JPH0976573A - Thermal stamper - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify the replacing and loading work of a transfer ribbon by allowing the slackening quantity of a transfer ribbon to correspond to the stepping feed of a thermal printing head driving source and subjecting a transfer ribbon feed drive source to stepping feed to remove the slackening quantity of the transfer ribbon. SOLUTION: Since a transfer ribbon TR itself is in a stop state during a period when a thermal head 8 reaches a printing completion position P2 from a printing start position P1 , slackening is generated in the ribbon part 52 between the thermal printing head 8 and a transfer ribbon feed roller 51 accompanied by the running movement of the thermal printing head 8. However, the transfer ribbon TR allows the slackening quantity of the transfer ribbon changed corresponding to the running movement of the thermal printing head 8 to correspond to the stepping feed of a thermal printing head driving source to subject a transfer ribbon feed drive source to stepping feed to remove the slackening of the transfer ribbon TR.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention makes it possible, for example, to selectively print diversified transmission information on an object to be printed provided by various packaging materials in a packaging process in a manufacturing line. The present invention relates to a thermal stamper in which a thermal print head is applied to a so-called stamper printing system, and in particular, the thermal stamper is structured so that the thermal ribbon can be easily loaded into the thermal stamper. The present invention relates to a thermal stamper capable of preventing loosening by automatic control, accurately controlling winding of a transfer ribbon, preventing wasteful feeding thereof, and reducing consumption of the transfer ribbon.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, with the diversification of distribution product packaging systems in an industrial distribution society and the diversification of information processing, a real-time transmission information printing system for packaged products packaged by various packaging systems has been developed. Is required. For example, in the packaging process in the production line, the date of manufacture, production control number or bar code,
Further, in the case of displaying the expiration date and the like of foods, the display contents as described above must be changed in real time by computer processing with the complete automation of the packaging system. In such a case, there is a demand for a stamper device capable of promptly performing a printing process on the above-mentioned printing object and capable of accurately responding to the situation.

[0003]

In the conventional stamper device as an example, a desired type is set in advance on the stamper, and the type is pneumatically or electrically pressed against the target to be printed on the target. A method of performing print processing is known. This method cannot change the print contents to arbitrary characters, and cannot change the print contents such as graphic patterns or barcodes each time. Was not compatible with.

Further, among the other conventional stamper apparatuses, the ink jet method has a serious problem in that the material of the printing object is limited in terms of ink adsorption.

On the other hand, the same applicant, in order to eliminate the drawbacks and problems found in the above-mentioned various conventional stamper devices, in the automatic packaging process, the package provided by the various packaging materials is used. As printed materials, the transmission information such as the manufacturing date, manufacturing control number, bar code, various graphic patterns, and even the expiration date for food can be changed online in real time with the computer. However, a thermal stamper having a structure as shown in FIG. 11 capable of selectively printing various transmission information has been developed.
A patent application has been filed as No. 3406. This Japanese Patent Application No. 7-5
The thermal stamper according to No. 3406 is consistent with the present invention and its basic configuration.

Japanese Patent Application No. 7-53 filed by the same applicant as described above.
The thermal stamper according to No. 406 basically comprises a thermal print head 8 having a heating element composed of a linear heating dot element array, and a thermal print head driving means for driving the thermal print head 8.
And a transfer tape feeding means 10 for feeding the transfer ribbon TR. More specifically, this thermal stamper has a structure in which the thermal print head is moved and printed while the printing target H such as the transfer ribbon TR and the label R is stopped.
In order to prevent the transfer ribbon from slacking during the running printing period, a moving guide roller 50 that moves integrally with the carriage carrying the running thermal print head 8 is attached.
Therefore, while the running thermal print head 8 moves from the print start position P ₁ to the print end position P ₂ ,
The transfer ribbon TR always secures a constant length between the stationary guide rollers. With this configuration, the transfer ribbon is not loosened during the running printing period, and therefore, there is an effect that it is not necessary to control the transfer ribbon feeding.

However, in the above-mentioned thermal stamper, the transfer ribbon TR has to be set inside the moving guide roller 50, so that it is difficult to carry out the work when the transfer ribbon TR is replaced and loaded. That is, Japanese Patent Application No. 7-53406 relating to the development of the same applicant.
The thermal stamper of No. 1 has an effective effect that feed control for the slack of the transfer ribbon TR is unnecessary, but has a problem that complicated work is required for replacement and loading of the transfer ribbon TR.

The present invention relates to the thermal stamper according to Japanese Patent Application No. 7-53406 filed by the same applicant as described above, and in particular, regarding the loading of the transfer ribbon, the transfer ribbon is provided with various components such as a transfer ribbon guide member and a thermal print head. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal stamper that is configured to be set around the outer periphery of a member so as to be set, so that the transfer ribbon replacement and loading operation can be simplified.

Another object of the present invention is to run a thermal print head between a print start position P ₁ and a print end position P ₂ , and during the running period, a label such as a label is imprinted via a transfer ribbon in a stopped state. When printing on a font, the slack that occurs on the transfer ribbon with respect to the traveling movement of the thermal print head is automatically controlled so that the ribbon can be accurately wound up.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a thermal stamper capable of surely peeling a transfer ribbon from the surface of a printing medium such as a label.

Further, another object of the present invention is to accurately wind the transfer ribbon and to start the next printing by the running head at the used end portion of the transfer ribbon at the print end position P ₂ by the thermal print head. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal stamper in which winding control is performed so that it can be accurately fed to the position P ₁ , wasteful consumption of the transfer ribbon is prevented, and consumption of the expensive transfer ribbon is reduced.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention specifically relates to a thermal print head having a heating element composed of a linear heating dot element array, and a driving method for the thermal print head. A thermal print head driving unit for causing the transfer ribbon, and a transfer ribbon feeding unit for feeding the transfer ribbon are provided, and the thermal print head is moved while the print target such as the transfer ribbon and the label is stopped, In the thermal stamper, wherein the thermal print head prints on the object to be printed through the transfer ribbon, the thermal print head driving means includes one driving source and a heating element of the thermal print head. In addition, the thermal print head is placed in a print start position P in the orthogonal direction. A thermal print head slide reciprocating mechanism for reciprocating the slide between ₁ and the print end position P _2, and the thermal print head is fixed with respect to the printing object during the slide reciprocating period of the thermal print head. The thermal print head is moved up and down by applying pressure to press the thermal print head to print on the print medium, and after the printing process is completed, move the thermal print head away from the print medium. And a transfer ribbon feeding means, and a drive source for feeding the transfer ribbon,
The thermal print head is moved to the print start position P ₁
From the print end position P ₂ to the print end position P ₂ , the thermal print head is provided with a guide roller and a transfer ribbon feed roller that abut and support the transfer ribbon on the thermal print head, At the same time, the amount of slack in the transfer ribbon, which changes according to the movement of the thermal print head, is made to correspond to the step feed of the thermal print head drive source, and the transfer ribbon feed drive source is stepwise fed to the transfer ribbon. The thermal stamper is designed to remove the amount of slack in the thermal stamper.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A thermal stamper according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to specific embodiments shown in the drawings. First, a specific embodiment of a thermal stamper according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing the overall configuration of a thermal stamper according to the present invention, and FIG. 1A is a schematic front view showing a state in which a thermal print head is located at a print start position P ₁ . Yes, FIG. 1B is a schematic front view showing a state in which the thermal print head is located at the print end position P ₂ . On the other hand, FIG. 2 is a front view more specifically showing the overall configuration of the thermal stamper, and FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a partial cross section of the thermal stamper shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing a part of the thermal stamper shown in FIG. 2 as viewed in the plane direction.

The thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention is basically composed of a compact body frame 2.
The machine frame 2 includes a first substrate 3 and a second substrate 4 that is assembled to the first substrate 3 in parallel with a plurality of assembly poles 5 and 5 at a predetermined interval. It consists of things. Further, the machine body frame 2 has an intermediate substrate 6 (this intermediate substrate 6) disposed between the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 4 in parallel with the first and second substrates 3 and 4.
Is the first member by means such as bolts including spacers.
(Assembled on the substrate 3 of the above).

The thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention comprises a thermal print head 8 having a heating element 7 composed of a linear array of heating dot elements, a thermal print head driving means 9 for driving the thermal print head 8 and a transfer ribbon. And a transfer ribbon feeding means 10 for feeding TR.

In the thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention, the thermal print head drive means 9 has the thermal print head drive source 11 and the thermal print head 8 in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the thermal print head 8 and the heating element 7. And a thermal print head slide reciprocating mechanism 12 for sliding and reciprocating the print head, and a constant pressure is applied to the label R or the like on the printing target H by the thermal print head 8 during the slide reciprocating movement of the thermal print head. Then, the thermal print head 8 prints on the label R or the like on the print target H by the thermal print head 8. After the printing process is completed, the thermal print head 8 is separated from the label R on the print target H. Thermal print head up / down moving mechanism 13 that operates to It is made up of those with.

More specifically, the thermal print head driving source 11 is composed of, for example, a stepping motor, and is attached to the intermediate substrate 6. The thermal print head slide reciprocating mechanism 12 and the thermal print head up / down moving mechanism 13 in the thermal print head driving means 9 are mechanically assembled so as to be operated by the one thermal print head driving source 11.

The specific mechanism of the thermal print head slide reciprocating mechanism 12 and the thermal print head up / down moving mechanism 13 in the thermal print head driving means 9 will be described. First, with respect to the rotary shaft 14 of the thermal print head drive source 11,
A main rotary shaft 15 of the apparatus is provided which extends in parallel at a predetermined interval. The main rotary shaft 15 is rotatably supported by a pair of bearings 16 and 17 provided on the intermediate substrate 6, and the rotary shaft 14-side pulley 18 of the thermal print head drive source 11 and the main rotary shaft 15 are supported. The side pulley 19 and the belt 20 stretched between the pulleys 18 and 19 rotate when the thermal print head driving source 11 is driven to rotate.

Both ends 15a and 15 of the main rotating shaft 15
Since the pair of left and right slider link mechanisms 21 and 21 are completely left-right symmetrical to b, only one of them will be described below. The slider link mechanism 21 has a rotary disc 22 fixed to the main rotary shaft 15, a spindle pin 23 planted at a position spaced a distance r from the center of the rotary disc 22, and one end of which is the spindle. It is rotatably pivotally connected to the shaft pin 23 and includes a connecting bar member 24 having a slider bearing 25 on the other end side.

The slider bearing 25 provided on the connecting bar member 24 is located on the right side in FIG. 3 in the long groove 26 provided on the first substrate 3 of the machine frame 2.
3, the left side thereof is engaged and supported so as to be slidably movable in a long groove 27 provided in the second substrate 4 of the machine body frame 2.

On the other hand, the thermal print head driving means 9 comprises a thermal print head mounting carriage 28. The carriage 28 equipped with the thermal print head includes a carriage frame 29 and a carriage frame 29.
Has first and second bogie shafts 30 and 31 attached to each other, and the first bogie shaft 30 mutually attaches the slider bearing mounting end sides of the left and right connecting bar members 24 and 24 to each other. It consists of something connected to. Therefore, the pair of slider bearings 25, 25 provided at the ends of the pair of left and right connecting bar members 24, 24 are
The rear wheels of the thermal print head mounted carriage 28 are formed. The carriage 28 equipped with the thermal print head
The slider bearings 32 and 33 are provided at both ends of the second bogie shaft 31 in the above, and are engaged with the other long grooves 34 and 35 provided in the first and second substrates 3 and 4, respectively. Form the front wheel.

In the above structure, when the thermal print head driving source 11 is driven to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, the thermal print head mounting carriage 28 is moved to the first and second sides via the slider link mechanisms 21 and 21. It is possible to slide and reciprocate along the long grooves provided in the substrates 3 and 4.

On the other hand, the thermal print head up / down moving mechanism 13 has the following construction. In the apparatus, the thermal print head up / down moving mechanism 13 includes a thermal print head up / down cam member 3 provided on the main rotary shaft 15.
6 and a thermal print head assembly 37 assembled on the thermal print head mounting carriage 28. The thermal print head assembly 37 is composed of a combination of the thermal print head 8, a thermal print head support 38, and a pressing spring member 39.

The thermal print head assembly 37
Is rotatably connected to the thermal print head mounting carriage 28 by a pivot 40 at an intermediate portion thereof. The thermal print head support 38 is
The thermal print head mounting portion 41 extends from the pivot portion 40 in one direction and the cam contact plate portion 42 extends in the other direction.

In the above structure, when the thermal print head drive source 11 is driven to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, the thermal print head up / down cam member 36 fixed to the main rotary shaft 15 is rotated to perform thermal printing. While the protrusion 36a of the head up / down cam member 36 is in contact with the cam contact plate portion 42 of the thermal print head assembly 37, the thermal print head 8 is maintained in the raised state and the contact is released. Then, the thermal print head 8 is pressed to the lowered position by the urging force of the pressing spring member 39 in the expanding direction. Control of the thermal print head slide reciprocating mechanism 12 and the thermal print head slide reciprocating mechanism 1
2 and the drive timing control of the thermal print head up / down moving mechanism 13 will be described later.

On the other hand, the thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention
In the above, the transfer ribbon feeding means 10 for feeding the transfer ribbon TR is drivingly connected to the transfer ribbon feeding drive source 43 and the rotation shaft 44 of the drive source 43 by a belt 45, and is used for the transfer ribbon feeding. It includes a transfer ribbon winding shaft 46 and a transfer ribbon winding shaft 47 which are rotated by the rotation of the driving source 43.

Further, the transfer ribbon feeding means 10 for feeding the transfer ribbon TR is drivingly connected to the rotary shaft 44 of the transfer ribbon feeding driving source 43 by a transmission belt 45, and is used for feeding the transfer ribbon. It comprises a transfer ribbon feed roller 51 and a guide roller 49 which are rotated by the rotation of the drive source 43.

The transfer ribbon feed roller 51 and the guide roller 49 move the transfer ribbon TR to the thermal print head 8 while the thermal print head 8 travels from the print start position P ₁ to the print end position P ₂ . Abut against each other and support them in tension.

The new transfer ribbon TR is set on the transfer ribbon unwinding shaft 47 side, and is guided by guide rollers 48, 49,
The thermal print head 8 and the transfer ribbon feed roller 51 are wound around the outer circumference of the transfer ribbon winding roller 51 and wound around the transfer ribbon winding shaft 46 to be set. The transfer ribbon TR moves in the direction of the arrow in accordance with the rotation of the transfer ribbon feeding drive source 43, and is wound around the transfer ribbon winding shaft 46 via the guide rollers 48, 49 and the transfer ribbon feeding roller 51. To be

In the present invention, the transfer ribbon TR
1A, while the thermal print head 8 shown in FIG. 1A moves from the print start position P ₁ to the print end position P ₂ shown in FIG. With,
Thermal print head 8 and transfer ribbon feed roller 51
The slack will be generated in the ribbon portion 52 between and.

In the present invention, the transfer ribbon TR is moved by the thermal print head 8 at the same time as the thermal print head 8 is moved. In response to the step feeding of the transfer ribbon TR, the transfer ribbon feeding drive source 43 is step fed to
It is configured to remove the slack of the.

The transfer ribbon TR moves in the direction of the arrow to bring a new ribbon portion to the thermal print head 8 while the thermal print head is moving upward. The amount of movement can be controlled on the side of the transfer ribbon feeding drive source 43 so as to be the amount used for printing.

In FIG. 6A, reference numeral 53 indicates a start position detecting means, for example, an optical path shield and a machine frame 2 provided on the thermal print head mounted carriage 28 side.
A photoelectric sensor provided on the side detects the start position of the carriage 28 for mounting the thermal print head and controls the drive of the thermal print head drive source 11. On the other hand, in FIG. 3, reference numeral 54 indicates a thermal print head-up detecting means, which is, for example, an optical path shield provided on the main rotating shaft 15 and a photoelectric sensor provided on the machine frame 2 side. The rotation speed of the thermal print head drive source 11 is controlled by detecting the rise of the thermal print head.

Next, the control of the thermal print head slide reciprocating mechanism 12 and the drive timing control of the thermal print head slide reciprocating mechanism 12 and the thermal print head up / down moving mechanism 13 in the thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. ~ It demonstrates based on FIG.

An important point in the control of the thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention is that at least during the printing process of the thermal print head, the nonuniform velocity linear motion generated in the conversion of the circular motion-linear motion in one driving source 11 is caused. The point is to control the rotary system side of the drive source 11 so as to make a uniform linear motion. FIGS. 6A to 6D are schematic front views showing a driving mode of the thermal print head by the thermal print head driving means, and FIG. 6A shows the rotation of one drive source 11 in the counterclockwise direction. 8 specifically shows the aspect of point A in 8.
The start position in the device is clearly indicated.

FIG. 6B specifically shows the aspect of point B in FIG. 8, showing a state in which the main rotary shaft 15 is further rotated counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 6A, and the thermal print head is shown. The loading carriage 28 starts moving forward (moves to the right), and the thermal print head assembly 37
Is lowered by the urging force in the expansion direction by the pressing spring member 39. The movement from FIG. 6B to FIG. 6C is the print processing period in the apparatus, and FIG. 6C specifically shows the aspect of point C in FIG. 8 and shows the final state. FIG. 6D shows point D in FIG. 8, in which the thermal print head mounting carriage 28 is retracting (moving to the left), and the thermal print head assembly 37 includes the thermal print head up / down cam member 36. Rises due to the action of and shifts to the non-printing state.

FIG. 7, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are intended to analyze the slide movement of the thermal print head in the horizontal direction (x-axis direction) with respect to the printing control of the thermal stamper, and in FIG. The x-coordinate in the horizontal direction is calculated by Tx = r · cos θ + √ (q ² − (h + y) ² ). During the rotation period of the rotary disk 22, the point A in FIG. 8 is the start position of the device,
The start position detection means 53 detects and stops (standby)
Controlled by the state. The points A to B can be controlled as acceleration regions. From point B to point C, a pulse is given to the stepping motor 11 at regular intervals so that the point T has a constant speed. In this case, the microprocessor calculates the time required for one-step stepping by the equation 1, and the stepping motor 11
Can be rotated. The points C to D reach the point D by accelerating at the same speed as the point C or further accelerating. From point D to point A, the vehicle decelerates and stops at point A.

Corresponding to the rotation of the rotary disk 22 as shown in FIG. 8, the thermal print head draws a movement locus as shown in FIG. 9A. In this case, during the printing period,
Since a pressure against the biasing force of the pressing spring member 39 is applied to the thermal print head, the actual movement path of the thermal print head is as shown in FIG. 9B.

On the other hand, the feeding control of the transfer ribbon TR is set as follows. After the thermal print head up detection unit 54 detects that the thermal print head is up, the transfer ribbon TR is sent before returning to the point A. The feed amount is the feed amount = the length of the transfer ribbon consumed by printing ≦ the distance between point B and point C. The transfer ribbon feeding motor 43 is provided separately from the motor for moving the thermal print head. Since the transfer ribbon is sent by the value obtained by calculating the printed length from the print data, waste of the transfer ribbon can be eliminated.

Further, the control of the thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. 10 shows a thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention.
2 is a block diagram of the control unit of FIG. 1 and includes, for example, a control board driven by a 24V power supply. The control board is composed of a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The thermal print head drive source 11, the transfer ribbon feed drive source 43, the thermal print head 8, a start position detection means 53, and a thermal print head up detection means 54. To control.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the soft part of the thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention. According to this example, the thermal print head 8 is sent from the origin (start position) to the print start position by the thermal print head drive source 11. At this point, transfer ribbon TR
The slack counter has been cleared. The thermal print head 8 is step-fed from the print start position P ₁ to the print end position P ₂ by the thermal print head drive source 11. During this time, printing is performed while the thermal print head 8 is stepwise fed. At this time, in order to prevent the transfer ribbon TR from slackening, for example, the transfer ribbon feeding drive source 43 is stepwise fed at a rate of once every step feeding x times of the thermal print head driving source 11 to loosen the transfer ribbon TR. remove.

The reasons why the slack of the transfer ribbon TR must be removed in the thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention are: Since the expensive transfer ribbon TR must be wound up accurately without waste, if the ribbon portion 52 between the transfer ribbon feed roller 51 driven by the transfer ribbon feed drive source 43 and the thermal print head 8 is loose, the transfer is performed. Ribbon TR cannot be wound accurately. 2. After printing, the transfer ribbon must be reliably peeled off from the printing medium. Therefore, if there is slack in the transfer ribbon, the thermal print head 8 moves to the end of printing, and when the thermal print head 8 moves up, the printing area The last part of the mark remains attached to the substrate. By constantly stretching the ribbon portion 52, the transfer ribbon can be reliably peeled off from the printing medium.

[0042]

According to the thermal stamper 1 of the present invention having the above-described structure, in the packaging process to be automated, the package provided with various packaging materials is used as the printing object, and the manufacturing date, the manufacturing date, and the Control numbers, bar codes, various graphic patterns, and even communication information such as the expiration date for food items can be changed online in real time with a computer, which is extremely effective in that it is possible to change the print content. Furthermore, it can be said that it is extremely effective in that various transmission information can be selectively printed, and that it can be printed accurately and beautifully on a label or the like on a printing medium.

Further, the thermal stamper 1 of the present invention
Since the printing process can be performed while the printing target H is stationary, the timing control of the automation system can be easily performed. Similarly, since the printing process can be performed while the printing target H is stationary, the printing direction is changed. It can be said to be extremely effective in many respects, such as the fact that it can be set arbitrarily, and that it can be designed as a simple structure, requires a small amount of space, and saves resources.

Further, the thermal stamper 1 of the present invention
In the point that the transfer ribbon TR is set around the outer circumference of each of the constituent members such as the transfer ribbon guide member and the thermal print head, the transfer ribbon TR is replaced and loaded. It can be said that it works extremely effectively in that it can be simplified.

Further, in the thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention, the thermal print head is moved to the print start position P.
_When printing is performed on a printing target such as a label through a transfer ribbon in a stopped state by traveling between ₁ and the print end position P ₂ , the transfer ribbon is generated in relation to the traveling movement of the thermal print head. It is very effective in that it controls the slack automatically and enables accurate ribbon winding, and that the transfer ribbon can be reliably peeled from the surface of the label or other printing object at each printing end stage. Can be said to act on.

Further, in the thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention, the winding of the transfer ribbon is accurately performed, and the portion corresponding to the used end of the transfer ribbon at the print end position P ₂ by the thermal print head is next printed by the running head. The winding control is performed so that the transfer ribbon can be accurately fed to the start position P ₁ , wasteful consumption of the transfer ribbon is prevented, and the consumption amount of the expensive transfer ribbon is reduced. I can say.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a specific embodiment of the overall structure of a thermal stamper according to the present invention. FIG. 1A shows a thermal print head at a print start position P.
Is a schematic front view showing a state located in the _1, Figure 1B
FIG. 7 is a schematic front view showing a state in which the thermal print head is located at a print end position P ₂ .

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the overall configuration of the thermal stamper more specifically.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a partial cross section of the thermal stamper shown in FIG. 2 when viewed from the right side surface direction.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing a partial cross section of the thermal stamper shown in FIG. 2 when viewed from the plane direction.

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view showing a specific structure of the thermal stamper according to the present invention, particularly for explaining a thermal print head driving means.

6A to 6D are schematic front views showing a driving mode of a thermal print head by a thermal print head driving unit.

FIG. 7 is a graph for explaining a moving state of the thermal print head by the thermal print head driving unit.

FIG. 8 is a graph for explaining each main stage of movement of the thermal print head by the thermal print head driving unit.

9A and 9B are graphs showing the movement locus of the thermal print head by the thermal print head driving means.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a control unit for the thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a software part of the thermal stamper 1 according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows a concrete example of a thermal stamper developed by the same applicant, and FIG. 12A is a schematic front view showing a state where the thermal print head is located at a print start position P _1. FIG. 12B is a schematic front view showing a state in which the thermal print head is located at the print end position P ₂ .

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Thermal Stamper 2 Body Frame 3 First Substrate 4 Second Substrate 6 Intermediate Substrate 7 Heating Element 8 Thermal Printhead 9 Thermal Printhead Driving Means 10 Transfer Ribbon Feeding Means TR Transfer Ribbon 11 Thermal Printhead Driving Source 12 Thermal Printhead Slide reciprocating movement mechanism 13 Thermal print head up / down movement mechanism 15 Main rotating shaft 21 Slider link mechanism 22 Rotating disk 24 Connecting bar member 25 Slider bearing 28 Thermal print head mounting carriage 36 Thermal print head up / down cam member 37 Thermal print head assembly Solid 39 Pressure spring member 43 Transfer ribbon feed drive source 51 Transfer ribbon feed roller 53 Start position detection means 54 Thermal print head up detection means

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display location B65B 61/26 B41J 25/30 L

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A thermal print head having a heating element composed of a linear array of heating dot elements, a thermal print head driving means for driving the thermal print head, and a transfer ribbon feeding means for feeding a transfer ribbon. The print head such as the transfer ribbon and the label is stopped, the thermal print head is moved, and the thermal print head prints on the print object via the transfer ribbon. In this thermal stamper, the thermal print head drive means prints the thermal print head at a print start position P ₁ and a print end position P _{2 in} a direction orthogonal to one drive source and a heating element of the thermal print head. Thermal pre-slip for moving back and forth between Head slide reciprocating mechanism, and during the slide reciprocating movement period of the thermal print head, the thermal print head is pressed against the printing medium by applying a constant pressure, and the thermal printing head presses the thermal printing head onto the printing medium. A thermal print head up-down moving mechanism that operates to move the thermal print head away from the printing target after printing is completed, and the transfer ribbon feeding means is a drive source for transferring the transfer ribbon. And a guide roller and a transfer ribbon feed for tensioning and supporting the transfer ribbon against the thermal print head while the thermal print head travels from the print start position P ₁ to the print end position P ₂ . And a traveling movement of the thermal print head. At this time, the amount of slack in the transfer ribbon that changes according to the movement of the thermal print head is made to correspond to the step feed of the thermal print head drive source, and the transfer ribbon feed drive source is step-feeded to move the transfer ribbon. A thermal stamper characterized by removing the amount of slack.