JPS6072781A - Thermal transfer ribbon cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To avoid the loosening and tensing of a thermal transfer ribbon by connecting a friction roller closely contacting with the peripheries of the winding side roll and sending-out side roll of the thermal transfer ribbon with a drive roller pressingly contacting with a printing medium on a platen. CONSTITUTION:In printing, since a cassette 9a is moved under the condition that drive rollers 27 and 28 are pressed on a printing paper 2 on a platen 1, the drive rollers 27 and 28 are turned by friction with a printing paper 4. A belt 30 is run by the rotation of the rollers 27 and 28 to turn friction rollers 24 and 25, and thereby a sending-out reel 15 and a winding reel 16 are turned by the friction between the rollers 24 and 25 and the ribbon rollers 12a and 12b. The ribbon 12 is then rolled up by the winding reel 16. The ribbon 12 is sent out of the reel 15, and fresh ribbon face is supplied to the front face of the thermal head 8. Since the running speed of the belt 30 is constant, the peripheral speeds of the ribbons 12a and 12b become equal.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Technical Field of the Invention) Serial printers used for outputting computer systems, word processors, etc. include a wire dot printing method using an ink ribbon, and a wire dot printing method using an ink ribbon, and a method that prints by jetting ink droplets. Known methods include an inkjet type and a thermal transfer type in which a thermal transfer ribbon is layered on a print medium and selectively heated from the back side. The present invention relates to a thermal transfer ribbon cassette for a thermal transfer type printer among these.

[Technology background]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire printing mechanism of a thermal transfer serial printer. A printing paper 2 made of plain paper is wound around the platen 1 as a printing medium, and the paper is intermittently fed by one line every time printing of one line is completed. A guide shaft 3 and a feed screw 4 supported by the printer body are inserted into the carriage 5, and the feed screw 4 is driven by a motor, so that the carriage 5 is reciprocated along the platen 1. A thermal head 8 is disposed on the front surface of a holder 7 mounted on the carriage 5 via a support shaft 6, facing the platen 1, and a ribbon cassette 1-9 is attached to the holder 7. The ribbon cassette 9 contains two reels with star-shaped hubs 10a and 10b.The ribbon cassette 9 is mounted on the holder 7, and the star-shaped drive shafts 11a and 11b are connected to the hubs. 10a, 1
0b, and the drive shafts 11a and llb are driven by the motor. Then, the thermal transfer ribbon 12 runs between the printing paper 2 and the thermal head 8 at the front of the ribbon cassette 9, and a new surface of the thermal transfer ribbon is supplied to the printing section.

Immediately, the drive shafts 11a and 11b rotate the hubs 10a and 10b, and the carriage 5 reciprocates the thermal head 8 and the thermal transfer ribbon while constantly supplying a new ribbon surface to the printing section. At the same time, the heating resistor of the thermal head 8 is selectively made to generate heat to transfer the thermal transfer ribbon 12 to the printing paper 2.
By melting and transferring ink to the paper, printing is performed using a combination of dots.

Figure 2 is a front view of the thermal head 8, and shows the heating resistor 1.
3... is 1 in the direction perpendicular to the running direction of the thermal head 8.
Arranged in rows.

[Prior art and its problems]

In the conventional thermal transfer ribbon cassette, a motor is used to feed the thermal transfer ribbon as described above, but when the motor is mounted on the carriage 5, the carriage 5 becomes heavier and the inertia of the carriage increases. The reciprocating speed of the carriage decreases, which hinders the improvement of printing speed.

Moreover, since a motor is used, the cost becomes high.

On the other hand, it has been proposed that a roller attached to the ribbon cassette 9 is brought into pressure contact with the printing paper 2 on the platen 1, and the ribbon is fed by the rotational force of the roller when the ribbon cassette 9 moves along the platen 1. However, in this configuration, the ribbon speed on the pay-out reel side of the thermal transfer ribbon and the ribbon speed on the take-up reel side are different, and the ribbon may become slack or strong (
There is a risk of it becoming too tight.

[Purpose of the invention]

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate such problems with conventional thermal transfer ribbon cassettes, and to prevent the thermal transfer ribbon from becoming sagging or overtight even in a configuration in which the ribbon is fed by a roller that rotates due to frictional force with the platen side. The circumferential speed of the ribbon roll wound on the take-up reel side is made equal to the circumferential speed of the ribbon roll wound on the feed reel side so that the ribbon roll is wound on the take-up reel side.

[Structure of the invention]

The technical measures taken according to the invention to achieve this objective are to superimpose a thermal transfer ribbon on a printing medium,
In a thermal transfer ribbon cassette used in a thermal transfer printer that prints characters, etc. with a combination of dots by selectively heating the thermal transfer ribbon at -', A friction roller is disposed in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface, and a drive roller in pressure contact with the printing medium on the platen, the winding-side friction roller, and the feeding-side friction roller are connected by a belt.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Next, examples will explain how the thermal transfer ribbon cassette according to the present invention is actually implemented.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the thermal transfer ribbon force type I according to the present invention. 2 is the printing paper on platen 1, 8
is the thermal head on boulder 7. When the cassette >) 9a is attached to the boulder 7 in Fig. 1, the thermal head 8 is inserted through the window hole 14 made in the cassette.
enters the thermal transfer ribbon 12, and the thermal head 8 is located on the back side of the thermal transfer ribbon 12. In the cassette 9a, there is a feed reel 1.
5 and a take-up reel 16 are arranged, the thermal transfer ribbon 12 is fed out from the feed reel 15, the guide roller 17 - the guide portion 18 in front of the cassette 9a - the front of the thermal head 8 - the guide in the front of the cassette 9a. Part 19 →
It travels on a path from the guide roller 2o to the take-up reel 16 and is wound up on the take-up reel 16.

If the feed reel 15 and take-up reel 16 are the bases of an equilateral triangle, a support shaft 21 is placed at the apex position, and one end of a swing arm 22, 23 is attached to the support shaft 21. A friction roller 24.25 is pivotally supported at the tip of the swing arm 22.23 at a position corresponding to the feed reel 15 and take-up reel 16. Both swinging arms 22 and 23 are provided with an elastic force 6 on the feed reel 15 and take-up reel 16 sides by a spring 26 attached to the support shaft 21.
− has been done. Therefore, the friction roller 24 is pressed against the ribbon roll 12a wound on the feed reel 15, and the ribbon roll 12b wound on the feed reel 16 and numbered is rubbed. The roller 25 is pressed.

On the other hand, there are drive rollers 2 on the left and right sides of the front of the casef 1 and 9 a.
7.28 is pivotally supported, and a tension roller 29 is disposed near the back of the window hole 14. A heald 30 indicated by a broken line is arranged in the following order: drive roller 27 - tension roller 29 - 1% moving roller 2B - friction roller 25 - friction roller 24 - drive roller 27. However, it is wound around the rubbing rollers 24 and 25 once.

Note that a circular belt made of rubber is suitable for the belt 30.

The figure shows a state in which the cassette 9a has retreated from the platen 1 side, but when printing, the holder 7 in FIG.
Move forward to the side and transfer to thermal transfer ribbon 12 with 7 and 8.
is pressed against the printing paper 2 on the platen 1. Then, by rotating the feed screw 40 times, the carriage 5 is transported along the platen 1, and by selectively energizing the heat generating resistor 13 of the thermal heel l"8, the printing paper 2 is moved.
The ink is thermally transferred from the ribbon 8.

During printing, the cassette 9a moves while the drive rollers 27, 28 are pressed against the print paper 2 on the platen I, so the drive rollers 27, 28 rotate due to friction with the print paper 4. This rotational force causes the belt 30 to run,
In order to rotate the friction rollers 24.25, the friction between the friction rollers 24.25 and the ribbon roll causes the feed reel 15 and the take-up reel 16 to rotate in the direction of the arrow, and the ribbon 12 is taken up by the take-up reel 16. Then, the ribbon 12 is paid out from the payout reel 15, and a new ribbon surface is supplied to the front surface of the No. 1-marhesod 8.

At this time, the drive roller 27 rotates while being pressed against the printing paper 2.
Since the traveling speed of the bell 1-30 driven by the bell 2B is constant, the peripheral speed of the ribbon roll 12a112b, which is frictionally driven by the heald-driven friction roller 24.25, is also equal to the traveling speed of the bell 1-30. Become. In this way, since the circumferential speed of the ribbon roll on the feeding side and the circumferential speed of the ribbon roll on the winding side are equal, the thermal transfer ribbon 12 will not become loose or become too tensioned.

When Naori Seso 1- returns to the left after reaching the right end,
Since the cassette 7) 9a is retracted from the platen 1, the drive rollers 27, 28 do not reverse rotation, and the ribbon 12 always runs in a constant direction.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, a friction roller is disposed in pressure contact with the outer circumferential surface of the take-up side roll and the outer circumferential surface of the feed-out side roll of the thermal transfer ribbon, and the drive roller is in pressure contact with the printing medium on the platen, and the The winding side friction roller and the feeding side friction roller are connected by a bell 1-. Therefore, the circumferential speed of the ribbon roll on the feed-out reel side and the circumferential speed of the ribbon roll on the take-up reel side become equal, and the feed-out speed and winding speed of the thermal transfer ribbon become equal.

As a result, there is no slack or excessive tension in the ribbon, and the ribbon can be fed stably and reliably.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

=9= Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the entire printing mechanism of a thermal transfer serial printer, Figure 2 is a front view of the thermal belly button t'', and Figure 3 is a front view of the thermal transfer serial printer.
The figure is a plan view showing the internal structure of the thermal transfer ribbon cassette according to the present invention. In the figure, 7 is a holder, 8 is a thermal head, and 9a
12 is a ribbon force center, 12 is a thermal transfer ribbon, 12a is a ribbon roll on the feeding side, 12b is a ribbon roll on the winding side,
15 is a feed reel, 16 is a take-up reel, 22.2
3 is a swing arm, 24.25 is a friction roller, 27.28
3 represents a drive roller and 30 represents a belt. Patent applicant: Fujitsu Ltd. Agent: Patent attorney Minoru Aoyagi 10- Figure 1 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] In thermal transfer ribbon cassettes used in thermal transfer printers that print characters, etc. in combinations of dots by overlaying the thermal transfer ribbon on a printing medium and selectively heating the thermal transfer ribbon with a thermal head, A friction roller is disposed in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roller and the outer peripheral surface of the feed-side roll, and a drive roller that presses against the printing medium on the platen, the winding-side friction roller, and the feed-side friction roller are connected by a belt. Features a thermal transfer ribbon cassette.