JPH1134419A - Ribbon taking-up mechanism in printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To certainly draw out an ink ribbon at the time of cueing to enable the cueing of the ink ribbon while preventing the cutting of the ink ribbon at the time of printing or the damage of printing quality caused by excessive drawing-out. SOLUTION: Since the rotation of transmission torque of a degree removing the slackening of an ink ribbon 2 is transmitted to a taking-up gear 7 by the clutch gear 13 of a first transmission means when printing is applied to one color ink part of the ink ribbon 2, the cutting of the ink ribbon 2 of at a time of printing or the damage of printing quality caused by the excessing drawing out of the ink ribbon is prevented and the ink ribbon 2 can be well taken up. When the cueing of the color ink part printed next of the ink ribbon 2 is performed, since the rotation of transmission torque necessary for cueing is transmitted to a taking-up gear 7 by the intermediate gear 15 of a second transmission means without receiving the effect of the first transmission means, the rotation of the transmission torque necessary for cueing can be certainly transmitted to the taking-up gear 7 and, by this constitution, the ink ribbon 2 is certainly drawn out to enable cueing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a ribbon winding mechanism in a printing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a printing apparatus, an ink ribbon provided with a plurality of color ink portions, such as yellow, magenta, and cyan, is sequentially superimposed on a printing medium such as a printing tape. Is disposed between the print head and the platen roller, which are relatively pressurized and separated from each other, and in this state, the print head is driven to generate heat while transporting the ink ribbon and the printing medium, thereby forming the ink ribbon. There is a color printing apparatus that performs color printing by sequentially printing each color ink portion on a printing medium. In such a color printing device, after printing one color ink portion of a plurality of color ink portions, the printing medium is rewound by the amount printed, and the next color ink portion is printed on the printing medium previously printed. To print on top of
After printing one color ink portion, it is necessary to find the beginning of the color ink portion to be printed next.

[0003] One example is shown in FIGS. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing a printing state in the color printing apparatus.
Is a schematic plan view showing the cue state of the ink ribbon,
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a main part of the ink ribbon. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the color printing apparatus is configured such that the ink ribbon 2 fed from the supply reel 1 passes between the print head 3 and the platen roller 4 and is wound on the take-up reel 5. Have been. The ribbon winding mechanism of the color printing apparatus includes a winding shaft 6 inserted into the center of a winding reel 5, a winding gear 7 attached to the winding shaft 6, and a predetermined transmission torque applied to the ink ribbon 2. When the winding gear 7 is rotated by a motor, a transmission gear train, or the like (not shown), the winding clutch 7 is provided with a winding clutch (not shown) that idles when the above load is applied. The rotation is transmitted to the take-up reel 5 via the take-up shaft 6, whereby the ink ribbon 2 is wound around the take-up reel 5. The supply reel 1 is given a predetermined load for giving a resistance (back tension) so that the ink ribbon 2 does not wrinkle or sag.

On the other hand, the print head 3 is rotatably mounted on a support shaft 8, and is configured to rotate about the support shaft 8 to be in pressure contact with and separate from the platen roller 4. A tape 9 to be printed is fed between the print head 3 and the platen roller 4 so as to overlap the ink ribbon 2. In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the ink ribbon 2 includes a plurality of color ink portions such as yellow, magenta, and cyan.
For example, color ink portions E of the first color, second color, and third color are sequentially provided from the right side, marker portions M are provided between the color ink portions E, and the color ink portions E adjacent to each other are provided. In this configuration, a cueing range A is set between print areas F (indicated by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 3).

When printing is performed by such a color printing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 7, the print head 3 is moved in a state where the ink ribbon 2 fed from the supply reel 1 and the tape 9 to be printed are overlapped. It is sandwiched between the platen roller 4 and pressed. In this state, when the platen roller 4 rotates in the direction of arrow Z shown in the figure, the ink ribbon 2 and the print-receiving tape 9 are transported in the direction of arrow Y shown in FIG. The ink ribbon 2 is driven accordingly to generate heat, and the ink of the ink ribbon 2 is transferred to the print-receiving tape 9 for printing. At this time, the take-up gear 7 is rotated by a motor (not shown), and the rotation is transmitted to the take-up reel 5 via the take-up shaft 6, whereby the printed ink ribbon 2 is wound around the take-up reel 5. Taken. The printed tape 9 to be printed is conveyed toward the outlet.

When the printing of one color ink portion of the ink ribbon 2, for example, the color ink portion E of the first color is completed, a marker (not shown) reads the marker portion M of the ink ribbon 2 and the sensor of the sensor reads the marker portion M of the ink ribbon. A movement command is given to the print head 3 based on the detection signal, whereby the print head 3 is separated from the platen roller 4 as shown in FIG. In this state, only the printed print-receiving tape 9 is rewound by the amount printed, and
Rotates, and this rotation is transmitted to the take-up reel 5 via the take-up shaft 6, whereby the take-up reel 5 rotates and the ink ribbon 2 is taken up by the cue range A, and the next color ink portion The cue of E is performed. Thereafter, the above operation is performed to print the next color ink portion E. By repeating this operation sequentially for the color type of the color ink unit E, color printing is performed.

[0007]

However, in such a ribbon winding mechanism of a color printing apparatus, when one color ink portion E of the ink ribbon 2 is printed, the ink ribbon 2 transported by the platen roller 4 is used. Since the winding reel 5 only winds up without sagging, it is necessary to set a small transmission torque by the winding clutch of the ribbon winding mechanism. This is because, when the ink ribbon 2 is wound by an excessive transmission torque, the ink ribbon 2 is cut or the ink ribbon 2 is pulled out more than the transport length by the platen roller 4 to print the color ink portion E to be printed next. This may cause print quality to be impaired.

In this ribbon winding mechanism, after printing one color ink portion E, the print head 3 is separated from the platen roller 4 when cueing the next color ink portion E to be printed. Since the ink ribbon 2 is not conveyed by the platen roller 4, it is necessary to pull out the ink ribbon 2 from the supply reel 1 by rotating the take-up reel 5. However, since a predetermined load for giving a resistance (back tension) is applied to the supply reel 1 so that the ink ribbon 2 does not wrinkle or sag, the transmission torque by the winding clutch of the ribbon winding mechanism is transmitted. Is too small, the ink ribbon 2 cannot be pulled out from the supply reel 1, and there is a problem that the head of the ink ribbon 2 cannot be located.

As described above, in the conventional ribbon winding mechanism,
At the time of printing, the ink ribbon 2
To take out the ink ribbon 2 from the supply reel 1 so that the ink ribbon 2 can be reliably located at the beginning of the ink ribbon 2. It is necessary to set the transmission torque of the take-up clutch of the mechanism, but the transmission torque of the take-up clutch has an extremely narrow allowable range, so that extremely high precision is required for production, production is difficult, and productivity is poor. There is a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to prevent the ink ribbon from being cut or an extra ink ribbon being pulled out at the time of printing to impair the print quality, and to reliably pull out the ink ribbon when the ink ribbon is caught. Is to be able to do it.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
An ink section to be printed next to the ink ribbon after printing one ink section of the plurality of ink sections while feeding an ink ribbon provided with a plurality of ink sections in order from a supply member and winding the ink ribbon by a winding member. In a printing device that performs cueing of an ink portion and performs overprinting of a different ink portion from the previous time, a relay for transmitting a rotation of a transmission torque enough to take up the slack of the ink ribbon when printing one ink portion of the ink ribbon. A first transmission unit that transmits the ink ribbon by transmitting the ink ribbon to the take-up member via a relay member having a clutch, and is necessary for cueing the ink ribbon when cueing the ink portion to be printed next to the ink ribbon. And a second transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the transmission torque to the take-up member without being affected by the first transmission means and winding the ink ribbon. Do transmitted torque, being larger than the transmission torque of the relay clutch.

Therefore, according to the present invention, at the time of printing for printing one ink portion, the rotation of the transmission torque enough to take up the slack of the ink ribbon by the first transmission means is wound via the relay member having the relay clutch. Since the transmission torque is transmitted to the take-off member, the transmission torque of the relay member can be set to the optimum value of the transmission torque required at the time of printing, whereby excessive transmission torque can be prevented from being transmitted. The ink ribbon can be satisfactorily taken up without excessively pulling out the ribbon and deteriorating the print quality. When the cueing of the ink portion to be printed next is performed, the cueing of the ink ribbon is performed by the second transmission means. Since the necessary rotation of the transmission torque is transmitted to the take-up member without being affected by the first transmission means, the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon is obtained. Rotation can be reliably transmitted to the take-up member,
Thus, the ink ribbon can be reliably pulled out and cueing can be performed.

In this case, as described in claim 2, the first
A transmitting unit, a driving rotating member rotated by a motor,
A relay member having a relay clutch to which the rotation of the drive rotary member is constantly transmitted, and at the time of printing for printing one ink portion, the rotation of the relay member takes up transmission torque enough to take up the slack of the ink ribbon. And a second transmission means, wherein the second transmitting means is the driving rotary member, an arm member rotatably mounted on the rotation center of the driving rotary member, and a driving rotary member mounted on the arm member. And an intermediate rotating member to which the rotation of the ink ribbon is constantly transmitted. When the ink ribbon is caught, the arm member rotates to bring the intermediate rotating member into contact with the take-up member. If the configuration is such that the rotation of the transmission torque required for cueing of the first transmission means is transmitted to the winding member and the relay member of the first transmission means idles, the same effect as that of the invention of claim 1 can be obtained. First transmission means for rotation of over motor and a second
Since the transmission is divided into two systems, that is, the transmission unit, only one motor is required as the driving unit, and the cost of the entire apparatus can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the first transmitting means includes a driving rotary member rotated by a motor, an arm member rotatably attached to a rotation center of the driving rotary member, and an arm member. A relay member having a relay clutch that is attached to the relay rotation member and the rotation of the drive rotation member is constantly transmitted, and when printing one ink portion,
The arm member rotates to bring the relay member into contact with the winding member,
With this configuration, the relay member transmits the rotation of the transmission torque to the extent that the ink ribbon takes a slack to the winding member,
Further, the second transmission means includes the drive rotation member, the arm member, and an intermediate rotation member attached to the arm member to which the rotation of the drive rotation member is constantly transmitted. The arm member is rotated, thereby separating the relay member of the first transmission means from the winding member, cutting off the transmission of the relay member to the winding member, and bringing the intermediate rotating member into contact with the winding member. If the intermediate rotating member is configured to transmit the rotation of the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon to the winding member, the intermediate rotating member has the same effect as the invention according to claim 2, and particularly when the crawling of the ink ribbon is performed. To
Since the relay member of the first transmission means is separated from the winding member by the rotation of the arm member, when the relay member of the first transmission means has a winding clutch, the winding clutch is used when the ink ribbon is caught. Can be prevented, and the durability of the winding clutch can be improved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the arm member rotates in conjunction with the movement of one of the print head and the platen which are provided so as to be able to relatively press and separate with the ink ribbon interposed therebetween. With the configuration, the first transmitting means and the second transmitting means
As a drive unit for switching between the transmission unit and the transmission unit, a dedicated drive unit is not required, so that an increase in the number of drive units can be prevented, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, as set forth in claim 5, the first transmitting means includes a first motor, a first driving rotating member rotated by the first motor, and a constant transmission of the rotation of the first driving rotating member. And a relay member having a relay clutch to be provided, when printing one ink portion, by rotating the first drive rotation member by the first motor,
The relay member transmits rotation of a transmission torque enough to take up the slack of the ink ribbon to the winding member, and the second transmission means includes a second motor and a second driving rotary member rotated by the second motor. And a planetary rotating member that moves along the outer periphery of the second driving rotating member while being transmitted and rotated by the rotation of the second driving rotating member. 2 By rotating the drive rotating member, the planetary rotating member transmits the rotation of the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon to the winding member,
If the relay member of the first transmission means is configured to idle, the same effect as that of the first aspect of the invention can be obtained, and in particular, the first transmission means and the second transmission means have exclusive transmission torques corresponding to the respective transmission torques. The first and second motors can be provided, so that the required transmission torque can be transmitted reliably and satisfactorily, and the power consumption can be suppressed. Further, in particular, since the first motor only needs to apply the rotation of the transmission torque to the extent that the ink ribbon takes a slack to the winding member via the relay member, the torque of the first motor can be reduced, and the size of the first motor can be reduced. Becomes possible.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a ribbon winding mechanism according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those of the conventional example shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a printing state of a ribbon winding mechanism of a color printing apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a cue state of the ink ribbon. This color printing apparatus, like the conventional example,
An ink ribbon 2 fed from a supply reel 1 is wound around a take-up reel 5 through a space between a print head 3 and a platen roller 4. Also in this case, the ink ribbon 2 and the supply reel 1 have exactly the same configuration as the conventional example.

The ribbon take-up mechanism of the color printing apparatus includes a take-up shaft 6 inserted into the center of a take-up reel 5 and a take-up gear attached to the take-up shaft 6, as in the conventional example. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when printing one color ink portion E of the ink ribbon 2, the rotation of the transmission torque is large enough to take up the slack of the ink ribbon 2. Ink ribbon 2 transmitted to reel 5
And the rotation of the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon 2 when cueing the color ink portion E to be printed next without being affected by the first transmission means. A second transmission unit that transmits the ink ribbon 2 to the take-up reel 5. In this case, when the take-up reel 5 takes up the ink ribbon 2 by the take-up shaft 6 and the take-up gear 7 as in the conventional example, a load greater than a predetermined transmission torque is applied to the ink ribbon 2. It is not necessary to provide a winding clutch (not shown) that idles when the motor is turned on.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first transmission means includes a motor 10, a driving gear (drive rotating member) 12 attached to an output shaft 11 of the motor 10 and rotated by the motor 10, A clutch gear (relay member) 13 that rotates while meshing with the drive gear 12.
The clutch gear 13 is formed, for example, by stacking two gears via a friction member.
2 and the other gear meshes with the winding gear 7 of the winding shaft 6, so that the rotation of the drive gear 12 is transmitted to the winding gear 7 via the friction member. When a load is applied, slip rotation is performed, so that rotation of a transmission torque enough to take up the slack of the ink ribbon 2 is transmitted to the winding gear 7.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second transmission means includes a drive gear 12 rotated by a motor 10 and an output shaft 1 of the motor 10 which is the center of rotation of the drive gear 12.
1 includes a rotating arm (arm member) 14 rotatably mounted on the rotating arm 1 and an intermediate gear 15 rotatably mounted on the rotating arm 14 and meshing with the driving gear 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating arm 14 has one end (the right end in the figure) urged clockwise by a coil spring 16 and the other end (the left end in the figure) the print head 3.
The torsion spring 17 is provided on the extended portion, and one end of the torsion spring 17 elastically contacts the back surface of the print head 3 in the arrow X direction shown in FIG.
Thus, the print head 3 is configured to rotate in conjunction with the rotation operation. That is, the rotating arm 14
When the print head 3 rotates in the direction away from the platen roller 4 as shown in FIG. 2, the print head 3 is pressed by the torsion spring 17 to thereby resist the spring force of the coil spring 16 at one end. When the print head 3 rotates counterclockwise, and conversely, rotates in a direction in which the print head 3 is pressed against the platen roller 4 as shown in FIG.

The intermediate gear 15 is configured to move with the rotation of the rotating arm 14 and mesh with the winding gear 7 so as to be disengageable with the driving gear 12 while meshing with the driving gear 12. That is, the intermediate gear 15 separates from the winding gear 7 when the print head 3 is pressed against the platen roller 4 and the rotating arm 14 is rotated clockwise as shown in FIG. As shown, when the print head 3 is separated from the platen roller 4 and the rotating arm 14 is rotated counterclockwise, the rotation of the drive gear 12 is transmitted to the winding gear 7 by meshing with the winding gear 7. It is configured to be. The second transmission means is configured to transmit to the take-up gear 7 a transmission torque larger than the transmission torque of the clutch gear 13, that is, the rotation of the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon 2. Also, the clutch gear 13 of the first transmission means
And the intermediate gear 15 of the second transmission means are formed with the same number of teeth.

In such a ribbon winding mechanism, as shown in FIG. 1, while the print head 3 is in pressure contact with the platen roller 4, the platen roller 4 is rotated while one color ink portion E of the ink ribbon 2 is rotated. When printing
The rotating arm 14 is rotated clockwise by the spring force of the coil spring 16, whereby the intermediate gear 15 of the second transmission means is rotated.
Is separated from the winding gear 7. In this state, when the drive gear 12 is rotated by the motor 10, the rotation is transmitted to the winding gear 7 via the clutch gear 13.
At this time, the rotation of the transmission gear enough to take up the slack of the ink ribbon 2 by the clutch gear 13 causes the winding gear 7 to rotate.
Is transmitted to the clutch gear 13, the transmission torque of the clutch gear 13 can be set to the optimum value of the transmission torque required at the time of printing, whereby transmission of excessive transmission torque can be prevented. The ink ribbon 2 can be satisfactorily taken up without excessively pulling out the ribbon 2 and deteriorating the print quality.

In the ribbon winding mechanism, as shown in FIG. 2, with the print head 3 separated from the platen roller 4, the print-receiving tape 9 is pulled back by the amount printed, and When the cue of the color ink portion E to be printed is performed, the rotation arm 14 is rotated counterclockwise by the print head 3 against the spring force of the coil spring 16, whereby the intermediate gear of the second transmission means is rotated. 15 meshes with the take-up gear 7. In this state, when the drive gear 12 is rotated by the motor 10, the rotation is transmitted to the winding gear 7 via the intermediate gear 15. At this time, the clutch gear 13 of the first transmission means slips and spins.
For this reason, the rotation of the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon 2 is transmitted to the take-up gear 7 by the intermediate gear 15, so that the rotation of the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon 2 is ensured by the winding shaft. 6 can be transmitted to the take-up reel 5, so that the ink ribbon 2 can be reliably pulled out and caught.

Further, in this ribbon winding mechanism, the rotary arm 14 is rotated in conjunction with the movement of the print head 3 which presses and separates the ink ribbon 2 and the print-receiving tape 9 from the platen roller 4. Therefore, a driving means such as a dedicated motor is not required as a driving means for switching the transmission system between the first transmission means and the second transmission means,
An increase in the number of driving means can be prevented, and the cost can be reduced. In this case, even if the amount of rotation of the print head 3 is larger than the amount of movement of the intermediate gear 15 with respect to the take-up gear 7, the torsion spring 17 provided at the other end of the rotation arm 14 elastically contacts the back surface of the print head 3. Therefore, even if the print head 3 further rotates after the intermediate gear 15 meshes with the winding gear 7, the rotation of the print head 3 can be absorbed by the torsion spring 17. The amount of rotation of 14 and the amount of movement of the intermediate gear 15 can be kept constant, and the intermediate gear 15 can reliably and satisfactorily mesh with the winding gear 7. Furthermore, in this ribbon winding mechanism, the rotation of one motor 10 is transmitted to the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit.
Since the transmission is performed in two systems, ie, the transmission unit and the transmission unit, only one motor is required as the driving unit, and the cost can be further reduced.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the ribbon winding mechanism according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this case, the same portions as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the ribbon winding mechanism has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that the first and second transmission means are different. That is, the first transmission means includes the motor 10 and the output shaft 11 of the motor 10.
, A rotation arm 20 rotatably mounted on an output shaft 11 which is a center of rotation of the drive gear 12, and a winding gear 7 from the rotation arm 20.
And a clutch gear 13 rotatably attached to an extension portion 20a extending near the right side of the vehicle. The second transmission means includes a motor 10, a driving gear 12, a rotating arm 20, and an intermediate gear 21 rotatably mounted on the rotating arm 20 and meshing with the driving gear 12.

The rotating arm 20 is similar to the first embodiment,
One end (the right end in FIGS. 3 and 4) is urged clockwise by the coil spring 16, and the other end (the left end in FIG. 3) extends to the back of the print head 3 and is extended. The one end of the torsion spring 17 provided at the bent portion elastically contacts the back surface of the print head 3 in the direction of the arrow X shown in FIG. ing. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when the print head 3 is rotated in a direction in which the print head 3 is pressed against the platen roller 4, as shown in FIG. The clutch gear 13 attached to 20a is moved while meshing with the drive gear 12 and meshes with the winding gear 7, and the intermediate gear 21 is moved while meshing with the drive gear 12 and separated from the winding gear 7. Let it.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the print head 3 is rotated in a direction away from the platen roller 4, the rotation arm 20 is pressed by the print head 3 via the torsion spring 17, whereby The intermediate gear 2 rotates counterclockwise against the spring force of the coil spring 16 at one end.
1 is moved while meshing with the drive gear 12 to mesh with the winding gear 7, and the clutch gear 13 is moved while meshing with the drive gear 12 to be separated from the winding gear 7. In this case, the number of teeth of the intermediate gear 21 and the number of teeth of the clutch gear 13 need not always be the same.

In such a ribbon winding mechanism, as shown in FIG. 3, while the print head 3 is pressed against the platen roller 4, the platen roller 4 is rotated while one color ink portion E of the ink ribbon 2 is rotated. When printing
The rotation arm 20 is rotated clockwise by the spring force of the coil spring 16, whereby the intermediate gear 21 of the second transmission means is rotated.
Is separated from the winding gear 7, and the clutch gear 13 of the first transmission means meshes with the winding gear 7. In this state,
When the drive gear 12 is rotated by the motor 10, the rotation is transmitted to the winding gear 7 via the clutch gear 13. At this time, the rotation of the transmission torque enough to take up the slack of the ink ribbon 2 is transmitted to the winding gear 7 by the clutch gear 13, so that the transmission torque of the clutch gear 13 is required at the time of printing, as in the first embodiment. Transmission torque can be set to an optimum value, thereby preventing excessive transmission torque from being transmitted. The ink ribbon 2 is not cut during printing, and the ink ribbon 2 is not pulled out excessively and print quality is not impaired. The ink ribbon 2 can be wound up.

In the ribbon take-up mechanism, as shown in FIG. 4, with the print head 3 separated from the platen roller 4, the print-receiving tape 9 is pulled back by the amount printed, and When the head of the color ink portion E to be printed is to be located, the rotation arm 20 is rotated counterclockwise by the print head 3 against the spring force of the coil spring 16, whereby the clutch gear of the first transmission means is rotated. 13 is separated from the winding gear 7, and the intermediate gear 21 of the second transmission means meshes with the winding gear 7. In this state, when the drive gear 12 is rotated by the motor 10, the rotation is transmitted to the winding gear 7 via the intermediate gear 21, but the clutch gear 13 of the first transmission means idles. For this reason, the rotation of the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon 2 is transmitted to the winding gear 7 by the intermediate gear 21, so that the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon 2 is the same as in the first embodiment. The rotation can be reliably transmitted to the take-up reel 5 via the take-up shaft 6, whereby the ink ribbon 2 can be reliably pulled out and caught.

Further, in this ribbon winding mechanism,
As in the first embodiment, since the rotating arm 20 is configured to rotate in conjunction with the movement of the print head 3, a driving unit for switching the transmission system between the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit is provided. Driving means such as a dedicated motor is not required, and an increase in the number of driving means can be prevented, and cost reduction can be achieved. Moreover, since the torsion spring 17 provided at the other end of the rotating arm 20 is in elastic contact with the back surface of the print head 3, the intermediate gear 1 is attached to the winding gear 7 as in the first embodiment.
After the meshing of the print heads 5 and the print head 3 is further rotated,
The rotation of the print head 3 can be absorbed by the torsion spring 17, and the intermediate gear 15 can be reliably and satisfactorily engaged with the winding gear 7.

Further, in the ribbon winding mechanism, as in the first embodiment, the rotation of one motor 10 is separately transmitted to two systems of the first transmission means and the second transmission means.
Only one motor as the driving means is required, and further reduction in cost can be achieved. In particular, when the ink ribbon 2 is caught, the rotation of the rotation arm 20 causes the clutch gear of the first transmission means to rotate. Since the roller 13 is separated from the winding gear 7 and idles in this state, wear of the friction member of the clutch gear 13 can be prevented, and the durability of the clutch gear 13 can be improved.

In the first and second embodiments, the drive gear 12 is attached to the output shaft 11 of the motor 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rotation of the motor 10 is applied to the drive gear 12 via a reduction gear train. May be transmitted. Further, it is not always necessary to use the motor 10 dedicated to ribbon winding, and the rotation of the motor for rotating the platen roller 4 may be transmitted to the drive gear 12 via the transmission gear train. With this configuration, the number of driving sources can be further reduced, and a further low-cost device can be obtained.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the ribbon winding mechanism of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this case, the same parts as those of the conventional example shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the ribbon winding mechanism has the same configuration as that of the conventional example except that it has first and second transmission means. The first transmission means is a first motor 3
0, a first drive gear 32 attached to an output shaft 31 of the motor 30, and a clutch gear 3 that rotates while meshing with the first drive gear 32 and meshes with the winding gear 7.
3 is provided. The first motor 30 is connected to the ink ribbon 2.
When printing one of the color ink portions E, an operation command is given and the rotation is performed, and this rotation is transmitted to the clutch gear 33 via the first drive gear 32. The clutch gear 33 is
Similar to the first embodiment, two gears are overlapped via a friction member. One of the gears meshes with the drive gear 32 and the other gear meshes with the winding gear 7 of the winding shaft 6. As a result, the rotation of the drive gear 32 is transmitted to the winding gear 7 via the friction member. However, when a load greater than the frictional force of the friction member is applied, the rotation of the drive gear 32 slips and the ink ribbon 2
The transmission gear 7 is configured to transmit the rotation of the transmission torque to the extent that the slack is taken to the winding gear 7.

Further, the second transmission means includes a second motor 34.
And a small gear 35 rotated by the second motor 34
, A second drive gear 36 that rotates while meshing with the small gear 35, a support arm 37 rotatably attached to a rotation shaft 36 a of the second drive gear 36, and a rotatable attachment to the support arm 37. The planetary gear 38 that moves along the outer periphery of the second drive gear 35 while rotating while meshing with the second drive gear 36 and meshes with the winding gear 7 so as to be disengageable.
And The sensor reads the marker portion M of the ink ribbon 2 and rotates when an operation command is given based on the detection signal of the sensor, and the rotation is performed by the small gear 35 and the second drive gear 36. Through the planetary gear 38. When the small gear 35 rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6 and the second drive gear 36 rotates, the planetary gear 38 moves along the outer periphery of the second drive gear 36 while rotating with this rotation, and is wound. The gear meshes with the take-up gear 7, thereby rotating the take-up gear 7. When the second motor 34 rotates in the reverse direction, the planetary gear 38 moves in the reverse direction on the outer periphery of the second drive gear 36 while rotating in the reverse direction, and separates from the winding gear 7.

In such a ribbon winding mechanism, as shown in FIG. 5, while the print head 3 is in pressure contact with the platen roller 4, the one color ink portion E of the ink ribbon 2 is rotated while rotating the platen roller 4. When printing
An operation command is given to the first motor 30, whereby the first motor 30
The motor 30 rotates, and this rotation is transmitted to the winding gear 7 via the first drive gear 32 and the clutch gear 33.
At this time, the second motor 34 does not operate, and the planetary gear 3
8 is separated from the take-up gear 7, so that the clutch gear 3
3, the rotation of the transmission torque enough to take up the slack of the ink ribbon 2 can be transmitted to the winding gear 7. For this reason, similarly to the first embodiment, the transmission torque of the clutch gear 33 can be set to the optimum value of the transmission torque required during printing, and
This can prevent transmission of excessive transmission torque,
The ink ribbon 2 can be taken up satisfactorily without the ink ribbon 2 being cut off during printing or the ink ribbon 2 being pulled out excessively, thereby deteriorating the print quality.

In the ribbon take-up mechanism, as shown in FIG. 6, with the print head 3 separated from the platen roller 4, the print-receiving tape 9 is pulled back by the amount printed, and When the cue of the color ink portion E to be printed is performed, the sensor reads the marker portion M of the ink ribbon 2 and an operation command is given to the second motor 34 based on the detection signal of this sensor, whereby the second motor 34 The rotation of the pinion 34 rotates the small gear 35 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6, and the rotation is transmitted to the planetary gear 38 via the second drive gear 36. Then, the planetary gear 38 moves along the outer periphery of the second drive gear 36 while rotating with the rotation of the second drive gear 36 and meshes with the winding gear 7,
Thus, the rotation of the planetary gear 38 is transmitted to the winding gear 7. At this time, the clutch gear 33 of the first transmission means slips and spins. For this reason, the rotation of the transmission torque necessary for cueing the ink ribbon 2 is transmitted to the winding gear 7 by the planetary gear 38, and thus, as in the first embodiment, the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon 2 is also determined. The rotation can be reliably transmitted to the take-up reel 5 via the take-up shaft 6, whereby the ink ribbon 2 can be reliably pulled out and caught.

As described above, in this ribbon take-up mechanism, the first transmission means and the second transmission means are formed as independent transmission systems, so that the first and second transmission means transmit the corresponding transmission torque. Dedicated first and second motors 30, 3 having
4, which can reliably and satisfactorily transmit the required transmission torque in each transmission system, and drive any one of the motors 30 and 34 having a transmission torque corresponding to the transmission system. Can be suppressed. Further, in particular, the torque of the first motor 30 for driving and rotating the first drive gear 32 only needs to apply a slip torque to the clutch gear 33 to such an extent that the ink ribbon 2 does not slack. The torque of the motor 30 can be reduced, and the size of the first motor 30 can be reduced.

In the first to third embodiments, the case where the print head 3 is provided so as to be able to press and separate from the platen roller 4 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the print head is fixed and the platen roller is printed. The head may be pressed and separated from the head. Further, in the first to third embodiments, when the take-up reel 5 takes up the ink ribbon 2 by the take-up shaft 6 and the take-up gear 7, when a load equal to or more than a predetermined transmission torque is applied to the ink ribbon 2, Although the case where a winding clutch (not shown) that idles is provided is described,
The invention is not limited to this, and a winding clutch may be provided as in the conventional example. In this case, the clutch gears 13 and 33, which are relay members, may be configured to transmit rotation with a transmission torque smaller than the transmission torque of the winding clutch. Further, in the first to third embodiments, by using the print-receiving tape 9 as a print-receiving medium, the present invention can be applied to a label printer. In addition, by using printing paper such as a postcard as a printing-receiving medium, a word processor can be used. Can be applied.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, at the time of printing for printing one ink portion, the relay clutch for transmitting the rotation of the transmission torque enough to take up the slack of the ink ribbon by the first transmission means. Since the transmission torque is transmitted to the winding member via the relay member having the above, the transmission torque of the relay member can be set to the optimum value of the transmission torque required at the time of printing, thereby preventing transmission of excessive transmission torque, and When the ink ribbon can be satisfactorily taken up without causing the ink ribbon to be cut or the ink ribbon being pulled out excessively and deteriorating the print quality. As a result, the rotation of the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon is transmitted to the winding member without being affected by the first transmission means. Reach can be reliably transmitted to the take-up member rotation torque, thereby the ink ribbon firmly pull the cue.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a printing state of a first embodiment of a ribbon winding mechanism in a printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which a cue of the ink ribbon of FIG. 1 is performed.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a printing state of a ribbon winding mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which a cue of the ink ribbon of FIG. 3 is performed;

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a printing state of a ribbon winding mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the cue of the ink ribbon of FIG. 5 is performed.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing a printing state of a ribbon winding mechanism in a conventional printing apparatus.

8 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the cue of the ink ribbon of FIG. 7 is performed.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a main part of the ink ribbon.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Supply reel 2 Ink ribbon 3 Print head 4 Platen roller 5 Take-up reel 6 Take-up shaft 7 Take-up gear 10 Motor 12 Drive gear 13, 33 Clutch gear 14, 20 Rotating arm 15, 21 Intermediate gear 30 First motor 32 1st drive gear 34 2nd motor 36 2nd drive gear 38 planetary gear

Claims (5)

[Claims] An ink ribbon provided with a plurality of ink portions is fed out from a supply member, and one of the plurality of ink portions is printed while being wound by a winding member. In a printing apparatus for performing cueing of an ink portion to be printed next and superimposing and printing an ink portion different from the previous one, when printing one ink portion of the ink ribbon, an amount of slack in the ink ribbon is reduced. First transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the transmission torque to the winding member via a relay member having a relay clutch for transmitting the rotation of the transmission torque to wind the ink ribbon; and cueing an ink portion to be printed next to the ink ribbon When transmitting, the rotation of the transmission torque necessary for cueing the ink ribbon is transmitted to the winding member without being affected by the first transmission means, and the ink ribbon is rotated. And a second transmission means to take come, the ink ribbon head transfer torque required out is, the ribbon winding mechanism in the printing apparatus being greater than the transmission torque of the relay clutch. And a relay member having the relay clutch to which the rotation of the drive rotary member is constantly transmitted. At the time of printing for printing, the relay member transmits rotation of a transmission torque enough to take up the slack of the ink ribbon to the winding member. The second transmission unit includes: the drive rotation member; and the drive rotation member. An arm member rotatably attached to the center of rotation of the member; and an intermediate rotating member attached to the arm member to which the rotation of the drive rotating member is constantly transmitted. Rotating the arm member to bring the intermediate rotating member into contact with the winding member, whereby the intermediate rotating member rotates the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon. 2. The ribbon winding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism is configured to transmit to the winding member and idle the relay member of the first transmission unit. 3. 3. The driving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the first transmitting means includes a driving rotary member rotated by a motor, an arm member rotatably mounted on a rotation center of the driving rotary member, and the driving rotary member mounted on the arm member. A relay member having the relay clutch to which the rotation of the member is constantly transmitted, wherein the arm member rotates and abuts the relay member on the winding member during printing for printing the one ink portion. The relay member is configured to transmit the rotation of the transmission torque to the extent that the relay member takes up the slack of the ink ribbon to the winding member. The second transmission unit includes: the driving rotation member; the arm member; An intermediate rotating member attached to the arm member to which the rotation of the driving rotating member is constantly transmitted, and when the ink ribbon is caught, the arm member rotates, Thereby, the relay member of the first transmission means is separated from the winding member to cut off the transmission of the relay member to the winding member, and the intermediate rotating member is brought into contact with the winding member to cause the relay member to contact the winding member. 2. The ribbon winding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate rotating member is configured to transmit the rotation of the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon to the winding member. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said arm member is rotated in conjunction with the movement of one of a print head and a platen provided so as to be able to be relatively pressed and separated with said ink ribbon interposed therebetween. Item 4. A ribbon winding mechanism in the printing apparatus according to Item 2 or 3. 5. The first transmission means includes a first motor, a first drive rotation member rotated by the first motor, and the relay clutch to which rotation of the first drive rotation member is constantly transmitted. A relay member having a transmission torque of such a degree that the relay member takes up the slack of the ink ribbon by rotating the first drive rotating member by the first motor during printing for printing the one ink portion. The second transmission means transmits a second motor, a second drive rotation member rotated by the second motor, and a rotation of the second drive rotation member. A planetary rotation member that moves along the outer periphery of the second drive rotation member while rotating. When the ink ribbon is caught, the second motor rotates the second drive rotation member. By rotating, the planetary rotation member transmits the rotation of the transmission torque required for cueing the ink ribbon to the winding member, and causes the relay member of the first transmission unit to idle. The ribbon winding mechanism in the printing apparatus according to claim 1.