Printing apparatus

Abstract

This invention provides a printing apparatus that can improve print quality by suppressing ink ribbon skew. [Solution] The printing apparatus includes transport units 11 and 12 for transporting printing tape M and ink ribbon R, a winding core drive unit 40 for rotating a ribbon winding core 205 to wind up the ink ribbon R transported by the transport units 11 and 12, and a tilt regulating unit 60 that contacts the winding core drive unit 40 when the winding core drive unit 40 winds up the ink ribbon R to suppress the tilt that occurs in the winding core drive unit 40.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] As a printing apparatus for producing a label by printing the ink of an ink ribbon on a printing tape, for example, a thermal transfer type printing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In the printing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the slack of the ink ribbon is prevented by applying tension to the ink ribbon.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when tension is applied to the ink ribbon, the take-up shaft portion of the ink ribbon may tilt. This tilt of the take-up shaft portion causes the ink ribbon to skew. When the ink ribbon skews, the ink ribbon may shift in the width direction of the printing tape. Then, there may occur a problem that printing is missing at a portion of the printing tape that does not overlap with the ink ribbon.

[0005] The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a printing apparatus capable of improving printing quality by suppressing the skew of an ink ribbon.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the printing apparatus of the present invention comprises: a transport unit for transporting a printing medium and an ink ribbon; a winding core drive unit for rotating a ribbon winding core to wind up the ink ribbon transported by the transport unit; and a tilt regulating unit that contacts the winding core drive unit when the ink ribbon is wound up by the ribbon winding core to suppress tilting that occurs in the winding core drive unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus that can improve print quality by suppressing the skewness of the ink ribbon. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the device with the opening / closing lid removed. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the label creation unit housed in the lower casing of the printing apparatus, and a tape cartridge that can be attached to this label creation unit. [Figure 3] This is a plan view focusing on the label creation section where the tape cartridge is installed. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram focusing on the transport section for transporting printing tape and ink ribbons, and the ribbon winding section for winding up ink ribbons. [Figure 5] This is an end view of the label creation section at the cutting line VV in Figure 4. [Figure 6] This is an exploded perspective view of the winding core drive unit. [Figure 7] (a) is a plan view of the label creation unit seen from below, and (b) is an end view at the cutting line bb in (a). [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram showing how the ink ribbon is wound onto the ink ribbon core. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, a printing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In describing the printing apparatus 1, a Cartesian coordinate system in which the X and Y axes extend horizontally and the Z axis is perpendicular to the X and Y axes will be referred to as appropriate. In this Cartesian coordinate system, the +X axis direction is the direction in which the printing medium is discharged, and the +Z axis direction is above the printing apparatus 1. The printing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a tape printer (label printer) with the appearance shown in Figure 1, for example, that prints characters, numbers, symbols, emojis, figures, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "print patterns") on a printing tape. The printing apparatus 1 prints on the printing tape M using a tape cartridge 200 containing the printing tape M, which is the printing medium shown in Figure 3, and an ink ribbon R.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the printing device 1 has a roughly rectangular housing 130 in plan view, which is formed by combining a lower housing 110 and an upper housing 120. When placed on a desk or the like, the bottom surface of the lower housing 110 comes into contact with the desk or the like. An outlet 105 is formed on the side of the housing 130 facing the +X side. The printing tape M (Figure 3) printed inside the printing device 1 is discharged outside the device through the outlet 105. The outlet 105 is a slit-shaped opening extending in the Z-axis direction. The printing device 1 includes a keyboard 101 for inputting print patterns, a display 102 for displaying the input print patterns, etc., and an opening / closing lid 103 for housing the tape cartridge 200 inside the printing device 1. Note that in Figure 1, the opening / closing lid 103 is removed to illustrate the housing section of the tape cartridge 200 (Figure 2) in the printing device 1. Furthermore, the printing device 1 is equipped with input / output terminals for connecting to external devices such as personal computers, a power terminal to which a power cord is connected or a battery compartment for housing batteries, and an insertion slot for a storage medium such as a memory card.

[0011] The keyboard 101 accepts key input from the user. The keyboard 101 has pattern input keys for entering pattern data, a print key for instructing the start of printing, cursor keys for moving the cursor on the display screen of the display 102, and various function keys for setting the print mode and performing various setting processes. The display 102 functions as the main display screen of the printing device 1 and displays images related to the entered data, selection menus for various settings, messages related to various processes, etc. The display 102 has, for example, a liquid crystal display panel. The opening / closing cover 103 is a cover that covers the label creation unit 10 formed inside the printing device 1 for creating labels with printed print patterns. The opening / closing cover 103 is attached to the upper housing 120 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis 103a.

[0012] As shown in Figure 2, a label creation unit 10 is housed inside the housing 130. The label creation unit 10 has a base portion 20 capable of holding various mechanisms and tape cartridges 200. The base portion 20 is fixed to the upper housing 120 shown in Figure 1 by fastening means such as screws (not shown). The base portion 20 is housed inside the housing 130 with a clearance between it and the lower housing 110. Figure 2 omits the illustration of the upper housing 120 that supports the base portion 20. The base portion 20 has a cartridge housing portion 21 that partitions the space for housing the tape cartridge 200. In addition, a tape core engagement shaft 28 that protrudes upward (+Z direction) is formed on the bottom surface of the cartridge housing portion 21.

[0013] The tape cartridge 200 is detachably housed in the cartridge housing 21. Figure 3 shows the tape cartridge 200 housed in the cartridge housing 21. The tape cartridge 200 has a thermal head insertion section 201, which is a recess into which the thermal head 11 is inserted. The tape cartridge 200 also has a cartridge case 202 that houses the printing tape M and the ink ribbon R. The cartridge case 202 is provided with a tape core 203, a ribbon supply core 204, and a ribbon winding core 205. The printing tape M is wound in a roll on the tape core 203 inside the cartridge case 202. The printing tape M is, for example, a tape having a substrate with an adhesive layer and a release paper that is peelably attached to the substrate so as to cover the adhesive layer. The thermal transfer ink ribbon R is wound in a roll on the ribbon supply core 204 inside the cartridge case 202, with its tip wound around the ribbon winding core 205.

[0014] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the label creation unit 10 includes a thermal head 11 having multiple heating elements for printing on the printing tape M, a platen roller 12 as a transport unit for transporting the printing tape M and the ink ribbon R, and a winding core drive unit 40 that rotates the ribbon winding core 205 to wind up the used ink ribbon R. The thermal head 11 and the platen roller 12 are positioned to sandwich the printing tape M and the ink ribbon R that straddle the thermal head insertion section 201. The winding core drive unit 40 penetrates the base section 20 and is provided in a state that protrudes into the cartridge housing section 21. As will be described later, in this embodiment, the printing tape M and the ink ribbon R are transported while being sandwiched between at least the thermal head 11 and the platen roller 12, so the transport unit will be described as including both the thermal head 11 and the platen roller 12. Furthermore, since the ink ribbon R is wound onto the ribbon winding core 205 which is driven by the winding core drive unit 40, the entire unit, including both the winding core drive unit 40 and the ribbon winding core 205, will be referred to as the ribbon winding unit.

[0015] As shown in Figure 4, the cartridge case 202 is fitted with a printing tape M and an ink ribbon R, and is equipped with multiple transport direction defining sections 206, 207, 208, 209, and 210 that define the transport path of the printing tape M and the ink ribbon R. The transport direction defining sections 206, 207, 208, 209, and 210 are rounded to ensure smooth transport of the printing tape M and the ink ribbon R. The ink ribbon R drawn from the ribbon supply core 204 is fitted to the transport direction defining sections 206, 207, and 208 in this order. Transport direction defining section 209 is located upstream of the thermal head 11. Transport direction defining section 210 is located downstream of the thermal head 11. Of the multiple transport direction defining sections 206, 207, 208, 209, and 210, transport direction defining section 210 is the furthest downstream on the transport path of the ink ribbon R. The printing tape M and ink ribbon R are overlapped and placed over the transport direction regulating section 209, defining a transport path toward the platen roller 12. The ink ribbon R, transported by the platen roller 12, is then placed over the transport direction regulating section 210, defining a transport path toward the ribbon winding core 205.

[0016] The label creation unit 10 is further equipped with a full cutter 17 and a half cutter 16 near the discharge port 105 (Figure 1), as shown in Figure 3. The full cutter 17 is a cutter that cuts the printing tape M to create tape pieces. The half cutter 16, on the other hand, is a cutter that makes an incision in the leading edge of the printing tape M. The printing device 1 has a mechanism (not shown) for operating the full cutter 17 and the half cutter 16.

[0017] When the tape cartridge 200 is stored in the cartridge storage unit 21, as shown in FIG. 3, the thermal head 11 is inserted into the thermal head insertion portion 201 formed in the cartridge case 202. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the tape core 203 of the tape cartridge 200 engages with the tape core engagement shaft 28, and the ribbon take-up core 205 engages with the take-up core drive unit 40. Note that the tape core engagement shaft 28 may not be provided, and the tape cartridge 200 may be positioned by the ribbon take-up core 205, the thermal head insertion portion 201, or the like.

[0018] The platen roller 12 has a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. 4 and rotates about a rotation axis 12a parallel to the Z axis. The platen roller 12 rotates in the direction of arrow R1 while pressing the printing tape M and the ink ribbon R against the thermal head 11, thereby positively conveying the printing tape M and the ink ribbon R. The state of positive conveyance like this is referred to as the positive conveyance state, and at this time, the printing tape M is conveyed in the direction of arrow Y1. On the other hand, when the platen roller 12 rotates in the direction of arrow R2, the printing tape M and the ink ribbon R are reversely conveyed. The state of reverse conveyance like this is referred to as the reverse conveyance state, and at this time, the printing tape M is conveyed in the direction of arrow Y2. The direction of arrow Y2 is opposite to the direction of arrow Y1.

[0019] The take-up core drive unit 40 can rotate in the direction of arrow R3 or the direction of arrow R4 about a rotation axis 40a parallel to the Z axis as shown in FIG. 4. The take-up core drive unit 40 rotates in the direction of arrow R3 during positive conveyance as will be described later. Thereby, the ink ribbon R positively conveyed in the direction of arrow Y1 by the platen roller 12 is conveyed in the direction of arrow Y5 and wound around the ribbon take-up core 205. On the other hand, the take-up core drive unit 40 rotates in the direction of arrow R4 during reverse conveyance as will be described later. Thereby, the ink ribbon R reversely conveyed in the direction of arrow Y6 by the platen roller 12 is pulled out from the ribbon take-up core 205.

[0020] The platen roller 12 and the winding core drive unit 40 operate by power transmitted from a motor 90 mounted on the -Y side of the base unit 20 shown in Figure 7. In Figure 7, the first base plate 25 and the second base plate 26, which are mounted on the base unit 20 so as to cover the bottom of each gear, are shown by dashed lines to illustrate each gear. The motor 90 is, for example, a stepping motor and has a rotor, stator, encoder, etc. The rotational motion of the motor 90 is output from a gear G1 mounted on the output shaft. Gear G1 is a cylindrical worm gear with its axis parallel to the X axis. The rotational motion output from gear G1 is transmitted to gear G2, which is a helical gear. The rotational motion of gear G2 is then transmitted to gears G3, G4, G5, and G6. In Figure 4, the tooth profiles of gears G1, G2, and G3 are omitted as appropriate to facilitate understanding of the figure. Gears G2 and G3 are rotatably supported between the base portion 20 and the first base plate 25, around a rotation axis parallel to the Z-axis. Gears G4 and G5 are rotatably supported between the base portion 20 and the second base plate 26, around a rotation axis parallel to the Z-axis. Gear G6 is rotatably supported by the base portion 20 around a rotation axis parallel to the Z-axis, as will be described later. Gear G5 is connected to the platen roller 12. As gear G5 rotates, the platen roller 12 shown in Figure 4 rotates around the rotation axis 12a. Gear G6 is a winding gear 50 (G6) provided in the winding core drive unit 40 shown in Figures 5 and 6. As the winding gear 50 (G6) rotates, the winding core drive unit 40 shown in Figure 4 rotates around the rotation axis 40a.

[0021] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the winding core drive unit 40 includes a winding gear 50 (G6), a winding shaft 41, a felt 42 as a friction-adding part, a washer 43, a compression spring 44, a reel top 45, and a cut washer 46.

[0022] The winding gear 50 is a substantially cylindrical gear with straight teeth 51 engraved on its outer circumferential surface that mesh with the gear G5 shown in Figure 7(a). The winding gear 50 has an annular flange portion 52 that protrudes radially outward from the upper edge (+Z side edge) of its outer circumferential surface. A through hole 53 is formed in the center of the winding gear 50 through which the shaft 41a of the winding shaft portion 41 passes. Furthermore, on the upper surface (the surface facing the +Z side) of the winding gear 50, there is an annular recess 54 for placing a washer 43 around the through hole 53, an annular first groove portion 55 formed on the outside of the recess 54 so as to surround the recess 54, and an annular second groove portion 56 formed on the outside of the first groove portion 55 so as to surround the first groove portion 55. Furthermore, on the lower surface of the winding gear 50 (the surface facing the -Z side), as shown in Figure 5, a recess 57 is formed around the through hole 53 to accommodate the felt 42 and flange 41b.

[0023] The base portion 20 has a configuration that allows the winding gear 50 to rotate around a rotation axis parallel to the Z-axis from below. Specifically, the base portion 20 has a cylindrical projection 27 that protrudes downward from the lower surface (the surface facing the -Z side), and a first support portion 22, a second support portion 23, and a third support portion 24 shown in Figure 7(a) that support the flange portion 52 of the winding gear 50 from below. As shown in Figure 5, the center of the circumference of the cylindrical projection 27 coincides with the rotation center of the winding gear 50. As shown in Figure 5, the cylindrical projection 27 is inserted into the second groove portion 56 of the winding gear 50. The diameter of the inner circumferential surface 21a of the cylindrical projection 27 is about the same as the diameter of the inner circumferential surface 56a of the second groove portion 56. As shown in Figure 7(b), the first support portion 22 has a projection 22a that protrudes downward (in the -Z direction) from the lower surface 20a of the base portion 20, and a support portion 22b that protrudes radially toward the winding gear 50 from the tip of the projection 22a toward the winding gear 50. The first support portion 22 supports the winding gear 50 from below by bringing the support portion 22b into contact with the lower surface of the flange portion 52. The second support portion 23 has the same configuration as the first support portion 22. The second support portion 23 is positioned at an angle of approximately 100 degrees from the first support portion 22 with respect to the center of the winding gear 50 (the position of the rotation axis 40a in Figure 7(a)). On the other hand, as shown in Figure 7(a), the third support portion 24 has a support portion 24a that extends tangentially to the flange portion 52, and supports the flange portion 52 from below over a wider area than the first support portion 22 and the second support portion 23. In this way, the winding gear 50, supported from below by the three support portions 22, 23, and 24, can rotate about a rotation axis parallel to the Z-axis by sliding the inner circumferential surface 56a of the second groove portion 56 shown in Figure 5 against the inner circumferential surface 21a of the cylindrical projection 27.

[0024] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the winding shaft portion 41 has a shaft 41a extending in the Z-axis direction and a disc-shaped flange 41b formed at the lower end (-Z side end) of the shaft 41a. The diameter of the flange 41b is larger than the diameter of the through hole 53 formed in the winding gear 50. A groove 41c for fitting a cut washer 46 is also formed at the tip (+Z side end) of the shaft 41a.

[0025] The felt 42 is annular in shape and is interposed between the lower surface of the winding gear 50 and the upper surface of the flange 41b. The washer 43 is annular in shape and is housed in a recess 54 formed on the upper surface of the winding gear 50 through which the shaft 41a passes. The washer 43 has the function of transmitting the force of the compression spring 44 to the winding gear 50. The compression spring 44 passes through the shaft 41a and is interposed between the reel top 45 and the washer 43 in a compressed state. The reel top 45 has a cylindrical portion 45a through which the shaft 41a passes and an engaging portion 45b formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 45a that engages with the ribbon winding core 205 (Figure 2). The cut washer 46 is fitted into the groove 41c of the shaft 41a to prevent the reel top 45 from coming off the shaft 41a. In this configuration, the elastic force of the compression spring 44 compresses the felt 42 between the lower surface of the winding gear 50 and the upper surface of the flange 41b. This generates friction between the winding gear 50 and the flange 41b, causing them to rotate together until a predetermined torque is applied. On the other hand, once a predetermined torque is applied between the winding gear 50 and the flange 41b, the felt 42 slips relative to either the winding gear 50 or the flange 41b. Thus, the configuration of the compression spring 44 and the felt 42 functions as a torque limiter.

[0026] When print data is input via the keyboard 101 shown in Figure 1, the motor 90 shown in Figure 3 rotates forward, transporting the printing tape M and ink ribbon R in the forward direction. During forward transport, as shown in Figure 4, the platen roller 12 rotates around the rotation axis 12a in the direction of arrow R1 (counterclockwise) while pressing the overlapping printing tape M and ink ribbon R against the thermal head 11. As a result, the printing tape M is fed out from the tape core 203 shown in Figure 3, and the ink ribbon R is fed out from the ribbon supply core 204 shown in Figure 3. The printing tape M and ink ribbon R, transported in this forward direction, pass between the thermal head 11 and the platen roller 12 in the direction indicated by arrow Y1, as shown in Figure 4, while overlapping. At this time, the ink ribbon R is heated by the thermal head 11, and the ink is heat-transferred onto the printing tape M. The printed printing tape M is then transported in the direction of arrow Y3, cut by the full cutter 17 (Figure 3), and discharged out of the device through the discharge port 105 (Figure 1). Meanwhile, the winding core drive unit 40, to which the winding gear 50 (G6) is connected, rotates in the direction of arrow R3 (clockwise) around the rotation axis 40a. As a result, the ink ribbon R is transported in the direction of arrow Y5 and wound up by the ribbon winding core 205.

[0027] When transporting the ink ribbon R, to prevent slack in the ribbon, the speed at which the ink ribbon R is wound by the winding core drive unit 40 is faster than the speed at which the printing tape M is transported by the platen roller 12. The speed at which the ink ribbon R is wound by the ribbon winding core 205 driven by the winding core drive unit 40 varies depending on the diameter of the ribbon winding core 205, including the thickness of the wound ink ribbon 220. For example, when using an unused tape cartridge 200, the speed of the ink ribbon R is set to be, for example, 1.1 times the speed of the transported printing tape M. Various factors such as the gear ratio of gear G5 and gear G6, the diameter of the platen roller 12, and the diameter of the ribbon winding core 205 are determined to achieve this rotational speed ratio. However, it is not possible to pull out the ink ribbon R sandwiched between the thermal head 11 and the platen roller 12 and wind it onto the ribbon winding core 205 at a speed faster than the transport speed of the platen roller 12. Therefore, torque is generated between the winding gear 50 and the winding shaft 41. When this torque exceeds a predetermined level, the felt 42 slips against the winding gear 50 or the flange 41b. In this way, by causing the felt 42 to slip and winding the ribbon with the winding core 205 driven by the winding core drive unit 40, the appropriate tension can be continuously applied to the ink ribbon R, preventing slack from occurring in the ink ribbon R during forward transport.

[0028] As tension is generated in the ink ribbon R being wound by the ribbon winding core 205, the winding core drive unit 40 also receives a tensile force F from the ink ribbon R via the ribbon winding core 205, as shown in Figure 4. The direction in which this tensile force F acts is parallel to the direction of the transport path of the ink ribbon R immediately before it is wound onto the ribbon winding core 205. That is, the direction in which the tensile force F acts is parallel to the line connecting the winding start position 230 of the ink ribbon R and the transport direction defining unit 210 located furthest downstream. As shown in Figure 5, the lower end of the winding shaft 41 is supported by the winding gear 50 (G6) by pressing the flange 41b formed at its lower end against the winding gear 50 (G6). On the other hand, the upper end of the winding shaft 41 is a free end that is not supported by anything, and is in a cantilevered state. The ribbon winding core 205 is rotatably installed inside the tape cartridge 200. The ribbon winding core 205 is installed inside the tape cartridge 200 with some play to allow it to rotate smoothly in the tape cartridge 200. As a result, the ribbon winding core 205 is susceptible to tilting in the direction in which the tensile force F acts when it receives a tensile force F from the ink ribbon R, along with the shaft 41a of the winding shaft 41. When the winding shaft 41 and the ribbon winding core 205 tilt, skew may occur when winding the ink ribbon R. When the ink ribbon skews, the ink ribbon R may shift in the width direction relative to the printed tape M. This can result in the problem of missing print in areas of the printed tape M that do not overlap with the ink ribbon R. To suppress the tilt of the winding shaft 41, which is a cause of such skew of the ink ribbon R, as shown in Figure 5, a tilt restricting part 60 is formed in the lower housing 110 below the winding core drive unit 40. This tilt restricting part 60 contacts the bottom surface 41d of the flange 41b of the tilted winding shaft 41 to suppress further tilting.

[0029] The tilt restricting portion 60 is formed below the flange 41b. The tilt restricting portion 60 is a projection that protrudes upward (in the +Z direction) from the bottom surface 110a of the lower housing 110 toward the flange 41b. When the ink ribbon R is not being wound by the ribbon winding core 205 (when the ribbon winding portion is not operating), the winding shaft portion 41 is not tilted, and a clearance is provided between the tilt restricting portion 60 and the flange 41b. When viewed in plan as shown in Figure 4 (viewed from a direction parallel to the rotation axis 40a of the winding core drive portion 40), the tilt restricting portion 60 has a shape that resembles an annular portion whose center coincides with the rotation axis 40a, leaving only a predetermined angle θ range. That is, the shape of the tilt restricting portion 60 is formed by two circular arcs of different diameters within the same angular range, and a line segment connecting the ends of these two circular arcs. The predetermined angle θ at which the tilt restricting section 60 is formed is limited to the direction in which the winding shaft section 41 may tilt due to being pulled by the ink ribbon R, that is, the direction in which it is pulled by the ink ribbon R. Specifically, if we define a first virtual line 70 as a virtual line extending from the rotation axis 40a of the winding core drive section 40 in the opposite direction to the transport direction of the ink ribbon R immediately before it is wound onto the ribbon winding core 205 (i.e., the direction of arrow Y6, in other words, the direction in which the tensile force F acts), then the tilt restricting section 60 coincides with this first virtual line 70. This first virtual line 70 is parallel to the line connecting the transport direction defining section 210 and the winding start position 230. Furthermore, if we define a second virtual line 80 as a virtual line extending from the transport direction defining section 210 to the rotation axis 40a of the winding core drive section 40, then the tilt restricting section 60 coincides with this second virtual line 80. The intersection angle between the first virtual line 70 and the second virtual line 80 is 21 degrees, but the predetermined angle θ at which the tilt regulating section 60 is formed is set to a slight margin over the intersection angle of the two virtual lines, for example, angle θ = 40 degrees. The first virtual line 70 changes depending on the amount of ink ribbon R wound up, but in this embodiment, the tilt regulating section 60 is formed to overlap with all of the first virtual lines 70 that are expected to occur during the process of using the tape cartridge.

[0030] According to the above embodiment, the printing apparatus 1 includes a transport unit (for example, a thermal head 11 and a platen roller 12) that transports the printing medium (for example, a printing tape M) and the ink ribbon R, a winding core drive unit 40 that rotates a ribbon winding core 205 to wind up the ink ribbon R transported by the transport unit, and a tilt regulating unit 60 that contacts the winding core drive unit 40 when the winding core drive unit 40 winds up the ink ribbon R to suppress the tilt that occurs in the winding core drive unit 40. With this configuration, the tilt θ1 that occurs in the winding core drive unit 40 and the ribbon winding core 205 can be suppressed by the contact between the winding core drive unit 40 and the tilt regulating unit 60, as shown in Figure 8. This suppresses the skew of the ink ribbon R. By suppressing the skew of the ink ribbon R, the problem of missing prints can be made less likely, and the print quality can be improved.

[0031] Furthermore, the winding core drive unit 40 has a winding shaft portion 41 having a shaft 41a and a flange 41b formed at one end of the shaft 41a, with the other end of the shaft 41a being a free end, and the tilt restricting portion 60 contacts the bottom surface 41d of the flange 41b when the ink ribbon R is wound, thereby suppressing the tilt that occurs in the winding core drive unit 40. In this way, the tilt restricting portion 60 can be brought into contact with the flange 41b of the winding shaft portion 41, and this simple configuration can suppress the skewing of the ink ribbon R.

[0032] Furthermore, the winding core drive unit 40 includes a winding gear 50 that transmits power output by an actuator (e.g., motor 90) as rotational force to the winding shaft 41, a friction-adding part (e.g., felt 42) interposed between the flange 41b and the winding gear 50, and a spring (e.g., compression spring 44) mounted on the shaft 41a that compresses the friction-adding part by pressing the winding gear 50 toward the flange 41b. The rotational force of the winding gear 50 is transmitted to the winding shaft 41 by the friction generated by compressing the friction-adding part. With this configuration, the winding gear 50 can support the flange 41b of the winding shaft 41. In addition, when the torque exceeds a predetermined level, the friction-adding part slips and functions as a torque limiter, so that appropriate tension can be continuously applied to the ink ribbon R.

[0033] Furthermore, when the winding core drive unit 40 is not in operation, a clearance is provided between the tilt restricting unit 60 and the winding core drive unit 40. As a result, the winding core drive unit 40 does not come into contact with the tilt restricting unit 60 until a certain tilt occurs in the winding core drive unit 40, allowing the winding core drive unit 40 to operate smoothly.

[0034] Furthermore, when viewed from a direction parallel to the rotation axis 40a of the winding core drive unit 40, if we define a first virtual line 70 as a virtual line extending from the rotation axis 40a in the opposite direction to the transport direction of the ink ribbon R just before being wound, the tilt restricting section 60 is formed so as to overlap with the first virtual line 70. With this configuration, even if the winding core drive unit 40 is tilted by being pulled by the ink ribbon R just before being wound, the tilt restricting section 60 is formed at the end of the direction in which it was pulled, thus suppressing the tilt of the winding core drive unit 40.

[0035] Furthermore, when viewed from a direction parallel to the rotation axis 40a of the winding core drive unit 40, among the multiple transport direction defining sections (for example, transport direction defining sections 206 to 210, or equivalent configurations formed in the base section 20, etc.) that contact the transported ink ribbon R and define the transport path of the ink ribbon R, if we define a virtual line extending from the first transport direction defining section, which is the furthest downstream on the transport path of the ink ribbon R, to the intersection with the rotation axis 40a, then the tilt restricting section 60 is formed so as to overlap with the second virtual line 80. With this configuration, even if the winding core drive unit 40 is tilted by being pulled in the direction from the rotation axis 40a toward the first transport direction defining section in the ribbon winding section, the tilt of the winding core drive unit 40 can be suppressed because the tilt restricting section 60 is formed at the end of the direction of the pull.

[0036] Furthermore, when viewed from a direction parallel to the rotation axis 40a of the winding core drive unit 40, the tilt restricting portion 60 is formed only in a predetermined region that includes the area sandwiched between the first virtual line 70 and the second virtual line 80. With this configuration, since the tilt restricting portion 60 is formed only in the region that includes the direction in which the tilt of the winding core drive unit 40 is expected, the tilt of the winding core drive unit 40 can be suppressed while simplifying the configuration.

[0037] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible. In the above embodiments, the case in which the tilt restricting portion 60 is formed on the lower housing 110 located below the winding shaft portion 41 was described. However, the location where the tilt restricting portion 60 is formed is not particularly limited, and it can be formed at any location as long as it can contact the flange 41b of the tilted winding shaft portion 41 and thereby suppress the tilt of the winding shaft portion 41. For example, the portion extending from the base portion 20 to below the flange 41b can be made into the tilt restricting portion.

[0038] Furthermore, although it was explained that the tilt restricting portion 60 is formed within a predetermined angle range of θ = 40 degrees, this angle θ is arbitrary as long as it can suppress the tilt of the ribbon winding portion, and may be greater than or less than 40 degrees. For example, the angle θ = 360 degrees, and the tilt restricting portion may be formed as a cylindrical shape surrounding the rotation axis 40a, or as a cylindrical shape without a hollow portion. Also, the cross-sectional shape of the tilt restricting portion is not limited to a circular shape or a shape including a circular arc, but may have a triangular or other polygonal cross-section. Alternatively, the tilt restricting portion may be formed by arranging multiple dots in an arc shape.

[0039] Furthermore, although felt 42 was used as an example of a friction-adding part interposed between the winding gear 50 and the flange 41b, other friction materials may be used. For example, metal friction materials or resin-based friction materials may be used.

[0040] Furthermore, although a stepping motor was used as an example of an actuator that outputs power, other known actuators can be used as appropriate, as long as they can operate the platen roller 12 and the winding core drive unit 40.

[0041] Furthermore, although it has been explained that the multiple transport direction defining sections 206, 207, 208, 209, and 210 are provided inside the cartridge case 202, some of them (for example, the transport direction defining section that is furthest downstream on the transport path of the ink ribbon R) may be made to protrude in the +Z direction from the bottom surface of the base section 20 shown in Figure 2, thereby defining the transport path of the ink ribbon R. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0042] 1…Printing device, 10…Label creation unit, 11…Thermal head, 12…Platen roller, 20…Base unit, 40…Winding core drive unit, 40a…Rotation axis, 41…Winding shaft unit, 41a…Shaft, 41b…Flange, 42…Felt, 44…Compression spring, 45…Reel top, 50…Winding gear, 52…Flange, 60…Tilt regulating unit, 70…First virtual line, 80…Second virtual line, 90…Motor, 110…Lower housing, 200…Tape cartridge, 205…Ribbon winding core, 210…Conveying direction regulating unit, θ…Angle, M…Printing tape, R…Ink ribbon.

Claims

1. A transport unit that transports the printing medium and the ink ribbon, A winding core drive unit rotates a ribbon winding core to wind up the ink ribbon that has been transported by the transport unit. The system includes a tilt restricting unit that contacts the winding core drive unit when the ink ribbon is wound by the ribbon winding core, thereby suppressing the tilt that occurs in the winding core drive unit. Printing device.

2. The winding core drive unit has a winding shaft portion having a shaft and a flange formed at one end of the shaft, The other end of the shaft is a free end. The tilt restricting portion contacts the bottom surface of the flange during winding of the ink ribbon to suppress the tilt that occurs in the winding core drive portion. The printing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned winding core drive unit is A winding gear that transmits the power output by the actuator as rotational force to the winding shaft, A friction-adding portion interposed between the flange and the winding gear, The shaft is fitted with a spring that compresses the friction-adding portion by pressing the winding gear toward the flange, The rotational force of the winding gear is transmitted to the winding shaft by the friction generated by compressing the friction-adding portion. The printing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. When the winding core drive unit is not operating, a clearance is provided between the tilt restricting unit and the winding core drive unit. The printing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. When viewed from a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the winding core drive unit, if a virtual line extending from the rotation axis in the opposite direction to the transport direction of the ink ribbon immediately before winding is defined as the first virtual line, then the tilt restricting unit is formed so as to overlap with the first virtual line. The printing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. When viewed from a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the winding core drive unit, among the multiple transport direction defining units that contact the transported ink ribbon and define the transport path of the ink ribbon, if a virtual line is drawn from the first transport direction defining unit, which is the furthest downstream on the transport path of the ink ribbon, to the point where it intersects with the rotation axis, then the inclination defining unit is formed so as to overlap with the second virtual line. The printing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. When viewed from a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the winding core drive unit, the tilt restricting portion is formed only in a predetermined region that includes the area enclosed by the first virtual line and the second virtual line. The printing apparatus according to claim 6.

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