EP2855311B1 - Printer having a separating device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printer with a separating device according to the preamble of claim 1.

From the generic for claim 1 DE 197 58 483 C2 a printer for print media such as plastic cards or mats with markers is known. These print media have a relatively large material thickness, so that different demands are placed on the printer than is the case with conventional paper printers. In particular, it must be ensured that a high print quality is achieved even when printing on plastic cards or mats. In the DE 20 2006 005 458 U1 describes such a plate-like, rigid printing medium.

In addition to the technological background, it is not a printer, but a device for separating cards such as lottery tickets GB 2 132 592 A called, which has a drive element with at least one base component, which has an elongated hole for a stop means for the movement of the base component between an initial position and an end position, wherein the stop means is guided along the guide curve. Next is the in US 2009/0001095 A1 to disclose disclosed device.

The print media such as plastic cards or mats are stacked on top of each other in the printer and must be separated before printing. This can be done in a separate separating device, which is arranged in front of the printer, or the printer is equipped with a separating device.

In the previously known separating devices, however, metallic components in particular are moved against a stop in order to determine an end position. The components hit the stop without first braking, which often leads to considerable noise. In addition, the components are worn out due to the high mechanical load.

The use of damping systems is very complex for printers of the generic type. For hydraulic damping systems, the maintenance effort is usually very high. If elastic materials are used for damping, there is the disadvantage that an exact positioning of the components can no longer be guaranteed due to the elasticity of the material used. Components of this type can also harden over time and thus lose the damping effect.

In view of claim 1, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printer with a separating device for a stack magazine for print media, with which it is possible to separate the print media arranged in the stack magazine with very little noise and to reduce the mechanical stress on the to minimize moving components.

The invention solves these objects by the subject matter of claim 1.

By guiding the sling along a guide curve, it is ensured that the base component, a plate, can be positioned exactly in both the starting and the end position and at the same time a high level of noise is avoided. The end position is approached with a low dead center, since the stop is permanently in contact with the base component. Dead center is understood to mean the position in which no more movement is carried out.

The guide curve is advantageously designed as the long side of an elongated hole, since this is easy to implement in terms of production technology and precise guidance of the base component, e.g. one plate.

The stop means is expediently designed as a deflection roller, since it can be moved along the guide curve without great friction losses.

In particular, it is provided that the sling means is guided along the guide curve by means of a joint construction. According to a special embodiment of the invention, this is designed as a four-bar construction, which consists of at least two first articulation axes or points arranged on counter bearings, to each of which a articulated lever is articulated with the stop means, and two second articulation axes or points on the end sides of the Articulated lever for coupling with a connecting rod.

In the area of the second joint axes or points, a stop means is provided in each case, which is guided along the guide curve. This construction enables the slings to be guided safely along the guide curve.

In addition, a sling is provided with a spring for the safe return of the plate from the end position in which there is no movement.

In a preferred embodiment, the plate is connected to a magnet armature which is guided in an electromagnet. The electromagnet is advantageously connected to an RC circuit for smooth activation of the gastric tank.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the subclaims.

Also advantageous is a device for moving a base component between two positions, the base component - a plate - being provided with at least one guide curve for a stop means for moving the base component between an initial position and an (preferably dead center approachable) end position. The lifting gear is guided along the guide curve by means of a joint construction. The or preferably each axis of rotation is preferably at a 90 ° angle to the direction of movement of the component (guided mass). Even before moving the mass lies the stop on the mass stops and keeps the contact permanently, so that no components hit each other when the end position is reached.

Further advantageous configurations can be found in the subclaims.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Darstellung eines Druckers im Schnitt;

Fig. 2

eine schematische Darstellung des Vereinzelungsvorgangs einer Karte von einem Stapel;

Fig. 3

eine schematische Darstellung eines ersten Ausführungsbeispiels eines Antriebselementes einer erfindungsgemäßen Vereinzelungsvorrichtung für einen Drucker in einer Ausgangsposition;

Fig. 4

eine schematische Darstellung wie in Fig. 3 in einer Endposition;

Fig. 5

eine Darstellung des Spannungsverlaufs an einem Kondensator;

Fig. 6

eine schematische Darstellung eines zweiten Ausführungsbeispiels eines Antriebselementes in einer Ausgangsposition;

Fig. 7

eine schematische Darstellung wie in Fig. 5 in einer Endposition.

The invention is illustrated using two exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings and described in more detail below. Show it:

Fig. 1

a schematic representation of a printer in section;

Fig. 2

a schematic representation of the separation process of a card from a stack;

Fig. 3

a schematic representation of a first embodiment of a drive element of a separating device according to the invention for a printer in a starting position;

Fig. 4

a schematic representation as in Fig. 3 in an end position;

Fig. 5

a representation of the voltage curve on a capacitor;

Fig. 6

a schematic representation of a second embodiment of a drive element in an initial position;

Fig. 7

a schematic representation as in Fig. 5 in an end position.

In the Fig. 1 A printer 100 for print media 101 is shown. Printer 100 is preferably an ink jet printer for plate-like printing media, such as cards or markers on a mat. It can also be a different type of printer. These print media 101, such as cards or mats with at least one marker, have a very high material thickness and are usually made of plastic.

The cards 101 are stacked one on top of the other in a stack 102. In order to be able to print on a card 101, a separation from the stack is required. For this purpose, a separating device 103 is provided in the printer 100, with which a card 101 can be removed from the stack 102 in each case. After the separation, the card 101 is printed in a printing device 104 and then the ink or the like is thermally fixed on the printing medium 101 in a drying device 105. After all process steps have been completed, the printed card 101 is output.

In Fig. 2 the individual process steps for separating a plate or card 101 from the stack 102 are shown in more detail. The card 101a lying at the bottom in the stack 102 lies on a row of storage means, these advantageously being designed as needles 106. In the context of the invention, these needles 106 can also have a different shape. A further row of needles 106b is arranged under a first row of needles 106a. If the card 101a is now to be withdrawn from the stack, the upper row of needles 106a is disengaged from the stack 102 by laterally displacing the row of needles 106a. Since the support is now missing, the cards 101 of the stack 102 fall down onto the second row of needles 106b.

The row of needles 106a is then moved back into the first position, the card 101a now lying between the first row of needles 106a and the second row of needles 106b. The next process step provides for the second row of needles 106b to be shifted laterally, so that the lower card 101a falls onto a conveyor belt, represented here by conveyor belts 107, and can be removed.

The lower row of needles 106b is then moved back into its first position so that the next card 101 can be separated.

The Fig. 3 and 4th show the schematic structure of a drive element 1 for the separating device according to the invention for the printing medium 101, which is printed in the printer 100. The drive element 1 has a base component on, which is advantageously designed as a plate 2. Needles 3, which form a row of needles 106, are arranged on the plate 2. The separating device consists of at least four drive elements 1, which can each be moved back and forth between an initial and an end position for separating a card 101, as shown in FIG Fig. 2 is shown in more detail.

The plate 2 preferably has two guide curves 40, 50, which in the exemplary embodiment shown here are advantageously designed as the long side of an elongated hole 4, 5. A stop means 10, 11, which is guided by a four-bar construction, moves along the guide curves 40, 50. It should be pointed out that a guide curve in the context of the invention can be understood to mean a straight curve, but also a curved curve path. The axes of rotation of the joint construction are at right angles to the direction of movement of the guided component (here a plate).

The four-bar construction consists of two first articulation points 6, 7, which are each arranged on a counter bearing 60, 70. The counter bearings 60, 70 are connected to the housing of the printer 100 or to a housing of the separating device 103, not shown here. An articulated lever 8, 9 is articulated at each of the articulation points 6, 7. On the articulated levers 9, 10 a stop means 10, 11 is arranged at each end, which can be moved along the guide curve 40, 50.

The stop means 10, 11 are advantageously designed as deflection rollers, so that they are mounted in a rolling manner without great frictional losses along the guide curve 40, 50 designed as the long side of an elongated hole 4, 5. In order to couple the movement of the two stop means 10, 11 and to ensure guidance of the plate 2 in the direction of movement, the articulated levers 9, 10 each have a further articulation point 80, 90 in the area of the stop means 10, 11 for the articulated attachment of one rigid connecting rod 12.

In order to ensure a clear backward movement direction of the articulated lever 8, 9 from the end position of the plate 2, one of the stop means 10 is included connected to a spring 13, which is here, for example, advantageously designed as a tension spring and is attached to a fixed point 14.

The plate 2 is connected to a magnet armature 15, which can be immersed in the force field of an electromagnet 16. The magnet armature 15 is expediently rod-shaped, but can also take other forms. The magnet armature 15 is expediently fastened at a point F and — not shown here — is guided in the electromagnet 16. Two return springs 18, 19 are advantageously arranged on the magnet armature 15, each of which is articulated at a fixed point 20, 21 and is fastened on the magnet armature 15 at a fastening point 22. The spring constants of the two springs 18, 19 are expediently the same in order to generate a restoring force on the magnet armature 16 that is symmetrical on both sides.

The electromagnet 16 is connected in parallel to an RC circuit (capacitor with a series resistor) 23. If a DC voltage is applied to the current terminals 24 of the RC circuit, a voltage U builds up in the electromagnet 16 and in the RC element. This voltage U generates a magnetic field in the electromagnet 16, which leads to the magnet armature 15 being immersed in the coil body of the electromagnet 16 due to the magnetic feedback.

While in the Fig. 3 the state is shown in which the electromagnet 16 is not subjected to a voltage U and thus represents the starting position of the plate 2 Fig. 4 the end position of the plate 2 after application of a direct voltage U to the electromagnet 16.

By immersing the magnet armature 15 in the electromagnet 16, a tensile force acts on the plate 2. This exerts a constraining force on the rollers of the stop means 10, 11 in such a way that the articulated levers 8, 9 of the four-bar construction carry out a pivoting movement which leads to a sliding movement of the deflecting rollers 10, 11 along the guide curve 4, 5. Since the two deflection rollers 10, 11 through the connecting rod 12 are coupled to one another, a guided movement of the plate 2 takes place parallel to the housing wall.

The end position of the plate 2 is reached when the articulated levers 8, 9 are swung out parallel to the direction of movement and the system has therefore reached a dead center. In the end position, the two springs 18 and 19 are each deflected and exert a returning force on the magnet armature 15.

If the DC voltage at the current terminals 24 is interrupted, the capacitor C discharges through the series resistor R and the voltage U at the electromagnet 16 drops continuously. The voltage curve of the capacitor is in Fig. 5 shown. As a result, the magnet armature 15 is not suddenly pulled out of the coil body of the electromagnet 16, but rather a rather gentle movement takes place.

In addition, the plate 2 is stopped in its respective end position or dead center position by the guidance in the guide curves 40, 50 with little or no pulse and thus correspondingly noiseless or quiet, since the movable stop is permanently in contact with the moving mass and thus never hit components against each other.

When the voltage U on the electromagnet 16 decreases, the magnet armature 15 moves out of the electromagnet 16 again and the plate 2 with the needles 3 moves back into its starting position. A force is exerted on the stop means 10 by the moving magnet armature 15 as well as by the spring 13, which forces the stop means 10 out of the end point in the direction of the other side of the guide curve 40. By coupling the stop means 10 via the connecting rod 12 to the other stop means 11, this stop means 11 also moves along the guide curve 50 and the articulated levers 8, 9 perform a pivoting movement, so that the plate 2 - and thus the singling needles 3 connected to it - returns to its starting position. The springs 18 and 19 are aligned almost horizontally and hold the slings 10, 11 and the magnet armature 15 and the plate 2 in a defined starting position.

By guiding the stops 10, 11 by means of a four-bar construction in a guide curve 40, 50 it is ensured that the plate 2 can be positioned exactly in both the starting and in the end position, since no components hit each other. In addition, a high level of noise is avoided, since the continuously decreasing voltage curve provided by means of an RC element enables the four-bar construction to move more gently back to the starting position. In addition, the mechanical load on the plate 2 can be significantly reduced.

In the Fig. 6 and 7 shows a second exemplary embodiment for a base component or a mass to be moved, in particular a plate 30, which can be moved between an initial and an end position. Such a plate 30 can be used for a separating device, but can also be used wherever a component such as a plate 30 is to be moved between two positions in a defined manner.

The plate 30 is guided over rollers 31 in a rail or the like parallel to the direction of movement. Of course, other displaceable supports of the plate 30 are also conceivable. The plate 30 in turn has at least one guide curve 301, 302, which is advantageously designed here as the long sides of a slot-like elongated hole 33. However, other shapes are also conceivable.

A joint construction engages in the elongated hole 33. The joint construction consists of a joint axis 34 which is arranged on an abutment or counter bearing 300. The counter bearing 300 is in turn part of a housing or the like. An articulated lever 35 is articulated to the articulation point 34. The articulated lever 35 has a stop means 36 at its end, which is guided along the two guide curves 301, 302 of the elongated hole 33. The stop means 36 is advantageously designed as a deflection roller, so that the stop means 36 can roll on the two guide curves 301, 302 of the elongated hole 33 without great frictional losses.

The stop means 36 is connected to a spring 37 which is articulated at a fixed point 38. The spring 37 exerts a slight restoring force on the stop means 36 and serves to lead the stop means 36 out of the dead center of the starting and end positions in a defined manner when the direction of movement of the plate 30 is reversed.

The plate 30 is connected to a magnet armature 39, which is advantageously rod-shaped. The magnet armature 39 is displaceably guided in an electromagnet 41 and is drawn into the coil body of the electromagnet 41 when a voltage is switched on. Furthermore, a spring 42 is provided, which serves to return the plate 30 to the starting position.

In Fig. 6 the plate 30 is in its starting position. In this state, there is no voltage on the electromagnet 41, so that the magnet armature 39 is not drawn into the electromagnet 41. The spring 42 is contracted and has pulled the plate 30 into the starting position. The stop means 36 is located in a first end region of the guide curve 301 of the elongated hole 33.

In Fig. 7 the other end position is now shown. If a direct voltage U is applied to the electromagnet 41, the magnet armature 39 is immersed in the electromagnet 41 and a tensile force is exerted on the plate 30. This leads to a movement of the stop means 36 along the guide curve 302 of the elongated hole 33 by a pivoting movement of the articulated lever 35. In this exemplary embodiment, the articulated lever 35 describes a half circular movement and reaches a second end position like dead center when the articulated lever 35 is parallel to the rail 32 Orientation. Since the maximum deflection of the plate 30 is determined by half the circular movement of the articulated lever 35, the length of the articulated lever 35 thus specifies the displacement path of the plate 2. The stop means 36 moves in the first half of the path of the plate 30 along the first long side 301 of the elongated hole 33 until the articulated lever 35 has been turned 90 °. The other longitudinal side 302 of the elongated hole 33 then represents the guide curve and the stop means 36 moves along this curve 302, so that the articulated lever 35 rotates a further 90 °.

By guiding the stop means 36 by means of a joint construction along a guide curve 301, 302, it is ensured that the plate 30 can be exactly positioned both in the starting position and in the end position. Since the stop means 36 is carried along during the movement of the component or the plate 30, the component is braked abruptly, but it does not hit hard against an end stop at the end of a movement path. Rather, according to the invention, the end point at the end of a guide curve 301, 302 determines the end position of the stop means 36 in the manner of a dead point and thus the end position of the component or plate 30.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, a movement of the stop means 36 along two guide curves 301, 302 is provided, realized by the two long sides of an elongated hole 33. A guide curve serves in each case for a direction of movement. However, it is also conceivable that only one guide curve 301 is provided and the articulated lever can then only realize an end position of the moving mass in one direction.

Furthermore, by means of a continuously decreasing voltage curve provided by means of an RC element, a more gentle movement of the joint construction back into the starting position can also be provided here, which leads to a further reduction in noise. In addition, the mechanical load on the plate 30 can be significantly reduced.

In a further development of the invention, it can be provided that the dimensioning of the plate with the stop means is such that it can be accommodated within an electromagnet.

Reference list

100

printer

101

Print medium

102

Pile of cards

103

Separating device

104

Printing device

105

Drying device

106

Needles

106a

upper row of needles

106b

lower row of needles

107

Conveyor belts

1

Separating device

2nd

plate

3rd

Separating needles

4th

Long hole

5

Long hole

40

Leadership curve

50

Leadership curve

6

Hinge point

7

Hinge point

60

Counter bearing

70

Counter bearing

8th

Articulated lever

9

Articulated lever

80

Hinge point

90

Hinge point

10th

Slings

11

Slings

12th

Connecting rod

13

feather

14

fixed point

15

Magnetic anchor

16

Electromagnet

17th

Underside of the plate

18th

Return spring

19th

Return spring

20

Fixed point for return spring

21

Fixed point for return spring

22

Spring attachment to the magnet armature

23

RC circuit

24th

Current clamps

30th

plate

31

roll

32

rail

33

Long hole

301

Leadership curve

302

Leadership curve

34

Hinge point

300

Counter bearing

35

Articulated lever

36

Slings

37

feather

38

fixed point

39

Magnetic anchor

40

Underside of the plate

41

Electromagnet

42

feather

43

fixed point

Claims (8)

1. Printer (100) for a plate-like printing medium (101), especially a card and/or a mat with one or more labels for labeling electrical devices, connectors, cables, or the like, which are stacked in a stack (102),

   - having a separating device (103) for separating a printing medium (101) from the stack (102), and

   - a printing device (104),

   characterized in that
   the separating device (103) at least

   - has one drive element (1) with at least one base component (2; 30),

   - the base component (2; 30) is provided with at least one guiding curve (40, 50; 301, 302) for a stop means (10, 11; 36) for moving the base component (2; 30) between a starting position and an end position,

   - the stop means (10, 11; 36) is guided along the guiding curve (40, 50; 301; 302) by means of a joint construction, wherein the base component (2; 30) is designed as a plate.
2. Printer according to claim 1, characterized in that the guiding curve (40, 50; 301, 302) is at least partially formed by the longitudinal sides of a slot hole (4, 5; 30).
3. Printer according to one or more of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the stop means (10, 11; 36) is designed as a deflecting roller.
4. Printer according to one or more of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the joint construction is designed as a four-joint construction consisting of two first pivot points (6, 7) arranged on counter-bearings (60, 70), at each of which pivot points (6, 7) an articulated rod (8, 9) is linked with the stop means (10, 11), wherein the articulated rods (8, 9) in each case are connected to one another at their ends by means of two second pivot points (80, 90) via a connecting rod (12).
5. Printer according to one or more of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the joint construction is designed as a two-joint construction consisting of at least one pivot point (34) arranged on a counter-bearing (300), at which an articulated rod (35) is linked with the stop means (36).
6. Printer according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the stop means (10; 36) is connected to a spring (13; 37).
7. Printer according to one or more of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the plate (2; 30) is connected to a magnet armature (15; 39) that is guided in an electromagnet (16; 41), wherein the electromagnet (16; 41) is preferably connected to an RC circuit.
8. Printer according to claim 7, characterized in that two restoring springs (18, 19) are arranged in series on the magnet armature (15) perpendicularly to the direction of movement.

Images