JP3311635B2 - Thermal transfer printer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer, and more particularly to a thermal transfer printer for transferring ink on a transfer ribbon to recording paper by a thermal head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A thermal transfer printer of this type includes a thermal head disposed so as to face a transport path in an apparatus main body, and a transfer ribbon cassette for supplying a transfer ribbon to the thermal head. Are known. A thermal head in this conventional thermal transfer printer is disposed so as to be movable toward and away from a platen roller, and transfers ink on the transfer ribbon to recording paper supplied together with the transfer ribbon. In this case, the transfer ribbon cassette is detachably mountable to a mounting portion formed in the apparatus main body, and a transfer ribbon supply roll and a transfer ribbon take-up roll around which the transfer ribbon is wound are provided inside the transfer ribbon cassette. It is rotatably supported.

In this conventional thermal transfer printer, when a transfer ribbon cassette is mounted on a mounting portion, the transfer ribbon cassette supplies a transfer ribbon between a thermal head and recording paper. On the other hand, the apparatus main body is provided with a lock mechanism which is operated by an operator's operation so that the transfer ribbon cassette mounted on the mounting portion is not accidentally detached from the mounting portion. The apparatus main body is provided with a head moving mechanism for moving the thermal head toward and away from the platen roller. Therefore, when the transfer ribbon cassette is mounted on the mounting portion, the operator operates the lock mechanism after mounting the transfer ribbon cassette to fix the transfer ribbon cassette so as not to be detached from the mounting portion. By operating the head moving mechanism, the thermal head is pressed against the platen roller via the transfer ribbon and the recording paper. This allows the thermal head to transfer the ink on the transfer ribbon to the recording paper.

On the other hand, the thermal head forms a part of a head moving mechanism and is pivotally mounted on a tip end of a support arm which is swingably disposed in the apparatus main body by a support shaft. In addition, fixing screws are attached to both ends of the support shaft to prevent the support shaft from coming off.

[0005]

However, the conventional thermal transfer printer has the following problems. That is, when replacing the thermal head, it is necessary to remove the screws at both ends of the spindle shaft and pull out the spindle shaft. For this reason,
The conventional thermal transfer printer has a problem that a complicated operation is required when the thermal head is replaced, and it takes time to replace the thermal head.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer printer capable of quickly attaching and detaching a thermal head.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a thermal transfer printer according to claim 1 is provided in a main body of the apparatus so as to be movable toward and away from a platen roller, and a recording paper supplied together with a transfer ribbon. A thermal transfer printer that includes a thermal head that transfers the ink of the transfer ribbon to the transfer head and a head moving mechanism that is disposed in the apparatus main body and moves the thermal head toward and away from the platen roller. A pair of mounting pieces extending parallel to each other are provided, and one of the mounting pieces has a first insertion hole and a first insertion hole that is narrower than the diameter of the first insertion hole.
A slit extending from the through hole to the edge is formed, and the other mounting piece is narrower than the diameter of the second through hole and the second through hole formed on substantially the same center line as the first through hole. And a slit extending from the second insertion hole to the edge is formed. The head moving mechanism includes a support arm for moving the thermal head toward and away from the platen roller, and a head formed at the tip of the support arm and directed downward. holes each mutual spacing a little narrower than the pair of attaching pieces together is extended in parallel with each other Te
, A first insertion hole and a second insertion hole.
Slidably into through holes and holes formed in a pair of support pieces
When the thermal head is attached to the support arm through
A spindle shaft having a knob formed at one end thereof, and urging means for urging the spindle in a direction in which the knob contacts the support piece , wherein the spindle is provided with an urging means.
The knob is in contact with one of the support pieces by the urging force of
In the state, the shaft diameter of the portion through which the first insertion hole is inserted is
The second insertion hole is formed to have the same diameter as the first insertion hole.
The shaft diameter of the portion through which the through hole is inserted is the hole diameter of the second insertion hole.
The knob is formed in the same way as the
Part through which the first insertion hole is inserted in a state where is drawn
Shaft diameter of the slit formed on one of the mounting pieces
The second insertion hole is formed with a diameter smaller than the slit width.
The shaft diameter of the part through which is inserted is formed on the other mounting piece
The diameter of the slit is smaller than the slit width of the slit .

[0008] In this thermal transfer printer, when mounting the thermal head to the support arm, gripping the handle portion of the support shaft shaft, pulling against the biasing force of the biasing means, the shaft diameter of the support shaft shaft of each slit Slit width
The portion formed smaller in diameter than the first through the slits
Into the through hole and the second through hole. When the knob is released in this state, the urging force of the urging means
The supporting-shaft moving Te, shaft diameter first insertion hole
The part formed with the same diameter as the hole enters the first insertion hole.
And the shaft diameter is the same as the diameter of the second insertion hole
The cut portion enters the second insertion hole. by this,
The thermal head is mounted on the support arm so that it cannot be removed and can rotate freely. Also, when removing the thermal head from the support arm, pulling the knob portion allows the spindle shaft to come off from the first insertion hole and the second insertion hole formed in the mounting piece of the thermal head. Automatically disengages from the support arm.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a thermal transfer printer according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The thermal transfer printer 10 is a so-called label printer. This thermal transfer printer 10
Then, when an operator uses a keyboard to input print data of characters and graphics on a separate information input device (for example, a personal computer), based on the print data, a desired character is printed on a label previously adhered to recording paper. And graphics are printed. Thereafter, the operator can peel the printed label from the recording paper and adhere it to an arbitrary place.

Next, a schematic configuration of the thermal transfer printer 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, the thermal transfer printer 10 has a lower body portion 14 in which the roll paper 12 is stored, and an upper body portion 20 having a rear end rotatably attached to the lower body portion 14 and serving also as an upper cover. And a main body cover 22.

A pair of plate-shaped roll paper support guides 24 for supporting the roll paper 12 and a pair of plates for regulating the widthwise movement of the recording paper 26 fed from the roll paper 12 are provided in the lower body portion 14. Recording paper feed guide 28 and conveyance path 2
, A plurality of guide rollers 30, 30... For transporting the recording paper 26, and a thermal head (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "head") 16, and together with the head 16 during printing. A platen roller 32 for sandwiching the recording paper 26, a recording paper discharge port 33 for discharging the recording paper 26, and a guide roller 30 via a gear mechanism (not shown).
.. And a motor 34 (see FIG. 2) for rotating the platen roller 32 are provided.

A head 16 is mounted on the upper body portion 20, and a transfer ribbon cassette (hereinafter, referred to as "cassette") 18 in which a transfer ribbon is stored is detachably mounted.

The head 16 is provided in the upper body 20 so as to be movable toward and away from the platen roller 32, and is moved toward and away from the head by a head moving mechanism also provided in the upper body 20. The head moving mechanism includes a manual lever 36. When the manual lever 36 is located in the state shown in FIG. 2, the head 16 is located at a position separated from the platen roller 32. When the platen roller 32 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, it is driven by this rotation to press the platen roller 32.

The cassette 18 is configured to be removably mountable on a mounting portion 38 formed on the upper body portion 20, and includes a transfer ribbon supply roll 40, a transfer ribbon take-up roll 42, And a detecting means 46 for detecting the presence or absence of the transfer ribbon 44 disposed in the printer. The transfer ribbon take-up roll 42 is connected to the cassette 18
When the is mounted on the upper body portion 20, it is connected to a reel (not shown) which is arranged on the inner wall surface of the mounting portion 38 and is driven to rotate by the motor 34, and rotates in the winding direction.

The main body cover 22 is attached to the lower body part 14.
After the upper body part 20 is set, the upper body part 20 is turned upward to cover the side surface of the upper body part 20 on the cassette 18 mounting side.

Next, referring to FIG.
The operation outline of will be described. When a print command is output from the outside of the apparatus, the motor 34 is driven and the rollers 30,
.. And the platen roller 32 rotates. Along with this, the recording paper 26 fed from the roll paper 12 is transported on the transport path 29. On the other hand, the transfer ribbon supply roll 40
The transfer ribbon 44 wound around the head 16 and the recording paper 2
The printing is performed on the recording paper 26 by the head 16. Next, the recording paper 26 is carried out from the recording paper discharge port 33, and the transfer ribbon 44 on which the ink has been transferred to the recording paper 26 by the head 16 is taken up by the transfer ribbon take-up roll 42. The label 27 is separated from the recording paper 26 by sandwiching the recording paper 26 between the rollers 30 and 30 (the leftmost rollers 30 and 30 in the figure) disposed below the distal end of the lower body portion 14. It is also possible to peel off automatically.

Next, each component will be described in detail.

First, a mechanism for supporting the roll paper 12 and the recording paper 26 will be described with reference to FIGS. A pair of roll paper support guides 2 disposed inside the lower body portion 14
Reference numeral 4 denotes a roller that rotatably supports the roll paper 12 while restricting movement of the roll paper 12 formed by winding the recording paper 26 around the paper tube 48 in the width direction. The distance between the roll papers 12 can be adjusted so that the roll papers 12 having various widths can be supported.

The support structure of the roll paper 12 will be further described. Semicircular concave portions 50, 50 are formed at the upper ends of the pair of roll paper support guides 24, respectively, and are penetrated by the paper tube 48. Roll paper support shaft 52
Are mounted in the concave portions 50 of the respective roll paper support guides 24 so as to bridge between the upper ends of the pair of roll paper support guides 24. As a result, the roll paper 12 is rotatably supported by the pair of roll paper support guides 24. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, since the roll paper support guide 24 and the roll paper support shaft 52 are formed using a metal material, the roll paper support guide 24 is used to reduce friction between them. A plate 54 made of synthetic resin is mounted on the upper end of the plate 24, and a concave portion 50 is formed in the plate 54. Either the roll paper support guide 24 or the roll paper support shaft 52 is made of a synthetic resin material. If formed, the concave portion 5 is formed on the roll paper support guide 24.
0 may be directly formed.

A pair of recording paper feed guides 28 disposed inside the lower body portion 14 are arranged on both sides of a transport path 29 between the head 16 and the roll paper support guide 24 so that the distance therebetween can be adjusted. ing. Then, the distance between each other is set on the recording paper 26.
Has the function of restricting the movement of the recording paper 26 supplied to the head 16 in the width direction.

Next, the detailed structure of the pair of guide members 56 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the guide member 56 includes a pair of slide bases 58a and 58b formed in parallel. The three slide bases 58a and 58b are attached to the lower body portion 14 in parallel. Guide rail 60
a, 60b, and 60c are slidably attached to two of them, respectively. The slide base 58a is attached to the guide rails 60a and 60c, and the slide base 58b is attached to the guide rails 60b and 60c. Guide rails 60a, 60b are provided on each slide base 58a, 58b.
The legs 62a and 62b are formed to extend along the guide rail 60, respectively.
a, 60b are slidably mounted. Therefore,
The guide rails 60a to 60a are kept parallel to each other.
The sliding on c becomes possible. Also, the slide base 58
A pair of recording paper feed guides 28 and a pair of plate-shaped roll paper support guides 24 are vertically provided on a and 58b so as to face each other so as to be parallel to each other.

Next, the contact / separation mechanism 63 will be described.

The contact / separation mechanism 63 includes a pair of guide members 5.
A pinion gear 64 disposed at an intermediate position between 6, 56;
A pair of rack gears 66, 66 are provided. The rack gears 66, 66 are respectively provided with a pair of guide members 56, 5
6 in the direction of the pinion gear 64, the guide members 56
The pinion gear 64 extends in parallel to the moving direction of the pinion gear 64 (parallel to the guide rails 60a to 60c) and meshes with a symmetrical position about the rotation shaft 68 of the pinion gear 64.

When one of the pair of guide members 56, 56 is moved by the contact / separation mechanism 63, the other guide members 56 correspondingly move in the opposite direction by the same distance. By arranging the rotation shaft 68 of the pinion gear 64 on the center line in the width direction at the regular set position of the recording paper 26, the pair of guide members 56, 56 can be moved from the center in the width direction of the recording paper 26. It can be moved so that it is always located at the same distance. In the present embodiment, since both end surfaces of the roll paper 12 are directly held by the roll paper pressing plate 70 attached to the roll paper supporting shaft 52, the roll paper supporting guide 24 is interposed between the roll paper pressing plate 70 and the roll paper pressing guide 70. The roll paper support guide 24 is mounted on the slide bases 58a and 58b.
8 is set outside in the width direction in advance by the thickness A of the roll paper pressing plate 70 from the mounting position 8.

Next, a mechanism for mounting the cassette 18 on the upper body 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the cassette 18 is removably mountable on a mounting portion 38 which is opened in a side surface of the upper body portion 20 and formed in a concave shape.
Specifically, the structure of the cassette 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. The cassette 18 has a cassette body 72 formed using a synthetic resin material.
Is configured such that a transfer ribbon supply roll 40 around which a transfer ribbon 44 is wound and a transfer ribbon take-up roll 42 can be mounted inside. More specifically, the cassette body 72
Has two pairs of cutouts 76a, 76b formed in a side wall 74 formed to be slightly wider than the width of each roll 40, 42, and a side wall 74 forming an edge of each cutout 76a, 76b. Are fitted into fixed circumferential grooves 80 formed at both end portions of the ribbon set shaft 78 penetrated by the rolls 40 and 42. In this case, a fitting flange 79 having a tapered surface is formed at a portion of the ribbon set shaft 78 adjacent to the fixed circumferential groove 80. For this reason, the notches 76a, 7
By pushing the ribbon set shaft 78 in a state where the tapered surface of the flange 79 is in contact with the edge of the side wall 74 forming 6b, the edge of the side wall 74 can be securely and easily fitted into the fixed circumferential groove 80. . In addition, the shape of the inner wall surface of each of the notches 76a and 76b is formed as a tapered surface that becomes narrower toward the inner part, and the inner part is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the fixed circumferential groove 80 of each of the rolls 40 and 42. The ribbon setting shaft 7 is formed in an arc shape having a small diameter and is inserted into the notches 76a and 76b.
8 and the notches 76a, 76
After the ribbon set shaft 78 is attached to the back of the part b, the structure does not easily come off unless an external force is applied.

On the side wall 74, two pairs of supply arms 86a and 86b extending apart from each other are formed, and a guide roller 87 is provided between the pair of supply arms 86a and 86b.
Are mounted rotatably so as to be parallel to the rolls 40 and 42, and the transfer ribbon 44 sent out from the transfer ribbon supply roll 40 is stretched over two guide rollers 87 and 87, and the transfer ribbon take-up roll 42 It is wound up.
The lengths and intervals of the supply arms 86a and 86b are set so that when the cassette 18 is mounted in the mounting portion 38, it protrudes from the inner wall surface of the mounting portion 38 toward the opening of the mounting portion 38. Head 16 is located on both supply arms 8
6a, 86b and a space 88 formed by the transfer ribbon 44 spanned over the two guide rollers 87, 87.
It is formed so that it can enter.

A first cassette cover 90a and a second cassette cover 90b are rotatably mounted on the cassette body 72. The covers 90a and 90b respectively include a transfer ribbon supply roll 40 and a transfer ribbon take-up roll 42 mounted on the cassette body 72, a transfer ribbon 44 interposed between the transfer ribbon supply roll 40 and the supply arm 86a, and a supply arm It has a function of covering the transfer ribbon 44 interposed between the transfer ribbon take-up roll 42 and the transfer ribbon winding roll 86b. Notch portions 76 are formed in both side walls of the covers 90a and 90b in the vicinity of the arc-shaped deep portion where the ribbon set shaft 78 is mounted when the covers 90a and 90b are closed.
A pair of closing pieces 92 for closing the a and b are formed respectively, and the notch portions 76a and 76 of the ribbon set shaft 78 are formed.
b.

As shown in FIG. 7, the notch portions 76a,
By forming the holes 93, 93 in the side wall 74 near 76b, the closing pieces 92, 92 can be made unnecessary. In this case, when the ribbon set shaft 78 is mounted, the notch portions 76a and 76b are easily elastically deformed, so that the ribbon set shaft 78 can be easily mounted, and the ribbon set shaft 78 is once mounted. Thereafter, both notches 76a and 76b are connected to the ribbon set shaft 78.
Can be reliably prevented from being pulled out.

Further, a notch 76 is formed in one side wall 74.
b, an insertion hole for the ribbon set shaft 78 is formed. When the ribbon set shaft 78 is mounted, one end of the ribbon set shaft 78 is inserted into the formed insertion hole, and then the fixed circumferential groove at the other end is inserted. 80 may be configured to fit into the notch 76a.

On the outer surface of each of the covers 90a and 90b described above, mounting guide grooves 94a and 94b (formed on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion 38 so that the cassette 18 can be positioned and mounted on the mounting portion 38. The fitting protrusions 96a and 96b fitted to the respective rolls 40 and 42 are formed so as to extend in the direction parallel to the axes of the rolls 40 and 42, respectively.

Further, on the side surface of the cassette body 72 in the pulling-out direction from the mounting portion 38, a handle portion 98 for grasping the cassette 18 by hand, and a manual lever 36 constituting a part of a head moving mechanism described later are provided. An arcuate pushing rib 10 which abuts and locks while pushing the cassette 18 to the rear of the mounting portion 38.
0 is formed. The wall shape of the pushing rib 100 is such that a surface that first comes into contact with the manual lever 36 is formed as a slope with a predetermined length, and thereafter is formed substantially parallel to a side surface of the cassette body 72. With this shape, the cassette 18 is moved by the manual lever 3 by the length of the protrusion of the pushing rib 100.
6, it is pushed into the inner side of the mounting portion 38, and thereafter is prevented from being pulled out of the mounting portion 38.

Next, the structure of the ribbon set shaft 78 and the roll regulating plate 84 will be described with reference to FIG. The ribbon setting shaft 78 is formed in a cylindrical shape using a synthetic resin material and can be inserted into each paper tube of the transfer ribbon supply roll 40 and the transfer ribbon take-up roll 42. The outer peripheral surface has a pair of concave fixed circumferential grooves 80, 80, a groove 81 formed in the axial direction, and a plurality of adjusting circumferential grooves 82, 82,.
And a plurality of projections 83, 83,... Which come into contact with the inner wall of the paper tube to prevent displacement in the rotation direction. As an example, the roll regulating plate 84 is formed in a disk shape using a synthetic resin material having elasticity, and its center portion is slightly smaller than the diameter of the ribbon set shaft at the portion where the adjustment circumferential groove 82 is formed. A small-diameter fitting hole 102 is formed, and a fitting slit 104 extending from an edge portion to the fitting hole 102 is formed. When the roll regulating plate 84 is attached to the ribbon set shaft 78, the fitting slit 104 is
After the roll restricting plate 84 is brought into contact with the
The ribbon setting shaft 78 passes through the fitting slit 104 and is set in the fitting hole 102 while the roll regulating plate 84 is elastically deformed by being pressed against the fitting hole 102. Fitting hole 102
Is the ribbon setting shaft 7 at the position where the adjusting circumferential groove 82 is formed.
Since the diameter is smaller than the eight-axis diameter, the diameter is enlarged when the ribbon set shaft 78 is mounted, and the ribbon set shaft 78 is constantly tightened by its own elastic force to return to the original diameter. I have. As a result, the roll regulating plate 84 is not easily detached from the ribbon setting shaft 78.

According to this structure, the rolls having various ribbon widths are positioned on the ribbon set shaft 78 by changing the adjusting peripheral groove 82 for mounting the roll regulating plate 84 in accordance with the ribbon width of each roll 40, 42. It can be installed with. Further, since the roll restricting plate 84 can be elastically deformed, even after being once attached to a certain adjusting circumferential groove 82, it is forcibly moved along the axial direction of the ribbon set shaft 78 so that the other adjusting circumferential groove 82 can be deformed. It is also possible to fit it into the. In order to further facilitate the elastic deformation of the insertion slit 104, the insertion slit 104 of the roll regulating plate 84 is used.
Are provided on both sides thereof along the elongated slits 104, respectively.

It should be noted that the roll regulating plate 84 is replaced with the above-mentioned structure in which the fitting slit 104 is formed, and as shown in FIG. 13, locking pieces 108, 108 extending vertically from the edge of the fitting hole 102. May be arranged in parallel along the edge of the fitting hole 102. In this case, an engagement projection 110 that engages with the adjustment circumferential groove 82 of the ribbon setting shaft 78 is provided on the inner surface of the protruding end of at least one locking piece 108. Further, a projection 109 which can be fitted into a notch formed at the edge of each paper tube of the transfer ribbon supply roll 40 and the transfer ribbon take-up roll 42 is formed on the edge side of the locking piece 108, and the ribbon setting shaft is formed. A protrusion 111 that can be fitted into the groove 81 of the groove 78 is formed. In the roll regulating plate 84, for example, after a projection is fitted into a cutout of the paper tube of the transfer ribbon supply roll 40, the ribbon setting shaft 7
The ribbon set shaft 78 is inserted into the fitting hole 102 in a state where the projection 111 is fitted in the groove 81 of FIG. Thus, the transfer ribbon supply roll 40 is attached to the ribbon set shaft 78. In this case, the transfer ribbon supply roll 40
And the roll regulating plate 84 are fixed to each other, and the roll regulating plate 84 and the ribbon set shaft 78 are fixed to each other. Therefore, the transfer ribbon supply roll 40 is fixed to the ribbon set shaft 78 without rattling. On the other hand, when the mounting position of the regulating plate 84 is changed, if a force is applied along the ribbon set shaft 78, the locking piece 108 on which the engaging convex portion 110 is formed is elastically deformed, and the engaging convex portion 110 is deformed. Is the adjustment circumferential groove 82
When it comes out of and moves to the adjacent adjusting circumferential groove 82, it engages with the adjusting circumferential groove 82.

Next, a head moving mechanism for moving the head 16 toward and away from the platen roller 32 will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

The head moving mechanism 112 includes a spring 1 as an urging means for urging the head 16 toward the platen roller 32.
A lock position where the movable end is located at the opening of the mounting portion 38 and a release position where the movable end is disengaged from the opening on the outer wall surface of the upper body portion 20 in a plane parallel to the outer wall surface. A manual lever 36 that rotates between
Is rotated to the release position, the head 16 is separated from the platen roller 32 against the urging force of the spring 114, and the spring 11 is rotated when the manual lever 36 is rotated to the lock position.
4 and a lock mechanism 116 for bringing the head 16 into close contact with the platen roller 32.

An example of the lock mechanism 116 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 11.
6, a transmission shaft 118 rotatable about a first shaft B, a cam 120 attached to the other end of the transmission shaft 118, and a first shaft B extending at one end above the cam 120. The pressing arm 122 is rotatable about a second axis C parallel to the first axis B, and the pressing arm 122 is rotatably provided about a third axis D orthogonal to the first axis B. The head 16 is provided at one end. And a support arm 124 that is axially mounted. Note that the other end of the support arm 124 extends below the other end of the pressing arm 122, and when the other end of the pressing arm 122 moves downward by rotating the pressing arm 122, Head 1 pressed down and axially attached to one end
6 is moved upward. The head 16 is separated from the platen roller 32 by this movement. The spring 114
Is connected to the other end of the support arm 124, and urges the other end upward, that is, the head 16 axially attached to one end of the support arm 124 in the direction of the platen roller 32. The head 16 is supported by a pair of support guides 128 provided on a head cover 126 protruding from the mounting portion 38 so as to be vertically movable.

Next, the operation of the head moving mechanism 112 will be described. When the manual lever 36 in FIG. 9 is in the release position (the position indicated by the dotted line), the cam 120 attached to the transmission shaft 118 is in a state where one end of the pressing arm 122 is pushed upward, whereby the pressing arm 12
The other end of the support arm 12 is located at a position turned downward.
4 is pushed downward. As a result, the support arm 124 rotates about the third axis D and
One end to which is attached has moved upward. Therefore, in this state, the head 16 is
In a state separated from the platen roller 32 located below. Subsequently, when the manual lever 36 is turned from the release position to the lock position (the position indicated by the solid line), the cam 120 is turned around the first axis B via the transmission shaft 118 in the same direction as the manual lever 36. Then, the upward movement of one end of the pressing arm 122 is released. In this state, the support arm 12
4 is urged by a spring 114 to rotate upward about the third axis D, so that the downward rotation by the pressing arm 122 is released to rotate upward. Move. Therefore, the head 1 of the support arm 124
One end to which the plate 6 is attached moves downward, and the head 16 moves in the direction of the platen roller 32 located below the head 16 and comes into contact with the platen roller 32. Normally, the recording paper 26 and the transfer ribbon 44 are superposed in this order between the platen roller 32 and the head 16 from the platen roller 32 side. Can be transferred to the recording paper 26.

As described above, the manual lever 36
Abuts against the pushing rib 100 of the cassette 18 and pushes the cassette 18 in the mounting direction via the pushing rib 100 with the rotation to the lock position. Further, in the locked position, the manual lever 36 is located at the opening of the mounting portion 38 and is in contact with the pushing rib 100.
It also functions as a lock mechanism for preventing the cassette 18 from coming off. When the manual lever 36 is at the release position, the head 16 is separated from the platen roller 32 and the manual lever 36 is at a position separated from the opening of the mounting portion 38. Therefore, in this state, the cassette 18 can be attached to and detached from the mounting section 38.

Next, a structure for attaching the head 16 to the support arm 124 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The head 16 is formed with a pair of mounting pieces 130a and 130b extending parallel to each other upward, and one of the mounting pieces 130b has a first insertion hole 1 formed therein.
32 is formed on the other mounting piece 130a, a second insertion hole 134 formed on the same center line as the first insertion hole 132 and having a diameter larger than that of the first insertion hole 132, and a second A slit 136 narrower than the diameter of the insertion hole 134 and extending from the second insertion hole 134 to the edge of the mounting piece 130a is formed. On the other hand, one end of a support arm 124 that constitutes the head moving mechanism 112 has a pair of attachment pieces 130a,
A pair of support pieces 1 formed slightly narrower than the interval of 0b
38, 138 are formed. A hole 133 having the same diameter as the first insertion hole 132 is formed in each of the support pieces 138, and a hole 133 of the pair of support pieces 138 and 138 is formed.
First insertion hole 132 of a pair of mounting pieces 130a, 130b
The head 16 is attached to the support arm 124 by slidably penetrating a support shaft 142 having a knob 140 at one end through the second insertion hole 134.

The knob 140 is designed to be easily picked by hand.
Although the diameter of the support shaft 142 is larger than that of the other portion, the support piece 138 side has a slightly smaller diameter so that it can be inserted into the second insertion hole 134 of the mounting piece 130a, and the slit 1
The diameter is larger than the width of 36. As shown in FIG. 12, between the support arm 124 and the support shaft 142 or between the support piece 138 and the support shaft 142, the knob 140 is supported in a direction in which the knob 140 is always in contact with the support piece 138. Spring 144 for urging shaft shaft 142
Are arranged. In the present embodiment, the spring 144
Is stretched between the large-diameter portion 146 of the support shaft 142 and the support piece 138 in a contracted state.

According to this mounting structure, when the head 16 is mounted on the support arm 124, the support shaft 1
42, and is pulled to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 12 against the urging force of the spring 144, and the other end (the right end in the figure) of the support shaft 142 is supported by the support piece 138. So that it is almost the same as the outer wall surface. In this state, the pair of mounting pieces 13 of the head 16 are
0a and 130b are approached so as to sandwich the pair of support pieces 138. Next, on the other end side of the support shaft 142, the first insertion hole 132 is inserted into the support shaft 142.
Of the support shaft 142,
On the 0 side, the support shaft 142 is
Is fitted into the second insertion hole 134 through the hole. When the knob 140 is released in this state, the spring 1
By the urging force of 44, the spindle shaft 142 moves rightward in FIG.
b into the first insertion hole 132, and
The small diameter portion of 0 enters the second insertion hole 134 of the other mounting piece 130a. This allows the support arm 124
The head 16 is non-removably and rotatably mounted on the head.

To remove the head 16 from the support arm 124, pull the knob 140 so that the first shaft 132 and the second hole 134 allow the shaft 1 to be removed.
The head 16 can be removed from the support arm 124 because the head 42 is removed. Note that the outer peripheral surface of the small-diameter portion inserted into the second insertion hole 134 of the knob portion 140 may be formed in a tapered surface shape whose diameter gradually decreases toward the support piece 138. According to this configuration, the outer peripheral surface of the knob 140 is securely brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the second insertion hole 134, so that the mounting position of the head 16 on the support arm 124 is also reliably determined.

The structure for attaching the head 16 to the support arm 124 is not limited to the above-described structure, and various modifications are possible. For example, the first insertion hole 132 formed in the attachment piece 130b may have the same structure (combination of the insertion hole and the slit) as the second insertion hole 134 formed in the attachment piece 130a. Specifically, in a state after the head 16 is attached, the diameter of the shaft of the support shaft 142 through which the first insertion hole 132 is inserted is set to the first insertion hole 1.
32, and when the knob 140 is pulled against the urging force of the spring 144 when the head 16 is removed, the first insertion hole 1 is formed.
By forming the shaft diameter of the portion of the support shaft 142 through which the shaft 32 is inserted to be smaller than the slit width of the slit formed in the mounting piece 130b, the support shaft 142 is removed from the first insertion hole 132 side when the head 16 is removed. When the support shaft 1 is pushed toward the second insertion hole 134,
The head 16 can be easily detached from 42.
In addition, the pair of support guides 128, 128 are separated from each other, and an adjustment screw or the like for finely adjusting the position of one of the support guides 128 with respect to the transport direction of the recording paper 26 is provided to adjust the adjustment screw. The recording paper 26
May be configured to adjust the direction of the head 16 with respect to the transport direction.

As described above, various preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified.

[0050]

As described above, according to the thermal transfer printer of the first aspect, since the thermal head can be attached to and detached from the support arm with one touch, the thermal head can be replaced quickly and easily.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a structure of a thermal transfer printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration inside a thermal transfer printer.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a structure of a pair of guide members according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the inside of the thermal transfer printer.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view when the transfer ribbon cassette is mounted on the mounting portion of the upper body.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a structure of a transfer ribbon cassette.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cassette main body of the transfer ribbon cassette.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a ribbon setting shaft and a roll regulating plate.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a main part of a head moving mechanism.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a connection structure between a support arm of the head moving mechanism and the head.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a head moving mechanism.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. 11 for illustrating a connection structure between the support arm of the head moving mechanism and the head.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a roll regulating plate according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 thermal transfer printer 16 thermal head 26 recording paper 32 platen roller 44 transfer ribbon 63 contact / separation mechanism 112 head movement mechanism 114 spring 116 lock mechanism 124 support arm 130a mounting piece 130b mounting piece 132 first insertion hole 134 second insertion hole 136 Slit 138 Supporting piece 140 Knob part 142 Support shaft 144 Spring

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 25/312 B41J 2/32 B41J 25/304 B41J 25/316

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A thermal head which is disposed in the apparatus main body so as to be movable toward and away from a platen roller and transfers ink of the transfer ribbon to recording paper supplied together with the transfer ribbon; A thermal transfer printer provided with a head moving mechanism for moving the thermal head toward and away from the platen roller, wherein the thermal head has a pair of mounting pieces extending parallel to each other upward. Each of the mounting pieces is provided with a first insertion hole and the first insertion hole.
A slot narrower than the diameter and extending from the first insertion hole to the edge.
A second insertion hole formed on the same center line as the first insertion hole and a second insertion hole having a width smaller than the diameter of the second insertion hole. A slit extending from the insertion hole to the edge of the platen roller; a support arm for moving the thermal head toward and away from the platen roller;
A pair of supports formed at the distal end of the support arm and extending downward in parallel with each other, and are slightly narrower than the pair of mounting pieces and each have a hole formed therein.
Holding piece, the first insertion hole, the second insertion hole and the front
Slidably penetrate each of the holes formed in the pair of support pieces.
Attach the thermal head to the support arm
Comprising a spindle shaft knob at one end Rutotomoni is formed, and a biasing means for the knob portion for biasing the support shaft shaft to the support piece abutting direction, the support shaft shaft , By the urging force of the urging means
When the knob is in contact with one of the support pieces,
The shaft diameter of the portion through which the first insertion hole is inserted is
The second insertion hole is formed to have the same diameter as the first insertion hole.
The shaft diameter of the portion through which the insertion hole is inserted is the second insertion hole.
And formed to have the same diameter as the hole diameter of
In the state where the knob is pulled out,
The shaft diameter of the portion through which the insertion hole is inserted is the one mounting piece.
Smaller than the slit width of the slit formed in
And a part for inserting the second insertion hole.
It said slits oice diameter is formed on the other mounting piece
A thermal transfer printer characterized in that the diameter is smaller than the slit width .