JPH07115516B2 - Carbon ribbon transfer guide device - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a carbon ribbon transfer guide device for guiding an appropriately transferred carbon ribbon for printing in a ribbon supply section and a ribbon winding section, and particularly in a width direction of the carbon ribbon. The present invention relates to one capable of uniformly adjusting tension to prevent ribbon meandering and wrinkling that occur during transfer.

(Prior Art) A carbon ribbon transfer guide device generally used in a thermal transfer type or impact type printer comprises a fixed guide shaft, and a carbon ribbon supplied from a ribbon supply part is printed in a printing part. In this case, after the predetermined printing is performed, the ribbon is guided to the ribbon winding section. The carbon ribbon is transferred in a state of being properly tensioned by the mechanical load on the ribbon supply side and the winding force on the ribbon winding side.

However, in the case of a particularly wide carbon ribbon, wrinkles are generated at the guide shaft portion on the feeding ribbon due to the cause of the ribbon supply side, that is, the accuracy error of the ribbon supply shaft or the setting error of the vertical assembly, and further wobbling. Is awake.

Furthermore, when the cause of the printed portion, that is, the offset printing of only one side portion in the width direction of the carbon ribbon, is applied, the carbon of the printed portion is transferred to the label side. The heat generally shrinks and causes a difference in elasticity between the non-printed portion and the non-printed portion. Thus, the imbalance of the elasticity in the width direction is also one of the causes of wrinkles and meanders.

Therefore, in the case of the fixed guide shaft, the vertical tension in the axial direction caused by the difference in the length of the ribbon fed out due to the ribbon supply side and the difference in the expansion and contraction degree of the carbon ribbon due to the printed portion. Can be delicately displaced and cannot absorb wrinkles and meanders of the carbon ribbon.

In order to eliminate the wrinkles and meanders, it is necessary to finely adjust each guide shaft of the carbon ribbon, which requires skill and is a very complicated work.

(Object of the invention) In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention can prevent the wrinkles and meandering of the carbon ribbon by automatically averaging the tensions in the upper and lower sides in the axial direction of the guide shaft of the carbon ribbon. An object is to provide a carbon ribbon transfer guide device.

(Summary of the Invention) In the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, in a carbon ribbon transfer guide device for transferring and guiding a carbon ribbon 1 from a ribbon supply reel 20 to a ribbon take-up reel 21, a ribbon supply side is provided. A carbon ribbon guide member 50a, a carbon ribbon guide member 50b on the printing end side, and a carbon ribbon guide member 50c on the ribbon winding side, at least one of which is a fixed guide shaft. A sleeve 70 having an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of 51 is loosely fitted to form a rotation gap 61 between both members,
The contact 72 elastically urged in the rotation gap is interposed between the upper and lower positions in the axial direction, that is, a pair of contacts 72 spaced from each other in the axial direction is formed. When the ribbon is pressed and guided, the eccentric rotation of the sleeve absorbs wrinkles and meanders that occur during the transport of the carbon ribbon, and parallel transport guidance and clear printing are obtained.

(Example) Offset printing of a printed portion, which is one of the causes of wrinkles and meandering of the carbon ribbon, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

1 and 2, the carbon ribbon 1 has a structure in which carbon 3 is laminated on a base 2. The carbon ribbon 1 corresponds to the label size only on one side in the width direction and is arranged in rows at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction. The printing use portion 4a, which is a trace of the transferred barcode, is formed. In this way, the printing use portion 4a in which the carbon 3 on only one side of the carbon ribbon 1 is peeled off
The state in which the mark is formed is referred to as offset printing of the carbon ribbon 1. Incidentally, since there is no transfer mark in the longitudinal direction on the side opposite to the width direction of the carbon ribbon 1, it is the non-printed portion 4b.

The tape-shaped label 5 shown in FIG. 3 is obtained by transferring the carbon 3 of the printing use portion 4a, which is the transfer mark of the carbon ribbon 1 of FIG. 1, and the tape-shaped label is placed on the tape-shaped mount 6. , A label 7 of a certain size having an adhesive layer 8 on its back surface is temporarily attached, and the carbon 3
Is transferred to form a barcode print 9.

Next, a description will be given, with reference to FIG. 4, of the difference in ribbon feeding due to eccentric rotation on the ribbon supply side, which is another cause of the occurrence of wrinkles and meandering of the carbon ribbon 1.

The carbon ribbon 1 wound in a roll shape on the ribbon supply reel 20 is guided by the fixed guide shaft 51 and reaches the printing portion direction. At this time, the ribbon supply shaft 20 of the ribbon supply reel 20
When a is set vertically, no problem occurs, but when this shaft is set in an eccentric state such as 20b, the unwound carbon ribbon 1 moves in the fixed guide shaft 51 in the axial direction. In the lower part 1a, the average tension of the carbon ribbon is always applied, but in the upper part 1b, the tension is slackened or more tension is applied than necessary. In particular, in the case of slack, wrinkles 1c are generated in the inclination direction of the carbon ribbon 1 as shown in the figure, and if the wrinkles 1c are further advanced and the degree thereof is increased, the meandering is caused.

Next, referring to FIG. 5, an outline of the printer 10 equipped with this apparatus will be described.

Inside the printer 10, a thermal head 13 and a push roller 15 which are elastically biased by a platen roller 14 which is connected to a stepping motor 24 set on a substrate 11 via a belt 27 and rotates intermittently are provided. The carbon ribbon 1 and the tape-shaped label 5 are overlapped between the thermal head 13 and the platen roller 15 so that desired printing can be performed on the label 5.
Thermally transferred to the side. Further, the push roller 15 elastically urges the carbon ribbon 1 and the label 5 to the platen roller 14 to transfer both materials.
For the transfer guidance.

The push roller 15 is supported by mounting a pair of arms 17 on a pivot 16 whose both ends are supported by a frame, attaching the push rollers 15 to the ends of the arms, and adjusting screws at the ends of each arm. A spring 18 provided with 19 is stretched so as to be slidable independently at the end of the push roller 15, and the push roller 15 is pressed against the platen 14.

Next, in explaining the transfer route of the carbon ribbon 1 and the tape-shaped label 5, the ribbon guide members 50a, 50b, 50c of the present apparatus are set at three positions in this transfer route. 50a
Is a ribbon supply side, 50b is a printing end side, and 50c is a ribbon winding side.

The carbon ribbon 1 wound around the ribbon supply reel 20 set on the substrate 11 reaches the aligning roller 43 via the ribbon guide member 50a of this apparatus, and is superposed on the tape-shaped label 5 described later at this portion. The desired print is thermally transferred to the label side by the thermal head 13 and the platen roller 14, then reaches the push roller 15, and is separated from the tape-shaped label 5 at the roller portion, and then again the ribbon guide member 50 of this apparatus.
b, 50c, drive of the stepping motor 24 via the guide roller 44, belt drive via the platen roller 14,
It is wound on the ribbon winding reel 21 which is transmitted from the pulley 28 and the pulley 29 and rotates intermittently. The ribbon take-up reel 21 has a gear 30 on its shaft, and a gear 31 meshing with the gear 30 is provided. Then, a coil spring 33 is suspended between a pulley 32 coaxial with the gear 31 and a pulley 34 coaxial with the ribbon supply reel 20, and a back tension is applied to the ribbon supply reel 20. Ie ribbon supply reel 20
It is a structure that can prevent the excessive feeding of the carbon ribbon 1 fed from the.

Next, the tape-shaped label 5 wound around the label supply reel 22 set on the substrate 11 passes through the guide roller 35,
Along the guide surface of the guide member 36 having the movable sensor 37 and the label width adjusting member 38, the alignment roller 43 is reached, the carbon ribbon 1 is overlapped with the alignment roller 43, and the thermal head 13
The label 7 is printed between the platen roller 14 and the platen roller 14, and the label 6 in the temporarily attached state is peeled off by the turning action of the mount 6 by the turning pin 39. In this label peeling, if the peeling auxiliary pin 40 is provided facing the turning pin 39, the peeling action is further improved. Next, the mount 6 from which the label 7 has been peeled off is connected to the stepping motor 24 via the guide roller 41 to the pulley 26 via the belt 25, and the label (mounting paper) take-up reel set on the substrate 11 that rotates intermittently. Winded up at 23.

Further, when the tape-shaped label 5 in which the printed label is temporarily attached without peeling off the label 7 is used in another device, the guide roller 42 is arranged in front of the turning pin 39, and this turning pin 39 portion is used. It is not turned and is used as a mere guide pin. The label (mounting paper) take-up reel 23 passes through the guide roller 42.
It is wound up and housed.

Next, the carbon guide members 50a (ribbon supply side), 50b (printing end side), and 50c (ribbon winding side) of the device of the present invention have their lower portions held by the substrate 11 and their upper portions held by the upper support plate 12. There is.

An embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The fixed guide shaft
51 is fixed to the substrate 11 and the upper support plate 12. Specifically, the upper portion of the fixed guide shaft 51 is fixed to the upper support plate 12 with a washer 57 and a nut 58, and the lower portion of the fixed guide shaft 51 has a reduced diameter step portion 52.
The screw portion 53 is provided at the tip of the screw portion 53.
Further, the washer 55 and the nut 56 are fixed to the substrate 11 and the receiving member 54 fitted to the step portion 52.

Carbon guide members 50a (ribbon supply side), 50b of this device
(Printing end side) and 50c (ribbon winding side) have a structure in which a sleeve 70 having an inner diameter D slightly larger than the shaft is loosely fitted to a fixed guide shaft 51 having a diameter d. As shown in the figure, two mounting holes are provided at an appropriate upper portion and a lower portion in the axial direction of the fixed guide shaft 51, and at three circumferential positions thereof as shown in FIG.
59-shaped T-shaped contactor with a spring 74 interposed
72, 72, 72 are mounted, and the friction surface 73 of the contact 72 is pressed against and fitted to the sleeve inner peripheral surface 71 of the sleeve 70.
That is, the sleeve 70 is elastically held by the fixed guide shaft 51 by the contact 72 with the spring 74, and is capable of eccentric rotation.

In the embodiment, this device, namely the ribbon guide members 50a, 5
As shown in FIG. 5, 0b and 50c are installed at three positions in the transfer path of the carbon ribbon 1, but most of the objects can be achieved if they are set at at least one position depending on the cause of wrinkles and meandering.

Specifically, when there is a cause on the ribbon supply side, the ribbon guide member 50a on the ribbon supply side is set in particular, and when there is a cause on the print portion, the ribbon guide member on the print end side is particularly It is effective to set it to the part of 50b.

Next, the operation of this device will be described. First, the carbon ribbon 1
When the cause of wrinkles and meandering is on the ribbon supply side, when the eccentricity is set like the ribbon supply shaft 20b as shown in FIG. 4, the carbon ribbon 1 wound in a roll shape is eccentric. Since it is rotated and paid out, the amount of payout in the longitudinal direction is different.

Thus, it is automatically absorbed by the ribbon guide member 50a of the device. More specifically, the sleeve 70, in which the contact 72 with the spring 74 is interposed on the fixed guide shaft 51, is elastically eccentrically rotated within the range of the rotation gap 61 formed between the two members, so that wrinkles are formed in the same manner as described above. And absorb the meanders.

Therefore, since the carbon ribbon 1 is in a state where no wrinkles are generated, the printing effect in the next stage is good.

Next, the case where the wrinkles and meandering of the carbon ribbon 1 occur in the printed portion will be described.

As described above, in the case of offset printing in which printing is performed only in the width direction of the wide carbon ribbon 1 as shown in FIG. 1, the printing use portion 4a in the longitudinal direction is the thermal head 13
By the heating and pressure contact, the base 2 contracts due to heat, whereas the non-printed portion 4b hardly contracts, so that the length in the longitudinal direction of the carbon ribbon fluctuates, and wrinkles or meandering occur.

Therefore, the fluctuation of the length of the carbon ribbon in the longitudinal direction is automatically absorbed by the ribbon guide member 50b of the present apparatus.

More specifically, when the printing use portion 4a and the non-printing portion 4b of the carbon ribbon 1 which are transferred by being pressed against the sleeve 70 of the ribbon guide member are continuously arranged in the longitudinal direction, the printing use portion 4a is formed as described above. Since the contraction occurs and the non-printed portion 4b does not contract, one end (the carbon printed portion side) in the longitudinal direction of the sleeve 70 exerts a larger tensile force than the other end (the carbon non-printing used portion side). Unbalanced pulling forces on one end and the other end of the sleeve 70 in the longitudinal direction are caused by these sleeves.
Since the rotation gap 61 of 70 is averaged by eccentric rotation or elastic eccentric rotation, wrinkles and meanders of the carbon ribbon can be absorbed.

(Effect) As described above, the present invention loosely fits the sleeve 70 having an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the fixed guide shaft 51, which is a guide member of the carbon ribbon, between the both members. A rotational gap 61 is formed, and a pair of contacts elastically biased by the rotational gap are provided in the axial direction, that is, at the upper and lower positions, so that when the carbon ribbon is pressure-guided to the sleeve, The eccentric rotation of the sleeve absorbs wrinkles and meanders that occur when the carbon ribbon is drawn out,
It has an advantage that good printing can be performed and that wrinkles and meanders generated in the printed portion of the carbon ribbon can be absorbed.

Further, carbon ribbon guide members 50a and 50b are set between the ribbon supply reel 20 and the printing portions (13, 14) and between the printing portion (13, 14) and the ribbon take-up reel 21. The object can be achieved by configuring the fixed guide shaft 51 with only at least one of the carbon ribbon guide members.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing offset printing of a wide carbon ribbon used for explaining a carbon ribbon transfer guide device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1, and FIG. same,
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a tape-like label, FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a feeding portion of a carbon ribbon wound in a roll shape, FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a printer equipped with the device of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 1 ... Carbon ribbon 50a, 50b, 50c ... Ribbon guide member 51 ... Fixed guide shaft, d ... Same, diameter D ... Same, inner diameter 61 ... Rotation gap, 70 ... Sleeve 72 ... Contact, 74 ... Spring

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A carbon ribbon transfer guide device for transferring and guiding a carbon ribbon from a ribbon supply reel to a ribbon take-up reel via a printing section, between the ribbon supply reel and the printing section and between the printing section and the ribbon. A carbon ribbon guide member is provided between the take-up reel and at least one of the carbon ribbon guide members has a fixed guide shaft and an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the fixed guide shaft. A sleeve that is loosely fitted to the fixed guide shaft, and a pair of contacts that are elastically urged by being interposed in a rotation gap formed between the fixed guide shaft and the sleeve and that have a gap therebetween. When the carbon ribbon is pressure-guided to the sleeve, the eccentric rotation of the sleeve absorbs wrinkles and meanders that occur during the transfer of the carbon ribbon. Carbon ribbon transfer guide device.