JPS63286381A - Ribbon cassette for thermal transfer printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a roller to be smoothly rotated to eliminate the problems such as a staining of a transferred paper or a failure in taking up a ribbon even if any dispersion is generated in the assembly of the component parts of a ribbon cassette, by a method wherein roller pins in a thermal transfer printer are tapered in shape. CONSTITUTION:A carriage 5 is slidably disposed on a shaft 4. On the carriage 5, a ribbon cassette 7 and a thermal head 15 are loaded, and in the ribbon cassette 7 an ink ribbon 16 is contained. This printer employs a system that the ink ribbon 16 is taken up when the carriage 5 travels rightwards and not taken up when the carriage 5 travels leftwards. In the ribbon cassette 7, roller pins 22 are tapered in shape. In this manner, even if an upper part 23 and a lower part 24 in the cassette case are positionally deviated, a roller is smoothly rotated without the occurrence of malfunction, and the problems such as a staining of a transferred paper 14 or a failure in taking up the ribbon are eliminated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a ribbon cassette for a thermal transfer printer, and particularly to an alignment winding technique suitable for stable running of an ink ribbon.

[Conventional technology]

Regarding the running performance of ink ribbons conventionally used in thermal transfer printers, as described in JP-A-60-149480, the running load is reduced by means such as depositing an abrasion-resistant layer on the contact area of the ink ribbon. There is technology. Another cheaper option is to provide a roller at the contact area of the ink ribbon, but the upper part of the cassette case supports the roller.

No consideration was given to problems such as the roller not rotating smoothly if the positioning accuracy of the roller pin taken out from the bottom is poor.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The above conventional technology can be solved by improving the positional accuracy of the roller pins at the top and bottom of the cassette case, but plastic molded products have a limit in terms of accuracy, and
There was a problem in that it would require a great deal of time and expense to improve this by modifying the mold or the like.

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the need for such high precision.

Moreover, it is to obtain a sufficient sexual quality.

[Means for solving problems]

The above object is achieved by shaping the rollers or roller pins so that they do not forcefully come into contact with each other even when the accuracy of one position is poor.

[Effect]

If the shape of the inner diameter of the roller or the shape of the roller pin is tapered or multi-stage, even if the positional accuracy of the roller pin from the top and bottom of the ribbon cassette is somewhat poor,
The rollers rotate smoothly.

This stabilizes the running of the ink ribbon and eliminates malfunctions such as the ink ribbon moving poorly and staining the paper surface or being unable to wind it.

(Example〕 Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to each episode.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the external appearance of the thermal transfer printer.

A carriage 5 is arranged slidably on the shaft 4, and a ribbon cassette 7 and a thermal head 15 are mounted on the carriage S.
is mounted, and an ink ribbon 16 is stored in the ribbon cassette 7.

The carriage 5 is configured to be movable leftward and rightward in the figure via a timing belt 10 by a carriage motor 8. A line feed motor 11 transmits driving force to a gear 12 fastened to a paper feed roller 3 to feed the transfer paper 14. 6 is a home position sensor, and 9 is a flat cable for supplying electricity to the thermal head 15 and the like.

This printer uses a unidirectional printing method that prints only when the carriage 5 moves to the right; it winds up the ink ribbon 16 when it moves to the right, and winds up the ink ribbon 16 when it moves to the left. This is a printer that does not require Also, a carriage motor 8, a line feed motor 11.
Home position sensor 6, thermal head 15. In addition, the ribbon sensor 25 and the like that detect the presence or absence of black ink on the thin ink ribbon 16 are controlled by the controller 21.

FIG. 3 shows the internal structure of the ribbon cassette 7.

The ink ribbon 16 wound around the ejection core 13a is changed in its running route by three rollers 17 and guided to the position of the -thermal head 15. here.

The ink ribbon 16 is connected to the thermal head 15 and the platen 1.
8 is pressed against the transfer paper 14, and printing is performed on the transfer paper 14 by thermal control of the thermal head 15. Thereafter, the traveling path is changed again by the three rollers 17, and the film is wound onto the winding core 13b engaged with the winding shaft 26. Here, if the rotation of the roller 17 is not smooth, the running resistance of the ink ribbon 16 will increase rapidly, and the transfer paper 14 will be stained with ink, or in the worst case, the winding shaft 26 will not be able to wind it. This may cause problems such as:

FIG. 1 shows the internal structure of the roller 17 portion of the ribbon cassette 7 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows the internal structure of the conventional roller 17. The inner diameter shape of the conventional roller 17 and the shape of the roller pin 22 are right cylindrical, and the positional accuracy between the cassette case upper part 23 and the cassette case lower part 24 is If it is bad, the roller 17 will
The roller pin 22 is intertwined with each other and does not rotate smoothly. On the other hand, in the ribbon force set 7 of the present invention, the roller pin 22 has a tapered shape, so that even if there is a misalignment between the upper cassette case 23 and the lower cassette case 24, the above problem occurs. It can be rotated smoothly without any stains on the transfer paper 14.

Problems such as the inability to wind the film can be eliminated.

5.6.7 shows the internal structure of the roller 17 portion of the ribbon cassette 7 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the shape of the roller pin 22 is multi-staged, and in FIG. The inner diameter of the roller 17 is tapered, and FIG.
The inner diameter of the roller 17 is multi-staged, and the same effect as the ribbon cassette 7 shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, as described above, the ribbon cassette part 2
Since the roller can rotate smoothly even if there are any variations in assembly, it is effective to solve the problem of not being able to take up one roll of the transfer paper due to stains.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a front view of the internal structure of the roller section of a ribbon cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an external perspective view of a thermal transfer printer, Fig. 3 is a front view of the internal structure of the ribbon cassette, and Fig. 4 5.6.7 is a front view of the internal structure of the roller section of a conventional ribbon cassette, and FIG. 5.6.7 is a front view of the internal structure of the roller section of a ribbon cassette according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A thermal head, an ink ribbon whose surface is coated with solid ink, a roller for improving the running of the ink ribbon, a ribbon cassette for storing the ink ribbon and roller, and integrated with the ribbon cassette. A ribbon for a thermal transfer printer comprising a roller pin supporting the roller, a carriage carrying the thermal head and the ribbon cassette and moving laterally, etc., wherein the roller pin has a tapered shape. cassette. 2. The ribbon cassette for a thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein the roller pin has a multistage shape. 3. The ribbon cassette for a thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the roller is tapered. 4. The ribbon cassette for a thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the roller has a multistage shape.