Printer Ribbon Supply Shaft Automatic Tensioning Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing printer designs require manual rotation of the ribbon supply and roll-up shafts to eliminate looseness during ink ribbon replacement, making the process cumbersome and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A printer design where the ribbon supply shaft is movable between a supply position and a replacement position, automatically rotating to roll up the ink ribbon when moved from the replacement to the supply position, eliminating the need for manual rotation and looseness removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual rotation of the ribbon supply shaft or ribbon roll up shaft is performed to eliminate looseness during ink ribbon replacement, then the ink ribbon tension is properly adjusted, but the replacement process becomes troublesome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The ribbon supply shaft automatically rotates itself when moved from the replacement position to the supply position, eliminating the need for manual rotation. The shaft's own movement drives the rotation that eliminates ribbon looseness, making the system self-service and streamlining the replacement process.
Solution Approach 2:
The automatic rotation mechanism performs the tension adjustment action preliminarily during the shaft's movement to position, before actual printing operations begin. This ensures the ribbon is properly tensioned in advance, preventing future printing issues without requiring separate manual intervention.
2Device complexity
If the ribbon supply shaft remains stationary during replacement, then the structure is simple, but manual rotation is required to eliminate ribbon looseness
Solution Approach 1:
The ribbon supply shaft is designed to be movable between replacement and supply positions, and this movement dynamically drives the rotation that eliminates ribbon looseness. The system transitions from a static structure requiring manual operation to a dynamic structure where movement itself performs the useful function of tensioning the ribbon.
Data Source
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AI summary
A printer includes a printing portion configured to print on a print medium, a ribbon supply shaft configured to hold an ink ribbon to be supplied to the printing portion, and a ribbon roll up shaft configured to roll up the used ink ribbon, wherein the ribbon supply shaft is provided movably between a ribbon supply position where the ink ribbon is supplied to the printing portion, and a ribbon replacement position where the ribbon supply shaft is attachable to and detachable from the printer, and rotated in the direction in which the ink ribbon is rolled up in the middle of moving from the ribbon replacement position to the ribbon supply position.