JPH0142833B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal printer.

Technical background of the invention and its problems Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 1, paper 3 and ribbon 4 are placed between a cylindrical platen 1 and a thermal head 2.
The ribbon 4 has dividing lines perpendicular to the ribbon feeding direction, and has a partition line that is perpendicular to the ribbon feeding direction.For example, yellow, magenta, cyan, yellow, magenta, cyan...
The ribbon 4 and the paper 3 are sent in one direction at the same speed to print in the desired color, and then the ribbon 4 is stopped and the printed part of the paper 3 is colored. Multicolor printing is performed by sending only the paper 3 in the opposite direction so that it faces the other color portion of the ribbon 4 on the surface facing the thermal head 2, and then sending the paper 3 and the ribbon in the same direction again for printing. There are thermal printers that do this. In such a device, when only the paper 3 is sent in the feeding direction, it is necessary to separate the paper 3 from the ribbon 4 to prevent the paper 3 from getting dirty. For this reason, it is necessary to support the platen 1 and the thermal head 2 so that they can move toward and away from each other, but such a device has the disadvantage of a complicated structure.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is capable of simplifying the structure, reducing the size of the printer, and achieving multi-color printing by feeding paper back and forth and facing the same thermal head multiple times. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal printer that can prevent paper from becoming dirty.

Summary of the Invention This invention prints by feeding long ribbons and paper, which are color-coded with dividing lines perpendicular to the ribbon feeding direction, in one direction at the same speed, and printing by overlapping the other colors. In order to do this, only the paper is sent in the opposite direction, but
At this time, the paper is separated from the thermal head and the ribbon by facing the cut surface formed on the outer periphery of the platen to the thermal head, thereby preventing the paper from becoming dirty due to friction with the ribbon, and the structure is also similar to the platen. The structure is such that it is only necessary to form the cut surface, and it is possible to achieve miniaturization and simplification.

Embodiment of the Invention An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8. Components that are the same as those shown in FIG. 1 will be described using the same reference numerals. The ribbon 4 is color-coded in the order of yellow Y, magenta M, and cyan C in a direction perpendicular to the ribbon feeding direction so as to face the thermal head 2. A ribbon feeding section 5 sends this ribbon 4 in one direction.
and a paper feed section 6 that feeds the paper 3 at the same speed as the ribbon 4.
is provided. This paper feeding section 6 is connected to a motor that can freely rotate in forward and reverse directions. 7 is a ribbon feeding roller.

However, a part of the outer periphery of the platen 8 has paper 3.
A cut surface 9 is formed which is slightly longer than the width of the cut surface 9.

In such a configuration, the ribbon 4 and paper 3 are simultaneously moved by the ribbon feeding section 5 and the paper feeding section 6 while rotating the platen 8 from the state shown in FIG. 5 through the state shown in FIG. 6 to the state shown in FIG. It prints while it is being sent to the left at high speed. During this time, the outer peripheral surface of the platen 8 faces the thermal head 2. Naomo platen 8
rotates, but at the timing when the cutting surface 9 faces the thermal head 2, as shown in FIG. Make it face the other colored parts of the ribbon 4. Immediately after this, the state shown in FIG. 5 is reached again, and the paper 3 and ribbon 4 are fed at the same speed through the state shown in FIG. 6 to the state shown in FIG. 7, and printing is performed in another color. Three-color printing is performed by repeating this operation three times. Therefore, contents such as labels and admission tickets are continuously printed on the paper 3.

In this way, when the paper 4 is returned to the right by itself, the paper 4 can be separated from the thermal head 2 and the ribbon 4 by the formation of the cut surface 9, so that the paper 3 and the ribbon 4 are not rubbed together. They do not match, and the paper 3 can be prevented from getting dirty. The structure for separating the paper 3 from the thermal head 2 and the ribbon 4 consists only of forming a cutting surface 9 on the platen 8, and is extremely simple and can be made smaller.

Effects of the Invention Since the present invention is configured as described above, when paper is sent together with a ribbon for printing and only the paper is returned, the paper can be separated from the thermal head and the ribbon by the cut surface formed on the platen. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ribbon from becoming dirty, and the structure can be extremely simplified and downsized.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a reduced perspective view showing a conventional example, FIG. 2 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the platen, FIG. 4 is a perspective view thereof, and FIG.
8 through 8 are side views showing the operation. 2... Thermal head, 3... Paper, 4... Ribbon, 5... Ribbon feeding section, 6... Paper feeding section,
8...Platen, 9...Cut surface.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Between a cylindrical platen of a predetermined length and a thermal head of a predetermined length opposite to this platen,
A sheet of paper having a width narrower than the length of the platen and the thermal head and a long ribbon coded in multiple colors with partition lines perpendicular to the feeding direction are inserted, and the paper is inserted into the platen and the thermal head. A paper feeding section that reciprocates in orthogonal directions and a ribbon feeding section that sends the ribbon in one direction at the same speed as the paper are provided, and a part of the outer periphery of the platen has a length larger than the width of the paper and the ribbon. A thermal printer characterized by having a cut surface that is cut flat with a high degree of strength.