JPS5989181A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a printed image from being blurred, by a method wherein at least a part of a guide member for a printing wire is constituted of a conductive material, an electric current is passed through the conductive material to generate heat, by which the printing wire is heated, and printing is conducted by using a thermal transfer ink ribbon. CONSTITUTION:An ink ribbon 7 such that transferring is facilitated when the printing wire 1 is heated and a printing paper 8 are set between the printing wire 1 and a platen 6. At least a part of the guide member 15a provided in proximity to the tip of the wire 1 is formed from a conductive material (preferably, a resistor material having positive temperature dependence, e.g., a positive temperature coefficient thermistor material), and printing is conducted by heating the wire 1 by the Joule heat generated by passing an electric current through the part formed from the conductive material.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an impact type printing device that prints or creates images on recording paper in correspondence with printed characters or pixels by impact.

The structure of the conventional example and its problems This is the first conventional printing device that presses a heated printing member with a small printing stress to an ink ribbon coated with ink that can be easily transferred at a predetermined temperature, and transfers the image onto plain paper. A printing device as shown in FIG. 2 has been proposed. 1st
The figure shows a standby state before printing or after printing ends until the next operation, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the printing state.

A printing wire 1 for transferring pixels has one end fixed to a printing spring 2 and the other end serving as a printing section 3.

The central part of the printing wire 1 is slidably held on the inner surface of a cylindrical wire guide 4 fixed to a base 16, and the vicinity of the printing part 3 is held by a guide body 16 fixed to a base 15. It is held and can be slid. An electric machine 1 for heating the printing wire 1 is installed on the outer periphery of the wire guide 4.
A heating wire 5 connected to 7 is wound. The platen 6 faces the printing wire 1 via the ink ribbon 7, which is a substrate 7a coated with ink 7b, and the printing wire 1 is provided on the substrate 7a side and the platen 6 is provided on the ink 7b side. A recording paper 8 for transfer is placed between the ink ribbon 7 and the platen 60. A fixed iron core 9, a permanent magnet 10. Printing spring 2. A magnetic path is formed by the attraction chip 11 and the degaussing coil 12. When the printing spring 2 is not deformed, the suction chip 11 and the suction surface 13 of the fixed iron core 9 have a small gap 1.
4.

When the degaussing coil 12 is not energized, the attraction chip 11 is attracted to the attraction surface 13 by the magnetic attraction force of the permanent magnet 1o, as shown in FIG. 1, and the printing spring 2 is held in a deformed state. The printing section 3 is also spaced apart from the ink ribbon 7. On the other hand, when the degaussing coil 12 is energized to cancel the magnetic attraction force by the permanent magnet 1o, the print spring 2 in the deformed state converts the deformation energy into kinetic energy and moves the print wire 1 in the direction of the ink ribbon 7. The ink ribbon 7 is driven and brought into impact pressure contact with the ink ribbon 7 as shown in FIG. At this time, the printing wire 1 is constantly heated to a predetermined temperature by the heat supplied from the heating wire 5, and the heat is transferred to the ink ribbon 7 by pressure contact, making it easy to transfer the ink 7b. Transfer it to recording paper 8. After the transfer is completed, when the demagnetizing coil 12 is de-energized, the attraction chip 11 is pulled back to the attraction surface 13 by the attraction force of the permanent magnet 1o, and enters a standby state for the next printing operation. This type of printing device switches the flow of heat to the ink ribbon by mechanical contact and separation, and uses a so-called thermal head, which has a heating element formed on a heat-resistant substrate, to apply heat to the ink ribbon. Compared to printing devices that print in contact with each other through heating and cooling cycles, the responsiveness is better, and by transferring the ink in a state that is softened or melted by heat, it is easier to print than when no heat is applied. It has advantages such as low impact force and quiet operation. (As shown in Fig. 3, the heating wire 5 as a heating means, the power ball, the outside of the guide pipe 4, the inner surface of the guide tube 4, and the printing wire 1 can be slid freely with a predetermined gap. The heat generated from the heating wire 5 heats the guide pipe 4, then heats the printing wire 1 by heat transfer and radiation, and when further transferred to the printing part 3, the temperature decreases due to heat radiation. As a result, the temperature in the printing section 3 drops more sharply than the temperature in the heating section, making it an inefficient heating means.

Therefore, in order to heat the printing part 3 to a predetermined temperature, it is necessary to heat the vicinity of the heating part to a high temperature, and the physical properties of the constituent materials will deteriorate and oxidize at the same time. There may also be cases where it is necessary. The radiation from the high-temperature heat source is still intense, and unless a means is provided to shield the ink ribbon 7 from the radiant heat, the ink ribbon 70 base material 7
There are problems such as the ink 7b being deformed by the radiant heat and the ink 7b itself being softened by the heat, causing the print to bleed, regardless of whether or not there is a printing operation.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention eliminates these conventional drawbacks.
By allowing the guide means for slidably supporting the printing member to also function as a heating element for heating the printing member, there is no need to separately provide a heating element for the heating means other than the guide means, In addition to simplifying the configuration, heating the printing member directly from the heating element improves heat transfer efficiency, lowering the temperature of the heat source that heats the printing member to a predetermined temperature, and removing heat from the heat source. The printing device has excellent functions that suppress thermal deformation of the ink ribbon base material caused by radiation, smearing of printed characters due to overall softening of the ink, and reduce the effects of oxidation and deterioration of constituent materials due to heating. This is what we provide.

Structure of the Invention The printing device of the present invention includes a guide member that slidably holds a printing member having a printing portion at its tip, and the printing member is moved through an ink ribbon that facilitates transfer of the printing portion at a predetermined temperature. at least a portion of the guide member is made of a conductive material, a predetermined power source is connected to the conductor, and the guide member is made of a conductive material. The printing member is characterized in that it is configured to heat the printing member using Ziehl heat.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fourth
Figure 5 is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 shows a standby state before printing and from the end of printing until the next operation, and Figure 5 shows a printing state. There is. In order to facilitate comparison with the conventional example, common elements are described in the first section.
The same reference numerals as in FIG. 2 are given. Since the operation of the printing wire 1 corresponding to the driving means and the printing member is already explained in the conventional example, it will be omitted, and other elements including the heating means will be explained.

The feature of this embodiment is that at least a part of the guide member 15a that directly holds the printing member 1 in a slidable manner is made of the conductor 1, for example, a temperature-dependent resistor material with a positive characteristic (a positive custom-made thermistor material); A power source 17 is connected to this guide member 15a, and the printing member 1 is directly heated by the heat generated by the guide member 15a.

A positive temperature dependent resistor material has a resistance value that is temperature dependent, and its general characteristics are as shown in FIG. 6 at a specific temperature t. It has a characteristic that the resistance value is almost constant up to t, and when the temperature exceeds t, the resistance value increases rapidly.

Therefore, when a constant voltage is applied to this positive temperature coefficient thermistor material, the temperature will decrease to t.

Until t0, a current corresponding to a certain resistance value is passed to generate Zeel heat and the temperature continues to rise.When the temperature approaches t0, the resistance value increases rapidly and the current is limited.
Conversely, cooling begins due to heat radiation.

When the temperature decreases due to cooling, the resistance value returns to its initial state, so the temperature rises again and the temperature becomes t. becomes. Thus, a positive temperature coefficient thermistor material subjected to a drowsiness input at a constant voltage will reach a temperature t. While repeating heat generation and cooling in the vicinity, its own temperature reaches t. Control nearby. According to such a configuration, the guide member 15a serves as a heating element as well as guide means for slidably supporting the printing wire 1, as shown in the conventional example (FIG. 1).

As shown in Fig. 2), heating means 4 other than the guide means,
It is not necessary to provide a special wire 5, which saves space and can be placed near the printing section 3. In this embodiment, it is a tip bearing that holds the printing wire 1 near the printing section 3. The heat from the positive temperature coefficient thermistor material 15a is transmitted to the printing member 1 through the fitting part with the printing wire 1, and the temperature decreases while being further transmitted to the printing part 3. Printing part 3 from material 15a
The distance to the heating element is short, and the loss due to heat radiation is
6 can be kept small compared to the conventional configuration (Fig. 1) in which the printing part 3 is separated from the printing part 3. In the end, in order to heat the printing part 3 to the desired temperature, the temperature of the heating element (positive temperature coefficient thermistor material This can be achieved by setting the temperature of the printing section 3 slightly higher than the temperature of the printing section 3.

On the other hand, when the printing unit 3 heated to a predetermined temperature performs printing, the printing unit 3 impacts and heats the ink ribbon and transfers the ink 7b to the recording paper 8. Since it is possible to keep the temperature of the positive temperature thermistor 15a, which is the heat generating part, low, the amount of radiation from the heat generating part to the ink ribbon 7 is small, and unlike when the radiation amount is large, the ink ribbon is 7
is heated, the base material 7a is thermally deformed, the ink 7b is softened as a whole, and when a printing operation is performed, the area around the pressure contact area between the ink ribbon 7 and the recording paper 8 is transferred at the same time, resulting in printing. The print will not be larger than the part 3 shape,
A print that substantially corresponds to the shape of the print section 3 can be obtained. still,
Since the heating temperature of the heat generating part is low, it is possible to prevent oxidation and deterioration without using special heat-resistant and oxidation-resistant materials or treatments for the constituent materials.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, by sharing the printing part guide means and the heating means, it is possible to save space and improve the efficiency of heat transfer from the heat generating part to the printing member. It has an extremely advantageous effect in practical terms by eliminating problems such as deformation of the ink ribbon base material due to radiation from the ink, blurring of printed characters due to overall softening of the ink, and oxidation and deterioration of constituent materials due to heating. It is.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are side views of a conventional printing device in different operating states, FIG. 3 is an enlarged side sectional view of the main part of the same printing device, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side view showing different operating states of the printing device in FIG. 1 - Printing wire, 2... Printing spring, 3-...
・Printing section, 6・Platen, 7・・・・ink ribbon, 8・・recording paper, 10・・permanent magnet, 12・・
...Demagnetizing coil, 15-Guide member made of positive temperature coefficient thermistor material. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and one other person (Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 5, Figure 6)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 0) A guide member that slidably holds a printing member having a printing portion at its tip, and an ink ribbon that allows the printing portion to be easily transferred at a predetermined temperature. a driving means for slidingly moving the guide member so as to bring it into contact with and away from the recording paper; at least a portion of the guide member is made of a conductive material; a predetermined power source is connected to the conductor; A printing device characterized in that it is configured to heat the printing member with heat. (2) The conductor material is a temperature-dependent resistor material with positive characteristics.
1. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein: G3) The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the guide member that holds the vicinity of one character portion of the printing member is made of a conductor.