Patent Grant
10843489
This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-103935 filed May 30, 2018. The entire content of the priority application is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a printing device.
There has been conventionally known a sheet width detection device including a pair of sheet width regulation members and a variable resistor as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 07-223758. At least one of the pair of sheet width regulation members is movable. The movable member is provided with an abutment rib, a shaft, a lever, and a tension coil spring. The shaft pivotally movably supports the lever. The variable resistor slidably supports a movable probe which moves in interlocking relation to the movement of the at least one of the pair of sheet width regulation members. The movable probe is initially interposed between the rib and the lever. The tension coil spring urges the lever to nip the movable probe between the rib and the lever. A user adjusts an interval between the pair of sheet width regulation members so as to place the sheet therebetween. In a case where a moving length of the movable member is greater than a maximum movable length of the movable probe supported by the variable resistor, the lever is pivotally moved against the urging force of the tension coil spring, causing detachment of the rib from the movable probe so that the movable member can solely move. The sheet width detection device detects a width of the sheet placed between the pair of sheet width regulation members on a basis of a change in a resistance value in response to position of the movable probe.
In a case where a rolled printing medium is to be placed between the pair of sheet width regulation members of the above-mentioned sheet width detection device, an interval of the pair of sheet width regulation members is almost equal to a sheet width, making it difficult to place the rolled printing medium.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the disclosure to provide a printing device provided with a sheet width detector and capable of facilitating setting of a rolled printing medium between a pair of support portions which detachably supports the rolled printing medium.
In order to attain the above and other objects, according to one aspect, the disclosure provides a printing device including a first support portion, a second support portion, a movable probe, a detector, and a permission mechanism. The second support portion detachably supports a rolled printing medium in cooperation with the first support portion and is configured to be movable in a movable range in a separating/approaching direction which is a moving direction of the second support portion toward and away from the first support portion. The movable range consists of a first range and a second range following the first range. An interval between the first support portion and the second support portion is not more than a predetermined amount in the first range. The interval between the first support portion and the second support portion is greater than the predetermined amount in the second range. The movable probe is movable in the separating/approaching direction. The detector positioned is at a fixed position, supports the movable probe, and is configured to detect a position of the movable probe in the separating/approaching direction. The detector provids a detectable range ranging within the first range. The permission mechanism is configured to permit the movable probe to move in accordance with the movement of the second support portion in the separating/approaching direction relative to the first support portion in a case where the movement of the second support portion is within the first range. The permission mechanism is also configured to prevent the movable probe from moving irrespective of further movement of the second support portion relative to the first support portion in a case where the movement of the second support portion in the separating/approaching direction is within the second range.
The particular features and advantages of the embodiment(s) as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
A printing device 1 according to one embodiment will be described with reference to
1. Overall Structure of Printing Device 1
The printing device 1 is configured to receive printing data from an external device (not illustrated) such as a personal computer terminal and to perform printing on a printing medium on a basis of the printing data. A heat sensitive label is one of examples of a component of the printing medium. As illustrated in the
The main body portion 11 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. The main body portion 11 constitutes a lower portion of the printing device 1, and includes a main body cover 20, an accommodating portion 21, a platen roller 22, a roll support mechanism 23, and detector 9 (see
The guide slots 25 and 26 are through-holes having a rectangular shape that extends in the leftward/rightward direction. The guide slots 25 and 26 are positioned between the recessed portion 27 and a lowermost portion of the main body cover 20 in the frontward/rearward direction. The guide slot 25 allows a connecting portion 34 (
The left end portion of the guide slot 25 and the right end portion of the guide slot 26 are overlapped with each other in the frontward/rearward direction at a center portion in leftward/rightward direction of the printing device 1. The guide slot 26 is positioned rearward of the guide slot 25. The recessed portion 27 is recessed downward and extends in the leftward/rightward direction. The recessed portion 27 is positioned frontward of the guide slots 25 and 26 and rearward of a platen roller 22 (described later). The lower ejection portion 151 constitutes a lower portion of the ejection portion 15 positioned at a front portion of the main body cover 20. The regulation portion 39 is a convex portion protruding downward and is disposed at a position facing a rod member 10 (described later).
As illustrated in
The platen roller 22 is cylindrical in shape and is configured to convey the tape. The platen roller extends in a longitudinal direction (leftward/rightward direction) of the ejection portion 15. The roll support mechanism 23 is configured to detachably support the sheet roll M. Details of the roll support mechanism 23 will be described later.
The detector 9 is illustrated in
As illustrated in
The detector 9 is a well-known variable resistor whose longitudinal direction is the moving direction. The detector 9 is formed with a guide groove 91 extending in the moving direction as illustrated in
The cover 12 is pivotally movable between a closed position and an open position about an axis extending in the leftward/rightward direction and positioned at an upper-rear portion of the main body portion 11. As illustrated in
2. Structure of Roll Support Mechanism 23
Details of the roll support mechanism 23 will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
The second support portion 4 includes a protrusion 41, a sector portion 42, a facing surface 43, a connecting portion 44, a concave portion 45, and a convex portion 46. The facing surface 43 faces rightward facing the first support portion 3. The protrusion 41 having a truncated-cone shape protrudes rightward toward the first support portion 3 from a center of a rear portion of the facing surface 43. The protrusion 41 has a protruding length H (see
The sector portion 42 is semicircular shaped in a right-side view, and protrudes in the approaching direction (rightward) from the facing surface 43 at a position generally upward of a radial center of the protrusion 41 in the upward/downward direction. The sector portion 42 has an imaginary center generally coincident with the radial center. A length of the protrusion 41 protruding rightward from the facing surface 43 is greater than a length of the sector portion 42 protruding rightward from the facing surface 43.
The connecting portion 44 having a plate-like shape extends in the approaching direction (rightward) from a lower-end portion of the facing surface 43. The connecting portion 44 has through-holes extending in the upward/rearward direction. The connecting porting 44 of the second support portion 4 is fixed to a guide member 6 (described later) by screws extending through the through-holes of the connecting portion 44, while the connecting portion 44 is inserted in the guide slot 26 of the main body cover 20.
The concave portion 45 is positioned in the vicinity of a hypotenuse of the right angled triangular shaped second support portion 4, and is recessed in the separating direction (leftward). The convex portion 46 protrudes downward from a front-end portion of the second support portion 4. The convex portion 46 is fitted with the recessed portion 27 of the main body cover 20. Movement of the second support portion 4 in the leftward/rightward direction is guided by the guide slot 26 and the recessed portion 27.
The first support portion 3 is a plate-like member having a generally right-angled triangular shape in a side view. The first support portion 3 includes a protrusion 31, a sector portion 32, a facing surface 33, a connecting portion 34, a concave portion 35, and a convex portion 36 as illustrated in
The protrusion 31 having a truncated-cone shape protrudes leftward toward the protrusion 41 from a center of a rear portion of the facing surface 33. That is, the protrusion 31 is aligned with the protrusion 41 in the separating/approaching direction so as to allow the core of the sheet roll M (see
The sector portion 32 is semicircular shaped, and protrudes in the separating direction (leftward) from the facing surface 33 at a position generally upward of a radial center of the protrusion 31 in the upward/downward direction. The sector portion 32 has an imaginary center generally coincident with the radial center. A length of the protrusion 31 protruding leftward from the facing surface 33 is greater than a length of the sector portion 32 protruding leftward from the facing surface 33.
The connecting portion 34 having a plate-like shape extends in the separating direction (leftward) from a lower-end portion of the facing surface 33. The connecting portion 34 has through-holes extending in the upward/rearward direction. The connecting porting 34 of the first support portion 3 is fixed to a guide member 5 (described later) by screws extending through the through-holes of the connecting portion 34, while the connecting portion 34 is inserted in the guide slot 25 of the main body cover 20. The connecting portion 34 is positioned frontward of the connecting portion 44.
The concave portion 35 is positioned in the vicinity of a hypotenuse of the right angled triangular shaped second support portion 3, and is recessed in the approaching direction (rightward). The convex portion 36 protrudes downward from a front-end portion of the first support portion 3. The convex portion 36 is fitted with the recessed portion 27 of the main body cover 20. Movement of the first support portion 3 in the leftward/rightward direction is guided by the guide slot 25 and the recessed portion 27.
The guide members 5 and 6 are plate-like members having a rectangular shape and extend in the separating/approaching direction. The guide member 5 has a right end portion connected to the connecting portion 34 of the first support portion 3. The guide member 6 has a left end portion connected to the connecting portion 44 of the second support portion 4. The guide members 5 and 6 are positioned below the main cover 20.
As illustrated in
The predetermined amount can be set appropriately. For example, the predetermined amount is equal to a maximum widthwise length of the sheet roll M that is accommodatable in the accommodating portion 21. Alternatively, the predetermined amount is a sum of the maximum widthwise length of the sheet roll M and additional predetermined amount such as from 1 to 10 mm, for example. The first range R1 has a length greater than that of the second range R2. The second range R2 has a length greater than the protruding length H of the protrusion 41 from the sector portion 42 in the separating/approaching direction.
The permission mechanism 40 includes the guide member 6, an urging member 7, a protruding portion 64, retaining portions 62 and 63, the rod member 10, and the regulation member 39. The guide member 6, the urging member 7, the protruding portion 64, the retaining portions 62 and 63, and the rod member 10 are positioned below the main body cover 20.
The rod member 10 is fixedly supported to the guide member 6 through the retaining portions 62, 63 and the protruding portion 64. The movable probe 8 is slidably movable along the rod member 10. The urging member 7 is disposed over the rod member 10 and between the retaining portion 63 and the movable probe 8 so as to urge the movable probe 8 in the separating direction (leftward in
More specifically, the urging member 7 is a compression spring wound around the rod member 10 and is positioned between the retaining portion 63 and the movable probe 8 in a compressional state. The protruding portion 64 protrudes from the guide member 6 and at a position leftward of the movable probe 8. The movable probe 8 urged by the urging member 7 in the separating direction is in abutment with the protruding portion 64 in the case where the second support portion 4 is positioned within the first range R1 as illustrated in
The retaining portions 62 and 63 are provided at the guide member 6, and are positioned rightward of the protruding portion 64. The retaining portions 62 and 63 and the protruding portion 64 extend from a rear surface of the guide member 6 in the rearward direction. Each of the retaining portions 62 and 63 and the protruding portion 64 includes a receiving portion having a C-shape in a side view with an opening formed on its top.
The rod member 10 is a rod-shaped member extending in the separating/approaching direction, and, specifically, is a shaft having a circle-shape in a side view. The rod member 10 has an outer diameter generally equal to an inner diameter of each of the receiving portions of the retaining portions 62 and 63 and the protruding portion 64. The guide member 6, the retaining portions 62 and 63 and the protruding portion 64 are integrally formed of resin material, and elastically deformable so that each of the openings can be enlarged and shrunk.
The rod member 10 is inserted into the through-hole 83 of the movable probe 8 and is fitted in each of the receiving portions of the retaining portions 62 and 63 and the protruding portion 64. More specifically, the rod member 10 is fitted with the receiving portions of the retaining portions 62 and 63 and the protruding portion 64 in the following manner. The retaining portions 62 and 63 and the protruding portion 64 are elastically deformed so that the openings are enlarged by pressing down the rod member 10 to each top of the retaining portions 62 and 63 and the protruding portion 64. As a result, the rod member 10 passes through the openings. After the rod member 10 moves past the openings, the retaining portions 62 and 63 and the protruding portion 64 elastically deform so that the openings get smaller and the retaining portions 62 and 63 and the protruding portion 64 restore their original shape. Thus, the rod member 10 is retained in the receiving portions and cannot pass through the openings upward.
The rod member 10 has a portion positioned between the retaining portions 62 and 63. The portion has an outer diameter greater than that of a remaining portion of the rod member 10. Therefore, the rod member 10 is not movable in the separating/approaching direction (leftward/rightward direction) relative to the retaining portions 62, 63.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The rack gear 51 includes gear teeth provided on a rear surface of the guide member 5. The rack gear 61 includes gear teeth provided on a front surface of the guide member 6 (see
The pinion gear 18 is rotatably supported to the supporting plate 70 at a position between the guide slots 25 and 26 in the frontward/rearward direction. The pinion gear 18 is in meshing engagement with the rack gears 51 and 61. The pinion gear 18 is positioned at a center C of a space defined between the first support portion 3 and the second support portion 4 in the separating/approaching direction.
The rack gears 51 and 61 move in the separating/approaching direction and in opposite direction to each other upon rotation of the pinion gear 18. Accordingly, each of the support portions 3 and 4 moves in the separating/approaching direction along the guide slots 25 and 26 and the recessed portion 27 as illustrated in
The supporting plate 70 is a plate-like member positioned below the pair of the support portions 3 and 4, and extends in the separating/approaching direction. The supporting plate 70 has grooves 79 and 80 extending in the separating/approaching direction at positions facing the guide members 5 and 6, respectively, in the upward/downward direction. The grooves 79 and 80 allow urging members 77 and 78 to be positioned therein, respectively. A tension spring is one of examples of the urging members 77 and 78. The urging member 77 has a right end portion engaged with the supporting plate 70, and has a left end portion engaged with a lower end portion of the second support portion 4. The urging member 78 has a left end portion engaged with the supporting plate 70, and has a right end portion engaged with a lower end portion of the first support portion 3. The urging members 77 and 78 urge the pair of the support portions 3 and 4 toward the center C to move closer to each other.
3. Operation Mode of Roll Support Mechanism 23
A user's operation for attaching the sheet roll M to the accommodating portion 21 of the printing device 1 will be described with reference to
The user opens the cover 12. In the opened state of the cover 12 (illustrated in
In a case where the user attaches a sheet roll M having a largest widthwise length width among various sizes of sheet rolls, the user moves the second support portion 4 to a position within the second range R2. The movable probe 8 urged by the urging member 7 in the separating direction is in abutment with the protruding portion 64 and moves in the separating/approaching direction in interlocking relation to the movement of the second support portion 4 in the case where the second support portion 4 is positioned within the first range R1 as illustrated in
In the case where the second support portion 4 reaches a boundary K between the first range R1 and the second range R2 as illustrated in 9B, the intervening member 81 of the movable probe 8 abuts against the regulation member 39, but the intervening member 81 and the movable body 82 maintain engagement with each other. Thus, the regulation member 39 prevents the movable probe 8 from further moving in the separating direction, while the abutment between the intervening member 81 of the movable probe 8 and the regulation member 39 is maintained. In the case where the second support portion 4 is positioned within the second range R2, the movable probe 8 is maintained at the abutment position in abutment with the regulation member 39 irrespective of further movement of the second support portion 4 in the separating direction. Thus, as illustrated in
The movable probe 8 has a movable range having a length equal to that of the first range R1 in the separating/approaching direction. In addition, the detector 9 has a detectable range Q which is defined by the length of the guide groove 91 in the separating/approaching direction. Additional space is provided in the guide groove 91 to absorb dimensional errors and assembly errors of mechanical parts. Thus, the length of the movable range of the movable probe 8 is generally equal to or slightly smaller than the length of the detectable range Q in the separating/approaching direction. Further, the length of the detectable range Q is smaller than the length of the movable range R of the second support portion 4 in the separating/approaching direction.
The user moves the support portions 3 and 4 in a direction opposite to each other against biasing force of the urging members 77 and 78 to position the sheet roll M at a position between the support portions 3 and 4 as illustrated in
The detector 9 can output detection signal indicative of the widthwise length of the sheet roll M in accordance with a position of the second support portion 4 in the separating/approaching direction. A portion of the tape pulled out of the sheet roll M is positioned along the arcuate-shaped upper surface of the main body cover 20. A front-end portion of the tape is positioned in the vicinity of the ejection portion 15. Further, the main body cover 20 and the convex portions 46 and 36 nips the tape in the leftward/rightward direction to define a conveying passage of the tape. Then the user closes the cover 12. The user can also detach the sheet roll M out of the accommodating portion 21 in a similar manner.
4. Printing Operation
In operation, the user opens the cover 12 to attach or detach the sheet roll M to or from the accommodating portion 21. The sheet roll M accommodated in the accommodating portion 21 has the width extending in the leftward/rightward direction. In the closed state of the cover 12, the thermal head 30 is positioned in the vicinity of the platen roller 22. In a case where a portion of the tape is positioned between the thermal head 30 and the platen roller 22, the platen roller 22 presses the portion of the tape toward the thermal head 30.
A conveying motor (not illustrated) is provided for rotating the platen roller 22. Rotation of the platen roller 22 pays out the tape from the sheet roll M and conveys the tape while the tape is pressed between the platen roller 22 and the thermal head 30. In the thermal head 30, a plurality of heating elements selectively generate heat, to thus print a character image line-by-line basis on the heat sensitive label affixed to the base sheet of the tape. In the closed state of the cover 12, the tape having the heat sensitive label on which the character image is printed is ejected from the ejection portion 15 to an outside of the printing device 1. The printing device 1 may be provided with a cutter for cutting the printed tape at a predetermined position.
In the printing device 1 according to the above-mentioned embodiment, the movable probe 8 can move in the separating/approaching direction in interlocking relation to the movement of the second support portion 4 in the case where the second support portion 4 is positioned within the first range R1. Therefore, the detector 9 can detect a width of the printing medium according to a position of the movable probe 8, the position being in accordance with the position of the second support portion 4.
Further, the user can move the second support portion 4 from the first range R1 to the second range R2 so as to position the sheet roll M at a position between the first support portion 3 and the second support portion 4 while preventing the movable probe 8 from further moving to the second range R2. Hence, the movable range R of the second support portion 4 has a length greater than that of the movable range of the movable probe 8. Therefore, setting of the sheet roll M in the sheet accommodating portion 21 can be facilitated, and such facilitation can be realized without prolongation of moving range of the movable probe 8.
The movable range of the movable probe 8, which is slidably supported by the detector 9, is determined in accordance with the maximum widthwise length of the sheet roll M accommodatable in the accommodating portion 21. Further, the detectable range Q of the detector 9 is determined so that a position of the movable probe 8 in accordance with the maximum widthwise length of the sheet roll M is in the vicinity of an end portion of the detectable range Q in the separating direction. As a result, the detectable range Q of the detector 9 can be efficiently utilized.
On the other hand, in the printing device 1, the protrusions 31 and 41 are fitted within the through-hole D of the core of the sheet roll M, and the sector portions 32 and 42 are in abutment with the sheet roll M so as to retain the sheet roll M. Therefore, for attaching or detaching the sheet roll M to or from the accommodating portion 21 of the printing device 1, the user needs to move each of the support portions 3 and 4 by at least the protruding length H (2H in total) further from the sheet roll retaining position of the first and second support portions 3 and 4. Such further movement of each of the support portions 3 and 4 by the protruding length H is only required for performing attaching or detaching the sheet roll M to or from the accommodating portion 21 of the printing device 1. In this case, detection of the widthwise length of the sheet roll M is not required. Therefore, setting of the sheet roll M can be facilitated through the permission mechanism 40, and such facilitation can be realized without prolongation of the detector 9 in the leftward/rightward direction.
The printing device 1 according to the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, the following modifications (1)-(4) may be conceivable.
(1) The members or components of the printing device 1 may be modified in shapes, materials, and positions. For example, the first support portion 3 and the second support portion 4 may have a modified configuration. Each of the sector portions 32 and 42 may be replaced by a disk-shaped member or may be omitted. For example, the first support portion 3 is unmovable, and the second support portion 4 is sliadbly movable against an urging force of a tension spring. Each of the first support portion 3 and the second support portion 4 may be formed of a metal material or various kinds of materials instead of a resin material. Position of the second support portion 4 relative to the first support portion 3 may be modified. Only one of the second support portion 4 may be movable in the separating/approaching direction relative to the first support portion 3. The printing mode of the printing device 1 may be appropriately modified. For example, the present disclosure may be applied to an ink ribbon printer or an inkjet printer.
(2) All or part of the members of the permission mechanism 40 such as the guide member 6, the urging member 7, the protruding portion 64, the retaining portions 62 and 63, the rod member 10, and the regulation member 39 may have a modified configuration. For example, the urging member 7 may be a tension spring positioned for urging the movable probe 8 in the separating direction. The guide member 6 may be integral with the second support portion 4. The protruding portion 64 and the retaining portions 62 and 63 may be provided at a front surface, an upper surface, or a bottom surface of the guide member 6. The regulation member 39 may be fixed to at least one of the supporting plate 70 and the detector 9.
(3) The moving probe 8 may not have the through-hole 83 extending in the separating/approaching direction. Further, the intervening member 81 and the movable body 82 of the movable probe 8 may be integral with each other. The regulation member 39 may be provided at a portion other than the main body cover 20 such as at the guide member 6 and the supporting plate 70.
(4) In the printing device 1, the interlocking mechanism 60 may have an appropriately modified configuration, or may be omitted. The distance between the first support portion 3 and the second support portion 4 may be adjustable through a mechanism other than the rack gears 51 and 61. In the interlocking mechanism 60, at least one of the urging members 77 and 78 may have an appropriately modified configuration, or may be omitted.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-103935 | May 2018 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6017159 | Tse | Jan 2000 | A |
| 20040189756 | Ikezaki | Sep 2004 | A1 |
| 20060221165 | Kato | Oct 2006 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 7-223758 | Aug 1995 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190366737 A1 | Dec 2019 | US |
