JP3114591B2 - Inkjet printer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet printer for printing on a tape-shaped recording medium fed from a tape cartridge. More specifically, the present invention relates to the layout of each component in this type of ink jet printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet printer is provided with a cartridge mounting portion for detachably mounting a tape cartridge containing a tape-shaped recording medium wound up in a roll shape, and a tape fed from the tape cartridge mounted here. 2. Description of the Related Art A type configured to perform printing on a shape recording medium is known.

[0003] As a tape-shaped recording medium, an adhesive layer covered with a release paper is formed on the back side, cut to a predetermined length after printing, and then peeled off the release paper to be attached as a label at a desired place. There is something that can be done. Printers that perform printing on such tape-shaped recording media are:
It is called label printer, label word processor, etc., and has been on the market in recent years. In such a printer, color printing is performed on a tape-shaped recording medium of each color, and ink of each color of cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) is applied to an inkjet head. By supplying ink from a tank, color printing can be performed on a tape-shaped recording medium.

[0004]

In a printer for printing on a tape-shaped recording medium as described above, the printed surface of the tape-shaped recording medium after printing must be in such a posture that the operator bends down. It is convenient to be able to see without it. Also,
Since ink is generally used in a cartridge type ink tank, it is necessary to replace the ink tank.
Therefore, it is necessary to arrange a mounting opening for exchanging both the tape cartridge and the ink tank in the printer body case.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus in which a printing surface of a tape-shaped recording medium can be easily viewed and a mounting opening for exchanging a tape cartridge and an ink tank can be arranged at a suitable position. An object of the present invention is to propose an ink jet printer having an arrangement structure.

[0006]

An ink jet printer according to the present invention comprises a tape cartridge removably incorporated in a printer body case, an ink jet head for printing on a tape-shaped recording medium fed from the tape cartridge, and an ink jet head. A tape ejection port for guiding the printed tape-shaped recording medium to the outside of the printer body case, and the tape-shaped recording medium is unreeled from the tape cartridge to face the inkjet head, and then ejected from the tape ejection port to the outside of the printer body case. A recording medium transport mechanism, a tape outlet is provided at an upper part of the printer body case, and the recording medium transport mechanism is a tape cartridge.
The front wall faces the inkjet head of the cartridge.
A transport path for the tape-shaped recording medium on which the image is formed, and the transport path
The tape-shaped recording medium sent from
It has a transport path provided on the side of the printer
The tape-shaped recording medium is discharged from the tape discharge port such that the printing surface faces upward or forward. In this case, it is preferable that the ink jet head and the tape cartridge are disposed to face each other in front and rear, and that the tape-shaped recording medium is fed upward from the lower portion of the tape cartridge and faces the ink jet head at the front surface of the tape cartridge. In this case, it is preferable that the tape cartridge is removably mounted in the printer main body case through a tape cartridge mounting opening formed in the rear surface of the printer main body case. In these cases, it is preferable that the ink cartridge is removably mounted on the ink jet head, and the ink cartridge is removably mounted on the ink jet head from an ink cartridge mounting port formed on the lower surface of the printer body case. .

[0007]

The tape-shaped recording medium fed from the tape cartridge is fed from the feed port at the lower end of the front wall with its printing surface facing the front of the printer body case. Then, the tape cartridge is transported along a transport path between the tape cartridge and the eject head arranged to face the tape cartridge. In this manner, printing is performed by the ink jet head on the tape-shaped recording medium conveyed with the printing surface facing forward. The printed tape-shaped recording medium is conveyed along a conveyance path to an ejection port, and is ejected from there. In the discharged state, the printing surface of the tape-shaped recording medium faces forward, so that the operator can visually check the printing surface without taking an unreasonable posture to check the print contents.

Further, the tape cartridge is arranged at a portion on the rear side of the printer main body case with respect to the conveyance path, and the print head is arranged at the front side with respect to the conveyance path. Therefore, the mounting opening of the tape cartridge which needs to be frequently replaced can be formed on the rear side or the upper rear end of the printer main body, which is convenient for the replacement operation. On the other hand, the ink tank is arranged at a position before the print head. Since the replacement of the ink tank is less frequent than the replacement of the tape cartridge, even if the mounting port for this replacement is formed in the bottom wall of the printer body case, it does not hinder the replacement operation.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Overall Configuration) The ink jet printer of this embodiment includes a mounting portion for a tape cartridge in which a tape-shaped recording medium is stored in a rolled state, and a tape fed out from the tape cartridge mounted here. This is a type in which printing is performed on a recording medium using an inkjet head. In particular, the printer of this example is of a type called a label printer, label word processor, or the like that performs printing on the surface of a tape-shaped recording medium provided with an adhesive layer covered on the back side with release paper.

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of the ink jet printer 1 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross section of a portion cut along the line II-II. As shown in these drawings, the ink jet printer 1 has a printer body case 101 having a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and the front half of the upper surface thereof is an operation surface 102. Here, various keys are arranged, and a print button 103 for instructing a print operation, a power button 10
4 etc. are also included. A liquid crystal display unit 107 for displaying character information and the like input via keys on the operation surface 102 is arranged on a rear portion of the upper surface of the printer main body case 101.

On the other hand, a tape outlet 101b is formed in the rear end face 101a of the printer main body case 101 at the center position on the upper end side, and the tape-shaped recording medium T after printing is discharged to the outside through the tape outlet 101b. It is supposed to be.
Further, a mounting port 105 for exchanging a tape cartridge is formed below the discharge port 101b, and the mounting port 105 is closed by an opening / closing lid (not shown). When the lid is opened, a mounting portion 4 of the tape cartridge 3 described later is formed inside. Therefore, the tape cartridge 3 can be exchanged through the mounting opening 105. Further, a mounting port 106 for exchanging an ink cartridge, which will be described later, is formed in the bottom wall 101c of the printer main body case 101, and this mounting port is also closed by an opening / closing lid (not shown).

Inside the printer body case 101, a power supply unit 112, a battery 113 such as a nickel-cadmium battery, and the like are mounted in a front portion where the operation surface 102 is located on the upper side. Also, the drive mechanism unit 2 is provided on the rear side.
Is installed.

(Driving Mechanism Unit) FIGS. 3 to 6 show the driving mechanism unit 2 mounted inside the printer main body case 101. FIG. In these figures, FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view, FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view, FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the drive mechanism unit viewed from the side of the arrow R in FIG. 4, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a part of the tape cartridge mounted on the drive mechanism unit.

First, the overall configuration of the drive mechanism unit 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. The drive mechanism unit 2 of the present embodiment includes a cartridge mounting section 4 in which a tape cartridge 3 as a supply source of the tape-shaped recording medium T is removably mounted, and a tape-shaped recording medium T fed out from the cartridge 3 mounted therein. , A transport mechanism 6 for transporting the tape-shaped recording medium T along the transport path 5, and an inkjet head 7 for printing on the tape-shaped recording medium T
An ink supply mechanism 8 for supplying ink to the inkjet head 7, and a carriage mechanism 9 for reciprocating the inkjet head 7 in the width direction of the recording medium T, in this example, the width direction of the drive mechanism unit. ing. Further, a head cap mechanism 11 for closing the ink nozzles of the ink jet head 7 is provided.
1 is provided with a waste ink collecting mechanism 12 for collecting the waste ink collected through the apparatus 1.

Next, each part will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The drive mechanism unit 2 includes a base 21 on which the above-described components are mounted.
The right side wall 22 and the left side wall 23 which stand upright on both sides of
Are formed.

A motor mounting plate 24 extends horizontally on an upper portion of the right side wall 22, and a carriage mechanism 9 is mounted thereon.
Is mounted.
The output shaft of the motor 91 extends downward, and a pulley 92 is fixed to a lower end thereof. Opposite left wall 2
On the third side, a tension pulley 94 is rotatably supported at the tip of a tension lever 93 supported on the base. The pulleys 92 and 94 are at the same height, and a timing belt 95 is stretched between them in a constant tension state. The timing belt 95 is connected to an upper side of a carriage 96 on which the inkjet head 7 is mounted. The lower side of the carriage 96 is movably supported in the axial direction by a carriage guide shaft 97 bridged between the left and right side walls 22 and 23.

The carriage mechanism 9 is configured as described above. By driving the motor 91, the carriage 96 connected to the timing belt 95 reciprocates linearly in the width direction of the tape recording medium T. Therefore,
The head 7 mounted thereon reciprocates linearly in the width direction. Therefore, by driving the head 7 in synchronization with this movement, a desired print can be formed on the surface of the tape-shaped recording medium T being conveyed.

The carriage 96 carrying the ink-jet head 7 has an ink cartridge mounting portion 81, in which an ink cartridge 82 is detachably mounted. The ink cartridge 82 of this example includes, for example, three ink tanks 83, each of which stores cyan, magenta, and yellow inks.
Therefore, the ink jet head 7 also has ink nozzles (not shown) corresponding to each color.

As shown in FIG. 2, three ink supply ports 72 for each color are opened in the ink jet head 7 in the horizontal direction, and the ink supply ports 83a for each color of the ink cartridge 82 are pressed against them. It is supposed to.
That is, the ink cartridge 82 has the ink storage portions 84 of the respective colors, the elastic sealing members 85 attached to the tips of the respective ink storing portions, and the ink supply passages 86 extending through the centers of the elastic sealing members. The opening at the tip of each ink supply path is an ink supply port 83 for each color, and a filter 87 is attached to each supply port.

Also on the side of the ink jet head 7,
Filters 73 are attached to supply ports 72 for the respective color inks, and these supply ports are connected via ink supply paths 74.
It leads to the corresponding ink nozzle of each color. The ink cartridge 82 is mounted on the mounting portion 81 by opening the opening / closing lid 106 on the bottom surface of the main body casing 101. The ink cartridge 82 is held between the abutting wall 81a of the mounting portion 81 and the ink jet head 7 in a state where the ink cartridge 82 is sandwiched therebetween, and the ink is passed through a filter 73 on the ink jet head 7 side and a filter 87 on the ink cartridge 82 side. An ink supply path is formed from the cartridge side to the inkjet head side. Thus, the ink supply mechanism 8 is configured.

Next, the tape cartridge mounting section 4
Is located at the center of the drive mechanism unit 2 in the width direction. In other words, it is located at the center of the reciprocating range of the inkjet head 7. As shown in FIG. 4, the inkjet head 7 moves from a home position (empty suction position) P1 on the right side wall 22 to a turnover position P2 on the left side wall 23.
It is set to reciprocate between At the time of a normal printing operation, the position P3 is located at the center from the home position P1.
To the position P2. P3 to P4
The area up to is an acceleration area, the area from position P4 to position P5 is an idle running area, and the range from position P5 to position P6 is a printable area. The region from the position P6 to the position P7 is an idle running region, and the region from the position P7 to the position P2 is a deceleration region (an acceleration region at the time of backward movement). A photo interrupter 901 for detecting that the carriage has reached the home position is attached to the right side wall 22, and a detection piece 902 protrudes from a side surface of the carriage 96. When the home position is reached, the detected piece 902 is detected by the photo interrupter 901 and the movement of the carriage 96 is stopped.

When the ink jet head 7 is at the home position P1
In a certain state, a head cap mechanism 11 is arranged at a position where the ink nozzles face each other. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the head cap mechanism 11 includes a head cap 111 movable in a direction (front and rear) approaching and moving away from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 7 at the home position, and a cap for moving the head cap 111 forward and backward. A moving mechanism 112 and a mounting plate 25 supporting the moving mechanism 112 are provided. The mounting plate 25 stands upright from the base 21. An ink absorber is attached to the surface of the head cap 111, through which waste ink can be absorbed from the nozzles of the ink jet head 7.

The waste ink collecting mechanism 12 for collecting waste ink via the head cap mechanism 11 has an ink suction tube 121 communicating with the head cap mechanism 11, and the other end of the tube 121 is suctioned by an ink pump 122. It communicates with the mouth. The ink pump 122 is a tube pump, and is disposed between the tape cartridge mounting section 4 and the left side wall 23. A pump motor 123 for driving the pump is disposed above the pump 122. The end on the ejection side of the ink pump 122 can communicate with a waste ink recovery unit built in the tape cartridge 3 as described later. The waste ink collecting mechanism 12 includes an atmosphere opening tube 124 that communicates with the head cap mechanism 11, and the other end of the tube 124 can be opened to the atmosphere via a valve unit 125.

(Tape Cartridge) Next, the structure of the tape cartridge 3 of this embodiment and the mounting portion 4 thereof will be described. FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional configuration of the tape cartridge 3. The tape cartridge 3 of the present embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped cartridge case 31.
, A tape roll 33 around which the tape-shaped recording medium T is wound is disposed at the center. The tape roll 33 is incorporated with its winding axis extending horizontally in the width direction of the printer body case. The middle portion of the front wall 34 of the cartridge case 31 in the up-down direction just faces the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 7 in the mounted state. The front wall portion 34A functions as a guide member (hereinafter, simply referred to as "paper guide") for defining a printing position of the inkjet head 7, and the tape-shaped recording medium T is transported along the surface. Above and below the front wall portion 34A, an upper guide wall 35 and a lower guide wall 36 are formed integrally with the cartridge case 31 at a fixed distance from the surface thereof, and a recording medium is interposed between these and the front wall portion 34A. Are formed. An opening 35A between the upper and lower guide walls 35, 36 is a printing opening for passing ink droplets ejected from the inkjet head 7 to the recording medium T side.

An outlet 37 for feeding the tape-shaped recording medium T is formed below the front wall 34. A pair of left and right tape pressing rollers 38 are disposed inside the feeding port 37. These rollers 3
8 is pressed toward the feeding port 37 by a leaf spring 41 attached to the inside of the case 31. The rollers 38 are supported by the case 31 in a state where the rollers 38 can be pushed inward from the feeding port 37 by a fixed distance against the spring force of the leaf spring 41. In the initial state, the leading end of the tape-shaped recording medium T is held between the edge of the feeding port 37 and the outer peripheral surface of the roller 38 by a spring force.

On the other hand, an ink collection window 42 is opened on the left and right sides of the case front wall portion 34A functioning as a paper guide. A case inner wall 43 is provided inside the case front wall portion 34A.
Thus, a waste ink collecting section 44 is defined, and an ink absorbing material 45 is filled therein. Part of the ink absorbing material 45 is exposed from the pair of collecting windows 42 toward the ink jet head.

Here, the ink jet printer 1 of this embodiment
Is a tape-shaped recording medium T similar to that described in Japanese Patent Application No. 6-256868 filed by the present applicant.
The printing width Tp can be set over a width wider than the width Tw, and solid printing can be performed over the printing width Tp. When such solid printing is performed, printing at a portion deviating from the left and right edges of the tape-shaped recording medium T is performed as follows.
In this case, the printing is "overprinting", and the ink droplets ejected from the inkjet head 7 at that point go directly to the front wall portion 34A of the tape cartridge 3. However, in the front wall portion 34A of the tape cartridge 3 of the present example, the ink collection windows 42 are opened at the left and right positions corresponding to the positions where the overflow printing is performed as described above. Therefore, the ink droplets ejected during the overflow printing pass through these ink collection windows 42 and strike the ink absorbing material 45 of the ink collection section 44 in the cartridge case, where they are absorbed and held. Therefore, even if the overprinting is performed, there is no adverse effect such as each part of the tape cartridge mounting section 4 being stained by the ink droplets. Further, it is not necessary to provide a separate collecting unit in the printer body for collecting such ink droplets.

Next, in the tape cartridge 3 of the present embodiment, the following configuration is adopted so that the feeding and transporting operation of the tape-shaped recording medium T can always be performed in an appropriate state. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the wrap-in prevention guide plates 46 are respectively attached to the outside of the pressing rollers 38 arranged on the left and right of the tape feeding port 37. The entanglement prevention guide plate 46 is a thin plate made of plastic, the upper end side of which is fixed to the lower end surface of the front wall portion 34A, and is directed downward with the space between the upper edge of the feeding port 37 and the pressing roller 38 closed. Extending.
The lower end is curved toward the inside of the cartridge case so as not to obstruct the tape-shaped recording medium T fed from the feeding port 37.

Since the entanglement prevention plate 46 is arranged to partially close the upper edge of the feeding port 37 and the pressing roller 38 at the left and right positions, the tape-shaped recording medium T Can be prevented from being caught in the cartridge case again.

In the tape cartridge 3 of this embodiment, a guide auxiliary plate 4 is provided inside a lower guide wall 36 formed at a lower portion of the front wall portion 34A functioning as a paper guide.
7 is attached. The guide auxiliary plate 47 has a lower end that extends in a direction away from the wall 34A, and gradually approaches the front wall 34A toward the upper end.
By arranging such a guide auxiliary plate 47, the tape-shaped recording medium T unwound from the tape cartridge 3 can be used.
Is reliably guided to the printing position.

Next, the mounting section 4 on the printer main body side to which the tape cartridge 3 having the above configuration is mounted will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, at least two positioning pins 400 are attached to the lower side of the front wall of the mounting portion 4 so as to define the mounting position of the tape cartridge 3. Above these pins 400, a feed roller 61 is arranged. This feed roller 61 is
It is rotatably bridged between the left and right side walls 22 and 23. The position of the feed roller in the front-rear direction is determined by the pressing roller 3 when the tape cartridge 3 is mounted.
The roller 38 is set so as to be pressed slightly inward of the cartridge against the spring force against the outer peripheral surface of the cartridge 8. With this setting, a state is formed in which the leading end of the tape-shaped recording medium T is sandwiched between the pushing roller 38 and the feed roller 61 when the tape cartridge is mounted. When the feed roller 51 is rotated in the transport direction in this state, the transport of the tape-shaped recording medium T is started.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7, a connection port 401 connected to the ink absorber 45 of the ink collecting section 44 is opened at a front position on the side surface of the cartridge case 31 of the tape cartridge 3. The tip 126 a of the tube 126 on the discharge side of the tube pump 122 of the waste ink recovery mechanism 12 can be inserted into the connection port 401. That is, the lever 403 that can swing around the fixed shaft 402 is disposed in the cartridge device unit 4. The lower end of the lever 403 engages with the cartridge case 31 when the tape cartridge 3 is mounted, and is pushed by the case 31. As can be seen from the figure, in this example, this lever 40
The lower end of the tape cartridge 3 is pushed down when the tape cartridge 3 is mounted. As a result, around the fixed shaft 402,
The arm 403 a on the upper end side of the lever 403 moves toward the side surface of the tape cartridge 3. The tip of the tube 126 is attached to the tip of the arm 403a.
Therefore, with the movement of the lever 403, the tube tip 126a is inserted into the connection port 401 of the mounted tape cartridge 3 and is maintained in that state.

As described above, in conjunction with the mounting operation of the tape cartridge 3, the lever 403 swings, and the ink recovery path of the waste ink recovery mechanism 12 is connected to the ink recovery section 44 in the mounted tape cartridge. You.

On the other hand, the transport mechanism 5 including the feed roller 61
Has a paper feed motor 62 attached to the left side wall 23 of the drive mechanism unit, and a reduction gear train 63 for transmitting the output to the feed roller 61. Reduction gear train 63
Are rotatably supported on the outer surface of the left side wall 23, respectively. The tape-shaped recording medium T conveyed by the feed roller 61 is fed out of the tape cartridge by the feed roller 61 with its print surface facing the front of the printer body case, and is defined by the front wall portion 34A of the tape cartridge 3. The paper is conveyed upward along the paper guide, and printing is performed by the inkjet head 7 at a printing position in the middle of the front wall portion 34A.
The portion of the tape-shaped recording medium T after printing is a front wall portion 34A.
A pair of guide plates 54 which are conveyed along a conveyance path between the upper guide wall 35 and extend obliquely rearward from the upper end thereof,
55 through a transport path defined by a discharge roller 56
As a result, the tape is discharged from the opened tape discharge port 101b on the rear side of the main body case.

Although not shown in the drawing, a cutting mechanism for cutting the tape-shaped recording medium T after printing at a position at the end of printing is arranged on the transport path downstream of the printing position. When one printing operation is completed, the tape-shaped recording medium T is cut and discharged to the outside. on the other hand,
The cut tape-shaped recording medium T is fed by a feed roller 51.
As a result, the sheet is conveyed backward until its leading end returns to the position of the tape pressing roller 38, and waits for the start of the next printing operation at that position.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8, the waste ink recovery system of this embodiment will be described. As described above, the ink absorbing material 45 contained in the tape cartridge 3 directly absorbs the ink droplets during the overflow printing and holds the ink droplets there.

In the printing standby state, the ink jet head 7 is moved to its home position P1 by the carriage mechanism 9 and the head cap 111 is covered. In this state, ink droplets attached to the ink nozzles are absorbed by the ink absorber 115 attached to the head cap 111. In addition, a flushing operation is performed so that ink nozzles are not clogged, and ink droplets are wastefully ejected. At this time, ink droplets ejected from the ink nozzles are also absorbed by the ink absorber 115 and held there. In order to prevent the ink absorber 115 of the head cap 111 from being filled with ink, it is necessary to collect the waste ink absorbed and held therein. The mechanism for this is the ink recovery mechanism 12 described above. Open the valve unit 125 and set the ink absorber 11
5 to the atmosphere side, and in this state, the ink pump 12
2 is driven to collect the waste ink held in the ink absorber 115 through the ink tube 121 into the ink absorbing material 45 in the ink collecting section built in the tape cartridge 3.

As described above, in the ink jet printer of the present embodiment, the front wall 34 of the tape cartridge 3 mounted on the cartridge mounting section 4 facing the front of the printer body case is positioned rearward at the front position. The tape-shaped recording medium T is conveyed with its printing surface facing forward along a conveyance path formed between the ink-jet printers 7 so as to face the ink-jet printer 7 so as to perform printing. I have to.

Therefore, after printing, the tape outlet 101
The printing surface of the tape-shaped recording medium T discharged from b is in a state facing the front of the printer 1. Therefore, generally, the operator located in front of the printer does not take a cramped posture to bend down, and the tape-shaped recording medium T
The printing result can be confirmed by visually observing the printing surface of the printer.

Further, the tape cartridge 3 is disposed on the rear side with the transport path 5 extending upward from below, and the ink jet head 7 is disposed on the front side, and the ink cartridge 82 is disposed on the front side of the ink jet head 7. The adopted layout is adopted. Therefore, the rear side of the tape cartridge 3 is
At a position facing the rear end face 101a.
Is formed. Tape cartridge 3
Is frequently exchanged. Therefore, if a mounting opening for replacement is formed at this position, the replacement work is easier than when it is formed on the back surface or the like, for example.

On the other hand, the replacement frequency of the ink cartridge 82 is smaller than that of the tape cartridge 3. In this example, the replacement mounting port 106 of the ink cartridge 82 is connected to the bottom wall 101 of the printer main body case 101.
c. Since the replacement frequency is low, there is no inconvenience even if the mounting opening is formed at this position.

[0043]

As described above, in the ink jet printer of the present invention, a tape-like recording medium conveying path is formed in the printer main body case from the lower side to the upper side, and the rear side of the conveying path is formed. The tape cartridge is placed at the position, the inkjet head is placed at the front position of this transport path, facing the tape cartridge, and the ink cartridge is placed at the front position of the inkjet head. ing. Further, a mounting opening for exchanging the tape cartridge is formed on a rear end surface or an upper surface of the printer body case facing the rear side or the upper side of the tape cartridge, and a bottom of the printer body case facing the ink cartridge. The wall has an opening for replacing it.

With this configuration, the tape-shaped recording medium is transported upward along the transport path from the tape cartridge with its print surface facing forward, and is printed by the inkjet head. Since the print surface is discharged from the outlet formed in the printer body case with the print surface facing forward, the operator located at the front side of the printer normally looks at the print surface without taking an unreasonable posture such as bending over. Can be confirmed.

The rear side of the tape cartridge is located at a position facing the rear end face of the printer main body case. The tape cartridge is frequently inserted through a mounting opening for tape cartridge exchange formed in the rear end face. The replacement work can be easily performed. On the other hand, the mounting opening for replacing the ink cartridge is formed in the bottom wall of the printer body case. However, since the ink cartridge is replaced less frequently, there is no particular problem even if it is formed in such a position.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an inkjet printer to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a portion of the printer of FIG. 1 taken along line II-II.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a drive mechanism unit of the printer of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a planar configuration of a drive mechanism unit.

5 is a schematic side view of the drive mechanism unit of FIG. 3 as viewed from the side of arrow R in FIG.

6A and 6B are views showing a tape cartridge and a mounting portion thereof, FIG. 6A is a schematic sectional view, and FIG. 6B is an explanatory view showing a front wall thereof.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a connection mechanism between the tape cartridge and a tube on the printer main body side.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a waste ink collection path of the printer of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inkjet printer 101 ... Printer main body case 101a ... Rear end surface 101b ... Tape discharge port 101c ... Bottom wall 105 ... Mounting opening for tape cartridge replacement 106 ... Ink cartridge Mounting slot for replacement 2 Drive mechanism unit 3 Tape cartridge 31 Cartridge case 33 Tape roll 34 Front wall 34A Front wall portion (paper guide) 35, 36 Guide wall 37 Feeding port 38 Holding roller 4 Tape cartridge mounting section 5 Transport path 6 Transport mechanism 61 Feed roller 62 Paper feed motor 63 Reduction gear train 7 Inkjet head 82: Ink cartridge T: Tape-shaped recording medium

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A tape cartridge removably incorporated in a printer body case, an ink jet head for printing on a tape-shaped recording medium fed from the tape cartridge, and a tape printed by the ink jet head. Jo Symbol
A tape ejection port for guiding a recording medium to the outside of the printer body case; and a tape-shaped recording medium being unreeled from the tape cartridge and exposed to the inkjet head, and then ejected from the tape ejection port to the outside of the printer body case. A recording medium transport mechanism, wherein the tape discharge port is provided at an upper portion of the printer main body case, and the recording medium transport mechanism is provided in front of the tape cartridge.
A partition is formed on the front wall facing the inkjet head.
Transport path of the tape-shaped recording medium and the transport path from the transport path.
The tape-shaped recording medium that has been received is
A conveyance path provided on the printer body case side for conveyance by
The a, the ink jet printer to which the print surface of the tape-shaped recording medium is equal to or discharged from the tape discharge port so as to face upward or forward. 2. The ink jet head and the TE
Loop cartridges are arranged facing each other in front and back, Is the tape-shaped recording medium located under the tape cartridge?
From the front of the tape cartridge.
Facing the inkjet head.
2. The inkjet printer according to 1. 3. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the tape cartridge is
Mounting the tape cartridge formed on the back of the main unit case
It is detachably attached to the printer body case from the mouth.
3. The ink jet printer according to claim 2, wherein
Linta. 4. An ink jet head comprising: an ink jet head;
The cartridge is mounted detachably, The ink cartridge is located under the printer case.
The ink cartridge mounting opening formed on the surface
It is characterized by being detachably attached to the jet head
4. The ink jet printer according to claim 2, wherein
Ta.