JP2010253904A - Thermal printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermal printer which can be made compact. <P>SOLUTION: The thermal printer 1 includes a thermal head 161, a winding holder 121 which winds and holds an ink ribbon 3 used in printing by the thermal head 161, and a rotary body 31 which is arranged opposite to the ink ribbon 3 held by the winding holder 121 and rotates the winding holder 121 through contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon 3 wound by the winding holder 121. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal printer.

  In recent years, it has been widely demanded to display various information such as a product serial number, date of manufacture, and expiration date on an exterior member enclosing the product. In such a case, for example, when an exterior part enclosing a product is formed of a packaging film, generally, various information is printed by a thermal printer.

  A thermal printer is usually configured to include a thermal head, an ink ribbon, and a platen roller. The thermal head includes a plurality of heat generating elements at its end, and a desired heat generating element generates heat when energized. The ink ribbon is wound around the original fabric holder, and is fed out from the original fabric holder in synchronism with the packaging film continuously delivered from the packaging machine or the like, and is wound up by the take-up holder after printing. Has been. The platen roller is disposed so that its outer peripheral surface comes into contact with a packaging film that is continuously drawn out from a packaging machine or the like, and constitutes a print receiving portion for the thermal head and the ink ribbon.

  In the thermal printer, the ink applied to the ink ribbon is adhered to the wrapping film by bringing the ink ribbon in contact with the desired heat generating element that has generated heat into contact with the wrapping film on the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller, and printing is performed ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-123863

  By the way, in recent years, there is an increasing demand for miniaturization of thermal printers. However, a thermal printer usually requires many drive sources such as a drive motor for driving the thermal head, a rotation motor for rotating the raw material holder and the take-up holder, and a drive motor for rotating the platen roller. And

  Of these, a drive motor for driving the thermal head, a drive motor for driving the original fabric holder and the take-up holder include the thermal head, the original fabric holder and the take-up holder as well as the thermal head and the original fabric holder. And a unit support portion on which the winding holder is supported. That is, in the conventional thermal printer, each of the drive motors described above is disposed on the unit support, and the thermal head, the raw fabric holder, and the take-up holder are directly driven by the drive motors. As a result, the conventional thermal printer inevitably has a large unit support, which is one of the obstacles to miniaturizing the thermal printer.

  Also, if the unit support part is large, for example, if multiple unit support parts are arranged in the width direction of the object to be printed, and if multiple units are to be printed simultaneously at multiple locations in the width direction, then it is necessary in the width direction. As a result, the size of the printing medium is increased, and there is a problem in that printing cannot be performed at a suitable interval in the width direction of the substrate. Accordingly, there has been a demand for a thermal printer in which the unit support portion is miniaturized.

  An object of this invention is to provide the thermal printer which can be reduced in size.

  The thermal printer of the present invention is disposed so as to face the thermal head, a winding holder for winding and holding the ink ribbon printed by the thermal head, and the ink ribbon held by the winding holder. A take-up holder rotating body that rotates the take-up holder by contacting the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon taken up by the take-up holder.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said winding holder rotary body consists of rotation rollers.

  The thermal printer of the present invention further includes a winding holder moving unit that moves the winding holder so that the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon wound around the winding holder can press the winding holder rotating body. It is preferable to provide.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said winding holder moving part is a biasing arm which biases the said winding holder toward the said winding holder rotary body.

  In addition, it is preferable that the thermal printer of the present invention further includes a winding stopper portion that stops the rotation of the winding holder by contacting the ink ribbon wound on the winding holder.

  Further, the thermal printer of the present invention rotatably holds the wound ink ribbon, and feeds the ink ribbon to a predetermined path by forward rotation, and forward rotates the ink ribbon via the path. A winding holder for rotatably holding the ink ribbon so that the ink ribbon can be sent back to the path by reverse rotation, and the length of the path is increased. A moving roller that moves in a changeable manner.

  Further, the thermal printer of the present invention includes a roller moving unit that moves the moving roller so that the length of the path can be changed, and an original fabric stopper that stops the rotation of the original fabric holder by contacting the original fabric holder. And a pressed portion that is pressed by the roller moving portion, and the original fabric stopper moving portion is configured such that the moving roller is arranged so that the length of the path is increased. The original fabric stopper is brought into contact with the original fabric holder when moved, and the pressed portion is pressed by the roller moving portion when the moving roller moves so as to shorten the length of the path. It is preferable that the original fabric stopper portion is separated from the original fabric holder.

  Further, it is preferable that the roller moving unit is a rotating arm provided so as to be rotatable about a first rotating shaft, and the moving roller is provided in the roller moving unit.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a plurality of the moving rollers are provided so as to sandwich the first rotation shaft.

  The original fabric stopper moving portion further includes a brake arm that is rotatable about a second rotation axis, and the original fabric stopper portion and the pressed portion sandwich the second rotation shaft. It is preferable that the brake arm is provided as described above.

  Further, the thermal printer of the present invention is configured to be close to and away from the thermal head, and the printing surface of the printed material is disposed between the thermal head and the printing surface in the state of being close to the thermal head. And a print receiving rotating body that rotates while contacting the printed material so as to face the ink ribbon to be printed.

  Further, it is preferable that the print receiving rotating body is composed of a rotating roller.

  Further, it is preferable that the print receiving rotating body includes an eccentric shaft capable of eccentric rotation, and approaches and separates from the thermal head by the rotation of the eccentric shaft.

  The multiple thermal printer of the present invention is a multiple thermal printer in which a plurality of print units each having a thermal head for printing on an object to be printed using an ink ribbon are arranged in parallel. The printing head of the substrate is configured so as to face the ink ribbon positioned between the thermal head and the printing surface in a state where the printing head is close to and separated from the thermal head. And a print receiving rotating body that rotates while contacting the substrate.

  Further, the print unit includes an elastic support portion that supports the thermal head so as to be movable in a direction away from the print receiving rotating body by elastically deforming in a state where the printing receiving rotating body is close to the thermal head. It is preferable.

  The print unit includes a winding holder that winds up the ink ribbon, and is arranged to face the ink ribbon wound around the plurality of winding holders of the plurality of printing units, and the winding holder It is preferable to further include a take-up holder rotating body that rotates the take-up holder by coming into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon that has been wound around the ink ribbon.

  In addition, it is preferable to further include a take-up holder moving unit that moves the take-up holder so that the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon taken up by the take-up holder of the print unit can press the take-up holder rotating body.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the thermal printer which can be reduced in size can be provided.

It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the thermal printer which concerns on this embodiment from the front side. It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the thermal printer which concerns on this embodiment from the back side. It is a figure explaining the mounting process of the printing unit to the flame | frame in the thermal printer which concerns on this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the thermal printer according to the present embodiment in a state in which a print unit is mounted on a frame, corresponding to the AA cross-sectional view of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a configuration of a print unit in detail. It is a side view of a printing unit at the time of printing. FIG. 6 is a side view of the print unit in a state where a winding side ribbon holder in the winding mechanism rotates reversely and an ink ribbon is returned to the ribbon path guiding mechanism side. FIG. 6 is a side view of the print unit in a state where the ink ribbon feeding is started in the contact period. It is a figure explaining the feeding drive of the ink ribbon by a winding mechanism, Comprising: It is a side view of the printing unit at the time of printing in the state in which the amount of winding of the ink ribbon to a winding roll is small. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating ink ribbon feed driving by a winding mechanism, and is a side view of a print unit in a state where the amount of ink ribbon wound around a winding roll is large.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a thermal printer 1 according to this embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the thermal printer 1 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the back side.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the thermal printer 1 includes a plurality (three sets in the present embodiment) of print units 100 and a unit support unit 20 on which the plurality of print units 100 are mounted in parallel. ing. The print unit 100 is mounted in parallel in the width direction of the unit support portion 20 (the left-right direction when the thermal printer 1 is viewed from the front side. Is done.

  The print unit 100 includes an original fabric side ribbon holder 111 as an original fabric holder that rotatably holds the wound ink ribbon 2, and a take-up side ribbon holder 121 as a take-up holder that winds up the ink ribbon 2. The apparatus includes a first moving roller 144 and a second moving roller 145 as rollers, and a head unit 160 that performs printing on the ink ribbon 3 by thermal transfer.

  The unit support unit 20 presses the print substrate 2 against the frame 10, a print substrate guide mechanism 50 that guides the print substrate 2 as a belt-like print substrate along a predetermined print path PR, and the head unit 160. An overall control unit (not shown) for controlling the pressure contact mechanism 40 to be driven, the ribbon drive mechanism 30 for sending out the ink ribbon 3 held by the print unit 100, the printed material guide mechanism 50, the pressure contact mechanism 40, and the plurality of print units 100. And is configured.

  In the thermal printer 1, the ribbon drive mechanism 30 is held by each of the plurality of print units 100 at a speed synchronized with the printing object 2 with respect to the printing object 2 that moves along the printing path PR by the printing object guide mechanism 50. The ink ribbon 2 is sent out, and each head unit 160 and the pressure contact mechanism 40 perform printing on the printing surface of the printing material (the surface facing the head unit 160). The number of prints according to the installation of the print unit 100) can be performed simultaneously.

Hereinafter, each part in the thermal printer 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 in addition to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a process of mounting the print unit 100 on the frame 10. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the thermal printer 1 corresponding to the AA cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 and showing a state in which the print unit 100 is mounted on the frame 10. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the configuration of the print unit 100 in detail.
In the following description, the front side (that is, the left side shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5) of the unit support portion 20 is the “front side”, and the back side of the unit support portion 20 (FIGS. 3, 4, and 5). The right side) shown in FIG.

First, the unit support part 20 will be described.
The frame 10 includes a rectangular base plate 11, side plates 12L and 12R erected on both ends of the rectangular base plate 11 in the width direction, and lower support bars 21 installed between the side plates 12L and 12R. The upper support bar 23, the lower guide rail 22 fixed to the lower support bar 21, and the upper guide rail 24 fixed to the upper support bar 23 are configured.

The lower support bar 21 has a rectangular column shape in cross section, and is extended between the side plates 12L and 12R with the major axis as the width direction and the upper surface as horizontal.
The upper support bar 23 has a prismatic shape with a substantially square cross section, and is extended between the side plates 12L and 12R with the major axis as the width direction and the upper surface as the horizontal.

  The lower guide rail 22 has a prismatic shape having a predetermined length, and is fixed to the upper surface of the lower support bar 21. The lower guide rail 22 is arranged so that the long axis is orthogonal to the long axis of the lower support bar 21. That is, the lower guide rail 22 is fixed to the lower support bar 21 so that the long axis is arranged in the front-rear direction of the unit support portion 20.

  The lower guide rail 22 is formed with an insertion groove 22 </ b> A having a square groove shape along the major axis of the lower guide rail 22. The insertion groove 22A is open upward with a width that allows a unit base 101 of the print unit 100 to be described later to be fitted. A lock pin 25 is provided at a predetermined position of the lower guide rail 22 to fix the print unit 100.

  The upper guide rail 24 has a prismatic shape having a predetermined length, and is fixed to the upper surface of the upper support bar 23. The upper guide rail 24 is disposed in parallel with the lower guide rail 22 in a state of facing the lower guide rail 22. The upper guide rail 24 is formed with an insertion groove 24 </ b> A having a cross-sectional shape of a square groove so as to face the insertion groove 22 </ b> A along the long axis of the upper guide rail 24. The insertion groove 24A is open to the lower side with a width that allows the unit base 101 of the print unit 100 to be fitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the unit support portion 20 is configured so that guide rods (a lower guide rod 102 and an upper guide rod 103) provided on two upper and lower sides of a unit base 101 (described later) The print unit 100 is supported by being fitted into the fitting insertion groove 22 </ b> A and the fitting insertion groove 24 </ b> A of the upper guide rail 24. Then, the unit support portion 20 moves the print unit 100 rearward along the insertion grooves 22A and 24A, and engages the lock pin 25 provided on the lower guide rail 22 with the lower guide rod 102. 100 is fixed so that it cannot be removed.

  According to the unit support portion 20 configured as described above, the lower guide rail 22 and the upper guide rail 24 can be fixed at arbitrary positions on the lower support bar 21 and the upper support bar 23, and the print unit 100 can be mounted. . Thereby, for example, the print unit 100 can be arranged at an arbitrary position in the width direction of the unit support portion 20, and a large number of print units 100 can be arranged in parallel on the unit support portion 20 without a gap. As a result, the position of the print unit 100 can be set so as to print at an arbitrary position in the width direction of the substrate 2 and the number of print columns can also be set arbitrarily. That is, the print position can be set with a high degree of freedom.

  The printed material guide mechanism 50 includes a lower guide roller 51 provided at the lower part of the frame 10 and an upper guide roller 52 provided at the upper part on the back side of the frame 10. The lower guide roller 51 and the upper guide roller 52 are rotatably supported on the left and right side plates 12L and 12R of the frame 10 via bearings. The lower guide roller 51 and the upper guide roller 52 are supported by the side plates 12L and 12R so that the central axis is horizontal.

  The belt-shaped printed material 2 is wound on the printed material guide mechanism 50 so as to be wound from the lower side to the rear side of the lower guide roller 51 and from the front side to the upper side of the upper guide roller 52. Passed. In this way, the printed material guide mechanism 50 constitutes a printed material path PR along which the printed material 2 moves from the front side to the rear side of the unit support portion 20.

  Although not shown, the print substrate 2 is mounted on the feeding device while being wound in a roll on the upstream side of the lower guide roller 51, and is wound on the winding device on the downstream side of the upper guide roller 52. It is configured. That is, the printing object 2 is configured to move at a predetermined speed along the printing path PR (from the lower side to the upper side shown in FIG. 4) by the winding drive of the winding device.

The pressure contact mechanism 40 includes a platen roller 41 as a print receiving rotating body, an eccentric support shaft 41E as an eccentric shaft, and a platen movement motor 42.
The platen roller 41 is a roller having a predetermined outer diameter formed by forming an elastic layer made of a material having a predetermined elasticity such as silicone rubber on the peripheral surface of a metal core having a predetermined diameter. The length of the platen roller 41 extends over the entire width direction of the unit support portion 20. The arrangement position of the platen roller 41 is set on the rear side across the print path PR of the print target 2 with respect to the head unit 160 provided in the print unit 100 mounted on the unit support portion 20.

  The eccentric support shafts 41 </ b> E are provided at both ends of the platen roller 41 at positions decentered by a predetermined amount from the central axis of the platen roller 41. The eccentric support shaft 41E is rotatably supported by the left and right side plates 12L and 12R of the frame 10 via bearings. The eccentric support shaft 41E is attached horizontally with the central axis direction as the width direction.

  The platen movement motor 42 is provided on the inner surface of one side plate 12L (left side in FIG. 1) of the frame 10. The platen movement motor 42 is connected to the eccentric support shaft 41E via the timing belt 43. Specifically, the timing belt 43 is wound around the timing pulley 41P fixed to the eccentric support shaft 41E of the platen roller 41 and the timing pulley 42P fixed to the rotation shaft of the platen movement motor 42. Yes. Thereby, the eccentric support shaft 41E is rotationally driven by the platen movement motor 42. The platen movement motor 42 is controlled by the above-described overall control device (not shown).

  The platen roller 41 moves in the front-rear direction by the rotation of the eccentric support shaft 41E. For example, in a state where the platen roller 41 is positioned on the rear side due to the rotation of the eccentric support shaft 41 </ b> E, the outer peripheral surface (the frontmost side) of the platen roller 41 is on the rear side of the printing path PR of the printing medium 2. . On the other hand, in a state in which the platen roller 41 is positioned in front, the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 41 is on the front side with respect to the printing path PR of the printing material 2. That is, in a state where the platen roller 41 is located in the front, the printed material 2 in the printing path PR is pushed forward by a predetermined amount, and the printing path PR is bent forward.

  Here, as described above, the platen roller 41 is located on the rear side with respect to the head unit 160 included in the print unit 100 with respect to the print path PR of the print target 2. Therefore, in a state in which the platen roller 41 is positioned on the front side, the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 41 presses the printing object 2 in the printing path PR against a printing unit 161A (see FIG. 5) described later of the head unit 160. .

  On the other hand, in the state where the platen roller 41 is located at the rear, the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 41 is located behind the printing path PR of the printing medium 2, so that the pressure on the head unit 160 (printing portion 161 </ b> A) is released. The

  As described above, the platen roller 41 moves in the front-rear direction by the rotation of the eccentric support shaft 41E, and presses the printing object 2 in the printing path PR against the head unit 160 (printing unit 161A) (hereinafter, “ “Pressed state”) and a state in which the printing object 2 is not pressed against the head unit 160 (hereinafter referred to as “non-pressed state”) are alternately repeated. Then, printing is performed by pressing the printing medium 2 against the head unit 160 (printing unit 161A) with the ink ribbon 3 interposed between the printing medium 2 and the head unit 160.

  Further, the pressure contact mechanism 40 configures a pressed state and a non-pressed state by moving the platen roller 41 having a length over the entire width direction of the unit support portion 20 in the front-rear direction by the eccentric support shaft 41E. Accordingly, for example, it is possible to simultaneously print with a single platen roller 41 on a plurality of print units 100 mounted in parallel in the width direction of the unit support portion 20.

  Further, each print unit 100 is configured such that the platen roller 41 approaches and separates from the head unit 160 (printing unit 161A), and thus a mechanism for moving the head unit 160 (printing unit 161A) to the platen roller 41 side. It becomes unnecessary.

  As a result, a drive source such as a motor for moving the head unit 160 to each print unit 100 becomes unnecessary, and for example, the configuration of the print unit 100 can be simplified, the size in the width direction can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. In addition, since the size in the width direction of the print unit 100 can be reduced, for example, the degree of freedom in setting the interval in the width direction of printing can be improved.

The ribbon drive mechanism 30 includes a ribbon drive roller 31 as a winding holder rotating body and a ribbon drive motor 32.
The ribbon drive roller 31 is a roller having a predetermined outer diameter with an elastic layer having a predetermined thickness made of a material having a predetermined elasticity such as silicone rubber on the peripheral surface of a metal core having a predetermined diameter. The ribbon drive roller 31 is not shown in detail, but support shafts at both ends are rotatably supported by the left and right side plates 12L and 12R of the frame 10 via bearings. The ribbon drive roller 31 is horizontally arranged with the central axis direction as the width direction. The length of the ribbon drive roller 31 extends over the entire width direction of the unit support portion 20. The position of the ribbon drive roller 31 in the front-rear direction is set in front of the printing path of the printing medium 2.

  The ribbon drive motor 32 is provided on the outer surface of one (left side shown in FIG. 1) side plate 12L of the frame 10, and is accommodated in the drive control box 13 mounted on the outer surface of the side plate 12L. The ribbon drive motor 32 is controlled by an overall control device (not shown) that controls the thermal printer 1 in an integrated manner. Although not shown, the overall control device is disposed inside the drive control box 13.

  The ribbon drive roller 31 and the ribbon drive motor 32 are connected via a timing belt 33. Specifically, the ribbon driving is performed by winding the timing belt 33 between the timing pulley 31P fixed to the support shaft of the ribbon driving roller 31 and the timing pulley 32P fixed to the rotating shaft of the ribbon driving motor 32. The roller 31 and the ribbon drive motor 32 are connected. The ribbon drive roller 31 can be rotationally driven in both the forward and reverse directions by transmitting the rotational drive force from the ribbon drive motor 32 by the timing belt 33.

  Although described in detail later, the ribbon drive roller 31 is in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the winding-side ribbon holder 121. The ribbon drive roller 31 rotates in a state where it is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the winding side ribbon holder 121, thereby rotating the winding side ribbon holder 121 and winding the ribbon side ribbon. The holder 121 acts to wind the ink ribbon 3.

  The thermal printer 1 according to this embodiment is configured such that the ink ribbon 3 is fed and driven at a predetermined speed by winding the ink ribbon 3 of the winding side ribbon holder 121.

  As described above, the ribbon driving mechanism 30 is configured to wind the ink ribbon 3 (ink ink) of the winding side ribbon holder 121 of each of the plurality of print units 100 by the ribbon driving roller 31 having a length over the entire width direction of the unit support portion 20. Ribbon 3 feeding drive). As a result, it becomes possible to drive each ink ribbon 3 by a single ribbon drive roller 31 to a plurality of print units 100 mounted on the unit support section 20.

  As a result, each print unit 100 does not need to include a drive mechanism such as a motor for feeding and driving each ink ribbon 3, and the configuration of the print unit 100 can be simplified, downsized, and reduced in cost. In addition, since the size in the width direction of the print unit 100 can be reduced, the degree of freedom in setting the interval in the width direction of printing can be improved.

Next, the print unit 100 will be described.
The print unit 100 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape whose overall outer shape is thin in the width direction, and is configured to be detachable from the unit support portion 20 of the frame 10 as described above.

  The print unit 100 includes a unit base 101 formed in a rectangular plate shape, a feeding mechanism 110 that holds and feeds the ink ribbon 3, a winding mechanism 120 that winds up the ink ribbon 3 and transports the ink ribbon 3, and a feeding mechanism. A ribbon path guiding mechanism 130 that forms a moving path of the ink ribbon 3 from 110 to the winding mechanism 120, a tension adjusting mechanism 140 that prevents the ink ribbon 3 from slackening, and the feeding of the ink ribbon 3 from the feeding mechanism 110 are restricted. A brake mechanism 150, a head unit 160, and a control box 170 are provided.

  On one surface of the unit base 101, a feeding mechanism 110, a winding mechanism 120, a ribbon path guiding mechanism 130, a tension adjusting mechanism 140, a brake mechanism 150, and a head unit 160 are disposed. . That is, the unit base 101 constitutes the base of the print unit 100.

A lower guide rod 102 is provided on the lower side of the unit base 101, and an upper guide rod 103 is provided on the upper side.
The lower guide rod 102 and the upper guide rod 103 are each formed in a round bar shape having a predetermined length, and are formed so as to be fitted in the fitting insertion groove 22A of the lower guide rail 22 or the fitting insertion groove 24A of the upper guide rail 24. Yes.
A fixed recess 102 </ b> A that can be engaged with the lock pin 25 included in the lower guide rail 22 is formed below the predetermined position of the lower guide rod 102.

  A roller escape portion 101A is formed in the upper part on the rear side of the unit base 101. The roller escape portion 101A is cut out in an arc shape with a predetermined radius. 4 and 5, the roller escape portion 101A corresponds to the ribbon drive roller 31 when the print unit 100 is mounted on the unit support portion 20 (the ribbon drive roller 31 enters the roller escape portion 101A). ) Is formed.

  On the upper side of the roller escape portion 101A, a winding side ribbon holder stopper 101B is provided as a winding stopper portion. The take-up ribbon holder stopper 101B protrudes from the one surface of the unit base 101 to a predetermined height, and the ink ribbon 3 taken up by the take-up roll 125 attached to the take-up ribbon holder 121 is provided. It is formed so as to contact the outer peripheral surface.

  A mounting detection switch 104 is provided at an upper corner on the rear side of the unit base 101. The attachment detection switch 104 is configured by a limit switch that is turned ON / OFF by a lever operation. The mounting detection switch 104 is arranged such that the lever abuts against the upper support bar 23 of the unit support 20 when the print unit 100 is mounted on the unit support 20. The mounting detection switch 104 detects that the print unit 100 is normally mounted on the unit support unit 20. The detection information is input as control information to an overall control device (not shown).

The feeding mechanism 110 is disposed at the upper part on the front side of the unit base 101, and includes an original fabric side ribbon holder 111.
The original fabric side ribbon holder 111 is attached to be rotatable about a rotation axis perpendicular to one surface of the unit base 101. An ink ribbon roll 112 around which the ink ribbon 3 is wound is attached to the original fabric side ribbon holder 111.

  The winding mechanism 120 swings the winding side ribbon holder 121, a support arm 122 as a biasing arm (winding holder moving unit) that supports the winding side ribbon holder 121 so as to swing, and swings the support arm 122. And a winding mechanism spring 123 for biasing.

  The support arm 122 has a plate shape with a predetermined thickness and is formed with a predetermined width and a predetermined length. A base end portion, which is one end portion of the support arm 122, is pivotally attached to a substantially vertical center on the rear side of the unit base 101 by a pivot pin 124. As the support arm 122 is pivotally attached to the base end portion, the tip end portion which is the other end portion can swing as a free end in a plane parallel to one surface of the unit base 101. A winding side ribbon holder 121 is attached to the tip of the support arm 122.

  The take-up ribbon holder 121 is attached to the distal end portion of the support arm 122 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis perpendicular to one surface of the unit base 101. A winding roll 125 for winding the ink ribbon 3 is attached to the winding side ribbon holder 121.

  The winding mechanism spring 123 is stretched between the vicinity of the base end portion of the support arm 122 and the rear side of the unit base 101. The winding mechanism spring 123 swings the distal end portion clockwise around the base end portion of the support arm 122 by the elastic restoring force.

The support arm 122 is swung by being urged by the take-up mechanism spring 123 so that the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon 3 taken up by the take-up roll 125 mounted on the take-up side ribbon holder 121 is It is regulated by coming into contact with the winding-side ribbon holder stopper 101B projecting from (see FIG. 3).
Here, FIG. 3 shows a state where the ink ribbon 3 indicated by a two-dot chain line in the drawing is wound around the winding roll 125 mounted on the winding side ribbon holder 121, and the wound ink ribbon 3 is wound. The outer peripheral surface of this is in contact with the winding side ribbon holder stopper 101B, and the swinging is restricted.

  As described above, the thermal printer 1 is configured to bring the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon 3 taken up by the take-up holder 121 into contact with the take-up side ribbon holder stopper 101 </ b> B protruding from the unit base 101. The ink ribbon 3 wound around 125 is configured to prevent loosening.

  On the other hand, when a force equal to or greater than the urging force of the winding mechanism spring 123 acts on the opposite side of the urging force, the support arm 122 rotates counterclockwise around the base end (the counterclockwise direction shown in FIGS. 3 to 5). This direction is hereinafter referred to as “counterclockwise”). When the tip of the support arm 122 swings counterclockwise, the contact between the winding-side ribbon holder stopper 101B and the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the winding roll 125 is released, and the winding-side ribbon holder The restriction on the slack of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the winding roll 125 by the stopper 101B is released.

  The ribbon path guide mechanism 130 includes a plurality of guide rollers (131 to 137) around which the ink ribbon 3 is wound, and defines a movement path of the ink ribbon 3 from the feeding mechanism 110 to the winding mechanism 120. A tension adjusting mechanism 140 is interposed in the movement path of the ink ribbon 3.

  Each guide roller (131 to 137) has a cylindrical shape with a predetermined diameter and a predetermined length, and is rotatably mounted via a bearing (not shown) in a posture standing upright from one surface of the unit base 101. .

  Each guide roller (131 to 137) is disposed so as to guide the ink ribbon 3 fed from the feeding mechanism 110 to the winding mechanism 120 along a path substantially along the lower side and the rear side of the unit base 101. Yes. That is, the first roller 131 and the second roller 132 are arranged substantially vertically below the feeding mechanism 110, and the third roller 133 is arranged slightly below the second roller 132. The fourth roller 134 is disposed slightly below and below the third roller 133. The fifth roller 135 and the sixth roller 136 are arranged along the lower side of the unit base 101, and the sixth roller 136 is arranged at the lower end on the rear side of the unit base 101. The seventh roller 137 is disposed on the obliquely lower rear side of the winding side ribbon holder 121 in the winding mechanism 120.

  The tension adjustment mechanism 140 includes a tension adjustment arm 141 as a rotating arm (roller moving unit) and a tension adjustment spring 142 that swings and urges the tension adjustment arm 141.

  The tension adjusting arm 141 has a plate shape with a predetermined thickness, and is formed with a predetermined width and a predetermined length. The tension adjusting arm 141 is pivotally supported on the unit base 101 by a swing shaft 143 as a first rotation shaft at a substantially center in the longitudinal direction, and is provided with the longitudinal direction as the front-rear direction. The tension adjustment arm 141 is configured to be swingable about a swing shaft 143 in a plane parallel to one surface of the unit base 101. The swing shaft 143 is disposed slightly above and behind the fourth roller in the ribbon path guide mechanism 130.

  A first moving roller 144 and a second moving roller 145 are rotatably attached to both ends of the tension adjusting arm 141. The first moving roller 144 positioned on the front side is set to be positioned below the second roller 132 in the ribbon path guiding mechanism 130. The second moving roller 145 located on the rear side is set so as to be located slightly above the fifth roller 135.

  In addition, a cam portion 141 </ b> C as an engagement portion chamfered in an arc shape with a predetermined radius is formed at the upper corner portion of the front end portion of the tension adjustment arm 141. The cam portion 141C is for operating the brake mechanism 150, as will be described in detail later.

  The tension adjustment spring 142 is stretched between the rear side of the swing shaft 143 of the tension adjustment arm 141 and the unit base 101 portion above the tension adjustment arm 141. The tension adjustment spring 142 swings the tension adjustment arm 141 counterclockwise around the swing shaft 143 of the tension adjustment arm 141 by its elastic return force.

The ribbon path guiding mechanism 130 and the tension adjusting mechanism 140 configured as described above are such that the ink ribbon 3 from the feeding mechanism 110 to the winding mechanism 120 is wound in a meandering manner as described below. .
An ink ribbon roll 112 is attached to the original side ribbon holder 111 of the feeding mechanism 110 so that the ink ribbon roll 112 rotates clockwise and the ink ribbon 3 is fed rearward and downward.

  The ink ribbon 3 fed out from the ink ribbon roll 112 provided in the feeding mechanism 110 has a path defined on the rear side of the first roller 131 and the second roller 132, and is below the first moving roller 144 in the tension adjusting mechanism 140. The upper side of the third roller 133 is wound from the front side, the lower side of the fourth roller 134 is wound from the front side, and the rear side is obliquely upward, and the second movement in the tension adjusting mechanism 140 The upper side of the roller 145 is wound from the front side, the lower side of the fifth roller 135 is wound from the front side, and the sixth roller 136 is wound from the lower side to the rear side. A path is defined by contacting a thermal head 161 (printing unit 161A) in a head unit 160 described later, and the upper side of the seventh roller 137 is wound from the rear side. It is wound around to reach the take-up roll 125 which is mounted on the take-up side ribbon holder 121.

  The ink ribbon 3 is wound around the take-up roll 125 when the take-up roll 125 provided in the take-up mechanism 120 rotates clockwise.

  In the winding path of the ink ribbon 3 by the ribbon path guiding mechanism 130 and the tension adjusting mechanism 140 as described above, the winding path of the ink ribbon 3 by the ribbon path guiding mechanism 130 is detoured by the tension adjusting mechanism 140 (in the increasing direction). ) Is bent. In other words, the winding path of the ink ribbon 3 between the second roller 132 and the third roller 133 of the ribbon path guiding mechanism 130 is largely bent downward by the first moving roller 144 of the tension adjusting mechanism 140 (first bent). Part V1).

  In addition, the winding path of the ink ribbon 3 between the fourth roller 134 and the fifth roller 135 of the ribbon path guide mechanism 130 is largely bent upward by the second moving roller 145 of the tension adjustment mechanism 140 (second bent portion). V2).

In such a winding path configuration of the ink ribbon 3, the length of the winding path of the ink ribbon 3 varies depending on the positions of the first moving roller 144 and the second moving roller 145 of the tension adjustment mechanism 140.
The positions of the first moving roller 144 and the second moving roller 145 change as the tension adjusting arm 141 in the tension adjusting mechanism 140 swings about the swing shaft 143. That is, when the tension adjusting arm 141 is swung clockwise, the amount of bending of the first bent portion V1 and the second bent portion V2 is reduced, and the length of the winding path of the ink ribbon 3 is shortened.
Conversely, when the tension adjusting arm 141 swings counterclockwise, the amount of bending of the first bent portion V1 and the second bent portion V2 increases, and the winding path length of the ink ribbon 3 increases.

  Here, the tension adjusting arm 141 in the tension adjusting mechanism 140 is urged counterclockwise by the tension adjusting spring 142 as described above. Thereby, for example, when the ink ribbon 3 hung on the ribbon path guide mechanism 130 is loosened (the length of the hung path of the ink ribbon 3 becomes longer), the tension adjusting arm 141 is turned counterclockwise by the urging force of the tension adjusting spring 142. It swings in the direction and acts to absorb the slack and apply a predetermined tension to the ink ribbon 3.

  That is, for example, if the ink ribbon 3 becomes slack due to the reverse rotation of the winding mechanism 120, the tension adjustment mechanism 140 pulls the ink ribbon 3 back from the downstream side in the feeding direction (winding mechanism 120 side) and loosens. Absorbs.

  On the other hand, when the ink ribbon 3 wound around the ribbon path guiding mechanism 130 is pulled toward the take-up mechanism 120 and the tension of the ink ribbon 3 increases, the tension adjusting arm 141 is biased by the tension adjusting spring 142 by the ink ribbon 3. Oscillates clockwise against this. As a result, the path length of the ink ribbon 3 is shortened, and excessive tension is prevented from acting on the ink ribbon 3. That is, the tension adjusting mechanism 140 always keeps the ink ribbon 3 in a state where a predetermined tension is applied, and acts so that the ink ribbon 3 extending from the feeding mechanism 110 to the winding mechanism 120 does not become slack.

  Further, when the tension adjusting arm 141 is swung clockwise by a predetermined angle or more (the length of the winding path of the ink ribbon 3 is the shortest), the cam portion 141C at the front end thereof is in the brake mechanism 150 described later. The cam follower 155 as an engaging portion provided at the lower end of the brake arm 151 is pressed to swing the brake arm 151. That is, the tension adjusting arm 141 also serves as a part of the brake mechanism 150. This will be described in detail later.

The brake mechanism 150 includes a brake arm 151 and a brake spring 152 that biases the brake arm 151.
The brake arm 151 has a plate shape with a predetermined thickness and is formed with a predetermined width and a predetermined length. The brake arm 151 is pivotally supported on the unit base 101 by a swing shaft 153 serving as a second rotation shaft at substantially the center in the longitudinal direction, and the longitudinal direction is provided in the vertical direction. The brake arm 151 is configured to be swingable around a swing shaft 153 in a plane parallel to one surface of the unit base 101.

  The upper end portion of the brake arm 151 is located obliquely below the rear side of the original fabric side ribbon holder 111 in the feeding mechanism 110. The upper end portion of the brake arm 151 is formed obliquely so as to face the original fabric side ribbon holder 111 in the feeding mechanism 110, and a plate-shaped original fabric formed of a material having a large friction coefficient and high wear resistance. A brake pad 154 as a stopper portion is attached.

  The lower end of the brake arm 151 is located above the front end of the tension adjustment arm 141 in the tension adjustment mechanism 140. A cam follower 155 having a predetermined shape is provided at the lower end of the brake arm 151.

  The brake spring 152 is disposed between the upper part of the brake arm 151 above the pivotal support part of the swing shaft 153 and the support block 105 fixed to the part of the unit base 101 on the rear side. As a result, the brake spring 152 biases the brake arm 151 counterclockwise by its elastic return force.

  The swing of the brake arm 151 due to the urging of the brake spring 152 is restricted by the brake pad 154 provided at the upper end pressing the peripheral surface of the base disc 111A of the raw fabric side ribbon holder 111 in the feeding mechanism 110. . As a result, the brake pad 154 is pressed against the peripheral surface of the base disc 111A of the original ribbon holder 111 by the urging force of the brake spring 152, and the rotation of the original ribbon holder 111 is restricted (the original ribbon holder 111). To brake).

  The brake mechanism 150 configured as described above restricts the rotation of the original ribbon holder 111 by the urging force of the brake spring 152 in the state where no external force acts on the brake arm 151 as described above. When the brake arm 151 is swung clockwise against the urging force of the brake spring 152, the contact between the brake pad 154 and the peripheral surface of the base disc 111A is released, and the original side ribbon holder The rotation restriction 111 is released (brake release).

  Here, the brake release operation with respect to the brake mechanism 150 acting as a brake when no external force is applied to the brake arm 151 is performed by the tension adjustment arm 141 in the tension adjustment mechanism 140.

  That is, as described above, the tension adjustment arm 141 of the tension adjustment mechanism 140 causes the ink ribbon 3 wound around the ribbon path guide mechanism 130 to be pulled toward the take-up mechanism 120 and the tension of the ink ribbon 3 increases. The ink ribbon 3 is swung clockwise. When the swing angle of the tension adjusting arm 141 reaches a predetermined angle or more (the winding path length becomes the shortest), the cam portion 141C formed at the front end of the tension adjusting arm 141 causes the cam follower 155 of the brake arm 151 in the brake mechanism 150. The brake arm 151 is swung clockwise.

  With the configuration of the tension adjusting mechanism 140 and the brake mechanism 150 as described above, the ink ribbon 3 is moved toward the take-up mechanism 120 in a state where the feeding of the ink ribbon 3 from the feeding mechanism 110 is restricted by the brake operation of the brake mechanism 150. When pulled, the tension adjusting arm 141 is swung clockwise by the ink ribbon 3, and the brake releasing operation is performed by the swinging tension adjusting arm 141. That is, the brake release operation is performed when the ink ribbon 3 is pulled toward the take-up mechanism 120 and the winding path length becomes the shortest.

  The head unit 160 includes a thermal head 161, a holder 162 that supports the thermal head 161, and a head spring 163 that serves as an elastic support unit that connects the thermal head 161 and the holder 162. The head unit 160 is disposed at the lower rear side of the unit base 101.

  Although not shown in detail, the thermal head 161 has a large number of heating elements arranged in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface shown in FIG. 5) in the printing portion 161A at the tip corner. Each heating element generates heat by selective energization under the control of a control device (not shown), thereby dissolving or sublimating the ink on the ink ribbon 3 in contact with the printing unit 161A, and the printed material pressed against the ink ribbon 3 2 is printed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the printing portion 161A is formed at a substantially right angle when viewed from the side surface side. The thermal head 161 is provided such that the printing unit 161A protrudes rearward with respect to the movement path (printing path PR) of the printing medium 2.
The holder 162 supports the thermal head 161 via the head spring 163 and is fixed to the unit base 101.

  The head spring 163 is disposed so that the central axis is substantially horizontal. Thereby, for example, when the thermal head 161 is pressed from the rear side toward the front side, the head spring 163 is elastically deformed to allow the thermal head 161 to move forward. At the same time, the thermal head 161 is urged rearward by the elastic return force of the head spring 163.

  The control box 170 houses therein a control board and the like constituting a unit control device (not shown) that controls the head unit 160 to perform printing. The unit controller is controlled by the overall controller described above.

  Next, operations of the thermal printer 1 and the print unit 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10 in addition to FIGS. 3 to 5 described above.

  FIG. 6 is a side view of the print unit 100 during printing. FIG. 7 is a side view of the print unit 100 in a state in which the take-up ribbon holder 121 in the take-up mechanism 120 rotates reversely and the ink ribbon 3 is returned to the ribbon path guide mechanism 130 side. FIG. 8 is a side view of the print unit 100 in a state where the feeding of the ink ribbon 3 is started in the contact period. FIG. 9 is a view for explaining the driving of the ink ribbon 3 by the winding mechanism 120, and is a side view of the print unit 100 during printing in a state where the amount of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the winding roll 125 is small. . FIG. 10 is a side view of the print unit 100 in a state where the winding amount of the ink ribbon 3 around the winding roll 125 is large.

The print unit 100 configured as described above is detachably attached to the unit support portion 20 as described above. Specifically, the mounting of the print unit 100 to the unit support portion 20 (see FIG. 3) is performed by connecting the lower guide rod 102 and the upper guide rod 103 provided on the upper and lower sides of the unit base 101 to the lower guide rail 22 and This is done by fitting the upper guide rail 24 and pushing it in the extending direction.
The print unit 100 is fixed to the unit support 20 so as not to drop off by a lock pin 25 provided in the lower guide rail (see FIG. 4).

  When the print unit 100 is normally mounted on the unit support unit 20, the mounting detection switch 104 provided in the print unit 100 is operated by the upper support bar 23 of the frame 10, and detection information is transmitted to the overall control device. Based on the detection information from the mounting detection switch 104, mounting of each print unit 100 is recognized by the overall control device, and the recognized print unit 100 can be activated.

  When the print unit 100 is mounted on the unit support portion 20 of the frame 10 in this manner, the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the winding roll 125 mounted on the winding side ribbon holder 121 is driven by the ribbon drive. The outer peripheral surface of the roller 31 is pressed.

  Further, the tension adjusting arm 141 does not swing the brake arm 151 and the brake mechanism 150 is acting. That is, the tension adjusting arm 141 is in a substantially horizontal posture, and the cam portion 141C at the front end thereof is in a state of being separated from the cam follower 155 at the lower end of the brake arm 151 in the brake mechanism 150. The brake mechanism 150 restricts the rotation of the original ribbon holder 111 in the feeding mechanism 110 (the brake is applied to the original ribbon holder 111) (hereinafter, the state of the print unit 100 is referred to as “standby state”). .

The print unit 100 feeds and drives the ink ribbon 3 by the ribbon driving mechanism 30 at a speed synchronized with the moving speed of the substrate 2 while being pressed by the movement of the platen roller 41.
When feeding the ink ribbon 3, the ribbon drive roller 31 is rotated counterclockwise. As a result, the take-up roll 125 mounted on the take-up side ribbon holder 121 whose peripheral surface is pressed against the ribbon drive roller 31 is rotated clockwise. As a result, the ink ribbon 3 is taken up on the take-up roll 125.

  At this time, the ink ribbon 3 wound around the ribbon path guiding mechanism 130 is pulled toward the winding mechanism 120 side. As a result, the tension adjustment arm 141 swings clockwise, and the length of the path around which the ink ribbon 3 is wound is shortened. When the swing angle of the tension adjustment arm 141 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined angle (the length of the winding path of the ink ribbon 3 becomes the shortest), the tension adjustment arm 141 operates the brake mechanism 150 as described above, The brake action on the feeding mechanism 110 is released.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the braking action on the feeding mechanism 110 by the brake mechanism 150 is released, the raw fabric side ribbon holder 111 of the feeding mechanism 110 can be rotated. As a result, the ink ribbon 3 can be fed out from the ink ribbon roll 112 mounted on the original fabric side ribbon holder 111.

  The ink ribbon 3 fed out from the ink ribbon roll 112 is guided by the ribbon path guiding mechanism 130 and the tension adjusting mechanism 140, and taken up by the take-up roll 125 mounted on the take-up side ribbon holder 121 in the take-up mechanism 120. . As a result, the ink ribbon 3 is fed between the printing unit 161A of the thermal head 161 in the head unit 160 and the printing target 2 on the printing path PR at a speed synchronized with the moving speed of the printing target 2.

  Then, the pressed state is formed by the movement of the platen roller 41, and printing is performed on the printing object 2 by the action of the thermal head 161. In the winding side ribbon holder 121 and the original side ribbon holder 111, the rotation in the direction in which the ink ribbon 3 is fed and driven is referred to as “forward rotation”, and the rotation in the opposite direction is referred to as “reverse rotation”.

  When the platen roller 41 moves rearward and printing is completed, the feeding of the ink ribbon 3 by the ribbon drive mechanism 30 (ribbon drive roller 31) is stopped. Even in this state, the printing object 2 continues to move, but as shown in FIG. 7, the ink ribbon 3 and the printing object 2 are not in contact with each other, and the printing object 2 rubs against the ink ribbon 3. There is no problem. Thereafter, the ribbon drive roller 31 is driven to rotate clockwise by the ribbon drive motor 32, and the winding side ribbon holder 121 is driven to rotate reverse by a predetermined amount.

  When the take-up side ribbon holder 121 is rotated in the reverse direction, the ink ribbon 3 once taken up by the take-up roll 125 is drawn out to the ribbon path guide mechanism 130 side, and the ribbon path guide mechanism 130, the tension adjusting mechanism 140, The length in the path of the ink ribbon 3 wound around is increased. For this reason, the tension acting on the ink ribbon 3 decreases, and the tension adjusting mechanism 140 acts. That is, the tension adjusting arm 141 in the tension adjusting mechanism 140 swings counterclockwise, absorbs the slack of the ink ribbon 3 and applies a predetermined tension to the ink ribbon 3.

  As a result, the portion of the ink ribbon 3 that has passed through the head unit 160 and moved to the ribbon drive mechanism 30 (ribbon drive roller 31) side returns to the ribbon path guide mechanism 130 side. That is, the ink ribbon 3 once moved to the winding mechanism 120 side is pulled back to the ribbon path guiding mechanism 130 side by a predetermined length. Further, the swinging operation of the brake arm 151 by the tension adjusting arm 141 is released, and the brake mechanism 150 acts. That is, the brake mechanism 150 restricts the rotation of the raw fabric side ribbon holder 111 in the feeding mechanism 110.

  As described above, after the printing is completed, the ink ribbon 3 once moved to the feeding mechanism 110 side is returned to the ribbon path guide mechanism 130 by a predetermined length, so that the ink ribbon 3 can be effectively used without waste. That is, the ink ribbon 3 fed to the take-up mechanism 120 side more than the amount necessary for printing by the feeding drive of the ink ribbon 3 that is performed longer than the pressed state is returned to the position corresponding to the head unit 160, whereby the ink ribbon 3 can be avoided.

  Further, according to this configuration, the ink ribbon 3 is rewound by the swing of the tension adjustment arm 141 in the tension adjustment mechanism 140. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a drive mechanism (such as a motor) that reversely drives the feeding mechanism 110 in order to rewind the ink ribbon 3, and the control thereof is also unnecessary. As a result, the configuration of the print unit 100 can be simplified, downsized, and reduced in cost. Furthermore, since the dimension in the width direction of the print unit 100 can be reduced, the degree of freedom in setting the interval in the width direction of printing can be improved.

  After the winding side ribbon holder 121 of the winding mechanism 120 is driven in reverse rotation by a predetermined amount, the reverse rotation driving of the winding side ribbon holder 121 is stopped and returns to the standby state. When the eccentric support shaft 41E rotates from this standby state, the platen roller 41 moves in the front-rear direction and the pressing state starts intermittently. When the pressing state is started intermittently, the feeding of the ink ribbon 3 is started again in synchronism with this.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the feeding of the ink ribbon 3 is started in synchronization with the start of the pressing state, the braking action on the feeding mechanism 110 is released. Then, printing is performed on the substrate 2 and thereafter the printing is repeated with a non-pressing period in between.

  Here, the feeding of the ink ribbon 3 is performed by winding the ink ribbon 3 on the take-up roll 125 mounted on the take-up side ribbon holder 121 in the take-up mechanism 120 as described above. The rotary drive of the winding side ribbon holder 121 in the winding mechanism 120 is performed by the ribbon driving roller 31 in the ribbon driving mechanism 30 that is in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon 3 wound up by the winding roll 125 or the winding roll 125. Done.

  For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the ink ribbon 3 can be fed and moved at the peripheral speed of the ribbon driving roller 31 regardless of the amount of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the winding roll 125. That is, the ink ribbon 3 is hardly wound on the take-up roll 125 (FIG. 9) and the ink ribbon 3 is wound on the take-up roll 125 in a large amount (FIG. 10). The feeding speed of the ribbon 3 can be fed at the peripheral speed of the ribbon driving roller 31.

  This facilitates a control configuration that maintains the feeding speed of the ink ribbon 3 constant. That is, when the take-up ribbon holder 121 is directly driven to rotate by a motor or the like and the feed speed of the ink ribbon 3 to be taken up is controlled by controlling the rotation speed, the ink ribbon to the take-up roll 125 is maintained. The rotational speed of the winding side ribbon holder 121 must be changed according to the amount of winding 3. For this reason, a complicated control configuration is required, leading to an increase in cost.

  On the other hand, according to this configuration, the ink ribbon 3 is wound around the winding roll 125 regardless of the amount of winding of the ink ribbon 3 (without requiring control of the rotational speed of the winding-side ribbon holder 121). The ink ribbon 3 can be fed and driven at the peripheral speed of the ribbon drive roller 31.

According to the thermal printer 1 according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, the following effects are exhibited.
For example, the thermal printer 1 according to the present embodiment holds the thermal head 161, the winding-side ribbon holder 121 that winds and holds the ink ribbon 3 printed by the thermal head 161, and the winding-side ribbon holder 121. And a ribbon driving roller 31 that is disposed so as to face the ink ribbon 3 and rotates the take-up ribbon holder 121 while being in contact with the ink ribbon 3 taken up by the take-up ribbon holder 121.

  Therefore, the ink ribbon 3 can be fed and driven by rotating the winding side ribbon holder 121 by the ribbon driving roller 31. Thereby, the feeding speed of the ink ribbon 3 becomes the peripheral speed of the ribbon drive roller 31 regardless of the amount of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the winding-side ribbon holder 121. Therefore, it is not necessary to precisely control the rotational speed of the ribbon driving roller 31 in order to feed and drive the ink ribbon 3 at a constant speed. As a result, the cost can be reduced by simplifying the configuration.

  Further, a plurality of thermal heads 161 are arranged side by side, and a plurality of winding side ribbon holders 121 for winding and holding the ink ribbons 3 used for printing by the plurality of arranged thermal heads 161 are driven by one ribbon. A configuration in which the rollers 31 are simultaneously driven to rotate is also possible.

  Further, according to the thermal printer 1, the drive mechanism can be simplified by adopting a configuration in which the take-up ribbon holder 121 is rotationally driven by the ribbon drive roller 31 to feed and drive the ink ribbon 3.

  Further, according to the thermal printer 1, the support arm 122 that biases the take-up ribbon holder 121 toward the ribbon drive roller 31 is provided so that the take-up ribbon holder 121 is brought into contact with the ribbon drive roller 31. The structure can be simplified.

  Further, according to the thermal printer 1, the take-up ribbon holder stopper 101 </ b> B that stops the take-up ribbon holder 121 from rotating by contacting the ink ribbon 3 taken up by the take-up ribbon holder 121 is provided. Thus, in a state where the ribbon driving roller 31 is not in contact with the ink ribbon 3 wound around the take-up side ribbon holder 121, the ink ribbon 3 held by the take-up side ribbon holder 121 is placed on the take-up side ribbon holder stopper 101B. By abutting, loosening of the ink ribbon 3 held by the take-up side ribbon holder 121 can be prevented.

  Further, the thermal printer 1 according to the present embodiment includes an original fabric side ribbon holder 111 that rotatably holds the wound ink ribbon 3 and sends the ink ribbon 3 to the ribbon path guide mechanism 130, and a ribbon path guide mechanism 130. A take-up side ribbon holder 121 that can wind up the ink ribbon 3 that has passed through and rotatably holds the ink ribbon 3 back to the ribbon path guide mechanism 130 by reverse rotation, and a tension adjustment arm 141 includes a first moving roller 144 and a second moving roller 145 that are moved by the swinging of the 141 and the path length of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the ribbon path guiding mechanism 130 is increased.

  Thereby, after the feeding of the ink ribbon 3 is stopped, the ink ribbon 3 can be suitably returned to the ribbon path guiding mechanism 130 by the movement of the first moving roller 144 and the second moving roller 145. As a result, the ink ribbon 3 fed without being used for printing can be returned to the ribbon path guide mechanism 130 side, and waste of the ink ribbon can be suppressed.

  In addition, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for reversing the original ribbon holder 111 and rewinding the ink ribbon 3, and the simplification of the configuration enables downsizing and cost reduction.

  Further, according to the thermal printer 1, the first moving roller 144 and the second moving roller 145 are provided so that the swing shaft 143 is sandwiched between both ends of the tension adjustment arm 141 swinging around the swing shaft 143. The path length (path length) of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the ribbon path guide mechanism 130 is moved in a changeable manner by swinging the tension adjusting arm 141 around the swing axis 143. Thereby, it is possible to obtain a large adjustment amount of the path length of the ink ribbon 3 with a simple configuration and a small operation amount.

  Further, according to the thermal printer 1, the brake arm 151 having the brake pad 154 and the cam follower 155 at both ends is provided so as to be able to swing around the swing shaft 153, and the brake pad 154 is the original side ribbon holder in the feeding mechanism 110. The rotation of the ribbon-side ribbon holder 111 is restricted by coming into contact with the peripheral surface of the base disc 111A of the 111, and the brake pad 154 is formed at the base by the cam portion 141C of the tension adjusting arm 141 that swings in the rotation restricted state. The rotation restriction of the material side ribbon holder 111 is released away from the disc 111A.

  As a result, the tension regulation arm 141 that swings according to the path length of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the ribbon path guide mechanism 130 can release the rotation restriction of the original fabric side ribbon holder 111 by the brake pad 154. As a result, the path length of the ink ribbon 3 that is wound around the ribbon path guide mechanism 130 by the first moving roller 144 and the second moving roller 145 being swung around the swing shaft 143 of the tension adjusting arm 141 is long. When moving in such a manner, it is possible to prevent the ink ribbon 3 from being unnecessarily drawn out from the original ribbon holder 111.

  In addition, the thermal printer 1 according to the present embodiment is configured to be close to and separate from the thermal head 161 and the thermal head 161, and the printing surface of the printing material 2 is the thermal head 161 and the printing surface in the state of being close to the thermal head 161. A platen roller 41 that rotates while contacting the printing material 2 so as to face the ink ribbon 3 disposed between the two.

Thereby, the platen roller 41 can be brought close to the thermal head 161 when printing on the printing surface of the substrate 2 and the platen roller 41 can be separated from the thermal head 161 when not printing. As a result, a configuration in which the thermal head 161 is moved and pressed against the platen roller 41 becomes unnecessary, and the cost can be reduced by simplifying the configuration.
Furthermore, a configuration is possible in which a plurality of thermal heads 161 are arranged side by side, and the print substrate 2 is simultaneously brought close to them by one platen roller 41 for printing.

  In the thermal printer 1, the platen roller 41 is configured so as to be close to and away from the thermal head 161, and the printing surface of the printing object 2 faces the ink ribbon 3 disposed between the thermal head 161 and the printing surface. In contact with the substrate 2. Thereby, a drive mechanism can be comprised easily.

  Further, the platen roller 41 includes an eccentric support shaft 41E capable of eccentric rotation, and approaches and separates from the thermal head 161 by the rotation of the eccentric support shaft 41E. Thereby, the platen roller 41 can be moved close to and away from the thermal head 161 with a simple configuration.

  The thermal printer 1 according to the present embodiment performs printing by moving the platen roller 41 having a length over the entire width direction of the unit support portion 20 in the front-rear direction by the eccentric support shaft 41E. As a result, it is possible to simultaneously print the plurality of print units 100 mounted in parallel in the width direction of the unit support portion 20 by the single platen roller 41.

  Further, since the platen roller 41 is configured to approach and separate from the head unit 160 (printing unit 161A), a mechanism for moving the head unit 160 (printing unit 161A) to the platen roller 41 side becomes unnecessary. As a result, a drive source such as a motor for moving the head unit 160 to each print unit 100 becomes unnecessary, and for example, the configuration of the print unit 100 can be simplified, the size in the width direction can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. In addition, since the size in the width direction of the print unit 100 can be reduced, for example, the degree of freedom in setting the interval in the width direction of printing can be improved.

  Further, the platen roller 41 includes an eccentric support shaft 41E capable of eccentric rotation, and approaches and separates from the thermal head 161 by the rotation of the eccentric support shaft 41E. Thereby, the platen roller 41 can be moved close to and away from the thermal head 161 with a simple configuration.

  In addition, the thermal printer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a head spring 163 that connects the thermal head 161 and the holder 162. The head spring 163 is disposed so that the center axis thereof is substantially horizontal. When the thermal head 161 is pressed from the rear side toward the front side, the head spring 163 is elastically deformed, thereby causing the thermal head 161 to be deformed. Is allowed to move forward, and the thermal head 161 is biased toward the rear side by the elastic return force of the head spring 163.

  Thereby, the platen roller 41 can be uniformly brought into contact with the plurality of thermal heads 161. For example, even when a slight deviation occurs in the position of the thermal head 161, the positional deviation of the thermal head 161 is buffered by the head spring 163, so that appropriate pressing by the platen roller 41 is applied to each of the plurality of thermal heads 161. It becomes possible to give.

  Further, the feeding of the ink ribbon 3 is performed by winding the ink ribbon 3 on a winding roll 125 mounted on the winding side ribbon holder 121 in the winding mechanism 120. The rotation driving of the winding side ribbon holder 121 of each print unit 100 is performed by a ribbon driving roller 31 that is in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the winding roll 125.

  Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the ink ribbon 3 is fed and moved at the peripheral speed of the ribbon driving roller 31 regardless of the amount (winding diameter) of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the winding roll 125. be able to. That is, even in a state where the ink ribbon 3 is hardly wound on the take-up roll 125 (FIG. 9), even in a state where the ink ribbon 3 is wound up on the take-up roll 125 in a large amount (FIG. 10) By controlling the peripheral speed of the drive roller 31, it is possible to control the feed speed and feed amount of the ink ribbon 3 in each print unit 100 to be the same.

  In other words, the take-up ribbon holder 121 is directly rotated by a motor or the like, and the feed speed and feed amount of the ink ribbon 3 to be taken up are controlled to be constant by controlling the rotation speed. The rotational speed of the take-up ribbon holder 121 must be changed in accordance with the take-up amount (winding diameter) of the ink ribbon 3. For this reason, a complicated control configuration is required, leading to an increase in cost. On the other hand, according to this configuration, the ink ribbon 3 is wound around the winding roll 125 regardless of the amount of winding of the ink ribbon 3 (without requiring control of the rotational speed of the winding-side ribbon holder 121). The ink ribbon 3 can be fed and driven at the peripheral speed of the ribbon drive roller 31.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, The technical scope of this invention is not limited to these.
For example, in the present embodiment, the path of the ink ribbon 3 wound around the ribbon path guide mechanism 130 by swinging the tension adjusting arm 141 having the first moving roller 144 and the second moving roller 145 at both ends. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, there may be at least one moving roller. The number of moving rollers is not limited to two, but may be one or three or more. The moving mode of the moving roller is not limited to the swinging rotating arm, and may be changed as appropriate. For example, the structure which moves using a cylinder etc. may be sufficient.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the platen roller 41 is moved in the front-rear direction by the eccentric support shaft 41E so that the outer peripheral surface intermittently press-contacts the printed material 2 to the thermal head 161. The invention is not limited to this. For example, the platen roller 41 may be configured to move the central axis to press the printed material 2 against the head unit 160. Further, the configuration in which the printing material is brought into pressure contact with the thermal head is not limited to the roller but may be an endless track belt or the like.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the take-up ribbon holder 121 is rotated by the rotation of the ribbon drive roller 31 that presses the take-up ribbon holder 121 so that the ink ribbon 3 is taken up by the take-up ribbon holder 121. Although configured, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the winding holder rotating body as the ribbon driving roller 31 is not limited to a roller but may be an endless track belt or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the take-up ribbon holder 121 is configured to be pressed against the ribbon drive roller 31 by the swinging of the support arm 122. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The moving structure of the winding side ribbon holder 121 may be changed as appropriate. For example, the winding side ribbon holder 121 may be configured to be moved by a cylinder or the like.

  Further, in the present embodiment, description has been made on the assumption that characters are printed on a printing object. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The thermal printer 1 may print a pattern other than characters.

1 Thermal printer 2 Printed material (printed material)
3 Ink Ribbon 20 Unit Support Section 30 Ribbon Drive Mechanism 31 Ribbon Drive Roller (Rewinding Holder Rotator)
40 Pressure contact mechanism 41 Platen roller (print receiving rotating body)
41E Eccentric support shaft (Eccentric shaft)
50 Printed object guide mechanism 100 Print unit 101B Winding side ribbon holder stopper (winding stopper part)
110 Feeding mechanism 111 Material side ribbon holder (raw material holder)
120 Winding mechanism 121 Winding side ribbon holder (winding holder)
122 Support arm (biasing arm, take-up holder moving part)
130 Ribbon Path Guide Mechanism 140 Tension Adjustment Mechanism 141 Tension Adjustment Arm (Rotation Arm)
141C Cam part (engagement part)
143 Oscillation axis (first rotation axis)
144 First moving roller (moving roller)
145 Second moving roller (moving roller)
150 Brake mechanism 151 Brake arm 153 Oscillation axis (second rotation axis)
154 Brake pads (raw fabric stopper)
160 Head unit 161 Thermal head 163 Head spring (elastic support part)
PR Print path V1 1st bend V2 2nd bend

Claims (5)

Thermal head,
A winding holder that winds and holds the ink ribbon printed by the thermal head;
Winding holder rotation arranged so as to face the ink ribbon held by the winding holder and rotating the winding holder by contacting the outer peripheral surface of the ink ribbon wound by the winding holder Body,
A thermal printer comprising:   The thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein the winding holder rotating body includes a rotating roller.   The winding holder moving part which moves the said winding holder so that the outer peripheral surface of the said ink ribbon wound up by the said winding holder can press the said winding holder rotary body is further provided. Or the thermal printer of 2.   The thermal printer according to claim 3, wherein the winding holder moving unit is a biasing arm that biases the winding holder toward the winding holder rotating body.   5. The thermal device according to claim 1, further comprising a winding stopper portion that stops rotation of the winding holder by contacting the ink ribbon wound on the winding holder. Printer.

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