JP4745903B2 - Thermal transfer printer and method for automatically identifying ink ribbon - Google Patents

Description

    More particularly, the present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer that prevents an erroneous application of an ink ribbon to the front and back and a method for automatically determining the ink ribbon.

Conventionally, a thermal transfer printer as shown in FIG. 5 is known.
The thermal transfer printer 20 includes a medium supply shaft 23 on which a label continuum 22 as a “print medium”, in which the label L is temporarily attached to the mount 21 at almost equal intervals, a medium auxiliary roller 24, and a detection means A detection sensor 25, a printing unit 26 as a printing unit, a ribbon unit 27, and a conveyance path 28 formed between the medium supply shaft 23 and the printing unit 26 are provided.
The detection sensor 25 is provided in the middle of the conveyance path 28, and the light emitting unit 25 a that emits light toward the back surface of the mount 21 of the label continuous body 22 being conveyed, and the mount 21 irradiated from the light emitting unit 25 a toward the mount 21. The light receiving unit 25b that receives the light reflected by the light receiving unit 21 is configured to detect an unillustrated identification mark on the mount 21 based on a change in the received light amount.
The printing unit 26 includes a thermal head 29 and a platen 30, and prints necessary item information on the surface of the label continuum 22 via the thermal head 29. The platen 30 is connected to a stepping motor (not shown). The label continuum 22 sandwiched between the thermal head 29 is conveyed downstream or back-fed (reversely conveyed) upstream in accordance with the rotation of a stepping motor (not shown).
The ribbon unit 27 includes an ink ribbon R, a ribbon supply shaft 31 on which the ink ribbon R is mounted, a ribbon take-up shaft 32, and ribbon auxiliary rollers 33a and 33b. The ink ribbon R attached to the ribbon supply shaft 31 is sandwiched between the thermal head 29 and the platen 30 via the ribbon auxiliary rollers 33a and 33b, and is melted by the heat of the thermal head 29 while being wound on the ribbon winding shaft 32. The necessary item information can be written to the label L of the label continuum 22 via the thermal head 29.
As shown in FIG. 6, the ink ribbon R mainly has an ink layer 35 in which “ink” is applied on one surface of the film 34.

    By the way, the ink ribbon R used in the thermal transfer printer 20 as described above is a so-called “inner winding” in which the ink layer 35 is wound inside the ink ribbon R in accordance with user's request for convenience (see FIG. 6). Alternatively, there is a type of so-called “outer winding” (not shown) in which the ink layer 35 is exposed to the outside, and since the ink layer 35 is formed on one surface of the transparent film 34, “inner winding” or “ It was difficult to discriminate “outside winding”, and a primitive method was adopted in which the ink layer 35 was determined to be on the surface with ink on the hand by touching the surface. In some cases, printing could not be performed due to an error in the type of the “inner winding” or “outer winding” ink ribbon R. That is, for example, when the “inner winding” ink ribbon R of FIG. 6 is attached to the thermal transfer printer 20 (see FIG. 5), the “ink” is applied to the label L of the label continuum 22 via the thermal head 29 in the printing unit 26. , The ink layer 35 is on the thermal head 29 side, and the surface side of the label L cannot be thermally transferred due to the film 34, resulting in “printing failure”.

To prevent the setting of the front and back of the ink ribbon cassette when the ink ribbon cassette is mounted on the carriage to prevent the above problems (ribbon hanging), a cassette with a sticker attached is used. It has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
According to this patent document 1, the corresponding portions of the seal and the ink ribbon cassette are marked, and a sticker is attached to the ink ribbon cassette to prevent the ink ribbon cassette from being mistakenly applied. In the case of a type that uses both sides of the ink ribbon cassette, it is cumbersome and needs to be peeled off when the use of one side is finished, it is necessary to turn it over and paste it again at the same position on the back side. If you forgot to replace it, there was a problem that the used surface could be used again.
For this reason, it has been desired to automatically know the direction in which the ink layer 35 appears, that is, the direction in which the ink layer 35 exists due to “inner winding” or “outer winding” of the ink ribbon R with a simple structure.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-127777

The present invention has been made based on the above-described demands, and a thermal transfer printer that prevents an erroneous application of the front and back of the ink ribbon by detecting an electrical signal of the ink ribbon between the detection terminals in contact with the ink ribbon, and It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic discrimination method for the ink ribbon.

In the thermal transfer printer according to the first aspect of the present invention, the heat of a thermal head is applied to an ink ribbon having an ink layer formed by applying ink to one surface of a film, and the ink of the ink layer is applied to a printing medium. In a thermal transfer printer for transferring to a ribbon, a ribbon supply shaft for mounting the ink ribbon, a ribbon take-up shaft for taking up the ink ribbon fed out from the ribbon supply shaft, and a conveyance path from the ribbon supply shaft to the ribbon take-up shaft A guide roller for guiding the ink ribbon, a pair of detection terminals provided on the surface of the guide roller and provided at an appropriate distance in contact with the ink ribbon, and ink between the detection terminals A detection unit that detects an electrical signal of the ribbon; and the electrical signal detected by the detection unit is determined, and the ink ribbon Ink layer is characterized by comprising front, or a determination unit either on or are formed on the back side, a.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for automatically discriminating an ink ribbon of a thermal transfer printer, wherein an ink ribbon having an ink layer formed by applying ink on one surface of a film is supplied from a ribbon supply shaft. When the ink is taken up by the take-up shaft, the ink ribbon of the thermal transfer printer that automatically transfers the ink in the ink layer to the print medium via the thermal head in the transport path formed between the ribbon supply shaft and the ribbon take-up shaft In the determination method, the ribbon guide means that guides the ink ribbon in contact with the ink ribbon that is transported through the transport path, the ribbon guide means, and the appropriate position in contact with the ink ribbon A detection means comprising a pair of detection terminals provided, and detecting an electrical signal of an ink ribbon between the detection terminals; and the detection Determining the electrical signal detected by the stage, characterized in that the ink layer of the ink ribbon with the front, or a determination unit configured to determine is formed in either the back, the.
Furthermore, the electrical signal can be a current resistance value or a surface resistivity.

A pair of detection terminals are provided at an appropriate distance on the surface of the guide roller, and an electronic signal between the detection terminals is detected in contact with the ink ribbon. Alternatively, since it is determined which side is formed on the back side, it is possible to automatically discriminate the back and front of the ink ribbon, thereby preventing an erroneous application of the front and back of the ink ribbon R.

A thermal transfer printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
In the following description, the same parts as those in the prior art are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 1 is a schematic enlarged perspective view of the ribbon portion 27 as viewed from the upper left in FIG. 5. For convenience of explanation, the ribbon take-up shaft 32, the thermal head 29, the platen 30 and the like are omitted. 2 is a schematic side view seen from the direction of arrow II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III.

As shown mainly in FIG. 1, the ink ribbon R mounted on the ribbon supply shaft 31 is taken up by the ribbon take-up shaft 32 through the ribbon auxiliary roller 33a and the guide roller 2.
The guide roller 2 is provided in place of the conventional ribbon auxiliary roller 33b, and a pair of detection terminals 3 and 4 are provided along the circumferential surface of the surface. The detection terminals 3 and 4 are made of a “conductive member”, and are provided at positions separated from each other by an appropriate distance T while being in contact with the ink ribbon R transported through the transport path 28.
The guide roller 2 has a cylindrical shape with a hollow portion 5 formed inside, and the detection terminal 3 provided on the surface of the guide roller 2 is wired to the hollow portion 5 through the insertion hole 6. In addition, the measurement terminal 7 of the “detection unit” serving as detection means is provided in contact with the detection terminal 3 provided in a state inscribed in the inner surface of the hollow part 5. . The other detection terminal 4 has the same configuration, and the description thereof is omitted. The measurement terminal 7 can electrically detect a signal such as a current resistance value or a surface resistivity of the ink ribbon R between the detection terminals 3 and 4.
In addition, referring to the electrical resistance value as an “electrical signal” of the ink ribbon R, if the distance T of about 10 mm is detected by a tester, a current resistance value of about 180 to 200 KΩ is detected on the ink layer 35 side. However, it is known that the film 34 side is almost zero.
The detected electrical signal is sent to a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown) to be connected, and is compared and determined with an electrical signal set in advance by the CPU.

Next, the automatic determination process for the ink ribbon will be described mainly with reference to FIG.
In addition, the label continuous body 22 is demonstrated as what is mounted | worn beforehand.
In step S01, the ink ribbon R is loaded. That is, the ink ribbon R is mounted on the ribbon supply shaft 31 and wound around the draw-out ribbon winding shaft 32 through the ribbon auxiliary roller 33a and the guide roller 2.
In step S02, a power supply (not shown) of the thermal transfer printer 20 is turned on (ON). When the power is turned on, the ribbon take-up shaft 32 rotates and tension is applied to the ink ribbon R, and the ink ribbon R comes into contact with the detection terminals 3 and 4 provided on the surface of the guide roller 2. .
In step S03, an electrical signal of the ink ribbon R is acquired. That is, a weak current is passed from one detection terminal 4 to measure the current resistance value of the ink ribbon R. In a state where the ink layer 35 is formed on the guide roller 2 side (see FIG. 1), the ink ribbon R Since one of the detection terminals 4 and the other detection terminal 3 is separated from each other, an “energization path” via the ink ribbon R is formed at an appropriate distance T. When the distance T is 10 mm, a current resistance value of about 180 to 200 KΩ is detected by a detection unit (not shown) via the measurement terminal 7. The current resistance value detected by the detection unit (not shown) is sent to a CPU not shown.
In step S04, it is determined whether the ink layer 35 side is detected. That is, if the current resistance value is almost zero, it can be determined that the surface of the film 34 is detected, and if it is 180 to 200 KΩ, it can be determined that the ink layer 35 has been detected. Displays in step S05 that it is normally worn and ends the process.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S04 that the ink layer 35 has been detected, in step S06, an error message is displayed on a display unit (not shown), a buzzer (not shown), a light emitting diode is turned on and blinking, and the like. Then, the operator performs “display of error” to the operator and stops.

As described above, a pair of detection terminals 3 and 4 are provided on the surface of the guide roller 2 with an appropriate distance T, and the current resistance value between the detection terminals 3 and 4 is detected while being in contact with the ink ribbon R. If the current resistance value is zero, the guide roller 2 side is the film 34 surface. On the other hand, if the current resistance value is 180 to 200 KΩ, it is determined that the guide roller 2 side is the ink layer 35. The ink layer 35 side or the film 34 side of the ribbon R can be automatically discriminated, so that an erroneous hooking (incorrect mounting) of the front and back of the ink ribbon R can be prevented.
Further, since the detection terminals 3 and 4 are provided along the circumferential surface of the surface of the guide roller 2, they are not disturbed. If the guide roller 2 is rotatable, the detection terminals 3 and 4 are conveyed along with this rotation. Since the contact resistance with respect to the ink ribbon R can be reduced, the ink ribbon R is hardly damaged.

It should be noted that the configuration and operation of the above-described embodiment are examples, and it goes without saying that they can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is a general | schematic expansion perspective view of the ribbon part of the thermal transfer printer by one embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic side view seen from the arrow direction in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an automatic determination process for an ink ribbon. It is a schematic side view which shows the conventional thermal transfer printer. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the conventional ink ribbon.

Explanation of symbols

L Label R Ribbon 2 Guide roller 3 Detection terminal 4 Detection terminal 5 Hollow part 6 Insertion hole 7 Measurement terminal 20 Thermal transfer printer 21 Mount 22 Label continuous body (print medium)
23 Media supply shaft 24 Media auxiliary rollers 25, 25a, 25b Detection sensor 26 Printing unit 27 Ribbon unit 28 Transport path 29 Thermal head 30 Platen 31 Ribbon supply shaft 32 Ribbon take-up shafts 33a, 33b Ribbon auxiliary roller 34 Film 35 Ink layer

Claims (3)

In a thermal transfer printer that applies heat of a thermal head to an ink ribbon having an ink layer formed by applying ink on one surface of a film, and transfers the ink of the ink layer to a print medium.
A ribbon supply shaft for mounting the ink ribbon;
A ribbon take-up shaft for taking up the ink ribbon fed from the ribbon supply shaft;
A guide roller that is provided in a conveyance path from the ribbon supply shaft to the ribbon take-up shaft and guides the ink ribbon;
A pair of detection terminals provided on the surface of the guide roller and provided at an appropriate distance in contact with the ink ribbon;
A detection unit for detecting an electrical signal of the ink ribbon between the detection terminals;
A determination unit for determining the electrical signal detected by the detection unit and determining whether the ink layer of the ink ribbon is formed on the front side or the back side;
A thermal transfer printer comprising: When an ink ribbon having an ink layer formed by applying ink on one surface of a film is supplied from a ribbon supply shaft and wound on the ribbon take-up shaft, the ribbon is formed between the ribbon supply shaft and the ribbon take-up shaft. In the method for automatically discriminating an ink ribbon of a thermal transfer printer that thermally transfers the ink of the ink layer to a printing medium via a thermal head in the transport path,
Ribbon guiding means for guiding the ink ribbon in contact with the ink ribbon conveyed through the conveyance path;
A detection means provided on the ribbon guide means, and provided with a pair of detection terminals provided in appropriate contact with the ink ribbon and detecting an electrical signal of the ink ribbon between the detection terminals; ,
Determination means for determining the electrical signal detected by the detection means, and determining whether the ink layer of the ink ribbon is formed on the front side or the back side;
A method for automatically discriminating an ink ribbon of a thermal transfer printer.   3. The method of automatically determining an ink ribbon of a thermal transfer printer according to claim 2, wherein the electrical signal is a current resistance value or a surface resistivity.

Images