EP0207781A1 - Druckerschlagmechanismus - Google Patents

Druckerschlagmechanismus Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0207781A1
EP0207781A1 EP19860305087 EP86305087A EP0207781A1 EP 0207781 A1 EP0207781 A1 EP 0207781A1 EP 19860305087 EP19860305087 EP 19860305087 EP 86305087 A EP86305087 A EP 86305087A EP 0207781 A1 EP0207781 A1 EP 0207781A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
platen
print tip
bail bar
printer
print
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP19860305087
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0207781B1 (de
Inventor
Andrew Gabor
John C. Dunfield
George W. Bowers, Jr.
Richard G. Crystal
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Xerox Corp
Original Assignee
Xerox Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Xerox Corp filed Critical Xerox Corp
Publication of EP0207781A1 publication Critical patent/EP0207781A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0207781B1 publication Critical patent/EP0207781B1/de
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J1/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the mounting, arrangement or disposition of the types or dies
    • B41J1/22—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the mounting, arrangement or disposition of the types or dies with types or dies mounted on carriers rotatable for selection
    • B41J1/24—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the mounting, arrangement or disposition of the types or dies with types or dies mounted on carriers rotatable for selection the plane of the type or die face being perpendicular to the axis of rotation
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J9/00—Hammer-impression mechanisms
    • B41J9/02—Hammers; Arrangements thereof
    • B41J9/04—Hammers; Arrangements thereof of single hammers, e.g. travelling along printing line
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J9/00—Hammer-impression mechanisms
    • B41J9/02—Hammers; Arrangements thereof
    • B41J9/127—Mounting of hammers

Definitions

  • This invention relates to the impact mechanism for a printer and, more particularly, for a printer designed to reduce impact noise substantially during printing.
  • the office environment has, for many years, been the home of objectionable noise generators, e.g. typewriters and high speed impact printers. Where several such devices are placed together in a single room, the cumulative noise pollution may even be hazardous to the health and well being of its occupants. The situation is well recognized and has been addressed in the technical community as well as in governmental bodies. Attempts have been made to reduce the noise by several methods: enclosing impact printers in sound-attenuating covers; designing impact printers in which the impact noise is reduced; and designing quieter printers based on non-impact technologies, such as ink jet and thermal transfer. Also, legislative and regulatory bodies have set standards for maximum acceptable noise levels in office environments.
  • impact printers generate an average noise in the range of 70 to just over 80 dBA, which is deemed to be 'intrusive'.
  • the noise is construed to be 'objectionable'.
  • Further reduction of the impact noise level to the 50-60 dBA range would improve the designation to 'annoying'.
  • the "A" scale by which the sound values have been identified, represents humanly-perceived levels of loudness as opposed to absolute values of sound intensity and will be discussed in more detail below.
  • the printing noise referred to above is intermittent and is primarily produced as the hammer impacts and drives the type character pad against the ribbon, the print sheet and the platen with sufficient force to release ink from the ribbon.
  • the discussion herein will be directed solely to the impact noise, which masks other noises in the system. Once such impact noise has been substantially reduced, the other noises will no longer be imperceptible.
  • the design of a truly quiet printer requires the designer to address reducing all noise sources, such as those arising from carriage motion, character selection, ribbon lift and advance, as well as from miscellaneous clutches, solenoids, motors and switches.
  • the total dwell time is typically in the vicinity of 100 microseconds. Yet, at a printing speed of 30 characters per second, the mean time available between character impacts is about 30 milliseconds.
  • the impact dwell time is stretched from 100 microseconds to 6 to 10 milliseconds, this would represent a sixty- to one hundred-fold increase, or stretch, in pulse width relative to the conventional.
  • Sandrone et al states that quiet operation relies upon moving a small mass, and that noisy operation is generated by large masses. This theory is certainly in contravention to that applied in Anderson and Going and in US-A-1 110 346 in which a mass multiplier, in the form of a flywheel and linkage arrangement, is set in motion by the key levers to increase the effective mass of the striking rod which impacts a selected character pad.
  • a commercially acceptable printer must have a number of attributes not found in the prior art. First, it must be reasonably priced; therefore tolerance control and the number of parts must be minimized. Second, it must have print quality comparable with, or better than, that conventionally available. Third, it must have the same or similar speed capability as conventional printers. The first and the last factors rule out a printer design based upon squeeze action since tolerances are critical therein and too much time is required to achieve satisfactory print quality.
  • the present invention provides an impact mechanism for a printer as claimed in the appended claims.
  • the printer of this invention also is based upon the principle of kinetic energy transfer from a hammer assembly to a deformable member.
  • the mass is accelerated, gains momentum and transfers its kinetic energy to the deformable member which stores it as potential energy.
  • the masses involved and speeds related to them are substantial, so that one cannot slow down the operation without seeing a significant change in behaviour. Taken to its extreme, if such a system is slowed enough its behaviour disappears altogether and no printing will occur. In other words, a kinetic system will work only if the movable mass and its speed are in the proper relationship to one another.
  • Another attribute of the kinetic system is that it is self-levelling. By this we mean that the moving mass is not completely limited by the drive behind it. Motion is available to it and the moving mass will continue to move until an encounter with the platen is made, at which time the exchange between their energies is accomplished. Therefore, since the point of contact with the platen is unpredictable, spatial tolerances are less critical, and the printing action of the system will not be appreciably altered by minor variations in the location of the point of contact.
  • Kinetic energy transfer systems are to be distinguished from kinematic systems in which the masses involved and the speeds related to them are much less important.
  • the latter are typically represented by cam-operated structures in which the moving elements are physically constrained in an invariable cyclical path. They will operate as effectively at any speed. It does not matter how slowly the parts are moved. All that is important is the spatial relationship between the relatively movable parts. The cycle of operation will continue unchanged even in the absence of the deformable member.
  • the resulting pressure difference and the resulting sound intensity depend upon deformation velocity, not merely upon amplitude of deformation. Intuitively we know that a sharp, rapid impact will be noisy and that a slow impact will be less noisy. As the duration of the deforming force pulse is increased, the speed of the deforming surface is reduced correspondingly and the sound pressure is reduced. Therefore, since the intensity of the sound waves, i.e., the energy created per unit time, is proportional to the product of the velocity and pressure, stretching the deforming pulse reduces the intensity of the sound wave.
  • the first phenomenon has been described above, namely, reduction of the sound wave intensity, arising from the proportionality of sound pressure to the velocity of the deformation. A reduction factor of about 3 dB per octave of average frequency reduction, has been calculated.
  • the second phenomenon arises from the psychoacoustic perception of a given sound intensity. It is well known that the human ear has an uneven response to sound, as a function of frequency. For very loud sounds the response of the human ear is almost flat with frequency. But, at lower loudness levels the human ear responds more sensitively to sound frequencies in the 2000 to 5000 Hz range, than to either higher or lower frequencies. This "roll-­off" in the response of the human ear is extremely pronounced at both the high and low frequency extremes.
  • Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows the well-known Fletcher-Munson contours of equal loudness (dBA), plotted against intensity level (dB) and frequency (Hz) for the average human ear.
  • dBA equal loudness
  • dB intensity level
  • Hz frequency
  • both dB and dBA are logarithmic scales so that a difference of 10 dB means a factor of 10; 20dB means a factor of 100; 30 dB means a factor of 1000, and so on.
  • the sound intensity per se has been decreased by about 16.5 dB, but the shift in the average frequency (to about 100 Hz) to a domain where the ear is less sensitive, results in a compound effect whereby impact noise is perceived to be about 40 dB quieter than conventional impact printers.
  • the platen which generates noise during the deformation impact, may be considered to be a resilient deformable member having a spring constant "k". In reality it is understood that the platen is a viscoelastic material which is highly temperature-dependent.
  • the platen (spring) and impacting hammer mass "m” will move together as a single body during the deformation period, and may be viewed as a resonant system having a resonant frequency "f" whose pulse width intrinsically is decided by the resonant frequency of the platen springiness and the mass of the hammer.
  • a mass transformer is utilized to achieve a mechanical advantage to print a large effective, or apparent, mass to a print tip through a unique drive arrangement.
  • quality printing is achieved by the metering of sufficient kinetic energy to the platen to cause the appropriate deformation therein.
  • a heavy mass is set in motion to accumulate momentum, for delivery to the platen by the movable print tip, through a suitable linkage.
  • the entire excursion of the print tip includes a throat distance of about 1.25 mm from its home position to the surface of the platen and then a deformation, or penetration, distance of about 0.12 mm.
  • the stored energy, or momentum, in the heavy mass is transferred to the platen during deformation and is completely converted to potential energy therein, as the print tip is slowed and then stopped.
  • the print tip is the only part of the kinetic energy delivery system "seen" by the platen, it views the print tip as having a large mass ( its effective mass).
  • the relative motion between the print tip and the platen may be accomplished, alternatively, by moving either the platen relative to a fixed print tip, or by moving both the print tip and the platen forward toward and away from one another.
  • the total kinetic energy may be metered out incrementally to the mass transformer.
  • a first portion of the energy will move the print tip rapidly across the throat distance and a second portion of the energy will be provided at the initiation of the deformation period.
  • the traverse of the throat distance may be accomplished by initially moving the print tip rapidly and then slowing it down immediately before it reaches the platen surface. This may be done by having regions of different speed with transitions therebetween, or it could be done by continuously controlling the speed. It is desirable to slow the print to a low or substantially zero speed immediately prior to contact in order to decrease the impact noise. However, since its speed at the initiation of contact would be too low for printing, an augmentation of kinetic energy must be imparted at that point in order to accelerate the print tip into the platen for accomplishing the printing.
  • the mass transformer With the total kinetic energy it will need to cross the throat distance and to effect deform the platen. This energy would be metered out to the mass transformer by the system prime mover at the home position (i.e. prior to the initiation of the deformation period) and will set the mass transformer in motion. In order to carry out this procedure, a large force would have to be applied and it is apparent that more noise will be generated.
  • a major benefit may be obtained when we subdivide the total kinetic energy and meter it for (a) closing down the throat distance (before contact), and (b) effecting deformation of the platen (after contact). Namely, the contact speed will be low, resulting in inherently-quieter operation.
  • the metering may be accomplished so that the print tip may be substantially stopped immediately prior to contact with the platen, or it may have some small speed. What is important is that, after contact has been made, an augmentation force is applied for adequate deformation.
  • the print tip is accelerated into the platen. It may either have a finite or zero speed at its moment of impact. Then, as the accelerating print tip begins to deform the platen, it experiences the platen-­restoring counterforce. Initially the deforming force will be greater than the platen-restoring counterforce. However, unlike the previous excample, the print tip force equals the platen-­restoring counterforce at the mid-point (not at the end) of its excursion. From that point, to the point of maximum deformation, the print tip's momentum will continue to carry it forward while the increasing counterforce is decelerating it. At the point of maximum deformation, all the print tip kinetic energy will have been converted to potential energy in the platen, and the restoring force will begin to drive the print tip out.
  • Typical values in our unique impact printer are: an effective hammer mass at the point of contact of 1.35 kg, a contact period of 4 to 6 milliseconds, and a contact speed of 50 to 75 mm per second.
  • typical values of these parameters in a conventional impact printer are: a hammer mass of 2 to 4 grams, a contact period of 50 to 100 microseconds, and a contact speed of 2.0 to 2.5ms ⁇ 1.
  • the illustrated printer includes a platen 10 comparable to those used in conventional impact printers. It is suitably mounted for rotation in bearings in a frame (not shown) and is connected to a drive mechanism (also not shown) for advancing and retracting a sheet 11 upon which characters may be imprinted.
  • a carriage support bar 12 spans the printer from side to side beneath the platen. It may be fabricated integrally with the base and frame or may be rigidly secured in place.
  • the carriage support bar is formed with upper and lower V-shaped seats 14 and 16 in which rod stock rails 18 and 20 are seated and secured. In this manner, it is possible to form a carriage rail structure having a very smooth low-friction surface at relatively-low cost.
  • a cantilever support arrangement for the carriage is provided by four sets of toed-in rollers 24, two at the top and two at the bottom, which ride upon the rails 18 and 20. In this manner, the carriage is unobtrusively supported for moving several motors and other control mechanisms for lateral movement relative to the platen.
  • a suitable carriage drive arrangement (not shown), such as a conventional cable, belt or screw drive may be connected to the carriage for moving it parallel to the platen 10 upon the support bar 12, in the direction of arrow C.
  • the carriage 22 is shown as comprising side plates 25 secured together by connecting rods 26 and supporting the toed-in rollers outboard thereof. Although the presently preferred form is somewhat differently configured, this representation has been made merely to illustrate the relationship of parts more easily.
  • a printwheel motor 27 having a rotatable shaft 28 to which printwheel 30 is securable, and a ribbon cartridge 32 (shown in phantom lines) which supports a marking ribbon 33 intermediate the printwheel and the image receptor sheet 11.
  • a ribbon drive motor and a ribbon shifting mechanism, which are also carried on the carriage, are not shown.
  • the carriage also supports the hammer and its actuating mechanism.
  • the carriage only supports a portion of the hammer mechanism, namely, a T-shaped print tip 34 secured upon an interposer member 36.
  • the interposer is in the form of a yoke whose ends are pivotably mounted in carriage 22 on bearing pin 38 so as to be constrained for arcuate movement toward and away from the platen 10.
  • the print tip 34 includes a base 40 and a central, outwardly extending, impact portion 42 having a V-groove 44 in its striking surface for mating with V-shaped protrusions on the rear surface of printwheel character pads 45.
  • the mating V-shaped surfaces will provide fine alignment for the characters by moving the flexible spokes either left or right as needed for accurate placement of the character impression upon the print line of the receptor sheet 11.
  • the outer ends of the base 40 are secured to mounting pads 46 of the interposer 36, for leaving the central portion of the base unsupported.
  • a strain sensor 47 is secured to the central portion of the base directly opposite the impact portion 42.
  • Suitable electric output leads 48 and 50 are connected to the sensor and the print tip base, respectively, for relaying electrical signals, generated by the sensor, to the control circuitry of the printer.
  • the sensor comprises a piezoelectric wafer adhered to the base. It is well known that the piezoelectric crystal will generate an electric signal thereacross when subject to a strain caused by a stress.
  • the platen counterforce acting through the impact portion will cause the beam of the print tip base 40 to bend, generating a voltage across the piezoelectric crystal strain sensor 47 and sending an electrical signal to the control circuitry indicative of the moment of arrival of the print tip at the platen surface.
  • the remainder of the hammer force-applying mechanism for moving the print tip comprises a mass transformer 52, remotely positioned from the carriage. It includes a push-rod 54 extending between the interposer 36 and a rockable bail bar 56 which rocks about an axis 57 extending parallel to the axis of the platen 10. As the bail bar is rocked toward and away from the platen, the push-rod moves the interposer in an arc about bearing pin 38, urging the print tip 34 toward and away from the platen.
  • a bearing pin 58 mounted on the upper end of the interposer 36 provides a seat for the V-shaped driving end 60 of the push-rod 54. The two bearing surfaces 58 and 60 are urged into intimate contact by springs 62.
  • a resilient connection with an elongated driving surface of the bail bar, in the form of an integral bead 68.
  • the bead is formed parallel to the rocking axis 57 of the bail.
  • One side of the bead provides a transverse bearing surface for a first push-rod wheel 70, journalled for rotation on a pin 71 secured to the push rod.
  • the opposite side of the bead provides a transverse bearing surface for a second push-rod wheel 72, spring biased thereagainst for ensuring that the first wheel intimately contacts the bead.
  • the aforementioned biasing is effected by providing the driven end of the push-rod with a clevis 74 to receive the tongue 76 of pivot block 78, held in place by clevis pin 80.
  • the second wheel 72 is supported upon bearing pin 82 anchored in the pivot block.
  • Rocking of the bail bar about its axis 57 is accomplished by a prime mover, such as voice coil motor 88 through lever arm 90 secured to a flexure connector 92 mounted atop movable coil wound bobbin 94 on mounting formations 96.
  • the voice coil motor includes a central magnetically permeable core 98 and a surrounding concentric magnet 100 for driving bobbin 94 axially upon support shaft 102 guided in bushing 104 in response to the current passed through the coil windings.
  • the voice coil motor 88 is securely mounted on the base of the printer.
  • Suitable electronic logic and circuitry represented by the controller 106, is connected to the voice coil motor for energizing it in the proper sequence and at the proper magnitudes to move the print tip to the surface of the platen and then to deform the platen over the desired velocity trajectory.
  • the push-rod is likewise carried laterally cross the printer between the interposer and the bail bar with driving contact being maintained by the spring-biased wheels 70 and 72 straddling the bead rail.
  • current is passed through the coil-wound bobbin 94 in the opposite direction, it will be urged upwardly in the direction of arrow D for drawing the print tip away from the platen.
  • the magnitude of the effective mass of the print tip 34, when it contacts the platen 10, is based primarily upon the momentum of the heavy bail bar 56 which has been set in motion by the voice coil motor 88.
  • the kinetic energy of the moving bail bar is transferred to the platen through the print tip, during the dwell or contact period, in which the platen is deformed and wherein it is stored as potential energy.
  • Movement of the print tip is effected as described.
  • the voice coil motor may be driven at the desired speed for the desired time, so as to impart kinetic energy to the print tip.
  • appropriate amounts of kinetic energy may be metered out prior to the contact, or both prior to and after contact.
  • a first large drive pulse may accelerate the bail bar and the print tip with sufficient kinetic energy to cause the print tip to cross the 1.25 mm throat distance and deform the platen by the desired amount (about 0.12 mm).
  • an incremental drive pulse may merely meter out sufficient kinetic energy to accelerate the print tip across the throat distance through a preselected speed profile, which could cause the print tip to reach the platen with some predetermined speed or may substantilly stop the print tip at the surface of the platen (compensating, of course, for the interposed character pad, ribbon and paper).
  • the moment of arrival of the print tip at the platen is indicated by the signal emanating from the piezoelectric sensor 46.
  • an additional application of kinetic energy may be provided by the voice coil motor to accelerate the print tip into the deformable platen surface to a desired distance and for a desired dwell time so as to cause the marking impression to be made.
  • the application of force at the time of contact enables contact to be made at a lower speed (generating less noise) than that which would have been needed if there were no opportunity for subsequent acceleration.

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  • Handling Of Sheets (AREA)
  • Accessory Devices And Overall Control Thereof (AREA)
EP19860305087 1985-07-02 1986-07-01 Druckerschlagmechanismus Expired EP0207781B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US75133585A 1985-07-02 1985-07-02
US751335 2004-01-02

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0207781A1 true EP0207781A1 (de) 1987-01-07
EP0207781B1 EP0207781B1 (de) 1990-06-27

Family

ID=25021530

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19860305087 Expired EP0207781B1 (de) 1985-07-02 1986-07-01 Druckerschlagmechanismus

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0207781B1 (de)
JP (1) JPS627574A (de)
CA (1) CA1260861A (de)
DE (1) DE3672222D1 (de)

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2057974A (en) * 1979-08-13 1981-04-08 Shinshu Seiki Kk Printer
EP0028539A2 (de) * 1979-11-05 1981-05-13 Xerox Corporation Druckhammeranordnung

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS504662Y2 (de) * 1971-03-17 1975-02-07
JPS59142174A (ja) * 1983-02-02 1984-08-15 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd 印字装置

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2057974A (en) * 1979-08-13 1981-04-08 Shinshu Seiki Kk Printer
EP0028539A2 (de) * 1979-11-05 1981-05-13 Xerox Corporation Druckhammeranordnung

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS627574A (ja) 1987-01-14
EP0207781B1 (de) 1990-06-27
CA1260861A (en) 1989-09-26
DE3672222D1 (de) 1990-08-02

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