JP2007313729A - Recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording apparatus equipped with a ribbon guide which can be utilized in common between print heads with different specifications, has no need of using an expensive heat-resistant resin, and is easily mounted. <P>SOLUTION: The ribbon guide 11 is mounted on a protective cover 10 for a heat dissipating fin covering the heat dissipating fin of the print head. The protective cover 10 for the heat dissipating fin has a structure for engaging and mounting the ribbon guide 11 such as a receiving recessed part 22 on the upper face and an inclined face guide 24. The ribbon guide 11 is equipped with a connecting part 35, both side regulating parts 33 and 34, and guide parts 36 and 37, and the connecting part 35 is equipped with two arms 40 and 41 and an engaging piece 42 engaging with the protective cover 10 for the heat dissipating fin. The ribbon guide 11 is mounted on the protective cover 10 for the heat dissipating fin so as to push it from the front side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a ribbon guide for a recording apparatus using an ink ribbon.

  A recording apparatus using an ink ribbon is known which includes a ribbon guide for correctly guiding the ink ribbon to the front surface of the nose of the print head. In the recording apparatus of Patent Document 1, the ribbon guide 45 is attached to the recording head 18 (heat radiator 18a). In the recording apparatus of Patent Document 2, a ribbon guide and a cover that covers the heatsink of the print head are integrally provided. Also in the image forming apparatus of Patent Document 3, the ribbon guide main body and the handle portions 50 and 51 corresponding to the cover are integrally provided.

JP 2003-266905 A JP 2005-246657 A JP 2004-167733 A

  As described above, in the conventional recording apparatus, the ribbon guide is attached to the print head and the carriage. Since the print head is heated at a high temperature, it is necessary to use a material having excellent heat resistance, which increases the cost. Further, as in the recording apparatus of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide a structure (such as a groove or an unevenness) for attaching a ribbon guide to the print head itself or a radiator, but the print head has a response characteristic, a heat dissipation characteristic, etc. Since optimal design is performed based on various conditions, it is difficult to make the ribbon guide mounting portion common between print heads or carriages having different specifications.

The structure for attaching the ribbon guide to the carriage is difficult to see and difficult to work, as pointed out in Patent Document 1 (described in paragraph 0005). As in Patent Documents 2 and 3, it is possible to reduce the difficulty of mounting by integrally configuring the ribbon guide and the radiator cover, but the whole becomes large and difficult to handle.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus that can be used in common among print heads having different specifications, does not need to use an expensive heat-resistant resin, and has a ribbon guide mounting structure that is easy to mount.

  The ribbon guide is configured to be attached to and detached from a support member that is fixed in direct contact with the print head, such as a protective cover for the heat radiation fin.

  The present invention has the following effects. Even if the print head specifications are different and the outer shape is different, the ribbon guide can be shared. In addition, the ribbon guide can be made of a material that is not so high in heat resistance, and the degree of freedom in design can be improved. Furthermore, the ribbon guide replacement operation can be facilitated.

〔Example〕
FIG. 1 shows a mechanical main body 1 in a dot impact printer as a recording apparatus, which constitutes a frame on which a base plate 2, a back plate 3, and left and right side plates 4 and 5 are assembled to attach each mechanism member. The basic mechanism for recording is the same as that of conventional dot impact printers. A drive mechanism that drives each part with a motor via a gear train, etc., a print mechanism that guides the print head and reciprocates left and right, and paper transport A mechanism, a paper guide mechanism, a ribbon cartridge mounting mechanism, and the like.

  A long window is formed in the base plate 2 in the left-right direction. A platen 6 supported between the left and right side plates 4 and 5 faces the place, and a feed roller 7 for feeding paper is disposed in front and behind the platen 6. Reference numeral 8 denotes a head assembly, which includes a print head 9 (FIG. 2), a heat-radiating fin protective cover 10 that prevents the print head 9 from contacting the heat-radiating fins, a ribbon guide 11, a carriage 12, and a mask plate 13. Yes. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 14 denotes a ribbon cartridge, which stores an endlessly connected ink ribbon 15 and circulates the ink ribbon 15 in response to a driving force. The ribbon cartridge 14 (FIG. 3) has a delivery port 16 at one end and a receiving port 17 at the other end, and an ink ribbon 15 is stretched between them.

  The ribbon guide 11 is a member provided on the ribbon cartridge 14 side as a product, and is usually made of synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 3, the ink ribbon exposed between the delivery port 16 and the reception port 17 is exposed. 15 is attached. Even if the ribbon guide 11 is fixed, the ink ribbon 15 can move in the longitudinal direction (circulation direction).

  In this embodiment, the print head 9 is attached to the carriage 12 with the nose tip facing the lower platen 6, and the ink ribbon 15 guided by the ribbon guide 11 and the mask plate are arranged between the print head 9 and the nose tip. Is done. The mask plate 13 prevents the ink ribbon 15 from coming into contact with the paper at a place other than the printing position and causing the paper to become dirty, and a window through which the platen 6 can be seen is formed at a position corresponding to the tip of the nose.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the radiation fin protective cover 10 includes an upper surface 18, a front surface 19, and left and right side surfaces 20 and 21, and is attached to the upper portion of the print head 9 fixed to the carriage 12. It is mounted so as to cover the radiating fin from above, and prevents the hand from coming into contact with the radiating fin from above, from the front and from the left and right.
On the upper surface 18 of the protection cover 10 of the heat radiation fin, two receiving recesses 22 and 23 opened from the center in the rear and facing forward are formed, and slope guides 24 and 25 are formed near both front ends. Yes. Engaging grooves 22a and 22b are formed in the receiving recess 22, and engaging grooves 23a and 23b are formed in the receiving recess 23 in the vertical direction. The inclined surface guides 24 and 25 are inclined surfaces by cutting backward from the front piece of the upper surface 18 with a constant width d1 and folding the portion upward. The upper surface 18 has a substantially narrow left and right width at the slope guides 24 and 25, and is the same as the outer surface spacing of the left and right side surfaces 20 and 21. Reference numeral 26 denotes a slit for heat dissipation.

The front surface 19 is formed by projecting a mounting surface 27 as an extension of the upper surface from the upper side, and an engagement notch 28 is provided in the center portion leaving a fin 29 in the deep portion. A nose cover portion 30 that covers the nose portion of the print head 9 is integrally formed at the center of the lower side of the front surface 19. The nose cover portion 30 hangs down from the center of the lower side of the front surface 19 of the radiating fin protection cover 10 and then turns back to cover the front of the nose and part of the left and right side surfaces, and screw hole portions on both sides of the lower rear end. 30a.
Since the left and right side surfaces 20 and 21 are configured symmetrically with the same structure, the right side surface 21 will be described. As for the side surface 21, the back part has the level | step difference 31 rather than the front, and has protruded slightly to the side. The step 31 is about the average thickness of the side wall 21, and exists vertically downward from the base of the slope guide 25. Reference numeral 32 denotes a hook claw, and the front is separated from the side wall 21 by upper and lower slits, and a hook provided at the front end can be elastically engaged with the head 9.
As shown in FIG. 2, in a state where the heat radiating fin protection cover 10 is attached to the print head 9 and fixed to the carriage 12, a gap remains with the mask plate 13. A nose cover 30 provided at the center of the lower side of the front surface 19 of the protective cover 10 for the radiating fin covers the nose portion of the print head 9 and fixes the radiating fin protective cover 10 to the carriage 12 with a screw inserted into the screw portion 30a. . This screw is also used as a screw for fixing the print head 9 to the carriage 12.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ribbon guide 11 is formed at the distal ends of the right and left restricting portions 33, 34, the connecting portion 35 and the restricting portions 33, 34, which are coupled to each other at the upper portion, and the left and right restricting portions 33, 34 are arranged to face each other. Guide portions 36 and 37 are provided.
The connecting portion 35 is composed of a horizontal portion 38 and a vertical portion 39. Two arms 40 and 41 protrude from the rear side of the horizontal portion to the rear, and the tip swells into a quadrangle. 40a, 40b and engaging protrusions 41a, 41b are formed in the vertical direction. The lengths of the arms 40 and 41 are equal and correspond to the dimensions of the receiving recesses 22 and 23 on the upper surface 18 when the arms 40 and 41 are attached to the protective cover 10 of the radiation fin.
The vertical portion 39 includes an engaging piece 42 that protrudes downward at the center of the lower side and is displaced slightly rearward with a step on the back side.

Since the right and left restricting portions 33 and 34 are symmetrical with the same structure, the right restricting portion 34 will be described. The restricting portion 34 turns to the left from the vertical side surface portion 43 corresponding to the cross-section at both ends of the connecting portion 35, the oblique side surface portion 44 obliquely moving backward from the rear end thereof, and the lower end of the oblique side surface portion 44. The guide portion 37 is bent.
The rear upper corner portion of the vertical side surface portion 43 is chamfered and formed with a slope or roundness. The skew side surface portion 44 is skewed so that the guide portion 37 at the lower end thereof is on the same line as the nose tip of the print head 9 in the left-right direction. It is the middle position of the dimension. The guide 37 includes a passage slit 45 for passing the ink ribbon 15 near the boundary between the skew side surface portion 44 and the guide portion 37 and a positioning slit 46 for positioning the ink ribbon 15 at the tip.
The distance between the left and right restricting portions 33 and 34 is substantially equal to the dimension between the outer surfaces of the left and right side surfaces 20 and 21 of the protective cover 10, and the left and right guide portions 36 and 37 are arranged facing each other.

  In the case of a recording apparatus as a product, in the printing mechanism of the mechanical body 1, the print head 9 is attached to the carriage 12 and a protective cover 10 for heat radiation fins is also mounted for safety. In this state, when the ribbon cartridge 14 is newly mounted, the ribbon cartridge 14 is attached to the ribbon cartridge mounting mechanism set between the side plates 4 and 5 of the mechanical body 1, and the ribbon guide 11 is pinched to protect the radiation fins. Mount on the cover 10.

  That is, the ribbon guide 11 is moved by sandwiching the side surfaces 20 and 21 of the protective cover 10 of the radiating fin with the right and left restricting portions 33 and 34, and the ink ribbon 15 between the lower guide portions 36 and 37 is moved to the nose of the print head 9. It is inserted between the tip and the mask plate 13 below it. Next, the upper part of the ribbon guide 11 is rotated and lifted so that the vertical side surface parts 43 and 44 of the restricting parts 33 and 34 are pushed into the slope guides 24 and 25 on the upper surface of the protective cover 10 of the radiation fins.

  Then, the ribbon guide 11 is guided by the slope guides 24 and 25 and moves downward so that the upper portion rotates rearward, and the enormous portion at the tip of the arms 40 and 41 on the upper portion of the ribbon guide 11 is the upper surface of the protective cover 10 of the radiation fin. It fits into the 18 receiving recesses 22 and 23. Thereby, the engagement protrusions 40a and 40b and the engagement protrusions 41a and 41b at the tips of the arm portions 40 and 41 are engaged with the engagement recesses 22a and 22b and the engagement recesses 23a and 23b. By the engagement of the receiving recesses 22 and 23 and the arm portions 40 and 41, the radiation fin protection cover 10 is positioned rearward.

  Further, there is a clearance due to the step 31 between the side surface 21 of the protective cover 10 of the radiating fin and the restriction portions 33 and 34 of the ribbon guide 11 so that the restriction portions 33 and 34 do not contact the side surface 21. ing. From the above, the ink ribbon 15 between the guide portions 36 and 37 is correctly arranged at the nose tip position. At the same time, the connecting portion 35 of the ribbon guide 11 is placed and stabilized on the mounting portion 27 projecting forward of the upper surface 18 of the protective cover 10 of the radiating fin, and the engaging piece 42 on the lower side is on the protective cover 10 side of the radiating fin. The stepped portion on the back side engages with the fin 29 from below to prevent it from coming off upward. In this way, the ribbon guide 11 is attached to the protective cover 10 of the heat radiating fin and becomes a part of the head assembly 8.

In the above operation, the ribbon guide 11 is brought close to the front of the print head 9 in the recording apparatus, the ink ribbon 15 between the guide portions 36 and 37 is inserted between the nose tip and the ribbon mask, and then the ribbon guide 11 is raised. It is very simple because it is an operation that simply pushes it into the protective cover of the radiating fin, and it is attached to the radiating fin protective cover 10 which is relatively outside and easy to determine the posture and form. is there.
When replacing the ribbon cartridge 14, the ribbon cartridge 14 is rotated by pulling the lower portions of the restricting portions 33 and 34 of the ribbon guide 11 of the used cartridge 14 toward the front to disengage the engagement pieces 42 from the fins 29. Further, when the ink ribbon 15 between the guide portions 36 and 37 is escaped from the tip of the nose by further rotating, the arm portions 40 and 41 are lifted by rotating the entire ribbon guide 11 while rotating in the reverse direction. The heat dissipating fin is removed from the protective cover 10. This operation is also easy.

And since the ribbon guide 11 is attached to the protection cover 10 of the radiation fin which covers the radiation fin of the print head 9, the receiving recesses 22 and 23 for attaching the ribbon guide 11 to the protection cover 10 of the radiation fin, the slope guide If the 24, 25, the fin 29, the step 31, etc. are formed, the ribbon guide 11 can be used in common. Further, it is easy to provide these in common on the protective cover 10 of the heat dissipating fins, and it is not hindered by the structure and form of the specialized print head 9.
Furthermore, since the temperature of the protective cover 10 for the heat radiation fins does not become so high even when the print head 9 has been operating for a long time, the synthetic resin as a material for forming the ribbon guide 11 has high heat resistance and is expensive. There is no need to use anything.

  The above is an example, and the protective cover 10 of the heat dissipating fin is used as a support member to which the ribbon guide 11 is attached. However, other support members that are fixed in direct contact with the print head may be used. The structure for attaching the ribbon guide 11 to the support member including the protective cover for the heat dissipating fins is not limited to the illustrated one as long as the ink ribbon 15 is accurately positioned with respect to the tip of the nose and can be easily attached and detached.

As described above, providing a structure for attaching and detaching the ribbon guide to the support member including the radiating fin protective cover is simply a design problem in molding, so it is easy and for print heads with different specifications. Even if the support member has a different structure, it is easy to make the structure for attaching and detaching the ribbon guide easy, so the ribbon guide should be used in common between print heads with different specifications. Can do.
Since the ribbon guide is attached to the support member, even if the support member fixed in direct contact with the print head receives heat, the ribbon guide does not become hot, and the ribbon guide material is highly heat-resistant and expensive. There is no need to use a new resin.
The protective cover of the heat radiation fin is easy to see from the outside, and it is easy to install the ribbon guide.

The perspective view of a mechanical main body. The perspective view shown in the state which removed the ribbon guide from the head assembly. The perspective view of a ribbon cartridge. The perspective view of the protective cover of a radiation fin. The perspective view of a ribbon guide. The perspective view which attached the ribbon guide to the protective cover of a radiation fin, and was set as the head assembly.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mechanical body 2 Base plate 3 Back plate 4 Left side plate 5 Right side plate 6 Platen 7 Feed roller 8 Head assembly 9 Print head 10 Radiation fin protective cover 10a Nose cover 11 Ribbon guide 12 Carriage 13 Mask plate 14 Ribbon cartridge 15 Ink Ribbon 16 Delivery port 17 Reception port 18 Upper surface 19 Front surface 20 Left side surface 21 Right side surface 22 Left receiving recess 22a, 22b Engaging recess 23 Right receiving recess 23a, 23b Engaging recess 24 Left slope guide 25 Right slope guide 26 Slit 27 Surface 28 Engagement notch 29 Fin 30 Nose cover 30a Screw portion 31 Step 32 Hook claw 33 Left restricting portion 34 Right restricting portion 35 Connecting portion 36 Left guide portion 37 Right guide portion 38 Horizontal portion 39 Vertical portion 40 Left arms 40a, 40b Ridge 41 right arm 41a, 41b engage ridge 42 engaging pieces 43 vertical side portion 44 oblique side portion 45 passes through the slit 46 positioning slit

Claims (7)

  A recording apparatus comprising: a print head for printing on a sheet via an ink ribbon; and a ribbon guide for guiding the ink ribbon, and a support member fixed in direct contact with the print head, the ribbon guide Is a recording apparatus characterized in that it is detachably attached to the support member.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print head includes a radiation fin, and the support member is a protective cover for the radiation fin.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member and the ribbon guide are made of different resin materials.   The protective cover of the heat radiating fin includes an upper surface, a front surface, and left and right side surfaces, and the ribbon guide includes left and right restricting portions, a connecting portion that couples these, and left and right guide portions that are arranged opposite to each other, The connecting part consists of a horizontal part and a vertical part. Engage the connecting part of the ribbon guide with the upper and front surfaces of the radiating fin protective cover, and attach the ribbon guide with the left and right regulating parts sandwiching the left and right side surfaces of the radiating fin protective cover. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the recording apparatus is a recording apparatus.   The protective cover of the radiating fin has engaging recesses or engaging convex portions on the upper surface and the front surface, and the ribbon guide has engaging convex portions or engaging portions corresponding to the unevenness of the radiating fin protective cover on the horizontal and vertical portions of the connecting portion. The recording apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a concave portion, wherein the ribbon guide is attached to the heat radiating fin protective cover by engaging the engaging convex portion with the engaging concave portion.   The horizontal portion of the ribbon guide has a plurality of arms extending rearward, each of which has an engaging convex portion or an engaging concave portion at the tip of the arm, and the radiating fin protective cover has an engaging concave portion or a concave portion corresponding to the concave and convex portions. 6. The concave / convex engagement for restricting upward movement is formed between the lower side of the vertical portion and the front surface of the radiation fin protection cover. The recording device described. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the ribbon guide is attached to the radiation fin protection cover by one operation of pushing backward from the front side of the radiation fin protection cover.

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