JPH08156352A - Printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To always maintain a high printing quality for printing papers of different thicknesses by automatically adjusting a gap between a printing head and a platen depending upon a thickness of a printing paper. CONSTITUTION: A support mechanism 4 is provided which permits a conveying roller 2a arranged on a platen 3 side, which conveying roller 2a and a conveying roller 2b serve to convey a printing paper P, to move in a direction away from a paper conveying passage R. A connecting mechanism 9a is provided which energizes movement of the platen 3 by the same displacement in the same direction in interlocking relationship with movement of the conveying roller 2a, and a spring-like member 10 is associated with the connecting mechanism 9a to return the conveying roller 2a to an original position on a paper conveying passage R side.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer, and more particularly to a printer provided in a cash processing machine of a financial institution.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printing apparatus provided in a cash processing machine of a financial institution positions an ink ribbon and printing paper with a platen and hits both the ink ribbon and printing paper with a dot pin of a dot impact head. The dot impact type is used for printing.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional example, as described above, since the dot impact head is a mechanism for directly striking the printing paper and the ink ribbon, when printing on printing papers having different thicknesses. , In order to obtain a predetermined print quality, it is necessary to finely adjust the gap between the dot impact head and the printing paper, and therefore it is necessary to provide a mechanism for detecting the thickness of the printing paper and a mechanism for adjusting the gap by electric control ( See, for example, JP-A-4-31073). In particular, when printing on booklets (such as bankbooks) used in financial institutions, the gap adjusting function is necessary because the thickness of the pages to be printed is significantly different. As a result, there is an inconvenience that the printing apparatus becomes complicated as a whole.

Further, since the dot impact head is composed of a large number of dot pins, the head itself becomes heavy, which causes a disadvantage that the carrier mechanism for moving the dot impact head also becomes large.

Further, since the dot impact head physically hits the printing paper or the ink ribbon, there is a disadvantage that noise or vibration is generated during printing.

Further, since the ink ribbon is used, there is a disadvantage that the printing quality changes with the progress of printing work.

[0007]

An object of the present invention is to improve the disadvantages of the conventional example, and in particular, the gap between the print head and the platen can be adjusted according to the thickness of the printing paper, and printing can be performed even on printing papers having different thicknesses. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer having a simple structure that can always maintain high quality.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, in an ink jet type printing apparatus having a wide degree of freedom in adjusting a gap between a print head and a platen, one of a pair of conveying rollers is disposed on the platen side. A support mechanism that allows the transport rollers to move in a direction away from the paper transport path is provided, and a coupling mechanism that provides movement in substantially the same direction and displacement to the platen in cooperation with the movement of one transport roller is provided. The connection mechanism is provided with a spring-like member for returning the carrying roller to the original position on the side of the paper carrying path.

[0009]

When the printing paper is inserted into the printing device, it is carried to the position of the inkjet head by the pair of carrying rollers. At this time, one of the pair of conveying rollers, which is arranged on the platen side, moves in a direction away from the sheet conveying path in accordance with the thickness of the inserted print sheet.
At the same time, since the platen is connected to the carrying roller by the connecting mechanism, the platen moves in the same direction as the moving of the carrying roller by the same displacement. Further, when the printing paper is ejected from the printing device, the transport roller returns to the original position by the spring-like member for returning the transport roller to the original position on the paper transport path side.

As a result, an appropriate gap between the print head and the platen is always automatically provided according to the thickness of the printing paper that has been input.

[0011]

[First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a printer, reference numerals 2a and 2b indicate conveying rollers, reference numeral 3 indicates a platen, and reference numeral 9a indicates a connecting mechanism. Further, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 4 indicates a support mechanism.

The printing apparatus 1 includes an ink jet head 5 that prints by ejecting ink onto the printing paper P, an ink supply unit 6 that supplies ink to the ink jet head 5 via an ink supply member, and an ink jet head 5. And a carrier mechanism 7 for moving for printing. Further, a platen 3 for positioning the printing paper P at a correct position with respect to the inkjet head 5 is provided at a position facing the inkjet head 5 with the printing paper transport passage R interposed therebetween.

Further, the printer 1 is provided with two upper and lower transport rollers 2a and 2b for transporting the print paper P to the printing position, and a pair of the two transport rollers 2a arranged above and below. , 2b, a printing paper conveyance path R is formed.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, four pairs of conveying rollers 2a and 2b are provided, but it is not always necessary to provide four pairs, and at least one pair of conveying rollers may be provided.

Of the transport rollers, the transport roller 2a on the platen 3 side is rotatably supported at one end of the coupling mechanism 9a. The connecting mechanism 9a is supported by the printing device by a support member 11a that allows the transport roller 2a to move in parallel in a direction away from the print sheet transport path R as the print sheet P is transported. Moreover, the platen 3 is rotatably supported by the other end of the connecting mechanism 9a so as to be located at a position facing the inkjet head 5 with the print sheet conveying path R interposed therebetween. The transport roller 2 is attached to the connecting mechanism 9a.
A spring-like member 10 for returning a to the original position is engaged.

Further, the printer 1 is a magnetic stripe lead which is located upstream of the printing position in the print sheet transport passage R and faces the print sheet transport passage R to read information on the magnetic stripe attached to the print sheet P. / Light mechanism 13,
Also, a page mark reading mechanism 14 for reading page marks and the like written on the printing paper P is provided.

Further, the printing apparatus 1 includes the conveying rollers 2a, 2
b, a control unit 8 for controlling driving of the inkjet head 5 and the like
It has.

Next, the function of the printing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described.

First, when the printing paper P is inserted from the paper loading section by the operator or the customer, a pair of the carrying rollers 2a and 2b, which are rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown), on the most upstream side of the printing paper carrying passage R. It is taken into the printing apparatus 1 by the conveyance roller of. Then, while being conveyed to the ink jet head 5, the magnetic stripe read / write mechanism 13 reads the magnetic stripe data, and the page mark reading mechanism 14
The items to be printed and the lines to be printed are confirmed in. Subsequently, the control unit 8 confirms the page to be printed and the line to be printed by the magnetic stripe read / write mechanism 13 and the page mark reading mechanism 14, and the print paper P is conveyed to the inkjet head 5 unit by the conveyance rollers 2a and 2b. Transport to.

Subsequently, the printing paper P is taken in by the carrying roller closest to the ink jet head 5 and on the upstream side. Of these transport rollers, the transport roller 2a on the platen side
Is rotatably supported at one end of a connecting mechanism 9a, and the connecting mechanism 9a is supported by a supporting mechanism 4 that allows movement in a direction away from the print sheet conveyance path R.
Therefore, depending on the thickness of the print sheet P, the transport roller 2a and the connecting mechanism 9a, which is a rod-shaped member, move in a direction away from the print sheet transport path R. This connection mechanism 9
A platen 3 is rotatably supported on the other end of a. Therefore, the same displacement as the moving displacement of the transport roller 2a is applied to the platen 3. As a result, the platen 3 and the inkjet head 5 are not affected by the change in the thickness of the printing paper P.
The gap between and will always be kept constant.

When the print paper P is conveyed to a predetermined position, the ink jet head 5 causes the ink to fly to the print paper P to perform a printing operation, and at the same time, the ink jet head 5 part carries the carrier based on a signal from the controller. The mechanism 7 moves in the printing direction. Here, since the printing ink is constantly supplied from the ink supply unit 6, the printing density becomes constant and the printing quality does not deteriorate. Further, since the ink supply unit 6 includes a plurality of sensors for detecting the remaining amount of ink, near end detection or end detection of ink is performed, and a signal is transmitted to the control unit 8 to notify the printer 1 of the printer 1. The remaining ink level is displayed on the display.

After the printing operation is completed, the conveying rollers 2a and 2b are rotationally driven in the direction in which the printing paper P is discharged. Then, it is conveyed to the position of the page mark reading mechanism 14 and it is confirmed whether the printing is performed at the proper position. Further, the printing paper P is conveyed to the position of the magnetic stripe read / write mechanism 13, and the necessary data is written on the magnetic tape attached to the printing paper P, and thereafter,
It is ejected from the printer 1. At this time, since the spring-like member 10 for returning the transport roller to the original position is engaged with the connecting member 9a that supports the transport roller 2a and the platen 3 described above, the print paper P is discharged. After that, the transport roller 2a returns to the position in contact with the other transport roller 2b.

In this embodiment, as described above, the transport roller 2 is used.
a and the platen 3 are connected by a single rod-shaped member 9
By being supported by a, it is possible to provide an inkjet head for different printing paper thicknesses with a simple structure without providing a device for measuring the thickness of the printing paper P, a drive motor for moving the platen 3, and the like. The gap between the platen and the platen can be adjusted automatically and accurately, and when applied to inkjet type printers that have a wide degree of freedom in adjusting the gap, it can handle different paper thickness without degrading print quality. It is possible to provide a printing device that can do this.

Further, since the adjusting mechanism of the platen 3 can be mechanically constructed as described above, the overall size of the printing apparatus can be reduced, the manufacturing process can be simplified, and the maintenance of the printing apparatus can be facilitated.

[0026]

[Second Embodiment] Next, the construction of a printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 4 indicates a support mechanism,
Reference numeral 9b indicates a connecting mechanism, and reference numeral 11b indicates a support member.

The connecting mechanism 9b is configured such that the conveying roller 2a and the platen 3 are rotatably supported at both ends thereof, and the central portion 12 is bendable. Both sides of the central portion 12 of the connecting mechanism 9b are swingably held by support members 11b fixed to the main body of the printer 1. Further, a spring-like member 10 that constantly urges the coupling mechanism 9b to return the transport roller 2b to the original position on the side of the print sheet path R is engaged. Other configurations are similar to those of the first embodiment.

Next, the function of the support mechanism according to this embodiment will be described.

First, the printing paper P is conveyed by the conveying rollers 2a, 2b.
When it is taken into the inside of the printing apparatus by, the platen-side transport roller 2a moves in the direction away from the paper transport path R by the thickness of the print paper P, as in the first embodiment. At this time,
The left and right sides of the central portion 12 of the connecting member 9b are supporting members 11b.
Since it is swingably supported by, the left member of the connecting mechanism 9b rotates counterclockwise about the fulcrum of the support member 11b. Therefore, the central portion 1 of the connecting mechanism 9b
2 moves vertically upward.

Further, since the right side member of the connecting mechanism 9b is flexibly engaged with the left side member at the central portion 12, it rotates clockwise around the fulcrum of the support member 11b. As a result, the platen 3 is moved in the same direction as the movement of the transport roller 2a and with the same displacement.

A spring-like member 10 for returning the carrying roller 2a to the original position is engaged with the connecting mechanism 9b, and is returned to the original position on the side of the printing paper carrying passage R after the printing operation is completed.

According to this embodiment, the connecting mechanism 9b is configured to be bendable at the central portion 12 and two points on both sides of the central portion 12 are rotatably supported by the supporting members 11b. The undulating motion occurs at both ends of the coupling mechanism 9b based on the movement of the transport roller 2a. At this time, since the deformation of the connecting mechanism 9b is entirely caused by the rotational movement, the frictional resistance is small, and the movement of the transport roller 2a can be smoothly transmitted to the platen 3. As a result, according to the support mechanism of the second embodiment, in addition to the effect obtained by the first embodiment, the gap between the inkjet head 5 and the platen 3 can be made smoother even for print sheets of different thickness. It is possible to provide a printing device that can be adjusted to the above.

[0034]

According to the present invention, by mechanically connecting the conveying roller and the platen via the connecting mechanism, a device for measuring the thickness of the printing paper, a drive motor for moving the platen, and the like are provided. Without being provided, the gap between the inkjet head and the platen can be automatically and appropriately adjusted for different printing paper thicknesses, and the present invention has been applied to an inkjet type printing device which has a wide degree of freedom in adjusting the gap. In this case, it is possible to provide an unprecedented excellent printing apparatus that can appropriately perform the printing operation without degrading the printing quality. Further, since the platen adjusting mechanism can be mechanically constructed as described above, the overall size of the printing apparatus can be reduced, the manufacturing process can be simplified, and maintenance of the printing apparatus can be facilitated.

Furthermore, by constructing the print head of the ink jet type, the print head becomes smaller and lighter,
Higher printing speed can be realized. Further, it is possible to avoid noise and vibration during printing, which have been a problem in the past, and it is possible to maintain a constant print density.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the support mechanism shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a support mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Printing Device 2a, 2b Conveying Roller 3 Platen 4 Supporting Mechanism 5 Inkjet Head 6 Ink Supply Device 9a, 9b Coupling Mechanism 10 Spring Member 12 Coupling Mechanism Central Part P Printing Paper R Printing Paper Conveying Passage

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An inkjet head that prints by ejecting ink onto a print sheet, and a platen that is arranged at a position facing the inkjet head so as to be movable in a direction away from the paper transport path with a paper transport path therebetween. In a printing device including at least one pair of transport rollers for transporting the print sheet to the inkjet head unit, one of the pair of transport rollers disposed on a platen side is provided from the sheet transport path. A support mechanism is provided that allows the platen to move in the away direction, and a connecting mechanism that urges the platen to move in the same direction and the same displacement in cooperation with the movement of the one carrying roller is provided, and the carrying mechanism transfers the platen to the platen. A printing apparatus characterized in that a spring-like member for returning the roller to the original position on the side of the sheet conveyance path is provided. 2. The connecting mechanism is composed of a rod-shaped member having a predetermined length, and the conveying roller and the platen are rotatably supported at both ends thereof.
The printing device described. 3. The connecting mechanism is configured by a rod-shaped member having a predetermined length, the transport roller and the platen are rotatably supported at both ends thereof, and the connecting mechanism is bendable at a central portion thereof. 2. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a support member that rotatably supports both sides of the central portion on the main body of the printer.