JP2019136921A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a printer that performs simple control for each printing speed from a low speed to a high speed and can wind an ink ribbon with a rotation corresponding to any printing speed.SOLUTION: A printer includes a holding part, a winding part 52, a drive part 60 and a transmission part 70. The holding part holds an ink ribbon that is wound into a roll shape. The winding part winds the ink ribbon drawn from the holding part. The drive part supplies power to rotate the winding part. The transmission part includes a plurality of gears and forms a gear train with any gear of the gears to connect the winding part to the drive part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a printer.

  Conventionally, printers are required to increase the printing speed. As the printing speed increases, the rotational speed of a DC (Direct Current) motor that winds up the ink ribbon is also increased. On the other hand, when the printing medium is a cloth or paper that takes a long time to print, the printer needs to reduce the rotation speed of the DC motor that winds the ink ribbon because the printing speed is slow. . A printer capable of printing at both a high printing speed and a low printing speed is demanded.

  Therefore, there is a demand for the construction of a technique capable of winding the ink ribbon without any problem at each printing speed from low speed to high speed. A method for controlling the rotational speed of the DC motor by controlling the input voltage applied to the DC motor is also conceivable. However, if the rotational speed of the DC motor is controlled only by the input voltage applied to the DC motor, the configuration and control of the printer become complicated. Furthermore, not only the rotation speed but also the diameter of the ink ribbon wound up by winding the ink ribbon gradually increases, so it is necessary to control the torque of the DC motor.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer capable of winding an ink ribbon by rotation according to the printing speed by easy control at each printing speed from low speed to high speed.

  The printer according to the embodiment includes a holding unit, a winding unit, a driving unit, and a transmission unit. The holding unit holds an ink ribbon wound in a roll shape. The winding unit winds up the ink ribbon drawn from the holding unit. The drive unit supplies power for rotating the winding unit. The transmission unit includes a plurality of gears, and forms a gear train that connects the winding unit and the drive unit by an arbitrary gear among the gears.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the appearance of the printer according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of the right cover. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view showing an example of the speed change portion housed in the left cover during high-speed rotation. FIG. 4 is a schematic top view showing an example of a transmission unit that is housed in the left cover and rotates at a low speed. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the printer. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a characteristic functional configuration provided in the printer. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a printer according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a characteristic functional configuration provided in the printer according to the second embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a printer will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment described below is an embodiment of a printer and does not limit the configuration, specifications, or the like. The printer of this embodiment is an example applied to a printer that transfers ink of an ink ribbon to a print medium.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an appearance of the printer 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes a left cover 11 that covers the left side of the printer 1 and a right cover 12 that covers the right side of the printer 1. The left cover 11 and the right cover 12 are connected by a hinge 13. The left cover 11 can open the inside of the left side of the printer 1 with the hinge 13 as a rotation axis. Further, the right cover 12 can open the inside of the right side of the printer 1 with the hinge 13 as a rotation axis.

  The left cover 11 includes a display unit 14 and an operation unit 15 on the front. The display unit 14 is a liquid crystal display device, for example. The operation unit 15 includes buttons for receiving various operations, for example.

  The right cover 12 includes an issue port 16 on the front. The issue port 16 discharges printed matter on which various types of information are printed.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of the right cover 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 1 includes a paper holding unit 20, a paper transport unit 30, a printing unit 40, and an ink ribbon supply unit 50 inside the right cover 12.

  The paper holding unit 20 is a rotating shaft that holds the print medium 2 wound in a roll shape. The paper holding unit 20 can hold an arbitrary print medium 2. The printing medium 2 may be, for example, printing paper, label paper, or cloth.

  The paper transport unit 30 transports the print medium 2 held by the paper holding unit 20. The paper transport unit 30 includes a transport roller 31, a pinch roller 32, a support unit 33, and a leaf spring 34.

  The conveyance roller 31 is a roller that rotates counterclockwise by a motor or the like. The pinch roller 32 is rotatably supported by the support portion 33. The support 33 is pressed by a leaf spring 34 in the direction in which the transport roller 31 is disposed. Therefore, the pinch roller 32 is pressed against the transport roller 31 via the print medium 2. Accordingly, the paper transport unit 30 can transport the print medium 2 in the direction of the issuing port 16 by the rotation of the transport roller 31.

  The printing unit 40 prints various information while conveying the printing medium 2. The printing unit 40 includes a printing head 41, a printing head pressing unit 42, and a platen roller 43.

  The print head 41 is, for example, a thermal head that transfers the ink on the ink ribbon 3 to the print medium 2. The print head 41 is not limited to a thermal head, and may be a dot impact type head.

  The print head pressing unit 42 presses the print head 41 against the ink ribbon 3 during printing. The platen roller 43 is a roller that rotates counterclockwise by a motor or the like. The platen roller 43 is pressed against the print medium 2 by the print head 41 via the ink ribbon 3. With such a configuration, the printing unit 40 prints various information while conveying the printing medium 2.

  The ink ribbon supply unit 50 includes a ribbon holding unit 51, a ribbon winding unit 52, a ribbon end sensor 53, and a guide frame 54.

  The ribbon holding part 51 is a rotating shaft that holds an unused ink ribbon 3 wound in a roll shape. The ribbon take-up unit 52 is a rotating shaft that takes up the ink ribbon 3 that has been drawn out from the ribbon holding unit 51 and has been used for printing. The ribbon end sensor 53 is a sensor that detects the end of the ink ribbon 3.

  The guide frame 54 is a frame that guides the ink ribbon 3 to the transport path. The guide frame 54 includes a first guide shaft 541 and a second guide shaft 542. The first guide shaft 541 is a rotation shaft that guides the ink ribbon 3 held by the ribbon holding unit 51 to the printing unit 40. The second guide shaft 542 is a rotation shaft that guides the ink ribbon 3 used in the printing unit 40 to the ribbon winding unit 52.

  Next, the ribbon drive unit 60 that supplies power for winding the ink ribbon 3 and the transmission unit 70 that converts the rotational speed of the ribbon drive unit 60 and outputs it to the ribbon take-up unit 52 will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view illustrating an example of the transmission unit 70 housed in the left cover 11 during high-speed rotation. FIG. 4 is a schematic top view illustrating an example of the transmission unit 70 that is housed in the left cover 11 during low-speed rotation.

  The ribbon drive unit 60 supplies power for rotating the ribbon winding unit 52. The ribbon drive unit 60 is, for example, a DC (Direct Current) motor. The ribbon drive unit 60 rotates the ribbon take-up unit 52 via the transmission unit 70 housed in the left cover 11. The ribbon drive unit 60 includes an output shaft 61 that outputs rotationally driven power. The output shaft 61 is provided with a first gear 62 that transmits the power rotationally driven by the ribbon drive unit 60.

  The transmission unit 70 has a plurality of gears. And the transmission part 70 is formed of the gear train which connects the ribbon winding part 52 and the ribbon drive part 60 by arbitrary gears among several gearwheels. Further, the arrangement of the gears included in the gear train of the transmission unit 70 can be changed to an arbitrary arrangement selected by the user by an arbitrary method. And the transmission part 70 changes the gear ratio by changing the arrangement of the gear train by selecting the arrangement of the gears included in the gear train. That is, the transmission unit 70 transmits to the ribbon winding unit 52 the power that the ribbon winding unit 52 is rotationally driven at a gear ratio selected by the user.

  More specifically, the transmission unit 70 includes a first shaft 71 and a second shaft 72. The first shaft 71 includes a first transmission portion 73 that rotates about the first shaft 71 by the power transmitted from the first gear 62. The first transmission portion 73 is a two-stage gear provided with a second gear 732 and a third gear 733 having different diameters at the end of the first cylindrical portion 731. The diameter of the second gear 732 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is larger than the diameter of the third gear 733 and the number of teeth is increased.

  The second gear 732 rotates with the power transmitted from the first gear 62 when the first gear 62 rotates. The third gear 733 rotates when the second gear 732 rotates.

  The second shaft 72 includes a second transmission portion 74 that rotates about the second shaft 72 by the power transmitted from the first transmission portion 73. The second transmission portion 74 is a two-stage gear provided with a fourth gear 742 and a fifth gear 743 having different diameters at the end of the second cylindrical portion 741. The diameter of the fourth gear 742 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is smaller than the diameter of the fifth gear 743 and the number of teeth is reduced.

  The second transmission portion 74 can move in the Y direction shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 about the second shaft 72. Then, which of the fourth gear 742 and the fifth gear 743 is connected to the first transmission portion 73 is selected according to the position of the second transmission portion 74. Hereinafter, the position of the second transmission unit 74 where the second gear 732 and the fourth gear 742 are connected as shown in FIG. 3 is referred to as a high-speed rotation position. On the other hand, the position of the second transmission portion 74 shown in FIG. 4 where the third gear 733 and the fifth gear 743 are connected is referred to as a low-speed rotation position.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the fourth gear 742 is rotated by the power transmitted from the second gear 732 on condition that the second transmission unit 74 is disposed at the high speed rotation position.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the fifth gear 743 rotates with the power transmitted from the third gear 733 on the condition that the second transmission unit 74 is disposed at the low speed rotation position. The fourth gear 742 rotates when the fifth gear 743 rotates.

  The fourth gear 742 is connected to the sixth gear 75 joined to the ribbon take-up portion 52 regardless of whether the second transmission portion 74 is disposed at the high speed rotation position or the low speed rotation position.

  The sixth gear 75 rotates about the third shaft 76 by the power transmitted from the fourth gear 742 of the second transmission unit 74. Further, the width of the sixth gear 75 in the direction of the third shaft 76 is longer than the movement distance of the second transmission portion 74 in the Y direction. Therefore, the sixth gear 75 can be connected to the fourth gear 742 regardless of whether the second transmission unit 74 is disposed at the high speed rotation position or the low speed rotation position.

  The sixth gear 75 is joined to the ribbon take-up unit 52. Therefore, the ribbon take-up unit 52 can take up the ink ribbon 3 when the sixth gear 75 rotates.

  Here, the gear train having the second transmission portion 74 at the high speed rotation position is compared with the gear train having the second transmission portion 74 at the low speed rotation position. In the case of a gear train having the second transmission portion 74 at the high-speed rotation position, the ribbon drive unit 60 is connected to the ribbon winding unit via the first gear 62, the second gear 732, the fourth gear 742, and the sixth gear 75. 52 is rotated. On the other hand, in the case of the gear train having the second transmission portion 74 at the low-speed rotation position, the ribbon drive unit 60 includes the first gear 62, the second gear 732, the third gear 733, the fifth gear 743, the fourth gear 742, and The ribbon winding unit 52 is rotated via the sixth gear 75.

  As described above, the transmission unit 70 is configured such that the third gear 733 and the fifth gear 743 that are not in the gear train before the change are wound on the ribbon winding, on the condition that the arrangement of the fourth gear 742 and the fifth gear 743 is changed. The gear ratio is changed by adding to the gear train that connects the section 52 and the ribbon drive section 60. Therefore, the ribbon winding unit 52 has a gear having the second transmission portion 74 in the low-speed rotation position, rather than the gear train having the second transmission portion 74 in the high-speed rotation position, when the rotation speed of the ribbon drive unit 60 is the same. The row rotates at a lower speed.

  In addition, the switching method which switches arrangement | positioning of the 2nd transmission part 74 is not limited. For example, the arrangement of the second transmission unit 74 may be switched manually by opening the left cover 11. Alternatively, a mechanical element such as a cam may switch the arrangement of the second transmission unit 74 by switching a lever or the like provided on the outside or the inside of the left cover 11 or the like.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the printer 1 will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the printer 1. The printer 1 includes a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, a display unit 14, an operation unit 15, a print head 41, a print head pressing unit 42, a conveyance drive unit 103, a ribbon drive unit 60, and a ribbon end sensor 53. These units are connected to each other via a system bus 104 such as a data bus or an address bus.

  The control unit 101 is a computer that controls the overall operation of the printer 1 and implements various functions of the printer 1. The control unit 101 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU comprehensively controls the operation of the printer 1. The ROM is a storage medium that stores various programs and data. The RAM is a storage medium that temporarily stores various programs and various data. Then, the CPU executes a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 102 using the RAM as a work area (working area).

  The storage unit 102 is a non-volatile storage device that can store information without being supplied with power, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory.

  The transport driving unit 103 is a DC motor, for example. The conveyance driving unit 103 drives the conveyance roller 31 and the platen roller 43 to rotate.

  Next, characteristic functions of the printer 1 will be described. Here, FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a characteristic functional configuration of the printer 1. The control unit 101 of the printer 1 generates each function unit illustrated in FIG. 6 on the RAM by developing a program stored in the ROM or the like on the RAM and operating according to the program. Specifically, the control unit 101 of the printer 1 includes a display control unit 1001, an operation control unit 1002, and a print control unit 1003 as functional units.

  The display control unit 1001 displays various screens on the display unit 14. For example, the display control unit 1001 displays a screen for selecting the printing speed. That is, the display control unit 1001 displays a screen for selecting the rotation speed of the ribbon drive unit 60. The display control unit 1001 may display a screen for selecting the type of the printing medium 2 when the storage unit 102 stores the printing speed corresponding to the type of the printing medium 2, for example. Here, the type of the print medium 2 is the type of medium such as paper, plastic, metal, or cloth.

  The operation control unit 1002 controls the operation unit 15 to accept various operations. For example, the operation control unit 1002 accepts an operation for selecting a printing speed. That is, the operation control unit 1002 accepts an operation for selecting the rotation speed of the ribbon drive unit 60. Note that the operation control unit 1002 may accept an operation for selecting the type of the print medium 2 when the storage unit 102 stores the print speed corresponding to the type of the print medium 2, for example.

  The print control unit 1003 controls the print head 41, the print head pressing unit 42, the conveyance drive unit 103, and the ribbon drive unit 60 to print various information on the print medium 2 at the selected print speed. That is, the print control unit 1003 rotates the ribbon drive unit 60 at a rotation speed corresponding to the selected print speed.

  As described above, according to the printer 1 according to the first embodiment, the transmission unit 70 includes the gear train that connects the ribbon winding unit 52 and the ribbon driving unit 60. The position of the second transmission portion 74 that is a part of the gear train can be selected from a high-speed rotation position and a low-speed rotation position. In the transmission unit 70, the transmission ratio, which is the ratio of the rotational speeds of the ribbon winding unit 52 and the ribbon drive unit 60, varies depending on whether the second transmission unit 74 is in the high-speed rotation position or the low-speed rotation position. That is, the transmission unit 70 changes the position of the second transmission unit 74 so that the ribbon winding unit 52 rotates without changing the input voltage of the ribbon driving unit 60 or by reducing the control range of the input voltage. The speed can be changed. Therefore, the printer 1 according to the first embodiment can wind up the ink ribbon 3 by rotation according to the printing speed by easy control at each printing speed from low speed to high speed.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment will be given the same names and symbols as those of the first embodiment, and Description is omitted.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the printer 1a according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a characteristic functional configuration provided in the printer 1a according to the second embodiment. The printer 1a according to the second embodiment is different from the printer 1 according to the first embodiment in that it includes a switching drive unit 105 and a switching control unit 1004.

  The switching drive unit 105 is an actuator that drives a switching unit that switches the position of the second transmission unit 74, for example. The switching unit is a mechanical element such as a cam. The switching drive unit 105 drives the switching unit to move the second transmission unit 74 from the high speed rotation position to the low speed rotation position. Alternatively, the switching drive unit 105 drives the switching unit to move the second transmission unit 74 from the low speed rotation position to the high speed rotation position.

  The switching control unit 1004 controls the switching driving unit 105 to move the second transmission unit 74 to the position of the rotation speed of the ribbon winding unit 52 specified according to the printing speed. For example, when the operation control unit 1002 receives an operation for selecting one print speed from a plurality of print speeds displayed on the display unit 14, the switching control unit 1004 specifies the print speed received by the operation control unit 1002. The 2nd power transmission part 74 is moved to the position.

  The switching control unit 1004 moves the second transmission unit 74 according to the type of the printing medium 2 when the storage unit 102 or the like stores the printing speed according to the type of the printing medium 2. In this case, the switching control unit 1004 selects the selected print when the operation control unit 1002 receives an operation for selecting the type of one print medium 2 from the types of the plurality of print media 2 displayed on the display unit 14. The printing speed associated with the type of the medium 2 is extracted from the storage unit 102. Then, the switching control unit 1004 moves the second transmission unit 74 to an arrangement specified by the extracted printing speed.

  As described above, according to the printer 1a according to the second embodiment, the switching control unit 1004 moves the second transmission unit 74 to a position corresponding to the selected printing speed. Therefore, the printer 1a according to the second embodiment can reduce the trouble of moving the second transmission unit 74.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the transmission part 70 which can change a gear ratio in two steps was demonstrated to the example. However, the gear ratio may be variable in three or more stages. Also, the printing speed stage and the gear ratio stage may or may not coincide. That is, in the printers 1 and 1a including the transmission unit 70 that can change the transmission gear ratio in two stages, the printing speed stage may be three or more stages. For example, a case where the gear ratio can be changed in two stages and the printing speed can be changed in five stages will be described as an example. In this case, the printing speed is divided into two stages on the low speed side and three stages on the high speed side. Then, the gear train having a large gear ratio and reducing the rotational speed can be associated with the low speed side of the printing speed, and the other gear train can be associated with the high speed side of the printing speed.

  The program executed by each device of the above-described embodiment or modification is provided by being incorporated in advance in a storage medium (ROM or storage unit) included in each device, but is not limited thereto. For example, an installable or executable file is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). You may comprise. Furthermore, the storage medium is not limited to a medium independent of a computer or an embedded system, but also includes a storage medium that downloads and stores or temporarily stores a program transmitted via a LAN, the Internet, or the like.

  Further, the program executed by each device of the above-described embodiment or modification may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network, or the Internet It may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1a Printer 2 Printing medium 3 Ink ribbon 51 Ribbon holding part 52 Ribbon winding part 60 Ribbon drive part 70 Transmission part 62 1st gear 73 1st transmission part 732 2nd gear 733 3rd gear 74 2nd transmission part 742 2nd 4 gears 743 5th gear 75 6th gear 105 switching drive unit 1001 display control unit 1002 operation control unit 1003 print control unit 1004 switching control unit

JP-A-6-31568

Claims (5)

A holding unit for holding a roll of ink ribbon;
A winding unit that winds up the ink ribbon drawn from the holding unit;
A drive unit for supplying power for rotating the winding unit;
A transmission unit that has a plurality of gears, and that forms a gear train that connects the winding unit and the drive unit by an arbitrary gear among the gears;
Printer with. In the transmission unit, on the condition that the arrangement of the gears is changed, a gear that is not in the gear train before the change is added to the gear train that connects the winding unit and the drive unit. The gear ratio is changed,
The printer according to claim 1. A switching unit that switches the arrangement of the gears included in the gear train that connects the winding unit and the driving unit;
The printer according to claim 1 or 2. An operation control unit for accepting an operation for selecting a printing speed;
A switching control unit that moves the gear to an arrangement specified by the printing speed received by the operation control unit;
The printer according to claim 3. A storage unit for storing the printing speed according to the type of printing medium;
The operation control unit accepts an operation for selecting a type of print medium,
The switching control unit moves the gear to an arrangement specified by the printing speed according to a type of the printing medium received by the operation control unit;
The printer according to claim 4.

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