JP6986220B2 - Printing device and printing device body - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a thermal transfer type printing apparatus and a printing apparatus main body that heat an ink ribbon to perform printing.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a heat-sensitive ink ribbon (also referred to as an ink sheet) is wound around a supply roll, and the ink ribbon is heated by a thermal head in a transport path wound by the winding roll. A thermal transfer type printing apparatus for printing is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-215944

In the printing apparatus as disclosed in the prior art, the ribbon cassette for supplying the ink ribbon and the printing apparatus main body for printing on the supplied ink ribbon are separately configured so as to be detachable from each other. There is something that has become. In such a case, the ribbon cassette in which the ink ribbon is passed through the transfer path from the supply roll to the take-up roll is attached to the printing apparatus main body, but when the ink ribbon is attached, the ink ribbon is attached to the printing apparatus main body. There was a risk of getting entangled in each part of the ribbon and disturbing it.

Specifically, since the entire printing apparatus is miniaturized, the margin width of the transport path in the printing apparatus main body is narrow, and tension is not applied to the entire ink ribbon at the time of mounting, so that the ink ribbon is applied from the original passage path. Is slightly distorted and misaligned. Therefore, when mounting the ribbon cassette on the printing device main body, it is necessary to align the ink ribbon passage path in the ribbon cassette with the transport path in the printing device main body with high accuracy. The positioning operation was complicated. Further, even when a guide mechanism for facilitating the positioning is provided, it becomes a factor that limits the maximum outer diameter of the ink ribbon around the supply roll and the take-up roll.

An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a printing apparatus main body capable of smoothly mounting a ribbon cassette to a printing apparatus main body while not limiting the maximum outer diameter of the ink ribbon and surely preventing the ink ribbon from being disturbed. To provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention rotatably supports a printing apparatus main body provided with a thermal head, a cassette base, and a ribbon supply roll provided on one side of the cassette base in the first direction. A shaft and a take-up roll shaft that rotatably supports a ribbon take-up roll provided on the other side of the cassette base in the first direction are provided in the axial direction of the supply roll shaft and the take-up roll shaft. The thermal head has a cassette that is attached to and detached from the printing apparatus main body, and the ink of the ink ribbon that is unwound from the ribbon supply roll, passes through the thermal head, and is wound onto the ribbon winding roll. A printing device that transfers to an image receiver by heating and prints, and has a concave-convex guide mechanism including a convex portion extending in the attachment / detachment direction and a concave portion for accommodating the convex portion when the cassette is attached. The ribbon supply roll is provided at a portion of the main body and the cassette on one side and the other side in the first direction, which are outside the maximum outer diameter range of the ribbon supply roll and outside the maximum outer diameter range of the ribbon winding roll. The printing apparatus main body is characterized in that the printing apparatus main body is provided with an inclined surface that abuts at a predetermined inclination angle when the cassette is mounted on the ink ribbon that is unwound from the printer and reaches the ribbon winding roll via the thermal head. ..

In the printing apparatus of the present invention, the cassette that supplies the ink ribbon and the printing apparatus main body that prints on the supplied ink ribbon are separate from each other. That is, when printing is executed, the cassette is mounted on the printing apparatus main body, and the ink ribbon is fed out from the ribbon supply roll supported by the supply roll shaft of the cassette. The drawn ink ribbon is guided to the thermal head of the printing apparatus main body, and by being heated by the thermal head, the ink is transferred to the image receiving body and printing is performed. The transferred ink ribbon is wound on a ribbon winding roll supported by a winding roll shaft of the cassette.

At this time, in the present invention, both the printing apparatus main body and the cassette are provided with a concavo-convex mechanism including a convex portion extending in the attachment / detachment direction of the cassette and a concave portion for accommodating the convex portion. At the time of mounting, the convex portion is housed in the concave portion to guide the mounting of the cassette on the device body, so that the cassette is smoothly mounted on the device body.
At this time, the guide mechanism is provided at a portion of the printing apparatus main body and the cassette that is outside the maximum outer diameter range of the ribbon supply roll and the ribbon winding roll. This does not impose restrictions on the maximum outer diameter of the ink ribbon. Further, the guide mechanism is distributed and arranged on both one side and the other side in the first direction of the printing apparatus main body and the cassette. This prevents the ink ribbon from being mounted in a disordered state due to insufficient guide function to the cassette, as in the case where the two guide mechanisms are arranged relatively close to each other. be able to.

Further, even if the cassette is being mounted on the printing apparatus main body while the path of the ink ribbon is slightly disturbed at the time of mounting, the inclined surface provided on the printing apparatus main body is predetermined. By abutting on the ink ribbon at the tilt angle of, the ink ribbon whose position is disturbed can be pushed out by the tilt and corrected to the correct transport path position.

As a result of the above, in the present invention, the cassette can be smoothly mounted on the printing apparatus main body while not limiting the maximum outer diameter of the ink ribbon and surely preventing the ink ribbon from being disturbed.

According to the present invention, the ribbon cassette can be smoothly mounted on the printing apparatus main body while not limiting the maximum outer diameter of the ink ribbon and surely preventing the ink ribbon from being disturbed.

It is a figure which shows the system configuration of the packaging material printing system provided with the printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view of the whole appearance of a printing apparatus. It is a perspective view of the state which the printing apparatus main body and the ribbon cassette are separated. It is an external perspective view of a ribbon cassette. It is an external perspective view of a printing apparatus main body. It is a front view of the state which attached the ribbon cassette to the printing apparatus main body. It is sectional drawing as seen in the arrow view VII in FIG. It is sectional drawing seen in the arrow view VIII in FIG. It is the figure which looked at the arrangement of the ink ribbon assumed with respect to the printing apparatus main body from the front. It is a side view of a printing apparatus main body and a ribbon cassette in a state of facing each other. It is a figure which shows the open state and the locked state of the locking claw and the locked portion.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the vertical direction, the front-back direction, and the left-right direction correspond to the arrow directions appropriately shown in each figure such as FIG.

<Structure of packaging material printing system>
FIG. 1 shows a system configuration of a packaging material printing system including the printing apparatus of the present embodiment. The packaging material printing system 100 passes a strip-shaped packaging material 102 (corresponding to an image receiver) unwound from the packaging material supply roll 101 to the lower part of the printing device 1 to print desired characters and figures, and prints the strip-shaped packaging material 102. The processing is controlled by a personal computer PC as a control means connected to the printing apparatus 1 via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) compliant communication cable 103.

In addition to the connection with the USB-compliant communication cable 103, information transmission / reception may be possible via other wired network communication or wireless communication. Further, in addition to the personal computer PC shown as the control means, a control unit including an operation unit such as a keyboard and a display unit such as a display may be integrally provided in the printing device 1 (not particularly shown).

<Outline configuration of printing device>
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the entire appearance of the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, the entire printing apparatus 1 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the four outer peripheral side surfaces (that is, the upper side surface, the right side surface, the lower side surface, and the left side surface) around the anteroposterior axis in the figure are 1. It is covered with two decorative outer panels 2. The decorative outer plate 2 is arbitrarily detachable from the printing device 1, and in each of the following figures, the internal configuration of the printing device 1 is illustrated with the decorative outer plate 2 removed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the entire printing apparatus 1 is composed of a printing apparatus main body 3 and a ribbon cassette 4 that can be arbitrarily separated in the front-rear direction. Although not shown, the decorative outer plate 2 can be mounted on the printing apparatus main body 3, and the ribbon cassette 4 is arranged to be inserted inside the decorative outer plate 2. Then, the ribbon cassette 4 is inserted and removed along the axial direction (front-back direction) of the supply roll shaft 43 and the take-up roll shaft 44 provided on the ribbon cassette 4 side to the printing apparatus main body 3. It is removable.

<Detailed configuration of ribbon cassette>
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of only the ribbon cassette 4, and FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of only the printing apparatus main body 3. Further, FIG. 6 shows a state in which the ribbon cassette 4 is attached to the printing apparatus main body 3 from the front (front), and FIGS. 7 and 8 show the printing apparatus main body 3 and the ribbon cassette 4 in the same attached state in FIG. The cross section seen by the arrow VII and the cross section seen by the arrow VIII are shown.

In FIGS. 4 to 8, the ribbon cassette 4 has a cassette base 41 located on the front side, a handle 42 provided on the front side (front side) of the cassette base 41, and a back side (rear side) of the cassette base 41. It is provided with a supply roll shaft 43, a take-up roll shaft 44, four guide rollers 45, and two positioning guide shafts 46 provided on the side).

The cassette base 41 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and has a frame portion 51 composed of outer shells on four outer peripheral sides (that is, upper side, right side, lower side, and left side), and a base recess located on the inner peripheral side thereof. Has 52. The base recess 52 is formed in a shape recessed toward the printing device, and specifically, the inner peripheral four side surfaces of the frame portion 51 (that is, the upper inner side surface, the right inner side surface, the lower inner side surface, and the left inner side surface). It is composed of a bottom surface 52a located on the printing apparatus main body 3 side at the time of mounting.

The handle 42 (corresponding to the grip portion) is on the front side of the cassette base 41, that is, on the side opposite to the printing device main body 3 when mounted on the printing device main body 3, and in the left-right direction of each of the upper side and the lower side of the frame portion 51 (corresponding to the grip portion). It is provided so as to pass the central portion (intermediate portion) of (corresponding to the first direction). The handle 42 is gripped by the user when the ribbon cassette 4 is attached to and detached from the printing apparatus main body 3.

The supply roll shaft 43 and the take-up roll shaft 44 are located on the back side of the cassette base 41, that is, on the side close to the printing device main body 3 when mounted on the printing device main body 3, and in the horizontal direction above the central position in the vertical direction. It is provided side by side. The supply roll shaft 43 is arranged on the left side (corresponding to one side in the first direction), and the take-up roll shaft 44 is arranged on the right side (corresponding to the other side in the first direction), respectively, of the cassette base 41. It is rotatably provided around the central axis while extending from the back to the rear side (the printing device main body 3 side at the time of attachment / detachment). A series of strip-shaped ink ribbons 47 are fixed and wound around the supply roll shaft 43 in advance, and the other end of the ink ribbon 47 is fixed to the take-up roll shaft 44 and unwound from the supply roll shaft 43. The ink ribbon 47 is wound up in a roll shape.

The four guide rollers 45 are arranged at the four corners on the back surface side of the cassette base 41, respectively, and are provided so as to be rotatable around the central axis while extending to the rear side. The ink ribbon 47 unwound from the supply roll shaft 43 is finally wound via a transport path (see the thick solid line in FIG. 9 described later) that abuts on the outer peripheral side surfaces of each of the four guide rollers 45 and bends. It is guided by the take roll shaft 44.

The two positioning guide shafts 46 (corresponding to the convex portion, the first guide shaft, and the second guide shaft) are rod-shaped members having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape extending rearward, respectively, and are the back surfaces of the cassette base 41. It is arranged at both ends in the left-right direction at the center position in the up-down direction (corresponding to the second direction) on the side.

Further, on the bottom surface 52a of the base recess 52 in the cassette base 41, an antenna through hole 53 and a connector through hole 54 into which two cover convex portions included in the printing apparatus main body 3 described later can be fitted are formed (details are described). Will be described later). Further, the slider operation unit 56 (corresponding to the operation unit) that can be moved in the left-right direction via the operation unit through hole 55 (corresponding to the second through hole) formed in the bottom surface 52a of the base recess 52 in the cassette base 41. It is provided. Further, inside the cassette base 41, an interlocking bar 57 arranged at the center position in the vertical direction over substantially the entire horizontal direction is provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction in conjunction with the slider operation unit 56. Locking claws 58 (corresponding to the locking portions) are fixed to the left and right ends of the interlocking bar 57, respectively, and project from the back surface of the cassette base 41 toward the rear side (see FIG. 8). On the bottom surface 52a of the base recess 52, a slider operation unit 56 is arranged on the right side of the handle 42 of the example shown in the vertical center position, and on both sides of the handle 42 in the left-right direction on the lower side of the slider operation unit 56. An antenna through hole 53 and a connector through hole 54 are arranged, respectively (see FIG. 6).

<Detailed configuration of the printing device body>
Further, in FIGS. 4 to 8, the printing apparatus main body 3 has a main body base 31 facing the cassette base 41 when the ribbon cassette 4 is mounted, a cover member 32 provided on the front surface side of the main body base 31, and a left pillar. 33, the right pillar 34, the support pillar 35, the supply roll bearing portion 36, the take-up roll bearing portion 37, the thermal head 38, and the guide bar 39, and the mechanism drive portion 40 provided on the back side of the main body base 31. I have.

The main body base 31 is a metal plate-shaped member, and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a front view like the cassette base 41 of the ribbon cassette 4.

The cover member 32 is a resin structural member that covers most of the lower region of the front surface side of the main body base 31 and extends to the front side (ribbon cassette 4 side at the time of attachment / detachment). Inside the cover member 32, a control board (not shown in particular) for controlling each part of the printing device 1, a USB connector 61 and a device antenna 62, which will be described later, are provided. Details such as the shape of the cover member 32 will be described later.

The left pillar 33 (corresponding to the first side wall portion) and the right pillar 34 (corresponding to the second side wall portion) support the left side side surface and the right side side surface of the cover member 32, respectively. It is a metal wall portion extending from the front surface of 31 to the front side. A protrusion-shaped locked portion 63 extending upward is formed at the front end of each of the two pillars 33 and 34. Further, on the front end faces of the two pillars 33 and 34, the positioning guide holes 64 (recessed portion, first guide hole, second guide hole) are located at positions corresponding to the two positioning guide shafts 46 of the ribbon cassette 4. (Corresponding to) is open, and is formed so as to penetrate rearward from the opening so that each positioning guide shaft 46 can be fitted. Further, as shown in each enlarged view in FIG. 5, the left edge portion of the front side end portion of the left pillar 33 and the right edge portion of the front side end portion of the right pillar 34 are respectively. An inclined surface 65 chamfered at a predetermined inclination angle is formed.

The support pillar 35 is a metal strut portion extending from the center position in the left-right direction of the upper edge portion to the front side on the front surface side of the main body base 31. The support pillar 35, together with the left pillar 33 and the right pillar 34, functions to support the ribbon cassette 4 (the back surface of the cassette base 41) at the time of mounting. The cover member 32, the left pillar 33, the right pillar 34, and the support pillar 35 each have a ribbon supply roll 59 around which the supply roll shaft 43 of the ribbon cassette 4 winds, and a take-up roll shaft 44. Is formed in a shape that avoids the maximum outer diameter range of the ribbon winding roll 60 to be wound (that is, arranged outside the maximum outer diameter range) (see FIG. 9 described later).

The supply roll bearing portion 36 and the take-up roll bearing portion 37 are provided on the front surface side of the main body base 31 in an arrangement corresponding to the supply roll shaft 43 and the take-up roll shaft 44 of the ribbon cassette 4, respectively. The supply roll bearing portion 36 supports the supply roll shaft 43 in a state of being abutted against it, and transmits the rotational driving force to the supply roll shaft 43 so as to be able to wind the ribbon supply roll 59. The take-up roll bearing portion 37 supports the take-up roll shaft 44 in a state of being abutted against the take-up roll shaft 44, and transmits the rotational driving force to the take-up roll shaft 44 so that the ribbon take-up roll 60 can be wound.

The thermal head 38 is a member in which a large number of thermoelectric elements are arranged in the front-rear direction thereof, and extends from the center position in the left-right direction of the upper edge portion to the front side on the front surface side of the main body base 31. The guide bar 39 is a rod-shaped member having a circular cross section extending to the front side of the main body base 31 in the vicinity of the thermal head 38. When the ribbon cassette 4 is attached, the transport path of the ink ribbon 47 is guided by the guide bar 39 and comes into contact with the arrangement portion of the thermoelectric element of the thermal head 38.

The mechanism drive unit 40 provided on the back side of the main body base 31 is a collective unit of a plurality of actuators such as various motors, and the supply roll bearing unit 36 and the winding unit are wound up based on the control command received from the control board. Drive control is performed for each of the roll bearing portion 37 and the thermal head 38.

<Printing process of printing device>
FIG. 9 shows a front view of the arrangement of the ink ribbon 47 assumed with respect to the printing apparatus main body 3 when the ribbon cassette 4 is attached to the printing apparatus main body 3. The thick solid line in the figure indicates the transport path of the ink ribbon 47 (the alternate long and short dash line in the figure will be described later).

In FIG. 9, the supply roll shaft 43 and the take-up roll shaft 44 (not shown in FIG. 9) rotate in cooperation with each other by the driving force transmitted from the supply roll bearing portion 36 and the take-up roll bearing portion 37. Drive. As a result, the ink ribbon 47 is repeatedly conveyed in an appropriate direction on the transfer path by the feeding and winding of the supply roll shaft 43 and the take-up roll shaft 44. Then, the packaging material 102 is also transported in synchronization with the transportation of the ink ribbon 47, and the thermal head 38 heats the ink ribbon 47 while pressing the ink ribbon 47 against the packaging material 102 to transfer inks of various print objects to the packaging material 102. It is thermally transferred.

The ink ribbon 47 of the heat-transferred portion is finally all wound around the take-up roll shaft 44 as a ribbon take-up roll 60 (it is originally spiral, but is shown as a concentric circle for simplification). After all the ink ribbons 47 have been used, the ribbon cassette 4 in which the untransferred ink ribbon 47 is newly wound around the supply roll shaft 43 is detached and replaced.

<About the ribbon cassette mounting operation>
When the user attaches the ribbon cassette 4 to the printing apparatus main body 3 fixedly installed in the packaging material printing system 100, the user first grasps the handle 42 of the ribbon cassette 4 and has a facing relationship as shown in FIG. The ribbon cassette 4 is arranged so as to be. That is, the back surface of the cassette base 41 (supply roll shaft 43, take-up roll shaft 44, etc.) is provided with respect to the front surface of the main body base 31 on the printing device main body 3 side (the surface on the side where the cover member 32 and the like are provided). The faces) are arranged so as to face each other. Then, from this state, the ribbon cassette 4 is moved to the rear side and attached.

At this time, the tips of the supply roll shaft 43 and the take-up roll shaft 44 on the ribbon cassette 4 side are coaxially aligned with the supply roll bearing portion 36 and the take-up roll bearing portion 37 on the printing apparatus main body 3 side. You need to hit it (to match). However, at the time of mounting, those abutting portions are obstructed by the cassette base 41 and are difficult to see.

Further, since tension is not applied to the entire ink ribbon 47 during this mounting operation, the ink ribbon 47 is slightly distorted and deviated from the original transport path (see the thick solid line in FIG. 9) (FIG. 9). Refer to the alternate long and short dash line in 9.). Therefore, if the ribbon cassette 4 is brought close to the printing apparatus main body 3 in a state where the position is shifted even a little, the ink ribbon 47 is immediately entangled and disturbed.

As described above, when the ribbon cassette 4 is attached to the printing apparatus main body 3, an accurate positioning operation is required, and the user manually holds the ribbon cassette 4 which is a heavy object. It was difficult to perform accurate positioning work.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the tips of the two positioning guide shafts 46 on the ribbon cassette 4 side are positioned at the openings of the two positioning guide holes 64 on the printing apparatus main body 3 side. Accurate positioning can be easily performed. Then, by moving the ribbon cassette 4 to the printing device main body 3 side so that each positioning guide shaft 46 is inserted into each positioning guide hole 64 as it is, the ribbon cassette 4 is moved to the printing device main body 3 side while maintaining an accurate positioning state. Can be attached to.

In order to easily visually align the tip of each positioning guide shaft 46 with respect to the opening of each positioning guide hole 64 as described above, each positioning guide shaft 46 is shown in the side view of FIG. May be formed longer than the maximum width of the ink ribbon 47 (see the dotted line in the figure).

Further, when the ribbon cassette 4 is attached to the printing apparatus main body 3, the attached state is locked by locking the locking claw 58 on the ribbon cassette 4 side to the locked portion 63 on the printing apparatus main body 3. Can be made to. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11 in which the A portion in FIG. 8 is enlarged, the inverted L-shaped locking claw 58 is interlocked with the operation by the slider operation portion 56 via the interlocking bar 57. By moving in the left-right direction, it is possible to switch between the locked state (right side in the figure) and the open state (left side in the figure) with respect to the locked portion 63. In the locked state, the locking claw 58 is locked to the locked portion 63, so that the position of the ribbon cassette 4 in the front-rear direction with respect to the printing apparatus main body 3 is fixed. Further, in the open state, the locking to the locked portion 63 by the locking claw 58 is released, so that the ribbon cassette 4 can be moved forward (separated from each other) with respect to the printing apparatus main body 3. Also in the portion B in FIG. 8, the locked state and the open state of the locking claw 58 and the locked portion 63 are switched via the interlocking bar 57 as in the A portion.

<Regarding RFID communication function>
Here, a plurality of types of ink ribbons 47 can be wound around the supply roll shaft 43 of the ribbon cassette 4. When a plurality of types of ink ribbons 47 are used in this way, it is necessary for the printing apparatus 1 to determine the type of each ink ribbon 47 and perform control (printing control, tension control, etc.) suitable for each type. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the printing device main body 3 is provided with a device antenna 62 capable of executing wireless communication with the RFID wireless tag T.

As a result, after the operator attaches the ribbon cassette 4 provided with the desired ink ribbon 47 to the printing apparatus main body 3, for example, the RFID stores in advance appropriate information corresponding to the type of the ink ribbon 47 of the ribbon cassette 4. The wireless tag T (including the wireless tag circuit element T3 provided with the IC circuit unit T1 and the tag antenna T2) is brought close to the device antenna 62, and the above information from the wireless tag circuit element T3 is printed via the device antenna 62. It can be read by the main body 3. As a result, the printing apparatus main body 3 can surely perform control suitable for the ink ribbon 47 of the attached ribbon cassette 4 based on the read information.

As described above, the device antenna 62 is provided inside the cover member 32 of the printing device main body 3. The device antenna 62 is an antenna capable of wireless communication with the RFID wireless tag T separately prepared from the printing device 1, and in the example of the present embodiment, it is composed of a loop antenna provided on a flat plate substrate. As shown in FIG. 7, the flat plate substrate provided with the loop antenna is fixed to the frontmost side of the inside of the cover member 32 in a posture in which the plane thereof is orthogonal to the front-rear direction.

On the front surface of the cover member 32, an antenna convex portion 71 having a shape protruding forward so as to cover the front side, the upper side, the lower side, the right side, and the left side of the fixed portion of the device antenna 62 is formed. Has been done. The antenna convex portion 71 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and is formed on the bottom surface of the cassette base 41 with the same size (same for both long and short sides) and in a corresponding arrangement. It can be fitted into the first through hole).

In these fitted states, that is, in the state in which the ribbon cassette 4 is mounted on the printing apparatus main body 3, the top surface of the antenna convex portion 71 and the bottom surface 52a of the base recess 52 are located on substantially the same plane in the front-rear direction. Further, the antenna convex portion 71 and the antenna through hole 53 do not overlap with the handle 42 when viewed from the front (see FIG. 6), are outside the maximum outer diameter range of the ribbon supply roll 59, and are outside the maximum outer diameter of the ribbon winding roll 60. It is provided in a portion outside the range (see FIG. 9) (in the illustrated example, the right side of the handle 42 and the lower side of the slider operation unit 56). As a result, the device antenna 62 composed of the loop antenna can expand its directivity region widely from the bottom surface 52a of the cassette base 41 to the front side, and is in good condition with the RFID radio tag T placed on the front side of the cassette base 41. Wireless communication is possible.

Further, on the front surface of the cover member 32, a connector convex portion 72 having a shape protruding forward so as to cover the front side, the upper side, the lower side, the right side, and the left side of the fixing portion of the USB connector 61 is separately provided. It is formed. The connector convex portion 72 is also formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and can be fitted into the connector through hole 54 formed on the bottom surface of the cassette base 41 with the same size (the same for both the long side and the short side). It has become. The antenna convex portion 71 (antenna through hole 53) and the connector convex portion 72 (connector through hole 54) may be arranged on opposite sides of each other with the handle 42 interposed therebetween.

<Effect of this embodiment>
As described above, in the printing apparatus of the present embodiment, the positioning guide shaft 46 extending in the attachment / detachment direction of the ribbon cassette 4 and the positioning guide shaft 46 for accommodating the positioning guide shaft 46 are stored in both the printing apparatus main body 3 and the ribbon cassette 4. A fitting guide mechanism (corresponding to a concave-convex guide mechanism) composed of 64 is provided. At the time of mounting, the positioning guide shaft 46 is housed in the positioning guide hole 64 to guide the mounting of the ribbon cassette 4 to the printing device main body 3, so that the ribbon cassette 4 can be smoothly moved to the printing device main body 3. It will be installed.

At this time, the fitting guide mechanism is provided at a portion of the printing apparatus main body 3 and the ribbon cassette 4 that is outside the maximum outer diameter range of the ribbon supply roll 59 and the ribbon winding roll 60. As a result, there is no restriction on the maximum outer diameter of the ink ribbon 47. Further, the fitting guide mechanism is distributed and arranged on both the left side and the right side in the left-right direction of the printing apparatus main body 3 and the ribbon cassette 4. As a result, as in the case where the two fitting guide mechanisms are arranged at relatively close positions, the guide function to the ribbon cassette 4 is insufficient and the ink ribbon 47 is mounted in a disordered state. It can be prevented from happening.

Further, even if the ribbon cassette 4 is being mounted on the printing apparatus main body 3 while the path of the ink ribbon 47 is slightly disturbed at the time of mounting, the ribbon cassette 4 is provided on the printing apparatus main body 3. When the inclined surfaces 65 of the left pillar 33 and the right pillar 34 abut on the ink ribbon 47 at a predetermined inclination angle, the ink ribbon 47 whose position is disturbed is pushed out by the above inclination and corrected to the correct transport path position. can do.

As a result of the above, in the present embodiment, the ribbon cassette 4 can be smoothly mounted on the printing apparatus main body 3 while not limiting the maximum outer diameter of the ink ribbon 47 and surely preventing the ink ribbon 47 from being disturbed. can.

Further, in the present embodiment, in particular, the positioning guide shaft 46 on the left side of the ribbon cassette 4 is inserted (stored) into the positioning guide hole 64 on the left side of the printing apparatus main body 3, and the positioning on the right side of the ribbon cassette 4 is performed. By inserting (storing) the guide shaft 46 into the positioning guide hole 64 of the printing apparatus main body 3, it is possible to reliably guide the attachment of the ribbon cassette 4 to the apparatus main body 3.

Further, in the present embodiment, in particular, the printing apparatus main body 3 is provided on the left side and the right side of the portion outside the maximum outer diameter range of the 59 ribbon supply roll and the maximum outer diameter range of the ribbon winding roll 60, respectively. It further has a left pillar 33 and a right pillar 34 provided, and the left pillar 33 and the right pillar 34 each have a positioning guide hole 64.

The positioning guide shaft 46 on the left side of the ribbon cassette 4 is inserted (stored) into the positioning guide hole 64 provided in the left pillar 33 of the printing apparatus main body 3, and the positioning guide shaft 46 on the right side of the ribbon cassette 4 is inserted. By inserting (storing) the ribbon cassette 4 into the positioning guide hole 64 provided in the right pillar 34 of the printing apparatus main body 3, it is possible to reliably guide the attachment of the ribbon cassette 4 to the apparatus main body 3.

Further, in the present embodiment, in particular, each of the left pillar 33 and the right pillar 34 is provided with an inclined surface 65. As a result, the inclined surface 65 provided on each of the left pillar 33 and the right pillar 34 of the printing apparatus main body 3 abuts on the ink ribbon 47 at the predetermined inclination angle, and can be corrected to the correct transport path position. ..

Further, in the present embodiment, in particular, at least one of the left pillar 33 and the right pillar 34 is a locked portion that is locked to the ribbon cassette 4 with the ribbon cassette 4 mounted on the printing apparatus main body 3. It has 63. As a result, it is possible to reliably maintain the state in which the ribbon cassette 4 is attached to the printing apparatus main body 3 without disturbing the ink ribbon 47.

Further, in the present embodiment, in particular, the printing apparatus main body 3 further includes a cover member 32 including a control board for controlling the thermal head 38, and the left pillar 33 and the right pillar 34 are on the left side of the cover member 32. The side and the right side are fixed respectively. As a result, the cover member 32 including the control board can be firmly held in the printing apparatus main body by utilizing the rigidity of the left pillar 33 and the right pillar 34.

Further, in the present embodiment, in particular, each of the two positioning guide shafts 46 located at both ends in the left-right direction is provided at substantially the center of the ribbon cassette 4 in the vertical direction, and the two positioning guide shafts located at both ends in the left-right direction are positioned. Each of the guide holes 64 is provided in a substantially central portion of the printing apparatus main body 3 in the vertical direction. As a result, the ribbon cassette 4 can be mounted on the printing apparatus main body 3 as compared with the case where the positioning guide shaft 46 is stored (inserted) in each positioning guide hole 64 at a position biased to any of the vertical directions. It can be done in a well-balanced and stable manner. For the convenience of the internal configuration of the printing device 1, it is permissible to arrange the fitting guide mechanism in a position other than the substantially central portion in the vertical direction.

Further, in the present embodiment, in particular, each of the positioning guide holes 64 is a hole having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape, and each of the positioning guide shafts 46 is a shaft having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. In this way, the ribbon cassette 4 can be mounted on the printing apparatus main body 3 by having a structure in which the positioning guide shaft 46 having a substantially circular cross section is housed (inserted) into each positioning guide hole 64 having a substantially circular cross section. It can be done smoothly and stably.

Further, in the present embodiment, in particular, the inclined surface 65 is the surface 47a (see FIG. 9; corresponding to the first surface) of the ink ribbon 47 on the side where the thermal head 38 abuts, when the ribbon cassette 4 is attached. Contact at a predetermined tilt angle.

In the present embodiment, the inclined surface 65 abuts on the surface 47a of the ink ribbon 47 located in the transport path on the side where the thermal head 38 abuts. As a result, even when the ribbon cassette 4 is being mounted on the printing apparatus main body 3 while the path of the ink ribbon 47 is slightly disturbed, the inclined surface 65 keeps the ink ribbon 47 outside the thermal head 38. Since the position can be corrected so as to push it toward the side, it is possible to surely prevent the ink ribbon 47 from interfering with the thermal head 38 at the time of mounting.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and technical idea. Hereinafter, such modification examples will be described step by step.

For example, in the above embodiment, the two positioning guide shafts 46 are both provided on the ribbon cassette 4 side, and the two positioning guide holes 64 are both provided on the printing apparatus main body 3 side, but the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, all the positioning guide shafts 46 may be provided on the printing apparatus main body 3 side, and all the positioning guide holes 64 may be provided on the ribbon cassette 3 side, or only one side in the left-right direction may be provided in the opposite arrangement. It may be (not shown in particular, the same applies hereinafter).

Further, the cross-sectional shapes of the positioning guide shaft 46 and the positioning guide hole 64 are not limited to a circle, and may be formed, for example, an elliptical shape, a linear shape (that is, a flat plate and a slit), or a polygonal shape. In this case, one set of guide shafts and guide holes can be provided with orientation around the shafts to be fitted (or meshed) with each other, and more accurate positioning becomes possible. Further, the configuration of the fitting guide mechanism itself may be positioned as long as it can be positioned in a plan view. In addition to the combination of the shaft and the fitting hole as in the above embodiment, for example, a hemispherical or conical convex portion. It may be configured by a combination of a concave shape portion and the like.

In the above description, when there is a description such as "vertical", "parallel", "planar", etc., the description does not have a strict meaning. That is, those "vertical", "parallel", and "planar" mean "substantially vertical", "substantially parallel", and "substantially flat" because tolerances and errors in design and manufacturing are allowed. ..

Further, in the above description, when there is a description such as "same", "equal", "different", etc. in the external dimensions and sizes, the description is not a strict meaning. That is, those "same", "equal", and "different" mean that "substantially the same", "substantially equal", and "substantially different" are allowed for design and manufacturing tolerances and errors. ..

In addition to the above-mentioned above, the methods according to the above-described embodiment and each modification may be appropriately combined and used.

In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the present invention is carried out with various modifications within a range not deviating from the gist thereof.

1 Printing device 3 Printing device main body 4 Ribbon cassette 31 Main body base 32 Cover member 33 Left pillar (1st side wall part)
34 Right pillar (second side wall)
35 Support pillar 36 Supply roll bearing 37 Take-up roll bearing 38 Thermal head 39 Guide bar 40 Mechanism drive 41 Cassette base 42 Handle (grip)
43 Supply roll shaft 44 Take-up roll shaft 45 Guide roller 46 Positioning guide shaft (convex, first guide shaft, second guide shaft, uneven guide mechanism)
47 Ink ribbon 51 Frame part 52 Base recess 52a Bottom 53 Antenna through hole 54 Connector through hole 55 Operation part through hole 56 Slider operation part 57 Interlocking bar 58 Locking claw (locking part)
59 Ribbon supply roll 60 Ribbon take-up roll 61 USB connector 62 Device antenna 63 Locked part 64 Positioning guide hole (concave, first guide hole, second guide hole, uneven guide mechanism)
65 Inclined surface 71 Antenna convex part 72 Connector convex part 100 Packaging material printing system 102 Packaging material (receiver)
T RFID wireless tag T1 IC circuit part T2 tag antenna T3 wireless tag circuit element PC personal computer

Claims (10)

The main body of the printing device equipped with a thermal head and
A cassette base, a supply roll shaft that rotatably supports a ribbon supply roll provided on one side of the cassette base in the first direction, and a ribbon winding provided on the other side of the cassette base in the first direction. A cassette comprising a take-up roll shaft that rotatably supports the roll, which is attached to and detached from the printing apparatus main body along the axial direction of the supply roll shaft and the take-up roll shaft.
A printing apparatus that transfers ink from an ink ribbon that is unwound from the ribbon supply roll, passes through the thermal head, and is wound onto the ribbon winding roll to an image receiving body by heating the thermal head, and prints. ,
A concave-convex guide mechanism including a convex portion extending in the attachment / detachment direction and a concave portion for accommodating the convex portion when the cassette is mounted.
In the first direction of the cassette, the unevenness guide mechanism is formed on a portion located on the one side and a portion located on the other side of the maximum outer diameter of the ribbon supply roll and the maximum outer diameter of the ribbon winding roll. In addition to arranging either the convex portion or the concave portion constituting the above, the printing apparatus main body side has the concave-convex guide mechanism on the cassette side on one side and the other side in the first direction. When the cassette is mounted, either the concave portion that engages with the convex portion provided on the cassette side or the convex portion that engages with the concave portion provided on the cassette side is provided so as to be arranged.
The printing apparatus main body is provided with an inclined surface that comes into contact with the ink ribbon that is unwound from the ribbon supply roll, passes through the thermal head, and reaches the ribbon winding roll at a predetermined inclination angle when the cassette is mounted. A printing device characterized by. In the printing apparatus according to claim 1,
The cassette is
As the convex portion, the first guide shaft on one side in the first direction and
With the second guide shaft on the other side in the first direction,
Equipped with
The printing device main body is used as the recess.
A first guide hole on one side in the first direction for accommodating the first guide shaft,
A second guide hole on the other side of the first direction for accommodating the second guide shaft,
A printing device characterized by being equipped with. In the printing apparatus according to claim 2,
The printing device main body is
A first side wall portion and a second side wall portion provided on one side and the other side in the first direction of a portion outside the maximum outer diameter range of the ribbon supply roll and outside the maximum outer diameter range of the ribbon winding roll. Has more parts,
The first side wall portion includes the first guide hole.
The printing apparatus, wherein the second side wall portion includes the second guide hole. In the printing apparatus according to claim 3,
A printing apparatus characterized in that each of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion includes the inclined surface. In the printing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4.
At least one of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion
A printing apparatus comprising a locked portion that is locked to the cassette in a state where the cassette is attached to the printing apparatus main body. In the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5.
The printing device main body is
Further having a cover member including a control board for controlling the thermal head,
The first side wall portion and the second side wall portion
A printing apparatus comprising fixing one side and the other side of the cover member in the first direction, respectively. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6.
Each of the first guide shaft and the second guide shaft
The cassette is provided at a substantially central portion in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.
Each of the first guide hole and the second guide hole
A printing device provided at a substantially central portion of the printing device main body in the second direction. In the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7.
Each of the first guide hole and the second guide hole is a hole having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape.
Each of the first guide shaft and the second guide shaft is a printing apparatus having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. In the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
The inclined surface is
A printing apparatus characterized in that the ink ribbon abuts on a first surface of the ink ribbon with which the thermal head abuts at a predetermined tilt angle when the cassette is mounted. A cassette provided with a ribbon supply roll provided on one side in the first direction and a ribbon winding roll provided on the other side in the first direction is provided in the axial direction of the supply roll and the winding roll. It is the main body of the printing device that is attached and detached along the line.
A thermal head that heats the ink ribbon drawn out from the ribbon supply roll with the cassette mounted and transfers the ink to the image receiver.
In the first direction, the convex portion of the cassette is provided at a portion located on the one side and a portion located on the other side of the maximum outer diameter of the ribbon supply roll and the maximum outer diameter of the ribbon winding roll. A concave portion for storing the portion or a convex portion stored in the concave portion of the cassette,
An inclined surface that comes into contact with the ink ribbon that is unwound from the ribbon supply roll, passes through the thermal head, and reaches the ribbon winding roll at a predetermined inclination angle when the cassette is mounted.
The printing apparatus main body is characterized by having.

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