JPS62189185A - Thermal transfer type printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To keep the surface of a thermal head clean and enable an appropriate printed image quality to be maintaining, by providing a head-cleaning vibratory element for cleaning a printing head by making contact with the latter, and bringing the element into contact with the head and horizontally vibrating the element, immediately before starting printing. CONSTITUTION:A thermal head 3 comprises a thermal head element 3a, while a head-cleaning vibratory element 4 mounted on a carriage 1 and horizontally vibrated in contact with the head 3 comprises a cleaning member 4 at a tip part thereof, and is supported by a supported rod 5 connected to an oscillator and moved in conjunction with the motion of the oscillator. After printing is finished, the thermal head 3 and an ink ribbon 2 are retracted by predetermined distances from a paper, and when they are returned to a printing-starting point, the vibratory element 4 is moved by an electrical signal to make contact with the entire surface of the head element 3a while displacing the ink ribbon 2 out of the way by an ink ribbon displacing mechanism. The vibratory element 4 is horizontally vibrated by the oscillator, whereby color forming printing components or a tape member adhered to the head element 3a is removed.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Applications] The invention of B relates to a thermal transfer printer that can always obtain high-quality prints by preventing deterioration in print quality caused by head contamination. .

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, thermal transfer printers have two types: one in which the surface of a heating element is brought into direct contact with the surface of thermal paper, and colored printing is performed on the thermal paper; There are types of heat-sensitive tape that print by transferring the crystalline melting material on the surface of the printing paper to the surface of the printing paper, but in all types, the surface of the heat-generating element is used as a printing component for color printing or as a part of the tape member. As a result of contamination due to heat from the heat-generating head or adhesion of dust, etc., a sufficient amount of heat is not transferred to the surface of the thermal paper or the heat-melting ink ribbon, resulting in unclear characters and images being printed. Conventionally, to solve this problem, the dirt could be removed by replacing the print head at an appropriate time, polishing the surface of the heating element, or cleaning it with a solvent such as alcohol.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a carriage of a conventional serial running type thermal transfer printer. In FIG. 3, A1 is a carriage, 2 is an ink ribbon, 3 is a heat generating head, and 3a is a heat generating head element. Generally, images printed using this carriage are printed only in the right direction, and when returning, the heating head moves backward and returns to the start of printing. This is done every time there is a line break.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention 3] The above methods require constant observation of the printing condition, and require unnecessarily rapid replacement or polishing and cleaning operations, and are by no means desirable. do not have.

In addition, methods to use cleaning tape and spraying high-pressure gas have been proposed as methods to prevent the deterioration of printed image quality due to such heat-generating head contamination. Problems remain, such as complexity and short cleaning tape replacement time.

This invention focuses on the fact that in such situations, dirt on the surface of the heat generating head lowers the efficiency of heat transfer and degrades the quality of printed images, and the present invention constantly cleans the surface of the heat generating head.
The present invention provides a thermal transfer printer equipped with a thermal head cleaning mechanism that can maintain a proper printed image state.

[Means for solving problems]

The thermal transfer printer according to the invention of B is equipped with a head cleaning vibrator that comes into contact with the print head to clean the head.

[Effect]

In the invention of B, the head cleaning vibrator comes into contact with the print head immediately before starting printing and vibrates horizontally, thereby removing contamination from the head surface and cleaning it.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows the contact relationship between the heat-generating head mounting carriage of the serial running blade-multi printer and the head cleaning vibrator, and Figure 2 shows the contact relationship between the heat-generating head, heating element, and head cleaning vibrator. It shows. 1 and 2, 1 is a carriage, 2 is an ink ribbon, 3 is a heat generating head, 3LL is a heat generating head element, and 4 is a head mounted on the carriage 1 and horizontally vibrating in contact with the heat generating head. A cleaning vibrator having a cleaning member 4a at the tip,
It is supported by a support rod 5 that is connected to and interlocks with the oscillator.

Next, its operation will be explained. When you finish printing the image,
When the heating head 3 and the ink ribbon 2 are retreated from the paper by a predetermined distance and returned to the printing starting point, the vibrator 4 receives an electric signal and removes the ink ribbon 2 by the action of an ink ribbon removal mechanism (not shown). It moves so as to come into contact with the entire surface of the heat generating head element 3a. The vibrator 4 is then horizontally vibrated by the vibrator, and the T-th printing component or tape member of the colored print adhering to the heating head element 3a is removed. Note that the pressing force of the vibrator 4 against the heat generating head 3 may be about the same as a contact force. Furthermore, the vibrator may be moved either upwardly or downwardly.

In addition, the oscillator may be an electromagnetic type or a piezoelectric element.
Any of these may be used. Note that the cleaning member 4a of the vibrator 4
is made of felt made of natural fibers, synthetic fibers, etc., or nonwoven fabric made of synthetic fibers, and this cleaning member 4a can be replaced at any time by the connection part 6 of the support rod 5 depending on the degree of contamination.

Note that the head cleaning by the head cleaning vibrator 4 is performed every time a printed image is line-feeded or periodically. The frequency of the vibrator is 3.000~a, ooo times/min, and the amplitude is 02~1. Omm is appropriate.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the present invention uses a mechanical method to easily remove the deterioration in printed image quality due to ink material or other contamination on the surface of the heating element, and has the effect of always providing a stable printed image.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a carriage section showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of its head section, and FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a conventional device. In the figure, 1 is a carriage, 2 is an ink ribbon, 3 is a heating head, 3a is a heating head element, 4 is a head cleaning vibrator, 4a is a cleaning member, and 5 is a support rod. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a thermal transfer printer that prints predetermined characters or codes by bringing the surface of the heating element provided in the print head into contact with printing paper or direct thermal paper via a thermofusible tape, the entire surface of the heating element of the head is used. A thermal transfer printer, characterized in that a vibrator having a cleaning member that vibrates horizontally in contact with the head is mounted on a carriage, and is configured to clean the head by contacting the head at each line feed of a printed image or periodically. . (2) The thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein the vibrator cleaning member is made of felt made of natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or nonwoven fabric made of synthetic fibers.