WIRE DOT PRINT HEAD

Abstract: Wire dot print head (40) including a core (50), driving means (46, 58, 60) energizable to move a print wire (54) in an axial direction through said core (50) and through a wire guide portion (82) positioned at the printing end of the print head (40), and a wire guide element (90, 110) made of ceramic material of a hardness greater than the hardness of the print wire (54), moulded into the guide portion (82) and serving as a guide for the print wire (54).

Description: The present invention relates generally to impact printing devices for dot matrix printing wherein at least one print wire is propelled against a printing medium by an associated plunger type solenoid print wire device for printing dot matrix characters in accordance with external control signals which cause plunger coil energization, in turn effecting character printing. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved print head having a guide for the print wire. In the field of printing, the most common type of printer has been the printer which impacts against record media that is caused to be moved past a printing line or line of printing. As is well-known, the impact printing operation depends upon the movement of impact members, such as print hammers or wires or the like, which are typically moved by means of an electromechanical system and which system enables precise control of the impact members. In the field of dot matrix printers, it has been quite common to provide a print head which has included therein a plurality of print wire actuators or solenoids arranged or grouped in a manner to drive the respective print wires a precise distance from a rest or non-printing position to an impact or printing position. The print wires are generally either secured to or engaged by the solenoid plunger or armature which is caused to be moved such precise distance when the solenoid coil is energized and wherein the plunger normally operates against the action of a return spring. In a wire matrix printer, the print head structure may be a multiple-element type with the wire elements aligned in a vertical line and supported on a print head carriage which is caused to be moved or driven in a horizontal direction for printing in line manner, while the drive elements or transducers may be positioned in a circular configuration with the respective wires leading to the front tip of the print head. Alternatively, the printer structure may include a plurality of equally-spaced, horizontally-aligned single-element print heads which are caused to be moved in back-and-forth manner to print successive lines of dots in making up the lines of characters. In this latter arrangement, the drive elements or transducers are individually supported along a line of printing. These single wire actuators or solenoids are generally tubular or cylindrically shaped and include a shell which encloses a coil, an armature and a resilient member arranged in manner and form wherein the actuator is operable to cause the print wire to be axially moved a small precise distance in dot matrix printing. The print wire is contained and guided at the front of the solenoid in axial direction during the printing operation. Such a single wire actuator is disclosed, for example, in CH-A-643243. A problem with print heads of this kind is that the print wires are subjected to wear during the printing operation due to friction, which may ultimately cause breakage of the wire. DE-A-2630539 describes a guide number for the wires of a dot matrix printer which member is made of a ceramic material which has a similar resistance to wear as synthetic gemstones, but is tougher, thereby providing a longer life for the printer. It is an object of the invention to provide a print head having a guide member of ceramic material which provides a precise and true guide for the print wire. Thus, according to the invention, there is provided a wire dot print head including core means, driving means energizable to move a print wire in an axial direction through said core means and through a wire guide portion positioned at the printing end of the print head, and a wire guide element included in said guide portion and serving as a guide for said print wire during printing, characterized in that said guide element is integrally moulded in said guide portion of the print head such that said guide portion forms a flange over the printing end of said guide element to define an aperture which is of a diameter larger than the diameter of the print wire. It should be noted that by moulding the ceramic guide member into the front end portion of the print head the manufacture and assembly of the print head is greatly simplified. Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a print head of a prior art construction; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a print head according to the present invention; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing certain parts of the print head in another position; Fig. 4 is an exploded view showing the parts of the print head; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a print wire guide element that is integrally formed in the front portion of the print head; and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a modified print wire guide element. Prior to describing the structure of the present invention, Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a conventional dot printer in the form of a solenoid 10 having a shell or case 12 that encloses a coil 14 wound around a bobbin 16. A plunger or armature 18 is substantially enclosed by the bobbin 16, and a ring core 20 is placed adjacent one end of the bobbin. A cap 22 is crimped by an end or edge portion 30 of the case 12 to contain the above parts contiguous with a core 24. A print wire 26 is attached to the armature 18 and a spring 28 is provided adjacent the core 24 and generally within a core pole 25 for returning the print wire 26 to the home position after energization of the coil 14 in printing operation. An opposite end or edge portion 32 of the case is crimped against the core 24 to contain the various parts. A guide member 34 is provided at the front of the core 24 for guiding the print wire 26. A plate structure 36 may be used for supporting the solenoid 10. Fig. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a wire dot print head 40 of the present invention with certain of the parts being in an operated or printing position, and Fig. 3 illustrates a similar view of the print head 40 with such parts being in a non-operated or home position. The print head 40 includes a solenoid 42 having a shell or case 44 that encloses a coil 46 wound around a bobbin 48. A core 50 is located adjacent the bobbin 48 and has a core pole 52 extending within the center of the bobbin. A print wire 54 extends through an opening 56 in the core 50, the opening being of different diameters at several places within the core 50. A plunger or armature 58 is located inside the bobbin 48 and assumes the shape of a sleeve encircling a plunger core pole 60 at the rear or actuating portion of the printer. One end of the print wire 54 is secured to and within the core pole 60 and extends through a coil spring 62 which has one end thereof engaging a seat of the core pole 60 and the other end engaging a seat of the core 50 in the vicinity of the core pole 52. The sleeve portion 64 of the plunger 58 is coupled with and secured to the core pole 60 by means of adhesive or the like and is formed to provide a gap 66 between the outside diameter of the sleeve 64 and the inside diameter of the bobbin 48. An elastic or resilient plate 70 abuts an end portion 72 of the bobbin 48 on one side of the plate and abuts an end member 74 which is biased by means of a coil spring 76 and covered by a cap 78. A pair of coil terminals, as at 80, are provided to connect the coil 46 to a voltage source (not shown). The front or operating portion of the printer includes a wire guide 82 fitting in a recess 84 in the front portion of the core 50. The wire guide 82 has a flange portion 86 abutting the end of the core 50 and has an elongated aperture 88 therein which is larger than the print wire 54. A guide tip 90 is formed integrally with the front end portion 92 of the wire guide 82 and provides a precise guide for the print wire 54 at the operating end of the printer. An aperture 94 of the same diameter as aperture 88 in wire guide 82, and of aperture 96 in core 50, is provided for the print wire 54. The core 50 also defines an aperture 98 of reduced diameter to provide a seat for one end of spring 62 and defines an aperture 100 for clearance in enabling operation of the spring 62. The guide tip 90 is made of ceramic material to provide a true and precise wire guide for the print wire 54. Fig. 2 shows the operating end 102 of the print wire 54 extending beyond the front end portion 92 of the wire guide 82 in operated position, whereas Fig. 3 shows the operating end 102 even with such portion 92 in the home position. It is also seen that the coil spring 62 is compressed in Fig. 2 relative to its position in Fig. 3, and that in Fig. 2, the plunger 64 has been moved to close the air gap and to seat on the slanted end portion of core pole 52. Fig. 4 is an exploded view which shows the form and arrangement of the various parts of the printhead 40. Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the print wire guide element 90 which is made of ceramic and is integrally moulded into the front portion of the print head 40. The hardness of the guide element 90 is controlled to be within the range of Hv 1,200 ± 50 upon the formation thereof so as to provide a balance among the hardness (Hv), the density(P) and the Young's modulus (E). A modification of the invention comprises a guide tip 110 which is made of ceramic and is integrally moulded in the front portion 92 of the print head 40. The diameter of the aperture 112 is greater than the diameter of the aperture through the guide tip 90 of Fig. 4. The larger diameter aperture 112 is provided to minimize the abrasion of the ceramic guide tip 110 and the print wire 54 which may be produced by mutual sliding friction due to paper dust choking. The aperture 112 is provided with a camber having a radius of 30mm, as indicated at 114, and the corners 116 at the face ends 118 of the guide tip 110 are rounded at R=0.1mm during the polishing operation. The camber provides for a maximum angle 120 of two degrees for the inclined or slanted position of the print wire 54 and thereby effects a larger air space between the wire and the guide. In addition, the surface roughness of 0.8S of the print wire 54 can be attained by the use of rotary swaging as a process step in the working of the wire in order to reduce the abrasive wear. The rotary swaging of the print wire has an advantageous effect on the metal surface and reduces the surface roughness. Further, the inner surface 104 and the inlet portion of the guide tip 90 are polished for a smoothness of 0.2S to reduce the abrasive wear. Since the corners 106 at the sliding face ends 108 of the guide tip 90 are rounded at R=0.02mm during the polishing operation, the safety factor of the breaking of the wire can be improved. Such wire breakage may occur when the energizing thrust is suddenly loaded on the wire during the printing operation. The following characteristics of the ceramic guide element 90, as manufactured by ADAMANT Kogyo Co., Ltd., Japan, are as follows: The following characteristics apply to the print wire 54, as supplied either by Kobe Steel Ltd., Japan, or Organ Needle Co., Ltd., Japan. A modification of the ceramic guide element 90 includes the following characteristics: It is noted that Hv is the unit symbol stated in ISO/DIS 146 "Metallic Materials -Hardness Test" and that Vickers hardness is defined as the quotient obtained by dividing the test load (kgf) by the surface area (mm²) of the indentation that is made on the test surface. The test equipment used for the hardness test is Microvickers Hardness Tester and reference is made to ASTM E384 "Standard Method of Test of Microhardness of Metals". A figure of Hv 989 for the print wire is the average value of Vickers hardness in the range of Hv 905-Hv 1,076 (noted above) as measured on sixteen (16) test pieces, and a preferred Vickers hardness is Hv 950 ± 50. The scale or measuring method of the surface roughness is the maximum height (Rmax) of profile or irregularities on the surface. The measured value of maximum height Rmax of profile (irregularities) is indicated in um units. The values of surface roughness are designated by unit symbol "S". In the above notation, the smoothness or surface roughness "0.2S" means that the irregularities are between O µ and 0.2 µ or that O µ Rmax is less than or equal to 0.2S, is less than or equal to 0.2 µ Rmax. Reference is made to ISO R468 "Surface Roughness" for additional information. In the operation of the printer 40 of the present invention, the coil 46 of the solenoid 42 is energized through terminals 80 and the plunger or armature 58 moves inside the core pole 52, and within the aperture 100 in opposition to the resilience of the spring 62. The movement of the plunger 58 moves the print wire 54 through the guide tip 90 in a precise path for printing of a dot in printing operation. When the solenoid 42 is de-energized, the plunger 58 is returned to the non-printing position, as shown in Fig. 3, by means of the spring 62. At nearly the end of this return motion of the armature or plunger 58, the end surface thereof is pressed and urged against the core by the spring 76 and impacts against the resilient plate 70 which abuts the end surface of the bobbin 48. It is thus seen that the resilience of the plate 70 and of the coil spring 76 as well as the weight of the end member 74 combine to absorb and to alleviate the return impact, thereby preventing rebounding of the print wire 54. It has been found that by using a ceramic guide element it is possible to achieve a low friction bearing for the print wire whereby wear of the wire is reduced.

Claims: A wire dot print head including core means (50), driving means (46,58,60) energizable to move a print wire (54) in an axial direction through said core means (50) and through a wire guide portion (82) positioned at the printing end of the print head (40), and a wire guide element (90,110) of ceramic material included in said guide portion (82) and serving as a guide for said print wire (54) during printing, characterized in that said guide element (90,110) is integrally moulded in said guide portion (82) of the print head such that said guide portion (82) forms a flange over the printing end of said guide element (90,110) to define an aperture (94) which is of a diameter larger than the diameter of the print wire (54). A print head according to claim 1, characterized in that said print wire has a Vickers hardness between HV905 and HV1076, and that said guide element (90,110) is of ceramic material having a Vickers hardness in the range of HV 1200 and HV 1700, an inner surface roughness of 0.25, and zirconium content of about 93%. A print head according to claim 1, characterized in that said guide element (90,110) is cylindrically shaped and has a bore (104,112) extending axially therethrough, the corners (106,116) of the inlet and outlet ends of the bore (104, 112) being rounded and polished.

Inventors: ISHIZUKA, TADASHI, NAGASAWA, HIDEO, SUZUKI, KAZUYOSHI ROOM 201 BERUAZARIE
Applicants: NCR CORPORATION
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B41J2
IPC codes: B41J2