SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.

A thermal printer includes: a housing; a platen roller supported on the housing so as to be rotatable; a thermal head housed in the housing and arranged so as to be opposed to the platen roller; and a paper guide that forms a sheet passage for a sheet between the housing and the paper guide, and is pivotally supported on the housing so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis between a guide position at which the sheet is allowed to be fed between the platen roller and the thermal head, and an open position at which the sheet passage for the sheet is exposed.

A thermal printer includes: a housing including a roll sheet receiving portion; a cover which is pivotably attached to the housing, and is configured to open and close the roll sheet receiving portion; a platen roller which is rotatably supported on the cover via a bearing portion; and a thermal head which is to be brought into press contact with an outer peripheral surface of the platen roller. The cover includes a cover main body and a base member which is fixed to the cover main body. Directions orthogonal to an axial direction of the platen roller and also orthogonal to each other are defined as a first direction and a second direction, respectively. The cover main body includes a first holding portion which supports the bearing portion from one side in the first direction. The base member includes a second holding portion which supports the bearing portion from the other side in the first direction. The first holding portion is located on one side in a second direction with respect to the bearing portion, and includes a first claw portion protruding to the other side in the first direction along an outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion. The second holding portion is located on the one side in the second direction with respect to the bearing portion, and includes a second claw portion protruding to the one side in the first direction along the outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion. The first claw portion and the second claw portion face each other in the first direction.

A thermal printer includes: a housing; a printing unit, which includes a head unit and a platen unit including a platen roller, and is received in the housing; a cover configured to be capable of opening and closing the housing; an open button of the cover; and a guide shaped portion, which is provided below a gap between the open button and the housing and at a position corresponding to the gap, and extends along an up-and-down direction in a horizontal posture that is a state of the thermal printer placed such that a sheet delivery port defined between the cover and the housing is facing upward.

A thermal printer includes: a housing including a roll sheet receiving portion; a cover which is pivotably attached to the housing, and is configured to open and close the roll sheet receiving portion; a platen roller which is rotatably supported on the cover via a bearing portion; and a thermal head which is to be brought into press contact with an outer peripheral surface of the platen roller. The cover includes a cover main body and a base member which is fixed to the cover main body. Directions orthogonal to an axial direction of the platen roller and also orthogonal to each other are defined as a first direction and a second direction, respectively. The cover main body includes a first holding portion which supports the bearing portion from one side in the first direction. The base member includes a second holding portion which supports the bearing portion from the other side in the first direction. The first holding portion is located on one side in a second direction with respect to the bearing portion, and includes a first claw portion protruding to the other side in the first direction along an outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion. The second holding portion is located on the one side in the second direction with respect to the bearing portion, and includes a second claw portion protruding to the one side in the first direction along the outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion. The first claw portion and the second claw portion face each other in the first direction.

A thermal printer includes: a roll sheet receiving portion; and a delivery slot through which a portion of the recording sheet drawn from the roll sheet is delivered to an outside of the thermal printer; a printing unit including: a thermal head; and a platen roller configured to convey the recording sheet toward the delivery slot while sandwiching the recording sheet between the thermal head and the platen roller; a flap provided on a portion of the casing between the printing unit and the roll sheet receiving portion so as to be pivotable about a first axis, and configured to press the roll sheet in a direction of separating away from the delivery slot through abutment against an outer peripheral surface of the roll sheet; and an urging member configured to urge the flap about the first axis in the direction of separating away from the delivery slot.

A thermal printer includes: a roll sheet receiving portion; and a delivery slot through which a portion of the recording sheet drawn from the roll sheet is delivered to an outside of the thermal printer; a printing unit including: a thermal head; and a platen roller configured to convey the recording sheet toward the delivery slot while sandwiching the recording sheet between the thermal head and the platen roller; a flap provided on a portion of the casing between the printing unit and the roll sheet receiving portion so as to be pivotable about a first axis, and configured to press the roll sheet in a direction of separating away from the delivery slot through abutment against an outer peripheral surface of the roll sheet; and an urging member configured to urge the flap about the first axis in the direction of separating away from the delivery slot.

A thermal head control device includes: a printing rate calculation range determination unit configured to determine, as a printing rate calculation range, a range from a left-end energization dot to a right-end energization dot among energization dots present in printing data corresponding to heating elements to be controlled among a plurality of heating elements included in a thermal head; a printing rate calculation unit configured to calculate a printing rate of the printing rate calculation range determined by the printing rate calculation range determination unit; an energizing time calculation unit configured to calculate an energizing time for which a current is caused to flow through the heating elements based on the printing rate calculated by the printing rate calculation unit; and an output unit configured to output a control signal for driving the heating elements to be controlled of the thermal head, based on the calculated energizing time.

A printing unit includes a platen lock mechanism for switching between a locked state and an unlock state of the platen roller; and an urging member for urging the lock arm. The head unit has receiving grooves receiving the platen bearings through an opening. A lock arm presses the platen bearings when the operation lever is at the lock position, and is configured to allow disengagement of the platen bearings from the receiving groove through the opening by being swung from the lock position toward the unlock position side. The lock arm includes a pushing-up arm configured to push the platen bearings from the receiving groove toward the opening side along with movement of the operation lever from the lock position toward the unlock position. An urging member urges the lock arm toward the platen unit side.

A thermal head control device includes: a printing rate calculation range determination unit configured to determine, as a printing rate calculation range, a range from a left-end energization dot to a right-end energization dot among energization dots present in printing data corresponding to heating elements to be controlled among a plurality of heating elements included in a thermal head; a printing rate calculation unit configured to calculate a printing rate of the printing rate calculation range determined by the printing rate calculation range determination unit; an energizing time calculation unit configured to calculate an energizing time for which a current is caused to flow through the heating elements based on the printing rate calculated by the printing rate calculation unit; and an output unit configured to output a control signal for driving the heating elements to be controlled of the thermal head, based on the calculated energizing time.

A thermal printer, includes a head unit including a thermal head configured to perform printing on a recording sheet; a platen unit, which includes a platen roller configured to convey the recording sheet, and is separably combined with the head unit; a printer main body, which has a recording-sheet receiving portion configured to receive the recording sheet, and has the head unit mounted thereto; a printer cover, which has the platen unit mounted thereto, and is coupled to the printer main body so as to be pivotable; and a separator, which is provided in the recording-sheet receiving portion, and is configured to separate parts of the recording sheet, which is rolled into a roll shape around a core body, folded on each other at a rolling start portion, which is rolled around the core body and has a turn-back shape.