JP2018086759A - Thermal transfer printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermal transfer printer capable of further improving maintenance property.SOLUTION: A thermal transfer printer 1 comprises: a printer body 20; a ribbon cassette 30 which holds a ribbon holder 348 to which an ink ribbon R is wound and which can be attached to the printer body 20 detachably; and a print head 33 for printing a printing part to a printed matter W, in which the print head 33 is held to the ribbon cassette 30 without being held to the printer body 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a thermal printer (thermal transfer printing apparatus) that includes a printer main body that holds a thermal head (printer head), a ribbon holder around which an ink ribbon is wound, and a ribbon cassette that holds the ribbon holder and is detachable from the printer main body. ) Is known (see Patent Document 1). The ribbon cassette is attached to and detached from the printer body when maintenance such as ink ribbon replacement is performed.

JP 2010-36426 A

  In the thermal printer described in Patent Document 1, maintenance such as replacement of the thermal head may be performed. In the thermal printer described in Patent Document 1, the thermal head is held by the printer body. Therefore, when performing maintenance of the thermal head, unlike when performing maintenance of components arranged in the ribbon cassette, maintenance cannot be performed even if the ribbon cassette is removed. Therefore, the thermal head is harder to perform maintenance than the parts arranged in the ribbon cassette. Therefore, it is desired to further improve the maintenance performance of the thermal printer.

  An object of this invention is to provide the thermal transfer printing apparatus which can improve maintenance property further.

  The present invention includes a printer main body, a ribbon cassette that holds a ribbon holder around which an ink ribbon is wound, and is detachable from the printer main body, and a print head that prints a printing unit on a printing material. Relates to a thermal transfer printing apparatus held in the ribbon cassette without being held in the printer body.

  The printer includes a plurality of printing units including the printer body, the print head, the ribbon holder, and the ribbon cassette, and the plurality of printing units are arranged in the moving direction when viewed in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the substrate. It is preferable to arrange them side by side.

  Moreover, it is preferable that each of the plurality of printing units is configured to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction.

  The thermal transfer printing apparatus includes a pressing mechanism capable of pressing the print head toward the ink ribbon when the ribbon cassette is mounted on the printer body, and the pressing mechanism is disposed in the ribbon cassette. Preferably, the printer has a first pressing portion that can press the print head, and a second pressing portion that is arranged in the printer main body and can press the print head.

  The print head is formed to extend in a width direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the substrate, and the first pressing portion presses one end side of the print head in the width direction on the ribbon cassette side. An air output unit provided in the printer main body for outputting air to the outside of the printer main body, and an air input unit provided in the ribbon cassette for inputting air to the ribbon cassette, wherein the ribbon cassette is connected to the printer main body. An air input unit that is connected to the air output unit when mounted, and a first air drive unit that is provided in the ribbon cassette and that is driven by the air input from the air input unit, and the second The pressing portion can press the other end portion in the width direction of the print head on the printer main body side, and is provided on the printer main body. Re preferably has a second air-driven unit that is driven by air.

  Also, a main body side substrate provided in the printer main body and having a first contact portion, and a ribbon cassette provided in the ribbon main body, and contacting the first contact portion when the ribbon cassette is mounted on the printer main body. A ribbon cassette-side substrate having a second contact portion electrically connected at the first contact portion and / or the second contact portion when contacting each other. It is preferable to have an urging portion that develops an urging force toward the first contact portion and / or the second contact portion.

  A first rotating shaft provided on the ribbon cassette for rotating the ribbon holder; and connected to the first rotating shaft provided on the printer main body when the ribbon cassette is mounted on the printer main body. Provided in the printer main body, and a connection mechanism that connects the second rotation shaft portion, the first rotation shaft portion and the second rotation shaft portion, and has a one-way clutch connection mechanism and a magnet connection mechanism. It is preferable that the apparatus further includes a rotation driving unit that generates a rotation driving force for rotating the second rotation shaft unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the thermal transfer printing apparatus which can improve maintenance property further can be provided.

It is the figure which looked at the thermal printer apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment from the upper side. It is the figure which looked at the thermal printer apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment from the front side. It is the figure which looked at the thermal printer apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment from the arrow A of FIG. FIG. 3 is a view of the ribbon cassette 30 as viewed from the printer body 20 side. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a drive shaft connection mechanism 100. FIG. FIG. 3 is a view of the printer main body 20 as viewed from the ribbon cassette 30 side. It is a figure which shows the thermal head press mechanism. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a thermal head pressing mechanism 8, in which FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a cassette-side pressing portion 81 on the ribbon cassette 30 side, and FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a printer body-side pressing portion 82 on the printer body 20 side. It is. It is a figure which shows the thermal head press mechanism 8, Comprising: It is a perspective view which shows the cassette side press part 81 by the side of the ribbon cassette 30. FIG. (A) is a figure which shows the positional relationship of two print unit 10A, 10B in the case of performing the 1st control example-the 4th control example, (b) is 2 in the case of performing a 5th control example. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the printing units 10A and 10B of a stand. It is a figure which shows the printing content printed by the 1st control example. (A) is a figure which shows the printing content printed by the 2nd control example, (b) is a figure which shows the printing content printed by the 3rd control example, (c) is printed by the 4th control example. It is a figure which shows the printed content. It is a figure which shows the printing content printed by the 5th control example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a view of a thermal printer device 1 according to this embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a view of the thermal printer device 1 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 3 is a view of the thermal printer device 1 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. FIG. 4 is a view of the ribbon cassette 30 as viewed from the printer body 20 side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view for explaining the drive shaft connecting mechanism 100. FIG. 6 is a view of the printer main body 20 as viewed from the ribbon cassette 30 side. FIG. 7 is a view showing the thermal head pressing mechanism 8. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing the thermal head pressing mechanism 8, wherein FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a cassette side pressing portion 81 on the ribbon cassette 30 side, and FIG. 8B is a printer main body side pressing portion on the printer main body 20 side. FIG. FIG. 9 is a view showing the thermal head pressing mechanism 8 and is a perspective view showing a cassette side pressing portion 81 on the ribbon cassette 30 side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the thermal printer 1 as a thermal transfer printing apparatus prints a printing pattern (printing unit) (for example, see FIG. 11, etc.) on a packaging film W as a printing material that is moved in the transport direction P1. .

In the description of the present embodiment, the moving direction of the packaging film W is referred to as “conveying direction P1”. Moreover, the width direction which is a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction P1 of the packaging film W is called "conveyance width direction P2."
Further, the front-rear direction of the thermal printer apparatus 1 is referred to as the front-rear direction Y (the conveyance width direction P2 of the packaging film W in FIG. 1). In the front-rear direction Y, the front side is referred to as the front side Y1, and the back side is referred to as the back side Y2. Moreover, the left-right direction of the thermal printer apparatus 1 is referred to as the left-right direction X (the transport direction P1 of the packaging film W in FIG. 1). In the left-right direction X, the upstream side in the conveyance direction P1 of the packaging film W (the left side in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, the right side in FIG. 4) is referred to as the first side X1, and the downstream side in the conveyance direction P1 of the packaging film W The right side in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6 and the left side in FIG. 4 are referred to as the second side X2. The vertical direction of the thermal printer apparatus 1 is referred to as the vertical direction Z (direction passing through FIG. 1, see FIGS. 2 and 3). In the vertical direction Z, the upper side is referred to as the upper side Z1, and the lower side is referred to as the lower side Z2. The up-down direction Z is orthogonal to the front-rear direction Y and the left-right direction X.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the thermal printer apparatus 1 moves two print units 10A and 10B (upstream print unit 10A and downstream print unit 10B) (print unit) and two print units 10A and 10B, respectively. Print unit moving mechanisms 5A and 5B to be moved, platen rollers 6A and 6B arranged to face the two print units 10A and 10B, an upstream conveyance guide roller 71, a downstream conveyance guide roller 72, and a rotary encoder 73, a mark detection sensor 74, and the control device 9 that controls the two print units 10A and 10B and the print unit moving mechanisms 5A and 5B. If there is no need to particularly distinguish the upstream print unit 10A and the downstream print unit 10B, the print unit moving mechanisms 5A and 5B, and the platen rollers 6A and 6B, simply “print unit 10 (print unit)” and “print unit move”. It is called “mechanism part 5” and “platen roller 6”.

The upstream side conveyance guide roller 71, the downstream side conveyance guide roller 72, the rotary encoder 73, the mark detection sensor 74, and the control device 9 are commonly used when any of the two print units 10A and 10B is operated. It is a configuration. Therefore, regardless of how many print units 10 are provided in the thermal printer apparatus 1, one set of the upstream conveyance guide roller 71, the downstream conveyance guide roller 72, the rotary encoder 73, the mark detection sensor 74, and the control device 9. Prepare.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the print unit moving mechanism 5 and the platen roller 6 are configured to correspond to the print units 10A and 10B, respectively. Therefore, the thermal printer device 1 includes the print unit moving mechanism 5 and the platen roller 6 as many as the number of print units 10 so as to correspond to the plurality of print units 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the two print units 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B have the transport direction P <b> 1 of the packaging film W when viewed in the transport width direction P <b> 2 orthogonal to the transport direction P <b> 1 (movement direction) of the packaging film W. Are arranged side by side. The print unit 10A is arranged on the upstream side (the first side X1 in the left-right direction X) of the print unit 10B. Further, the two print units 10A and 10B are arranged so as to be shifted to one side and the other side in the transport width direction P2.

  The two print units 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B are configured to be movable in the transport width direction P <b> 2 of the packaging film W by the print unit moving mechanism unit 5. The print unit moving mechanism 5 is provided corresponding to each of the two print units 10A and 10B. The print unit moving mechanism unit 5 includes a guide rail 51, a moving member 52, and a driving mechanism 53 (see FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the guide rail 51 is formed in a straight line extending in the front-rear direction Y (the transport width direction P <b> 2 of the packaging film W) of the thermal printer device 1. One end of the rear side Y2 of the guide rail 51 in the front-rear direction Y is attached to the moving mechanism support 11 that extends in the vertical direction Z and the horizontal direction X of the thermal printer device 1. The moving mechanism support unit 11 is attached to a frame (not shown) of the thermal printer device 1. The guide rail 51 holds a moving member 52, which will be described later, so as to be movable in the transport width direction P2 (front-rear direction Y).

  The guide rail 51 is provided with a drive mechanism 53 as shown in FIG. The drive mechanism 53 moves the moving member 52 along the guide rail 51 in the transport width direction P2. The drive mechanism 53 includes, for example, a ball screw mechanism or a belt mechanism. The drive mechanism 53 is electrically connected to the control device 9 described later. The control device 9 controls the movement of the moving member 52 by controlling the driving of the driving mechanism 53.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the moving member 52 is formed in an L shape in this embodiment. The side part of the moving member 52 is supported by the side part of the guide rail 51. The moving member 52 is attached to the drive mechanism 53 so as to be movable in the transport width direction P <b> 2 while being supported by the guide rail 51. The upper part of the print unit 10 is attached to the lower part of the moving member 52.

  The print unit moving mechanism 5 configured as described above drives the driving mechanism 53 to move the moving member 52 along the guide rail 51 in the conveyance width direction P2. Thereby, the print unit 10 attached to the moving member 52 is linearly moved in the transport width direction P2.

  The moved print units 10A and 10B can be moved in the transport width direction P2 of the packaging film W by the print unit moving mechanisms 5A and 5B, respectively. Each of the print units 10A and 10B is controlled by a control device 9 to be described later, and can be moved to an arbitrary position in the transport width direction P2. For example, the print units 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B can move to a position where part or all of them overlap when viewed in the transport direction P <b> 1 of the packaging film W.

  The print unit 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the print unit 10 mainly includes a printer main body 20 and a ribbon cassette 30 including a thermal head 33 (see FIG. 4, described later) and a winding holder 348 (see FIG. 4, described later). It is configured. The ribbon cassette 30 is configured to be detachable from the printer main body 20. That is, the print unit 10 according to the present embodiment has a so-called cassette type structure in which the ribbon cassette 30 (see FIG. 4) can be attached to and detached from the printer main body 20 (see FIG. 6).

  First, the ribbon cassette 30 will be described. The ribbon cassette 30 is moved with respect to the printer main body 20 in a state where the print unit 10 is moved in the front-rear direction Y under the control of the control device 9 (described later) and positioned on the front side Y1 (front side in the transport width direction P2 in FIG. 1). It is removable. Therefore, the ribbon cassette 30 can be easily placed on the front side Y1 of the printer main body 20 with respect to the printer main body 20 without obstructing the moving mechanism support portion 11 disposed on the back side Y2 in the front-rear direction Y of the thermal printer apparatus 1. It can be attached and detached.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ribbon cassette 30 feeds the ink ribbon R while synchronizing with the movement of the packaging film W that is a substrate to be printed continuously fed from a packaging machine (not shown).
As shown in FIG. 3, the ribbon cassette 30 includes a cassette side case body 31 and a substantially rectangular cassette side base plate 32.

The cassette-side case body 31 is formed in a box shape that opens on the printer body 20 side when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer body 20. On the outside of the front side Y <b> 1 in the front-rear direction Y of the cassette-side case body 31, a grip portion 311 that is gripped by a human hand when the ribbon cassette 30 is attached to and detached from the printer main body 20 is provided.
The cassette-side base plate 32 is disposed on the front side Y1 in the front-rear direction Y inside the cassette-side case body 31.

  On the component mounting surface 32a side of the cassette side base plate 32, as shown in FIG. 4, a thermal head 33 as a print head, a ribbon transport mechanism 34, two attachment / detachment guide shafts 41 and 41, and a cassette as a ribbon cassette side substrate. The side relay board 42, the air input port 43, and the cassette side pressing portion 81 in the thermal head pressing mechanism 8 are disposed. The air input port 43 is configured by a tip portion of an air input port shaft 431 of the ribbon transport mechanism 34.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the thermal head 33 is attached (held) to the lower side Z <b> 2 in the vertical direction Z of the cassette side base plate 32. The thermal head 33 is not attached (not held) to the printer main body 20. The thermal head 33 is disposed such that the tip 33a is in contact with the ink ribbon R. The thermal head 33 is provided with a plurality of heating elements at the tip 33a. In the thermal head 33, the heating element generates heat when the thermal head 33 is energized. When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20, the thermal head 33 prints a printing pattern (printing unit) (see, for example, FIG. 11) on the packaging film W moved in the transport direction P1.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer body 20, the thermal head 33 is disposed to face the packaging film W that is transported at a predetermined moving speed in the transport direction P1. The thermal head 33 is disposed to face the platen roller 6 with the ink ribbon R and the packaging film W interposed therebetween. The thermal head 33 is arranged so that the tip 33a side protrudes to the platen roller 6 side.
Further, the thermal head 33 is formed to extend in the width direction H (the front-rear direction Y of the thermal printer 1 and the transport width direction P2 of the packaging film W) orthogonal to the transport direction P1 of the packaging film W (see FIG. 7). .

  The thermal head 33 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction Z by a thermal head pressing mechanism 8 described later when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20. The thermal head 33 is pressed by the thermal head pressing mechanism 8 to press the platen roller 6 at a standby position (see the downstream print unit 10B in FIG. 2) or the platen roller 6 away from the platen roller 6. It is configured to be movable to a position (see the upstream print unit 10A in FIG. 2). Details of the thermal head pressing mechanism 8 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ink ribbon R is disposed between the thermal head 33 and the printing surface of the packaging film W when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20. Ink is transferred from the ink ribbon R to the packaging film W when printing is performed on the packaging film W by the thermal head 33. The ink ribbon R is transported (moved) by the ribbon transport mechanism 34 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the ribbon transport mechanism 34 includes an original fabric holder 341, an original fabric shaft 342, a first guide roller 343, a second guide roller 344, a third guide roller 345, and an air input port shaft. 431, a sensor guide roller 346, a tension arm 347, a winding holder 348 as a ribbon holder, a winding rotary shaft 35, and a brake mechanism 36.

  The original fabric holder 341 holds the wound unused ink ribbon R. The original fabric holder 341 is attached (held) to the cassette side base plate 32 via the original fabric shaft 342 on the upper side Z1 in the vertical direction Z of the cassette side base plate 32. The original fabric shaft 342 is attached to the cassette-side base plate 32 so as to be rotatable about the first rotation axis J1. Since the original fabric shaft 342 is configured to be rotatable about the first rotation axis J1, the original fabric holder 341 rotates about the first rotation axis J1 in synchronization with the rotation of the original fabric shaft 342.

  The ink ribbon R is wound around the winding holder 348. The take-up holder 348 takes up the ink ribbon R. The take-up holder 348 is attached to the cassette-side base plate 32 via a take-up rotating shaft 35 as a first rotating shaft portion on the lower side Z2 in the vertical direction Z than the original fabric holder 341 in the cassette-side base plate 32. (Retained). The winding rotary shaft 35 is attached to the cassette-side base plate 32 so as to be rotatable about the second rotation axis J2. The winding holder 348 rotates the winding rotary shaft 35. The winding holder 348 is configured to rotate around the second rotation axis J2 in synchronization with the rotation of the winding rotation shaft 35 because the winding rotation shaft 35 is configured to be rotatable about the second rotation axis J2. .

  When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20, the winding holder 348 is driven to rotate the winding rotary shaft 35 by driving a ribbon drive motor 281 (see FIG. 5, described later) provided on the printer main body 20 side. Rotate by being done. As the take-up holder 348 rotates, the ribbon transport mechanism 34 takes up the ink ribbon R used in the thermal head 33 around the take-up holder 348 and unused ink ribbon wound around the original fabric holder 341. Rewind R toward the thermal head 33. The ribbon drive motor 281 is attached to the printer main body 20.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the winding rotary shaft 35 includes a support tube 351, a flange portion 352, a body portion 353, and a protruding portion 354. The support cylinder 351, the flange portion 352, the body portion 353, and the protruding portion 354 are sequentially connected in this order in the back Y2 direction of the front-rear direction Y with the second rotation axis J2 as the central axis.

  The support cylinder 351 is formed in a columnar shape, and is rotatably supported on the component mounting surface 32a (see FIG. 4) of the cassette side base plate 32. The flange portion 352 protrudes in an annular shape outward in the radial direction at the end of the support cylinder 351 opposite to the component mounting surface 32a.

  The trunk portion 353 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The trunk portion 353 is formed with a smaller diameter than the flange portion 352. The body portion 353 extends from the opposite side of the flange portion 352 to the support tube 351 in the back side Y2 direction of the front-rear direction Y with the second rotation axis J2 as the central axis. The winding rotary shaft 35 holds a winding holder 348 (see FIG. 4). An end face 353a is formed at the end of the body 353 opposite to the flange 352 of the second rotation axis J2.

  The end surface 353 a of the body portion 353 is formed in an annular surface extending in the radial direction of the body portion 353. A first magnet portion 111 is provided on the end surface 353 a of the body portion 353. When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20, the first magnet unit 111 is connected to the second magnet unit 112 (described later) of the connecting cylinder unit 242 of the driving force transmission rotating body 24 by magnetic coupling. The 1st magnet part 111 and the 2nd magnet part 112 constitute magnet connecting mechanism 110 of drive shaft connecting mechanism (connecting mechanism) 100 (refer to Drawing 5) mentioned below.

  The protruding portion 354 extends from the end surface 353a of the body portion 353 so as to protrude in the back side Y2 direction of the front-rear direction Y with the second rotation axis J2 as the central axis. When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20, the protruding portion 354 is inserted into a connection tube portion 242 (described later) of the driving force transmission rotating body 24.

  The protrusion 354 has a columnar portion 354a extending in the back Y2 direction in the front-rear direction Y with the second rotation axis J2 as the central axis, and a tip portion 354b extending from the columnar portion 354a to the tip side. The distal end portion 354b is formed in a substantially conical shape with a diameter that decreases toward the distal end side. When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 354a is driven by the clutch coupling of the one-way clutch connection mechanism 120 of the drive shaft connection mechanism (connection mechanism) 100 (see FIG. 5) described later. The force transmission rotating body 24 is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the connection cylinder portion 242.

  The winding rotary shaft 35 configured as described above is driven by a driving force transmission rotating body 24 (second rotating shaft portion) provided in the printer main body 20 by a drive shaft connecting mechanism (connecting mechanism) 100 (see FIG. 5) described later. ). Details of the drive shaft connection mechanism 100 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of guide rollers 343, 344, 345, and 346 each have a cylindrical shape with a predetermined diameter and a predetermined length, and are in a posture that rises from the component mounting surface 32 a of the cassette side base plate 32. (Not shown) is rotatably mounted.

The first guide roller 343 is disposed on the lower side Z <b> 2 than the original fabric holder 341 and on the first side X <b> 1 relative to the original fabric holder 341.
The second guide roller 344 is disposed on the upper side Z1 from the first guide roller 343 and between the original fabric holder 341 and the first guide roller 343 in the left-right direction X. The second guide roller 344 is supported by the cassette-side base plate 32 so as to be swingable with respect to the original fabric holder 341, and a first rotation axis J1 that is a rotation center of the original fabric shaft 342 by a tension arm 347 described later. It is urged | biased so that rocking is possible centering on.

  The third guide roller 345 is disposed on the lower side Z2 from the second guide roller 344 and on the first side X1 from the second guide roller 344 and the first guide roller 343.

  The air input port shaft 431 is disposed at the corners on the cassette side base plate 32 on the end side on the lower side Z2 in the vertical direction Z and on the end side on the first side X1 in the left-right direction X. The air input port shaft 431 guides the ink ribbon R.

  An air input port 43 (air input portion) is formed at the tip of the air input port shaft 431. The air input port 43 is connected to an air output port 26 (air output unit) provided in the printer main body 20 when the ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the printer main body 20. The air input port 43 constitutes a part of the cassette-side air cylinder air input mechanism portion 80 of the cassette-side pressing portion 81 of the thermal head pressing mechanism 8 described later. The air supplied to the ribbon cassette 30 via the air input port 43 is supplied to the cassette side pressing portion 81 of the thermal head pressing mechanism 8.

  Note that the cassette-side air cylinder air input mechanism unit 80 inputs air from the printer body 20 side to a cassette-side air cylinder 814 (first air driving unit), which will be described later, disposed on the ribbon cassette 30 side. This is a mechanism for connecting the air supply path of the printer main body 20 and the ribbon cassette 30. As will be described later, as shown in FIG. 8, the cassette-side air cylinder air input mechanism section 80 includes an air output port 26 disposed on the printer body 20 side and an air input port 43 disposed on the ribbon cassette 30 side. And having. On the air input side of the air output port 26 arranged on the printer main body 20 side of the cassette-side air cylinder air input mechanism section 80, air branched by a solenoid valve (not shown) provided in the printer main body 20 is present. Supplied. Note that a solenoid valve (not shown) provided in the printer main body 20 is also provided in a printer main body side air cylinder air input mechanism section (not shown) for supplying air to a printer main body side air cylinder 824 (second air driving section) described later. The air branched in (not shown) is supplied.

  The sensor guide roller 346 is a roller that guides the ink ribbon R and rotates according to the amount of movement of the ink ribbon R. The sensor guide roller 346 is disposed on the end side of the lower side Z2 in the up-down direction Z of the cassette side base plate 32 and on the end side of the second side X2 in the left-right direction X.

  A cassette-side sensor magnet portion 346b is provided on the front end surface 346a of the sensor guide roller 346. When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer body 20, the sensor guide roller 346 is coupled to the printer body side sensor magnet portion 25b (see FIG. 6) of the sensor detection shaft 25 attached to the printer body 20 by magnetic coupling. The

  The first guide roller 343, the second guide roller 344, the third guide roller 345, the air input port shaft 431, and the sensor guide roller 346 configured as described above are conveyed from the raw fabric holder 341 toward the take-up holder 348. The ink ribbon R to be guided is guided, or the ink ribbon R conveyed from the winding holder 348 toward the original fabric holder 341 is guided.

  The tension arm 347 biases the second guide roller 344 toward the rotational direction C1 (counterclockwise in FIG. 4) about the first rotation axis J1 of the original fabric holder 341, and thereby swings the second guide roller 344. Energize to support and support. One end of the tension arm 347 is supported so as to be swingable about a first rotation axis J1 that is the rotation center of the original fabric holder 341. A second guide roller 344 is attached to the other end of the tension arm 347. The tension arm 347 adjusts the tension of the ink ribbon R by biasing the second guide roller 344 so as to be swingable.

  The brake mechanism 36 regulates the feeding of the ink ribbon R from the original fabric holder 341. The brake mechanism 36 includes a brake arm 361, a brake spring 362 that biases the brake arm 361, and a support block 363.

  The brake arm 361 has a plate shape with a predetermined thickness and is formed with a predetermined width and a predetermined length. The brake arm 361 is supported by the cassette-side base plate 32 so as to be swingable about the swing axis J3 at a substantially center in the longitudinal direction. The upper end of the brake arm 361 contacts the original fabric holder 341. At the upper end of the brake arm 361, a brake pad serving as a plate-shaped raw fabric stopper formed of a material having a large friction coefficient and high wear resistance is mounted.

The support block 363 is disposed on the lower side Z <b> 2 of the original fabric holder 341. The support block 363 is fixed to the cassette side base plate 32.
The brake spring 362 is disposed between the support block 363 and the brake arm 361. The brake spring 362 biases the brake arm 361 in the rotation direction C3.

  In the state where no external force is applied to the brake arm 361, the brake mechanism 36 restricts the rotation of the raw fabric holder 341 with an urging force that urges the brake arm 361 in the rotation direction C <b> 3 in the brake spring 362. When the brake arm 361 is swung in the rotational direction C4 against the urging force of the brake spring 362, the rotation restriction of the original fabric holder 341 is released (brake release).

  With the configuration of the tension arm 347 and the brake mechanism 36 as described above, the ink ribbon R is moved toward the take-up holder 348 in a state where the feeding of the ink ribbon R from the original fabric holder 341 is restricted by the brake operation of the brake mechanism 36. When pulled, the tension arm 347 is swung in the rotation direction C2 (clockwise in FIG. 4) by the ink ribbon R, and the brake releasing operation is performed by the swinging tension arm 347.

The two attachment / detachment guide shafts 41, 41 are arranged at both ends in the left-right direction X on the end side of the upper side Z <b> 1 in the up-down direction Z of the cassette-side base plate 32.
The two attachment / detachment guide shafts 41 and 41 are inserted while being guided by a pair of guide shaft insertion holes 27 and 27 (see FIG. 6) disposed in the printer body 20 when the ribbon cassette 30 is attached to and detached from the printer body 20. Is done.

  The cassette-side relay board 42 is disposed at the end of the cassette-side base plate 32 on the first side X1 side in the left-right direction X. The cassette-side relay board 42 is electrically connected to the thermal head 33 via the connection cable 42a. The cassette side relay substrate 42 has a plurality of second contact portions 421.

The plurality of second contact portions 421 are each formed of a planar electrode, and the surface shape is formed in a circular shape. The plurality of second contact portions 421 of the cassette-side relay substrate 42 come into contact with the plurality of first contact portions 231 of the body-side relay substrate 23 (described later) when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20. Are electrically connected to the plurality of first contact portions 231.
In the present embodiment, the plurality of second contact portions 421 of the cassette side relay substrate 42 and the plurality of first contact portions 231 of the main body side relay substrate 23 (described later) are terminals for power supply input to the thermal head 33. And a terminal used for connection of various signals of the thermal head 33.

  The cassette side pressing portion 81 is disposed on the ribbon cassette 30 side. The cassette side pressing portion 81 constitutes a part of the thermal head pressing mechanism 8. When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20, the thermal head pressing mechanism 8 presses the thermal head 33 toward the lower side Z2 on the ribbon cassette 30 side during printing, thereby causing the thermal head 33 to press the ink ribbon R side. It is a mechanism which presses against. Details of the thermal head pressing mechanism 8 will be described later.

  Next, the printer body 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the printer main body 20 includes a main body side case body 21 and a main body side base plate 22. The main body side case body 21 is formed in a box shape that opens on the ribbon cassette 30 side when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20. The main body side base plate 22 is disposed at the approximate center in the front-rear direction Y inside the main body side case body 21.

The main body side base plate 22 is formed in a plate shape, and as shown in FIG. 6, has a rectangular cutout 22a, a first opening 22b, a second opening 22c, and a third opening 22d.
The rectangular notch 22a is formed by cutting a rectangular shape from an end of the lower side Z2 in the vertical direction Z of the main body side base plate 22 toward the upper side Z1.
The first opening 22b opens in a circular shape on the upper side Z1 of the rectangular notch 22a in the main body side base plate 22.
The second opening 22 c opens in a circular shape on the second side X <b> 2 of the rectangular notch 22 a in the main body side base plate 22.
The third opening 22d opens in a circular shape on the end side of the lower side Z2 and the end side of the first side X1 in the main body side base plate 22.

A main body side relay substrate 23 (main body side substrate) is attached to one surface 221 (surface on the ribbon cassette 30 side) of the main body side base plate 22.
As shown in FIG. 6, the other surface (surface opposite to the ribbon cassette 30) opposite to the one surface 221 of the main body side base plate 22 is exposed to the one surface 221 side through the first opening 22b. Driving force transmitting rotator 24 (second rotating shaft portion), sensor detection shaft 25 exposed to the one surface 221 side through the second opening 22c, and air exposed to the one surface 221 side through the third opening 22d An output port 26 (air output portion) and a printer main body side pressing portion 82 of the thermal head pressing mechanism 8 exposed to the one surface 221 side through the rectangular cutout portion 22a are arranged.

  The main body side relay board 23 is electrically connected to the control device 9. The main body side relay substrate 23 has a plurality of first contact portions 231. The plurality of first contact portions 231 are each formed in a pin shape protruding from the main body side relay substrate 23, and when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20, the plurality of second contact points of the cassette side relay substrate 42. When contacting the portion 421, a biasing spring (biasing portion) (not shown) generates a biasing force toward the plurality of second contact portions 421. Thereby, the plurality of first contact portions 231 of the main body side relay substrate 23 and the plurality of second contact portions 421 of the cassette side relay substrate 42 are electrically connected in a state in which a contact state is ensured.

  The pair of guide shaft insertion holes 27, 27 are arranged at both ends in the left-right direction X on the end side on the upper side Z <b> 1 side in the up-down direction Z of the main body side base plate 22. The pair of guide shaft insertion holes 27 are formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the thickness direction of the main body side base plate 22 of the printer main body 20. The pair of guide shaft insertion holes 27 and 27 are inserted into the two detachable guide shafts 41 and 41 provided on the ribbon cassette 30 side when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20. By inserting the two detachable guide shafts 41, 41 into the pair of guide shaft insertion holes 27, 27, the ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the printer main body 20 and the position of the ribbon cassette 30 with respect to the printer main body 20 is positioned. .

  The air output port 26 is on the end side of the lower side Z2 in the vertical direction Z of the main body side base plate 22, and on the end side of the first side X1 in the left and right direction X, the third opening of the main body side base plate 22 is provided. The main body side base plate 22 is exposed to the one surface 221 side through 22d.

  The air output port 26 outputs air to the outside of the printer main body 20. The air output port 26 is connected to an air input port 43 provided on the ribbon cassette 30 side when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20. The air output port 26 constitutes a part of the cassette-side air cylinder air input mechanism portion 80 of the cassette-side pressing portion 81 of the thermal head pressing mechanism 8 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the printer main body side pressing portion 82 is disposed on the printer main body 20 side. The printer main body side pressing portion 82 constitutes a part of the thermal head pressing mechanism 8. As shown in FIG. 6, the printer main body side pressing portion 82 of the thermal head pressing mechanism 8 is exposed to the one surface 221 side of the main body side base plate 22 through the rectangular notch 22 a. When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20, the printer main body side pressing portion 82 presses the thermal head 33 downward Z2 (ink ribbon R side) on the printer main body 20 side when printing with the thermal head 33. It is a mechanism to do. Details of the thermal head pressing mechanism 8 will be described later.

  The sensor detection shaft 25 detects the rotational speed of the sensor detection shaft 25. The front end surface 25a of the sensor detection shaft 25 is provided with a printer main body side sensor magnet portion 25b. When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20, the printer main body side sensor magnet portion 25 b is coupled to the cassette side sensor magnet portion 346 b of the sensor guide roller 346 attached to the ribbon cassette 30 by magnetic coupling. Thereby, the sensor detection shaft 25 is connected to the sensor guide roller 346.

  The printer body side sensor magnet portion 25b of the sensor detection shaft 25 provided on the printer body 20 side and the cassette side sensor magnet portion 346b of the sensor guide roller 346 provided on the ribbon cassette 30 are connected by magnetic coupling. Therefore, damage and deterioration of the connection portion can be reduced as compared with the case where the sensor guide roller 346 and the sensor detection shaft 25 are connected by engagement or fitting. Moreover, since it joins by magnet coupling | bonding, the sensor guide roller 346 and the sensor detection shaft 25 can be connected easily.

  When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20, it is connected to the sensor guide roller 346. Therefore, when the sensor guide roller 346 is rotated by the movement of the ink ribbon R, the sensor detection shaft 25 rotates in conjunction with it. . Thereby, the sensor detection shaft 25 detects the rotational speed of the sensor detection shaft 25 and transmits a signal related to the rotational speed of the sensor detection shaft 25 to the control device 9. Based on the rotational speed of the sensor detection shaft 25 transmitted to the control device 9, the control device 9 calculates the amount of movement of the ink ribbon R and calculates the remaining amount of the ink ribbon R wound around the original fabric holder 341. .

  The driving force transmission rotator 24 is provided on the printer main body 20 side, and transmits the driving force generated by a ribbon driving driving force generator 28 (described later) from the printer main body 20 side to the ribbon cassette 30 side. As shown in FIG. 6, the driving force transmission rotating body 24 is exposed to the one surface 221 side of the main body side base plate 22 through the first opening 22 b. As shown in FIG. 5, the driving force transmission rotating body 24 includes a transmission shaft portion 241 and a connecting tube portion 242. The transmission shaft portion 241 and the connecting cylinder portion 242 are connected in the front-rear direction Y with the second rotation axis J2 as the central axis.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the transmission shaft portion 241 extends in the front-rear direction Y with the second rotation axis J2 as the central axis. The proximal end of the transmission shaft portion 241 is connected to the ribbon driving driving force generator 28. The distal end of the transmission shaft portion 241 is connected to the end surface of the connection cylinder portion 242.

  The connection cylinder portion 242 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction Y with the second rotation axis J2 as the central axis, and is connected to the end portion on the distal end side of the transmission shaft portion 241. An end surface 242a opposite to the transmission shaft portion 241 in the front-rear direction Y with the second rotation axis J2 in the connecting cylinder portion 242 as a central axis is connected to the first end 22b (see FIG. 6) of the main body side base plate 22. The main body side base plate 22 is exposed on the one surface 221 side.

  The end surface 242a of the connection tube portion 242 is formed in an annular surface extending in the radial direction of the connection tube portion 242. A second magnet portion 112 is provided on the end surface 242 a of the connecting tube portion 242. The second magnet portion 112 is connected to the first magnet portion 111 of the body portion 353 of the winding rotary shaft 35 by magnet coupling by a magnet connecting mechanism 110 of a drive shaft connecting mechanism (connecting mechanism) 100 (see FIG. 5) described later. Connected.

  A one-way clutch 121 of the one-way clutch connection mechanism 120 of the drive shaft connection mechanism 100 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the connection cylinder portion 242. A projecting portion of the take-up rotary shaft 35 is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the connection cylinder portion 242 via a one-way clutch 121 by a one-way clutch connection mechanism 120 of a drive shaft connection mechanism (connection mechanism) 100 (see FIG. 5) described later. A cylindrical portion 354a of 354 is connected.

  When the ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the printer main body 20, the driving force transmission rotating body 24 (second rotating shaft portion) configured in this way is a driving shaft connecting mechanism (connecting mechanism) 100 described later (see FIG. 5). ) To the winding rotary shaft 35 (first rotary shaft portion) provided in the ribbon cassette 30. Details of the drive shaft connection mechanism 100 will be described later.

  The ribbon driving driving force generator 28 is provided in the printer main body 20. The ribbon driving driving force generator 28 generates a rotational driving force for rotationally driving the driving force transmission rotating body 24 and transmits the rotational driving force to the transmission shaft portion 241. As shown in FIG. 5, the ribbon driving driving force generator 28 includes a ribbon driving motor 281, a first pulley 282, a second pulley 283, and a transmission belt 284.

  The first pulley 282 is connected to the rotary shaft member 281 a of the ribbon drive motor 281. A transmission shaft portion 241 of the driving force transmission rotating body 24 is connected to the center of the rotation shaft of the second pulley 283. The transmission belt 284 is stretched around the first pulley 282 and the second pulley 283.

  The ribbon drive motor 281 generates a rotational drive force. The rotational driving force generated by the ribbon drive motor 281 is transmitted to the transmission shaft portion 241 of the driving force transmission rotating body 24 via the first pulley 282, the transmission belt 284, and the second pulley 283.

  The ribbon drive motor 281 rotates the drive force transmission rotator 24 via the first pulley 282, the transmission belt 284, and the second pulley 283, thereby winding the winding holder 348 connected to the drive force transmission rotator 24. Are driven to rotate in both directions of rewinding the ink ribbon R and winding up the ink ribbon R. The ribbon drive motor 281 conveys the ink ribbon R toward the thermal head 33 so as to have the same moving speed as the packaging film W continuously moved by a packaging machine or the like. The ribbon drive motor 281 is controlled by the control device 9 described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the upstream side platen roller 6A, the downstream side platen roller 6B, the upstream side conveyance guide roller 71, and the downstream side conveyance guide roller 72 are disposed below the print units 10A and 10B. The upstream platen roller 6A, the downstream platen roller 6B, the upstream conveyance guide roller 71, and the downstream conveyance guide roller 72 guide the movement of the packaging film W in the conveyance direction P1.

  The platen roller 6 is rotatable while at least a part of the packaging film W is wound around the peripheral surface in a state where the packaging film W is disposed between the platen roller 6 and the thermal head 33. Each of the upstream platen roller 6A and the downstream platen roller 6B has an elastic layer made of a material having a predetermined elasticity such as silicone rubber formed on a peripheral surface of a metal core having a predetermined diameter, and has a cylindrical shape with a predetermined outer diameter. It is a formed roller.

  In this embodiment, the rotary encoder 73 is disposed so as to face the upstream platen roller 6A with the packaging film W interposed therebetween. The rotary encoder 73 rotates as the packaging film W moves, detects the amount of movement of the packaging film W as the amount of rotation, and outputs it as a pulse signal. Thereby, the control apparatus 9 (after-mentioned) calculates the position of the conveyance direction P1 of the packaging film W from a reference | standard position. The reference position is, for example, a plurality of marks M (see FIGS. 3 and 11) printed on the packaging film W at predetermined intervals.

  The upstream conveyance guide roller 71 is disposed on the upstream side of the upstream platen roller 6A in the conveyance direction P1 of the packaging film W. The downstream side conveyance guide roller 72 is disposed on the downstream side of the downstream side platen roller 6B in the conveyance direction P1 of the packaging film W.

  The mark detection sensor 74 is arranged on the moving path of the packaging film W on the upstream side of the upstream side conveyance guide roller 71. When the mark detection sensor 74 detects a plurality of marks M (reference positions) printed at predetermined intervals on the packaging film W, the mark detection sensor 74 outputs a detection signal indicating that the mark M has been detected. A detection signal for detecting the mark M output from the mark detection sensor 74 is input to the control device 9 (described later).

Next, the thermal head pressing mechanism 8 will be described.
The thermal head pressing mechanism 8 can press the thermal head 33 toward the lower side Z2 (ink ribbon R side) when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the thermal head pressing mechanism 8 includes a cassette side pressing portion 81 (first pressing portion) and a printer main body side pressing portion 82 (second pressing portion).

The cassette side pressing portion 81 will be described.
The cassette-side pressing portion 81 (first pressing portion) presses one end H1 (front side Y1) of the thermal head 33 in the width direction H (front-rear direction Y of the thermal printer 1) on the ribbon cassette 30 side.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the cassette-side pressing portion 81 includes a head bracket 811, a cassette-side head pressing member 812, a cassette-side slide member 813, and a cassette-side air cylinder 814 (first air driving portion). And a cassette-side air cylinder air input mechanism section 80. A head bracket 811, a cassette-side head pressing member 812, a cassette-side slide member 813, a cassette-side air cylinder 814, and an air input port 43 (described later) of the cassette-side air cylinder air input mechanism section 80 are provided in the ribbon cassette 30. . An air output port 26 (described later) of the cassette-side air cylinder air input mechanism section 80 is provided in the printer main body.

  A thermal head 33 is attached to the head bracket 811. In the present embodiment, the thermal head 33 is formed to extend in the width direction H (the front-rear direction Y of the thermal printer apparatus 1), and is attached to the head bracket 811 in a state where the tip 33a is inclined so as to be positioned on the lower side. It is attached.

  The cassette-side head pressing member 812 is formed to extend in the width direction H of the thermal head 33 (the longitudinal direction Y of the thermal printer device 1). A thermal head 33 is attached to the cassette-side head pressing member 812 via a head bracket 811. The end of the front side Y1 in the front-rear direction Y of the cassette-side head pressing member 812 is connected to the cassette-side slide member 813.

  The cassette-side air cylinder 814 is provided in the ribbon cassette 30. The cassette-side air cylinder 814 is driven by air input from an air input port 43 (described later) of the cassette-side air cylinder air input mechanism 80.

The cassette-side air cylinder air input mechanism section 80 is configured to input air from the printer body 20 side to the cassette-side air cylinder 814 (first air drive section) disposed on the ribbon cassette 30 side. This is a mechanism for connecting an air supply path of the ribbon cassette 30. As shown in FIG. 8, the cassette-side air cylinder air input mechanism section 80 includes an air output port 26 disposed on the printer body 20 side and an air input port 43 disposed on the ribbon cassette 30 side.
The air output port 26 is provided in the printer main body 20. The air output port 26 outputs air to the outside of the printer main body 20.
The air input port 43 is provided in the ribbon cassette 30. The air input port 43 is connected to the air output unit 26 when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20. The air input port 43 inputs air to the ribbon cassette 30.

  In the cassette-side air cylinder air input mechanism 80 described above, when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20, the air input port 43 provided on the ribbon cassette 30 and the air output port provided on the printer main body 20. 26 are connected. In this connected state, the air output from the air output port 26 is supplied to the ribbon cassette 30 via the air input port 43. The cassette-side air cylinder 814 is driven by the air supplied to the ribbon cassette 30.

  The cassette side slide member 813 is connected to the cassette side air cylinder 814. The cassette side slide member 813 can be moved in the vertical direction Z by a cassette side air cylinder 814. As a result, the cassette-side air cylinder 814 operates to move the cassette-side slide member 813 in the vertical direction Z. As the cassette-side slide member 813 moves to the lower side Z2, the thermal head 33 is pressed to the lower side Z2 via the cassette-side head pressing member 812 and the head bracket 811. The cassette side slide member 813 is urged upward by an urging member (not shown).

  The cassette-side slide member 813 is connected to the end of the front-side Y1 in the front-rear direction Y of the cassette-side head pressing member 812. Therefore, the cassette-side slide member 813 has one end H1 in the width direction H of the thermal head 33 (the front-rear direction Y of the thermal printer device 1) on the end Y1 front side in the front-rear direction Y of the cassette-side head pressing member 812. (Front side Y1) is pressed on the ribbon cassette 30 side.

The printer main body side pressing portion 82 will be described.
The printer main body side pressing portion 82 (second pressing portion) presses the other end H2 (back side Y2) of the thermal head 33 in the width direction H (front and rear direction Y of the thermal printer device 1) on the printer main body 20 side. .

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the printer main body side pressing unit 82 includes a printer main body side head pressing member 822, a printer main body side slide member 823, a printer main body side air cylinder 824 (second air driving unit), And an air input mechanism portion (not shown) for the printer main body side air cylinder. The printer main body side head pressing member 822, the printer main body side slide member 823, the printer main body side air cylinder 824, and the printer main body side air cylinder air input mechanism section (not shown) are provided in the printer main body 20. As described above, air branched by a solenoid valve (not shown) provided in the printer main body 20 is supplied to the air input mechanism portion (not shown) for the air cylinder on the printer main body side.

  The printer body side head pressing member 822 is connected to the printer body side slide member 823. The printer main body side head pressing member 822 is formed to protrude toward the ribbon cassette 30 when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20. The printer main body side head pressing member 822 is configured to press the end of the cassette side head pressing member 812 on the back side Y2 in the front-rear direction Y when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20.

  The printer main body side air cylinder 824 is provided in the printer main body 20. The printer main body side air cylinder 824 is driven by air supplied from an air input mechanism (not shown) for the printer main body side air cylinder.

  The printer main body side slide member 823 is connected to the printer main body side air cylinder 824. The printer main body side slide member 823 can be moved in the vertical direction Z by the printer main body side air cylinder 824. Accordingly, the printer main body side air cylinder 824 operates, whereby the printer main body side slide member 823 moves in the vertical direction Z, and the printer main body side head pressing member 822 moves to the lower side Z2. Then, the end of the thermal head 33 on the far side Y2 in the front-rear direction Y is pressed to the lower side Z2 via the head bracket 811. The printer main body side slide member 823 is urged upward by an urging member (not shown).

  The printer main body side slide member 823 presses the end of the other side of the cassette side head pressing member 812 (the back side Y2 in the front-rear direction Y) of the printer main body side pressing member 812, so that the width direction H ( The other end side H2 (back side Y2) of the thermal printer apparatus 1 in the front-rear direction Y) is pressed on the printer main body 20 side.

  The thermal head pressing mechanism 8 configured as described above is provided in the ribbon cassette 30 by the cassette side pressing portion 81 and the printer body side pressing portion 82 when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20. The thermal head 33 can be pressed to the lower side Z2, and the thermal head 33 can be pressed to the ink ribbon R side. Here, in the center of the thermal head 33 in the width direction H (the front-rear direction Y of the thermal printer apparatus 1), a space for arranging the winding holder 348 (see FIG. 4) is secured, and the width direction H ( The thermal head 33 is pressed on both sides H1, H2 (front side Y1 and back side Y2) of the thermal printer apparatus 1 in the front-rear direction Y). Thereby, the thermal head 33 can be uniformly pressed downward in the width direction H (the front-rear direction Y of the thermal printer apparatus 1).

Next, the drive shaft connection mechanism 100 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, the drive shaft connecting mechanism 100 connects the winding rotary shaft 35 and the driving force transmission rotating body 24. The drive shaft connection mechanism 100 includes a magnet connection mechanism 110 and a one-way clutch connection mechanism 120.

  The one-way clutch connection mechanism 120 includes a one-way clutch 121 as shown in FIG. The one-way clutch 121 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the connecting cylinder portion 242 of the driving force transmission rotating body 24 (second rotating shaft portion). When the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20, the one-way clutch 121 is wound by inserting the protruding portion 354 of the winding rotation shaft 35 into the connection tube portion 242 of the driving force transmission rotating body 24. It arrange | positions between the protrusion part 354 of the taking rotation shaft 35 (1st rotating shaft part), and the internal peripheral surface of the connection cylinder part 242 of the driving force transmission rotary body 24 (2nd rotating shaft part).

  When the driving force transmission rotator 24 rotates in the first rotational direction D1, the one-way clutch 121 is in a coupled state in which the driving force transmission rotator 24 and the take-up rotary shaft 35 are coupled by clutch coupling. When the body 24 rotates in the second rotation direction D2, which is the rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction D1, the driving force transmitting rotation body 24 and the winding rotation shaft 35 are not coupled.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the magnet connection mechanism 110 includes a first magnet part 111 provided on the winding rotary shaft 35 and a second magnet part 112 provided on the driving force transmission rotating body 24.

  The first magnet part 111 is provided on the end surface 353 a of the body part 353 of the winding rotary shaft 35. In the present embodiment, the first magnet unit 111 is composed of a plurality of permanent magnet pieces 111a having a circular surface. The plurality of circular permanent magnet pieces 111a are embedded in an annular shape on the end surface 353a of the body 353 so that the N pole and the S pole are alternately arranged.

  The second magnet part 112 is provided on the end surface 242 a of the connecting cylinder part 242 of the driving force transmission rotating body 24. In the present embodiment, the second magnet portion 112 is constituted by a plurality of permanent magnet pieces 112a having a circular surface. The plurality of circular permanent magnet pieces 112 a of the second magnet portion 112 are arranged at the same interval as the intervals between the circular permanent magnet pieces 111 a in the first magnet portion 111 so as to be attracted to the first magnet portion 111. And it is embedded in the end surface 242a of the connection cylinder part 242 along with the annular | circular shape so that a south pole may become alternate. The second magnet unit 112 is coupled to the first magnet unit 111 by magnetic coupling when the ribbon cassette 30 is mounted on the printer main body 20.

  As a permanent magnet used for the 1st magnet part 111 and the 2nd magnet part 112, an alnico magnet, a ferrite magnet, a neodymium magnet, etc. are mentioned, for example. In the present embodiment, for example, a neodymium magnet is used as the permanent magnet in that it is easy to sufficiently obtain an attractive force due to magnetic force. The permanent magnet is not limited to this.

  The magnet connection mechanism 110 configured as described above is coupled by magnetic coupling by the first magnet unit 111 and the second magnet unit 112 in the connected state of the winding rotary shaft 35 and the driving force transmission rotating body 24. Thus, when the driving force transmission rotating body 24 rotates in the first rotation direction D1 or the second rotation direction D2, the winding rotation shaft 35 can rotate in the first rotation direction D1 or the second rotation direction D2. In addition, the first magnet unit 111 and the second magnet unit 112 have a certain relative rotational force that exceeds the limit of attraction by magnetic force between the winding rotary shaft 35 and the driving force transmission rotating body 24. When acting, the magnetic coupling is released and separated.

In the one-way clutch connection mechanism 120 and the magnet connection mechanism 110 described above, the clutch coupling of the one-way clutch connection mechanism 120 is larger than the coupling force of the magnetic coupling of the magnet connection mechanism 110.
Here, the clutch engagement of the one-way clutch connection mechanism 120 (one-way clutch 121) is, for example, a structure that mechanically engages when the clutch is engaged when rotating in one direction. Therefore, the clutch connection is a strong connection state. Moreover, when it rotates in another direction, it will be in a non-bonding state.
On the other hand, since the magnet connection mechanism 110 is magnetically coupled, when a rotational force that does not exceed the limit of magnetic coupling is applied, the rotational force that is coupled by magnetic coupling and exceeds the limit of magnetic coupling is applied. In this case, the combined state is released.

  In the drive shaft connecting mechanism 100 configured as described above, a case where the driving force transmission rotating body 24 rotates in the first rotation direction D1 and a case where the driving force transmission rotating body 24 rotates in the second rotation direction D2 will be described. To do.

  In the present embodiment, the first rotation direction D1 is the winding direction when the thermal head 33 prints the printing pattern on the packaging film W in the rotation direction of the winding rotation shaft 35 as indicated by the arrow D1 in FIG. This is the rotation direction (forward rotation direction) in which the ink ribbon R is drawn out from the take-up holder 348.

  When the driving force transmission rotating body 24 rotates in the first rotation direction D1, the one-way clutch connection mechanism 120 is in a state where the first magnet unit 111 and the second magnet unit 112 are magnetically coupled in the magnet connection mechanism 110. As a result, the clutch is engaged. In this state, since the one-way clutch connection mechanism 120 is in the clutch-coupled state, the driving force transmission rotating body 24 and the take-up rotating shaft 35 are firmly connected.

  In the first rotation direction D1, since the thermal head 33 is lowered and presses the ink ribbon R and the platen roller, it is necessary to be able to transmit a strong rotational torque. For this reason, in the first rotational direction D1, a strong rotational torque is transmitted by coupling with the clutch coupling by the one-way clutch coupling mechanism 120.

  On the other hand, the second rotation direction D2 is a direction (reverse rotation direction) in which the ink ribbon R is rewound in the rotation direction of the winding rotation shaft 35, as indicated by an arrow D2 in FIG. For example, as a case where the winding rotary shaft 35 is rotated in the second rotation direction D2, there is a case where the ink ribbon R is rewound in order to reduce useless consumption of the ink ribbon R after printing in the thermal head 33.

  When the driving force transmission rotating body 24 rotates in the second rotation direction D2, the one-way clutch connection mechanism 120 is in a state where the first magnet unit 111 and the second magnet unit 112 are magnetically coupled in the magnet connection mechanism 110. In FIG. 1, the one-way clutch 121 is in a non-coupled state and is connected only by magnetic coupling between the first magnet unit 111 and the second magnet unit 112. In this state, the first magnet unit 111 and the second magnet unit 112 are connected only by magnetic coupling. Further, when a certain relative rotational torque that exceeds the limit of magnetic coupling acts between the winding rotary shaft 35 and the driving force transmission rotator 24, the magnetic coupling is released, and the first magnet The part 111 and the second magnet part 112 are separated from each other.

  Here, if both the first rotation direction D1 and the second rotation direction D2 in the connected state of the winding rotation shaft 35 and the driving force transmission rotating body 24 are clutch engagement, the driving force transmission rotating body 24 and There is a case where the winding rotary shaft 35 is firmly engaged and cannot be detached. On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the driving force transmission rotator 24 rotates in the first rotation direction D1, it is a clutch coupling, and the driving force transmission rotator 24 rotates in the second rotation direction D2. If so, it is a magnet coupling. Thus, by providing a difference in the coupling force between the first rotation direction D1 and the second rotation direction D2, the winding rotation shaft 35 and the driving force in both the rotation directions of the first rotation direction D1 and the second rotation direction D2. The meshing with the transmission rotating body 24 is suppressed. Therefore, when the ribbon cassette 30 is removed from the printer main body 20, both the first rotation direction D1 and the second rotation direction D2 in the connected state of the winding rotation shaft 35 and the driving force transmission rotating body 24 are clutch engagement. The winding rotary shaft 35 can be easily detached from the driving force transmission rotary body 24 than the case. Further, since the winding rotation shaft 35 and the driving force transmission rotating body 24 are prevented from being firmly meshed in both the first rotation direction D1 and the second rotation direction D2, the driving force transmission rotating body 24 When removing the winding rotary shaft 35, the winding rotary shaft 35 can be easily attached and detached.

Next, the control device 9 will be described. The control device 9 is electrically connected to the print units 10A and 10B and the drive mechanism 53. The control device 9 controls the plurality of print units 10A and 10B in an integrated manner.
The control device 9 controls the drive of the drive mechanism 53 so as to move each of the plurality of print units 10A and 10B in the transport width direction P2. The control device 9 controls the thermal head 33 provided in each of the print units 10A and 10B, and controls the movement of the ink ribbon R.

(Control example)
A control example of the thermal printer apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 10A is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the two print units 10A and 10B when the first to fourth control examples are executed, and FIG. 10B is the fifth control example. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the two print units 10A and 10B in the case of doing. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating print contents printed by the first control example. FIG. 12A is a diagram showing the print contents printed by the second control example, FIG. 12B is a diagram showing the print contents printed by the third control example, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the printing content printed by the 4th control example. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating print contents printed by the fifth control example.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the control device 9 can arrange the print units 10A and 10B side by side in the transport direction (movement direction) P1 of the packaging film W, or as shown in FIG. 10 (b). The print units 10A and 10B are controlled to move to positions shifted in the transport width direction P2 so as to cover the entire area in the transport width direction P2. Further, the control device 9 controls the print units 10A and 10B so as to print the print pattern on the packaging film W. Further, the control device 9 moves the print units 10A and 10B from the position of FIG. 10A to the position of FIG. 10B or from the position of FIG. 10B to the position of FIG. 10A. It is also possible to make it.

The positions of the two print units 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B are as follows for the following control examples 1 to 5, for example.
In Control Example 1 to Control Example 4, as shown in FIG. 10A, the print units 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B are arranged in the transport direction P <b> 1 in a state where the print units 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B are moved to one side of the transport width direction P < Deploy. As a result, the print areas in the transport width direction P2 of the print units 10A and 10B are in the same range when viewed in the transport direction P1.
In the control example 5, as shown in FIG. 10B, the print units 10A and 10B are positioned, for example, on one side and the other side in the transport width direction P2 of the packaging film W. As a result, the entire area in the transport width direction P2 of the print units 10A and 10B can be set as the print area.

(Control example 1)
In the control example 1, for example, in the production line (packaging line) for packaging products such as food with the packaging film W, the thermal printer device 1 of the present invention is incorporated in a part of the production line. It is an example of control which performs control which does not stop the conveyance of.
For example, in a production line, it is important not to stop the production line in order not to reduce the number of products such as food. Therefore, the control example 1 is a control example in which control is performed so as not to stop a production line for products such as food.

  In the control example 1, in a state where the print units 10A and 10B are arranged side by side in the transport direction P1 (see FIG. 10A), the printing operation is executed by one of the print units 10A and 10B. The print unit 10 that does not execute the print operation is put on standby as a reserve for the print unit 10 that is executing the print operation.

  Here, in the print unit 10A performing the printing operation, maintenance may be necessary, for example, because the ink ribbon R is finished or cut, or the thermal head 33 of the print unit 10A becomes dirty or breaks down. is there. In such a case, in the control example 1, instead of stopping the conveyance of the packaging film W, the printing unit 10B that has been on standby without performing the printing operation is operated instead of the printing unit 10A that is performing the printing operation. Can be made.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when printing is being performed by the upstream print unit 10A in the section “A”, for example, the ink ribbon R is terminated or cut in the upstream print unit 10A. Maintenance may be required because the thermal head 33 becomes dirty or breaks down. In this case, the control device 9 stops the upstream print unit 10A, switches the upstream print unit 10A to the downstream print unit 10B, and executes printing by the downstream print unit 10B in the section “B”. Control. Thereby, the printing operation can be continued without stopping the movement of the packaging film W.
In the stopped print unit 10A, by replacing the ribbon cassette 30, it is possible to quickly return the print unit 10A to use, or to stand by as a spare for the currently operated print unit 10B.

  In particular, in the present invention, the thermal head 33 is held by the ribbon cassette 30. Therefore, even when the thermal head 33 becomes dirty or needs to be maintained, maintenance such as repair, replacement or cleaning of the thermal head 33 or maintenance such as replacement of the ribbon cassette 30 is performed on the ribbon cassette 30 side. Can go. Therefore, maintainability can be improved compared to the case where the thermal head 33 is held on the printer main body 20 side.

  As described above, when the upstream printing unit 10A is performing the printing operation, when the upstream printing unit 10A needs to be maintained, the printing operation is performed without stopping the conveyance of the packaging film W. It is possible to suppress the stop of the production line by operating the print unit 10 that has been waiting without executing the print operation instead of the print unit 10 that is in progress. Further, the control device 9 can operate the upstream print unit 10A without missing the print when the downstream print unit 10B reaches the ribbon replacement time or needs maintenance.

(Control example 2)
Control example 2 is a control example in the case of printing a print pattern of a plurality of character strings at a short pitch. One pitch is an interval between two adjacent marks M (reference position) on the packaging film W, as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the printing operation is executed based on the mark M (reference position).

  Conventionally, in a thermal printer device, after printing a print pattern of a character string, in order to reduce unused consumption of the ink ribbon R by reducing unused portions of the ink ribbon R, every printing operation, Control is performed to rewind the ink ribbon R after printing. For this reason, when the print pattern of the character string is printed at a short pitch by using one print unit 10, if the control for rewinding the ink ribbon R is executed to reduce the unused portion of the ink ribbon R, the next printing is performed. Cannot move to operation immediately. For this reason, there is a limit to printing a print pattern of a plurality of character strings at a short pitch. Further, printing could not be started until the film speed and the winding speed of the ink ribbon R were synchronized.

  On the other hand, in the control example 2, when one pitch to be printed (the interval between adjacent marks M (reference positions)) is short, the print units 10A and 10B are arranged side by side in the transport direction P1 (FIG. 10 ( a)), and the upstream printing unit 10A and the downstream printing unit 10B execute printing operations alternately. Thereby, the print pattern of a character string can be printed with a short pitch. Further, since the ink ribbon R has twice the winding amount, there is also an advantage that the interval of the replacement time is doubled.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12A, the printing operation is performed by the upstream printing unit 10A at the timing “A” within the range of a short pitch, and the downstream printing unit 10B at the timing “B”. To execute the printing operation. As a result, the upstream printing unit 10A and the downstream printing unit 10B can alternately perform printing operations. Therefore, even if the control to rewind the ink ribbon in one print unit 10 is executed, it is only necessary to execute the printing in the other print unit 10, so that the character string print pattern can be printed at a short pitch.

(Control example 3)
Control example 3 is a control example in the case where different types of character string print patterns are printed at two locations within a pitch range, as shown in FIG. One pitch is an interval between two adjacent marks M (reference position) on the packaging film W, for example, as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the printing operation is executed based on the mark M (reference position).

Conventionally, the packaging film W is packaged so as to move, for example, one pitch between a mark M provided at a predetermined interval in the conveyance direction P1 of the packaging film W and the next mark M in a single feeding operation. It is controlled by a machine (not shown). And it controlled so that only one printing operation could be performed in the printing range of 1 pitch moved by one feeding operation of packaging film W. For this reason, it is difficult to print a plurality of print patterns in a range of one pitch between two marks M on the packaging film W.
Moreover, it was also possible to print at two places in one pitch printing range using one printing unit. However, when the two printing locations are separated, the ink ribbon is wasted because printing is performed without executing the control to rewind the ink ribbon R after printing.

On the other hand, in the control example 3, when printing the print patterns of different types of character strings in two places within the range of one pitch, the print units 10A and 10B are arranged in the transport direction P1 ( As shown in FIG. 10A and FIG. 12B, the printing operation is executed by the upstream print unit 10A at the timing “A” within the range of one pitch, and the downstream side at the timing “B”. By executing the printing operation by the print unit 10B, the printing operation is alternately executed at two locations within the range of one pitch. As a result, two types of print patterns of character strings can be printed at two locations within the range of one pitch.
Further, in each of the upstream side print unit 10A and the downstream side print unit 10B, control for rewinding the ink ribbon R after printing is executed, so that waste of the ink ribbon can be suppressed.

(Control example 4)
Control example 4 is a control example in the case of printing character strings of different colors at two locations within a range of one pitch in a continuous pitch, as shown in FIG.
In the control example 4, in order to print the print patterns of character strings of different colors at two locations within the range of one pitch, for example, a blue ink ribbon is set in the ribbon cassette of the upstream print unit 10A and the downstream print unit 10B. Set the red ink ribbon in the ribbon cassette. Then, with the print units 10A and 10B arranged side by side in the transport direction P1 (see FIG. 10A), as shown in FIG. 12C, the upstream print unit 10A “ A print operation for printing with a red character print pattern is executed at the timing “A”, and a print operation for printing with a blue character print pattern is executed at the timing “B” by the downstream print unit 10B. As a result, print patterns of different colors can be printed at two locations within the range of one pitch.
In this way, in the control example 4, multi-color printing that was impossible with one print unit 10 is made possible by printing with a plurality of print units 10.

(Control example 5)
Control example 5 is a control example in which different character string print patterns are printed at positions separated in the transport width direction P2 of the packaging film W, as shown in FIG.

  Conventionally, when the length of the packaging film W in the transport width direction P2 is long, for example, there is a case where it is desired to print different character string print patterns at positions separated from one side and the other side of the transport width direction P2. .

  In such a case, when printing with one print unit 10, the length of the thermal head 33 and the ink ribbon R in the transport width direction P2 may be shorter than the length of the packaging film W in the transport width direction P2. . In this case, it is conceivable to print a print pattern by moving one print unit 10 in the transport width direction P2. However, even if the print unit 10 is moved to the other side in the transport width direction P2 of the packaging film W after printing on one side in the transport width direction P2 of the packaging film W, the moving speed of the print unit 10 is limited. Therefore, even when it is desired to print a plurality of print patterns arranged in the transport width direction P2, the packaging film W moves in the transport direction P1 while the print unit 10 moves, and the print positions of the plurality of print patterns are changed. It is difficult to print a plurality of print patterns arranged in the transport width direction P2 because they are shifted in the transport direction P1.

  In addition, when printing is performed with one print unit 10, the length of the thermal head 33 and the ink ribbon R in the transport width direction P <b> 2 is approximately the same as the length of the packaging film W in the transport width direction P <b> 2. is there. In this case, since the ink ribbon R is not used in the blank portion between the two character strings spaced apart on the one side and the other side in the transport width direction P2 of the packaging film W, the ink ribbon R is wasted.

  On the other hand, in the control example 5, the upstream print unit 10A and the downstream print unit 10B are separated in the transport width direction P2 (see FIG. 10B), and as shown in FIG. Control is performed to print a print pattern of character strings arranged at positions separated from one side and the other side of P2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, a printing operation is performed by the upstream print unit 10A so as to print at the position “A” on one side in the transport width direction P2, and “B” on the other side in the transport width direction P2. The printing operation is performed by the downstream print unit 10B so as to print at the position "." Thereby, the printing pattern of a different character string can be printed in the position spaced apart in the conveyance width direction P2 of the packaging film W. FIG.

According to the thermal printer device 1 of the present embodiment, for example, the following effects are exhibited.
In the thermal printer device 1 of the present embodiment, the printer main body 20, the ribbon cassette 30 that holds the take-up holder 348 around which the ink ribbon R is wound and is detachable from the printer main body 20, and the printing unit on the packaging film W The thermal head 33 is not held by the printer main body 20 but is held by the ribbon cassette 30.

  Therefore, the ribbon cassette 30 can be detached from the printer main body 20, and maintenance such as repair, replacement, and cleaning of the thermal head 33 held on the ribbon cassette 30 can be performed. Thereby, maintenance becomes easier. Therefore, maintainability can be further improved.

  Further, when the thermal printer device 1 of the present invention is incorporated in the production line, the maintenance is necessary because the ink ribbon R is finished or cut, or the thermal head 33 becomes dirty or breaks down. There are cases. In such a case, the ribbon cassette 30 holding the ink ribbon R and the thermal head 33 can be removed from the printer body 20 and replaced with another ribbon cassette 30. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time for stopping the product production line during maintenance.

In the present embodiment, the print unit 10A, 10B including the printer main body 20, the thermal head 33, the take-up holder 348, and the ribbon cassette 30 is provided (multiple), and the two (multiple) print units 10A, 10B are When viewed in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction P of the packaging film W, the packaging films W are arranged side by side in the conveyance direction P.
Therefore, in the printing process in the packaging line, the printing operation is executed by one print unit 10 and the other print units 10 are reserved, so that the ribbon cassette 30 can be repaired without stopping the product production line (packaging line). And maintenance such as replacement and cleaning. The ribbon cassette 30 holds the ink ribbon R and the thermal head 33. Therefore, replenishment of the ink ribbon R and maintenance such as repair, replacement, and cleaning of the ink ribbon R and the thermal head 33 are possible.

  Further, when two (plural) print units 10A and 10B are used at the same time, printing can be performed at a shorter pitch than when a single printing operation is performed. The reason is as follows. In order to reduce wasteful consumption of the ink ribbon R when a single printing operation is performed, control for rewinding the ink ribbon R after printing is executed for each printing operation. If the control for rewinding the ink ribbon R is not performed, printing can be performed at a short pitch, but since the unused portion of the ink ribbon R is sent as it is, the ink ribbon R is wasted. Therefore, by using the two print units 10A and 10B arranged in the transport direction P, even if control for rewinding the ink ribbon R after printing is performed, the printing operation can be performed by another print unit 10. Thereby, it is possible to print at a shorter pitch than when the printing operation is performed by one unit while reducing the consumption of the ink ribbon R.

In the present embodiment, the two (plural) print units 10A and 10B are each configured to be movable in the transport width direction P2 orthogonal to the transport direction P1.
Since the two (plurality) of print units 10A and 10B can be moved in the transport width direction P2, by disposing the two (plurality) of print units 10A and 10B in positions shifted in the transport direction P, different character string print patterns Can be printed at positions separated in the conveyance width direction P2.

  In the present embodiment, a thermal head pressing mechanism 8 having a cassette-side pressing portion 81 disposed on the ribbon cassette 30 side and a printer body-side pressing portion 82 disposed on the printer body 20 side is provided (see FIG. 7). Thereby, since the thermal head 33 can be pressed by the cassette side pressing part 81 and the printer main body side pressing part 82, the thermal head 33 can be pressed to the ink ribbon R side in a stable state.

  In this embodiment, the cassette-side pressing portion 81 that presses one end H1 in the width direction H of the thermal head on the ribbon cassette 30 side, and the other end in the width direction H of the thermal head 33 on the printer main body 20 side. A thermal head pressing mechanism 8 having a printer main body side pressing portion 82 capable of pressing the side H2. Thereby, when pressing the thermal head 33 to the ink ribbon R side, both sides H1 of the thermal head 33 in the width direction H1 are secured while securing a space for arranging the winding holder in the center of the thermal head 33 in the width direction H. The thermal head 33 can be pressed in H2. Thereby, the thermal head 33 can be uniformly pressed downward in the width direction H.

Moreover, in this embodiment, when the 1st contact part 231 and / or the 2nd contact part 421 contact each other, the 1st contact part 231 part and / or 2nd contact part 421 of the other party which contacts are contacted. There is an urging portion (not shown) that develops an urging force toward it.
The present invention has a structure in which the ribbon cassette 30 is attached to and detached from the printer main body 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, the connection part in a connection structure is made into a contact type, and thereby damage and deterioration of the connection part can be reduced as compared with the case where the connection part is constituted by a connector or the like. In addition, since the first contact portion 231 and the second contact portion 421 can be connected only by contacting them, the connection can be made easily. Moreover, since it is urged | biased and contacted by the urging | biasing force of an urging | biasing part, the 1st contact part 231 and the 2nd contact part 421 can be made to contact more reliably.

  In the present embodiment, the drive shaft connection mechanism 100 having the one-way clutch connection mechanism 120 and the magnet connection mechanism 110, and the ribbon drive that generates the rotational driving force for rotationally driving the driving force transmission rotating body 24. And a motor 281.

  Therefore, by adopting a combination of the one-way clutch connection mechanism 120 and the magnet connection mechanism 110, the take-up rotary shaft that rotates the take-up holder 348 rather than the case where the take-up rotary shaft 35 is connected by engagement or fitting. 35 can be easily attached and detached.

  In this embodiment, the coupling force of the clutch coupling is larger than the coupling force of the magnetic coupling. Here, in the 1st rotation direction D1, it couple | bonds with the coupling force of a clutch coupling | bonding. In the second rotation direction D2, they are coupled with the coupling force of magnetic coupling. As a result, an integrated mechanism in which the rotational torque transmission force is different between the first rotation direction D1 and the second rotation direction D2, which is the rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction D1, can be realized.

As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment was described, this invention can be implemented with a various form, without being limited to embodiment mentioned above.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the thermal printer apparatus 1 is configured to include the two print units 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. You may comprise so that three or more print units 10 may be provided.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the 1st contact part 231 is formed in a pin shape and it is comprised so that it may bias toward the 2nd contact part 421, it is not limited to this. The 1st contact part 231 and the 2nd contact part 421 may be constituted in the shape opposite to this embodiment, and the direction to urge may be made reverse.

  In the said embodiment, although the 1st magnet part 111 and the 2nd magnet part 112 were made into the permanent magnet, it is not limited to this. For example, the first magnet unit 111 and the second magnet unit 112 may be electromagnets.

1 Thermal printer device (thermal transfer printing device)
8 Thermal head pressing mechanism (pressing mechanism)
10, 10A, 10B Print unit (print unit)
20 Printer body 23 Body side relay board (Main body side board)
24 Driving force transmission rotator (second rotating shaft)
26 Air output port (Air output part)
30 Ribbon cassette 33 Thermal head (print head)
35 Winding rotary shaft (first rotary shaft)
42 Cassette side relay board (Ribbon cassette side board)
43 Air input port (Air input part)
81 Cassette-side pressing part (first pressing part)
82 Printer body side pressing part (second pressing part)
100 Drive shaft connection mechanism (connection mechanism)
111 1st magnet part 112 2nd magnet part 110 Magnet connection mechanism 120 One-way clutch connection mechanism 231 1st contact part 281 Ribbon drive motor 348 Winding holder (ribbon holder)
421 Second contact portion 814 Cassette side air cylinder (first air driving portion)
824 Printer main body side air cylinder (second air drive unit)
H width direction H1 one end side H2 other end side P1 transport direction (moving direction)
P2 Transport width direction (direction perpendicular to the moving direction)
R Ink ribbon W Packaging film (printed material)

Claims (7)

The printer itself,
A ribbon cassette that holds a ribbon holder around which the ink ribbon is wound and is detachable from the printer body;
A print head for printing a printing part on a substrate,
The print head is not held by the printer body, but is held by the ribbon cassette.
Thermal transfer printing device. A plurality of printing units including the printer body, the print head, the ribbon holder, and the ribbon cassette;
The plurality of printing units are arranged side by side in the movement direction when viewed in a direction orthogonal to the movement direction of the substrate.
The thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 1. Each of the plurality of printing units is configured to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction.
The thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 2. The thermal transfer printing apparatus includes a pressing mechanism capable of pressing the print head toward the ink ribbon when the ribbon cassette is mounted on the printer body,
The said pressing mechanism has a 1st press part arrange | positioned at the said ribbon cassette and can press the said print head, and a 2nd press part which is arrange | positioned at the said printer main body and can press the said print head. The thermal transfer printing apparatus according to any one of the above. The print head is formed to extend in the width direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the substrate,
The first pressing portion presses one end portion of the print head in the width direction on the ribbon cassette side, and is provided in the printer main body and outputs air to the outside of the printer main body, An air input unit provided in the ribbon cassette for inputting air to the ribbon cassette, the air input unit being connected to the air output unit when the ribbon cassette is mounted on the printer body, and provided in the ribbon cassette A first air drive unit that is driven by air input from the air input unit,
The second pressing portion has a second air driving portion that is capable of pressing the other end portion of the print head in the width direction on the printer main body side and is driven by air provided in the printer main body. 5. The thermal transfer printing apparatus according to 4. A main body-side substrate provided in the printer main body and having a first contact portion;
A ribbon cassette-side substrate provided on the ribbon cassette and having a second contact portion that is electrically connected by contacting the first contact portion when the ribbon cassette is mounted on the printer body; Prepared,
When the first contact portion and / or the second contact portion contact each other, an urging force that exerts an urging force toward the mating first contact portion and / or the second contact portion that contacts each other. Having a part,
The thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 1. A first rotation shaft provided on the ribbon cassette for rotating the ribbon holder;
A second rotating shaft portion provided in the printer main body and connected to the first rotating shaft portion when the ribbon cassette is mounted on the printer main body;
A connection mechanism that connects the first rotation shaft portion and the second rotation shaft portion, and includes a one-way clutch connection mechanism and a magnet connection mechanism;
A rotation driving unit that is provided in the printer main body and generates a rotation driving force for rotating the second rotation shaft unit;
The thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 1.

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