JPS61149384A - Manual-insertion printing type printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a slip to be printing through manual insertion, by a construction wherein an ink ribbon is paid out from a ribbon holder so as to intersect with an extension surface of a platen surface, is extended along a head moving passage over a printing region of a printing head, is reversed with respect to the direction thereof at an end part of the printing region, and is again returned to the end of the head moving passage. CONSTITUTION:The ink ribbon 26 paid out from take-up and rewinding ribbon holders 24-1, 24-2 intersects with the extension surface of the surface of the platen 14 at the right end in the moving direction of the printing head 18, is deflected through a shaft 58 extended from a ribbon plate 56 at the right end, is extended over the printing region of the head 18 to the left end of the moving direction of the head 18, where it is reversed by a shaft 60 extended from the plate 56, and is again extended along the moving passage of the head 18 to be returned to the right end in the moving direction of the head 18. Namely, a ribbon route is provided in a hairpin shape.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a manual printing printer used as an information terminal device, and in particular to a conventional serial printer that is partially improved to enable manual printing of slips. Regarding manual printing printers.

[Prior Art] In recent years, there has been a demand for various printers as output devices for various desk-top computers, microcomputers, and other information equipment, and in particular, it has been desired to realize a small, low-cost printer.

As such a simple printer, a so-called serial printer is well known, which prints sequentially while moving the print head back and forth along a platen (recording paper), and its printing speed is slightly lower than that of a large line printer. It is also possible to provide a low-cost printer with a simple structure.

As a printing head feeding method in serial printers, a method in which a printing operation is performed only when one of the left or right feeding is driven is often adopted in low-cost simple printers.

Incidentally, in an impact printer such as a dot printer, an ink ribbon is provided between a recording paper and a print head, and the ink ribbon is driven to be fed by a predetermined amount by a ribbon feeding mechanism. A predetermined length of this ink ribbon is wound and housed in a ribbon holder equipped with supply and take-up rolls, and the ink ribbon unwound from this ribbon holder is set so that it passes between the recording paper and the print head. be done.

The placement position of the ribbon holder in the above is conventionally 2.
Two methods were adopted. That is, one of them is a method in which the ribbon holder is arranged on the side of the print head with respect to the platen, and the other is a method in which the ribbon holder is arranged on the side opposite to the print head with respect to the platen.

The former allows the ribbon holder to be carried by the head carrier, making it possible to print as desired by only partially covering the front of the print head, and the ink ribbon is mainly sent in small amounts intermittently for each medium character. has been done. but,
Since it is necessary to mount the ribbon holder itself on the head carrier, the ribbon holder is required to have a structure that is small, lightweight, and easy to replace. Also, unlike the latter, it has the advantage that the width of the recording paper is not limited by the ink ribbon unwound from the ribbon holder.

The latter allows high-speed control of the print carrier because the ribbon holder is not directly mounted on the head carrier, and also
Since the structure of the front surface of the platen can save space except for the head carrier drive mechanism, a compact design as a whole is possible. As conventional small-sized serial printers, those having the latter configuration are often used in consideration of reduction in size and weight, visibility of characters after printing, and the like.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in serial printers in which the ribbon holder is arranged on the opposite side of the print head to the platen, although it is possible to print on normal roll paper, the ink ribbon is not connected to the print head. Because the running path intersects with the platen on both ends of the ribbon, printing in a format where a cut sheet is inserted separately between the print head and the platen, such as printing on receipts or tally sheets, is particularly important when rolled from the ribbon holder. When the ink ribbon is taken out and set, the ink ribbon becomes an obstacle and cannot be inserted between the print head and the platen for a sheet whose dimensions are equal to or larger than the left and right width formed by the ink ribbon. .

Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to make it possible to meet the needs of high-mix, low-volume production by making slight changes to existing printers, and to enable manual printing. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a printer with optional functions.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the manual printing printer according to the present invention is configured to feed ink so that it intersects with the extended surface of the platen surface at either the left or right end of the print head running path. a ribbon is unwound from the ribbon holder, the ribbon extends a print area of the print head along a head path, is reversed in direction at an end of the print area, and is returned to one end of the print head path; The extension surface of the platen surface at the other end is opened to enable manual printing of slips.

[Function] In the manual printing printer described above, the ink ribbon intersects with the extended surface of the platen surface at either the left or right end of the running path of the print head, and the other end that does not intersect with the platen surface is an extension of the recording paper. The line is not blocked by the ink ribbon and oven space is created. Therefore, paper can be inserted along the front surface of the platen from the other end side,
In addition to the printing function for normal continuous paper, it is possible to perform manual printing for single sheets as an optional function.

Furthermore, by extending the ink ribbon along the head travel path to cover the print area of the print head, the required number of prints per line is ensured, and the color of the ink ribbon can be changed as before.

[Example] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a serial dot printer, in which a desired recording paper 16 is brought into close contact with the platen 14, and the recording paper 16 is fed by a feed roller (not shown). This recording paper is sent to a predetermined address M after each line is printed.

Print head 18 along the platen 14 (recording paper 16)
The print head 18 in this embodiment is comprised of a dot matrix print head main body 20 and a head carrier 22, and can form desired prints on the recording paper 16 in dot matrix. Also,
In the printer of the embodiment, a pair of ribbon holders 24-1 and 24-2 are provided on the opposite side of the print head 18 with respect to the platen 14.
The ink ribbon 26 unwound from the ribbon holder 24 is set between the print head 18 and the recording paper 16, and a clutch mechanism 28 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided.
The ribbon is fed by a predetermined amount via the ribbon feeding mechanism 30. This ink ribbon 26 has a two-tier configuration of upper and lower layers of red and black.

The head carrier 22 is supported by a power roll 32 and a release shaft 34, and the power roll 32 is provided with a helix W436 around its periphery to move the print head 18 along the power roll 32.

At this time, a motor 38 consisting of a DC motor or the like is provided to mechanically drive the head carrier 22.
The driving force of the motor 38 is transmitted to the power roll 32 via a reduction gear train to drive the print head 18. The clutch mechanism 28 is provided at the other end of the power roll 32, and the clutch mechanism 28 feeds the recording paper 16, feeds the ink ribbon 26, and rotates the release shaft 34 to move the clutch mechanism 28 to the power roll 32. The engagement and disengagement between the print head 18 and the print head 18 is controlled. In the illustrated embodiment, the clutch mechanism 28 consists of a clutch to which a print signal is supplied from the outside of a half-turn clutch, and a clutch trigger action is performed at a predetermined time by a clutch solenoid 40 to which a print signal is supplied from the outside. Performs rotational action.

The clutch mechanism 28 has a clutch cam 4 as shown in FIG.
2, a clutch solenoid 40, and a ribbon feed lever 44. As the clutch cam 42 rotates, a release cam follower 46 is displaced in the direction of arrow A, and the head carrier 32, that is, the print head 18, returns to its home position by a return spring (not shown). do. At this time,
The ribbon feed lever 44 largely swings in the direction of arrow B according to the ribbon feed cam curve 48. The operation of the ribbon feed lever 44 is transmitted to the ribbon lever 50, and the ink ribbon 26 is fed by a predetermined amount. This ink ribbon 26
The normally black part is set between the print head 18 and the recording paper 16, and black printing is performed. In addition, the color change magnet 52 shown in Fig. 3 operates according to the command printed in red.
Along with this, the color change lever 54 is attracted and the red part of the ribbon is set at the printing position of the print head 18.
Red printing is possible. Note that the feeding of the recording paper 16 is also performed by the rotation of this clutch cam 42.

Here, the characteristic feature of the present invention is that the ink ribbon 26
intersects with the extended surface of the platen 14 at either the left or right end of the running path of the print head 18, further extends the printing area of the print head 18, turns over at the end of the printing area, and returns to the one end again. It is said that the route is laid out like this.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. It intersects with the extended surface of the surface and is changed direction via a shaft 58 stretched from the ribbon plate 56 at the right end, further extending the printing area of the print head 18 and reaching the left end in the running direction of the print head 18. , here, it is reversed via @60 stretched from the ribbon plate 56 as before, and returned to the right end in the running direction of the print head 18 so as to overlap the extension path again.

That is, the shape of the ribbon root is formed into a so-called hairpin shape.

Therefore, during normal printing, ink ribbons 26 are set overlapping the printing area along the surface of the platen 14, and printing is performed on the recording paper 16 via these ink ribbons 26.

For this reason, in so-called manual printing when it is necessary to issue a receipt or tally sheet separate from the continuous recording paper 16, there is a gap between the platen 14 surface and the ink ribbon 26 at the left end of the print head 18 in the running direction. Since there is a continuous gap along the gap, even if the width of the receipt, tally sheet, etc. is larger than the width of the recording paper 16, it can be inserted from the gap and printed. Furthermore, since the shafts 58, 60 are stretched from the ribbon plate 56, the color of the ink ribbon 26 can be changed as usual.

Next, FIG. 4 shows another embodiment. In this embodiment, the ink ribbons are not set overlappingly along the front surface of the platen 14, but are set as one ink ribbon in the printing area, and the outline of the printing pattern is We are trying to make it clearer. Punawara,
The ink ribbon 26 is arranged to intersect with the surface of the platen 14 at the right end position of the print head 18 in the running direction, and the print area of the print head 18 is extended via the shaft 58 provided at this right end position. 18, where the direction of the ink ribbon 26 is changed via the shaft 60, and then the print head 18 is moved to the left end of the print head 18 via shafts 62 and 64 provided at the left and right ends of the front surface of the printer body. The print head 18 is stretched around the outer circumference of the print head 18.
The vehicle returns to the right end position in the direction of travel.

According to this embodiment, manual printing is possible, and the ink ribbon 26 set so as to be able to pass between the platen 14 surface and the print head 18 is a set of one ink ribbon, similar to a normal printer, so that the above-mentioned implementation is possible. Compared to the example, the outline of the printed pattern can be made clearer.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention is characterized in that the ink ribbon intersects the extended surface of the platen surface at either the left or right end in the printing direction, extends the printing area of the print head, and is reversed at the end thereof.
By returning to the one end again, it is possible to have a manual printing function without impairing the compact structure, operability, and other functions of the conventional printer.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a manual printing printer according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a left side view thereof, Fig. 3 is a right side view of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a plan view of a manual printing printer according to another embodiment. FIG. 14... Platen 16... Recording paper 18... Print head 24... Ribbon holder 26... Ink ribbon 30... Ribbon feeding mechanism.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A print head that is supported so as to be able to reciprocate along the platen that holds the recording paper and performs the desired printing action by sequential feeding drive, and an opposite side of the print head to the platen that holds and transports the ink ribbon. In the serial printer, the ink ribbon intersects with the extended surface of the platen surface at either the right or left end of the running path of the print head to extend the printing area of the print head and print. Invert at the end of the area and return to the one end again,
A manual printer that enables manual printing of slips. (2) In the printer according to claim 1,
The ink ribbon intersects with the extended surface of the platen surface at either the left or right end in the running direction of the print head, extends the print area of the print head, and is reversed at the end of the print area, so that it overlaps the elongation path. A manual printing printer characterized in that the printer returns to the one end. (3) In the printer according to claim 1,
After the ink ribbon crosses the extended surface of the platen surface at either the left or right end in the running direction of the print head, extends the print area of the print head, and changes direction at the end of the print area,
A manual printing printer characterized in that the print head returns to the one end so as to surround the outer periphery of the print head.