JPS6166677A - Carriage driving mechanism for printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To decrease the load of a motor by making a release condition of a clutch when a skip return of a carriage is displaced with the clutch is disposed between the carriage driving means (motor) and a flywheel or a friction providing means. CONSTITUTION:A carriage 3 is driven for scanning the left and right directions through a timing belt 7 disposed between a pulley 5 and a driven pulley 6 by a motor 4, with a printing head 2 is mounted on the carriage 3 scanning along a platen 1. A flywheel 9 is connected through an electromagnet clutch 8 to a shaft of the motor 4 on an opposite side of the motor pulley 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a drive mechanism for a carriage of a printer that prints image data.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in printers, flywheels or friction providing means with large inertia have been used to reduce carriage speed fluctuations during printing and stabilize running, and to reduce noise caused by carriage movement. Measures are being taken such as adding a mechanism that applies torque or tension through friction.

[Problems to be solved]

In the conventional mechanism, when skipping a space without image data at 5 speeds or when trying to increase the speed of carriage return, the inertia of the flywheel is Otherwise, the friction load of the friction mechanism is a factor that prevents the carriage from moving at high speeds), and the carriage cannot be moved at high speed, resulting in a time loss.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention has solved the above-mentioned problems, and provides a printer that supports printing paper on a platen and prints on the printing paper while moving a carriage on which a print head is mounted along the platen. , between a drive means for driving the carriage and a flywheel or friction providing means connected to the drive means to stabilize the movement of the carriage;
A clutch is provided to switch the connection between on and off states.

That is, the present invention disposes a clutch between the carriage drive means (motor) and the flywheel or friction providing means,
During normal printing, the clutch is engaged (closed) to move the carriage stably for good printing, and when the carriage skips or returns, the clutch is disengaged (released) to provide friction between the motor and flywheel. The load on the motor is reduced by releasing the connection with the means, and the carriage can be moved at high speed, eliminating time loss and improving operability.

〔Example〕

Next, one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the main parts of the printer to which an embodiment of the carriage drive mechanism of the printer according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main parts of the printer to which another embodiment of the above mechanism is applied. 3 are diagrams showing the operation sequence of the printer.

In Figure 1, l is a platen, printing paper (not shown) tl
- Carry out shifting operations by supporting and rotating. Reference numeral 2 denotes a head that performs printing in accordance with a drive signal corresponding to image data, and is placed on a carriage 3 that scans along the platen 1.

A motor 4 causes the carriage 3 to scan left and right via a timing belt 7 passed between a motor pulley 5 and a driven pulley 6. On the other hand, a flywheel 9 is connected to the shaft of the motor 4 via an electromagnetic clutch 8 on the opposite side of the motor boot 050.

Next, the operation will be explained with reference to FIG. In the initial state of printing start, the electromagnetic clutch 8 is excited and the clutch is engaged, and after tx, the carriage 3 starts to accelerate.

After tl after the acceleration starts, the carriage 3 becomes constant speed), and after ta when the speed becomes sufficiently stable, the head 2 moves according to the image data.
The drive signal starts printing. If there is a blank space longer than a certain distance in the image data, the electromagnetic clutch 8 is turned off and the clutch is released immediately after the last printing.
After 4, the carriage 3 begins to accelerate for high-speed skipping. At this time, the load inertia of the carriage system is reduced by the inertia of the flywheel 9, making it possible to increase the speed.

The electromagnetic clutch 8 is energized again when the carriage 3 finishes its high-speed skip and is being decelerated to a speed for printing again. The reason why the electromagnetic clutch 8 is excited when the carriage 3 decelerates is to reduce the load when the clutch is applied to the carriage 3.
This is because it is absorbed by the inertia of After the carriage 3 returns to the printing speed and the speed becomes sufficiently stable (ta), printing is started again.

When all the image data of one line has been printed, the electromagnetic clutch 8 is turned off immediately after the last printing, and after t4 when the clutch is fully released, the carriage 3 starts its return operation. The return at this time can also be made faster for the same reason as the step. Platen 1 during carriage return or after carriage return
) A line feed is performed (not shown in the operation sequence of FIG. 3), and the process returns to the initial state of starting printing again.

The flywheel 9 shown in FIG. 1 is not limited to this, and may be replaced with a mechanism that applies torque or tension by friction as shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, a mechanism for generating friction torque including a friction pulley 0, a friction belt 11, and a spring 12 is connected to the motor 4 via an electromagnetic clutch 8.

Up to now, the case where the electromagnetic clutch 8 is used as a clutch has been described, but a one-way clutch can also be used in a printer that performs only one-way printing, such as a thermal transfer printer. In this case, the one-way clutch is locked in the forward direction in which printing is performed, and the flywheel or friction load is connected. When returning in the opposite direction, the one-way clutch idles and the flywheel or friction load is released, allowing higher speeds.

Further, the flywheel or a mechanism for applying frictional torque or tension may be provided in the pulled pulley 6 or other location without being connected to the motor shaft.

According to the above configuration, when the carriage 3 skips or returns, the clutch releases the load on the carrier drive system of the shift flywheel 9 or the friction providing means (mechanisms to, 11, 12 that apply torque or tension due to friction). Thus, the movement of the carriage 3 can be increased.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention disposes a clutch between the carriage driving means (motor) and the flywheel or friction providing means, and during normal printing, the clutch is turned on (closed) to stably move the carriage. In addition, when the carriage skips or returns, the clutch is disengaged (released) to disconnect the motor from the flywheel or friction providing means, reducing the load on the motor and allowing the carriage to move at high speed. Being movable eliminates time loss and improves operability.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the main parts of the printer to which an embodiment of the carriage drive mechanism of the printer according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main parts of the printer to which another embodiment of the above mechanism is applied. 3 are diagrams showing the operation sequence of the printer.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a printer that supports print paper on a platen and prints on the print paper while moving a carriage on which a print head is mounted along the platen, a drive means for driving the carriage and a drive means connected to the drive means. 1. A carriage drive mechanism for a printer, characterized in that a clutch is disposed between a flywheel or friction providing means for stabilizing movement of the carriage and for switching the connection into and out.