KR20200059078A - Thermal sublimation printer manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a dye-sublimation printer and, more specifically, to a method for manufacturing a dye-sublimation printer, which can variously test printing quality or an operating state before production of a printer, a finished product, having a housing by mounting a cartridge on a frame body. According to the present invention, the method for manufacturing a dye-sublimation printer comprises the steps of: 1) mounting a supply reel and a winding reel on a ribbon frame on which a supply reel mount groove and a winding reel mount groove are spaced apart from each other; 2) attaching the tip of the supply reel to the winding reel; 3) mounting a ribbon cover on one side of the supply reel; 4) mounting an idle roller on a lower end of the front of the winding reel; 5) coupling a cassette to the ribbon frame to provide the cartridge; and 6) inserting the cartridge into a cartridge insertion hole formed in a printer body.

Description

Dye Sublimation Printer Manufacturing Method {THERMAL SUBLIMATION PRINTER MANUFACTURING METHOD}

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a dye sublimation printer, and more specifically, a method for manufacturing a dye sublimation printer that can be variously tested, such as print quality or operating state, before production of a finished printer with a housing by mounting a cartridge to the frame body. It is about.

In recent years, with the rapid spread of smartphones, many people are taking photos of events or daily life.

For this reason, in recent years, portable sublimation printers, which can print wired / wireless communication with a portable smart phone and instantly take high-quality photos taken with a smart phone, have been developed and spread.

As is well known, a dye sublimation printer refers to a printer that applies heat to a thermal transfer ribbon coated with a dye so that the dye on the ribbon is transferred to and fixed on the recording medium.

The structure of a conventional dye sublimation printer will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

In the conventional dye sublimation printer 200, a cartridge insertion hole 211 is formed so that the cartridge 100 is inserted from the side.

The printer 200 includes a printer body 210 having a cartridge insertion hole 211 formed on its side, a side cover 220 and a pressing spring 230.

The printer body 210 is formed with an outlet 212 through which the recording medium is withdrawn, a first bushing 213, a second bushing 214, and a cartridge fixing protrusion 215 coupled with the cartridge 100.

The cartridge fixing protrusion 215 is a wedge-shaped member protruding a certain length from the inner surface of the printer body portion 210, fitted with the cartridge fixing hole 116 of the cartridge 100 inserted into the cartridge insertion hole 211 In combination, the cartridge 100 is guided so that it can be disposed at a certain position of the printer 200 and fixed at the same time, and the cartridge 100 is prevented from being separated from the printer 200.

The side cover 220 is rotatably installed on the side of the printer body portion 210 so that the cartridge insertion hole 211 is selectively opened and closed.

The pressure spring 230 is a plate spring installed on the bottom surface of the upper housing 210a of the printer body portion 210, and the upper surface of the recording medium storage portion 111 of the cartridge 100 stored in the printer body portion 210 It is in close contact and provides an elastic force to press the recording medium storage unit 111.

4 and 5 show a conventional cartridge. The cartridge 100 is a cartridge body formed integrally by arranging the recording medium storage 111, a supply reel 120 wound around an ink ribbon, and a winding reel 130 wound around a printed ink ribbon. It includes a portion 110, a cartridge cover portion 140, and a pressing spring hole 150.

In addition, the cartridge 100 is provided with a cartridge fixing groove 116 that fits with the cartridge fixing protrusion 215 so that the cartridge 100 is fixed to a certain position of the printer, and inserted into the printer 200 The cartridge 100 is prevented from being separated from the printer 200.

In addition, a handle 117 for gripping the cartridge 100 is installed to allow a user to grip and remove the cartridge 100 inserted into the printer 200 so that it can be easily removed from the printer 200.

In the conventional cartridge configured as described above, since the recording medium storage unit 111 is integrally formed in the cartridge body 110 in which the ribbon is mounted, it is not easy to transport and store the cartridge.

In particular, when there is a defect in any one of the parts for mounting the recording medium storage unit 111 or the ribbon, there is a problem that the entire cartridge needs to be replaced.

Also, when the ribbon supplied from the supply reel is wound around the winding reel, the ribbon is often twisted or wrinkled during the transfer path.

In addition, a certain inspection process is performed in the production process of the printer. For example, after mounting the cartridge 100 in the printer 200, the image is printed to test the operation or image quality of the printer 200. However, the conventional printer 200, when mounting the cartridge 100 to the printer, as described above, the cartridge fixing groove 116 is fixed to the fitting protrusion 215 formed in the housing 210A of the printer by fitting the cartridge. . Therefore, in order to proceed with the above test, since the cartridge is fixed to the housing, the test can be performed only when the printer body 210 is fully assembled to the housing 210a, and the product is perfectly assembled according to the test results. There is a problem that must be discarded.

Alternatively, if the housing is not coupled to the printer body, after inserting the cartridge into the printer body, there is a problem that various tests can be performed only in a fixed state using a jig that is temporarily fixed.

Meanwhile, a method of mounting a conventional supply reel and a winding reel will be described. First, the supply reel is mounted in the supply reel mounting hole. Next, the leading end of the ribbon is pulled out from the supply reel and then pulled out below the idle roller at the lower front of the winding reel. Lastly, the tip of the ribbon that has passed under the idle roller is attached to the winding reel and attached to the winding reel mounting hole.

However, in this method, since the idle roller is fixedly installed, it is very difficult and time-consuming to insert and pull out the end of the ribbon under the idle roller.

Patent Publication 10-2015-0088402 Patent Registration 10-1507064 Patent Publication 10-2015-0088402 Registered Patent 10-1486327

The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to mount a cartridge to the frame body, so that a printer equipped with a housing can be tested in various ways, such as print quality or operating condition, before printing. In providing a manufacturing method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a dye sublimation type printer that is easy to mount a supply reel and a winding reel, since the idle roller in the transport path of the ribbon is detachably provided from the ribbon frame.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a dye sublimation printer comprising a detachable cartridge in which a ribbon frame and a cassette are separated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a dye sublimation printer that can prevent the ribbon from being wrinkled or twisted when the ribbon supplied from the supply reel is wound on a winding reel.

In order to solve the above technical problem, a method for manufacturing a dye sublimation printer according to the present invention includes: 1) mounting a supply reel and a winding reel on a ribbon frame in which a supply reel mounting groove and a winding reel mounting groove are spaced apart; 2) attaching the tip of the supply reel to the winding reel; 3) mounting a ribbon cover on one side of the supply reel; 4) mounting an idle roller on the lower front of the winding reel; 5) combining the cassette with the ribbon frame to prepare a cartridge; And 6) inserting the cartridge into a cartridge insertion hole formed in the printer body.

In addition, in step 5), guide rails formed in the transverse direction are formed on both side walls of the ribbon frame, guide bars are formed protruding in the transverse direction on both side walls of the cassette, and the guide bars follow the guide rail. It is preferred to slide and bind the cassette to the ribbon frame.

In addition, it is preferable that the guide bar is formed with a mounting protrusion protruding outward, and that the guide rail is provided with a seating groove or seating hole in which the mounting protrusion is seated.

In addition, it is preferable that an incision is formed between the cassette and the guide bar so that the mounting projection can retract elastically in the direction of the cassette.

In addition, a coupling hole is formed in the frame, and a locking protrusion protruding inward from one side wall of the cassette is formed, and step 6) is preferably performed by coupling the locking protrusion to the coupling hole.

In addition, the cassette preferably includes a first gripper that protrudes outward from one side wall and is integrally formed with the locking protrusion, and a second gripper that protrudes outwardly from one side wall of the cartridge in parallel with the first gripper.

In addition, after the step 6), it is preferable to include; 7) mounting the recording medium on the cartridge to test the print quality and operation status.

In addition, the ribbon frame is provided on the front side of the winding reel mounting portion, it is preferable that the center includes a bracket in which a protrusion is formed to protrude the center of the width direction of the ribbon in front of both ends.

According to the present invention, by mounting the cartridge to the frame body, it is possible to test variously, such as print quality or operation state, even before production of a printer equipped with a housing.

Therefore, it is possible to modify the product according to the test results before production of the finished product.

In addition, the idle roller in the conveyance path of the ribbon is detachably provided from the ribbon frame, so it is very easy to mount the supply reel and the winding reel.

In addition, the ribbon frame and the cassette are separated and formed into a structure to be combined for easy transport and storage.

In addition, if there is a defect in either the ribbon frame or the cassette, only the defective component can be replaced, thereby reducing replacement cost and manufacturing cost.

In addition, even if the ribbon frame and the cassette are formed separately, they can be used easily and firmly when combined.

In addition, when the ribbon supplied from the supply reel is wound on the winding reel, the ribbon is not wrinkled by applying tension to the ribbon.

1 to 3 show a conventional dye sublimation printer.
4 and 5 show a cartridge mounted in a conventional dye sublimation printer.
6 and 7 show a cartridge according to the present invention.
8 and 9 respectively show the ribbon frame and the cassette of the cartridge according to the present invention.
10 and 11 show the transport state of the ribbon in the cartridge according to the present invention.
12 shows a ribbon frame of the cartridge according to the present invention.
13 and 14 show a dye sublimation printer according to the present invention.
15 and 16 show a structure for coupling the cartridge to the printer body.

Hereinafter, the structure and operation of the cartridge according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6 and 7 show a perspective view of a removable cartridge according to the present invention, the embodiment (1) according to the present invention is a ribbon frame 10 and the cassette 20 are configured separately, it is used in combination.

The ribbon frame 10 and the cassette 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. The ribbon frame 10 is formed with a supply reel mounting portion 12a so that a supply reel R1 of a ribbon (see 'R' in FIG. 10) can be mounted, and a winding reel mounting portion so that the winding reel R2 can be mounted. (12b) is formed.

In addition, the cassette 20 is a component in which a plurality of recording media (not shown) such as photo paper are stacked in the vertical direction.

In particular, guide rails 11 are formed on both side walls of the ribbon frame 10 in the transverse direction, and guide bars 21 are projected on both side walls of the cassette 20 in the transverse direction. A rail groove 11a is formed in the guide rail 11 to allow the guide bar 21 to enter.

Therefore, the guide bar 21 enters along the guide rail 11 to combine the cassette 20 and the ribbon frame 10.

In order to more securely mount the cassette 20 and the ribbon frame 10, it can be seen that two mounting protrusions 21b are formed on the guide bar 21 outward. Two seating holes 11b are formed in the guide rail 11 corresponding to the mounting protrusions 21b.

Therefore, the user can recognize whether the mounting projection 21b is mounted on the ribbon frame 10 by pushing the cassette 10 until it is seated in the seating hole 11b.

The seating hole 11b is formed in a trapezoidal cross section so that the mounting protrusion 21b is stably seated in the seating hole 11b.

In addition, the guide bar 21, the front end is connected to the cassette 20 is integrally formed, it can be seen that the incision 21a is formed between the cassette 20 and the rear end of the mounting projection 21b is formed. When the cassette 20 is formed of a synthetic resin material or metal, when the guide bar 21 slides along the guide rail 11 and enters, when the mounting protrusion 21b meets the guide rail 11, the incision is made. Since the portion 21a is formed, the mounting projection 21b elastically retracts in the direction of the cassette 20, and in this state, when the guide bar 21 enters the inside of the guide rail 11 more While the elastically deformed guide bar 21 is restored again, the mounting protrusion 21b is seated in the seating hole 11b.

If the incision 21a is not formed, when the mounting projection 21b enters, a pair of guide rails 11 are opened outwards, and if the operation is repeated, the guide rails 11 are damaged. Can be. In the present invention, since this problem is solved, the incision 21a is formed.

In addition, a locking member 22 is provided on one side wall of the cassette 20, and the locking member 22 uses a cartridge 1 in which the cassette 20 and the ribbon frame 10 are coupled to the printer body (not shown). It is a configuration for fixing on.

The locking member 22 is formed with a hook 22a extending inward from one side wall of the cassette 20, and first and second grippers 22b and 22c are provided outside.

In this embodiment, two mounting protrusions 21b and two seating holes 11b are formed, but according to the present invention, the number of mounting projections 21b and seating holes 11b can be variously changed. In addition, a seating groove may be formed in the guide rail 11 instead of the seating hole 11b.

10 is a side view of the ribbon frame 10 according to the present invention. As shown, the supply reel mounting portion and the winding reel mounting portion are respectively equipped with a supply reel R1 and a winding reel R2.

In addition, a ribbon cover 13 is provided on one side of the supply reel R1 mounted on the supply reel mounting portion. Between the supply reel (R1) and the winding reel (R2), a head that applies heat (Thermal Printing Head) is positioned to sublimate the dye of the ribbon (R) on the recording medium to form an image, which is applied from a head (not shown) The heat to be exerted adversely affects the ribbon R wound around the supply reel R1. In other words, the ribbon cover 13 is to protect the ribbon R wound on the supply reel R1 from heat or moisture, and to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the ribbon. Therefore, the circumferential surface of the supply reel R1 may be entirely wrapped, but in this embodiment, the ribbon cover 13 is formed only on one side opposite to the winding reel R1. The contamination of the ribbon is mainly done in the vicinity of the head and is intended to reduce the overall weight of the cartridge. Therefore, the ribbon cover 13 is made of a constant curved surface so as to be in close contact with the supply reel R1 as a whole, but the lower end 13a is bent such that the ribbon R supplied from the winding reel R1 is supplied to the lower side of the head. In particular, the bent portion is 'R' processed to transfer the ribbon without friction.

The ribbon R passing through the lower end 13a of the ribbon cover 13 is used as the dye sublimates into the recording medium while passing through the head.

The ribbon (substrate) with which the dye has been sublimated through this process is wound with a winding reel (R1) through the idle roller 14 and the bracket 15 under the head.

The idle roller 14 is provided on the lower front side of the winding reel R1 to provide a transfer path to horizontally transfer the ribbon R transferred through the lower portion of the ribbon cover 13.

The ribbon R passing through the idle roller 13 is transferred to a position higher than the upper end of the winding reel R1 by the bracket 15 again. That is, the upper end 15b of the bracket 15 is located at a position higher than the center of the winding reel.

The bracket 15 is formed to be inclined downward in the direction of the idle roller 14 from the upper end 15b formed at a position higher than the upper end of the winding reel R1. In addition, a bent portion 15c extending downward from the upper end 15b of the bracket in the winding reel direction is formed.

On the other hand, since the ribbon R has a thin film shape, wrinkles or kinks are often formed during transportation. In particular, the state in which the dye is sublimed is more often wrinkled or twisted. When wrinkles or kinks occur in the ribbon R as described above, the winding reel R2 is not uniformly wound, and it is not limited to being conveyed in a distorted state without being transferred parallel to the recording medium from the lower side of the head. It causes serious deterioration.

In order to prevent the ribbon from being wrinkled or kinked, in the present invention, a protrusion 15a is formed on the bracket 15 to protrude the center of the ribbon R from both ends forward. 11 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the shape of the ribbon R at a position where the protrusion 15a is formed. As shown, it can be seen that the ribbon R has a center portion R0 in the width direction protruding forward by the protruding portion 15a, and a curve is formed toward the rear side as it goes toward both ends.

In this way, the center R0 of the ribbon is projected forward to impart artificial tension in the width direction of the ribbon R, so that no wrinkle or twist occurs during the transfer of the ribbon.

In this embodiment, the protruding portion 15a was formed only on the bracket 15, but unlike this, it is also possible to form the upper surface of the bent portion 15c. In this case, the ribbon R may be wound on the reel while the center is projected upward in the width direction, and both ends are curved downward to prevent wrinkles or kinks for the same reason.

Referring back to FIG. 10, also, on the upper ends of both ends of the bent portion 15c, the ribbon is prevented from lifting and the lifting plate for guiding the winding in parallel with the winding reel R2 (refer to '16' in FIG. 12). ) Is formed. When both ends of the ribbon are lifted, wrinkles or kinks are generated to prevent this.

In addition, it can be seen that the bent portion 15c is formed to be inclined downward toward the rear side, and the upper end of the bracket 15 is protruded than the front end of the bent portion 15c. This is to transfer the ribbon (R) while contacting only the upper end of the bracket and the rear end (end, 15d) of the bent portion. That is, the ribbon does not contact the bent portion 15c during transport. The upper end 15b of the bracket is also 'R' processed to reduce the frictional force during ribbon transfer.

12, the idle roller 14 is detachably provided on the ribbon frame 10.

Since the idle roller 14 is detachably provided, it becomes very easy to mount the supply reel and the winding reel.

Specifically, the supply reel around which the ribbon is wound is mounted on the supply reel mounting portion, the tip of the ribbon passes through the lower end of the ribbon cover, and passes through the upper end of the bracket to attach to the winding reel.

In this state, since the axis of the idle roller 14 is attached to the shaft hole 14b, the ribbon is very easily mounted. If the idle roller cannot be separated from the ribbon frame, there is a hassle of inserting the tip of the ribbon into the fine gap below the idle roller to be mounted.

The dye sublimation printer according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 13. As shown in the drawing, the printer according to the present invention is equipped with a supply reel and a winding reel, a ribbon frame 10, a cartridge 1 including a cassette 20 in which a recording medium is stored, and the cartridge 1 is side The cartridge insertion hole 33 is inserted in the printer body 30 is formed.

In this embodiment, since the cartridge 1 is the same as the cartridge shown in FIG. 6 used after the ribbon frame 10 and the cassette 20 are formed separately, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The printer body 30 comprises a frame 31, a head 32 for supplying heat to the recording medium, and a conveying means for conveying the recording medium.

15, it can be seen that the frame 31 is formed with a coupling hole 31a penetrating through one side wall.

In addition, a locking member 22 is provided on one side wall of the cartridge 1.

The locking member 22 is provided with a locking protrusion 22a protruding inward from one side wall of the cartridge 1.

The engaging projection 22a is inserted into the coupling hole 31a formed in the frame 31 to fix the cartridge 1 to the printer body 30, more specifically, the frame 31. The end of the locking projection (22a) is formed to be inclined so as to enter the wall of the coupling hole 31, the locking jaw is formed so as not to be separated after insertion.

In addition, the locking member 22 protrudes outward from one side wall of the cartridge 1 and is further provided with a first gripper 22b integrally formed with the locking projection 22a. The first gripper 22b is configured to be gripped by a user by hand when the cartridge 1 is mounted on the printer body 30.

In addition, the locking member 22 is further provided with a second gripper 22c protruding outward from one side wall of the cartridge 1 in parallel with the first gripper 22b.

The second gripper 22c is also a component for gripping the cartridge 1.

Referring to FIG. 16, the first gripper 22b and the second gripper 22c can be gripped to insert the cartridge 1 into the printer body 30 (see FIG. 16 (a)).

In addition, when the user grasps the first gripper 22b and the second gripper 22c and applies pressure so that the outer ends approach each other, the engaging protrusions 22a swing as the reaction, and the engaging hole 31a (Fig. 16 (b)).

In this state, if the first gripper 22b and the second gripper 22c are grasped and pulled, the cartridge 1 can be removed from the frame 30.

In addition, if a large force is repeatedly applied to the first gripper 22b, the first gripper 22b may be damaged. In order to prevent this, a projection 22b 'protruding in the direction of the second gripper 22c is formed at an end of the first gripper 22b. The size of the protrusion 22b 'is formed in consideration of a range in which the locking protrusion 22a can be separated from the coupling hole 31a. Therefore, even if a large pressure is applied to the first gripper 22b by the user, the protrusion 22b 'abuts against the second gripper 22c and no longer swings.

As described above, the present invention is to attach the cartridge 1 to the printer body 30 and to fix it even before producing the finished product by combining the housing (see '210A' in FIG. 1) with the printer body 30. Therefore, it is possible to test the print quality, the operation state of each component, etc. in a state where the cartridge 1 is mounted and fixed to the printer body 30.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a dye sublimation printer according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the supply reel R1 and the winding reel R2 are mounted on the ribbon frame 10 in which the supply reel mounting groove 12a and the winding reel mounting groove 12b are spaced apart (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

Next, the tip of the supply reel R1 is attached to the take-up reel R2 (see FIGS. 7, 8 and 10).

Next, the ribbon cover 13 is mounted on one side of the supply reel R1 (see FIG. 10). When the ribbon cover 13 is attached after attaching the tip of the ribbon to the winding reel R2, the ribbon is drawn out close to the bottom surface of the ribbon frame.

Next, an idle roller 14 is mounted on the lower front of the winding reel R1 (see FIG. 10). As described above, the idle roller 14 is formed detachably on the ribbon frame 10. If the idle roller 14 is not detachable to the ribbon frame 10, it is very difficult to pass the tip of the ribbon pulled out from the winding reel R1 through the slit formed in the lower portion of the idle roller 14. In the present invention, the idle roller 14 is configured to be detachably attached to the ribbon frame 10 to eliminate this hassle.

Next, a cartridge is prepared by combining the cassette with the ribbon frame (see FIG. 6). Combining the cassette 10 to the ribbon frame 10 is made by sliding the guide bar 21 along the guide rail 11, which has been described above, so detailed description is omitted.

Next, the cartridge 1 is inserted into the cartridge insertion hole 33 formed in the printer body 30, and the locking protrusion 22a of the locking member 22 is inserted into the coupling hole 31a formed in the frame 31. Insert and secure (see FIGS. 13 and 14).

Finally, a recording medium is mounted on the cartridge 1 to test print quality and operation.

As such, various tests can be performed even before the cartridge is coupled to the printer body 30 in the frame of the printer body, rather than the housing, which is very effective.

1: Example
10: Ribbon frame
11: Guide rail
12a: Supply reel mounting part
12b: winding reel mounting portion
13: Ribbon cover
14: Children roller
15: bracket
16: Lifting plate
20: cassette
21: Guide bar
22: locking member

Claims (8)

1) mounting the supply reel and the winding reel to the ribbon frame where the supply reel mounting groove and the winding reel mounting groove are spaced apart;
2) attaching the tip of the supply reel to the winding reel;
3) mounting a ribbon cover on one side of the supply reel;
4) mounting an idle roller on the lower front of the winding reel;
5) combining the cassette with the ribbon frame to prepare a cartridge; And
6) inserting and fixing the cartridge into a cartridge insertion hole formed in the printer body; a method for manufacturing a dye sublimation type printer.
According to claim 1,
Step 5) is,
Guide rails formed in the transverse direction are formed on both side walls of the ribbon frame, guide bars are formed protruding in the transverse direction on both side walls of the cassette, and the guide bar slides along the guide rail to draw the cassette into the ribbon frame. Dye sublimation printer manufacturing method, characterized in that to combine.
According to claim 2,
The guide bar is formed with a mounting protrusion protruding outward,
Method for manufacturing a dye sublimation printer, characterized in that the guide rail is formed with a seating groove or seating hole on which the mounting projection is seated.
According to claim 3,
A method of manufacturing a dye sublimation type printer, characterized in that an incision is formed between the cassette and the guide bar so that the mounting protrusion can retract elastically in the direction of the cassette.
According to claim 1,
A coupling hole is formed through the frame, and a locking protrusion protruding inward from one side wall of the cassette is formed.
The step 6) is a dye sublimation printer manufacturing method, characterized in that is performed by engaging the engaging projection to the coupling hole.
The method of claim 5,
The cassette includes a first gripper protruding outwardly from one side wall and integrally formed with the locking protrusion, and a second gripper protruding outwardly from one sidewall of the cartridge in parallel with the first gripper. How to manufacture a printer.
The method of claim 5,
After step 6),
7) attaching a recording medium to the cartridge to test the print quality and operating status; a dye sublimation printer manufacturing method comprising the.
According to claim 1,
The ribbon frame is provided on the front side of the winding reel mounting portion, the dye sublimation type printer manufacturing method characterized in that it comprises a bracket in which a projection is formed to protrude the center of the width direction of the ribbon in front of both ends.

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