KR0124825Y1 - Color printer - Google Patents

Abstract

A color printer employing a sensing means capable of identifying whether an ink ribbon is attached or not and the type of ink ribbon loaded is disclosed. The printer comprises a supply side and a winding side ribbon cassette each having two spools 17 on which ribbons are wound, drive means for rotating the ribbon cassette to transfer the ribbon 18, and support means for supporting each ribbon cassette. And an identification plate 21 having at least one of a reflector 21b or a non-reflective body 21c or a combination 21a in which the reflector and the non-reflective body are combined in a predetermined arrangement on the ribbon cassette to be mounted. It is provided with an optical sensor 13 capable of detecting. Such a color printer makes it possible to identify the type of ink ribbon so that a suitable operation is performed according to the type of ink ribbon in a color printer that can use a variety of standardized ink ribbons.

Description

Color printer

1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a color printer.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing an ink ribbon mounting portion of a conventional color printer.

3 is a perspective view showing a portion where an ink ribbon of a conventional color printer is supported.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a wound ink ribbon mounting portion of the color printer according to the present invention.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a supply side ink ribbon mounting portion of the color printer according to the present invention.

6 is a perspective view showing a winding side support and a supply side support for supporting an ink ribbon cassette of a color printer according to the present invention.

7 is a view showing an identification plate of the color printer according to the present invention.

8 is a view showing another embodiment of an identification plate according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

11 main frame 13 light sensor

12,12 '20,20': Support 14, 14 ': Flange

15, 22: spool gear 16: primary gear

17: Spool 18: Ink Ribbon

21: identification plate

The present invention relates to a color printer, and more particularly to a color printer employing a sensing means capable of identifying the presence or absence of the ink ribbon and the type of the ink ribbon mounted.

Printers for printing image data on recording paper have various formats. For example, a thermal transfer printer uses an ink film having a sublimation ink medium and a thermal transfer head which sublimates ink onto recording paper according to image data and prints on the recording paper. In particular, the color type thermal transfer printer has a form in which an exploded image of color-decomposed yellow, magenta, and cyan is overprinted three times in order to realize full color. A device in which ink is sublimated and printed on recording paper, wherein heat is applied to each of the ink films with a thermal transfer head, and each color is printed on the recording paper, and each ink film is printed in color when used on one recording paper. .

The printed matter printed in the color is as sharp as when the film taken by the camera is printed on photo paper, the image is input by an image input device such as a scanner, and the new image is corrected and synthesized using a computer program. It can be configured and printed out again, reproduced in real life with computer graphics, or x-ray film and tomography images of medical devices can be made in color over head project (OHP) film. The image data can be printed with the same image quality as the photographed electron microscope image, and the above-mentioned image data can be easily stored and classified in the storage device of a computer or transmitted remotely through the wires. It is possible to create printouts such as photographs with clear images again. There.

In general, thermal transfer color printers, as shown in FIG. 1, include a recording head 3 driven up and down, ribbon cassettes 1a and 1b capable of printing colors on the recording paper 8, and a recording head ( 3) and the platen roll 6 which can exert a compressive force between the ribbon 7 and the recording paper 8, and the capstan rollers 5a and 5b which hold the recording paper so as to transfer the recording paper 8 from side to side. Consists of. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 10a and 10b denote guide rollers for guiding the movement of the ribbon.

2 is a view schematically showing the configuration of an ink ribbon mounting portion of a conventional color printer, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the main portion of FIG.

Referring to the drawings, two supports 12 and 12 'are fixed to the left and right sides of the main frame 11, and flange grooves 12a and 12'a are formed in the supports 12 and 12', respectively. A light passing hole 12'b is formed in one support 12 'of the support. In addition, two flanges 14 and 14 'having cylindrical ends are attached to the left and right ends of the cylindrical spool 17 on which the ink ribbon 18 is wound on the outer circumferential surface thereof, and the ink ribbon 18 and the spool 17 described above. ), The ribbon cassette including the flanges 14 and 14 'is rotated with both ends supported by the flange grooves 12a and 12'a. The spool gear 15 engaged with the prime mover 16 rotated by the motor has a sprocket 15a attached to the tip of the gear shaft 15b, and the gear shaft 15b and the sprocket 15a are in the axial direction. It is configured to be movable. The outside of the flanges 14 and 14 'attached to both ends of the spool 17 is made of white or black and a sensor 13 for detecting the color is provided.

The above configuration is for the ink ribbon mounting portion on the winding side, and the ink ribbon mounting portion on the supply side is not provided with driving means such as the spool gear 15, the prime gear 16, the motor and the like.

In such a color printer, when the ribbon cassette is mounted on the supports 12 and 12 ', the shaft 15b and the sprocket 15a of the spool gear 15 move in the axial direction, and the sprocket 15a moved is flanged 14. By engaging the inner hole of the '), the spool 17 is rotated to convey the ink ribbon 18.

In addition, since the sensor 13 includes a light emitting part and a light receiving part, and is configured on the winding side and the supply side, respectively, the sensor detects black of the flange 14 'as 0, and detects white. If it is 1, there are 4 combined signals: 0,0 1,0 0,1 1,1. By detecting such a combination signal, it is possible to recognize whether the ink ribbon is attached and the type of ink ribbon mounted.

The detection apparatus of the conventional color printer can distinguish only four cases even if two sensors are used, and thus it is difficult to apply to a high-performance color printer capable of using a plurality of ink ribbons. In addition, there is a problem in that the configuration is complicated and the number of parts is large, such as a device for moving the spool gear shaft and the sprocket, which is uneconomical.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a high-performance color printer equipped with a sensing means for identifying various ink ribbons, and at the same time, convenient and economical color through simplification of configuration and reduction of parts. The purpose is to provide a printer.

In order to achieve the above object, a color printer according to the present invention includes a supply side and a winding side ribbon cassette each having two spools on which ribbons are wound, drive means for rotating the ribbon cassette to transfer the ribbon, and A color printer comprising support means for supporting each ribbon cassette and sensing means for recognizing the type of the ribbon, wherein the sensing means includes a reflector or a non-reflective body or a reflector and a non-reflective body on the mounted ribbon cassette. Attached to the identification plate having at least one of the combinations combined in an array, characterized in that provided with an optical sensor that can detect the identification plate.

The combination is an alternating arrangement of reflectors and non-reflectors.

In the arrangement, the reflector and the non-reflective body are alternately arranged in at least two or more annular bands in a concentric circle, and at least two or more optical sensors corresponding to the respective annular bands are provided.

The drive means includes a motor for generating power, a motive gear driven in connection with the motor, and a spool gear engaged with the motive gear, the gear of the spool gear on one side of the spool of the winding side ribbon cassette. One end of the shaft may be fixedly coupled.

In addition, the support means is connected to each of the first support portion is supported one side of the spool at one end, the second support portion is supported on the other end of the spool, and the first and second support portions, respectively, surrounding the spool A cover part may be provided, and the first support part of the winding side support is formed with a gear groove for supporting one side of the spool and an optical passage hole through which the light of the optical sensor passes, and the second support part of the winding side support. A spool groove for supporting the other side of the spool is formed, and a spool groove for supporting both ends of the spool is formed in the first and second support portions of the supply side support.

According to the characteristic constitution of the present invention, by attaching an identification plate to a plurality of ink ribbons and detecting them, the type of ink ribbon can be recognized by the printer itself, and thus it is applied to a high performance color printer that can use various types of ink ribbons. This reduces the number of instrument parts and makes it possible to produce inexpensive color printers.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The basic configuration of the thermal transfer color printer according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a recording head 3 driven up and down as shown in FIG. 1, ribbon cassettes 1a and 1b capable of printing colors on the recording paper 8, A platen roll 6 which can exert a pressing force between the recording head 3 and the ribbon 7 and the recording paper 8, and a capstan roller 5a holding the recording paper so that the recording paper 8 can be moved from side to side; 5b).

Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the ribbon cassette is mounted on the supply side and the winding side ribbon cassettes each having two spools 17 and 17 'on which the ribbons 18 are wound, and the ribbon cassettes. A driving means for transporting the ribbon 18 by rotating the ribbon 18, and a supporting means for supporting each of the ribbon cassettes, and the reflecting or non-reflector or the reflector and the non-reflector are combined in a predetermined arrangement on the wound ribbon cassette to be mounted. Attached to the identification plate 21 having at least one of the combination, there is provided an optical sensor 13 that can detect the identification plate. The optical sensor includes both a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit.

6 and 7 show an identification plate according to the present embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, the identification plate 21 is composed of a combination 21a which is made of the reflector 21b (white or silver), is made of the non-reflector 21c (black), or the reflector and the non-reflector alternately appear. .

When the ink ribbon cassette with the identification plate 21 according to the present embodiment is mounted on the color printer, the motive gear 16 is rotated by the motor, and the spool gear 15 is rotated accordingly. While the identification plate 21 attached to the side portion of the spool gear 15 rotates, the identification plate 21 is detected by the optical sensor 13 by setting a predetermined time. At this time, if the signal for detecting the non-reflective body (X) of the identification plate 21 is 0, and the signal for detecting the reflector (Y) is 1, as a result of detecting a predetermined time as described above, a ) Continuous 0 b) Continued 1 c) 0 and 1 change periodically.

As an example, if an identification plate 21b having a front surface of the reflector Y is attached to the three-color ink ribbon, and an identification plate 21a composed of a combination of the reflector Y and the non-reflective body X is attached to the four-color ink ribbon. , If a certain amount of time is detected and the signal is still 0, the printer does not have an ink ribbon installed; if the signal is 1, the printer is loaded with three color ribbons, the signals 0 and 1 change periodically. The case is when four color ribbons are loaded.

As described above, when the type and characteristic of the ink ribbon are identified and a predetermined signal is generated, subsequent printing operations are performed differently in accordance with the characteristics by the signal.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 8, at least two or more annular bands in concentric circles are attached with an identification plate 21d in which the reflector Y and the non-reflector X are arranged alternately, and correspond to the respective annular bands. At least two or more optical sensors 13 are provided. The identification plates arranged in this way are formed with at least one of the reflector Y or the non-reflective body X or the combination of the reflector Y and the non-reflective body X in a predetermined arrangement in the first row and the second row, respectively. .

The types of signals that can be generated and the number of cases that can be distinguished according to the present embodiment are as follows.

The color printer employing the identification plate according to the present embodiment can distinguish two cases when a conventional color printer uses one optical sensor, and four cases when two optical sensors are used. Three cases can be distinguished when using one sensor, and nine cases when using two optical sensors.

The sensing means according to the present invention will not be limited to the above embodiment. That is, the optical sensor includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. An LED and a detector may be used instead of the optical sensor, and the attachment position of the identification plate is not limited to the side of the spool gear, but the outer circumferential surface or the flange side of the spool, Flange outer circumferential surface is also possible. In addition, the position where the sensing means is installed also does not affect the nature of the present invention, either on the winding side or the supply side, and can be provided on both the winding side and the supply side.

4 and 5 show another embodiment of the ink ribbon mounting portion of the color printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows the mounting portion of the winding side ribbon cassette, and FIG. The site is shown.

Referring to the drawings, a color printer includes a supply side and a winding side ribbon cassette each having two spools 17 on which ribbons 18 are wound, drive means for rotating the ribbon cassette to transfer the ribbon, and each of the ribbons. Support means for supporting the cassette, and sensing means for recognizing the type of the ribbon.

As a characteristic configuration of this embodiment, the driving means includes a motor (not shown) for generating power, a motive gear 16 driven in connection with the motor, and a spool gear 22 engaged with the motive gear 16. And one end 22b of the gear shaft of the spool gear 22 is fixedly coupled to one side of the spool 17 of the wound ribbon cassette. In addition, the other side of the spool 17 is preferably a flange is not coupled to the spool 17 is directly supported. Since the supply side ribbon cassette does not require the drive means described above, it is preferable that the spool gear 22, the prime gear 16, and the motor are not provided, and flanges are not attached to both sides of the spool 17.

In addition, the sensing means may include an identification plate and an optical sensor shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

The operation of the color printer including the above configuration will be described.

The support 20 is fixed to the frame 11, and two ink ribbon cassettes are mounted to the support 20. The spool gear shaft 22a is supported by the one end of the support stand 20, and the side surface of the spool 17 is directly supported by the winding side ribbon cassette. On the other hand, the supply side ribbon cassette is supported by direct contact with the spool 17 at both ends of the support base 20.

When the wound ink ribbon cassette is attached, the spool gear 22 and the prime gear 16 attached to the ribbon cassette are engaged at the position. That is, there is no need for a means for selectively connecting or disconnecting power between the spool 17 and the spool gear 22 for rotating the spool 17.

Therefore, unlike the conventional color printer, since four flanges are not used, the number of parts is reduced, and the configuration is simplified since there is no need to move the spool gear shaft and the sprocket in the axial direction. In addition, since the mounting direction is clearly distinguished when the user mounts the ink ribbon, the device can be easily used by the user and the device operation error is reduced.

Figure 6 shows a preferred embodiment of the ribbon mounting support means according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, each of the supporting means includes first support portions 20a and 20'a on which one side of the spool 17 is supported at one end, and a second side at which the other side of the spool 17 is supported at the other end, respectively. Cover portions 20c and 20'c which connect the support portions 20b and 20'b and the first and second support portions 20a and 20b 20'a and 20'b and surround the spool 17, respectively. One winding side and supply side supports 20, 20 'are provided.

And as shown in (a) of FIG. 6, the first support portion 20a of the winding side support 20 of the gear groove 20d and one side of the spool 17 are supported A light passing hole 20e through which light passes is formed, and a spool groove 20f in which the other side of the spool 17 is supported is formed in the second support portion 20b of the winding-up support 20. As shown in (b) of FIG. 6, the spool groove 20 in which both ends of the spool 17 are supported by the first support portion 20'a and the second support portion 20'b of the supply side support 20 ', respectively. 'f) is formed.

The color printer with the support means according to the embodiment has a support that is integrally configured for each spool, unlike the support means of the conventional color printer, each of which is composed of two separate supports on the left and right sides of each spool, The number of parts can be reduced, thus reducing the cost.

As described above, the color printer according to the present invention makes it possible to identify the type of the ink ribbon so that a suitable operation is performed according to the type of the ink ribbon in the color printer capable of using a plurality of standardized ink ribbons. Simplified and part-saving results in a low cost and reliable printer.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to one embodiment shown in the drawings, this is merely exemplary, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the technical spirit of the claimed claims.

Claims (8)

A supply side and a winding side ribbon cassette, each provided with two spools on which ribbons are wound, drive means for rotating the ribbon cassette to transfer the ribbon, support means for supporting each of the ribbon cassettes, and types of the ribbons. A color printer comprising a sensing means for recognizing, wherein the sensing means attaches an identification plate having at least one of a reflector or a non-reflector or a combination of reflectors and non-reflectors in a predetermined arrangement to the mounted ribbon cassette. And a light sensor for detecting the identification plate. The color printer according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement is an alternating arrangement of reflectors and non-reflectors. The color printer according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement includes at least two annular bands concentrically arranged with reflectors and non-reflective elements, and at least two optical sensors corresponding to the respective annular bands. . 4. A drive according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the drive means comprises a motor for generating power, a motive gear driven in connection with the motor, and a spool gear engaged with the motive gear, A color printer, characterized in that one end of the gear shaft of the spool gear is fixedly coupled to one side of the spool of the winding ribbon ribbon cassette. According to claim 4, The support means, Each of the first support portion is supported on one side of the spool, The second support portion is supported on the other end of the spool, respectively, The first and second support portion And a winding-side and a supply-side support unit each having a cover portion for connecting the spool and surrounding the spool. The method of claim 5, wherein the first support portion of the winding side support is formed with a gear groove for supporting one side of the spool and the light passing hole through which the light of the optical sensor passes, the second support portion of the winding side support the spool Color printer, characterized in that the spool groove is formed that the other side of the support. 6. The color printer according to claim 5, wherein each of the first and second support portions of the supply side support is formed with spool grooves for supporting both ends of the spool. The method of claim 5, wherein the first support portion of the winding side support is formed with a gear groove for supporting one side of the spool and the light passing hole through which the light of the optical sensor passes, the second support portion of the winding side support the spool A spool groove for supporting the other side of the color printer, characterized in that the first support portion and the second support portion of the supply side support is formed in each of the spool grooves are supported on both ends of the spool.