Synchronized motion printer with continuous paper movement

摘要

A printer including a single motor which provides rotary motion to a feed drum having an outer surface which frictionally engages and pulls a web material from a roll rotatably mounted on a supply shaft. First and second pendulum systems, each including two pendulums independently mounted to the frame, pivotally mount a take-up shaft and a tension roller to tension the web as it comes off the feed drum and the roll, respectively. A print head carriage assembly is moveable along a pivot beam which extends orthogonally across the linear path from a first end position to a second end position. The single motor is coupled to the print head carriage assembly for reciprocally pushing and pulling the print head carriage assembly between first and second end positions. An actuator selectively pivots the pivot beam such that the first end portion of the pivot beam is pivoted in the direction of the linear path when the print head carriage assembly is disposed for moving from the second end position to the first end position and the second end portion of the pivot beam is pivoted in the direction of the linear path when the print head carriage assembly is disposed for moving from the first end position to the second end position.