JPH028791Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Field of Application of the Invention> The present invention relates to a thermal printer, and particularly relates to a thermal printer capable of increasing printing speed.

<Background of the invention> Conventionally, an ink ribbon containing a heat-melting material is placed between recording paper and a thermal head, and a plurality of heat generating elements provided in the thermal head are selectively activated as the thermal head moves. A thermal printer has been proposed that generates heat to melt the heat-melting material of the ink ribbon and transfer it onto recording paper. This thermal printer has the advantage of not producing noise during printing, and also has the advantage of not being restricted by the type of recording paper used.

As such a thermal printer, a thermal printer capable of printing two characters in the width direction of an ink ribbon has been proposed. This is a method in which both the upper and lower parts of a wide ink ribbon are set as separate printing areas. For example, after printing is completed in the entire printing area of the upper part, the ribbon cassette is raised, and the ink in this ribbon cassette is The ribbon is run in the opposite direction to the previous running direction, and printing is performed using the unused lower printing area.

However, in this conventional thermal printer, separate motors are used to press the thermal head against the platen and release it from the platen, and to place the ribbon cassette at a desired height, resulting in a complicated configuration. Moreover, since many motors are installed, there are problems in that it is not only expensive but also large and heavy. In addition, there is no member to properly hold the ink ribbon, and as a result, when the lower part of the ink ribbon is transferred, the ink ribbon may rise above the thermal head, or the ink ribbon may break, resulting in irregular winding. was occurring.

<Purpose of the invention> The purpose of the invention is to solve the problems of the conventional technology as described above. This enables efficient printing with a simple and inexpensive structure that allows three operations to be performed: (1) and (1) shifting of the ribbon cassette.In addition, the ink ribbon is positioned above the thermal head and has a dimension longer than one printing area of the ink ribbon. By providing a guide member having a protruding portion, even when using a wide ink ribbon, the ink ribbon does not rise up or break during printing, resulting in uneven winding or damage, and good printing can be performed. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a thermal printer that can be used.

<Summary of the invention> In order to achieve this object, the invention comprises a frame forming a main body, a platen around which recording paper is wound, a carriage movable along the platen, and a frame attached to the carriage. A thermal head disposed to face the platen, an ink ribbon disposed on the carriage and having a plurality of printing areas in the width direction, a ribbon cassette in which the ink ribbon is stored, and a and a ribbon winding mechanism for winding the ink ribbon, the ink ribbon is arranged between the recording paper wound around the platen and the thermal head, and the thermal head is brought into contact with each of a plurality of printing areas of the ink ribbon. Accordingly, in a thermal printer that can print multiple times in the width direction of an ink ribbon, a motor and a drive force for transmitting the driving force of the motor to a first cam, a second cam, and a third cam are used. a gear mechanism, and a head pressure release mechanism that presses the thermal head against the platen and releases the pressure contact through a member that contacts the working surface of the first cam and is displaced by rotation of the cam; The movable body is moved via a member that comes into contact with the working surface of the second cam and is displaced by the rotation of the cam, and as the movable body is displaced, a gear provided on the movable body is displaced. By being
an ink ribbon winding stop mechanism that cuts off a power transmission path from a drive source to a winding shaft for winding the ink ribbon, stops the rotational drive of the winding shaft, and stops the winding operation of the ink ribbon; Then, by moving the ribbon cassette support member up and down through a member that is in pressure contact with the working surface of the third cam and is displaced by the rotation of the cam, the ribbon cassette placed on the support member is moved. a cassette shift mechanism disposed at a desired height position and a desired printing area between the recording paper and the thermal head; the ink ribbon is capable of contacting the ink ribbon at a position above the thermal head; The ink ribbon is configured to include a guide member having a protrusion longer than one printing area of the ink ribbon.

<Embodiments of the invention> The thermal printer of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1a, b, c, and d are explanatory diagrams showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 1a is a plan view;
Figure b is a front view, Figure 1c is a right side view, and Figure 1d is a left side view.

First, the carriage drive mechanism and paper feeding mechanism provided in this embodiment will be described based on FIGS. 1a to 1d.

In these figures, 1 is a frame forming the main body, 2 is a platen around which recording paper is wound, and 3 is a platen rubber attached to the front surface of the platen 2 at a printing position. 4 is a carriage movable along the platen 2; 5 is a thermal head arranged to face the platen 2; 6 is a carriage 4;
A ribbon cassette is placed on top.

7 is a rotatable shaft extending along the platen 2 and passing through the carriage 4;
is a cam integrated with this shaft 7, Fig. 1d
9 is a pair of worm wheels connected to the cam 8 and provided on the shaft 7, 10 is a worm that engages with the worm wheel 9, and 11 is a stepping motor that rotates the worm 10. The above-mentioned cam 8 is provided in the shape shown in the side view of FIG. 2a and the front view of FIG. 2b, for example.
A groove 12 having the characteristics shown in FIG. 2c is formed on the side surface. Note that FIG. 2b corresponds to a view seen from the left side of FIG. 1b.

Reference numeral 13 shown in FIG. 1a is a lever having one end that engages with the groove 12 of the cam 8, and is rotatable around a support shaft 14, and the other end is rotated in the left-right direction in FIG. 1a. The slider 15 is engaged with the body of the slider 15 which is movable. The slider 15 is rotatably provided integrally with the output shaft of the stepping motor 16, and has gears formed at both ends. The gears on both sides of the slider 15 are gears 17 and 18 loosely fitted to the output shaft of the stepping motor 16.
is selectively engageable.

A gear 19 engages with the gear 17 and rotates integrally with the gear 17, and has a bevel gear 20 on its side. Reference numeral 21 denotes a bevel gear that engages with the bevel gear 20, and is provided integrally with a pulley 23 having a protrusion 22 on the circumferential side. 24 is a metal belt connected to the carriage 4 on both sides, and the protrusion 22 of the pulley 23
It has a square hole 25 that engages with. 26 is a pulley placed on the opposite side of the pulley 23 and around which the metal belt 24 is wound.

The metal belt 24 and pulleys 23, 2 mentioned above
6. Gear 1 having bevel gear 21 and bevel gear 20
9, the gear 17, the slider 15, and the stepping motor 16 constitute a carriage drive means for moving the carriage 4 along the platen 2, that is, in the left-right direction in FIG. 1a.

Further, 27 is a gear that engages with the gear 18, and has a small diameter gear 28 on the side thereof, and is loosely fitted to the paper feed shaft 29 so as to be rotatable. A gear 30 engages with the gear 28, and has a small diameter gear 31 on the side. A gear 32 engages with the gear 31, and is rotatably mounted integrally with the paper feed shaft 29. Note 3
A sprocket 3 is provided integrally with the paper feed shaft 29, and has protrusions 34 on its circumferential surface that are fitted into holes formed at both edges of the recording paper, for example.

The above-mentioned sprocket 33, paper feed shaft 29, gear 32, gear 30 having gear 31, gear 27 having gear 28, gear 18, slider 15, and stepping motor 16 move the recording paper wound around the platen 2. It constitutes the paper feeding mechanism.

3 is a plan view showing the inside of the ribbon cassette described above, FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a cassette holding plate taken as an example of cassette holding means for holding the ribbon cassette, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a developed view showing the engagement relationship between the above-mentioned cartridge and the cassette holding plate; FIG. 7 is a front view of the carriage portion; FIG. 8 is a rear view of the cartridge portion; Figure 9 is a side view of the carriage part, Figure 10 is a back view of the carriage part, and Figure 1 is a side view of the carriage part.
1 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 6, and FIG. 12 is a front view showing a portion of the ink ribbon.

Next, based on these FIGS. 3 to 12 and the above-mentioned FIGS. 1a and 1b, the ink ribbon winding mechanism, carriage mounting structure, and carriage guide means provided in this embodiment will be explained. state

In FIG. 3, 35 is a lower case of the ribbon cassette 6, and the ribbon cassette 6 is composed of the lower case 35 and an upper case (not shown) attached to the lower case 35. Note that 36 is a cavity into which the thermal head 5 is inserted. 3
Reference numeral 7 denotes a wide ink ribbon containing a heat-fusible material, which is housed inside the ribbon cassette 6. As shown in FIG. Each of the printing areas 38, 39, and 40 has a width dimension that allows printing of, for example, one character. That is,
Three characters can be printed in the width direction of the ink ribbon 37.

Further, in FIG. 3, reference numerals 41 and 42 indicate a pair of cores around which the ink ribbon 37 is wound, which are rotatably arranged within the ribbon cassette 6, and have cross-shaped holes 43 and 44 formed in the center. There is.

4 and 5, reference numeral 45 denotes a cassette holding plate rotatably mounted on the carriage 4;
Reference numerals 6 and 47 denote a pair of bobbins having a cross-shaped outer shape that engages with the holes 43 and 44 of the cores 41 and 42, respectively. As shown in FIG. 5, the bobbin 46 is placed on the cassette holding plate 45 via a hollow shaft 48. Although not particularly shown, the bobbin 4
7 is also arranged on the cassette holding plate 45 via a hollow shaft similar to the hollow shaft 48. Further, the above-mentioned cassette holding plate is equipped with bearings 49 and 50 at the ends,
As shown in FIG. 6, these bearings 49, 50 are arranged to fit into holes 51, 52 formed in the carriage 4, and pins (not shown) are inserted into the bearings 49, 50.
The cassette holding plate 45 is attached to the carriage 4 by being inserted into the hole of the carriage 4. In FIG. 6, the back side of the cassette holding plate 45 is shown.

Figure 1a and Figure 1 showing the underside of the carriage 4.
Reference numeral 53 in FIG.
Reference numeral 4 designates a transmission gear that is engageable with this rack gear 53. Reference numeral 55 denotes a movable body attached to the carriage 4, with through holes 56 provided in the carriage 4 on both sides,
It has protrusions 58 and 59 disposed within 57, and is movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the carriage 4, as shown by an arrow 60. Note that as shown in FIG.
The upper part of 9 is a wire spring 6 attached to the carriage 4.
Therefore, the moving body 55 is urged in the direction toward the platen 2 by this wire spring 61. Further, the support shaft 62 of the transmission gear 54 described above
As shown in FIG. 10, the transmission gear 54 is loosely fitted into an elongated hole 63 formed at the bottom of the movable body 55, so that the transmission gear 54 moves integrally with the movable body 55 in the direction of arrow 60, and It is movable within the hole 63, ie, movable parallel to the direction of movement of the carriage.

Further, 64 and 65 shown in FIG. 10 are a pair of ribbon winding gears which are rotatably mounted on the carriage 4 and selectively engaged with the transmission gear 54, and 66 and 67 shown in FIG. 6 are these ribbon winding gears. Take gear 64, 65
and a pair of first pin gears that rotate integrally with each other. As shown in FIG. 11, the first pin gear 66 and the ribbon take-up gear 64 have a hollow part 68 formed in the center of the first pin gear 66 and a shaft part 69 formed in the center of the ribbon take-up gear 64. It is integrated by fitting. Further, although not particularly shown, another set of the first pin gear 67 and the ribbon winding gear 65 are also integrated in the same manner as described above.

Further, 70 and 71 shown in FIG. 6 engage with the first pin gears 66 and 67, respectively, and hold the cassette holding plate 4.
a pair of second pin gears, 72, 7 attached to 5;
Reference numeral 3 designates a pair of clutch mechanisms interposed between the second pin gears 70, 71 and the bobbins 46, 47 shown in FIG. 4 described above. Furthermore, the clutch mechanism 7
2, as shown in FIG. 5, a protrusion 76 formed by a shaft portion 74 and a disc-shaped flat plate portion 75, and a friction plate 77 formed on the flat plate portion 75 of this protrusion 76.
The shaft portion 74 of the protrusion 76 is the second
By inserting into the hole 78 formed in the center of the pin gear 70, the hole 79 formed in the cassette holding plate 45, the coil spring 81 arranged in the hole 80 of the hollow shaft 48, and the hole 82 of the bobbin 46, the The second pin gear 70 and the bobbin 46 are integrally rotatably mounted on the cassette holding plate 45. The friction plate 77 of the protrusion 76 and the lower surface 8 of the second pin gear 70
3 come into contact with each other, and when a rotational force exceeding a predetermined magnitude is applied to the second pin gear 70, only the second pin gear 70 rotates, and the protrusion 7
6 and bobbin 46 are designed not to rotate. Although not particularly shown, other clutch mechanisms 7
3 is also engaged with the second pin gear 71, bobbin 47, etc. in the same manner as above.

In this embodiment, the above-described rack gear 53, transmission gear 54, moving body 55, wire spring 61,
A pair of ribbon winding gears 64, 65, a pair of first pin gears 66, 67, and a second pin gear 70, 7
1. A winding mechanism for the ink ribbon 37 is constituted by the clutch mechanisms 72, 73 and the like.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1a and 9, the frame 1 has a first edge 84 extending in the direction along the platen 2 and disposed near the platen 2.
and a second
An edge 85 and a step 86 extending in the direction along the platen 2 are formed. Then, a first edge 8 is attached to a portion of the carriage 4 located on the platen 2 side.
A pin 87 that engages with 4 is attached, and
Carriage 4 located on the side away from platen 2
A protrusion 88 that engages with the second edge 85 is formed in the lower portion of the carriage 4, and an engaging portion 89 that engages with the step portion 86 described above is formed in the lower portion of the carriage 4.

The first edge 84, the second edge 85, the pin 87, and the protrusion 88 described above constitute a carriage attachment structure for movably attaching the carriage 4 to the frame 1.

Further, the step portion 86 and the engaging portion 89 described above constitute a carriage guide means for moving the carriage 4 along the platen 2.

FIG. 13 is an exploded view showing the mounting structure of the above-mentioned rack gear 53. As shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of holes 90 are formed on the back surface of the rack gear 53, and a plurality of protrusions or cut-out portions 91 are formed on the frame 1 corresponding to the holes 90 of the rack gear 53.
is formed. By fitting each of the cut and raised portions 91 into each of the holes 90,
A rack gear 53 is attached to the frame 1.

Next, based on the above-mentioned FIGS. 6 to 10 and FIGS. 15, 16, 17, and 18, a shift mechanism for the ribbon cassette 6 provided in this embodiment,
The winding stop mechanism for the ink ribbon 37, the pressure release mechanism for the thermal head 5, and the mounting structure for the thermal head 5 will be described.

In FIG. 6, 92 is a gear attached to the shaft 7 passing through the carriage 4 and rotates the shaft 7 integrally, 93 is a gear that engages with this gear 92, 94 is a release cam, 95 is a pressure contact cam, 96
14 is a ribbon shift cam, of which a gear 93, a release cam 94, and a pressure contact cam 95 are integrally formed as shown in the side view of FIG. 14a and the front view of FIG. 14b. is formed separately from the gear 93 and the like, as shown in the side view of FIG. 15a and the front view of FIG. 15b. As shown in FIG. 6, a shaft 97 having an oval cross section allows
These gears 93, release cam 94, pressure contact cam 95
The ribbon shift cam 96 and the ribbon shift cam 96 are integrally rotatably mounted on the carriage 4.
The characteristics of the pressure contact cam 95 are set, for example, as shown in 1 in FIG. 14c, the characteristics of the release cam 91 are set, for example, as shown in 2 in FIG. For example, Figure 15c
The settings are as shown below. Note that the ribbon shift cam 96 is formed with a groove 99 into which the tip of a pin 98 attached to the holding plate 45 is pushed. In FIG. 6, the carriage 4 and the cassette holding plate 45 are shown separated, and the back side of the cassette holding plate 45 is shown. The pin 98 is inserted into the bearing 4 of the cassette holding plate 45.
The cassette holding plate 45 is attached to the carriage 4 by fitting the holes 51, 52 in the carriage 4, and the ribbon cassette 6 is mounted on the cassette holding plate 45. Therefore, the rotation of the gear 92 in conjunction with the rotation of the shaft 7 causes the gear 93 to rotate, and the ribbon shift cam 96 rotates integrally with the gear 93, thereby causing the pin 98 to move as will be described later. The ribbon cassette 6 rises from the lower stage position to the interrupted position and then to the upper stage position, and accordingly, the cassette holding plate 45 rotates around the bearings 49 and 50, and the height position of the ribbon cassette 6 changes. That is, the gear 9 described above
2, 93, the ribbon shift cam 96, the pin 98, and the cassette holding plate 45 constitute a cassette shift mechanism for arranging the ribbon cassette 6 at a plurality of height positions, for example, three height positions.

Further, the release cam 94 is engaged with a protrusion 100 formed on the portion of the movable body 55 located on the platen 2 side shown in FIG. 10 described above. As the release cam 94 rotates, the movable body 55 moves away from the platen 2 against the force of the wire spring 61 shown in FIG. The engagement with the rack gear 53 is released. That is, the gears 92 and 93, the release cam 94, the movable body 55, and the wire spring 61 disengage the transmission gear 54 and the rack gear 53, and the ink ribbon 37 stops the winding operation of the ink ribbon 37. A winding stop mechanism is constructed.

Further, the pressure contact cam 95 is engaged with a lever 101 rotatably mounted on the platen 2 side of the carriage 4, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 6.
The lever 101 is shown in the front view in FIG. 17a and in FIG. 17b.
As shown in the side view of FIG. 17C and the plan view of FIG.
4, a rising portion 105 connected to the bottom portion 104 and arranged on the platen 2 side, a bearing 105a,
105b. Further, 106 shown in FIG. 10 is a member attached to the lever 101, and the first
As shown in the front view of FIG. 8a, the side view of FIG. 18b, and the plan view of FIG. 18c, the bottom 1 of the lever 101
04 and the lever 1.
Two rising portions 108 and 109 are brought into contact with the vicinity of both ends of the lower portion of the rising portion 105 of the lever 101 and are fixed to the rising portion 105 with screws, for example, and near the center of the lower portion of the rising portion 105 of the lever 101. An elastic rising portion 11 disposed in front of the
It consists of 0. Further, 111 shown in FIG. 6 is a head base on which the thermal head 5 is mounted.
As shown in the front view of FIG. 16a and the plan view of FIG. It consists of a base portion 114 held between a rising portion 110 of the member 106 and a rising portion 105 of the lever 101. These levers 101 and members 10
6. The assembled state of the head base 111 is shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 mentioned above. The head base 111 mentioned above has the ink ribbon 37 in contact with the upper part of the thermal head 5, and as shown in FIGS. The ink ribbon 37 has a portion that protrudes upward by a size approximately 1.5 times the size of one printing area of the ink ribbon 37, and also serves as a guide member for guiding the ink ribbon 37. 115 and 116 shown in FIGS. 6 and 10 are levers 101
Pins 117 and 118 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are inserted into the bearings 105a, 105b and holes provided in the carriage 4 to rotatably support the lever 101.
is held by each of the pins 115 and 116, one end is attached to the carriage 4, and the other end is attached to the lever 10.
This is a spring that is engaged with the lower part of the rising portion 105 of No. 1.

The lever 101 and member 106 described above constitute a clamping body that clamps the head base 111, and the springs 117 and 118 described above bias the clamping body so as to rotate the clamping body in the direction in which the head base 11 approaches the platen 2. It constitutes an elastic body. In addition, the above head base 111 and lever 1
01 and member 106, and spring 1
17,118 and pins 115,1
16 constitute a mounting structure for the thermal head 5.

As the pressure contact cam 95 rotates, as will be described later, the rising portion 105 of the lever 101, the central rising portion 113 of the head base 111, and the thermal head 5 are brought into an upright state as shown in FIG. The head base 111 and the thermal head 5 are kept in pressure contact with the platen 2, or the lever 101 is turned as shown by the arrow 119, and the head base 111 and the thermal head 5 are moved integrally with the lever 101 as shown by the arrow 119.
The thermal head 5 is released from pressure contact with the platen 2.

The gears 92, 93, the pressure cam 95, the lever 101, the member 106, the head base 111, etc. constitute a head pressure release mechanism that presses the thermal head 5 against the platen 2 and releases the pressure contact.

Next, the operation of one embodiment configured as described above will be described.

Introduction: (1) Carriage drive operation (2) Paper feeding operation (3) Ink ribbon winding operation (4) Ink ribbon winding stop operation (5) Tape cassette shift operation (6) Pressure contact and release of the thermal head Each operation will be explained individually, and then a series of the above operations performed in one basic printing operation will be described.

(1) Carriage drive operation As the stepping motor 11 shown in FIG. 1 rotates, the worm 10 rotates.
The worm wheel 9 rotates due to the rotation of 0,
The cam 8 is integrated with the rotation of the worm wheel 9.
rotates. This cam 8 is shown in Fig. 2c.
When the characteristic ranges of 45° to 60°, 135° to 150°, and 225° to 330° are reached, the lever 13 rotates about the support shaft 14 in the counterclockwise direction shown in FIG. 1A. Therefore, the slider 15 engaged with the lever 13 moves to the left in FIG. 1a, and the gear formed on the left side of the slider 15 engages with the gear 17. Here, when the stepping motor 16 rotates, the slider 15 rotates, the gear 17 rotates with the rotation of the slider 15, the gear 19, that is, the bevel gear 20 rotates, and the bevel gear 20 rotates with the rotation of the gear 17. As the bevel gear 21 rotates,
That is, the pulley 23 rotates. and pulley 2
3 rotates, the metal belt 24 moves, and thereby the carriage 4 moves in the left-right direction in FIG. 1a, that is, along the platen 2.

(2) Paper feeding operation When the stepping motor 11 shown in FIG. 1 rotates, the cam 8 rotates via the worm 10 and the worm wheel 9 as described above. Then, this cam 8 moves from 0° to 15°, 90° to 105°, and 180° to 180° as shown in Figure 2c.
When the characteristic range indicated by 195° is reached, the lever 13 rotates clockwise about the support shaft 14 from the state shown in FIG. 1a, that is, the state in the carriage drive operation described above. Therefore, the slider 15 engaged with the lever 13 moves to the right in FIG. 1, and the gear formed on the right side of the slider 15 engages with the gear 18. When the stepping motor 16 rotates, the slider 15
rotates, gear 27, gear 28 rotates as the slider 15 rotates, gear 30, gear 31 rotates as gear 28 rotates, and gear 32 rotates as gear 31 rotates. Rotate. When the gear 32 rotates, the paper feed shaft 29 rotates, and as the paper feed shaft 29 rotates, the sprocket 33 rotates, thereby moving the recording paper wound around the platen 2 by a predetermined amount, for example, one line. It is sent in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the carriage 4.

(3) Ink ribbon winding operation As the stepping motor 11 shown in FIG. 1 rotates, the worm 10 rotates.
The worm wheel 9 rotates due to the rotation of 0,
When the worm wheel 9 rotates, the shaft 7 passing through the carriage 4 rotates. When the shaft 7 rotates, the gear 92 rotates, the gear 93 rotates with the rotation of the gear 92, and the release cam 94 rotates integrally with the gear 93. When the release cam 94 engages with the protrusion 100 of the movable body 55 shown in FIG. The portion 100 engages with the small diameter portion 120 of the release cam 94 as shown in FIG. 19a by the biasing force of the wire spring 61 shown in FIG. The transmission gear 54 engages with the rack gear 53.
In this state, if the carriage 4 is
When the shaft 62 of the transmission gear 54 moves in the right direction of FIG. The transmission gear 54 engages with the ribbon take-up gear 65, and as the carriage 4 moves, the ribbon take-up gear 65 rotates via the transmission gear 54. 65, the first pin gear 67 shown in FIG. 6 rotates clockwise. As the first pin gear 67 rotates, the second pin gear 71 rotates counterclockwise, and as the second pin gear 71 rotates, the bobbin 47 shown in FIG. The core 42 shown in FIG. 3, which rotates clockwise and engages with this bobbin 47, rotates counterclockwise. As a result, the ink ribbon 37 is wound up in the direction of arrow 121 in FIG.

Further, as mentioned above, the transmission gear 54 is connected to the rack gear 5.
3 and when the carriage 4 moves to the left in FIG. That is, the carriage 4 moves relatively to the left in FIG. As the ribbon take-up gear rotates, the first pin gear 66 shown in FIG. 6 rotates counterclockwise. This first
As the pin gear 66 rotates, the second pin gear 70 rotates clockwise.
0, the bobbin 46 shown in FIG. 4 rotates clockwise in FIG. 4, and the core 41 shown in FIG. 3, which is engaged with this bobbin 46, rotates clockwise. As a result, the ink ribbon 37 is wound up in the direction of arrow 122 in FIG.

That is, the right direction of the carriage 4 in FIG.
As the ink ribbon 37 moves to the left, the ink ribbon 37 shown in FIG. 3 is fed out and wound up in the direction of the arrow 121 or the direction of the arrow 122 by an amount corresponding to the distance traveled by the carriage 4, respectively.

(4) Ink ribbon winding stop operation When the stepping motor 11 shown in FIG. move. And release cam 94
When the release cam 94 and the protrusion 100 of the movable body 55 shown in FIG. As clearly shown in FIG. 54
is separated from the rack gear 53, and the engagement with the rack gear 53 is released. This allows the carriage 4
Even if the ribbon winding gears 64 and 65 move, neither of the ribbon winding gears 64 and 65 rotates, and therefore the first pin gears 66 and 6
7. Second pin gear 70, 71, bobbin 46, 4
7. Neither of the cores 41 and 42 rotates, and the ink ribbon 37 shown in FIG. 3 is kept in a non-winding state.

(5) Shifting operation of ribbon cassette As shown in Figure 20a, the cassette holding plate 45
is attached to the carriage 4, the pin 98 is inserted into the groove 99 of the ribbon shift cam 96, and the ribbon cassette 6 is attached to the cassette holding plate 45. When the stepping motor 11 shown in FIG. 10, the shaft 7 rotates via the worm wheel 9, and the gears 92, 93
Ribbon shift cam 96 rotates via.

15c of the ribbon shift cam 96.
When the pin 98 is located in the characteristic range shown from 0° to 75°, the pin 98 is at the position 124 of the groove 99 in FIG. 15b, that is, in the state shown in FIG. The cassette holding plate 45 and the ribbon cassette 6 are arranged at the lower position as shown. At this time, the printing area 38 of the ink ribbon 37 stored in the ribbon cassette 6 located in the upper part of FIG. It is now possible to print with

Also, the ribbon shift cam 96 shown in FIG.
Pin 9 in the characteristic range shown from 112.5° to 165°
8, the pin 98 is at the position 125 of the groove 99 in FIG.
The state is shown in FIG. b, and the cassette holding plate 45 and ribbon cassette 6 are thus placed in the middle position shown. At this time, the printing area 39 of the ink ribbon 37 of the ribbon cassette 6 located in the middle of FIG. 12 is facing the thermal head 5, so that printing using this printing area 39 is possible.

Also, the ribbon shift cam 96 shown in FIG.
Pin 9 in the characteristic range shown from 202.5° to 255°
8, the pin 98 is at the position 125 of the groove 99 in FIG.
It is in the state shown in FIG. c, and as a result, the cassette holding plate 45 and the ribbon cassette 6 are placed in the upper position shown in the figure. At this time, the printing area 40 of the ink ribbon 37 of the ribbon cassette 6 located in the lower part of FIG. 12 is facing the thermal head 5, so that printing using this printing area 40 is possible.

(6) Pressure contact and release operation of the thermal head When the stepping motor 11 shown in FIG. rotates. And the pressure contact cam 95 is 37.5° to 67.5°, 217.5° to 1 in Fig. 14c.
In the characteristic range shown by 247.5° and 307.5° to 337.5°, the engagement portion 1 of the pressure contact cam 95 and the lever 101
02, the engaging portion 102 engages with the small diameter portion 12 of the pressure welding cam 95, as shown in FIG. 21a.
7, i.e. the lever 101 is engaged with the spring 11
The ink ribbon 37 rotates around the pins 115 and 116 in a direction approaching the platen 2 due to the force of the ink ribbon 7 and 118, and the head base 111 and the thermal head 5 rotate integrally with the lever 101. Then, the recording paper 129 is pressed against the platen 2. Note that when the thermal head 5 is energized in this state, the heat-fusible material of the ink ribbon 37 is melted and transferred to the recording paper 129.
Printing is performed.

Furthermore, when the pressure contact cam 95 is rotated, the pressure contact cam 95 and the lever 101 are rotated in the characteristic ranges shown by 0° to 15°, 90° to 195°, and 270° to 285° in 1 of FIG. 14c. When the engaging portion 102 is engaged with the large diameter portion 128 of the pressure welding cam 95, as shown in FIG. against pin 1
15, 116 from the state shown in FIG. The thermal head 5 is then released from pressure contact with the platen 2.

Next, a series of operations performed in one basic printing operation will be described.

In this embodiment, the amount of feed of the ink ribbon 37 corresponds to the amount of one-way movement of the carriage 4, and printing in three stages in the width direction of the ink ribbon 37 is possible. , As basic printing operations, for example, operations listed below are sequentially performed.

Paper feeding is carried out. The carriage 4 is stopped, the ribbon cassette 6 is held in the lower position, the ink ribbon 37 is kept in a windable state, the thermal head 5 is kept in a pressure-released state, and paper feeding is carried out. > That is, first, the carriage 4 to which the ribbon cassette 6 is attached is placed at a predetermined printing start position at the left end in FIG. 1a. When the stepping motor 11 is driven in this state, the cam 8 rotates via the worm 10 and the worm wheel 9. While this cam 8 rotates by an amount corresponding to the characteristic range of 0° to 15° shown in FIG. 2c, that is, while it rotates to a range of 15° in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
The slider 15 engages with the gear 18 via the lever 13. In this state, when the stepping motor 16 is driven, the slider 15 rotates, and the gears 18, 27, 28, 30, 31, 3
2 rotates, the paper feed shaft 29 and sprocket 33 rotate, and the recording paper (not shown) moves along the arrow 1 in FIG.
For example, one line is sent in the 30 directions.

As mentioned above, when the cam 8 rotates within a range of 15 degrees in the direction of the arrow in FIG. release cam 94 and pressure contact cam 95 via
rotates in the direction of arrow 131 in FIG. 14b, and the ribbon shift cam 96 rotates in the direction of arrow 132 in FIG. 15b. Therefore, the small diameter portion of the release cam 94 shown in FIG. 14b located at the lower left portion in the drawing engages with the protruding portion 100 of the movable body 55 shown in FIG. As shown in a, the rack gear 53 and the transmission gear 54 are engaged, and the ink ribbon 37 is set in a windable state. Note that in the state before the cam 8 rotates, the protrusion 100
engages the release cam 94 at the 90° position shown in FIG. 14b, that is, the 90° position of the release cam 94 in FIG.

Further, the lower part of the pressure contact cam 95 shown in FIG. be done. Note that before the cam 8 rotates, the upper end of the engaging portion 102 of the lever 101 engages with the pressure contact cam 95 at the position shown at 180° in FIG. The 180° position of the pressure contact cam 95 in b corresponds to the 0° position of the cam 8. Although the rotational state of the pressure contact cam 95 is different, this pressure release state is shown in FIG. 21b. Also, a pin 98 attached to the cassette holding plate 45 is located at the position 124 of the ribbon shift cam 96 shown in FIG. 15b.
As a result, the ribbon cassette 6 on the cassette holding plate 45 is placed in the lower position as shown in FIG. 20a, and the printing area 38 located in the upper position in FIG. It's summery. Although FIG. 20a depicts the head in a press-contact state, in reality, at this time, the press-contact state is still maintained as described above. Further, the state before the cam 8 rotates, that is, the 0° position in FIG. 2b corresponds to the 0° position of the tape shift cam 96 shown in FIG. 15b.

Movement of the carriage to the right, first printing (the tape cassette 6 is held in the lower position, the ink ribbon 37 is kept in a windable state, the thermal head 5 is kept in pressure contact, and the carriage 4 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 1). The printer moves to the right of a, and the first printing operation using the upper printing area 38 of the ink ribbon 37 in FIG. 12 is performed. > That is, the stepping motor 11 is further driven from the above state, and the cam 8 is thereby driven.
When the lever 13 rotates within the range of 45° to 60° in the direction of the arrow in FIG. In this state, when the stepping motor 16 is driven, the slider 15 rotates, and the gear 19, bevel gears 20, 2
1. The pulley 23 rotates, the metal belt 24 moves, and the carriage 4 moves to the right in FIG. 1a, that is, from the left end to the right end of the frame 1.

As mentioned above, while the cam 8 rotates within a range of 60 degrees in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
The pressure contact cam 95 moves in the direction of arrow 131 in FIG. 14b, and the ribbon shift cam 96 moves in the direction of arrow 1 in FIG. 15b.
Further rotation in 32 directions. Therefore, the small diameter portion 120 of the release cam 94 and the movable body 5 shown in FIG.
The protruding portion 100 of No. 5 continues to be held in the engaged state,
As the carriage 4 moves, the transmission gear 54 engages with the ribbon winding gear 65, and the rotation of the transmission gear 54 causes the ribbon winding gear 65, the first pin gear 67, and the second pin gear 67 to rotate.
The ink ribbon 37 in the ribbon cassette 6 is thereby wound in the direction of the arrow 121 in FIG. 3. Further, the small diameter portion 127 of the pressure contact cam 95 shown in the lower part of the drawing shown in FIG. 14b engages with the engaging portion 102 of the lever 101 as shown in FIG. is brought into pressure contact with the platen 2. Moreover, the pin 98 of the cassette holding plate 45 is shown in FIG. 15b.
The ribbon shift cam 96 continues to be held at the position 124 shown in FIG. 2, and the ribbon cassette 6 is maintained at the lower position.

That is, while the cam 8 rotates within a range of 60 degrees in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
The ink ribbon 37 is kept at the lower stage as shown in FIG. It is wound up in the 121 direction. Therefore, when the thermal head 5 is energized to a predetermined level when the carriage 4 starts moving, printing can be performed using the printing area 38 located above the ink ribbon 37 shown in FIG. 12.

Carrying out paper feeding <The carriage 4 stops, the ribbon cassette 6 is shifted from the lower position to the middle position, the ink ribbon 37 is kept in a windable state, the thermal head 5 is kept in a pressure release state, and paper feeding is carried out. be done. > That is, the stepping motor 11 is further driven from the above state, and the cam 8 is thereby driven.
When the slider 15 rotates within the range of 90° to 105° in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
It is sent one line in the direction of arrow 130 in figure a. During this time, the shaft 7 also rotates up to 105 degrees together with the cam 8, the release cam 94 and the pressure contact cam 95 further rotate in the direction of arrow 131 in FIG. 14b, and the ribbon shift cam 96 rotates in the direction of arrow 131 in FIG. 15b. It further rotates in the 132 direction. Therefore, the small diameter portion 120 of the release cam 94 and the protruding portion 100 of the movable body 55 shown in FIG. 14b
The lock gear 53 and the transmission gear 54 are maintained in an engaged state. Further, the large diameter portion 128 of the pressure contact cam 95 on the right side of the drawing in FIG. . Further, the pin 98 of the cassette holding plate 45 is in the process of relatively moving within the groove 99 of the ribbon shift cam 96 from the position 124 to the position 125, whereby the cassette holding plate 45 and the ribbon cassette 6 are moved from the position shown in FIG. 20a. The ink ribbon 37 rotates counterclockwise in the drawing from the state shown in FIG.

Movement of the carriage to the left, second printing <The ribbon cassette 6 is held in the middle position, the ink ribbon 37 is kept in a windable state, the thermal head 5 is kept in pressure contact, and the carriage 4 is moved to the position shown in FIG. A is moved to the left side, and a second printing operation is performed using the printing area 39 in the middle of the ink ribbon 37 in FIG. 12. > That is, when the stepping motor 11 is further driven from the above state, and thereby the cam 8 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The carriage 4 is engaged with the gear 17 and moves from the right end to the left end of the frame 1 in FIG. 1a in the same manner as described above. During this time, the shaft 7 also rotates up to 150 degrees together with the cam 8, and the release cam 94 and the pressure contact cam 95
further rotates in the direction of arrow 131 in FIG. 14b,
The ribbon shift cam 96 is connected to the arrow 132 in FIG. 15b.
Rotate further in the direction. Therefore, the small diameter portion 120 of the release cam 94 shown in FIG. 14b and the protruding portion 100 of the movable body 55 continue to be held in an engaged state, and as the carriage 4 moves to the left in FIG. The gear 54 and the ribbon take-up gear 64 are engaged, and the rotation of the transmission gear 54 is transferred to the core 41 shown in FIG. This causes the ink ribbon 37 to move in the direction of arrow 122 in FIG.
In other words, the ink ribbon 37 is taken up by the same amount as the amount of ribbon taken up when the aforementioned cam 8 rotates within the range of 45° to 60° in the direction of the arrow in FIG. It is wound up. Further, the pressure contact cam 95 is connected to the small diameter portion 127 at the upper right side of FIG. 14b.
engages with the engaging portion 102 of the lever 101, so that the thermal head 5 is maintained in a pressed state. Also, pin 98 of cassette holding plate 45 continues to be held at position 125 of ribbon shift cam 96, and ribbon cassette 6 is maintained in the middle position of FIG. 20b.

That is, while the cam 8 rotates within a range of 150 degrees in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
The thermal head 5 is kept in the middle position shown in Figure b.
are kept in a pressed state, and the carriage 4 moves from the right end of the frame 1 in FIG. 1a to the left end,
The ink ribbon 37 is wound in the direction of arrow 122 in FIG. Therefore, during this time, thermal head 5
When a predetermined current is applied to the ink ribbon 37, printing can be performed using the printing area 39 located in the middle of the ink ribbon 37 shown in FIG.

Carrying out paper feeding <The carriage 4 is stopped, the ribbon cassette 6 is shifted from the middle position to the upper position, the ink ribbon 37 is kept in a windable state, the thermal head 5 is kept in a pressure-released state, and paper feeding is started. Implemented. > That is, the stepping motor 11 is further driven from the above state, and the cam 8 is thereby driven.
When the slider 15 is rotated within the range of 180° to 195° in the direction of the arrow in FIG. One line is sent in the 130 direction. During this time,
The shaft 7 also rotates up to 195 degrees together with the cam 8, and the release cam 94 and the pressure contact cam 95 move in the direction of arrow 1 in Fig. 14b.
31 direction, and the ribbon shift cam 96 moves to the first
It further rotates in the direction of arrow 132 in Figure 5b. Therefore, the small diameter portion 120 of the release cam 94 and the protruding portion 100 of the movable body 55 shown in FIG.
remains engaged. Also, the pressure welding cam 95
The large diameter portion 128 in the upper portion of FIG. 14B engages with the engaging portion 102 of the lever 101, and is therefore maintained in a pressure-released state that allows feeding of the recording paper. The pin 98 of the cassette holding plate 45 moves within the groove 99 of the ribbon shift cam 96 from position 125 to position 126.
As a result, the cassette holding plate 45 and the ribbon cassette 6 are in the process of moving relative to the second
From the state shown in FIG. 0B, it rotates counterclockwise around the bearings 49 and 50, and the printing area 39 located at the lower stage of the ink ribbon 37 as shown in FIG. 12 comes to face the thermal head.

Moving the carriage to the right, third printing <The ribbon cassette 6 is held in the upper position, the ink ribbon 37 is kept ready to be taken up, the thermal head 5 is kept in pressure contact, and the carriage 4 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 1a. 12, and a third printing operation using the lower printing area 40 of the ink ribbon 37 in FIG. 12 is performed. > That is, the stepping motor 11 is further driven from the above state, and the cam 8 is thereby driven.
When the slider 15 rotates within the range of 225° to 330° in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The frame 1 moves rightward from the left end to the right end, then reverses, and moves leftward from the right end to the left end. Then, while the carriage 4 moves to the right as described above, that is, while the cam 8 rotates within the range of 225° to 255° in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The portion 120 and the protruding portion 100 of the movable body 55 continue to be held in an engaged state, and as the carriage 4 moves rightward, the transmission gear 54 engages with the ribbon winding gear 65, and the rotation of the transmission gear 54 Ribbon winding gear 6
5, first pin gear 67, second pin gear 71,
This is transmitted to the core 42 via the bobbin 47, whereby the ink ribbon 37 in the ribbon cassette 6 is wound up in the direction of the arrow 121 in FIG. Also the 14th
The small diameter portion 127 at the upper left side of the pressure contact cam 95 shown in FIG. Also, the pin 98 of the cassette holding plate 45
continues to be held in position 126 of the ribbon shift cam 96 shown in FIG. 15b, and the ribbon cassette 6 is
It is maintained at the upper position in Figure 0 c. That is, while the cam 8 rotates within the range of 225° to 330° in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2b, the ribbon cassette 6 moves to the right in FIG. 20c while the carriage 4 moves to the right in FIG. The ink ribbon 37 is kept in the upper position shown, the thermal head 5 is kept in pressure contact, and the ink ribbon 37 is wound up in the direction of arrow 121 in FIG. Therefore, during this time,
When the thermal head 5 is energized to a predetermined value, printing can be performed using the printing area 40 located below the ink ribbon 37 shown in FIG. 12. When this printing is completed, the printing area 38 located in the upper row of the ink ribbon 37, the printing region 39 located in the middle row, and the printing region 40 located in the lower row are all used by the feed amount corresponding to one-way movement of the carriage 4. Become.

Carriage moved to the left, printing stopped <The ribbon cassette 6 is shifted from the upper position to the lower position, the ink ribbon 37 is kept in the winding stopped state, the thermal head 5 is kept in the pressure release state, and the carriage 4 is moved to the first position. Move to the left in figure a. During this time, printing will not be performed. 〉 Also, while the cam 8 rotates from 225° to 330°, the carriage 4 rotates from 255° to 330° in the direction of the arrow in Fig. After finishing, flip to frame 1 in Figure 1a.
While moving from the right end to the left end of
The large diameter portion 123 of the release cam 94 shown in FIG.
As a result, the ink ribbon 37 is disengaged from the ink ribbon 37.
is maintained in the winding stopped state. Further, the large diameter portion 128 at the lower left side of the pressure contact cam 95 shown in FIG. 14b
and the engaging portion 102 of the lever 101 engage with each other, whereby the thermal head 5 is maintained in the pressure-released state. Also, the pin 98 of the cassette holding plate 45 is
The ribbon shift cam 96 is in the process of relatively moving in the groove 99 from the position 126 to the position 124 as shown in FIG. 49, 50 in the clockwise direction shown in the figure,
Thereafter, the state returns to the initial state shown in FIG. 20a.

In other words, the cam 8 is rotated by 225 degrees in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2b.
While the carriage 4 rotates from 255° to 330° and moves to the left in FIG. 1a, the ribbon cassette 6 moves from the upper position shown in FIG. 20c to the upper position shown in FIG. It is lowered to the lower position shown in a,
The thermal head 5 is maintained in a state where the pressure contact is released, and the ink ribbon 37 is maintained in a state where winding is stopped.
Therefore, no printing operation is performed during this time.

Thereafter, the operations described above are repeated depending on the amount of printing.

FIG. 22 shows the rotation of the cam 8 and the release cam 9 mentioned above.
4. This is a timing chart showing the relationship between the rotation of the pressure contact cam 95 and the tape shift cam 96.

In one embodiment configured in this way,
Since a cassette shift mechanism, a head pressure release mechanism, and a ribbon winding stop mechanism are provided, which operate in conjunction with the rotation of the shaft 7, the carriage 4 moves between two reciprocating movements on the frame 1, that is, 4 degrees of movement. During printing, within the range of the feed amount of the ink ribbon 37 corresponding to the one-way travel distance of the carriage 4, three printing areas 38, 39, 38, 39, 38, 39, 39, 39, 39, 38, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 38, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39, 39 be, be printed should be printed, With respect to the width direction of the ink ribbon 37, within the range of the feed amount of the ink ribbon 37 corresponding to the one-way movement distance of the carriage 4. 40, that is, printing can be performed three times. Therefore, the entire width of the ink ribbon 37 can be used for printing without waste, and the amount of the ink ribbon 37 used can be suppressed to a minimum. In addition, the amount of printing that can be done with one ink ribbon 37 stored in the ribbon cassette 6 can be increased by 1.5 to 3 times compared to conventional printers, the frequency of replacing the ribbon cassette 6 can be minimized, and printing work efficiency can be increased. will improve. In addition, printing can be performed on three of the four occasions when the carriage 4 moves, and the ratio of the total time required for printing work to the predetermined total recording amount on the recording paper, that is, the printing speed, is reduced. compared to before
The speed can be increased by 1.5 times, improving printing efficiency from a different perspective than the above.

Further, in this embodiment, the ink ribbon 3
7 is connected to a pair of first pin gears 6, respectively.
6, 67, second pin gear 70, 71, bobbin 4
6, 47, cores 41, 42, clutch mechanism 72,
73, when the carriage 4 moves rightward or leftward on the frame 1 shown in FIG.
The ink ribbon 37 can be sent in the direction to be wound around the core 41 or in the direction to be wound around the core 42.
The reverse feeding operation can be realized satisfactorily.

Particularly in this embodiment, the winding mechanism for the ink ribbon 37 is connected to the first pin gear 66,
67 and second pin gears 70 and 71, the rotation of the transmission gear 54 that engages with the rack gear 53 is transmitted as the rotational force for winding the ink ribbon 37.
The second pin gears 70, 71 attached to the cassette holding plate 45 and the first pin gears 66, 67 are shifted from the lower stage to the middle stage and from the middle stage to the upper stage.
The displacement of the engagement position of the tooth tip between the first pin gear and the first pin gear is suppressed to the extent that it does not affect the transmission of rotational force. A reliable engagement relationship can be obtained between the pin gears 66, 67 and the second pin gears 70, 71, and the ink ribbon 37 can be reliably fed in accordance with the movement of the carriage 4.

Further, in this embodiment, the ink ribbon 3
Since the winding mechanism 7 is configured to transmit the rotational force applied to the second pin gears 70, 71 to the bobbins 46, 47 via the clutch mechanisms 72, 73, it is assumed that When excessive rotational force is applied, the rotational force is not transmitted to the bobbins 46, 47, and therefore, damage to the ink ribbon 37 due to such excessive rotational force can be reliably prevented. .

Further, in this embodiment, the ink ribbon 3
The winding mechanism of No. 7 is comprised of a pair of bobbins 46 and 47 mounted on a cassette holding plate 45, and a tape cassette 6.
A pair of cores 41, 42 disposed inside the cores 41, 42 are inserted into the cross-shaped holes formed in the cores 41, 42, and bobbins 46, 47 having a cross-shaped outer shape are inserted into the cores 41, 42, and the bobbins 46, 47 are rotated integrally with the rotation of the bobbins 46, 47. core 41, 42
Since it is designed to rotate bobbin 4,
There is no rotational deviation between the bobbins 46, 47 and the cores 41, 42, and the rotational force applied to the bobbins 46, 47 can be accurately transmitted to the cores 41, 42.

Further, in this embodiment, the shift mechanism for the ribbon cassette 6 includes a ribbon shift cam 96 that rotates with the rotation of the shaft 7, and a pin 98 is moved in accordance with the rotation of the ribbon shift cam 96. Since the cassette holding plate 45 is rotated through the ribbon cassette holding plate 45, the ribbon cassette 6 on the cassette holding plate 45 can be accurately shifted to the lower, middle, and upper stages according to the characteristics of the ribbon shift cam 96. , and can be held in the position, and the printing area 3 of the ink ribbon 37 is in the ribbon cassette 6.
8, 39, and 40 can be accurately opposed to the thermal head 5.

Further, in this embodiment, the ink ribbon 3
The winding stop mechanism 7 has a release cam 94 that rotates as the shaft 7 rotates, and the transmission gear 54 and the rack gear 53 are connected via the moving body 55 in accordance with the rotation of the release cam 94. Since it is configured to disengage the ink ribbon 37, the winding operation of the ink ribbon 37 can be accurately stopped according to the characteristics of the release cam 94, and this winding and stopping operation of the ink ribbon 37 can be stopped with a small number of parts. can be realized.

Further, in this embodiment, the pressure contact release mechanism of the thermal head 5 includes a pressure contact cam 95 that rotates as the shaft 7 rotates. The thermal head 5 mounted on the head base 111 by rotating the
Since it is configured to press the thermal head 5 against the platen 2 or release the press contact, it is possible to switch between press contact and release of the thermal head 5 with high accuracy according to the characteristics of the press contact cam 95, and this can be done with a small number of parts. operation can be realized.

Further, in this embodiment, as the shaft 7 rotates, a ribbon shift cam 96 forming a cassette shift mechanism, a release cam 94 forming a winding stop mechanism for the ink ribbon 37, and a pressure release of the thermal head 5 are used. The pressure contact cam 95 constituting the mechanism is rotated, and these ribbon shift cams 96, release cams 94, and pressure contact cams 95 are connected to the shaft 9.
Since the ribbon cassette 6 is rotated integrally through the ink ribbon 7, the shifting operation of the ribbon cassette 6, the pressing release operation of the thermal head 5, and the ink ribbon 3
The winding stop operation in step 7 can be made to work together at the desired timing in conjunction with the rotation of the shaft, and these operations can be realized with a minimum number of parts, making it possible to keep manufacturing costs low. can.

Further, in this embodiment, the mounting structure for the carriage 4 is attached to the first edge 8 formed on the frame 1.
4, a second edge 85, a protrusion 88 formed on the carriage 4 and engaged with the second edge 85;
The carriage 4 can be movably attached to the frame 1 with a minimum number of parts, and is light in weight. , the structure can be made thinner.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the guide means for the carriage 4 is constituted by a stepped portion 86 formed on the frame 1 and an engaging portion 89 formed on the carriage 4, the structure is extremely simple. and
Easy to manufacture.

In addition, in this embodiment, the rack gear 53
The hole 90 formed in the rack gear 53 has a mounting structure of
The rack gear 53 is fitted with a plurality of protrusions or raised portions 91 formed on the frame 1.
Since it is attached to the frame 1, the number of parts can be minimized and the attachment work is easy.

Further, in this embodiment, the mounting structure of the thermal head 5 includes a head base 111 on which the thermal head 5 is mounted, a clamping body consisting of a lever 101 and a member 106 that clamps the head base 111, and springs 117 and 118. Because of the configuration, the thermal head 5 can be easily positioned at a predetermined position facing the platen 2 by one action of inserting the head base 111 with the thermal head 5 attached into the clamping body, and the thermal head 5 can be easily positioned at a predetermined position facing the platen 2. Due to the clamping force, the thermal head 5 including the head base 111 can be reliably held without positional displacement, regardless of the repeated press-release operation of the thermal head 5.

In addition, in this embodiment, the head base 11
1 also serves as a guide member that guides and holds the ink ribbon 37, so that the ink ribbon 37 does not rise or break during printing, and the ribbon does not roll up or break due to the rise or breakage of the ink ribbon 37. It is possible to prevent deterioration in driving performance.

In the above embodiment, although not explicitly stated, the colors of the heat-fusible materials constituting the printing areas 38, 39, and 40 located at the upper, middle, and lower tiers of the ink ribbon 37 shown in FIG. 12 are different from each other. By setting it to color, you can print in color.

Further, in the above embodiment, the ink ribbon 37 is provided with three printing areas 38, 39, and 40, that is, the upper, middle, and lower printing areas, but the present invention is not limited to this.
Alternatively, an ink ribbon having four or more stages of printing areas may be provided.

Further, in the above embodiment, as the shaft 7 rotates, the ribbon shift cam 96 moves toward the arrow 13 in FIG. 15b.
The ribbon cassette 6 rotates in two directions.
rises from the bottom to the middle and from the middle to the top, and the 12th
Print areas 38, 3 of the ink ribbon 37 shown in the figure
9 and 40, that is, the ink ribbon 3
Printing is performed in order from the top to the bottom of the ribbon cassette 6.Contrary to this, by rotating the ribbon shift cam 96 in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow 132 in FIG. 15b, the ribbon cassette 6 is It descends from the upper stage to the middle stage and from the middle stage to the lower stage, so that printing can be performed in each of the printing areas 40, 39, and 38 of the ink ribbon 37 shown in FIG. 12, that is, from the bottom of the ink ribbon 37 to the top. You can also.

Further, in the above embodiment, the worm 10 and the slider 1 are moved by the stepping motors 11 and 16.
Although the stepping motors 11 and 16 are configured to rotate, an electromagnetic solenoid may be provided instead of the stepping motors 11 and 16.

Further, in the above embodiment, the hole 90 is provided in the rack gear 53.
, and the frame 1 is provided with a cut-and-raised portion 91, but on the contrary, a protrusion is provided on the rack gear 53,
The frame 1 may be provided with a hole into which the projection fits.

Further, in the above embodiment, the projection 88 formed on the carriage 4 is formed on the second edge 85 formed on the frame 1.
A first edge 8 formed on the frame 1 by engaging the
The pin 87 that engages with the frame 1 is attached to the carriage 4;
The carriage 4 may be provided with a protrusion that engages with a first edge 84 formed on the frame 1, and a pin that engages with a second edge 85 formed on the frame 1 and can be attached to the carriage 4. .

Further, in the above embodiment, the gear 93 and the release cam 9
4 and the pressure contact cam 95 are integrally formed.
These may be provided separately from each other.

<Effects of the invention> Since the thermal printer of the invention is configured as described above, the driving force of one motor is used to release the thermal head from the platen, stop the ink ribbon winding, and open the ribbon cassette. It is possible to perform three types of shifting operations, and has the effect of efficiently printing with a simple and inexpensive structure.
In addition, it is possible to prevent the ink ribbon from rising or breaking during printing as in the conventional method, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink ribbon from winding irregularly and from deteriorating the ribbon running performance that would otherwise occur.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1a, b, c, and d are explanatory diagrams showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of the thermal printer of the present invention.
Figure a is a plan view, Figure 1 b is a front view, Figure 1 c is a right side view, Figure 1 d is a left side view, Figure 2 a, b, c.
2 is an explanatory diagram showing a cam provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 a is a side view, FIG. 2 b is a front view,
Fig. 2c is a characteristic diagram, Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the inside of the tape cassette provided in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is an example of cassette holding means provided in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 to 10 are explanatory diagrams of the carriage portion provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a front view, FIG. 8 is a rear view, and FIG. 9 is a developed view showing the engagement relationship. is a side view, FIG. 10 is a back view, FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 6, and FIG. 12 shows a part of the ink ribbon provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. A front view, FIG. 13 is an exploded view showing the mounting structure of the rack gear provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 14 a, b, and c are release cams and pressure contact cams provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. 14A is a side view, FIG. 14B is a front view,
Figure 14c is a characteristic diagram, Figure 15a, b, and c are the first
15A is a side view, FIG. 15B is a front view, FIG. 15C is a characteristic diagram, and FIGS. 16A and 16B are the same as FIG. 1. FIG. 16a is a front view, FIG. 16b is a plan view, and FIGS. 17a, b, and c are explanatory diagrams showing a head base provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 17a is a front view, FIG. 17b is a side view, FIG. 17c is a plan view, and FIGS. 18a, b, and c are explanatory diagrams showing the levers that make up the body. 18A is a front view, FIG. 18B is a side view, FIG. 18C is a plan view, and FIG.
Figure a is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the ink ribbon winding mechanism provided in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, and Figure 19 b.
20 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the ink ribbon winding stop mechanism provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 20A is an explanatory diagram showing the ribbon cassette in the lower position, FIG. 20B is an explanatory diagram showing the ribbon cassette in the middle position, and FIG. 20C is an explanatory diagram showing the ribbon cassette in the middle position. FIGS. 21a and 21b are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the pressure release mechanism of the thermal head provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 21b is an explanatory diagram showing the release state;
Figure 2 is a timing chart showing the rotational relationship of each cam. 1... Frame, 2... Platen, 4... Carriage, 5... Thermal head, 6... Ribbon cassette, 7... Shaft, 8... Cam, 9... Worm wheel, 10... Worm, 11, 16
... Stepping motor, 13 ... Lever, 15
...Slider, 17, 18, 19, 27, 28,
30, 31, 32, 92, 93...gear, 20,
21...Bevel gear, 23, 26...Pulley, 24
...Metal belt, 29...Paper feed shaft, 35...
Lower case, 37... Ink ribbon, 38,3
9,40...Print area, 41,42...Core, 4
3, 44, 78, 79, 80, 82, 90...
Hole, 43, 44, 78, 79, 80, 82, 90
... Hole, 45 ... Cassette holding plate, 46, 47...
... Bobbin, 49, 50 ... Bearing, 53 ... Rack gear, 54 ... Transmission gear, 55 ... Moving body, 5
6,57...Through hole, 58,59,100...Protrusion, 61...Wire spring, 62...Spindle, 63...
Long hole, 64, 65... Ribbon winding gear, 66, 6
7... First pin gear, 70, 71... Second pin gear, 72, 73... Clutch mechanism, 74...
Shaft portion, 75... Flat plate portion, 76... Projection, 77...
...Friction plate, 81...Coil spring, 83...Bottom surface,
84...first edge, 85...second edge, 86
... Stepped portion, 87, 98, 115, 116 ... Pin, 88 ... Protrusion, 89 ... Engagement portion, 91 ... Cut-and-raised portion, 94 ... Release cam, 95 ... Pressure cam,
96...Ribbon shift cam, 97...Shaft, 99...
...Groove, 101...Lever, 105...Rising part,
106... Member, 111... Head base, 11
7,118...Spring, 129...Recording paper.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A frame forming a main body, a platen around which recording paper is wound, a carriage movable along the platen, and a frame attached to the carriage so as to face the platen. a thermal head disposed on the carriage;
A recording device that is equipped with an ink ribbon having a plurality of printing areas in the width direction, a ribbon cassette in which the ink ribbon is stored, and a ribbon winding mechanism that winds the ink ribbon according to the movement of a carriage, and is wound around a platen. A thermal printer that can print multiple times in the width direction of an ink ribbon by placing an ink ribbon between a paper and a thermal head and bringing the thermal head into contact with each of a plurality of printing areas of the ink ribbon. , a motor; a gear mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the motor to a first cam, a second cam, and a third cam; a head pressure contact release mechanism that presses the thermal head against the platen and releases the pressure contact through a member that is displaced by the second cam; By moving the movable body through the member and displacing the gear provided on the movable body in accordance with the displacement of the movable body, the movement from the drive source to the winding shaft for winding the ink ribbon is caused. an ink ribbon winding stop mechanism that cuts off the power transmission path, stops the rotational drive of the winding shaft, and stops the winding operation of the ink ribbon; By moving the ribbon cassette support member up and down via a member that is displaced by the rotation of the cam, the ribbon cassette placed on the support member is placed at a desired height position,
A cassette shift mechanism is provided for arranging a desired printing area between the recording paper and the thermal head, and the ink ribbon can be brought into contact with a position above the thermal head, and the ink ribbon is further away from one printing area of the ink ribbon. 1. A thermal printer comprising: a guide member having a protruding portion set to have a long dimension. (2) The thermal printer according to claim (1), wherein the guide member is a head base.