JPH04110836A - Recording paper conveying mechanism of thermal printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent reverse driving and to prevent recording paper from shifting from a specific position by using a stepping motor and a worm wheel speed reducing mechanism for the recording paper conveying mechanism. CONSTITUTION:The recording paper conveying mechanism has the worm wheel speed reducing mechanism, which consists of a worm 50 coupled with the rotary shaft of the stepping motor 34 and a worm wheel 52 engaged with the worm 50. A roller 54 is coupled with the rotary shaft of the worm wheel 52. The roller 54 is provided nearby a recording head 18 and recording paper 42 which is supplied from a supply roll 56 is conveyed toward the recording head 18. Thus, the worm wheel 52 is not driven reversely with an external force, so the thermosensitive recording paper 42 is not drawn to have no position shift. Therefore, the position of the thermosensitive recording paper can accurately be held.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention Technical Field The present invention relates to a recording paper transport mechanism for a thermal printer and an electronic still camera with a printer using the same, and particularly to a recording paper transport mechanism that prevents the recording paper from shifting from a predetermined position. Regarding.

BACKGROUND ART An electronic still camera is a photographing device that photographs a field using a solid-state imaging device such as a COD and stores an image signal representing the field in a memory in the form of digital data. In this electronic still camera, once the photographed image is stored in memory, it is read out one line at a time,
For example, a device that integrates a printer that prints on thermal paper is known.

In such an electronic still camera with a printer,
When printing on thermal paper, it is necessary to move the thermal paper line by line. Furthermore, it is necessary to move the thermal paper to a predetermined position before recording the next image on the thermal paper. Since a small motor is used to drive such thermal paper, a predetermined number of spur gears are connected as a reduction mechanism to transmit the power from the motor, and the driving force decelerated and transmitted by these gears is used to reduce the speed. The thermal paper described above was driven.

In such a drive mechanism, it is not possible to prevent the spur gear from rotating due to external force. For example, when an operator manually cuts thermal paper that has been recorded and is ejected, the spur gear may rotate due to the pulling force. , this causes the thermal paper to move,
There was a problem in that the image was deviated from the predetermined position for recording the next image.

Furthermore, since multi-stage deceleration is performed using spur gears, there is also the problem that the noise caused by driving the thermal paper is large.

Purpose The present invention solves the drawbacks of the prior art and provides a recording paper conveyance mechanism for a thermal printer that prevents the recording paper from slipping at a predetermined position when cutting the recording paper, and an electronic still with printer using the same. The purpose is to provide cameras.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a recording paper transport mechanism of a thermal printer that records a visible image on thermal recording paper based on input image data includes a stepping motor, a roll placed in contact with the recording paper, and a stepping motor. It has a worm wheel deceleration mechanism that transmits the driving force supplied from the roll to the roll,
The recording paper is conveyed by the driving force transmitted by the worm wheel deceleration mechanism.

Further, according to the present invention, an electronic still camera with a printer that photographs a subject, obtains image data representing the subject, and records a visible image on thermal recording paper based on the image data includes a stepping motor, a recording a roll placed in contact with the paper;
It has a worm wheel deceleration mechanism that transmits the driving force from the stepping motor to the roll, and the recording paper is conveyed by the driving force transmitted by the worm wheel deceleration mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of a recording paper transport mechanism of a thermal printer according to the present invention and an electronic still camera with a printer using the same will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 show an embodiment of a recording paper conveyance mechanism of a thermal printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of an electronic still camera with a printer using this mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 1, the recording paper transport mechanism has a worm wheel deceleration mechanism. The worm wheel speed reduction mechanism includes a worm 50 connected to the rotating shaft of the stepping motor 34, and a worm wheel 52 fitted to the worm 50 with a ROM.

The worm 50 is rotated by the driving force supplied from the stepping motor 34. The worm wheel 52 is
The worm 50 is rotated by the rotation of the combined worm 50.
is rotated in the direction perpendicular to. By transmitting the rotation of the worm 50 to the worm wheel 52, the rotation speed is reduced to, for example, 1730 to 1/60.

A roller 54 is connected to the rotation shaft of the worm wheel 52. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the roller 54 is provided close to the recording head 18, and its rotation causes the recording paper 42 supplied from the supply roll 56 to be transferred to the second recording head 18.
It is conveyed in the direction of the arrow in the figure, that is, in the direction of recording head '18. Supply roll 56 and roller 54 as shown in FIG.
Guide rollers 0 and 62 are provided between them to guide the recording paper 42 supplied from the supply roll 56. A sensor 38 is arranged between these guides 60 and 62 so as to face the recording paper 42 at a predetermined distance from the recording paper 42 . By arranging the guides 60 and 62 in this manner, even when the length of the recording paper 42 on the supply roll 56 decreases and the direction in which the recording paper 42 is supplied changes as shown by the arrow in the same figure, The distance between the sensor 38 and the recording paper 42 can be kept constant.

A cutter 58 is provided at the upper end of the recording head 18. The cutter 58 is used by the operator to cut the printed and discharged recording paper 42.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of an electronic still camera with a printer according to the present invention.

This camera has an imaging device lO, and an imaging device lO.
The object scene is photographed at O and an image signal representing it is output. For example, a solid-state image sensor such as an ECD is advantageously applied to the imaging differential system 10, which images a field with an imaging lens (not shown) and outputs an image signal representing the field.

The output from the imaging device 10 is connected to an analog-to-digital converter 12, and the converter 12 is a signal conversion circuit that converts an input analog image signal into corresponding digital data and outputs it. Analog digital converter 1
The output from 2 can be connected to memory 14, and digital data is input to memory 14. Memory 14 is a semiconductor memoriso/haze, such as RAI4, for example, and stores data from analog-to-digital converter 12. The output of memory 14 is connected to parallel to serial converter 16. The parallel-serial converter 16 is a converter that converts, for example, 8-bit parallel data output from the memory 14 into 1-bit serial data and outputs the same. The output of the parallel-serial converter 16 is sent to the recording head 18.
It is connected to the. The recording head 18 converts the thermal recording paper 4 according to the data sent from the parallel-serial converter 16.
An image is formed on 2.

The clock generation circuit 20 is an analog-to-digital converter 1
2 and sends a clock signal to the analog-to-digital converter 12. The address generation circuit 22 is the memory 14
is connected to write to memory 14 and °memory 1
Address data for reading from 4 is output.

The standby button 24 is a switch for setting the camera in a standby state in which photography and printing can be performed. The shutter button 26 is a button that is pressed after the standby button 24 enters the standby state and is used to take pictures and print. As will be described later, if the shutter button 26 is pressed while the standby button 24 is pressed to enter the standby state, photographing and printing will be performed.

The timer 48 is started after the standby button 24 is pressed, and outputs a timeout signal after, for example, 20 seconds.

The camera further includes a power source 30, which generates a direct current of a predetermined magnitude. A DC/DC converter 28 is connected to the power supply 30, and the DC/DC converter 28 converts the DC voltage from the power supply to a predetermined magnitude, for example, 12V and 5V. These voltages are supplied to various parts of the camera. The buzzer 32 generates a predetermined sound when the shutter button 26 is pressed to notify the operator of the start of photographing and printing. The stepping motor 34 is connected to a control unit 40 via an amplifier 36 and generates a driving force for feeding the thermal paper 42 .

As shown in FIG. 4, thermal paper 42 used in this camera
A heat-sensitive sticker 44 having a size slightly larger than the image size is attached to each area forming one frame image. The thermal sticker 44 is made of release paper, and the thermal sticker 44 is made of release paper.
It can be peeled off from 2 and attached to others. Record holder l"1B
Recording is performed on this heat-sensitive sticker 44, and after the image is recorded, this sticker 44 is peeled off and used by pasting it onto another object.

A hole 46 for cueing is provided in the thermal paper 42.

The sensor 38 detects this hole 46, and thereby detects whether or not the thermal paper 42 is positioned at the beginning for printing, that is, whether the thermal sticker 44 has reached the recording position of the recording head 18.

The control unit 40 is a control unit that controls each part of this camera.
Advantageously constituted by a microprocessor.

The operation of this camera will be explained.

When the operator presses the standby button 24, a control signal from the control unit 40 is sent to the DC/DC converter/heater 28,
Electric power is input from the power supply 30 to the DC/DC converter 28, converted to a predetermined voltage by the DC/DC converter/converter 28, and then sent to each part of the camera, making each part ready for operation. When the standby button 24 is pressed, a control signal is sent from the control unit 40 to the stepping motor 34 via the supply amplifier 36, and the stepping motor 34 rotates. The rotation of the stepping motor 34 is decelerated by the worm 50 and the worm wheel 52 and transmitted to the roller 54, and the rotation of the roller 54 causes the thermal paper 4 to
2 is sent to a predetermined position where it can be printed. sensor 3
8, when the completion of cueing of the thermal paper 42 is detected, the control section 40 starts the timer 48.

When the operator presses the shutter button 26, a buzzer sound is generated to notify the operator of the start of printing.

In this camera, the timer 48 is set to measure the passage of 20 seconds. When 20 seconds have elapsed without the shutter button 26 being pressed, the control unit 40 turns off the power supply from the power source 30.

Printing starts after the buzzer sounds. An image of the scene is captured by the imaging device 10, and the image data is input to the AD converter 12. The image data is
After being converted into digital data by the AD converter 12, it is temporarily stored in the memory 14 in accordance with an address signal from the address generation circuit 22. The image data stored in the memory 14 is read out, sent to the parallel-serial converter 16, converted into serial data, and sent to the recording head 18. Image data sent line by line to the recording head 18 is recorded on the heat-sensitive seal 44 area of the heat-sensitive recording paper 42. ■The stepping motor 34 rotates by a predetermined amount for each recording of a line, and the roller 54 is rotated by the worm wheel mechanism, and the thermal recording paper 42 is rotated.
is moved by one line of the image.

When printing is completed, the stepping motor 34 rotates again, the worm wheel mechanism feeds the thermal paper 42, and cues for recording the next image.

According to the camera of this embodiment, when the standby button 24 is pressed, the paper is fed by the worm wheel mechanism, and one head is taken out, that is, preparation for printing is completed. Thereafter, when the shutter button 26 is pressed, photographing and printing are performed. Therefore, printing can be performed only by operating the shutter button 26.

After printing, paper feeding and cueing are performed again by the worm wheel mechanism.

According to this embodiment, the thermal recording paper 42 is conveyed by a worm wheel deceleration mechanism.

Conventionally, a reduction mechanism having three stages of spur gears, for example, has been used as a conveyance mechanism. Therefore, when an operator pulls the printed portion of the thermal recording paper 42 by hand and cuts it with a cutter after printing, the thermal recording paper 42 will be pulled and misaligned, which will cause problems in subsequent printing. there were. On the other hand, according to this embodiment, the worm wheel 52 is not reversely driven by an external force, so the thermal recording paper 42 is not pulled and displaced, and therefore the position of the thermal recording paper 42 is accurately maintained. be able to.

Furthermore, since a one-stage speed reduction mechanism using a worm wheel is used, there is less noise during driving, and fewer parts are required for the speed reduction mechanism.

Effects According to the present invention, the recording paper transport mechanism of a printer and a camera with a printer transports the recording paper using a stabbing motor and a worm wheel deceleration mechanism.

Therefore, since reverse driving can be prevented by the worm wheel, it is possible to prevent the recording paper from shifting from a predetermined position even when the recording paper is pulled and cut.

Further, since there is less noise during conveyance of the recording paper and there are fewer components, it is possible to downsize the apparatus.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a recording paper conveyance mechanism of a printer according to the present invention, FIG. A block diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic still camera.
- It is a figure showing an example. Explanation of symbols of main parts +8. ,, Recording head 26...Shirt top 341. Stepping motor 42, Thermal paper 50, Worm 52, Worm wheel 54, Roller 58, Cutter

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a recording paper transport mechanism of a thermal printer that records a visible image on thermal recording paper based on input image data,
The mechanism includes: a stepping motor; a roll placed in contact with the recording paper; and a worm wheel deceleration mechanism that transmits the driving force supplied from the stepping motor to the roll, and the worm wheel deceleration mechanism transmits the driving force. A recording paper conveying mechanism for a thermal printer, characterized in that the recording paper is conveyed by a driving force generated by the recording paper. 2. An electronic still camera with a printer that photographs a subject, obtains image data representing the subject, and records a visible image on thermal recording paper based on the image data, the camera comprising: a stepping motor; a roll disposed in contact with the recording paper; and a worm wheel deceleration mechanism that transmits a driving force from the stepping motor to the roll, and the recording paper is conveyed by the driving force transmitted by the worm wheel deceleration mechanism. An electronic still camera with a printer.