JP3158885B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to relates to a printing apparatus such as a facsimile apparatus designed to transfer to the recording paper by melting the more ink on the film thermal head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a facsimile apparatus of this type, a thermal head is arranged to face a platen roller. Then, the ink ribbon and the recording paper pass between the thermal head and the platen roller, and the ink is transferred onto the recording paper between them. In the conventional configuration, after the ink is transferred to the recording paper, the recording paper and the ink ribbon are separated by a separation bar provided downstream of the thermal head.

However, in the facsimile apparatus described above, since the peeling bar is separate, the number of parts is large, the assembling work is troublesome, and the cost increases. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus which can reduce the number of parts and can be easily manufactured.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an ink ribbon coated with ink and a recording paper are moved between a platen roller and a thermal head. In a printing apparatus which feeds so as to be polymerized and prints on recording paper by melting the ink by a thermal head, a support plate for supporting the thermal head, and a bracket for regulating the rotation of the support plate, comprising: The bracket has a leaf spring for urging the thermal head toward the platen roller, and the bracket has a guide surface for guiding the recording paper and the ink ribbon between the platen roller and the thermal head, and a recording paper. The gist of the present invention is that the peeling means for peeling the ink ribbon from the recording paper after the transfer of the ink to the recording paper is integrally formed.

[0005]

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a bracket provided with a plate spring for regulating the rotation of the support plate and biasing the thermal head toward the platen roller is provided.
Since the guide surface and the peeling means are integrally formed, the number of parts can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, since the guide surface is provided, the recording paper and the ink ribbon are more reliably guided between the platen roller and the thermal head.

[0007]

[0008]

An embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a facsimile machine will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a reading unit 2 for reading an image on a document G is arranged on an upper part of the apparatus case 1. Further, in the apparatus case 1, a recording unit 3 for performing printing on the recording paper P based on received image data or the like is arranged. Further, a paper feed cassette 4 for stacking and storing the recording paper P is detachably mounted in a lower portion in the apparatus case 1.

A document tray 6 on which documents G before reading are stacked and supported is disposed on the upper part of the apparatus case 1. In the apparatus case 1, a separation roller 8 and a separation pad 9 for feeding the document G one by one are supported. An image sensor 10 for reading the document G is disposed downstream of the separation roller 8. Further, on the downstream side of the image sensor 10, a document discharge port 11 for discharging the document G after reading the image is formed.

A paper feed roller 1 is provided above the paper feed cassette 4.
2 is installed so as to be able to rotate positively. Then, by the rotation of the paper feed roller 12, the recording papers P are fed out of the paper feed cassette 4 one by one toward the recording unit 3. Also,
The feed force is further applied to the recording paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 4 by the rotational force of the feed roller 13.

The recording section 3 includes a ribbon cassette 21, a platen roller 22, a thermal head 23, and the like. In the ribbon cassette 21, a supply roll 25 and a take-up roll 26 around which an ink ribbon 24 that is positively rotated with the rotation of a motor (not shown) are wound.
Is housed. The ink ribbon 26 is sandwiched between the platen roller 22 and the thermal head 23. When the supply roll 25 and the take-up roll 26 are rotated, the ink ribbon 24 is taken up from the supply roll 25 toward the take-up roll 26.

A pair of discharge feed rollers 27 is supported rotatably downstream of the platen roller 22, and a recording paper discharge tray 28 is disposed downstream of the discharge feed rollers 27.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a bracket 31 as a support member is formed in a substantially channel shape by bending two metal plates 31a and 31b. The bracket 31 is attached and fixed by screws 30 to fixing portions 20 formed by cutting and raising a part of a pair of left and right device frames 29 for reinforcing the device case 1 at both ends. Then, both end surfaces of the bracket 31 are respectively in contact with the device frame 1 and are bridged between the device frames 29.

A pair of support plates 32 (only one is shown)
Is rotatably supported via a pin 34 on a support portion 33 formed by cutting and raising both ends of the bracket 31.
An engagement piece 35 of the support plate 32 is engaged with an inner edge of a vertically extending elongated hole 36 formed in the bracket 31. The rotation of the support plate 32 is restricted by the contact between the locking piece 35 and the inner edge of the elongated hole 36. The thermal head 23 is attached and fixed to a support plate 32. The leaf spring 37 is fastened and fixed by a screw 38 to a leaf spring support portion 41 formed by cutting and raising the lower surface of the bracket 31. The leaf spring 37 contacts the lower surface of the thermal head 23 and urges the thermal head 23 toward the platen roller 22.

On the upstream side of the platen roller 22, the side wall of the bracket 31 is bent, and the upper surface thereof serves as a guide surface 39 for guiding the recording paper P and the ink ribbon 24 between the platen roller 22 and the thermal head 23. I have. Further, on the downstream side of the platen roller 22, the bracket 3
The upper portion of the side wall 1 is bent at an acute angle, and the bent portion serves as a peeling portion 40 as a peeling means. This peeling part 4
Numeral 0 is arranged between a contact portion between the platen roller 22 and the thermal head 23 and a contact portion with the recording paper discharge roller 27.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
When the recording paper P is sent out from the paper feed cassette 4, the recording paper P is supplied to the recording unit 3. Then, the recording paper P is superposed on the ink ribbon 24 between the platen roller 22 and the thermal head 23. In this state, thermal head 2
By the heat generation of No. 3, the ink of the ink ribbon 24 is melted and transferred to the recording paper P.

By this transfer operation, for example, the received image information is printed on the recording paper P. Then, the recording paper P printed by the recording unit 3 is discharged to the recording paper discharge tray 28 by the rotation force of the discharge feed roller 27. The ink ribbon 2
Until the paper 4 reaches the peeling unit 40, the paper 4 is fed in a state of being superposed on the recording paper P, and when it reaches the peeling unit 40, it is peeled off from the recording paper P and wound up by the take-up roll 26.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained by configuring the facsimile apparatus. (1) Bracket 31 for supporting thermal head 23
First , the recording paper P and the ink ribbon 24 are placed on the platen roller 2.
Guide surface for guiding between 2 and thermal head 23
And (guide surface 39), it can reduce the number of parts by integrally formed and means for peeling the recording sheet P and the ink ribbon 24 (peeling section 40), it is possible to reduce the cost. Further, the guide surface 39 and the peeling portion 40 are provided on the bracket 31.
Is formed by bending the metal plate that constitutes the above, when the bracket 31 is bent, it can be processed simultaneously with the bending step of that part, and the manufacturing process can be simplified. In addition, more reliably without increasing the number of parts
The recording paper P and the ink ribbon 24 are
It can be guided between the thermal head 23.

(2) Since the support portion 33 for supporting the thermal head 23 and the plate spring support portion 41 for supporting the plate spring 37 are formed by cutting and raising the bracket 31, the number of parts is reduced and the cost is reduced. Reduction can be achieved.

(3) The bracket 31 is connected to the left and right frames 2
By being fixed to the bridge between the 9, it is possible to contribute to strengthening the structure of the entire device. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be configured as follows, for example, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

(1) A single metal plate may be bent without dividing the bracket 31 as a support member. (2) The present invention may be embodied by a thermo-sensitive copying apparatus or printer using the thermal head 23.

Other technical ideas grasped by the above embodiments are described below together with their effects. (1) The peeling means is bent at an acute angle.
2. The printing device according to 1 .

With this configuration, the recording paper and the ink ribbon can be more reliably separated .

[0024]

[0025]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the bracket provided with the plate spring for regulating the rotation of the support plate and biasing the thermal head toward the platen roller. In addition, since the guide surface and the peeling means are integrally formed, the number of parts can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. Also, without increasing the number of parts
The recording paper and the ink ribbon can be more reliably guided between the platen roller and the thermal head.

[0026]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a recording unit around a bracket.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

24: Ink ribbon, P: Recording paper, 23: Thermal head, 31: Bracket constituting support member and peeling means, 40 ... Peeling part as peeling means, 29 ... Device frame

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-6-230688 (JP, A) JP-A-6-79890 (JP, A) JP-A-2-185449 (JP, A) 94137 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 17/30 B41J 2/325 B41J 35/04

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An ink ribbon coated with ink and a recording paper are sent so that they are polymerized between a platen roller and a thermal head, and the thermal head melts the ink to print on the recording paper. The printing apparatus includes a support plate for supporting the thermal head, and a bracket for restricting the rotation of the support plate, and the bracket is provided with a leaf spring for urging the thermal head toward the platen roller. On the bracket,
A printing apparatus integrally formed with a guide surface for guiding a recording paper and an ink ribbon between a platen roller and a thermal head, and a peeling means for peeling the ink ribbon from the recording paper after transferring ink to the recording paper.