CN1073939C

CN1073939C - Thermal printer

Info

Publication number: CN1073939C
Application number: CN94103305A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 松浦信孝
Original assignee: Alps Electric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Alps Alpine Co Ltd
Priority date: 1993-03-22
Filing date: 1994-03-22
Publication date: 2001-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-22
Also published as: JPH06270501A; CN1098358A; JP2889454B2

Abstract

The object of the invention is to obtain a good printing condition, by a method wherein a platen and thermal head can be made to abut against each other and stable running of ink ribbon is performed. In this thermal printer, a thermal head 5 confronted with a supporting surface 2A of a platen 2 is supported on a carriage 4 so that the upper part of the front 5A of the thermal head 5 becomes more close to the supporting surface 2A of the platen 2 than the lower part of the same and a mounting surface 4A of a cassette of the carriage 4 is formed in the direction meeting at almost right angles with the front 5A of the thermal head 5.

Description

Thermal printer

The present invention relates to a kind of thermal printer that is used for coming printable character by a headstock that has the heat head on it, more specifically, the present invention relates to a kind of can be by being installed in ribbon cartridge on the headstock with the heat conducting mode thermal printer of printable character in high quality.

Fig. 3 has shown headstock in the common thermal printer and the relation between the pressboard.Wherein, a horizontally extending plate shaped pressboard 2 is arranged on the frame 1, and this frame 1 is erected on the base plate of printer, and this layout makes seating surface 2 A of front portion of this pressboard 2 be positioned at a vertical plane.The bearing of trend of one headstock axle 3 and this pressboard 2 is arranged at the front lower place of this pressboard 2 abreast, and it is supported by the relative two side (not shown) of printer.One headstock 4 so that its mode that can move back and forth along this headstock axle 3 supported by this headstock axle 3.

Basic heat for four prism type of facing mutually with pressboard 25, its lower end supported by the front end of this headstock 4, makes this heat 5 close relative with seating surface 2 A as the pressboard front surface.In addition, one is equipped with colour band and this colour band is provided in ribbon cartridge (not shown) between heat 5 and the pressboard 2 and is installed on the upper surface 4A as this headstock 4 of a box installed surface.At this moment, all to be set to be 90 ° (90 ° of α ≈, 90 ° of β ≈) substantially for the upper surface 4A of established angle α between the front surface 5A of the upper surface 4A of headstock 4 and heat 5 and headstock 4 and the angle β between the pressboard 2.

In aforesaid printer, presented along a direction vertical at a predetermined velocity with the moving direction of headstock 4 by the paper that a paper feeding mouth that does not show inserts; And partly the seal agent on the colour band is sent on this paper with a plurality of heater elements on the heat hot selectively 5 by drive heat 5 according to a dozen seal signals, make the character that requires to be printed on the paper.At this moment, only the front surface 5A of heat 5 be adjacent to via paper under the pressure on the front surface of pressboard 2 so that under this front surface 5A and the tight state of contact of this seating surface 2A, character could correctly be printed.

Yet in above-mentioned traditional thermal printer, each parts that constitutes its main body are not generally made by rigid material.Especially, be inevitable in order to reduce cost and to make printer miniaturization, the reduction of the intensity of each parts.In addition, in order to realize the high print quality of ultra-fine multiple spot (multirow), abut against on the pressboard 2 so that colour band abuts against on the paper under pressure, make each parts has been applied the effect that increases by making heat 5.And, the frame 1 of supporting this pressboard 2 stands on the base plate Ba of printer with the state of support, in printing, when making hot 5 under pressure, to be adjacent to pressboard 2 by mobile along the direction of the arrow A in Figure 4 hot 5, this supports the upper end of the frame 1 of pressboard 2 to be because the effect deflection and the bending of contact pressure, so that to heat 5 and pressboard 2 be adjacent to the opposite lateral deviation of side from, as among Fig. 4 large schematically, equally, heat 5 and headstock 4 also center on axle 3 to being adjacent to the opposite lateral deviation commentaries on classics of side with heat 5 with pressboard 2 because of above-mentioned contact pressure together.Therefore, inconsistent at the contact pressure of the upper and lower of the front surface 5A of heat 5.More specifically, its underpart has the contact pressure of the last one because the top of the front surface 5A of heat 5 has a more weak contact pressure, then prints to have different intensity, that is, the color of following printing portion is dark and to go up printing portion more shallow.

Be head it off, as shown in Figure 5, attempt to support hot 5 with headstock 4 in the following manner, promptly, the side-play amount on pressboard 2 tops and hot 5 amount of spin are taken into account, the top of hot 5 front surface 5A is slightly onwards located with more close to the seating surface 2 of pressboard 2 than its underpart.Its result, the angle α between the upper surface 4A of headstock 4 and the heat 5 front surface 5A is set to greater than 90 °, and the angle β between the upper surface 4A of the seating surface 2A of pressboard 2 and headstock 4 is set to about 90 °.

This improved result, as shown in the figure, the seating surface 2A of pressboard 2 reclines with the front surface of uniform contact force with the heat head in the upper and lower of front surface 5A.

Yet, be shown in the traditional thermal printer of Fig. 5 at this, because the angle α between the upper surface 4A of headstock 4 and hot 5 the front surface 5A is greater than 90 °, promptly surpass a right angle, when utilizing colour band to carry out a heat conduction printing, hot 5 front surface turns forward, and this front surface 5A is as the moving surface of colour band, and this colour band is provided by a ribbon cartridge that does not show that is installed on the upper surface 4A that is used as the box installed surface of headstock 4.Its result, different at the tension force on the top of this colour band width with the tension force of its underpart, and the top of this width has the tension force bigger than the bottom.Therefore, the colour band lower limb be pine and the bottom of colour band can not separate with paper rightly.Therefore, the problem of having brought print quality to descend.

In addition, according to the structure of Fig. 5, owing to heat 5 must be with an accurate angle (by the accurate angle that adds that on 90 ° predetermined angle obtains), so brought installment work to be difficult to carry out and problem that necessary precision is difficult to obtain.

In view of the above problems, purpose of the present invention promptly is to provide a kind of thermal printer, and it can make recline rightly pressboard and colour band is stably advanced of heat head, obtains high-quality printing thus.

In order to achieve the above object, the following setting of thermal printer according to the present invention: a plate shaped pressboard is by a frame support, this frame is erected on the base plate of printer, one headstock is set to make it to move back and forth along this pressboard, the lower end of one heat head is supported by this headstock, make that this heat head can be closely relative with this pressboard and separate with this pressboard, one box installed surface is formed on this headstock, one ribbon cartridge can be installed on this box installed surface, this thermal printer is characterised in that the heat head of the seating surface that this faces toward pressboard is by this headstock support, make the top of front surface of this heat head than the seating surface of more close this pressboard in its underpart, and the box installed surface of this headstock be formed on the vertical substantially direction of the front surface of heat head on.

According to this thermal printer of the present invention, because facing toward the heat head of the seating surface of this pressboard is as above supported by this headstock, the top of promptly feasible heat head is than the seating surface of the more close pressboard in its underpart, and the box installed surface of this headstock be formed on the vertical substantially direction of the front surface of heat head on, not only make this heat head pressure pressboard that reclines uniformly, and colour band can stably be moved in print state.

Brief description of drawings:

Fig. 1 is the schematic side view that shows an embodiment of thermal printer of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is the schematic side view that shows that pressboard and heat head recline in the thermal printer of Fig. 1 under pressure;

Fig. 3 is the schematic side view that shows an example of traditional quick printer;

The schematic side view of Fig. 4 state that to be the bottom that shows pressboard in the thermal printer of Fig. 3 recline mutually with the bottom of heat;

Fig. 5 is another the routine schematic side view that shows the traditional thermal printer;

Fig. 6 is the side view of the state that shows that pressboard reclines with the heat head in the thermal printer of Fig. 5 under pressure.

With reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 one embodiment of the present of invention are described below.Note, in the following description, refer to identical parts with the identical reference number that uses in the aforementioned prior art.

Fig. 1 has shown the headstock of thermal printer of present embodiment and the relation between the pressboard.The plate shaped pressboard 2 that one along continuous straight runs extends is arranged on the frame 1, and this frame 1 is erected on the base plate Ba of printer, this configuration make this pressboard be used to support the seating surface 2A of paper to be positioned at a vertical plane.The direction that one headstock axle 3 and this pressboard 2 extend is arranged at the front lower place of this pressboard abreast, and its two side (not shown) by printer is supported.One headstock 4 is supported by this headstock axle 3, is made this headstock 4 to move back and forth along headstock axle 3.

One facing to this pressboard 2 be substantially the heat 5 of four prism type in its lower end by an end support of this headstock 4, make this heat 5 can be closely relative with the seating surface 2A of this pressboard 2 and separate mutually with it.This heat 5 can be moved to abut in or to leave on this pressboard 2 by direction shown in the arrow B in Fig. 1.In the present embodiment, this heat 5 with the state setting that turns forward so that the top of its front surface 5A than the seating surface 2A of the more close pressboard in its underpart.On the other hand, the upper surface 4A of headstock 4 also be tilt so that and the angle α between the front surface 5A of heat 5 be set at 90 ° substantially.

The upper surface 4A of this headstock 4 is as a box installed surface, and a ccontaining colour band that does not show and the ribbon cartridge (not shown) that this colour band is provided between heat 5 and the pressboard 2 promptly are installed on this surface.As mentioned above, this upper surface 4A is formed on the direction vertical with the front surface 5A of heat 5, makes this upper surface 4A tilt, and it is height away from the rear portion of pressboard 2 than the front portion of its close pressboard 2.Its result, the angle 3 between the upper surface 4A of this headstock 4 and the seating surface 2A of this pressboard 2 is set to less than 90 °.

One paper is stopping by feed-in and when a precalculated position of this paper faces toward pressboard 2 on the direction vertical with this headstock moving direction by a paper feeding mouth that does not show.At this state, the needs character can be printed on this paper by drive heat 5 according to the print signal of setting simultaneously when headstock 4 is driven.

The course of work of the foregoing description will be described below.

As above-mentioned, according to present embodiment, at paper by the paper feeding mouth that do not show by feed-in and under the state that stops during facing to this pressboard in the one precalculated position, heat 5 quilt are moved so that abut on the pressboard via paper and colour band under its pressure in the direction shown in arrow C among Fig. 2, and simultaneously should heat 5 be driven according to print signals of setting in that headstock 4 is driven, the character with needs is printed on the paper thus.At this print state, as shown in Figure 2, the reaction force of the contact pressure between pressboard 2 and heat 5 acts on both respectively, to such an extent as to make to support pressboard 2 frame 1 the upper end deflection and crooked to heat 5 and pressboard 2 recline the opposite lateral deviation of side from, and heat 5 and headstock 4 are rotated together.Its result, angle between the seating surface 2A of pressboard 2 and the upper surface 4A of headstock 4 becomes about 90 °, and the angle α between the upper surface 4A of hot 5 front surface 5A and headstock 4 still remains about 90 °, and hot thus 5 reclines mutually with pressboard under the uniform pressure of vertical direction.

As mentioned above, according to this thermal printer of the present invention, because not only the front surface of heat 5 can be under the uniform pressure of vertical direction reclines with the seating surface 2A of pressboard 2, and the angle α between hot 5 the front surface 5A and the upper surface 4A of headstock 4 is set at about 90 °, so the tension force of colour band no longer changes on its width, colour band can stably be advanced, and high-quality thus character can be printed.

In addition, present embodiment is by being fixed on the upper surface 4A of this headstock that is configured as inclined surface in advance 4 hot 5, rather than prior art as shown in fig. 5 is the same with accurate angle heat 5 is fixed on the headstock 4, can make installment work simplify and required precision.

The present invention can make various distortion also not only in the above embodiments when needing.For example, be that mode is described though present embodiment is beaten heat-conduction-type, thermal printer of the present invention can certainly be set to carry out a hotness type and print, and need utilize a thermosensitive paper in this printing type.In addition, the box installed surface of headstock is not limited to the headstock upper surface in the present embodiment.

As mentioned above, according to the present invention, because by a simple structure, make the heat head under uniform pressure, abut on the pressboard and colour band can stably be advanced and do not had tension variation at its width, so can obtain the print quality of excellence.

Claims

1. thermal printer, wherein, one plate shaped pressboard is by a frame support, this frame is erected on the base plate of printer, one headstock is set to make it to move back and forth along this pressboard, the lower end of one heat head is supported by this headstock, make that this heat head can be closely relative with this pressboard and separate with this pressboard, one box installed surface is formed on this headstock, one ribbon cartridge can be installed on this box installed surface, it is characterized in that, the heat head that should face toward the seating surface of pressboard is supported by this headstock, make the top of front surface of this heat head than the seating surface of more close this pressboard in its underpart, and the box installed surface of this headstock be formed on the vertical substantially direction of the front surface of heat head on.