JP2004209813A - Printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing device for a plate-shaped recording medium which can reduce manufacturing costs by reducing the parts count of a mechanism for operating a turntable and a carriage in a printing device which has the turntable where the plate-shaped recording medium is set, and the carriage which moves along the turntable with carrying a printing head for printing to the recording medium. <P>SOLUTION: A motor 38 for driving the carriage/turntable is set. A rotary driving force by forward driving of the motor 38 is transmitted to the carriage 17 via an endless belt 25, thereby moving the carriage 17 in a printing direction. Also a rotary driving force by reverse driving of the motor 38 is transmitted to the carriage 17 via the endless belt 25, thereby moving the carriage 17 in a return direction. At the same time, the rotary driving force is transmitted to the turntable 7 via a one-way clutch gear 42, thereby rotating the turntable 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus for printing, on a surface of a plate-shaped optical recording medium such as a CD-R, a CD-RW, a DVD-R, and a DVD-RW, a title of information to be recorded on the recording medium.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a printing apparatus that prints information such as a title on a plate-shaped recording medium such as a CD-R, there is one described in JP-A-2000-71525.
[0003]
In this printing apparatus, a plate-shaped recording medium is placed on a turntable, a thermal head extending substantially over the entire length of the turntable in the radial direction is pressed against the recording medium, and the turntable is rotated to rotate the recording medium. Is configured to print on the entire surface (label surface).
[0004]
On the other hand, the applicant of the present application has previously developed a printing apparatus for a recording medium which can be manufactured at a low cost with a simpler configuration than the conventional printing apparatus, and has proposed it as Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-127123.
[0005]
This printing apparatus simplifies the apparatus by partially printing at a plurality of locations on a plate-shaped recording medium using a thermal head that is reduced in size by reducing the width of a printing element row, A rotating table for mounting a plate-shaped recording medium, a rotating mechanism for rotating the rotating table, a carriage on which a thermal head is mounted, a carriage moving mechanism for reciprocating the carriage along the rotating table, and the like. The carriage moving mechanism and the rotating mechanism of the turntable are driven using a dedicated carriage drive motor and a turntable drive motor, respectively.
[0006]
In this printing apparatus, while driving the carriage moving mechanism with the carriage drive motor as a drive source to move the carriage in one direction along the turntable, the thermal head is driven to partially cover the surface of the recording medium on the turntable. After the printing is completed, the drive of the carriage drive motor is reversed to move the carriage in the other direction to return to the initial position, and the rotating mechanism is driven by using the turntable drive motor as a drive source to drive the turntable. After rotating by a predetermined angle, the carriage drive motor and the thermal head are driven to perform the next printing on the recording medium on the rotary table. In this manner, printing is performed on a plurality of locations on the surface of the recording medium by repeating the printing operation by the thermal head and the rotating operation of the turntable.
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-71525 A
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The conventional printing apparatus having a simplified configuration includes a carriage driving motor for driving a carriage moving mechanism for reciprocating a carriage along a turntable and a turntable drive motor for driving a rotation mechanism for rotating the turntable. In other words, a motor as an independent drive source corresponding to the carriage moving mechanism and the rotating mechanism is required, and therefore, there is a problem that the number of parts is large and the cost is high.
[0009]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has a rotating table on which a plate-shaped recording medium is mounted, and a carriage mounted with a print head for performing printing on the recording medium and moved along the rotating table. A printing apparatus having a plate-shaped recording medium capable of reducing the number of parts of a mechanism for operating the rotary table and the carriage and reducing the manufacturing cost. Aim.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve this object, a printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a rotatable rotatable table for supporting a plate-shaped recording medium, a rotating mechanism for rotating the rotatable table, a carriage on which a print head is mounted, and the printing apparatus. A carriage moving mechanism for reciprocating the carriage in the printing direction and the returning direction along the turntable to print on a medium, a single motor serving as a driving source of the rotating mechanism and the carriage moving mechanism, When the motor rotates in the forward direction, the rotational power of the motor is transmitted to the carriage moving mechanism to move the carriage in the printing direction, and when the motor rotates in the reverse direction, the carriage is moved in the return direction, and the turntable is rotated. A driving force transmitting mechanism for transmitting the rotating power of the motor to the carriage moving mechanism and the rotating mechanism to control the driving of the print head and the motor. Control means, wherein the control means drives the print head while rotating the motor in the forward direction to move the carriage in the printing direction, and controls a predetermined amount of the recording medium supported by the rotary table. And printing is performed in the area, and after the printing, the rotary table is rotated by a predetermined angle while the motor is rotationally driven in the reverse direction to return the carriage.
[0011]
The carriage moving mechanism includes an endless belt that is wound around a plurality of pulleys along the turntable, and that is driven to reciprocate and reciprocate within a predetermined distance in accordance with forward and reverse rotations of the motor. The carriage is fixed to the endless belt, and reciprocates in a printing direction and a return direction by movement of the endless belt.
[0012]
The driving force transmission mechanism includes a one-way mechanism that transmits the rotation power to the rotation mechanism only when the motor rotates in a reverse direction.
[0013]
Further, the driving force transmission mechanism may be configured such that when the carriage is moved to a return position by rotation of the motor in a reverse direction, the turntable rotates to a predetermined angle and stops. Features.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0015]
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration of a main part of the printing apparatus, and FIG. is there.
The printing apparatus 1 includes a case 1a as an apparatus main body. The case 1a has an opening 2 formed in a portion extending from the upper surface to the front surface, and a printer cover 3 for opening and closing the opening 2 has a hinge 4 in the opening 2. It is attached rotatably through the.
[0016]
A base 6 is provided inside the case 1a, and a turntable 7 for supporting a plate-like recording medium (hereinafter, referred to as an optical disk D) such as a CD-R is provided on the base 6.
[0017]
The turntable 7 is rotatably supported via a rotation shaft 8 provided at the center thereof, and the optical disc D is placed on the turntable 7 as shown in FIG. When the optical disc D is placed, the cover 3 is opened and the optical disc D is placed on the turntable 7 through the opening 2. Also, when removing the optical disk D from the turntable 7, the cover 3 is opened and the optical disk D is taken out of the apparatus through the opening 2.
[0018]
A cushioning material sheet 10 is stuck on the upper surface of the turntable 7, and a plurality of engaging claws 11 engaging with the inner edge of the center circular hole of the optical disc D are provided at the center of the upper surface of the turntable 7 from the upper surface of the buffer sheet 10. It is provided so as to protrude.
[0019]
Inside the case 1a, a printer unit 15 for printing a title or the like relating to data to be recorded in the optical disc D on the surface of the optical disc D mounted on the turntable 7 is provided.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 3, the printer unit 15 includes a bridge-shaped printer frame 16, and the printer frame 16 is horizontally installed between legs 16a provided at both ends and the legs 16a. It has a horizontal frame portion 16b, each leg 16a is fixed to the base 6, and the horizontal frame portion 16b is supported so as to be deviated from the center of rotation of the turntable 7 to the rear side of the case 1a. I have.
[0021]
The printer frame 16 supports a carriage 17 and constitutes a traveling path for causing the carriage 17 to reciprocate along the turntable 7.
[0022]
That is, the printer frame 16 includes a guide shaft 18 for slidably guiding the carriage 17, and the guide shaft 18 is provided in parallel with the horizontal frame portion 16b.
[0023]
A rack 21 that meshes with a drive gear 20 rotatably mounted in the carriage 17 is provided on a surface of the horizontal frame portion 16b facing the rotary table 7. On both sides of the carriage 17, a pair of drive pulleys 23 and driven pulleys 24 are provided inside the respective legs 16a.
[0024]
The pulleys 23 and 24 are rotatably supported via brackets (not shown). A toothed endless belt 25 is stretched between the pulleys 23 and 24, and the carriage 17 is connected to a part of the endless belt 25. The carriage 17 reciprocates horizontally along the guide shaft 18 by the endless belt 25 moving in one direction and the other direction between the pulleys 23 and 24.
[0025]
Even if the endless belt 25 has an endless structure in which the entire length is continuous, the endless belt 25 is cut off in the middle and both ends of the cut are connected to the carriage 17 to form a substantially endless structure. It may be the case.
[0026]
A ribbon cartridge 31 containing an ink ribbon 30 for thermal transfer printing is detachably mounted on the front surface of the carriage 17. The ribbon cartridge 31 can be replaced by opening the printer cover 3.
[0027]
A ribbon feeding core 33 and a ribbon winding core 34 are provided in the ribbon cartridge 31, and the ink ribbon 30 is stretched between the ribbon feeding core 33 and the ribbon winding core 34.
[0028]
A one-way clutch gear 36 is provided in the carriage 17 so as to mesh with the drive gear 20. A gear (not shown) provided coaxially with the winding drive shaft 36a meshes. When the drive gear 20 rotates in one direction, the rotational power is transmitted to the ribbon take-up drive shaft 36a via the one-way clutch gear 36, and the power is transmitted to the ribbon take-up drive shaft 36a. The take-up shaft 34 is rotated to take up the ink ribbon 30.
[0029]
When the drive gear 20 rotates in the other direction, its rotational power is cut off by the one-way clutch gear 36 and is not transmitted to the ribbon winding drive shaft 36a, so that the ribbon winding shaft 34 does not rotate and the ink ribbon 30 rotates. Is not wound up.
[0030]
In the case 1a, there is provided a carriage / turntable drive motor 38 composed of a stepping motor or the like that is driven forward and backward, and a flat gear 39 and a worm gear 40 are integrally attached to an output shaft of the drive motor 38. .
[0031]
A ring gear 41 as a rotation mechanism for rotating the turntable 7 is attached to an outer peripheral portion of the turntable 7, and a one-way clutch gear 42 as a one-way clutch mechanism is provided between the ring gear 41 and the worm gear 40. Is provided.
[0032]
When the worm gear 40 rotates in one direction when the drive motor 38 rotates in the reverse direction, the rotational power is transmitted to the ring gear 41 via the one-way clutch gear 42, and the turntable 7 rotates in one direction. ing.
[0033]
Also, when the worm gear 40 rotates in the other direction during the forward rotation of the drive motor 38, the rotational power is cut off by the one-way clutch gear 42 and is not transmitted to the ring gear 41, and therefore, the turntable 7 does not rotate. To keep the stopped state.
[0034]
A transmission gear 45 is mounted on the rotation shaft of the drive pulley 23, and an intermediate gear 46 is provided between the transmission gear 35 and a flat gear 39 provided on the drive motor 38.
[0035]
When the drive motor 38 is driven to rotate forward, the rotational power is transmitted to the drive pulley 23 via the flat gear 39, the intermediate gear 46, and the transmission gear 45, and the power transmission causes the drive pulley 23 to rotate in one direction. The endless belt 25 moves around in one direction between the driving pulley 23 and the slave pulley 24, and the carriage 17 moves along the guide shaft 18 from left to right in the figure.
[0036]
When the drive motor 38 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction, the rotational power is transmitted to the drive pulley 23 via the flat gear 39, the intermediate gear 46, and the transmission gear 45, and the power transmission causes the drive pulley 23 to rotate in the other direction. As the endless belt 25 circulates in the other direction between the driving pulley 23 and the slave pulley 24, the carriage 17 moves along the guide shaft 18 via the endless belt 25 in a return direction from right to left in the drawing. It is designed to move.
[0037]
Inside the legs 16a of the printer frame 16, first and second carriage position detection sensors 48a and 48b, which are switch elements, are provided at both ends of the guide shaft 18.
[0038]
In the printing apparatus 1, the initial position of the carriage 17 is the right end of the guide shaft 18, and when the carriage 17 is located at the initial position, the first detection sensor 48a detects the position and the switch element thereof is used. Is turned on.
[0039]
The printing start position in the printing apparatus 1 is the left end of the guide shaft 18, and when the carriage 17 is located at the printing start position, the second detection sensor 48b detects the position, and the switch element is turned on. It turns on.
[0040]
In the carriage 17, as shown in FIG. 4, a head arm 50 and a cam 51 as a posture control mechanism for controlling the posture of the head arm 50 are provided. The head arm 50 is supported rotatably in the vertical direction via a shaft 52, and a thermal head 53 as a print head is attached to the tip of the head arm 50.
[0041]
The thermal head 53 is attached to the head arm 50 so as to protrude forward from the front surface of the carriage 17, and the ink ribbon 30 in the ribbon cartridge 31 mounted on the front surface of the carriage 17 passes under the thermal head 53. The thermal head 53 comes in contact with and separates from the surface of the optical disk D mounted on the rotary table 7 with the ink ribbon 30 interposed therebetween in accordance with the rotation of the head arm 50. .
[0042]
The head arm 50 is elastically urged by a spring 55 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. A step 56 is formed at the upper edge of the head arm 50 on the side opposite to the thermal head 53. The step portion 56 is composed of a high portion 56a and an inclined portion 56b which extends downwardly in connection with one end of the high portion 56a, and a stopper 54 is formed protruding in the middle of the high portion 56a. .
[0043]
The cam 51 is rotatably supported via a pin 57, and has a first protrusion 51a protruding rightward from the pin 57 and a second protrusion 51b protruding leftward from the pin 57, A third protruding portion 51c protruding downward from the pin 57.
[0044]
First and second receiving members 58a and 58b are provided at both ends of the horizontal frame portion 16b of the printer frame 16, and inclined guide portions 59 are formed at the ends of the receiving members 58a and 58b.
[0045]
The carriage 17 reciprocates between the initial position at the right end of the guide shaft 18 in FIG. 3 and the print start position at the left end of the guide shaft 18 in response to the driving of the carriage / rotary table drive motor 38.
[0046]
When the carriage 17 moves from the print start position to the initial position, the third protrusion 51c of the cam 51 contacts the inclined portion 56b of the step 56 of the head arm 50 as shown in FIG. Due to this contact, the thermal head 53 at the distal end of the head arm 50 is brought down by the urging force of the spring 55 and comes into contact with the optical disk D on the turntable 7.
[0047]
When the carriage 17 reaches the initial position, as shown in FIG. 4B, the first projection 51a of the cam 51 comes into contact with the guide 59 of the first receiving member 58a. As a result, the cam 51 rotates clockwise about the pin 57.
[0048]
In response to the rotation of the cam 51, the third protrusion 51c moves from the inclined portion 56b of the head arm 50 to the higher portion 56a, and the head arm 50 rotates clockwise about the shaft 52 by this movement. This rotation raises the thermal head 53 and separates it from the surface of the optical disk D.
[0049]
The rotation range of the cam 51 in the clockwise direction is regulated by the stopper 54. Therefore, the carriage 17 stops at the initial position while keeping the thermal head 53 up, and waits for the printing start operation.
[0050]
When the carriage 17 moves from the initial position to the printing start position, as shown in FIG. 4C, the thermal head 53 moves while maintaining the up state.
[0051]
When the carriage 17 reaches the printing start position, as shown in FIG. 4D, the second protrusion 51b of the cam 51 comes into contact with the guide portion 59 of the second receiving member 58b. The contact causes the cam 51 to rotate counterclockwise about the pin 57.
[0052]
In response to the rotation of the cam 51, the third protrusion 51c moves from the higher portion 56a of the head arm 50 to the inclined portion 56b, and the head arm 50 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 52 by this movement. Then, by this rotation, the thermal head 53 goes down and comes into contact with the surface of the optical disk D.
[0053]
FIG. 5 shows a configuration of an electric circuit of the printing apparatus 1. The printing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 60, and a communication interface circuit 61 is connected to the control unit 60, so that data can be transmitted and received to and from a host computer 62 such as a personal computer as an external device. I have.
[0054]
The control unit 60 includes a drive circuit 63 for driving the carriage / rotation table drive motor 38, a drive circuit 64 for driving the thermal head 53, and a position detection sensor 48 a for detecting the movement position of the carriage 17. , 48b.
[0055]
Further, a ROM 67 and a RAM 68 are connected to the control unit 60. The ROM 67 stores a control program for controlling the printing process of the printing apparatus 1 and the like. The RAM 68 stores print data transferred from the personal computer 62, and secures areas such as registers and counters for storing various data used in the printing process of the printing apparatus 1.
[0056]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the printing apparatus 1.
[0057]
When performing printing, the printer cover 3 of the case 1 a is opened, and the optical disc D is mounted on the turntable 7. At this time, the carriage 17 is located at the initial position, and the thermal head 53 is in the up state (see FIG. 4B).
[0058]
When print start is instructed by the host computer 62 after the optical disc D is mounted, the print start command and print data are transferred from the host computer 62 to the control unit 60, and the program for the print processing operation shown in FIG. Is done.
[0059]
First, a predetermined initial process such as a data clear process of the RAM 68 is executed (step S1), and a print number counter n is set to an initial value (step S2).
[0060]
Next, the carriage / rotation table drive motor 38 is driven in reverse rotation under the control of the control unit 60, and the carriage 17 starts printing from the initial position on the right end of the guide shaft 18 in FIG. Move toward the position (step S3, see FIG. 4-C).
[0061]
When the carriage / rotation table drive motor 38 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction, the rotation power is also transmitted to the rotation table 7 and the rotation table 7 rotates.
[0062]
After the carriage 17 moves, it is determined whether or not the carriage 17 has reached the print start position based on the operation state of the carriage position detection sensor 48b (step S4).
[0063]
When the carriage 17 reaches the print start position, the carriage 17 presses the carriage position detection sensor 48b to switch from the off state to the on state, and the switch operation detects the arrival of the carriage 17 at the print start position.
[0064]
When the carriage 17 reaches the printing start position, the second protrusion 51b of the cam 51 contacts the guide portion 59 of the second receiving member 58b, and the cam 51 rotates counterclockwise around the pin 57. The third protrusion 51c moves from the higher portion 56a of the head arm 50 to the inclined portion 56b by this rotation, and the head arm 50 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 52 by this movement. By this rotation, the thermal head 53 goes down and comes into contact with the surface of the optical disk D (see FIG. 4D).
[0065]
When the carriage position detection sensor 48b detects that the carriage 17 has reached the print start position, the reverse rotation drive of the carriage / rotary stand drive motor 38 is stopped based on the detection signal (step S5).
[0066]
Next, the carriage / turntable drive motor 38 is driven to rotate forward, the carriage 17 moves in the printing direction from the print start position to the initial position, and the thermal head 53 is moved based on the print data transferred from the host computer 62. The heat is driven to perform a predetermined printing on the optical disk D (steps S6 and S7).
[0067]
When the carriage 17 moves in the printing direction, the drive gear 20 meshed with the rack 21 rotates in one direction, and the rotational power is transmitted to the ribbon winding drive shaft 36a via the one-way clutch gear 36. The used ink ribbon 30 is sequentially wound around the ribbon winding core 34 by power transmission.
[0068]
In the printing process in step S7, printing is performed line by line by the thermal head 53 in synchronization with the movement of the carriage 17 in the printing direction by the forward rotation drive of the carriage / rotation table drive motor 38. Then, all the printing of the print data is performed, and when it is determined that the printing is completed (step S8), it is determined whether or not the carriage position detection sensor 48a is on (step S9).
[0069]
If the carriage position detection sensor 48a is in the off state, the carriage / rotation table drive motor 38 is driven to rotate forward until it is switched to the on state, and the carriage 17 moves to the initial position (steps S9 and S10).
[0070]
When the carriage 17 reaches the initial position, the carriage 17 is pressed by the carriage 17 to switch the carriage position detection sensor 48a to the ON state, and the driving of the carriage / rotary table drive motor 38 stops based on the signal (steps S9 and S11). ).
[0071]
When the carriage 17 reaches the initial position, the first protrusion 51a of the cam 51 comes into contact with the guide portion 59 of the first receiving member 58a, and the contact causes the cam 51 to rotate clockwise around the pin 57. The third protrusion 51c moves from the inclined portion 56b of the head arm 50 to the high-order portion 56a by this rotation, and the head arm 50 rotates clockwise about the shaft 52 by this movement. This rotation raises the thermal head 53 and separates it from the surface of the optical disk D. (See FIG. 4-B).
[0072]
After the drive of the carriage / rotary stand drive motor 38 is stopped, a process of subtracting "1" from the value of the print counter n is performed, and it is subsequently determined whether the value is "0" (steps S12 and S13). ).
[0073]
If it is determined in step S13 that the value of the print counter n is not "0", the process returns to step S3. When the printing of the first location on the optical disc D is completed, the value of the print number counter n becomes “1” in step S12, and it is determined that the value of the print number counter n is not “0” in step S13. The process returns to step S3 according to the determination.
[0074]
After returning to step 3, the carriage / rotation table drive motor 38 is driven in reverse to print the next second location on the optical disc D, and the carriage 17 is moved while the operation state of the carriage position detection sensor 48b is determined. It moves in the return direction toward the printing start position (steps S3, S4).
[0075]
When the carriage / rotation base drive motor 38 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction, the thermal head 53 is held at a non-printing position separated from the optical disc D, and the rotation power of the carriage / rotation base drive motor 38 is transmitted to the turntable 7. The turntable 7 rotates.
[0076]
In the printing apparatus 1, the turntable 7 is preset to rotate by an angle of 180 ° while the carriage 17 moves from the initial position to the print start position in order to perform the next printing.
[0077]
When the carriage 17 reaches the printing start position and the carriage position detection sensor 48b is switched from the off state to the on state, and when the arrival of the carriage 17 at the printing start position is detected, the drive of the carriage / rotary head drive motor 38 is performed. Stops (step S5).
[0078]
In this state, the turntable 7 has been rotated by 180 ° after the printing of the first location, and a different area 180 ° opposite to the printed area of the first location on the surface of the optical disc D is located on the movement path of the carriage 17. Will be located facing.
[0079]
Next, similarly to the first printing process, the carriage / rotation table drive motor 38 is driven to rotate forward, the carriage 17 moves from the printing start position to the initial position, and is transferred from the host computer 62. The thermal head 53 is driven to generate heat based on the print data of the second place, and the second place is printed in another area on the surface of the optical disc D which does not overlap with the first print area (step S6). S7).
[0080]
When the printing process for the second location on the optical disc D is completed, the value of the number-of-times-of-printing counter n is determined to be "0" in step S13 via the processes of steps S8 to S12, and the printing process ends.
[0081]
After the printing process is completed, the printer cover 3 is opened, the printed optical disk D is taken out of the case 1a, another optical disk D is sequentially mounted on the turntable 7 as necessary, and printing is instructed from the personal computer 62. Thus, a desired title or the like can be printed.
[0082]
As described above, the carriage 17 and the turntable 7 can be driven by using the single carriage / turntable drive motor 38, so that the structure is simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
[0083]
In the above-described embodiment, when the carriage 17 is at the printing start position, the thermal head 53 is in the down state. Therefore, it is difficult to mount the optical disc D at the printing start position. The thermal head 53 is raised by the movement, and the optical disk D can be mounted. Thus, in the printing apparatus of the embodiment, when the carriage 17 moves to the initial position at one end of the carriage traveling path, the thermal head 17 is raised, and when the carriage 17 moves to the printing start position at the other end. Is provided with a mechanism for lowering the thermal head 17, so that printing is started after the carriage 17 is moved from an initial position at one end of the carriage traveling path to a printing start position at the other end at the time of printing start. Extra time is required to move the carriage 17 from one end to the other end of the travel path.
[0084]
Therefore, by incorporating a head moving motor into the carriage 17, the thermal head 53 is configured to be moved up and down regardless of the position of the carriage 17 in the carriage traveling path, and is the same as or near the printing start position in the embodiment. The initial position of the carriage 17 is set at the position, and at this initial position, the thermal head 53 is raised by driving the head moving motor.
[0085]
With this configuration, at the initial position of the carriage 17 (substantially the same as the print start position), the thermal head 53 is raised by the drive of the head moving motor. In addition, since the initial position of the carriage 17 and the print start position are set to be the same or close to each other, unnecessary movement of the carriage 17 at the start of printing is minimized, and the printing time is reduced. be able to.
[0086]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, after the first printing is completed, the turntable 7 can be rotated by 180 ° together with the optical disc D so that printing can be performed on two places on the surface of the optical disc D. The table 7 may be rotated by 90 ° at a time. In this case, printing can be performed on a maximum of four areas on the surface of the optical disc D.
[0087]
FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a base 6 supporting a turntable 7 is provided movably in the front-rear direction with respect to a case 1a.
[0088]
As a drive source for moving the base 6, a drive motor 70, such as a stepping motor, that is driven forward and backward is provided in the case 1a. The drive motor 70 has an output gear 70a, a first transmission gear 71 meshes with the output gear 70a, and a second transmission gear 72 meshes with the first transmission gear 71. A transmission gear 72 meshes with a rack 73 provided on a side edge of the base 6 so that the rotational power of the drive motor 70 is transmitted to the base 6 via the transmission gears 71 and 72 and the rack 73. Has become.
[0089]
Normally, the base 6 is stored in a predetermined storage position in the case 1a together with the turntable 7, the printer unit 15, and the like. In this state, the drive motor 70 is driven to rotate forward, and the rotational power moves the base 6 together with the turntable 7 and the printer unit 15 from the storage position to the discharge position in front of the case 1a. At this discharge position, the optical disc D is mounted on the turntable 7.
[0090]
After the optical disc D is loaded, the drive motor 70 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction, and the rotational power moves the base 6 together with the turntable 7 and the printer unit 15 from the discharge position to the storage position in the case 1a, and stores the base 6 in the case 1a. Is done. Then, predetermined printing on the optical disk D is performed in this state.
[0091]
In such a configuration, the optical disc D can be mounted on the turntable 7 in a state where the turntable 7 and the base 6 are ejected to the outside of the case 1a. Can do well.
[0092]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, a carriage that mounts a plate-shaped recording medium using a single motor and a carriage that moves along the rotation table with a print head that performs printing on the recording medium mounted thereon Can be driven, and the number of components of the mechanism for operating the turntable and the carriage can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration of a main part of the printing apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating a configuration of a printer unit of the printing apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a front view showing the operation of the main part of the printing apparatus in order.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric circuit of the printing apparatus.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printing apparatus.
FIG. 7 is a plan view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... Printing device
6 ... Base
7 ... turntable
15 Printer section
16 ... Printer frame
17 ... carriage
18. Guide shaft
23, 24 ... pulley
25 ... Endless belt
30 ... Ink ribbon
31 ... Ribbon cartridge
38 ... Carriage and turntable drive motor
40 ... worm gear
41… Ring gear
42… One-way clutch gear
45 ... Transmission gear
46 ... Intermediate gear
48a, 48b: carriage position detection sensor
50 ... Head arm
51 ... Cam
53 ... Thermal head
58 ... receiving member
59… Guide part
60 ... Control unit

Claims (4)

A rotatable turntable that supports a plate-shaped recording medium,
A rotation mechanism for rotating the turntable,
A carriage equipped with a print head,
A carriage moving mechanism that reciprocates the carriage in a printing direction and a return direction along the turntable to perform printing on the recording medium;
A single motor serving as a drive source for the rotation mechanism and the carriage moving mechanism,
When the motor rotates in the forward direction, the rotational power of the motor is transmitted to the carriage moving mechanism to move the carriage in the printing direction.When the motor rotates in the reverse direction, the carriage is moved in the return direction, and the rotary table is moved. A driving force transmitting mechanism for transmitting the rotational power of the motor to the carriage moving mechanism and the rotating mechanism to rotate,
Control means for controlling the drive of the print head and the motor,
The control means drives the print head to perform printing on a predetermined area of the recording medium supported by the rotary table while driving the motor in the forward direction to rotate the motor in the printing direction, A printing apparatus, wherein after the printing, the rotary table is rotated by a predetermined angle while rotating the motor in the reverse direction to return the carriage. The carriage moving mechanism includes an endless belt that is wound around a plurality of pulleys along the rotary table, and is driven to reciprocate within a predetermined distance in accordance with rotation of the motor in forward and reverse directions,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carriage is fixed to the endless belt, and reciprocates in a printing direction and a return direction by movement of the endless belt. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving force transmission mechanism includes a one-way mechanism that transmits the rotation power to the rotation mechanism only when the motor rotates in a reverse direction. The driving force transmission mechanism is characterized in that when the carriage is moved to a return position by rotation of the motor in a reverse direction, the rotary table is configured to rotate to a predetermined angle and stop. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein

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