JPH01178482A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the waste of a film ribbon to effectively use the ribbon, by providing a clutch for driving-and-stopping the rotation in conjunction with a shift mechanism on an ink ribbon take-up shaft of an ink ribbon take-up mechanism. CONSTITUTION:A shift mechanism 21 consists of a shift lever 29 which disconnects a clutch 20 by lifting a flange 19a of a take-up shaft 19 in a connecting state, a shift cam 31 rotating the shift lever 29 about a fulcrum 30, and a shift motor 26 which rotates the shift cam 31 forward or reverse by abutting a shaft against the shift cam 31. When a pin 33 of the shift lever 29 slidably engages with a groove 32 to rotate the shift motor 26 counterclockwise, the shift cam 31 rotates clockwise about a shaft 31a, the pin 33 rises from a position 32a up to a position 32e in the groove 32, and a right end part 29a of the shift lever 29 lowers about the fulcrum 30 reversely to the pin 33. After the printing on a paper 4, the shift cam 31 is rotated counterclockwise by a control signal to disconnect the clutch 20, whereby an ink ribbon take-up action is brought to a stop in conjunction with a carrier 3. In this manner, an ink ribbon is prevented from being fed wastefully.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] The present invention relates to an ink ribbon winding mechanism in a printer, and aims to eliminate waste of ink ribbons, particularly film ribbons such as one-time or multi-time ink ribbons, and a platen. A printer equipped with an ink ribbon winding mechanism that winds the ink ribbon in a fixed direction in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of a print head facing the printer, and a shift mechanism that shifts the ink ribbon to select a color band of the ink ribbon. The ink ribbon winding shaft of the ink ribbon winding mechanism is provided with a clutch that interlocks with the shift mechanism to intermittent rotation.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to an ink ribbon winding mechanism in a printer.

Various serial printers are used as input/output terminals of data processing devices, word processors, and the like.

Among them, serial dot printers print characters etc. composed of dots, so there are many types of characters, etc., and it is suitable for office automation (OA).
Its use as a terminal device in n+ation is increasing.

Most of these printers use ink ribbons, and in order to print clearly, the ink ribbons are wound in a fixed direction.

In recent years, one-time or multi-time ink ribbons have come into use that provide high printing quality.

However, these ink ribbons are expensive, and it is desired that they can be used effectively without waste.

[Conventional technology]

As illustrated in the plan view of FIG. 3, the printer includes a platen 1
It consists of a print head 2 facing the platen l, and a carrier 3 on which the print head 2 is mounted and moves back and forth parallel to the platen l as shown by arrow C-D.While the carrier 3 moves back and forth, Printing is performed on paper 4 mounted on platen 1 via an ink ribbon supplied to the front of print head 2 from an ink ribbon cassette (not shown) mounted on carrier 3 .

During printing, it is necessary to always wind up the ink ribbon in a fixed direction in order to print clearly, and for this purpose, the carrier 3 is provided with an ink ribbon winding mechanism 5.

The ink ribbon winding mechanism 5 uses, for example, a planetary gear mechanism using many gears as shown in the drawing.

The ink ribbon winding mechanism 5 includes a winding shaft 6 that engages with a winding reel (not shown) of an ink ribbon cassette to rotate the reel, and a winding shaft gear 7 attached to the winding shaft 6. A first planetary gear 8 facing the winding shaft gear 7 with a gap in between, an idle gear 9 meshing with the winding shaft gear 7, and a second planetary gear 8 facing the idle gear 9 with a gap in between.
a drive gear 11 that meshes with the first and second planet gears 8.1o, and a drive gear 11 that meshes with the first and second planetary gears 8.1o.
It consists of a lever 13 that brakes and supports the rotation at both ends, and a lever 13 that rotatably engages the shaft portion 12 of the drive gear 11 at the center. A wire 16 stretched in the direction of movement of the carrier 3 is wound around the wire 16 .

Therefore, when the carrier 3 moves in either the left or right direction by a drive source (not shown), the pulley 15 moves the wire 16←
It is pulled and rotated clockwise or counterclockwise.

The operation of the planetary gear will be explained below with reference to the operation diagram shown in FIG.

When the carrier moves to the right (in the direction of the arrow), the same figure (
As shown in a), the pulley 15 is rotated counterclockwise (direction of arrow E)
and rotates the coaxial drive gear 11 in the same direction.

Then, the first planetary gear 8 meshing with the drive gear 11
The second planetary gear 10 rotates clockwise, and at the same time, the lever 13 rotates counterclockwise due to the rotational force of the drive gear 11, and the first planetary gear 8 is pressed against the drive shaft gear 7. and rotate the gear 7 counterclockwise.

At the same time, the winding shaft 6 is rotated in the same direction (counterclockwise) to wind up an ink ribbon (not shown).

Next, when the carrier moves to the left (arrow C direction),
As shown in FIG. 2B, the pulley 15 rotates clockwise (in the direction of arrow F) in the opposite direction to the above, and rotates the coaxial drive gear 11 in the same direction.

Then, the first planetary gear 8 meshing with the drive gear 11
and rotate the second planetary gear 10 counterclockwise,
The lever 13 also rotates clockwise due to the rotational force of the drive gear 11, causing the second planetary gear IO to mesh with the idle gear 9.

Then, the drive shaft gear 7 is rotated counterclockwise via the idle gear 9, and at the same time, the winding shaft 6 is rotated in the same direction (counterclockwise) to wind up the ink ribbon.

That is, the winding shaft 6 is configured to always rotate counterclockwise to wind up the ink ribbon even if the carrier moves in either the left or right direction.

The printer includes such an ink ribbon winding mechanism 5, as well as a shift mechanism 16 as shown in the perspective view of FIG.

The shift mechanism 16 includes a shift lever 23 and a shift lever.
A shift cam 25 that rotates 23 about a fulcrum 24, and a shift cam 25 that has a shaft in contact with the outside of the shift cam 25.
5 and a shift motor 26 for forward and reverse rotation.

The shift cam 25 is a grooved cam having a spiral groove 27 as shown in the side view of FIG. 6, and a pin 28 of the shift lever 23 is slidably engaged with the groove 27.

Therefore, when the shift motor 26 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure, the shift cam 25 is rotated clockwise about the shaft 25a, and the pin 28 is moved from the position 27a of the groove 27 to the position 27d.
Go up by the arrow l to the position.

As the shift lever 23 rises, the left end 23a of the shift lever 23 rises about the fulcrum 24.

For example, the position of 27a in the groove 27 is black, and the position of 27b is black.
If the position of 27c is set to yellow, the position of 27c is set to red, and the position of 27d is set to blue, the ink ribbon 17 is moved in multiple stages relative to the fixed print head 2 by shifting the shift lever 23 rotated to the respective positions. Different color bands 17a to 17d (as shown in Figure 5)
You can select the desired color band.

Therefore, printing is performed after first rotating the shift cam 25 by the shift motor 26 and shifting the ink ribbon 17 by a predetermined amount with the shift lever 23 to select a desired color band on the ink ribbon 17.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The ink ribbon is wound by the above-mentioned ink ribbon winding mechanism to produce clear prints, but in recent years, so-called film ribbons have been developed in which an ink layer is formed on a base film such as polyester to further improve the print quality. It has come to be used.

This film ribbon is called a one-time ink ribbon or a multi-time ink ribbon, and because the ink layer is peeled off from the film and transferred to the paper during printing, it can be used once to several times. It has a short lifespan.

For this reason, there is a problem in that printing costs are higher than conventional endless strip-shaped ink ribbons that are based on cloth tapes and can be used repeatedly while replenishing ink.

Therefore, it is necessary to use the film ribbon effectively without wasting it, but there is a problem in that even if the interval between printing is long, the non-printing portion is wound up, resulting in waste.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate waste of ink ribbons, particularly film ribbons such as one-time or multi-time ink ribbons.

[Means for solving problems]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of essential parts of an ink ribbon winding mechanism in a printer of the present invention.

In the present invention, the ink ribbon winding shaft 19 of the ink ribbon winding mechanism 18 is provided with a clutch 20 that interlocks with a shift mechanism 21 to intermittent rotation.

[Effect]

In the case of printing with a long interval between prints, the shift mechanism disengages the clutch to disconnect the ink ribbon winding shaft and the winding mechanism, and stops winding the ink ribbon until the next print.

Then, in the case of the next printing, the clutch is similarly engaged by the shift mechanism, the ink ribbon is taken, the shaft is connected to the winding mechanism, and winding of the ink ribbon is started.

〔Example〕

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention.

Identical parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the figures.

In the present invention, as shown in the main part perspective view of FIG.
A clutch 2 interlocks with a shift mechanism 21 to intermittent rotation.
0 is set.

That is, as shown in the figure, the ink ribbon winding mechanism 18 includes an ink ribbon winding shaft (hereinafter referred to as the winding shaft) 19 which is equipped with a clutch 20 and configured to intermittent rotation, and a winding shaft as in the prior art. Winding shaft gear 7 attached to 19
, a first planetary gear 8 facing the winding shaft gear 7 with a gap in between, an idle gear 9 meshing with the winding shaft gear 7, and a second planetary gear facing the idle gear 9 with a gap in between. 10, a drive gear 11 that meshes with the first and second planetary gears 8 and 1O, and supports the first and second planetary gears 8 and 10 by braking their rotation at both ends, and the center portion is connected to the drive gear. The lever 13 is rotatably engaged with the shaft portion 12 of the carrier 3, and the pulley 14 is provided coaxially with the drive gear 11. is wound.

The clutch 20 has sawtooth-like unevenness on opposing surfaces of the shaft end, and is configured to transmit rotational force by engaging the unevenness and to cut off the transmission of rotational force by separating the unevenness.

Furthermore, a shift mechanism 21 is provided that engages and engages a clutch 20 provided on the winding shaft 19.

The shift mechanism 21 includes, as shown in the figure, a shift bar 29 that disconnects the clutch 20 by relying on a coil spring 22, and a shift cam 31 that rotates the shift lever 29 about a fulcrum 30.
and a shift motor 26 that rotates the shift cam 31 in forward and reverse directions by having a shaft in contact with the outside of the shift cam 31.

The shift cam 31 is a grooved cam equipped with a spiral groove 32 as shown in the side view of FIG.
7) The pin 33 is slidably engaged in the groove 32.

Therefore, when the shift motor 26 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure, the shift cam 31 is rotated clockwise around the shaft 31a, and the pin 33 is moved from the position 32a of the groove 32 to the position 32e.
It will rise in the direction of the arrow until it reaches the position.

As the shift lever 29 rises, the right end 29a of the shift lever 29 moves down about the fulcrum 30 in the opposite direction to the center pin 33.

That is, when the pin 33 is located at the position 32a of the groove 32, the right end 29a of the shift lever 29 is at the highest position, so this position is set as the position where the clutch 2° is disconnected. All you have to do is set the source.

With this configuration, the position of the pin 33 is aligned with the groove 32a.
If the shift lever 29 is located at the right end 29a of the shift lever 29,
Is it a clutch because it descends? O becomes connected.

For example, if the position 32b of the groove 32 is set as black, the position 32c as yellow, the position 32d as red, and the position as 32e as blue, when the shift cam 31 rotates and the pin 33 is at each of the above points, The left end 29b of the shift lever 29 shifts the ink ribbon 17 by a predetermined amount, so that the desired color of the ink ribbon 17, which has multiple stages of different color bands 17a to 17d (shown in FIG. 1), is shifted relative to the fixed print head 2. You can choose the band.

With this configuration, printing is performed using ink first, as in the conventional technology.
In order to select a desired color band of the ribbon 17, the shift motor 26 is driven, the shift cam 31 is rotated, and the shift lever 2 is rotated.
9, the ink ribbon 17 is shifted by a predetermined amount.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3 of the prior art, while the carrier 3 is reciprocated parallel to the platen 1, printing is performed on the paper 4 mounted on the platen 1.

The ink ribbon 17 is wound into an ink cassette (not shown) by the ink ribbon winding mechanism 18 shown in FIG. If you do this and wind it up, there will be waste.

In order to prevent this, the shift cam 31 shown in FIG. 2 is rotated counterclockwise in response to a control signal from a control section (not shown), and the pin 33 of the shift lever 29 is inserted into the groove 32a (32a).
Then, the clutch 20 is disconnected and the ink ribbon winding operation of the winding shaft 19 is stopped in conjunction with the carrier 3.

In the case of the next printing, the shift cam 31 is similarly rotated clockwise in response to a control signal from the control section, and the clutch 20 is engaged by the shift mechanism 21.

Then, the winding shaft 19 is connected to the winding mechanism 18, and winding of the ink ribbon 17 is started.

In the above description, we have explained the case of using a film ribbon for multicolor printing, but for multicolor printing, we use a tape based on cloth tape, which is commonly used in the past.
For example, when black is the most common monochrome printing, a black film ribbon may be used instead, and the monochrome film ribbon may be wound intermittently as in the present invention.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, if the interval between prints is long,
By stopping the winding of the ink ribbon, wasteful feeding of expensive ink ribbons such as film ribbons in particular can be prevented, which has great economic and industrial effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the main part of the ink ribbon winding mechanism in the printer of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side view of the main part explaining the operation of the shift cam, and Fig. 3 is a conventional ink ribbon winding mechanism applied. Figure 4 (al and 'b) is a diagram explaining the operation of the ink ribbon winding mechanism, Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the conventional shift mechanism, and Figure 6 is an explanation of the operation of the shift cam. It is a side view of the main part. In the figure, 5.18 is an ink ribbon winding mechanism, 6.19 is a winding shaft, 7 is a winding shaft gear, 8 is a first planet gear, 9 is an idle gear, 10 is a second planetary gear, 11 is a drive gear, 12 is a shaft portion,
13 is a lever, 14 is a pulley, 15 is a wire, 16.21 is a shift mechanism, 17 is an ink ribbon, 20 is a clutch, - 22 is a coil spring, 23.29 is a shift lever 124,
30 is the fulcrum, 25.31 is the shift cam, 25a
, 31a is the shaft, 26 is the shift motor, 27.32
is a groove, and 28.33 is a pin. Easy 2 Diagram ((1) rb) In 2 ribo'no shameful chivalry, Yokoda heavy work commentary attached H Diagram 4

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] An ink ribbon winding mechanism (18) that winds an ink ribbon (17) in a fixed direction in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of a print head (2) facing a platen (1); In a printer equipped with a shift mechanism (21) that shifts the ink ribbon (17) in order to select a color band (17), the ink ribbon winding shaft (19) of the ink ribbon winding mechanism (18) ), further comprising a clutch (20) that interlocks with the shift mechanism (21) to interlock rotation.