Printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12485678-B2
Application number	US-202318362681-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2023
Priority date	Jul 31, 2023
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes a feed side roll, a winding roller, a driver, a detector, a printer, a conveyance roller, and an adjuster. The feed side roll includes an ink ribbon wound on a feeding roller. The driver rotates the winding roller in a direction of winding the ink ribbon. The detector detects a change in a tension of the ink ribbon being wound. The printer prints on a print medium via the ink ribbon stretched in a tense state between a collection side roll where the ink ribbon is wound and the feed side roll. The conveyance roller winds the ink ribbon between the collection side roll and the printer. The adjuster adjusts a torque for rotating the winding roller by the driver based on detection results by the detector to keep a tension of the ink ribbon passing through the printer constant.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A printer apparatus comprising:
a feed side roll including an ink ribbon wound around a feeding roller; a winding roller that winds the ink ribbon fed from the feed side roll; a first driver configured to rotate the winding roller in a direction of winding the ink ribbon; a detector configured to detect a change in a tension of the ink ribbon being wound by the winding roller, wherein the detector is configured to include a sensor that detects a rotational speed of the winding roller, and to calculate a diameter of a collection side roll based on the rotational speed detected by the sensor; a printer configured to print on a printed medium via the ink ribbon stretched in a tense state between the collection side roll in which the ink ribbon is wound by the winding roller and the feed side roll; a conveyance roller that winds the ink ribbon between the collection side roll and the printer, and rotates in the direction of winding the ink ribbon; and a first adjuster configured to adjust a torque for rotating the winding roller by the first driver based on detection results in the detector, and to keep a tension of the ink ribbon passing through the printer constant.

2 . The printer apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first driver is a DC motor that can change the torque by changing a current value applied to the first driver.

3 . The printer apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the first adjuster is configured to adjust a current value applied to the DC motor based on the diameter of the collection side roll calculated by the detector.

4 . The printer apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second driver configured to rotate the conveyance roller in the direction of winding the ink ribbon; and a torque limiter that is provided between the second driver and the conveyance roller.

5 . The printer apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the second driver is a stepping motor.

6 . The printer apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second adjuster configured to adjust a friction force between the conveyance roller and the ink ribbon.

7 . The printer apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the second adjuster is configured to adjust an amount of the ink ribbon wound around the conveyance roller.

8 . The printer apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first driver is configured to rotate the feeding roller in synchronization with the winding roller.

9 . The printer apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a conveyor configured to convey the printed medium through the printer.

10 . A printing method comprising:
providing a feed side roll including an ink ribbon wound around a feeding roller; rotating, by a first driver, to wind an ink ribbon from the feed side roll around a winding roller to form a collection roll; detecting, by a detector, a change in a tension of the ink ribbon; printing, by a printer, on a print medium via the ink ribbon stretching in a tense state between the collection side roll and the feed side roll; winding, by a conveyance roller, the ink ribbon between the collection side roll and the feed side roll; adjusting, by an adjuster, a torque for rotating the winding roller by the first driver based on detection results in the detector to keep a tension of the ink ribbon passing through the printer constant; rotating a holding member a first direction; and swinging a winding rod in the first direction to press an amount of a surface of the ink ribbon to the winding rod.

11 . The printing method according to claim 10 , wherein the winding rod is positioned between the conveyance roller and the collection side sandwiching the ink ribbon therebetween.

12 . The printing method according to claim 10 , wherein swinging the winding rod in the first direction increases the amount of the surface of the ink ribbon wound around the conveyance roller.

13 . The printing method according to claim 10 , wherein adjusting the torque further comprises:
rotating the holding member a second direction; and swinging the winding rod in the second direction to press the amount of the surface of the ink ribbon to the winding rod.

14 . The printing method according to claim 13 , wherein swinging the winding rod in the second direction decreases the amount of the surface of the ink ribbon wound around the conveyance roller.

15 . The printing method according to claim 14 , wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction.

16 . The printing method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
changing the torque by changing a current value applied to the first driver, wherein the first driver is a DC motor.

17 . The printing method according to claim 16 , further comprising:
detecting, by a senser of the detector, rotational speed of the winding roller; and calculating, by the detector, a diameter of the collection side roll based on the rotational speed detected by the sensor.

18 . The printing method according to claim 17 , wherein the first adjuster is configured to adjust a current value applied to the DC motor based on the diameter of the collection side roll calculated by the detector.

Assignees

• Toshiba Tec Kk

Inventors

• Nishimura Yosuke

Classifications

• B41J33/34

  driven by motors independently of the machine as a whole · CPC title

• B41J2/325 Primary

  by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet · CPC title