JPH1016362A - Recording apparatus and recording method as well as ribbon cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out a stable cooling separation of an ink ribbon by controlling the driving timing of a peeling pinch roller driving means to be later than the driving initiation timing of a carriage driving means. SOLUTION: The driving initiation of a winding motor for rotating a winding roller driving shaft is controlled to start after the lapse of a specified time from the driving initiation of a carriage driving motor. Thus, an ink ribbon 6 is not wound for the specified period of time and only feeding of the ink ribbon 6 is conducted through traveling of a carriage 7. As a result, the ink ribbon 6 sustains a formation of sagging between a portion recorded by a thermal head 14 and a pulling out pinch roller 4a. Control done in this manner causes separation between the recording paper and the ink ribbon 6 to be implemented in a condition where the ink ribbon 6 is cooled sufficiently. Therefore, changes in the rotation speed of a peeling pinch roller 4a or vibrations caused by expansion of the ink ribbon 6 exert no influence on the carriage 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a ribbon cassette, and more particularly to a recording apparatus and a recording method for recording using a ribbon cassette containing an ink ribbon for thermal sublimation transfer, and to these recording apparatuses and recording methods. It relates to the ribbon cassette used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a recording paper and an ink ribbon coated with a desired ink are supported in front of a platen, and a thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements as a recording head are arranged and arranged. A thermal transfer printer that records desired characters and other images on paper by selectively generating heat based on recording information on heating elements arranged on a thermal head while reciprocating along a platen with a carriage. However, because of high printing quality, low noise, low cost, and easy maintenance, they are frequently used as output devices such as computers and word processors.

A ribbon cassette mounted on such a thermal transfer printer has a pair of rotatable reels in a main body case, and these reels are wound with ink ribbons from both ends. I have. When the ribbon cassette is mounted on the carriage of the thermal transfer printer, one of the reels is used as a supply reel for supplying the ink ribbon to a thermal head disposed downstream in the traveling direction, and the other is used as a recording reel. Is a winding reel for winding the ink ribbon.

A part of the ink ribbon is led out of the main body case in a ribbon traveling path at an intermediate portion between the supply reel and the take-up reel. Are arranged so as to face the paper via the ink ribbon.

In such a ribbon cassette, a pair of rotatable pinches are provided between a supply reel and the ink ribbon lead-out portion and between a take-up reel and the ink ribbon lead-out portion. A roller is arranged, the load on the sending side is fixed by the pinch roller arranged on the supply reel side, and the ink ribbon used for recording is reliably peeled off from the paper by the pinch roller arranged on the winding reel side. It is configured as follows.

[0006]

By the way, the carriage on which the ribbon cassette is mounted and on which the thermal head is disposed is disposed on the reel for winding the ink ribbon and the winding side by a carriage driving motor. The pinch rollers are configured to be driven by a take-up drive motor, respectively, so that the carriage drive motor and the take-up motor have the same drive operation timing, or the take-up motor drive operation start timing is earlier. Was controlled. Therefore, the ink ribbon is maintained in a tensioned state between the thermal head and the take-up pinch roller, and the ink ribbon is stably taken up.

However, when a heat-meltable ink ribbon is used, maintaining the ink ribbon in a tensioned state between the thermal head and the take-up pinch roller as described above results in stable ribbon running. However, when printing is performed using a thermal sublimation ink ribbon, it is necessary to supply a large amount of printing energy in order to perform good printing, and the ink is constantly transferred between the thermal head and the take-up pinch roller during printing. If the ribbon is kept in tension, there is a disadvantage that the ink ribbon is broken due to heat damage. In order to supply a large printing energy, the moving speed (V2) of the carriage (thermal head)
And it is necessary to reduce the ink ribbon transport speed (V1) of the pinch roller for winding the ink ribbon.
In this case, it is necessary to reduce the rotation speed of the carriage drive motor and the take-up drive motor, and the vibration of the motor is transmitted to the thermal head through the ink ribbon stretched in a tension state, and the quality of a recorded image is significantly reduced. It turned out that the problem that arises.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and even if the recording speed is reduced and sufficient printing energy is supplied to the thermal sublimation ink ribbon, damage to the ink ribbon is small, and the motor is not damaged. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus capable of stably releasing an ink ribbon in a cold state without being affected by vibration and obtaining a good recorded image.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus comprising: a carriage driving means for reciprocating a carriage; and a take-up reel disposed in a ribbon cassette. A reel driving means for rotating the reel cassette, a pinch roller driving means for rotating a peeling pinch roller disposed in the ribbon cassette, and a control unit for controlling the driving of these driving means. The control unit is configured to control the drive start timing of the pinch roller drive unit to be delayed from the drive start timing of the carriage drive unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus comprising: a carriage driving means for reciprocating a carriage; a winding reel driving means for rotating a winding reel provided in a ribbon cassette; A printing apparatus comprising: a pinch roller driving unit configured to rotate an arranged peeling pinch roller; and a control unit that controls driving of the driving unit, wherein the control unit determines a moving speed V1 of the carriage. The present invention is characterized in that the relationship of the transport speed V2 of the ink ribbon of the peeling pinch roller is controlled so that V1> V2.

The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the carriage driving means for reciprocating the carriage, the winding reel driving means for rotating a winding reel provided in the ribbon cassette, and the ribbon cassette. A recording apparatus comprising: a pinch roller driving unit configured to rotate a peeling pinch roller disposed therein; and a control unit that controls driving of the driving unit, wherein the control unit includes the pinch roller driving unit. Is controlled to be later than the drive start timing of the carriage driving means, and further, the moving speed V of the carriage is controlled.
1 and the transport speed V2 of the ink ribbon of the peeling pinch roller is controlled such that V1 ≧ V2.

In any of the recording apparatuses described above, the ink ribbon can be slackened between the thermal head and the peeling pinch roller.

The recording apparatus according to claim 4 is the recording apparatus according to claim 1.
4. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls the drive stop timing of the pinch roller drive unit to be delayed from the drive stop timing of the carriage drive unit. The recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control unit is configured to determine that the drive stop of the pinch roller drive unit is delayed for a predetermined time period from the drive stop of the carriage drive unit. The relationship between (T2) and a predetermined time (T1) in which the drive start of the pinch roller drive unit is delayed from the drive start of the carriage drive unit is controlled such that T2 ≧ T1. I have.

In any of the recording apparatuses of the fourth and fifth aspects, the slackened ink ribbon between the thermal head and the peeling pinch roller can be completely wound up.

A recording device according to a sixth aspect is the recording device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects,
The control unit is configured to control the relationship between the feeding speed V2 of the ink ribbon of the peeling pinch roller and the winding speed V3 of the ink ribbon of the winding reel so that V2 <V3. Is characterized by
A recording device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the recording device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein a slip force applied to the ink ribbon by an elastic member pressed against the peeling pinch roller. The relationship between F1) and the rotational load (F2) for winding the ink ribbon on the winding reel by the winding reel driving means is as follows:
It is characterized in that control is performed so that F2> F1.

According to the recording apparatus of the present invention, the ink ribbon is slackened between the thermal head and the peeling pinch roller, and the ink ribbon is slackened between the winding pinch roller and the winding reel. An ink ribbon can be stretched over the ink ribbon.

According to the recording method of the present invention, the peeling pinch roller, which is disposed in the ribbon cassette mounted on the carriage of the recording apparatus and peels off and transports the printed ink ribbon from the recording paper, is rotated. 10. The recording method according to claim 9, wherein the driving start timing of the pinch roller driving unit is delayed from the driving start timing of the carriage driving unit that reciprocates the carriage. The transport speed of the ink ribbon of the peeling pinch roller, which is disposed in the cassette and peels off the printed ink ribbon from the recording paper and transports it, is set to be lower than the moving speed of the carriage.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, a peeling pinch roller is disposed in a ribbon cassette mounted on a carriage of a recording apparatus and peels off and transports an ink ribbon after recording from recording paper. The drive start timing of the pinch roller drive unit is delayed from the drive start timing of the carriage drive unit that reciprocates the carriage, and the transport speed of the ink ribbon of the peeling pinch roller is set lower than the travel speed of the carriage. It is characterized by.

In any of the recording methods described above, the ink ribbon can be slackened between the thermal head and the peeling pinch roller.

The recording method according to the eleventh aspect is the recording method according to any one of the eighth to tenth aspects, wherein the recording method is arranged in a ribbon cassette mounted on a carriage of the recording apparatus. The drive stop timing of the pinch roller driving means for rotating the peeling pinch roller for peeling and transporting the subsequent ink ribbon from the recording paper is delayed from the drive stop timing of the carriage driving means for reciprocating the carriage. A recording method according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is the recording method according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the drive stop of the pinch roller drive unit is delayed for a predetermined time from the drive stop of the carriage drive unit by a predetermined time of the pinch roller drive unit. It is characterized in that the drive start is longer than a predetermined time which is delayed from the drive start of the carriage drive means.

In any of the recording methods of the eleventh and twelfth aspects, the slack ink ribbon between the thermal head and the peeling pinch roller can be completely wound.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the recording method according to any one of the eighth to twelfth aspects, the feeding speed of the ink ribbon of the peeling pinch roller is controlled by winding the ink ribbon. 14. The recording method according to claim 14, wherein the winding speed of the ink ribbon on the reel is slower than the winding speed of the ink ribbon. A rotation load for winding the ink ribbon on the take-up reel is set to be larger than a slip force applied to the ink ribbon by an elastic member pressed against the peeling pinch roller.

According to the recording method of the present invention, the ink ribbon is slackened between the thermal head and the peeling pinch roller, and the ink ribbon is slackened between the winding pinch roller and the winding reel. The ink ribbon can be stretched, and the ink ribbon can be completely wound.

The ribbon cassette according to the fifteenth aspect is reciprocally movable along a platen, is removably mounted on a top surface of a carriage on which a thermal head is mounted, and has an ink ribbon wound around a case body. Done 1
A pair of supply reels and a take-up reel are provided, a supply pinch roller is provided on the ink ribbon supply side from the thermal head mounted on the carriage, and a supply pinch roller is provided on the ink ribbon take-up side from the thermal head. What is claimed is: 1. A ribbon cassette comprising a peeling pinch roller and a plurality of guide rollers arranged in a traveling path of an ink ribbon, wherein the winding angle of the ink ribbon with respect to the peeling pinch roller is 90 °. The ink ribbon is applied to the take-up reel by the take-up reel of the recording device by pressing the elastic member against the portion secured by the ink ribbon through the ink ribbon. Is characterized in that it is configured to be smaller than the rotational load applied to winding.

The ribbon cassette of claim 16 is
16. The ribbon cassette according to claim 15, wherein the ink ribbon is a heat-sublimable ink ribbon in which a heat-sublimable ink layer is applied to a surface of a heat-resistant film substrate.

Also in these ribbon cassettes, an ink ribbon can be stretched between the peeling pinch roller and the take-up reel.

[0027]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of a ribbon cassette used in a thermal transfer printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, omitting an upper case, and FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a shape of a leaf spring. FIG. 2B is a front view showing the shape of the leaf spring, and FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of the thermal transfer printer of the present embodiment on which the ribbon cassette is mounted.

As shown in FIG. 1, a ribbon cassette 1 used in the thermal transfer printer (hereinafter, referred to as a printer) of the present embodiment has a plane formed of a pair of upper and lower cases (only a lower case is shown). Inside the substantially rectangular case body 2, a pair of rotatably supported reels 3, a pair of rotatably supported pinch rollers 4, and a plurality of rotatably supported ribbon paths facing the ribbon path. And a guide roller 5 are disposed.

The pair of reels 3 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and a thermal sublimation ink ribbon 6 is wound around each of the reels 3 from both ends. When the pair of reels 3 is mounted on a carriage 7 of a printer in which the ribbon cassette 1 is used, one of the reels 3 shown on the left side in FIG. The other reel 3 shown on the right side in FIG. 1 is a supply reel 3b for supplying the ink ribbon 6 for recording.

A plurality of key grooves 8, 8,... Are formed in the inner peripheral surface of each reel 3 in a spline shape at intervals in the circumferential direction, and a take-up reel shown on the left in FIG. The inside of the inner peripheral surface of 3a is a winding hole 9 which is engaged with a winding bobbin 25 described later provided on the carriage 7 of the printer indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. The inside of the inner peripheral surface of the supply reel 3b shown in FIG. 2 is a supply hole 10 with which the supply bobbin 27 is similarly engaged.

As described above, the pair of pinch rollers 4 are formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. When the pair of pinch rollers 4 are mounted on the carriage 7 of the printer, the pair of pinch rollers 4 shown in FIG.
In FIG. 1, a pinch roller 4 shown on the left is a peeling pinch roller 4a which peels off the ink ribbon 6 of the portion provided for recording from the paper and winds it. In FIG. 1, the pinch roller 4 shown on the right is an ink ribbon. Supply pinch roller 4 for applying a predetermined load (back tension) to 6
b. The inside of the inner peripheral surface of the peeling pinch roller 4a shown on the left in FIG. 1 is a winding roller drive shaft 2 described later provided on the carriage 7.
1 and the inside of the inner peripheral surface of the supply pinch roller 4b shown on the right side in FIG. An engagement hole 12 is provided.

In the case body 2 of the ribbon cassette 1 on the side opposite to the platen 21 of the printer shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 1, a concave portion 15 facing the thermal head 14 of the printer shown by the imaginary line in FIG. The intermediate portion of the ink ribbon 6 is formed inside the recess 15.

The ink ribbon 6 extends along the outer periphery of the supply pinch roller 4b from the supply reel 3b via the guide roller 5a, and passes through the guide roller 5b to form the recess 15a.
Along the outer circumference of the peeling pinch roller 4a via the guide roller 5c.
Through the reel 3a. In this embodiment, the guide roller 5d is disposed on the inner side of the case body 2 from the peeling pinch roller 4a, and the ink ribbon 6 is about half (180 °) of the outer circumference of the peeling pinch roller 4a. It is made to wrap around.

Each of the pinch rollers 4 and the ink ribbon 6
Is in contact with the back side of the ink ribbon 6 where the ink is not applied.

Further, in the ribbon cassette 1 of this embodiment, the case body 2 has two leaf springs 16A, 16B.
Are arranged. The leaf spring 16A is a leaf spring serving as a tension applying member for applying tension to the supplied ink ribbon 6 by being pressed against the guide roller 5a via the ink ribbon 6. The spring 16B presses the peeling pinch roller 4a to a portion where the ink ribbon 6 is wound around the peeling pinch roller 4a by 90 ° or more through the ink ribbon, and the spring 16B is used for recording and winding. This is a leaf spring 16B for applying tension to the ink ribbon to be applied. Hereinafter, these leaf springs 16A,
16B.

As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), one end of the leaf spring 16 is engaged with the leaf spring 16 for locking the leaf spring 16 to the case body 2 of the ribbon cassette 6. A stop portion 16a is formed, and the other end portion of the press contact portion 1 presses against the ink ribbon 6, which is a press contact object, by its elastic force.
6b are formed. A felt slip member 17 for pressing against the entire width of the ink ribbon 6 in the width direction is provided on a surface of the pressing portion 16b facing the ink ribbon 6. The locked portion 16a is a leaf spring 16
Is bent in a U-shape, and its height dimension is formed by cutting into the outer peripheral wall 2a of the case main body 2 for locking the leaf spring 16 when the ribbon cassette 6 is assembled. The leaf spring 16 is fixed by locking the locked portion 16 a to the locking portion 18.

In this embodiment, the leaf spring 1
A locking portion 18A for locking the locked portion 16a of 6A is formed near the center of the concave portion 15 of the case main body 2, and the leaf spring 18a separates the guide roller 5a from the locking portion 18a. It is fixed so as to extend in the arrangement direction. A locking portion 18B for locking the locked portion 16a of the one plate spring 16B is formed at the center of the side wall 2a on the side where the winding reel 3a of the case body 2 is disposed. The spring 16 </ b> B is inserted into the case body 2 from an opening 19 which opens on the side wall 2 a of the case body 2 on the side where the platen 13 is provided, so that only the press contact portion 16 b is inserted into the case body 2. It is arranged along the outside of 2a.

In the thermal transfer printer shown in FIG. 3, a flat platen 21 is disposed at a desired position on a frame (not shown) so that its recording surface 21a is substantially vertical. Has a guide shaft 2
2 is arranged in parallel with the platen 21. The carriage 7 is mounted at an appropriate position on the guide shaft 22. Further, the carriage 7 has a not-shown 1
An appropriate drive belt (not shown) wound around the pair of pulleys is driven by an appropriate drive means (hereinafter, referred to as a carriage drive motor) such as a stepping motor (not shown) to move along a guide shaft 22. It is designed to be driven reciprocally. Further, an FPC 23 that transmits power, control commands, and the like from a control unit 20 provided in the thermal transfer printer to a desired mechanism in the carriage 7 is provided via one end of the carriage 7.

The carriage 7 is provided with a thermal head 14 as recording means fixed to a thermal head mount 24 so as to face the platen 21. The thermal head 14 includes a plurality of heating elements arranged and arranged to selectively generate heat based on desired recording information input by a suitable input device such as a keyboard (not shown). Also, the thermal head mount 24
Is a platen 2 by a well-known head driving mechanism (not shown).
1, the thermal head 14 is moved toward and away from the platen 21 so that the thermal head 14 is moved toward and away from the platen 21.

The carriage 7 has a winding bobbin 25 and a winding roller drive shaft 26 projecting from the upper surface of the known carriage 7 as an ink ribbon traveling device.
Similarly, the carriage 7 includes
A supply mechanism comprising a supply bobbin 27 and a supply roller drive shaft 28 projecting from the upper surface of the supply roller is provided. The winding bobbin 25 and the winding roller drive shaft 26 are provided with a well-known friction mechanism so that a stationary torque can be obtained.

Then, the ribbon cassette 1 is mounted on the carriage 7.
Is mounted, the take-up bobbin 25 is engaged with the take-up hole 9 of the ribbon cassette 1, and the take-up roller drive shaft 2
6 is an engagement hole 1 for winding the peeling pinch roller 4a
1, the supply bobbin 27 is engaged with the supply hole 10 of the ribbon cassette 1, and the supply roller drive shaft 28 is engaged with the supply engagement hole 12.
In the direction indicated by arrow A in FIGS. 1 and 3. In the present embodiment, the winding reel 3a is connected to the winding bobbin 25 via the winding bobbin 25.
Also, a peeling pinch roller 4 provided on the winding side.
a is constituted by a gear connection (not shown) so as to be rotationally driven by a ribbon winding motor (not shown) via a winding roller drive shaft 26. Also, the take-up reel 3a and the peeling-off device are used such that the take-up and transport speed V3 of the ink ribbon 6 by the take-up reel 3a is higher than the ribbon transfer speed V2 by the peeling pinch roller 4a (V3> V2). The outer diameter of the pinch roller 4a is set. The supply bobbin 27 and the supply roller drive shaft 28 are rotatable via well-known friction mechanisms.

In the embodiment, the control unit 20 controls the thermal head 14 for recording.
As shown in the operation sequence in FIG. 4, the carriage drive motor is driven first, and then the thermal head 14 is moved to the thermal head 14 in accordance with the operation start timing of the carriage drive motor and the winding motor. , And control is performed so that the winding motor is driven after a lapse of a predetermined time T1 from the start of driving of the carriage drive motor.

Further, in the present embodiment, in order to impart sufficient thermal energy to the ink ribbon 6 for recording, the control unit 20 controls the moving speed V1 (recording speed) of the carriage 7 to peel off. Pinch roller 4
The relationship between a and the feed speed V2 of the ink ribbon 6 is V1 ≧ V.
2, that is, the moving speed V1 of the carriage 7
Ribbon 6 of the pinch roller 4a for peeling off
Is controlled to be equal to or less than the feed speed V2. When the drive start timings of the carriage drive motor and the take-up motor are the same, the feed speed V2 of the ink ribbon 6 of the peeling pinch roller 4a becomes slower than the moving speed V1 of the carriage 7 (V1>). V2).

The timing for stopping the power supply to the thermal head 14 and the timing for stopping the operation of each of the motors are as follows.
Next, the drive of the carriage drive motor is stopped, and the control is performed so that the drive of the pinch roller drive motor and the winding motor is stopped after a lapse of a predetermined time T2 from the stop of the drive of the carriage drive motor. At this time, the predetermined time T
2 is set in advance so as to be longer than the predetermined time T1.

Next, the operation of the recording apparatus of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described.

The carriage 7 of the printer having the above-described configuration.
Then, the ribbon cassette 1 containing the above-described heat sublimable ink ribbon 6 is attached. At this time, the take-up bobbin 25 of the carriage 7 is in the take-up hole 9 of the ribbon cassette 1, and the take-up roller drive shaft 26 of the carriage 7 is in the take-up engagement of the peeling pinch roller 4 a of the ribbon cassette 6. In the hole 11, the supply bobbin 27 of the carriage 7 is in the supply hole 10 of the ribbon cassette 1, and the supply roller drive shaft 28 of the carriage 7 is in the supply engagement hole 1 of the ribbon cassette 7.
The thermal head 14 is inserted into the recess 15 formed in the case main body 2 of the ribbon cassette 1 through the ink ribbon 6 and the paper drawn out of the recess 15. As described above, the platen 21 faces the platen 21.

When information necessary for recording is transmitted from the control unit 20 to the printer, first, the thermal head 14 of the printer is pressed against the platen 21 and then the carriage drive motor is turned on. Become. When the carriage 7 moves along the platen 21, the ink ribbon 6 of the ribbon cassette 1 of the present embodiment is moved from the supply reel 3a to the guide rollers 5a, 5b.
Recess 15 which becomes the insertion portion of thermal head 14 through
And a thermal head 1 which is led out of the case body 2 and in which a heating element is energized in accordance with a desired recording signal.
4 is used for recording on paper. After the recording, the ink ribbon 6 is drawn into the main body case 2 again, and the guide roller 5c and the peeling pinch roller 4a are drawn.
Then, it is wound on a winding reel via the guide roller 5d.

The peeling pinch roller 4a is used to obtain a peeling force for peeling the ink ribbon 6 from the recording paper provided for recording by the rotational force of the winding roller drive shaft 26 on the carriage 7 to be engaged. It works. The start of driving of the winding motor that rotates the winding roller drive shaft 26 is controlled so that a predetermined time T1 has elapsed since the start of driving of the carriage drive motor. For the predetermined time T1, the ink ribbon 6 is only fed by running the carriage 7 without winding the ink ribbon 6, and the ink ribbon 6 is separated from the portion recorded by the thermal head 14 and the peeling pinch roller 4a. Between them. By controlling in this manner, it is possible to peel off the recording paper and the ink ribbon in a state where the ink ribbon 6 is sufficiently cooled, and further, it is possible to change the rotation speed of the pinch roller 4a and change the ink ribbon. It is possible to prevent the extension vibration from affecting the carriage 7 and causing print unevenness.

Since the feed speed V2 of the ink ribbon 6 of the peeling pinch roller 4a is controlled to be lower than the moving speed V1 of the carriage 7, the ink ribbon 6 always has slack during recording. In this state, the sheet is peeled off from the recording unit by the peeling pinch roller 4a. For this reason, with respect to the ink ribbon 6,
Even if sufficient thermal energy for recording is applied, the ink ribbon 6 is cooled and the peeling force is applied in a state where the damage is recovered, so that the ink ribbon 6 is not damaged and sufficient thermal energy for recording is applied. Therefore, good recording results can be obtained.

On the other hand, the peeling pinch roller 4a
As a result, the press contact portion 16b of the leaf spring 16A is pressed via the ink ribbon 6, whereby a load is applied to the ink ribbon 6. Therefore, at the time of winding the ink ribbon 6 due to the rotation of the winding reel 3a, the ink ribbon 6 peeled off by the peeling pinch roller 4a is rotated by the winding reel 3a.
At this time, the pinch roller 4a
The tension of the winding force is applied to the ink ribbon 6 by the urging force of the leaf spring 16 at the contact portion of the press contact portion 16b. Further, in the present embodiment, the pinch roller 4a and the take-up reel 3a
And between the peeling pinch roller 4a and the portion where the ink ribbon 6 is wound by 90 ° or more through the ink ribbon 6, the ink ribbon 6 wound around the take-up reel 3a is The tension is always wound between the peeling pinch roller 4a and the winding reel 3a.

As described above, when a stable winding operation is performed, problems such as misalignment or thickening of the winding can be solved.

In the present embodiment, after the power supply to the thermal head 14 based on the recording information is stopped and the driving of the carriage driving motor is stopped, the pinch roller driving motor and the winding motor are driven after a predetermined time T2 has elapsed. The driving of the picking motor is controlled to be stopped. The predetermined time T2 is set to be longer than the predetermined time T1 from the start of driving the carriage driving motor to the driving of the pinch roller driving motor and the winding motor, as described above. Speed V
In the printer according to the present embodiment in which the feed speed V2 of the ink ribbon 6 of the peeling pinch roller 4a is controlled to be slower than that of the thermal head 14 in FIG.
The length of the ink ribbon 6 slack between the ink ribbon 6 and the peeling pinch roller 4a is longer when the recording is stopped than when the recording is started, so that the slack ink ribbon 6 is wound around the winding reel 3a. Is naturally longer than the initial predetermined time T1. By performing such control, it is possible to prevent the extra ink ribbon 6 from being drawn out in a slack state from the ribbon cassette 1 after recording is completed. Although the slack of the ink ribbon 6 increases as the carriage 7 travels, the slack that occurs when printing is performed in units of one line does not affect the printing even if it is derived to the maximum. This problem is solved by adjusting to.

In the above-described embodiment, a winding motor and a pinch roller driving motor are used as means for slackening the ink ribbon 6 between the thermal head 14 and the peeling pinch roller 4a in order to perform cold separation. And means for controlling the feed speed V2 of the ink ribbon 6 of the peeling pinch roller 4a to be slower than the moving speed V1 of the carriage 7, and two means are taken. Only one of the means may be used. In this case, if the means for shifting the drive start timing of the winding motor and the pinch roller drive motor is selected, the predetermined time T
Needless to say, 2 may be set to be the same as the predetermined time T1.

As another means for applying tension to the ink ribbon 6 when the ink ribbon 6 is wound on the winding reel 3a, there is the following means.

That is, drive motors for driving the take-up reel 3a and the peeling pinch roller 4a are separately provided, and the control unit 20 of the recording apparatus feeds the ink ribbon 6 of the peeling pinch roller 4a. At the same time, the rotation speeds of the separate drive motors are controlled so that the speed V2 is lower than the winding speed V3 of the ink ribbon 6 by the winding bobbin 25 (V2 <V3), and at the same time, the pressing force is applied to the peeling pinch roller 4a. The relationship between the slip force F1 generated by the leaf spring 16A and the rotational load F2 of the winding bobbin 25 satisfies F1> F2. Of course, the ribbon cassette 1 having a tension applying member such as a leaf spring 16A for applying a slip force F1 greater than the rotational load F2 of the recording apparatus in advance may be used.

With this configuration, even if a slack occurs between the portion recorded by the thermal head 14 and the peeling pinch roller 4a, the peeling pinch roller 4a and the take-up reel 3a The ink ribbon 6 is always wound with a tension applied between the ink ribbon 6 and the ink ribbon 6 can be prevented from being distorted or thick.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified as needed. For example, making the feeding speed of the ink ribbon of the peeling pinch roller slower than the winding speed of the ink ribbon of the take-up reel can be achieved without controlling the rotation speed of the driving unit as described above. Conversely, it can also be achieved by increasing the outer diameter of the take-up reel, thereby increasing the winding speed of the ink ribbon of the take-up reel.

[0058]

As described above, the recording apparatus according to the present invention makes it possible to apply sufficient thermal energy for recording to the thermal sublimable ink ribbon, and to reduce the amount of heat applied between the recording paper and the ink ribbon. It is possible to peel off at the time of cold, and further, it is possible to take up the ink ribbon in a state where tension is always applied to the take-up reel, so that stable ribbon take-up can be performed. Has an effect that a good recording result can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of a ribbon cassette used in a thermal transfer printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which an upper case is omitted.

FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a configuration of a leaf spring used in the embodiment of the ribbon cassette shown in FIG. 1;
(B) is a front view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of the thermal transfer printer according to the embodiment on which the ribbon cassette is mounted.

FIG. 4 is an operation sequence showing the timing of the start of energization of the thermal head for recording and the start of operation of each motor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 ribbon cassette 2 case main body 3a take-up reel 3b supply reel 4 pinch roller 4a peel-off pinch roller 4b take-up pinch roller 5 guide roller 6 ink ribbon 7 carriage 8 key groove 9 take-up hole 10 supply hole DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Engagement hole for winding 12 Engagement hole for supply 14 Thermal head 15 Concave part 16a Fixed part 16b Pressure contact part 17 Slip member 18 Locked part 19 Opening 20 Control part 21 Platen 22 Guide shaft 23 FPC 24 Mounting stand 25 winding Take-up bobbin 26 take-up roller drive shaft 27 supply bobbin 28 supply roller drive shaft

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A carriage driving means for reciprocating a carriage having a thermal head opposed to a platen, and a winding reel of a pair of reels arranged in a ribbon cassette mounted on the carriage for winding an ink ribbon. Take-up reel driving means for rotating a take-up reel; pinch roller driving means for rotating a peeling pinch roller disposed in the ribbon cassette for peeling off and transporting an ink ribbon after recording from recording paper; A control unit for performing drive control of the drive unit, wherein the control unit controls the drive start timing of the pinch roller drive unit to be delayed from the drive start timing of the carriage drive unit. A recording device comprising: 2. A carriage driving means for reciprocating a carriage having a thermal head opposed to a platen, and a winding reel of a pair of reels arranged in a ribbon cassette mounted on the carriage for winding an ink ribbon. Take-up reel driving means for rotating a take-up reel; pinch roller driving means for rotating a peeling pinch roller disposed in the ribbon cassette for peeling off and transporting an ink ribbon after recording from recording paper; A control unit that controls the driving of the driving unit, wherein the control unit controls a moving speed V1 of the carriage;
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a relationship between a transport speed V2 of the peeling pinch roller and the ink ribbon is controlled such that V1> V2. 3. A carriage driving means for reciprocating a carriage mounted with a thermal head opposed to a platen, and a winding of a pair of reels arranged in a ribbon cassette mounted on the carriage and winding an ink ribbon. Take-up reel driving means for rotating a take-up reel; pinch roller driving means for rotating a peeling pinch roller disposed in the ribbon cassette for peeling off and transporting an ink ribbon after recording from recording paper; A control unit for performing drive control of the drive unit, wherein the control unit controls the drive start timing of the pinch roller drive unit to be delayed from the drive start timing of the carriage drive unit, Further, the moving speed V1 of the carriage and the ink revolving speed of the peeling pinch roller are adjusted. A recording apparatus configured to control the relationship between the transfer speeds V2 and V1 such that V1 ≧ V2. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the drive stop timing of the pinch roller drive unit to be later than the drive stop timing of the carriage drive unit. 3. The recording device according to any one of 3. 5. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the drive stop of the pinch roller drive unit is delayed from the drive stop of the carriage drive unit for a predetermined time (T2), and the drive start of the pinch roller drive unit starts drive of the carriage drive unit. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a relationship of a predetermined time (T1), which is later, is controlled so that T2 ≧ T1. 6. The control section controls the relationship between the feed speed V2 of the ink ribbon of the peeling pinch roller and the winding speed V3 of the ink ribbon of the take-up reel so that V2 <V3. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the recording apparatus is configured as described above. 7. A slip force (F1) applied to the ink ribbon by an elastic member which presses against the peeling pinch roller, and a force of the ink ribbon applied to the winding reel by the winding reel driving means. The structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a relationship with a rotational load (F2) for winding is controlled so that F2> F1. Recording device. 8. A drive start timing of pinch roller driving means for rotating a peeling pinch roller which is disposed in a ribbon cassette mounted on a carriage of a recording apparatus and which peels off and transports an ink ribbon after recording from recording paper. The printing operation is delayed from the drive start timing of the carriage driving means for reciprocating the carriage. 9. The carriage according to claim 1, further comprising a peeling pinch roller disposed in a ribbon cassette mounted on a carriage of the printing apparatus for peeling off and transporting the printed ink ribbon from the recording paper. A recording method characterized in that the moving speed is lower than the moving speed of the recording medium. 10. A drive start timing of pinch roller driving means for rotating a peeling pinch roller which is disposed in a ribbon cassette mounted on a carriage of a recording apparatus and which peels off and transports a printed ink ribbon from recording paper. Is delayed from the drive start timing of the carriage driving means for reciprocating the carriage, and the transport speed of the ink ribbon of the peeling pinch roller,
A recording method, wherein the moving speed is lower than the moving speed of the carriage. 11. A drive stop timing of a pinch roller driving means for rotating a peeling pinch roller which is disposed in a ribbon cassette mounted on a carriage of a recording apparatus and which peels off and transports an ink ribbon after recording from recording paper. 11. The recording method according to claim 8, wherein the driving is delayed from a drive stop timing of a carriage driving unit that reciprocates the carriage. 12. 12. A predetermined time during which the drive stop of the pinch roller drive means is delayed from the drive stop of the carriage drive means is longer than a predetermined time when the drive start of the pinch roller drive means is delayed from the drive start of the carriage drive means. The recording method according to claim 11, wherein: 13. The ink ribbon feeding speed of the peeling pinch roller is lower than the winding speed of the ink ribbon of the winding reel.
The recording method according to claim 12. 14. A rotational load for winding the ink ribbon on the winding reel is made larger than a slip force applied to the ink ribbon by an elastic member pressed against the peeling pinch roller. The recording method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein: 15. A pair of supply reels and a pair of supply reels, which are reciprocally movable along a platen, are detachably mounted on a top surface of a carriage on which a thermal head is mounted, and have an ink ribbon wound in a case body. A take-up reel is provided, and a supply pinch roller is provided on a supply side of the ink ribbon from a thermal head mounted on the carriage,
A ribbon cassette comprising a peeling pinch roller disposed on the ink ribbon take-up side of the thermal head and a plurality of guide rollers disposed in a travel path of the ink ribbon, wherein the peeling pinch roller is provided. An elastic member is pressed through the ink ribbon to a portion where the winding angle of the ink ribbon is kept at 90 degrees or more, and the slip force applied to the ink ribbon by the pressure contact is caused by the winding reel of the recording apparatus. A ribbon cassette characterized in that it is configured to be smaller than a rotational load applied to the winding reel for winding the ink ribbon. 16. The ribbon cassette according to claim 15, wherein the ink ribbon is a heat-sublimable ink ribbon in which a heat-sublimable ink layer is coated on a surface of a heat-resistant film substrate. .