JPH061420Y2 - Monochrome Ribbon Cassette-Multicolor Ribbon Cassette Discriminating Device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a structural improvement of a monochrome ribbon cassette / multicolor ribbon cassette discrimination device in a serial printer.

(2) Disadvantages of the prior art In a serial printer that can be mounted and used with a monochrome ribbon cassette and a multicolor ribbon cassette, it is not necessary to drive and control the ribbon selection switching mechanism when using the monochrome ribbon cassette for printing control. When the color ribbon cassette is used, it is necessary to perform the drive control, and a monochrome ribbon cassette / multicolor ribbon cassette discriminating device is provided to ensure the control based on the selective use of these ribbon cassettes. Conventionally, as these ribbon cassette discriminating devices, a dedicated detector is arranged on a carriage, and when the power is turned on, the detector is turned on or off.
It is determined which type of ribbon cassette is set on the carriage depending on whether it is F or not. However, according to such a device, a dedicated detector is used, and when the lead wire of the detector is connected to the main control board fixed on the printer base, the movement of the carriage is hindered. There is a drawback that the cost is increased because the number of assembling steps is required, such as the need for wiring processing so that there is no problem.

(3) Purpose of the invention The purpose of the invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and to eliminate the need for a dedicated detector, and as an alternative technology, a discriminating device with a simplified structure that does not require extra wiring processing. Therefore, the cost can be reduced, and the maintenance can be saved by using another detector together.

(4) Outline of the Invention The present invention achieves the object by a discriminating device which also uses the carriage home position detector for monochrome ribbon cassette-multicolor ribbon cassette discrimination at the time of detecting the carriage home position performed when the power is turned on. It is a thing.

(5) Description of Embodiments A monochrome ribbon cassette / multicolor ribbon cassette discriminating apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. 1 to 4 show the first embodiment,
1 and 2 show the state of the monochrome ribbon cassette. In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a platen, 2 is a carriage, and reciprocally slides with carriage guide shafts 3 and 4 arranged parallel to the platen 1 as guides. Reference numeral 5 denotes a ribbon cassette holder, which is formed so that it can swing about a pin 5A pivotally attached to the rear portion of the carriage as a fulcrum. And, although not shown, the ribbon cassette holder 5 is biased in the direction of arrow a by the action of an internal spring,
The swing transmission portion 5B is held in pressure contact with a swing drive member 6 arranged in parallel with the platen 1. Then, the ribbon cassette holder 5 is swung by driving control of the swing driving member 6 in the directions of arrows b and c, so that switching selection of multicolor ribbons can be performed. 7 is the carriage 2
Printhead mounted on top, 8 is paper guide,
Reference numeral 9 denotes a monochrome ribbon cassette. When the ribbon ribbon is set on the ribbon cassette holder 5, the setting position is determined by the relative relationship between the two shapes, and the cassette receiving portion 5C of the ribbon cassette holder 5 and the monochrome ribbon cassette 9 are provided.
The upper and lower edges of the ribbon cassette are elastically held by the snap-type elastic pieces 5D of the ribbon cassette holder 5 by the interaction with the locking portions 9A. Reference numeral 10 is for penetrating the carriage 2 and the base portion of the ribbon cassette holder 5, and for distinguishing between a monochrome ribbon cassette elastically held by the elastic force of the flange 12 and a spring 11 interposed between the base and a multicolor ribbon cassette. Is a detection piece. Further, the detection piece 10 is formed so that the monochrome ribbon cassette 9 is not pressed by the ribbon cassette holder 5 in any color position set state. The through hole 5E formed in the base portion of the ribbon cassette holder 5 is formed in such a shape that the detection piece 10 does not engage with the swing movement of the ribbon cassette holder 5. Reference numeral 13 is a carriage home position detecting piece, and 14 is a carriage home position detector provided on the printer main body base. The carriage home position detecting piece 13 is detected by the movement of the carriage 2 which moves when the printer power is turned on. The carriage 2 is stopped at a predetermined position. The monochrome ribbon cassette-multicolor ribbon cassette detection piece 10
Similarly to the carriage home position detection piece 13, it also moves during the home position detection operation.
It only passes over 14 slots and is not detected. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are a side view and a front view as viewed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3, in which the multicolor ribbon cassette 15 is set on the ribbon cassette holder 5. In this embodiment, as a multicolor ribbon, four-color ribbons (yellow, cyan, magenta, and black) are used, and the uppermost ribbon is selected. The cassette 15 has the same shape as the monochrome ribbon cassette 9 except that the thickness is different, and the positioning and setting structure on the ribbon cassette holder 5 is also the same. When the multicolor ribbon cassette 15 is set, the ribbon cassette detection piece 10 is pressed downward on the bottom surface of the multicolor ribbon cassette 15 against the spring force of the spring 11. The lower end of the detection piece 10 is detected by passing through the slot of the home position detector 14 during the home position detection operation of the carriage 2, which is performed when the power is turned on. In the embodiment, depending on the multicolor ribbon cassette set position, there is a set position in which the ribbon cassette detection piece 10 cannot be pressed down at the bottom of the cassette when the multicolor ribbon cassette is set.
As the detection system, the arrow c of the swing drive member 6 is detected before the carriage home position detection operation by turning on the power.
Ribbon cassette holder 5 that follows by driving in the direction
The detection operation is performed on the premise that the color ribbon located at the uppermost position shown in FIG. As described above, FIG.
When the monochrome ribbon cassette 9 shown in FIG. 2 is used, the carriage home position detecting piece is turned on when the power is turned on.
The home position is detected by the interaction between 13 and the home position detector 14, but the discrimination signal between the monochrome ribbon cassette and the multicolor ribbon cassette is not output. In this case, the monochrome ribbon is determined and the printing control is performed. Figure 3,
As shown in FIG. 4, when the multicolor ribbon cassette 15 is used, the ribbon cassette detection piece 10 is pressed on the bottom surface of the cassette and the carriage 2 is moved in the direction of arrow d when the ribbon cassette detection piece 10 is moved downward.
Since it moves in the direction, the home position detector 14 detects it, and when the carriage home position detection piece 13 crosses, ribbon cassette detection and carriage home position detection are performed in combination. In this case, the printing control is performed by discriminating the multi-color ribbon cassette. The arrangement of the ribbon cassette detection piece in this embodiment is an example in which the ribbon cassette detection piece is guided through the base portion of the ribbon cassette holder in the space occupied by the ribbon cassette holder located on the carriage. However, by utilizing the bottom portion of the ribbon cassette protruding outside the ribbon cassette holder, a ribbon cassette detection piece that is selectively movable is disposed on the carriage due to the difference in thickness between the monochrome ribbon cassette and the multicolor ribbon cassette. The embodiment is also arbitrary. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show the second and third embodiments of the present invention, and the parts having the same functions as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals. In the first embodiment, since the multicolor ribbon cassette is detected, it is necessary to perform the operation of lowering the ribbon cassette holder to the lowermost portion as the detection system. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the multicolor ribbon is detected. At the time of setting the cassette 20, by forming a cam 20A for holding the ribbon cassette detection piece 10 at a predetermined stroke pressure downward at any color ribbon setting position, the cassette can be set at any color ribbon setting position. This is an example in which multicolor ribbon cassette detection can be performed. FIG. 6 also shows that the ribbon cassette holder 10 always holds the ribbon cassette detection piece 10 at the bottom of the multicolor ribbon cassette by pressing and lowering it regardless of which color ribbon setting position the multicolor ribbon cassette 22 is set at. Swing fulcrum 21 (not shown)
Ribbon cassette detection piece 10 that projects A onto the carriage 2
This is an example in which the contact portion at the upper end of the detection piece is formed in an arc shape so as not to move up and down with respect to the swing motion of the ribbon cassette holder. According to the second and third embodiments, as compared with the first embodiment, the operation of locating the ribbon cassette holder at the lowermost portion is performed when the monochrome ribbon cassette and the multicolor ribbon cassette are discriminated. Since it is not an essential requirement, it is advantageous in terms of control.

In this embodiment, the ribbon cassette holder swinging mechanism is an example in which it is driven outside the carriage by driving a swinging drive member or the like arranged on the printer base at the rear of the carriage in parallel with the platen. The invention detection mechanism may have a structure in which a carriage is provided with a motor solenoid dedicated to the ribbon lift, or a mechanism for swinging the ribbon cassette holder by using the moving force of the carriage to drive the ribbon cassette lift cam. Applicable. Also, the ribbon switching mechanism is an example in which it is carried out by swinging motion, but the cassette is parallel to the carriage base,
Moreover, it can also be applied to a device that can be vertically moved to switch ribbons. Also, regarding the relationship between the carriage home position detector and the ribbon cassette detection piece, a reed switch and a magnet, a micro switch, or the like may be used. In short, an operation to move the ribbon cassette detection piece when using a multicolor ribbon cassette is required. Any combination can be used as long as it is used for detection, and the combination change does not change the gist of the present invention.

(6) Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, by utilizing the carriage home position detection operation performed when the power is turned on, the carriage home position detector is also used, and the monochrome ribbon cassette and the multicolored ribbon are formed by a very simple mechanism. It is a detection structure that can be surely discriminated from the ribbon cassette, can be easily applied to various color serial printers currently in use, and can contribute to cost reduction. This contributes to labor saving in maintenance and has a great practical effect.

[Brief description of drawings]

The drawings show respective embodiments of the monochrome ribbon cassette-multicolor ribbon cassette discriminating apparatus of the present invention. FIGS. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a monochrome ribbon cassette set on a carriage, and FIG. 1 shows the side view and FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of FIG. 1, FIGS. 3 and 4 show a multicolor ribbon cassette set on a carriage, FIG. 3 is a side view thereof, and FIG. 4 is a view of arrow A in FIG. FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing the third embodiment. 2: Carriage 5: Ribbon cassette holder 9: Monochrome ribbon cassette 10: Ribbon cassette detection piece 1
4: Carriage home position detector 15: Multicolor ribbon cassette

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A serial printer in which a print head is mounted on a carriage and a monochrome ribbon cassette or a multicolor ribbon cassette can be selectively used. A ribbon cassette holder driven on a carriage by a multicolor ribbon selection drive mechanism. And a ribbon cassette detection piece which is elastically held via a carriage and has a tip projectingly formed on the holder base, and a monochrome set in the ribbon cassette holder at a position not engaged with the detection piece. It has a ribbon cassette positioning part and a multicolor ribbon cassette positioning part which is set by pressing the detection piece downward against the elastic force and setting it, and a carriage home position detector is provided on the printer main body base. When the carriage home position is detected, the multicolor ribbon cover By detecting the detection piece at Ttosetto only when said detector, monochromatic ribbon cassette - multicolor ribbon cassette monochrome ribbon cassette characterized in that discriminates - multicolor ribbon cassette discriminating apparatus.