KR20230081149A - Core of ink ribbon and thermal transfer printing engine for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ink ribbon core and an engine for a thermal transfer printing device therefor, and particularly to the ink ribbon core and the engine for a thermal transfer printing device therefor, capable of performing supply in a standing direction while suppressing shaking or twisting of the ink ribbon containing ink in a thermal transfer printing device. The ink ribbon core includes a core axis; a core flange; and a gear.

Description

Ink ribbon core and engine for thermal transfer printing device therefor {CORE OF INK RIBBON AND THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTING ENGINE FOR THE SAME}

The present invention relates to an ink ribbon core and an engine for a thermal transfer printing apparatus therefor, and more particularly, to an ink ribbon capable of supplying an ink ribbon in a straight posture while suppressing shaking or twisting of an ink ribbon containing ink in a thermal transfer printing apparatus. It relates to a core and an engine for a thermal transfer printing device therefor.

Recently, with the development of digital technology, a thermal transfer printing device that instantly prints a photo taken by a terminal or provides various printed materials as part of a terminal application service is popular.

A thermal transfer printing apparatus uses a method of transferring dye or pigment applied to an ink ribbon to a recording medium by applying heat to an ink ribbon with a thermal print head (TPH).

Typically, an ink ribbon is provided in the form of a cartridge by being wound around a ribbon core, and when the cartridge is inserted and mounted in a thermal electron printing apparatus, printing is performed by receiving power from an engine provided in the thermal transfer printing apparatus.

Specifically, when a printing process is executed after inserting and mounting a cartridge into a printing device, printing is performed on a recording medium supplied with an ink ribbon from the cartridge and then provided to the user through an outlet.

However, a conventional ribbon core requires a gear engagement structure to be rotated by receiving power from an engine for a printing device. Therefore, a spur gear having the ribbon core as an axis is provided at the end of the ribbon core.

However, when driven by the above spur gear method, it is difficult to set a gear ratio to minimize shaking of the ribbon core, which is a precision part, and there is a problem in that the number of parts must be increased for stable driving.

Accordingly, there is also a core in which a gear is formed on one edge of the ribbon core by directly shaping the end of the ribbon core and coupled to the engine-side gear in the coaxial direction, but in this case, there is a problem in that gear coupling between shafts is unstable.

Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1953450 Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-2069414 Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0082459

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an ink ribbon core capable of supplying an ink ribbon in a straight posture while suppressing shaking or twisting of an ink ribbon containing ink in a thermal transfer printing apparatus and an engine for a thermal transfer printing apparatus therefor. want to provide

To this end, the ink ribbon core according to the present invention is mounted on a thermal transfer printing apparatus to supply an ink ribbon, comprising: a hollow cylindrical core shaft; A core flange continuously formed along an outer circumferential surface of the core shaft at one end of the core shaft and extending outward from the outer circumferential surface; and a gear protruding from the outer surface of the core flange and having gear teeth arranged in a circumferential direction.

At this time, it is preferable that a circular fitting hole coinciding with the hollow portion of the core shaft is formed through the central portion of the core flange.

In addition, the upper end of the gear teeth in an outward direction relative to the axial center of the core shaft; a lower end facing the upper end; It is preferable to include; and side ends respectively located on both sides of the upper and lower ends.

In addition, the gear teeth are arranged along the circumference of the circular fitting hole, and the lower end is preferably in contact with the boundary of the circular fitting hole.

In addition, it is preferable that the gear tooth is provided with an insertion slope inclined downward to the lower end of the lower part of the core shaft toward the shaft center.

In addition, the height of the gear teeth from the lower end to the upper end is 1/2 to 1/3 of the diameter of the core shaft, and the interval between the gear teeth is within ± 10% of the error range at 1/2 of the height of the gear teeth it is desirable

On the other hand, the engine for the thermal transfer printing apparatus according to the present invention is coupled to the ink ribbon core as described above to transmit power, and includes a motor and an engine-side power transmission connected to the motor and rotating, the engine-side power transmission a cylindrical gear body; an insertion coupling shaft protruding from the central portion of the inner surface of the gear body facing the ink ribbon core and passing through the central portion of the core flange and fitted in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the core shaft; and a driving gear formed along an outer circumferential surface of the insertion coupling shaft among the inner surfaces of the gear body and engaged with the gears of the ink ribbon core, wherein the inner surface of the gear body is exposed between gear teeth of the driving gear. Is characterized in that the surface contact with the outer surface of the core flange.

According to the present invention as described above, a core flange is provided at one end of the core shaft perpendicularly to the axis, and a gear is formed on the outer surface of the core flange, so that it is driven coaxially with the engine-side drive gear. Therefore, it is possible to supply the ink ribbon in a straight posture while suppressing shaking or twisting of the ink ribbon supplied from the ink ribbon core.

1 is a perspective view showing an ink ribbon core according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a front view showing the ink ribbon core of FIG. 1;
3 is a perspective view showing an ink ribbon core according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view showing an ink ribbon core according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a perspective view showing an engine for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, an ink ribbon core and an engine for a thermal transfer printing apparatus therefor will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, looking at a thermal transfer printing apparatus (printer) to which the present invention can be applied, the thermal transfer printing apparatus applies heat to an ink ribbon with a thermal print head (TPH) to generate dye applied to the ink ribbon. ) or pigments are transferred to printing paper and printed.

In addition, in the thermal transfer printing device, printing is performed by an engine for a printing device composed of a motor and a gear device, etc., and an ink ribbon used during printing is mounted on a cartridge as a consumable, and in that state, the cartridge is mounted on the printer body. As a result, the supply of the ink ribbon is made.

At this time, the ink ribbon core includes a supply-side core and a winding-side core. The supply-side core is a core on which an ink ribbon is wound when initially supplied, and a take-up core is a core that winds and recovers an ink ribbon that is used for printing by being unwound from the supply-side core and supplied to the thermal transfer head (TPH) and used for printing.

To this end, the supply-side core and the winding-side core are axially rotatably mounted on the cartridge, and are arranged parallel to each other while spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval to transfer the ink ribbon. In addition, depending on the manufacturer, one of the supply side and the winding side is set as the drive side connected to the motor, and the other side is set as the driven side.

Meanwhile, the ink ribbon core according to the present invention may be applied to the supply-side core, the winding-side core, or both the supply-side core and the winding-side core. Therefore, the ink ribbon core of the present invention means the supply side core or the take-up side core itself.

To this end, as shown in FIG. 1, the ink ribbon core 10 according to the present invention is mounted on a thermal transfer printing device to provide (supply/wind) an ink ribbon, and the core shaft 11 and the core flange 12 and gears 13: multiple gear teeth 'TH'.

Here, the core shaft 11 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape and serves as a bobbin, and the length of the core shaft 11 may be changed in design according to the width of the ink ribbon used in the thermal transfer printing apparatus. .

In addition, as the diameter of the core shaft 11 is designed in consideration of the rotational speed and printing speed according to engine driving, the length of the ink ribbon drawn per unit time when the core shaft 11 rotates can be adjusted.

Among both ends of the core shaft 11 in the longitudinal direction, one end provided with the core flange 12 is assembled by being bitten by the drive gear 23 on the engine side, and the other end is assembled to the cartridge body in a rotational shaft coupling manner to become rotatable. .

Next, the core flange 12 is provided at one end of the core shaft 11 for forming the gear 13 and aligning the ink ribbon, and is continuously formed along the outer circumferential surface of the core shaft 11, the core shaft ( 11) is formed extending outward from the outer circumferential surface.

For example, the core flange 12 is formed in a disk shape as a whole, and the core shaft 11 is connected to the central portion of the rear side. Accordingly, the core shaft 11 extends outward from the center of the core flange 12 .

At this time, it is preferable that a circular fitting hole 12a coinciding with the hollow portion of the core shaft 11 is formed through the central portion of the core flange 12 . That is, the circular fitting hole 12a of the core flange 12 coincides with the hollow part of the core shaft 11 in size and shape.

The circular fitting hole 12a formed at the center of the core flange 12 allows the insertion coupling shaft 22 of the engine-side power transmission 20 to be inserted and assembled, which will be described again below.

Next, the gear 13 receives power from the engine so that the core shaft 11 can be rotated, and the driving gear 23 constituting the engine is meshed coaxially to drive the engine motor It rotates synchronously with this.

The gear 13 composed of a plurality of gear teeth TH protrudes from the outer surface of the core flange 12 (the surface opposite to the surface to which the core shaft is connected), and the gear teeth TH are constant along the circumferential direction. formed at intervals.

That is, as the plurality of gear teeth TH constituting the gear 13 are arranged roundly along the circumferential direction so as to surround the circumference with the core axis 11 at the center, the core is formed at the inner center point of the gear teeth TH. Shaft 11 is positioned.

As described above, the gear teeth TH constituting the gear 13 protrude from the outer surface of the core flange 12, respectively. Therefore, when the core flange 12 is the bottom surface, the uppermost end protruding outward constitutes the upper surface and forms a side surface around it.

In addition, since the gear tooth TH is formed in a square shape (eg, trapezoidal or rectangular), the four side surfaces constituting the circumference are respectively an upper end (T: upper side), a lower end (B: lower side) and a side end ( S1, S2: left side, right side).

That is, the upper end (T) is located in the outer direction based on the axis of the core shaft 11, and the lower end (B) is viewed from the opposite side to the upper end (T), and the upper end (T) and the lower end (B) Those located on the left and right sides of are defined as side ends (S1, S2).

At this time, a plurality of gear teeth (TH) constituting the gear 13 are arranged along the circumference of the circular fitting hole (12a) on the outer surface of the core flange 12, the lower end (B) is circular fitting hole (12a) It is desirable that it touches the boundary of

That is, the gear teeth TH are disposed along the circumference (CR) of the circular fitting hole 12a formed in the center of the core flange 12 . Accordingly, the gear 13 is disposed at a position corresponding to the outer circumferential surface of the core shaft 11 connected to its rear surface.

Through this, since the core shaft 11 is arranged at the center of the gear 13 when it rotates in engagement with the engine-side power transmission 20, a large force is prevented from shaking or twisting of the core shaft 11 according to power transmission. will be delivered.

At the same time, since the outer portion of the entire area of the core flange 12, excluding the portion where the gears 13 are engaged with each other, can be provided as wide as possible, the gear body 21 of the engine-side power transmission 20 is in surface contact with that portion. If so, it is possible to further suppress up/down/left/right shaking.

In addition, it is preferable that an insertion slope SL is formed on the upper surface of the gear tooth TH so as to slope downward to the lower part B of the side surface described above on the lower part facing the core shaft 11.

The insertion slope SL is configured to slope downward as it approaches the circular fitting hole 12a at the center of the core flange 12, and the insertion coupling shaft 22 of the engine-side power transmission 20 described later is connected to the core shaft ( When assembling into the hollow part of 11), it guides the insertion.

In addition, in the gear teeth TH, the height 'H' from the lower end B to the upper end T is 1/2 to 1/3 of the diameter 'D' of the core shaft 11, and the gear teeth TH It is preferable that the interval 'G' between gear teeth (TH) is within ±10% of the error range at 1/2 of the height (H) of the gear teeth (TH).

As shown in FIG. 2, since the height H of the gear tooth TH extends outward from the circumference CR of the circular fitting hole 12a, it corresponds to the portion extending from the core shaft 11 as the origin. . It also corresponds to the direction in which force is transmitted from the engine-side drive gear 23 during rotation.

Therefore, if the height (H) of the gear teeth (TH) is less than 1/3 of the diameter (D) of the core shaft 11, not only the engagement of the gear 13 is relatively weak, but also the core shaft 11 during rotation The ability to prevent shaking or twisting of the product may be deteriorated.

On the other hand, if the height (H) of the gear teeth (TH) exceeds 1/2 of the diameter (D) of the core shaft 11, the manufacturing cost increases, and the core flange 12 is the engine-side power transmission ( 20), the area that can be in surface contact with the gear body 21 is reduced. Therefore, it is set to 1/2 to 1/3 of the diameter of the core shaft 11.

At the same time, if the gap G between the gear teeth TH is too wide or narrow, it is difficult to engage the gear 13 or to sufficiently transmit the force, so in relation to the height H of the upper gear teeth TH The error range is ±10% at 1/2 of the height (H) of the gear tooth (TH).

Hereinafter, an ink ribbon core according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ink ribbon core 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention is also mounted on a thermal transfer printing apparatus to provide (supply/wind) an ink ribbon, and the core shaft 11 and the core flange 12 ) and gear 13.

In particular, the auxiliary flange 14 is provided on the opposite side of the longitudinal rear end of the core shaft 11, that is, the front end provided with the core flange 12. Whether or not the auxiliary flange 14 is provided can be distinguished according to whether the ink ribbon core 10 is a supply-side core or a winding-side core.

The auxiliary flange 14 may be configured in a circular ring shape with the core shaft 11 inserted in its center. Therefore, it helps to align the ink ribbon with the core flange 12, and enables more stable assembly during shaft coupling.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4 , according to another embodiment of the present invention, a data recording means for storing information on an ink ribbon may be provided at the rear end of the core shaft 11 .

To this end, the ink ribbon core 10 further includes a chip accommodating portion 15 and a communication chip 16 as data recording means in addition to the core shaft 11, the core flange 12, and the gear 13.

Here, the chip accommodating part 15 is provided at the rear end of the core shaft 11, and a seat having a structure with one side open may be used. The seat base forms an installation surface 15a on the floor, the rear portion is open, and a step is formed on the rim portion to form a side portion.

Therefore, the communication chip 16 can be provided by inserting the communication chip 16 through the open rear part of the chip accommodating part 15 and seating (attaching) it to the installation surface 15a. The communication chip 16 may contain information such as manufacturer, date of manufacture, type of ink ribbon, and the like.

As an example, the communication chip 16 may be an RFID employing a spiral antenna or various Near Field Communication (NFC) chips including Bluetooth.

In addition, for attaching the communication chip 16, a double-sided tape may be provided on the inner surface in contact with the installation surface 15a so as to be assembled in an adhesive manner. For adhesion, the double-sided tape is provided on parts other than the communication chip 16 .

In addition, a protective cover laminated with a PVC material or the like may be added to the outer surface of the communication chip 16 to protect the chip.

Hereinafter, an engine for a thermal transfer printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As described above, the engine for the thermal transfer printing apparatus executes the printing process, is driven to supply the printing paper together with the ink ribbon to the thermal transfer head (TPH), and includes a plurality of motors and gear assemblies.

In this configuration, the engine for the thermal transfer printing apparatus of the present invention includes an engine-side power transmitter 20 coupled to the ink ribbon core to transmit power.

As shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. 5 , the engine-side power transmission 20 includes a gear body 21, an insertion coupling shaft 22, and a drive gear 23.

Here, the gear body 21 is configured in a cylindrical shape, and as shown in FIG. 5 (a), an insertion coupling shaft 22 and a drive gear 23 are provided on the inner surface facing the ink ribbon core 10. As shown in (b) of Figure 5, the outer surface of the opposite side is provided with a shaft coupling portion 24 for coupling with the motor side.

At this time, the insertion coupling shaft 22 protrudes from the center of the inner surface of the gear body 21. Therefore, it passes through the circular fitting hole 12a at the center of the core flange 12 and is fitted so as to be in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the core shaft 11.

To this end, the insertion coupling shaft 22 protrudes over a predetermined length, and its outer diameter matches the inner diameter of the hollow part of the core shaft 11. Thus, the separation between the insertion coupling shaft 22 and the core shaft 11 is eliminated, and the engine-side power transmission 20 is tightly coupled to the ink ribbon core 10 .

The drive gear 23 is formed along the outer circumferential surface of the insertion shaft 22 among the inner surfaces of the gear body 21 and meshes with the gear 13 of the ink ribbon core. To this end, the drive gear 23 is also composed of a plurality of gear teeth TH-E, and the size and spacing of the gear teeth TH-E correspond to the gear teeth TH of the ink ribbon core.

At this time, the inner surface 21a of the gear body 21 exposed between the gear teeth TH-E of the driving gear 23 makes surface contact with the outer surface of the core flange 12.

According to the above configuration, while the insertion coupling shaft 22 is inserted into the hollow of the core shaft 11, coupling in the axial direction is performed, and at the same time, support is provided in the direction perpendicular to the shaft due to surface contact with the core flange 12. It is done. Therefore, the ink ribbon core 10, which is a precise transfer part, can be suppressed from being shaken or twisted up/down/left/right.

For this reason, if the diameter of the gear body 21 made of a cylindrical shape is increased by the diameter of the core flange 12, the contact area is increased without changing the position or size of the insertion coupling shaft 22 and the drive gear 23, and more It enables a stable bond.

In the above, specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. However, the spirit and scope of the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, but those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without changing the gist of the present invention. You will understand when you grow up.

Therefore, since the embodiments described above are provided to completely inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention to which the present invention pertains, it should be understood that it is illustrative and not limiting in all respects, The invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

10: ink ribbon core (supply side core/winding side core)
11: core axis
12: core flange
13: gear
TH: gear teeth
14: auxiliary flange
15: chip receiving part
16: communication chip (NFC)
20: engine for thermal transfer printing device (engine-side power transmission)
21: gear body
22: insertion coupling shaft
23: driving gear
TH-E: Gearchi

Claims (7)

In the ink ribbon core mounted in the thermal transfer printing device and supplying the ink ribbon,
A hollow cylindrical core shaft 11;
A core flange 12 continuously formed along an outer circumferential surface of the core shaft 11 at one end of the core shaft 11 and extending outward from the outer circumferential surface; and
An ink ribbon core comprising a gear 13 protruding from the outer surface of the core flange 12 and having gear teeth TH disposed in a circumferential direction. According to claim 1,
At the center of the core flange 12,
An ink ribbon core characterized in that a circular fitting hole (12a) coinciding with the hollow portion of the core shaft (11) is formed through. According to claim 2,
The gear teeth TH are
an upper end (T) in an outward direction based on the axial center of the core shaft (11);
a lower end (B) facing the upper end (T); and
An ink ribbon core comprising: side end portions (S1, S2) located on both sides of the upper portion (T) and the lower portion (B), respectively. According to claim 3,
The gear teeth TH are
The ink ribbon core characterized in that it is arranged along the circumference of the circular fitting hole (12a), and the lower end (B) comes into contact with the boundary of the circular fitting hole (12a). According to claim 3,
The gear teeth TH are
An ink ribbon core characterized in that an insertion slope (SL) inclined downward to the lower end (B) is provided on the lower side of the core shaft (11) toward the shaft center. According to claim 3,
The gear teeth TH are
The height (H) from the lower end (B) to the upper end (T) is 1/2 to 1/3 of the diameter of the core shaft 11,
The ink ribbon core, characterized in that the distance (G) between the gear teeth (TH) is within ± 10% of the error range at 1/2 of the height (H) of the gear teeth (TH). In the engine for a thermal transfer printing apparatus coupled to the ink ribbon core of any one of claims 1 to 6 to transmit power,
Including a motor and an engine-side power transmission 20 that is connected to the motor and rotates,
The engine-side power transmission 20,
a cylindrical gear body 21;
An insertion coupling shaft protruding from the center of the inner surface of the gear body 21 facing the ink ribbon core and passing through the center of the core flange 12 and fitted in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the core shaft 11 ( 22); and
A drive gear 23 formed along the outer circumferential surface of the insertion shaft 22 among the inner surfaces of the gear body 21 and engaged with the gear 13 of the ink ribbon core;
The inner surface (21a) of the gear body (21) exposed between the gear teeth (TH-E) of the drive gear (23) is in surface contact with the outer surface of the core flange (12). Engine for four printing devices.

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