JP2573639Y2 - Ink sheet separation device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a printing apparatus in which a recording paper and an ink sheet are superposed and guided between a platen and a print head, and the print head prints on the recording paper. The present invention relates to an ink sheet separating apparatus for separating a recording sheet and an ink sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of ink sheet separating apparatus, there is known an apparatus configured as shown in FIG. In this ink sheet separating apparatus, a thermal transfer type recording paper 3 and an ink sheet 4 sent from a paper stock unit 1 and a sheet stock unit 2 are superimposed on each other and guided onto a platen 5, and a print head 6 is pressed against the platen 5 to press the recording paper. After the printing is completed, the ink sheet 4 bonded to the recording paper 3 is separated by a sheet peeling member 7 and the printed recording paper 3 is separated by a paper winding unit 8 into a sheet. The winding unit 9 winds each of them. The print head 6
It is held by a support arm 11 that is rotatably supported in a vertical direction by a rotation shaft 10, and moves up and down with the rotation of this arm. At the time of printing, the platen 5 passes through the recording paper 3 and the ink sheet 4. Pressed. The sheet peeling member 7 is rotatably disposed via a pin 13 on a bracket 12 provided on the lower surface of the recording paper discharge end of the print head 6, and the leading end contacts the printed ink sheet 4, By being pressed against the platen 5 by the tension of the ink sheet 4, the printed recording paper 3 and the ink sheet 4 are pressed down, and the ink sheet 4 is separated from the recording paper 3.

[0003]

By the way, in the conventional ink sheet separating apparatus having the above structure, the sheet peeling member 7 is rotatably mounted on the print head 6, and the sheet peeling member 7 is tensioned by the ink sheet 4. Platen 5
11A, the recording sheet 3 and the ink sheet 4 are pressed against the recording sheet 3 to separate the ink sheet 4 from the recording sheet 3. Therefore, when the print head 6 is moved up and down, FIGS. ), The sheet peeling member 7 bites into the platen 5 due to the tension of the ink sheet 4,
There is a problem that the recording paper 3 may be lifted up from the recording paper 3 by rotating counterclockwise, so that the recording paper 3 cannot be fed smoothly and reliably, and it is difficult to set the sheet peeling member 7 to a normally functioning state. Was.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems. It is an object of the present invention to ensure that the ink sheet is separated and that the sheet is peeled off when the print head is moved up and down. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink sheet separating apparatus capable of feeding a recording sheet stably and reliably without causing a member to bite into a platen or separating from a printed recording sheet.

[0005]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink sheet separating apparatus for separating a recording sheet and an ink sheet printed by a print head. A support plate rotatably disposed on the head, a sheet peeling member disposed on one end of the support plate for pressing an ink sheet against the platen at the time of printing, and a support member disposed on the other end of the support plate. And a cam member disposed on the side of the device fixing portion, wherein the guide bar slides and separates, and the guide bar slides along the cam member as the print head moves up and down. This causes the support plate to swing, and separates from the cam member during printing by the print head.

[0006]

In the present invention, the guide rod slides along the cam member in accordance with the up / down operation of the print head, thereby restricting the free rotation of the support plate, and bringing the sheet peeling member into contact with the ink sheet. , So that the sheet peeling member does not bite into the ink sheet or escape from the recording paper. In addition, the guide bar is separated from the cam member and released during printing, thereby enabling the rotation of the support plate, and pressing the sheet peeling member against the platen by the tension of the ink sheet.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a down state or a printing state showing an embodiment of the ink sheet separating apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a main part of the apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a side view of a cam member. is there. In the drawings, the same components as those in FIGS. 10 and 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In these figures, the sheet peeling member 7 is formed of a plate-like body longer than the width of the print head 6, and a pair of left and right support members disposed on both sides of the print head 6 on the side of the recording paper discharge side. The lower end of the plate 21 is fixed by a set screw 22. The support plate 21 is rotatably supported at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction by a horizontal shaft 24 disposed on a recording paper discharge side end of the print head 6 via a block 23. One end of the guide rod 25 is connected to the upper position, and the arm 26 is bent. The arm 26 is bent at a substantially right angle to the inner side of the support plate 21, and a stopper 27 is protruded from the upper surface of the print head 6 correspondingly. Stopper part 2
Reference numeral 7 controls the rotation of the support plate 21 in the clockwise direction in FIG. The guide bar 25 is cantileverly supported on the outer surface side of the support plate 21 and is provided substantially horizontally, and is configured such that the free end portion peripheral surface slides on and separates from the cam member 29. Since the supporting plate 21 has the heavy sheet peeling member 7 at its lower end as described above, the supporting plate 21 operates so as to be substantially vertical when there is no regulating member. The cam member 29 is disposed on the apparatus fixing portion side corresponding to the guide rod 25, and is formed by a metal plate or the like into a shape as shown in FIG. Cam groove 3 into which rod 25 can be inserted
0, a posture-holding cam surface 31 continuous with the cam groove 30
Are provided obliquely rearward above the horizontal axis 24 and substantially parallel to the support plate 21. The cam groove 30 is constituted by a groove inclined downward and rightward with its lower end opened, so that the oblique groove walls 30a facing substantially parallel to each other are formed.
30b and a substantially horizontal upper groove wall 30c connecting the upper ends of both groove walls 30a and 30b. The posture maintaining cam surface 31 is provided continuously to the lower end of the groove wall 30a, and is curved in a convex curved shape with a relatively large curvature. At the lower end of the cam surface 31, a slope portion 32 inclined downward and left at an appropriate angle is continuously formed.
The guide bar 25 is made to escape at the time of printing by the print head 6.

Next, the operation of the ink sheet separating apparatus having the above configuration will be described. FIG. 4 is a view showing an up state of the print head 6. In this state, the support arm 11 is rotated at a maximum angle counterclockwise about the rotation shaft 10 to separate the print head 6 from the platen 5. The support plate 21 is held substantially horizontally by the guide rod 25 being inserted and locked in the cam groove 30. In this state, the platen 5 and the support plate 21
A space sufficient to allow the sheet take-up unit 9 to be attached and detached is formed between them. After the sheet take-up unit 9 is mounted at a predetermined mounting position, when printing is performed by the print head 6, the support arm 11 is pivoted down in the clockwise direction to move the print head 6 onto the upper surface of the platen 5 with the recording paper 3 and the ink. Pressing is performed at a predetermined pressure via the sheet 4.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are views showing a state in which the print head 6 is in the process of being lowered and a state immediately before the end of the down operation. When the print head 6 starts to descend, the support plate 21 also descends integrally therewith, so that the guide rod 25 descends along the cam groove 30, and comes out of the cam groove 30. After the leading end contacts the ink sheet 4 and receives a predetermined tension from the ink sheet 4, the posture maintaining cam surface 31
And slide down. When the print head 6 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the platen 5, the guide rod 25 is separated from the cam surface 31 and moves below the inclined surface 32 when the print head 6 comes into contact with the upper surface of the platen 5. It will be in a state of being inherited.

FIG. 1 shows a state at the end of the down operation. In this state, the sheet peeling member 7 is pushed up by the tension of the ink sheet 4 and held at the predetermined position as described above. At this point, the printing operation is started. In the printing operation, the platen 5, the recording paper 3 and the ink sheet 4 are transported in the direction of the arrow, and printing is performed by the print head 6. In this case, since the ink sheet 4 is transported at a constant speed in the direction of the arrow,
A greater tension is applied to the sheet peeling member 7 than when it is stopped. Therefore, the tip of the sheet peeling member 7 comes into contact with the platen 5 at a predetermined pressure, and stable peeling can be performed. Printing on the recording paper 3 is performed by a general thermal transfer method, in which heat is applied to the recording paper 3 by the print head 6 via the ink sheet 4, the ink layer of the ink sheet 4 is melted and transferred to the recording paper 3. .

When printing by the print head 6 is completed, the ink sheet 4 is slackened as shown in FIG. 7, and the sheet peeling member 7 is released. Therefore, the support plate 21 is allowed to freely rotate clockwise to a position where the arm 26 contacts the stopper 27. Then, the print head 6 is moved up to the initial position.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a state immediately after the head-up of the print head 6 is started. The print head 6 is the support arm 1
When the guide rod 25 starts rising along with the rotation of 1, the guide rod 25 also rises along the cam surface 31, and the arm 26 comes into contact with the stopper 27 to restrict the clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the support plate 21. . Then, when the support arm 11 is rotated upward to the required height and the print head 6 and the support plate 21 are pulled up, the guide rod 25 is inserted and held in the cam groove 30 as shown in FIG. Return to the up state.

[0014]

As described above, according to the ink sheet separating apparatus of the present invention, the sheet peeling member is mounted on the rotatable support plate, and the posture of the support plate is adjusted to the cam member when the print head is up and down. Because the guide bar is used to regulate and hold the paper stably, the sheet peeling member does not bite into the platen or separate from the printed recording paper, and the ink sheet separation operation is reliable, and the recording paper is stable and reliable. And its practical effect is great.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a down state or a printing state showing an embodiment of an ink sheet separating apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a main part of the device.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a cam member.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an up state of a print head.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the print head is in the process of being lowered.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state immediately before the end of the down of the print head.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a standby state of a print head.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state immediately after the start of the up of the print head.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the print head is being lifted up.

FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing a conventional example of an ink sheet separating apparatus.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining the drawbacks of the conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 3 recording paper 4 ink sheet 5 platen 6 print head 7 sheet peeling member 11 support arm 21 support plate 24 horizontal axis 25 guide rod 26 arm 27 stopper 29 cam member 30 cam groove 31 posture-holding cam surface

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-1-232090 (JP, A) JP-A-4-26750 (JP, U) JP-A-4-81758 (JP, U) JP-A-4-232 100880 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B41J 17/30 B41J 35/04

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. An ink sheet separating apparatus for separating recording paper and an ink sheet printed by a print head, comprising: a support plate rotatably disposed on the print head; and one end side of the support plate. A sheet peeling member that is disposed and presses the ink sheet against the platen during printing, a guide rod that is disposed on the other end side of the support plate, and the guide rod that is disposed on the device fixing portion side and slides and separates from each other A cam member, and the guide rod slides along the cam member in accordance with the up / down operation of the print head to swing the support plate, and separates from the cam member during printing by the print head. An ink sheet separating apparatus, comprising: