JPH0346919Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer in which a thermal head is mounted on a cartridge and prints while being moved in the horizontal direction.

[Prior art]

In conventional thermal transfer printers, when printing by pressing the thermal head against the print medium, the print medium is placed in a cylindrical shape to prevent the print medium from coming into contact with the thermal head drive circuit mounted on the thermal head or the joint of the power supply cable. Printing is performed by wrapping it around the platen.

However, in order to wrap the print medium around a cylindrical platen, the print medium is extremely curved.
Another disadvantage is that cardboard or the like cannot be used.

[Purpose of invention]

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and its purpose is to attach a rigid print medium to the thermal head drive circuit or the power supply cable joint without contacting the print medium. An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer printer capable of printing.

[Structure of the idea]

In order to achieve this purpose, the present invention includes a carriage movably and rotatably supported by a guide shaft whose both ends are fixed to the device, and a thermal printer which is mounted on the carriage and has a heat generating part on the surface facing the print medium. The printer is equipped with a thermal head drive circuit provided on the thermal head so as to be located on the same surface as the heat generating part, and the heat generating part of the thermal head is printed by rotating the carriage around a guide shaft. A thermal transfer printer that prints on a print medium with the thermal head while pressing against the medium and moving the thermal head along with the carriage in the axial direction of the guide shaft, the thermal transfer printer being provided parallel to the guide shaft and facing the thermal head. When printing, a flat plate-shaped plate is provided with a step with a drop in the direction facing the thermal head to form a low surface and a high surface, and the high surface is set at a position where the printing medium and the heat generating part of the thermal head come into contact. is located near the side of the platen and the thermal head driving circuit, and when the carriage is rotated so that the thermal head and the flat platen face each other, the thermal head faces the lower surface of the flat platen, The present invention is characterized by comprising a medium pushing member provided on the carriage so as to protrude toward the flat platen so that the tip end thereof is located at a position lower than the high surface of the flat platen.

〔Example〕

Examples will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a thermal head used in the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, Fig. 3 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a thermal transfer printer according to the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a side view of the same. .

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a thermal head, which has a heat generating part 4 at the tip corner of the surface facing the printing medium 12 via the ink ribbon 3, and is positioned on the rear end side of the same surface as the heat generating part 4. A thermal head driving circuit 2 is mounted on the thermal head 1.

Reference numeral 5 indicates a connection cord, and 6 indicates a power supply cable connected to the thermal head 1 via the connection cord 5.

13 is a guide shaft 1 with both ends fixed to the device.
The thermal head 1 is mounted on the front end of the carriage 13, and the thermal head 1 moves horizontally in the axial direction of the guide shaft 14 together with the carriage 13. It is designed to print on a print medium 12.

16 is a drive shaft passed through a groove 15 provided at the rear end of the carriage 13, and by moving the drive shaft 16 up and down, the carriage 1
3 is adapted to rotate around a guide shaft 14.

Note that these parts are those used in conventional thermal transfer printers.

7 is a flat platen whose both ends are fixed to the device so as to be parallel to the guide shaft 14;
This flat platen 7 is provided with a step 8 having a height difference in the direction facing the thermal head 1. This step 8 creates a flat high surface 9 facing the tip of the thermal head 1 and a step 8 that faces the thermal head 1. A flat lower surface 10 is formed opposite to the rear part of the
Both the high surface 9 and the low surface 10 extend in the direction of movement of the thermal head 1, and the high surface 9
2 is set at a position where it makes contact with the heat generating part 4 of the thermal head 1.

Reference numeral 11 denotes rollers or the like that are disposed on both sides of the thermal head 1 and are provided on the carriage 13 via a support member 11a so as to face the lower surface 10 of the flat platen 7 in the vicinity of the thermal head drive circuit 2. The lower part of the medium pushing member 11 protrudes toward the flat platen 7 so as to be at a position lower than the high surface 9 of the flat platen 7.

In this embodiment, the printing medium 12 is made of a rigid material such as a bankbook, OHP paper, or cardboard.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained.

Normally, the thermal head 1 is in a state where the carriage 13 is held down by the drive shaft 16 and is spaced apart from the flat platen 7. Only during printing, the drive shaft 16 causes the heat generating part 4 of the thermal head 1 to move the ink ribbon 3. The platen 7 is pressed against the high surface 9 of the flat platen 7 through the platen 7.

That is, in a state where the thermal head 1 is spaced apart from the flat platen 7, the print medium 12 inserted up to the high surface 9 of the flat platen 7
As the thermal head 1 rotates in the direction of the high surface 9, the printing medium 12 is bent by the medium pushing member 11 along the step 8 of the flat platen 7 and in the direction of the low surface 10. A carriage 13 carrying a thermal head 1 moves in the horizontal direction and performs a printing operation without contacting the printer or the connection cord 5.

Note that the print medium 12 is clamped by a medium running roller (not shown) or the like, and is held down so as not to move during printing.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and the same parts in the figure as in the embodiment described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

Reference numeral 17 designates a flat platen, which is provided with a protrusion 20 by forming steps 18 and 19, the upper surface of this protrusion 20 is formed as a flat high surface 21, and the front and rear surfaces of the protrusion 20 are made flat. It is formed as a lower surface 22.

A carriage 23 is movably and rotatably supported by the guide shaft 14, and has the thermal head 1 mounted on its tip and a groove 24 carved in its rear end, into which the drive shaft 16 passes. be.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a medium pushing member such as a roller, which is provided on the carriage 23 via a support member 25a so as to be located on both sides of the thermal head 1, and a lower surface located before and after the high surface 21 of the flat platen 17. 22
The lower part of the medium pushing member 11 protrudes toward the flat platen 17 at a position lower than the high surface 21.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained.

Normally, the thermal head 1 is in a state where the carriage 13 is held down by the drive shaft 16 and is spaced apart from the flat platen 7. Only during printing, the drive shaft 16 causes the heat generating part 4 of the thermal head 1 to move the ink ribbon 3. It is pressed against the high surface 21 of the platen 17 through the platen.

That is, in a state where the thermal head 1 is spaced apart from the flat platen 17, the print medium 12 inserted up to the high surface 21 of the flat platen 17 moves toward the high surface 21 of the thermal head 1.
As the printing medium 12 rotates, the printing medium 12 is bent along the lower surface 22 of the flat platen 17 by the medium pushing member 25, and the thermal head 1 is mounted without the printing medium 12 coming into contact with the thermal head drive circuit 2 or the connection cord 5. The carriage 23 moves horizontally to perform a printing operation.

Incidentally, the medium pushing member 25 may be simply placed on either side of the front or rear side of the heat generating section 4 of the thermal head 1.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, in the present invention, steps are formed on a flat platen to provide a flat high surface and a flat low surface, so that the print medium printed by the thermal head on the high surface is bent toward the low surface. Since the media pushing member is placed next to the thermal head, it is possible to print on a rigid print medium without touching the thermal head drive circuit or the joints of the power supply cable. The print medium has the effect of adapting to the thermal head due to its own rigidity and improving adhesion to the thermal head and ink ribbon.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the thermal head used in the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the same, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the thermal transfer printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the same, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view showing another embodiment of the present invention. 1: Thermal head, 2: Thermal head drive circuit, 4: Heat generating part, 6: Power supply cable,
7, 17: flat platen, 9, 21: high surface,
10, 22: Low surface, 11, 25: Medium pushing member, 1
2: Print medium, 14: Guide shaft, 15,2
4: Groove, 16: Drive shaft.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A carriage movably and rotatably supported by a guide shaft with both ends fixed to the device; a thermal head mounted on the carriage and having a heat generating part on the surface facing the printing medium; A thermal head driving circuit is provided on the thermal head so as to be located on the same plane as the heat generating part, and the heat generating part of the thermal head is pressed against the printing medium by rotating the carriage around the guide shaft. , in a thermal transfer printer that prints on a printing medium with the thermal head while moving the thermal head along with the carriage in the axial direction of the guide shaft, when the thermal head is installed parallel to the guide shaft and faces the thermal transfer printer; A flat platen is provided with a step having a drop in the direction facing the thermal head to form a lower surface and a higher surface, and the higher surface is set at a position where the print medium and the heat generating part of the thermal head come into contact. , is located near the side of the thermal head driving circuit, and when the carriage is rotated so that the thermal head and the flat platen face each other, the leading end faces the lower surface of the flat platen. 1. A thermal transfer printer comprising: a medium pushing member provided on a carriage so as to protrude toward the flat platen so as to be at a position lower than the high surface of the flat platen.