31a and arranged at regular intervals, and the remaining one printing unit 28 is located between the upper and lower conveyance path units 31a and 31b. The space is used, and the space is provided between the printing units 26 and 27 and is disposed below the upper transport path unit 31a.

Moreover, the ribbon cassette 35 of the printing section 24 closest to the end of the lower transport path 31b is the one using the yellow ink ribbon 50, and the ribbon cassette of the printing section 25 next to it is used. 35 uses a magenta ink ribbon 50. Further, the ribbon cassette 3 of the printing unit 26 adjacent to the downstream side in the transport direction is used.
For 5, a cyan ink ribbon 50 is used. As the ribbon cassettes 35 of the remaining two printing units 27 and 28, the ones using the black ink ribbon 50 are used. That is, this embodiment is an example capable of multi-color printing, and each printing unit 2
Nos. 4 to 27 are arranged in descending order of lightness of the color, and since the printing unit 28 is arranged on the side opposite to the other printing units 24 to 27 with the upper conveyance path unit 31a interposed therebetween, double-sided printing is possible. It can be done.

The hoppers 29, 30 are provided with the lower transport path section 3
They are provided on the lower side of 1b, respectively. In the hoppers 29 and 30, as shown in FIG. 3, a large number of folded aircraft package tags A as recording media are stacked and housed. An elevating plate 55 (see FIG. 4) on which the package tag A group is placed is housed inside each hopper 29, 30, and an electric elevating mechanism (not shown) for elevating the plate 55 is provided in each hopper 29, 30. It is provided in each. The electric lifting mechanism raises the lifting plate 55 little by little based on a sensor (not shown) so that the upper ends of the package tags A on the plate 55 are kept at the same height position.

Both hoppers 29 and 30 are the printing mechanism unit 2
The hoppers 29 on the front panel 22 side are arranged side by side along the moving direction (front-back direction) of the other hopper 30.
Taller than. And these hoppers 29 and 30 are
They are connected to each other and are provided so as to be freely drawn out in front of the case 1 through an opening 56 (see FIG. 3) provided in the lower portion of the front panel 22. The movement of these hoppers 29, 30 in the front-rear direction is performed by the guides provided on the mechanism frame 23 and the guide slides provided on the hoppers 29, 30 in the same manner as the guide structure that is usually used in the drawer of a desk or the like. The guide structure 57 is provided with a contacting slider. Both hoppers 29 and 30 are
In the stored state, the front end surface of the hopper 29 is positioned so as to close the opening 56 and be provided flush with the front surface of the front panel 22.

As shown in FIG. 4, the lower transport path portion 31b of the transport path 31 has a first transport portion 31b1 for taking out the package tag A in the hopper 29 and a package tag A for taking out the package tag A in the hopper 30. It is formed by the second transport section 31b2. The end portions of the two conveying portions 31b1 and 31b2 are bent in an arc shape and joined to the starting end of the upper conveying path portion 31a. Reference numeral 61 in FIG. 4 denotes the first transport unit 31b1.
The paper feed mechanism disposed at the start end of the sheet, 62 is the second transport unit 3
The paper feed mechanism is arranged at the start end of 1b2 so that the package tags A in the hoppers 29 and 30 are fed by these.

Further, 63 and 64 in FIG. 4 are both transport portions 31b.
Feed rollers provided at the end portions of 1, 31b2, 65
Is a feed roller disposed between the printing units 24 and 25 of the upper conveyance path unit 31a, and 66 is the printing unit 2 of the upper conveyance path unit 31a.
A feed roller arranged between the No. 5 and the No. 26, and a feed roller 67 arranged at the terminal end of the upper conveyance path portion 31a.

The printing units 24 to 28, the hoppers 28 and 29, and the sheet feeding mechanisms 61 and 62 of the transport path 31 having the above-described structure.
The feed rollers 63 to 67 are controlled by the main controller 15.

The stacker 32 has an upper conveying path portion 31a.
It is provided so as to be continuous with the end of. As shown in FIG. 4, the stacker 32 includes a base portion 3 formed of a long flat plate.
A receiving portion 32b bent so as to form a V shape with the base portion 32a is provided at one end of 2a, and an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the base portion 32a is provided above the front panel 22 via a pivot 71. Is rotatably attached to.

A recording medium ejection port 72 is provided on the front panel 22. The pivot shaft 71 is provided in accordance with the height position of the lower edge of the take-out port 72, so that the rotation of the stacker 32 causes the substantially V-shaped tip portion to be recorded as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4 and FIG. Medium outlet 7
The first position, which is arranged at the lower part of 2, and the receiving portion 32b is arranged obliquely upward continuously to the end of the upper conveying path 31a, or a substantially V-shape as shown in the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4 and FIG. The protrusion is projected from the recording medium ejection port 72 to the outside,
It is possible to select one of the second positions in which the upper end of the base portion 32a is arranged obliquely downward and continuous with the end of the upper transport path portion 31a.

The front panel 22 is provided with a lock mechanism (not shown) for holding the stacker 32 in the first position, and 73 in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a lock release button of the lock mechanism. By pushing, the stacker 32 is allowed to rotate, and when the stacker 32 is arranged in the second position, it is held in the second position by its own weight. In addition, the base portion 3 of the stacker 32
As shown in FIG. 10, a cutout groove 74 is provided on one side of 2a, and when the group of package tags A stacked on the stacker 32 arranged at the second position is taken out, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (B), a finger is inserted into the cutout groove 74, and the stacked package tag A groups can be grasped from above and below with the finger.

The printer P for issuing the package tag A having the above-described structure is arranged inside a counter 81 having an L-shaped cross section composed of a vertical wall and a top plate as shown in FIG. And the rear surface is covered with a counter 81. Cabinets 82 are provided on both sides of the printer P.
Devices such as a drawer and a drawer 83 are provided respectively. Also,
A CRT display 84 is attached by fitting into a notch 81a formed on the top plate of the counter 81. The display 84 is provided with the lower part fixed to the inclined wall 1b of the case 1, and the display screen is visible to the operator inside the counter 81.

In the printer P having the above-described structure, among the two folded package tag A groups housed in the hoppers 29 and 30, respectively, the one located at the uppermost end is turned on via the power switch 9, Paper feed mechanism 61,
Through the operation of 62, they are preliminarily conveyed to the positions of the feed rollers 63 and 64 and are on standby. Such a pre-feed is performed from the hopper on the issuing side each time one package tag A is issued. Therefore, when issuing the package tag A, this tag A is used by the hoppers 29, 3
There is no time to move from 0 to the feed rollers 63 and 64,
The issue time of the tag A can be shortened accordingly.

Then, the signal for printing the package tag A output from the base unit 13 is sent to the external interface unit 1.
The printer P starts the issuing operation when the main control unit 15 receives the data via the printer 4. That is, since the feed roller 63 (or the feed roller 64) selected according to the input signal is operated and the feed rollers 65 to 67 are operated, respectively, the conveying force given by these rollers 63 to 67 causes The package tag A waiting at the feed position is passed through the upper transport path portion 31a. Then, printing is performed by at least one printing unit of the printing units 24 to 26 and the printing unit 27 on one surface on the upper side of the package tag A folded in half while passing through the upper conveyance path unit 31a, and The printing unit 28 is provided on one side of the lower side of the tag A.
Is printed.

A state in which the printed package tag A is expanded is shown in FIG. 11, in which a1 indicates the printing portions 24-2.
7 is printed on one side, and the area e indicated by hatching is printed with the ground color by at least one of the printing units 24, 25 or 26, and the ground color area Characters, numbers, barcodes, and the like are printed in black by the printing unit 27 on e and both sides thereof. In FIG. 11, a2 is another one side on which characters, numbers, barcodes, etc. are printed by the printing unit 28, and
Reference numeral b is a fold line located at the boundary between the two surfaces a1 and a2. The package tag A printed in this way has a colored area e, and its color is printed differently in advance, for example, according to the destination, so it is easy to sort the bags with this package tag A. Can be done.

In the printing, the package tag A is folded in two and printed on both sides at substantially the same time, and the printing section 28 is arranged within the range where the printing sections 24 to 27 are arranged. Therefore, the time required for all printing and the transport distance for passing through all the printing units 24 to 28 can be shortened. Therefore, the issuing time of the package tag A can be shortened together with the above-mentioned pre-feed.

The printed package tag A
Is carried into the stacker 32 from the end of the upper transport path portion 31a in the folded state. Then, as shown in FIG. 9A, when the stacker 32 is arranged with the base portion 32a being substantially vertical, the outer surface of the receiving portion 32b that is diagonally upward with respect to the end of the upper transport path portion 31a. As shown in FIG.
When the stacker 32 is arranged with the base portion 32a facing obliquely downward as shown in (A), the package tag A has an inner surface of the receiving portion 32b that is continuous diagonally downward with respect to the end of the upper transport path portion 31a. And is stacked on the inner surface of the base portion 32a.

By the way, in the printer P having the above construction, since the printing mechanism unit 21 can be pulled out to the front of the case 1, the ink ribbon 50 of each of the printing sections 24 to 28 can be pulled out.
When it is necessary to replace the tag A and the tag A needs to be removed when the package tag A is clogged in the transport path 31 or the like, the printing mechanism unit 21 can be pulled out to the front side.

That is, by pulling out the printing mechanism unit 21 to the front of the case 1, the printing units 24 to 28, the conveying path 31, and the hoppers 29, 30 attached to the mechanism frame 23 of the unit 21 are moved to the case 1. It can be exposed to the front of the case 1 within the width.
In this way, the printing units 24 to 28
Therefore, it is not necessary to loosen and remove a part of the case 1 to remove it. The work of the printing portions 24 to 28 and the like that are pulled out and exposed in the front of the case 1 can be performed from the side surface direction of the mechanism frame 23.

Therefore, without being disturbed by the cabinets 82 and the drawers 83 arranged on both the left and right sides of the printer P, and also by the counter 81 and the CRT display 84 above the printer P, similarly. Case 1 is used to replace the ribbon cassette 35 of the necessary printing unit and to remove the package tag A stuck in the transport path 31 or the like.
Can be done outside of.

In addition, when the ribbon cassette 35 is replaced, etc., only the printing mechanism unit 21 can be put in and taken out from the case 1, and the power source section 11 and the control section 12 are still arranged in the case 1. The weight to be put in and taken out when exchanging is small and the operation force required for putting in and out can be reduced. Therefore, replacement work of the ribbon cassette 35 can be easily performed.

In addition, as described above, the ribbon cassette 35
Since it is not necessary to move the power supply unit 11 and the control unit 12 together with the printing mechanism unit 21 in the case of replacement, etc., the impact given to the power supply unit 11 and the control unit 12 is small, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the breakdown thereof.

Further, the print head 3 of each of the printing units 24-28
3 is detachably provided on the mechanism frame 23 via the screw 41, so that, even when the head 33 is to be maintained and inspected, the printing mechanism unit 21 is pulled out to the front side as described above. It is possible to easily attach and detach from the direction.

Further, when the package tag A is replenished to the hoppers 29 and 30, as shown in FIG. 3, the hoppers 29 and 30 are attached to the printing mechanism unit 21 stored in the case 1.
It suffices to pull out 30 toward the front and replenish the folded hoppers 29, 30 with the package tag A group folded in two from above. Therefore, also in this case, since the equipment around the case 1 is not disturbed and the extra equipment is not pulled out, the replenishment work can be easily performed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned one embodiment, and can be applied to, for example, a printer that uses only one printing unit, and thus can be applied to a printer that can perform double-sided printing but not multi-color printing. Can also be applied to a printer with one-sided printing that cannot print on both sides. The present invention can also be applied to printers used in the distribution industry and the like. Further, the form of the recording medium is not limited to a single sheet, and fanfold paper may be used when a separating mechanism is provided at the end of the conveying path, and when a separating mechanism is provided at the end of the conveying path. Roll paper may be used.

[0046]

As described in detail above, according to the printer of the present invention, when the ribbon cassette is replaced, the printing mechanism unit can be pulled out to the front of the case while leaving the power supply unit and the control unit inside the case. It is possible to reduce the impact that adversely affects the control unit etc. due to replacement of the ribbon cassette, and
It not only reduces the force required to move the printing mechanism unit in and out, but also eliminates the hassle of screwing in and out, and because the printing unit is located in the width of the case and is exposed in front of the case, the case and its upper part are exposed. Further, the ribbon cassette of the printing portion can be easily replaced without being restricted by the objects arranged on the side and the side.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention showing a state in which a printing mechanism unit is pulled out from a case.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer according to the same embodiment, showing a state in which a printing mechanism unit is housed in a case.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printer according to the same embodiment showing a state in which a hopper is pulled out.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a printing mechanism unit according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a ribbon cassette according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a configuration of a print head according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the printer according to the same embodiment is installed.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram for explaining the functions of the printer according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 9A is a perspective view showing a state in which the stacker according to the same embodiment is arranged at a first use position. (B) is a perspective view for explaining the removal of the package tag from the stacker arranged at the first use position.

FIG. 10A is a perspective view showing a state in which the stacker according to the same embodiment is arranged in the second use position. (B) is a perspective view for explaining the removal of the package tag from the stacker arranged in the second use position.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a developed package tag printed by the printer according to the same embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Case, 11 ... Power supply part, 12 ... Control part, 21 ... Printing mechanism unit, 22 ... Front panel, 23 ... Mechanism frame, 24-28 ... Printing part, 33 ... Print head, 34 ... Platen, 35 ... Ribbon cassette ..

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A case in which a power source section and a control section are built-in is provided with a print mechanism unit that can be drawn out in front of the case, and the print mechanism unit projects rearward from the front panel and this panel. At least one printing unit provided on the surface of the mechanism frame, which has a mechanism frame that is provided outside the case when the printing mechanism unit is pulled out, a print head, a platen, and a detachable ribbon cassette. A printer comprising: