JPS63182178A - Dot impact printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obviate defective printing or troubles and enhance reliability, by providing a feeding condition detecting part tor detecting a positional deviation of an ink ribbon from a normal feeding passage. CONSTITUTION:Ink ribbon feeding condition detecting parts 5a, 5b each of which comprises a photoelectric element or the like capable of detecting the presence or absence of a material through interception of light are provided. When a printing head 1 is moved in the direction of an arrow A, an ink ribbon 2 is fed in the same direction as the moving direction of the head 1 at a velocity lower than the velocity of the head 1 in the direction of an arrow C, and when the head 1 is fed in the direction of an arrow B, the feeding of the ribbon 2 is stopped. When a dot printing element is caught by the ribbon 2, the ribbon 2 slackens in the direction of movement of the head 1, and the detecting parts 5-b, 5-a detect the abnormal condition of the ribbon 2, whereby the operation of the head 1 is stopped, and defective printing or troubles are obviated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a dot impact printer, and more particularly to a means for detecting the running state of an ink ribbon.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, this type of dot impact printer has a print head having a plurality of dot printing elements that can impact the print paper in order to record information on the print paper, and a print head between the print paper and the print head. The ink ribbon has a structure that allows the ink contained inside to adhere to the print paper due to the impact force, and the ink contained in the ink ribbon in a short period of time when the impact force of the print head is applied at the same location. In order to prevent the information from becoming unclear due to a decrease in the amount of information, the ink ribbon drive unit is configured to run the ink ribbon.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the conventional dot impact printer mentioned above, the dot printing element may remain protruding due to a defect in the print head drive circuit, or the residual magnetic flux may increase due to wear of the magnetic circuit due to long-term use of the printing head. Since the printing element remains in the protruding state for a long time, there is no means for detecting the running state of the ink ribbon even if the dot printing element becomes caught in the ink ribbon.
As the ink ribbon continues to run, the dot printing element of the print head may bend, or the ink ribbon may be abnormally pulled out from inside the ribbon cassette and become entangled with the drive part, resulting in poor printing or failure.

[Means for solving problems]

The dot impact printer of the present invention has an ink ribbon running state detection section that can detect whether the ink ribbon is on a normal running path.

〔Example〕

Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. There is a print head 1 having a plurality of dot printing elements capable of applying an impact to the print paper in order to record information on the print paper, and a @ of the print head 1 located between the print head l and the print paper (not shown). an ink ribbon 2 having a structure that allows the ink contained inside the ribbon to adhere to the printing paper due to impact force;
The ink cartridge is composed of a ribbon cassette 3 for storing the ink ribbon 2, an ink ribbon drive section 4 which is a drive source for running the ink ribbon 2, and a photoelectric element that can detect the presence or absence of a substance by cutting off light. It is composed of ribbon running state detection sections 5-a and 5-b.

Normally, in a dot impact printer that is used with the ribbon cassette 3 fixed as shown in FIG. The ink ribbon 2 travels in the same direction as the arrow (2) at a slower speed than the print head 1, and stops traveling when the print head 1 is conveyed in the arrow (2) direction.

If the dot printing element of the print head 1 remains in the protruding state or remains in the protruding state for a long time,
If the dot printing element gets caught on the ink ribbon 2,
When the print head l is conveying in the direction of the arrow ■, the traveling speed of the ink ribbon 20 is slower than the conveying speed of the print head 1, so the ink ribbon 2 in the direction in which the print head 1 is conveyed becomes slack, and the ink is Ribbon running status detection unit■
5-b detects that the ink ribbon 2 is not in the normal state, and when the print head 1 is being transported in the direction of arrow ■ (C, the ink ribbon 2 is not traveling, so the print head 1 is not being transported. The ink ribbon 2 in the forward direction becomes slack, and the ink ribbon running state detection section 5-a detects that the ink ribbon 2 is not in a normal state. 5-a,
5-b detects this, it becomes possible to stop the operation of the print head 1.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention provides an ink ribbon running state detection unit that can detect when the dot printing element of the print head is caught on the ink ribbon and the ink ribbon has deviated from the normal running path. It is possible to avoid printing defects and failures due to elements being caught in the ink ribbon, and there is an effect that a highly reliable dot impact printer can be provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the ink ribbon drive section of the dot impact printer of the present invention. 1... Print head, 2... Ink ribbon, 3... Ribbon cassette, 4... Ink ribbon drive unit, 5-a... - Ink ribbon running state detection section ■, 5-b... Ink ribbon running state detection section ■. , -ノ

Claims (1)

[Claims] A dot impact printer that has a detection unit that can detect when the running state of the ink ribbon deviates from the normal running path.