JP2019137063A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a printer capable of switching a normal issue mode and a separation issue mode by simple work.SOLUTION: A common use type label printer 1 can switch a normal issue state of issuing while still temporarily installing a label on a layout sheet and a separation issue state of issuing by peeling off the label from the layout sheet. In the common use type label printer, in separation issue, since only a separation unit 4 installed in an opening-closing cover 3 is moved to a separation issue position while maintaining the opening-closing cover 3 in a position in the normal issue, switching work of a normal issue mode and a separation issue mode can be easily executed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

The present invention relates to a printer, for example, a label printer having a function of printing desired information such as characters, symbols, figures or barcodes on a label temporarily attached to a mount, and temporarily attaching the label to the mount. The present invention relates to a label printer that can be switched between a normal issuance state in which printing is performed as it is and a peeling issuance state in which labels are peeled off from a mount.

The label printer is, for example, a plurality of labels temporarily attached to a long mount constituting the label continuous body in the course of feeding and conveying a continuous roll of roll (continuous paper) into a sheet. Each of the printers prints desired information.

This type of label printer includes a dual-purpose label printer that can switch between a normal issue state and a peel issue state. The normal issue is a method in which the label is temporarily attached to the mount, and the release issue is a method in which the label is released from the mount. In the case of normal issuance, the mount with the required number of labels affixed can be created by cutting, and the label can be peeled off from the mount in the field, so the object to be labeled has moved away from the printer Suitable when in place. On the other hand, in the case of peeling issuance, since the labels are discharged one by one from the mount, it is suitable when the object to which the label is attached is near the operator.
In the case of a dual-use type label printer, one unit can cope with two situations, and is convenient and economical (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4).

JP 2001-232875 A JP 2006-181773 A JP 2012-176498 A JP 2002-19219 A

However, in the dual-purpose label printer, there are cases where the operation of switching between the normal issue state and the peeling issue state is troublesome. In particular, in the case of a small-sized label printer such as a portable label printer, since each component is small, it may be difficult to handle at the time of switching work. Therefore, in the dual-use label printer, there is a problem of how to perform the switching operation between the normal issue and the peeling issue easily and comfortably.

The present invention has been made from the above-described technical background, and provides a technique capable of improving the switching workability of the printer issuance state that can be switched between the normal issuance state and the peeling issuance state. Objective.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a printer according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a housing having an opening on one surface thereof, a shaft that is pivotally supported by the housing so as to be openable and closable, and in a direction away from the housing. The biased opening / closing cover and one end of the opening / closing cover are attached in a state of being relatively movable with respect to the opening / closing cover, and are accommodated in the housing at the time of normal issuance and release of the print medium, A peeling mechanism that performs a peeling issuance operation of the printing medium at the time of the peeling issuance, and is pivotally supported by the one end portion of the opening / closing cover so as to be rotatable. A platen roller that is accommodated and transported to the printing medium and the casing is rotatably provided to support the opening / closing cover when the printing medium is normally issued and when the printing medium is issued, and the platen roller And an opening / closing cover support mechanism disposed so as to face the printing medium, and are sandwiched between the platen roller and the opening / closing cover support mechanism when the printing medium is normally issued and when the printing medium is issued. A print head that performs printing; and a first coil spring that is attached to the open / close cover support mechanism and biases the open / close cover support mechanism and the print head toward the platen roller when the print medium is normally issued and when a release is issued. The peeling mechanism includes a nip roller shaft that is inserted into an opening provided in the opening / closing cover, a nip roller that is rotatably supported by the nip roller shaft, and a nip roller shaft that is pivotally supported by the nip roller shaft, A nip roller cover that is spaced apart from the nip roller, and the nib exposed to the outside of the open / close cover through the opening. Is pivotally supported on the end of the Prora shaft, a first engaged in the opening and closing cover support mechanism at the time and strip issue normal issuance of the printing medium
An engaging claw and a lock member provided with a hole that regulates a moving range of the peeling mechanism;
The opening / closing cover includes a peeling mechanism urging member that urges the nip roller shaft of the peeling mechanism in a direction away from the platen roller, and a rotating member that urges the lock member of the peeling mechanism to be rotatable. And a stopper member that is inserted into the hole of the lock member and restricts a moving range of the peeling mechanism, and the opening / closing cover support mechanism is configured so that the opening / closing cover support mechanism The apparatus further comprises a fitting groove into which the nip roller shaft is fitted, and a second engagement claw with which the first engagement claw of the lock member is engaged when the print medium is released. And

A printer according to a second aspect of the present invention is the printer according to the first aspect, wherein the peeling mechanism urging member provided in the opening / closing cover is a torsion spring, and the rotating member is a leaf spring. Features.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the normal issue mode and the peel issue mode can be switched by simply performing a simple operation in which the operator changes the position of the leading end of the label continuous body prior to the start of printing. It becomes possible.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily support the peeling mechanism urging member and rotate the rotating member.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of a label printer. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the principal part of a label printer. It is a side view which shows the state which opened the opening / closing cover of the label printer. It is a perspective view of the label continuum used with a label printer. It is a whole perspective view which shows the opening / closing cover of a label printer. It is a whole perspective view which shows the opening / closing cover of a label printer. It is a side view of the front-end | tip part of an opening / closing cover. It is a side view of the front-end | tip part of an opening / closing cover. It is a perspective view of the peeling unit provided in the front-end | tip part of an opening / closing cover. (A) is a perspective view showing a state where a part of the peeling unit is removed from the opening / closing cover, and (b) is a front view showing a state where a part of the peeling unit is removed from the opening / closing cover. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the principal part of a label printer at the time of a normal issue mode setting start. (A) is the perspective view which looked at the head bracket from the front side, (b) is the perspective view which looked at the head bracket from the back side. (A) is a perspective view which shows operation | movement of the opening / closing cover and head bracket at the time of normal issue mode setting, (b) is a side view which shows operation | movement of the opening / closing cover and head bracket at the time of normal issue mode setting. It is a side view which shows operation | movement of the opening / closing cover and head bracket at the time of normal issue mode setting. It is a side view which shows operation | movement of the opening / closing cover and head bracket at the time of normal issue mode setting. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the principal part of a label printer at the time of normal issuing mode setting. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the principal part of the label printer at the time of peeling issue mode setting start. It is a side view which shows operation | movement of the opening / closing cover and a head bracket at the time of peeling issue mode setting. It is a side view which shows operation | movement of the opening / closing cover and a head bracket at the time of peeling issue mode setting. It is a side view which shows operation | movement of the opening / closing cover and a head bracket at the time of peeling issue mode setting. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the principal part of the opening / closing cover and peeling unit at the time of peeling issuing mode setting. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the principal part of the label printer at the time of peeling issue mode setting start.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiment, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

First, a schematic configuration of the printer according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the main part of the printer, and FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which the opening / closing cover of the printer is opened.

The printer of the present embodiment is a portable label printer 1, and includes a main body case (housing) 2, an opening / closing cover 3, and a peeling unit incorporated in a part of the opening / closing cover 3 as shown in FIG. (Peeling mechanism) 4 and a front cover 5 are provided. The label printer 1 has a simple operation of a normal issue mode in which a label 26 is issued without being peeled off from a mount 25 of a label continuum P, which will be described later, and a peeling issue mode in which the labels 26 are released one by one from the mount 25. 1 to 3 show a state when the normal issue mode is set.

As shown in FIG. 2, the opening / closing cover 3 of the label printer 1 has a rear end portion (right end portion in the figure).
Is pivotally supported on the main body case 2 by a hinge mechanism, and is rotated in a direction away from and approaching the main body case 2. The open / close cover 3 is urged in a direction away from the main body case 2 by the elasticity of the torsion spring 6 attached to the rear end thereof.

A peeling unit 4 is incorporated at the tip of the opening / closing cover 3. FIG. 2 schematically shows a peeling bar 31, a nip roller 32, and a lock member 33 among members constituting the peeling unit 4. A specific configuration of the peeling unit 4 including the peeling bar 31, the nip roller 32, and the lock member 33 will be described in detail later.

The latter half of the inner side of the main body case 2 is a paper storage portion for storing a continuous label body (print medium) P, and a pair of paper guides 7 having a disk shape are installed in the paper storage portion. (Only one of them is shown in FIG. 2). These paper guides 7 are in contact with both axial end surfaces of the label continuum P loaded in the paper storage unit, rotatably support the label continuum P, and guide the conveyance of the label continuum P. Further, these paper guides 7 are installed so as to be slidable in the width direction of the label continuous body P via a rack and pinion mechanism or the like so that the position can be changed according to the width of the label continuous body P. .

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a label continuum P used in the label printer 1 of the present embodiment. The label continuum P has a long mount 25 and a large number of labels 26 temporarily attached to the surface (label affixing surface) at a predetermined interval, and is shown in a state of being wound in a roll shape. 2 is detachably accommodated in the sheet accommodating portion of the label printer 1 shown in FIG. Further, on the back surface of the mount 25, the label 2
Position detection marks 27 for detecting the position 6 are formed at predetermined intervals. Although illustration is omitted, the label application surface of the mount 25 is coated with a release agent such as silicone so that the label 26 can be easily peeled off. Further, the surface (printing surface) of the label 26 is coated with a thermosensitive coloring layer that develops color when it reaches a predetermined temperature range.

In the main body case 2 of the label printer 1, a region adjacent to the paper storage unit is a printing unit. The printing unit is a functional unit that performs printing on the label continuum P fed out from the paper storage unit, and includes a head bracket (opening / closing cover support mechanism) 11, a thermal head (printing head) 12, a coil spring 13, and a platen shown in FIG. It is comprised by the roller 30 grade | etc.,. Of these members constituting the printing unit, the head bracket 11, the thermal head 12, and the coil spring 13 are attached to the main body case 2. On the other hand, the platen roller 30 is attached to the tip of the opening / closing cover 3.

The head bracket 11 attached to the main body case 2 is a member that maintains the open / close cover 3 in a closed state (the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). When the open / close cover 3 is in the closed state, the open / close cover 3 is provided. It arrange | positions in the position facing the platen roller 30 attached to. The head bracket 11 is always urged in the direction close to the platen roller 30 (the right direction in FIG. 2) by the elasticity of the coil spring 13.

The thermal head 12 is means for printing information such as characters, symbols, figures, and barcodes on the label continuum P. The thermal head 12 is mounted on the head bracket 11 while being mounted on a circuit board 14 that transmits a print signal to the thermal head 12. It is attached. The thermal head 12 is disposed so that its printing surface faces the platen roller 30 when the open / close cover 3 is in a closed state. When the label printer 1 performs printing, in both the normal issue mode and the peeling issue mode, the label continuum P that is fed out from the paper storage unit is between the print surface of the thermal head 12 and the platen roller 30. It is conveyed in a state of being sandwiched between the two. Although illustration is omitted,
On the printing surface of the thermal head 12, a plurality of heating resistors (heating elements) that generate heat when energized
Is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the front cover 5 is fixed to the main body case 2 so as to cover the upper portion of the main body case 2. Further, the front cover 5 includes an opening 5 a for accommodating the opening / closing cover 3 and the peeling unit 4 in the main body case 2, and the opening 5 a
An operation panel 15 and a cover open button 20 are attached to the front side (the front side of the label printer 1).

As shown in FIG. 1, the operation panel 15 includes a display unit 16 that displays operation commands and various messages of the label printer 1, operation buttons 17 and 18 that operate the operation of the label printer 1,
A power button 19 for turning on / off the power of the label printer 1 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cover open button 20 has a lower end portion at the head bracket 11.
It is arranged close to. When the operator presses the cover open button 20 downward with a finger, the lower end of the cover abuts against the head bracket 11 to apply a downward force to the head bracket 11, and the closed state of the open / close cover 3 is released by a mechanism described later. Is done. The cover open button 20 is always urged upward by the elasticity of a spring (not shown).

A stepping motor 21 for driving the platen roller 30 of the printing unit is attached below the cover open button 20. The stepping motor 21 is used when the open / close cover 3 is changed from the open state to the closed state, that is, the open / close cover 3 and the peeling unit 4.
Is housed in the main body case 2, it is engaged with the rotation shaft of the platen roller 30 via a gear, a timing belt, etc. (not shown).

The gap between the front end portion of the opening / closing cover 3 and the front cover 5 shown in FIG. 2 is an issuing port 8 through which the label continuous body P printed by the printing unit at the time of normal issuing is discharged. A cutter 9 for manually cutting the mount 25 (see FIG. 4) of the label continuum P discharged from the issue port 8 is attached to a part of the issue port 8. On the other hand, at the time of release issuance, the label 26 (see FIG. 4) peeled off from the mount 25 by the release unit 4 is discharged from the issue port 8, and the mount 25 that is no longer needed is the discharge guide 3a of the opening / closing cover 3 shown in FIG. And is discharged from the rear of the peeling unit 4.

A light emitting element 10 a is attached below the platen roller 30 at the tip of the opening / closing cover 3 shown in FIG. 2. Further, inside the main body case 2, the light emitting element 10a.
The light receiving element 10b is attached to a location facing the. The light emitting element 10a and the light receiving element 10b are paired to constitute a transmission type sensor.

The transmissive sensor irradiates the gap between the light emitting element 10a and the light receiving element 10b (the transport path of the label continuum P transported from the paper storage section to the printing section) with the light of the light emitting element 10a, and the label passes through this transport path. This is a sensor that detects the label position of the label continuum P by detecting the light transmitted through the continuum P with the light receiving element 10b. Although not shown, the opening / closing cover 3
A reflective sensor is attached below the platen roller 30 along with the light emitting element 10a. The reflective sensor is used, for example, to detect whether or not the label continuum P passes through the conveyance path.

Below the operation panel 15, there is provided a control unit for controlling the printing timing and the like based on information detected by these sensors, but the illustration thereof is omitted. When printing, the thermal head 1 according to the print signal transmitted from the control unit to the thermal head 12.
The two heating resistors selectively generate heat, and desired information is printed on the label 26 of the label continuum P shown in FIG.

A battery case 22 is provided below the main body case 2 shown in FIG. Inside the battery case 22, a battery 23 made of a lithium ion secondary battery as a drive power source for the label printer 1 is detachably accommodated. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a battery cover 22 a that covers the battery insertion port of the battery case 22 is attached to one side surface of the main body case 2.

The label printer 1 according to the present embodiment can be used not only in the horizontal position (the state shown in FIGS. 1 to 3) with the opening 5 a of the front cover 5 facing upward, but also, for example, on the bottom surface of the main body case 2 It is possible to use the belt hook in a vertically placed state by attaching the belt hook to an operator standing on the belt.

Next, the configuration of the peeling unit 4 provided at the tip of the opening / closing cover 3 will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to 0.

5 and 6 are perspective views of the entire opening / closing cover 3, FIGS. 7 and 8 are side views of the distal end of the opening / closing cover 3, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the peeling unit 4 provided at the distal end of the opening / closing cover 3. 10A and 10B show a state in which a part of the peeling unit 4 (the nip roller 32, the lock member 33, etc.) is removed from the opening / closing cover 3, where FIG. 10A is a perspective view and FIG. 10B is a front view. In order to make the configuration of the peeling unit 4 easier to see, the side cover 39 is not shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the side cover 39 and the lock member 33 are not shown in FIG. 8, and in FIG. The opening / closing cover 3 and the side cover 39 are not shown. Also, the arrangement of the constituent members of the peeling unit 4 shown in FIGS. 5 to 9 is the arrangement when the label printer 1 is in the normal issue mode.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a platen roller 30, which is a conveying means for the label continuous body P, is attached to the front end portion of the opening / closing cover 3 so as to be rotatable in the forward and reverse directions. That is, an under cover 34 that covers the lower portion and both side surfaces of the platen roller 30 is attached to the front end portion of the opening / closing cover 3, and the platen roller 30 has a side wall of the under cover 34 near both ends of the platen roller shaft 35. And the opening / closing cover 3 while being sandwiched between the opening / closing cover 3 and the side wall of the opening / closing cover 3
It is attached to the tip. The under cover 34 is connected to the open / close cover 3 via a screw 36.
The light emitting element 10a of the transmission type sensor and the reflection type sensor shown in FIG. 2 are attached to the inside.

A gear 40 is pivotally supported at one end of the platen roller shaft 35. The gear 40 is mechanically connected to the stepping motor 21 (see FIG. 2) of the main body case 2 via a gear, a timing belt, and the like (not shown) when the opening / closing cover 3 is in a closed state. Is transmitted to the platen roller shaft 35.

In the vicinity of the platen roller 30, a peeling bar 31 having a diameter smaller than that of the platen roller 30 is attached along the extending direction of the platen roller 30. The peeling bar 31 is a member that mechanically peels the printed label 26 from the mount 25 of the label continuum P shown in FIG. 4 when the label printer 1 performs printing in the peeling issue mode. The peeling bar 31 is attached to the distal end portion of the opening / closing cover 3 with both end portions thereof being inserted through the side walls of the under cover 34.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9 and the like, a nip roller 32 is attached obliquely above the platen roller 30 along the extending direction of the platen roller 30. The nip roller 32 is a member that peels off the printed label 26 from the mount 25 of the label continuum P in cooperation with the peeling bar 31 when the label printer 1 performs printing in the peeling issue mode. When the label printer 1 is in the normal issue mode, the nip roller 32 is retracted to a position away from the platen roller 30 (obliquely above the platen roller 30) as illustrated.

As shown in FIG. 10, the nip roller 32 is pivotally supported by the nip roller shaft 37 so as to be rotatable in the forward and reverse directions. Further, lock members 33 are attached to both ends of the nip roller shaft 37. Further, a nip roller cover 38 is attached to the upper part of the nip roller 32. That is, the nip roller 32, the nip roller shaft 37, the lock member 33, and the nip roller cover 38 are integrally attached to the distal end portion of the opening / closing cover 3. The lock member 33 and the nip roller cover 38 are supported by the nip roller shaft 37 in the same manner as the nip roller 32, but the nip roller shaft 3 does not rotate in the forward and reverse directions.
7 is fixed.

The nip roller cover 38 disposed above the nip roller 32 is a member that moves the nip roller 32 to the vicinity of the platen roller 30 when the label printer 1 is switched from the normal issue mode to the peeling issue mode. Also has. The lock members 33 attached to both ends of the nip roller shaft 37 are members that position the nip roller 32 in the vicinity of the platen roller 30 when the label printer 1 is switched from the normal issue mode to the peeling issue mode.

In the substantially central portion of the lock member 33, a long hole 33b in which the diameter of the midway portion is larger than the diameters of the upper and lower end portions.
Is provided. Further, an engaging claw (first engaging claw) 33 a having a tip protruding in the lateral direction is provided at the lower end of the lock member 33. As will be described later, the engagement claw 33a is engaged with the head bracket 11 (see FIG. 2) of the main body case 2, whereby the closed state of the open / close cover 3 (the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) is maintained. The On the other hand, when the engagement between the engaging claw 33a and the head bracket 11 is released, the opening / closing cover 3 is in an open state (the state shown in FIG. 3).

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 (a view in which the lock member 33 is removed from FIG. 7), an opening 3 b through which the nip roller shaft 37 is inserted is provided on the side wall of the opening / closing cover 3. Although not shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a similar opening 3 b is provided on the other side wall of the opening / closing cover 3. These openings 3 b provided on the side wall of the opening / closing cover 3 are arranged so that the nip roller shaft 37 attached to the tip of the opening / closing cover 3 can move in the vertical direction of the opening / closing cover 3.
The nip roller shaft 37 is wider than the diameter of the nip roller shaft 37 and has an elongated shape extending in the vertical direction.

Of the nip roller shaft 37 and the nip roller 32, the nip roller cover 38, and the lock member 33 that are pivotally supported by the nip roller shaft 37, the nip roller shaft 37 is disposed on the outside of the side wall of the opening / closing cover 3 through the opening 3b. Lock members 33 are attached to both ends. On the other hand, the central portion of the nip roller shaft 37, the nip roller 32, and the nip roller cover 38 are disposed inside the side wall of the opening / closing cover 3.

Further, torsion springs (peeling mechanism urging members) 42 that are disposed outside the both side walls through the openings 3 b and support the tip of the nip roller shaft 37 are attached to both side walls of the opening / closing cover 3. As shown in FIG. 8, one end of the torsion spring 42 is in contact with the lower surface of the nip roller shaft 37, and the elasticity causes the nip roller shaft 37 to be urged in the direction indicated by arrow A in FIG.

Also, leaf springs (rotating members) 43 that support the lock members 33 attached to both ends of the nip roller shaft 37 are attached to both side walls of the opening / closing cover 3. As shown in FIG. 7, one end (lower end) of the leaf spring 43 is in contact with the side surface of the lock member 33, and the elasticity presses the lock member 33 in the direction indicated by the arrow B in the figure. .

Thus, the nip roller shaft 37 and the nip roller 32, the nip roller cover 38 and the lock member 33 that are pivotally supported by the nip roller shaft 37 are urged upward by the elasticity of the torsion spring 42 and the leaf spring 43. 3 is attached to the tip. That is, the nip roller shaft 37 and the nip roller 32, the nip roller cover 38, and the lock member 33 that are pivotally supported by the nip roller shaft 37 are disposed at the tip of the opening / closing cover 3 in a state of being able to move up and down relatively with respect to the opening / closing cover 3. It is attached.

Further, columnar stopper members 3 c are attached to both side walls of the opening / closing cover 3. The stopper member 3 c is fixed to the opening / closing cover 3 by inserting one end of the stopper member 3 c into the side wall of the opening / closing cover 3. Further, the other end portion (tip portion) of the stopper member 3 c is inserted into a long hole 33 b provided in the lock member 33. The stopper member 3c is a member that regulates the range in which the lock member 33 moves in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 7, the stopper member 3 c is arranged on the side wall of the opening / closing cover 3 so that the front end portion thereof is positioned at the lower end portion of the elongated hole 33 b of the lock member 33 when the label printer 1 is in the normal issue mode. Is attached.

Therefore, when the operator presses the upper surface of the nip roller cover 38 downward with a finger, the nip roller cover 38, the nip roller shaft 37, the nip roller 32, and the lock member 33 are interlocked while resisting the elasticity of the torsion spring 42 and the leaf spring 43. Move down. Then, when the upper end portion of the elongated hole 33b of the lock member 33 comes into contact with the stopper member 3c, the downward movement is stopped. On the other hand, when the operator removes his / her finger from the upper surface of the nip roller cover 38 in this state, the nip roller cover 38, the nip roller shaft 37, the nip roller 32 and the lock member 33 are interlocked by the elasticity of the torsion spring 42 and the leaf spring 43. Move and lock member 33
When the lower end of the elongated hole 33b comes into contact with the stopper member 3c, the upward movement is stopped and the state shown in FIG. 7 is restored.

In the actual label printer 1, as shown in FIG. 5, the torsion spring 42 and the leaf spring 43 are covered with the side cover 39 so that the operator does not touch the torsion spring 42 and the leaf spring 43 inadvertently. However, in other drawings excluding FIG. 5, the side cover 39 is not shown in order to make the arrangement of the constituent members of the peeling unit 4 easier to see.

Next, the operation of the peeling unit 4 in the normal issue mode and the peel issue mode of the label printer 1 of the present embodiment will be described.

First, when printing is performed in the normal issue mode, as shown in FIG. 11, after the opening / closing cover 3 is changed from the closed state to the opened state, the leading end portion of the label continuum P loaded in the paper storage portion of the main body case 2. Is manually pulled out and exposed from the issue port 8 of the front cover 5. A method for changing the open / close cover 3 from the closed state to the open state will be described below.

Next, in this state, the operator presses the front end of the opening / closing cover 3 against the main body case 2 side, thereby returning the opening / closing cover 3 from the open state to the original closed state. The operation of the front end portion of the opening / closing cover 3 and the head bracket 11 of the main body case 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

12 (a) and 12 (b) show the head bracket 11 viewed from opposite directions.
FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the head bracket 11 has a pair of side walls bent in the direction of the front end portion of the opening / closing cover 3, and the direction of the front end portion of the opening / closing cover 3 is near the center in the height direction of each side wall. An engaging claw 51 (second engaging claw) 51 is provided. The tip portions of the pair of engaging claws 51 have an inclined surface that approaches the tip portion of the opening / closing cover 3 as it goes downward. Here, the surface of the head bracket 11 that faces the opening / closing cover 3 is referred to as the front surface of the head bracket 11, and the surface opposite to the front surface, that is, the surface that is in contact with the coil spring 13 is referred to as the back surface of the head bracket 11. To do.

The upper end of each side wall of the head bracket 11 is provided with a rotating claw 52 having an inclined surface that approaches the tip of the opening / closing cover 3 as it goes downward, like the engaging claw 51. This rotating claw 52 is shorter in length in the direction approaching the tip of the opening / closing cover 3 (lateral direction) than the engaging claw 51.

Further, on each side wall, the opening / closing cover 3 is provided between the engaging claw 51 and the upper rotating claw 52.
A substantially semicircular fitting groove 53 having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the end portion of the platen roller shaft 35 attached to is provided.

Further, in the vicinity of the lower end portion of each side wall of the head bracket 11, a hole portion 54 through which a rotation shaft (not shown) attached to the main body case 2 is inserted is provided. Head bracket 11
Is attached to the main body case 2 so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft inserted through the holes 54.

A pivot lever 55 that is bent toward the back side is provided at the center upper end of the head bracket 11. The cover open button 20 attached to the front cover 5 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 has a lower end portion disposed in the vicinity of the upper surface of the rotation lever 55, and an operator moves the cover open button 20 downward with a finger. When pressed, the lower end portion of the cover open button 20 comes into contact with the upper surface of the rotating lever 55, and a downward force is applied to the rotating lever 55.

When the front end of the opening / closing cover 3 shown in FIG. 11 is accommodated in the main body case 2 through the opening 5a of the front cover 5, first, as shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b), the side wall of the opening / closing cover 3 is used. Both end portions of the platen roller shaft 35 attached to the upper surface of the head bracket 11 come into contact with the inclined surfaces of the pair of rotating claws 52 provided at the upper end portion of the side wall of the head bracket 11. In FIG. 13, the platen roller shaft 35
Only one end of the head bracket 11 is shown, but the other end is also shown in FIG.
2 in contact with the inclined surface.

When the opening / closing cover 3 is further pressed against the main body case 2, a force directed toward the back surface of the head bracket 11 is applied to the inclined surface of the rotating claw 52 that is in contact with the platen roller shaft 35. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, the head bracket 11 has a coil spring 13.
It rotates in the direction (counterclockwise direction) indicated by the arrow in FIG. As a result, the rotating claw 52 that has been in contact with the platen roller shaft 35 moves toward the back surface of the head bracket 11, so that the platen roller shaft 35 moves below the rotating claw 52.

Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the head bracket 11 in which the force directed toward the back surface no longer acts is rotated in the direction (clockwise direction) indicated by the arrow in FIG. In order for the platen roller shaft 35 to return to the engagement groove 5,
Fits into 3.

As a result, the open / close cover 3 is closed, and as shown in FIG. 16, the label continuous body P fed out from the paper storage unit is sandwiched between the thermal head 12 of the printing unit and the platen roller 30. The label printer 1 is set to the normal issue mode. That is, the open / close cover 3 is urged in the direction away from the main body case 2 by the elasticity of the torsion spring 6 (see FIG. 2) attached to the rear end thereof, but the platen roller shaft 35 is fitted to the head bracket 11. Since it fits in the joint groove 53, it does not jump out of the opening 5 a of the main body case 2.

Thereafter, when the operator turns on the power button 19 of the operation panel 15 provided on the front cover 5 shown in FIG. 1 and inputs a predetermined operation command, printing in the normal issue mode is started.

Next, a method for performing printing by switching from the normal issue mode to the peeling issue mode will be described.

In this case, first, the operator depresses the cover open button 20 of the front cover 5 to release the closed state of the open / close cover 3. The mechanism for releasing the closed state of the open / close cover 3 can be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15 referred to above.

That is, if the cover open button 20 of the front cover 5 is depressed while the label printer 1 is set in the normal issue mode (the state shown in FIGS. 15 and 16), as described above, the lower end of the cover open button 20 Is the head bracket 11 shown in FIG.
The rotating lever 55 is in contact with the upper surface of the rotating lever 55, and a force directed downward of the head bracket 11 is applied to the rotating lever 55. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, the head bracket 11 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow (counterclockwise direction) around the hole 54 while resisting the elasticity of the coil spring 13.

As a result, the rotating claw 52 provided at the upper end of the side wall of the head bracket 11 moves toward the back surface of the head bracket 11, and the platen roller shaft 35 fitted in the fitting groove 53 of the head bracket 11 is fitted. Since it is removed from the mating groove 53, the opening / closing cover 3 is separated from the main body case 2 by the elasticity of the torsion spring 6 (see FIG. 2) attached to the rear end thereof.

Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the operator manually pulls out the leading end portion of the label continuous body P and inserts it between the platen roller 30 and the nip roller 32 attached to the leading end portion of the opening / closing cover 3.

Next, in this state, the operator presses the front end of the opening / closing cover 3 against the main body case 2 side, thereby returning the opening / closing cover 3 from the open state to the original closed state. The operation of the front end portion of the opening / closing cover 3 and the head bracket 11 of the main body case 2 at this time is the same as the operation at the time of normal issuance described above with reference to FIGS. To do.

As described above, the operation of the opening / closing cover 3 and the head bracket 11 when the opening / closing cover 3 is switched from the open state to the closed state is the same in both the normal issue mode and the peeling issue mode. Sometimes, as shown in FIG.
In contrast, when the peeling issuing mode is set, the leading end of the label continuous body P is preliminarily placed between the platen roller 30 and the nip roller 32 as shown in FIG. It is different in that it is inserted between.

The operation of the opening / closing cover 3 and the head bracket 11 until the label printer 1 is switched to the peeling issue mode after the opening / closing cover 3 is closed will be described with reference to FIGS.

When the opening / closing cover 3 is returned to the closed state with the leading end of the label continuous body P inserted between the platen roller 30 and the nip roller 32 (the state shown in FIG. 17), the engagement between the opening / closing cover 3 and the head bracket 11 The state is the same as the engaged state shown in FIG. That is, the opening / closing cover 3 is locked to the head bracket 11 because the platen roller shaft 35 of the platen roller 30 attached to the front end portion thereof is fitted into the fitting groove 53 of the head bracket 11.

Next, when the operator pushes down the nip roller cover 38 attached to the tip of the opening / closing cover 3 with a finger, the nip roller shaft 37, the nip roller 32, and the lock member 33 resist the urging force of the torsion spring 42 and the leaf spring 43. The nip roller cover 38 moves together with the nip roller cover 38, and the engaging claw 33 a at the lower end of the lock member 33 comes into contact with the engaging claw 51 provided on the side wall of the head bracket 11 as shown in FIG. 18. At this time, the opening / closing cover 3 is
Since it is locked to the head bracket 11, it does not move downward in conjunction with the nip roller cover 38, and remains at the normal issuance position (position shown in FIG. 15).

At this time, one end portion of the leaf spring 43 attached to the side wall of the opening / closing cover 3 is in contact with the side surface of the lock member 33 below the nip roller shaft 37 and urges the nip roller shaft 37 rightward in FIG. Yes. Further, the upper surface of the front end of the engaging claw 51 of the head bracket 11 (the lock member 3
3 is a sloping surface (an inclined surface descending from the left side to the right side in FIG. 18).

Therefore, when the nip roller cover 38 is further pushed down in this state, as shown in FIG. 19, the lock member 33b rotates about the nip roller shaft 37 in the direction indicated by the arrow (counterclockwise direction) to lock the nip roller cover 38. The engaging claw 33 a of the member 33 moves in a direction away from the engaging claw 51 of the head bracket 11. As described above, in the substantially central portion of the lock member 33, the elongated hole 33b having a diameter at the midway portion larger than the diameters at the upper and lower end portions is provided.
Such rotation is possible for 3b.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 20, the lock member 33 (and the nip roller shaft 37, the nip roller cover 38, and the nip roller 32) is lowered until the engagement claw 33 a is positioned below the engagement claw 51 of the head bracket 11. However, at this time, since the upper end portion of the elongated hole 33b of the lock member 33 comes into contact with the stopper member 3c of the opening / closing cover 3, the lock member 33 (and the nip roller shaft 37, the nip roller cover 38, and the nip roller 32) The downward movement is restricted.

At this time, one end portion of the leaf spring 43 attached to the side wall of the opening / closing cover 3 abuts on the lock member 33 above the nip roller shaft 37 (upper end portion of the lock member 33). The shaft 37 rotates around the shaft 37 in the direction indicated by the arrow (clockwise direction), and the engagement claw 33 a of the lock member 33 enters the lower side of the rotation claw 52 of the head bracket 11.

The lock member 33 (and the nip roller shaft 37, the nip roller cover 38, and the nip roller 32) is biased upward by the elasticity of the torsion spring 42 and the plate spring 43, but the engagement claw 33 a is the engagement claw 51 of the head bracket 11. By moving into the lower side, the upward movement is restricted. Further, the lock member 33 (and the nip roller shaft 37, the nip roller cover 38, and the nip roller 32) is also restricted from moving downward by the upper end portion of the elongated hole 33b coming into contact with the stopper member 3c of the opening / closing cover 3. That is, the lock member 33
(And the nip roller shaft 37, the nip roller cover 38, and the nip roller 32) are fixed to the opening / closing cover 3 at a position where the engagement claw 33a of the lock member 33 enters the lower side of the engagement claw 51 of the head bracket 11.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 21, the nip roller 32 disposed above the platen roller 30 at the time of normal issuing moves to the vicinity of the platen roller 30, and as shown in FIG. Since the label continuum P is sandwiched between the thermal head 12 and the platen roller 30 of the printing unit, the label printer 1 is set in the peeling issue mode. Thereafter, the operator operates the operation panel 1 provided on the front cover 5 shown in FIG.
When the power button 19 is turned on and a predetermined operation command is input, printing in the peeling issue mode is started.

As shown in FIG. 22, when printing is performed in the peeling issue mode, the label continuum P on which desired information is printed on the label 26 in the printing section is bent at a steep angle by the peeling bar 31 and the nip roller 32 and is opened and closed. 3 is pulled toward the rear end. As a result, the labels 26 temporarily attached to the mount 25 of the label continuum P are mechanically peeled from the mount 25 and discharged one by one from the issue port 8. On the other hand, the mount 25 that has become unnecessary after the label 26 is peeled is discharged from the back of the peeling unit 4 through the discharge guide 3 a of the opening / closing cover 3.

Next, when printing is performed by switching from the above-described peeling issue mode to the normal issue mode, first, the operator depresses the cover open button 20 of the front cover 5, so that FIG.
The rotation lever 55 of the head bracket 11 in the state indicated by 0 is pushed down. Then, the head bracket 11 rotates around the hole 54 and moves in a direction (left direction in FIG. 20) in which the engagement claw 51 is separated from the engagement claw 33a of the lock member 33.

As a result, the engagement between the engagement claw 51 of the head bracket 11 and the engagement claw 33a of the lock member 33 is released, so that the lock member 33 (and the nip roller shaft 37, the nip roller cover 38, and the nip roller 32) are torsion springs. It moves upward by the elasticity of 42 and the leaf spring 43, and returns to the normal issuance position (position shown in FIG. 15).

Further, when the head bracket 11 rotates in the above-described direction, the rotation claw 52 of the head bracket 11 also moves in a direction away from the platen roller shaft 35 (left direction in FIG. 20).
The platen roller shaft 35 fitted into the fitting groove 53 of the head bracket 11 is detached from the fitting groove 53. As a result, the opening / closing cover 3 is separated from the main body case 2 by the elasticity of the torsion spring 6 (see FIG. 2) attached to the rear end thereof. That is, the opening / closing cover 3 is in an open state.

Thereafter, the operator may manually move the leading end of the label continuum P to the position for normal issuance, and set the label printer 1 in the normal issuance mode according to the procedure described above.

As described above in detail, according to the label printer 1 of the present embodiment, the operator only needs to perform a simple operation of changing the position of the front end of the label continuous body P prior to the start of printing. It becomes possible to switch between the normal issue mode and the peeling issue mode.

As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment. However, the embodiment disclosed in this specification is an example in all respects and is limited to the disclosed technology. It is not a thing. That is, the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed restrictively based on the description in the embodiment, but should be construed according to the description of the scope of claims. All modifications are included without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and the equivalent technology.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where a label continuous body in which a plurality of labels are temporarily attached to a mount is used as a print medium is not limited to this. For example, an adhesive surface is provided on one surface. It is also possible to use, as a printing medium, a continuous label (label without mount), a continuous sheet having no adhesive surface (continuous sheet), a film that can be printed by a thermal head, and the like. A label without a mount, a continuous sheet or a film can be provided with a position detection mark. Further, when carrying a non-mounting label on which the adhesive is exposed, the conveyance path can be covered with a non-adhesive and a roller containing silicone can be provided.

1 Label printer 2 Body case
3 Opening / Closing Cover 3a Discharge Guide 3b Opening 3c Stopper Member 4 Peeling Unit (Peeling Mechanism)
5 Front cover 5a Opening 6 Torsion spring 7 Paper guide 8 Issuing port 9 Cutter 10a Light emitting element 10b Light receiving element 11 Head bracket (opening / closing cover support mechanism)
12 Thermal head (printing head)
13 coil spring 14 circuit board 15 operation panel 16 display unit 17, 18 operation button 19 power button 20 cover open button 21 stepping motor 22 battery case 22a battery cover 23 battery 25 mount 26 label 27 position detection mark 30 platen roller 31 peeling bar 32 nip roller 33 lock member 33a engaging claw (first engaging claw)
33b Long hole 34 Under cover 35 Platen roller shaft 36 Screw 37 Nip roller shaft 38 Nip roller cover 39 Side cover 42 Torsion spring (peeling mechanism biasing member)
43 Leaf spring (rotating member)
51 engaging claw (second engaging claw)
52 rotating claw 53 fitting groove 54 hole 55 rotating lever P label continuous body (printing medium)

An aspect of the present invention is a printer that prints and issues a label continuous body in which a label is temporarily attached with a space on a mount, and a main body case, an open / close cover that opens and closes to the main body case, and information on the label A thermal head that prints, a platen roller that is provided on the opening and closing cover and that conveys the label continuum by being sandwiched between the thermal head and a nip roller, and is a peeler that peels off the printed label from the mount And when the opening / closing cover is in a closed state, the peeling unit has the nip roller positioned at a first position inside the outer edge of the printer when viewed in a side view, and the nip roller is the platen roller. The nip roller is moved from the first position according to a first state where the nip roller is separated from the first unit and a push-down operation on the peeling unit. Lower second located at a position, which is configured to be either state of the second state to sandwich the base sheet by the platen roller and the nip roller, a printer.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the operator can switch between the normal issue mode and the peeling issue mode only by performing a simple operation in which the operator changes the position of the leading end of the label continuous body prior to the start of printing. Is possible.

Claims (2)

A housing having an opening on one side;
An opening / closing cover that is pivotally supported by the casing so as to be opened and closed and biased in a direction away from the casing;
It is attached to one end portion of the opening / closing cover so as to be relatively movable with respect to the opening / closing cover, and is housed in the housing at the time of normal printing and peeling issuance of the print medium, A peeling mechanism for performing a peeling issuing operation;
A platen roller that is pivotally supported by the one end portion of the opening / closing cover in a rotatable state, is housed in the housing at the time of normal issuance and release of the print medium, and conveys the print medium;
An opening / closing cover support mechanism that is rotatably provided in the housing and supports the opening / closing cover at the time of normal issuance and release of the print medium, and is arranged to face the platen roller;
A print head provided in the housing and sandwiched between the platen roller and the opening / closing cover support mechanism at the time of normal issuance and release of the print medium to print on the print medium;
A coil spring attached to the open / close cover support mechanism and biasing the open / close cover support mechanism and the print head toward the platen roller when the print medium is normally issued and peeled off;
A printer comprising:
The peeling mechanism is
A nip roller shaft inserted through an opening provided in the opening / closing cover;
A nip roller pivotally supported by the nip roller shaft in a rotatable state;
A nip roller cover that is pivotally supported by the nip roller shaft and spaced apart from the nip roller;
A first shaft which is pivotally supported by the end of the nip roller shaft exposed to the outside of the opening / closing cover through the opening and engaged with the opening / closing cover support mechanism when the print medium is normally issued and when the release is issued.
A locking member provided with an engaging claw and a hole that regulates a moving range of the peeling mechanism;
With
The opening / closing cover is
A peeling mechanism biasing member that biases the nip roller shaft of the peeling mechanism in a direction away from the platen roller;
A rotating member that urges the locking member of the peeling mechanism to be rotatable;
A stopper member that is inserted into the hole of the lock member and regulates a moving range of the peeling mechanism;
Further comprising
The opening / closing cover support mechanism includes:
A fitting groove into which the nip roller shaft of the peeling mechanism is fitted when the printing medium is normally issued and when the peeling is issued;
A second engagement claw with which the first engagement claw of the lock member is engaged when the print medium is released.
A printer, further comprising: The printer according to claim 1, wherein the peeling mechanism urging member provided in the opening / closing cover is a torsion spring, and the rotating member is a leaf spring.