JPS62162580A - Ribbon cartridge for printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate confirming the residual amount of a ribbon, by a construction wherein the degree of consumption of the ribbon is clearly indicated by different colors through inspection windows. CONSTITUTION:An upper casing 21 on the upper side of a pancake 33 on the payout side is provided with two inspection windows 34, 35 for checking the residual amount of a ribbon, the windows being provided in arcuate shapes along the paths of a payout core 31 and a pancake core 32 which are turned with a fixed shaft 24 as a center. the inspection windows 34, 35 are provided with window widths smaller than radial thicknesses (a), (b) of the package core 32 and the payout core 31, respectively. The windows 34, 35 are shifted to the left and right sides from each other, the window 34 being located on the inner side. The pancake 33, the pancake core 32 and the payout core 31 are provided with different colors, and the residual amount of the ribbon is confirmed based on the colors seen through the inspection windows.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical field The present invention relates to a printer that prints using a ribbon, such as a thermal transfer printer, a dot impact printer, or a digital impact printer, or a printing device such as a typewriter. The present invention relates to ribbon cartridges that are attached to and used in printers, and particularly relates to ribbon cartridges for thermal transfer ribbons and ink ribbons (one-time ribbons, multi-strike ribbons, etc.) that are wrapped and stored in a pancake-like manner on the feeding and winding sides.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, some ribbon cartridges of this type have a structure as shown in FIG. 4, in which a ribbon pancake is moved as the ribbon is wound. The ribbon cartridge shown in Fig. 4 has a fixed shaft (3) set up in the ribbon storage space (2) of the lower case (1), and a triangular arm-shaped swing plate (4) attached to the fixed shaft (3). The fixed shaft of the lever (3
), and the pancake (7) on the sending side and the winding side It rotatably supports the pancake (8). Therefore, when winding the ribbon (9), as the outer diameter of the pancake (8) on the winding side increases, the outer diameter of the pancake (7) on the sending side gradually decreases, and the swing plate (4) ) rotates counterclockwise in the figure against the biasing spring (10), and the two pancakes (7) and (8
) is stored in the ribbon storage space (2) in the ribbon cartridge. A pressing spring (11) attached to the fixed shaft (3) is pressed against the feeding core (5) to apply rotational load to the pancake (7) on the feeding side.

By the way, when this conventional ribbon cartridge is installed on the carriage of a printing device, it has a detection hole (1) that receives a sensor (12) for detecting the ribbon end.
3) is provided near the outlet (1a) of the lower case (1), and the ribbon end passing over the detection hole (13) is detected optically, for example, by a sensor (12).

However, this ribbon cartridge has a ribbon sensor (1
2) alone does not allow the operator to check the ribbon remaining amount in advance and know the ribbon replacement time. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a ribbon remaining amount display window (1) is installed in the upper case (14).
5) was designed to be opened.

However, in a structure where the ribbon remaining amount display window is simply opened, the color of the ribbon cartridge and the ribbon color are often black, so the remaining ribbon in the ribbon cartridge can be viewed through the ribbon remaining amount display window. There was a problem that it was difficult to confirm the amount.

Purpose Therefore, an object of the present invention is to rotate the swing plate so as to form a ribbon storage space corresponding to the outer diameter of the ribbon pancake, which changes as the ribbon is wound as described above. To provide a ribbon cartridge of a printing device which can be attached easily and has a simple structure and allows easy confirmation of the remaining amount of ribbon.

Therefore, the ribbon cartridge of the printing device of the present invention will be described with reference numerals used for corresponding parts in an embodiment to be described later. The ribbons (30
) Both pancakes (33) that change depending on the winding
(45) In the ribbon cartridge of a printing device, the swing plate (25) is rotatably mounted around a fixed shaft (24) so as to create a ribbon storage space (23) corresponding to the outer diameter of the ribbon cartridge. Both or either of the pancake core (32) and the core (31) is colored differently from the pancake (33), and the ribbon (3
The upper case (21) is provided with viewing windows (34) and (35) that sequentially show these colors as the core (31) is wound up.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment of the present invention shown in the drawings.

1 to 3 show a ribbon cartridge of the present invention, which is used, for example, in a Digiimpact printer. This ribbon cartridge is attached to the lower case (20
) is covered with an upper case (21), but in the drawing, most of the upper case (21) is not shown broken.

The lower case (20) is surrounded by a circumference N (22) and forms a ribbon storage space (23) inside. A fixed shaft (24) is erected at the negative corner of the ribbon storage space (23). A rocking plate (25) is attached to the fixed shaft (24) so as to be rotatable about the fixed shaft (24). Swing plate (2
5) has a triangular arm shape in the illustrated embodiment, and is provided with a cylindrical projection (26) and two shaft-shaped projections (27) and (28) at each vertex position on the front side. Then, the cylindrical projection (26) is fitted onto the fixed shaft (24), and the swing plate (25) is rotatably housed in the ribbon storage space (23). Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a biasing spring (29) is attached to the lower side of the lower case (2o) in the figure. This biasing spring (z9) presses its one end against the rocking plate (25) under the protrusion (27), giving it the habit of always rotating clockwise in the figure around the fixed shaft (24). .

Next, a delivery core (31) having a ribbon (30) wrapped around it in a pancake shape is rotatably fitted into one shaft-like projection (27) of the swing plate (25). As shown in Figure 1, the delivery core (31) is press-fitted into the pancake (32) on the outer periphery of the delivery core (31), and the delivery core (31) is press-fitted into the pancake (32) on the delivery side.
33).

By the way, the color of this pancake (33) on the sending side,
In other words, the color of the ribbon (30) and its pancake core (3)
2) and the delivery core (31) are each given a different color. For example, if the color of the ribbon (30), that is, the color of the pancake (33) is black, the pancake core (32) and delivery core (31) are colored yellow and red, respectively, correspondingly. These pancake cores (32)
The color of the delivery core (31) can be applied, for example, by painting the core in that color or pasting a sticker of the color on the top surface.

On the other hand, there are two ribbon remaining visibility windows (34) and (3) on the upper case (21) above the pancake (33) on the feeding side.
5) Open. The viewing windows (34) and (35) are formed in an arc shape along the movement locus of the delivery core (31) and pancake core (32), which rotate about the fixed shaft (24), respectively. And these viewing windows (34
) and (35) are the thickness dimensions (
Open the window width smaller than a) and (b). Moreover, the viewing windows (34) and (35) are arranged horizontally in FIG. 1, with the first viewing window (34) being provided on the inside.

In addition, a pressing spring (36) is wound around the outer periphery of the cylindrical projection (26) of the rocking plate (25), and one end of the pressing spring (36) is fed out and attached to the core (
A hook is fixed on the upper end of the pancake (31) to apply a load to the rotation of the pancake (33) on the delivery side.

Then, the ribbon (30) is fed out from the pancake (33) on the feeding side, and a plurality of rollers (37) and (3
8) and pull it out from the outlet (39). Furthermore, the ribbon (30) pulled out to the outside
After being used for printing, it is drawn into the interior through the collection port (40) again. The drawn ribbon (30) is guided by a plurality of rollers (41) and (42) to the winding core (
43).

The winding core (43) is rotatably fitted into the other shaft-like projection a (28). Then, the biasing spring (2
9) presses the outer periphery of the winding core (43) against the feed gear (44) with a larger urging force than the pressing spring (36). Although not shown, when this ribbon cartridge is mounted on the carriage of the printer main body, the feed gear (44) is connected to the ribbon feed motor via a gear train, and the rotation of the motor is transmitted. It is configured to rotate in the direction indicated by the middle arrow to feed the ribbon.

Now, when the ribbon cartridge shown in Figure 1 is installed on the carriage of the printer and printing is performed, the ribbon (3
0) are sent sequentially, and the pancake (43) on the winding side gradually becomes larger. Then, as shown in FIG.
The winding core (43
) is moved toward the center of the ribbon storage space (23), and the delivery core (31) is moved from the center toward the peripheral wall (22). Therefore, even if the ribbon (30) is wound up and its outer diameter increases, the pancake (45)
It fits into the wide storage space (23) of this ribbon cartridge. On the other hand, since the outer diameter of the pancake (33) on the delivery side gradually decreases, even if it approaches the peripheral wall (22), it will be sufficiently accommodated in the storage space near the peripheral wall (22). Then, before long, the entire ribbon (30) is wound around the winding core (43).

The state shown in FIG. 3 is reached.

Therefore, the winding process of such a ribbon (30) is as follows.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 in stages of the initial, middle, and final stages of winding, the winding can be seen through the viewing windows (34) and (35). That is, at the initial stage of winding, as shown in FIG.
Since only the black color, that is, the pancake (33) is visible from 35), this indicates that there is sufficient ribbon remaining. Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the winding progresses further and the yellow or pancake core (3
2) begins to appear, indicating that the ribbon is in the middle of winding. Then, as shown in Figure 3, the second
The red color from the viewing window (35) of the feeding core (31)
When the ribbon starts to appear, this indicates that the winding has reached the final stage and the amount of ribbon remaining is decreasing.

Now, in the illustrated embodiment described above, the viewing window (
34) and (35) were opened to check the remaining amount of ribbon on the feeding side. However, the ribbon cartridge of the present invention has a structure in which a similar viewing window is formed in the upper case above the pancake on the winding side, and the amount of ribbon taken up is shown through the viewing window, and the remaining amount of ribbon is confirmed based on the viewing window. Good too. In this case, open a viewing window along the moving trajectory of the winding core, paint the winding pancake, its pancake core, and the winding core with different colors, and use the colors seen through the viewing window as a guide to determine the amount of ribbon remaining. It recognizes that.

Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the upper case (21) has two viewing windows, but three or more viewing windows may be opened, and one viewing window can be used to identify the color and determine the amount of ribbon remaining. You can also check.

Note that the colors of the ribbon pancake, the pancake core, and the core are not limited to the above-mentioned colors as long as they are easily distinguishable from each other.

Effects According to the present invention, the amount of ribbon remaining can be easily checked without adding any complicated structure because the amount of ribbon reduction is clearly shown in different colors through the viewing window. .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figures 1 to 3 are plan views showing a ribbon cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention with a part of the case cut away. 2 shows the early stage of ribbon winding, FIG. 2 shows the middle stage of ribbon winding, and FIG. 3 shows the final stage of winding. Figures 4 and 5 show a conventional ribbon cartridge, of which Figure 4 is a partially cutaway plan view of the upper case, and Figure 5 is the center of the pancake on the delivery side in Figure 4. FIG.

Claims (1)

[Claims] The pancakes on the feeding side and the winding side of the ribbon are rotatably supported by cores on the same rocking plate via the pancake core, and the outer diameter of both pancakes changes as the ribbon is wound. In a ribbon cartridge of a printing device in which the swing plate is rotatably mounted around a fixed shaft so as to create a corresponding ribbon storage space, the pancake core and/or the core are provided with the pancake core and/or the pancake core. A ribbon cartridge for a printing device, which is provided with a color different from that of a cake, and has a viewing window formed in an upper case along the movement trajectory of the core to show these colors sequentially as the ribbon is wound.