JP7526602B2 - Cleaning cassette and thermal printer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning cassette and a thermal printer.

Conventionally, cleaning cassettes used in thermal printers are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the cleaning cassette described in Patent Document 1, a cleaning ribbon containing a cleaning liquid is used to clean the thermal head.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-278339

However, when using a cleaning ribbon containing a cleaning liquid to clean the thermal head, it is sometimes difficult to remove the back layer of the ink ribbon or residue from the base material that has adhered to the thermal head. In addition, when a thermal printer is mounted on a packaging machine, the thermal head cannot be easily cleaned because there is a printed material between the thermal head and the platen (or platen roll). There is a demand for a cleaning cassette that can effectively clean the thermal head with a simple configuration.

The present invention aims to provide a cleaning cassette that can effectively clean a thermal head with a simple configuration, and a thermal printer equipped with the same.

The present invention relates to a cleaning cassette that is detachable from a thermal printer and includes a thermal head and a thermal head receiving portion disposed opposite the thermal head, and includes a cleaning ribbon that is disposed between the thermal head and the thermal head receiving portion and is pressed against the thermal head while sliding against the thermal head when the cleaning cassette is attached to the thermal printer, and a rubber sheet member that is disposed between the cleaning ribbon and the thermal head receiving portion and receives the cleaning ribbon pressed against the thermal head when the cleaning cassette is attached to the thermal printer.

It is also preferable that the cleaning cassette has a cassette discrimination structure that enables it to be distinguished from the ink ribbon cassette used during printing when it is installed in the thermal printer.

The present invention also relates to a thermal printer that is configured to be detachable by replacing the cleaning cassette with an ink ribbon cassette used during printing, and that includes the thermal head and the thermal head receiving portion that is arranged opposite the thermal head, and when the cleaning cassette is attached to the thermal printer, the thermal head, in a heated state, slides against the cleaning ribbon while pressing against the cleaning ribbon, and when performing a cleaning operation, the thermal head is pressurized toward the cleaning ribbon with a pressure setting that is 120 to 150% higher than during normal printing operations.

The present invention provides a cleaning cassette that can effectively clean a thermal head with a simple configuration, and a thermal printer equipped with the same.

1A is a diagram showing the printer body, FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an ink ribbon cassette that is detachable from the printer body, and FIG. 1C is a diagram showing a cleaning cassette that is detachable from the printer body. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which an ink ribbon cassette is installed in a printer body. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an ink ribbon cassette. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a structure for identifying an ink ribbon cassette. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a cleaning cassette is attached to a printer body. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a cleaning cassette. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a structure for identifying a cleaning cassette. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing the configuration of a cleaning mechanism of a cleaning cassette, where FIG. 7A is a plan view and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cleaning cassette. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating control patterns for controlling light emission of light-emitting elements of the thermal head during a cleaning operation. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the operation of a cleaning cassette, in which (a) shows the state in which the thermal head is located in a standby position, (b) shows the state in which the thermal head has been moved from the state shown in (a) to a pressing position, and (c) shows the state in which the thermal head has been moved to one side in the Y direction from the state shown in (b).

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description and drawings, the main scanning direction of the thermal printer 1 in this embodiment will also be referred to as the X direction. The sub-scanning direction of the thermal printer 1 will also be referred to as the Y direction. The up-down direction will also be referred to as the up-down direction Z.

As shown in FIG. 1, the thermal printer 1 of this embodiment has a so-called cassette-type structure in which an ink ribbon cassette 30 (see FIG. 1(b)) or a cleaning cassette 40 (see FIG. 1(c)) can be attached to and detached from the printer body 20 (see FIG. 1(a)). When the ink ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the printer body 20, the ink ribbon cassette 30 can be used to perform printing operations during printing. When the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the printer body 20 instead of the ink ribbon cassette 30, the cleaning cassette 40 can be used to clean the thermal head 21 (described below).

First, a case where the ink ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the thermal printer 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the thermal printer 1 includes the printer body 20, a platen plate 23 (thermal head receiving portion), an ink ribbon cassette 30, and a control unit 50. The ink ribbon cassette 30 is configured to be detachable from the printer body 20.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the ink ribbon cassette 30 includes a base plate 31, a gripping portion 32, a ribbon transport mechanism 33, and two removable guide shafts 34 and 35.

The base plate 31 is formed in a plate shape extending in the Y direction and the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. 1, the grip part 32 is provided on the outer surface (left side in the X direction) of the base plate 31. The grip part 32 is held by a person's hand when attaching or detaching the ink ribbon cassette 30 to or from the printer body 20. The ribbon transport mechanism 33 is disposed on the inner surface (right side in the X direction) of the base plate 31.

The two attachment/detachment guide shafts 34, 35 are arranged to the right of the inner surface (right side in the X direction) of the base plate 31. The two attachment/detachment guide shafts 34, 35 are arranged spaced apart in the vertical direction Z. The attachment/detachment guide shaft 34 is arranged on the upper end side of the base plate 31, and the attachment/detachment guide shaft 35 is arranged lower than the attachment/detachment guide shaft 34 and toward the center of the base plate 31 in the vertical direction. The two attachment/detachment guide shafts 34, 35 guide the installation of the ink ribbon cassette 30 when the ink ribbon cassette 30 is installed in the printer body 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the attachment/detachment guide shaft 34 located at the upper end presses the discrimination switch 24 (described below) of the printer body 20 when the ink ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the printer body 20 as shown in FIG. 4. This allows the control unit 50 to determine that the ink ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the printer body 20. The attachment/detachment guide shaft 34 is formed with a length L1 that allows it to press the discrimination switch 24 when the ink ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the printer body 20 as shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ribbon transport mechanism 33 includes an ink ribbon R, a raw ribbon holder 331 that holds the wound unused ink ribbon R, a winding ribbon holder 332 that winds up the ink ribbon R, and a number of guide rollers 333. In this embodiment, the ink ribbon R has a thickness of, for example, 8 μm.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the ink ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the printer body 20, the ribbon transport mechanism 33 transports the unused ink ribbon R wound around the original ribbon holder 331 toward the thermal head 21, and transports the ink ribbon R transported toward the thermal head 21 toward the winding ribbon holder 332. The multiple guide rollers 333 are rollers that guide the ink ribbon R transported from the original ribbon holder 331 toward the winding ribbon holder 332.

The ink ribbon cassette 30 is detachable from the printer body 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the printer body 20 includes a thermal head 21, a holder 22, and a discrimination switch 24. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the holder 22 holds the thermal head 21.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the ink ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the printer body 20, the platen plate 23 is positioned opposite the thermal head 21, sandwiching the ink ribbon R and the long film F. In this embodiment, the platen plate 23 is positioned below the printer body 20. The platen plate 23 is made of a metal plate material having an elastic layer of silicone rubber or the like on the surface.

When the ink ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the printer body 20, the thermal head 21 prints a print pattern (not shown) on the long film F (printing material) that is moved from the upstream side to the downstream side. As shown in FIG. 2, the thermal head 21 is positioned opposite the platen plate 23, sandwiching the ink ribbon R and the long film F of the ribbon transport mechanism 33 between them.

The thermal head 21 is positioned so that the tip 21a protrudes downward. The thermal head 21 has multiple heating elements (not shown) at its tip 21a. The multiple heating elements are aligned in the main scanning direction of the thermal head 21 (the direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the long film F) (X direction).

In this embodiment, the thermal head 21 is a line-type thermal head in which heating elements are arranged in a straight line in the main scanning direction. In this embodiment, the main scanning direction of the thermal head 21 coincides with the X direction. When electricity is applied to the thermal head 21, the desired heating elements generate heat. The thermal head 21 prints along the sub-scanning direction on the long film F moving from the upstream side to the downstream side. The sub-scanning direction of the thermal head 21 (the same direction as the moving direction of the long film F) is perpendicular to the main scanning direction of the thermal head 21 and coincides with the Y direction.

The thermal head 21 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction Z, and is configured to be movable relative to the platen plate 23 to a standby position away from the platen plate 23 or to a pressing position where it presses the platen plate 23. At the pressing position, the thermal head 21 is configured to be movable relative to the stopped long film F in the Y direction in which the long film F extends.

Specifically, the thermal head 21 is moved in the vertical direction Z from the standby position toward the pressing position (see FIG. 2) to press the ink ribbon R against the long film F and platen plate 23. Then, by moving the thermal head 21 in the Y direction, the ink ribbon R that has come into contact with the desired heating elements on the surface of the platen plate 23 is moved in contact with the long film F. In this way, the thermal printer 1 adheres the ink applied to the ink ribbon R to the long film F to print a print pattern (not shown).

The discrimination switch 24 is disposed above the holder 22, as shown in FIG. 1. The discrimination switch 24 is a mechanism capable of discriminating whether the ink ribbon cassette 30 or the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the printer body 20. When the ink ribbon cassette 30 is attached and the discrimination switch 24 is pressed by the attachment/detachment guide shaft 34 and the ribbon detection sensor 25 detects the ink ribbon R, a press signal is sent to the control unit 50. When the cleaning cassette 40 is attached but the discrimination switch 24 is not pressed and the ribbon detection sensor 25 detects the ink ribbon R, no press signal is sent to the control unit 50.

The control unit 50 controls the operation of the thermal printer 1. The control unit 50 determines whether the ink ribbon cassette 30 or the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the printer body 20. For example, when the cleaning start button is pressed on the operation unit (not shown) and the determination switch 24 is not pressed, the control unit 50 determines that the cleaning cassette 40 is attached.

Depending on the cassette installed in the printer body 20, the control unit 50 controls the printing operation of printing on the long film F (printing substrate) when the ink ribbon cassette 30 is installed in the printer body 20, and controls the cleaning operation of the thermal head 21 when the cleaning cassette 40 is installed in the printer body 20.

The control unit 50 controls the ON time of each of the multiple heating elements in the thermal head 21. As a result, during the cleaning operation, the control unit 50 can perform control to thin out and energize multiple heating elements in order to perform the cleaning operation while reducing the load on the thermal head 21.

Next, the case where the cleaning cassette 40 is installed in the thermal printer 1 will be described. The configuration of the cleaning cassette 40 utilizes most of the configuration of the ink ribbon cassette 30. Therefore, in explaining the cleaning cassette 40, the differences from the ink ribbon cassette 30 will be mainly described. The main differences between the cleaning cassette 40 and the ink ribbon cassette 30 are that the cleaning cassette 40 uses a cleaning ribbon C instead of the ink ribbon R used in the ink ribbon cassette 30, and that the cleaning cassette 40 has a rubber sheet component 46.

As shown in FIG. 5, the thermal printer 1 comprises the printer body 20, the platen plate 23, the cleaning cassette 40, and the control unit 50. As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the printer body 20 in place of the ink ribbon cassette 30. When the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the printer body 20, the configurations of the printer body 20, the platen plate 23, and the control unit 50 are the same as when the ink ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the printer body 20.

As shown in Figures 1 and 6, the cleaning cassette 40 includes a base plate 41, a gripping portion 42, a cleaning ribbon transport mechanism 43, two detachable guide shafts 44, 45, and a rubber sheet component 46. The base plate 41 and gripping portion 42 of the cleaning cassette 40 are configured similarly to the base plate 31 and gripping portion 32 of the ink ribbon cassette 30.

The two attachment/detachment guide shafts 44, 45 are arranged to the right of the inner surface (right side in the X direction) of the base plate 41. The two attachment/detachment guide shafts 44, 45 are arranged spaced apart in the vertical direction Z. The attachment/detachment guide shaft 44 is arranged on the upper end side of the base plate 41, and the attachment/detachment guide shaft 45 is arranged lower than the attachment/detachment guide shaft 44 and closer to the center in the vertical direction of the base plate 41. The two attachment/detachment guide shafts 44, 45 guide the installation of the cleaning cassette 40 when the cleaning cassette 40 is installed in the printer body 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the attachment/detachment guide shaft 44 located at the upper end side is located at one end side (the upper end side in FIG. 1) of the base plate 41 in the vertical direction Z. The length L2 of the attachment/detachment guide shaft 44 from the base plate 41 is shorter than the length L1 of the attachment/detachment guide shaft 34 of the ink ribbon cassette 30 from the base plate 31 (L2<L1). The configuration of the attachment/detachment guide shaft 45 located toward the center is the same as the configuration of the attachment/detachment guide shaft 35 of the ink ribbon cassette 30.

As shown in FIG. 7, the attachment/detachment guide shaft 44 does not press the discrimination switch 24 of the printer body 20 when the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the printer body 20. This allows the control unit 50 to determine that the cleaning cassette 40 is attached if the discrimination switch 24 is not pressed when, for example, the cleaning start button is pressed on the operation unit (not shown). The attachment/detachment guide shaft 44 is formed with a length L2 that does not allow it to press the discrimination switch 24 when the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the printer body 20.

In response to this, as described above, the attachment/detachment guide shaft 34 of the ink ribbon cassette 30 is formed with a length L1 that allows the discrimination switch 24 to be pressed when the ink ribbon cassette 30 is attached to the printer body 20, as shown in Figures 1 and 4. Therefore, as shown in Figures 4 and 8, when the ink ribbon cassette 30 or the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the printer body 20, the difference between the ink ribbon cassette 30 and the cleaning cassette 40 can be discriminated. In this way, the cleaning cassette 40 has a cassette discrimination structure that allows it to be distinguished from the ink ribbon cassette 30, and the ink ribbon cassette 30 has a cassette discrimination structure that allows it to be distinguished from the cleaning cassette 40.

As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning ribbon transport mechanism 43 includes a cleaning ribbon C, a raw-paper-side cleaning ribbon holder 431 that holds the wound, unused cleaning ribbon C, a take-up-side cleaning ribbon holder 432 that winds up the cleaning ribbon C, and a number of guide rollers 433.

The cleaning ribbon transport mechanism 43 differs from the ribbon transport mechanism 33 of the ink ribbon cassette 30 in that it transports the ink ribbon R, whereas the cleaning ribbon transport mechanism 43 of the cleaning cassette 40 transports the cleaning ribbon C. The other configurations of the cleaning ribbon transport mechanism 43 (the original web side cleaning ribbon holder 431, the take-up side cleaning ribbon holder 432, and the multiple guide rollers 433 of the cleaning ribbon transport mechanism 43) are the same as the configurations of the ribbon transport mechanism 33 of the ink ribbon cassette 30 (the original web side ribbon holder 331, the take-up side ribbon holder 332, and the multiple guide rollers 333).

When the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the thermal printer 1, the cleaning ribbon C is disposed between the thermal head 21 and the platen 23. The cleaning ribbon C is pressed against the thermal head 21 and comes into sliding contact with the thermal head 21.

In this embodiment, "the cleaning ribbon C is in sliding contact with the thermal head 21" means that the cleaning ribbon C is in contact with the thermal head 21 while rubbing against it. When "the cleaning ribbon C is in sliding contact with the thermal head 21", the thermal head 21 may move relative to the stopped cleaning ribbon C, or the cleaning ribbon C may move relative to the stopped thermal head 21. In this embodiment, as described below, the cleaning ribbon C is pressed against the thermal head 21 while being in sliding contact with it by the thermal head 21 moving relative to the stopped cleaning ribbon C.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning ribbon C is formed in the shape of a film having a polishing surface Ca for polishing the tip 21a of the thermal head 21. In this embodiment, the cleaning ribbon C has a thickness of, for example, 25 μm. The polishing surface Ca is the surface of the cleaning ribbon C that faces the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 when the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the thermal printer 1. Abrasive grains are arranged on the surface of the polishing surface Ca. The cleaning ribbon C polishes the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 on the polishing surface Ca, thereby removing any deposits that have adhered to the tip 21a of the thermal head 21.

The rubber sheet component 46 is disposed at the lower end of the cleaning cassette 40, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6. The rubber sheet component 46 is disposed on the side opposite to the polishing surface Ca of the cleaning ribbon C that is pressed by the thermal head 21 when cleaning the thermal head 21. The rubber sheet component 46 includes a holding frame 47 and a rubber sheet 48 made of rubber, as shown in Figs. 8(a) and (b).

As shown in Figs. 8(a) and (b), the holding frame 47 has a holding plate 471 and a pair of end rising walls 472. The holding plate 471 has a rectangular outer shape when viewed from above. The holding plate 471 has a square opening 471a that penetrates in a square shape. The pair of end rising walls 472 rise from both ends in the Y direction.

The rubber sheet 48 is attached to the holding frame 47. The rubber sheet 48 is placed on the upper surface of the holding plate 471 so as to cover the entire effective printing range of the rectangular opening 471a. Both ends of the rubber sheet 48 in the Y direction are attached to a pair of end rising walls 472. The rubber sheet 48 is formed, for example, from an elastic rubber material.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the thermal printer 1, the rubber sheet 48 is disposed between the cleaning ribbon C and the thermal head receiving portion 23. The rubber sheet 48 is disposed on the side opposite the polishing surface Ca of the cleaning ribbon C that is pressed by the thermal head 21. The rubber sheet 48 receives the cleaning ribbon C pressed by the thermal head 21. Note that the rubber sheet 48 only needs to be disposed in the range of the square opening 471a where the thermal head 21 slides against the cleaning ribbon C while pressing it, and may be disposed so as to cover the entire square opening 471a, or may be disposed so as to cover a smaller portion than in this embodiment.

When the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the printer body 20, the thermal head 21 can be operated to clean the thermal head 21. As shown in FIG. 5, the thermal head 21 is disposed opposite the platen plate 23, sandwiching the cleaning ribbon C of the cleaning ribbon transport mechanism 43 and the rubber sheet 48 of the rubber sheet component 46. The configuration of the thermal head 21 is the same as that described above.

Next, the operation of the thermal printer 1 will be described.
First, a description will be given of the printing operation of the thermal printer 1. When executing the printing operation of the thermal printer 1, the user mounts the ink ribbon cassette 30 in the printer body 20. With the ink ribbon cassette 30 mounted in the printer body 20, the power is turned ON. When the ink ribbon cassette 30 is mounted in the printer body 20, as shown in FIG. 4, the attachment/detachment guide shaft 34 is pressed against the discrimination switch 24, so that the thermal printer 1 recognizes that the ink ribbon cassette 30 is mounted.

Then, upon receiving a start signal for the printing operation, the thermal printer 1 prints a print pattern on the long film being transported from the upstream side to the downstream side. Upon receiving a start signal for the printing operation, the thermal printer 1 moves the thermal head 21 from the standby position toward the pressing position (see FIG. 5) and presses the ink ribbon R against the long film F and the platen plate 23. Then, by moving the thermal head 21 in the direction in which the long film F extends, the ink ribbon R that has come into contact with the desired heating element that has generated heat on the surface of the platen plate 23 is moved in a state of contact with the long film F. As a result, the thermal printer 1 adheres the ink applied to the ink ribbon R to the long film F and prints a print pattern (not shown).

Next, the cleaning operation of the thermal printer 1 will be described.
When a deposit adheres to the tip 21a of the thermal head 21, the ink ribbon cassette 30 is removed from the thermal printer 1 and a cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the thermal printer 1, thereby carrying out a cleaning operation.

Here, the reason why the deposit adheres to the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 will be described. When the ink on the ink layer side of the ink ribbon R is transferred to the long film F (printing material) during printing with the thermal printer 1, if heat and pressure are applied from the heater part of the thermal head 21 from the back layer side of the ink ribbon R, the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 moves while being in contact with the back layer. As a result, the residue of the back layer and base material of the ink ribbon R, which is generated by melting and scraping the back layer and base material of the ink ribbon R, adheres to the heater part of the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 as deposits. If the deposits attached to the heater part of the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 are not removed and the printing operation is continued, the residue of the back layer of the ink ribbon R and the base material scraped off from the back layer will accumulate and become fixed.
In such a case, the ink ribbon cassette 30 is removed from the thermal printer 1 and a cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the thermal printer 1, thereby executing a cleaning operation.

As shown in FIG. 9, in step S1, when performing a cleaning operation on the thermal printer 1, the user installs the cleaning cassette 40 into the printer body 20.

In step S2, the user sets the cleaning mode on the operation unit (not shown). For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the user selects and sets the cleaning mode, which controls the heat generation of multiple heating elements, by a heat control pattern P in which an ON pattern Pa consisting of a range of Xa dots (e.g., 10 dots) in the X direction, which is the main scanning direction, and Ya dots (e.g., 3 dots) in the Y direction, which is the sub-scanning direction, is arranged in a grid pattern with intervals in the X direction and Y direction.

In step S3, the user switches the operation switch to start cleaning. When the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the printer body 20 and the user presses, for example, a cleaning start button on the operation unit (not shown), as shown in FIG. 7, if the determination switch 24 of the printer body 20 is not pressed and the ribbon detection sensor 25 detects the cleaning ribbon C, the control unit 50 determines that the cleaning cassette 40 is attached.

In step S4, the user operates the cleaning start button, which causes the thermal printer 1 to move the thermal head 21 to the print standby position and receive a signal to start the cleaning operation. In step S5, the thermal head 21 is moved from the standby position (see FIG. 11(a)) toward the pressing position (see FIG. 11(b)) and the cleaning ribbon C is pressed against the platen 23. Then, with multiple heating elements at the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 turned on, the thermal head 21 is moved to one side in the Y direction as shown in FIG. 11(c) to perform the cleaning operation.

When performing the cleaning operation, it is preferable that the thermal head 21 be pressurized toward the cleaning ribbon C at a pressure setting of 120 to 150% higher than during normal printing operations.

The reason why it is preferable to apply pressure at a pressure setting of 120-150% higher than during normal printing operation is that, while pressing the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 against the cleaning ribbon C with a certain amount of pressure can remove any deposits that have adhered to the heater portion of the tip 21a of the thermal head 21, if the pressure applied is too high, the thermal head 21 will be pressed against the cleaning ribbon C with too much force, which may cause the cleaning ribbon C to be scraped off and adhere to the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 as new deposits.

In this embodiment, for example, the thermal head 21 is heated with the same thermal energy as during normal printing operation, and is pressed with a pressure setting of 130%, and then moved in the Y direction, for example, by 15 mm, to return to the standby position (see FIG. 11(a)). Furthermore, it may be moved back and forth multiple times between the pressing position (see FIG. 11(b)) and the position shown in FIG. 11(c).

As a result, the thermal head 21 moves while being pressed against the rubber sheet 48 by the polished surface Ca of the cleaning ribbon C on the surface of the rubber sheet 48, with the cleaning ribbon C in contact with the desired heating element that has generated heat at the tip 21a. The rubber sheet 48 receives the cleaning ribbon C pressed against the thermal head 21. The platen plate 23 receives the rubber sheet 48, which receives the cleaning ribbon C pressed against the thermal head 21, on the surface of the rubber sheet 48 opposite the cleaning ribbon C.

The rubber sheet 48 is made of an elastic rubber material, so when the thermal head 21 presses the cleaning ribbon C against the rubber sheet 48, the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 is pressed against the cleaning ribbon C while embedding itself into the rubber sheet 48. As a result, while the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 is pressed against the cleaning ribbon C while embedding itself into the rubber sheet 48, the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 is pressed against the polishing surface Ca of the cleaning ribbon C while sliding against it.

When performing a cleaning operation, the heat generation of the heat generating elements of the thermal head 21 is controlled by a heat control pattern P in which, for example, an ON pattern Pa consisting of a range of Xa dots (e.g., 10 dots) in the X direction, which is the main scanning direction, and Ya dots (e.g., 3 dots) in the Y direction, which is the sub-scanning direction, is arranged in a grid pattern with spaces in the X and Y directions, as shown in FIG. 10. Note that in FIG. 10, the parts filled in black are control parts where the heat generating elements are turned ON, and the parts circled in white are control parts where the heat generating elements are turned OFF. This allows the heat generating elements to be turned ON in a thinned-out manner rather than all of them being turned ON, thereby reducing the load on the thermal head 21 while cleaning.

Therefore, during cleaning, the thermal head 21 is in sliding contact with the cleaning ribbon C while pressing the cleaning ribbon C against the rubber sheet 48 and pressing it against the platen plate 23 side with the multiple heating elements heated. The thermal printer 1 configured in this way can remove the deposits attached to the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 in a state where the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 is pressed against the cleaning ribbon C while being embedded in the rubber sheet 48 by pressing the cleaning ribbon C against the surface of the platen plate 23 with the cleaning ribbon C pressed against the rubber sheet 48. Therefore, with a simple configuration, the deposits attached to the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 can be effectively removed. Furthermore, since the thermal head 21 is in sliding contact with the cleaning ribbon C with the multiple heating elements heated during cleaning, the deposits attached to the tip 21a of the thermal head 21 can be removed even more effectively.

In step S6, after the cleaning operation is performed, the thermal head 21 is moved to the removal position of the cleaning cassette 40, and in step S7, an operation to inspect the thermal head 21 is performed.

In step S8, the user switches the operation switch to normal printing operation. In step S9, the user inserts the cleaning cassette 40 into the printer body 20. This completes the cleaning operation of the thermal printer 1.

The cleaning cassette 40 and thermal printer 1 of this embodiment provide, for example, the following effects:

The cleaning cassette 40 of this embodiment is a cleaning cassette 40 that can be attached to and detached from a thermal printer 1 that includes a thermal head 21 and a platen plate 23 that is arranged opposite the thermal head 21. When the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the thermal printer 1, the cleaning cassette 40 includes a cleaning ribbon C that is arranged between the thermal head 21 and the platen plate 23 and is pressed against the thermal head 21 while sliding against the thermal head 21, and a rubber sheet 48 that is arranged between the cleaning ribbon C and the platen plate 23 and receives the cleaning ribbon C pressed against the thermal head 21 when the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the thermal printer 1. As a result, the cleaning ribbon C is pressed against the rubber sheet 48 while sliding against the thermal head 21, so that the deposits attached to the thermal head 21 can be removed with a simple configuration. Therefore, the thermal head 21 can be effectively cleaned with a simple configuration.

In addition, in this embodiment, the cleaning cassette 40 has a cassette discrimination structure that enables it to be distinguished from the ink ribbon cassette 30 used during printing when it is attached to the thermal printer 1. This allows the cleaning cassette 40 to be distinguished, so that control for operating the cleaning cassette 40 can be safely executed.

The thermal printer 1 of this embodiment also includes a thermal head 21 and a platen plate 23 arranged opposite the thermal head 21. When the cleaning cassette 40 is attached to the thermal printer 1, the thermal head 21, in a heated state, slides against the cleaning ribbon C while pressing against the cleaning ribbon C. This allows the thermal head 21 to slide against the cleaning ribbon C while applying heat to the cleaning ribbon C. This makes it possible to more effectively remove any deposits that have adhered to the thermal head 21.

In addition, in this embodiment, the thermal head 21 has a plurality of heating elements formed at its tip 21a and arranged in a line in the main scanning direction, and is equipped with a control unit 50 that controls the ON time of each of the plurality of heating elements. As a result, when the thermal head 21 is heated, for example, by turning on a thinned-out number of heating elements rather than turning on all of the heating elements, it is possible to reduce power consumption and perform cleaning operations efficiently.

Although the preferred embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be embodied in various forms.
For example, in the above embodiment, the thermal head receiving portion is configured by a platen plate, but is not limited to this, and may be configured by, for example, a platen roller.

1 Thermal printer 21 Thermal head 21a Tip 23 Plate plate (thermal head receiving portion)
30 Ink ribbon cassette 40 Cleaning cassette 48 Rubber sheet (sheet member)
50 Control unit C Cleaning ribbon

Claims (3)

A cleaning cassette detachably attached to a thermal printer including a thermal head and a thermal head receiving portion disposed opposite the thermal head,
a cleaning ribbon that is disposed between the thermal head and the thermal head receiving portion and is pressed against the thermal head when the cleaning cassette is attached to the thermal printer, and is in sliding contact with the thermal head;
a rubber sheet configuration portion having a rubber sheet-like sheet member that is disposed between the cleaning ribbon and the thermal head receiving portion when the cleaning cassette is attached to the thermal printer and receives the cleaning ribbon pressed against the thermal head ,
The rubber sheet constituent portion has a holding plate having an opening,
The sheet member is attached to the holding plate in a state where it covers at least a portion of the opening, and is disposed in a range of the opening where the thermal head makes sliding contact with the cleaning ribbon while pressing against the cleaning ribbon . The cleaning cassette according to claim 1, which has a cassette discrimination structure that enables the cleaning cassette to be distinguished from an ink ribbon cassette used during printing when it is attached to the thermal printer. 3. The thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning cassette and an ink ribbon cassette used during printing are detachably replaceable,
The thermal head;
a thermal head receiving portion disposed opposite the thermal head,
When the cleaning cassette is attached to the thermal printer, the thermal head, in a heated state, presses the cleaning ribbon and makes sliding contact with the cleaning ribbon,
The thermal head is pressed toward the cleaning ribbon when a cleaning operation is performed .

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