Printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11760113-B2
Application number	US-202117512646-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2021
Priority date	Oct 30, 2020
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

A printing apparatus including: a first roller mechanism including: a first shaft part having a first gear; and a first roller in which the first shaft part is inserted; and a second roller mechanism including: a movable holder configured to be moved in directions coming close to and being separated from a printing medium by a displacement mechanism; a second shaft part which is rotatably supported on the movable holder and having a second gear; a second roller in which the second shaft part is inserted, tiltable with respect to a shaft center of the second shaft part, and having an engaging groove recessed in an inner peripheral surface of an intermediate part of the second roller in a shaft center direction; and a protrusion protruding from an outer peripheral surface of the second shaft part and engaged with the engaging groove of the second roller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a conveying unit configured to convey a printing medium, the conveying unit including a first roller mechanism and a second roller mechanism, and the second roller mechanism being arranged downstream of the first roller mechanism with respect to a conveying direction;
a print head configured to perform printing on the printing medium being conveyed by the conveying unit; and
a displacement mechanism configured to displace the first roller mechanism and the second roller mechanism to a close position at which the first roller mechanism and the second roller mechanism are close to the print head and to a separated position at which the first roller mechanism and the second roller mechanism are more distant from the print head than at the close position,
wherein the first roller mechanism includes:
a first shaft part which is rotatably supported, the first shaft part being rotatable about a first shaft center extending in a first shaft center direction, and the first shaft part having a first gear at a portion on a first side along the first shaft center direction; and
a first roller which is rotatably supported, the first shaft part being inserted in the first roller, and the first roller being configured to be moved in directions coming close to and being separated from the print head by the displacement mechanism, and

wherein the second roller mechanism includes:
a movable holder configured to be moved in directions coming close to and being separated from the printing medium by the displacement mechanism;
a second shaft part which is rotatably supported on the movable holder, the second shaft part being rotatable about a second shaft center extending in a second shaft center direction, and the second shaft part having a second gear at a portion on the first side along the second shaft center direction;
a second roller having a hollow cylindrical shape, the second shaft part being inserted in the second roller, the second roller being tiltable with respect to the second shaft center of the second shaft part, and the second roller having an engaging groove recessed in an inner peripheral surface of an intermediate part of the second roller in the second shaft center direction; and
a protrusion protruding from an outer peripheral surface of the second shaft part and engaged with the engaging groove of the second roller,

wherein rotation of the second shaft part is transmitted via the second shaft part, the protrusion, the engaging groove, and the second roller in this order, and
wherein the protrusion protrudes radially more than a portion with the largest diameter of the second shaft part between two ends of the second roller in the second shaft center direction.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the displacement mechanism includes a roller holder configured to swing, thereby moving the first roller mechanism and the second roller mechanism in the directions coming close to and being separated from the print head,
wherein the first roller mechanism is provided to the roller holder,
wherein the first roller is rotatably supported on the roller holder, the first roller being configured to be moved in the directions coming close to and being separated from the print head by swinging of the roller holder,
wherein the second roller mechanism is arranged at a portion of the roller holder on a further downstream side than the first roller mechanism with respect to the conveying direction, and
wherein the movable holder is supported by the roller holder and is configured to move in the directions coming close to and being separated from the printing medium.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the second shaft part of the second roller is made of metal,
wherein the protrusion includes a first pin extending in a direction orthogonal to the second shaft center direction,
wherein the engaging groove of the second roller is engaged with the first pin, and
wherein rotation of the second shaft part is transmitted to the second roller via the first pin and the engaging groove engaged with each other.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the second roller mechanism further includes a second pin protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the second shaft part, the second pin extending in a direction orthogonal to the second shaft center direction,
wherein the second gear is fitted with the second pin, and
wherein rotation of the second gear is transmitted to the second shaft part via the second pin fitted to the second gear.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein a phase difference between an extension direction of the first pin of the second shaft part and an extension direction of the second pin of the second shaft part is approximately 90°.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 2
wherein an end face of the second roller on the first side along the second shaft center direction and an end face of the second gear on a second side opposite to the first side along the second shaft center direction are spaced from each other in the second shaft center direction.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
an urging member arranged between the roller holder and the movable holder, the urging member configured to urge the movable holder toward the printing medium.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the urging member is configured such that a first pressing force for pressing the movable holder on the first side is greater than a second pressing force for pressing the movable holder on a second side opposite to the first side.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a moving body configured to swing the roller holder between a retreat position and a print position by moving between a first position and a second position,
wherein the moving body has a support part in contact with a surface of the roller holder on an opposite side to a side on which the first roller is arranged, the moving body holding the roller holder so as not to be inclined, and
wherein a length of the support part in the second shaft center direction is greater than ½ of a length of the roller holder in the second shaft center direction.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a third gear meshed with the first gear;
a fourth gear meshed with the second gear; and
a frame rotatably supporting the third gear and the fourth gear,
wherein the frame has a first through-hole through which a portion of the first shaft part on the first side along the first shaft center direction penetrates and a second through-hole through which a portion of the second shaft part on the first side along the second shaft center direction penetrates,
wherein the first shaft part penetrates through the first through-hole so as to be movable in a direction orthogonal to a penetration direction thereof and the second shaft part penetrates through the second through-hole so as to be movable in a direction orthogonal to a penetration direction thereof,
wherein when the roller holder is located in the retreat position, the first shaft part is not in contact with a first edge portion of the first through-hole and the second shaft part is not in contact with a second edge portion of the second through-hole, and
wherein when the roller holder is located in the print position, the first shaft part is in contact with a first positioning portion provided at the first edge portion and the second shaft part is in contact with a second positioning portion provided at the second edge portion.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Iijima Shota

Classifications

• B41J3/4075 Primary

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J11/04 Primary

  Roller platens · CPC title

• B41J2/325

  by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet · CPC title

• B41J11/14

  Platen-shift mechanisms; Driving gear therefor · CPC title

• B41J3/382

  of tapes, e.g. tape cartridges · CPC title