A thermal transfer printing machine with stationary support elements for supporting an article and a thermal transfer assembly vertically movable above the support elements, between a raised rest position and a lowered working position is disclosed. The machine has a surface heated transfer pad, supply and guide devices, a flexible printing ribbon which carries thermally transferable ink images, a position sensor providing electrical signals indicative of the vertical position of the transfer pad and a control unit with a learning phase, said control unit causes a descent run of the thermal transfer assembly, until the transfer pad engages with an article of a predetermined type. The position sensor detects and stores reference data characterizing descent run and the control unit initiates a subsequent descent run towards an article of the same type, comparing the reference data to the current descent run data, and stopping printing when an anomaly is discovered.

Provided is a medicine packaging device. The medicine packaging device includes: a reader-writer that reads information from an IC tag installed at a supply core of an ink ribbon roll detachably installed to an ink ribbon cassette as well as writes information to the IC tag; a motor control unit that controls a winding motor for rotating a winding core, based on a used length of the ink ribbon which is information read from the IC tag, so that the ink ribbon of the ink ribbon roll runs in a winding direction at a higher speed than a feeding speed of a continuous sheet for packaging; and a written information output unit that outputs information showing the used length of the ink ribbon which has been changed due to use of the ink ribbon, to the reader/writer as information written on the IC tag.

Provided is a medicine packaging device. The medicine packaging device includes: a reader-writer that reads information from an IC tag installed at a supply core of an ink ribbon roll detachably installed to an ink ribbon cassette as well as writes information to the IC tag; a motor control unit that controls a winding motor for rotating a winding core, based on a used length of the ink ribbon which is information read from the IC tag, so that the ink ribbon of the ink ribbon roll runs in a winding direction at a higher speed than a feeding speed of a continuous sheet for packaging; and a written information output unit that outputs information showing the used length of the ink ribbon which has been changed due to use of the ink ribbon, to the reader/writer as information written on the IC tag.

The present invention embraces printers such as hand-held printers and mobile/portable printer. One exemplary embodiment includes print as you glide (PAYG) devices. Such printers may comprise a modular print engine that is removable from the printer and may allow a user to easily access and load the ribbon in the mobile print engine. The modular print engine may comprise a modular print head and an encoder that may determine the movement of the print head relative to a stationary media. When a printer is pressed against the media, the print head's burn line may be resting on the media. When the printer is stationary relative to the media, the encoder may not trigger the printing. Once PAYG is being slid or glided across the media, the encoder may start to rotate and then send a signal to a processor, causing the printer to start printing.

The present invention embraces printers such as hand-held printers and mobile/portable printer. One exemplary embodiment includes print as you glide (PAYG) devices. Such printers may comprise a modular print engine that is removable from the printer and may allow a user to easily access and load the ribbon in the mobile print engine. The modular print engine may comprise a modular print head and an encoder that may determine the movement of the print head relative to a stationary media. When a printer is pressed against the media, the print head's burn line may be resting on the media. When the printer is stationary relative to the media, the encoder may not trigger the printing. Once PAYG is being slid or glided across the media, the encoder may start to rotate and then send a signal to a processor, causing the printer to start printing.

An object is to provide a thermal transfer printer having an inexpensive configuration and capable of making a tension given to an ink ribbon as constant as possible, even when a secular change and an environmental change occur in a DC motor used as a supply motor and a winding motor. A supply motor control unit controls a supply motor of an ink ribbon supply unit. A winding motor control unit controls a winding motor of an ink ribbon winding unit. A remaining amount detection unit detects a remaining amount of an ink ribbon. A variable calculation unit acquires parameters for an armature current, an applied voltage, and a rotational speed of each of the supply motor and the winding motor, and calculates variables to be used for controlling the supply motor and the winding motor on the basis of the acquired parameters.

A ribbon transport mechanism includes an input gear that receives rotational power from a transport motor. An intermediate gear, which engages with the input gear, receives the rotational power from the transport motor via the input gear and transmits the rotational power to a first paying out rotor. When the cartridge is attached, a paying-out-side one-way clutch suppresses the input gear from rotating in a first input direction and the intermediate gear from rotating in a first intermediate direction and permits the input gear to rotate in a second input direction and the intermediate gear to rotate in a second intermediate direction. An elastic member applies force to the intermediate gear in the second intermediate direction to reserve a clearance between the input gear and the intermediate gear and next to a front end of the intermediate gear in the first intermediate direction.

A ribbon transport mechanism includes a transport gear train that transmits rotational power from a transport motor to paying out and winding rotors. The transport gear train has paying-out-side and winding-side one-way clutches. When the transport motor rotates in a first direction, the paying-out-side one-way clutch suppresses the rotational power from being transmitted to the paying out rotor, whereas when the transport motor rotates in a second direction, the paying-out-side one-way clutch permits the rotational power to be transmitted to the paying out rotor. When the transport motor rotates in the first direction, the winding-side one-way clutch permits the rotational power to be transmitted to the winding rotor, whereas when the transport motor rotates in the second direction, the transport motor suppresses the rotational power from being transmitted to the winding rotor. The paying-out-side one-way clutch and the winding-side one-way clutch are provided coaxially.

A ribbon transport mechanism includes a transport gear train that transmits rotational power from a transport motor to paying out and winding rotors. The transport gear train has paying-out-side and winding-side one-way clutches. When the transport motor rotates in a first direction, the paying-out-side one-way clutch suppresses the rotational power from being transmitted to the paying out rotor, whereas when the transport motor rotates in a second direction, the paying-out-side one-way clutch permits the rotational power to be transmitted to the paying out rotor. When the transport motor rotates in the first direction, the winding-side one-way clutch permits the rotational power to be transmitted to the winding rotor, whereas when the transport motor rotates in the second direction, the transport motor suppresses the rotational power from being transmitted to the winding rotor. The paying-out-side one-way clutch and the winding-side one-way clutch are provided coaxially.

In a printer that drives by a ribbon motor (302), a winding axle that holds an ink ribbon positioned between a thermal head that performs a photographic printing operation with respect to a photographic medium conveyed along a sub-scanning direction and a platen that opposes the photographic print head with the photographic medium between the photographic print head and the platen, a flywheel (303) is coupled to a shaft of the ribbon motor (302), and a rotational force of the ribbon motor (302) is transmitted to the winding axle, via a worm gear (501) and a helical gear (502).