JPH0124071B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a thermal printing device that can be used in ticket vending machines, ticket processing terminals, etc., and particularly to a device that performs thermal printing in accordance with pre-printed timing marks.

〔background〕

When a pre-printed timing mark is detected by a reflective photosensor and the thermal head 8 is energized by the rising or falling signal to perform thermal printing, it is difficult to accurately detect the timing mark. By the way, in general, the photocurrent of a reflective photosensor is greatly affected by the relative distance to the timing mark, and the relationship is pointed, as shown in an example in Figure 1, and the photocurrent changes regardless of whether the relative distance is short or long. It can be seen that there is a large attenuation.

On the other hand, in order to smoothly drive the card, the gap in the guide path of the card must naturally be made somewhat larger than the thickness of the card, and as a result, the card wobbles in the thickness direction, causing fluctuations in the relative distance to the photo sensor. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide an adjustment mechanism to ensure the accuracy of mounting the photosensor. Furthermore, if it is desired to use both a thin card and a thick card, the relative distance to the sensor will vary depending on the thickness of the card.

[Purpose/Structure]

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problem, and is configured so that the photo sensor generates a sufficient photocurrent by maintaining a fixed relative distance from the thermal printing surface of the card and following the photo sensor.

〔Example〕

Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a front view thereof, Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along AA of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a partial bottom view. An upper guide plate 2 and a lower guide plate 3 are fixed with screws (not shown) to form a passage 5 and an entrance 6 for the card 4. Reference numeral 8 denotes a thermal head which is fitted and adhesively fixed to a frame-shaped body 11 of a resin movable member shown at 9. The terminals 8b of the thermal head 8 are soldered to a printed circuit board 13, and the printed circuit board 13 is adhesively fixed to the frame-shaped body 11.
Also, a reflective photosensor 7 is provided on the printed circuit board 13.
is fixed with adhesive, and the thermal head 8 is connected from its tip.
The distance to the heat generating point 8a is kept equal to the detection distance of the photosensor 7.

The movable member 9 has elastic pieces 10a and 10b, respectively, corresponding to the driving direction 21 of the inserted card 4.
to protrude. These elastic pieces 10a and 10b may be configured to be molded into a frame-shaped body 11 into which the head 8 is inserted. And this elastic piece 1
A locking shaft 12 is provided at the tip of each of 0a and 10b.
a, 12b are formed. In this case, the locking shaft 12a
has a structure in which a locking groove 12c is formed in the circumferential surface of the cylindrical body so as to surround it, and the locking bearing 14 of the upright piece 2a of the upper guide portion 2 is shown in detail in FIG.
a, and is further locked in the locking groove 12c to prevent axial movement, and the locking shaft 12b is constituted by a cylindrical body, and the upright piece 2b whose details are shown in FIG.
It is placed on the locking bearing 14b. With this support structure, the thermal head 8 and the photosensor 7 provided on the movable member 9 are supported so as to be rotatable in a direction intersecting the direction in which the card 4 is driven.

The movable member 9 is moved by elastic pieces 10a and 10b,
By being supported between the upright pieces 2a and 2b, the thermal head 8 can be removed from the window 2c of the upper guide part 2.
Facing into the card passage 6, its heat generating point 8a is set in contact with a roller 15 which is a positioning member, and the resting position of the thermal head 8 is defined. roller 15
is rotatably supported by the lower guide plate 2 by a shaft made of heat-resistant resin, and its outer periphery faces the card passage 6. The positioning member is roller 1.
Instead of 5, the lower guide plate 3 may be embossed to provide a convex portion within the card passage. 19,
20 are a thermal head 8 and a photosensor 7, respectively.
This is the lead wire to.

When the card 4 is driven by a drive unit (not shown) in the direction of the arrow 21 in FIG. 4 and inserted between the thermal head 8 and the roller 15 in the thermal printing apparatus configured as described above, the heat generating point 8a of the thermal head and The tip 7a of the photosensor 7 is pushed up in the direction away from the roller 15 (in the direction of the white arrow 22) by the thermal printing surface 4a of the card 4, and the elastic piece 10
The elastic biasing forces of a and 10b act in the direction of the roller 15, and the heating point 8a is pressed against the thermal printing surface 4a with an appropriate setting pressure, and at the same time, the detection distance from the tip 7a of the photosensor 7 to the thermal printing surface 4a is maintained correctly. drooping Further, the card 4 is driven, but at this time also the thermal head 8 and the photo sensor 7
is rotatably supported in a direction intersecting the driving direction of the card, so that the detection distance of the photosensor 7 is kept constant following the driving of the card 4. Then, timing mark 4 of card 4 shown in FIG.
b is detected by the photosensor 7 and a photocurrent flows through the lead wire 20. When the photocurrent flows through the lead wire 20 from a signal processing circuit (not shown), the terminal 8b of the circuit head 8 is energized via the lead wire 19, and the heating point 8a generates heat, causing the thermal printing surface 4
For example, thermal printing is applied to a as shown in FIG. 8, 4c.

〔effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, since the photo sensor is driven together with the thermal head 8, the detection distance of the photo sensor is always kept constant, which has the effect of generating a sufficient photocurrent, and thermal printing can be performed by reliably reading timing marks. It will be done.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a graph showing the relationship between the detection distance and photocurrent of a reflective photosensor, Fig. 2 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a front view thereof, and Fig. 4 is the same as Fig. 2. AA sectional view, FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the movable member 9, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are the upright pieces 2a and 2b, respectively.
8 is an explanatory diagram of the card. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Guide means, 7... Photo sensor, 8... Thermal head, 9... Movable member, 2a, 2b...
Upright piece (supporting member), 15...roller (positioning member).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Guide means forming a card passage capable of accepting a card provided with at least one thermal printing surface; a thermal head and a photo sensor for detecting a predetermined mark on the card extending in the direction of card drive; a movable member supported by two elastic pieces; a support member for the movable member that acts on the movable member to rotatably support the thermal head and the photosensor in a direction intersecting the driving direction of the card; The elastic pieces are provided at opposing positions and act on the thermal head to bias the elastic pieces in a direction that moves the thermal head away from the printing surface and to keep the distance at which the photosensor detects the mark constant. 1. A thermal printing device characterized by comprising a positioning member for positioning the thermal printing device in a fixed state.