JPS6335358A - Conductive transfer printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve a printing quality, by a method wherein a printing head is provided with an angle adjustment means adjusting an angle of a printing head abutting against a platen. CONSTITUTION:When an angle adjustment means rotates a joint arm plate 52 clockwise or counterclockwise, a front rail shaft 43 moves continuously forward or backward due to an eccentricity Y of an eccentric cam 47, 48 and also a carriage frame 9 shifts integrally there with forward or backward. This shift changes a relative distance Y between a head case hold pole 15 and a platen 8. Therefore, an angle theta of a printing head 31 abutting against the platen 8 is decreased as the relative distance is decreased; the angle theta is increased as it is increased. In this manner, the fine adjustment of the contact angle of an armature is made possible, thus the dot to be transferred on a recording paper can be adjusted to be uniform in size.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention 1 (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a current transfer printer, and particularly to a current transfer printer to which a structure is applied that allows adjustment of the contact angle of a print head with respect to a platen.

(Prior art) Current transfer printers use an ink ribbon made by sequentially laminating a resistive layer, a conductive layer, and an ink layer, and supply a recording current from a recording electrode of a print head that comes into contact with the resistive layer. This method uses a method in which the resistance layer is heated, and the ink in the ink layer melted by the heat is transferred onto the recording paper.

An example of a conventional electric transfer printer has a structure as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

The electric transfer printer shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 has a pair of side plates 1.2 fixed to a printer body (not shown) at a predetermined distance.
2. Front rail shaft 3. rear rail shaft 4
．． Both ends of the platen shaft 5 are supported respectively.

And these front rail shafts 3. Rear rail shaft 4. The platen shafts 5 are arranged in parallel relation to each other. Further, both ends of the front rail shaft 3 and rear rail shaft 4 are fixed to the side plate 1.2, and both ends of the platen shaft 5 are fixed to the side plate 1.2 through cylindrical bearing members 6 and 7, respectively. Rotatably supported. On the outer periphery of the platen shaft 5 is a platen 8 that selectively feeds for recording.
is provided.

Above side plate 1.2. Front rail shaft 3. The rear rail shaft 4 is the basic structure of a guide mechanism that guides the movement of a print carriage section 150 mounted on a carriage frame 9, which will be described later. That is, the basic configuration of this guide mechanism corresponds to the configuration shown in FIG.

The front rail shaft 3 and the rear rail shaft 4, which constitute the basic structure of the guide mechanism, are provided with a carriage frame 9 that serves as the base of a print carriage section 150, which will be described below. The carriage frame 9 has a guide hole 10 through which the front rail shaft 3 passes through at one end, and a groove-like recess 11 into which the rear rail shaft 4 is fitted at the other end. It is held by the shaft 3 and the rear rail shaft 4 so that it can reciprocate and slide only in the axial direction. Also, carriage frame 9
is provided with a shaft holding portion 12 projecting upward, and this shaft holding portion 12 is formed with a recess 14 into which one end of the head case holding ball 1 is received. A through hole 16 communicating with the lower surface is provided in the bottom surface of the recess 14. One end of the head case holding ball 15 is fitted into the recess 14, and is further passed from the lower surface side of the carriage frame 9 through the through hole 16 to the IN entry side screw hole of the head case holding ball 15. screwed in screw 1
It is fixed at 7. Further, a flat mounting seat 13 formed on the upper surface of the other end of the carriage frame 9 is used to hold the intermediate portion of the head case holding ball 15 and to arrange various members necessary for printing. A carriage plate 18 is fixed via screws 19.

A head swinging arm 20 and a print head case 21 are fixed to the head case holding ball 15.

The swinging arm 20 is bent in the shape of an opening, and a head case holding ball 15 passes through an upper surface portion 22 and a lower surface portion 23 that are positioned parallel to each other, and the head case holding ball 15 is used as a rotation fulcrum. It is installed as. Moreover, the free end sides of the upper surface part 22 and the lower surface part 23 are mutually connected to the upper surface part 22.
2 and the lower surface portion 23 extend in different directions so as to form an acute angle. The free end portion of the lower surface portion 23 is bent upward in an inverted shape, and a stopper 24 is formed at the vertical portion thereof and extends toward the rotation side at the other end, and the horizontal portion thereof is engaged with a spring. A stopper pin 25 is fixed. Further, a floor pin 28 is fixed to the lower surface of the free tip of the upper surface portion 22 and projects into the cam ring 27 of the head swinging cam 26.

The head case 21 has a cylindrical portion 29 at one end and a head support portion 30 at the other end, and the cylindrical portion 29 is attached to the head case holding ball 15 as a pivot point. A print head 31 is fixed to the head support part 30, and the print head 31 is fixed to the head support part 30.
The electrode contactor 32 (see FIG. 8) is provided with a portion (not shown) housing a film wiring on which an electrode for supplying a recording current is printed. In addition, this head support section 30
A pin 33 that makes surface contact with the stopper 24 of the head swinging arm 20 and a spring locking claw 35 that locks the other end of the coil spring 34 are provided on the outside of the head swing arm 20 . The coil spring 34 is arranged between the spring locking pin 25 and the spring locking pawl 35 in a mutually attracting relationship, and the biasing force of the coil spring 34 causes the stopper 24 of the head swing arm 20 and the pin 3 of the head case 21 to
3 are in contact with each other and rotate integrally around the head case holding ball 15 as a fulcrum.

As shown in FIG. 8, the print head 31 is formed by covering a plurality of electrode contacts 32 arranged in parallel with an insulating coating 35. Each of the electrode contacts 32 is connected to a film wiring (not shown) housed in the head support section 30 of the head case 21, and a recording current is individually supplied through this film wiring. . These plural electrode contacts 3
2 at the tip is selectively moved toward the platen 8 side by means described later, and the ink ribbon 36
The recording paper (not shown) on the platen 8 is brought into contact with the recording paper (not shown) via the recording paper (not shown) on the platen 8 . As shown in FIG. 8, the print head 31 forms an angle .theta. with respect to the platen 8, and the electrode contacts 32 arranged side by side are brought into contact with the edge portion. When a recording current is applied to a predetermined electrode contactor 32 in this state, the resistance layer on the ink ribbon 36 at a portion corresponding to the electrode contactor 32 to which the recording current has been applied generates heat, and the resistance layer at a corresponding portion of the ink ribbon 36 generates heat. The ink layer is melted and transferred onto recording paper.

The ink ribbon 36 has a starting end connected to a take-up reel (not shown) and a terminal end connected to a supply reel (not shown). 38 and the ribbon press roller 39 to reach the take-up reel. Moreover, between the ribbon feed drive roller 38 and the ribbon pre-low 539, the two ends -538, 39
The ink ribbon 36 is clamped under pressure, and the carriage frame 9 is guided by the rear rail shaft 4 and the Frondor shaft 3 by unillustrated means and moves from left to right; one movement rotates counterclockwise. The rotation of the ribbon feed drive roller 38 causes the ink ribbon 36 to travel toward the take-up reel. The ribbon feed drive roller 38 is configured so that it rotates only when the carriage frame 9 moves from left to right, and does not rotate when it moves from right to left.

The disk-shaped head swing cam 26 having a cam groove 27 formed on its surface is rotatably held on the carriage frame 9. When the carriage frame 9 moves from left to right at low speed, it rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 6 in conjunction with this, and when it moves from right to left, it rotates counterclockwise. Rotate. Reverse time 1 of head swing cam 26
Rotation in this direction causes the swinging arm 2o to swing clockwise via the floor pin 28 engaged with the cam groove 27, that is, in a direction approaching the platen 8; 20 counterclockwise, that is, platen 8
This acts to rotate the vehicle in a far away direction. Further, the operation of the swing arm 20 rotated by the head swing cam 26 simultaneously causes the head case 21, which rotates integrally with the swing arm 20, to rotate due to the action of the coil spring 34 described above. That is, when the swing arm 20 pivots clockwise, the head case 21 also pivots clockwise, and the 1! The pole contact 32 is brought into contact with the platen 8. When the swing arm 20 pivots counterclockwise, the head case 21 also pivots counterclockwise, and the print head 31 separates from the platen 28. To further describe the head swing cam 26, the cam groove 27 is configured to allow the swing arm 20 to swing clockwise for a while even after the print head 31 on the head case 21 comes into contact with the platen 8. There is a margin of 2. Therefore, until the print head 31 contacts the platen 8, the head case 21 and the swing arm 20 rotate together, but once the print head 31 contacts the platen 8, the head case 21 cannot rotate any further. This is blocked, and only the swing arm 20 is guided by the clearance Z of the cam groove 27 and is pivoted clockwise away from the head case 21. When the head case 21 rotates independently, the spring force of the coil spring 34 stretched between it and the swing arm 20 is further charged, and this spring force causes the print head 31 to print via the swing arm 20. It is configured so that it can be brought into pressure contact with the platen 8 with a force suitable for operation. This state is shown in FIG. 7 (D). Therefore, in this state, ink is transferred onto the recording paper Rn on the platen 8 by flowing the recording electrode to a predetermined electrode contact 32 on the print head 31. be able to.

When the predetermined printing operation by the print head 31 is completed and the swing cam 26 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 6, the floor bin 28 of the swing arm 20 comes into sliding contact within the margin Z of the cam groove 27. During this period, only the swing arm 20 rotates counterclockwise. The rotation of the swing cam 26 further progresses, and the margin Z
If the sliding contact is outside the range of the swing arm 20, the stopper 24 of the swing arm 20
is brought into contact with the pin 33 of the head case 21 again, and the swing arm 30 and the head case 21 integrally rotate counterclockwise while being guided by the cam groove 27.

This rotation continues until the floor bin 28 reaches the end 27A of the cam groove 27, and stops when it reaches the end. This state is shown in FIG. 7(a). In this manner, the print head 21 is brought into contact with and separated from the platen 8 via the ink ribbon 36. At the time of contact, the print head 21 is controlled so that a pattern such as a predetermined character is formed at a predetermined position on the recording paper on the platen 8, and the ink on the ink ribbon 36 is transferred.

By the way, in such an electric transfer printer, as described above, the print head 31 is supported by the head case 21 which rotates around the head case holding ball 15 as a fulcrum, and is pressed against the platen 8 at a predetermined angle θ. . If this angle θ becomes too large, the plurality of electrode contacts 32 arranged in parallel at the edge portion of the print head 31 will be deformed and bent. On the other hand, if the angle θ becomes too small, the insulating liquid g$35 covering the electrode contactor 32 comes into contact with the ink ribbon 36. Further, the protruding dimensions of each electrode contactor 32 on the print head 31 are not uniform due to manufacturing errors and the like. Therefore, the electrical contact resistance of each electrode contactor 32 with respect to the ink ribbon 36 becomes non-uniform, and as a result, the size of the image dots transferred onto the recording paper also becomes non-uniform.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As mentioned above, in the conventional electric transfer printer,
There is a problem in that the size of the image dots transferred onto the recording paper becomes non-uniform depending on the contact angle θ of the print head that contacts the platen. To solve this problem, platen 8
It is necessary to adjust the contact angle θ of the print head against the YJ during assembly, but conventional printers have not been equipped with a structure that allows such adjustment to be easily made. Therefore, the size of the image dots transferred onto the recording paper becomes non-uniform, resulting in disadvantages such as deterioration of print quality.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to improve print quality by making the size of image dots transferred onto recording paper uniform with a simple configuration. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric transfer printer.

[Structure 1 of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the current transfer printer of the present invention is characterized by being provided with an angle adjustment means for adjusting the angle at which the print head contacts the platen. shall be.

(Function) The angle adjustment means for adjusting the angle at which the print head contacts the platen is used to adjust the angle at which the recording electrode, that is, the electrode contact, contacts the ink ribbon when the electrical contact resistance of the recording electrode, that is, the electrode contact, is uneven. can be @adjusted.

Therefore, the size of the image dots can be adjusted to be uniform by checking the state of the image points transferred onto the recording paper during or after assembly.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an electric transfer printer to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main parts of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of part A in FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of part B in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the assembled state seen from the direction of arrow D in FIG. 4.

In FIGS. 1 to 5, the difference from the conventional electrical transfer brintano structure shown in FIGS. 6 to 10 is that the 10th
The basic configuration of the guide mechanism, which consists of the side plate 1.2° and front rail shaft 4 shown in the figure, is different.
The configurations of the print carriage sections 150 mounted on the other carriage frames 9 are the same. Therefore, the carriage frame 9 and the printing carriage section 150 mounted on the carriage frame 9 are of the same construction, and the members corresponding to the members of the electric transfer printer shown in FIGS. 6 to 10 are the same. A reference numeral is given and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In FIGS. 1 to 5, the current transfer printer is provided with a pair of side plates 41 and 42 fixed to a printer body (not shown) at a predetermined distance. This side plate 41, 42 has a carriage frame 9.
Both ends of the front rail shaft 43 and the rear rail shaft 1 that guide the movement of the platen 8 are supported, and both ends of the platen shaft 5 provided with the platen 8 are also supported by bearing members 6.
It is rotatably supported through an angle of 7°. Holes 44 are formed in the side plates 41 and 42 through which both ends of the front rail shirts 1 to 43 pass, respectively. This hole 44 is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the front rail shaft 43 and is formed as a long hole extending in the front-rear direction. Key grooves 45 are formed on the outer periphery of both ends of the front rail shaft 43 passing through the hole 44, and a key 46 is fitted into the key groove 45.

Eccentric cams 47, 47 are fitted at both ends to which the key 46 is attached, and are prevented from rotating in the radial direction. A knock pin 48 is provided on the outer surface of one of the eccentric cams 47. A housing plate 50 having window holes 49 for receiving eccentric cams 47, 47, respectively, is provided on the screen of each side plate 41, 42 at the portion where the hole 44 is formed.
is provided. This housing plate 50 has holes 5
Screw hole 41B of side plate 41.42 through 0a
, 42B via screws 51 screwed to each side plate 41, 42B. The window hole 49 of the housing plate 41.42 has an eccentric cam 47.5 dimension.
Almost equal to the outer diameter of 48, h dimension is eccentric cam 47.47
It is formed slightly larger than the dimension from the maximum distance from the center of rotation to the outer surface. A joint arm plate 52 is attached to the end surface of the front rail shaft 43 on the side where the eccentric cam 47 is attached. This joint arm plate 52 has a hole 52 corresponding to a screw hole 53 formed on the end surface of the front rail shaft 43.
a, a long hole 52b formed on the eccentric cam 47 and into which the knock pin 48 is engaged, and an arcuate groove 520 formed with a curvature centered on the hole 52a. The joint arm plate 52 is attached to the front rail shaft 43 by screwing screws 54 inserted through holes 52a into threaded holes 53 on the end surface of the front rail shaft 43. The joint arm plate 53 attached to the front rail shaft 43 in this way
The knock pin 48 of the eccentric cam 47 is engaged with the elongated hole 52b, and is fixed to the side plate 41 by a screw 55 screwed into the screw hole 41A of the side plate 41 through an arcuate groove 520. Furthermore, a washer 56 that abuts the outer surface of the eccentric cam 48 is screwed onto the end surface side of the front rail shaft 43 to which the eccentric cam 48 is attached with a screw 54 to prevent the eccentric cam 48 from coming off.

That is, the front rail shaft 43 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Q-center cam 47.48° housing plate 50. Main members such as the joint arm plate 52 constitute angle adjustment means.

This angle W4! ! The adjustment is carried out by loosening the screws 55 that fix the rotation of the joint arm plate 52 so that the joint arm plate 52 can rotate. When the joint arm plate 52 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, the knockout pin 48 of the eccentric cam 47 is engaged with the elongated hole 52b of the joint arm plate 52, so that the eccentric cam 47.
48 and the front rail shaft 43 rotate together with the joint arm plate 52. This eccentric cam 47
．． 48 rotates, the front rail shaft 43 continuously moves forward or backward due to the eccentricity Y of the eccentric cams 47, 48, depending on the direction of rotation. When the front rail shaft 43 moves forward or backward, since the front rail shaft 43 passes through the guide hole 10 of the carriage frame 9, the carriage frame 9 also moves forward or backward together. What is the longitudinal displacement of this carriage frame 9? ! The head case holding ball 15 and platen 8 serve as pivot points for the first arm 20 and the head case 21.
The relative distance Y (Fig. 7(b) 1!! light) changes. That is, when the carriage frame 9 is displaced forward, the distance becomes shorter, and conversely, when the carriage frame 9 is displaced backward, the distance becomes longer. The displacement of the relative position between the platen 8 and the head case holding ball 15, which serves as a pivot point for the print head 31, is such that as the relative distance becomes shorter, the angle O of the print head 31 in contact with the platen 8 becomes smaller; As becomes longer, the angle θ becomes larger. Therefore, the angle can be changed.

After adjusting the angle, the screw 55 is tightened again to fix the rotation of the joint arm plate 52, thereby maintaining that state.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, in the current transfer printer to which the present invention is applied, when the electrical contact resistance of the recording electrode, that is, the electrode contact with respect to the ink ribbon is uneven, the electrode contact does not come into contact with the ink ribbon. You can fine-tune the angle. Therefore, it is possible to check the image dots transferred onto the recording paper during or after assembly and adjust the size of the image dots to be uniform, thereby improving print quality.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of an electric transfer printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an inclined view showing the main parts of FIG. 1.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of section A in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of section B in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the assembled state as seen from the direction of arrow D in Fig. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the structure of the print carriage in a general current transfer printer, Fig. 7 shows the operating state of Fig. 6, and Fig. 7 shows the state in which the print head is separated from the platen. Fig. 7(b) is a plan view of the print head in contact with the platen, Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan view of 071S in Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 is a conventional electrical transfer printer. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the main part of FIG. 9. 4... V rail shaft that serves as a guide member 8...
Platen 15...Head case support pole 31, which serves as a pivot point for the print head...Print head 36...Ink ribbon 43...Front rail shaft 4, which serves as a guide member
7.48...Eccentric cam

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) An electric transfer printer in which a print head is brought into contact with and separated from a platen via an ink ribbon, and the ink on the ink ribbon is melted by a recording current supplied from the print head and transferred to the recording paper on the platen, An electric transfer printer characterized in that an energization transfer printer is provided with an angle adjusting means for adjusting an angle at which the print head contacts the platen. (2) The print head approaches and separates from the platen,
The printing is performed by rotating the print head on the same plane,
2. The electric transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein the angle adjusting means adjusts the angle by changing the relative position between the rotation fulcrum of the print head and the platen in a front-back direction. (3) The angle adjusting means includes an eccentric cam fixed to a guide member that guides movement of the print head along the platen, and a fixed frame having a hole that rotatably supports the eccentric cam. The guide member is rotated together with the eccentric cam to change the relative position of the guide member with respect to the platen, and the pivot point of the print head is moved with respect to the platen via this guide member. An electric transfer printer according to claim 2, characterized in that: