JP2833918B2 - Printer device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer device, and more particularly, to printing a part of a target print by one operation of a print head, moving the print head to print another part by the next operation. The present invention relates to a printer device of a type in which all printing is performed by repeating this operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 3A and 3B show an example of a conventional printer device, wherein FIG. 3A is a side view and FIG. 3B is a plan view.

A conventional printer has a configuration as shown in FIG. That is, the print head 11 has a plurality of pins, and some of the pins protrude from the printing paper 18 so that desired characters can be printed through the ink ribbon contained in the ink ribbon cartridge 12. Print. The ink ribbon cartridge 12 is composed of an ink ribbon and a case for accommodating the ink ribbon. The ink ribbon transfers ink to the printing paper 18 by pins projected from the print head 11. Support part 13
Are the print head 11 and the ink ribbon cartridge 1
Support 2 The stepping motor 14 is connected to the support 13
Drive lateral movement. The pulley 15 is fixed to a rotation shaft of the stepping motor 14 and a belt 16
Has been wound. The belt 16 is wound around a pulley 15 and a pulley 17. Both ends of the belt 16 are fixed to both sides of the support 13, and the rotation of the stepping motor 14 is transmitted to the support 13. The platen 19 receives the pressure of the pins of the print head 11 by mounting the printing paper 18. The stepping motor 20 is coupled to a rotation shaft of the platen 19, and rotates the platen 19 to convey the printing paper 18 upward by the rotation. Rollers 21a and 21b
Presses the printing paper 18 against the platen 19 to assist the transport operation of the printing paper 18.

When printing is performed on the printing paper 18, the printer configured as described above starts printing from the upper left end of the printing paper 18, and performs one operation of the print head 11 by one operation.
As a unit, every time one unit of operation is completed, the print head 11 is moved rightward by a predetermined amount to perform the next one unit of operation, and this operation is repeated until the print paper 18 reaches the left end to the right end. Print (this is called main scanning). When the print head 11 reaches the right end of the printing paper 18, the printing paper 18
Feeding is performed upward by a line (this is referred to as sub-scanning), and printing for one line is similarly performed. By performing this operation up to the lower end of the printing paper 18, all printing on the printing paper 18 is completed.

In the above operation, the main scanning is performed by repeating the printing operation by the print head 11 and the moving operation by the stepping motor 14, and its operation range is determined by the distance between the pulley 15 and the pulley 17. The sub-scanning is based on the rotation of the platen 19 by the stepping motor 20.

[0006]

In the conventional printer device as described above, printing is performed on printing paper by the distance between two pulleys which wind a belt provided for moving a print head. Since the possible width is determined, there is a disadvantage that the printable width is limited by mechanical conditions.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A printer apparatus according to the present invention comprises a quadrangular chassis and four bearings of the same dimensions mounted on four corners of a lower surface of the chassis and having a vertical axis as a first rotation axis. And simultaneously rotate the four bearings
A first stepping motor, and a horizontal axis provided on each of the four bearings and held by the bearings through the center as a second rotation axis, and the center is the four shafts. First
4 of the same diameter arranged on each extension of the axis of rotation
Balls and the second axis of rotation of each of the four balls
By rotating the second rotation axis.
And four second scan <br/> stepping motor for rotating each of the four spheres Te, the four second stepping
A controller for rotating the motors simultaneously in the same direction and at the same speed;
A print head mounted at the center of the chassis.

[0008]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
2A is a front view, FIG. 2B is a plan view, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an operation state of the embodiment of FIG.

In FIG. 1, a chassis 1 is a base portion on which a main portion of the present printer device is mounted, and has a square shape. Rubber balls 2a and 2b and 2
c and 2d have the same diameter and are held in bearings 4a and 4b and 4c and 4d, respectively.
Are provided at the four corners of the lower surface. Stepping motors 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d are mounted on the side surfaces of bearings 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d, respectively, and penetrate the centers of corresponding rubber balls 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d to form corresponding rubber balls. Fixed
To the rotating shafts arranged horizontally and parallel to each other.
And corresponding rubber balls 2a and 2b and 2
Rotate c and 2d . The pulleys 5a and 5b and 5c and 5d have the same outer diameter, and hold the bearings 4a and 4b and 4c and 4d, respectively.
A rotating shaft vertically rotatably mounted on the lower surface of the shell 1
, And the belt 6 is wound therearound. Bearing 4a
And 4b and 4c and 4d holding each
The extension line of each rotating shaft is the corresponding rubber ball 2a.
And 2b and 2c and 2d through the center.
The stepping motor 7 is fixed to the bearing 4a,
The bearing 4a is rotated with its rotation axis vertical.
Therefore, the bearings 4b, 4c and 4d rotate simultaneously with the respective rotating shafts being vertical by the rotation of the stepping motor 7. The print head 8 is mounted on the chassis 1
It is mounted in the center of and has multiple pins,
By protruding some of the pins from the printing paper 10, desired characters are printed via the ink ribbon accommodated in the ink ribbon cartridge 9. The ink ribbon cartridge 9 is composed of an ink ribbon and a case for accommodating the ink ribbon. The ink ribbon transfers ink to the printing paper 10 by pins projected from the print head 8. The printing paper 10 is fixed on a plane parallel to a plane formed by the four rubber balls 2a and 2b, 2c and 2d. Stepping motor 7 and
And stepping motors 3a and 3b and 3c and
3d is driven by a control circuit (not shown),
For the motors 3a and 3b and 3c and 3d
, The same pulse is applied.

Next, the operation of the printer configured as described above will be described.

Prior to printing, the printing paper 10 is fixed on a flat surface such as a drawing table. Next, the printer is connected to the chassis 1
The upper side and the left side of the printing paper 10 are respectively
The print head 8 is set in parallel with the left
10 so that it is directly above the print position of the first row and first column
At the upper left position of the printing paper 10. In this state, the stepping motor 7 is rotated, and as shown in FIG.
Stepping motors 3a and 3b and 3c and 3
The bearings 4a and 4b and 4c and 4d are turned so that d is in the upper position. At this time, the bearing 4a
And 4b and 4c and 4d
Through the centers of the rubber balls 2a and 2b and 2c and 2d
Bearings 4a and 4b and 4c and 4
d is a rubber ball 2a and 2b and 2c and
The chassis rotates about the contact point between the 2d and the printing paper 10 and the chassis
1 is stationary. In this state, the stepping motor 3a
When the rubber balls 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are rotated at the same speed in the same direction at the same time with the horizontal and parallel axes as rotation axes, the chassis 1 is moved to the right. Direction (arrow B direction)
You. At this time, the rubber balls 2a and 2b and 2c and
Since the friction between the printing paper 10 and the printing paper 2d is large, the rubber balls 2a and
And 2b and 2c and 2d slide on the printing paper 10
Roll without rolling and move the chassis 1 reliably
it can. The main scanning is performed by alternately performing the operation of the print head 8 and the movement of the chassis 1. When the printer reaches the position on the right end of the printing paper 10, one main scan is completed.

When one main scan is completed, the stepping motor 7 is rotated again, and the bearings 4a and 4b are moved so that the stepping motors 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d are at the right position (the state of FIG. 1). And 4c and 4d. When the stepping motors 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d are rotated in this state, the rotation of the rubber balls 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d causes the printer to move downward by one line. Here, the stepping motor 7 is rotated again to change the direction of the bearings 4a and 4b, 4c and 4d, and the next main scanning is performed.

As described above, since the movement of the printer device is performed by the rotation of the rubber balls 2a and 2b, 2c and 2d, there is no limitation on the movement range.

[0015]

As described above, the printer device of the present invention is provided with bearings having a vertical axis as a rotation axis at four corners on the lower surface of a rectangular chassis, and a print head provided at the center of the chassis. By mounting a ball having a horizontal axis as a rotation axis on each of them and enabling each bearing and each ball to be rotated by a stepping motor, the width of the main search can be eliminated. ,
Therefore, there is an effect that a printer device with a wide range of use can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a front view and (b) is a plan view.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an operation state of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional printer device, and FIG.
Is a side view, and (b) is a plan view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Chassis 2a ・ 2b ・ 2c ・ 2d Rubber ball 3a ・ 3b ・ 3c ・ 3d Stepping motor 4a ・ 4b ・ 4c ・ 4d Bearing 5a ・ 5b ・ 5c ・ 5d Pulley 6 Belt 7 Stepping motor 8 Printing head 9 Ink ribbon cartridge 10 Printing Paper 11 Print head 12 Ink ribbon cartridge 13 Support section 14 Stepping motor 15 Pulley 16 Belt 17 Pulley 18 Printing paper 19 Platen 20 Stepping motor 21a / 21b Roller

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-2-86469 (JP, A) JP-A-4-355167 (JP, A) JP-A-4-369565 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B41J 3/28

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A quadrangular chassis, four bearings of the same dimensions mounted on four corners of a lower surface of the chassis and having a vertical axis as a first rotation axis, and the four bearings simultaneously.
A first stepping motor to be rotated, and each of the four bearings provided on each of the four bearings passes through a center and is held by the bearing.
The horizontal axis is the second rotation axis and the center is
Four spheres of the same diameter disposed on respective extensions of the first rotation shafts, and the fourth sphere of each of the four spheres .
Attached to a second rotating shaft to rotate the second rotating shaft
And four second stepping motor for rotating each of the four balls by the four second stearate
Simultaneously rotate the motors in the same direction and at the same speed
A printer device comprising: a control unit; and a print head mounted at a central portion of the chassis.