JPH0143636B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a receipt printing device for an electronic cash register.

For example, a paper feed device for a conventionally provided electronic cash register includes a pinch roller mechanism that applies a moving force to the printing paper along a guide that guides the strip-shaped printing paper, a stamp mechanism that applies stamp printing to the printing paper, and It is equipped with a cutter mechanism that cuts the printing paper. However, all of these mechanisms are formed independently, and each mechanism is independently assembled and fixed in the main body of the device. Therefore, maintenance of each mechanism is troublesome, and when setting the printing paper, it is necessary to insert the strip-shaped printing paper into each mechanism, which makes the work troublesome. Furthermore, when paper is fed, resistance occurs in various places, but in particular, the printer has an insertion slot on the front side of the main body and is arranged diagonally below the platen. In conventional devices equipped with a paper feed guide to be introduced and a paper ejection guide placed approximately parallel to the paper feed guide and in front of the platen, the printing paper is lifted from the platen due to resistance generated on the paper ejection guide side. In addition to deteriorating print quality and producing high-pitched printing noise, the print paper may get caught in the print head and cause paper jams.

The present invention was proposed based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to facilitate maintenance and the setting of strip-shaped printing paper, improve printing quality, reduce printing noise, and reduce the noise in the printing section. An object of the present invention is to provide a receipt printing device for an electronic cash register that can prevent paper jams.

That is, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a paper feed guide that has an insertion port on the front side of the main body of the device and is arranged obliquely below the platen, and allows printing paper to be introduced into the platen from the rear side of the platen. and,
In a receipt printing device for an electronic cash register, which includes a paper ejection guide arranged approximately parallel to the paper feed guide and in front of the platen, a paper feed drive roller is disposed between the platen and the paper ejection guide. At the same time, an opening/closing unit is rotatably provided above the paper ejection guide for opening and closing the front face of the guide, and the opening/closing unit includes a pinch roller having a roller that rolls into contact with the paper feed drive roller when the unit is in the closed state. The present invention is characterized in that it incorporates a cutter mechanism having a movable blade that engages with a fixed blade attached to the paper discharge guide when the opening/closing unit is in the closed state.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the figure, 1 is the main body of the device, to which a platen 2 is attached. A dot printing type printing head 3 is attached to the upper part of the main body 1 of the apparatus, facing the upper surface of the platen 2 and moving along the longitudinal direction of the platen 2. Further, at the bottom of the device main body 1, there is a receipt paper feed guide 4 that introduces and feeds the receipt strip-shaped printing paper A to the platen 2, and a receipt paper feed guide 4 that introduces and feeds the strip-shaped printing paper for journals (not shown) to the platen 2. Journal paper feed guides (not shown) for feeding paper are provided side by side. Since each of these guides has the same structure, the paper feed guide 4 for receipts will be explained as a representative, but the paper feed guide 4 has an insertion opening on the front side of the device main body 1 and is arranged diagonally below the platen 2. The belt-shaped printing paper A is introduced into the platen 2 from the rear side of the platen 2. Further, a paper ejection guide 5 is installed at the lower part of the main body 1 in front of the platen 2. The paper discharge guide 5 is commonly used for printing paper for receipts and for journals. Note that the paper discharge guide 5 is arranged substantially parallel to the paper feed guide 4. Furthermore, a paper feed drive roller 6 is disposed at the bottom of the main body 1 between the platen 2 and the end of the paper discharge guide 5 on the platen side. Rollers 6 are provided separately for receipt and journal printing paper. Independent rotation of these drive rollers is performed by a drive system 7 that includes a motor 7a, a gear group 7b, a clutch (not shown), etc. built into the main body 1 of the device. Further, a pair of opening/closing units 9 and 10 for opening and closing the front of the paper ejection guide 5 are rotatably arranged and supported on a support shaft 8 horizontally suspended on the lower front side of the main body 1. One opening/closing unit 9 is provided for the strip-shaped printing paper A for receipts, and the other opening/closing unit 10 is provided for the strip-shaped printing paper for journals.The structures of these units are as follows.

One opening/closing unit 9 is shown in detail in FIGS. 1 and 6. In other words, numeral 11 in the figure is a unit frame, which in this embodiment is formed from a frame body 11a and a frame cover 11b that is removably screwed onto the frame body 11a in order to make assembly and maintenance easier. This shows the case where The frame body 11a has a pair of mounting parts 12, 1
2, which are fitted onto a support shaft 8 and rotatably supported. The opening/closing unit 9 includes a pinch roller mechanism 13, a cutter mechanism 14, and a stamp mechanism 15.

The pinch roller mechanism 13 has a frame main body 11a.
A shaft 17 horizontally suspended on shaft supports 16, 16 integrally provided with the shaft 17, a pair of arms 18, 18 whose one ends are pivotally supported on the shaft 17, and a rotatable shaft between the tips of these arms 18, 18. The arm 18 is supported by a roller 19 that rolls into contact with the paper feed drive roller 6 when the opening/closing unit 9 is in the closed state, and a spring 20 that biases the arm 18. Note that 21 in FIG. 6 indicates an arm stopper that restricts the downward rotation of the arm 18 provided on the frame body 11a by the spring 20.

The cutter mechanism 14 includes a fixed blade 40 attached to the paper discharge guide 5 when the opening/closing unit 9 is in the closed state.
In addition to the movable blade 22, the movable blade arm 23, a spring 24, and a bell crank 25 are formed. The cutter mechanism 14 is separated from the drive system 26 and is arranged so as to be interlocked with the drive system 26 when the opening/closing unit 9 is in the closed state. The movable blade 22
is a screw 27 on the wall 11a ₁ of the frame body 11a,
The auxiliary frame 11c fixed at 27 and the wall 1
1a ₁ , and is slidably housed therein. The movable blade arm 23 is rotatably attached to the wall 11a ₁ at an intermediate portion thereof, and an engaging portion 23a at one end thereof is connected to a horizontal hole 22a of the movable blade 22 to support the movable blade 22. . The movable blade arm 23 is biased in the direction of pulling up the movable blade 22 by the spring 24 stretched across the movable blade arm ₂₃ and the wall 11a1. Further, the bell crank 25 is attached to one side wall 11a ₂ of the frame main body 11a.
The movable blade arm 23 is rotatably attached to the movable blade arm 23 through a long hole 25a provided at one end thereof, and another engaging portion 23b at the other end thereof is connected to the movable blade arm 23.
Note that 22b is a long hole for allowing the screw 27 to escape.

The drive system 26 of the cutter mechanism is shown in FIGS.
It is shown in the figure and includes an eccentric cam 28, a long first connecting rod 29, a short second connecting rod 30, a guide 31, a spring 32, a plunger solenoid 33, a lever rod 34, another spring 35, etc. It is formed by The eccentric cam 28 is connected to the drive system 7 via a clutch (not shown) and is fixed to a rotating shaft 36 which is rotated, and its engaging protrusion 28a is connected to a long groove cut out at one end of the first connecting rod 29. 29a, and is connected to one end of the second continuous rod 30. The elongated hole 29b provided at the other end of the first connecting rod 29 is slidably fitted into a guide 31 fixed to the frame of the device main body 1, and
A protrusion 29c protruding from the center of the connecting rod 29 is inserted into an L-shaped hole 37 provided at the other end of the second connecting rod 30. The spring 32 is stretched across the first and second connecting rods 29 and 30. Further, the plunger solenoid 33, lever 34, and spring 35 are used to change the stroke of the movable blade 22. One end of the lever rod 34 is connected to the plunger solenoid 33, and the other end is positioned so as to be able to approach and separate from the other end of the second connecting rod 30. Further, the first connecting rod 29 is provided with an interlocking portion 29d made of a groove or the like. The interlocking portion 29d includes an interlocking receiving portion 25, which is provided on the bell crank 25 and includes a protrusion or the like that is engaged and disengaged simultaneously with the rotation of the opening/closing unit 9.
b is engaged. Note that the relationship between the interlocking portion 29d and the interlocking receiving portion 25b may be reversed from this embodiment by providing a protrusion on the connecting rod 29 and providing a groove on the bell crank 25.

The cutter mechanism 14 and the drive system 26, which are configured independently in this way, do not require special manual work for connection and separation, and the relationship between the interlocking receiving part 25b and the interlocking part 29d is Therefore, the opening/closing unit 9 is automatically engaged and disengaged by simply opening and closing the opening/closing unit 9.

Further, the fixed blade system 38 of the cutter mechanism is assembled into a unit and attached to the paper discharge guide 5. This fixed blade system 38 is shown in detail in FIGS. 3 to 5. A fixed blade 40 and a movable blade guide 41 that is close to and spaced from the fixed blade 40 are attached to a base 39 having an L-shaped cross section using screws 42. , 42, and can be disassembled. And this fixed blade system 3
8 is removably attached with its base 39 fixed to the paper discharge guide 5 with screws 43, 43. Further, the insertion portion of the screw 43 of the paper ejection guide 5 is provided through the elongated hole 5a.
The fixed blade system 38 is mounted within the length range of the elongated hole 5a so that its mounting position can be adjusted along the paper guide direction of the paper discharge guide 5. Among these measures, unitizing and disassembling the fixed blade 40
The unitization and position adjustment functions are useful for facilitating the blade alignment of the movable blade 22 and the fixed blade 40 at the time of assembly.

The cutter mechanism 14 performs a cutting operation on the printing paper A by one rotation of the eccentric cam 28. In other words, as the eccentric cam 28 rotates, the second continuous rod 30 opens into the L-shaped hole 37.
Since the first connecting rod 29 is pressed against the spring 32 through engagement with the protrusion 29c, the guide 3 at this time
1, the bell crank 25 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure through the engagement between the interlocking portion 29d and the interlocking receiving portion 25b. Therefore, the movable blade arm 23 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 6 against the spring 24 through the engagement between the elongated hole 25a and the engaging portion 23b, and thus the engaging portion 23a and the horizontal hole 22a are rotated clockwise in FIG. Through engagement with the movable blade arm 23, the movable blade arm 23 pushes the movable blade 22 downward. Therefore, the movable blade 22 slides on the fixed blade 40 while slidingly contacting the fixed blade 40.
and the movable blade guide 41 to cut the printing paper A. The above operation is performed by half a rotation of the eccentric cam 28. During the subsequent half-rotation of the eccentric cam 28, as the first linking rod 29 moves back due to the operation opposite to the above, the springs 32 and 24 cause the drive system to
6 and the movable blade system 14 are returned to their original positions and are ready for the next cutting operation. Note that when the plunger solenoid 33 of the drive system 26 is not operated, the lever lever 34 separates from the second connecting rod 30 and the second connecting rod 30 is pulled down by the spring 32, so that the protrusion 29c moves into the narrow width of the L-shaped hole 37. Since the first connecting rod 29 is in the engaged state, the movement stroke of the first connecting rod 29 is large, so that a so-called full cut operation is performed in which the printing paper A is completely cut off. Further, when the plunger solenoid 33 is operated, the second connecting rod 30 is pushed up,
Since the protrusion 29c is engaged with the widened portion of the L-shaped hole 37, the movement stroke of the first connecting rod 29 becomes small, so that a so-called stub cut operation in which the printing paper A is incompletely cut is performed.

The stamp mechanism 15 is shown in detail in FIG. 6, including a stamp base 44 and a stamp lever 4.
5, a spring 46 and a stamp 47. The stamp lever 44 is disposed directly facing the auxiliary frame 11c, and has an engaging portion 44a and a support portion 44b. The stamp lever 45 is pivotally supported by a shaft portion 48 provided on the unit frame 11, and supports the stamp base 44 by fitting an elongated hole 45a provided at one end into an engaging portion 44a. are doing. The other end of the stamp base 45 is an interlocking receiving portion 4 which is led out from a window hole 49 formed in the one side wall _11a2 .
5b. Further, the spring 46 is stretched across the stamp base 44 and the auxiliary frame 11c. Furthermore, the stamp 47 is fitted and supported by the support portion 44b. In addition,
Reference numerals 44c and 44c in FIG. 6 are long holes through which the screws 27 can escape. Further, in this embodiment, the stamp mechanism 15
Regarding the relationship between the rollers 19 and the rollers 19, as shown in FIG.
A case is shown in which the stamp 47 is provided with a protrusion 47a located between 9 and 9. This measure is stamp 47
This serves to increase the printing area, facilitate processing of the roller 19, and prevent stains on the roller 19 from being transferred to the printing paper A (particularly when this printing area passes through the roller 19 after stamp printing).

Note that this stamp mechanism 15 is separated from the drive system 50 of the stamp mechanism, and is connected to the opening/closing unit 9.
The drive system 50 is arranged so as to be interlocked with the drive system 50 in the closed state. The drive system 50 is attached to the paper discharge guide 5 as shown in FIG. In other words, this drive system 50 includes an L-shaped crank 51 that passes through the paper ejection guide 5 and is pivotally supported on the cut-and-raised portion 5b of the guide 5, and a connecting rod 52 that has one end pivoted to the lower end of the crank 51. and a plunger solenoid 53 connected to the other end of the connecting rod 52 and fixed to the lower surface of the paper discharge guide 5. and,
The other end of the crank 51 is used as an interlocking section 51a that contacts or approaches the interlocking receiving section 45b.

The stamp mechanism 15 and the drive system 50, which are configured independently in this way, do not require special manual work for connection and separation, and the relationship between the interlocking receiving part 45b and the interlocking part 51a is Accordingly, the opening/closing unit 9 can be automatically interlocked and separated as the opening/closing unit 9 is opened and closed.

The stamp mechanism 15 performs the work of printing a stamp on the printing paper A. That is, by energizing the plunger solenoid 53, the crank 51 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3 via the connecting rod 52, so that the interlocking portion 51a presses the interlocking receiving portion 45b. Therefore, as a result of the stamp lever 45 being rotated clockwise in FIG. 6 against the spring 46, the stamp base 44 and the stamp 47 are pushed down through the engagement between the elongated hole 45a and the engaging portion 44a. I was hit,
A stamp printing operation is performed on printing paper A. Note that when the plunger solenoid 53 is demagnetized,
Driven system 15 and drive system 50 due to the force of spring 46
is reversed and placed on standby in preparation for the next operation.

As described above, the opening/closing unit 9 on the receipt side includes the pinch roller mechanism 13, the cutter mechanism 14, and the stamp mechanism 15, but the opening/closing unit 10 on the journal side includes the pinch roller mechanism 13, the cutter mechanism 14, and the stamp mechanism 15.
The cutter mechanism and stamp mechanism are omitted.

Further, a unit holding mechanism for holding each opening/closing unit 9, 10 in a closed state is shown as a representative in FIG. In other words, this mechanism includes a locking pawl 54 provided on the unit frame 11, a locking link 55, an operation link 56, a connecting link 57, and springs 58, 5.
It is formed with 9 mag. The locking link 55 and the operation link 56 are each rotatably supported at their lower ends, are each pivotally connected to the end of the connecting link 57, and are each biased by springs 58 and 59. . The locking link 55 is disposed below the through hole 5c of the paper discharge guide 5, and the operating link 56 has an operating portion 56a at its upper end.
Therefore, when the opening/closing units 9, 10 are rotated to the closed state, the locking claws 54 thereof are engaged with the upper end portions of the locking links 55 through the through holes 5c, so that the opening/closing units 9, 10 are held in the closed state. Ru. In addition, in this closed state, the operating portion 56a is moved by the spring 5 in the direction of arrow B in FIG.
8, 59, the connecting link 5
7, the links 55 and 56 are rotated, and the locking link 55 and the locking pawl 54 are disengaged.
In other words, the closed state is released and the opening/closing units 9, 10 can be opened manually.

The case where printing paper A is set in the cash register having the above configuration will be explained. First, the leading end of the paper A is inserted through the lower end opening of the paper feed guide 4 and guided to the upper end opening, and then the closed state of the unit holding mechanism is released by operating the operating link 56. Next, the opening/closing unit 9 is rotated as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 to open the front side of the paper discharge guide 5. In this state, after the printing paper A is passed through the platen 2 and along the front of the paper discharge guide 5, the opening/closing unit 9 is rotated to close the paper discharge guide 5. Then, the opening/closing unit 9 is automatically held in the closed state by the unit holding mechanism, the roller 19 of the pinch roller mechanism 13 rolls into contact with the paper feed drive roller 6 via the printing paper A, and the cutter mechanism 1
4 and the stamp mechanism 15 are respectively arranged at predetermined positions. The same procedure as above is used to set the print paper for the journal.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the opening/closing unit 9 is closed, the roller 19 of the pinch roller mechanism 13 rolls into contact with the paper feed drive roller 6, and
Since the cutter mechanism 14 and the stamp mechanism 15 are respectively arranged at predetermined positions, the printing paper A can be easily set simply by placing the printing paper A on the front of the paper discharge guide 5. In addition, as the opening/closing unit 9 is opened, the pinch roller mechanism 13, cutter mechanism 14, and stamp mechanism 15 are removed from the device main body 1.
Since the inside is exposed, inspection and repair can be easily carried out without disassembling the main body 1 of the device. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a paper feed drive roller 6 is arranged between the platen 2 and the paper ejection guide 5, and the paper is fed while pulling the printing paper by this drive roller 6 and the roller 19 of the pinch roller mechanism 13. Therefore, the printing paper does not rise from the platen 2, and it is possible to prevent deterioration of printing quality, increase in printing sound, paper jam, etc. due to the lifting of the printing paper.

In this embodiment, a pinch roller mechanism 13, a cutter mechanism 14, and a stamp mechanism 15 are incorporated into the opening/closing unit 9, but there are also electronic cash registers that do not require a stamp mechanism. It is sufficient to incorporate only the pinch roller mechanism 13 and cutter mechanism 14 into the opening/closing unit 9.

As explained above, according to the present invention, printing paper can be easily set, and
The pinch roller mechanism and the cutter mechanism can be easily disassembled, maintained and inspected, and printing quality can be improved, printing noise can be reduced, and paper jams can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic side view with a part of the electronic cash register in section; FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing the fixing structure of the opening/closing unit; and FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the relationship between the unit part and the paper discharge guide part. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the fixed blade system taken along the line - in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the fixed blade system of the cutter mechanism. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the opening/closing unit, FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the drive system of the cutter mechanism, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the stamp and the platen roller mechanism. 2...Platen, 4...Paper feed guide, 5...Paper ejection guide, 6...Paper feed drive roller, 9, 10...
...Opening/closing unit, 11...Unit frame, 1
3...Pinch roller mechanism, 14...Cutter mechanism, 15...Stamp mechanism, 19...Roller, 2
2...Movable blade, 26...Drive system, 47...Stamp, 50...Stamp mechanism drive system, A...Printing paper.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A paper feed guide having an insertion port on the front side of the device body and arranged diagonally below the platen to introduce printing paper into the platen from the rear side of the platen;
In a receipt printing device for an electronic cash register, which includes a paper ejection guide arranged approximately parallel to the paper feed guide and in front of the platen, a paper feed drive roller is disposed between the platen and the paper ejection guide. At the same time, an opening/closing unit is rotatably provided above the paper ejection guide for opening and closing the front face of the guide, and the opening/closing unit includes a pinch roller having a roller that rolls into contact with the paper feed drive roller when the unit is in the closed state. 1. A receipt printing device for an electronic cash register, comprising a cutter mechanism having a movable blade that engages with a fixed blade attached to the paper ejection guide when the opening/closing unit is in the closed state.