JP5005502B2 - Printer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer device, and in particular, improves the operability of a top unit that can be opened and closed of the printer device and stabilizes the top unit when it is opened. The present invention relates to a printer apparatus that does not interfere with the printer.

For example, in a printer device that uses roll paper to issue receipts or journal paper, a paper printing section that prints on the roll paper and a paper cutting section that cuts the printed paper from the roll paper are placed in the outer case. It is equipped with an open / close cover on the upper surface of the outer case, so that roll paper can be loaded and maintained.
Therefore, the opening / closing cover has an opening / closing angle that can be held in an open state so that such loading work and maintenance / inspection work can be easily performed, or can be held open in the middle, Alternatively, it is convenient to provide a function such as mitigating impact during opening and closing.

For example, in Patent Document 1, the following means is taken for the printer cover in order to facilitate paper replenishment work for the printer and to protect the thermal head.
That is, in Patent Document 1, by rotating the printer cover in the opening direction, the lock mechanism that engages the lower unit having the platen and the upper unit having the thermal head is unlocked. The upper unit is also opened in conjunction with the opening operation.
Thereby, since the printer cover and the upper unit are simultaneously opened in one operation, the paper replenishing operation is facilitated.
In addition, when the printer cover is turned in the closing direction to be in the closed state, the upper unit is positioned at the half-open position, but the lock mechanism is closed by pressing down the pressing member partially protruding from the printer cover. be able to.
Thereby, the lower unit and the upper unit are securely locked, and the thermal head is protected.
Further, in Patent Document 1, by providing a damper mechanism that exerts a restraining force on the operation in the closing direction of the printer cover, the restraining force acts on the operation in the closing direction of the printer cover. Is said to not rotate suddenly due to gravity.

Japanese Patent No. 3686543

However, in Patent Document 1, the engagement state between the hook arm and the lock pin constituting the lock mechanism is not directly released by the operation of the handle portion for opening and closing the printer cover, but is provided on the side surface of the printer cover. The release rod provided on the guide frame is interlocked with the opening / closing operation of the printer cover to indirectly release the engagement state, which makes the mechanism complicated.
Further, although Patent Document 1 includes a damper mechanism that exerts a restraining force on the operation of the printer cover in the closing direction, the printer cover does not have a function of locking the printer cover in an upright open state. At the time of replacement or maintenance inspection, the printer cover is in an unstable state, which may hinder each operation.
The present invention has been proposed in order to improve the above-described problems. The roll is achieved by improving the operability of the top unit that can be opened and closed of the printer device and stabilizing the top unit when the top unit is opened. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer device that does not interfere with various operations such as paper replacement and maintenance inspection.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the invention described in claim 1 includes a main body unit that accommodates a roll paper accommodation and conveyance unit, a paper printing unit, and a paper cutting unit, and these roll paper accommodation and conveyance units, a paper printing unit, and a paper cutting unit. In the printer device using roll paper, the top unit is a main unit, and a top unit provided with a top unit that can be exposed / shielded, and an operation lever for opening and closing the top unit. A lock mechanism for locking in a closed state on the side, and the lock mechanism of the top unit is configured to release the lock by opening the top unit with the operation lever .
Further, the operation lever is pivotally attached to the tip end side of the top unit, and the lock lever is extended so that the top unit is locked to the main unit by engaging the main unit with the biasing means. On the other hand, the top unit is unlocked from the main unit side against the urging force of the urging means by opening the top unit with the operation lever.
In addition, the top unit is restrained with respect to the main body unit at a position where the opening / closing operation is in progress and at a position where the roll paper can be loaded, and also has a relief buffer for suppressing rattling during opening / closing operation and shock at closing. It is set as the structure supported via a support mechanism.
The undulation buffering support mechanism includes a undulation arm for axially fixing the top unit to the main body frame, and a spring plate against which the undulation arm is brought into contact, and the spring plate is provided with a stepped bend.

With the above-described configuration , the unlocking operation of the lock mechanism of the top unit is simultaneously performed by operating the operation lever for opening the top unit, and the top unit can be raised and opened.
Further, when the operation lever is operated to lift the top unit, the operation lever is displaced in the lifting direction, so that the lock lever is displaced against the urging force of the urging means, and from the engagement portion on the main unit side. The engagement is released and the locked state by the lock lever can be released.
Further, since the top unit can be stably supported even when the top unit is opened, there is no hindrance to roll paper loading and maintenance / inspection work. In addition, even if the top unit is clogged with some kind of impact, the impact at the time of closing can be suitably absorbed.
The undulation buffering support mechanism includes a undulation arm for axially fixing the top unit to the main body frame and a spring plate against which the undulation arm is brought into contact, and the spring plate is provided with a stepped bend. So it can absorb shocks with a simple structure.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the undulation buffering support mechanism includes a undulation arm that pivotally supports the top unit on the main body unit, and an undulation arm that is adjacent to the undulation arm during the rotation operation of the undulation arm. A shock-absorbing brake supporting means for holding the top unit at a predetermined inclined position is provided, which abuts against the arm in a shock-absorbing manner to give a braking force to the top unit.

  Thereby, even when the top unit is opened, it can be stably supported, so that there is no hindrance to roll paper loading and maintenance / inspection work. In addition, even if the top unit is clogged by some kind of shock, the shock at the time of closing can be suitably absorbed by the buffering brake support means.

1, 2, and 3 show an embodiment of a printer device 1 according to the present invention.
The printer apparatus 1 is a POS printer apparatus 1 that issues receipts or journal sheets using roll paper.
The printer apparatus 1 exposes a main body unit 2 in which a roll paper accommodating / conveying unit, a paper printing unit, and a paper cutting unit (described later) are disposed, and the roll paper accommodating / conveying unit, the paper printing unit, and the paper cutting unit. A top unit 3 provided so as to be shieldable, and an operation lever 4 for opening and closing the top unit 3.
Each of the main unit 2 and the top unit 3 has a main body frame 6 accommodated in an exterior case 5 and a top frame 7 attached to the main body frame 6 so as to be openable and closable. A conveyance unit 8, a sheet printing unit (described later), and a sheet cutting unit (described later) are arranged (see FIG. 3).

The top unit 3 opens and closes together with the opening and closing operation of the top frame 7 which will be described later, so as to expose / shield the roll paper accommodating and conveying unit 8, the paper printing unit and the paper cutting unit in the main body frame 6.
The operation lever 4 is exposed to the front end surface of the top unit 3 that performs the opening / closing operation through the front end opening surface 9 so that the top unit 3 can be opened and closed from the outside.
The operation lever 4 is pivotally fixed to both ends in the width direction of the top frame 7 close to the tip opening surface 9 (see FIG. 4).

And the lock lever 10 which comprises the lock mechanism of the top unit 3 is extended in the axial stop location of both ends of the operation lever 4, and a torsion spring is attached to the platen bearing in the paper printing part 11 arrange | positioned at the main body frame 6. FIG. A locking state is established by engaging a recess 10a formed near the tip of the lock lever 10 by an urging means (not shown) such as the above (see FIGS. 5 and 6).
A receiving portion 12 is provided on the inner side of both lock levers 10 when the top frame 7 of the top unit 3 is overlaid on the main body frame 6 to be closed and locked. (See FIGS. 3 and 4).

Next, FIG. 7 shows an external view of the main body frame 6 accommodated in the outer case 5 and the top frame 7 attached to the main body frame 6 so as to be openable and closable, and will be described in more detail.
The main body frame 6 is formed by performing a well-known plastic working on a thin metal plate, and a control board or the like (not shown) is disposed on the bottom side, and in addition to the roll paper accommodating and conveying unit 8, a sheet printing unit 11, A paper cutting unit 13 is disposed below the top opening surface 9 of the top frame 7.
As described above, the top frame 7 is unlocked by interlocking with the lock lever 10 which is the locking mechanism of the top unit 3 by opening the operation lever 4 of the top opening surface 9 of the top unit 3 and the main body frame 6. Are supported on the both sides of the back side of the roll paper accommodating and conveying unit 8 via the undulation buffer support mechanism 20 so as to be able to stand upright and tilt.

Therefore, the undulation buffer support mechanism 20 will be described.
The undulation buffer support mechanism 20 includes a undulation arm 21 that supports at least the top frame 7 to the main body frame 6 so as to be able to undulate freely, and an undulation arm 21 adjacent to the undulation arm 21 when the undulation arm 21 rotates. A shock-absorbing braking support means 22 for holding the top frame 7 at a predetermined inclination position is provided while abutting in a shock-absorbing manner to apply a braking force to the top frame 7.

The undulating arm 21 is a support arm having a substantially fan-shaped outer shape, and is pivotally fixed to the main body frame 6 around the rotation center axis X in the vicinity of one corner. On the other hand, a rolling member 23 that moves on the shock-absorbing brake support means 22 is provided at the other corner of the hoisting arm 21 in a state of shock-absorbing contact with the shock-absorbing brake support means 22 described later. .
The remaining corners of the undulating arms 21 are connected and fixed integrally with the top frame 7.

  The shock-absorbing braking support means 22 is constituted by a spring plate 22 that is bent and formed substantially in the middle. The spring plate 22 is fixed at one end side to the main body frame 6 side, and slightly protrudes toward the undulating arm 21 from the movement locus circle of the rolling member 23 in the undulating arm 21 from the intermediate folding point to the other end side. To be positioned. Then, on the spring plate 22 from the folded portion to the other end side, under the repulsive action of the spring plate 22, the rolling member 23 in the hoisting arm 21 is caused to roll and move. Yes.

  A stepped bending process is applied to a portion from the folded portion of the spring plate 22 to the other end side. In other words, the portion of the spring plate 22 from the folded portion to the other end side is processed so that the vicinity of the other end side and the vicinity of the folded portion remain, and the intermediate portion becomes the bottom of the recess.

  Thereby, when the top frame 7 falls on the main body frame 6, that is, when the top frame 7 is closed, the rolling member 23 in the raising and lowering arm 21 extends from the folded portion of the spring plate 22 to the other end side. Among the places, the rolling member 23 in the raising and lowering arm 21 is in contact with the spring plate 22 in the vicinity of the bent position when the top frame 7 is raised to the maximum extent by contacting the vicinity of the other end side. When the top frame 7 is moved up and down, the top frame 7 is in contact with the intermediate portion of the bottom of the recess except for the vicinity of the other end and the vicinity of the bent portion.

The printer device 1 according to the present invention is configured as described above, and the operation thereof will be described next.
An operation of lifting and opening the top unit 3 (see FIG. 1), which is in a closed state with respect to the main unit 2, when the roll paper is loaded into the printer device 1 or during maintenance and inspection work, by the operation lever 4. I do.
When an operator applies an operating force to the operating lever 4 so that the operating lever 4 exposed from the tip opening surface 9 of the top unit 3 is hung from the lower side in FIG. The lock lever 10 extended to the lever 4 is displaced against the urging force of the urging means, and engages the recess 10a near the tip of the lock lever 10 from the platen bearing in the paper printing portion 11 on the main body frame 6 side. The top unit 3 can be released, the locked state of the top unit 3 can be released, and the top unit 3 can be opened (see FIGS. 5, 6, 4, and 2).

  By the way, when the top unit 3 is in a closed state with respect to the main body unit 2, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the undulation buffer support mechanism 20 that supports the top unit 3 so as to be able to stand upright and tilt is supported. The rolling member 23 in the arm 21 is in contact with the vicinity of the other end side of the portion from the folded portion of the spring plate 22 to the other end side, and the rolling member in the undulating arm 21 is caused by the elastic force of the spring plate 22. Since 23 is pressed, a predetermined restraining force acts on the top unit 3. Therefore, in order to make the top unit 3 stand up, it is necessary to apply an operating force so as to exceed the restraining force based on the pressing force of the hoisting arm 21 against the rolling member 23.

When such an operating force is applied, the rolling member 23 in the undulating arm 21 overcomes the elastic force of the spring plate 22 and pushes back the spring plate 22, gets over from the vicinity of the other end side of the spring plate 22, It reaches the middle side (see FIG. 10). As a result, the top unit 3 is slightly opened (see FIG. 9).
At this time, since the repulsive force by the spring plate 22 is sharply reduced, the operator is given an appropriate feeling of movement and can feel that the top unit 3 is opened to a predetermined angle.
In this state, the operator can continue the opening operation of the top unit 3 with a small operating force compared to the applied operating force initially.

If the hand is released for some reason during the opening operation and the top unit 3 tries to return, the repulsive force of the spring plate 22 acts on the rolling member 23 of the undulating arm 21, so the top unit 3 The rolling force 23 on the undulating arm 21 remains at the stepped portion extending from the concave bottom portion of the spring plate 22 to the vicinity of the other end, and the top unit 3 is opened halfway. Can be stopped.
For example, even when a large impact force is applied to the top unit 3, the impact force is suitably applied when the rolling member 23 of the hoisting arm 21 climbs over the stepped portion from the intermediate portion of the spring plate 22 to the vicinity of the other end. As a result, it is possible to avoid the top unit 3 from impacting the main unit 2 with a large restoring force.

When the top unit 3 is opened to the maximum extent, the rolling member 23 in the raising and lowering arm 21 climbs over the step from the intermediate portion side of the spring plate 22 and reaches a portion in the vicinity of the bent portion (see FIG. 12).
As a result, the rolling member 23 in the undulating arm 21 is given a larger repulsive force from the spring plate 22 side than when it is in the middle portion of the spring plate 22, thereby holding the top unit 3 in an open state. (See FIGS. 3 and 11), and the operator does not need to support the top unit 3, and can concentrate on work such as roll paper loading and maintenance.

According to the present invention, when the top unit is lifted by the operating lever, the locked state of the top unit can be released at the same time, so that the opening / closing operability can be greatly improved.
Further, even if the hand is released during the opening operation, the top unit can be held by the undulation buffering support mechanism. The function of holding the top unit in the middle can be exerted regardless of the placement of the printer device, and the printer device can be placed either vertically or horizontally.

In the above, one embodiment of the printer apparatus 1 according to the present invention has been described and its functions and effects have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this example.
For example, various other mechanisms are conceivable for the operation lever, the lock mechanism, and the undulation buffer support mechanism. In other words, any appropriate configuration can be used as long as the undulation buffer support mechanism includes a rotation support mechanism and a buffering brake support unit that brakes the operation of the rotation support mechanism.

1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of a printer apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a state in which the top unit is slightly opened in the printer apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a state in which the top unit is fully opened in the printer apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory cross-sectional view illustrating a state where an operation lever of the printer device in the state illustrated in FIG. 2 is operated. It is principal part perspective explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the operation lever and the lock mechanism of a top unit. It is principal part perspective explanatory drawing which shows the state of the locking mechanism of a top unit when an operation lever is operated. FIG. 2 is an external view of a main body frame and a top frame of the printer device shown in FIG. 1. It is a schematic diagram explaining the function of the undulation buffer support mechanism which supports the top frame shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an external view of a main body frame and a top frame of the printer device shown in FIG. 2. It is a schematic diagram explaining the function of the undulation buffer support mechanism of the printer apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an external view of a main body frame and a top frame of the printer device shown in FIG. 3. It is a schematic diagram explaining the function of the undulation buffer support mechanism in the state of the top frame shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer apparatus 2 Main body unit 3 Top unit 4 Operation lever 5 Exterior case 6 Main body frame 7 Top frame 8 Roll paper accommodation conveyance part 9 Front opening surface 10 Lock lever 10a Concave part 11 Paper printing part 12 Receiving part 13 Paper cutting part 20 Undulating buffer 20 Support mechanism 21 Lifting arm 22 Spring plate 23 Rolling member

Claims (2)

A main body unit that accommodates a roll paper accommodating / conveying unit, a paper printing unit, and a paper cutting unit, and a top unit provided with the accommodating units for the roll paper accommodating / conveying unit, the paper printing unit, and the paper cutting unit so as to be exposed / shielded. In the printer device using roll paper, comprising an operating lever for opening and closing the top unit
The top unit includes a lock mechanism that locks the main unit when closed.
The lock mechanism of the top unit is configured to release the lock by opening the top unit with the operation lever .
The operating lever is pivotally attached to the tip end side of the top unit, and a lock lever is extended so that the top unit is engaged with the main unit by biasing means. While being in a locked state, the top unit is unlocked from the main unit side against the urging force of the urging means by the opening operation of the top unit by the operation lever,
The top unit is restrained with respect to the main body unit at an opening / closing operation halfway position and a position at which the roll paper can be loaded, and also undulations for suppressing rattling absorption during opening / closing operation and shock buffering at closing It is configured to support via a buffer support mechanism,
The undulation buffer support mechanism includes a undulation arm for axially fixing the top unit to the main body frame and a spring plate against which the undulation arm is brought into contact, and the spring plate is provided with a stepped bend,
A printer apparatus characterized by the above.   The undulation buffering support mechanism includes a undulating arm that supports the top unit on the main body unit so that the undulation can be freely supported, and is adjacent to the undulating arm so that the undulating arm is in buffer contact with the undulating arm. 2. The printer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a buffering brake support means for applying a braking force to the top unit and holding the top unit at a predetermined inclined position.

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