JP3420544B2 - Tape cartridge - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tape cartridge mounted on a printing device for printing print data such as a desired character string on a tape, and more particularly to a tape cartridge containing an ink ribbon.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a printing apparatus for printing a desired character string on the surface of an adhesive tape, the back surface of which is previously coated with an adhesive. This type of printing device makes it easy to print titles and titles on the surface of the tape on the spot and cleanly, and then easily attach it to the spine of document files or the back of video tapes. Widely used for both business and home use.

Further, in order to further increase 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 tapes of various widths and colors built therein. Is being supplied.

In such a tape printer, the diversification of tape types and printing styles, on the other hand, complicates the operation and control, resulting in the loss of the advantage of easily obtaining a printing tape. In other words, if you try to print with 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 is changed to a wide emphasized font. In such a case, the printing may fail because the printing may not be completed within the width or the desired length of the tape. For this reason, the user manages a plurality of types of tape cartridges having different widths and colors, and at the time of printing, it is necessary to perform not only the mounting of the tape but also various confirmation work such as the size and balance of characters.

In addition to this, if 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 to obtain the desired print. There may be cases where no results are obtained. In such a case, it should be unreasonable for all of them to be misoperated by the user in view of the product characteristics of such a printing device used in a wide range of applications and situations.

[0006]

By the way, various attempts have been made to improve the usability, the types of tapes are diversified, and ink ribbons and the like are stored in the tape cartridge. However, it has been pointed out that the tape becomes complicated and the tape conveying path is bent, making it difficult to convey the tape, and that it becomes difficult to store a tape having a sufficient length. Also, as the number of types of tape cartridges increases, it is expected that the tape cartridges will be replaced frequently, but with the conventional rectangular tape cartridge, it is difficult to distinguish top, bottom, left, and right, and it is troublesome to check the mounting direction. It took a lot of trouble.

The tape cartridge of the present invention has been made in order 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]

A tape cartridge according to the present invention is mounted on a printer for printing on a tape by holding an ink ribbon and the tape between a print head and a platen. a is, before SL and the tape core you turn capable winding feeding the tape, and the ribbon core of wound capable winding feeding the ink ribbon used for the printing, and a take-up core for taking up the ink ribbon used for printing, the the case from the tape discharge port of the tape ink printed by ribbon the print head is fed out ribbon transport path and before Symbol to convey to the winding core through the position at which the printing position is made unwound through said printing position and a tape guide member formed between the tape transport path for transporting the outside, the printing
Even when the tape is not attached to the device,
The tape and the ink ribbon are not present in the ribbon transport path.
The tape guide member is a member that guides the tape in the tape transport path to the platen on the upstream side of the printing position. The tape in the path is conveyed along the outer periphery of the platen having a predetermined radius before and after the printing position via the tape guide member so that the tape comes into contact with the ink ribbon only at the printing position. The gist of the ink ribbon in the ribbon transport path is that it is linearly transported along a guide wall formed on the outer periphery of an opening into which the print head enters before and after the printing position. In the above invention, the tape outlet is the same as the one used for the printing.
It is also preferable that the tape is conveyed along the outer periphery of the platen after the printing position by forming the tape on the side wall of the case located on the platen side of the trajectory line of the conveyer. Further, a guide portion extending in the print position direction from the tape discharge port may be provided near the tape discharge port. In addition to the above invention, the following other inventions can be considered. A first tape cartridge of another invention comprises a tape core wound so that a printing tape to be printed by a printing head provided on the printing device side can be wound out, and an ink ribbon for printing on the printing tape by the printing head. A ribbon core wound so as to be able to be fed out and a take-up core for winding an ink ribbon used for printing are housed in a case, and the fed-out ink ribbon is printed in the case by the print head. A tape cartridge having a ribbon transport path for transporting the tape to the winding core through a print position, and a tape transport path for transporting the fed tape to the outside of the case through the print position. There, the transport path after passing through the printing position of the ribbon transport path of the stored ink ribbon And summarized in that formed in the height corresponding to the.

A second tape cartridge according to another invention is
A tape core in which a print tape on which printing is performed by a print head provided on the printer side can be wound out, a ribbon core in which an ink ribbon for printing on the print tape by the print head can be wound out, and printing can be performed. A winding core that winds up the supplied ink ribbon is housed in a case, and the fed-out ink ribbon is wound into the case through a printing position where printing is performed by the print head. A tape cartridge having a ribbon transport path for transporting to a core and a tape transport path for transporting the fed-out tape to the outside of the case via the printing position, the tape cartridge being one of the ribbon transport paths. In the transport path after passing the printing position,
The gist of the present invention is to provide a regulation portion that regulates the width direction of the ink ribbon, and to guide the ink ribbon used for the printing in the winding core direction while regulating the width direction by the regulation portion.

It is also preferable that the restricting portion in the above structure is a case formed such that the distance between the top wall and the bottom wall in the case is approximately the same as the width of the ink ribbon accommodated therein.
Further, it is also possible to form the restriction portion as two flange portions which are formed on the outer periphery of the winding core and are separated from each other by a distance corresponding to the width of the ink ribbon to be wound.

The tape transport path and the ribbon transport path may be configured such that the tape and the ink ribbon are transported in a non-contact state from the feeding point to the printing position. As an example of this configuration, a first support body that supports the ink ribbon from the delivery point to the print position, and the delivery point provided at a position separated from the first support body by a predetermined distance. A second support for supporting the tape from the to the printing position,
Between the first support and the second support, a ribbon transport path up to the printing position, on the side opposite to the first support with respect to the second support, at the printing position It is possible to consider a configuration that forms a tape transport path up to the end.

A third tape cartridge of another 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 print head provided on the side of the printing device,
A printing tape storage unit for storing the printing tape, an opening through which the printing head enters, and the printing head that prints at a position substantially opposite to a direction in which the printing tape is conveyed with respect to the opening. An ink ribbon core around which an ink ribbon for printing on a tape is wound and an ink ribbon accommodating portion for accommodating a ribbon take-up core for winding up the ink ribbon are formed, and the ink ribbon accommodating portion is accommodated with respect to the opening. The outer shape in the direction substantially opposite to the direction in which the printing tape is conveyed has a protruding portion that protrudes from the outer shape of the printing tape storage portion, and the center of the ribbon winding core is within the substantially four sides forming the opening. It is characterized in that it is located on one side of the print tape rather than on the side opposite to the print tape storage portion.

In the tape cartridge having such a structure, 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 are wound are respectively housed. The ink ribbon storage portion loses symmetry in a rectangular portion having a head opening in a direction substantially opposite to the direction in which the print tape is conveyed with respect to the opening into which the print head enters. . 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 of the substantially four sides forming the opening, and is closer to the print tape than the side opposite to the print tape storage portion. Since the tape cartridges are arranged, 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.

In this tape cartridge,
A platen for transporting the printing tape can be provided at a position facing the print head of the printing device when mounted in the printing device. Providing the platen on the side of the tape cartridge has the advantage of good compatibility with the tape.

The platen may be a hollow shaft having a hollow portion inside. Further, an elastic body may be provided on the outer circumference 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 printer. In this case, power transmission 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, since it is not necessary to wind the printing tape around the core having the flange, the winding of the printing tape becomes easy. 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 works to prevent the tape wound around the tape core from coming loose.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In order to further clarify the constitution and operation of the present invention described above, a tape cartridge which is a preferred embodiment of the present invention and a tape cartridge which is detachably incorporated and is used for printing on a tape. The tape writer to be performed will be described. 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. Also, FIG.
FIG. 4 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 the present embodiment, the ink ribbon and the tape printed using the ink ribbon are housed in the same cartridge, so this cartridge corresponding to the print sheet cartridge will be referred to as a tape cartridge hereinafter.

As shown in the figure, the tape writer 1 includes a main body case 50H for accommodating various parts, an input section 50C having 63 input keys, a main body cover 50K which can be opened and closed,
Display unit 50D visibly provided under the body cover 50K for displaying character strings and other information, body cover 50K
Tape cartridge 1 provided at the upper left of the main body
Cartridge mounting part 50A to which 0 is detachably mounted
(Not shown in FIG. 1). A window 50L for confirming the mounting of the tape cartridge 10 on the main body cover 50K
And a window 50M capable of directly looking at the display section 50D are provided, and a transparent plastic plate material is fitted into both windows 50L and 50M.

When using this tape writer 1,
First, open the main body cover 50K to open the cartridge mounting portion 5
Attach the tape cartridge 10 to 0A and cover the main body 5
Close 0K. After that, the power switch 50J provided on the right side of the main body is operated to turn on the power, and the input unit 50C
Enter the character you want to print from. When the input character string is converted into kana-kanji characters or the like as necessary and a predetermined key is operated to instruct printing, the tape T supplied by the tape cartridge 10 is printed by the thermal transfer type 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 printing surface processed to improve the placement of the ink by thermal transfer, and a peelable peeling tape is attached to the adhesive back surface. Therefore, by cutting the printed tape with a built-in cutter and peeling off the peeling tape on the back surface, the tape T on which characters 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.
Is a sectional view taken along line AA. This tape cartridge 1
0 can accommodate tapes of different widths with the same assembly configuration. In the embodiment, five types of tape cartridges in which the widths of the accommodated tapes are 6 mm, 9 mm, 12 mm, 18 mm, and 24 mm are provided. Figure 6
Of these 5 types of tape cartridges, the tape width is 6m
Ink ribbon core 22, ribbon winding core 2
4 is a cross-sectional view that is cut away at a position passing through the center of the platen 4 and the platen 12. FIG. Also, in FIG. 7, the tape width is 24 m as well.
It is sectional drawing which shows the thing of m. 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 60 is drawn in the cross-sectional view of the tape cartridge in order to explain the attachment state to the tape writer 1.

The platen 12 used for printing is a hollow cylindrical member, and the five types of tapes T and ink ribbons R having different widths and the adhesion between the print head and the print head are made to be good so that good quality printing can be performed. Therefore, the platen rubber 14 is wound around the outer peripheral surface according to the tape width. 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
The diameter of the platen 12 is slightly smaller than the shaft diameter of the platen 12, and the small diameter portion is rotatably loosely fitted into the fitting holes 16A and 18A formed in the top wall 16 and the bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10. The platen 12 is rotatable. The fitting holes 16A and 18A have a substantially oval shape, as shown in FIGS. In this manner, the platen 12 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 rotational drive force must be transferable. In order to reliably transmit this driving force to the platen 12, the inner peripheral surface of the hollow portion of the platen 12 has a structure shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 6, six engaging strips 12A are formed at equal intervals in the rotation axis direction.

In addition to the tape cartridge 10, a tape core 20, an ink ribbon core 22 and a ribbon take-up core 24 are provided upright in order to compactly take up and store the long tape T and the ink ribbon R. Further, the tape cartridge 10 is provided with an entry hole 32 into which a print head described later enters. This entrance hole 3
The outer periphery 28 and the guide wall 34 are formed.

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

As shown in FIG. 5, the tape core 20 includes
A shaft hole 20B is formed at the center thereof and is rotatably fitted in a shaft body 18B provided upright 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. This film 20A acts as a flange portion for the tape T,
Since the adhesive layer is provided on the surface of the tape T side,
The edge of the tape T is lightly attached to this 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 body forming the ceiling wall 16 of the tape cartridge 10 and the film 20A on the upper surface of the tape core 20, and the tape core 20 is deformed by the deformation of the washer 23. Is pressed toward the bottom wall 18 to restrict free rotation of the tape core 20.

The tape T wound and stored on the tape core 20.
From the bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10 to the platen 12 via the tape guide pins 26 provided upright,
It is pulled out to the outside from the tape ejection port 10A of the tape cartridge 10. The portion of the tape discharge port 10A has a predetermined length along the tape T transport direction and has a predetermined length.
B is formed. When the tape cartridge 10 is mounted in the tape cartridge mounting portion 50A, the print head 60 is located in the entry hole 32. In this state, the tape T is held between the print head 60 and the platen 12,
The tape T is transported by the rotation of the platen 12.

In order to wind and store the long tape T in the tape core 20, the end of the long tape T is fixed to the tape core 20 by a double-sided tape having a weak adhesive force. The tape cartridge 10 has a tape cartridge mounting portion 50.
When the tape T is attached to A and is used for printing and approaches the end, the tape T is peeled from the tape core 20 by the transport force of the platen 12 and the print head 60. The tape T is directly conveyed to the platen 12 and ejected from the tape ejection port 10A. As a result, especially tape T
Even if there is no mechanism or end mark for detecting the end of the tape, the user can recognize that the tape T is gone. Since the length of the ink ribbon R is longer than the total length of the tape T, the ink ribbon R still remains after the tape T is finished. Therefore, even if the printing is continued after the tape T is finished, the ink ribbon R is running and the destruction of the print head 60 due to heat accumulation is prevented.

Since the fitting holes 16A and 18A into which the upper and lower ends of the platen 12 are fitted have an oval shape as described above, the platen 12 is fitted in the tape cartridge 10 alone. It is movable along the long axis of the joint holes 16A, 18A. Therefore, the tape cartridge 10
When the tape T is pushed into the tape cartridge 10 from the outside of the plate, the movement of the tape T causes the platen 1 to move.
2 moves along the transport path of the tape T. Platen 1
When 2 moves, the platen rubber 14 of the platen 12 contacts the outer circumference of the tape guide pin 26, and the tape guide pin 2
The tape T is sandwiched between the tape 6 and the tape 6. As a result, the tape T becomes immovable and the tape T is not pushed into the tape cartridge 10.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ink ribbon core 22 is composed of a small-diameter hollow cylindrical member,
The outer circumferences of the upper and lower end portions 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 portion at the upper end of the ink ribbon core 22 is the tape cartridge 1
It is loosely fitted in a cylindrical guide projection 16C provided on the top wall 16 of No. 0. Therefore, in this state, the ink ribbon core 22 is rotatably held by the ink ribbon R as it is pulled out.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10 is located near the bottom of the ink ribbon core 22 and the ribbon winding core 24, which will be described later.
A thin substantially L-shaped engagement 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 of this engagement piece 18D is
Due to the elasticity of the members forming the above, the base end portion 18E that is continuous with the bottom wall 18 can be moved along the plane direction of the bottom wall 18 as a fulcrum. In the state where no force is applied to the engagement piece 18D, the movable end of the engagement piece 18D is located inside the outer periphery of the fitting hole portion 18C, so that the engagement hole portion 18C is free from play as described above. It engages with any of the six engaging portions 22A formed at the end of the fitted ink ribbon core 22 to prevent the ink ribbon core 22 from rotating.

The ink ribbon R, which is wound up and housed in 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. Entry hole 3
The ribbon take-up core 24 is reached via the guide wall 34 formed on the peripheral surface of the second winding. 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 reference numeral C in FIG. R
The same state when all of the tapes 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 winding core 24
6 engages with a ribbon take-up core drive shaft, which will be described later, provided in the tape writer 1 similarly to the platen 12 so that it can be rotationally driven. Therefore, the inner peripheral surface of the hollow portion has six engagement lines 24B in the axial direction. It is formed at intervals. The ribbon winding core 24 configured as described above is loosely fitted into the circular fitting holes 16G, 18G formed in the bottom wall 18 and the top wall 16 of the tape cartridge 10 at the small diameter portions formed at the upper and lower ends. It stands upright.

Further, in order to prevent the ribbon winding core 24 from rotating unexpectedly, the bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10 has a thin substantially L shape whose end is located inside the outer periphery of the fitting hole 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, and the engaging piece 18
It is said to be H. With the cartridge 10 alone,
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, and the rotation of the ribbon winding core 24 is blocked. . The tips of the engaging pieces 18D and 18H are engaged with the engaging portions 22A and 24H.
The ink ribbon core 22 and the ribbon take-up core 24 are opposed to A at an angle, not at a right angle.
It is possible to rotate counterclockwise.

The engaging portion 2 of the ink ribbon core 22 as described above
Engagement of 2A and engagement piece 18D and ribbon winding core 24
The engagement between the engaging portion 24A and the engaging piece 18H is released by mounting the cartridge 10 on the cartridge mounting portion 50A, and the configuration thereof will be described later together with the structure of the cartridge mounting portion 50A. To do.

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 printed side. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the tape width 6,
An ink ribbon having a width of 12 mm for 9, 12 mm, an ink ribbon having a width of 18 mm for a tape width of 18 mm (not shown), and an ink ribbon having a width of 24 mm having the same width for a tape width of 24 mm as shown in FIG. Three kinds of ink ribbons R are prepared in total.

When the ribbon width 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 tape ribbon 10 is provided on the outer periphery of the ribbon winding core 24 so that the ink ribbon R can be stably supplied to the platen 12. Is formed with a flange portion 24C conforming to the width of the ink ribbon R which is wound and stored.
To guide the ink ribbon R (see FIG. 6).

As described above, there are five types of tape cartridges 10 according to 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 is necessary to detect the type of the tape cartridge 10. In the tape cartridge 10 of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the bottom wall 18 of the cartridge is provided with three detection holes 18Ka, 18Kb, 18Kc 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 that is wound and stored.

Type of tape cartridge 10 and detection hole 1
The relationship with 8Ka, Kb, and Kc is shown in FIG. As shown, the three detection holes 18Ka, 18Kb, 18Kc of the tape cartridge 10 accommodating the tape width of 6 mm
Are all shallowly drilled. 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. When the tape width is 24 mm, the two detection holes 18Ka, 18Ka
The Kb is deeply drilled.

The tape cartridge 1 described in detail above.
0 is the tape cartridge mounting portion 50 of the tape writer 1.
It is attached to A. Inside the tape writer 1, FIG.
9, which is an end view taken along the line AA-AA in FIG. 9, an expansion section 50E for connecting various packs optionally supplied as an external storage element, an input section 50C, and a display section 50.
Control circuit unit 50F that controls the D and printer unit 50B
Equipped with.

On the back surface of the tape writer 1, a battery storage section 50 is provided.
I is provided, and six AA batteries that can be the power source for the entire device can be installed. A power switch 50J is provided on the right side surface of the main body. The power can also be supplied from an AC adapter (not shown) from a plug 50N provided on the right side of the main body.

The respective mechanical components of the tape writer 1 will be sequentially described below. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing the configuration of the tape cartridge mounting portion 50A in plan view, FIG.
1 is the platen 12 by the power of the stepping motor 80.
A perspective view showing a main configuration of a drive mechanism 50P for driving the
Is.

The cartridge mounting portion 50A is arranged 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 winding core 24 and the platen 12 are erected in the mounting space. In addition, the rotation of the stepping motor 80 is mounted on the platen 12 below the tape cartridge mounting portion 50A.
Although the drive mechanism 50P for transmitting to the drive is provided, the drive mechanism 5P is partitioned by the case of the tape cartridge mounting portion 50A.
You cannot directly see 0P. FIG. 11 shows a state in which this case is removed. Note that this mounting space is normally covered with the main body cover 50K when the tape cartridge 10 is mounted.

When mounting or replacing the tape cartridge 10 in the cartridge mounting portion 50A, the main body cover 5 is used.
Open at 0K. When the slide button 52 provided in front of the cartridge mounting portion 50A is slid to the right, the engagement between the main body cover 50K and the main body is released, and the main body cover 50K rotates around the cover hinge 54 at the rear of the main body as a fulcrum to open it. be able to. The slide button 52 is constantly biased to the left in the figure 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, which prints on the tape T of the tape cartridge 10, can be attached to or detached from the tape cartridge 10. About this operation
explain. 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 body 65 in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged is provided with an insulator 65a. Heat sink 6 to attach
5b, a frame 67 that supports the heat dissipation plate 65b by a connecting plate 67a, a coil spring 66 that biases the print head 60 toward an initial position, and a flexible cable 68 that is an electrical wiring to the head main body 65. With. In addition,
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 having the head main body 65 mounted thereon is rotatable about the pin 67b. . As a result, the print head 60
When pushing out to the platen 12 side, the head body 65
Will uniformly hit the tape T sandwiched between it and the platen 12.

The lower end of the frame 67 is largely extended to form a link plate 62. This link board 62
Are sewn between gear trains described later, and their ends are located near the boundary with the display unit 50D (see FIG. 10).
reference). A coil spring 69 is hooked on an 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 the end 63a opposite to the end 63a to which the coil spring 69 is coupled has an end 63b as shown in FIG.
It is arranged at a position opposite to. An operation arm 50S extends downwardly and is formed at a position facing the end 63b of the body cover 50K, and the end 63b is pushed down by the operation of closing the body cover 50K.

This movement is schematically shown in FIG. 12, which is an end view taken along the line BB of FIG. As illustrated, as the body cover 50K is pushed down, the operation arm 50S pushes down the end portion 63b of the drive member 63,
Along with this, the link plate 62 via the coil spring 69.
, But rotates in the right direction in FIG. 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 other hand, when the operation of opening the main body cover 50K is performed, the operation of moving the print head 60 to the retracted position, which is required when the tape cartridge 10 is removed or attached, which is a normally executed action, is performed at the same time. Will be realized. 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 opened, and when the main body cover 50K is closed, the print head 60 moves to the platen 1.
Return to the position where 2 is pressed.

In this way, the bottom wall 18 of the tape cartridge 10 mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 50A is engaged with the engaging portions 22A and 24A of the ink ribbon core 22 and the ribbon winding core 24 in order to prevent them from rotating. It has already been described that the mating engagement pieces 18D and 18H are provided. The engagement pieces 18D, 18H are formed by hollowing out a part of the bottom wall 18 (FIGS. 3, 4, hatch portions X and Y),
As shown in FIG. 10, two conical abutment protrusions 70A and 70B are provided upright at the cartridge mounting portion 50A corresponding to the middle positions of the hatch portion X and the hatch portion Y. Therefore, when the tape cartridge 10 is mounted in the tape cartridge mounting portion 50A, the contact protrusions 70A, 70B are fitted in the hatch portions X, Y, and the engaging pieces 18D, 18H are attached to the ink ribbon core 22 and the ribbon take-up core. The engaging portions 22A and 24A of 24 are pushed and separated from each other. Thereby, the engagement pieces 18D, 1
The engagement by 8H is released, and the ink ribbon core 22 and the ribbon winding core 24 are in a rotatable state.

Next, a transmission mechanism for transmitting 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 a rotary shaft 80A of the stepping motor 80, and a clutch arm 80B is fitted to the rotary shaft 80A with a predetermined friction. . The clutch arm 80B includes a second gear 82 and a third gear 8
Together with 3, it constitutes a one-way clutch. That is,
When the stepping motor 80 rotates in the direction of arrow C in the figure, 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 engages with the third gear 83. To do. As a result, the rotation of the stepping motor 80 is transmitted to the third gear 83. Regarding the function of the one-way clutch,
It 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 further repeating gear down. Fifth gear 8
The rotating shaft of the winding No. 5 is coupled to the winding core drive shaft 74, and the ink ribbon R is wound up by the rotation of the stepping motor 80. In addition, the ribbon winding core 24 is actually
The rim 74A that drives the winding core drive shaft 74 is attached to the take-up core drive shaft 74 with a predetermined friction.
However, if the ribbon take-up core 24 becomes unrotatable due to reaching the end of the ink ribbon R or the like, it is assumed that the ribbon take-up core 24 slips with respect to the rotation of the take-up core drive shaft 74. ing.

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 72 </ b> A that fits into the irregularities on the inner peripheral surface of the platen 12 and drives it is provided. Therefore, when the stepping motor 80 rotates and its rotation is transmitted to the third gear 83 by the one-way clutch, finally the platen drive shaft 72 and the winding core drive shaft 74 rotate, and the platen 12 rotates. The tape T sandwiched between the platen rubber 14 provided on the outer periphery and the head main body 65 of the print head 60 is conveyed in accordance with printing, and the ink ribbon R is wound in synchronization with the conveyance of the tape T. Go on.

The platen 12 and the ribbon take-up core 24 are provided around the platen drive shaft 72 and the take-up core drive shaft 74.
The three protrusions 72B and 74B that engage with the engaging protrusions 12A and 24B formed on the hollow inner peripheral surface are formed at equal intervals. The platen drive shaft 72 and the winding core drive shaft 7
When 4 is rotationally driven at a predetermined rotation speed by the stepping motor 80, 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 to be in a superposed state with each other, so that the platen rubber 14 and the print head 60 are separated from each other. Let it pass. At this time, the print head 60
If the amount of heat generated in dot units is controlled by energizing, the ink of the ink ribbon R can be thermally transferred to the tape T and printed on the tape T. After printing, tape cartridge 1
From 0, only the tape T on which printing has been completed is ejected, and the ink ribbon R used for printing is wound and collected on the ribbon winding core 24.

When the tape T is conveyed together with the 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 essentially 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. Therefore, if the tape T is forcibly pulled out, the platen drive shaft 72 also tries to rotate. However, since the gear is down and the holding torque of the stepping motor 80 is to some extent, the platen drive shaft 72 cannot be rotated by a normal drive mechanism. 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. When the tape T is cut by using the cutting mechanism in this state, the ink ribbon R is also cut, so such a situation should not occur.

In this embodiment, the described clutch arm 8 is used.
This problem is avoided by the one-way clutch composed of 0B and the second and third gears 82 and 83.
That is, when pulling 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 through the gear train to the third gear 83.
Transmitted to and rotate it clockwise. 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 third gear 8 does not rotate.
The rotational force of 3 pushes away the clutch arm 80B that pivotally supports the second gear 82, and releases the engagement between the second gear 82 and the third gear 83. As a result, the third gear 83 to the seventh gear
The gear 87 is separated from the stepping motor 80, and the rotation of the platen drive shaft 72 accompanying the pulling out of the tape T causes the take-up core drive shaft 74 to rotate. Therefore, the ink ribbon R is also wound up when 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.

By the above printing operation, the tape cartridge 1
The printed tape T ejected from 0 to the left is shown in FIG.
Using the cutting mechanism whose detailed structure is shown in FIG. 0 and FIG. 13, it can be easily cut as follows. Note that FIG. 13 is a C-C end view in FIG. 10. Cutter support shaft 9 protruding from the bottom of the cartridge mounting portion 50A
2 is a tape cutter 9 having a substantially "L" shape that is rotatable.
0 and the spring 94 are fitted, and the elastic force of the spring 94 maintains the tape cutter 90 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 figure is applied. By this rotating force, the tape cutter 90
The left end portion 90A pushes up the cutter button 96 from its back surface. Left end 90A of 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 90A of the tape cutter 90 is moved downward along with this.

Also, the right end portion 90B of the tape cutter 90
Is formed with a moving blade 98 for cutting the tape T, and is separated from the fixed blade 91 attached to the side surface of the cartridge mounting portion 50A at a constant angle. On the back surface of the right end portion 90B, the shoulder portion 93 of the tape retainer 93 is provided.
A is in contact (see FIG. 10). This tape restraint 93
As shown in FIG. 10, when the tape cutter 90 rotates and the moving blade 98 moves toward the fixed blade 91, the tape 95 is urged by the spring 95 toward the running path of the tape T. Move in the T direction. Since the fixed wall 97 is provided on the opposite side of the running path of the tape T, the tape retainer 93 includes the movable blade 98 and the fixed blade 9.
Prior to the cutting of the tape T by the method 1, the tape T is fixed to the fixing wall 97. The movement of the tape retainer 93 is detected by the detection switch 99. The detection switch 99 is for preventing printing while the tape T is being cut, as will be 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. Depress the cutter button 96 and press the tape cutter 9
When 0 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 13, the right end 90
The moving blade 98 formed on B also rotates in the same direction. As a result, the tape retainer 93 first restrains the tape T between itself and the fixed wall 97, and then the moving blade 98 gradually overlaps with the fixed blade 91 from its lower portion and passes through the print head 60 to the outside of the print head 60. The tape T located is cut.

Next, details of the input section 50C, the display section 50D, the printer section 50B and the like incorporated in the tape writer 1 will be described. For convenience of understanding the whole, the control circuit section 50F will be mainly described. The outline of the electrical configuration of each unit will be described. Immediately below the body cover 50K, the control circuit unit 50F assembled on the printed circuit board is provided.
Is incorporated together with the printer unit 50B and the like. The overall electrical schematic configuration is shown in FIG. That is, the control circuit section 50F of the tape writer 1 includes ROM, RAM,
1-chip microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as CPU) 110 and mask R in which an input / output port is integrated
In addition to the OM 118, various circuits for interfacing the CPU 110 with the input section 50C, the display section 50D, the printer section 50B, etc. are incorporated. 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.

The input section 50C, as shown in FIG.
Equipped with 8 character input keys and 15 function keys, 63 keys in total. The character input key has a so-called full key structure based on the JIS arrangement, and is similar to a general word processor including a known shift key in order to suppress an increase in the number of operated keys. The function key is used to execute frequently used functions such as character input, editing, and printing with one touch, and enhances the functionality of the tape writer 1.

Each of these keys is assigned to an 8 × 8 matrix. That is, as seen from the CPU 110, as shown in FIG. 14, the 16 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 arranged at each intersection. ing. The power switch 50J is provided independently of this matrix key and is connected to the non-maskable interrupt NMI of the CPU 110. C
When the power switch 50J is operated, the PU 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 for detecting 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 is
The movement of the main body cover 50K is detected by the movement of the opening / closing detection switch engagement 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 during the driving of the print head 60, a predetermined error display is displayed on the main display portion 50Da and the power supply to the printer portion 50B is turned off.

Ports PH, PM, PL of CPU 110
Is 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 jumper units 112A of the head rank determination unit 112 are classified according to the measurement results. , 112
B and 112C are set. Therefore, CPU11
0 reads the state of the head rank determination unit 112, and according to the input result, the drive time of the print head 60,
That is, the calorific value is corrected to prevent variations 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 drive voltage. These are detected by the temperature detection circuit 60A and the voltage detection circuit 60B. These circuits 60A and 60B are integrally incorporated in the print head 60, and the outputs thereof are the 2-channel analog-digital conversion input ports AD1 and AD2 of the CPU 110.
It is connected to the. The CPU 110 uses this port AD
The energization time of the print head 60 is corrected by converting the voltages of 1 and 2 into digital signals and reading them.

The determination switch 102 is connected to the ports PB1 to PB3 of the CPU 110. The determination switch 102 is provided in the lower right corner of the cartridge mounting portion 50A, as shown in FIG. The discriminating switch 102 is formed by integrally forming three cartridge discriminating switches 102A, 102B, 102C which respectively enter the three detection holes 18K formed in the tape cartridge 10. This cartridge discrimination switch 102
The protruding lengths of A, 102B, and 102C are designed according to the depth of the detection hole 18K formed in the tape cartridge 10 described above, and the cartridge determination switch 102 that has entered the shallow detection hole 18K has the detection hole 18K. The switch is turned on by abutting against and being pressed. Further, the cartridge 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, the three cartridge discrimination switches 10 of the discrimination switch 102
By detecting the states of 2A, 102B, and 102C, the type of the tape cartridge 10 currently mounted in the cartridge mounting unit 50A, that is, the tape cartridge 1
The width of the tape T stored in 0 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. Plug 50
N is a DC power supply from the AC adapter 113 for jack 1
15 is accepted by being inserted, but at this time,
From the battery BT to the power supply unit 11 by the function of the break contact.
The power supply to 4 is cut off, and the power consumption of the battery BT is 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 perform different control. In the present 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. Is reduced, the peak of the current flowing to the print head 60 is suppressed, and the power consumption of the battery BT is reduced.

The mask ROM 118 connected to the address bus and data bus of the CPU 110 is 16 × 1 in Mincho type.
It is a 16-megabit mask ROM that stores a set of kana, kanji, and special characters of four types of fonts of 5, 24 × 24, 32 × 32, and 48 × 48. The 24-bit address bus AD, the 8-bit data bus DA, the chip select signal CS, and the output enable signal OE are the CPU 110.
Are connected to the ports PD0 to PD33. Since these signals are also 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 expansion section 50E provided so as to be directly connectable to the control circuit section 50F serves as an insertion site for a ROM pack or 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 CPU 110
It becomes possible to exchange information with. With this configuration, a ROM pack that stores special characters and symbols for various drawings, maps, chemistry, and mathematics or language fonts other than Japanese, Gothic, Mincho, typeface, etc. is installed in the expansion section, It is possible to edit a desired character string. Similarly, a RAM pack, in which information can be written freely, is attached to the expansion part to store more information than the amount of information that can be stored in the RAM area inside the tape writer body, and to create a library of print character strings, etc. It can be used for exchanging information with the tape writer 1.

Mask ROM 118 or expansion section 50E
The dot data of the character read from the CPU 110
Together with the LCD controller 11 of the display control circuit 116
It is also input to 6A.

CPU 11 via display control circuit 116
The display unit 50D controlled by 0 is arranged below the main body cover 50K having a transparent corresponding portion, and the user visually recognizes it through the main body cover 50K. In the display unit 50D, two kinds of electrode patterns are formed on the liquid crystal panel, one of which is a dot matrix pattern of height 32 × width 96, and the other is this dot, as shown in FIG. It is a pattern of 28 pentagonal electrodes arranged so as to surround the area of the matrix. The area in which the electrodes of the dot matrix pattern are formed is the main display portion 50Da for displaying a print image.
The area in which the pentagonal electrode pattern is formed is referred to as an indicator portion 50Db.

The main display section 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 of width 16 × height 15 dots, so 6 characters × 2
Lines can be displayed. Further, when displaying each character, the processing state of the tape writer 1 can be visually displayed by selectively using positive display, negative display, blinking display, etc. according to the editing state.

Further, since the main display portion 50Da is of the dot matrix type and the display contents thereof can be freely controlled, it is possible to display the current print image layout when a predetermined key input is made. When the layout display is instructed, as shown in FIG. 17, the 4 × 4 dots at the time of printing correspond to one dot on the main display portion, the tape width is displayed negatively, and a white character string is printed in it. Is displayed. At this time, the total length of the tape is displayed numerically as information that assists 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 up / down / left / 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
It is provided so as to correspond to characters representing the function printed around D. Character input mode status such as "Romaji input" or "Lower case input", style specification status such as "number of lines" or "box rule" for print editing, format specification status such as "equal allocation" or "justification", etc. When the state setting is executed or selected, the display body t at the portion of the character indicating the state is made visible.

The printer section 50B of the tape writer 1 is
A print head 60 and a stepping motor 80 are provided as mechanical components, and a printer controller 120 and a motor driver 122 for controlling the print head 60 and the stepping motor 80 are provided as electrical components. 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 the temperature detection circuit 60A for detecting the outside air temperature and the voltage detection for detecting the supply voltage described above. The circuit 60B is incorporated. Stepping motor 80
Is a known configuration in which the rotation angle is controlled by appropriately controlling the phases of the four-phase drive signals. Stepping motor 8
The tape feed amount for one step of 0 is designed to be 1/360 inch by the configuration of the gear train that is the reduction mechanism. In addition, a two-step rotation signal is output to the stepping motor 80 in synchronization with the dot-by-dot printing performed by the print head 60. As a result, the printer unit 50B
Printing at 180 dots / inch is performed not only in the width direction of the tape but also in the length direction thereof.

The above-mentioned detection switch 99 is used for the printer controller 120 and the motor driver 122 as CP.
It is inserted in the common line connected from U110. Since this detection switch 99 detects the use state of the cutting mechanism, if the cutting mechanism is about to be used during printing, this detection switch 99 will be used.
And the operation of the printer unit 50B is immediately stopped. In this case, signals are continuously sent from the CPU 110 to the printer controller 120 and the motor driver 122. Therefore, if the use of the cutting mechanism is stopped, printing is continued.

In this embodiment, since the use of the cutting mechanism during printing interferes with the conveyance of the tape T, the printing operation (especially the tape feeding operation) is immediately stopped. Therefore, the detection switch 99 is directly connected to the motor driver 122. Although the power is forcibly cut off by inserting it into the common line of FIG. 3, it is possible to take the output of the detection switch 99 into the CPU 110 once and perform the same process as when the main body cover 50K is opened. Further, instead of the detection switch 99, the clutch arm 80 is moved by the movement of the moving blade 98 as a mechanical structure.
It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which B is pushed away and the rotation of the stepping motor 80 is not transmitted to the platen drive shaft 72.

In addition to the components described above, the tape writer 1 has a power source 114 incorporated therein, and the battery BT is provided by the RCC method using an IC and a transformer.
Obtained stable 5V power supply for backup and logic circuit. The port PV is applied to the CPU 110 for controlling its voltage.

The tape writer 1 of this embodiment is similar to that shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, it has a margin function to secure a tape margin by a specified distance before and after the character string to be printed. This margin function includes a tape feed phase control signal for the front margin output before transmitting the 96-bit serial print data as described above, and a rear margin component output after transmitting all the serial print data. And the tape feed phase control signal. On the other hand, if the specified distance of such a margin is smaller than the distance between the printing position and the tape cutting position (less than 8 mm in this embodiment), the specified front margin cannot be realized. In this case, after the printing is completed, the tape T is sent out by the rear margin and the print head 6
This is handled by printing a line of cut mark PCM when 0 is at the tape position before the next print position by the designated front margin. If the ejected tape T is cut at the position of the cut mark PCM, it is possible to easily obtain a printing tape having a required front margin.

CPU 1 for controlling the peripheral circuits as described above
The internal ROM 10 stores various programs for executing the above-described operations. Also, its internal RA
Part of M is a system reserved area used when executing various programs stored in the internal ROM, and the other is a text area for editing characters and a file area for storing the contents of the text. It has been released as user use area.

The text area is assigned an area for accepting a fixed input of up to 125 characters, and stores style data and mode data for editing the character as well as the character code. Therefore, the stored contents are appropriately added or updated by the character input or the editing operation from the input unit.

The file area is 150 in the internal RAM.
0 character, 2000 in the optional RAM pack
The area where characters can be registered is allocated. Also, internal R
The file management program stored in the OM can store and manage 1 to 99 variable length files in this file area, and provides a basic operating environment such as file registration and call deletion.

Next, among the functions achieved by the control circuit section configured as described above, a particularly characteristic control of multi-line printing will be described. As shown in FIG. 19, the tape writer 1 of this embodiment uses a mask R with four font data of 16 × 16 to 48 × 48 dots as a basic font.
The fonts prepared in the OM 118 and not having the same number of dots among the fonts can be enlarged up to 2 times in the vertical direction and up to 4 times in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the maximum font is 9
There are 6 × 192 dots, and there are ten combinations of printable dot numbers, as shown in FIG.
Therefore, when editing the print character string over multiple lines,
In addition to the normal character input operation to input the character string to be printed on each line, it is necessary to specify the print font of the character string to be printed on each line.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, instead of the designation of the character font, the relative size relation of the character strings to be printed on each line (for example, in the case of printing three lines, the first line is large and the second line is (Large and small on the third line) are input by operating the keys on the input unit. Further, in order to make this key operation simpler, options are prepared in advance as illustrated in the case of three-line printing in FIG. 20 (in this embodiment, the same x3, small / small
5) (large, small / large / large, large / small / small, large / large / small) are selected to replace the input. This is realized as a simple setting mode, and a mode for setting the number of dots for each row is also prepared. In this case, the total number of dots in the vertical direction in a plurality of lines must be set so as not to exceed 96.

After completing all the inputs, the input unit 50C
When a key for instructing “print” is operated among the function keys of, the multi-line print processing program whose flowchart is shown in FIG. 21 is activated, and the CPU 110 performs the following processing. When the processing of the multi-line print processing program is started, the CPU 110 first reads the size relationship of the character strings in each row selected prior to this print command and the detection signal of the cartridge discrimination switch 102 (step 10).
0, 110), and check the information related to printing. And
The width of the currently loaded tape T is determined from the detection result of the cartridge determination switch 102, and the character of each line is referred to by referring to the font map stored in advance in the internal ROM based on the determination result and the size relation of each line character string. The font is determined (step 120).

As an example of this font map, a font map used for printing three lines is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the font map is created so that the print font used to print each line is uniquely determined when the size relationship of each line character string and the tape width are determined. Is 12 mm and the size relation of the character strings in each line is "small and large", the print font used to print each line is font S character on the first line, font P character on the second line, font P character on the third line. Is decided.
It should be noted that the same determination is made when the number of print lines is two, but the description is omitted here.

In this way, when the print font to be used for printing each line is determined, the print fonts corresponding to the character codes of the character string to be printed are sequentially read from the mask ROM 118 (step 130), and the dot pattern to be printed is created. Unfold (step 140) and set the dot pattern vertically 1.
The print control (step 150) is executed to cut out each column to create 96-bit serial data and transfer it to the printer unit as described above.

The tape cartridge 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention and the tape writer 1 for printing on the tape T incorporated therein have been described above in detail. The tape cartridge 10 of this embodiment has the tape core 20 of the tape core 20. The ink ribbon core 22 and the ribbon winding core 24 are arranged in one direction outside the storage position (the lower right side in FIG. 3),
Since the ink ribbon core 22 is arranged, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower right side of the tape cartridge 10 has a protruding shape. Therefore, this tape cartridge can be clearly distinguished in the vertical and horizontal 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 can be easily recognized not only by the outer shape but also by the presence of the entry hole 32 which is an opening for entering the head. Moreover, the ribbon winding core 24
The center of the tape cartridge 10 is located closer to the print tape T (upper side in FIG. 3) than the lower side of the guide wall forming the entry hole 32 (the side of the guide wall opposite to the print tape core 20). The shape can be made compact. By adopting this arrangement, the portion corresponding to the ribbon winding core 24 for winding 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. When the tape cartridge 10 is to be mounted in the tape cartridge mounting portion 50A of the tape writer 10, the platen drive shaft 72 erected on the tape writer 1 side is When the tape cartridge 10 is fitted into the hollow portion of the platen 12, the tape cartridge 10 is pushed into the correct position and mounted, the rim 72 fitted to the lower portion of the platen drive shaft 72 is mounted.
A is an engagement strip 1 provided inside the hollow portion of the platen 12.
The platen 12 is reliably rotated by the power transmitted through the drive mechanism 50P by engaging with 2A. Therefore, the platen 12 having a certain degree of elasticity is attached to the print head 60.
At the same time, when the printing tape T is sandwiched, the force of pressing the stamp tape T against the printing head 60 does not become weak due to the presence of the ridges of the rim 72A. As a result, uneven printing does not occur. Further, in the present application, the tape core 20
Since the adhesive layer is provided on the inner surface of the flange portion 20A of
There is no problem of the printing tape coming loose.

Incidentally, the tape cartridge of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment at all, and it goes without saying that it is embodied in various modes.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

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

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

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the same.

5 is a view of the tape cartridge 10 shown 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 a tape having a width of 24 mm.

FIG. 8 shows the tape T stored in the tape cartridge 10.
It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the width | variety and the depth of three detection holes 18K.

9 is an end view of the tape writer 1 taken along the line AA-AA in FIG.

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

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

FIG. 12 is a BB end view showing a mechanism for moving the print head 60 in 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 centered on a CPU 110.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a key layout of the input section 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 the display section 50D.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a printing state on a margin.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of print fonts prepared in the mask ROM 118.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of a font map used when printing three lines.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of a multi-line print processing program.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing another configuration example of the rotation stopper of the tape core 20.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Tape writer 10 ... Tape cartridge 10A ... Tape discharge port 10B ... Guide part 12 ... Platen 12A, 24B ... Engaging strip 14 ... Platen rubber 16 ... Top wall 16A, 18A ... Fitting hole 16C ... Guide protrusion 16D ... Protrusion 16G ... Fitting hole 18 ... Bottom wall 18B ... Shaft 18C ... Fitting hole 18D ... Engaging piece 18E ... Base end 18G ... Fitting hole 18H ... Engaging piece 18K ... Detection holes 18Ka, 18Kb, 18Kc ... Detection hole 20 ... Tape core 20A ... Film 20B ... Shaft hole 20C ... Engagement portion 22 ... Ink ribbon core 22A ... Engagement portion 23 ... Washer 24 ... Ribbon winding core 24A ... Engagement portion 24B ... Engagement strip 24C ... Flange portion 26 ... Tape guide pin 28 ... Outer periphery 30 ... Ribbon guide roller 32 ... Entry hole 34 ... Guide wall 50A ... Tape cartridge mounting section 50B ... Printer section 50C ... Part 50D ... Display part 50Da ... Main display part 50Db ... Indicator part 50E ... Expansion part 50Ea ... External input / output connector 50F ... Control circuit part 50H ... Main body case 50I ... Battery storage part 50J ... Power switch 50K ... Main body 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 60 ... print head 60A ... temperature detection circuit 60B ... voltage detection circuit 61 ... base board 62 ... link Plate 63 ... Driving member 63a ... End 63b ... End 64 ... Head rotating shaft 65 ... Head body 65a ... Insulator 65b ... Heat dissipation plate 66 ... Coil spring 67 ... Frame 67a ... Connecting plate 67b ... Pin 68 ... Flexible cable 69 ... Coil springs 70A, 70B ... Abutting projection 72 ... Platen drive shaft 2A ... rim 72B, 74B ... ridge 74 ... winding core drive shaft 74A ... rim 80 ... stepping motor 80A ... rotary shaft 80B ... clutch arm 80C ... opening 81 ... first gear 82, 83 ... third 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 ... Moving blade 99 ... Detection switch 102 ... Cartridge discrimination switch 102A, 102B, 102C ... Cartridge discrimination switch 110 ... CPU 112 ... Head rank determination unit 112A, 112B, 112C ... Jumper unit 113 ... AC adapter 114 ... Power supply unit 115 ... Jack 116 ... display unit control circuit 116A ... LCD controller 118 ... mask ROM 120 ... printer controller 122 ... motor driver R ... ink ribbon

Continuation of front page (56) Reference JP-A-2-8073 (JP, A) JP-A-4-269573 (JP, A) JP-A-3-166977 (JP, A) JP-A-6-115234 (JP , A) JP-A-2-185449 (JP, A) Actual opening Sho 62-109958 (JP, U) Actual opening Sho 63-179134 (JP, U) Actual opening 1-174148 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 3/36 B41J 15/04 B41J 17/32

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A tape cartridge mounted on the printing apparatus for printing on tape sandwiched between the ink ribbon and the print head and the platen and tape, and before Symbol tape core you turn capable winding feeding the tape The ribbon core wound so that the ink ribbon used for printing can be wound out, the winding core that winds up the ink ribbon used for printing, and the position where the unwound ink ribbon is printed by the print head. between the tape discharge port ribbon transport path and before <br/> Symbol unwound tape through the printing position for conveying through a certain printing position to the winding core of a tape transport path for transporting outside the casing The formed tape guide member to the printing device
Even when not attached, the tape transport path and the ribbon transport
State where the tape and the ink ribbon are present in the feeding path
In a single case, the tape guide member is a member for guiding the tape in the tape transport path to the platen on the upstream side of the printing position, and in the tape transport path, The tape is such that the tape contacts the ink ribbon only at the printing position,
Before and after the print position, the ink ribbon is conveyed along the outer periphery of the platen having a predetermined radius via the tape guide member, and the ink ribbon in the ribbon conveyance path is intruded by the print head before and after the print position. A tape cartridge that is linearly conveyed along a guide wall formed on the outer periphery of the opening. 2. The tape outlet is used for the printing.
On the platen side of the trajectory line of the ejected ink ribbon
The tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the tape cartridge is conveyed along the outer periphery of the platen after the printing position by forming the tape on the side wall of the case. 3. The tape cartridge according to claim 2, wherein a guide portion extending from the tape discharge port toward the printing position is provided in the vicinity of the tape discharge port.