JPS61258781A - Thermal transfer type printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the need for reversing and remounting a ribbon cassette, reduce printing time and contrive a simpler circuit construction and a simpler program, by a method wherein an ink ribbon is so fed that it is not moved relative to a printing paper, and is taken up by a small amount to the use- starting end side each time printing in one line is completed. CONSTITUTION:After turning a head support plate 17 so as to press a thermal head 18 against the paper, the head 18 is energized to generate heat, a carriage 14 is moved in the direction of arrow A, a pinion 38 is engaged to a rack 35 and to the first gear 31, and control is performed so that the ribbon 29 and the paper are not moved relative to each other. When printing in the first line over a length l1 of the ribbon 29 is completed, the head 18 is deenergized, and while maintaining the plate 17 as it is, the carriage 14 is moved further in the direction of arrow A over a distance corresponding to the take-up length (m) of the ribbon used, whereby the ribbon 29 on the use-starting side is taken up.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer method using an ink ribbon cassette that is equipped with an ink ribbon that can be used repeatedly between first and second reels. Regarding printers.

[Technical Background of the Invention and its Problems] It has been known that the ink ribbon of an ink ribbon cassette conventionally used in a thermal transfer printer becomes unusable after one thermal transfer. Therefore, in conventional printers of this type, one of the two reels in the ink ribbon cassette is driven to take up the ink ribbon, while the other is free to rotate. The relationship between the operation of the printer and the winding of the ink ribbon cassette in this case will be described with reference to FIG. , when moving in the direction of arrow R, it is energized and generates heat,
Ink ribbon 5 from ink ribbon cassette 4 on printing paper P
One line of printing is performed by thermally transferring the image through the printer. In this case, the ink ribbon 5 of the cassette 4 is transported in the direction of arrow r so that it does not move relative to the printing paper P, and one (left) reel 6 of the two reels is moved toward the carriage. The drive mechanism (
(not shown).

When the printing for one line described above is completed, at that point the thermal head 1 is cut off and separated from the printing paper P, and the carriage 2 is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow R direction and returned to the printing starting position. It will be done.

After that, while moving the ink ribbon 5 in the direction of the arrow R again, the thermal head 1 is moved in the direction of the arrow R, and the next one is transferred.
Prints a line.

In the conventional ink ribbon mentioned above, all the corresponding parts of the ink are transferred in one thermal transfer, and it can only be used once. is configured to be transferred in only one direction.

Incidentally, in recent years, ink ribbons have been developed that can be used multiple times (10 to 20 times) by making the ink attached to the ribbon band as thick as possible. When the set is used in the above-mentioned conventional printer, after printing is performed sequentially in the direction of arrow R, therefore, after the ink ribbon has been transferred in the direction of arrow R, the entire ink ribbon must be rewound.
In this case, the ink ribbon cassette must be reversed and repositioned so that each reel is in the opposite position, which is a cumbersome task, and moreover, the thermal head 1 must be moved to the printing start position every time one line of printing ends. There is a problem in that it takes time to print because it has to be returned. As an alternative measure, it is conceivable to repeat the thermal transfer of the portion thermally transferred by printing in the direction of arrow R when the thermal head moves in the opposite direction (direction opposite to the direction of arrow R). However, in this case, the number of times the ink ribbon is used must be counted sequentially, which complicates printer control. Countermeasures must be taken in case of disconnection, and there is a problem in that the control circuit configuration and control program are generally complicated.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a printer using an ink ribbon cassette that is capable of transporting an ink ribbon that can be used multiple times between two reels. In this method, it is possible to eliminate the need for reversing and changing the ink ribbon cassette for repeated use of the ink ribbon, the printing time can be shortened, and further,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer in which the control circuit configuration and control program can be easily simplified.

[Summary of the Invention] The present invention uses an ink ribbon cassette that is equipped with an ink ribbon that can be used repeatedly between a first reel and a second reel. A thermal head that is movable back and forth and generates heat during its forward and backward movements to print one line each in the column direction and in the backward direction on the printing paper via the ink ribbon, and the ink ribbon is printed when this thermal head prints. The ink ribbon is provided with a ribbon transport device that transports the ink ribbon so as not to move relative to the paper, and transports the ink ribbon so as to wind the ink ribbon by a small amount toward the end of use each time printing of an arbitrary line is completed. ,
It is possible to print in both directions, and the used side of the ink ribbon can be wound up one after another.

[Embodiments of the Invention] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. First, the third section shows the internal configuration of the printer.
In FIG. 4 showing the figure and the carriage part, 11 is a frame, 12 is a flat platen provided on this frame 11, 13 is a guide rail arranged along the platen 12, and 14 is moved on this guide rail 12. 15 is a belt stretched along the guide rail 13; 16 is a carriage drive motor; the carriage drive motor moves the carriage 14 through the belt 15 in the six directions of the arrows and in this direction; The object is moved in the direction of arrow B, which is opposite to the direction of arrow B. 17 is a head support plate provided to move together with the carriage 14;
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the thermal head 18 is attached to the part on the platen 12 side, and the thermal head 18 is moved along the platen 12 in the six directions of arrows and in the direction of arrow B. It is designed so that it can be moved back and forth.

The head support plate 17 is always urged in a direction away from the platen 12 by a tension coil spring 19. 20 shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 is the platen 1.
This is a head support plate rotation control bar that is rotatably provided in the form shown in FIG. 2, and is slightly rotated from the position shown in FIG. Based on the head support plate 17, the tension coil spring 1
The thermal head 18 is rotated against the spring force of 9.
is pressed against a printing paper (not shown) on the front surface of the platen 12. In FIG. 3, 22 is a paper feed shaft, 23 is a manual paper feed knob, and 24 is a paper feed motor. here,
The thermal head 18 is energized for a time period corresponding to one line of printing when the thermal head 18 moves in any of the six directions of arrows and the direction of arrow B. 25 is carriage 1
As shown in FIG.
27 and a second reel 28, these reels 27
．． Between 28 and 28, an ink ribbon 29 which can be used repeatedly is provided so as to be transportable in the direction of arrow a and the direction indicated by the arrow. In the case of FIG. 7, an unused ink ribbon 29 is wound around the second reel 28, and after the ink ribbon 29 has been used the maximum number of times, it is finally transferred to the first reel 27. It is wound up at. Regarding the above, reference numeral 30 shown in FIG.
gears, these are connected to the shaft 3 at the bottom of the carriage 14.
3 and 34, respectively, and the shafts 33 and 34 are connected to the ink ribbon cassette 25, respectively.
It is adapted to engage with its first and second reels 27 and 28 when it is mounted. 35 is a rack arranged along the moving direction of the carriage 14, 36 is a first lever,
The first lever 36 is rotatably supported in the middle, and one end of the first lever 36 corresponds to the thermal head mounting portion 17a of the head support plate 17, and , one end of a second lever 37 is swingably supported on the other end. And this second lever 3
A pinion 38 is rotatably supported at the other end of the pinion 7 . The first lever 36 is always urged to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow by the spring 39, so that one end 36a of the first lever 36 is normally not attached to the head support plate 17 when the thermal head is mounted. When the head support plate 17 is rotated in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2, the first lever 36 is rotated in the direction of arrow C in FIG. As a result, the pinion 38 is moved in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2 and meshes with the rack 35. In this case, when the carriage 14 is moved in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2, the pinion 38 moves in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow A and meshes with the first gear 31 as shown in FIG. When the carriage 14 is moved in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2, it moves in the opposite direction and comes into mesh with the second gear 32 as shown in FIG.

Now, to explain the operation of the above configuration, let us now consider, for example, the length of the print data in each of the first to fifth lines, and therefore the length of the ink ribbon 29 used in each line, as shown in FIG. , Zl, X2, L3, L4,
15. The maximum number of times the ink ribbon 29 can be used is n, the used winding amount of the ink ribbon 29 is m, and the winding timing is every time two lines of printing are completed. Therefore, in this case, the above-mentioned used winding fim= (f l
/n) X2. As shown in FIG. 7, in the ink ribbon cassette 25, the first reel 27 should wind up the used side of the ink ribbon 29.
Further, the second reel 28 is for feeding out the unused side of the ink ribbon 29. In the state shown in FIG. 3, the head support plate 17 is rotated so that the thermal head 18 is pressed against the printing paper side, and the thermal head 18 is energized to generate heat, and the carriage 14 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow. Move in six directions. As a result, as shown in Figure 5,
The pinion 38 meshes with the rack 35 and the first gear 31, and the pinion 38 meshes with the carriage 1.
4 receives a rotational force from the rack 35 and rotates, and as a result, the first gear 31 is rotated in the direction of arrow a1 in FIG. 5, transporting the ink ribbon 29 in the direction of arrow a in FIG. When the carriage 14 prints in the six directions of the arrows, the ink ribbon 29 and the printing paper are controlled so that there is no relative movement. Then, when the first line is printed on the length Ll of the ink ribbon 29, the thermal head 18 is cut off, and the carriage 14 is moved roughly in the six directions of the arrows while the head support plate 17 remains in that state. The ink ribbon is moved a distance corresponding to the used winding length m, and as a result, the first gear 31 is rotated as it is in the direction of arrow a, and thus the two ink ribbons are moved by the length m in the direction of arrow a. In other words, the use start side of the ink ribbon 29 is wound up. After that, the head support plate 17 is rotated so that the thermal head 18 is separated from the printing paper, that is, the rotational drive for the first gear 31 is released, and the carriage 14 is moved to the second line to be printed. Move it to the rightmost printing start position. From this position, head support plate 17
is rotated so that the thermal head 18 comes into pressure contact with the printing paper, and the thermal head 18 is energized to generate heat.
Then, the carriage 14 is moved in the direction of arrow B.

As a result, the second gear 32 is now rotated in the direction of the arrow b1 as shown in FIG. 6, and as a result, the two ink ribbons are transferred in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Control is performed so that there is no relative movement between the printing paper and the ink ribbon 29 when the carriage 14 moves in the direction of arrow B. When the printing of the second line to be printed is completed in this manner, the carriage 14 is moved in the direction of the arrow 6 from the end position (left end in Figure 8), and the third line is printed in the same manner as the printing of the first line. Print the eyes. The above steps are repeated to print sequentially, and in this case, a length of m is wound up every time two lines of printing are completed.

In this way, according to this embodiment, since printing is performed in both directions of the carriage 14 in the six directions of the arrows and in the direction of the arrow B, the printing time can be shortened and there is no need to change the attachment of the ink ribbon cassette 25. You can get used to it. Moreover, in this case, the two used ends of the ink ribbons are wound up every time two lines of printing are completed, so the used part of the ink ribbon is simply printed on the ink ribbon the maximum number of times it can be used, and then the used part of the ink ribbon is rolled up. Unlike the case of winding up a printer, there is no need to count the number of prints, and there is no need to worry even if the printer's power is turned off. Therefore, the control circuit and control program can be easily simplified.

In particular, the ribbon transfer device 30 is
7 and 28, respectively; a rack 35 provided along the moving direction of the carriage 14; Since it is composed of a pinion 38 that rotates the first gear 31 during forward movement (when moving in the six directions of arrows) and rotates the second gear 32 during backward movement, there is no relative movement of the two ink ribbons. The motors for driving the reels 27 and 28 can be omitted both for controlling the ink ribbon 29 and for winding up the end of the ink ribbon 29 at the beginning of use, and therefore, it is possible to greatly reduce costs.

Next, FIG. 9 shows the winding mode in the second embodiment of the present invention. In this case, after moving the carriage 14 in the direction of arrow B and starting printing (printing on line L2), At the printing end position, the head support plate 17 is rotated so that the thermal head 18 is separated from the printing paper, that is, the pinion 38 is disengaged from the rack 35, and the carriage 14 is moved to the above-mentioned length. The thermal head 18 is moved in the direction of arrow B by m in the direction of arrow B, and at that moving position, the head support plate 17 is rotated so that the thermal head 18 comes into pressure contact with the printing paper, that is,
The pinion 38 meshes with the rack 35, and from that position, the carriage 14 is moved by a length m in the six directions of the arrows, thereby winding the ink ribbon 29 by a length m toward the end of use, where it is , the thermal head 18 is energized to generate heat, the carriage 14 is moved in the six directions of the arrows, and predetermined printing is performed.

Further, FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the winding of the length m is performed at the right end and left end of the printing at the time of arbitrary printing. .

Note that the above-described winding at the end of printing by moving the carriage 14 in the direction of the arrow is not limited to the first embodiment; for example, the engagement of the pinion 38 with the rack 35 may be released at the end of printing Let me go, carriage 1
4 is returned by the length m in the direction of the arrow B, the pinion 38 is engaged with the rack 35, and the carriage 14 is further moved in the direction of the arrow by the length m, thereby bringing the ink ribbon 29 to the use start end. The sides may be rolled up.

FIG. 11 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a carriage 39 is provided in a fixed state, only a thermal head 40 is provided movably, and the ribbon transfer device 30 is used as a ribbon transfer device. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a ribbon transport device (only a portion of which is shown) that is different from the first embodiment is provided. That is, the ribbon transport device in this embodiment is as follows:
A rotatable guide roller 41 provided to move integrally with the thermal head 40 and an ink ribbon cassette 25
'-1st') leaf 27 and second reel
) 28 and a motor (not shown) that controls the rotation of each of them. In the case of this embodiment, when the thermal head 40 moves in the direction of arrow A to print on printing paper, the first reel 27 is in a rotationally stopped state and the second reel 28 is in a freely rotating state. , the two ink ribbons are pulled out from the second reel 28 by a guide roller 41 that moves together with the thermal head 40, and are controlled so that there is no relative movement between the two ink ribbons and the printing paper,
Further, during printing when the thermal head 40 is moved in the direction of arrow B, the first reel 27 remains in a rotationally stopped state and the second reel 27 is moved in the direction of arrow B.
The reel 28 is rotationally driven by the second reel driving motor, and the two ink ribbons pulled out by the previous printing are wound up by the second reel 28.

In this embodiment as well, after printing one line, the motor for rotating the first reel 27 rotates the length m.
The minutes are wound up.

In each of the above embodiments, the end of the ink ribbon 29 at the beginning of use is wound up when two lines of printing are completed, but this may be done every time one line of printing is completed. , or every time printing of a plurality of lines other than two lines is completed.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments in any way, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, the present invention uses an ink ribbon cassette in which an ink ribbon that can be used repeatedly can be transferred between the first and second reels. The thermal head is capable of reciprocating along a platen and generates heat during forward and backward movement to print one line in the forward and backward directions on printing paper via the ink ribbon, and this thermal head. The ink ribbon is transported so that it does not move relative to the printing paper during printing by the head, and the ink ribbon is transported so as to wind up a small amount toward the end of use each time the printing path for one arbitrary line is completed. With this, it is possible to print in both directions, thereby eliminating the need for reversing the ink ribbon cassette and changing the attachment for that purpose, and also making it possible to print in both directions. It saves time, and since the used side of the ink ribbon can be wound up sequentially, there is no need to sequentially count the number of times the ink ribbon has been used, and there is no need to worry if the printer power is turned off. Therefore, it is possible to easily simplify the control circuit configuration and the control program, which is an excellent effect.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 8 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is a plan view of the main part, Fig. 2 is a vertical side view of the main part, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal side view of the main part.
The figure is a plan view of the main part of the printer, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the carriage part, FIGS. 5 and 6 are views corresponding to FIG. 1 for explaining the operation, FIG. 7 is a plan view of the ink ribbon cassette, and FIG.
The figure shows the ink ribbon winding mode. 9th
Figures to Figures 11 respectively show second to fourth embodiments of the present invention, Figures 9 and 10 are views corresponding to Figure 8, and Figures 11
The figure is a perspective view of the thermal head and carriage portion. FIG. 12 is a plan view of a carriage portion showing a conventional example. In the figure, 12 is a platen, 14 is a carriage, 17 is a head support plate, 18 is a thermal head, 21 is a head support plate rotation control bar, 25 is an ink ribbon cassette, 27 is a first reel, and 28 is a second reel. , 29 is an ink ribbon, 30 is a ribbon transport device, 31 is a first gear, 32 is a second gear, 35 is a rack, 38 is a pinion, 39 is a carriage, 40 is a thermal head, and 41 is a guide roller. Applicant Toshiba Corporation Toshiba Audio Co., Ltd. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 9 Figure 8
Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 '$12

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An ink ribbon cassette is used in which an ink ribbon that can be used repeatedly can be transferred between first and second reels, and the ink ribbon is reciprocated along a platen. A thermal head that is movable and generates heat during its forward and backward movements to print one line each in the forward and backward directions on printing paper via the ink ribbon, and when printing by this thermal head, the ink ribbon is transferred to the printing paper. A thermal transfer device comprising: a ribbon transfer device that transfers the ink ribbon so that there is no relative movement to the ink ribbon, and that transfers the ink ribbon so as to wind the ink ribbon by a small amount toward the end of use each time printing for one arbitrary line is completed; printer. 2. The ink ribbon cassette is provided on a carriage that moves together with the thermal head, and the ribbon transfer device includes first and second gears that are provided on this carriage and are engageable with the first and second reels; a rack provided along the moving direction of the carriage; and a rack provided on the carriage that meshes with the rack and is rotationally driven based on the movement of the carriage, rotating a first gear during forward movement and a second gear during backward movement. A thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, further comprising a pinion for rotating a gear. 3. The thermal transfer printer according to claim 2, wherein the ribbon transport device is configured to engage the pinion with the rack based on separating the thermal head from the printing paper.