JP2018202633A - Printer and printer body and cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

To perform tension adjustment and detection of a transfer amount of an ink ribbon with one common roller.SOLUTION: A printer 2 transfers an ink of an ink ribbon R to an image receiving body Q to make prints and has: a base 43; a movable member 200 which is held so as to move along a first direction parallel to the base 43; a spring member 47L which biases the movable member 200 to one side in the first direction; a shaft bearing 116 supported by the movable member 200; a guide roller 100 which is rotatably supported by the shaft bearing 116 and extends in a second direction perpendicular to the base 43; a magnet 120 which is provided coaxially and integrally with the guide roller 100 in a rotatable manner; and a magnetic sensor SE1 which is provided at the movable member 200, faces the magnet 120, and detects rotation of the magnet 120.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that performs printing by transferring ink from an ink ribbon, a printing apparatus main body, and a cassette provided in the printing apparatus.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a printing device (tape device) that heats an ink ribbon (printer ink ribbon) to transfer ink and perform printing. In this printing apparatus, a heat-sensitive ink ribbon is wound around a spool to constitute a ribbon original winding roll. The ink ribbon fed out from the ribbon original roll is transported, and the ink is transferred by heating the transported ink ribbon by a thermal head (printing head) provided in the transport path. The transferred ink ribbon is wound on another spool to form a ribbon take-up roll.

  In the printing apparatus, a tension adjusting device for adjusting the tension of the ink ribbon is provided on one side in the transport direction from the print head, and the transport amount of the ink ribbon is detected on the other side in the transport direction from the print head. A sensor assembly is provided. The tension adjusting device includes a roller (tension adjusting roller) provided in the ink ribbon transport path, a recess formed in a base plate (plate) for reciprocating the tension adjusting roller, and a constant on the tension adjusting roller. And a position sensor (Hall effect sensor) for detecting reciprocation of the tension adjusting roller. The sensor assembly is provided with a roller (first roller) provided in the transport path of the ink ribbon and a rotation sensor (sensor) for measuring the rotation amount of the first roller.

Special table 2013-537508 gazette

  In the prior art, since the tension adjusting device and the sensor assembly are separately provided as described above, a large installation space is required, and it is difficult to reduce the size of the device. If the tension adjusting device and the sensor assembly can be integrated, it should be possible to reduce the installation space and reduce the size.

  Here, when the tension adjusting device and the sensor assembly are combined and integrated in the prior art, the rotation sensor for measuring the rotation amount of the tension adjusting roller of the tension adjusting device is arranged. However, in this case, as described above, the tension adjusting roller moves (reciprocates) in the recess of the base plate, so that it is impossible to detect the rotation amount of the roller by the rotation sensor as it is.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, a printing apparatus main body and a cassette provided in the printing apparatus, which can adjust the tension of the ink ribbon and detect the conveyance amount by a common roller.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a printing apparatus that performs printing by transferring ink of an ink ribbon to an image receiver, and is movable along a base and a first direction parallel to the base. A movable member held by the base; a spring that biases the movable member toward one side in the first direction; a bearing supported by the movable member; and a bearing rotatably supported by the bearing; A roller extending in a second direction orthogonal to the base, a first detected member provided on the roller so as to be rotatable integrally with the roller, provided on the movable member, and opposed to the first detected member. And a first sensor for detecting the rotation of the first detected member.

  In the present invention, a roller for guiding the ink ribbon is rotatably supported by the bearing, and the bearing for supporting the roller is held by the base so as to be movable in the first direction and is urged to one side in the first direction. Supported by the movable member. Thereby, the roller can move in the first direction with respect to the base together with the movable member, so that the tension applied to the ink ribbon can be adjusted.

  On the other hand, at this time, a detected member (first detected member) is provided integrally with the roller, and rotates integrally with the roller. Then, by providing a sensor (first sensor) facing the detected member, rotation of the detected member (in other words, rotation of the roller) is detected by the first sensor. As a result, the transport amount of the ink ribbon can be detected.

  As described above, in the present invention, the tension of the ink ribbon and the detection of the conveyance amount are performed by the above structure in which the movable member, the spring, the bearing, the first detected member, and the first sensor are provided around the roller. be able to.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the tension of the ink ribbon and detect the conveyance amount by using one common roller.

It is the perspective view seen from diagonally upward showing the external appearance of the printing apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the slanting lower part showing the external appearance of a printing apparatus. It is a perspective view showing the whole structure of a cassette. It is the front view seen from the front showing the structure of a cassette, and the side view seen from the right side. It is the rear view seen from the back showing the structure of a cassette. It is a perspective view showing the whole structure of the printing apparatus main body which removed the cassette from the printing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a front view and a side view as viewed from the front and from the right, showing the structure of the printing apparatus main body. It is the rear view seen from the back showing the structure of a printing apparatus main body. It is explanatory drawing which represents a printing apparatus notionally. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a detailed structure of a printing apparatus main body. It is a perspective view showing the detailed structure of the cassette with which the printing apparatus main body is mounted. It is a perspective view showing the state which mounted | wore the printing apparatus main body of FIG. 10 with the cassette shown in FIG. It is a principal part extraction enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a printing apparatus, taken along a vertical section including a guide roller. It is the A section enlarged view and B section enlarged view in FIG. It is the perspective view showing the conceptual structure of a magnet, and the arrow view from the P direction in Fig.16 (a) showing the magnetic force line behavior from a magnet. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a conceptual configuration of a magnet when different magnetic poles are arranged in the axial direction, and an arrow view from the Q direction in FIG. 17A showing a behavior of magnetic field lines from the magnet. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the dimensional relationship for scooping up a guide roller with an inclined surface. It is a perspective view showing the whole structure of the printing apparatus by the modification which does not use a cassette. It is the perspective view which looked at the printing apparatus from another direction. It is a sectional side view by the vertical cross section containing the guide roller 100X of the structure shown in FIG. It is the rear view which looked at the printing apparatus from back.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the vertical direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction correspond to the arrow directions shown as appropriate in each drawing such as FIG.

<Overall configuration of printing apparatus>
1 and 2, the printing apparatus 2 includes a printing apparatus main body 4 including a casing 21, a cassette 3 configured to be detachable from the casing 21 in the horizontal direction (in this example, the front-rear direction), have.

<Configuration of cassette 3>
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 (see also FIG. 11 described later), the cassette 3 has a substantially rectangular cassette base 32 positioned on the front side, two roll shafts 33L and 33R, and four guides. The rollers 100, 101, 102, and 103, shaft-shaped guide pins 35 </ b> L and 35 </ b> R, and a grip 31 provided on the cassette base 32 are provided.

  The roll shafts 33L and 33R protrude horizontally from the rear side of the cassette base 3 toward the rear side. The roll shafts 33L and 33R are positioned below guide rollers 100 and 103 which will be described later. The roll shafts 33L and 33R are positioned between guide rollers 100 and 103 described later in the left-right direction. One of the two roll shafts 33L and 33R, in this example, the roll shaft 33L is a strip-shaped ink ribbon R (see FIG. 9 described later) in a roll shape (see a supply-side roll RL shown in FIG. 9 described later). The wound ink ribbon R is fed out when printing described later is executed. The other of the two roll shafts 33L, 33R, in this example, the roll shaft 33R, is used as drawn out as described above and used for the ink ribbon R (to which ink has been transferred as described later). It functions as a ribbon take-up roll shaft that is taken up in a roll form (see a take-up roll RR shown in FIG. 9 described later). That is, the roll shafts 33A and 33B are spindles.

  The guide rollers 100 to 103 protrude horizontally from the four corners of the rectangular shape on the rear side of the cassette base 3 toward the rear side. The guide rollers 100 and 101 contact the ink ribbon R fed from the roll of the roll shaft 33L as described above, thereby causing the ink ribbon R to thermally travel along a predetermined transport path (see FIG. 9 described later). The guide is guided so as to be guided to the head 42. The guide rollers 102 and 103 guide the ink ribbon R toward the roll of the roll shaft 33R by contacting the ink ribbon R after being used as described above.

  The guide pins 35L and 35R protrude horizontally from the rear side of the cassette base 32 toward the rear side. The guide pins 35L and 35R are located below the roll shafts 33L and 33R. The guide pin 35L is located to the left of the roll shaft 33L. The guide pin 35R is located to the right of the roll shaft 33R. These guide pins 35L and 35R guide when the cassette 3 is mounted on the casing 21 of the printing apparatus main body 4.

  The cassette base 32 rotatably supports the roll shafts 33L and 33R. The cassette base 32 rotatably supports the guide rollers 100 and 103 while allowing the guide rollers 100 and 103 to move in the vertical direction (details will be described later), and also guides the guide rollers 101 and 102 in the vertical direction. Supports rotation in a fixed position. The grip 31 is provided on the front side of the cassette base 32. When the user holds this grip by hand, the cassette 3 is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 4.

<Configuration of the device body>
As shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 2, and FIG. 1, the apparatus main body 4 includes the casing 21 described above and a thermal head 42 built in the casing 21.

  The casing 21 has an upper wall 21U positioned on the upper side, a pair of left and right side walls 21L and 21R positioned on the left and right sides, a rear wall 21B positioned on the rear side, and an opening OP positioned on the lower side. A lower wall 21D. The thermal head 42 is disposed so as to be exposed from the opening OP. Note that the side wall 21L, the left side of the upper wall 21U, and the left side of the lower wall 21D are made of a single metal plate. Further, the side wall 21R, the right side of the upper wall 21U, and the right side of the lower wall 21D are made of a single metal plate.

  Moreover, the apparatus main body 4 has the substantially rectangular base 43 as shown in FIG.7 and FIG.8. The base 43 has a surface facing the front, and the direction orthogonal to the base 43 is, for example, the normal direction (for example, the front) of the surface facing the front and the opposite direction (for example, the rear). Means. Further, the direction parallel to the base 43 is a direction parallel to the front-facing surface (that is, a direction orthogonal to the normal direction), and is, for example, a vertical direction or a horizontal direction. On the rear side of the base 43, a drive motor 41a, a drive motor 41b, a drive motor 41c, a roll bearing portion 44L, a roll bearing portion 44R, and guide members 48R and 48L are provided. The drive motor 41a rotates the roll shaft 33L. The drive motor 41b rotates the roll shaft 33R. The drive motor 41c displaces the thermal head 42 in the vertical direction. The roll bearing portion 44L (for example, the first mounting portion) supports the tip of the roll shaft 33L in abutting state (in other words, rotatably supports the roll-shaped ink ribbon R wound around the roll shaft 33L). And is driven to rotate by the drive motor 41a. The roll-side roll bearing portion 44R (for example, the second mounting portion) supports the end of the roll shaft 33R in abutting state (in other words, supports the roll-shaped ink ribbon R wound around the roll shaft 33R). And is driven to rotate by the drive motor 41b. The guide members 48R and 48L define horizontal holes 45R and 45L that are engaged and positioned with the tips of the guide pins 35L and 35R, respectively.

  The base 43 is formed with guide receiving portions 46L and 46R which are holes penetrating the base 43 in the front-rear direction. These guide receiving portions 46L and 46R support the front ends of the respective guide rollers 100 and 103 so as to allow the displacement of the respective guide rollers 100 and 103, respectively. At this time, on the rear side of the base 43, spring members 47L and 47R for applying tension to the ink ribbon R by the guide rollers 100 and 103 are provided in the vicinity of the guide receiving portions 46L and 46R ( Details of tension adjustment will be described later).

  FIG. 9 corresponding to FIG. 7 shows an explanatory diagram conceptually showing the printing apparatus 2 in a state where the cassette 3 is mounted on the apparatus main body 4 having the above configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the ink ribbon R is wound around the roll shaft 33L to form a supply roll RL (for example, a ribbon original winding roll). The ink ribbon R is wound around the roll shaft 33R to form a winding roll RR (for example, a ribbon winding roll). The ink ribbon R fed out from the supply roll RL is guided to the thermal head 42 provided in the transport path (for example, ribbon path) of the ink ribbon R while being guided by the guide rollers 100 and 101. At this time, the image receiver P is conveyed between the thermal head 42 and a platen roller Q provided separately outside the printing apparatus 2. The ink ribbon R is guided between the image receiver P and the thermal head 42. The thermal head 42 heats the ink ribbon R and transfers the ink from the ink ribbon R to the image receiving member P. The transferred ink ribbon R is wound around the winding-side roll RR while being guided by the guide rollers 102 and 103.

  The thermal head 42 moves up and down and can approach and retreat with respect to the platen roller Q. That is, the thermal head 42 is in a standby position (see the two-dot chain line in the figure) so that it is not in contact with the ink ribbon R at normal times, and at the time of printing, the ink ribbon R toward the platen roller Q is in contact with the ink ribbon R. Press. For this reason, the guide bar 36 of the ink ribbon R is disposed on the base 43 in the vicinity of the thermal head 42.

<Tension detection and conveyance amount detection in the guide roller 100>
In the printing apparatus 2 having the above-described configuration and operation, the feature of this embodiment is that the guide roller 100 is used to adjust the tension of the ink ribbon R and detect the conveyance amount. Hereinafter, the details will be described in order.

<Guide roller 100 and its supporting structure>
As shown in FIGS. 10 to 15, the guide roller 100 is disposed so as to penetrate the guide receiving portion 46 </ b> L of the base 43 as described above, and is orthogonal to the base 43 (in this example, the front-rear direction). In other words, it extends in the axial direction, the normal direction of the cassette base 32 (for example, the second direction). The guide roller 100 includes a hollow shaft sleeve 114 extending in the front-rear direction, bearings 113F, 113R, a connecting member 115, and two front and rear spacers 117F, 117R. Hereinafter, “guide roller 100 rotates” used appropriately means that at least the outer periphery of the roller (that is, shaft sleeve 114) rotates, and the entire roller (including shaft 112 and the like to be described later) is not necessarily used. It does not have to rotate.

  A shaft 112 extending in the front-rear direction is provided inside the shaft sleeve 114. The shaft 112 includes a fastening portion 112A at the rear end. The fastening portion 112A is provided with a thread at the tip 112a and a flange-like portion 112b on the rear side of the tip 112a. The flange-shaped portion 112b has a shape in which both sides of the cylinder are chamfered so that it can be rotated with, for example, a spanner. The shaft 112 (in other words, the guide roller 100) is connected to the shaft base plate 131 that is movably moved in the vertical direction with respect to the cassette base 32 (described later). It is detachably attached to the receiving plate 131 (in other words, to the cassette base 32).

  At this time, the bearings 113F and 113R are fixed to both ends in the front-rear direction of the outer peripheral portion of the shaft 112, respectively. The shaft sleeve 114 is provided on the outer periphery of the shaft 112 and is rotatably supported with respect to the shaft 112 by the bearings 113F and 113R. The bearings 113F and 113R are constituted by ball bearings, for example.

  The connecting member 115 is fixed to the shaft sleeve 114 by a pin 118 and can be rotated together with the shaft sleeve 114. The connecting member 115 includes a large-diameter portion 115a having the largest outer diameter, a medium-diameter portion 115b having an outer diameter smaller than the large-diameter portion 115a, and a medium-diameter portion 115b from the front side toward the rear side. A small-diameter portion 115c having a small outer diameter (in other words, the smallest outer diameter).

  A shaft bearing 116 (for example, a bearing) is provided on the outer peripheral side of the front side (in other words, the large diameter part 115a side) portion of the medium diameter part 115b. The shaft bearing 116 is disposed in a state of being separated rearward from the cassette base 32, and includes an outer ring portion 116o serving as a fixed side member and an inner ring portion 116i serving as a rotation side member. The inner ring portion 116 i is fixed to the middle diameter portion 115 b of the connecting member 115, so that the connecting member 115 is rotatably supported by the shaft bearing 116. In particular, the shaft bearing 116 rotatably supports the connecting member 115 at a position behind the connecting position between the shaft sleeve 114 and the connecting member 115. Thus, the guide roller 100 is rotatably supported by the shaft bearing 116 and the bearings 113F and 113R. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14, the length LF on the front side (for example, one side in the second direction) of the guide roller 100 from the front end surface of the shaft bearing 116 is the front end of the shaft bearing 116 of the guide roller 100. It is longer than the length LR on the rear side (for example, the other side in the second direction) of the surface. The shaft bearing 116 is composed of, for example, a ball bearing.

  A magnet 120 (for example, a first detected member) is provided on the outer peripheral side of the portion on the front side (in other words, on the medium diameter portion 115b side) of the small diameter portion 115c. In other words, the magnet 120 is provided on the side opposite to the cassette base 32 with respect to the shaft bearing 116, and is connected to the connecting member 115 at a position behind the shaft bearing 116 (for example, one side in the second direction). It is fixed. The magnet 120 is a permanent magnet such as a ferrite magnet or a neodymium magnet. The aforementioned front spacer 117F is provided on the outer peripheral side of the rear side (that is, the front side of the magnet 120) of the medium diameter portion 115b. On the other hand, the rear spacer 117R described above is provided on the outer peripheral side of the rear side portion (that is, the rear side of the magnet 120) of the small diameter portion 115c. Then, a screw 121 is screwed into the rear end portion of the small diameter portion 115c from the rear side of the spacer 117R. Accordingly, the spacer 117F, the magnet 120, and the spacer 117R are sandwiched between the rear end surface of the shaft bearing 116 fixed to the front side of the medium diameter portion 115b and the front end surface of the screw 121. As a result, the spacer 117F, the magnet 120, and the spacer 117R are fixed to the connecting member 115. As a result, the magnet 120 is positioned on the rear side (for example, the other side in the second direction) of the shaft bearing 116 by the spacers 117F and 117R, while being positioned with respect to the connecting member 115 (in other words, with respect to the guide roller 100). It is fixed and rotates integrally with the guide roller 100 (specifically, integrally with the shaft sleeve 114).

<Moving member that moves up and down>
As described above, the shaft bearing 116 that rotatably supports the guide roller 100 is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the movable member 200 that is movable along the vertical direction parallel to the base 43 (in other words, the direction orthogonal to the axial direction. For example, the orthogonal direction, the first direction) is the base. 43.

  That is, an inverted L-shaped slide plate 201 is fixed to the lower part of the movable member 200. A slide table 202 is fixed to the front side of the slide plate 201. The sliding table 202 is engaged with a rail 203 fixed to the base 43 and slides with respect to the rail 203. That is, the sliding table 202 and the rail 203 function as a first linear guide. A commercially available linear guide can be used as the sliding table 202 and the rail 203. Thereby, the movable member 200 can be slid up and down by the guide function of the slide table 202 and the rail 203. On the other hand, the lower end portion of the movable member 200 is fixed to the upper end portion of the spring member 47L, which is a compression spring. In addition, you may make it use the tension spring provided between the upper end inner surface of the housing | casing 21 and the movable member 200 instead of a compression spring. The lower end portion of the spring member 47L is fixed to the base 43. Thereby, the movable member 200 is given an upward pressing force by the biasing force of the spring member 47L. As a result, the movable member 200 is pressed upward by the biasing force of the spring member 47L while being guided by the sliding table 202 and the rail 203.

  When the movable member 200 moves up and down as described above, the lower limit of the position is that the contact surface 201x located at the lower portion of the slide plate 201 contacts the stopper portion 203x that is the upper end of the rail 203. It is prescribed by. Similarly, the upper limit of the vertical movement position of the movable member 200 is such that the right end 200d of the bearing holding portion 200b (described later) of the movable member 200 is located at the right end 200d provided on the base 43, as shown in FIG. It is defined by contacting the lower surface of the stopper portion 43a that is the upper wall (the wall located on the right side of the guide roller 100 when the guide roller 100 is mounted). At this time, the range (for example, the first range) in which the movable member 200 from the upper limit to the lower limit can move up and down is set to, for example, ± 4 [mm]. Note that the two stopper portions correspond to the first stopper. The first range is defined on the basis of the center (rotation axis) of the guide roller 100, for example.

  On the other hand, at this time, the movable member 200 is positioned on the rear side of the sensor holding portion 200a, on the front side (for example, one side in the second direction) of the sensor holding portion 200a, and on the side of the sensor holding portion 200a. And a bearing holding portion 200b protruding upward (for example, one side in the first direction). The bearing holding portion 200b is, for example, a flat surface that extends in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The bearing holding portion 200b contacts the lower end of the shaft bearing 116 (specifically, the outer ring portion 116o) that rotatably supports the guide roller 100, and holds the shaft bearing 116. As a result, the shaft bearing 116 is supported by the movable member 200. Further, in the movable member 200, on the front side (for example, one side in the second direction) of the bearing holding portion 200b, the distance from the bearing holding portion 200b to the front side (for example, one side in the second direction) An inclined surface 200c that is inclined downward (for example, the other side in the first direction) is provided.

<Rotation amount detection by the first sensor>
At this time, a mounting table 205 is attached to the upper part of the sensor holding part 200a. The mounting table 205 is a circuit board, for example. A magnetic sensor SE1 (for example, a first sensor) is provided on the mounting table 205 so as to face the magnet 120 in the vertical direction. That is, the magnetic sensor SE <b> 1 is held by the sensor holding portion 200 a via the mounting table 205 and detects the rotation of the magnet 120 that rotates together with the guide roller 100. The magnetic sensor SE1 is configured by, for example, a Hall element.

  That is, in the magnet 120, as shown in FIG. 16A, the same magnetic pole is continuous in the axial direction, and different magnetic poles are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 16B, the magnet 120 has a left / right center line Ksh of the magnetic sensor SE1 extending in the vertical direction and a left / right center line Kmh of the magnet 120 extending in the vertical direction. Arranged to match. When viewed in the front-rear direction, the position of the magnetic sensor SE1 in the front-rear direction (for example, the second direction) coincides with the center position of the magnet 120 in the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. Specifically, the center position of the magnet 120 in the front-rear direction is included in the front-rear direction region between the front end and the rear end of the magnetic sensor SE1. By such an arrangement of the magnet 120, the magnetic field strength changes in the circumferential direction. Specifically, in the circumferential direction, the magnetic field strength is minimum at the magnetic pole boundary position, and the magnetic field strength is maximum at the position farthest from the magnetic pole boundary. The rotation amount of the magnet 120 can be detected by counting the number of times that the detected magnetic field intensity becomes maximum or minimum.

  The rotation amount of the guide roller 100 detected as described above is output from the magnetic sensor SE1 to a control unit (not shown). As described above, since the guide roller 100 has a function of guiding the ink ribbon R being conveyed, the conveyance amount of the ink ribbon R corresponds to the rotation amount of the guide roller 100. Since the outer diameter of the guide roller 100 is known, the control unit can detect the transport amount of the ink ribbon R based on the input rotation amount of the guide roller 100. Based on the detection result, for example, the control unit can control the drive motors 41a and 41b that rotate the roll shafts 33L and 33R, respectively, and adjust the actual transport speed of the ink ribbon R to an appropriate value. it can. Specifically, for example, an ink ribbon R is obtained from an input pulse from an encoder provided in a transport facility for the image receiver P (not shown) and detecting the transport speed of the image receiver P and the rotational speeds of the drive motors 41a and 41b. , And the conveyance speed of the ink ribbon R can be adjusted to an appropriate value by adjusting the rotation speed of the drive motors 41a and 41b to an appropriate value.

  The detection of the rotation amount of the guide roller 100 is not limited to the magnetic detection method using the magnetic sensor SE1 and the magnet 120 as described above, but optical detection using a known optical encoder (for example, a rotary encoder). A technique or other known non-contact detection technique may be used.

<Detection of vertical movement by the second sensor>
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 10, 12, and 13, a magnet holder 211 is attached to the upper right side of the movable member 200. A magnet 220 (for example, a second detected member) is fixed to the rear side of the magnet holder 211. That is, the magnet 220 is provided on the movable member 200 via the magnet holder 211. The magnet 220 is a permanent magnet such as a ferrite magnet or a neodymium magnet, for example.

  A magnetic sensor SE2 (for example, a second sensor) is provided above the base 43 so as to face the magnet 220 in the front-rear direction. The magnetic sensor SE2 is configured by a Hall element, for example. At this time, as described above, the guide roller 100 is held in a state in which the guide roller 100 can move up and down while being pressed upward by the biasing force of the spring member 47L when the shaft bearing 116 contacts the movable member 200. The guide roller 100 performs a guide by contacting the ink ribbon R fed from the supply side roll RL (see also the arrow a in FIG. 9). Therefore, if the tension of the ink ribbon R increases, the guide roller 100 moves downward against the biasing force of the spring member 47L. On the other hand, when the tension of the ink ribbon R becomes small, the guide roller 100 moves upward by the biasing force of the spring member 47L. At this time, the magnet 220 provided in the movable member 200 moves in the vertical direction in accordance with the vertical movement of the movable member 200 together with the guide roller 100 as described above. Thereby, a relative position change occurs between the magnetic sensor SE2 provided on the fixed base 43 as described above, and the strength of the magnetic field by the magnet 220 at the position of the magnetic sensor SE2 changes. . The magnetic sensor SE2 detects the position of the magnet 220 (in other words, the position of the movable member 200 and the guide roller 100) based on the changing magnetic field strength. The detected position of the guide roller 100 is output from the magnetic sensor SE2 to a control unit (not shown). As described above, the position of the guide roller 100 that moves up and down corresponds to the magnitude of the tension of the ink ribbon R that is being conveyed. Therefore, the controller controls the ink based on the input position of the guide roller 100 in the vertical direction. The tension of the ribbon R can be detected. Thereby, based on the detection result, the control unit can adjust the actual tension of the ink ribbon R to an appropriate value by a known appropriate method (including the control of the drive motors 41a and 41b described above). . Note that the position detection of the guide roller 100 is not limited to the magnetic detection method using the magnetic sensor SE2 and the magnet 220 as described above, as described above, and an optical detection method using a known optical encoder or the like. A known non-contact detection method may be used.

  In the above description, the magnetic sensor SE2 is provided on the fixed base 43 and the magnet 220 is provided on the movable member 200. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Conversely, the magnet 220 is provided on the fixed base 43, the magnetic sensor SE2 is provided on the movable member 200, and the tension of the ink ribbon R is calculated based on the relative displacement amounts of the magnet 220 and the magnetic sensor SE2. Also good.

  The movable member 200, the spring member 47L, the shaft bearing 116, etc., which adjust the tension of the ink ribbon R provided in the ribbon path from the supply side roll RL to the thermal head 42 as described above, and the like. The guide roller 100, the magnet 200, and the magnetic sensor SE1 constitute a first tension applying mechanism.

<Support structure of guide roller 100 in cassette 3>
On the other hand, the shaft receiving plate 131 that supports the guide roller 100 on the cassette 3 side is held by the cassette base 32 so as to be movable along the vertical direction (for example, the first direction) parallel to the cassette base 32. ing.

  That is, the slide table 132 fixed to the front side of the lower portion of the shaft receiving plate 131 is engaged with the rail 133 fixed to the cassette base 32 and slides relative to the rail 133. That is, the sliding table 132 and the rail 133 function as a second linear guide. A commercially available linear guide can be used as the sliding table 132 and the rail 133. Accordingly, the shaft receiving plate 131 (in other words, the guide roller 100) can be slid in the vertical direction (for example, the linear motion direction) by the guide function of the rail sliding tables 132 and 133.

  When the shaft receiving plate 131 moves up and down as described above, the lower limit of the position is that the contact surface 131x located below the front end portion of the shaft receiving plate 131 contacts the stopper portion 133x of the above-mentioned race 133. It is prescribed by. Similarly, the upper limit of the vertical movement position of the shaft receiving plate 131 is defined by the contact surface 131 y positioned at the upper end of the shaft receiving plate 131 contacting the stopper portion 32 y provided on the cassette base 32. At this time, the range in which the shaft receiving plate 131 from the upper limit to the lower limit can move up and down (for example, the second range) is smaller than the range in which the movable member 200 can move up and down (first range), for example, ± 3. [Mm] is set. The second range is defined with reference to the upper end (bearing holding portion 200b) of the movable member 200, for example. Further, in the vertical direction, the center of the first range coincides with the position of the center of the second range. At this time, in particular, when the shaft receiving plate 131 is in contact with either of the stopper portions 132x and 32y, the movable member 200 is separated from the two stopper portions (which are the first stoppers). Yes. The two stopper portions 133x and 32y correspond to the second stopper.

  At this time, the length L (see FIG. 15B) of the inclined surface 200c provided in the movable member 200 in the vertical direction is within a range in which the movable member 200 can move up and down (first range). It is more than the sum of 1/2, 1/2 of the range (second range) in which the shaft receiving plate 131 can move up and down, and the radius r of the guide roller 100 (see FIG. 15B). .

  The shaft receiving plate 131, the rail 133, and the sliding table are configured to be detachable from each other, and the shaft 112 (in other words, the guide roller 100) is removed from the cassette base 32 by removing them. be able to. In other words, the guide roller 100 is detachably attached to the sliding table 132 and the rail 133 as the second linear guide.

<Tension detection in guide roller 103>
The guide roller 103 also detects and adjusts the tension of the ink ribbon R by the same technique as the guide roller 100, as shown in FIG.

  That is, the guide roller 103 inserted into the guide receiving portion 46R is provided with respect to a bearing holding portion (not shown) provided on a movable member 200A similar to the movable member 200 (similar to the bearing holding portion 200b). , Supported rotatably. That is, in the guide roller 103, a shaft similar to the shaft 112 extends to the rear end side as it is, and has a large diameter portion with a large diameter. At that time, a shaft sleeve similar to the shaft sleeve 114 is connected to the shaft by the bearings 113F and 113R, and the movable member 200A holds the rear end of the shaft, whereby the shaft sleeve rotates. It is supported movably. Although the detailed illustration and description are omitted, the movable member 200A is provided on the base 43 so as to be movable in the vertical direction while being guided by the rail, and is moved upward by the biasing force of the spring member 47R. A pressing force is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 12, similarly to the movable member 200, a magnet holder 211 </ b> A (similar to the magnet holder 211) is attached above the movable member 200 </ b> A. A magnet 220A similar to the magnet 220 is fixed to the rear side of the magnet holder 211A. A magnetic sensor SE2A similar to the magnetic sensor SE2 is provided above the base 43 so as to face the magnet 220A in the front-rear direction. At this time, as described above, the guide roller 103 is held in a vertically movable state by being in contact with the movable member 200A (while being pressed upward by the urging force of the spring member 47R) and wound around the winding side roll RR. The ink ribbon R to be taken is brought into contact with the guide (see also the arrow b in FIG. 9). Therefore, if the tension of the ink ribbon R increases, the guide roller 103 moves downward against the urging force of the spring member 47R. If the tension of the ink ribbon R decreases, the guide roller 103 is moved by the urging force of the spring member 47R. Move upward. At this time, as described above, the magnet 220A provided on the movable member 200A moves in the vertical direction as the movable member 200A moves up and down together with the guide roller 103 as described above. Based on the magnetic change from the magnet 220 to the magnetic sensor SE2A at this time, the position of the magnet 220A (in other words, the position of the movable member 200A and the guide roller 103) is detected as described above. The detected position of the guide roller 103 is output from the magnetic sensor SE2A to the control unit, and the tension of the ink ribbon R is detected based on the input position of the guide roller 103, and based on the detected tension. The control unit adjusts the actual tension of the ink ribbon R to an appropriate value by a known appropriate method (including the control of the drive motors 41a and 41b described above).

  As described above, the movable member 200A, the spring member 47R, the shaft bearing, etc. (described above) that adjust the tension of the ink ribbon R provided in the ribbon path from the thermal head 42 to the take-up roll RR. The magnet 200 and the configuration of the magnetic sensor SE1 are not included) to form the second tension applying mechanism.

<Effect of embodiment>
As described above, in the printing apparatus 2 of the present embodiment, the guide roller 100 that guides the ink ribbon R is rotatably supported by the shaft bearing 116, and the shaft bearing 116 is movable in the vertical direction. It is supported by the movable member 200 held by 43. Accordingly, the guide roller 100 can move in the vertical direction with respect to the base 43 together with the movable member 200. Further, since the movable member 200 is biased upward by the spring member 47L, the tension applied to the ink ribbon R can be adjusted as described above.

  On the other hand, at this time, the magnet 120 is provided integrally with the guide roller 100 and rotates integrally with the guide roller 100. Then, by providing the magnetic sensor SE1 facing the magnet 120, rotation of the magnet 120 (in other words, rotation of the guide roller 100) is detected by the magnetic sensor SE1. Since the outer diameter of the guide roller 100 is known, the transport amount of the ink ribbon R can be detected based on the rotation amount of the magnet 120.

  As a result, according to this embodiment, the tension of the ink ribbon R is adjusted by the above structure in which the movable member 200, the spring member 47L, the shaft bearing 116, the magnet 120, and the magnetic sensor SE1 are provided around one guide roller 100. In addition, both the detection of the transport amount can be performed. As a result, the installation space can be reduced and the printing apparatus 2 can be reduced in size as compared with the conventional structure in which the tension adjusting mechanism and the sensor assembly for detecting the transport amount of the ink ribbon R are separately provided as described above. it can.

  In this embodiment, in particular, the guide roller 100 is detachably attached to the cassette base 32 (specifically, the sliding table 132) (for example, by the fastening portion 112A or the shaft receiving plate 131 described above). It has been. Thereby, in the cassette 3, the guide roller 100 can be removed from the cassette base 32 and separated.

  Further, in particular, in the present embodiment, the movable member 200 is positioned forward with respect to the bearing holding portion 200b and tilts downward as it moves away from the bearing holding portion 200b (in other words, upwards toward the rear). It has an inclined surface 200c. Accordingly, when the cassette 3 is mounted on the base 43 of the printing apparatus main body 4 along the front-rear direction (see FIGS. 10 to 12), the tip of the guide roller 100 on the base 43 side is inclined backward. By pressing the surface 200c, the movable member 200 is supported by the movable member 200 while being pushed downward. As a result, the cassette 3 can be mounted smoothly, and the guide roller 100 supported on the cassette 3 side can also be supported on the printing apparatus main body 4 side via the movable member 200.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the printing apparatus main body 4 includes a magnet 220 provided on the movable member 200, a magnetic sensor SE2 provided on the base 43, facing the magnet 220, and detecting the position of the magnet 220. Have

  As described above, in the configuration in which the guide roller 100 is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the base 43 (together with the movable member 200), the magnet 220 is detected by the magnetic sensor SE2 that is relatively displaced with respect to the magnet 220. The position of the guide roller 100 in the vertical direction can be reliably detected. As a result, for example, the tension applied to the ink ribbon R can be detected, and the tension adjustment can be reliably performed by the drive control of the drive motors 41a and 41b. At that time, in particular, the magnet 220 is provided on the movable member 200 and the magnetic sensor SE2 is provided on the base 43, so that the magnet 220 is provided on the base 43 and the magnetic sensor SE2 is provided on the movable member 200. The magnetic sensor SE2 (usually having a structure connected to the substrate 43 with a harness or the like) can be configured so as not to move.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the magnets 120 and 220 are configured to be detected by the magnetic sensors SE1 and SE2, and unlike the case of performing optical detection, the magnets 120 and 220 are less susceptible to disturbance due to dust.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the magnet 120 has the same magnetic poles continuous in the axial direction and different magnetic poles alternately arranged in the circumferential direction as shown in FIG. The horizontal center position Kmh of SE1 coincides with the horizontal center position Ksh of the magnet 120. This has the following significance.

  That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 17A, even with a magnet 120X in which different magnetic poles are arranged in the axial direction, rotation can be detected by the magnetic sensor SE1, so that the first detected member is It is possible to use. However, when the magnet 120X is used, as shown in FIG. 17 (b), the magnetic field lines form a loop in the axial direction, so that the magnetic field strength decreases at the central position in the axial direction (to ensure detection accuracy). It is necessary to offset the center line Ksv in the axial direction of the magnetic sensor SE1X and the center line Kmv in the axial direction of the magnet 120X, for example, in the axial direction (see ΔK in FIG. 17B). As a result, in consideration of dimensional tolerances, it is necessary to sufficiently increase the offset amount ΔK, which hinders downsizing.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16 (a), by using the magnet 120 in which the same magnetic poles are continuous in the axial direction, the magnetic field lines are looped in the radial direction as shown in FIG. 16 (b). Therefore, there is no need for the offset and the like, and the miniaturization can be achieved reliably.

  In this embodiment, in particular, a rail 203 that guides the movable member 200 in a range parallel to the vertical direction (first range) is provided on the base 43, and a guide roller in a range parallel to the vertical direction (second range). A rail 133 for guiding 100 is provided in the cassette 3. Thereby, the guide roller 100 provided in the cassette 3 is guided in the vertical direction by the rail 133 on the cassette base 32 side of the cassette 3, while on the base 43 side of the printing apparatus main body 4 (via the inclined surface 200 c). Guided in the vertical direction by the rail 203 (via the connecting movable member 200). In this way, by adopting a guide structure with both-end support, even when a force due to the tension of the ink ribbon R is applied to the guide roller 100, the guide roller 100 is moved in the vertical direction with the inclination of the guide roller 100 reduced. It becomes possible.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the first range (± 4 mm in the above example) by the rail 203 is larger than the second range (± 3 mm in the above example) by the rail 133. Thus, the movable member 200 is guided on the printing apparatus main body 4 side rather than the guide range (second range) of the rail 203 that directly guides the guide roller 100 on the cassette 3 side (that is, the guide roller 100 is indirectly guided). The guide range (first range) of the rail 203 is increased. As a result, even if the first range and the second range vary due to dimensional tolerances, the rail 203 can move reliably over the entire second range, and the movable range of the guide roller 100 is ensured. be able to.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the length L in the vertical direction of the inclined surface 200c (see FIG. 15B) is 1/2 of the first range, 1/2 of the second range, This is equal to or greater than the sum of the radius r of the guide roller 100. This has the following significance.

  When the printing apparatus main body 4 and the cassette 3 have separate structures as in the present embodiment, the movable member 200 is moved upward by the spring member 47L on the printing apparatus main body 4 side before the cassette 3 is mounted. On the other hand, on the cassette 3 side, the guide roller 100 is moved downward by its own weight (see FIG. 11). In this state, in order to guide (craw up) the guide roller 100 by the inclined surface 200c, the lower end of the inclined surface 200c when the movable member 200 is positioned at the upper end of the second range is the same as the guide roller 100 in the first range. It is necessary to be positioned below the lower end of the guide roller when positioned at the lower end of the guide roller. In the present embodiment, the length L of the inclined surface 200c in the vertical direction is equal to or greater than (half of the first range + half of the second range + radius r of the guide roller 100). Here, as described above, the first range is defined on the basis of the center (rotation shaft) of the guide roller 100, and the second range is defined on the basis of the upper end (bearing holding portion 200b) of the movable member 200. Assuming that the center of the first range coincides with the center of the second range, as shown in FIG. 18, the first range is “a”, and the second range is “b”. In other words, by setting the length L to be (a / 2 + b / 2 + r) or more, the inclined surface 200c can reliably move the lower end of the guide roller 100 in the vertical direction.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the stoppers (the stopper portions 203x and the like) provided on the base 43 are positioned at both ends of the first range and come into contact with the movable member 200 to thereby reduce the first range. In addition, the stoppers 132x and 32y provided in the cassette 3 are positioned at both ends of the second range and come into contact with the guide roller 100 to define the second range. The movable member 200 and the stopper (the stopper portion 203x and the like) are separated from each other in a state where the guide roller 100 and the stopper portions 132x and 32y are in contact with each other.

  Accordingly, predetermined limits can be provided to the guide range (first range) of the rail 203 and the guide range (second range) of the rail 133 by the stopper portion 203x and the stopper portions 132x and 32y, respectively. At that time, the elastic biasing function by the spring member 47R is obtained by establishing a dimensional relationship such that the movable member 200 and the stopper portion 203x are separated in the contact state between the guide roller 100 and the stopper portions 132x and 32y. Can always be effectively operated (without being killed by the stopper portion 203x or the like).

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and technical idea of the present invention. Hereinafter, such modifications will be described in order.

(1) When a cassette is not used In the above-described embodiment, the roll shaft 33L that winds the supply-side roll RL and the roll shaft 33R that winds the winding-side roll RR are separate from the printing apparatus main body 4. The roll shafts 33L and 33R are received by the roll bearing portions 44L and 44R provided on the base 43 and driven by the drive motors 41a and 41b. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the cassette 3 may be omitted, and roll shafts corresponding to the roll shafts 33L and 33R may be provided on the base 43, and these roll shafts may be directly driven by a motor. Hereinafter, such modifications will be described with reference to FIGS.

<Printer schematic structure>
19 to 21 show the overall structure of the printer 2X according to this modification. Note that in FIGS. 19 to 21, the casing corresponding to the casing 21 is omitted for the sake of clarifying the configuration. As shown in the figure, in this printer 2X, a substantially rectangular base 43X corresponding to the base 43, two roll shafts 33LX and 33RX respectively corresponding to the roll shafts 33L and 33R, and the guide roller 100, There are four guide rollers 100X, 101X, 102X, 103X (however, guide roller 102X is not shown) corresponding to 101, 102, 103, respectively.

  One of the two roll shafts 33LX, 33RX, in this example, the roll shaft 33LX, is wound with the ink ribbon R in a roll shape (similar to the supply-side roll RL in FIG. 9 described above). The roll shaft 33LX is rotated by a drive motor 41aX corresponding to the drive motor 41a, so that the wound ink ribbon R is fed out during printing. The other of the two roll shafts 33LX and 33RX, in this example, the roll shaft 33RX is rotationally driven by a drive motor 41bX corresponding to the drive motor 41b. As a result, the ink ribbon R, to which the ink has been transferred by the thermal head 42X (corresponding to the thermal head 42) after being fed out as described above, is in a roll shape (the winding side roll RR in FIG. 9 described above). Similarly, it is wound around the roll shaft 33RX in a roll shape.

  The guide rollers 100X to 103X protrude horizontally from the four corners of the base 43X toward the front side. The guide rollers 100X and 101X are in contact with the ink ribbon R fed from the roll of the roll shaft 33LX as described above in the same manner as the guide rollers 100 and 101 described above, thereby causing the ink ribbon R to pass through a predetermined transport path. The guide is guided so as to be guided to the thermal head 42X. The guide rollers 102X and 103X, like the guide rollers 102 and 103 described above, contact the ink ribbon R that has been used as described above, thereby causing the ink ribbon R toward the roll of the roll shaft 33RX to flow. To guide.

<Guide roller 100X and its supporting structure>
As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the guide roller 100 </ b> X extends in the front-rear direction, and includes a shaft 112 </ b> X corresponding to a combination of the shaft 112 and the shaft sleeve 114, and two front and rear shaft bearings 116 a </ i> X corresponding to the shaft bearing 116. 116bX and spacers 117X corresponding to the spacers 117F and 117R.

The shaft 112X includes a large-diameter portion 112aX having the largest outer diameter, a medium-diameter portion 112bX having a smaller outer diameter than the large-diameter portion 112aX, and an outer diameter than the medium-diameter portion 112bX from the front side to the rear side. A small-diameter portion 112cX having a small diameter (in other words, the smallest outer diameter). The shaft bearing 116aX rotatably supports the medium diameter portion 112bX of the shaft 112X. The shaft bearing 116bX rotatably supports a portion of the medium diameter portion 112bX of the shaft 112X that is located on the rear side of the front surface of the base 43X.
Accordingly, the shaft 112X (in other words, the entire guide roller 100X) is rotatably supported by the shaft bearings 116aX and 116bX in a state of extending in the front-rear direction. As described above, this modification includes a structure in which the shaft 112X itself rotates, and is different from the structure in the above embodiment in which the shaft 112 is fixed to the cassette 3 and the shaft sleeve 114 rotates around the shaft 112.

  A magnet 120X (for example, a first magnet, a first detected member) corresponding to the magnet 120 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the small diameter portion 112cX. At this time, the spacer 117X described above is provided on the outer peripheral side of the front side (that is, the front side of the magnet 120X) portion of the small diameter portion 112cX. Then, a nut 121X corresponding to the screw 121 is screwed into the rear end portion of the small diameter portion 112cX from the rear side of the magnet 120X. Accordingly, the spacer 117X and the magnet 120X are sandwiched between the rear end surface of the medium diameter portion 112bX and the front end surface of the nut 121X, so that the spacer 117X and the magnet 120X are fixed to the shaft 112X. Is done. As a result, the magnet 120X is fixed to the shaft 112X (in other words, to the guide roller 100X) while being positioned behind the shaft bearings 116aX and 116bX (for example, the other side in the second direction) by the spacer 117X. And rotates integrally with the guide roller 100X.

<Moving member that moves up and down>
Also in this modified example, the shaft bearings 116aX and 116bX that rotatably support the guide roller 100X as described above are provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction, as in the above embodiment. Therefore, in this modification, the movable member 200X corresponding to the movable member 200 that can move along the vertical direction parallel to the base 43X (in other words, the direction orthogonal to the axial direction, for example, the first direction). Is held by the base 43X. A guide receiving portion 46LX corresponding to the guide receiving portion 46L, which is a hole penetrating the base 43X in the front-rear direction, is formed in the base 43X.

  That is, the movable member 200X is integrally provided on the rear side of the base portion 200aX so that the upper portion of the movable member 200X protrudes outside the base 43X and the base portion 200aX provided so as to penetrate the guide receiving portion 46LX. And a protruding portion 200bX. A sliding table 202X corresponding to the sliding table 202 is fixed to the front side of the base portion 200aX. The sliding table 202X is attached to a rail 203X corresponding to the rail 203 fixed to the base 43X. Engage and slide relative to the rail 203X. Accordingly, the movable member 200X can be slid in the vertical direction by the guide function of the slide table 202X and the rail 203X. On the other hand, the lower end portion of the base portion 200aX is fixed to the upper end portion of the spring member 47RX, which is a compression spring corresponding to the spring member 47L. A lower end portion of the spring member 47RX is fixed to the base 43X. Thereby, the movable member 200X is given an upward pressing force by the urging force of the spring member 47RX. As a result, the movable member 200X is pressed upward by the biasing force of the spring member 47RX while being guided by the slide table 202X and the rail 203X. As described above, the magnet 120X is provided on the shaft 112X of the guide roller 100X, and the shaft 112X is supported by the movable member 200X via the shaft bearings 116aX and 116bX. Therefore, it can be said that the magnet 120X is provided on the movable member 200X. In particular, in this example, as shown in FIG. 21 and the like, the magnet 120X has an end portion on one side (for example, the upper side) of the movable member 200X in the vertical direction (for example, the first direction) (that is, in this example, (The position in the height direction above the upper end of the sliding table 202X).

<Rotation amount detection by the first sensor>
Meanwhile, at this time, the base portion 200aX of the movable member 200X supports the outer peripheral side of the shaft bearing 116aX (specifically, the outer ring portion similar to the outer ring portion 116o, not shown) that rotatably supports the guide roller 100X. doing. The protrusion 200bX located on the rear side of the base portion 200aX is a shaft bearing 116bX (specifically, an outer ring portion similar to the outer ring portion 116o, not shown) that rotatably supports the guide roller 100X. Supports the outer periphery.

  A mounting table 205X corresponding to the mounting table 205 is attached to the upper part of the protruding portion 200bX. A magnetic sensor SE1X (for example, a first sensor) corresponding to the magnetic sensor SE1 is provided on the mounting table 205X so as to face the magnet 120X in the vertical direction. That is, the magnetic sensor SE1X is held by the protrusion 200bX of the movable member 200X via the mounting table 205X, and magnetically detects the rotation of the magnet 120X that rotates with the guide roller 100X. As in the above embodiment, the detected rotation amount of the guide roller 100X is output from the magnetic sensor SE1X to a control unit (not shown). As described above, since the guide roller 100X has a function of guiding the conveyed ink ribbon R, the control unit detects the conveyance amount of the ink ribbon R based on the input rotation amount of the guide roller 100X. be able to. Based on the detection result, for example, the control unit can control the drive motors 41aX and 41bX that rotate and drive the roll shafts 33LX and 33RX, respectively, and adjust the actual transport speed of the ink ribbon R to an appropriate value. . Specifically, as in the above embodiment, the diameter of the ink ribbon R is calculated from the input pulse from the encoder and the rotation speed of the drive motors 41aX and 41bX, and the rotation speed of the drive motors 41aX and 41bX is adjusted to an appropriate value. By doing so, the conveyance speed of the ink ribbon R can be adjusted to an appropriate value. Note that the detailed configuration of the magnet 120X is the same as that of the magnet 120, and a description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the amount of rotation of the guide roller 100X may be detected using an optical detection method using a known optical encoder or other known non-contact detection methods, as in the above embodiment.

<Detection of vertical movement by the second sensor>
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 20 and FIG. 21, a magnet 220X (for example, a second magnet or a second detected member) corresponding to the magnet 220 is provided below the base portion 200a of the movable member 200X. It is fixed. In particular, in this example, as shown in FIG. 21 and the like, the magnet 220X has an end portion (that is, the lower side) of the movable member 200X on the other side (for example, the lower side) in the vertical direction (for example, the first direction). , At a position in the height direction below the lower end of the sliding table 202X.

  The base 43X is provided with a magnetic sensor SE2X (for example, a second sensor) corresponding to the magnetic sensor SE2 so as to face the magnet 220X in the left-right direction. At this time, as described above, the guide roller 100X is held in a state in which it can move up and down while being pressed upward by the urging force of the spring member 47RX by holding the shaft bearings 116aX and 116bX by the movable member 200X. Then, the ink ribbon R fed out from the above-mentioned supply-side roll is brought into contact with the guide (see also the arrow “a” of the structure shown in FIG. 9). Therefore, if the tension of the ink ribbon R increases, the guide roller 100X moves downward against the biasing force of the spring member 47RX, and if the tension of the ink ribbon R decreases, the guide roller 100X is moved by the biasing force of the spring member 47RX. Move upward.

  As in the above embodiment, the magnet 220X provided on the movable member 200X moves in the vertical direction in accordance with the vertical movement of the movable member 200X together with the guide roller 100X as described above. The intensity of the magnetic field generated by the magnet 220X at the position of SE2X changes. The magnetic sensor SE2X detects the position of the magnet 220X (in other words, the position of the movable member 200X and the guide roller 100X) based on the changing magnetic field strength, and the detected position of the guide roller 100X is controlled by the magnetic sensor SE2X (not shown). To the output. As described above, the position of the guide roller 100X that moves up and down corresponds to the magnitude of the tension of the ink ribbon R that is being conveyed. Therefore, the controller controls the ink based on the input position of the guide roller 100X in the vertical direction. The tension of the ribbon R can be detected. Thereby, based on the detection result, for example, the control unit can adjust the actual tension of the ink ribbon R to an appropriate value by a known appropriate method (including the control of the drive motors 41aX and 41bX described above). it can. Note that the position detection of the guide roller 100X is not limited to the above-described magnetic detection method using the magnetic sensor SE2X and the magnet 220X as described above, but an optical detection method using a known optical encoder or the like. A known non-contact detection method may be used.

  In the above description, the magnetic sensor SE2X is provided on the fixed base 43X, and the magnet 220X is provided on the movable member 200X. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Conversely, the magnet 220X is provided on the fixed base 43X, the magnetic sensor SE2X is provided on the movable member 200X, and the tension of the ink ribbon R is calculated based on the relative displacement amounts of the magnet 220X and the magnetic sensor SE2X. Also good.

<Tension detection in guide roller 103X>
Although detailed illustration and description are omitted, similar to the guide roller 103 of the above-described embodiment, the tension of the ink ribbon R is detected and adjusted in the guide roller 103X by the same method as the guide roller 100X.

  That is, the guide roller 103 is rotatably supported via an appropriate shaft bearing, and the shaft bearing is supported by a movable member (not shown) similar to the movable member 200X. Similar to the movable member 200X, the movable member is provided on the base 43 so as to be movable in the vertical direction while being guided by the slide table and rail, and is moved upward by the urging force of the spring member similar to the spring member 47RX. A pressing force is applied.

  At this time, similarly to the movable member 200X, a magnet (not shown) similar to the magnet 220X is fixed to the movable member (not shown), and the base 43X faces the magnet (not shown) in the front-rear direction. Thus, a magnetic sensor (not shown) similar to the magnetic sensor SE2X is provided. As a result, as described above, when the tension of the ink ribbon R guided by the guide roller 103X increases, the guide roller 103X moves downward against the biasing force of the spring member (not shown), and the tension of the ink ribbon R is increased. If it becomes smaller, the guide roller 103X moves upward by the biasing force of the spring member (not shown). As a result, the magnetism changes as the magnet (not shown) provided on the movable member (not shown) moves up and down together with the guide roller 103X, and based on this, the position of the magnet (in other words, the position of the guide roller 103X) is shown in the figure. Not detected by a magnetic sensor. The detected position of the guide roller 103X is output from the magnetic sensor to the control unit, and the tension of the ink ribbon R is detected. Based on the tension, the control unit can perform, for example, a known appropriate method (the driving described above). The actual tension of the ink ribbon R is adjusted to an appropriate value by the control of the motors 41aX and 41bX).

  The movable member (not shown), the spring member (not shown), and the shaft (not shown) are provided in the ribbon path from the thermal head 42 to the take-up roll as described above and adjust the tension of the ink ribbon R. A bearing or the like (not including the configuration of the magnet 200X or the magnetic sensor SE1X) constitutes the second tension applying mechanism.

<Effect of modification>
Also with the printing apparatus 2X of the present modification, the same effect as in the above embodiment is obtained.

  That is, the guide roller 100X that guides the ink ribbon R is rotatably supported by the shaft bearings 116aX and 116bX, and the shaft bearings 116aX and 116bX are supported by the movable member 200X that is held on the base 43X so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Has been. Accordingly, the guide roller 100X can move in the vertical direction with respect to the base 43X together with the movable member 200X. Since the movable member 200X is biased upward by the spring member 47RX, the tension applied to the ink ribbon R can be adjusted as described above.

  On the other hand, at this time, the magnet 120X is provided integrally with the guide roller 100X, and rotates integrally with the guide roller 100X. Then, by providing the magnetic sensor SE1X facing the magnet 120X, rotation of the magnet 120X (in other words, rotation of the guide roller 100X) is detected by the magnetic sensor SE1X. Since the outer diameter of the guide roller 100X is known, the transport amount of the ink ribbon R can be detected as described above based on the rotation amount of the magnet 120X.

  As a result of the above, also in this modified example, the movable ribbon 200X, the spring member 47RX, the shaft bearings 116aX and 116bX, the magnet 120X, and the magnetic sensor SE1X are provided around the one guide roller 100X. Both tension adjustment and conveyance amount detection can be performed. As a result, the installation space can be reduced and the printing apparatus 2X can be reduced in size as compared with the conventional structure in which the tension adjusting mechanism and the sensor assembly for detecting the transport amount of the ink ribbon R are separately provided as described above. it can.

  Also in the present modification, in the printing apparatus 2X, the magnet 220X provided on the movable member 200X and the magnetic sensor SE2X provided on the base 43X, facing the magnet 220X and detecting the position of the magnet 220X are provided. Have. As described above, in the configuration in which the guide roller 100X can move up and down with respect to the base 43X (along with the movable member 200X), the magnet 220X is detected by the magnetic sensor SE2X that is relatively displaced with respect to the magnet 220X. The position of the guide roller 100X in the vertical direction can be reliably detected. As a result, the tension applied to the ink ribbon R can be detected, and the tension adjustment can be reliably performed by the drive control of the drive motors 41aX and 41bX. At that time, in particular, the magnet 220X is provided on the movable member 200X, and the magnetic sensor SE2X is provided on the base 43X, so that the magnet 220X is provided on the base 43X and the magnetic sensor SE2X is provided on the movable member 200X. The magnetic sensor SE2X (usually having a structure connected to the substrate 43X with a harness or the like) can be configured so as not to move.

  Also in this modified example, the magnets 120X and 220X are configured to be detected by the magnetic sensors SE1X and SE2X, so that unlike the case of optical detection, the magnets 120X and 220X are less susceptible to dust disturbance.

  Also in this modified example, as in the above embodiment, the magnet 120X has the same magnetic poles continuous in the axial direction and different magnetic poles arranged alternately in the circumferential direction, and the horizontal center of the magnetic sensor SE1X. The position (not shown) coincides with the horizontal center position (not shown) of the magnet 120X. Thus, as described above, the magnetic lines of force form a loop in the radial direction, so the need for the above-described offset or the like is eliminated, and the size can be reliably reduced.

  In this modification, the magnet 120X is provided at the upper end of the movable member 200X, and the magnet 220X is provided at the lower end of the movable member 200X. Thereby, the magnet 120X and the magnet 220X can be spaced apart in the up-down direction. Therefore, the arrangement space between the magnetic sensor SE1X and the magnetic sensor SE2X does not interfere. Further, by separating the magnet 120X and the magnet 220X, the intensity of the magnetic field generated by the magnet 220X at the position of the magnetic sensor SE1X and the intensity of the magnetic field generated by the magnet 120X at the position of the magnetic sensor SE2X are weakened. Accuracy is improved.

(2) Others In addition, in the above description, when there are descriptions such as “vertical”, “horizontal”, “parallel”, and “plane”, the descriptions are not strictly meant. In other words, these "vertical", "horizontal", "parallel", and "plane" are acceptable in design and manufacturing tolerances and errors, and are referred to as "substantially vertical", "substantially parallel", and "substantially plane". Meaning.

  In addition, in the above description, when there are descriptions such as “same”, “equal”, “different”, etc., in terms of external dimensions and sizes, the descriptions are not strict. That is, the terms “identical”, “equal”, and “different” mean that “tolerance and error in manufacturing are allowed in design and that they are“ substantially identical ”,“ substantially equal ”,“ substantially different ”. .

  In addition to those already described above, the methods according to the above-described embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

  In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the present invention is implemented with various modifications within a range not departing from the gist thereof.

2, 2X printing device 3 cassette 4 printing device body 32 cassette base 32y stopper (second stopper)
43,43X Base 44L Roll bearing part (first mounting part)
44R Roll bearing (second mounting part)
47L, 47RX Spring member (spring)
100,100X Guide roller (roller)
116, 116bX Shaft bearing (bearing)
120, 120X Magnet (first magnet, first detected member)
133 Rail 133x Stopper (second stopper)
200 movable member 200a sensor holding portion 200b bearing holding portion 200c inclined surface 200X movable member 203, 203X rail 203x stopper portion (first stopper)
220, 220X Magnet (second magnet, second detected member)
Q image receptor r radius of guide roller R ink ribbon RL supply side roll (ribbon original winding roll)
RR take-up roll (ribbon take-up roll)
SE1, SE1X Magnetic sensor (first sensor)
SE2, SE2X Magnetic sensor (second sensor)

Claims (20)

A printing device for printing by transferring ink from an ink ribbon to a receiver,
The base,
A movable member held by the base so as to be movable along a first direction parallel to the base;
A spring for biasing the movable member toward one side in the first direction;
A bearing supported by the movable member;
A roller that is rotatably supported by the bearing and extends in a second direction orthogonal to the base, and guides the ink ribbon;
A first detected member provided on the roller so as to be rotatable integrally with the roller;
A first sensor provided on the movable member, facing the first detected member and detecting the rotation of the first detected member;
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 1.
The other end of the spring in the first direction is fixed to the base,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable member is provided at an end portion on the one side in the first direction of the spring. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A cassette further detachably mounted along the second direction with respect to the base;
The movable member, the spring, and the first sensor are provided on the base,
The bearing, the roller, and the first detected member are provided in the cassette so as to be movable along the first direction,
The movable member supports the bearing when the cassette is mounted on the base.
A printing apparatus characterized by that. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The movable member is
A sensor holding portion that is located on the other side in the first direction with respect to the first detected member and holds the magnetic sensor;
It is located on one side in the second direction with respect to the sensor holding part, protrudes to the one side in the first direction than the sensor holding part, and is on the other end in the first direction of the bearing. A bearing holding portion to contact;
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 3.
The cover is removed from the base by moving to one side of the second direction from the state where the cover is mounted on the base.
The movable member is
A sensor holding portion that is located on the other side in the first direction with respect to the first detected member and holds the magnetic sensor;
It is located on the one side in the second direction with respect to the sensor holding part, protrudes to the one side in the first direction than the sensor holding part, and the end of the bearing on the other side in the first direction A bearing holding part in contact with,
An inclined surface that is located on the one side in the second direction with respect to the bearing holding portion and that is inclined to the other side in the first direction as the distance from the bearing holding portion is the one side in the second direction. A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,
The length of the one side in the second direction than the bearing of the roller is longer than the length of the other side in the second direction than the bearing of the roller,
The printing apparatus, wherein the first detected member is disposed on the other side in the second direction with respect to the bearing. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A second detected member provided on one of the movable member and the base;
A second sensor that is provided on the other of the movable member and the base, faces the second detected member, and detects the position of the second detected member;
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 7.
The second detected member is provided on the movable member,
The printing apparatus, wherein the second sensor is provided on the base. The printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein
The first detected member is provided at an end portion on the one side in the first direction of the movable member,
The printing apparatus, wherein the second detected member is provided at an end of the movable member on the other side in the first direction. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The first detected member is a permanent magnet,
The printing apparatus, wherein the first sensor is a magnetic sensor. The printing apparatus according to claim 10.
The permanent magnet is
The same magnetic poles are continuous in the axial direction, and different magnetic poles are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction.
The position of the said 1st magnetic sensor in the said 2nd direction corresponds with the center position of the said 2nd direction of the said permanent magnet, The printing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The printing apparatus according to claim 5.
A first linear guide provided on the base for guiding the movable member in a first range parallel to the first direction;
A second linear guide provided in the cassette for guiding the roller in a second range parallel to the first direction;
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first range of the first linear guide is larger than the second range of the second linear guide. The printing apparatus according to claim 12 or 13,
The length of the inclined surface in the first direction is:
The printing apparatus is equal to or greater than a sum of 1/2 of the first range, 1/2 of the second range, and the radius of the roller. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 14,
A first stopper provided on the base, located at both ends of the first range, and defining the first range by contacting the movable member;
A second stopper provided in the cassette, located at both ends of the second range, and defining the second range by contacting the roller;
Have
The printing apparatus, wherein the movable member and the first stopper are separated in a state where the roller and the second stopper are in contact with each other. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 15,
The roller is
Removably attached to the second linear guide,
A printing apparatus characterized by that. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16,
A first mounting portion that rotatably supports a ribbon original winding roll capable of feeding out the ink ribbon;
A second mounting portion that supports a ribbon take-up roll that winds up the ink ribbon fed out from the ribbon original roll;
A thermal head provided in an ink ribbon path between the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion, and transferring the ink of the ink ribbon to the image receiving member by heating;
First provided in the ink ribbon path between the thermal head and the first mounting portion and including the movable member, the spring, the bearing, the roller, the first detected member, and the first sensor. A tensioning mechanism;
The ink ribbon path provided between the thermal head and the second mounting portion includes the movable member, the spring, and the bearing, and does not include the first detected member and the first sensor. 2 tensioning mechanism;
A printing apparatus further comprising: The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 5, 12 to 16,
The roller is
A shaft extending in the second direction and having the other end in the second direction attached to the cassette;
A sleeve provided on an outer periphery of the shaft so as to be rotatable with respect to the shaft;
A connecting member connected to the other end of the sleeve in the second direction and rotating integrally with the sleeve;
Have
The bearing is
At the position on the one side in the second direction from the connection position of the sleeve and the connection member, the connection member is rotatably supported.
The detected member is fixed to the connecting member at a position on the one side in the second direction with respect to the bearing.
A printing apparatus characterized by that. Cassette base,
A roller for guiding an ink ribbon fed out from a ribbon roll, the roller extending in the axial direction from the cassette base, and provided in the cassette base so as to be movable along an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the axial direction;
A bearing provided on the roller apart from the cassette base and rotatably supporting the roller; and
A detected member provided on the roller at a position opposite to the cassette base with respect to the bearing in the axial direction;
Is a printing apparatus main body that is detachably mounted,
The base,
A movable member that is held by the base so as to be movable along the orthogonal direction and supports the bearing when the cassette is mounted;
A spring for urging the movable member in the orthogonal direction;
A sensor that is provided on the movable member, faces the detected member when the cassette is mounted, and detects rotation of the detected member;
A printing apparatus main body characterized by comprising: A printing apparatus main body that includes a movable member that is movably held on a base, a spring that urges the movable member, and a sensor that is provided on the movable member, and that performs printing by transferring ink from an ink ribbon to an image receiver A cassette to be attached to and detached from,
Cassette base,
A roller for guiding the ink ribbon and extending in a normal direction of the cassette base;
A bearing which is provided on the roller apart from the cassette base, rotatably supports the roller, and is supported by the movable member when mounted on the printing body;
A member to be detected which is provided on the roller at a position opposite to the cassette base with respect to the bearing in the normal direction, and which faces the sensor when mounted on the printing apparatus main body;
A linear guide provided on the cassette base and movably guiding the roller along a linear motion direction perpendicular to the normal direction;
A cassette characterized by comprising:

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