JP2005186451A - Thermal transfer printer and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermal transfer printer (image forming apparatus) which prevents advancement of a foreign article to a torque limiter part and can reduce working time and working costs. <P>SOLUTION: In the thermal transfer printer 1 equipped with both a winding part 60 for winding a film for thermal transfer 22 through engagement with a reel 21 of a film storing member 20 which includes a torque limiter 63, and a motor bracket 50 for setting a motor 40 for driving the winding member 60, the winding member 60 includes a supporting shaft 61 of a round bar shape with one end fixedly secured at the motor bracket 50, and a rotary part 62 secured rotatably to the supporting shaft 61. The rotary part 62 has a reel engaging part 62a to be engaged with the reel 21 of the film storing member 20, and a supporting part 62c where a torque limiter securing part 62g for fixing the torque limiter 63 is formed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a thermal transfer printer and an image forming apparatus provided with a winding member having a torque limiter.

  Conventionally, an image forming apparatus such as a thermal transfer printer including a winding member having a torque limiter is known. Here, the torque limiter refers to a mechanism having a function capable of interrupting transmission of torque exceeding a predetermined value. With this torque limiter, it is possible to reduce the load on the driven side of the device by preventing the torque generated on the driving side from being transmitted to a driven side downstream from the torque limiter. is there. In a conventional thermal transfer printer, a film for thermal transfer stored in a film storage member is wound using a winding member having such a torque limiter.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a conventional thermal transfer printer. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a film storage member and a winding member in the conventional thermal transfer printer shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the conventional winding member shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a view showing a reel engaging portion of the conventional thermal transfer printer shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a view showing a support shaft of the conventional thermal transfer printer shown in FIG. The structure of a conventional thermal transfer printer 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the conventional thermal transfer printer 100 includes a metal frame 110, a film storage member 120, a paper conveying roller 130, a metal motor bracket 150 to which a motor 140 is attached, and a winding member. 160, a transport roller side gear 170, and a plurality of intermediate gears 180. The frame 110 has a U shape. The film storage member 120 and the paper transport roller 130 are disposed on the inner surface side of the frame 110. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the film storage member 120 includes a reel 121 provided with a recess 121 a having three groove portions 121 b and a thermal transfer film 122 wound around the outer peripheral surface of the reel 121. Yes. The motor bracket 150 is attached to the outer surface of the frame 110.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the winding member 160 includes a metal rotating shaft 161, a resin reel engaging portion 162 attached to one end side of the rotating shaft 161, and a rotating shaft 161. Torque limiter 163 attached to the other end of each, compression coil springs 164 and 165, metal retaining retaining rings 166 and 167, and position restricting retaining rings 168 and 169 are included. As shown in FIG. 13, D-cut portions 161 a and 161 b and retaining ring engagement grooves 161 c to 161 f are formed in the metal rotary shaft 161 by cutting at two locations. As shown in FIG. 11, the rotary shaft 161 is rotatably fixed to the frame 110 by a bearing member 111, and the position in the axial direction is restricted by position restricting retaining rings 168 and 169. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the reel engaging portion 162 of the winding member 160 is disposed so as to protrude from the outer surface side of the frame 110 to the inner surface side. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the resin reel engaging portion 162 includes a D-shaped through hole 162a for inserting the D-cut portion 161a of the rotating shaft 161 and three engaging claws 162b. Have.

The torque limiter 163 includes a gear 171 that is rotated by a driving force from the motor 140 and a circular plate 173 to which a felt 172 that contacts the gear 171 is attached. Further, the plate 173 of the torque limiter 163 is formed with a D-shaped through hole 173a for inserting the D-cut portion 161b of the rotating shaft 161 and a recess 173b, as shown in FIGS. Yes. Further, the compression coil spring 164 is disposed between the reel engaging portion 162 and the position restricting retaining ring 168. The compression coil spring 165 is disposed between the recess 173 b of the plate 173 and the retaining ring 166 to urge the plate 173 in the direction of the gear 171.

  Further, the transport roller side gear 170 and the plurality of intermediate gears 180 are disposed between the frame 110 and the motor bracket 150. The plurality of intermediate gears 180 are arranged so that the winding member 160 and the conveyance roller side gear 170 can be driven by one motor 140.

  Next, the mechanism of power transmission in the winding member of the conventional thermal transfer printer 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 11, the plate 173 of the torque limiter 163 is urged in the direction of the gear 171 by the compression coil spring 165 housed in the recess 173b of the plate 173, so that the driving force of the gear 171 is felt. It is transmitted to the plate 173 via 172. Thereby, the gear 171 and the plate 173 rotate integrally. Next, the plate 173 of the torque limiter 163 is attached by inserting one D-cut portion 161b of the rotating shaft 161 into the D-shaped through hole 173a of the plate 173, as shown in FIGS. Therefore, the plate 173 and the rotating shaft 161 of the torque limiter 163 rotate integrally.

  The reel engaging portion 162 is also attached by inserting the other D-cut portion 161a of the rotating shaft 161 into the D-shaped through hole 162a of the reel engaging portion 162. The joint 162 rotates integrally. Accordingly, when the driving force is transmitted to the gear 171 of the torque limiter 163 and the torque limiter 163 rotates in the direction of the arrow G in FIG. 10, the reel engaging portion 162 similarly rotates in the direction of the arrow G in FIG. . In this case, when a load torque higher than a predetermined torque is applied to the reel engaging portion 162, the felt 172 attached to the plate 173 shown in FIG. 11 slides with respect to the gear 171. Therefore, even if the gear 171 rotates, the plate 173 Will not rotate. As a result, when a load torque greater than a predetermined torque is applied to the reel engaging portion 162, power is not transmitted to the rotating shaft 161, and the rotating shaft 161 does not rotate.

  In the conventional thermal transfer printer 100 shown in FIGS. 9 to 13, in order to attach the reel engaging portion 162 and the torque limiter 163 that are separately formed to the rotating shaft 161, the rotating shaft 161 is subjected to cutting that takes time. It was necessary to form the D-cut portions 161a and 161b. For this reason, there existed a problem that the processing time of the rotating shaft 161 increased and the processing cost increased.

  In view of this, a structure using a round bar-shaped support shaft without a D-cut that rotatably supports the reel engaging portion has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

In Patent Document 1, a round bar-like support shaft having one end fixedly attached to a frame in a conventional printer having an ink ribbon (film) supply side reel base having a structure not provided with a torque limiter. And a lower rotating body that is rotatably mounted within a predetermined angle range, and an engaging claw that engages with a reel of the ribbon cassette, and is in contact with the felt installed on the upper surface of the lower rotating body to support the above There is disclosed a structure having an ink ribbon supply-side reel stand constituted by an upper rotating body that rotates about an axis. In the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, the upper rotating body rotates by the driving force transmitted from the reel while resisting the frictional force of the felt. Moreover, in the structure of this patent document 1, it is provided so that the whole supply side reel stand may protrude from the side surface of a flame | frame.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-116666

  However, in the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, the shaft for attaching the upper rotating body and the lower rotating body is formed in a round bar shape having no D-cut, while the entire supply-side reel base projects from the side surface of the frame. Since it is formed so as to be (exposed), there is a problem that foreign matter is likely to adhere to the entire reel base. Therefore, when the structure of Patent Document 1 is applied to the structure having the conventional torque limiter 163 shown in FIG. 11, foreign matter adheres not only to the reel engaging portion but also to the torque limiter portion. There is a problem that a failure of the device due to the occurrence of the failure is likely to occur.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and one object of the present invention is to prevent foreign matter from entering the torque limiter portion and reduce the processing time and processing cost. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer printer and an image forming apparatus capable of performing the above.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  A thermal transfer printer according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a metal frame and a reel disposed on an inner surface side of the frame and provided with a recess having a plurality of grooves, and a film storage in which a thermal transfer film is stored A member, a winding member disposed so as to protrude from the outer surface side to the inner surface side of the frame, and engages with a reel of the film storage member to wind up the thermal transfer film; and a motor for driving the winding member In the thermal transfer printer, the winding member includes a torque limiter, the frame includes a through hole, and the winding member has a round bar shape with one end fixedly attached to the mounting member. It includes a metal support shaft and a resin rotating portion rotatably attached to the support shaft, and the resin rotating portion protrudes from the through hole of the frame to the inner surface side of the frame. In addition, a reel engaging portion that engages with the reel of the film storage member, and a disc-like shape that is formed integrally with the reel engaging portion so as to prevent foreign matter from entering through the through hole of the frame. A foreign matter intrusion prevention portion and a foreign matter intrusion prevention portion are formed integrally and continuously so as to cover the support shaft, and a torque limiter mounting portion for fixing the torque limiter is provided to rotatably support the torque limiter gear. The reel engaging portion of the rotating portion includes a plurality of protruding ribs formed in a shape that can be bent and deformed, and a plurality of protruding ribs provided at predetermined intervals. And reinforcing ribs.

In the thermal transfer printer according to the first aspect, as described above, the winding member is provided with a rotating portion including a reel engaging portion that is rotatably attached to a round bar-shaped metal support shaft. By attaching the torque limiter, the rotating portion and the torque limiter can be rotated synchronously using a round bar-shaped support shaft that can be processed in a short time or does not require processing. Thus, unlike the case where the reel engaging portion and the torque limiter that are separately formed are attached to the support shaft, it is not necessary to form the D-cut portion on the support shaft by using a cutting process that requires time for processing. The processing time can be reduced, and the processing cost can be reduced. In addition, by providing the resin rotating part with a foreign object intrusion prevention part that is formed integrally with the reel engaging part, it prevents foreign objects from entering through the through hole of the frame from the reel engaging part side. Therefore, foreign matter can be prevented from entering the torque limiter portion. Thereby, it is possible to prevent a failure of the device due to the adhesion of foreign matter to the torque limiter portion. In addition, by attaching one end of the round bar-shaped support shaft to a mounting member for mounting a motor for driving the winding member, the mounting member for mounting the motor can be attached to the support shaft. Since it can be used, it is possible to reduce the number of parts because it is not necessary to separately provide a member for attaching the support shaft. Also, by forming the torque limiter mounting part on the support part of the resin rotating part, the torque limiter mounting part can securely attach the torque limiter to the support part of the rotating part, so that the rotating part and the torque limiter can be securely connected. Can be rotated in synchronization with Further, by forming the protruding rib of the reel engaging portion that is fitted into the groove portion of the reel into a shape that can be flexibly deformed, the protruding rib of the reel engaging portion with respect to the groove portion of the reel when the protruding rib is fitted into the groove portion of the reel. Even if the position is slightly deviated, the protruding rib is bent and deformed, so that the protruding rib of the reel engaging portion can be easily fitted into the groove of the reel. In addition, at the end of the winding operation of the thermal transfer film, even if the thermal transfer film is slackened in the winding direction due to the inertial force on the supply side of the thermal transfer film, the protruding rib is bent due to the load during the winding operation Since the reel can be further rotated in the winding direction by returning from, the slack of the thermal transfer film at the end of the winding operation of the thermal transfer film can be corrected. Further, by providing the reinforcing rib with a predetermined distance from the protruding rib of the reel engaging portion, when the protruding rib is bent and deformed by a predetermined amount, it comes into contact with the reinforcing rib, so that the protruding rib is bent beyond the limit. Can prevent damage.

  An image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a frame having a through-hole and a winding member protruding from the through-hole of the frame, and the winding member rotates on a round bar-shaped support shaft and the support shaft. A rotating part having an engaging part protruding from the through-hole of the frame and a foreign matter entry preventing part for preventing foreign matter from entering from the through-hole of the frame, and a torque limiter attached to the rotating part. .

  In the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, as described above, the winding member is provided with the rotating portion including the engaging portion that is rotatably attached to the round bar-shaped support shaft, and the torque limiter is provided on the rotating portion. By attaching, a rotating part and a torque limiter can be rotated synchronously using a round bar-shaped support shaft that can be processed in a short time or does not require processing. Thus, unlike the case where the separately formed engaging portion and torque limiter are attached to the support shaft, it is not necessary to form the D-cut portion on the support shaft by using a cutting process that requires time for processing. The processing time can be reduced and the processing cost can be reduced. In addition, by providing a foreign matter entry preventing portion at the rotating portion of the winding member, foreign matter can be prevented from entering through the through hole of the frame from the engaging portion side, so that the foreign matter enters the torque limiter portion. Can be prevented. Thereby, it is possible to prevent a failure of the device due to the adhesion of foreign matter to the torque limiter portion.

  The image forming apparatus according to the second aspect preferably further includes an attachment member for attaching a drive source for driving the winding member, and the round bar-like support shaft is fixedly attached to the attachment member. Yes. With this configuration, the mounting member for mounting the drive source can also be used for mounting the support shaft, so that it is not necessary to separately provide a member for mounting the support shaft, thereby reducing the number of parts. Can do.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, it is preferable that the rotating portion has a support portion on which a torque limiter mounting portion for fixing the torque limiter is formed. If comprised in this way, since a torque limiter can be reliably attached to the support part of a rotation part by a torque limiter attachment part, a rotation part and a torque limiter can be reliably rotated synchronously.

The image forming apparatus according to the second aspect preferably further includes a film storage member including a reel provided with a recess having a groove, and the engaging portion of the rotating portion engages with the reel of the film storage member. And a protruding rib formed in a deformable shape. With this configuration, when the protruding rib of the engaging portion is fitted into the groove portion of the reel, even if the position of the protruding rib of the engaging portion with respect to the groove portion of the reel is slightly shifted, the protruding rib is bent and deformed. The protruding rib of the engaging portion can be easily fitted into the groove portion of the reel. Also, at the end of the film winding operation, even if the film is slackened in the winding direction due to the inertial force on the supply side of the film, by returning from the state where the protruding rib is bent by the load during the winding operation, Since the reel can be further rotated in the winding direction, the slackness of the film at the end of the film winding operation can be corrected.

  In this case, preferably, the engaging part of the rotating part further includes a reinforcing rib provided at a predetermined interval from the protruding rib. If comprised in this way, when a protrusion rib bends and deform | transforms a predetermined amount, since it will contact | abut to a reinforcement rib, it can prevent that a protrusion rib bends more than a limit and is damaged.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a thermal transfer printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a film storage member and a winding member of the thermal transfer printer according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the winding member according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a rotating portion of a winding member of the thermal transfer printer according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 5 to 7 are views for explaining a method of attaching a torque limiter to the rotating portion of the winding member of the thermal transfer printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a view showing a support shaft and a rotating portion of a winding member of a thermal transfer printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIGS. 1-8, the structure of the thermal transfer printer 1 by one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the thermal transfer printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a metal motor bracket 50 to which a metal frame 10, a film storage member 20, a paper transport roller 30, and a motor 40 are attached. A take-up member 60, a conveying roller side gear 70, and a plurality of intermediate gears 80. The thermal transfer printer 1 is an example of the “image forming apparatus” in the present invention, the motor 40 is an example of the “drive source” in the present invention, and the motor bracket 50 is an example of the “mounting member” in the present invention. It is.

  The frame 10 has a U-shape. The film storage member 20 and the paper transport roller 30 are disposed on the inner surface side of the frame 10. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the film storage member 20 includes a reel 21 provided with a recess 21 a having three groove portions 21 b and a thermal transfer film 22 wound around the outer peripheral surface of the reel 21. Yes. The motor bracket 50 is attached to the outer surface of the frame 10.

  Here, in this embodiment, the metal frame 10 includes a circular through hole 10a as shown in FIG. 2 and 3, the winding member 60 includes a metal support shaft 61, a resin rotating portion 62 rotatably attached to the support shaft 61, a torque limiter 63, and a compression member. A coil spring 64, a metal retaining member 65, and a retaining ring 66 for retaining are included. As shown in FIG. 8, the metal support shaft 61 is formed in a round bar shape having no D-cut. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the support shaft 61 is fixed to the motor bracket 50 by a caulking portion 61b that is caulked. The resin rotating portion 62 includes a reel engaging portion 62a, a circular foreign matter entry preventing portion 62b, and a support portion 62c. The reel engaging portion 62a is an example of the “engaging portion” in the present invention. The torque limiter 63 includes a gear 71 that is rotated by a driving force from the motor 40 and a circular plate 73 to which a felt 72 that contacts the gear 71 is attached.

In this embodiment, the reel engaging portion 62a of the resin-made rotating portion 62 is provided so as to protrude from the through hole 10a of the frame 10 to the inner surface side of the frame 10, as shown in FIGS. ing. The reel engaging portion 62a is integrally formed with three protruding ribs 62d, six reinforcing ribs 62e, and three positioning ribs 62f. The projecting rib 62d is formed into a shape that can be bent and deformed while engaging with the groove 21b of the reel 21. Further, the reinforcing ribs 62e are provided at an interval enough to contact the protruding ribs 62d when the protruding ribs 62d are bent and deformed. The reinforcing rib 62e has a function of regulating the bending amount of the protruding rib 62d. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the reinforcing rib 62e and the positioning rib 62f are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 21a of the reel 21 so as to have a function of positioning when the reel engaging portion 62a is engaged with the reel 21. Is formed in a position and shape along. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the circular foreign object entry preventing portion 62 b has a diameter larger than the through hole 10 a of the frame 10 and is positioned between the frame 10 and the motor bracket 50 so as to be positioned between the reels. It is formed continuously and integrally with the joint portion 62a.

  In the present embodiment, the support portion 62 c is formed integrally and continuously with the foreign matter intrusion prevention portion 62 b so as to cover the support shaft 61. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, a torque limiter mounting portion 62g and a retaining member mounting portion 62h are formed at the end of the support portion 62c. As shown in FIG. 5, the torque limiter mounting portion 62g is formed to have a width t1 in the extending direction of the support portion 62c that is larger than the thickness t2 of the plate 73 (see FIG. 5). Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the compression coil spring 64 is disposed between the gear 71 of the torque limiter 63 and the foreign matter intrusion prevention unit 62 b so as to urge the gear 71 against the felt 72. As shown in FIG. 5, the resin plate 73 that constitutes the torque limiter 63 is an oval shape that substantially matches the cross-sectional shape of the boss portion 73a and the torque limiter mounting portion 62g perpendicular to the extending direction of the support portion 62c. Through-holes 73b. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the retaining member 65 is formed on the outer peripheral portion, and has a shape that substantially matches the notch 65 a into which the boss 73 a of the plate 73 is fitted and the through hole 73 b of the plate 73. Through-holes 65b. The conveyance roller side gear 70 and the plurality of intermediate gears 80 are disposed between the frame 10 and the motor bracket 50. The plurality of intermediate gears 80 are arranged so that the winding member 60 and the conveyance roller side gear 70 can be driven by one motor 40.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3 and FIGS. 5 to 7, a method for attaching the torque limiter 63 in the thermal transfer printer 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 5, the plate 73 to which the felt 72 is attached is fitted into the torque limiter attaching portion 62g of the support portion 62c of the rotating portion 62 from the direction of arrow B in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the operator presses the plate 73 together with the gear 71 in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 6 against the urging force of the compression coil spring 64 (see FIG. 3). Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the retaining member 65 is fitted into the retaining member mounting portion 62h of the support portion 62c from the direction of arrow C in FIG. Further, in this state, the retaining member 65 is rotated in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 6, and the notch portion 65 a of the retaining member 65 is moved to a position corresponding to the boss portion 73 a of the plate 73. When the pressing force on the plate 73 is released in this state, the gear 71 and the plate 73 are moved in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 7 by the urging force of the compression coil spring 64 (see FIG. 3), so that the notch 65a of the retaining member 65 is Engage with the boss 73 a of the plate 73. Thereby, the attachment of the torque limiter 63 is completed.

Next, the mechanism of power transmission in the winding member 60 of the thermal transfer printer 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 3, the gear 71 of the torque limiter 63 is urged toward the plate 73 by the compression coil spring 64, so that the driving force of the gear 71 is transmitted to the plate 73 via the felt 72. Therefore, the gear 71 and the plate 73 rotate integrally. Next, the plate 73 of the torque limiter 63 is attached to the support portion 62c of the rotating portion 62 by the torque limiter attaching portion 62g as shown in FIGS. The engaging portion 62a rotates integrally. As a result, the driving force is transmitted to the gear 71 of the torque limiter 63, and when the torque limiter 63 rotates in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2, the reel engaging portion 62a of the rotating portion 62 similarly rotates in the direction of arrow A in FIG. To do. In this case, when a load torque equal to or greater than a predetermined torque is applied to the reel engaging portion 62a, the felt 72 attached to the plate 73 shown in FIG. 3 slides with respect to the gear 71. Therefore, even if the gear 71 rotates, the plate 73 Will not rotate. As a result, when a load torque greater than or equal to a predetermined torque is applied to the reel engaging portion 62a, power is not transmitted to the rotating portion 62, and the rotating portion 62 does not rotate.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the winding member 60 is provided with the rotating portion 62 including the reel engaging portion 62a that is rotatably attached to the round bar-shaped metal support shaft 61, and the rotating portion 62 is provided with the rotating portion 62. By attaching the torque limiter 63, the rotating part 62 and the torque limiter 63 can be rotated synchronously by using the round bar-shaped support shaft 61 that can be machined in a short time or does not require machining. Accordingly, unlike the case where the reel engaging portion 62a and the torque limiter 63 that are separately formed are attached to the support shaft 61, it is not necessary to form the D-cut portion on the support shaft 61 by using a cutting process that requires time for processing. Therefore, the processing time of the support shaft 61 can be reduced and the processing cost can be reduced. In the present embodiment, the resin rotating portion 62 is provided with the foreign matter entry preventing portion 62b formed integrally and continuously with the reel engaging portion 62a, so that the frame 10 can be seen from the reel engaging portion 62a side. Since foreign matter (not shown) can be prevented from entering through the through-hole 10a, foreign matter can be prevented from entering the portion of the torque limiter 63. As a result, it is possible to prevent a failure of the thermal transfer printer 1 due to adhesion of foreign matter to the torque limiter 63.

  In the present embodiment, the motor 40 is attached by fixing one end of the round bar-like support shaft 61 to the motor bracket 50 for attaching the motor 40 for driving the winding member 60 by caulking or the like. Since the motor bracket 50 for attaching the support shaft 61 can also be used, the number of parts can be reduced because it is not necessary to separately provide a member for attaching the support shaft 61.

  In this embodiment, the torque limiter mounting portion 62g is formed on the support portion 62c of the resin-made rotating portion 62, so that the torque limiter 63 is securely attached to the supporting portion 62c of the rotating portion 62 by the torque limiter mounting portion 62g. Therefore, the rotating part 62 and the torque limiter 63 can be reliably rotated in synchronization.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the protruding rib 62d of the reel engaging portion 62a to be fitted into the groove 21b of the reel 21 is formed into a shape that can be bent and deformed, the protruding rib 62d is fitted into the groove 21b of the reel 21. Even if the position of the protruding rib 62d of the reel engaging portion 62a with respect to the groove 21b of the reel 21 is slightly deviated, the protruding rib 62d bends and deforms, so that the protruding rib 62d of the reel engaging portion 62a becomes the groove 21b of the reel 21. Can be easily fitted. Further, at the end of the winding operation of the thermal transfer film 22, even if the thermal transfer film 22 is slackened in the winding direction due to the inertial force on the supply side of the thermal transfer film 22, the protruding rib 62d is caused by the load during the winding operation. Since the reel 21 can be further rotated in the winding direction by returning from the bent state, the slackness of the thermal transfer film 22 at the end of the winding operation of the thermal transfer film 22 can be corrected.

  Further, in this embodiment, the reinforcing rib 62e is provided at a predetermined interval from the protruding rib 62d of the reel engaging portion 62a, so that when the protruding rib 62d is bent and deformed by a predetermined amount, the reinforcing rib 62e contacts the reinforcing rib 62e. Further, it is possible to prevent the protruding rib 62d from being damaged by being bent beyond the limit.

The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description of the embodiments but by the scope of the claims, and further includes meanings equivalent to the scope of the claims and all modifications within the scope.

For example, in the present embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a thermal transfer printer as an example of an image forming apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and is widely applied to image forming apparatuses having a winding member other than a thermal transfer printer. Applicable.
In the above embodiment, the support shaft is fixed to the motor bracket to which the motor is attached. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the frame is cut and the support shaft is fixed to the cut and raised portion. May be.

  Moreover, although the example which formed three protrusion ribs in the reel engaging part was shown in the said embodiment, this invention is not restricted to this, What is necessary is just to form at least 1 or more protrusion ribs. In this case, the number of groove portions of the reel is preferably the same as the number of protruding ribs.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the example which formed the foreign material approach prevention part so that it had a diameter larger than the through-hole of a flame | frame was shown, this invention is not restricted to this, It is the same as the through-hole of a flame | frame, or slightly small You may form so that it may have a diameter. Moreover, although the example which formed the through-hole of the flame | frame and the foreign material approach prevention part in the circular shape was shown, this invention is not restricted to this, You may form in shapes other than circular shape. Moreover, although the example which formed the foreign material approach prevention part so that it might be located between a flame | frame and a motor bracket was shown, this invention is not restricted to this, Even if it forms so that it may be located in the inner surface side of a flame | frame, it is the same An effect can be obtained.

1 is a perspective view showing a thermal transfer printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which showed the film storage member and winding member of the thermal transfer printer by one Embodiment of this invention shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which showed the winding member by one Embodiment of this invention shown in FIG. It is the top view which showed the rotation part of the thermal transfer printer by one Embodiment of this invention shown in FIG. It is the figure which showed the attachment method of the torque limiter with respect to the rotation part of the thermal transfer printer by one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the attachment method of the torque limiter with respect to the rotation part of the thermal transfer printer by one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the state which attached the torque limiter with respect to the rotation part of the thermal transfer printer by one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the support shaft and rotation part of the thermal transfer printer by one Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the conventional thermal transfer printer. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a film storage member and a winding member in the conventional thermal transfer printer shown in FIG. 9. It is sectional drawing of the conventional winding member shown in FIG. It is the figure which showed the reel engaging part of the conventional thermal transfer printer shown in FIG. It is the figure which showed the support shaft of the conventional thermal transfer printer shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Thermal transfer printer (image forming device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Frame 10a Through-hole 20 Film storage member 21 Reel 21a Recessed part 21b Groove part 22 Thermal transfer film 40 Motor (drive source)
50 Motor bracket (mounting member)
60 Rewinding member 61 Support shaft 62 Rotating part 62a Reel engaging part (engaging part)
62b Foreign matter entry preventing portion 62c Support portion 62d Protruding rib 62e Reinforcing rib 62g Torque limiter mounting portion 63 Torque limiter 71 Gear

Claims (6)

A metal frame, a reel disposed on the inner surface side of the frame and provided with a recess having a plurality of grooves, a film storage member storing a thermal transfer film, and an inner surface side from the outer surface side of the frame A winding member for engaging the reel of the film storage member and winding the thermal transfer film, and an attachment member for mounting a motor for driving the winding member A thermal transfer printer including a torque limiter,
The frame includes a through hole;
The winding member is
A round bar-shaped metal support shaft fixedly attached to one end of the mounting member;
A resin rotating part rotatably attached to the support shaft,
The resin rotating part is
A reel engaging portion that protrudes from the through hole of the frame to the inner surface side of the frame and engages with a reel of the film storage member;
A disc-shaped foreign matter entry preventing portion that is integrally formed continuously with the reel engaging portion, and prevents foreign matter from entering from the through hole of the frame;
A torque limiter mounting portion for fixing the torque limiter is formed, and is formed integrally and continuously with the foreign matter intrusion prevention portion so as to cover the support shaft, and rotatably supports the gear of the torque limiter. A resin support part,
The reel engaging portion of the rotating portion has a plurality of protruding ribs formed in a shape that can be bent and deformed, and a plurality of reinforcing ribs provided at a predetermined interval from the protruding ribs. A frame having a through hole;
A winding member protruding from the through hole of the frame,
The winding member is
A round bar-shaped support shaft;
A rotating portion that is rotatably attached to the support shaft, and has an engaging portion protruding from a through hole of the frame and a foreign matter entry preventing portion for preventing foreign matter from entering from the through hole of the frame;
An image forming apparatus including a torque limiter attached to the rotating unit. An attachment member for attaching a drive source for driving the winding member;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the round bar-shaped support shaft is fixedly attached to the attachment member.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rotating unit includes a support unit on which a torque limiter mounting unit for fixing the torque limiter is formed. A film storage member including a reel provided with a recess having a groove,
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the engaging portion of the rotating portion has a protruding rib that is engaged with a reel of the film storage member and is formed in a deformable shape. apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the engaging portion of the rotating portion further includes a reinforcing rib provided at a predetermined interval from the protruding rib.

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