JPH0247024Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement of an ink ribbon cartridge in which an endless ink ribbon is run by a rotating belt.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the main parts of a wire dot printer using an ink ribbon cartridge. It is moved by the screw 5 in the left and right direction parallel to the platen 1. The carrier 3 is equipped with a print head (6) and an ink ribbon cartridge 7 is attached thereto, and the ink ribbon 8 housed in the ink ribbon cartridge 7 runs between the print paper 2 and the print head 6. It becomes like this.

The print head 6 has a plurality of print wires built in, and the print wires that selectively protrude toward the platen 1 by a driving means such as a magnet built in the print head 6 are connected to the ink ribbon 8 and the print paper 2 through the ink ribbon 8 and print paper 2. Impact platen 1 and ink ribbon 8
of the ink is transferred onto the printing paper 2.

The ink ribbon feed mechanism operates in conjunction with this impact, thereby causing the ink ribbon 8 stored in the ink ribbon cartridge 7 to travel, and a new portion of the ink ribbon 8 to be prepared for the next impact. It turns out. Print patterns such as characters are formed by a combination of transfer dots.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal structure of a conventional ink ribbon cartridge. The ink ribbon cartridge 7 has an endless ink ribbon 8 housed in a case 9.

The main part of the endless ink ribbon 8 whose middle part is led out from the cartridge case 9 and is capable of running is formed into a regular meandering shape as shown in the figure.
It is accommodated in 7.

The ink ribbon loading section on the right side of the storage section 17 is
A belt roller 12 that is closer to the ink ribbon feeding port 18 than the storage section 17, a feed roller 11 located on the right side of the storage section 17, an endless belt 13 stretched between the belt roller 12 and the feed roller 11, and a belt. Ink ribbon 8 through 13
A pressure roller 14 is provided to press the feed roller 11 against the feed roller 11.

Inside the housing part 17, in which the meandering portion of the ink ribbon 8 moves from right to left, there is a height that allows the meandering portion to be moved over and at a height where the side end portions of the ink ribbon 8 in the width direction can be caught. A protruding member 10 protrudes and has a length in the meandering width direction of the ink ribbon 8. Such a protruding member 10 is
Appropriate resistance is provided to the movement of the ink ribbon 8 housed in a meandering manner.

In addition, in Fig. 2, the pressure spring 1
5 is for pressing the roller 14 toward the feed roller 11.

In such an ink ribbon cartridge 7, the ink ribbon 8, which is fed out from the feeding section 19 by the rotation of the belt 13, passed through the feeding port 18, and fed into the storage section 17 forms the protruding member 10. Due to the resulting pressing force (preload),
It will be folded into a meandering shape. At this time, the friction spring 16 provided in the feeding section 19 applies appropriate tension to the ink ribbon 8 so that the ink ribbon 8 does not loosen between the feeding section 19 and the feeding section 18.

FIG. 3 is a plan view (a) of essential parts of the ink ribbon cartridge 7 and a sectional view (b) thereof taken along line B-B'.

As shown in FIG. 3, in a conventional ink ribbon cartridge 7, an ink ribbon is stored in a spiral shape between a belt 13 stretched between a pair of rollers 11 and 12, each of which rotates clockwise, and a protruding member 10. 8, i.e., the protruding member 10
The force A that presses the ink ribbon 8 bent into a spiral shape by forming the belt 13 is:
The direct stretch portion of the belt 13 on the proximal side of the protruding member 10 was parallel to the protruding member 10, resulting in an even pressure distribution.

However, the method of folding the ink ribbon 8 into a winding pattern by applying this preload A is difficult because the viscosity of the ink applied to the ink ribbon 8 and the hardness of the belt 13 change due to temperature changes. When the frictional resistance between the ink ribbon 8 and the belt 13 changes and the frictional resistance decreases, the ink ribbon 8 slips against the belt 13, causing the ink ribbon 8 to be folded in a zigzag pattern and becoming unable to run. .

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks and provide an ink ribbon cartridge in which the ink ribbon can be reliably run (folded in a zigzag pattern).

The purpose is to house the endless ink ribbon in a meandering shape that can be fed out and retracted,
an ink ribbon accommodating part whose meander-shaped portion moves from one side to the other side by the feeding and feeding; an ink ribbon feeding part which feeds the endless ink ribbon into the ink ribbon accommodating part in a zigzag shape; The ink ribbon retracting section comprises:
The ink ribbon accommodating portion includes an endless belt stretched between a belt roller and a feed roller, and a pressure roller that causes the feed roller to press the ink ribbon via the endless belt, and the ink ribbon storage section has a width of the ink ribbon. The endless belt includes a protruding member that protrudes at a height such that an end thereof is hooked in a way that it can be crossed over, and has a length in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the meander-shaped ink ribbon moves; a portion that moves from the ink ribbon toward the feed roller guides the ink ribbon to a contact portion with the pressure roller;
A portion that moves from the feed roller toward the belt roller is arranged to guide the ink ribbon in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the meander-shaped portion moves, and a portion that moves from the feed roller to the belt roller of the endless belt The belt roller and the feed roller are arranged such that the portion that moves toward the belt roller is separated from the projecting member on the feed roller side than on the belt roller side. be.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing essential parts of an ink ribbon cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 4, in which parts common to those in the previous figure are denoted by the same reference numerals, the ink ribbon cartridge according to the present invention has a protruding member 10 provided in the ink ribbon accommodating portion and having a length in the width direction of the meandering ink ribbon 8. On the other hand, the left side direct portion of the belt 13 stretched between the feed roller 11 and the belt roller 12 (the straight stretched portion of the belt 13 near the storage section)
However, from the belt roller 12 side, the feed roller 11
At the side, the feed roller 11 and the belt roller 1 are arranged so as to be inclined away from the protrusion member 10 to the right.
2 is arranged and configured.

In the ink ribbon cartridge equipped with the belt 13 that slopes in this way, when the ink ribbon 8 is retracted into the storage section 17, the ink ribbon 8 is stored in the storage section in a meandering manner, but the protruding member 10 and the belt 13, the preload A exerted by the ink ribbon 8 pressing the belt 13 increases as the belt 13 approaches the belt roller 12, as shown by multiple arrows in the figure, due to the inclination of the belt 13. Therefore, since the belt 13 becomes stronger, the adhesion force between the belt 13 and the ink ribbon 8 in contact with the straight portion of the belt 13 increases, and the width of the zigzag shape in which the ink ribbon 8 is folded becomes regular, and the frictional resistance between the belt 13 and the ink ribbon 8 increases. is stabilized even if it decreases due to temperature changes.

Therefore, the ink ribbon cartridge according to the present invention ensures the scanning of the ink ribbon 8 even if the ambient temperature in which it is used changes.

Note that the ink ribbon cartridge according to the present invention can be realized by simply changing the mold type of the cartridge case, and therefore there is no increase in the number of man-hours in the manufacturing process of each component and the process of assembling them. will be implemented.

As explained above, in the ink ribbon cartridge according to the present invention, by slanting the ink ribbon feeding belt, the operation of storing the ink ribbon in a cascading manner becomes stable and reliable, and the ink ribbon cartridge according to the present invention can be easily accommodated in the usage environment. This has the effect of making it possible to expand the temperature range.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the main parts of a wire dot printer using an ink ribbon cartridge;
The figure is a plan view showing the internal structure of an ink ribbon cartridge with a conventional configuration, FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing essential parts of an ink ribbon cartridge according to an embodiment. In the figure, 8 is an ink ribbon, 10 is a protruding member, 11 is a feed roller, 12 is a belt roller, 13 is a belt, 14 is a pressure roller, 1
Reference numeral 7 indicates an ink ribbon accommodating portion, and 18 indicates an ink ribbon feeding port.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] An ink ribbon storage in which an endless ink ribbon 8 is accommodated in a meandering shape that can be fed out and retracted, and the meandering portion moves from one side to the other side by the feeding and feeding. an ink ribbon feeding section that feeds the endless ink ribbon 8 into the ink ribbon accommodating section 17 in a meandering manner, and the ink ribbon feeding section is provided between the belt roller 12 and the feed roller 11. a stretched endless belt 13; and an endless belt 1 on the feed roller 11.
a pressure roller 14 that presses the ink ribbon 8 via the ink ribbon 8; The endless belt 13 includes a projecting member 10 having a length in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the ink ribbon moves, and a portion of the endless belt 13 that moves from the belt roller 12 toward the feed roller 11 moves the ink ribbon 8. A portion that guides the ink ribbon 8 to a contact portion with the pressure roller 14 and moves from the feed roller 11 toward the belt roller 12 is arranged so that the ink ribbon 8 is guided in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the meander-shaped portion moves. and such that a portion of the endless belt 13 that moves from the feed roller 11 to the belt roller 12 is separated from the belt roller 12 side with respect to the projecting member 10 on the feed roller 11 side, An ink ribbon cartridge comprising the belt roller 12 and the feed roller 11.