PRINT HEAD POSITIONING APPARATUS

Abstract: A printer for printing on a printing sheet, comprising: a printing head (10,101) having printing elements (10 a ); a platen (8) disposed opposite to the printing head (10,101) so that a printing sheet (111) may be located between the printing head (10,101) and the platen (8); a head movement mechanism for moving the printing head toward and away from the platen (8) and thus into and out of a printing position, the head movement mechanism having urging means (12,31,103,170,171,175) including a resilient member (31,103,170) for urging the printing head (10,101) against the platen (8) with a plurality of different degrees of force when the head is in the printing position; head release means (20-22) for selectively relieving the urging force on the printing head (10,101); and force changing means (30,51,52,60,104, 105,106,173) for changing the force exerted by the resilient member between at least two levels of force.

Description: This invention relates to a printer and, although it is not so restricted, it relates more particularly to a thermal printer which has means for pressing a thermal head of the printer against a platen thereof and which is able to print on rough paper. As a result of the spread of thermal printers, and especially of serial type thermal printers, there is a demand for high speed printing and high quality printing. Up to now, however, there have been few thermal printers having both features. In Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Specification No. 58-29438 there is disclosed a printer comprising a printing head; a platen disposed opposite to said printing head and urging means for urging said printing head towards said platen with a plurality of different degrees of force. The printer of Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Specification No. 58-29438 is not suitable for use in a thermal transfer printer. In US-A-4,173,273 there is disclosed a thermal printer for printing on a printing sheet, comprising: a thermal printing head having printing elements; a platen disposed opposite to the printing head so that a printing sheet may be located between the printing head and the platen; and a head-up down mechanism for moving the printing head toward and away from the platen and thus into and out of a printing position, the head up-down mechanism having head urging means, head release means, and force changing means, the head urging means including a resilient member for urging the printing head against the platen, the head release means, in operation, selectively relieving the urging force on the printing head, and movement means for effecting relative movement of the printing head and the printing sheet. In JP-A-53-70447 there is disclosed a thermal printer whose thermal head is pressed against a printing sheet by a spring whose elasticity can be changed so as to change the pressing force thereof. According, therefore, to the present invention, there is provided a thermal printer for printing on a printing sheet, comprising: a thermal printing head having printing elements; a platen disposed opposite to the printing head so that a printing sheet may be located between the printing head and the platen; and a head up-down mechanism for moving the printing head toward and away from the platen and thus into and out of a printing position, the head up-down mechanism having head urging means, head release means, and force changing means, the head urging means including a resilient member for urging the printing head against the platen, the head release means in operation, selectively relieving the urging force on the printing head, and movement means for effecting relative movement of the printing head and the printing sheet, characterised in that the force changing means includes means for causing the resilient member to exert a selected one of a plurality of different degrees of force when the head is in the printing position, the movement means effecting the said relative movement at at least two speeds, the head urging force being related to the speed of the said relative movement. There is preferably a carriage for supporting the printing head and the head urging means, the carriage being moved relative to the printing sheet by the movement means. The force changing means preferably includes the movement means for moving the carriage. The force changing means may have a force changing lever mounted on the carriage, the force changing lever being respectively engageable with side frames of the printer by means of the carriage movement means. The head release means may include a force changing lever for moving the head into and out of the printing position, the force changing lever being the same force changing lever as that of the force changing means. Preferably the head urging force produced by the head urging means is greater at a lower head movement speed or sheet movement speed, and is lower at a greater head movement speed or sheet movement speed. There are preferably energy application control means for controlling the energy applied to the printing elements and being adapted to apply at least two different levels of energy to the printing elements. The level of the energy applied to the printing elements is preferably based on the urging force. The level of energy applied to the printing elements may moreover be based on the speed of movement of the printing head or sheet. The energy applied to the printing elements may be based on the urging force and the speed of movement of the printing head or sheet. There are preferably detecting means for detecting the smoothness of the printing sheet. The level of energy applied to the printing elements may be based on the smoothness of the printing sheet. The speed of movement of the printing head or the printing sheet may be based on the smoothness of the printing sheet. The head release means may include a releasing member which is selectively engageable with the urging means, and power means coupled to the releasing member. The power means may include a motor with a worm gear mounted thereon, the releasing member including a gear portion in engagement with the worm gear and a hooked portion for selectively engaging with the head urging means. The force changing means may include motor means, the rotation of the motor causing a variation in force applied from the resilient member to the print head. The motor means preferably has a positioning member for determining the support position of a first end of the resilient member is supported, the positioning member being coupled to the first end of the resilient member, the other end of the resilient member being engaged with the head to apply the head urging force to the print head. Preferably, rotation of the motor means in a first direction increases the force applied to the resilient member and rotation of the motor means in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, results in a reduction in the force applied to the resilient member. The rotation of the motor means a predetermined distance in the second direction may result in the release of the urging force applied to the printing head. The level of the urging force on the printing head may be based on the smoothness of the printing sheet. The resilient member may be a coil spring. The invention is illustrated, merely by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figures 1(a) and 1(b) illustrate a first embodiment of a thermal printer in accordance with the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the mechanical part of the first embodiment of a thermal printer according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a circuit diagram of electrical and electromechanical components of the first embodiment of a thermal printer in accordance with the present invention, Figure 4 is a table indicating the relationship between print mode and head urging force, head movement speed and energy applied to a head of a thermal printer in accordance with the present invention, Figures 5(a) and 5(b) illustrate a second embodiment of a thermal printer in accordance with the present invention, Figure 6 is a graph showing a characteristic of a stepping motor which may be used in a thermal printer in accordance with the present invention, and Figures 7(a) and 7(b) illustrate a third embodiment of a thermal printer in accordance with the present invention, and Figure 8 is a schematic view of a known thermal printer. Figure 8 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a known thermal printer which is disclosed in the Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Specification No. 58-29438, and which is described briefly below. The thermal printer shown in Figure 8 is composed of a thermal head 1 in which heating elements are provided, a motor 2 which is arranged to drive the thermal head 1 transversely of a platen 3, a belt 5 which transmits driving power from the motor 2 to the thermal head 1, a guide shaft 6 on which the thermal head 1 is mounted so as to enable the latter to be pressed against a paper sheet 7 on the platen 3, and a plunger 4 which acts on the guide shaft 6 to permit the force with which the thermal head 1 is pressed against the paper sheet 7 to be adjusted between two levels. In this thermal printer, a head pressing mechanism, i.e. the guide shaft 6 and the plunger 4, only changes the pressure which the thermal head 6 applies to the paper sheet 7, and does not have a head up-down function so that it cannot be used in a thermal transfer printer. This thermal printer was devised to enable a two colour print to be produced by changing the density of colour by using the said two levels of pressing power. However, this technique is not suitable for use in a thermal transfer printer. In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Specification No. 60-131264 there is disclosed a method of using a roller or a humidifying means for improving the smoothness of paper after detecting the smoothness of the latter. It is known that thermal printers, especially thermal transfer printers,produce great differences in print quality as a result of the pressure exerted by the thermal head thereof. Ordinary paper, such as is generally used for copying, requires the use of considerable pressure by the head. On the other hand, when smooth thermal transfer paper is used in a known thermal printer, high speed printing is required. The use of considerable pressure, however, causes an increase in the load on a motor of the printer and may also cause a trail of ink from a printed dot as well as causing smearing of the paper due to the heat stored in the thermal head of the printer, whereby there may be low print quality. Known printers thus suffer from the above disadvantages. Although it is necessary in the current market conditions to effect printing on normal papers, many printers are unable to print on rough papers, such as bond papers widely used in offices in the United States of America. Further, a plunger, which makes a loud noise, is used in effecting a change in the head-pressing power of the apparatus described above. Thus, quiet printing, the greatest merit of thermal printers, cannot be obtained. Further, as the apparatus described above is large, it is troublesome to handle. In addition, in order to achieve the required high print quality, it is necessary in many cases to change the nature of the original paper surface. For example, the bond paper which is mainly used in offices in the United States of America has a surface which is rough to the touch as a preferable feature. However, this surface has to be changed so as to increase its smoothness if high quality printing is to be achieved. Furthermore, according to the prior art, since the print paper has to be passed through a humidifier, a roller or the like in order to give it the required degree of smoothness the print speed has to be slowed down. A first embodiment of the present invention as applied to a thermal transfer printer having a thermal head as a printing head and heating elements as print elements will now be described with reference to Figures 1(a) and 1(b) which show a carriage supporting a thermal head of the thermal transfer printer and of which Figure 1(a) is a plan view, and Figure 1(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along a line K in Figure 1(a). The said printer comprises a cylindrical platen 28; a radiating plate 29 for supporting a thermal head 10, the printing head 10 being provided with print elements (not shown), the print head 10 being disposed opposite the platen 28; a carriage frame 11 slidably mounted on a shaft 53; a force transmission lever 12 which is pivotably mounted on a shaft 13 which provides a fulcrum for the force transmission lever 12, the force transmission lever 12 having an abutment portion 19 which is engageable with the printing head 10; a stepping motor 20 which is used to drive the thermal head 10 up and down vertically with respect to printing paper (not shown) mounted on the platen 28; a worm gear 21 mounted on a motor shaft 21 a of the motor 20; and a lever 22 having a worm thread 22 a which meshes with the worm gear 21 so that rotation of the latter in opposite angular directions respectively causes the lever 22 to reciprocate in the directions shown by arrows G and H.Drive means (not shown) are provided for moving the carriage frame 11 so as to move the thermal head 10 longitudinally of the platen 28. A gear 23, which is rotatably mounted on a shaft 24, meshes with the worm gear 21 so as to transmit power from the latter for winding up a ribbon (not shown) in a ribbon cassette 40 during the printing. When the shaft 21 a of the motor 20 revolves in the direction of an arrow F, the lever 22, whose upper end has a hook portion 18 which is engaged in an aperture 14 provided in the force transmission lever 12, is moved in the direction of an arrow H so as to release the thermal head 10 from the position shown in Figure 1(b) in which it is pressed towards the platen 28. Thus the thermal head 10 is released and placed in a head-up position. When the shaft 21 a of the motor 20 revolves in the direction of an arrow E, however, the lever 22 is moved in the direction of an arrow G so that the hook portion 18 is free in the aperture 14. A force change lever 30, which is manually operable for changing the force with which the thermal head 10 is urged towards the platen 28 between two different levels of force and placed in a head-down position is reciprocable in the directions of arrows B and C and rotatable around guides 33 and 34 each of which acts as a fulcrum. The force change lever 30 is engaged by a coil spring 31 which elastically urges the force change lever 30 in the direction of an arrow D. The force change lever 30 has a pin 32 which is engageable in either a notch 16 or a notch 17 in a slot 15 in the force transmission lever 12 so that the force exerted by the spring 31 is transmitted to the force transmission lever 12 to urge the latter to turn about the shaft 13. If desired, the slot 15 may have more than two notches which can hold the pin 32 in a predetermined position. When the force change lever 30 is moved in the direction of the arrow B and the pin 32 is engaged in the notch 17, the ratio of ℓ₂ to ℓ₁ is increased, wherein ℓ₁ is the longitudinal distance between the abutment portion 19 and the shaft 13 which acts as a fulcrum, and ℓ₂ is the length between the shaft 13 and the pin 32 (which may be regarded as a force application point). As a result of this increase in the ratio ℓ₂/ℓ₁, the thermal head 10 is pressed from the back in the direction of arrow I against the platen 28 by increased power. When the printing is finished the motor 20 revolves in the direction of the arrow F and the lever 22 is moved in the direction of the arrow H to prevent the force of the coil spring 31 being transmitted to the thermal head 10. At this time, as power is exerted in the direction of arrow J by a compressive coil spring 41, the thermal head 10 is urged away from the platen 28 and placed in the head-up position. As will be appreciated, the direction of rotation of the motor 20 determines whether the printing head 10 is urged towards or away from the platen 28, each rotational step of the stepping motor 20 increasing or reducing the force exerted on the printing head 10. As noted above, according to this embodiment, a head up-down mechanism comprises a head urging mechanism, a head release mechanism and a change mechanism. The head urging mechanism comprises the notches 16, 17, the force transmission lever 12, the force change lever 30, the spring 31 and the pin 32. The head release mechanism comprises the motor 20, the worm gear 21, the lever 22, the aperture 14 and the spring 41. The change mechanism comprises the notches 16, 17, the pin 32, the change lever 30, side frames 51, 52 (Figure 2), and a stepping motor 60 (Figure 2). Figure 2 is a perspective view of the overall mechanical construction of a thermal transfer printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention which, for this reason, will not be described in detail, like reference numerals indicating like parts. The thermal transfer printer has a frame 50 and the stepping motor 60 which provides part of the means for moving the thermal head 10 in the axial direction of the platen 28. A belt 62 is provided for transmitting driving force from the motor 60 to a carriage 61. A gear train 63 is provided to drive the belt 62 from the stepping motor 60. The left side frame 51 and the right side frame 52 are secured to the frame 50. The carriage 61 is slidably mounted on guide shafts 53. The opposite ends of the force change lever 30 are respectively engageable with the side frames 51, 52. When a high quality print mode requiring the application of high force to the thermal head 10 is selected, the carriage 61 carrying the thermal head 10 is pushed against the left side frame 51 by the driving force of the stepping motor 60 so as to bring the force change lever 30 into abutment with the left side frame 51 and thus move the force change lever 30 in the direction of the arrow B (Figure 1(a)) prior to the start of printing. However, when a high speed print mode requiring the application to the thermal head 10 of a low degree of force is selected, the carriage 61 is pushed against the right side frame 52 so as to move the force change lever 30 in the direction of the arrow C of Figure 1(a). The force acting on the thermal head 10 is thus changed by means comprising the stepping motor 60, the left side frame 51, the right side frame 52 and the force change lever 30. The arrangement is of course such that the force change lever 30 never contacts the side frames 51, 52 during the printing. Accordingly, several different degrees of head-pressing power can be obtained by increasing the number of notches in the slot 15 formed in force transmission lever 12. Further, the force application point of the coil spring 31 is variable. However, the same effect can be achieved by moving shaft 13, which acts as a fulcrum, so as to change the aforementioned ratio ℓ₁/ℓ₂. Figure 3 is a circuit diagram of electrical and electromechanical components of the first embodiment of a thermal printer of Figures 1 and 2. In Figure 3, however, the numeral 100 indicates a mechanical part of the thermal printer, 10 a indicates printing or heating elements arranged on the thermal head 10, and 60 a indicates a coil of the stepping motor 60, respectively. An energy application control means 70 is provided for determining the energy supplied to the heating elements 10 a . According to one embodiment of the energy application control means 70, two or more levels of energy can be supplied to the heating elements 10 a by changing the period during which they are energized. A charge-discharge circuit comprises a condenser 71 which is charged through a resister 73, (or through a transistor 76), a resister 74 and a variable resister 75, and the condenser 71 may be discharged by a transistor 72. A reference voltage part comprises resisters 77, 78, 79 and a thermister 80. A voltage comparator circuit 81 is turned on or off according to the charge level of the condenser 71. In the said reference voltage part, the thermister 80 detects the ambient temperature or the temperature of the thermal head 10 so as to supply an optimum amount of energy to the thermal head 10. The operation of applying the energy control means 70 is as follows. A trigger input Tg is outputted to the transistor 72 in synchronism with the print timing by a CPU 90 which controls the thermal printer. The transistor 72 is turned off immediately after the condenser 71 is discharged. Then the condenser 71 begins to be charged through the resisters 73 and 74. When the charge level of the condenser 71 reaches the potential of a point S of the said reference voltage part, a pulse is outputted having a pulse width TW from the voltage comparator circuit 81. The transistor 76 is a switch for changing the outputted pulse width TW. When the transistor 76 is turned on, the pulse width TW is short. However, when the transistor 76 is turned off, the pulse width TW is long. The variable resister 75 is provided for changing the dot density manually from the outside of the thermal printer. The output from the energy application control means 70 is transmitted through an inverter 85 and a resistor 86 to a transistor 82 which turns on or off a power supply terminal 83 a of a head driver 83. The head driver 83 is operable during the time that the pulse having the pulse width TW is produced. Thus the required energy is applied to the heating elements 10 a . The circuit comprises a motor driver 64, a voltage control transistor 65 for controlling the voltage applied to the driving coil 60 a , a resister 66, and a speed control circuit 67. The means for moving the carriage 61 comprises the stepping motor 60, the motor driver 64, the voltage control transistor 65 and the speed control circuit 67. A print mode change switch 68 is operable to select a high speed print mode and a high quality print mode, there being a power input terminal 69 and a print mode output terminal 84. The operation of the circuit shown in Figure 3 is as follows. When a high speed print mode is selected by the print mode change switch 68, a low-level signal is outputted to the print mode output terminal 84 by the CPU 90. The transistor 76 in the energy application control means 70 is turned on, and then a pulse having the short pulse width TW is outputted from the voltage comparator circuit 81. Further, the voltage control transistor 65 is turned on and the stepping motor 60 is driven by a high voltage, whereby high speed printing is achieved. When print data is inputted to the CPU 90, the CPU 90 actuates the stepping motor 60 to reduce the force which is applied to the thermal head 10 to urge the latter towards the platen 28. Then, printing is performed by virtue of the driving motor 60 being operated at a high speed. On the contrary, when a low speed high quality print mode is selected by the switch 68, a high-level signal is outputted to the print mode output terminal 84 by the CPU 90. Then, a pulse having a long pulse width TW is outputted from the energy application control means 70, and the stepping motor 60 is driven at a low speed. Generally, the voltage applied to the driving coil 60 a of the stepping motor 60 is reduced to prevent a rise of temperature while the stepping motor 60 is revolving at a low speed. When print data is inputted to the CPU 90, the said force applied to the thermal head 10 is increased by the CPU 90. Then, printing is performed with the driving motor 60 being driven at a low speed. The speed control circuit 67 changes the drive frequency of the stepping motor 60 in response to a command of the CPU 90. However, it is also possible to change the drive frequency by software in the CPU 90. Figure 4 is a table showing features of a thermal printer having a circuit of Figure 3. Head pressing power, head moving speed and energy applied to the head are shown in Figure 4 in relation to the respective print mode. In the high quality print mode, a high pressing power is applied to the head and the energy applied to the head is also high. However, the speed at which the head moves is slow. When the high speed print mode is selected, the head moves quickly whilst the pressing power applied to the head and the energy applied is reduced. Figures 5(a) and (b) illustrate a second embodiment of a thermal printer in accordance with the present invention. Figure 5(a) is a schematic diagram of the mechanism of the printer. A line type thermal head 101 is provided with heated print elements (not shown) in the direction of a column of print. A head support member 102, which also serves as a radiating plate, is rotatable at a fulcrum point 102 a . The head support member 102 may of course be replaced by the force transmission lever 12 of the Figure 1 construction. The head support member 102 and thermal head 101 may thus be regarded as the equivalent of the force transmission lever 12 and thermal head 10, the parts 30-32 and 15-17 being omitted for purposes of simplicity. A compressive coil spring 103 provides a force for pressing the thermal head 101 against a platen 107. The compressive coil spring 103 is coupled at a first end to a positioning member 104 for determining the support position of the first end of the spring 103. The positioning member 104 has a gear portion 104 a which is engageable with a gear 105. The other end of the compressive coil spring 103 not coupled to the positioning member 104 is coupled to the top surface of the head support member 102 and provides an urging force downward. 106 is a motor which is arranged to rotate the gear 105 for adjusting the head pressing power, and generally a stepping motor is employed as the motor 106. Rotation of the motor 106 in the direction of arrow V causes movement of the positioning member 104 in the direction of arrow N which has the effect of increasing the head pressing power on the head support member 102 and thermal head 101 through the coil spring 103. On the other hand, when the motor 106 rotates in the direction of arrow U, the positioning member 104 moves in the direction of arrow M and reduces the head pressing force exerted by the compressing coil spring 103 on the head support member 102 and the thermal head 101. A platen 107 is rotatable by a motor 108. The motor 108 serves as a driving source for feeding a printing sheet 111 to the thermal head 101, for which purpose a stepping motor is generally used as is used also in a serial type printer. 109 is a thermosensitive ink ribbon, and a reflective type photo-sensor 110 is provided to act as a detecting means for detecting the smoothness of the surface of the printing sheet 111. In this embodiment, the printing sheet 111 is moved relative to the thermal head 101, although the thermal head 10 is moved relative to the printing sheet in the first embodiment of Figures 1(a) and (b). Figure 5(b) is a circuit diagram of the reflective type photosensor 110, wherein 121 is a luminous portion and 122 is a light receiving portion. An A/D converter 120 converts the output voltage of light receiving portion 122 into an analog or digital signal which is applied to a CPU 130 which controls the thermal printer. Thus the CPU 130, like the CPU 90, controls the application of energy to the heated print elements of the print head 101, so that the energy applied thereto depends upon the smoothness of the printing sheet 111. The output voltage of the reflective type photo-sensor 110 is large when the surface of the print sheet is smooth, while it is small when the surface of the printing sheet is rough as is the case when bond paper is used. The reflective type photo-sensor 110 detects the smoothness of the printing sheet and as a result thereof the CPU 130 rotates the motor 106 in the direction of either an arrow U or an arrow V according to the smoothness of the printing sheet being examined. As a result the positioning member 104 can be moved in the direction of an arrow N or an arrow M. When the smoothness of the sheet is low, the positioning member 104 is moved in the direction of the arrow N, thereby increasing the pressure of the thermal head 101 against the printing sheet. On the other hand when the smoothness of the paper is high, positioning member 104 is moved in the direction of the arrow M, thereby decreasing the said pressure of the thermal head 101. When printing is started, the pressure of the thermal head 101 against the platen 107 is set by a signal for the reflective type photo-sensor 110. In response to this signal, the motor 108 is caused to rotate at a speed corresponding to the said pressure by motor controlling means (not shown), whereby printing is performed at a speed suitable for the printing sheet. The said pressure can be determined in accordance with the smoothness of the printing sheet as given by the reflective type photo-sensor 110. In other words, the stroke between the positioning member 104 and the head support member 102 is variable in dependence upon the angular position of the motor 106 so as to obtain a desired head pressing power. Thus, head pressing power is readily adaptable to the particular smoothness of the printing paper. Further, it is also possible according to this embodiment to release the thermal head 101 from being pressed against the platen 107. When the motor 106 is rotated in the direction of the arrow U, the spring supporting member 104 moves in the direction of the arrow M. When the distance of this movement exceeds a predetermined value, the thermal head 101 is released from being pressed against the platen 107 and thereby it becomes possible to set the ink ribbon 109 and the printing sheet 111 in position on the platen 107. The arrangement shown in Figure 5(a) thus comprises a head release means constituted by the parts 104,105,106 which incorporates a stepping motor 106 whose direction of rotation determines whether the thermal head 101 is urged towards or away from the platen 107, each rotational step of the stepping motor 106 increasing or reducing the force exerted on the thermal head 101. Figure 6 is a graph indicating the relationship between the driving torque of a stepping motor which may be used to drive the printer carriage in the first embodiment of Figures 1(a) and 1(b) or to drive the platen for the sheet feed in the second embodiment of Figure 5(a) and the driving frequency (Pulses Per Sec). The reference numeral 140 indicates the characteristic of a stepping motor used in the printers described above and the reference numeral 141 indicates that of a stepping motor of the prior art. In general, as seen from the graph, the driving torque at a point P of low frequency is larger than that at point Q of high frequency. In the prior art motor, at a point R of high frequency, a driving torque equal to that at point P is required. The stepping motor used in the printers described above, however, can be driven by lower torque, as shown at point Q, this point being lower than point P. Thus, in a thermal printer as described above,the power with which the thermal head is pressed against the platen can be reduced during a high speed print mode, and this has the advantage that the motor can be miniaturized and can be of low power consumption. Reference is last made to Figures 7(a) and 7(b) wherein a carriage supporting a thermal head of the thermal printer constructed in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention is depicted. Figure 7(a) is a plan view, and Figure 7(b) is a sectional side view, both partially cut away for the purposes of clarity. 170 is a compressing coil spring, 171 is a spring support member, 172 is a spring guide, 173 is a change lever and also a positioning member, 174 is a lever guide pin which engages with an opening 173 d . A coil spring 175 releases a thermal head 10 from a platen during non-printing and a first end of coil spring 175 is fixed to a pin 176 and its second end is fixed to a tip portion 29 a provided on the radiating plate 29. 177 is a change lever support member. The change lever 173 has plane surfaces of three levels for contact with the spring support member 171 and is able to reciprocate in the directions of arrows B and C guided by the opening 173 d and the change lever support members 177. In the same manner as the first embodiment in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the change lever 173 is pushed against the side frames of the thermal printer, so that it is able to move in the directions of the arrows B and C. A head pressing means comprises the compressing coil spring 170, the spring support member 171 and the change lever 173. When a high head pressing power is required, the change lever 173 is moved in the direction of the arrow B and a contact surface 173 a which is at short distance from the thermal head, is selected. When a low head pressing power is required, a contact surface 173 b is selected. Further, when contact surface 173 c is selected, the compressing coil spring 170 does not act on the rear surface of the thermal head, so that the thermal head is biased away from the platen by expanding the coil spring 175. Thus the change lever 173 serves not only for changing a head pressing power but also for releasing head pressing power. As noted above, in the same manner as the first embodiment shown in Figures 1(a), 1(b) and 2, a head pressing power changing mechanism comprises a motor for moving a thermal head, a change lever, side frames of a thermal printer and according to this embodiment, a release mechanism further has expanding coil spring 175 in addition to the above members. The above embodiments have concerned a thermal head provided with heating elements. However, the present invention is also applicable to an electrothermal transfer printer in which an electrode is used as a print element and heating is effected by a resistive layer applied on a thermal transfer ribbon. In the printers described above, it is possible to constantly obtain high print quality regardless of the smoothness of the printing sheet. This is because, in the case of rough paper, the relative speed of the thermal head with respect to the paper is reduced and the power with which the head is pressed against the printing sheet is increased, so that the permeability of the ink in the printing sheet is improved. Furthermore, by using the energy application control means 70, pressing power is increased and energy applied to the thermal head is also increased, so that permeability into the sheet is more advanced and printing on a rough paper, such as a bond paper, becomes feasible. In the prior art, if a thermal head is moved at high speed while pressed against the paper, the paper may be smeared. However, in the printers described above, when the head moves at high speed, the pressure applied to the head is reduced and therefore it becomes possible to prevent the paper being smeared. In addition, in order to change the pressure applied to the head,a plunger was used in the prior art. In the printers described above however, the motor 60 for moving the thermal head transversely of the platen may be also used as a power source for another member, such as a motor for adjusting the force change lever 30. Therefore, costs are reduced. Moreover, as a power source producing a loud noise need not be used in the embodiments described above, a quiet thermal printer can also be obtained.

Claims: A thermal printer for printing on a printing sheet, comprising: a thermal printing head (10,101) having printing elements (10a); a platen (28,107) disposed opposite to the printing head (10,101) so that a printing sheet (111) may be located between the printing head (10,101) and the platen (28,107); and a head up-down mechanism for moving the printing head toward and away from the platen (28,107) and thus into and out of a printing position, the head up-down mechanism having head urging means (12,30,31,103-105, 170,171,173), head release means (20-22,41,103-106,173,175,51,52,60), and force changing means (30,51,52,60,104-106,173), the head urging means (12,30,31,103-105,170,171,173) including a resilient member (31,103,170) for urging the printing head (10,101) against the platen (28,107), the head release means (20-22, 41, 103-106,173,175,51,52,60), in operation, selectively relieving the urging force on the printing head (10,101), and movement means (60,62,107,108) for effecting relative movement of the printing head (10,101) and the printing sheet (111), characterised in that the force changing means (30,51,52,60,104,106,173), includes means (15-17,104-106, 173a,173b,173c) for causing the resilient member (31,103,170) to exert a selected one of a plurality of different degrees of force when the head (10,101) is in the printing position, the movement means (60,62,107,108) effecting the said relative movement at at least two speeds, the head urging force being related to the speed of the said relative movement. A printer as claimed in claim 1 characterised by a carriage (61) for supporting the printing head (10,101) and the head urging means (12,30,31,103,170,171,173), the carriage (61) being moved relative to the printing sheet (111) by the movement means (60,62). A printer as claimed in claim 2 characterised in that the force changing means (30,51,52,60,173) includes the movement means (60,62) for moving the carriage (61). A printer as claimed in claim 3 characterised in that the force changing means (30,51,52,60,173) has a force changing lever (30,173) mounted on the carriage (61), the force changing lever (30,173) being respectively engageable with side frames (51,52) of the printer by means of the movement means (60,62). A printer as claimed in claim 4 characterised in that the head release means (173,175) includes a force changing lever (173) for moving the head (10) into and out of the printing position, the force changing lever (173) being the same force changing lever as that of the force changing means. A printer as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that energy application control means (70,82,83) are provided for controlling the energy applied to the printing elements (10a) and are adapted to apply at least two different levels of energy to the printing elements (10a). A printer as claimed in claim 6 characterised in that the level of energy applied to the printing elements (10a) is based on the urging force. A printer as claimed in claim 6 characterised in that the level of energy applied to the printing elements is based on the speed of movement of the printing head or sheet. A printer as claimed in claim 8 characterised in that the energy applied to the printing elements (10a) is based on the urging force and the speed of movement of the printing head or sheet. A printer as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that detecting means (110,120,121,122) are provided for detecting the smoothness of the printing sheet. A printer as claimed in claim 10 characterised in that the level of energy applied to the printing elements (10a) is based on the smoothness of the printing sheet. A printer as claimed in claim 10 characterised in that the speed of the movement of the printing head or the printing sheet is based on the smoothness of the printing sheet. A printer as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that the head release means (20-22,41) includes a releasing member (22) which is selectively engageable with the urging means, and power means (20,21) coupled to the releasing member (22). A printer as claimed in claim 13 characterised in that the power means (20,21) includes a motor (20) with a worm gear (21) mounted thereon, the releasing member (22) including a gear portion (22a) in engagement with the worm gear (21) and a hooked portion for selectively engaging with the head urging means. A printer as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that the force changing means includes motor means (105,106), the rotation of the motor causing a variation in force applied from the resilient member (103) to the print head (101). A printer as claimed in claim 15 characterised in that the motor means (105,106) has a positioning member (104) for determining the support position of a first end of the resilient member (103), the positioning member (104) being coupled to the first end of the resilient member (103), the other end of the resilient member (103) being engaged with the print head to apply the head urging force to the print head. A printer as claimed in claim 15 characterised in that rotation of the motor means (105,106) in a first direction increases the force applied to the resilient member (103) and rotation of the motor means (105,106) in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, results in a reduction in the force applied to the resilient member (103). A printer as claimed in claim 17 characterised in that the rotation of the motor means (105,106) a predetermined distance in the second direction results in the release of the head urging force applied to the printing head (101).

Inventors: MASAHIRO, MINOWA C/O SEIKO EPSON CORP.
Applicants: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B41J25
IPC codes: B41J25