DE2418530A1 - TAB SETUP - Google Patents

Description

17th April

P 7804

XEROX COPORATIODT

Xerox Square, Rochester Few York 14603 / USA

Tab facility.

The invention relates to printing or writing implements and more particularly to tab devices for use in a printing device with relative stepping motion between a printing device and a substrate to be printed.

For a typewriter-like printer station, often a device desirable with which one "tab stops "can be set and used in the way that some typewriters and some Finds printer transmission stations. In the case of a printer transmission station, which often involves a lot Electronics, it has been found that it is difficult to use conventional mechanical inputs directions for the implementation of "tabulator functions, for example for the horizontal tabulator setting, for the vertical tab setting

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and for other printing form storage. These controls are mainly controls that control the movement of the print head and paper, in order to obtain a table form and / or some other printing arrangement on the substrate to be printed. It is desirable that such print position settings either from a signal from its own printer unit (pushbutton panel) or from a printer unit located at a different location (from another transmission station or from a Computer) can be set, adjusted and reset. In addition, such a facility should cannot be deleted (i.e. a setting should not be lost when the device is switched off), it should Space-saving, simple, reliable and adjustable in any desired position (i.e. with a horizontal Tab setting should be set every 80 columns can).

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a To create a facility with the aforementioned properties. The object is achieved in that the Device comprises the following parts: a cylinder jacket, which is attached so that it is synchronous with the relative step sequence movement rotates, whereby the cylinder jacket has a number of holes on a rotation line which are attached to this line at a distance that corresponds to the specified sequence of steps, a number of panels slidably mounted on the cylinder jacket, each of these panels is associated with a corresponding hole and has an opening that is optionally associated with the corresponding hole can be aligned, a light source that

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is mounted so that light can pass through the holes can, and a light converter, which is an output signal generated when light from the light source strikes it, where the light converter is at a distance of the cylinder jacket is attached so that the holes corresponding to the relative movement of the printer device and the carrier material to be printed on Light converter pass by, and light from the light source is only noticeable on the light converter if, an aperture is aligned with a corresponding hole passing by the light converter.

The facility thus creates the possibility of using the tabulator functions to be carried out on a typewriter or printer transfer station. For that is So a transparent cylinder is provided, which is synchronized with the relative movement between the Printing device and the substrate to be printed rotates. The cylinder wall has a series of holes on a rotating line, and provided with sliding screens, ' which can optionally be set so that they either let the light through a hole or block it The holes correspond to the letter or character positions, or the printing columns. A light source and a light converter are so aligned that when light can pass through a hole, the light converter sends a signal depending on the light source on the Photo converter generated incident light. The bezels are held by two pins, one on each Side of the cylinder is attached, slidable. One the pin pushes the bezel into the "tab reset" position and the other pin moves the bezels into the "Tabulator Setζ" position. A "tab set" signal occurs so the facility "seeks"

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after a hole, its associated aperture In the "Tabulator-Setζ" position is.

Further developments and refinements of the invention are characterized in the subclaims,

The invention is explained below with reference to the drawings for example explained in more detail. Show it:

FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic arrangement of a printer device in which the basic idea the present invention is applied,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a tab cylinder constructed in accordance with the present invention is,

FIG. 2 (a) shows a diaphragm which can be used in the device according to FIG. 2,

Figure 3 shows an electrical switchgear for the Tab control system, such as can be used in the present device, for example, and

Figure k shows an example of an electrical circuit diagram that can be used to generate sensing signals from the light transducer.

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-t-

FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic representation of a drive mechanism for a typical car in FIG a printer transmission terminal. Details of such an actuator mechanism can be found in US Pat 3 686 678 can be taken. Because knowing the drive device for the car is only of secondary importance for understanding the present invention, it is sufficient to only provide a brief description of this mechanism in connection with the present invention admit.

In Fig. 1, a print head or a printing mechanism 10 is shown, which with respect to an information carrier 12 can be moved in the lateral direction. The print head 10 can be, for example, an electrode writer, that is described in the aforementioned US Pat. No. 3,686,678, the information carrier 12 being a dielectrically storing Carrier is applied to the electrical charge which is then later developed with an electroscopic marking material. The printhead 10 can also have a ball head or a wheel

the types on it (a so-called "aaisy-wheel" print head ) be, which runs over the paper 12 and describes it by the fact that he is on a between paper and Ribbon attached to the printhead hits. Of course, the printing mechanism 10 can also be stationary and the information carrier 12 can move sideways, as is the case with a typical typewriter. However, related to this invention It is important that between "the printing mechanism 10 and the information carrier 12 a relative step movement is available.

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In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is the Print head 10 on a slide rail (not shown) attached and connected to your cable l4. The cable l4 runs over free-running disks l6 and ± 8 and is wound around a winch 20 located on a vertical axis. The winch 20 is mounted on a rotating shaft 22 which is driven by a print head 24 communicates. The drive 24 can either be a stepper motor or a continuous one running engine. In addition, the drive mechanism for the print head can be designed so that the drive 24 can run in both directions of rotation in order to bring the print head 10 back into the starting position. However, the mechanism can also have other devices, for example a return spring, to the Bring back print head 10 in the starting position. A tab cylinder 26 is mounted on a rotary shaft 28 attached. The rotating shaft 28 is connected to the rotating shaft 22 via a worm drive 30. Of course Of course, other methods can also be used to connect the two rotating shafts. The cylinder 26 leads in the time in which the print head 10 on the information carrier 12 from the initial position in the end position is brought out one or less than one rotation.

The tabulator cylinder 26, which will be described in detail below in connection with FIG. 2, is designed as a hollow cylinder, for example, which has a single strip of small holes, .which are equidistant from one another around the circumference of the surface of the cylinder. Within of the cylinder 26 is a light source 31 i »alignment attached to a light detector or photo converter. The cylinder 26 is as follows

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"" f -

as will become clear, arranged so that each of the holes can be optionally blocked or left open. Each hole corresponds to a specific print character width or a column when the print head 10 runs over the information carrier 12. This optional locking and opening can be used to set the tabulations. In this description, an open hole corresponds to a "set tab". If the light converter 32 generates a signal at the output, this indicates that the print character point at which the print head 10 is currently in a "tabulator set" state. The whole operation of the in Pig. I illustrated Hechanismuses is controlled by a control circuit 3 ^, which can be designed, for example, in accordance with that in the aforementioned US Pat. No. 3,686,678. The circuit 3 * fc receives signals from its own or the remote transmission terminal, and causes the print head 10 to run over the information carrier 12 and store letters or numbers or other characters printed on it. The input signal fed to the control circuit Jk can, if it comes from its own transmission terminal, be entered, for example, via a typewriter-like keyboard, and if it comes from a outside of one's own transmission terminal, for example from a computer or a similar device or from another printer. Transfer terminal come. The input signal may contain a "tab" instruction so that the circuit 3k controls the drive 2h so that the print head 10 moves quickly over the information carrier 12 until a signal from the light converter 32 indicates the presence of a "tab set" condition at a certain

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-B-

Print mark position indicates, and that at this point in time the movement of the print head 10 can be stopped. Although the foregoing description refers to the mode of operation in which the print head is level Moved across the information carrier in order to print a line of print characters, it goes without saying it is clear that a similar arrangement can be used in which the information carrier in relation to the printhead executes a movement in the vertical direction. With such an arrangement, the rotation corresponds of the corresponding tab cylinder a certain advance of the movement in the vertical direction, For example, one rotation of the vertical tab cylinder corresponds to a "page" of the information carrier .

In Fig. 2, for example, a horizontal tab cylinder 26 is shown, which the basic features of the invention having. The cylinder jacket 26 is provided with a single strip of small holes 10, which are arranged around the entire circumference with the same distance, provided. For a print line with 80 columns are provided for 80 such holes. Each hole therefore corresponds to a pressure point or one Print mark series. The arc length within which the holes lie and the limits of the hole widths are determined on the basis of simple geometric considerations. Let A be the arc length, R the cylinder radius, C is the circumference of the cylinder, and H is the number of holes. Then the following applies:

C = HA

A = C / H = 2 Tf R / H

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For example, if the cylinder is 75 ram in diameter, and 8 "o holes on that cylinder corresponding to the 80 print line columns per line are present, then A = 3 tnm. So the diameter has to be the holes can be smaller than 3 mm »It can also, depending on the manufacturing process used small rectangular slots are used. In the above example, the distance must be from the center of the slot to the center of the slot amount to 3 n »m and the The width of the slots must of course be less than 3 mm. When using a cylinder you must of course the holes and the mechanism to be described in the following are manufactured very precisely and precisely be.

Within the wall of the cylinder 26 and accordingly In the perforated positions there is a diaphragm 102 which is parallel to the axis or to the rotary shaft 28 of the cylinder 26 is slidable. FIG. 2 (a) shows an enlarged view of such a diaphragm 102 with an opening 103. With respect to this bezel 102, two pins 104 are C and 10% S on either side of cylinder 26 appropriate. These pins are electrically operated via coils and are on a (not shown) Fixed surface. The pen 10% S is the "tab" -Set "- pin that, when actuated," aligns one of the sliding bezels to which it is aligned is, abuts, so that the opening 103 the hole in the Exposed cylinder wall. The bezel is held by a lock Before direction held in this position, for example by a flat or wire compression spring between the diaphragm and the cylinder cavity, by a ball pressed by a coil spring, by a Friction fit or by other means. The pin 104C

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is the "tab reset ^" pin which, when actuated, hits a diaphragm so that the diaphragm is moved to cover the corresponding hole so that no light can pass through that hole. The cylinder 26 can rotate continuously or incrementally with the printing process that occurs, but the pens can only be actuated when the cylinder is stopped or when it is incremented at a relatively slow speed. A continuous beam of light is directed onto one surface of the cylinder in For example, in Fig. 2, the case is shown where the light is cast onto the inner surface of the cylinder via a light pipe 108 from a latnps 106. The light pipe 108 can be applied using the light in a simple manner from a To bring up the lamp 106 located outside, the light guide 10δ can consist of glass or plastic or a small non-coherent optical fiber bundle Side of the cylinder 26 is open so that the light source can be mounted on the inside of the cylinder. A light converter 32 is firmly attached to a flax (not shown) opposite the light source. For example, this light converter 32 can be a phototransistor. The light converter 32 is aligned with the holes in such a way that the light from the light source 10 can shine through the hole if the hole is not covered by a screen, whereby a signal at the output of the light converter occurs. It should be noted at this point that the pins 104 C and iOk S are aligned with the aperture which is associated with the hole through which the light from the light source 106 to the light converter 32 passes. The pins 10k C and 10 * i S, the light converter 32, and the rotating shaft 28 lie in the same plane and the light from the light source 16 passes through the hole in this plane.

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The operation of the tab system will now be described with reference to FIG. The message connection circuit and the decoder 300 are connected via the communication link 302 to a remote input source, for example a computer (not shown). The tab commands enter this circuit and are decoded there in order to control the mode of operation of the print head drive 24. The tabulator commands can also be generated from a separate keypad using a “tabulator” switch 304, a “tabulator set” switch 306 and a “tabulator reset” switch 308. To set a tab setting, the printhead is moved to the desired column and a "tab set" signal occurs either from the circuit and decoder 300 or from the "tab set" switch 306. This signal is passed on via an OR gate 310, and a monostable circuit 312 is actuated, whereby a pulse is generated which actuates the setting pin 104 S via the drive 3lk. By actuating the setting pin 104 S, the diaphragm which corresponds to the selected column is moved into a position where it prevents light from the light source 106 from being able to pass through the corresponding hole to the light converter 32. In the same way, a "tab reset" command from the circuit and the decoder 300, or from the "tab reset" switch 308 can pass through an OR gate 316, so that the monostable circuit then sends a Pulse is generated which actuates the reset pin 104 C via the drive 320. By actuating the reset pin 104 C, the corresponding diaphragm is moved so that it blocks the light from the light source 106 through the corresponding hole. A "tabulator" signal can then be produced during the printing process.

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neither from the circuit and the decoder 300 or from the "tabulator" switch 304. This signal runs through an OR gate 322 and through a monostable circuit 324 to the printer control circuit 326. The printer control circuit 326 switches the drive 328 in such a way that the print head drive 2k moves the print head quickly over the information carrier. The tabulator cylinder 26 rotates around the rotary shaft 28 in synchronism with the pressure head. The light source IO6 continuously supplies light and the light converter 32 is responsive to the light coming from the light source IO6. The light head and cylinder move forward until a cylinder hole occurs through which light from light source IO6 can pass. This light generates a signal at the light converter 32, which is passed through the inverter circuit 330 to the monostable circuit 332, which then in turn supplies a pulse to the printer control circuit 326. This pulse causes circuit 326 to stop moving actuator 2h . Printing can then take place from this tabulation on.

FIG. K shows an exemplary circuit which can be used in connection with a phototransistor 32 which is used as a light converter element. When light from the light source IO6 passes through a hole in the cylinder wall 26 and strikes the base of the phototransistor 32, the transistor becomes conductive. Current then flows through the phototransistor 32 to the base of the transistor 330, so that it is brought into the conductive state. As a result, the collector of the transistor 330 is at a low voltage potential, so that this low output voltage is also applied to the output terminal 3 ^ 0.

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potential is applied when no LiC ht on the source 106 strikes the base of the phototransistor 32, because the aperture blocks the corresponding hole, the phototransistor 32 is non-conductive, whereby the transistor 330 is in the non-conductive state. The collector of transistor 330 and accordingly also the Terminal 3 ^ 0 are therefore on in this case a relatively high potential.

A few other considerations should be made at this point. An addition can be provided, namely a (not shown) "all tabs reset" signal, this has the effect that the print head is moved step by step over all columns and the reset pin 104 C at each aperture position, where he walks past, operated.

The mass of the cylinder 26 should be small, so that the effects caused by the moment of inertia, the torque, "etc., are small because it is essential that the Location is taken exactly again. Depending on the pressure and shaft rotation speed the cylinder 26 can be rotated in both directions when the print head is during the printing process moves forward and then returns to the home position when the carriage return command is displayed. if the operation can be performed at a high speed and in a fast repetition sequence should, the cylinder rotation 26 can atich only in one Direction. The rotating shaft and the cylinder can be coupled so that they are steadily in Rotate the forward direction when a carriage return signal occurs until it reaches a marker location is. The cylinder and the printhead will then go into each other

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at the pressure column with reference point 1. A cylinder marking point can be marked with light and a phototransistor can be provided in a manner similar to the arrangement described above. A Hole on the closed side of the cylinder that aligns with the light source and the phototransistor is, would-serve this purpose. If additional reference points For timing or for monitoring purposes, additional holes could be found the closed side or additional holes near the tab holding holes can be provided Cannot be closed by diaphragms, or a conventional or appropriate one could also be used for this purpose Coding device on the shaft of the cylinder drive be attached. A monitoring circuit (for the lamp ι the phototransistor, the amplifier, etc.) can for example, by reserving column no. 1 for this purpose, as this is rare is used for a tab position. An always open hole at this point would close would result in a signal that would be generated in accordance with the carriage return xgna1 Signal, after which the car has run back to the starting position is not recognized, a display would appear for the operator, an alarm signal, or blocking may occur, or other signals suitable for this purpose could be generated.

At this point it should be noted that random successive Tab commands can occur. When the cylinder stopped at a tab stop position is, the circuit must receive information from this fact and the movement of the print head must be switched on again when a second taboo

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lator command occurs so the circuit moves to the next Search position, lcann · That means that not on the value needs to be attached to the current position, because the alignment is due to the current position is carried out·

Thus, in accordance with the present invention, there is a device has been created that are simply reliable and economical in connection with the tabulator functions, for example a typewriter or with a printer transmission terminal executes. It goes without saying that the arrangement described above is merely exemplary Illustration for the application of the idea of the invention. Numerous other arrangements can be made by one Those skilled in the art can be created without thereby exceeding the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, another embodiment for the tab cylinder 26 could have reflective areas, which are applied instead of the holes 100. The diaphragms 102 were reflective in this case Either cover or leave areas free · In this embodiment, both the light converter and the light source is arranged on the same side of the cylinder wall, either inside or outside the Cylinder in such a way that the light from the light source reflects off a light-masked area and onto the Light converter would be noticed.

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Claims (2)

Patent claims {1.! Tab facility for use in a printing ^ "- ^ device with a relative. Step sequence movement between a printing device and a carrier material to be printed, characterized in that that the device comprises the following parts: a cylinder jacket (26) which is attached so that it rotates synchronously with the relative step sequence movement, the cylinder jacket (26) on a rotational line has a number of holes (100) on this line are attached at a distance that corresponds to the specified sequence of steps, a number of on the cylinder jacket (26) slidably mounted panels (102), each of these panels (102) having a corresponding hole (100) and has an opening (103) that is selectively aligned with the corresponding hole (100) a light source (106) mounted so that light can pass through the holes (100) and a light transducer (32) that generates an output signal when light comes from the light source (106) falls on it, the light converter (32) at a distance from the cylinder jacket (26) is attached so that the holes (100) corresponding to the relative movement of the printer device (l0) and the substrate to be printed (12) passes the light converter (32) and light from the light source (l06) is noticeable on the light converter (32) only when a. Diaphragm opening (1O3) with respect to a corresponding one running past the light converter (32) Hole (loo) is aligned. 409850/0735 2. Device according to claim I ₁ characterized ge kennzei-cb.net _f that the tab device further comprises the following parts: a first selectively actuatable pin (1O4 S) which is attached with respect to the cylinder jacket (26) so that it is a first side of the Aperture (102) is assigned, which is assigned to the leading hole (100) on the light converter (32), a second optionally actuatable pin (104 C) which is attached to the cylinder jacket (26) in such a way that it corresponds to the second Side of the diaphragm (102), which is assigned to the hole (tOO) running past the light converter (32), a first device, responsive to a first signal, to use the first (104 S) to open the diaphragm opposite this pin (104 S) (102) in such a position that the opening (103) of the opposite diaphragm (102) is aligned with the passing hole (100), and a second device, responsive to a second signal, which the second pin (104 C ) operated, u m to bring the diaphragm (102) opposite the second pin (104 C) in such a position that the hole (100) passing by is blocked 3- tab according to claim 1 and 2, geke η η z ^ ei .ch ne t by a driving device (24) which is turned on in response to a third signal, and a relative movement between the pressure _T device (10) and the carrier material (12) to be printed, and generated by a device which is responsive to the third signal and the signal from the light converter (32) in order to switch off the drive device (24). 4.09850 / 0735 Tab device according to at least one of Claims 1 to 3 »characterized in that that the printing device {10) and the substrate to be printed (l2) are relative to each other in a specified sequence of steps moves along a print line, and defines columns, with each hole (100) in the Cylinder jacket (26) corresponds to a column and is assigned to a fixed point when the printing device (10) and the substrate to be printed (12) defines the corresponding column. Tabulator device according to at least one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the printing device (10) and that to be printed Carrier material (12) is moved relative to one another along a printing column and defines printing lines, each hole (100) in the cylinder jacket (126) one Line corresponds and is assigned to an almost laid point if the printing device (10) and the one to be printed Carrier material (12) defines corresponding lines « 409850/0735 β. Blank page