JPH05562A - Ink ribbon winding control mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure that no unnecessary noise generates from an ink ribbon winding mechanism, if the ink ribbon is not wound, when an ink ribbon winding control mechanism which enables an ink ribbon to be wound and stops its winding action is used on a printing device such as a printer or a typewriter. CONSTITUTION:The subject ink ribbon winding control mechanism consists of a rack 11 arranged along the movement direction of a carriage 5, winding shaft drive mechanisms 33, 34 provided on the carriage 5 using a pinion 32 which engages with the rack 11 as a power source for driving a ribbon winding shaft 14 to rotate by action or the moving carriage 5, and a means for engagement control 35 which engages or disengages the rack 11 with the pinion 32, interlocked with the approach and parking action of a printing head 3 by approach escape mechanisms 22, 27.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink ribbon winding control mechanism for starting and stopping the winding of an ink ribbon in a printer such as a printer or a typewriter.

In a thermal transfer type serial printer or the like, generally, a pinion is rotated by the movement of a carriage that carries a ribbon cassette and a print head and reciprocates along a platen, and the pinion is used as a power source to wind up an ink ribbon. It is carried out.

However, the thermal transfer type ink ribbon is generally disposable, and if it is wound up when printing is not performed, the ink ribbon becomes useless. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent the ink ribbon from being wound up when printing is not performed.

[0004]

2. Description of the Related Art A pinion, which is a power source for winding an ink ribbon, generally meshes with a rack provided along the moving direction of a carriage and, at the same time, another gear for transmitting rotation to a ribbon winding shaft. It is in mesh.

Conventionally, the gear mechanism is moved in association with the approach escape operation of the print head that approaches (escapes) and retracts (escapes) from the platen by the approach escape mechanism, and moves between the pinion and the ribbon winding shaft. The rotation transmission was connected and disconnected.

[0006]

However, in the conventional ink ribbon winding control mechanism as described above, since the pinion constantly meshes with the rack, the pinion runs idle when the ink ribbon is not wound. , Was a useless noise source.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the conventional drawbacks described above and to provide an ink ribbon winding control mechanism in which unnecessary noise is not generated from the ink ribbon winding mechanism when the ink ribbon is not wound. To do.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an ink ribbon winding control mechanism of the present invention is reciprocated along a platen 1 as shown in FIG. 1 for explaining an embodiment. The carriage 5 provided so that the print head 3 approaches and retracts toward the platen 1, and the approach escape mechanisms 22 and 27 provided on the carriage 5, and the carriage for winding up the ink ribbon. 5, a ribbon winding shaft 14 rotatably provided, a rack 11 arranged along the moving direction of the carriage 5, and the rack 11
The ribbon winding shaft 14 is driven by the movement of the carriage 5 with the pinion 32 meshing with the power source as a power source.
The rack 11 and the pinion are interlocked with the winding shaft drive mechanisms 33 and 34 provided on the carriage 5 so as to rotate and the approach and retreat operations of the print head 3 by the approach escape mechanisms 22 and 27. 32, and a meshing control means 35 that meshes with or disengages 32.

The rack 11 may be formed as a flexible belt so that the rack 11 is pushed and bent by the meshing pinion 32.

The meshing control means 35 meshes the rack 11 and the pinion 32 when the print head 3 approaches the platen 1, and when the print head 3 retracts from the platen 1. The rack 11
May be disengaged from the pinion 32,
The engagement control means 35 may be formed by an arm that rotates by the approaching and retracting operations of the print head 3, and the pinion 32 may be rotatably attached to the arm 35.

[0011]

The engagement control means 35 engages with or disengages the rack 11 and the pinion 32 in association with the approaching and retracting operations of the print head 3.

When the ribbon is not wound up, the rack 11 and the pinion 32 are disengaged and the pinion 32 does not rotate.

[0013]

Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 5 shows a portable printer to which the present invention is applied. The platen 1 and the guide shaft 2 are provided in parallel, and the carriage 5 to which the thermal transfer print head 3 and the ribbon cassette 4 are attached is guided by the guide shaft 2 and reciprocates along the platen 1.

Reference numeral 6 is for reciprocating the platen 1,
A drive belt driven by the space motor 7. 8
Is an approach escape motor serving as a drive source for approaching (approaching) and retracting (escape) the print head 3 toward the platen 1.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a platen 1 and a guide shaft 2.
It is a rack that is stretched so as to be parallel to, and both ends are fixed. The rack 11 is a flexible synthetic resin belt having teeth formed in a straight line, and is attached so as to be able to bend at portions other than both ends.

FIG. 4 shows the carriage 5 with the ribbon cassette 4 removed. The print head mounting plate 12 to which the print head 3 is mounted is supported by the carriage 5 by a guide stay 13 and the like so as to approach and escape the platen 1. The solid line in FIG. 4 indicates the approach state, and the broken line indicates the escape state. Reference numeral 14 is a ribbon winding shaft for winding the ink ribbon of the ribbon cassette 4.

FIG. 2 shows the back surface of the carriage 5. Reference numeral 20 is a guide shaft receiving portion that is provided on the back surface of the carriage 5 and has the guide shaft 2 slidably inserted therein.

Reference numeral 21 is a drive gear which is rotationally driven by the approach escape motor 8 on the front side. In addition, in each drawing, teeth of all gears are omitted.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a cam gear having teeth formed on the outer periphery thereof, and a spiral cam groove 23 as shown in FIG. 3 formed in the side surface thereof, which is rotatably supported on the back surface of the carriage 5. Then, the drive gear 21 is rotationally driven through the reduction gear group 24.

Reference numeral 27 denotes a print head drive arm which is swingably provided around a swing shaft 28 provided in the vicinity of the drive gear 21, and a pin 29 protruding in the middle thereof has a pin 29 of the cam gear 22. It is engaged in the cam groove 23. Therefore, when the cam gear 22 rotates, the position of the pin 29 guided by the cam groove 23 moves, and the print head drive arm 2 moves.
7 swings about the swing shaft 28.

The pin 12a protruding from the print head mounting plate 12 on the back side is sandwiched between the torsion spring 30 mounted on the print head drive arm 27 and the tip of the print head drive arm 27.

Therefore, when the print head drive arm 27 is swung via the cam gear 22 using the approach escape motor 8 as a drive source, the print head drive arm 2 is moved.
Following the movement of the tip of the print head 3, the print head 3 moves to the platen 1.
The approach escape action is performed against.

FIG. 2 shows an approach state in which the cam gear 22 is rotated counterclockwise and the print head 3 approaches the platen 1. The print head 3 is a stopper (not shown) provided on the carriage 5. The space between the platen 1 and the platen 1 is regulated at an appropriate distance. It should be noted that the print head drive arm 27 has a slight excess of the print head mounting plate 12.
Is trying to push in the approach direction, the torsion spring 30 is pushed by the stopped pin 12a and is in a bent state.

A winding shaft gear 33 is directly connected to the base of the ribbon winding shaft 14 on the back side of the carriage 5. A pinion 32, which is a drive source for rotating the winding shaft gear 33, meshes with the rack 11. The rotation of the pinion 32 is transmitted to the winding shaft gear 33 by the intermediate gear 34 rotatably attached to the back surface of the carriage 5.

The pinion 32 is rotatably attached to a pinion support arm 35 provided on the carriage 5 so as to be rotatable coaxially with the intermediate gear 34. The extended end portion of the pinion support arm 35 is engaged with the pin 12b protruding from the back surface of the print head mounting plate 12.

Therefore, the pinion support arm 35 rotates following the approach escape operation of the print head 3, and the rotating motion causes the pinion 32 and the rack 11 to mesh with each other as shown in FIG. The meshed state is released as shown in FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, when the print head 3 is in the approach state in which the print head 3 approaches the platen 1, the pinion support arm 35 rotates clockwise, and the pinion 32 is pressed against the rack 11.

Since the print head 3 is brought into the approach state when the carriage 5 moves in the "forward" direction, that is, to the left in FIG. 2, the movement causes the pinion support arm 35 to have the pinion 32 and the rack 11. A force is applied in the direction that bites and. Further, since the rack 11 has flexibility, in this state, the rack 11 is pushed and bent by the pinion 32, both of them mesh well with each other, and the pinion 32 moves smoothly along the rack 11. You can

Therefore, when the print head 3 is in the approach state and the carriage 5 moves to the left in FIG.
The pinion 32 meshing with the rack 11 rotates, and the winding shaft gear 33 is rotationally driven by the rotation of the pinion 32 as a power source to rotate the ribbon winding shaft 14.

FIG. 1 shows an escape state in which the cam gear 22 is rotated clockwise by the approach escape motor 8 and the print head 3 is separated from the platen 1 by the print head drive arm 27.

When the print head 3 is in the escape state, as shown in FIG. 1, the pinion support arm 35 is used.
Rotates counterclockwise, and the pinion 32 separates from the rack 11. Therefore, at this time, even if the carriage 5 moves, the pinion 32 does not rotate, and therefore the ribbon winding shaft 14 also does not rotate.

Normally, when the carriage 5 moves in the "backward" direction, that is, the right direction in FIG. 1, the print head 3 is in the escape state by the approach escape motor 8 and the pinion 32 does not rotate, Therefore, no rotation sound is generated from the pinion 32.

The present invention can also be applied to typewriters, facsimile machines, etc. other than printers.

[0035]

According to the ink ribbon winding control mechanism of the present invention, the meshing state of the pinion and the rack, which is the power source of the ink ribbon winding, is controlled in association with the approaching and retracting movement of the print head with respect to the platen. Since the pinion is separated from the rack so as not to idle when printing is not performed, it is possible to eliminate unnecessary noise generation during idling when the ink ribbon is not wound up. Have an effect.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a rear view of the embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a cam gear according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the printer of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Platen 3 Print Head 5 Carriage 11 Rack 14 Ribbon Winding Shaft 22, 27 Approach Escape Mechanism 32 Pinion 33, 34 Winding Shaft Drive Mechanism 35 Engagement Control Means

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A carriage (5) provided so as to reciprocate along a platen (1) and a print head (3) are moved toward and away from the platen (1). An approach escape mechanism (22, 27) provided on the carriage (5), a ribbon winding shaft (14) rotatably provided on the carriage (5) for winding the ink ribbon, A rack (11) arranged along the moving direction of the carriage (5) and a pinion (32) meshing with the rack (11) are used as power sources.
A winding shaft driving mechanism (33, 3) provided on the carriage (5) so as to rotationally drive the ribbon winding shaft (14) by the movement of the carriage (5).
4) and the approach escape mechanism (22, 27)
And an engagement control means (35) for engaging or disengaging the rack (11) and the pinion (32) in association with the approaching and retracting operations of the print head (3). Ink ribbon winding control mechanism. 2. The ink ribbon winding device according to claim 1, wherein the rack (11) is formed on a flexible belt, and is formed so as to be bent by being pushed by the meshing pinion (32). Control mechanism. 3. The mesh control means (35) meshes the rack (11) with the pinion (32) when the print head (3) approaches the platen (1),
The ink ribbon winding control mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the print head (3) is retracted from the platen (1), the rack (11) and the pinion (32) are disengaged from each other. 4. The engagement control means (35) is an arm which is rotated by an approaching and retracting operation of the print head (3), and the pinion (32) is rotatably attached to the arm (35). The ink ribbon winding control mechanism according to claim 1, 2, or 3.