JP2014100886A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer capable of eliminating problems of time and labor for manufacturing a printer or for the repair of fixing means.SOLUTION: A printer comprises: a printer main body that includes a transport path 5 transporting a sheet-like article, and a printing unit putting the sheet-like article between a thermal head and a platen roller 6, and printing the sheet-like article; and a sheet-width-restriction guide unit 55 that includes a transport table 200 through which the sheet-like article passes, a parallel irregular engaged portion provided on the transport table 200 and extending in a width direction of the sheet-like article at pitches corresponding to a standard size, an operation lever 250 having an engagement portion engageable/disengageable with/from the irregular engaged portion, a movable portion rotatably supporting the operation lever 250, and having a guide surface 211 attached to the transport table 200 to be movable in the width direction of the sheet-like article and abutting on one side of the sheet-like article in the width direction, and a fixed portion attached to the transport table 200 and having a guide surface abutting on other side of the sheet-like article in the width direction, the sheet-width-restriction guide unit 55 detachably attached to the printer main body.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer having a paper width regulation guide that regulates and aligns end faces in the width direction of sheet-like objects such as paper and labels.

  Generally, when setting a sheet-like object such as a recording paper or a label as a recording medium in an image processing apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine, the sheet-like object is placed on the end face in the width direction by an aligning device such as a stacker. Regulate and align. By aligning the sheet-like object by the aligning device, the sheet-like object can be conveyed straight to the image processing apparatus, and the sheet-like object can be prevented from being conveyed obliquely to the image apparatus.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sheet stacking unit, a regulating member that regulates an end of a sheet that is movable in the sheet width direction, and a fixing unit that changes a fixing state and a releasing state of the regulating member at a predetermined interval. In addition, a sheet stacking device including a concave and convex locked portion formed continuously is disclosed. The fixing means has a plurality of locking portions that can be locked independently of the locked portion in the moving direction of the regulating member. Thereby, since the positioning resolution of the restricting member can be finely set according to the number of the engaging portions, a gap is hardly generated between the sheet and the restricting member, and the sheet is reliably positioned.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-116069

  However, the fixing means described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it requires adjustment when it is attached to the printer body during assembly when the printer is manufactured, which complicates the operation and takes time. In addition, the fixing means described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it takes time to perform maintenance at the time of replacement due to wear of a locking portion or the like.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer that eliminates the trouble and labor of repairing the fixing means during manufacture of the printer.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a printer having a conveyance path for conveying a sheet-like material, and a printing unit for pressing the sheet-like material with a thermal head and a platen roller to print on the sheet-like material. A main body, a transport base through which the sheet-like material passes, a parallel concave-convex locked portion provided in the transport base and extending in the width direction of the sheet-like material, and the concave-convex locked portion An operation lever having a latching portion that can be engaged and disengaged, and the operation lever is rotatably supported, and is attached to the transport table so as to be movable in the width direction of the sheet material. There is provided a printer including a movable portion having a guide surface that abuts on one side, and a paper width regulation guide unit that is detachably attached to the printer main body.
A transport table through which the sheet-like material passes, a parallel concave-convex locked portion that extends in the width direction of the sheet-like material, and a locking portion that can be engaged with and disengaged from the concave-convex locked portion. A movable lever having a guide surface that is pivotally supported by the lever and is attached to the transport table so that the sheet-like object can be moved in the width direction, and abuts on one side in the width direction of the sheet-like object. A paper width regulation guide unit that is detachably attached to the printer main body, so that it is possible to eliminate the trouble and labor of repairing the fixing means during the manufacture of the printer. it can.
In the present invention, the paper width regulation guide unit includes a plurality of parallel concave and convex locked portions extending in the width direction on the sheet-like material at a pitch corresponding to each of a plurality of types of standard sizes, and the plurality of concave and convex parts. It is preferable to provide a plurality of operation levers having locking portions that can be engaged and disengaged for each of the shaped locked portions.
According to the present invention, the transport table is provided with a plurality of parallel concave and convex engaging portions extending in the width direction on the sheet-like material at a pitch corresponding to several kinds of standard sizes, and a plurality of concave and convex engaging portions are provided. The engaging portions that mesh with the respective portions are provided on the respective operation levers. When a sheet of a specific standard size passes on the transport table, the movable part can be accurately moved to a position corresponding to the specific standard size by selecting an operation lever corresponding to the standard size. That is, the guide surface of the movable part can be brought into contact with one side in the width direction of a sheet material having a specific standard size without any gap.
In this invention, it is preferable to provide the fixing | fixed part which has a guide surface attached to the said conveyance stand and contact | abuts to the width direction other side of the said sheet-like object.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the trouble and labor of printer repair and maintenance.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the printer when the upper module is in a lowered position as viewed from the downstream side surface of the ink ribbon. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the upstream side of the ink ribbon when the upper module is in the lowered position. It is a perspective view of the upper module of the printer shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the lower module of the printer shown in FIG. 1A is a sectional view when the upper module is in the lowered position, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view when the upper module is in the raised position. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the vertical drive mechanism shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the upstream side of the ink ribbon when the upper module is in the raised position. It is a perspective view of a paper width regulation guide unit. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the paper width regulation guide unit shown in FIG. 8. It is a perspective view of a paper width regulation guide unit of another mode. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematically what overlaps the tooth | gear part of an uneven | corrugated shaped latching | locking part corresponding to a different standard size. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the paper width regulation guide unit shown in FIG. 10.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention will be described by the following preferred embodiments, but can be modified in many ways without departing from the scope of the present invention, and other embodiments than the present embodiment are utilized. be able to. Accordingly, all modifications within the scope of the present invention are included in the claims.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case where the paper width regulation guide unit is applied to a printer will be described as an example.

  1 and 2 are perspective views of the printer apparatus. The printer 1 includes a head unit 2 as a printing unit, a ribbon mechanism 3 that supplies an ink ribbon 31 to the head unit 2, and a conveyance path 5 that conveys the recording paper 4 as a sheet-like material to the head unit 2. Yes. Furthermore, a control unit for a power supply unit and a general printing unit that do not appear in the drawing is provided. The recording paper 4 includes paper, labels, and the like.

  The head unit 2 includes a thermal head (not shown). A platen roller 6 is disposed below the thermal head of the head unit 2. When the recording paper 4 is conveyed to the head unit 2, the ink ribbon 31 and the recording paper 4 are fed in a state of being overlapped between the thermal head and the platen roller 6. The ink ribbon 31 is positioned on the upper surface of the recording paper 4, and the print information is transferred to the recording paper 4 via the ink ribbon 31 by selectively generating heat from the heating element of the thermal head. The platen roller 6 presses the recording paper 4 printed by the head unit 2 from the lower side toward the thermal head. As a result, the recording paper 4 is pinched by the thermal head and the platen roller 6.

  The ribbon mechanism 3 includes a supply reel 32 around which the ink ribbon 31 is wound, and a take-up reel 33 that winds up the ink ribbon 31 that has passed through the head unit 2. The ink ribbon 31 supplied from the supply reel 32 passes through the ribbon supply path 34 and is taken up by the take-up reel 33 as shown in FIG.

  The ink ribbon 31 sequentially passes through an inlet 35 formed between the guide plate 20 and the guide shaft, between the feed roller 22 and the receiving roller 23, and between the thermal head of the head unit 2 and the platen roller 6. To do. The ink ribbon 31 that has passed through the head unit 2 is guided by the guide shaft 24 provided above the head unit 2, and is taken up by the take-up reel 33.

  The drive mechanism 5A of the transport path 5 includes a belt (not shown) along the transport direction of the recording paper 4, a platen roller 6, a paper discharge roller 51, a support roller 52, and the like. The recording paper 4 is sandwiched between the paper discharge roller 51 and the support roller 52. A supply roller 56 and a support roller (not shown) are disposed in the vicinity of the insertion port 54 into which the recording paper 4 is inserted, and the recording paper 4 is sandwiched between the supply roller 56 and the support roller. The recording paper 4 is conveyed by the driving of the belt and the rotation of the supply roller 56, the platen roller 6, the paper discharge roller 51, and the support roller 52. A horizontal conveyance portion 53 that conveys the recording paper 4 in a substantially horizontal direction is provided at a portion of the conveyance path 5 facing the thermal head of the head unit 2.

  The conveyance direction of the recording paper 4 is from the right side to the left side a in FIG. The recording paper 4 inserted into the right insertion port 54 (see FIG. 2) is fed between the head unit 2 and the platen roller 6. When the recording paper 4 passes through the head unit 2, printing is performed with the ink of the ink ribbon 31. Thereafter, the paper passes between the paper discharge roller 51 and the support roller 52 and is discharged.

  In the printer 1, the ink ribbon 31 and the recording paper 4 are overlapped with each other and pass through the head unit 2, and then separated from each other, and the recording paper 4 is discharged to the outside of the printer 1. It is taken up on a take-up reel 33.

  In the transport path 5, a paper width regulation guide unit 55 is provided on the insertion port 54 side of the path start end. The paper width regulation guide unit 55 regulates the width direction of the recording paper 4 transferred from the supply unit (not shown) toward the paper width regulation guide unit 55. The paper width regulation guide unit 55 will be described later.

  The control unit described above controls the head unit 2, the ribbon mechanism 3, and the drive mechanism 5 </ b> A of the transport path 5. The power supply unit supplies power to them.

  In the printer 1, the upper module 1A is configured by modularizing the head unit 2 and the ribbon mechanism 3 as shown in FIG. 3, and as shown in FIG. 4, the conveyance path 5, the power supply unit, and the control unit And the lower module 1B is configured. The upper module 1A and the lower module 1B are configured to be separable in the vertical direction. The upper module 1A is attached to the lower module 1B via the separation drive mechanism 100 so as to be vertically movable.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the separation drive mechanism 100 includes a guide unit 120 that guides the upper module 1 </ b> A up and down, a driving force applying unit 130 that pushes the upper module 1 </ b> A upward, and a guide unit 120. And an L-shaped metal fitting 140 for attaching to 1A.

  The guide means 120 and the driving force application means 130 are held by a holder member 150 that stands from the lower module 1B. The upper module 1A is supported by the lower module 1B by the holder member 150.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the holder member 150 is located on one side of the head unit 2 (on the right side with respect to the conveyance direction “a” of the recording paper 4) on the upstream side and the downstream side in the conveyance direction “a” of the recording paper 4. Is done. On the other side of the head unit 2 (left side with respect to the conveyance direction of the recording paper 4), a holder member 150 is erected on the downstream side in the conveyance direction a of the recording paper 4. A pair of holder members 150 are disposed opposite to each other on the downstream side in the conveyance direction a of the recording paper 4. The upper module 1A is stably supported by the three holder members 150. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 7, the left holder member 150 is omitted with respect to the transport direction a.

  The holder member 150 is formed in a U-shaped cross section by the back wall 150a and the two side walls 150b. A pair of fixing plates 151 are fixed at two locations above and below at an appropriate interval on the inside.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the pair of fixed plates 151 are formed with bent pieces 151 a at one end disposed on the back side of the holder member 150. A first protrusion 151b is provided at the bent portion of the bent piece 151a. Second protrusions 151 c are provided on both sides of the other end of the fixed plate 151.

  On the other hand, an insertion hole 150 c for inserting the first protrusion 151 b of the fixing plate 151 is formed in the back wall 150 a of the holder member 150. A slit 150d for inserting the second protrusion 151c of the fixed plate 151 is provided on the open side of the two side walls 150b.

  When the fixing plate 151 is fixed to the holder member 150, the first protrusion 151b is inserted into the insertion hole 150c while the bent piece 151a is in contact with the inner surface of the back wall 150a. Further, the second protrusion 151c is inserted into the slit 150d. As shown in FIG. 5, the bent piece 151 a is fixed to the holder member 150 with a screw 152. The holder member 150 has a flange 150e at the lower end. The flange 150e is fixed to the base plate 7 of the lower module 1B with screws (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 6, the guide means 120 includes a guide shaft 121 fixed to a pair of fixing plates 151 fixed to the holder member 150 and a pair of upper and lower slides slidably fitted to the guide shaft 121. And a bush 122.

  The guide shaft 121 is disposed vertically between a pair of fixed plates, and both upper and lower ends are fixed to the respective fixed plates 151 by screws 123. The sliding bush 122 has a mounting surface 124 that is coupled to the L-shaped metal fitting 140, and a plurality of protrusions 125 project from the mounting surface 124.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the driving force applying means 130 includes a compression coil spring 131 and a support shaft 132 that is arranged in the vertical direction and is loosely fitted inside the compression coil spring 131. As shown in FIG. 5, the lower end portion of the support shaft 132 is slidably inserted into a bearing 133 attached to an opening portion 151 d formed in the lower fixing plate 151. On the other hand, the upper end portion of the support shaft 132 is passed through the opening 151 e formed in the upper fixed plate 151 together with the compression coil spring 131.

  The L-shaped metal fitting 140 includes a side plate 141 attached to the gantry 8A of the upper module 1A, and a top portion of the side plate 141 bent into a substantially L shape, that is, the pushing force of the driving force applying means 130, that is, the compression coil spring 131. And a top plate 142 to which an urging force is input. The side plate 141 extends in the up-down direction, the top plate 142 is disposed in the horizontal direction, and the side plate 141 and the top plate 142 are substantially L-shaped.

  A plurality of through holes 143 are formed in the side plate 141. By engaging the projection 125 provided on the mounting surface 124 of the sliding bush 122 with the through hole 143, the sliding bush 122 and the side plate 141 are integrally coupled. Since the side plate 141 is attached to the mount 8A of the upper module 1A, the upper module 1A can be moved up and down by the sliding bush 122 moving along the guide shaft 121.

  On the other hand, the top end of the support shaft 132 of the driving force applying means 130 is fixed to the top plate 142 with screws 134. As a result, the compression coil spring 131 loosely fitted to the support shaft 132 is supported by the lower plate abutting against the bearing 133 and supported by the lower fixed plate 151, and the upper end abutting against the top plate 142. Therefore, the urging force of the compression coil spring 131 is transmitted to the L-shaped metal fitting 140 via the top plate 142. Thereby, the urging force in the pushing-up direction of the compression coil spring 131 acts on the upper module 1A to which the L-shaped metal fitting 140 is attached.

  Note that the compression coil spring 131 is used as a means for generating the pushing force by the driving force applying means 130. However, as a means for generating the pushing force, instead of the compression coil spring 131, for example, an air cylinder or an oil cylinder is used. Can be used.

  When the printer 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is used, the upper module 1A is in the lowered position, and the compression coil spring 131 is compressed as shown in FIG. 5A. A hook 9 is detachably provided across the upper module 1A and the lower module 1B. When the hook 9 is in the locked state, the lowered position of the separation drive mechanism 100 is maintained. The lower module 1B is fixed to the gantry 8B.

  The hook 9 is urged in the locking direction by a spring (not shown), and an inclined surface 92 is formed at the tip. As a result, when the upper module 1A is lowered, the hook 9 once rotates in the releasing direction b (see FIG. 1) while the inclined surface 92 is in contact with the shaft portion of the platen roller 6. Next, when the inclined surface 92 gets over the shaft portion of the platen roller 6, it is reversely rotated in the direction opposite to the release direction b by the urging force of the spring and locked. The shaft part of the platen roller 6 is formed of a round bar made of metal such as stainless steel, and a rubber part is integrally provided on the outer periphery of the shaft part. The rubber part contacts the recording paper 4.

  The hooks 9 are provided on both sides of the head unit 2 as shown in FIG. The pair of hooks 9 are fixed in the rotational direction to both ends of the rotary shaft 10 disposed above the head unit 2. The respective hooks 9 are interlocked with each other via a rotating shaft 10. The rotating shaft 10 is supported on the upper module 1A side.

  A hook 91 is formed at the lower end of the hook 9. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flange portion 91 is locked to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the shaft portion of the platen roller 6 at the lowered position of the upper module 1A. By manually rotating the hook 9 against the urging force of the spring in the releasing direction b, the hook portion 91 is detached from the platen roller 6 and the locked state is released. Note that the hook 9 is rotated by manually rotating the operation unit 93.

  When the hook 9 is unlocked, as shown in FIG. 5A, the driving force applying means 130 causes the compression coil spring 131 in the compressed state to expand as shown in FIG. The upper module 1A is raised by the urging force.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of U-shaped members that engage with the shaft portion of the platen roller 6 from above at the lowered position of the upper module 1 </ b> A are located inside the pair of hooks 9 (on the center side of the head unit 2). 11 is provided. The U-shaped member 11 is fixed or integrally provided on the side plate 2S of the head unit 2. Thereby, when the upper module 1A is lowered, the U-shaped member 11 can be engaged with the shaft portion of the platen roller 6 to maintain the relative position between the head unit 2 and the platen roller 6 with high accuracy.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the paper width regulation guide unit 55 of the first embodiment has a conveyance table 200 through which the recording paper 4 passes. A movable box 210 as a movable portion is attached to the transport table 200 so as to be movable in the width direction of the recording paper 4. In the present embodiment, the width direction of the recording paper 4 is described as the horizontal direction, and the conveyance direction of the recording paper 4 is described as the vertical direction.

  The transport table 200 has an upper surface 200 a through which recording paper 4 of various standard sizes passes, and forms a part of the transport path 5.

  In the present embodiment, a locked portion 201 is provided on the upper surface 200 a of the transport table 200 as a concave and convex locked portion corresponding to the recording paper 4 of various standard sizes. The locked portion 201 is formed as a rack gear. The rack gear is provided at the bottom of a laterally extending groove 203 formed on the upper surface 200 a of the transport table 200 so that the recording paper 4 does not slide on the locked portion 201.

  The locked portion 201 is formed with gear teeth of a rack gear. As for the gear of the rack gear, the side facing the outer end of the transport table 200 is formed with an inclined surface, and the side facing the center line side of the transport path 5 on which the recording paper 4 of the transport table 200 is arranged is formed with a substantially vertical surface. (Not shown, see FIG. 11 described later).

  As a result, when the movable box 210 moves inward of the transport table 200 (in FIG. 8, the side of the gantry 8A), the locking portion 253 smoothly climbs over the inclined surface of the gear teeth of the locked portion 201. The movable box 210 is allowed to move. On the contrary, when the movable box 210 moves in the direction of the outer end (front side in FIG. 8) of the transport table 200, the locking portion 253 is locked to the vertical surface of the gear teeth T and the movable box 210 is moved. Movement is prevented.

  The movable box 210 is disposed at one end in the lateral direction of the transport table 200 (on the gantry 8A side) so as to be movable in the lateral direction. The movable box 210 has a top surface 210a, a bottom surface 210b, and longitudinal side surfaces 210c and 210d, and the outer periphery is formed as a substantially rectangular frame. A guide surface 211 that comes into contact with the side in the width direction of the recording paper 4 is integrally provided so as to close the lateral inner ends of the four surfaces 210a to 210d of the rectangular frame. By closing the outer open ends of the four surfaces 210a to 210d with a cover 212 (see FIG. 9), the movable box 210 is formed in a hollow, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole.

  A guide base 220 as a fixed portion having a guide surface that abuts on the other side in the width direction of the recording sheet 4 is provided at the other end portion in the lateral direction of the transport table 200 so as to face the guide surface 211 of the movable box 210. It is done.

  An operation lever 250 is rotatably supported on the movable box 210. The operation lever 250 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the outside of the movable box 210.

  FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the paper width regulation guide unit 55 shown in FIG. A support shaft 214 protrudes laterally from the back side of the guide surface 211 at a substantially central portion inside the movable box 210. An operation lever 250 is rotatably supported on the support shaft 214. The operation lever 250 includes an operation unit 251 and an operation unit 252, and the operation unit 251 and the operation unit 252 are arranged in an approximately L shape. A shaft hole 250 a that is inserted through the support shaft 214 is formed between the operation unit 251 and the operation unit 252.

  Engaging portions 213 having a substantially L-shaped cross section are provided on both longitudinal sides of the bottom surface 210 b of the movable box 210, and step portions 205 are formed on both longitudinal sides of the mounting table 200. Then, by engaging the engaging portion 213 with the step portion 205, the movable box 210 can move in the lateral direction while being attached to the mounting table 200.

  The operation unit 251 protrudes upward from an interval between the notches 216 formed on the top surface 210 a of the movable box 210. A support portion 218 protrudes from the side surface 210d of the movable box 210 so as to face the operation portion 251. When the operation unit 251 is operated, the operation unit 251 and the second support unit 218 are gripped to easily apply an operation force to the operation unit 251.

  The operating portion 252 of the operating lever 250 is provided with a locking portion 253 as a locking portion that can be detached from the locked portion 201 at a position corresponding to the locked portion 201. A gear tooth 253 a that can mesh with the locked portion 201 is formed at the tip of the locking portion 253. A compression spring 260 is disposed as an urging means between the operating portion 252 of the operation lever 250 and the top surface 210a of the movable box 210. The operating portion 252 is pressed downward by the compression spring 260. Thereby, the latching | locking part 253 is urged | biased in the direction latched to the to-be-latched part 201. FIG.

  Therefore, in a state where no operating force is applied to the operation lever 250, the locking portion 253 is locked to the locked portion 201 by the urging force of the compression spring 260.

  A second embodiment will be described. In addition, the same number is attached | subjected about the same member as 1st this Embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the paper width regulation guide unit 55 a of the second embodiment has a transport table 200 through which the recording paper 4 passes. A movable box 270 as a movable portion is attached to the transport table 200 so as to be movable in the width direction of the recording paper 4. In the present embodiment, the width direction of the recording paper 4 is described as the horizontal direction, and the conveyance direction of the recording paper 4 is described as the vertical direction.

  The recording paper 4 of various standard sizes passes through the transport table 200. In the present embodiment, as the standard size of the recording paper 4, a millimeter size and an inch size distributed in the market will be described.

  The recording paper 4 of the metric size standard has a lateral width of 32 mm, 58 mm, 80 mm, and 132 mm (hereinafter omitted). On the other hand, in the recording paper 4 of the inch size standard, 1.0 inch (25.4 mm), 2.5 inch (63.5 mm), 4 inch (101.6 mm), 5 inch (127.0 mm) (hereinafter omitted). It has a width of Therefore, the horizontal widths of the recording paper 4 of the millimeter size standard and the inch size standard do not match.

  In the present embodiment, on the upper surface 200a of the transport table 200, a first locked portion 201 as an uneven locked portion corresponding to the millimeter size standard and an uneven locked portion corresponding to the inch size standard are provided. The second locked portions 202 are provided in parallel to each other. The first locked portion 201 and the second locked portion 202 are each formed as a rack gear. The rack gear is provided at the bottom of the laterally extending grooves 203 and 204 formed on the upper surface 200 a of the transport table 200.

  As shown by the solid line in FIG. 11, the first locked portion 201 is formed with a pitch P1 of the gear teeth T1 of the rack gear having a pitch (for example, 1 mm) corresponding to the millimeter size standard. The second locked portion 202 has a pitch P2 of the gear teeth T2 of the rack gear corresponding to the inch size standard (for example, 1/20 inch = 1.27 mm) as shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure. Is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the gear teeth T1 and T2 of the rack gear are formed with inclined surfaces on the side facing the outer end of the transport table 200, and the rack 8A side of the transport path 5 on which the recording paper 4 of the transport table 200 is arranged. The side facing is formed with a substantially vertical surface.

  As a result, when the movable box 270 moves inward of the transport table 200 (the other side in FIG. 10), a second locking portion 253 described later can smoothly go over the inclined surface of the gear tooth T1, or The movement of the movable box 270 is permitted because the one locking portion 233 smoothly climbs over the inclined surface of the gear tooth T2. On the contrary, when the movable box 270 moves in the outer end direction (front side in FIG. 10) of the transport table 200, the locking portions 233 and 253 are placed on the vertical surface of one of the gear teeth T1 and T2. The movable box 270 is prevented from moving by being locked.

  The movable box 270 is disposed at one end portion (front side in FIG. 10) in the lateral direction of the transport table 200 so as to be movable in the lateral direction. The movable box 270 has a top surface 210a, a bottom surface 210b, and side surfaces 210c and 210d in the vertical direction, and the outer periphery is formed as a substantially rectangular frame. A guide surface 211 that comes into contact with the side in the width direction of the recording paper 4 is integrally provided so as to close the lateral inner ends of the four surfaces 210a to 210d of the rectangular frame. By closing the open ends on the outer sides of the four surfaces 210a to 210d with the cover 212, the movable box 270 is formed in a hollow, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole.

  A guide base 220 as a fixed portion having a guide surface that abuts on the other side in the width direction of the recording paper 4 is provided at the other end in the lateral direction of the transport table 200 so as to face the guide surface 211 of the movable box 270. It is done.

  Two operation levers 230 and 250 are rotatably supported on the movable box 270. The operation lever 230 rotates clockwise when viewed from the outside of the movable box 270, while the operation lever 250 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the outside of the movable box 270.

  12 is an exploded perspective view of the paper width regulation guide unit 55a shown in FIG. A support shaft 214 protrudes laterally from the back side of the guide surface 211 at a substantially central portion inside the movable box 270. Two operation levers 230 and 250 are rotatably supported on the support shaft 214. The operation lever 230 includes an operation unit 231 and an operation unit 232, and the operation unit 231 and the operation unit 232 are arranged in an approximately L shape. A shaft hole 230 a that is inserted through the support shaft 214 is formed between the operation unit 231 and the operation unit 232. On the other hand, the operation lever 250 includes an operation unit 251 and an operation unit 252, and the operation unit 251 and the operation unit 252 are arranged in an approximately L shape. A shaft hole 250 a that is inserted through the support shaft 214 is formed between the operation unit 251 and the operation unit 252.

  The operation units 231 and 251 protrude upward from the interval between the notches 216 formed on the top surface 210 a of the movable box 270. The first support portion 215 protrudes from the side surface 210 c of the movable box 270 so as to face the operation portions 231 and 251, and the second support portion 218 protrudes from the side surface 210 d of the movable box 270. When operating the operation unit 231, the operation unit 231 and the first support unit 215 are gripped, so that an operation force can be easily applied to the operation unit 231. Further, when operating the operation unit 251, the operation unit 251 and the second support unit 218 are gripped, so that an operation force can be easily applied to the operation unit 251.

  The operating portion 232 of the operation lever 230 is provided with a first locking portion 233 as a locking portion detachable from the second locked portion 202 at a position corresponding to the second locked portion 202. It has been. A gear tooth 233 a that can mesh with the second locked portion 202 is formed at the tip of the first locking portion 233. A compression spring 240 is disposed between the operating portion 232 of the operation lever 230 and the top surface 210a of the movable box 270 as urging means. The operating portion 232 is pressed and biased downward by the compression spring 240. As a result, the first locking portion 233 is biased in the direction of locking with the second locked portion 202.

  On the other hand, the operating portion 252 of the operation lever 250 has a second locking portion 253 as a locking portion detachable from the first locked portion 201 at a position corresponding to the first locked portion 201. Is provided. A gear tooth 253 a that can mesh with the first locked portion 201 is formed at the tip of the second locking portion 253. A compression spring 260 is disposed as an urging means between the operating portion 252 of the operation lever 250 and the top surface 210a of the movable box 270. The operating portion 252 is pressed downward by the compression spring 260. As a result, the second locking portion 253 is biased in the direction of locking with the first locked portion 201.

  Therefore, in a state where no operating force is applied to the operation levers 230 and 250, one of the first locking portion 233 and the second locking portion 253 is caused by the urging force of the compression springs 240 and 260 to correspond to the second locking portion. It will be in the state latched by one of the to-be-latched part 202 of this, and the 1st to-be-latched part 201. FIG.

  As can be seen from the first and second embodiments, the sheet width restriction guide units 55 and 55a are configured by providing all the members constituting the sheet width restriction guide on the transport table 200.

  The sheet width regulating guide units 55 and 55a formed as described above are detachably formed on the printer body. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 12, it is conceivable that a stop hole 300 is provided in the transport base 200 of the paper width regulation guide units 55 and 55a and the printer main body can be attached and detached with screws. Note that the method of attaching the paper width regulation guide unit to the printer main body can be changed as appropriate in addition to fastening with screws.

  By using a paper width regulation guide unit that is easily detachable in the printer, it is possible to eliminate the trouble and labor of repairing the fixing means during the manufacture of the printer.

  Further, by using a paper width regulation guide unit that is detachable in the printer in this way, it becomes possible to use this paper width regulation guide in printers of other shapes (other types of printers). No design is required. In addition, since the paper width regulation guide can be used in common with other printer models, there is an effect that the types of inventory parts can be reduced. In addition, since the paper width regulation guide can be shared with other printer models, the number of production lots of the common paper width regulation guide increases. Therefore, by using a paper width regulation guide unit that is detachable from the printer body, the manufacturing cost of the printer can be reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and each embodiment can be appropriately changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. In addition, the number, position, shape, and the like of the constituent members are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be set to a suitable number, position, shape, and the like in practicing the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer, 4 ... Recording paper, 5 ... Conveyance path, 55, 55a ... Paper width control guide unit, 200 ... Conveyance stand, 201 ... (1st) to-be-latched part, 202 ... (2nd) Engagement Stop part, 210, 270 ... movable box, 211 ... guide surface, 230, 250 ... operation lever, 233 ... (first) locking part, 253 ... (second) locking part, 240, 260 ... compression spring , 300 ... Stop holes, P1, P2 ... Pitch of the locked part

Claims (3)

A printer main body having a conveyance path for conveying the sheet-like material, and a printing unit for pressing the sheet-like material with a thermal head and a platen roller to print on the sheet-like material,
It is possible to engage and disengage with a transport table through which the sheet-like material passes, a parallel concave-convex locked portion that extends in the width direction of the sheet-shaped material, and the concave-convex locked portion. An operation lever having a locking portion; and the operation lever is rotatably supported, and is attached to the transport table so as to be movable in the width direction of the sheet material. A sheet width regulation guide unit that has a movable portion having a guide surface that contacts the printer body, and is detachably attached to the printer main body.
Printer with. The paper width regulation guide unit is
A plurality of parallel concavo-convex locked portions extending in the width direction to the sheet-like material at a pitch corresponding to each of a plurality of types of standard sizes;
A plurality of operation levers having a locking part that can be engaged and disengaged for each of the plurality of concave and convex locking parts;
The printer according to claim 1.   The printer according to claim 1, further comprising: a fixing portion that is attached to the conveyance table and has a guide surface that abuts on the other side in the width direction of the sheet-like material.

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