JPH0378270B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a multicolor ink ribbon cassette using an endless ink ribbon composed of a plurality of colors in a color printer.

[Prior art]

In the following, a conventional multicolor ink ribbon cassette will be explained and its drawbacks will be discussed.

Some of the ink ribbon devices used in conventional color printers have a built-in ink ribbon inside the cassette, which makes it easier to install the ink ribbon, eliminates stains on hands and the area where the ink ribbon is installed, and makes it more compact. In some cases, the ink ribbon is stored in an ink ribbon cassette, which is then mounted on a carriage.

Although the life of the ink ribbon in the ink ribbon cassette is generally determined by the amount of ink impregnated into the ink ribbon, the reality is that the life of the ink ribbon base fabric itself is much longer.

Therefore, in order to extend the life of the ink ribbon, it has been proposed to provide an ink replenishment means for replenishing the ink ribbon with an appropriate amount of ink.In the case of the above-mentioned ink ribbon cassette, replenishment means corresponding to each color has been proposed. We have measures in place.

When such an ink replenishment means is provided corresponding to each color of the ink ribbon of multiple colors, ink is continuously replenished from the ink replenishment means to the ink ribbon of the color not used for printing, and the ink replenishment is continued. The rate is extremely high compared to the ink ribbon being printed, shortening the life of the ink replenishing means itself, causing uneven printing density, and the phenomenon of bleeding between color bands, which has been a problem in the past. There are disadvantages such as the occurrence of

In addition, ink continues to be replenished at the same location even during transportation or when the printer is not operated for a long time, so even in this case, there are disadvantages such as bleeding between color bands and shortening of the lifespan of the ink replenishment means itself. .

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to solve the conventional drawbacks by replenishing the ink ribbon with ink corresponding to the color used.

[Structure of the invention]

In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides an ink ribbon storing section in which an endless ink ribbon having a plurality of color bands divided in the width direction is stored, and a print head that prints in each color band is placed opposite to the front part of the ink ribbon storage unit. A pair of arm-shaped ribbon guide parts are provided, and the ink ribbon is pulled out from one arm-shaped ribbon guide part by rotation of a drive roller, and pulled in from the other arm-shaped ribbon guide part and returned to the ink storage part. In an ink supply mechanism of a printer, the ink ribbon is sandwiched between the ink ribbon and the drive roller, and the ink supply mechanism includes an ink ribbon cassette forming a ribbon running route and an ink supply unit that supplies ink to each color band of the ink ribbon. A driven roller is provided in the ink ribbon cassette so that the ink ribbon comes in contact with the ink ribbon, and the ink ribbon is laminated in the width direction of the ink ribbon so as to correspond to each color band. A plurality of ink supply bodies are provided at the rear of the ink ribbon cassette in correspondence with each ink supply body, and the ink supply section is connected to the ribbon feeding section of the driven roller. a biasing member that biases the ink ribbon away from the ink ribbon cassette; an elevating mechanism that is provided on a carriage in which the printing head is mounted and that moves the ink ribbon cassette up and down; and one of the color bands of the ink ribbon is selected and the elevating mechanism When the printing head reaches the printing position, the ink supply body is opposed to the ink supply body corresponding to the color band, and the ink supply body is pressed against the biasing force of the biasing member to stop the ink supply from the ink supply body. and a pressing member that brings the ribbon feeding section into contact with one of the ribbon feeding sections separated by the groove of the driven roller.

According to the present invention, only when an arbitrary color band of the ink ribbon is selected and printing is performed, the ink supply body corresponding to the selected color band is automatically selected and the ink supply unit thereof is automatically selected. Since the ink is supplied through the driven roller and not otherwise, it is possible to prevent uneven printing density due to excessive ink supply. Since the ink ribbon is in contact with each color band of the ink ribbon, it is possible to prevent color mixing due to ink bleeding into adjacent color bands.

Hereinafter, an ink ribbon cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention, which has the above-mentioned object and structure, will be explained based on the drawings, and its effects will be described.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an ink ribbon cassette and an ink supply body excluding the top cover showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette with the ink supply body attached, and Fig. 3 is a drive roller. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a driven roller.

In the figure, 1 is an ink ribbon cassette, 2
a, 2b are a pair of arm-shaped ribbon guides provided on the ink ribbon cassette 1; 3 are a pair of lock notches formed on both rear sides of the ink ribbon for locking an ink supply body to be described later; 4a, 4b, Reference numeral 4c designates a reset spring serving as a biasing means provided on the rear end surface of the ink ribbon cassette 1 for the number of ink supply bodies to be described later, and 5 designates an ink ribbon storage portion of the ink ribbon cassette 1.

6 is a drive roller; 6a, 6b, 6c are ribbon feeding portions of the drive roller 6 formed by separating the peripheral surface of the drive roller 6 by grooves; 7 is a driven roller; 7a, 7
b and 7c are ribbon feeding portions of the driven roller 7 formed by separating the peripheral surface of the driven roller 7 with grooves;
The driving roller 6 and the driven roller 7 are connected to each ribbon feeding section 6.
A to 6c and 7a to 7c are rotatably arranged on one side of the ink ribbon cassette 1 in pressure contact with each other.
The purpose of these ribbon feeding portions 6a, 6b, 6c and 7a, 7b, 7c of the drive roller 6 and driven roller 7 is to prevent bleeding between color bodies when ink is supplied to the ink ribbon, which will be described later.

8 is an endless ink ribbon, 8a, 8b,
8c indicates each color band of the ink ribbon 8. The ink ribbon 8 is stored in a folded state in the ribbon accommodating portion 5 of the ink ribbon cassette 1, and from there it passes through one arm-shaped ribbon guide 2a, the other arm-shaped guide 2b, and the drive roller 6 and driven roller 7. The ink ribbon cassette 1 is arranged so as to pass along a ribbon running route that circulates through the ink ribbon cassette 1 to the ink ribbon accommodating section 5. A part of the ribbon is exposed to the outside of the ink ribbon cassette 1, but most of it is stored inside the ink ribbon cassette 1. Although not shown, the ink ribbon 8 is held by a drive roller 6 that pinches and feeds the ink ribbon, a driven roller 7, and an arm-shaped ribbon guide section 2.
The ink ribbon is pressed against the inner wall of the arm-shaped ribbon guide portion 2a by a plate spring for tensioning the ink ribbon so that no slack occurs between the ink ribbons.

9a, 9b, 9c are individual ink supply bodies containing inks corresponding to the color bands 8a, 8b, 8c of the ink ribbon 8, and 10a, 10b, 10c are the front sides on both sides of each ink supply body 9a, 9b, 9c. Lock portions 11a, 11b, 11c for lock notches 3 of the ink ribbon cassette 1 formed in an elongated manner.
12a, 12b, 12c are pressing protrusions formed on the rear end surfaces of each ink supply body 9a, 9b, 9c.
are the ribbon feeding portions 7a, 7b of the driven roller 7,
This is an ink supply section of each ink supply body 9a, 9b, 9c that comes into contact with the ink supply body 7c to replenish ink. The ink supply sections 12a, 12b, and 12c are introduced into the driven roller 7 by cutting out a part of the rear end surface of the ink ribbon cassette 1.

Next, the running of the ink ribbon 8 and the ink supply body 9
The operations of a, 9b, and 9c will be described.

The ink ribbon 8 of the ink ribbon cassette 1 shown in FIG. 1 has three color bands 8a, 8b, and 8c. Ink supply bodies 9a, 9 containing ink of the same color in the stacking order of the colored bodies 8a, 8b, 8c.
b, 9c, and its lock portions 10a, 10b, 10
c is engaged with the lock notch 3 of the ink ribbon cassette 1 and attached to the ink ribbon cassette 1.

Then, the state shown in FIG. 2 will occur. Each ink supply body 9a, 9b, attached to the ink ribbon cassette 1
9c is pushed backward by each reset spring 4a, 4b, 4c, so the ink supply body 9
Lock portions 10a, 10b, 10 of a, 9b, 9c
c is in contact with the rear end of the lock notch 3 of the ink ribbon cassette 1 with a margin for movement in front.

On the other hand, the ink ribbon 8 stored in the ink ribbon cassette 1 is pulled out from the ink ribbon storage part 5 by the drive roller 6 and the driven roller 7, which are pressed and held and rotated in the direction of the arrow, and are pulled out from the ink ribbon storage part 5 through the arm-shaped ribbon guide part 2a. The ribbon is guided to the outside through the arm-shaped ribbon guide portion 2b, and is introduced into the inside by the drive roller 6.
and the driven roller 7, and is bent and pushed into the ink ribbon storage section 5. The ink ribbon 8 is pinched and fed by the driving roller 6 and the driven roller 7 through their respective ribbon feeding sections 6a, 6b, 6c and 7a, 7b.
This is done by pressing 7c.

In this way, a desired color is selected from among the color bands 8a, 8b, and 8c on the moving ink ribbon 8, and printing is performed.

Ink is supplied to the color band used for printing on the moving ink ribbon 8.

For example, if the color band 8c of the ink ribbon 8 is used for printing, the ink supply body 9c arranged in a corresponding manner will be pressed. Then, the ink supply body 9c moves in the direction of arrow a toward the front ink ribbon cassette 1 against the force of the reset spring 4c. This is made possible by the allowance in front of the lock notch 3.

The ink supply body 9c that has moved forward as indicated by the arrow a brings its ink supply section 12c into contact with the ribbon feeding section 7c of the rotating driven roller 7, and the ink supply section 12c contacts the ribbon feeding section 7c of the rotating driven roller 7. Ink is replenished into the ribbon feeding section 7c,
The ink is further replenished into the color band 8c used for printing on the ink ribbon 8. Ink is supplied to this color band 8c by a separate drive roller 6.
The ribbon feeding section 6c of the roller 7 and the ribbon feeding section 7c of the driven roller 7 allow the coloring to be carried out without bleeding to the adjacent color band 8b.

When printing of the color band 8c is finished, if the pressure on the ink supply unit 9c is released, the ink supply unit 12
c moves away from the driven roller 7, and the supply of ink is cut off.

In the same way, other color bands 8 of the ink ribbon 8
Ink supply bodies 9a and 9b can also be made to correspond to a and 8b.

Next, the selection of the color bands 8a, 8b, 8c used for printing on the ink ribbon 8 and the corresponding ink supply bodies 9a, 9b, 9c will be explained with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the ink ribbon cassette mounted on the carriage together with the printing head, in which 13 is a carriage frame, 14 is a cam portion of the carriage frame 13, 15 is a printing head, 16 is a platen, and the others are as described above. are the same.

Here, since the ink ribbon cassette 1 having the ink supply bodies 9a, 9b, and 9c is mounted on the carriage 13 so as to be movable up and down, the ink ribbon cartridge 11 is moved as shown by the arrow b, and the print head 15 is moved. Ink ribbon 8 for printing
color band 8c is selected. At the same time, the cam portion 14 of the carriage 13 presses the protrusion 11c of the ink supply body 9c corresponding to the color band 8c in the direction of arrow c, so ink is replenished to the color band 8c in the manner described above. .

Incidentally, the movement of the cam portion 14 at the rear end of the ink supply bodies 9a, 9b, 9c as the ink ribbon cassette 1 moves up and down causes the ink supply bodies 9a, 9b, 9c to move.
The corners of the protrusions 11a, 11b, 11c and the cam part 1
The four corners are chamfered so it can be moved smoothly.

Next, an example of a lifting mechanism for moving the ink ribbon cassette 1 up and down will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the same parts as those described above are indicated by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Fig. 5 is a side view showing the elevating mechanism for the ink ribbon cassette, Fig. 6 is a plan view thereof, Fig. 7 is a side view of the plate and pulse motor in cross section, and Fig. 8 is a side view showing the operation of the elevating mechanism. be.

In the figure, 17 is a pulse motor provided at the bottom of the carriage 13, 18 is a screw shaft of the pulse motor 17, 19 is a plate mounted on the carriage 13, 20 is a thread groove on the plate 19, and 21 is a plate 19 provided on the carriage 13. It is a guide pin.

In this way, the plate 19 is provided on the carriage 13 so as to be vertically movable through the guide pins 21 of the carriage 13 through the holes at the four corners of the plate 19, and the ink ribbon cassette 1 is mounted thereon.

Then, the screw shaft 18 of the pulse motor 17
is screwed into the screw groove 20 of the plate 19.

Next, the raising and lowering operation of the ink ribbon cassette 1 will be described.

The state shown in FIG. 5 is a non-operating state in which the ink ribbon cassette 1 has been lowered together with the plate 19 to the lowest position. At this time, the cam section 14 is not pushing any of the ink supply bodies 9a, 9b, and 9c, so the ink ribbon 8 is not replenished with ink.

From this state, as shown in FIG. 8, when the pulse motor 17 is rotated a predetermined number of times in the direction of arrow d, the plate 19 rises, raising the ink ribbon cassette 1 in the direction of arrow b, selecting the desired ink supply body 9c, and stopping. do. The cam part 14 of the carriage 13 presses the rear part of the ink supply body 9c, and as described above,
It comes into contact with the driven roller and replenishes ink to the corresponding color band of the ink ribbon.

In other words, the rotation angle of the pulse motor 17 and the amount of vertical shift of the plate 19 are correlated, and the pulse motor 1 is adjusted according to the amount by which the plate 19 is to be moved up and down.
7 is rotated.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described in detail above, in the present invention, a ribbon feeding section is formed in which the driving roller and driven roller of an ink ribbon cassette containing an endless ink ribbon having multiple color bands are separated by a groove according to the color band. In addition, since single ink supply bodies corresponding to each color band are provided in the ink ribbon cassette so as to be able to move back and forth independently, the following effects can be achieved.

It pushes the ink supply body for the color band used for printing, brings the ink supply part into contact with a predetermined ribbon feed section of the driven roller, and transfers the ink supply section to the color band used for printing via the ribbon feed section. Unlike conventional methods, replenishing ink to color bands that are not used for printing is not performed, so excess ink is not consumed, improving ink usage efficiency, and reducing ink supply capacity. The effect of lengthening the lifespan and not replenishing ink to unused color bands prevents over-supply of ink, thereby preventing uneven print density.

In addition, the drive roller and driven roller that pinch and force feed the ink ribbon are provided with a ribbon feeding section that is separated by a groove so as to pinch each color band. It also has the effect of preventing bleeding between the bands.

Furthermore, when not printing, all the ink supply units can be moved backwards so that ink is not completely replenished to the ink ribbon, so it is possible to replenish ink to the same location during transportation or when not in operation for a long time. There is also the effect of not doing so.

Furthermore, since the ink supply bodies can be attached and detached from the outside independently of each other, there is an advantage that only the consumed ink supply body can be replaced.

Due to these effects, the present invention can be advantageously used in multicolor ink ribbon cassettes.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an ink ribbon cassette and an ink supply body excluding the top cover showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette with the ink supply body attached, and Fig. 3 is a drive roller. FIG. 4 is a side view of the ink ribbon cassette mounted on the carriage together with the print head, FIG. 5 is a side view showing the elevating mechanism of the ink ribbon cassette, FIG. Side view of the plate and pulse motor in section, No. 8
The figure is a side view showing the operation of the elevating mechanism. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Ink ribbon cassette, 3... Lock notch, 4a, 4b, 4c... Reset spring, 6... Drive roller, 7... Followed roller, 8...
...Ink ribbon, 8a, 8b, 8c...Color band, 9
a, 9b, 9c... Ink supply body, 10a, 10
b, 10c...Lock part, 12a, 12b, 12
c... Ink supply unit, 13... Carriage, 14
...Cam part, 17...Pulse motor, 18...Screw shaft, 19...Plate, 20...Thread groove.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A pair of arms facing each other across a printing head that prints in each color band at the front of an ink ribbon storage unit that stores an endless ink ribbon having a plurality of color bands divided in the width direction. A ribbon guide section is provided, and a ribbon traveling route is provided such that the ink ribbon is pulled out from one arm-shaped ribbon guide section by rotation of a drive roller, and is drawn in from the other arm-shaped ribbon guide section and returned to the ink storage section. In an ink supply mechanism of a printer, the ink supply mechanism includes an ink ribbon cassette formed with an ink ribbon, and an ink supply unit that supplies ink to each color band of the ink ribbon, the ink ribbon being held between the drive roller and the ink ribbon. A driven roller is provided on the ink ribbon cassette and is separated into each color band by a groove on the circumferential surface and serves as a ribbon feeding section. a plurality of ink supply bodies stopped, and a plurality of ink supply bodies provided at the rear of the ink ribbon cassette corresponding to each ink supply body, and urging each ink supply body so that the ink supply unit moves away from the ribbon feeding unit of the driven roller. a biasing member; an elevating mechanism provided on a carriage in which the print head is mounted and that moves the ink ribbon cassette up and down; one of the color bands of the ink ribbon is selected and brought to a printing position by the print head by the elevating mechanism; When the ink supply section of the ink supply body is opposed to the ink supply body corresponding to the color band, the ink supply body is pressed against the biasing force of the biasing member, and the ink supply portion of the ink supply body is pushed by the groove of the driven roller. An ink supply mechanism for a printer, comprising: a pressing member that is brought into contact with one of the separated ribbon feeding sections.