JPS6024987A - Heat transfer recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To contrive to reduce cost and size, by a method wherein recording speed is enhanced by enabling to record in both directions, and a simplified ink ribbon feeder not having any exclusive drive source for taking up an ink ribbon is provided. CONSTITUTION:A carriage 4 starts to be moved rightward by a carriage driver, while a recording head 6 is pressed against a platen 2 through an ink ribbon and a recording paper 1 by driving a head-lifting motor 7. In this condition, the carriage 4 is moved by a distance equal to 1/N times of the length of one line, and thereafter thermal transfer recording is started by a recording signal. The carriage 4 starts to be moved leftward by the carriage driver, and a pulley 16 is rotated in a reverse direction. Both in the forward movement and in the backward movement, the ink ribbon is consumed completely by a length equal to 1/N times of the length of one line and is taken up by a take-up core A24 each time heat transfer recording in a line is completed. Accordingly, it is unnecessitated to provide any exclusive drive source for taking up the ink ribbon, recording can be conducted both in the forward movement and in the backward movement, and printing speed can be enhanced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field> The present invention relates to a serial recording type thermal transfer recording device, and more specifically, to a serial recording type thermal transfer recording device. The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording device that is capable of recording in both directions during movement.

<Prior Art> Fig. 1 shows the basic configuration of a conventional serial printing type thermal transfer recording device.

In FIG. 1, a platen 2 on which recording paper (plain paper) 1 is wound and rotated intermittently by a line feed means (not shown) and a pair of guide shafts 3 provided parallel to the platen 2 are suspended. and a drive device (not shown) that reciprocates the carriage 4 via a timing belt or wire 5.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a recording head (thermal head) mounted on the carriage 4, in which a plurality of printing elements are provided at predetermined intervals, and by selectively energizing the printing elements, Joule heat is generated and applied to the thermal transfer ink ribbon. The melted ink is melted and transferred onto plain paper 1, thereby representing characters, figures, etc.

Reference numeral 10 denotes an ink ribbon cassette mounted on the carriage 4, which stores a thermal transfer ink ribbon 13 therein, and pulls out a part of the ink ribbon 13 from the ink ribbon cassette 10 to transfer the paper 1 and the recording head 6. I'm in between.

When the carriage 4 moves forward, the recording head 6 is urged toward the platen 2 by a spring (not shown), and thermal transfer recording is performed while being pressed against the platen 2 via the ink ribbon 13 and the recording paper 1. .

An ink ribbon that has undergone thermal transfer recording once.

The ink has been completely transferred to the recording paper 1 and no residue remains on the base film 2, so the same portion cannot be used multiple times. Further, the used ink ribbon 13 after recording is wound up during forward movement by an ink ribbon winding device (not shown). When the carriage moves backward, the recording head 6 is separated from the platen 2 by a redrift device (not shown).

The above is a conventional serial printing type thermal transfer recording device, but compared to other types of serial printers such as wire dot and ink jet, it is not possible to perform bidirectional recording (recording in both directions during forward and backward movement). There were drawbacks.

That is, during recording, the recording head 6 is connected to the ink ribbon 1.
The ink ribbon 13 must always be in pressure contact with the platen 2 via the ink ribbon 3 and the recording paper 1, and when the carriage 4 moves in this state, the ink ribbon 13 is always pulled out in the opposite direction to the direction in which the carriage 4 moves. This is due to the difference between the frictional force S1 between the recording paper 1 and the ink ribbon 13 and the frictional force S2 between the recording head 6 and the ink ribbon 13. Generally, Sl>52, and during recording, the ink ribbon 13 and the plain paper 1 are in close contact with each other via ink, and this adhesive force P is very large (P>Sl>52).

Therefore, during the forward movement (progressing direction: right), the ink ribbon 13 is pulled out to the left from the ink ribbon supply section 11, or during the backward movement (progressing direction: left), the ink ribbon 13 is pulled out from the ink ribbon supply section 11 to the left, or when the ink ribbon 13 is drawn out from the ink ribbon supply unit 11 to the left during the forward movement (progressing direction: left), the used ink ribbon The ink ribbon 13 would be pulled out in the right direction from the ink ribbon winding section 12 that had been wound up, and the ink ribbon 13, which could not be reused, would be pulled out again, making bidirectional recording impossible.

<Objective> The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and provides a serial thermal transfer recording device whose biggest drawback is slow recording speed.
By enabling bidirectional recording, we provide a thermal transfer recording device with high recording speed, and do not have a dedicated drive source for taking up the ink ribbon, making it extremely 1! ii) It is an object of the present invention to provide a low-cost, small-sized thermal transfer recording device by including a primed ink ribbon feeding device.

<Embodiments> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of a thermal transfer ink phone for multiple recording, which is used in the present invention and is capable of repeatedly recording the same portion.

In FIG. 2, the ink ribbon 33 has a porous reticulated heat-resistant layer 15 formed on a thin base 14 made of polyester or the like, which is impregnated with heat-melting ink of a transfer material, and is impregnated N times (
For example, it is configured to enable repeated recording (10 to 15 times).

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the basic structure of a thermal transfer recording apparatus capable of bidirectional recording according to the present invention, and the same parts as in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 3, there is a platen 2 which also serves as a paper feed roller and is rotated intermittently by a line feed means (not shown) around which recording paper (plain paper) 1 is wound, and a pair of guide shafts provided parallel to the platen 2. 3, a recording head lift device (7, 8, 9) mounted on the carriage 4, an ink ribbon feeding device, and an ink ribbon winding direction switching device (Fig. 4 and Figure 5, 18, 19
．． 25), the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the present invention, which includes the multiple recording heat-1ri: ink ribbon cassette 0 storing the ink ribbon 33, and a drive device (not shown) for reciprocating the carriage 4. has been done.

Note that 6 is a recording head (thermal head).

Next, the recording head lift device (7, 8, 9) will be explained.

The recording head 6 is always biased toward the platen 2 by a spring (not shown), and has a structure in which it is pressed against the platen 2 via the ink ribbon 33 and the recording paper 1.

However, when the carriage 4 is stopped at the home position or when recording is interrupted (when the carriage 4 is moving but not recording), the head lift motor 7 is driven and the head lift cam 8 is rotated. The recording head holder 9 is rotated so that the recording head 6 is separated from the platen 2.

The reason why they are separated when stopped is to facilitate the replacement of the ink ribbon cassette 10, and the reason why they are separated when they are interrupted is to stop the feeding of the ink ribbon 33.

That is, even if the ink ribbon winding is stopped, the recording head 6
When the ink ribbon 33 and the recording paper 1 are moved while being pressed against the platen 2, the recording paper 1 and the ink ribbon 3 are moved.
The ink ribbon 33 is pulled out due to the difference between the friction force between the ink ribbon 33 and the friction force between the ink ribbon 33 and the recording head 6.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an ink ribbon winding device and a winding direction switching device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the inside of the ink ribbon winding device and ink ribbon cassette 10 of the present invention.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, a motor dedicated to taking up the ink ribbon rotates as the carriage 4 moves. A friction plate 31 made of felt or the like is interposed between the pulley 16 and the transmission gear 17. The friction plate 31 is strongly pressed by the leaf spring 32. Therefore, the rotation of the pulley 16 is transmitted to the transmission gear 17.However, the winding diameter of the ink ribbon 33 changes and the friction plate 31 is strongly pressed by the leaf spring 32. When the torque of
The ink ribbon 33 changes depending on the winding diameter of the ink ribbon.
There is no need to worry about excessive tension being applied to the By changing the spring constant of the leaf spring 32, the limit torque value at which slipping starts can be changed.

The rotation now transmitted to the transmission gear 17 is further transmitted to the intermediate gear 19 on the switching arm 18.

The full switching arm 18 is biased toward the winding shaft A21 by the spring 20, and the intermediate gear 19 is meshed with the winding gear A22, so the winding shaft A21 rotates and the blade 2 to the winding shaft is rotated.
The core A24 in the ink ribbon cassette 10, which is engaged with the ink ribbon 33, further rotates and winds up the ink ribbon 33 to the left. Also, the switching arm 18 is activated by driving the solenoid 25.
When the intermediate gear 19, which had been engaged with the take-up gear A22, is urged toward the take-up shaft B26, the intermediate gear 19, which had been engaged with the take-up gear A22, becomes engaged with the take-up gear B27.

Therefore, this time, the rotation of the pulley 16 is transmitted to the winding shaft B26, rotating the core 1329 in the ink ribbon cassette 10 that is engaged with the blades 28 of the winding shaft B, and winding the ink ribbon in the right direction.

In the thermal transfer recording apparatus configured as described above, the actual operation process of bidirectional recording will be explained next.

In the initial state, this device has a winding direction switching device (18,
19, 25), the switching arm J8 is urged toward the winding shaft A21, and the winding gear A22 and the intermediate gear 19 are engaged with each other. Further, the recording head 6 is separated from the platen 2 by a recording head lift device (7, 8, 9).

In response to the print start signal, the carriage 4 starts moving rightward by a carriage drive device (not shown) (FIG. 1), and the recording head 6 is driven by the head lift motor 7 to move the ink ribbon 33. It is pressed against the platen 2 via the recording paper 1. In this state, the carriage 4 travels a certain distance (the length of the line minus the length of the line), and then thermal transfer recording is started in response to a recording signal. In other words, the carriage 4 moves to print one line. It will move by the length of /H.

However, N is the number of times the thermal transfer ink ribbon for multiple recording can be repeatedly recorded.

As the carriage 4 moves, the pulley 16 rotates, and in conjunction with this, the winding shaft A21 rotates to wind up the ink ribbon 33.

Even after one line has been recorded, the carriage 4 continues to travel a certain distance (1/N of the length of -line) and winds up the ink ribbon extra. Next, the head lift motor 7 is driven to separate the head from the platen 2.

Subsequently, the recording paper 1 is fed a new line by a paper feeding means (not shown).

The carriage 4 begins to move in the opposite direction to the forward movement, that is, to the left, by the carriage drive device. At this time,
As the carriage 4 moves, the pulley 16 rotates in the opposite direction. Since the intermediate gear 19 and the take-up gear A22 are meshed with each other, the rotation axis is transmitted up to this point, but the first take-up gear A
Since the one-way clutch 30 is interposed between 22 and the winding shaft A21, the winding shaft A21 does not rotate in this direction. Of course, the winding shaft B26 also does not rotate. After traveling a certain distance (a length of 1/N of the length of the - line), the recording head is moved again to the ink ribbon 33. It is brought into pressure contact with the platen 2 via the recording paper 1. At the same time, the solenoid 25 is driven to bias the switching arm]8 toward the winding shaft B26, and the intermediate gear 19 is moved to the winding gear B.
Engage with 27.

Next, thermal transfer recording during the backward movement is started due to recording borrowing.

As the carriage 4 moves, the pulley 16 rotates and is transmitted to the winding shaft B26. The winding shaft A2] is not connected to a gear and is therefore in a free state. The winding core B29, which is engaged with the wing 28 of the winding shaft B on the winding shaft B26, rotates, and the ink ribbon 33 is now wound in the right direction.

Therefore, the ink ribbon 33 that was wound around the winding core A24 during forward movement is wound around the core B29 again.

Since an extra length of 1/N of one line is wound around the core A24, the first 1 of the ink ribbon used during the return movement is
The portion with a length of /N is completely unused, and the other portions have been used at least once and at most N-1 times.

Immediately after one line of backward movement recording is completed, the head lift motor 7 is driven to move the recording head 6 from the platen 2 to the
) 1 [separate. At the same time, the solenoid 25 is driven to urge the switching arm 18 toward the winding shaft A21, and the intermediate gear 1
9 is engaged with the winding gear Δ22. However, the carriage 4 is not stopped, but is allowed to travel a further fixed distance (the length of the slope equal to the length of the - line). During this time, the rotation of the pulley 16 is transmitted to the take-up gear A22, but not to the take-up shaft Δ21 by the clutch 30, and the take-up shaft B26 also does not rotate because the transmission system is cut off. Therefore, the ink ribbon 33 is stopped.

Next, the recording paper 1 is line-fed again by the paper feeding means (not shown).

The carriage 4 starts moving rightward again by the carriage drive device, and at the same time, the recording head 6 is again driven by the head lift motor 7 to move the ink ribbon 33. It is pressed against the platen 2 via the recording paper 1. After traveling a certain distance (1/N of the length of -line), thermal transfer recording is restarted due to recording confidence. Pulley 16 during forward movement
The rotation of is transmitted to the winding gear A22, and further to the winding shaft A2.
1 rotates, the core A24 rotates, and the ink ribbon 33 is wound up.

As a result of this blank printing operation for a certain distance, the portion that has been used N times is wound onto the core A24.

Therefore, during forward movement, the last 1/H length portion of the - line is recorded by the ink ribbon, which is a completely unused portion.

By repeating the above operations, thermal transfer by bidirectional recording is performed. The record is always at No. 6 both during forward and backward movements.
It will look like the figure. In other words, the rightmost block is the recording made by using the ink ribbon for multiple recordings for the first time, and the farther left the block is, the more frequently used ink ribbon is used.The leftmost block is the recording made by using the ink ribbon for the Nth time. It is a record.

Therefore, each time one line of thermal transfer recording is completed during both forward movement and backward movement, the length of -1//N of the line is completely consumed (used N times) and the winding core A24 It is wound up. Not to be used more than 8 times.

Compared to the conventional thermal transfer ink ribbon, which could only be used once, it has N times the recording capacity for the same length, and if you include the cost of the ink ribbon cassette, the running cost will be greatly reduced. Also, if the length of the ink ribbon is shortened and the recording capacity is the same, the ink ribbon cassette 10 can be made smaller, and the ink ribbon feeding mechanism can also be greatly simplified, making the printer as a whole more compact. It is possible. However, if the difference in density between the first use of the multi-time recording ink ribbon 33 and the Nth time use is large, the difference between the left and right sides of the recording paper
Since the density difference becomes noticeable, it is necessary to determine a value of N that will not make the density difference large.

<Effects> As described in 2 below, according to the present invention, there is no need for a drive source dedicated to taking up the ink ribbon, and recording is possible in both directions during forward and backward movement, thereby increasing the printing speed. be able to.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, by using a thermal transfer ink ribbon for multiple recordings that is capable of repeatedly recording the same area, it is possible to reduce running costs and downsize the ink ribbon cassette. The ink ribbon feeding device of the present invention can be greatly simplified, and the entire recording device can be made smaller and lower in price.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the basic configuration of a conventional serial printing type thermal transfer recording device, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of a thermal transfer ink ribbon for multiple recording used in the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a thermal transfer ink ribbon for multiple recording used in the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the ink cartridge winding device and winding direction switching device of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the inside of the ribbon winding device and the ink ribbon cassette, and FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the number of times the ink ribbon is used in the printing operation of the apparatus of the present invention. 1... Recording paper (plain paper), 2... Platen, 3...
Guide shaft, 4... Carriage, 6... Recording head (
thermal head), 10... ink ribbon base 1-
111. Ink ribbon supply section, 12.. Ink ribbon storage section, 14.. Ink ribbon base, 15.. Porous reticulated heat-resistant layer, 18, 19. 25.. Ink ribbon winding direction switching device. , 33... Ink ribbon for multiple recording. 11 representatives Patent attorney Aihiko Fukushi (and 2 others) No. 4, No. 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A carriage carrying a recording head and an ink ribbon is reciprocated parallel to the platen in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, and the recording head transfers ink from the ink ribbon onto the recording paper. The thermal transfer recording apparatus includes: a thermal transfer ink ribbon for multiple recordings capable of repeatedly recording the same portion; an ink ribbon winding means using the movement of the carriage as a driving source; a switching means for changing the winding direction of the ink ribbon by the ink ribbon winding means; and a winding control means for winding the ink ribbon by a certain amount by making the amount of movement of the carriage longer than the amount of movement of one line of printing. 1. A thermal transfer recording apparatus, comprising: a thermal transfer recording apparatus that performs thermal transfer recording in both directions when the carriage moves forward and backward.