JPS6120766A - Serial type thermal printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to record in a speed of several times of a speed of a thermal head apparatus with printing every several lines at a time by one operation of a carriage by a disposition of the plural thermal heads being shifted in a feeding direction of a recording paper. CONSTITUTION:Thermal heads 5, 6 are disposed at the front surfaces of high and low sides of a carriage 1 being shifted each other by a constant amount in a feeding direction and its stepped portion is provided with a heat generating body positioned between the depressed portion 31, 41 and a back surface of an ink ribbon (a), when the cassette 3, 4 are equipped on a each upper surface standing on different levels of the carriage 1. The thermal head 5, 6 are attached under pressure or released with a constant time lag by an arrow direction displacement of the carriage 1, and the printing is operated so that the attachment point under pressure of a beginning of the printing and the releasing point of an end of the printing are coincided. The recording paper is fed with two lines pitch, then the next two lines pitch printing is began, when the printing of the head 6 followed to the printing of the head 5 is completed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to a serial type thermal printer.

(Prior Art) In general, a serial type thermal printer is equipped with a thermal head on a carriage that moves in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of recording paper, and when the carriage moves, the thermal head is advanced by an electric signal to record an ink ribbon. Along with pressing it onto the paper.

This system enables printing on the recording paper surface by selectively applying voltage to heating elements arranged vertically on the head surface, and has the problem of slow printing operation. This problem can be solved by amplifying the power applied to the heating element on the head surface or by increasing the applied pulse width, but this is not preferable because it shortens the life of the head.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 55456080 is disclosed to solve the above problem. This is configured so that the same line can be printed by multiple thermal heads, thereby shortening the printing time for one line without changing the printing speed.

There is a risk that the printing position may shift vertically or horizontally at the boundary between the printing areas of each head, and a complicated mechanism is required for the adjustment, resulting in a problem that the number of adjustment steps increases.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide a serial type high-speed thermal printer that can print multiple lines simultaneously and each line seamlessly, eliminating the need for a complicated adjustment mechanism and adjustment man-hours.

[Structure of the invention]

This invention is a serial type thermal printer that prints by running a thermal head in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of recording paper. The present invention is constructed so that each line can be printed seamlessly at the same time. [Example] Next, the present invention will be described based on an example shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the first embodiment, and in FIG. 9, 1 is a carriage whose upper surface is formed in different steps;
can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of recording paper (not shown) by a driving means (not shown) using a guide shaft 2 as a guide. Cassettes 3 and 4 containing ink ribbons a are removably mounted on the upper surfaces of the carriage 1 on the high and low sides, respectively. The ink ribbon a is stretched between the original winding core 21 and the winding core 22 in the cassettes 3 and 4, and a part of it is stretched between the cassettes 3 and 4.
．． It is exposed to the outside through recessed notches 31 and 41 provided on the front end surface of No. 4, that is, the surface facing recording paper No. 2 (not shown).

5.6 are thermal grooves arranged on the front surfaces of the high and low sides of the carriage 1 so as to be able to move back and forth while being shifted by a certain amount from each other in the feeding direction of the recording paper.

The heating element attached portion of the thermal heads 5 and 6 is connected to the cassette throat 3.
, 4 are mounted on the upper surface of the carriage 1 at different levels, they are located between the recessed portions 31, 41 and the back surface of the ink ribbon a. The thermal heads 5 and 6 are normally urged in a direction away from the ink ribbon a by the action of a spring or the like (not shown), and are moved forward using a solenoid (not shown) activated by an electric signal such as one character information. The ink-applied surface of a is pressed against the recording paper, and printing is performed as the carriage 1 moves. The thermal heads 5, 6 are operated independently by solenoids that receive separate electric signals, and can print two lines at the same time by moving the carriage 1.

Note that when the printing operation is performed when the carriage 1 is moved in the direction of the arrow, the thermal head 5 is located at the head in the printing operation direction.

The succeeding thermal head 6 performs crimping and bonding with a certain time difference.
Needless to say, the printing start point (crimping point) and printing end point (release point) coincide with each other.
Further, following the leading thermal head 5, the succeeding thermal head 6 finishes printing the corresponding line, and when the carriage 1 returns to the starting point, the recording paper is fed in a two-line pinch mode.
Printing of the next two lines begins.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment. In this case, a cassette 3' containing an ink ribbon b of a width larger than the usual double width is removably mounted on the carriage l, while the carriage 1
Two thermal heads 5 and 6 are arranged on the front surface of the printer 5 and 6, shifted by a certain amount in the recording paper feeding direction. The heating element attached portions of the thermal head 5.6 are arranged to touch the upper edge side b' and the lower edge side b'' of the wide ink ribbon b, respectively, so that printing can be performed between two lines.

This example is also the same as the previous example in that the pressing/release points of the thermal head 5 at the head in the printing operation direction (arrow direction) and the following thermal head 6 coincide.

In addition, in the above two embodiments, there are two thermal heads.
Although we have explained the case of
It is also possible to have three or more thermal heads, and in this case, it goes without saying that the recording paper is fed at a pitch of several lines of thermal heads when printing of the corresponding line is completed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As mentioned above, the present invention is a serial type thermal printer that prints by running a thermal head in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of recording paper, and is characterized in that a plurality of thermal heads are arranged offset in the feeding direction of recording paper. Since multiple lines are printed simultaneously by one movement of the carriage, even if the printing speed remains the same as before, it is possible to record at a speed that is twice as fast as the number of installed thermal heads.

In addition, multiple thermal heads print the same line seamlessly, which not only improves printing quality, but also improves the boundaries between printing areas, unlike conventional thermal printers in which multiple thermal heads share the same line. This provides various excellent effects, such as eliminating the need for an adjustment mechanism or adjustment man-hours to correct deviations.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention. 1- Carriage 2- Guide shaft 3.4
．． 3'--Cassette 5,6...-Thermal head a
・-ink ribbon

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) In a serial type thermal printer that prints by running a thermal head in a direction perpendicular to the recording paper feeding direction, a serial type thermal printer is characterized in that a plurality of thermal heads are arranged offset in the recording paper feeding direction. printer. (2) The serial type thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein each of the thermal heads is provided with an ink ribbon cassette. (3) The serial type thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of thermal heads are brought into pressure contact with different areas of a wide ink ribbon. (4) The serial type thermal printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the thermal head independently presses and releases the ink ribbon from the recording paper using separate electrical signals.