JPH0867058A - Thermal transfer printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To absorb completely an impact generated when a cassette mounting table collides with a ribbon cassette and replace the ribbon cassette stably using a low cost structure. CONSTITUTION: An absorption member 48 capable of absorbing a positional irregularity in the height direction of a cassette mounting table 12 is provided on a cassette mounting table drive means 43. If the cassette mounting table 12 runs into the ribbon cassette 60 of a ribbon cassette holding part when the cassette mounting table 12 ascends, the shook of the collision can be absorbed by an absorption member 48.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer,
In particular, hold a plurality of ribbon cassettes in their respective positions, select the ribbon cassette you need from these ribbon cassettes, and load it on the carriage. The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer adapted to perform recording.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for color recording in printers, and this demand for color printing is no exception in thermal transfer printers. The ink ribbon used in this general color thermal transfer printer has three colors of yellow, cyan, and magenta in the longitudinal direction, or these three colors.
Ink portions of four colors in which black is added to the colors are formed repeatedly so that each color is slightly longer than the print width, and the ink portions of each color are selected based on the print data. It is configured to record on paper.

However, in the thermal transfer printer using the ribbon cassette containing the above-mentioned repetitive type ink ribbon, the portion of the color not used for recording the ink ribbon is skipped and the next color is selected for recording. In addition, even if there is a blank portion that is not recorded in one line, the ink ribbon that is not used for recording is wasted because the ink ribbon is continuously conveyed, resulting in higher running costs. Also, since the amount of ribbon cassettes used increases, there is an environmental problem that waste of used cassettes increases.

In order to solve such a problem, the applicant of the present invention holds a ribbon cassette dedicated to each color in which an ink ribbon of a single color is housed at a plurality of positions, and the ink ribbon of the color used for recording. There is proposed a thermal transfer printer which selects a ribbon cassette storing therein and replaces the ribbon cassette so that the selected ribbon cassette is mounted on a carriage to perform color recording (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-103173). , JP-A-2-103174).

In a thermal transfer printer for color recording in which the ribbon cassette is exchanged for recording, since the ink ribbon can be fed only to the portion used for recording, almost the entire area of the ink ribbon is used for recording. This means that the running cost will be lower compared to the one that uses the repetitive type ink ribbon described above,
Further, there is an excellent effect that the amount of discarded ribbon cassettes is reduced.

[0006]

By the way, when the above-mentioned conventional ribbon cassette is replaced, if the height position of the surface of the ribbon cassette held by the ribbon cassette holding portion is different, the ribbon cassette is received. When the cassette mounting table is moved, the cassette mounting table may collide with the ribbon cassette. For this reason, in the related art, each ribbon cassette holding portion is provided with an absorbing member such as a sponge for absorbing the impact when the cassette mounting table and the ribbon cassette collide.

However, if each of the ribbon cassette holders is provided with an absorbing member, the number of parts is increased and the cost is increased.

The present invention overcomes the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and can reliably absorb the impact at the time of collision between the cassette mounting table and the ribbon cassette due to the inexpensive structure, thus ensuring stable replacement of the ribbon cassette. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer printer which can be performed in a specific manner.

[0009]

To achieve the above object, a thermal transfer printer according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a carriage reciprocally movable along a platen, and an ink ribbon on the carriage. A thermal head that is movably disposed so that it can be brought into and out of contact with the paper and that partially melts the ink of the ink ribbon and transfers it to the paper when the ink ribbon is pressed against the paper; and the ink that is provided on the carriage. A cassette mounting table on which a ribbon cassette accommodating a ribbon can be mounted, and a supply bobbin and a take-up bobbin each having an engaging member which is disposed on the carriage and can be engaged with the supply reel and the take-up reel of the ribbon cassette, respectively. A plurality of ribbon cassettes, each of which is formed at a position facing the carriage mounting table, is capable of holding a ribbon cassette. A ribbon holder and a cassette mounting table driving means for reciprocating the cassette mounting table in the direction of approaching and separating from the ribbon cassette supporting section. The cassette mounting table driving means drives the cassette mounting table to drive the ribbon cassette. A thermal transfer printer configured to transfer a ribbon cassette to and from a holding unit, wherein the cassette mounting table driving means is provided with an absorbing member capable of absorbing variations in the position of the cassette mounting table in the height direction. It is characterized by that.

A thermal transfer printer according to a second aspect of the present invention is the thermal transfer printer according to the first aspect, wherein the absorbing member is a spring member.

[0011]

According to the thermal transfer printer of the present invention having the above-described structure, even if the cassette mounting table collides with the ribbon cassette of the ribbon cassette holding portion when the cassette mounting table is raised, the cassette mounting table driving means is provided. The impact of the collision can be absorbed by the absorbing member.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A thermal transfer printer according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

1 to 4 are main configuration diagrams showing an embodiment of a thermal transfer printer according to the present invention.

As shown in detail in FIG. 1, the thermal transfer printer of the present embodiment has a platen platen 1 which receives a load when the thermal head 11 described later presses the paper and the ink ribbon 70. Further, a carriage guide shaft 2 extending in parallel with the platen 1 is bridged to both left and right side plates (not shown) of the main body case of the thermal transfer printer, and the carriage 3 which is a main part for recording is guided by this guide. It is slidably held on the shaft 2. Further, a plate-shaped carriage guide portion 6 for guiding the movement of the carriage 3 is provided on the main body case.
It is arranged so as to extend parallel to. On the other hand, a carriage supporting portion 7 is provided on the rear portion of the carriage 3 so as to project, and the carriage supporting portion 7 is slidably held by the carriage guide portion 6.

A carriage drive motor 4 is disposed below the back of the carriage guide portion 6, and a sprocket 4a rotatably driven by the carriage drive motor 4 is disposed near the carriage drive motor 4. ing. The end of the sprocket 4a has a carriage 3
A toothed drive belt 5 fixed to the platen 1 is wound around the carriage 3, and the carriage 3 is driven by the carriage drive motor 4 so that the carriage 3 travels along the guide shaft 2 and the carriage guide portion 6 and the platen 1 moves. Will be reciprocated in parallel with. The cross-sectional shape of the carriage support portion 7 that slides and guides the carriage 3 along the carriage guide portion 6 is substantially U-shaped. Protrusions 7a that abut the guide portion 6 are formed, and these protrusions 7a prevent rattling when the carriage 3 moves.

Further, a plurality of heating elements (not shown) are arranged on the carriage 3 in a lined manner, and the thermal head 11 is movably arranged so as to come into contact with and separate from the platen 1, and the carriage 3 is used for recording. A cassette carrier 12 that is vertically movable in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction and forms a cassette mounting table on which a ribbon cassette 60 can be mounted, and an ink ribbon 70 accommodated in a ribbon cassette 6 are wound from both ends thereof. The supply bobbin 13 and the take-up bobbin 14 that engage with the reel 61 and the take-up reel 62, respectively, and the ink ribbon 7 that is formed in a concave shape and is led out from the ribbon cassette 60 to the outside.
A pair of pinch rollers 6 disposed at upstream and downstream positions in the running direction of the ink ribbon 70 with the thermal head insertion portion 63 of the ribbon cassette 60 facing the middle portion of 0 between them.
The second supply bobbin 15 and the second take-up bobbin 16 respectively engaged with 4, 5 and 65, and the type of ribbon cassette 60 that is arranged downstream of the thermal head 11 in the running direction of the ink ribbon 70 and is used. A peeling roller 17 that is selectively driven in response to the peeling roller 17 and a driving member (described later) for driving each of these members are provided.

As will be described later, the thermal head 11 is brought into pressure contact / separation operation with respect to the platen 1, the cassette carrier 12 is moved in the contact / separation direction with respect to the carriage 3, and the ink ribbon is supplied / taken up / wound. The rewinding operation and the driving operation of the peeling roller 17 are all driven by a single stepping motor 18 (FIG. 2) provided on the carriage 3 as a driving source as described later. The operation in which the thermal head 11 presses against the platen 1 is called a head-down operation, and the operation in which the thermal head 11 separates from the platen 1 is called a head-up operation.

A first transmission gear 20 and a second transmission gear 21 are meshed with the output pinion gear 19 of the stepping motor 18, respectively. Of these, on the upper surface of the first transmission gear 20, a substantially triangular rocking plate 22 that is rotatable about a rotation center 20a of the transmission gear 20 is mounted.

A pin 22a that engages with a cam groove 26 formed on the upper surface of the cam 25 is disposed at one end of the oscillating plate 22, and the transmission gear 20 is provided at the other two ends. A first oscillating gear 23 and a second oscillating gear 24, which mesh with each other, are provided respectively. Depending on the oscillating position of the oscillating plate 22, one of the two oscillating gears 23, 24 is
The cam 25 arranged near the swing plate 22 is meshed with a gear portion 25a having a toothless portion 25b formed substantially at the center in the outer peripheral surface width direction. The tip of a spring (not shown) is engaged with the upper surface of the rocking plate 22, and the rocking plate 22 is always biased toward the cam 25 by the elastic force of the spring.

As shown in FIG. 4, on the outer peripheral portion of the cam 25, a gear portion 25a is formed in which a toothless portion 25b is formed on the entire circumference of a substantially central portion in the thickness direction and is formed in a part of the circumferential direction.
And a first intermittent gear 25c formed in the range of about 1/4 of the upper part in the thickness direction, and a position of the first intermittent gear 25c in the circumferential direction that is approximately 2 / The second intermittent gear 25d formed in the range of 5 laps
And are provided. Both of these intermittent gears 25c, 25
As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the shape of the tooth d is such that two consecutive teeth and one tooth are alternately formed with one tooth spaced apart.

On the upper surface of the cam 25, a first cam groove 26 with which the pin 22a of the rocking plate 22 is engaged and a second cam groove 27 for contacting and separating the peeling roller are formed. Further, a thermal head contact / separation cam groove 28 is formed on the lower surface of the cam 25.

The first cam groove 26 includes two communicating grooves 26c, 26d which are concentrically formed and each have an annular inner groove 26a and an outer groove 26b which are located substantially in the diametrical direction.
As shown in FIG. 1, when the first swing gear 23 meshes with the gear portion 25a, the pin 22a is engaged with the inner groove 26a, and the second swing gear 2 is connected.
The pin 22a is engaged with the outer groove 26b when the gear 4 is engaged with the gear portion 25a. Further, the first cam groove 26 holds the pin 2 to hold both the swing gears 23 and 24 in a position where they do not mesh with the gear portion 25a.
The engaging portions 26e and 27f of 2a are provided inside the groove 26a.

The second cam groove 27 for contacting and separating the peeling roller has a circular arc groove 27a at the center of the cam 25 and a circular arc groove 27b at the outer peripheral portion of the cam 25 in a range of about 160 degrees.
And are communicated with each other through a linear communication groove 27c.

The thermal head contact / separation cam groove 28 is a curved groove 2 extending from the central portion of the cam 25 to the outer peripheral portion thereof.
8a communicates with the outer end of the curved groove 28a by approximately 1
The circular arc groove 28b is in the range of 90 degrees.

A bent head pressure contact lever 29 is disposed in the vicinity of the cam 25, and a side portion of a lower portion of the head pressure contact lever 29 is swingably supported about a shaft 30. A pin 29a is projectingly provided at one end of the head pressure contact lever 29, and the pin 29a is engaged with the head contact / separation cam groove 28 of the cam 25. The other end of the head pressure contact lever 29 is configured to press the back surface of the head mount 11a on which the thermal head 11 is mounted via a pressure contact spring 31.

A peeling roller driving lever 32 having a substantially V shape is arranged near the cam 25. One end of the peeling roller driving lever 32 has a surface of the cam 25. A pin 32a that engages with the peeling roller contacting / separating cam groove 27 formed on the above is formed.
A second pin 32b that can be engaged with, and a hole 3 formed in a transmission member 33 that interlocks with the peeling roller driving lever 32.
A third pin 32c that can be inserted into 3b is formed, and a cylindrical protrusion 32d is formed on the substantially central upper surface of the peeling roller driving lever 32.

A rod-shaped pin 33c is formed at one end of the transmission member 33, and the lower end of the pin 33c is a spring 33.
The pin 33 c is fixed to the carriage 3 via the cylindrical portion 3 of the peeling roller driving lever 32.
The peeling roller driving lever 3 is inserted into the 2d hole 32c so that its tip portion projects from the upper end.
2 is held on the transmission member 33. In addition, a pin 34a formed below the peeling roller mounting member 34 is inserted into a long hole 33d formed at the other end of the transmission member 32. Further, the other end 3 of the peeling roller mounting member 34
4b is inserted into a pin (not shown) provided on the carriage 3 so as to be rotatable around the pin as a fulcrum. As a result, the peeling roller 17 is moved toward and away from the platen 1 via the transmission member 33 by the rotation of the peeling roller driving lever 32, but the ribbon cassette used is the rod-shaped pin 33c. When the tip portion is pressed and this pin is pushed down, the pin 32c of the peeling roller driving lever 32 is not inserted into the hole 33b of the transmission member 33, and the peeling roller 17 does not rotate.

The second winding bobbin 16 is rotatably inserted and held in a pin into which the hole 34b at the other end of the peeling roller mounting member 34 is inserted.

The carriage 3 is provided with the second drive gear 21 which is constantly meshed with the output pinion gear 19 of the stepping motor 18 so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft. The upper surface of Fig.
As will be described in detail, the gear 35 that is driven to rotate with the rotation of the drive gear 21 is connected with a certain amount of play through the connecting member 21a. This gear 3
A take-up gear 36 is arranged on the upper surface of the take-up gear 5, and a take-up bobbin 14 is coaxially attached above the take-up gear 36 via a friction mechanism.

Further, the carriage 3 is provided with a transmission gear 37 that always meshes with the gear 35. The transmission gear 37 has a first swing gear 38 and a first swing gear 38 that always meshes with the transmission gear 37. The second swing gear 39 is the swing plate 37.
They are connected by a. The transmission gear 37 is constantly urged in the direction of the winding gear 36 by a spring.

The second winding bobbin 16 is mounted on the carriage 3 via the peeling roller mounting member 34.
Below the second winding bobbin 16, a second winding gear 41 is meshed with the winding gear 36 of the winding bobbin 14 via transmission gears 40a and 40b.
Are coaxially attached via a friction mechanism (not shown).

The first swing gear 38 and the second swing gear 39 have the winding bobbin 14 and the second winding bobbin 16 irrespective of the rotation direction of the stepping motor 18.
Is provided such that the rotation direction of the stepping motor 18 is constant, and the first rocking gear 38 meshes with the take-up gear 36 or the second rocking gear 39 corresponding to the rotation direction of the stepping motor 18. Engages with the transmission gear 40a.

In this embodiment, when the stepping motor 18 rotates counterclockwise, the first swing gear 38 meshes with the winding gear 36, while the stepping motor 18 rotates clockwise. When rotating, the second swing gear 39 meshes with the transmission gear 40a, and the rotational force is transmitted to the winding bobbin 36 and the second winding bobbin 41. Further, since the second drive gear 21 and the gear 35 on the upper surface thereof are arranged with a certain play by the connecting member 21a as described above, when the rotation direction of the stepping motor 18 is opposite, For example, when the cam 25 is rotated for head-up operation or head-down operation, the rotation of the second transmission gear 21 is not transmitted to the gear 35, and the ribbon winding operation is not performed. A spring clutch is provided between the take-up bobbin 14 and the take-up gear 36, and the take-up bobbin 14 is controlled so as to always rotate only in one direction (winding direction of the ink ribbon 70). There is. As a result, the ink ribbon 70 wound on the winding bobbin 14 will not be pulled out in the opposite direction, and slack will not occur.

Further, the supply bobbin 13 is disposed on the upper surface of the cam 25. A supply gear 42 is coaxially attached below the supply bobbin 13 via a friction mechanism (not shown) to apply a constant supply load (back tension) to the ink ribbon 70, or a ribbon cassette 6 described later. With the replacement, the ink ribbon 70 can be rewound.

In the vicinity of the cam 25, a transmission mechanism 43 which is a cassette mounting table driving means is arranged. The transmission mechanism 43 includes a gear 44a formed on the lower portion of the outer peripheral portion of the cam 25, which can mesh with the second intermittent gear 25d, a gear 44b which can mesh with the first intermittent gear 25c, and the gear 44a. The transmission gear 44d, which rotates integrally, is connected to the gear 44b via the spring clutch mechanism.
Another transmission gear 4 for transmitting only the counterclockwise rotation of 4b
4c. Of these, the gear 44a
Is configured so that when the cam 25 further rotates from the initial head-up position, the cam 25 rotates by meshing with the second intermittent gear 25d and the rotational force thereof is transmitted to the lift gear 46 described later via the gear 44d. Has been done.

Incidentally, the first intermittent gear 25b or the second intermittent gear 2 of the cam 25 provided on the transmission mechanism 43.
Gear 44b or gear 44 capable of meshing with 5c, respectively.
A has a shape in which two large tooth portions and then one small tooth portion are alternately formed. This is to ensure transmission to the first intermittent gear 25b and the second intermittent gear 25c.

Since the upper gear 44b and the transmission gear 44c on the upper surface of the gear 44b are arranged via the spring clutch 44d (FIG. 6), the gear 44b is always in only one direction (counterclockwise in this embodiment). Therefore, the supply gear 42 meshing with the transmission gear 44c can rotate only in the rewinding direction. Therefore, a certain load of the friction mechanism acts on the supply of the ink ribbon 70, and slack or the like due to the pulling out of the ink ribbon 70 is prevented.

A lift gear 4 is provided near the transmission mechanism 43.
6 is provided, and a screw groove 46a is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the lift gear 46. The lower end portion of the lift gear 46 has an intermittent gear 2 formed on the cam 25.
A coil serving as an absorbing member for absorbing a shock when the cassette carrier 12 collides with the ribbon cassette 60 when the cassette carrier 12 receives the ribbon cassette 60 on the rotation shaft 47a of the gear 47 which meshes with the gear 44d meshing with 5b. Spring 4
It is spline-coupled via 8. As a result, the lift gear 46 rotates together with the gear 47, but a slight vertical movement is possible due to the action of the coil spring 48, and the vertical movement can absorb the shock.

As shown in detail in FIG. 1, the cassette carrier 12 has a screw groove 46 of the lift gear 46.
a hole 12a having a tooth portion meshing with a, and a pair of guide members 49a, 49b arranged on the carriage 3
Guide holes 12b and 12c into which are respectively inserted, and are reciprocally movable on the carriage 3 along the guide members 49a and 49b along with the rotation of the lift gear 46 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage 3. It has become. Further, the cassette carrier 12 is engaged with a holding portion of the ribbon cassette 60, and a pair of holding members 12d, 12 having a dogleg shape for holding the ribbon cassette 60.
e are arranged with a space left and right, and these holding members 12d and 12e are biased by a biasing member (not shown) in the direction of narrowing the spacing.

As shown in detail in FIG. 1, the carriage 3
Includes a first detection sensor 51 for detecting the type of the ribbon cassette 60 held at a predetermined position of the main body case.
A sensor arrangement plate 50 including a second detection sensor 52 that detects the presence or absence of the ribbon cassette 60 on the carriage 3 is mounted. As shown, the first detection sensor 5
The first and second detection sensors 52 use reflection type optical sensors having different focal lengths, the first detection sensor 51 is arranged at a position slightly apart from the ribbon cassette 50, and the second detection sensor 52 is arranged as the ribbon cassette. The shape of the sensor arrangement plate 50 is formed so as to be arranged at a position close to 50.

Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above-mentioned structure will be described.

First, the print state will be described.

When the stepping motor 18 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 2, the transmission gear 20 is rotated counterclockwise. As a result, the swing plate 22 rotates counterclockwise, and the first swing gear 23 meshes with the gear 25a on the outer peripheral portion of the cam 25. When the stepping motor 18 is further rotated in the same direction in this state, the cam 25 rotates counterclockwise and the pin 29a of the head pressure contact lever 29 causes the cam 25 to move.
The head contact / separation cam groove 28 is located at the innermost peripheral end of the curved groove 28a. At this time, the head pressure contact lever 29
Is swung to the leftmost direction, the head mount 11a operates together with the head pressure contact lever 29, and the thermal head 11 is kept in pressure contact with the platen 1, so-called head-down state. In this state, the first rocking gear 23 moves the gear 2 on the outer peripheral portion of the cam 25.
Since it is in a state of facing the toothless portion 25b of 5a,
Further, even if the stepping motor 18 rotates counterclockwise, the rotational force of the first swing gear 23 is not transmitted to the cam 25, and the cam 25 stops at this position. In this state, the pin 3 of the peeling roller driving lever 32 is also used.
Since 2a is located in the innermost circular arc groove 27a of the peeling roller contacting / separating cam groove 27 on the surface of the cam 25, the peeling roller driving lever 32 is swung in the rightmost direction with the pin 33C as a fulcrum. And the transmission member 3 via the pin 32c.
3 rotates to the right, whereby the peeling roller fixing member 3
4 is rotated in the direction of the platen 1.

While the cam 25 is rotating, the rotational force of the stepping motor 18 is also transmitted to the second transmission gear 21, but between the second transmission gear 21 and the gear 35. Since there is play, the gear 35 does not rotate. Further, the rotational force of the cam 25 during the head-down operation is transmitted as a counterclockwise rotational force to the gear 44b via the first intermittent gear 25c. Since the gear 44c does not rotate because the clutch 44 is connected through the clutch, and therefore the delivery gear 42 does not rotate, the ink ribbon 70 is not delivered and loosened.

In this state, when the stepping motor 18 is further rotated in the clockwise direction, the play between the transmission gear 21 and the gear 35 is canceled, the rotation of the transmission gear 21 is transmitted to the gear 35, and the gear 35 is rotated by the first gear. 2 Rotates with the transmission gear 21. The rotation of the gear 35 is transmitted to the gear 37, and the gear 37 rotates clockwise. When the gear 37 rotates clockwise, the swing gear 39 meshed with the gear 37 swings and meshes with the transmission gear 40a. Therefore, the rotation of the transmission gear 40a is transmitted to the winding gear 36, and is also transmitted to the second winding gear 41 via the transmission gear 40b, so that the winding bobbin 14 and the second winding bobbin 16 rotate. The winding operation of the ink ribbon 70 is performed.

Therefore, in this head-down state, the carriage drive motor 4 is driven to drive the carriage 3
While moving, the heating elements of the thermal head 11 are selectively heated, and the stepping motor 18 is driven to wind up the ink ribbon 70, thereby performing necessary recording.

The above-mentioned movement from the head-down state to the head-up state is performed as follows.

When the stepping motor 18 is rotated counterclockwise in the head-down state, the first transmission gear 2
0 rotates clockwise. As a result, the swing plate 22 swings to the right, the first swing gear 23 disengages from the outer peripheral portion of the cam 25, and the second swing gear 24 meshes with the gear 25a on the outer peripheral portion of the cam 25.

When the stepping motor 18 is further rotated in the same direction in this state, the cam 25 continues to rotate clockwise, and the pin 29a of the head pressure contact lever 29 is located at the outermost periphery of the head contact / separation cam groove 28 of the cam 25. Arc groove 28b
To be located inside. At this time, since the head pressure contact lever 29 is in the most rightwardly swung state, the head mount 11a operates together with the head pressure contact lever 29,
The state where the thermal head 11 is farthest from the platen 1,
The head-up state is maintained.

In this state, the stepping motor 18
When is rotated clockwise, the first swing gear 23 moves the cam 25
The second swinging gear 24 meshes with the gear 25a of the cam 25 to rotate the cam 25.

In this state, the stepping motor 18
Is rotated counterclockwise again, the pin 2 of the swing plate 22
2a is located in the locking portion 26e of the first cam groove 26,
The swing gear 24 is disengaged from the gear 25a on the outer peripheral portion of the cam 25. In this position, the first gear 23 is also in a position separated from the outer peripheral portion of the cam 25, so that even if the stepping motor 18 further rotates counterclockwise, the rotational force of the stepping motor 18 is not transmitted to the cam 25. , Cam 2
5 is held stationary in this position. In this state, since the pin 32a of the peeling roller driving lever 32 is located in the outermost circular arc groove 27b of the peeling roller contacting / separating cam groove 27 on the surface of the cam 25, the peeling roller driving lever 32 is The pin 33C is swung to the leftmost direction about the fulcrum, and the transmission member 33 is rotated leftward via the pin 32c, whereby the peeling roller fixing member 34 is held at a position separated from the platen 1. It is in a state. While the cam 25 is rotating, the rotational force of the stepping motor 18 is also transmitted to the second transmission gear 21, but there is play between the second transmission gear 21 and the gear 35. The gear 35 does not rotate.
Further, during this head-up operation, the rotational force of the cam 25 is transmitted as a counterclockwise rotational force to the gear 44b via the first intermittent gear 25c, so that the gear 44c and the gear 44c are counteracted as described above. It rotates clockwise, which causes the supply gear 42 to rotate clockwise and the ink ribbon 7
A 0 winding operation is performed.

Although recording is not performed even if the carriage 3 is driven in this head-up state, for example, color recording is performed using the ink ribbon 70 in which color inks of a plurality of colors are repeatedly formed in the longitudinal direction. In this case, since it is necessary to idle feed the ink ribbon 70 to make the ink portion of a desired color face the thermal head 11, the stepping motor 18 is further rotated counterclockwise. Then, when the stepping motor 18 rotates by a predetermined amount, the play between the transmission gear 21 and the gear 35 is canceled,
When the stepping motor 18 further rotates, the rotation of the transmission gear 21 is transmitted to the gear 35, and the gear 35 rotates together with the second transmission gear 21. The rotation of the gear 35 is transmitted to the gear 37, and the gear 37 rotates counterclockwise. When the gear 37 rotates counterclockwise, the rocking gear 38 meshed with the gear 37 rocks and meshes with the winding gear 36. The winding bobbin 14 is rotated by the rotation of the winding gear 36.
The rotation of the take-up gear 36 is transmitted to the second take-up gear 41 via the transmission gears 40a and 40b, the second take-up bobbin 16 is rotated, and the take-up operation of the ink ribbon 70 is performed. Is performed.

When the stepping motor 18 is rotated clockwise from this state, the oscillating plate 22 rotates leftward, and the pin 22a moves from the specific position 26c to the inside of the first cam groove 26. Stepping motor 18
When is rotated clockwise, the head-down operation described above is performed.

Next, replacement of the ribbon cassette 60 mounted on the cassette carrier 12 will be described. First, the ribbon cassette 6 is attached to the cassette carrier 12.
The operation when the desired ribbon cassette 60 is loaded from the state where 0 is not loaded will be described.

First, the carriage 3 is reciprocally moved along the platen 1 to detect the position and type of the ribbon cassette 60 held at a predetermined position of the main body case (not shown). At this time, when the thermal head 11 is in the head-up state, the head-down state is set, and when the thermal head 11 is in the head-down state, the stepping motor 18 is rotated counterclockwise from that state.

Then, the rotation of the transmission gear 20 in the clockwise direction causes the second swing gear 24 to mesh with the gear 25a of the cam 25, thereby rotating the cam 25 in the clockwise direction. As a result, as described above, the thermal head 11 is positioned in the head-up state, but when the stepping motor 18 is further rotated from this head-up state, the pin 29a of the head pressure contact lever 29 remains in the head-up state and the pin 29a moves into the cam groove. 28
It moves along the circular arc groove 28b at the outer peripheral portion of.

At this time, the intermittent gear 25c formed below the outer peripheral portion of the cam 25 is replaced by the gears 44a, 4a of the transmission member 43.
The gears 44a and 44b are rotated by meshing with the gear 4b. Along with this, the gear 44d rotates, causing the gear 47 to rotate. The rotation of the gear 47 causes the lift gear 4 to rotate.
6 rotates, and the lift gear 46 rotates, so that the cassette carrier 12 is guided by the guide members 49a and 49b.
Move upwards along. As a result, the holding claws 12d and 12e of the cassette carrier 12 engage with the holding portions 66a and 66b formed on the outer peripheral portion of the ribbon cassette 60 to hold the ribbon cassette 60.

At this time, the lift gear 46 is spline-coupled to the shaft 47a of the gear 47 via the coil spring 48 even if the position where the ribbon cassette 60 is held has some variation in height (FIG. 6). ), The rattling in the vertical direction can be absorbed, and even if the cassette carrier 12 collides with the ribbon cassette 60, the cassette carrier 12 can be moved up and down by the coil spring 48, so that the impact at the time of collision is absorbed. can do. In addition,
Even if the gear 44b rotates, this gear 44b and the transmission gear 4
The transmission gear 44c does not rotate because it is connected to 4c via a spring clutch.

After holding the ribbon cassette 60, the stepping motor 18 is rotated clockwise.
As a result, the cam 25 rotates counterclockwise via the first swing gear 23. At this time, the gears 44a, 44d, 47 rotate via the intermittent gear 25c, and the lift gear 46
Rotates. As a result, the cassette carrier 12 descends and is placed on the carriage 3. In this way, the desired ribbon cassette 60 can be mounted on the carriage 3.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first
Engaging member 14a that engages with the engaging portions of the reels 61 and 62 of the ribbon cassette 60 formed on the winding bobbin 14, the second winding bobbin 16, the first supply bobbin 13 and the second supply bobbin 15, respectively. , 16a, (13a, 15
a) is springs 14b, 16b, (1
3b, 15b) so as to be movable up and down, and the spring-biased engaging members 14a, 16a,
Since the restriction members (stoppers) 14c, 16c, (13c, 15c) for restricting the upward movement of (13a, 15a) are formed on the tops of the bobbins 14, 16, (13, 15), the ribbon Even when the cassette 60 is replaced, if the engagement fails, the springs 14b, 16b, (13
b, 15b) against the engaging members 14a, 16a, (13
a, 15a) are pushed down, and the ribbon cassette 60 is mounted on the cassette carrier 12 as the cassette carrier 12 descends. Thereafter, the bobbins 13 and 14 are rotated to lower the engaging members 14a, 16a, (13
a, 15a) and the engaging portions of the reels 61, 62 are aligned, and the engaging members on the bobbin side are reels 61, 62.
It engages with the engaging part of and rises. This ensures that the ribbon cassette 60 is mounted on the cassette carrier 12 of the carriage 3.

Next, a case where the ribbon cassette 60 is previously mounted on the cassette carrier 12 and the ribbon cassette 60 is replaced with another ribbon cassette 60 will be described.

First, the carriage 3 is reciprocated to detect the ribbon cassette holding portion of the main body case where the ribbon cassette 60 is not held. When the position of this ribbon cassette holding portion is detected, the carriage 3 is positioned at a position facing this position, the cassette carrier 12 is raised as described above, and the ribbon cassette 60 is held in the holding portion. After that, the cassette carrier 12 is lowered, and the desired ribbon cassette 60 is mounted by operating in the same manner as when the ribbon cassette 60 is not mounted.

Here, although not shown, the mechanism for holding the ribbon cassette 60 at a predetermined position of the main body case is the same as the holding portion of the ribbon cassette 60 on the cassette carrier 12.

The take-up bobbin 62 and the supply bobbin 61 of the above-described ink ribbon 70 move up and down in conjunction with the vertical movement of the cassette carrier 12, and the winding bobbin 62 is wound so that the rotational force can be obtained at the upper and lower positions. Taking gear 3
6 and the spline connection of the supply gear 42 on the fixed shaft, even when the cassette carrier 12 is in a raised position,
The winding operation of the ink ribbon 70 may be performed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but various modifications can be made if necessary.

[0066]

As described above, according to the present invention, the impact at the time of the collision between the cassette mounting table and the ribbon cassette can be surely absorbed by the inexpensive structure, and the ribbon cassette can be stably exchanged. It is possible to achieve the effect of being able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a main part showing an embodiment of a thermal transfer printer of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part configuration showing an embodiment of a thermal transfer printer of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a main part of an embodiment of the thermal transfer printer of the present invention, showing a head-down state.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a cam in an embodiment of the thermal transfer printer of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded explanatory view showing the structure of the connection between the second transmission gear and the gear in the embodiment of the thermal transfer printer of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exploded explanatory view showing structures of a lift gear and a transmission member in a cassette carrier drive mechanism in an embodiment of the thermal transfer printer of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded explanatory view showing the configurations of a ribbon winding bobbin and a supply bobbin in an embodiment of the thermal transfer printer of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an exploded explanatory view showing the configurations of a second ribbon take-up bobbin and a delivery bobbin in one embodiment of the thermal transfer printer of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 thermal head 12 cassette carrier 13 supply bobbin 14 winding bobbin 25 cam 25a intermittent gear 42 supply gears 44b and 44c gear 48 coil spring (absorption member)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A carriage reciprocally movable along a platen, and an ink of the ink ribbon in a state in which the ink ribbon is movably disposed on the carriage so that the ink ribbon can contact and separate from the paper, and the ink ribbon is pressed against the paper. A thermal head for partially melting and transferring the sheet onto a sheet, a cassette mounting table disposed on the carriage and capable of mounting a ribbon cassette accommodating an ink ribbon, and a ribbon cassette disposed on the carriage. A supply bobbin and a take-up bobbin each having an engaging member capable of engaging with the supply reel and the take-up reel, respectively, and a plurality of ribbon cassettes formed at positions facing the carriage mounting table, each capable of holding a ribbon cassette. The holder and the cassette mounting table are reciprocally moved in the direction of coming into contact with and separating from the ribbon cassette holder. A thermal transfer printer configured to drive the cassette mounting table by the cassette mounting table driving means to transfer the ribbon cassette to and from the ribbon cassette holding section. A thermal transfer printer characterized in that the cassette mounting table driving means is provided with an absorbing member capable of absorbing variations in the position of the cassette mounting table in the height direction. 2. The thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein the absorbing member is a spring member.