JP3041381U - Tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) 【Abstract】 PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To mount a tape cartridge on a printing device for printing on a tape, and it takes time and effort to confirm a correct position. In addition, the shape of the tape cartridge has become complicated depending on the position of the ribbon winding core and the like inside the tape cartridge. SOLUTION: A part accommodating an ink ribbon core 22 protrudes and loses symmetry. Therefore, there is no possibility that the tape cartridge 10 is erroneously inserted into the tape writer 1. In addition, the center of the ribbon winding core 24 is
Are arranged on the print tape T side (upper side in FIG. 3) with respect to the lower side of the guide wall (the side of the guide wall opposite to the print tape core 20), so that the shape of the tape cartridge 10 is made compact. be able to. By adopting this arrangement, the portion corresponding to the ribbon take-up core 24 for winding the used ink ribbon does not protrude the outer shape of the tape cartridge 10 and the outer shape of the tape cartridge 10 is linear. Keep it simple.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a tape cartridge mounted in a printing device that prints print data such as a desired character string on a tape, and more particularly to a tape cartridge containing an ink ribbon.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a printing device that prints a desired character string on the surface of an adhesive tape that has an adhesive applied to the back surface in advance. This type of printing device makes it easy to print titles and titles on the surface of the tape on the spot, and then easily attach it to the spine of document files or the back of videotapes. It is widely used for both business and home use.

Further, in order to further improve the added value, a high-performance printing device capable of editing a character string over a plurality of lines has been developed, and along with this, a tape cartridge having various widths and colors of tapes built-in. Is being supplied.

In such a tape printer, diversification of tape types and printing styles, on the other hand, complicates operation and control, resulting in a loss of the advantage of easily obtaining a printing tape. That is, if you try to print a large number of points even though a tape cartridge containing a narrow tape is installed in the printing device, the character string of the normal font will be changed to a wide-width emphasized font. If the setting is changed to, the printing may fail because the printing may not fit within the width of the tape or the desired length. For this reason, the user has to manage various types of tape cartridges of different widths and colors, and when performing printing, it is necessary not only to mount the tape, but also to perform various confirmation work such as the character size and balance. .

In addition to this, when plural lines can be printed, for example, two lines are designated, but the number of lines to be printed is forgotten, and the print data is printed only in one line, and the desired print is performed. It is also possible that the character result cannot be obtained. In such a case, it should be unreasonable for all to be mistaken for the user in view of the product characteristics of such a printing device used in a wide range of applications and situations.

[0006]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 By the way, various attempts have been made to improve the usability, and the types of tapes have become diversified, and when ink ribbons and the like are stored in the tape cartridge, the inside of the tape cartridge becomes complicated, and the tape cartridge becomes complicated. It was pointed out that the transport route of the product was bent, making it difficult to transport, and it became difficult to store a tape of sufficient length. As the number of tape cartridge types increases, it is expected that tape cartridges will be replaced frequently, but with the conventional rectangular tape cartridge, it is difficult to distinguish top, bottom, left, and right. It took a lot of trouble.

The tape cartridge of the present invention is intended to solve these problems and to provide a replaceable tape cartridge having a simple internal structure and being easy to use, and has the following structure. .

[0008]

[Means for solving the problem and its action / effect]

 The present invention is a tape cartridge containing a tape core wound around a printing tape which is mounted on a mounting portion of a printing device and which is printed by a printing head provided on the printing device side. A print tape storage unit for storing, an opening through which the print head enters, and a print head that prints on the print tape at a position substantially opposite to the direction in which the print tape is conveyed with respect to the opening. An ink ribbon core for winding the ink ribbon and an ink ribbon housing portion for housing the ribbon winding core for winding the ink ribbon are formed, and the printing tape of the ink ribbon housing portion is inserted into the opening. The outer shape in the direction substantially opposite to the conveying direction has a protruding portion that protrudes from the outer shape of the printing tape storage portion, and the center of the ribbon winding core forms the opening. It is one of the substantially four sides formed, and is located closer to the printing tape than the side opposite to the printing tape housing portion.

The tape cartridge having such a structure has a tape core around which a printing tape is wound, an ink ribbon core around which an ink ribbon is wound, and a ribbon take-up core around which an ink ribbon used for printing is wound. The ink ribbon storage unit loses its symmetry in the rectangular area where the head opening exists in the direction substantially opposite to the direction in which the print tape is conveyed with respect to the opening into which the print head enters. There is. Therefore, the tape cartridge will not be erroneously inserted into the printer. Moreover, according to the tape cartridge of the present invention, the center of the ribbon take-up core is one side out of the four sides forming the opening, and the center of the ribbon winding core is the print side rather than the side opposite to the print tape storage section. Since it is arranged on the tape side, the shape of the tape cartridge can be made compact. By adopting such an arrangement, the portion corresponding to the ribbon winding core that winds up the used ink ribbon does not project, and the shape of the ink ribbon storage portion does not become complicated.

Further, in this tape cartridge, a platen for transporting the print tape can be provided at a position facing the print head of the print device in a state where the print tape is attached to the print device. Providing the platen on the side of the tape cartridge has the advantage of ensuring good compatibility with the tape.

The platen may be a hollow shaft having a hollow portion inside. Also, an elastic body may be provided on the outer periphery of the platen. Further, an engaging strip may be provided at a lower end of the hollow portion of the platen so as to engage with a projecting strip of a drive shaft erected on the printing apparatus. In this case, the transmission of power to the platen on the tape cartridge side can be ensured.

Films may be attached to both ends of the tape core to form flanges. In this case, the printing tape does not have to be wound around the core having the flange, and therefore the printing tape can be easily wound. Further, an adhesive layer may be provided on the inner peripheral surface of this flange. The adhesive layer on the inner peripheral surface of the flange acts to prevent the tape wound around the tape core from coming loose.

[0013]

【Example】

 In order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described above, a description will be given below of a tape writer that is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which a plurality of types of tape cartridges are detachably incorporated to print on a tape. .

<Hardware Configuration> FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the appearance of the tape writer 1, and FIG. 2 is a right side view of the same. 3 is a plan view showing an assembled state of the tape cartridge 10 mounted on the tape writer 1, and FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the same. In this embodiment, since the ink ribbon and the tape printed using the ink ribbon are housed in the same cartridge, this cartridge which is also an ink ribbon cartridge is hereinafter referred to as a tape cartridge.

As shown in the figure, the tape writer 1 is visible under a main body case 50H that houses various parts, an input section 50C that includes 63 input keys, a main body cover 50K that can be opened and closed, and a main body cover 50K. Display unit 50D for displaying character strings and other information, and tape cartridge 10 provided in the upper left part of the main body with main unit cover 50K opened. No), The main body cover 50K is provided with a window 50L for confirming the mounting of the tape cartridge 10 and a window 50M capable of directly looking at the display section 50D. A transparent plastic plate material is fitted into both windows 50L, 50M. There is.

When using this tape writer 1, first, the main body cover 50K is opened, the tape cartridge 10 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 50A, and the main body cover 50K is closed. Then, the power switch 50J provided on the right side of the main body is operated to turn on the power, and the character to be printed is input from the input unit 50C. If necessary, the input character string is converted into Kana-Kanji characters, and when a predetermined key is operated to instruct printing, the tape T supplied by the tape cartridge 10 is printed by the thermal transfer printer unit 50B. . The printed tape T is ejected from the tape ejection port 10A provided on the left side surface of the tape writer 1. The tape T used in this example has a print surface processed to improve the placement of the ink by thermal transfer, and a peelable release tape is attached to the back surface having adhesiveness. . Therefore, by cutting the printed tape with the built-in cutter and peeling off the peeling tape on the back side, the tape T on which letters and symbols are printed can be attached to a desired place.

Next, the structure and function of the tape cartridge 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Note that FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA. This tape cartridge 10 can store tapes of different widths by the same assembly structure. In the embodiment, five kinds of tape cartridges having the widths of the accommodated tapes of 6 mm, 9 mm, 12 mm, 18 mm and 24 mm are provided. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a tape width of 6 mm among these five types of tape cartridges, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a tape width of 24 mm. In order to simplify the drawing, the reference numerals of the respective members in FIG. 7 are omitted. Further, in FIGS. 6 and 7, a part of the print head is drawn in the tape cartridge cross-sectional view in order to explain the mounting state to the tape writer 1.

The platen 12 used for printing is a hollow cylindrical member, and it is possible to perform high-quality printing by making the adhesion between the tape T and the ink ribbon R of each of the five different widths and the print head favorable. Therefore, the platen rubber 14 according to the tape width is wound around the outer peripheral surface thereof. In this embodiment, a platen rubber having a width of 12 mm (see FIG. 6) for tapes of 6 mm, 9 mm, and 12 mm, and a platen rubber having a width of 18 mm (see FIG. 7) for tapes of 18 mm and 24 mm are used in total.

The outer circumferences of the upper and lower end portions of the platen 12 are formed to have a diameter slightly smaller than the shaft diameter of the platen 12, and the small diameter portions are fitted to the top wall 16 and the bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10. The platen 12 is rotatable by being loosely fitted in the holes 16A and 18A. The fitting holes 16A and 18A have a substantially oval shape as shown in FIG. In this way, the platen 12 that is erected on the tape cartridge 10 is detachable from a platen drive shaft, which will be described later, provided on the tape writer 1, and when the platen drive shaft is engaged with the platen drive shaft. The rotation drive force must be transferable. For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, on the inner peripheral surface of the hollow portion of the platen 12, six engaging strips 12A are formed at equal intervals in the rotational axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, this tape cartridge 10, except for the platen 12 described above, is roughly a printing tape storage portion for storing a tape core 20 around which a long print tape T is wound. An entrance hole 32, which is an opening through which the print head enters when the tape writer 1 is mounted, and an ink ribbon storage provided on the opposite side (right side in the drawing) of the entrance direction of the print tape T from the entrance direction. It is composed of An ink ribbon core 22 and a ribbon take-up core 24 are provided upright in the ink ribbon storage section in order to compactly store and store the ink ribbon R. Particularly, in the ink ribbon core 22, the ink ribbon storage section stores the printing tape. It is provided at a position where a part of the ink ribbon core 22 is present at the protruding portion protruding from the portion. As a result, the ink ribbon core 22 is accommodated without difficulty in a state where the ink ribbon is wound. A guide wall 34 is formed on the outer periphery of the entrance hole 32.

The tape core 20 accommodated in the print tape accommodating portion is a large-diameter hollow cylindrical reel so that the long tape T can be thinly wound and accommodated. Therefore, when the tape T located at the outermost circumference (reference numeral A in FIG. 3) is pulled out and the tape T located at the innermost circumference (reference numeral B in FIG. 3) is pulled out at the same speed. The rotational angular velocity of the tape core 20 is not so different. Further, even if the tape T made of a material having a small curvature during winding and storage and weak against bending stress is used, it can be stored without difficulty.

As shown in FIG. 5, the tape core 20 has a shaft hole 20 B formed in the center thereof, and is rotatably fitted in a shaft body 18 B standing from the bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10. A circular thin film 20A is attached to the upper and lower ends of the tape core 20 in the axial direction, and the surface on the tape T side is an adhesive layer. The film 20A acts as a flange portion for the tape T, but since the adhesive layer is provided on the surface on the tape T side, the edge of the tape T is lightly attached to the film 20A. Therefore, even if the tape T is pulled out by the rotation of the platen 12 and the tape core 20 is driven to rotate, the tape T does not come apart. A curved thin plate washer 23 is interposed between the lid constituting the top wall 16 of the tape cartridge 10 and the film 20A on the upper surface of the tape core 20. The washer 23 is deformed to form the tape core 20. By pressing 20 toward the bottom wall 18, the free rotation of the tape core 20 is regulated.

The tape T wound and stored on the tape core 20 reaches the platen 12 from the bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10 via the tape guide pins 26 provided upright, and then enters the tape discharge port 10 A of the tape cartridge 10. Be led up to.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ink ribbon core 22 is composed of a hollow cylindrical member having a small diameter, and the outer circumferences at the upper and lower ends thereof are formed to have a slightly smaller diameter. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, on the end surface of the lower end portion having the small diameter, six grooves are formed at equal intervals in the axial direction to form an engaging portion 22A. The small diameter portion on the lower end side is loosely fitted in a circular fitting hole portion 18C formed in the bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10. The hollow upper end of the ink ribbon core 22 is loosely fitted in a cylindrical guide projection 16C provided on the top wall 16 of the tape cartridge 10. Therefore, in this state, the ink ribbon core 22 is held rotatably as the ink ribbon R is pulled out.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10 has a thin, substantially L-shape near the bottom of the ink ribbon core 22 and a ribbon take-up core 24, which will be described later. Engaging piece 18D is formed. The engagement piece 18D is formed by hollowing out a part (hatched portion X in FIG. 3) of the bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10. Therefore, the tip end portion of the engagement piece 18D is movable along the plane direction of the bottom wall 18 with the base end portion 18E that is continuous with the bottom wall 18 as a fulcrum due to the elasticity of the members forming the bottom wall 18. Becomes In the state where no force is applied to the engaging piece 18D, the movable end portion is located inside the outer periphery of the fitting hole portion 18C. The ink ribbon core 22 is engaged with any one of the six engaging portions 22A formed at the end of the ink ribbon core 22 and blocks the rotation of the ink ribbon core 22.

The ink ribbon R wound and stored on the ink ribbon core 22 is guided by the ribbon guide roller 30 to be in a superposed state with the above-mentioned tape T and reaches the platen 12, and the print head further enters. The ribbon take-up core 24 is reached via a guide wall 34 formed on the peripheral surface of the entrance hole 32. When the tape cartridge 10 is in an unused state, that is, when only the starting end of the ink ribbon R is attached to the ribbon take-up core 24, the drawing state of the ink ribbon R is indicated by symbol C in FIG. The same state when all of the ribbons R are wound around the ribbon winding core 24 is shown by reference numeral D.

The ribbon take-up core 24 is composed of a hollow cylindrical member having substantially the same shape as the ink ribbon core 22, as shown in the figure. The outer circumferences of the upper and lower end portions are also formed to have a slightly smaller diameter, like the ink ribbon core 22. Six engaging portions 24A are provided at regular intervals on the end surface of the lower end portion having the small diameter. On the other hand, this ribbon take-up core 24 engages with a drive shaft of a ribbon take-up core, which will be described later, which is provided in the tape writer 1 like the platen 12, so that the ribbon take-up core 24 can be rotationally driven. Six engaging strips 24B are formed at regular intervals. In the ribbon winding core 24 thus configured, the small-diameter portions formed at the upper and lower ends are loosely inserted into the circular fitting holes 16G, 18G formed in the bottom wall 18 and the top wall 16 of the tape cartridge 10. Fitted and rotatably set up.

Further, in order to prevent an unexpected rotation of the ribbon winding core 24, the bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10 has a thin substantially L shape whose end portion is located inside the outer periphery of the fitting hole portion 18G as described above. A letter-shaped engaging piece 18H is formed. That is, a part of the bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10 (hatched portion Y in FIG. 3) is hollowed out to form an engaging piece 18H. In the state where the cartridge 10 is a single body, the end of the engaging piece 18H is engaged with any of the six engaging portions 24A formed at the end of the ribbon winding core 24. Twenty-four rotations are blocked. Since the tips of the engaging pieces 18D, 18H face the engaging portions 22A, 24A at a right angle, not at a right angle, the ink ribbon core 22 and the ribbon take-up core 24 rotate counterclockwise. It is possible to do so.

The engagement between the engagement portion 22A of the ink ribbon core 22 and the engagement piece 18D and the engagement between the engagement portion 24A of the ribbon take-up core 24 and the engagement piece 18H are both performed by the cartridge. The cartridge 10 is released by mounting the cartridge 10 on the cartridge mounting portion 50A, and its configuration will be described later together with the structure of the cartridge mounting portion 50A.

The ink ribbon R wound around the ribbon winding core 24 is a thermal transfer type ribbon, and a plurality of widths thereof are prepared according to the width of the tape T on the printing side. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, an ink ribbon having a width of 12 mm for tape widths of 6, 9 and 12 mm, and an ink ribbon having a width of 18 mm for a tape width of 18 mm (not shown), as shown in FIG. In addition, for the tape width of 24 mm, a 24 mm wide ink ribbon having the same width and a total of three types of ink ribbons R are prepared.

When the ribbon width of the ink ribbon R is equal to the height of the tape cartridge 10 (see FIG. 7), the ink ribbon R is guided by the top wall 16 and the bottom wall 18, so that the ribbon winding Although the flange portion is not formed on the outer periphery of the core 24, in the case of the tape cartridge 10 having a narrow ribbon width, the ribbon take-up core 24 of the ribbon take-up core 24 is provided so that the ink ribbon R can be stably supplied to the platen 12. A flange portion 24C is formed on the outer periphery to match the width of the ink ribbon R that is being wound and stored, and the flange portion 24C guides the ink ribbon R (see FIG. 6).

As described above, there are five types of tape cartridges 10 of the present embodiment, depending on the width of the stored tape T. Since the printable area and the like differ depending on the width of the tape T, it becomes necessary to detect the type of the tape cartridge 10. In the tape cartridge 10 of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, three detection holes 18Ka, 18Kb, 18Kc are provided in the bottom wall 18 of the cartridge so that the type of the tape cartridge 10 can be discriminated. That is, the detection holes 18Ka, 18Kb, 18Kc are formed to have different depths depending on the width of the tape T which is wound and stored.

FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the type of the tape cartridge 10 and the detection holes 18Ka, Kb, Kc. As shown in the drawing, the three detection holes 18Ka, 18Kb, 18Kc of the tape cartridge 10 accommodating the tape width of 6 mm are all shallowly formed. Further, in the tape cartridge 10 having a tape width of 9 mm, only one of the detection hole 18Ka, the detection hole 18Kb in the tape width 12mm, and the detection hole 18Kc in the tape width 18mm is deeply formed. Then, in the tape width of 24 mm, two detection holes 18Ka and 18Kb are deeply formed.

The tape cartridge 10 described in detail above is mounted in the tape cartridge mounting portion 50 A of the tape writer 1. Inside the tape writer 1, as shown in FIG. 9 which is an AA-AA end view in FIG. 1, an expansion section 50E and an input section 50C for connecting various packs optionally supplied as external storage elements. The display unit 50D, the printer unit 50B, and the like are provided with a control circuit unit 50F.

A battery storage portion 50I is provided on the back surface of the tape writer 1, and six AA batteries, which are power sources of the entire apparatus, can be mounted. A power switch 50J is provided on the right side surface of the main body. It should be noted that power can be supplied from an AC adapter (not shown) and also from a plug 50N provided on the right side of the main body.

Hereinafter, each of the mechanical components of the tape writer 1 will be sequentially described. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the structure of the tape cartridge mounting portion 50A, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the structure of the main part of the drive mechanism 50P that drives the platen 12 and the like by the power of the stepping motor 80.

The cartridge mounting portion 50A is disposed on the left rear side of the main body of the tape writer 1 and is formed as a mounting space that matches the shape of the tape cartridge 10 described above, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, shafts and print heads 60 that engage with the hollow portions of the ribbon take-up core 24 and the platen 12 are erected in this mounting space. A drive mechanism 50P for transmitting the rotation of the stepping motor 80 to the platen 12 and the like is provided below the tape cartridge mounting portion 50A. However, since it is partitioned by the case of the tape cartridge mounting portion 50A, the main body cover is covered. The drive mechanism 50P cannot be directly viewed only by opening the -50K. FIG. 11 shows a state in which this case is removed. It should be noted that this mounting space is normally covered with the main body cover 50K when the tape cartridge 10 is mounted.

Mounting or replacement of the tape cartridge 10 in the cartridge mounting portion 50A is performed by opening the main body cover 50K. When the slide button 52 provided in front of the cartridge mounting portion 50A is slid to the right, the main body cover 50K is disengaged from the main body, and the main body cover 50K rotates around the cover hinge 54 at the rear of the main body as a fulcrum. It can be opened. The slide button 52 is constantly subjected to a biasing force in the leftward direction in the drawing by the integrally provided spring arm 52A being locked by the locking portion on the main body side.

When the main body cover 50K is opened by operating the slide button 52, the print head 60 for printing on the tape T of the tape cartridge 10 can attach and detach the tape cartridge 10. This operation will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the print head 60 is rotatably mounted on a head rotation shaft 64 provided upright from a base board 61, and a head main body 65 in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged is provided with an insulator 65a. A heat radiation plate 65b to be mounted on the head body 65, a frame 67 for supporting the heat radiation plate 65b by a connecting plate 67a, a coil spring 66 for urging the print head 60 toward the initial position, and an electrical connection to the head body 65. And a flexible cable 68 which is a flexible wiring. The frame 67 and the connecting plate 67a are connected by driving a pin 67b into the opening of the connecting plate 67a, and the heat dissipation plate 65b with the head body 65 mounted thereon is rotatable about the pin 67b. Has been done. As a result, when the print head 60 is pushed to the platen 12 side, the head main body 65 uniformly hits the tape T sandwiched between the print head 60 and the platen 12.

The lower end portion of the frame 67 is largely extended to form a link plate 62. The link plate 62 is sewn between gear trains, which will be described later, and its end is located near the boundary with the display unit 50D (see FIG. 10). A coil spring 69 is hooked on the end portion of the link plate 62 to connect the drive member 63 and the link plate 62. The drive member 63 has a substantially triangular shape, and an end 63a opposite to the end 63a to which the coil spring 69 is coupled is arranged at a position facing the main body cover 50K as shown in FIG. To be done. An operation arm 50S extends downwardly and is formed at a position facing the end portion 63b of the main body cover 50K, and the end portion 63b is pushed down by the operation of closing the main body cover 50K.

This movement is schematically shown in FIG. 12, which is an end view taken along the line BB of FIG. As shown in the figure, as the main body cover 50K is pushed down, the operation arm 50S pushes down the end portion 63b of the drive member 63, and accordingly, the link plate 62 rotationally moves in the right direction in FIG. 12 via the coil spring 69. This movement of the link plate 62 causes the print head 60 to rotate against the biasing force of the coil spring 66. As a result, the print head 60 moves from the retracted position to the print position facing the platen 12 of the mounted tape cartridge 10. That is, when the operation of closing the main body cover 50K is performed, the print head 60 is set to a printable position. On the contrary, when the operation of opening the main body cover 50K is performed, the operation of moving the print head 60 to the retreat position, which is required when the tape cartridge 10 is detached or attached, which is a normally executed action, is performed. It will be realized at the same time. The print head 60 once moved to the retracted position stays in that position by the coil spring 66 while the main body cover 50K is open, and when the main body cover 50K is closed, the print head 60 returns to the position where the print head 60 presses the platen 12. .

The bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10 thus mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 50A is engaged with the engaging portions 22A, 24A of the ink ribbon core 22 and the ribbon take-up core 24 to prevent them from rotating. It has already been described that the mating engagement pieces 18D and 18H are provided. The engaging pieces 18D and 18H are formed by hollowing out a part of the bottom wall 18 (FIGS. 3 and 4, hatch portions X and Y), and the middle position of the hatch portion X and the hatch portion Y is formed. As shown in FIG. 10, two wedge-shaped contact projections 70A and 70B are provided upright on the portion of the cartridge mounting portion 50A corresponding to the above. Therefore, when the tape cartridge 10 is mounted in the tape cartridge mounting portion 50A, the contact protrusions 70A and 70B are fitted in the hatch portions X and Y, and the engaging pieces 18D and 18H are attached to the ink ribbon core 22 and the ribbon winding. The engaging portions 22A and 24A of the core 24 are pushed away from each other. As a result, the engagement by the engagement pieces 18D and 18H is released, and the ink ribbon core 22 and the ribbon take-up core 24 are in a rotatable state.

Next, a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the stepping motor 80 to the platen drive shaft 72 of the platen 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, a first gear 81 is attached to the rotary shaft 80A of the stepping motor 80, and a clutch arm 80B is fitted to the rotary shaft 80A with a predetermined friction. ing. The clutch arm 80B, together with the second gear 82 and the third gear 83, constitutes a one-way clutch. That is, when the stepping motor 80 rotates in the direction of arrow C in the drawing, the clutch arm 80B rotates in the direction of arrow C together with the second gear 82 due to the friction between the rotating shaft 80A and the clutch arm 80B, and the third gear. Engage with 83. As a result, the rotation of the stepping motor 80 is transmitted to the third gear 83. The function of the one-way clutch will be described later.

The rotation of the third gear 83 is transmitted to the fifth gear 85 and the sixth gear 86 via the fourth gear 84 while repeating the gear down. The rotation shaft of the fifth gear 85 is coupled to the winding core drive shaft 74, and the ink ribbon R is wound by the rotation of the stepping motor 80. The rim 74A that actually drives the ribbon take-up core 24 is attached to the take-up core drive shaft 74 with a predetermined friction, and in a normal state, the stepping motor 80 takes up the take-up coil. The core drive shaft 74 rotates in accordance with the rotation of the core drive shaft 74, but when the ribbon take-up core 24 cannot rotate due to reaching the end of the ink ribbon R or the like, the take-up core drive shaft 74 is rotated. It is supposed to slip.

The rotation of the sixth gear 86 is further transmitted to the seventh gear 87 to rotate the platen drive shaft 72. Below the platen drive shaft 72, a rim 72A is provided which fits into the unevenness of the inner peripheral surface of the platen 12 and drives it. Therefore, when the stepping motor 80 rotates and its rotation is transmitted to the third gear 83 by the one-way clutch, the platen drive shaft 72 and the winding core drive shaft 74 finally rotate, and the platen 12 The tape T, which is sandwiched between the platen rubber 14 provided on the outer periphery of the print head 60 and the head body 65 of the print head 60, is conveyed in accordance with printing, and the ink ribbon R is synchronized with the conveyance of the tape T. Take it up.

On the outer peripheries of the platen drive shaft 72 and the winding core drive shaft 74, protruding ridges that engage with the engaging ridges 12 A and 24 B formed on the hollow inner peripheral surfaces of the platen 12 and the ribbon winding core 24. Three 72B and 74B are formed at equal intervals. When the platen drive shaft 72 and the winding core drive shaft 74 are rotationally driven by the stepping motor 80 at a predetermined rotation speed, the tape T and the ink ribbon R are pulled out from the tape core 20 and the ink ribbon core 22 by a predetermined amount, respectively, and are in a superposed state. Then, it is passed between the platen rubber 14 and the print head 60. At this time, if the print head 60 is energized to control the amount of heat generated in dot units, the ink of the ink ribbon R can be thermally transferred to the tape T and printed on the tape T. After printing, only the tape T on which printing has been completed is ejected from the tape cartridge 10, and the ink ribbon R used for printing is wound and collected on the ribbon winding core 24.

When the tape T is conveyed with printing in this way, the tape T is delivered from the tape discharge port 10A on the left side surface of the main body. The tape T is normally cut by a cutting mechanism described later, but some users may try to pull out the tape T before cutting. When the main body cover 50K is closed, the print head 60 presses the tape T against the platen rubber 14 of the platen 12, so if the tape T is forcibly pulled out, the platen drive shaft 72 also tries to rotate. However, the platen drive shaft 72 cannot be rotated by a normal drive mechanism because the gear is down and the stepping motor 80 has some holding torque. Naturally, the winding core drive shaft 74 also does not rotate. Therefore, when the tape T is pulled out, the ink ribbon R is pulled out together with the tape T. If the tape T is cut by using the cutting mechanism in this state, the ink ribbon R is also cut, and therefore such a situation should not occur.

In the present embodiment, this problem is avoided by the one-way clutch composed of the described clutch arm 80B and the second and third gears 82 and 83. That is, when trying to pull out the tape T, the platen drive shaft 72 rotates together with the platen 12. The rotation of the platen drive shaft 72 is transmitted to the third gear 83 through the gear train, and rotates the third gear 83 in the clockwise direction. At this time, the second gear 82 tries to rotate, but since the rotation shaft 80A of the stepping motor 80 does not rotate, the rotation force of the third gear 83 causes the clutch arm 80B that pivotally supports the second gear 82 to rotate. It is pushed away and the engagement between the second gear 82 and the third gear 83 is released. As a result, the third gear 83 to the seventh gear 87 are separated from the stepping motor 80, and the take-up core drive shaft 74 is also rotated by the rotation of the platen drive shaft 72 when the tape T is pulled out. It will rotate. Therefore, the ink ribbon R is also wound up as the tape T is pulled out, and is not pulled out together with the tape T. When the stepping motor 80 rotates, the rotation causes the clutch arm 80B to move to the third gear 83 side again, and the second gear 82 and the third gear 83 engage with each other. Such movement of the clutch arm 80B is temporarily restricted by the opening 80C provided in the base 61 and into which the tip of the clutch arm 80B is fitted.

The printed tape T discharged from the tape cartridge 10 to the left by the above printing operation can be easily cut off as follows by using a cutting mechanism whose detailed structure is shown in FIGS. 10 and 13. You can Note that FIG. 13 is a C-C end view in FIG. 10. A cutter support shaft 92 protruding from the bottom of the cartridge mounting portion 50A is fitted with a rotatable "L" -shaped tape cutter 90 and a spring 94, and the tape is generated by the elastic force of the spring 94. The cutter 90 is maintained in the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 13, that is, in the state in which the rotational force in the clockwise direction in the drawing is applied. Due to this rotational force, the left end portion 90A of the tape cutter 90 pushes up the cutter button 96 from its back surface. The left end 90A of the tape cutter 90 is formed in a bifurcated shape, and a pin 96A provided on the back surface of the cutter button 96 is inserted therein. Therefore, when the cutter button 96 is pushed downward, the left end portion 90A of the tape cutter 90 is moved downwards accordingly.

Further, a moving blade 98 for cutting the tape T is formed on the right end portion 90B of the tape cutter 90, which is fixed with respect to the fixed blade 91 attached to the side surface of the cartridge mounting portion 50A. They are separated by an angle. The shoulder portion 93A of the tape retainer 93 is in contact with the back surface of the right end portion 90B (see FIG. 10). As shown in FIG. 10, the tape retainer 93 is biased by the spring 95 in the direction of the traveling path of the tape T, and when the tape cutter 90 rotates and the moving blade 98 moves toward the fixed blade 91. Along with this, the tape T moves in the direction of the traveling path. Since the fixed wall 97 is provided on the opposite side of the running path of the tape T, the tape retainer 93 secures the tape T to the fixed wall 97 before cutting the tape T by the moving blade 98 and the fixed blade 91. Fix between and. The movement of the tape retainer 93 is detected by the detection switch 99. The detection switch 99 is for not printing while the tape T is being cut, as described later.

The cutting of the tape T is achieved by pushing down the cutter button 96 against the elastic force of the spring 94. When the cutter button 96 is pushed down to rotate the tape cutter 90 counterclockwise, the moving blade 98 formed on the right end 90B also rotates in the same direction. As a result, the tape retainer 93 first restrains the tape T with the fixed wall 97, and then the moving blade 98 gradually overlaps with the fixed blade 91 from its lower portion, passes through the print head 60, and passes outside the print head 60. The tape T located at is cut.

Next, details of the input unit 50C, the display unit 50D, the printer unit 50B, etc. incorporated in the tape writer 1 will be described. For convenience of understanding the whole, the control circuit unit 50F will be mainly described first. The outline of the electrical configuration of each unit will be described. Immediately below the main body cover 50K, a control circuit section 50F assembled on a printed circuit board is incorporated together with the printer section 50B and the like. The overall electrical schematic structure is shown in FIG. That is, the control circuit section 50F of the tape writer 1 includes a CPU, an input section 50C, a CPU 110, a 1-chip microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as CPU) 110 in which a ROM, a RAM, and an input / output port are integrally incorporated. , A display unit 50D, a printer unit 50B, and various circuits for interfacing with the printer unit 50B. The CPU 110 is connected to the input unit 50C, the display unit 50D, or the like via an interface circuit or directly and controls these.

As shown in FIG. 15, the input section 50C is provided with 48 character input keys and 15 function keys, 63 keys in total. The character input keys have a so-called full key structure based on the JIS layout, and are similar to a general word processor such as having a known shift key in order to suppress an increase in the number of operated keys. Function keys are used to enable frequently-used functions such as character input, editing, and printing with a single touch, and enhance the functionality of the tape writer 1.

Each of these keys is assigned to an 8 × 8 matrix. That is, when viewed from the CPU 110, as shown in FIG. 14, the 16 ports of the input ports PA1 to PA8 and PC1 to 8 are grouped as shown in the figure, and 63 kinds of keys of the input section 50C are provided at each intersection. Are arranged. The power switch 50J is provided independently of the matrix ski, and is connected to the non-maskable interrupt NMI of the CPU 110. When the power switch 50J is operated, the CPU 110 activates an interrupt that cannot be masked, and performs each process of turning the power on or off.

The detection output from the opening / closing detection switch 55 that detects the opening / closing of the body cover 50K is input to the port PB5, and the CPU 110 monitors the opened / closed state of the body cover 50K by interruption. The open / close detection switch 55 detects the operation of the main body cover 50K by the movement of the open / close detection switch engaging protrusion 55L (see FIG. 12) provided at the end of the main body cover 50K. When the open state of the main body cover 50K is detected while the print head 60 is being driven, a predetermined error is displayed on the main display section 50Da and the power supply to the printer section 50B is turned off.

The ports PH, PM, PL of the CPU 110 are connected to the head rank determination unit 112. The head rank determination unit 112 is divided into several ranks based on the measurement result of the resistance value of the print head 60 having a large variation due to the manufacturing process, and the three jumpers of the head rank determination unit 112 are classified according to the measurement results. The sections 112A, 112B and 112C are set. Therefore, the CPU 110 reads the state of the head rank discriminating unit 112 and corrects the drive time of the print head 60, that is, the amount of heat generation according to the input result, to prevent the variation in print density.

Since printing by the printer unit 50B is performed by thermal transfer, the density of printing varies not only with the energization time of the print head 60, which is a thermal head, but also with the outside air temperature and the drive voltage. These are detected by the temperature detection circuit 60A and the voltage detection circuit 60B. These circuits 60A and 60B are integrated into the print head 60, and the outputs thereof are connected to the 2-channel analog-digital conversion input ports AD1 and AD2 of the CPU 110. The CPU 110 corrects the energization time of the print head 60 by converting the voltages of the ports AD1 and AD2 into digital signals and reading them.

The determination switch 102 is connected to the ports PB1 to PB3 of the CPU 110. As shown in FIG. 10, the determination switch 102 is provided in the lower right corner of the cartridge mounting portion 50A. The discriminating switch 102 is formed by integrally forming three cartridge discriminating switches 102A, 102B and 102C which are respectively inserted into the three detecting holes 18K formed in the tape cartridge 10. The protrusion lengths of the cartridge discrimination switches 102A, 102B, 102C are designed according to the depth of the detection hole 18K formed in the tape cartridge 10 described above, and the discrimination switch 102 that has entered the shallow detection hole 18K. Is pressed against the detection hole 18K, and the switch is turned on. Further, the determination switch 102 that has entered the deeply formed detection hole 18K is gently fitted into the detection hole 18K as it is, and the switch is turned off. Therefore, by detecting the states of the three cartridge discriminating switches 102A, 102B, 102C of the discriminating switch 102, the type of the tape cartridge 10 currently mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 50A, that is, the tape cartridge 10 is detected. The width of the stored tape T can be determined. The information on the width of the tape T is used not only for controlling the size of characters to be printed but also for controlling the printer unit 50B described later.

A signal from the contact of the plug 50N is input to the port PB7 of the CPU 110. The plug 50N receives the DC power from the AC adapter 113 by inserting the jack 115, but at this time, the power supply from the battery BT to the power supply 114 is cut off by the function of the break contact, and the power consumption of the battery BT is consumed. Is configured to be avoided. At the same time, the signal of the other contact provided on the plug 50N is input to the port PB7 of the CPU 110. Therefore, the CPU 110 can determine whether the main power source of the tape writer 1 is the AC adapter 113 or the battery BT by discriminating this signal, and can perform different control. In this embodiment, the printing speed by the printer unit 50B is maximized when the power is supplied from the AC adapter 113, while the printing speed by the printer unit 50B is supplied when the power is supplied from the battery BT. The current consumption of the battery BT is reduced by lowering the peak of the current supplied to the print head 60.

The mask ROM 118 connected to the address bus and the data bus of the CPU 110 includes four types of kana, kanji, and special characters of 16 × 15, 24 × 24, 32 × 32, and 48 × 48 in Mincho typeface. A 16-megabit mask ROM that stores a set. The 24-bit address bus AD, the 8-bit data bus DA, the chip select signal CS, and the output enable signal OE are connected to the ports PD0 to PD33 of the CPU 110. Since these signals are directly connected to the external input / output connector 50Ea, the extension section 50E attached to the external input / output connector 50Ea can also be accessed like the mask ROM 118.

The extension section 50E, which is provided so as to be directly connectable to the control circuit section 50F, serves as an insertion portion of a ROM pack or a RAM pack optionally supplied as an external storage element. By inserting the ROM pack or the RAM pack into this insertion port, the electrical connection with the external input / output connector 50Ea of the control circuit section 50F is completed, and the information can be exchanged with the CPU 110. With this configuration, a ROM pack that stores special characters and symbols for various drawings, maps, chemistry, and mathematics, or fonts for languages other than Japanese, such as Gothic, Mincho, and typeface, is installed in the expansion unit. It is possible to edit the desired character string. Similarly, attach a RAM pack, which is free to write information, to the expansion section, store more information than the amount of information that can be stored in the RAM area inside the tape writer body, create a library of print character strings, It can be used for exchanging information with other tape writers 1.

The dot data of the character read from the mask ROM 118 or the expansion unit 50E is also input to the LCD controller 116A of the display unit control circuit 116 together with the CPU 110.

The display unit 50D controlled by the CPU 110 via the display unit control circuit 116 is arranged below the main body cover 50K whose corresponding portion is transparent, and the user inserts the display unit 50D through the main body cover 50K. You will see it. In the display unit 50D, two kinds of electrode patterns are formed on the liquid crystal panel, and as shown in FIG. 16, its main part is a dot matrix pattern of height 32 × width 96, and the other is , 28 pentagonal electrode patterns arranged so as to surround the area of the dot matrix. The area where the electrodes of the dot matrix pattern are formed is referred to as the main display portion 50Da for displaying a print image, and the area where the pentagonal electrode pattern is formed is referred to as the indicator portion 50Db.

The main display portion 50Da is used as a liquid crystal display panel capable of displaying 32 dots in height × 96 dots in width. In the present embodiment, each character used for inputting and editing characters is displayed on the main display unit using a character font having a width of 16 and a height of 15 dots, so that 6 characters x 2 lines can be displayed. Further, when displaying each character, the processing state of the tape writer 1 can be visually displayed by using positive display, negative display, blinking display, or the like according to the editing state.

Further, since the main display portion 50Da is in the dot matrix format and its display content can be freely controlled, it is also possible to display the layout of the current print image when a predetermined key input is made. When the layout display is instructed, as shown in Fig. 17, the 4 x 4 dots at the time of printing correspond to one dot on the main display, the tape width is displayed negatively, and the white characters are printed in it. The columns are displayed. At that time, the total length of the tape is displayed numerically as information to assist the print image. When the layout of the print image is too large to be displayed on the main display unit 50Da at one time, the entire print layout can be confirmed by scrolling left and right with the cursor keys.

The indicator section 50Db is for displaying the function being executed by the tape writer 1 at the present stage, and is arranged around the main display section 50Da. Each display body t obtained corresponding to the pentagonal electrode pattern in the indicator portion 50Db is provided corresponding to the character representing the function printed around the display portion 50D. Character input mode status such as “Romaji input” or “Lower case input”, style specification status such as “number of lines” or “box rule” to edit characters, format specification status such as “equal allocation” or “justification”, etc. When the state setting is executed or selected, the display t at the portion of the character indicating the state is made visible.

The printer unit 50 B of the tape writer 1 is provided with a print head 60 and a stepping motor 80 as mechanical components, and a printer controller 120 for controlling these as electrical components. A motor driver 122 is provided. The print head 60 is a thermal head in which 96 heating points are arranged in a vertical line at a pitch of 1/180 inch, and detects the temperature detection circuit 60A for detecting the outside air temperature and the supply voltage described above. It has a built-in voltage detection circuit 60B. The stepping motor 80 has a known structure that controls the rotation angle by appropriately controlling the phases of the four-phase drive signals. The tape feed amount of one step of the stepping motor 80 is designed to be 1/360 inch depending on the structure of the gear train which is the reduction mechanism. In addition, a two-step rotation signal is output to the stepping motor 80 in synchronization with the printing of each dot performed by the print head 60. As a result, the printer unit 50B prints at 180 dots / inch not only in the width direction of the tape but also in the length direction thereof.

The detection switch 99 described above is interposed in a common line connected to the printer controller 120 and the motor driver 122 from the CPU 110. Since this detection switch 99 detects the use state of the cutting mechanism, if the cutting mechanism is about to be used during execution of printing, this detection switch 99 operates and the printer is immediately activated. The operation of the section 50B is stopped. In this case, since the signals from the CPU 110 to the printer controller 120 and the motor driver 122 continue to be sent, printing is continued if the use of the cutting mechanism is stopped.

In this embodiment, since the use of the cutting mechanism during printing hinders the transport of the tape T, the printing operation (especially the tape feeding operation) is immediately stopped. Although the power is forcibly cut off by inserting it into the common line of the driver 122, the output of the detection switch 99 may be temporarily taken into the CPU 110 and the same process as when the main body cover 50K is opened may be performed. Further, instead of the detection switch 99, the mechanical constitution may be such that the movement of the movable blade 98 pushes the clutch arm 80B and the rotation of the stepping motor 80 is not transmitted to the platen drive shaft 72. It is possible.

In addition to the above-described components, the tape writer 1 has a power supply unit 114 incorporated therein, which is used for stable backup and logic circuits from the battery BT by the RCC method using an IC and a transformer. You have a 5V power supply. A port PV is applied to the CPU 110 for controlling its voltage.

The tape cartridge 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention and the tape writer 1 that prints on the tape T incorporated therein have been described above in detail. The tape cartridge 10 according to this embodiment has a tape core. The ink ribbon core 22 and the ribbon take-up core 24 are arranged in one direction outside the storage position of 20 (in the lower right side in FIG. 3). Since the ink ribbon core 22 is arranged, it is shown in FIG. As described above, the lower right side of the tape cartridge 10 has a protruding shape. Therefore, this tape cartridge can be clearly distinguished in the up, down, left, and right directions, and there is no need to mistakenly try to insert the tape cartridge 10 into the tape writer 1 vertically or horizontally. The insertion direction of the tape cartridge 10 as described above can be easily recognized not only by the outer shape but also by the presence of the entrance hole 32 which is an opening for advancing the head. Moreover, the center of the ribbon take-up core 24 is arranged closer to the printing tape T (upper side in FIG. 3) than the lower side of the guide wall forming the entrance hole 32 (side of the guide wall opposite to the printing tape core 20). Therefore, the shape of the tape cartridge 10 can be made compact. By adopting this arrangement, the portion corresponding to the ribbon winding core 24 that winds the used ink ribbon does not project the outer shape of the tape cartridge 10, and the outer shape of the tape cartridge 10 is linear. It is possible to make it simple.

Further, the tape cartridge 10 has the platen 12 built therein, and when the tape cartridge 10 is to be mounted on the tape cartridge mounting portion 50 A of the tape writer 1, the platen drive shaft 72 erected on the tape writer 1 side is provided. However, when the tape cartridge 10 is inserted into the hollow portion of the platen 12 and the tape cartridge 10 is pushed into the correct position and mounted, the rim 72A fitted to the lower portion of the platen drive shaft 72 is provided inside the hollow portion of the platen 12. The platen 12 is surely rotated by the power transmitted through the drive mechanism 50P by engaging with the engaged engagement line 12A. Further, since the rim 72A is provided only in a slight range below the width (height) of the platen 12, the platen 12 having a certain amount of elasticity is used together with the print head 60 to print the tape T. When the sheet is pinched, the force of pressing the stamp tape T against the print head 60 does not become strong or weak due to the existence of the ridges of the rim 72A. As a result, uneven printing does not occur. Further, in this embodiment, since the adhesive layer is provided on the inner surface of the flange portion 20A of the tape core 20, there is no problem that the printing tape is scattered.

The tape cartridge of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that it can be embodied in various forms.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a tape writer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the tape writer 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an assembly configuration of the tape cartridge 10 in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the same.

FIG. 5 shows the tape cartridge 10 in FIG.
It is an arrow end view.

FIG. 6 is an end view showing the internal structure of a tape cartridge having a tape width of 6 mm among five types of tape cartridges.

FIG. 7 is an end view showing the internal structure of the tape having a width of 24 mm.

FIG. 8 shows a tape T stored in a tape cartridge 10.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between the width of the detection hole and the depth of three detection holes 18K.

FIG. 9 is an end view of the tape writer 1 as viewed in the direction of arrows AA-AA in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a configuration of a tape cartridge mounting section 50A.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a gear train and a mechanism for moving a print head 60 between a retracted position and a print position.

12 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 10, illustrating a mechanism for moving the print head 60. FIG.

FIG. 13 is an end view taken along the line CC of FIG. 10 for explaining the cutting mechanism.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration centering on a CPU 110;

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a key arrangement of an input unit 50C.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a display unit 50D.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of a layout display performed on a display unit 50D.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Tape writer 10 ... Tape cartridge 10A ... Tape discharge opening 12 ... Platen 12A ... Engaging strip 14 ... Platen rubber 16 ... Top wall 16A, 18A ... Fit hole 16B, 18B ... Guide protrusion 16C ... Guide protrusion 16G ... Fit Mating hole 18 ... Bottom wall 18C ... Fit hole 18D ... Engagement piece 18E ... Base end 18G ... Fit hole 18H ... Engagement piece 18K ... Detection hole 18Ka, 18Kb, 18Kc ... Detection hole 20 ... Tape core 20A ... Flange part 22 ... Ink ribbon core 22A ... Engaging part 24 ... Ribbon winding core 24A ... Engaging part 24B ... Engaging strip 24C ... Flange part 26 ... Tape guide pin 28 ... Outer circumference 30 ... Ribbon guide roller 32 ... Entry hole 34: guide wall 50A: tape cartridge mounting section 50B: printer section 50C: input section 50D: display section 50Da: main table Unit 50Db Indicator unit 50E Extension unit 50Ea External input / output connector 50F Control circuit unit 50H Main unit case 50I Battery storage unit 50J Power switch 50K Main unit cover 50L Window 50M Window 50N Plug 50P Drive mechanism 50S ... Operation arm 52 ... Slide button 52A ... Spring arm 54 ... Cover hinge 55 ... Open / close detection switch 55L ... Open / close detection switch engagement projection 60 ... Print head 60A ... Temperature detection circuit 60B ... Voltage detection circuit 61 ... Base board 62 ... Link board 63 ... Driving member 63a ... End 63b ... End 64 ... Head rotating shaft 65 ... Head body 65a ... Insulator 65b ... Heat radiating plate 66 ... Coil spring 67 ... Frame 67a ... Connecting plate 67b ... Pin 68 ... Flexible cable 69 ... Coil spring 70A, 70B ... Abutment Start 72 ... Platen drive shaft 72A ... Rim 72B, 74B ... Ridge 74 ... Winding core drive shaft 74A ... Rim 80 ... Stepping motor 80A ... Rotating shaft 80B ... Clutch arm 80C ... Opening 81 ... First gear 82 ... Second Gear 83 ... Third gear 84 ... Fourth gear 85 ... Fifth gear 86 ... Sixth gear 87 ... Seventh gear 90 ... Tape cutter 90A ... Left end 90B ... Right end 91 ... Fixed blade 92 ... Cutter support shaft 93A ... Shoulder 94 ... Spring 95 ... Spring 96 ... Cutter button 96A ... Pin 97 ... Fixed wall 98 ... Moveable blade 99 ... Detection switch 102 ... Discrimination switch 102A, 102B, 102C ... Cartridge discrimination switch 110 ... CPU 112 ... Head rank determination section 112A, 112B, 112C ... Jumper section 113 ... AC adapter 114 ... Source unit 115 ... jack 116 ... display unit control circuit 116A ... LCD controller 118 ... mask ROM 120 ... printer controller 122 ... motor driver R ... ink ribbon T ... Tape

Claims (8)

[Utility model registration claims] 1. A tape cartridge containing a tape core wound around a printing tape mounted on a mounting portion of a printing device and printed by a printing head provided on the printing device side, wherein the printing tape is stored. A print tape storage section, an opening into which the print head enters, and an ink ribbon for printing on the print tape by the print head in a direction substantially opposite to a direction in which the print tape is conveyed with respect to the opening. And an ink ribbon accommodating portion for accommodating a ribbon winding core for winding the ink ribbon and an ink ribbon accommodating portion for winding the ink ribbon, and a direction in which the printing tape of the ink ribbon accommodating portion is conveyed with respect to the opening. The outer shape in the substantially opposite direction has a protruding portion that protrudes from the outer shape of the printing tape storage unit, and the center of the ribbon take-up core is substantially four-portion forming the opening. A one side of the tape cartridge positioned in the print tape side than the side opposite to the printing tape accommodating portion. 2. A tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a platen for transporting said print tape is provided at a position facing said print head when mounted on said printing apparatus. 3. The tape cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the platen is a hollow shaft having a hollow portion inside. 4. The tape cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the platen has an elastic body on an outer periphery. 5. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said platen is provided with an engagement strip only at a lower end of said hollow portion to be engaged with a projection of a drive shaft erected on said printing apparatus. Item 5. The tape cartridge according to Item 4, 6. The tape cartridge according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of said engaging strips are provided at equal intervals. 7. The tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the tape core is formed by winding films on the tape core, and then attaching a film to both ends of the tape core to form a flange. 8. The tape cartridge according to claim 7, wherein an adhesive layer is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the flange.