JP4407162B2 - Ink ribbon cartridge and recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ink ribbon cartridge including a ribbon guide having an ink ribbon and a recording apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a recording apparatus such as a dot impact printer that records a recording wire ejected from a recording head onto a sheet supplied onto a platen via an ink ribbon delivered from an ink ribbon cartridge and records an image on the sheet is known. ing. In this type, a ribbon guide is attached to the ink ribbon so that the ink ribbon sent out from the ink ribbon cartridge is stably fed in front of the recording wire (see Patent Document 1). The ribbon guide generally includes a ribbon pressing portion, and includes a slit through which the ink ribbon passes.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-238831 [0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above configuration, since the slit of the ribbon holding portion of the ribbon guide opens in the width direction of the ink ribbon, it is easy to insert the ink ribbon through the slit. However, when the ribbon guide is mounted on the carriage, the ink is removed from the ribbon guide. There is a problem that the ribbon is easily pulled out.
[0005]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and to easily insert an ink ribbon through the slit of the ribbon pressing portion, and an ink ribbon cartridge having a configuration in which the once inserted ink ribbon is difficult to come out. It is to provide a recording apparatus.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 includes a ribbon guide attached to the ink ribbon, the ribbon guide facing the recording side surface of the ink ribbon, and the ribbon facing the non-recording side surface of the ink ribbon. A ribbon holding portion that extends obliquely with respect to the ink ribbon feeding direction in a plane parallel to the surface of the ink ribbon and has an inclined portion that is bent at least at one point . A slit is provided.
[0007]
The invention according to claim 2 includes a ribbon guide attached to the ink ribbon, the ribbon guide facing the recording side surface of the ink ribbon and the ribbon facing the non-recording side surface of the ink ribbon. A guide portion, and the ribbon guide portion extends obliquely with respect to the ink ribbon feeding direction in a plane parallel to the surface of the ink ribbon, and has an inclined portion that is bent at least at one point . A slit is provided.
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the slit includes a plurality of bent portions sandwiching the inclined portion.
[0009]
Fourth aspect of the present invention, the slit than the center in the width direction of the ink ribbon, characterized in that it is formed by shifting in the mounting Direction of the ink ribbon cartridge.
[0010]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus in which a recording wire ejected from a recording head is struck against a sheet supplied onto a platen via an ink ribbon delivered from an ink ribbon cartridge, and an image is recorded on the sheet. The ink ribbon cartridge includes a ribbon guide attached to the ink ribbon, and the ribbon guide is a ribbon pressing portion facing the recording side surface of the ink ribbon and a ribbon guide facing the non-recording side surface of the ink ribbon. and a section, the ribbon pressing section, extends obliquely with respect to the unwinding direction of the ink ribbon in a plane parallel to the surface of the ink ribbon has an inclined portion at least one place is bent, the slits for the passage of the ink ribbon It is provided with.
[0011]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus in which a recording wire ejected from a recording head is struck against a sheet supplied onto a platen via an ink ribbon delivered from an ink ribbon cartridge and an image is recorded on the sheet. The ink ribbon cartridge includes a ribbon guide attached to the ink ribbon, and the ribbon guide is a ribbon pressing portion facing the recording side surface of the ink ribbon and a ribbon guide facing the non-recording side surface of the ink ribbon. and a section, the ribbon guide portion, extends obliquely with respect to the unwinding direction of the ink ribbon in a plane parallel to the surface of the ink ribbon has an inclined portion at least one place is bent, the slits for the passage of the ink ribbon It is provided with.
[0012]
A seventh aspect of the invention is characterized in that in the fifth or sixth aspect, the slit includes a plurality of bent portions with the inclined portion interposed therebetween.
[0013]
The invention according to claim 8, wherein the slit than the center in the width direction of the ink ribbon, characterized in that it is formed by shifting in the mounting Direction of the ink ribbon cartridge.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a side sectional view of the dot impact printer 10, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an exterior cover of the printer 10 is removed, and FIG. 3 shows a ribbon ink cartridge for the printer 10 shown in FIG. It is a perspective view shown seeing from the side. The printer 10 includes a recording head 20 that selectively ejects a plurality of recording wires, and a carriage 30 on which the recording head 20 is placed. A recording wire (not shown) ejected from the recording head 20 is used as a sheet. This is a dot impact printer that records an image including characters on the sheet by hitting. As the sheet, a cut sheet, a continuous sheet, a postcard or the like is used.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 includes a printer main body 12 that constitutes a recording unit, a tractor unit 13, and a sheet guide 14, and these are covered with an exterior cover 11.
[0016]
The printer main body 12 includes a recording mechanism unit 22 including a recording head 20 and a carriage 30, and a sheet conveying mechanism unit 26 including a platen 23 and sheet conveying rollers 24 and 25.
[0017]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer body 12 includes a sheet guide frame 28, a platen 23, a carriage guide shaft 29, and roller shafts 24a and 25a between the left side frame 27L and the right side frame 27R. It is configured to run in parallel. The carriage guide shaft 29 is provided with a carriage 30 on which the recording head 20 is mounted, and the roller shafts 24 a and 25 a are provided with sheet conveying rollers 24 and 25.
[0018]
The carriage 30 is inserted into the carriage guide shaft 29 so as to be movable in the axial direction of the shaft, and is driven in the axial direction of the carriage guide shaft 29 by a belt mechanism (not shown) driven by a carriage drive motor 31 (see FIG. 2). Drive to. Further, the platen 23 and the sheet conveying rollers 24 and 25 are rotated by a sheet conveying motor 32 to convey the sheet.
[0019]
As the carriage 30 travels in the axial direction of the carriage guide shaft 29, the recording head 20 moves in the main scanning direction (arrow X direction) as shown in FIG. The recording head 20 has a configuration in which a plurality of recording wires (not shown) are driven out toward the platen 23.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1, a ribbon take-up shaft 50 is attached to the printer body 12, and the ribbon take-up shaft 50 is connected to a ribbon drive unit (not shown) driven by a motor (not shown). . As shown in FIG. 3, an ink ribbon cartridge 38 is detachably mounted on the ribbon take-up shaft 50, and the ink ribbon 38 </ b> A of the cartridge 38 is disposed between the recording head 20 and the platen 23. Is done. As a result, the recording head 20 projects the recording wire and strikes the ink ribbon 38A while moving in the main scanning direction by the carriage 30, and the recording head 20 is applied to the sheet conveyed between the platen 23 and the recording head 20 by one line. Record images of characters, etc.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 1, the tractor unit 13 conveys the sheet toward the sheet guide frame 28 by the rotation of the tractor belt 13A. Here, the exterior cover 11 includes a cover 15 that can be opened and closed on the front side of the printer 10, and the sheet can be set on the tractor unit 13 by opening the cover 15. The sheet guide 14 functions as a manual feed tray when manually feeding sheets, and when the sheet is fed from the front of the printer 10 by the tractor unit 13 (in the case of front feeding), the sheet guide 14 It also functions as a paper discharge tray.
[0022]
In the recording operation by the recording head 20, recording for one line is performed by ejecting a recording wire from the recording head 20 while the recording head 20 is moved in the main scanning direction by the carriage 30, and recording for this one line is performed. In the case of the front sheet feeding, the tractor unit 13 and the sheet conveying mechanism unit 26 convey the sheet by a predetermined length (for the normal line interval), and in the case of the rear sheet feeding (manual sheet feeding), the platen 23 However, the sheet is conveyed by a predetermined length (for a normal line interval), and these operations are repeated.
[0023]
The control board 40 (FIG. 1) controls the recording head 20, the carriage drive motor 31, and the sheet conveyance motor 32 described above. The control board unit 40 has a function of communicating with an external device (for example, a personal computer) connected via a communication cable. When print data is received from the external device, recording control is performed based on the print data. I do.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 3, a ribbon guide 70 is attached in advance to the ink ribbon 38 </ b> A of the ink ribbon cartridge 38. The ribbon guide 70 is attached to the recording head 20 as shown in FIG. 4 when the ink ribbon cartridge 38 is attached to the printer main body 12. As shown in FIG. 5, the ribbon guide 70 faces the fitting groove portion 70A into which the nose portion 20A of the recording head 20 is fitted and the surface on the opposite side of the ink ribbon 38A. A ribbon guide portion 70B having a smooth surface that contacts the ink ribbon 38A, and a rod-shaped ribbon pressing portion 70C that faces the recording side surface of the ink ribbon 38A and sandwiches the ink ribbon 38A between the ribbon guide portion 70B. Yes.
[0025]
The ribbon holding portion 70C is formed with a slit 72 in a cut state for allowing the ink ribbon 38A to pass therethrough. The slit 72 has an inclined portion 72A extending obliquely with respect to the feeding direction Y of the ink ribbon 38A. Composed. The slit 72 includes two bent portions 72B and 72C with the inclined portion 72A interposed therebetween. These bent portions 72B and 72C desirably extend obliquely with respect to the feeding direction Y of the ink ribbon 38A, but are not limited thereto, and may extend in parallel with the feeding direction Y.
[0026]
The inclined portion 72A of the slit 72 formed in the ribbon pressing portion 70C may have an arcuate groove shape as shown in FIG. 6A or a triangular groove shape as shown in FIG. 6B.
[0027]
When the ribbon guide 70 is attached to the ink ribbon 38A, the ink ribbon 38A is passed through the slit holding portion 70C through the slit 72 shown in FIG. 5, and then the posture of the ink ribbon 38A is corrected as shown in FIG. Then, the ink ribbon 38A is positioned between the ribbon guide portion 70B and the ribbon pressing portion 70C. In this case, even if the slit 72 through which the ink ribbon 38A passes is provided with an inclined portion 72A in a part thereof, if the ink ribbon 38A is inserted into the slit 72 in a state of being folded in half in the longitudinal direction, for example, Even if the ink ribbon 38A is passed through the ink ribbon 38A almost equally, the ink ribbon 38A can be easily passed therethrough.
[0028]
In addition, since the slit 72 includes the inclined portion 72A, the ink ribbon 38A does not accidentally come out of the slit 72 once the ink ribbon 38A is passed through the slit 72. That is, when the ink ribbon 38A comes out from the slit 72, the ink ribbon 38A comes out in a folded state. However, if the inclined portion 72A exists in the slit 72, the broken ink ribbon 38A gets stuck in the inclined portion 72A. This is because it becomes difficult to escape from the slit 72.
[0029]
Accordingly, in the present embodiment, a configuration is realized in which the ink ribbon 38A can be easily inserted through the slit 72 of the ribbon pressing portion 70C, and the ink ribbon 38A once inserted is difficult to come out.
[0030]
As shown in FIG. 4, the ink ribbon 38A is positioned in a correct posture between the ribbon guide portion 70B and the ribbon pressing portion 70C. When the recording operation of the printer is executed in this state, the ink ribbon 38A is moved to an arrow. Sent in the direction of A. In this case, the nose portion 20A of the recording head 20 is positioned on substantially the same surface as the ribbon guide portion 70B, and a recording wire (not shown) driven out from the nose portion 20A passes through the ink ribbon 38A to the sheet. The image is recorded on the sheet. The ribbon guide 70 reliably guides the ink ribbon 38A in the correct posture to the front of the nose portion 20A of the recording head 20 during the recording operation of the printer, thereby ensuring recording accuracy.
[0031]
The ribbon guide 70 is attached to the recording head 20 when the ink ribbon cartridge 38 is attached to the printer body. When the ribbon guide 70 is attached to the recording head 20, the ribbon guide 70 may be moved in the mounting direction of the ink ribbon cartridge 38 (the direction of the arrow X). When the ribbon guide 70 is moved in the direction of the arrow X, the ink ribbon 38A is relatively moved in the opposite direction, and the ink ribbon 38A is displaced upward in FIG. 4 of the ribbon pressing portion 70C. To do.
[0032]
According to this, when the above-described slit 72 is formed above the ribbon pressing portion 70 </ b> C in FIG. 4, there is a high possibility that the ink ribbon 38 </ b> A will come out through the slit 72.
[0033]
In this embodiment, the slit 72 is formed so as to be shifted from the center in the width direction of the ink ribbon 38A to the back side in the mounting direction of the ink ribbon cartridge 38 so that the ink ribbon 38A does not come out during this operation. . In this configuration, the above-described ink ribbon 38A is prevented from being pulled out when the ink ribbon cartridge 38 is mounted.
[0034]
FIG. 7 shows another embodiment.
[0035]
In the above embodiment, the slit 72 of the ribbon guide 70 is formed in the ribbon pressing portion 70C. However, in the present embodiment, the slit 82 is formed in the smooth surface of the ribbon guide portion 70B. The slit 82 includes an inclined portion 82A that extends obliquely with respect to the feeding direction Y of the ink ribbon 38A. The slit 82 includes two bent portions 82B and 82C with the inclined portion 82A interposed therebetween. In this case, the bent portions 82B and 82C extend substantially in parallel with the feeding direction Y of the ink ribbon 38A in order to facilitate the passage of the ink ribbon 38A in view of the fact that the length of the bent portions 82B and 82C itself becomes longer.
[0036]
The inclined portion 82A of the slit 82 formed in the ribbon guide portion 70B may be, for example, an arc groove shape as shown in FIG. 6A, or a triangular groove shape as shown in FIG. 6B. Good.
[0037]
In this configuration, even if the slit 82 partially includes the inclined portion 82A, the ink ribbon 38A can be easily passed by inserting the ink ribbon 38A into the slit 82 in a folded state.
[0038]
Further, since the slit 82 includes the inclined portion 82A, the ink ribbon 38A does not accidentally come out of the slit 82 once the ink ribbon 38A is passed through the slit 82. That is, when the ink ribbon 38A comes out from the slit 82, the ink ribbon 38A comes out in a folded state. However, if the inclined portion 82A exists in the slit 82, the folded ink ribbon 38A becomes the inclined portion 82A. This is because it is difficult to get out of the slit 82.
[0039]
The slit 82 of the ribbon guide 70 is formed so as to be shifted from the center in the width direction of the ink ribbon 38A to the back side in the mounting direction of the ink ribbon cartridge 38, as in the above embodiment.
[0040]
With this configuration, the ink ribbon 38A is prevented from coming off when the ink ribbon cartridge 38 is mounted.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
In the present invention, the ink ribbon can be easily inserted through the slit of the ribbon pressing portion, and the once inserted ink ribbon is difficult to come out.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a printer to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer main body.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an ink ribbon cartridge.
4 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a ribbon guide.
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing another embodiment of a slit.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the ribbon guide.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Dot impact printer 12 Printer main body 20 Recording head 19 Carriage 21 Platen 38 Ink ribbon cartridge 38A Ink ribbon 70 Ribbon guide 70B Ribbon guide part 70C Ribbon pressing part 72, 82 Slit 72A, 82A Inclined part 72B, 72C, 82B, 82C Bending part

Claims (8)

A ribbon guide attached to the ink ribbon, the ribbon guide including a ribbon pressing portion facing the recording side surface of the ink ribbon and a ribbon guide portion facing the non-recording side surface of the ink ribbon; The pressing portion includes a slit for passing the ink ribbon, which has an inclined portion extending obliquely with respect to the ink ribbon feeding direction in a plane parallel to the surface of the ink ribbon and having at least one bent portion. Ink ribbon cartridge. Comprising a ribbon guide which is attached to the ink ribbon, the ribbon guide comprises a ribbon pressing portion opposed to the surface of the recording side of the ink ribbon, and a ribbon guide member facing the surface of the counter-recording side of the ink ribbon, the ribbon The guide portion is provided with a slit for passing the ink ribbon, which has an inclined portion that extends obliquely with respect to the ink ribbon feeding direction in a plane parallel to the surface of the ink ribbon and has at least one bent portion. Ink ribbon cartridge.   The ink ribbon cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the slit includes a plurality of bent portions with the inclined portion interposed therebetween. It said slit than said width direction of the center of the ink ribbon, the ink ribbon cartridge ink ribbon cartridge of any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is formed by shifting in the mounting Direction of. In a recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet supplied by hitting a recording wire ejected from a recording head to a sheet supplied onto a platen via an ink ribbon delivered from an ink ribbon cartridge.
The ink ribbon cartridge includes a ribbon guide attached to the ink ribbon, and the ribbon guide includes a ribbon pressing portion that faces the recording side surface of the ink ribbon, and a ribbon guide portion that faces the non-recording side surface of the ink ribbon. with the door, the ribbon pressing section, extends obliquely with respect to the unwinding direction of the ink ribbon in a plane parallel to the surface of the ink ribbon has an inclined portion at least one place is bent, the slits for the passage of the ink ribbon A recording apparatus comprising: In a recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet supplied by hitting a recording wire ejected from a recording head to a sheet supplied onto a platen via an ink ribbon delivered from an ink ribbon cartridge.
The ink ribbon cartridge includes a ribbon guide attached to the ink ribbon, and the ribbon guide includes a ribbon pressing portion that faces the recording side surface of the ink ribbon, and a ribbon guide portion that faces the non-recording side surface of the ink ribbon. comprising the door, the ribbon guide portion, extends obliquely with respect to the unwinding direction of the ink ribbon in a plane parallel to the surface of the ink ribbon has an inclined portion at least one place is bent, the slits for the passage of the ink ribbon A recording apparatus comprising:   The recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the slit includes a plurality of bent portions with the inclined portion interposed therebetween. It said slit than the center in the width direction of the ink ribbon, the printing apparatus that any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that is formed by shifting in the mounting Direction of the ink ribbon cartridge.

Images