A switching mechanism suitable for dot matrix printer ribbon

Abstract

The present invention discloses a switching mechanism for a ribbon of a dot matrix printer, comprising: a left wall panel, a right wall panel, a carriage guide shaft, a toothed belt, a carriage assembly and an upper angle iron, wherein the carriage assembly comprises a carriage bracket, a print head, a left slider, a right slider, a switching connecting rod, a connecting shaft, a switching wheel, a switching torsion spring and a ribbon guide frame. The present invention allows the switching wheel on the carriage assembly to hit the switching pins on the left and right wall panels through the left and right movement of the carriage assembly, so that the switching wheel rotates clockwise or counterclockwise respectively, thereby driving the left and right sliders to move forward or backward, thereby driving the ribbon guide frame mounted on the slider and the ribbon in the ribbon guide frame to move forward and backward, thereby realizing the switching of the ribbon. The ribbon switching mechanism of the present invention has a simple structure, a small volume, and high reliability, and can stabilize the ribbon at the front or rear position through the torsion spring, thereby ensuring thorough switching and stability in use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of printers, in particular to a switching mechanism suitable for a color ribbon of a dot matrix printer. Background Art

[0002] At present, there are very few ribbon switching solutions for printers on the market, and some of them are relatively complex and have low reliability; others sacrifice printing speed to achieve two-color printing, which always puts two-color printing in an awkward position and cannot be vigorously promoted. Summary of the invention

[0003] The main technical problem solved by the present invention is to provide a switching mechanism suitable for a dot matrix printer ribbon, which has a simple structure, is convenient to switch, has high reliability and does not affect the printing speed, making it convenient and simple for users.

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, a technical solution adopted by the present invention is: to provide a switching mechanism suitable for a dot matrix printer ribbon, comprising: a left wall panel, a right wall panel, a carriage guide shaft, a toothed belt, a carriage assembly and an upper angle iron, wherein the left wall panel and the right wall panel are connected together by the upper angle iron, the carriage assembly is installed between the left and right wall panels through the carriage guide shaft, the toothed belt is arranged on the carriage assembly and drives the carriage assembly to perform horizontal reciprocating motion along the carriage guide shaft under the drive of a motor; the carriage assembly comprises a carriage bracket, a left slider, a right slider, a connecting shaft , a switching connecting rod and a switching torsion spring, the connecting shaft passes through the carriage bracket, and a switching wheel is installed at both ends respectively, one end of the two switching connecting rods is connected to the switching wheel, and the other end is connected to the left slider or the right slider, the left slider and the right slider are respectively installed on the pin shafts of the two carriage brackets, one end of the torsion spring is installed on the switching wheel, and the other end is installed on the left and right side plates of the carriage bracket, the torsion spring can lock the two switching wheels at two extreme positions, thereby ensuring that the left and right sliders slide to the front end or the rear end position on the pin shaft of the carriage bracket.

[0005] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it also includes a ribbon guide frame, which is installed on the left and right sliders and can move back and forth.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the switching wheel has a guiding inclined surface, and the inner sides of the left wall panel and the right wall panel are respectively provided with switching pins. When the carriage assembly makes horizontal reciprocating motion along the carriage guide shaft driven by the toothed belt, the guiding inclined surface collides with the switching pin to drive the switching wheel to complete the rotation of the set angle.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the guide slope and the switching wheel are integrally formed.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a first limiting block is provided on the outer sides of the left wall panel and the right wall panel and is located obliquely behind the switching wheel.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a second limiting block is sleeved on the rear end of the pin shaft of the carriage support.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the left slider and the right slider are respectively sleeved on two pins of the carriage support and can slide forward and backward on the pins of the carriage support under the push of the switching link.

[0011] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0012] (1) The printer ribbon switching mechanism of the present invention allows the switching wheel on the carriage assembly to hit the switching pins on the left and right wall panels through the left and right movement of the carriage assembly, so that the switching wheel rotates clockwise or counterclockwise respectively, thereby driving the left and right sliders to move forward or backward, thereby realizing the forward and backward movement of the ribbon guide frames mounted on the left and right sliders and the ribbon in the ribbon guide frames, thereby realizing the switching of the ribbon, which is convenient, reliable and does not affect the printing speed;

[0013] (2) It has a simple structure, small size, high reliability, and can stabilize the ribbon at the front or back position through a torsion spring, thereby ensuring complete switching and stability of use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for describing the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work, among which:

[0015] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a switching mechanism applicable to a dot matrix printer ribbon of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of a carriage assembly in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a diagram for introducing the forward switching feature of the ribbon of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 4 It is an introduction diagram of the color ribbon backward switching feature of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are described clearly and completely below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] See also Figure 1-4 The embodiment of the present invention discloses a switching mechanism for a dot matrix printer ribbon, comprising: a left wall panel 1, a right wall panel 2, a carriage guide shaft 3, a toothed belt 4, a carriage assembly 5 and an upper angle iron 6, wherein the left wall panel and the right wall panel are connected together through the upper angle iron, the carriage assembly is installed between the left and right wall panels through the carriage guide shaft, the toothed belt is arranged on the carriage assembly and drives the carriage assembly to perform horizontal reciprocating motion along the carriage guide shaft under the drive of a motor; the carriage assembly 5 comprises a carriage bracket 501, a print head 502, a left slider 503, a right slider 504, a connecting shaft 505, a switching connecting rod 506 and a switching torsion spring 507, and the connecting shaft is transversely A switching wheel 508 is installed at both ends of the carriage bracket. One end of the two switching connecting rods is fixedly connected to the switching wheel, and the other end is connected to the left slider or the right slider. The left slider and the right slider are respectively installed on the pin shafts 509 of the two carriage brackets. The rotation of the switching wheel can be converted into the left and right sliders moving forward and backward along the pin shaft of the carriage bracket. One end of the torsion spring is installed on the switching wheel, and the other end is installed on the left plate or the right plate of the carriage bracket. The torsion spring can lock the two switching wheels at two extreme positions, thereby ensuring that the left and right sliders slide on the pin shaft of the carriage bracket to the front end or the rear end, and have a certain locking force.

[0021] Furthermore, the ribbon switching mechanism of the present invention also includes a ribbon guide frame 510, which is installed on the left and right sliders and can move forward and backward. The print head 502 is installed above the ribbon guide frame, wherein the left slider and the right slider are respectively mounted on two carriage bracket pins, and can slide forward and backward on the carriage bracket pins under the push of two switching connecting rods, thereby realizing the forward and backward movement of the ribbon guide frames installed on the left and right sliders and the ribbon in the ribbon guide frames, thereby achieving the purpose of ribbon switching.

[0022] like Figure 2As shown, the switching wheel 508 has a guiding inclined surface 5081, and the guiding inclined surface and the switching wheel are integrally formed. Switching pins 7 are respectively arranged on the inner sides of the left wall plate and the right wall plate. When the carriage bracket is sleeved on the carriage guide shaft and can be driven by the toothed belt to reciprocate horizontally along the carriage guide shaft, when the carriage assembly reciprocates horizontally along the carriage guide shaft, the guiding inclined surface collides with the switching pin to drive the switching wheel to complete the rotation of the set angle. Specifically, the left and right movement of the carriage assembly causes the switching wheel on the carriage assembly to collide with the switching pins on the left and right wall plates, so that the switching wheel rotates clockwise or counterclockwise respectively, thereby driving the left and right sliders to move forward or backward, thereby realizing the forward and backward movement of the ribbon guide frame mounted on the slider and the ribbon in the ribbon guide frame, thereby realizing the switching of the ribbon.

[0023] Furthermore, a first limit block 8 is provided on the outer side of the left wall plate and the right wall panel, obliquely behind the switching wheel. When the switching wheel rotates, the guide inclined surface abuts against the first limit block, thereby limiting the rotation angle of the switching wheel. A second limit block 9 is provided on the rear end of the pin shaft of the carriage bracket, thereby limiting the position of the left and right sliders moving backward.

[0024] Furthermore, the toothed belt 4 passes through the carriage support and is fixedly connected to the carriage support. The toothed belt can drive the carriage support to perform horizontal reciprocating motion along the carriage guide shaft under the drive of the motor.

[0025] In summary, the present invention points out a switching mechanism suitable for a dot matrix printer ribbon. By moving the carriage assembly left and right, the switching wheel on the carriage assembly hits the switching pins on the left and right wall panels, causing the switching wheel to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise respectively, thereby driving the left and right sliders to move forward or backward, thereby realizing the forward and backward movement of the ribbon guide frames mounted on the left and right sliders and the ribbon in the ribbon guide frames, thereby realizing the switching of the ribbon, and the switching is convenient, reliable and does not affect the printing speed. The present invention uses the left and right sliders to be installed separately, and can move forward or backward at the same time, which can greatly reduce the space occupied by the switching mechanism.

[0026] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present invention specification, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A switching mechanism for a dot matrix printer ribbon, characterized in that: It includes: a left wall panel, a right wall panel, a carriage guide shaft, a toothed belt, a carriage assembly and an upper angle iron. The left wall panel and the right wall panel are connected together through the upper angle iron. The carriage assembly is installed between the left and right wall panels through the carriage guide shaft. The toothed belt is arranged on the carriage assembly and drives the carriage assembly to perform horizontal reciprocating motion along the carriage guide shaft under the drive of the motor. The carriage assembly includes a carriage bracket, a left slider, a right slider, a connecting shaft, a switching connecting rod and a switching torsion spring. The connecting shaft passes through the carriage bracket, and a switching wheel is installed at each end. One end of the two switching connecting rods is connected to the switching wheel, and the other end is connected to the left slider or the right slider. The left slider and The right slider is respectively installed on the pin shafts of the two carriage brackets, one end of the torsion spring is installed on the switching wheel, and the other end is installed on the left and right side panels of the carriage bracket. The torsion spring can lock the two switching wheels at two extreme positions, thereby ensuring that the left and right sliders slide on the pin shafts of the carriage bracket to the front end or the rear end position. The switching wheel has a guide slope, and the inner sides of the left wall panel and the right wall panel are respectively provided with switching pins. When the carriage assembly is driven by the toothed belt to make horizontal reciprocating motion along the carriage guide shaft, the guide slope collides with the switching pin to drive the switching wheel to complete the rotation of the set angle, and the guide slope and the switching wheel are integrally formed.

2. The switching mechanism for a dot matrix printer ribbon according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ribbon switching mechanism also includes a ribbon guide frame, which is installed on the left and right sliders and can move forward and backward.

3. The switching mechanism for a dot matrix printer ribbon according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first limiting block is arranged on the outer sides of the left wall panel and the right wall panel and is located obliquely behind the switching wheel.

4. The switching mechanism for a dot matrix printer ribbon according to claim 1, characterized in that: A second limiting block is sleeved on the rear end of the pin shaft of the carriage support.

5. The switching mechanism for a dot matrix printer ribbon according to claim 1, characterized in that: The left sliding block and the right sliding block are respectively sleeved on the pin shafts of the two carriage brackets and can slide forward and backward on the pin shafts of the carriage brackets under the push of the switching connecting rod.

Images