JPH0269276A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To feed an ink ribbon at a constant tension by a single drive source by controlling the rotation of the ink ribbon drive source according to a winding diameter so as to take up the ink ribbon with a desired tension maintained. CONSTITUTION:Recording paper 46 held between a pinch roller 47 and a capstan 48 is driven in a direction 49 with the rotation of the capstan 48 driven by a stepping motor or the like. An ink ribbon 45 is taken up in a direction 54 as a pressing gear 51 is shaken in a direction 52 by the rotation of an ink ribbon drive motor 50, for which a coreless motor or the like is available, to transmit the drive force to an ink ribbon take-up shaft 53 in conjunction therewith. At this time, the ink ribbon drive motor 50 is driven at a voltage set by a D/A converter to take up the ink ribbon 45 at a torque according to the winding diameter of the ink ribbon 45 while constantly applying a fixed tension to the ink ribbon 45.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording device having an ink ribbon, such as a copying machine or a color printer.

BACKGROUND ART When winding up an ink ribbon used to form an image, the torque generated by the take-up reel drive device is actively changed, and the amount of ink is constantly adjusted according to the diameter of the ink ribbon. The idea of increasing the setting margin of the mechanism by keeping the ribbon winding tension constant has existed for a long time; for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-26268
No. 1 Publication 1, Name of the Invention Recording Device 2, Claims (1) A driving source for winding the ink ribbon, and a driving force for winding the ink ribbon according to the rotational direction of the motor that is the driving source. means for switching the transmission path of the ink ribbon, means for detecting the winding diameter of the ink ribbon, and means for controlling the rotation of the ink ribbon drive source according to the winding diameter, and the means for controlling the rotation of the ink ribbon drive source according to the winding diameter, and the means for controlling the rotation of the ink ribbon drive source according to the winding diameter. A recording device characterized by winding up.

((a) The diameter of the ink ribbon is detected when the power is turned on.
The recording according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a function of predicting the roll diameter only during an initial period when the ink ribbon is replaced, and thereafter constantly predicting the roll diameter based on the data on the number of printed sheets. Device.

(3) To detect the winding diameter of the ink ribbon, move the ink ribbon a certain distance, and during this time, as disclosed in the ink ribbon drive information, separate drive sources are installed on the winding side and the supply side of the ink ribbon. The winding side and the supply side are each independent according to the winding diameter of the ink ribbon. By controlling the drive circuit, it is possible to apply a constant tension to the ink ribbon in all situations, such as during image printing, while the ink ribbon is stopped, and when the ink ribbon and recording paper are peeled off after color printing. Constant transfer conditions can always be ensured.

However, in the actual printing process, there is almost no need to strictly control the tension except during image printing; for example,
- There is no particular problem with peeling after color printing even when the ink ribbon is wound under the same conditions as during image printing. The conventional method requires at least two motors to drive the ink ribbon;
Each device has dedicated hardware such as a latch, a D/A converter, a Hall element distributor, and a motor drive circuit, making the device complex and its control complicated.

From the point of view of increasing the mechanism setting margin in order to improve printing quality, which the invention aims to solve, it is possible to wind up the ink cylinder with a torque corresponding to the ink ribbon diameter only during printing, and then roll the ink ribbon around. It is sufficient to ensure that a constant tension is always applied.

In the conventional technology, depending on the diameter of the ink ribbon, the winding side and supply of the ink ribbon are adjusted to maintain a certain tension during printing, stopping, and peeling off the ink ribbon and recording paper. Both sides are controlled independently, but
As a result, both hardware and software have become complex and their scale has grown.

The present invention switches the power transmission path according to the rotational direction of the motor, and winds up the ink ribbon with a torque that corresponds to the ink ribbon's winding diameter only during printing, which has the greatest impact on print quality. The purpose is to transport the ink ribbon with constant tension.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a drive source for winding the ink ribbon, and winds up the entire ink ribbon depending on the rotational direction of the motor serving as the drive source. “It has a means for switching the small power transmission path, a means for detecting the winding diameter of the ink ribbon, and a means for controlling the rotation of the ink ribbon and drive source according to the winding diameter, while maintaining the desired tension. It is characterized by winding up an ink ribbon.

Operation By using the above means, when the winding tension of the ink ribbon is kept constant and the ink ribbon is transported at high speed, such as during non-printing, the necessary minimum tension is set by driving the motor at a certain constant voltage. It is possible to obtain the same effect as the conventional technology through the process.

Example An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the mechanism. The ink ribbon 1 is arranged, for example, on the heating element side of the thermal head 3, as shown in the ink ribbon transport path 2. The thermal head mounting bracket 4 is movable in directions 6 and 7 around the thermal head movement axis 6, and is in the position shown in FIG. 1 during printing, but when the ink ribbon is transported at high speed, When detecting the winding diameter of the ink ribbon, the ink ribbon is moved in the direction 6 and is completely independent of the platen roller 8 and the recording paper 12, so that the ink ribbon is smoothly conveyed.

The winding diameter of the ink ribbon is detected immediately after the power is turned on, immediately after the ink ribbon is replaced, and during the initial period of the mechanism. FIG. 2 shows an example of an ink ribbon whose winding diameter can be detected, and coloring materials are applied in the order of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. In this example, two black marks 17 are printed at the end of the ribbon for yellow detection, and one black mark 18, 19.20 is printed for magenta, cyan, and black detection. has been done. These black marks are used to determine the position of each color material applied, and in actual printing, for example, yellow or magenta.

fan. Cueing is performed by detecting a black mark at the first black mark.

Figure 3 shows the positional relationship of the mechanisms during their initial period. When the initialization of the mechanism is started, the recording paper is first moved to a predetermined position, and then the thermal gutter is moved in the direction 21. In this way, the ink ribbon 22 is freed, and the ink ribbon 22 is conveyed in the direction 23 for about 30 to 401 nIR, and then conveyed in the direction 24 until the black mark for yellow detection is found. Detection of black marks is performed by the ribbon color detection sensor 26, but in order to detect black marks, for example, an optical sensor such as a reflector or a flap can be used. When starting the black mark for yellow detection, the ink ribbon is completely separated from the platen roller 27, as shown in FIG. 3, so that the ink ribbon can be conveyed smoothly. When the beginning of the yellow part is completed, the ink ribbon 22 is conveyed in the direction 24 while maintaining the state of the head 26 and platen roller 27 until a black mark for magenta detection is found. The distance from the black mark for yellow detection to the black mark for magenta detection is always printed the same regardless of the diameter of the ink ribbon, so during this period, for example, a slit disk connected directly to the motor shaft, etc. If you count the pulses obtained by an optical sensor such as an interrupter, for example, if the diameter of the ink ribbon is 34 mm, 28 pulses will be obtained, and if the diameter is 62 mm, 140 pulses will be obtained based on the diameter of the ink ribbon and the sensor. Since the number of pulses is determined on a one-to-one basis, it is possible to detect the diameter of the ink ribbon.

The number of pulses detected in this way is stored in a storage device (hereinafter referred to as memory), and then stored in a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU).
I is replaced with data corresponding to the diameter of the ink ribbon to be compared.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of an example of the process from detecting the number of pulses to setting the voltage of the ink ribbon drive motor according to the winding diameter of the ink ribbon. - The number of pulses obtained from the sensor, which is stored in the memory 28, can be determined by referring to the data table set in the read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as ROM) 30. The position is converted into data indicating the number of sheets printed since the beginning of use of the ink ribbon (hereinafter referred to as current print number data). This data ranges from 0 to 160 (sheet), for example. Immediately after the power is turned on and the ink ribbon is replaced, the current print number data is converted back into pulse number data by a data table that is an inverse table of the data table stored in the ROM as it is. ,
After that, for example, if printing is performed continuously, the next process is performed.

Immediately after the power is turned on, and each time printing continues after ink ribbon conversion, the data on the number of printed sheets (hereinafter referred to as continuous printed sheet number data) is as follows.
For example, it is counted when printing of - sheets is completed, and the continuous printing sheet number data is counted up to 1 when printing is completed immediately after the power is turned on and immediately after the ink ribbon is replaced. If printing is to be continued thereafter, the current print number data and this count-up value (continuous print number data) are totaled, and the data table is referred to based on this value. In other words, the pulses are actually counted, this is held in the form of current print number data, and the continuous print number data, which is counted and amplified as the number of prints increases, is added to this, and the current position of the ink ribbon is calculated. After predicting the number of sheets to be printed since the beginning of use, it is predicted how many pulses will be obtained if the ink ribbon winding diameter is detected in this state.

With this function, the ink ribbon winding diameter is detected only immediately after the power is turned on and immediately after the ink ribbon is replaced, and the ink ribbon winding diameter is not detected thereafter and can be predicted. Even if the pulse output cannot be frequently monitored due to a problem with the processing time, the number of pulses that should be detected can be reliably predicted according to the winding diameter of the ink ribbon. Here, the number of pulses corresponding to the diameter of the ink ribbon obtained by actually performing the detection operation and the number of pulses obtained by prediction are considered to be equivalent information, and the ink ribbon drive voltage Setting section 33
Processing is transferred to For example, the top of this part is 34.
D/A converter 35. It is composed of a motor driver 36, etc., and the latch 34, for example,
Connected to U29. The detected or predicted number of pulses is converted into, for example, 8-level data by a program based on the magnitude relationship of the number of pulses, and this data is transferred from the CPU 29 to the latch 34 via the data bus 34, and is simultaneously The CPU 29 generates an outdated enable signal 38 and a synchronization signal 39, and the data is fixed in the latch 34. The data fixed in the latch 34 is transferred to the D/A converter 35, and its output is transferred to the motor driver 3.
Connected to the voltage control terminal of 6. Furthermore, when converting the number of pulses into the eight-stage data, it is extremely easy to simultaneously obtain data used for rotating the ink ribbon, for example, by a program.

By sending a motor state signal 40i from the CPU 29 and selecting the voltage control terminal as the motor and drive voltage, the motor 41 rotates at l·lux according to the winding diameter of the ink ribbon, and winds the ink ribbon with a constant tension. . Further, when the ink ribbon is transported at high speed, the high speed transport power source 42 is selected by the motor state signal 40.

FIG. 5 shows a conceptual diagram of the mechanism during printing operation. During the printing operation, the thermal head 43 is in close contact with the platen roller 44 under a strong pressure of, for example, about 6 kg, and the ink ribbon 46 and the recording paper 46! +i, it is sandwiched between the thermal head 43 and the platen roller 44. The recording paper 46 is held between a pinch roller 47 and a capstan 48 arranged on the conveying side thereof, and is driven in the direction 46 as the capstan 48 rotates, for example, by a stepping motor or the like. . The ink ribbon 46 is driven by the biasing gear 61 by rotation of the ink ribbon drive motor 5Q, which can be used, for example, as a coreless motor.
swings in the direction 52, transmits the driving force to the linked ink ribbon winding shaft 63, and is accordingly wound in the direction 64.

At this time, the ink ribbon 1 drive motor 60 is driven by the voltage set by the D/mucomparter, winds the ink ribbon 45 with a torque corresponding to the winding diameter of all the ink ribbons 45, and always maintains a certain tension. Add to ink ribbon 45.

FIG. 6 shows a part of the state of the mechanism when, for example, the ink ribbon is conveyed at high speed and the beginning of each color of the ink ribbon is located. The thermal head 66 is connected to the platen roller 66
The ink ribbon 67 is completely separated from the ink ribbon 67 and is not affected by the platen roller 66, the recording paper 58, etc. at all. Depending on the direction in which the ink ribbon 5 is conveyed, the biasing gear 69 transmits the driving force in the direction 60, for example, and at this time the ink ribbon 5
A is transported in direction 62.

In such a state, when the ink ribbon 57 is conveyed at high speed, there is almost no need to strictly set the voltage to be applied to the ink ribbon drive motor 61. Historically, during this type of operation, image data required for printing is generally not transferred, so there is no problem with CPH processing time, and a sensor reads the black mark printed on the ink ribbon and the ink is transferred. Determining the location of each color on the ribbon is quite easy.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to wind up an ink ribbon with a certain tension during a printing operation with an extremely simple configuration, and the mechanism setting margin can be set to a large extent. It has many parts that contribute to stabilizing print quality, is highly practical, and is extremely useful.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ink ribbon used in the apparatus, FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the arrangement position of the ink ribbon, and FIG. 4 6 is a block diagram showing the signal system of the apparatus, FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the apparatus during printing operation, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the apparatus during non-printing. 1... Ink ribbon, 2... Ink ribbon transport path, 3... Mark/thermal head, 12...
···Recording paper.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A drive source for winding the ink ribbon, a means for switching the transmission path of the drive force for winding the ink ribbon according to the rotational direction of the motor serving as the drive source, and detecting the winding diameter of the ink ribbon. What is claimed is: 1. A recording apparatus comprising means for controlling the rotation of an ink ribbon drive source according to a winding diameter, and winding up an ink ribbon while maintaining a desired tension. (2) The ink ribbon roll diameter is detected only during the initial period when the power is turned on and the ink ribbon is replaced, and thereafter the roll diameter is always predicted based on the data on the number of printed sheets. A recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that: (3) The winding diameter of the ink ribbon is detected by moving the ink ribbon a certain distance and counting the pulses generated by a sensor installed in the ink ribbon drive system during this period. The recording device according to claim 1, which is non-contact. (4) Based on the detected ink ribbon diameter data,
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the remaining amount of the ink ribbon is displayed.