An aspect of this disclosure relates to a printer.
There is a known printer that includes a printer body including a paper holder for holding a recording paper roll and a holder cover rotatably supported by the printer body.
In a method of setting a recording paper roll in the paper holder, the core of the recording paper roll is attached to a paper-feed shaft of the paper holder. Also, drop-in-type printers are becoming popular. A drop-in-type printer is configured such that a recording paper roll can be easily placed in a paper holder without passing a paper-feed shaft through the recording paper roll.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-096595
In a drop-in-type printer, the recording paper roll moves in the paper holder. Therefore, when the recording paper is pulled out, the recording paper roll is pressed against and caught on the holder cover, and the recording paper roll and the holder cover rub together to make a sound (which is hereafter referred to as a “rubbing sound”). Although the rubbing sound does not affect the performance of the printer, the rubbing sound is not desirable in terms of the quietness of the printer.
One object of this disclosure is to provide a printer with improved quietness.
In an aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a printer including a holder configured to house rolled recording paper, a cover that is attached to the holder to be openable and closable relative to the holder, and a contact part that is attached to the cover and configured to contact the recording paper. The contact part is configured such that the contact part substantially point-contacts the recording paper, and positions on the contact part contacting the recording paper change as the recording paper is unrolled.
An aspect of this disclosure makes it possible to improve the quietness of a printer.
Non-limiting embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding reference numbers are assigned to the same or corresponding components, and repeated descriptions of those components are omitted. Unless otherwise mentioned, the drawings do not indicate relative sizes of components.
The embodiments described below are examples, and the present invention is not limited to those embodiments. Also, not all of the features and their combinations described in the embodiments may be essential to the present invention.
The printer 1A is a drop-in-type printer, and includes a holder 11 that can hold recording paper 100 without using a paper-feed shaft.
The printer 1A includes the body 10, the cover 20A, a bearing 50, a contact part 60A, and a detachment preventing mechanism 70A.
The body 10 houses the recording paper 100, and a part of a printing mechanism is mounted on the body 10. The holder 11, a circuit board 12, motors 13 and 14, a thermal head 40, and a fixed blade 41 are disposed on the body 10.
The holder 11 and the body 10 are formed as a monolithic part. As illustrated in
The recording paper 100 is thermal paper and placed in the holder 11 in a rolled state. Hereafter, the rolled recording paper 100 is also referred to as a paper roll 100a.
Multiple ribs 16 are formed on the inner wall of the holder 11. The ribs 16 can reduce the contact area between the paper roll 100a placed in the holder 11 and the inner wall of the holder 11, and can reduce the friction between the paper roll 100a and the inner wall.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The thermal head 40 is disposed on the upper part of the body 10 and performs printing on the recording paper 100.
After information is printed, the recording paper 100 is cut by a cutter including the fixed blade 41 and the movable blade 42. The fixed blade 41 is disposed on the upper part of the body 10 at a position that is downstream of the location of the thermal head 40.
The cover 20A includes a lever 21, the cover body 23, the movable blade 42, and the platen roller 45.
The lever 21 is used to open the cover 20A, and is movable in a groove 22 formed in a surface of the cover body 23. When closed, the cover 20A is locked by a locking mechanism (not shown). Hereafter, the state where the cover 20A is closed is referred to as a “closed state”.
The cover 20A can be opened by sliding the lever 21 downward and thereby unlocking the locking mechanism. Hereafter, the state where the cover 20A is open is referred to as an “open state”.
The cover body 23 is a base of the cover 20A. The movable blade 42, the platen roller 45, the contact part 60A, and a stopper 80A are disposed on the cover body 23. The cover body 23 is formed by integral molding of a resin.
Side plates 24 are formed on the sides of the back surface, i.e., a surface facing the body 10, of the cover body 23. The side plates 24 and the cover body 23 are formed as a monolithic part. The side plates 24 are perpendicular to the back surface of the cover body 23. Shafts 28 constituting a part of the bearing 50 are formed on the outer sides of the corresponding side plates 24. The shafts 28 protrude outward from the outer sides of the side plates 24.
The movable blade 42 is disposed to face the fixed blade 41 on the body 10 when the cover 20A is closed. The recording paper 100 fed from the holder 11 is ejected through a gap between the fixed blade 41 and the movable blade 42, and is cut by the fixed blade 41 and the movable blade 42 that is moved by a motor toward the fixed blade 41.
The platen roller 45 is disposed on the upper part of the cover 20A. In the closed state, information is printed on the recording paper 100 that is fed from the holder 11 and sandwiched between the thermal head 40 and the platen roller 45.
In the closed state, a space for housing the recording paper 100 is formed between the inner wall of the cover 20A and the inner wall of the holder 11. Hereafter, the space formed between the cover 20A and the holder 11 is referred to as a housing chamber 15.
When the lever 21 is operated in the closed state, the cover 50 supported by the bearing 50 rotates, and the printer 1A changes to the open state illustrated in
Because the printer 1A is a drop-in-type printer, the paper roll 100a in the housing chamber 15 moves in the lateral direction in
The printer 200 is also a drop-in-type printer. Four ribs 225 are formed on the inner wall of the cover 220. The ribs 225 extend along the inner wall of the cover 220 in the vertical direction in
When the recording paper 100 is pulled out at high speed, the paper roll 100a moves fast in the housing chamber 15. As a result, the surface of the paper roll 100a is caught on the ribs 225, the paper roll 100a and the ribs 225 collide with each other, and the paper roll 100a and the ribs 225 rub together to make a rubbing sound.
The surface of the paper roll 100a contacts the ribs 225 at low positions (which are hereafter referred to as “contact positions”) that are indicated by hatching in
Here, the ribs 225 extend in the vertical direction parallel to each other, and the paper roll 100a does not move in the lateral direction in the housing chamber 15 even when the diameter of the paper roll 100a decreases as the recording paper 100 is pulled out. Therefore, the ribs 225 are pressed against the same positions on the paper roll 100a in the width direction.
Because the ribs 225 are pressed against the same positions on the paper roll 100a, indentations are formed on the paper roll 100a.
To prevent this problem, the contact part 60A, which contacts the paper roll 110a in the housing chamber 15, is provided on the cover 20A of the printer 1A of the present embodiment.
Next, the contact part 60A is described.
As illustrated in
The contact part 60A is not necessarily formed of a metal, and may be made of a resin. Also, the cross-section of the contact part 60A is not limited to a circular shape, and may have any other shape as long as the contact part 60A can smoothly contact the paper roll 100a.
As illustrated in
The attaching portions 62A are detachably attached to protrusions 26. Each supporting portion 63A is located between the angled portion 61A and the corresponding attaching portion 62A, and supports the angled portion 61A together with the attaching portion 62A. The supporting portions 63A extend downward from the corresponding ends of the angled portion 61A. The supporting portions 63A are disposed in grooves formed in the side plates 24.
The contact part 60A is attached to the cover 20A by attaching the attaching portions 62A to the protrusions 26, and the contact part 60A is detached from the cover 20A by detaching the attaching portions 62A from the protrusions 26. Configuring the contact part 60A to be attachable and detachable to and from the cover 20A as described above makes it easier to maintain the contact part 60A.
The attaching portions 62A may instead be attached to parts of the cover 20A other than the protrusions 26. Also, the attaching portions 62A may be fixed to the cover 20A such that the contact part 60A is not detachable.
Next, operations of the contact part 60A are described.
As illustrated in
When the diameter of the paper roll 100a is large, the paper roll 100a in the housing chamber 15 contacts the contact part 60A. When the diameter of the paper roll 100a decreases as the recording paper 100 is pulled out, the paper roll 100a moves in the direction C toward the cover 20A and contacts the contact part 60A.
When the paper roll 100a moves or the diameter of the paper roll 100a is large, the angled portion 61A is pressed by the paper roll 100a and is elastically deformed in a direction D (indicated by an arrow D) toward the cover 20A.
The paper roll 100a is biased to the right in
How the paper roll 100a and the angled portion 61A contact each other is described below.
In the descriptions below, the side of the cover 20A where the platen roller 45 is provided is referred to as an upper side, and the side of the cover 20A where the shafts 28 are provided is referred to as a lower side.
The contact part 60A provided on the cover body 23 of the present embodiment has an inverted-V shape protruding upward and having an apex on the upper side. In the example of
The contact part 60A is formed of a metal wire with a circular cross section, and the angled portion 61A, which contacts the paper roll 100a, includes the inclined portions 61A-1 and 61A-2 that are inclined with respect to the axial direction of the paper roll 100a. Therefore, the angled portion 61A and the paper roll 100a substantially point-contact each other.
Here, “substantially point-contact” indicates not only a “point contact” in a strict sense but also a contact that is deemed to be a point contact. The “contact deemed to be a point contact” includes a point contact and a line contact with a contact area smaller than the contact area between the paper roll 100a and the ribs 225 in the comparative example.
The contact area between the angled portion 61A and the paper roll 100a changes depending on the pressing force at which the paper roll 100a is pressed against the contact part 60A. The “contact deemed to be a point contact” also includes a contact with a contact area within a variation range corresponding to the changes in the pressing force.
When the paper roll 100a is unrolled while in contact with the angled portion 61A, friction occurs between the rotating paper roll 100a and the angled portion 61A. In the present embodiment, the paper roll 100a and the angled portion 61A substantially point-contact each other, and the contact area between the paper roll 100a and the angled portion 61A is smaller than the contact area between the paper roll and the ribs in the comparative example. Therefore, the friction between the contact part 60A and the paper roll 100a is smaller than the friction in the comparative example, and the paper roll 100a rotates smoothly. Accordingly, the present embodiment can reduce the rubbing sound generated at the contact between the paper roll 100a and the angled portion 61A, and can provide the printer 1A with improved quietness.
As the recording paper 100 is pulled out and the diameter of the paper roll 100a decreases, the positions on the paper roll 100a contacting the angled portion 61A change in the width direction of the paper roll 100a. Changes in the contact positions between the paper roll 100a and the angled portion 61A are described with reference to
In
Because the diameter is large, the large paper roll 100a-1 contacts the angled portion 61A at two upper contact positions P1 in
When the recording paper 100 is pulled out and the diameter of the paper roll 100a decreases, the paper roll 100a becomes the medium paper roll 100a-2. The medium paper roll 100a-2 contacts the angled portion 61A at contact positions P2 that are located lower than and outer than the contact positions P1 in
When the diameter of the paper roll 100a further decreases, the paper roll 100a becomes the small paper roll 100a-3. The small paper roll 100a-3 contacts the angled portion 61A at contact positions P3 that are located lower than and outer than the contact positions P2 in
As described above, because the angled portion 61A has an inverted-V shape and the diameter of the paper roll 100a gradually decreases, positions on the paper roll 100a contacting the angled portion 61A change as the recording paper 100 is pulled out and gradually move in the outward direction. Thus, because the positions on the paper roll 100a contacting the angled portion 61A change as the diameter of the paper roll 100a decreases, even when the paper roll 100a is pressed against the angled portion 61A, formation of indentations on the recording paper 100 is prevented.
Next, the detachment preventing mechanism 70A is described with reference to
With the shafts 28 fitted into the shaft holes 17, the cover 20A is rotatably attached to the body 10. However, when an external force is applied to the cover 20A as a result of, for example, dropping the paper roll 100a to be placed in the housing chamber 15 onto the cover 20A, the side plates 24 are displaced inward and the shafts 28 may come out of the shaft holes 17. The detachment preventing mechanism 70A of the present embodiment prevents the cover 20A from being detached from the body 10 even when an external force is applied to the cover 20A.
The detachment preventing mechanism 70A includes recesses 29, grooves 27, and the stopper 80A.
The recesses 29 are closed-end holes formed in the inner walls of the side plates 24 of the cover body 23. A protruding surface 29a protruding inward from the side plate 24 is formed around each recess 29 (see
In the present embodiment, the recesses 29 are disposed at positions that are shifted from the positions where the shafts 28 are formed. However, to prevent the shafts 28 from coming out of the shaft holes 17, the shafts 28 and the recesses 29 are preferably close to each other and may be disposed on the same axis.
The stopper 80A is attached to the grooves formed in ribs 25. Protrusions 26 are formed on the sides of each groove 27. The groove 27 is formed between the protrusions 26, and the height of the bottom surface of the groove 27 is substantially the same as the height of the inner wall of the cover body 23. The grooves 27 are disposed on a line connecting the right and left recesses 29.
The grooves 27 are not necessarily formed in the ribs 25, and may be formed in other positions on the inner surface of the cover body 23.
The stopper 80A includes a stopper body 81A, protrusions 82, and stopper surfaces 83. The stopper body 81A is shaped like a rod with a semi-cylindrical cross section. Multiple reinforcing ribs 84 are formed in a space inside of the stopper body 81A. The strength of the stopper 80A can be adjusted by changing the number and the positions of the reinforcing ribs 84.
The stopper body 81A may also have a cross-sectional shape other than the semi-cylindrical shape such as a circular shape, a rectangular shape, or an elliptical shape. Also, the reinforcing ribs 84 may be omitted and may be provided when it is necessary to adjust the strength of the stopper 80A.
The protrusions 82 and the stopper surfaces 83 are formed at the ends of the stopper body 81A. Each protrusion 82 has a cylindrical shape and engages with the corresponding recess 29. Each stopper surface 83 is formed at a position that is shifted from the protrusion 82 toward a bottom surface 87.
Next, a method of attaching the stopper 80A to the cover 20A is described.
In
Also, when the stopper 80A is properly attached to the cover 20A, the stopper body 81A engages with the protrusions 26, and the bottom surface 87 contacts the inner wall of the cover body 23. Thus, the stopper 80A is positioned by the grooves 27 and the inner wall of the cover body 23.
In a state where the cover 20A is attached to the body 10 and the stopper 80A is attached to the cover 20A, the shafts 28 are fitted into the shaft holes 17 and the protrusions 82 of the stopper 80A are fitted into the recesses 29. Although not illustrated in
Next, the workings of the detachment preventing mechanism 70A when an external force is applied to the cover 20A in the open state are described.
When the external force F1 is applied and the cover 20A is pressed downward, the side plates of the cover 20A fall inward relative to the holder 11. That is, when the cover 20A is pressed downward, a force (indicated by an arrow F2 in
However, because the stopper 80A is provided between the facing side plates 24, the side plates 24 displaced inward by the force F2 contact the stopper surfaces 83 at the ends of the stopper 80A, and the inward movement of the side plates 24 is limited. Also, because the recesses 29 are biased toward the protrusions 82 by the inward movement of the side plates 24, the protrusions 82 do not come out of the recesses 29 even when the force F2 is applied to the side plates 24.
Thus, the detachment preventing mechanism 70A can limit the movement of the side plates 24 and prevent the shafts 28 from coming out of the shaft holes 17. This in turn makes it possible to prevent the cover 20A from being detached from the body 10 even when an external force is applied to the cover 20A, and improve the reliability of the printer 1A.
Here, there may be a case where a very large external force that the stopper 80A cannot sustain is applied to the cover 20A. With the configuration where the stopper 80A supports the side plates 24, when such a large external force is applied to the cover 20A, the side plates 24 may be damaged, the stopper 80A may be broken, and/or the protrusions 82 may be crushed. Thus, providing the stopper 80A may result in damaging the cover 20A.
Accordingly, to prevent damage to the printer 1A, it is preferable to release the stopper 80A supporting the side plates 24 and allow the cover 20A to be detached from the body 10 when a large external force is applied to the cover 20A. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the detachment preventing mechanism 70A is configured such that the stopper 80A is detached from the cover 20A when a large external force is applied to the cover 20A.
The workings of the detachment preventing mechanism 70A when a large external force is applied to the cover 20A are described with reference to
When the external force is applied to the cover 20A and the side plates 24 fall inward, the side plates 24 contact the stopper surfaces 83 of the stopper 80A. As a result, the external force F3 is applied to the stopper surfaces 83.
Because the stopper surfaces 83 are offset from the center of the stopper 80A, the external force F3 applied to the stopper surfaces 83 generates a moment on the stopper 80A, and the stopper 80A is deformed into an arcuate shape as indicated by a dashed-dotted line in
When the stopper 80A is deformed into an arcuate shape, the protrusions 82 move apart from the recesses 29, and the stopper 80A is disengaged from the cover 20A. As a result, the stopper 80A becomes detachable from the cover 20A.
When the protrusions 82 are disengaged from the recesses 29, the stopper 80A deformed into the arcuate shape tends to recover its original shape due to elasticity. The stopper 80A whose protrusions 82 are disengaged from the recesses 29 jumps out of the cover 20A due to this recovering force. With the above configuration of the detachment preventing mechanism 70A, the stopper 80A is automatically detached from the cover 20A when a large external force is applied. For example, this configuration can prevent the side plates 24 from being damaged, prevent the stopper 80A from being broken, and prevent the protrusions 82 from being crushed.
The amount by which the stopper 80A deforms when the external force F3 is applied can be adjusted by, for example, changing the number of the reinforcing ribs 84 provided in the stopper body 81A.
Next, printers 1B through 1E according to other embodiments are described.
A contact part 60B of the printer 1B also includes one angled portion 61B. The angled portion 61B in
The ends of the angled portion 61B are connected to the upper ends of supporting portions 63B that extend upward from attaching portions 62B.
As indicated by a dotted line in
The moving force of the paper roll 100a toward the cover 20A is reduced by the elastic force generated by elastic deformation of the angled portion 61B. This configuration can prevent fast movement of the paper roll 100a toward the cover 20A, reduce the rubbing sound that is generated when the paper roll 100a contacts the angled portion 61B, and improve the quietness of the printer 1B.
Also in the second embodiment, the contact part 60B is formed of a wire, and substantially point-contacts the paper roll 100a. Accordingly, the friction between the contact part 60B and the paper roll 100a is reduced, and the rubbing sound generated when the paper roll 100a contacts the angled portion 61B is reduced.
While the contact parts 60A and 60B in
The contact part 60C includes an angled portion 61C. The ends of the angled portion 61C are attached via attaching portions 62C to the cover 20A. The height of the upper side of a peak portion 64C of the angled portion 61C is greater than the maximum radius of the paper roll 100a placed in the housing chamber 15.
As indicated by a dotted line in
In the third embodiment, the contact part 60C is configured such that upper outer edges 65 of the angled portion 61C close to the platen roller 45 contact the paper roll 100a. The edges 65 extend obliquely downward and outward from the peak portion 64C.
Because the edges 65 contact the paper roll 100a, the angled portion 61C and the paper roll 100a substantially point-contact each other. Accordingly, the friction between the contact part 60C and the paper roll 100a is reduced, and the rubbing sound generated when the paper roll 100a contacts the contact part 60C is reduced.
Also, because the angled portion 61C has an inverted-V shape, the positions on the paper roll 100a contacting the edges 65 change in the width direction of the paper roll 100a as the diameter of the paper roll 100a decreases. Thus, the printer 1C can also prevent formation of indentations on the recording paper 100.
The printer 1D illustrated by
The contact part 60D includes one angled portion 61D. The ends of the angled portion 61D are attached via attaching portions 62D to the cover 20A. The height of a peak portion 64D is greater than the maximum radius of the paper roll 100a placed in the housing chamber 15.
The contact part 60D has a predetermined thickness. As indicated by a dotted line in
The deformed angled portion 61D biases the paper roll 100a to the right in
The hardness of the sponge forming the contact port 60D and the force at which the contact part 60D presses the paper roll 100a are set at appropriate values so that indentations are not formed on the recording paper 100.
The printer 1E of the fifth embodiment includes a contact part 60E including multiple angled portions 61E. In the example of
The peak portion 64E of each angled portion 61E may not necessarily protrude upward, and may be configured to protrude downward. Also, the contact part 60E may include angled portions 61E whose peak portions 64E protrude upward as well as angled portions 61E whose peak portions 64E protrude downward.
As indicated by a dotted line in
Accordingly, the moving force of the paper roll 100a toward the cover 20A is reduced as a result of elastic deformation of the angled portions 61E. This configuration can reduce the rubbing sound that is generated when the paper roll 100a contacts the angled portions 61E, and improve the quietness of the printer 1E.
Also in the fifth embodiment, the angled portions 61E are formed of wires, and substantially point-contact the paper roll 100a. Accordingly, the friction between the contact part 60E and the paper roll 100a is reduced, and the rubbing sound generated when the paper roll 100a contacts the angled portions 61E is reduced.
Also, because each angled portion 61E has an inverted-V shape, as the recording paper 100 is pulled out and the diameter of the paper roll 100a decreases, the positions on the paper roll 100a contacting the angled portion 61E change in the width direction of the paper roll 100a. Thus, the printer 1E can also prevent formation of indentations on the recording paper 100.
Also, because the printer 1E includes multiple angled portions 61E, the paper roll 100a point-contacts the angled portions 61E at many positions. In the printer 1E where five angled portions 61E are provided, the paper roll 100a and the angled portions 61E contact each other at ten positions. The configuration where the paper roll 100a and the angled portions 61E contact each other at many positions makes it possible to stabilize the paper roll 100a even when the recording paper 100 is pulled out at high speed, and thereby improve the quietness of the printer 1E.
Although the number of contact points between the paper roll 100a and the contact part 60E is large, because the paper roll 100a and the angled portions 61E substantially point-contact each other, the contact area between the paper roll 100a and the angled portions 61E is smaller than the contact area in the case of a surface contact or a line contact in the comparative example. Accordingly, although the paper roll 100a and the angled portions 61E contact each other at many positions, the friction between the paper roll 100a and the angled portions 61E is small and the rubbing sound does not increase.
The detachment preventing mechanism 70B includes an arched stopper 80B. Grooves 27 formed in the cover 20B are also arranged in an arched line that corresponds to the shape of the stopper 80B to be fitted into the grooves 27.
When an external force is applied to the cover 20B and the side plates 24 fall inward, an external force F3 is applied to the ends of the stopper 80B. Because the stopper 80B originally has an arched shape, the stopper 80B is deformed in a predetermined direction when the external force F3 is applied.
Therefore, even when the external force F3 is applied instantaneously to the stopper 80B, the stopper 80B deforms in the predetermined direction and is detached from the cover 20B. Forming the stopper 80B in an arched shape makes it possible to prevent the side plates 24 from being damaged, prevent the stopper 80B from being broken, and prevent the protrusions 82 from being crushed. The inner walls of the grooves 27 contacting the stopper 80B may be inclined so that the stopper 80B can be smoothly detached from the cover 20B.
The detachment preventing mechanism 70C includes a stopper 80C with an arched shape, and grooves 27 formed in the cover 20B are arranged in positions that correspond to the shape of the stopper 80C.
Protrusions 82 formed at the ends of the stopper 80C are rotatably fitted into the recesses 29 formed in the side plates 24. Thus, the stopper 80C is rotatable relative to the cover 20B.
Also in the seventh embodiment, because the stopper 80C originally has an arched shape, the stopper 80C is deformed in a predetermined direction when the external force F3 is applied. Accordingly, when the external force F3 is instantaneously applied, the stopper 80C is detached from the cover 20B. This configuration can prevent the side plates 24 from being damaged, prevent the stopper 80C from being broken, and prevent the protrusions 82 from being crushed.
To attach the stopper 80C to the cover 20B, the protrusions 82 are fitted into the recesses 29 before placing the stopper 80C into the grooves 27. In
With the protrusions 82 fitted into the recesses 29, the stopper 80C is attached to the cover 20B so as to be rotatable about the protrusions 82. Thus, after the stopper 80C is attached to the cover 208 without placing the stopper 80C in the grooves 27 as indicated by the arrow PS1 in
Because the stopper 80C is positioned by coupling the ends of the stopper 80C to the cover 20B, the stopper 80C can be easily placed into the grooves 27 even though the stopper 80C has an arched shape. The configuration of the detachment preventing mechanism 70C of the seventh embodiment makes it possible to easily attach the arched stopper 80C to the cover 20B.
The stopper 80C can be detached from the cover 20B by performing the above process in reverse order. Thus, the stopper 80C can be easily attached to and detached from the cover 20B.
A stopper 80D of the detachment preventing mechanism 70D includes a stopper body 81D, a shaft 85, and coil springs 86.
The stopper body 81D has a U-shaped cross section, and extends in the width direction of the cover 20B. A space is formed inside of the stopper body 81D, and the shaft 85 is passed through the space in the stopper body 81D. The cross-sectional shape of the stopper body 81D is not limited to a U-shape, and the stopper body 81D may have any other cross-sectional shape such as a circular cross-sectional shape as long as the shaft 85 can be passed through the internal space of the stopper body 81D.
The length of the shaft 85 is shorter than the distance between the two side plates 24 indicated by solid lines in
By passing the shaft 85 through the stopper body 81D, the shaft 85 and the stopper body 81D are fixed to each other, and the ends of the shaft 85 protrude from the ends of the stopper body 81D.
The coil springs 86 are attached to the ends of the shaft 85 protruding from the stopper body 81D. The inner ends of the coil springs 86 are fixed to the ends of the stopper body 81D by, for example, welding.
When the stopper 80D is attached to the cover 20B, the stopper body 81D is fitted into the grooves 27 formed in the cover 20B. Also, when the stopper 80D is attached to the cover 20B, the outer ends of the coil springs 86 contact the inner walls of the side plates 24.
In the eighth embodiment, when the side plates 24 fall inward and the external force F3 is applied inward to the ends of the stopper 80D, the coil springs 86 contacting the side plates 24 are compressed. In
In the eighth embodiment, the coil springs are compressed when the external force F3 is applied to prevent damage to the side plates 24 and the stopper 80D.
Embodiments of the present invention are described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiments, and variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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JP2015-058725 | Mar 2015 | JP | national |
The present application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/556,350 filed on Sep. 7, 2017, which is a National Stage Entry of PCT International Application No. PCT/JP2016/057958 filed on Mar. 14, 2016, which is based upon and claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-058725 filed on Mar. 20, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20200189299 A1 | Jun 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15556350 | US | |
Child | 16688281 | US |