JP5549811B2 - Portable printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable printer that performs desired printing on a printing paper.

  A portable printer that performs desired printing on a printing paper is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The portable printer includes a platen roller that conveys a printing paper, a thermal line head that performs desired printing on the printing paper conveyed by the platen roller, and includes the platen roller and the thermal line head. And a housing constituting an outer shell of the device.

JP 7-309041 A

  When the operator (user) uses the above-described portable printer of the related art, the printing paper is manually inserted from the insertion port. As a result, the inserted printing paper is guided by the guide member to the pressure contact portion between the platen roller and the thermal line head. The paper to be printed on which desired printing is performed by the thermal line head along with the conveyance of the platen roller is discharged from the discharge port to the outside of the printer.

  Although not clearly described in the above-mentioned patent document, it has already been proposed that such a conventional portable printer can be printed using various types of printing paper. At this time, the insertion slot is formed in accordance with the maximum paper size of the printable paper sizes. Therefore, when the operator inserts a printing paper smaller than the maximum size, for example, the edge of the printing paper or the width direction with respect to the mark provided near the insertion opening of the housing for each type of printing paper. It had to be carefully inserted while aligning the center line, which was cumbersome.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a portable printer in which an operator can easily and easily perform printing without being particularly aware of an insertion position at an insertion port for each type of paper to be printed.

In order to achieve the above object, a first invention is a portable printer that performs desired printing on a printing paper, a platen roller that conveys the printing paper, and the substrate that is conveyed by the platen roller. A thermal line head that performs desired printing on printing paper; a top cover that forms an upper portion of the outer portion of the apparatus; and an under cover that forms the lower portion of the outer portion of the apparatus, and a housing that encloses the platen roller and the thermal line head. The top cover is provided at an insertion port into which the printing paper is inserted and at one side edge of the insertion port, and both ends in the width direction of the plurality of types of printing paper having different widthwise dimensions. the comprises a plurality of recesses for guiding each for each type of printing paper, comprising a paper guide unit, and the paper guide section, said plurality of recesses one To be coupled, it is formed so as not to protrude from the outer upper surface of said top cover, characterized in that it comprises a stepped recess.

In the first invention of the present application, a platen roller and a thermal line head are provided inside the housing. The printing paper inserted while being guided by the paper guide portion from the insertion port of the top cover of the housing is conveyed by the platen roller, and desired printing is performed by the thermal line head. At this time, the paper guide portion includes a plurality of concave portions. The plurality of recesses respectively correspond to a plurality of types of printing paper having different widthwise dimensions, and each of the recesses guides both ends in the width direction of the corresponding type of printing paper. By providing the paper guide portion having such a structure at the edge of the insertion opening of the top cover, desired printing can be performed smoothly while positioning with respect to a plurality of types of printing paper is ensured. As a result, the operator can easily and easily perform printing without being particularly aware of the insertion position at the insertion port for each type of paper to be printed. Therefore, the convenience for the operator is improved.
In the first invention of the present application, the paper guide portion includes a stepped recess formed by integrally connecting a plurality of recesses so as not to protrude from the outer upper surface of the top cover. In the paper guide portion, the plurality of recesses are integrally formed as stepped recesses, so that a space for providing the plurality of recesses can be reduced.

A second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the plurality of recesses of the paper guide portion are arranged in the stepped recesses in a manner in which the center lines in the width direction are made coincident with each other.

  This makes it easier for the user to visually understand the difference in the insertion position of each recess than when arranging the ends in the width direction of the plurality of recesses. Further, the operator only has to insert the center line of the printing paper so that the center line of the printing paper always coincides with the center line in the width direction of the insertion slot. User convenience can be improved.

According to a third aspect , in the second aspect , each of the plurality of concave portions is disposed in the stepped concave portion such that the concave portion having a smaller width direction is positioned on the concave direction side of the stepped concave portion. It is characterized by that.

  As a result, the smaller the concave portion of the printing paper, the lower the position of the insertion port as viewed from the operator. As a result, the insertion property of the printing paper by the operator can be improved, and the arrangement can be easily understood visually for the operator.

According to a fourth invention, in any one of the first to third inventions, the stepped recess has an end cross-sectional shape that is inclined substantially along an insertion direction of the printing paper. And

  As a result, it is possible to suppress friction and catching of the printing paper at the end of the stepped recess and to ensure smooth insertion.

  According to the present invention, the operator can easily and easily perform printing without being particularly conscious of the insertion position at the insertion port for each type of paper to be printed.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an external configuration of a portable printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the front side diagonally upward direction showing the internal structure of a portable printer. It is a sectional side view by the III-III section in Drawing 1 showing the internal structure of a portable printer. It is a block diagram showing the control system of a portable printer.

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

  The external configuration of the portable printer 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the lower left direction in FIG. 1 is front, the upper right direction is rear, the upper left direction is left, and the lower right direction is right.

  The portable printer 1 prints print data received from an external device 2 (see FIG. 4 to be described later) such as a PC terminal or a mobile phone via wired communication or wireless communication on various printing papers (not shown). To do. The portable printer 1 can be driven with a rechargeable battery 10 (see FIG. 3 and the like described later) as a power source, and can be carried and used in various places.

  The portable printer 1 is provided with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 100 that is made of a resin material and that forms the outer shell of the apparatus. The housing 100 includes a top cover 101 that constitutes the upper part of the outer shell of the apparatus, an under cover 102 that constitutes the lower part of the outer shell of the apparatus, and a cover member 103 that can be opened and closed on the upper front side of the top cover 101. At the time of printing, the printing paper is inserted into the insertion opening 104 formed between the top cover 101 and the cover member 103. The inserted printing paper is guided to a pressure contact portion P (see FIG. 3 described later) between a platen roller 111 and a thermal line head 112 described later by a guide member 120 provided below the insertion port 104, and printing is completed. Thereafter, the gas is discharged from a discharge port 107 formed between the cover member 103 and the under cover 102.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, among the top cover 101, one side edge portion (the rear side edge portion in this example) of the insertion port 104 has a plurality of types (A4 in this example) having different widthwise dimensions. A sheet guide unit 201 is provided for guiding each of both end portions in the width direction for each of three types of printing paper (size, B5 size, A5 size, etc.).

  That is, the paper guide unit 201 includes an A4 size recess 201A and a B5 size corresponding to the various sizes for guiding the width direction both ends of each of the three types of printing paper (not shown). A recess 201B for use and an A5 size recess 201C are formed respectively. And these recessed part 201A, the recessed part 201B, and the recessed part 201C are integrally connected via the level | step-difference part 202, and become a stepped recessed part as a whole.

  Further, the three concave portions 201A, 201B, and 201C of the paper guide portion 201 have a smaller widthwise dimension as the concave direction side of the stepped concave portion, in other words, the rear side (in the above example, the concave portion 201A for A4 size). Further, the B5 size recess 201B is positioned rearward and the A5 size recess 201C is positioned rearward of the B5 size recess 201B. Further, the three recessed portions 201A, the recessed portions 201B, and the recessed portions 201C are arranged in the stepped recessed portions in such a manner that the center lines in the width direction coincide with each other. That is, the center line in the width direction of the recess 201A is a straight line k, the center line in the width direction of the recess 201B is also a straight line k, and the center line in the width direction of the recess 201C is also a straight line k. At this time, an arrow M0 is described at a position on the upper surface of the top cover 101 on a line k common to the concave portions, in other words, a position corresponding to the center line in the width direction of the stepped concave portion. In addition, symbols M1, M2, and M3 representing the sizes of the printing papers “A4”, “B5”, and “A5” are described at positions corresponding to the step portions 202 on the top cover 101, respectively.

  Furthermore, the stepped recesses formed by the three recesses 201A, the recesses 201B, and the recesses 201C of the sheet guide unit 201 are respectively formed with inclined surfaces 203 that are inclined substantially along the insertion direction of the printing paper. The inclined surface 203 is stepped on the upper part of the guide member 120 so as to be substantially flush with the inclined surface 122 inclined from the horizontal surface 121 of the guide member 120 provided below the insertion port 104 toward the inside of the apparatus. A paper guide portion 201 that is a concave portion is disposed.

  Next, the internal structure of the portable printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the housing 100 of the portable printer 1, the platen roller 111 and the thermal line head 112 described above are provided. The platen roller 111 is rotatably supported by a pair of side chassis members 130L and 130R (see FIG. 2) provided inside the housing 100, and is rotationally driven by a drive motor 11 (see FIG. 4 described later). In this way, the printing paper is conveyed. The thermal line head 112 is provided on a heat radiating plate 114 provided with a shaft member 113 at the rear end, and the heat radiating plate 114 can be rotated around the shaft member 113 by the side chassis members 130L and 130R. It is supported. The main chassis member 150 provided on the inner surface of the under cover 102 is provided with a plurality of coil springs 115 that urge the heat sink 114 that supports the thermal line head 112 toward the platen roller 111. . As a result, the thermal line head 112 can be brought into pressure contact with the platen roller 111, contacts the platen roller 111 with a predetermined pressure during printing, and performs desired printing on the printing paper inserted therebetween.

  During normal printing, by inserting the printing paper into the insertion port 104 with the cover member 103 closed, the printing paper is conveyed by the platen roller 111 while being guided by the guide member 120, and the thermal line head. The desired printing is performed by 112. When a paper jam or the like occurs, the platen roller 111 is released from the thermal line head 112 by opening the cover member 103, and the paper can be easily pulled out.

  On the rear side of the housing 100, a battery storage chamber 105 that houses the substantially rod-shaped rechargeable battery 10 is provided. A battery chamber cover 170 is detachably provided in the battery storage chamber 105. In a state where the battery chamber cover 170 is removed, the battery storage chamber 105 opens in the rear portion of the housing 100.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the above-described fixing structure of the guide member 120 will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, when referring to the front, rear, left, right, and up and down directions, the parts such as the guide member 120 correspond to the respective directions in a state where the parts are attached to the portable printer 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the portable printer 1 is roughly assembled by assembling a top cover 101, an under cover 102, a cover member 103 and a chassis assembly 50 that constitute the housing 100. The chassis assembly 50 includes a main chassis member 150 that is provided on the inner surface of the under cover 102 and constitutes a bottom portion of the chassis assembly 50, and a pair of erected from both longitudinal ends of the main chassis member 150. Side chassis members 130L and 130R are provided. The side chassis members 130L and 130R support the platen roller 111 rotatably by inserting the shaft member 111a of the platen roller 111 into the shaft hole 131. Further, the side chassis members 130L and 130R support the heat radiating plate 114 including the thermal line head 112 so as to be rotatable via the shaft member 113 described above.

  The left side chassis member 130L is provided with a drive motor 11 that drives the platen roller 111, and a gear mechanism 132 that includes a plurality of gears that transmits the driving force of the drive motor 11 to the shaft member 111a of the platen roller 111. It has been.

  A beam member 140 is bridged over the side chassis members 130L and 130R and fixed with screws. The above-described guide member 120 that guides the printing paper inserted from the insertion port 104 to the pressure contact portion P between the platen roller 111 and the thermal line head 112 includes a top cover 101, an under cover 102, and a housing 100. The cover member 103 is configured as a separate member and is provided on the side chassis members 130L and 130R by being fixed to the beam member 140.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the guide member 120 includes a horizontal surface 121 that is substantially horizontal when assembled to the chassis assembly 50, and an inclined surface 122 that is inclined from the horizontal surface 121 toward the inside of the apparatus. And have. In this example, the inclined surface 122 is disposed so as to be substantially flush with the inclined surface 203 inclined from the three concave portions 201A, 201B, and 201C toward the inside of the apparatus.

  On the horizontal surface 121 and the inclined surface 122, a plurality of protrusion members 123 formed along the guide direction of the printing paper are provided in parallel in the longitudinal direction.

  Next, the control system of the portable printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The portable printer 1 has a CPU 12. The CPU 12 performs signal processing according to a program stored in advance in the ROM 14 while using the temporary storage function of the DRAM 13, thereby controlling the entire portable printer 1.

  The CPU 12 performs drive control of the power supply circuit 15 that performs power on / off processing of the portable printer 1, the motor drive circuit 16 that performs drive control of the drive motor 11 that drives the platen roller 111, and the thermal line head 112. It is connected to the thermal head control circuit 17.

  The CPU 12 also includes a paper detection sensor 18, a feed key 40 (see also FIGS. 1 and 2) for performing a paper feed operation, and a power key 30 (also FIGS. 1 and 2 for performing a power on / off operation). Connected). Based on the detection result of the paper detection sensor 18, the CPU 12 detects whether or not a printing paper is inserted into the insertion port 104. Further, when the power key 30 or the feed key 40 is depressed, the CPU 12 executes a process corresponding to the depressed key. That is, when the feed key 40 is depressed, the CPU 12 outputs a control signal to the motor drive circuit 16, drives the drive motor 11 to rotate the platen roller 111, and performs a feed process for conveying a predetermined amount of paper to be printed. Do. When the power key 30 is depressed while the portable printer 1 is in the power-off state, the CPU 12 outputs a control signal to the power circuit 15 to perform power-on processing, and when the power key 30 is depressed in the power-on state. Then, a control signal is output to the power supply circuit 15 to perform power-off processing.

  The feed key 40 is printed when, for example, paper is fed in order to start printing from an intermediate position in the conveyance direction of the printing paper, or when printing paper whose conveyance direction length is longer than a predetermined length is used. This is operated when the paper is to be discharged after completion.

  The CPU 12 is connected to the USB interface drive circuit 21, the wireless communication unit 22, and the infrared communication unit 23. The USB interface drive circuit 21 controls communication performed with the external device 2 via a USB cable (not shown) connected to a USB terminal 24 (see also FIG. 1). The wireless communication unit 22 controls wireless communication using radio waves other than infrared rays performed with the external device 2. The infrared communication unit 23 controls infrared communication performed with the external device 2.

  Switching of the communication standard between the wireless communication and the infrared communication is performed as follows. That is, when the power key 30 is pressed while the feed key 40 is pressed in the power-off state, the CPU 12 executes a power-on process and switches communication standards. Therefore, when the operation is performed when the communication standard is wireless communication, the operation is switched to infrared communication. When the operation is performed when the communication standard is infrared communication, the operation is switched to wireless communication.

  In the above configuration, when printing with the portable printer 1, the operator (user) inputs print data to be printed on the printing paper using the external device 2 such as a PC terminal or a mobile phone, A print start instruction is input. As a result, print data is transmitted from the external device 2 to the portable printer 1 via the USB cable, wireless communication, or infrared communication, and the portable printer 1 performs printing based on the print data.

  As described above, in the portable printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the paper guide unit 201 includes a plurality of recesses (in this example, the recesses 201A, the recesses 201B, and the recesses 201C). The three recesses 201A, the recess 201B, and the recess 201C correspond to a plurality of types of printing paper having different widthwise dimensions, and the recesses 201A, 201B, and 201C correspond to corresponding types (A4 in this example). (Size, B5 size, A5 size) both ends in the width direction of the printing paper are guided. By providing the sheet guide portion 201 having such a structure at the edge portion of the insertion port 104 of the top cover 101, the operator can position a plurality of types (A4 size, B5 size, A5 size in this example) of printing paper. Desired printing can be performed smoothly while reliably performing the above. As a result, the operator can easily and easily perform printing without being particularly aware of the insertion position at the insertion port 104 for each type of paper to be printed. Therefore, the convenience for the operator is improved.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, in the paper guide portion 201, a plurality of concave portions (in this example, three concave portions 201A, a concave portion 201B, and a concave portion 201C) are integrally formed as stepped concave portions. Thereby, compared with the case where these three recessed parts are separately provided in the aspect isolate | separated from each other, the space for providing the three recessed parts 201A, the recessed part 201B, and the recessed part 201C can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the plurality of recesses (three recesses 201A, 201B, and 201C in this example) of the sheet guide unit 201 are arranged in such a manner that the same straight line K is the center line in the width direction. ing. This makes it easier for the user to visually understand the difference between the insertion positions of the recesses 201A, 201B, and 201C than when the recesses are arranged with one end in the width direction (left-aligned arrangement, right-aligned arrangement, etc.). In addition, the operator only has to insert the center line of the printing paper so that the center line of the printing paper always coincides with the center line in the width direction of the insertion port 104 regardless of the type of printing paper. The convenience for the operator can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the three concave portions 201A, the concave portion 201B, and the concave portion 201C are arranged on the concave direction side of the stepped concave portion as the width dimension is smaller. That is, the B5 size recess 201B is positioned on the rear side of the A4 size recess 201A, and the A5 size recess 201C is positioned on the rear side of the B5 size recess 201B. As a result, the smaller the concave portion of the paper to be printed, the lower the insertion port 104 is located as viewed from the operator. As a result, the insertion property of the printing paper by the operator can be improved, and the arrangement can be easily understood visually for the operator.

  In the present embodiment, particularly, the end portions of the three concave portions 201A, the concave portion 201B, and the concave portion 201C are inclined surfaces 203 having a cross-sectional shape substantially inclined along the insertion direction of the printing paper. As a result, it is possible to suppress friction and catching of the printing paper at the end of the stepped recess and to ensure smooth insertion.

  Although not illustrated one by one, the present invention is implemented with various modifications other than those described above without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Portable printer 100 Housing 101 Top cover 102 Under cover 104 Insertion slot 111 Platen roller 112 Thermal line head 120 Guide member 122 Inclined surface 201 Paper guide part 201A-C Concave part 202 Step part 203 Inclined surface

Claims (4)

A portable printer that performs desired printing on a printing paper,
A platen roller for conveying the printing paper;
A thermal line head for performing desired printing on the printing paper conveyed by the platen roller;
A housing that includes a top cover that constitutes the upper part of the apparatus outer shell and an under cover that constitutes the lower part of the apparatus outer shell, and encloses the platen roller and the thermal line head;
Have
The top cover is
An insertion slot into which the printing paper is inserted;
A paper guide that is provided at one edge of the insertion opening and includes a plurality of recesses that guide the respective widthwise ends of the plurality of types of printing papers having different widthwise dimensions for each type of printing paper. And
Equipped with a,
The paper guide portion is
A portable printer , comprising: a stepped recess formed by integrally connecting the plurality of recesses so as not to protrude from the outer upper surface of the top cover . The portable printer according to claim 1 , wherein
The plurality of concave portions of the paper guide portion are
A portable printer, wherein the stepwise recesses are arranged in such a manner that their center lines in the width direction coincide with each other. The portable printer according to claim 2 , wherein
Each of the plurality of recesses is
A portable printer, wherein a recessed portion having a smaller width direction is arranged in the stepped recess so as to be positioned closer to the recessed direction of the stepped recess. The portable printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The stepped recess is
A portable printer comprising an end cross-sectional shape that is inclined substantially along an insertion direction of the printing paper.

Images