JPS63237979A - Ink ribbon cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To apply a tension to an ink ribbon through a simple construction by providing a tension-applying means for applying a tension to the ink ribbon through being moved in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the ribbon, at a central part between a pair of left and right head-inserting parts. CONSTITUTION:A slider 50 and a spring 56 constituting a tension-applying means for preventing an ink ribbon 29 from slacking apply a tension to the ink ribbon 29 in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the ribbon 29 in the vicinity of thermal heads. Therefore, a uniform tension can be obtained irrespective of whether the face side or the back side is directed in a predetermined direction, and favorable printing with no slacking of the ribbon can be constantly performed. The single tension-applying means comprising the slider 50 and the spring 56 can cope with both of ink ribbon feeding in one direction and ink ribbon feeding in the other direction, so that there is no need for providing the tension-applying means for each of the feeding directions of the ribbon, and accordingly, a simpler construction is ensured.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an ink ribbon cartridge suitable for use in a computer printer.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention provides an ink ribbon cartridge suitable for use in computer printers, including a pair of head insertion portions provided on the left and right sides, and a center portion located between the pair of head insertion portions in a direction perpendicular to the running direction of the ink ribbon. By having a tension applying means that moves and applies tension to the ink IJ, Y, a constant tension is always applied to the ink ribbon regardless of the running direction of the ink ribbon.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, thermal printers have been proposed as printers for use in computer devices such as small word processors. This thermal printer prints by placing an ink-coated ink ribbon between a thermal head and a recording paper, and using heat generated by the thermal head to transfer the ink from the ink ribbon onto the recording paper.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of this thermal printer. In the figure, (1) shows the entire printer, and this printer (1) has a recording paper (3) attached to the circumference of a platen (2). ing. A carriage (4) is arranged close to the platen (2). This carriage (4) is movable left and right by being driven by a timing belt (5). A thermal head 6) is attached to this carriage (4) so that it can come into contact with the recording paper (3), and an ink ribbon cartridge (
The ink ribbon (8) pulled out from the force is placed between the recording paper (3) and the thermal head (6).

After arranging the ink ribbon (8) in this manner, while moving the ink ribbon (8) and moving the carriage (4) left and right, the ink ribbon (8) is attached to the recording paper (31) using the thermal head (6).
The ink is transferred to print characters, etc.

In this way, the ink ribbon normally used in thermal printers is housed in an ink ribbon cartridge. By storing the ink ribbon in the ink ribbon cartridge in this way, when replacing the ink ribbon, it is only necessary to replace the entire cartridge, making it easy to replace the ink ribbon.

By the way, conventional ink ribbon cartridges of this type are
Since it was discarded after one use, it had the disadvantage of high running costs. For this reason, for example, JP-A-60-6
As shown in Japanese Patent No. 3186, there is an ink ribbon cartridge in which the front and back sides of the cartridge have substantially the same shape, and after the ink ribbon is used once and wound up to the end, the cartridge is turned over and the ink ribbon is used again. is proposed. By using the cartridge upside down in this way, there is an advantage that one cartridge can be used twice as much.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, this type of thermal printer has the disadvantage that it cannot produce good prints unless an appropriate amount of tension is applied to the ink ribbon.

In other words, if tension is not applied to the ink ribbon and there is slack,
The running of the ink ribbon becomes unstable and ink transfer cannot be performed reliably, resulting in a decrease in print quality. For this reason, in the case of a cartridge that can be used upside down as described above, it is necessary to ensure that tension is applied uniformly to the ink IJ and P as it travels in either direction. However, since the cartridge must be small and inexpensive, it has been proposed that, for example, a brake means be brought into contact with the ink ribbon, but this brake means cannot completely remove the slack in the ink ribbon. Ta.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink ribbon cartridge that has a simple configuration and can uniformly apply tension to the ink ribbon.

[Means for solving problems]

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for example, the ink ribbon cartridge of the present invention includes a pair of head insertion portions ai, ai;t provided on the left and right sides, and a pair of head insertion portions [
In the center between 131 and fi41, there is a mark that moves in a direction perpendicular to the running direction of the ink +J and 3-n and applies tension to the ink clean.

[Effect]

According to the ink ribbon cartridge of the present invention, the tension applying means 601, Ea, moves perpendicularly to the running direction of the ink ribbon to apply tension, so that no matter which direction the ink ribbon runs, the tension is applied. The tension is applied in the same direction and the ink ribbon is applied uniformly, allowing for good printing without sagging no matter which direction the ink ribbon runs.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the ink ribbon cartridge of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

The ink cartridge of this example is used in a thermal printer and is constructed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This Fig. 1 is an exploded view of the cartridge 7. In the figure, α1] indicates the entire cartridge, and this cartridge 00) has a bottom part (Ill and upper lid C3) made of synthetic resin.
It is configured as a casing with power. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing only the bottom old 1 side with the top lid 02 removed from the cartridge C1l. The side wall Q2+ is provided so as to surround the three end faces of the substantially rectangular bottom part (Ill).On the remaining end face, there are first
A central side wall (19) is provided between the first head insertion wall tt3 and the second head insertion wall I. Yes, this first and second head.

The insertion wall portion 11': & , (14) is recessed so that a rad can be inserted into a thermal sensor of a printer to be described later. Then, the side wall α2+ (!: first head 9 insertion wall part (+31
There is a gap ae between the first head insertion wall C1
There is a gap (171) between the center side wall 0.51 and the second head insertion wall 09, and there is a gap αa between the center side wall 0.51 and the second head insertion wall 09. There is a gap (1!l) between the leak and the side wall O2.

Between the first head insertion wall (13) and the second head insertion wall 0a on the inside of the central side wall (1),
There are two guide rail openings υ and (2υ) at positions perpendicular to the central side wall (one guide rail w,
As shown in FIG. 2, convex portions (20a) and (21a) are provided at the end farthest from the central side wall 09 of the en. And next to this guide rail (21, (211) is a guide bin area.

(23) is a provision. Also, the side wall (2 along 121)
There are screw holes C) 4) and 125 for screwing the top cover, and a positioning hole (A) for inserting the top cover positioning pin is provided at one place.

On the bottom part C11l constructed in this way, a hub for winding up the ink ribbon +27), 128) is rotatably placed, and this hub (2-force, @ has one end of the ink ribbon mortar and In addition, there is a through hole (not shown) for inserting the printer's hub at the hub mounting location on the bottom αB. is the guide roller (to) for this ink ribbon (to)
and Gυ can be arranged rotatably.

The upper lid C33 is provided with through holes ω and (b) corresponding to the attachment parts of the hub (2) and @, and the through holes ω and (b) corresponding to the screw holes C and 4 of the bottom aLl are provided. ) is provided.

Furthermore, a positioning pin C37) is provided corresponding to the positioning hole (C) in the bottom part αυ. In addition, there are two guide rails (to) at the bottom (111 guide rail W, at the position directly above atυ).

The 0 values are provided in parallel, and the 1st. Notch (4f) corresponding to the second head insertion wall (131, α4) K
, (41) is provided.

When loading the ink cartridge into the ink cartridge α0, first insert the slider group (I).
v-le ω, (2DK engages. This slide/61 is
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tip 15υ has a semicircular curved surface, and a protruding piece 5 extends rearward from the tip 5υ.
2 and 53 extend in two horizontal parallels, and each protruding piece t52
．． ■The rear end has a guide rail opening that protrudes to the side (2
11, +381.01 fitting portion 54. □□□. This fitting part f54), 5S has an H-shaped cross section, and fits with the guide rail (to) or 01J of the bottom part at+ on the lower side, and the guide rail (to) or 0 of the upper cover C33 on the upper side.
It has a shape that fits with 9.

In this way, sliders etc. (to) cartridge 0
0, as shown in Figure 1, the H-shaped fitting part (
541, (55) (7) Bottom ano guy I”t/
-le 1201. (2II. By fitting in this way, this slider 60 will be fitted into the guide rail L'l which runs in a direction perpendicular to the running direction of the ink ribbon die, which will be described later.
), slide along 12υ (arrow A in Figure 2)
As shown in FIG.
A coil spring (56) is placed between the left and right protruding pieces ○J and ■ which are located in between (6 coil springs are omitted in FIG. 1). This coil spring is a compression spring that presses this slide/6α inward from the center side wall αS.

In this way, the slider 6G is attached, and the guide roller (to) and 0υ are also attached to the predetermined positions. And the hub opening where the ink ribbon (end) and the other end are locked, @
is placed rotatably on the bottom part (111), and the ink ribbon (to) pulled out from the hub opening is passed through the central wall part (near F9) which is the front surface of the cartridge a1, as shown in FIG. That is, the ink ribbon 12I pulled out from the hub opening sequentially passes through the guide roller (to) and the gap (16+
, gap an, guide pin, tip 6B of slider 6I
, id pin C23), gap 081. It passes through the gap (19, guide roller Gυ) and winds up onto the hub (to). In this example, the ink ribbon can be used multiple times, so the reed, tip and end of the ink ribbon are wrapped with melted aluminum foil, etc. This is the reflective tape that was applied.In this way, the ink IJ
, after attaching the top cover c, as shown in Figure 1.
Attach the three to the bottom (old). That is, while inserting the upper cover (three positioning pins 67) into the bottom (positioning hole (A) of Ill), screw the screw thread from above the through hole I3i, m of the upper MC3δ.

□□□ is screwed into the screw hole tp4J, (2s) of the bottom part OB, and this upper cover c32 is fixed to the bottom part αυ.When this upper cover (33 is fixed to the bottom part αD), the slider t5
The upper sides of the fitting portions 65 of G fit into the idle rails CΔ, (to) of the upper lid c32, respectively.

In this way, the ink ribbon cartridge α■ is assembled, and in this assembled state, the exposed part of the ink ribbon (I) z from the cartridge α is the gap (161 and There are only two locations: between αη and between α9 and the gap 081 facing the second head insertion wall (14).

Next, the operation when using this ink ribbon cartridge αω in a printer will be explained with reference to FIG.

Similar to FIG. 2, this Figure 3 is a diagram with the top cover 02 removed to show the inside of the cartridge 0 (11) for purposes of explanation; in reality, this cartridge αQ is shown with the top cover C37J added. is installed on the carriage of a thermal printer as shown in FIG.

When the cartridge a is installed in the carriage of this printer, the hub drive shaft 113 is attached to the inner periphery of the hub (5) and 4, respectively.
G and 6υ are inserted, and the thermal head 6) attached to the carriage is inserted into the space between the second head insertion wall σ and the exposed ink wagon. The ink ribbon end detection sensor (9) attached to the carriage is inserted into the space between the head insertion wall (131) and the exposed ink ribbon R7 (to). It is designed to be able to move in the direction shown by arrow B in the figure, and during printing, this thermal head (6) moves outward and comes into contact with the recording paper (3) with ink, IJ, and wire in between. .

In this way, the cartridge αω is set in the printer, and while printing on the recording paper (3), the hub (to) is rotated (in the direction of arrow C) by the drive shaft 6υ and the ink bin is
) run at a constant speed. At this time, ink IJ
The hub (5), which is the supply side of the screw thread, is driven by the weight of the drive shaft with a weak force in the direction opposite to the feeding direction (direction indicated by the arrow) to apply knot tension. Then, in this state, the thermal head (6) is moved outward to come into contact with the recording paper (3) (the state shown in FIG. 3).

In this state of contact, the ink on the ink pin is transferred by the thermal head (6) onto the recording paper (3) and printed. When the heat-sensitive head 6) is moved outward in this manner, the ink +7&n is pulled out to some extent. Then, due to the force applied to the ink IJ pin (c) at this time, the slider (2) resists the elastic force of the spring mark and moves (2+
1, (g), the distance of the ink ribbon from one guide pin (221 to the other guide pin) is shortened, and the distance of the ink ribbon from one guide pin (221) to the other guide pin is shortened, and the ink ribbon is pulled out are canceled out.

When printing is completed and the thermal head (6) returns inside, the slider group moves in the direction away from the central side wall a9 due to the elastic force of the spring 5b), that is, ink IJ, yin (t).
The distance from one guide pin to the other guide pin C:(l) is long (dotted line in Figure 3), and the ink ribbon □
The amount of □□ that was pulled out is absorbed, and no slack occurs in the ink ribbon 4.

Printing is performed in this way, but 17.3 pn of ink runs out in the hub that supplies increments, and the ink ribbon end detection sensor (9) detects the reflective tape at the end. The printer then stops printing. In this state, the operator turns the ink ribbon cartridge a2 upside down and places it on the carriage of the printer again. By reversing this, the thermal head (6) is inserted between the first head insertion wall ff31 and the exposed ink ribbon ■, and the second head insertion wall α4
) and the exposed ink IJ, yin (c), an ink ribbon end detection sensor (9) is inserted. In this state, printing is performed by the thermal head (6) while traveling so that the ink ribbon (c), which has been used and wound up on the hub (28), is wound up again on the hub (2) side. At this time as well, the ink ribbon C9 is pulled out by the thermal head (6), but the slack is absorbed in the same way as described above by sliding the slider 6α in a direction perpendicular to the running direction of the ink ribbon.

As described above, according to the ink ribbon cartridge according to this example, since the cartridge can be used with either the front or back side facing, the ink ribbon (
2) can be used. Then, a slider 601 is used as a tension applying means to prevent the ink ribbon (2I) from sagging.
Since the springs 6e and 6e apply tension in a direction perpendicular to the running direction near the ink ribbon's thermal head (6), uniform tension can be obtained even when the front or back sides are facing, and the ink ribbon can always be kept in a state without sag. Can produce good prints. In addition, since one tension applying means consisting of the slider 61 and a spring can handle ink IJ and pyon running in any direction, there is no need to provide a tension applying means for each direction of travel, and the configuration is that much simpler. becomes.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, although the ink IJ and the slider (23 and the tip 6υ of the slider 5G were fixed to the ink ribbon (to)), the guide roller (to) was fixed to the ink ribbon (to). , 01J may be used.Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various other configurations may be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Increment of the present invention? According to the ink ribbon cartridge, it has a simple structure with only one tension applying means, and tension is applied uniformly regardless of the direction in which the ink ribbon is running, so that the ink ribbon does not sag regardless of the direction in which it runs. There is an advantage of being able to produce good prints.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 shows the ink of the present invention? 2 and 3 are respectively plan views showing the inside of the cartridge shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a thermal printer. α■ is the ink ribbon cartridge, (111 is the bottom, α
J and a4 are the first and second head insertion walls, respectively;
, r21+, c! ij and C3! J is the guide rail, (c) is the ink ribbon, (3z is the top cover, ■ is the slider, and the mark is the coil spring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] An ink that is characterized by having a pair of head insertion parts provided on the left and right sides, and a tension applying means that moves in a direction perpendicular to the running direction of the ink ribbon and applies tension to the ink ribbon in the center between the pair of head insertion parts. ribbon cartridge.