JPS613768A - Electronic typewriter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To permit high-speed printing to be performed without the use of high- performance motors by using a system in which a type wheel has the first position kept at a given distance from a platen and the second position close to the platen. CONSTITUTION:A pin 29 fixed to a hammer supporting plate is fitted into a long hole 27a provided in a motor supporting plate 27 which is supported in such a way as to enable it to move toward the horizontal direction. When a switch lever 25 is operated, an eccentric pipe 24 is turned and the plate 27 is moved to the direction of the platen 10 by as much a distance as the biased amount of the pipe 24. When the distance between the platen 10 and the type is lessened and the distance between the printing hammer 19 and the type is increased, the time of contact between the hammer 19 and the type wheel 18 becomes shorter. Therefore, printing speeds can be speeded up.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Industrial applications The present invention relates to an electronic typewriter.

Conventional configuration and problems In recent years, electronic typewriters have not only functioned as typewriters, but also have built-in memory and can function as word processors, and can be connected online to computers and communication devices to serve as terminals. They have functions such as containers, and there is a growing demand for higher speeds.

In electronic typewriters that print while moving a carriage equipped with a printing mechanism such as a type wheel or a printing hammer in the printing line direction, the carriage is moved and stopped every time one character is printed. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the operation. At the same time as the carriage starts moving, the type wheel also rotates and begins selecting type. When moving the carriage, the deceleration time is set longer than the acceleration time in order to maintain the positioning accuracy necessary for erasing printed characters. When both the carriage and the type wheel stop, the print hammer operates to print. A predetermined time t has elapsed since the printing hammer started operating. After the period has elapsed, the carriage and type wheel begin to move and print the next character. The operation time of the printing hammer is set to a long time for safety, taking into account the rebound of the hammer.

However, if the printing hammer operates after both the carriage and the type wheel have stopped, the printing time becomes longer, and the mechanism and current control become complicated in order to suppress the rebound of the hammer. . In addition, if the carriage is stopped for each print and the deceleration time is set longer than the acceleration time, the motor that drives the carriage will require a large amount of power, and this will cause problems such as when outputting to a word processor or terminal device that requires high speed. In this case, a very high-performance motor is required, which significantly increases costs. Moreover, when such high speed is required, power is wasted to maintain positioning accuracy, even though erasing is hardly necessary, resulting in inefficiency. Furthermore, if the same characters are printed continuously or the type selection time is short, the operating rate of the motor that drives the type wheel will be low and the motor cannot be used efficiently, making it difficult to use as a word processor or terminal device. A design that satisfies the required printing speed has problems such as excessive quality when printing while inputting from a keyboard.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive electronic typewriter that enables high-speed printing without using a high-performance motor for driving the carriage.

Structure of the Invention The present invention provides a carriage movable along a platen holding printing paper, a carriage drive means for moving the carriage, a type wheel rotatably mounted on the carriage, and a type wheel rotatably mounted on the carriage. a printing hammer for hitting the printing paper with type selected for printing on the paper; a wheel drive motor disposed on the carriage for rotationally driving the printing wheel; the carriage driving means; and the printing hammer. A control means for controlling the wheel drive motor is provided, and a first position of the type wheel is such that the type wheel maintains a predetermined distance from the platen and characters printed on the printing paper are visible. , when the type wheel is moved closer to the platen by the predetermined distance and set to the second position, the print hammer remains fixed to the carriage and does not move, and the wheel drive motor is moved to move the type wheel to the platen. It consists of a mechanism for moving the type wheel from a first position (second position) to a second position (first position).

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main mechanical parts of an electronic typewriter according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 2, 1o
is a platen that holds printing paper. Guide rod 1
1.12 is parallel to the platen 10, and both ends thereof are fixed to side plates 13 and 14. Guide rod 11.1
A carriage 16 is movably supported on 2.

The carriage 15 is moved left and right via a wire 17 by rotation of a pulley 16 fixed to a carriage drive motor (not shown).

The carriage 15 comprises a type wheel 1 having a number of radially extending spokes each having a type at its tip.
8, a wheel motor (described later) that rotates the type wheel 18 and selects the type to be printed, and a printing hammer 19 that hits the print onto the printing paper.

In the first mode, as shown in FIG. 1, the carriage 15 starts and stops each time one character is printed, similar to a conventional electronic typewriter. In the second mode, printing is performed while the carriage 15 is being fed at a constant speed without stopping, or printing is performed while the carriage 15 is stopped, depending on the character selection time.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation in the second mode. When the character selection time is short, the carriage 16 is sent at a constant speed, and the carriage 15 passes a predetermined position in front of the printing position. At this time, the operation of the printing hammer 19 is started. When the printing hammer 19 hits the type against the platen 1o, the carriage 16 passes through the printing position. After a predetermined time t has elapsed from the start of the operation of the printing hammer 19, the type wheel 18 starts rotating, and the type to be printed next is selected. When the selected pitch is larger than a predetermined amount and character selection takes a long time, the carriage 16 stops and waits at the printing position, and after the character selection is completed, the printing hammer 19 is operated.

As will be explained in detail later, the predetermined time t1 is set shorter than the operation time of the printing hammer 19, and the operation of the printing hammer 19 overlaps with other operations.

In the second mode, less power is required for the motor driving the carriage because the carriage 16 is started and stopped less frequently. Therefore, the printing speed can be set faster even with the same motor power as in the first mode.

A typical electronic typewriter maintains a distance between the platen 10 and the type. This is to make it possible to check the printed characters.In the first mode, which is input from the keyboard, it is necessary to be able to check the printed characters, but when outputting from a word processor or terminal device, it is necessary to check the printed characters while printing. There is no need to check the printed characters, so the second
In this mode, the distance between the platen 1o and the type may be small. As the distance between the platen 10 and the type decreases and the distance between the print hammer 19 and the type increases, the time during which the print hammer 19 is in contact with the type wheel 18 decreases, thereby reducing the rotational movement of the type wheel 18. This makes it possible to overlap the operations of the printing hammer 19 and the printing hammer 19, and since the distance between the printing hammer 19 and the type increases, it is no longer affected by the rebound of the printing hammer 19, and the printing speed can be increased.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the carriage 15 viewed from the platen 10, and FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view. A guide vibe 22 having a bearing 21 press-fitted therein is fixed to the carriage substrate 20, and can freely move on the guide rod 11. The guide vibe 22 has a printing hammer 19
A hammer support plate 23 for fixing is rotatably held.

The hammer support plate 23 is held at a fixed position relative to the carriage substrate 20, but when the type wheel 18 is replaced, it rotates so that the type wheel 18 is moved upward to facilitate replacement. Further, an eccentric pipe 24 is rotatably provided in the guide pipe 22 between hammer support plates 230. A gear part 241L is provided at one end of the eccentric pipe 24, and a gear part 25 provided on the switching lever 25
It meshes with &. A motor support plate 27 to which the indicating motor 26 is fixed is arranged on the eccentric pipe 24.

FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a mechanism for moving the type wheel 18 toward the platen 10.

A pin 29 fixed to the hammer support plate 23 is fitted into a long hole 27a provided in the motor support plate 27.
The motor support plate 27 is supported so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. By operating the switching lever 25, the eccentric pipe 24 is rotated, and the motor support plate 27 is moved in the direction of the platen 1o by the amount of eccentricity of the eccentric pipe 24. When the switching lever 26 is in the position shown in FIG. 6(b), the switch 28 is turned on to send a signal to the control section (not shown), and the control section (not shown) is in the first mode. judge things.

When the distance between the type and the platen 1o changes, the way the spokes of the type wheel 18 bend changes, and the type moves closer to the platen 1.
In order to change the angle that hits zero, it is necessary to move the type wheel 18 in the vertical direction as well. By appropriately setting the eccentricity and rotation angle of the eccentric pipe 24, the type wheel 18 can be moved back and forth with respect to the platen 1o, and at the same time,
The type wheel 18 can also move in the vertical direction to maintain the positional relationship between the type and the platen 1Q.

FIG. 7 shows an electronic typewriter according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view showing a part of the mechanism, and FIG. 8 is a side view. This will be explained below, but the same reference numerals will be given to those having the same functions as those in the above-mentioned embodiment, and redundant explanation will be omitted here. In Figure 7,
The guide rod 11 is provided with a groove 11b in the axial direction. The pin 3o fixed to the eccentric pipe 24 has one end in the groove 1.
1b so as to be movable. The guide pipe 22 is provided with a long length 22a in the circumferential direction, and the eccentric pipe 2
4 can be rotated freely. A fan-shaped gear 31 is fixed to one end of the guide rod 11 as shown in FIG. 8, and rotation of a gear 330 fixed to a stepping motor 32 is transmitted via an intermediate gear 34. The amount of rotation of the gear 31 is limited by a stop pin 36. When the mode is switched, the stepping motor 32 rotates in response to a signal from a control section (not shown) and rotates the guide rod 11. Guide rod 11
When this rotates, the eccentric pipe 24 is rotated by the pin 30 fitted in the groove 11b. When the eccentric pipe 24 rotates, the motor support plate 27 moves in the direction of the platen 10 similarly to the previous embodiment.

As described above, according to the present invention, an electronic typewriter that is equipped with an internal memory and has functions as a word processor, and functions as a terminal when connected online to a computer or a communication device, can be used as an electronic typewriter. - When used as a printer, the positioning accuracy of the carriage that can erase printed characters can be ensured, and when used as a word processor, processor, or terminal device, high-speed printing is possible even when using the same printing hammer and motor as before. It becomes possible.

Although a disc-shaped type wheel is used in the present invention, the same effect can be achieved even if a cup-shaped type wheel is used. Furthermore, although the type wheel is moved by operating the switching lever, the type wheel may be moved by rotating the eccentric pipe using a motor or solenoid that is driven by a signal from the control section.

Furthermore, the carriage equipped with the printing mechanism moves along the platen, but even if the printing mechanism is fixed to the main body and the platen moves for each print, the movement of the platen will be the same as in this example. A similar effect can be obtained by controlling.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above explanation, the present invention makes it possible to speed up printing by bringing the type closer to the platen, and by devising control of the carriage and printing hammer, the motor that drives the carriage can be It is possible to provide an electronic typewriter capable of high-speed printing without using a high-performance typewriter.

[Brief Description of the Drawings] Fig. 1 is a diagram explaining the operation of a conventional electronic typewriter, and Fig. 2 is an illustration of an electronic typewriter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram explaining the operation of the electronic typewriter in the same embodiment, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the carriage in the same embodiment as seen from the platen, and FIG. 6 (a)
) and (b) are side views for explaining the mechanism of the carriage in the same embodiment, FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view showing two parts of the mechanism of an electronic typewriter according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a side view of the mechanism of the electronic typewriter in the same embodiment. 10...Platen, 11.12...Guide rod, 15...Carriage, 18...
Type wheel, 19... Printing hammer, 22...
...Guide pipe, 24 ...Eccentric pipe, 2
5...Switching lever, 26...Motor for driving type, 27...Motor support plate, 32...
...Stemping motor. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person No. 3
Figure 4 Figure 5rIA Figure 6

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A carriage that can move along a platen that holds printing paper, a carriage drive means for moving the carriage, a type wheel rotatably mounted on the carriage, and a type wheel that prints on the printing paper. a printing hammer that strikes the printing type selected for printing on the printing paper; a wheel drive motor that is disposed on the carriage and rotationally drives the printing wheel; a carriage driving means, the printing hammer, and the wheel drive motor; a first position in which the type wheel maintains a predetermined distance from the platen;
When the second position is a position where the type wheel is closer to the platen than the predetermined distance, the print hammer remains fixed to the carriage and does not move, and the wheel drive motor is moved to move the type wheel. The first
An electronic typewriter characterized by having a mechanism for moving from a position (second position) to a second position (first position). (2) The first step is to stop the carriage for each print and print.
mode, and a second mode in which printing is performed while the carriage is fed at a constant speed without stopping, or printing is performed with the carriage stopped, depending on the type selection time, and the second mode is When the type wheel is
Claim No. (1) characterized in that the position is
Electronic typewriter as described in section. (3) The main body has a memory or a connection function with an external device, and when inputting from the keyboard, prints in the first mode, and when outputting information from the memory or the external device, prints in the second mode. An electronic typewriter according to claim 2, characterized in that the electronic typewriter prints in this mode. (4) A motor support member supporting the wheel drive motor is supported by the carriage by an eccentric shaft, and the rotation of the eccentric shaft moves the wheel drive motor and the type wheel from a first position (second position) to a second position. (the first position).
The electronic typewriter described in section 1). (5) The eccentric shaft has a cylindrical shape with eccentric outer and inner circumferences,
A motor support member is arranged on the outer periphery of the eccentric shaft, and a cylindrical bearing member is arranged on the inner periphery of the eccentric shaft to hold the carriage so that it can freely move on the guide. An electronic typewriter according to claim (4).