JP2001130058A - Tape printing method and tape printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To apply printing to a plurality of kinds of printing tapes different in width or color while freely replacing them in an apparatus. SOLUTION: A tape printing apparatus is equipped with a cartridge mounting part 6 on which a plurality of tape cartridges C are mounted in a freely detachable manner, a tap feed means 71 for feeding a printing tape T, a tape printing means 72 for applying printing to the sent printing tape T, a tape cutting means 73 for cutting off the printed part Tt of the printing tape T, a cartridge feed means 11 for selectively feeding one arbitrary tape cartridge C among a plurality of the tape cartridges C between the mounting position of the cartridge mounting part 6 and the printing position facing to the tape printing means 72 and a control means 12 for synthetically controlling the tape feed means 71, the tape printing means 72, the tape cutting means 73 and the cartridge feed means 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tape printing method and a tape printing apparatus for printing a desired character on a printing tape mounted via a tape cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional tape printing apparatus includes a cartridge mounting section for mounting a tape cartridge on which a print tape is mounted, a print head facing the cartridge mounting section, a tape feeding mechanism for feeding the print tape, and a print tape already printed. And a cutter for cutting the portion. On the other hand, a print tape and an ink ribbon are mounted on the tape cartridge. The print tape and the ink ribbon are simultaneously sent in a superimposed manner by a tape feed mechanism. Printing is performed, and the printed portion is cut by a cutter. In this case, a plurality of types of tape cartridges having different tape widths can be individually mounted on the cartridge mounting section, and the user mounts a tape cartridge having a desired tape width to perform a printing operation.

[0003]

In such a conventional tape printing apparatus, for example, when it is desired to print a character input by a user on several types of printing tapes having different widths, or on a printing tape having a different tape color. For example, when it is desired to perform the operation, the tape cartridge needs to be replaced each time, and the handling becomes complicated. At the same time, storage of the tape cartridges other than the tape cartridge mounted on the apparatus main body also has a problem that it becomes complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a tape printing method and a tape printing apparatus capable of freely changing and printing a plurality of types of printing tapes having different tape widths and colors. .

[0005]

A tape printing method according to the present invention is a tape printing method in which a plurality of tape cartridges each having a printing tape mounted thereon are mounted on an apparatus main body and printing is selectively performed on the plurality of printing tapes. In, any one of the plurality of tape cartridges,
Forward transporting process that automatically transports the tape selectively from the mounting position to the printing position, printing process that prints out the print tape from the tape cartridge that has been transported to the printing position, and cutting process that separates the printed portion of the print tape When,
After the cutting step, a reciprocating conveyance step of conveying the tape cartridge from the printing position to the mounting position.

Further, the tape printing apparatus of the present invention comprises a cartridge mounting section in which a plurality of tape cartridges each having a printing tape mounted thereon are removably mounted, a tape feeding means for feeding the printing tape from the tape cartridge, and a feeding means. Tape printing means for printing on the printing tape facing the printing tape to be fed; tape cutting means for cutting off the printed portion of the printing tape; and between the mounting position in the cartridge mounting portion and the printing position facing the tape printing means. A cartridge transporting means for selectively transporting any one tape cartridge from a plurality of tape cartridges; and a control means for integrally controlling a tape feeding means, a tape printing means, a tape cutting means, and a cartridge transporting means. It is characterized by.

According to these constructions, a tape cartridge to be used is selected from a plurality of tape cartridges mounted on the cartridge mounting section, and is conveyed from the mounting position to a printing position facing the tape printing means by the cartridge conveying means. . Here, the printing tape is fed while being fed from the tape cartridge by the tape feeding means, and printing is performed on the printing tape by the tape printing means. When the printing is completed, the printed portion of the print tape is cut off by the tape cutting means. After that, the printed portion is sent out of the device by tape feeding means,
The cartridge conveying means conveys the tape cartridge from the printing position to the mounting position, and returns the tape cartridge to the cartridge mounting section. As described above, since a plurality of tape cartridges are mounted in the same apparatus, the tape cartridges are appropriately selected, conveyed to the printing position, and printing is performed, so that the user does not need to replace the cartridges. Printing can be performed on a desired printing tape. Further, a plurality of tape cartridges can be stored in the apparatus. The tape printing means may be a thermal transfer method or an ink jet method.

In this case, it is preferable that the print tapes mounted on the plurality of tape cartridges have different tape widths and / or tape colors.

According to this configuration, when printing, as long as the tape cartridge is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion, the tape width and tape color of the print tape can be freely selected and printed. In addition, a plurality of tape cartridges can be mounted on the cartridge mounting section in a desired combination of the user.

In these cases, it is preferable that the cartridge mounting portion is configured to be detachable by arranging a plurality of tape cartridges in a row in the thickness direction.

According to this configuration, a plurality of tape cartridges can be accommodated in the cartridge mounting portion in a compact and compact manner.

In this case, the cartridge conveying means includes a first moving mechanism for reciprocating the tape cartridge between the mounting position and the middle position in the direction orthogonal to the thickness direction, and a first moving mechanism for moving the tape cartridge between the middle position and the printing position. And a second moving mechanism for reciprocating the tape cartridge.

According to this configuration, the first moving mechanism allows
Removing one tape cartridge from the plurality of tape cartridges mounted on the cartridge mounting portion in an aligned state, by pulling out one tape cartridge, and then transporting the tape cartridge to a desired printing position by the second moving mechanism. Can be. When the tape cartridge is to be returned to the original position, the tape cartridge can be mounted so as to be inserted into the gap between the plurality of tape cartridges in the reverse order. Therefore, it is not necessary to move a tape cartridge other than the tape cartridge to be conveyed, and the other tape cartridge does not interfere with the conveyance.

In this case, the second moving mechanism moves along the direction in which the cartridges are arranged in accordance with the moving operation of the second moving mechanism, and can continuously detect the types and positions of the plurality of tape cartridges. A detector is provided, and each tape cartridge is provided with a portion to be detected corresponding to the detector, and the control means, based on a detection result of the detector,
It is preferable to control the cartridge conveying means.

According to this configuration, by moving the second moving mechanism in an empty state, the detector mounted on the second moving mechanism determines the types and positions of all the tape cartridges mounted on the cartridge mounting section. To detect. Therefore, even if a plurality of tape cartridges are mounted in any order, there is no problem in detecting the cartridges, and the type and position of the tape cartridge can be quickly detected with a simple structure. It is preferable that the detected portion is a bar-code-like seal on which a plurality of vertical lines are printed, and the detector is a reflection type photosensor.

In these cases, the apparatus further comprises input means for inputting a character to be printed and its attribute, and tape width selecting means for selecting a tape width of the printing tape based on an input result of the input means. It is preferable to control the cartridge conveying means based on the selection result of the tape width selecting means.

According to this configuration, a tape cartridge on which a printing tape having a width on which the character is appropriately printed is automatically conveyed according to the content of the character input by the input means and the number of lines, and the printing is performed on the tape cartridge. It can be performed. That is, even if the user does not particularly specify the tape width, a printed tape on which appropriate printing has been performed can be obtained. Note that the attributes include designation of a character size, designation of a clearance dimension in the upper and lower directions in the width direction, designation of the number of character lines, designation of a layout, designation of use, and the like.

In these cases, there is further provided character size designating means for designating the character size of the character to be printed,
It is preferable that the control unit selects the tape width of the printing tape based on the specification result of the character size specifying unit and controls the cartridge transport unit.

According to this configuration, it is possible to automatically convey a tape cartridge mounted with a printing tape conforming to a designated character size, and perform printing on the tape cartridge. Therefore, it is possible to perform appropriate printing on the print tape by giving priority to the character size without worrying about the tape width of the tape cartridge.

In these cases, the tape cartridge includes:
An ink ribbon is mounted in addition to the printing tape, the tape feeding means simultaneously sends the printing tape and the ink ribbon, and the tape printing means performs printing by a thermal transfer method,
preferable.

According to this configuration, the structure of the tape printing means can be simplified, and the cost can be kept low.

In this case, the ink ribbon includes a full-color ink ribbon, and the control means controls the tape feeding means and the tape printing means based on the color print command to feed the printing tape forward and backward. However, it is preferable to make this perform color printing.

According to this configuration, the thermal transfer color printing can be selectively performed.

In this case, the cartridge mounting section is configured so that, instead of the tape cartridge, a ribbon cartridge on which only an ink ribbon having an ink color different from that of the ink ribbon is mounted can be attached and detached. Based on this, it is preferable to control the tape transport unit and the tape printing unit after separating the printed portion, exchange and transport the tape cartridge and the ribbon cartridge, and reprint the printed portion.

According to this configuration, so-called multicolor printing can be selectively performed.

In these cases, the cartridge mounting portion is configured so that a laminating cartridge mounted with a laminating tape for laminating a printing tape can be detachably mounted instead of the tape cartridge, and the control means performs printing based on a laminating command. It is preferable that the tape transport means and the tape feed means be controlled after the printed portion is cut off, the tape cartridge and the laminate cartridge are exchanged and transported, and the printed portion and the laminate tape are attached and fed.

According to this configuration, the laminating process can be selectively performed on the printed portion of the print tape printed using the tape cartridge.

In this case, it is preferable that the tape cartridge and the corresponding laminated cartridge are mounted on the cartridge mounting portion while being mounted on the cartridge holder.

According to this configuration, the printing tape and the laminating tape having the same width can be unitized and mounted on the cartridge mounting portion, and the laminating tapes having different widths are stuck to the printed portion. Can be prevented.

[0030]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A tape printing method and a tape printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This tape printer has a function of performing desired printing on a printing tape by key input and cutting a printed portion of the printing tape, and the cut printing tape is used as a label to be attached to a document file or the like. Used. And when creating this label,
In addition to normal printing, multicolor printing and color printing are possible, and label lamination processing is also possible.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tape printer 1
The outer case of the apparatus main body 2 is formed by an upper and lower two-part apparatus case 3, a keyboard 4 at the front, a liquid crystal display 5 at the front right, and a cartridge mounting section 6 at the rear right.
An opening / closing lid 7 for opening and closing is provided. Further, a tape outlet 8 for discharging the print tape T to the outside of the apparatus is provided at a left intermediate portion of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 2. In this case, the keyboard 4 and the liquid crystal display 5 are each configured to be freely foldable, and the liquid crystal display 5 is changed from the use state.
Is folded, and the keyboard 4 is folded so as to overlap with this, so that the main body 2 has a rectangular box-like appearance.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the apparatus main body 2, and as shown in FIG.
A cartridge mounting section 6 to which a plurality of cartridges C can be mounted, a printer section 10 for performing printing on a print tape T, and a cartridge C from the cartridge mounting section 6 to the printer section 1
The apparatus includes a cartridge transporting unit 11 for transporting the cartridge to a position “0” and a control unit 12 for controlling the apparatus main body 2. The cartridge mounting section 6 is built in the apparatus case 3, and the printer section 10 and the cartridge transport section 11 are connected to the apparatus case 3.
U-shaped device frame 14 provided to be inscribed in
And are incorporated as supported.

When a label is to be created by the tape printer 1, the cover 7 is first opened, and a plurality of desired cartridges C are mounted on the cartridge mounting section 6. Next, the user operates the keyboard 4 while looking at the liquid crystal display 5 to input a desired character. LCD display 5
When the input is confirmed, the keyboard 4 is further operated to instruct a printing operation.

When a printing operation is instructed, the cartridge transport section 11 is driven to pull out a desired cartridge C from the cartridge mounting section 6 and transport it to the printer section 10. When the cartridge C is set in the printer unit 10, the printer unit 10 is driven to draw out the print tape T from the cartridge C and perform desired printing thereon. The print tape T on which printing has been performed is sent out of the apparatus from the tape discharge port 8. When the printing is completed, the printed portion (tape piece) Tt of the printing tape T is cut off after the feeding for the margin portion is performed.

On the other hand, when multi-color printing is performed, after the printed portion Tt is cut off as described above, the cartridge C is exchanged and conveyed, and the desired ink ribbon R is introduced into the printer unit 10, and once printed. After the finished portion Tt is reversed, printing is performed with a new ink ribbon R. When the printed portion Tt is to be laminated, the printed portion Tt is cut off, the cartridge C is exchanged and conveyed, and the laminated tape L is introduced into the printer unit 10.
After the printed portion Tt is once fed in reverse, the laminated tape L is attached to the printed portion Tt, and the attached portion Ll is cut off.

Next, the configuration of each part will be described in detail. Before that, various cartridges C that can be mounted on the tape printer 1 of the embodiment will be described. The various cartridges C used in the tape printer 1 include the cartridges shown in FIG.
As schematically shown in FIG. 1, a tape cartridge Tc (FIG. 2A) on which a printing tape T and an ink ribbon R are mounted, and a ribbon cartridge Rc (FIG. 2B) on which only an ink ribbon R is mounted. And a laminating cartridge Lc (FIG. 3C) on which only the laminating tape L is mounted. The cartridges C are prepared in a plurality of thicknesses according to the tape to be mounted, but have the same planar shape.

The cartridge case 21 forming the outer shell of the cartridge C has a tape housing portion 22 for housing the printing tape T and a ribbon housing portion 23 for housing the ink ribbon R therein. On one side of the ribbon accommodating portion 23, a projecting case portion 24 projecting from the tape accommodating portion 22 is formed. Further, a cartridge C is provided on a side surface of the cartridge case 21 on the side of the protruding case portion 24.
A sticker 25, such as a barcode, is attached as a portion to be detected that displays the type of (the details will be described later).

At the center of the tape container 22,
A cylindrical projection 26 is provided on which a tape core obtained by winding the printing tape T in a roll shape is mounted. Ribbon storage section 23
Is formed with an opening 27 facing the print head 75 of the apparatus main body 2, and a platen 28 is mounted near the opening 27. Further, the feeding core 29 for feeding out the ink ribbon R and the ink ribbon R
Is rotatably provided. Ink ribbon R fed out from feed core 29
Is wound around the winding core 30 around the peripheral wall portion of the opening 27 by half. In a later-described laminate tape L, a laminate core 31 for delivering the laminate tape L is rotatably provided at a portion corresponding to the delivery core 29.

The tape cartridge Tc shown in FIG.
In addition to a standard cartridge (standard cart) on which a white printing tape T and a black ink ribbon R are mounted, a color cartridge on which a white printing tape T and a full-color ink ribbon R are mounted, and a black printing tape T And a nameplate cartridge comprising a combination of a gold ink ribbon R, a gold-aligned printing tape T and a black ink ribbon R. The standard cartridge is also provided with various types of printing tapes T of so-called colors, such as pale pink and yellow, for example, in which the tape color is not white.

In this case, there are seven types of standard cartridges having tape widths of 6 mm, 9 mm, 12 mm, 18 mm, 24 mm, 36 mm and 46 mm, and two types of color cartridges having tape widths of 18 mm and 46 mm. Further, a name plate cartridge having a size of 46 mm is prepared. In the printing using the color cartridge, the printing is performed alternately with the YMC ink (full color ribbon). Therefore, the printing tape T is repeatedly fed forward and backward three times.

As the ribbon cartridge (color ribbon) Rc shown in FIG. 3B, a cartridge having a blue ink ribbon R and a cartridge having a red ink ribbon R are prepared. Two types of tape widths of 24 mm and 46 mm are prepared. Tape width 2
4mm ribbon cartridge Rc has a tape width of 6mm, 9m
m, 12mm, 18mm and 24mm printing tapes (standard cartridges) T
The mm ribbon cartridge Rc can be used for a printing tape (standard cartridge) T having a tape width of 36 mm and 46 mm.

For example, when performing multicolor printing of black and red using a standard cartridge having a tape width of 12 mm, printing (black) is performed on the printing tape T of the standard cartridge, and then the standard cartridge and the tape width of 24 mm are printed. Of the ribbon cartridge Rc.
Reprinting (partial printing) is performed using the ink ribbon (red) R of c.

The laminate cartridge Lc shown in FIG. 3C is used in combination with a color cartridge and a nameplate cartridge. The ink ribbon R mounted on the color cartridge and the nameplate cartridge is
Since the ink is easily worn away, it is preferable to perform a lamination process on the printing tape T after printing. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a laminate cartridge Lc and a color cartridge T
cc, and a laminate cartridge Lc and a nameplate cartridge Tcm having the same tape width are unitized and mounted on the cartridge mounting section 6 (see FIG. 4).

For this reason, a full color unit (full color) in which the laminate cartridge Lc and the color cartridge Tcc are unitized has a tape width of 18 mm and a tape width of 4 mm.
Two types of 6mm are prepared. Similarly, a name plate unit (name plate) in which the laminate cartridge Lc and the name plate cartridge Tcm are unitized has a tape width of 46 mm.
Are available.

For example, when performing full-color printing, a full-color unit is mounted on the cartridge mounting section 6, and full-color printing is performed on the printing tape T using the color cartridge Tcc.
c and the laminate cartridge Lc are exchanged, and the laminate tape L is adhered to the printed portion Tt of the print tape T.

Now, another embodiment of the laminate cartridge Lc will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, a guide lever 32 is attached to the open end of the circular guide 22a formed in the tape housing section 22. The guide lever 32 is urged toward the print head 75 by a weak spring force (spring is omitted), and its base is rotatably attached to the cartridge case 21. The feeding end of the laminated tape L (the non-sticking part L
a: described later) includes the guide lever 32 and the print head 75.
When the printed portion Tt of the cut printing tape T is fed backward, the printed portion T
t is guided toward the circular guide 22a by the guide lever 32 (details will be described later).

Next, referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 6 and FIG.
The configuration of each unit of the cartridge mounting unit 6, the printer unit 10, and the cartridge transport unit 11 will be described in detail. The cartridge mounting section 6 is configured to be individually mountable in a state where a plurality of cartridges C are arranged in the thickness direction. In this case, the cartridge mounting portion 6 has a predetermined accommodation width, and various cartridges C can be appropriately combined and installed as long as the accommodation width is within the accommodation width. In this case, each cartridge C
The seal 25 is mounted with the protruding case portion 24 facing down and the seal 25 facing the cartridge transport portion 11 side.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a combination of various cartridges C. Example-1 is a standard type, which is a combination of five types of standard cartridges (standard carts) having a tape width of 6 mm to 24 mm. In this cartridge configuration, if the character size is input in advance together with the character, the printing tape T of the appropriate tape width is automatically set.
In addition to printing on a print tape T having a desired tape width, the tape width can be specified. Example-2 combines three types of standard cartridges having a tape width of 24 mm to 46 mm. With this cartridge configuration, a wide label can be obtained. Regarding the tape width, besides the above-mentioned character size specification,
For example, it is possible to automatically select the tape width based on attribute designations such as the number of character lines, the layout, and the use of a label.

Example 3 is a combination of three types of standard cartridges having a tape width of 12 mm to 24 mm and a ribbon cartridge (color ribbon) having a tape width of 24 mm. In this cartridge configuration, frequently used printing tapes T are prepared, and multicolor printing can be performed on these printing tapes T. Hereinafter, Example-4 is a tape width 46.
Combination of a standard cartridge having a tape width of 18 mm and a ribbon cartridge having a tape width of 46 mm.
The combination of two types of standard cartridges of mm and 24 mm and a full color unit (full color) having a tape width of 18 mm, Example-6 is a combination of only a full color unit having a tape width of 46 mm. Further, instead of this full-color unit, a combination of only a nameplate unit (nameplate) having a tape width of 46 mm may be used. In this case, a nameplate-like label such as gold leaf characters can be obtained.

Next, the cartridge transport section 11 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The cartridge transport section 11 includes the cartridge mounting section 6
An X-axis moving mechanism (first moving mechanism) 41 for pulling out one arbitrary cartridge C from a plurality of cartridges C mounted on the printer unit 1 and the printer unit 1
And a Y-axis moving mechanism (second moving mechanism) 42 for moving to zero. The X-axis moving mechanism 41 reciprocates the cartridge C in the X-axis direction between the mounting position of the cartridge C in the cartridge mounting section 6 and the moving position, and the Y-axis moving mechanism 42 moves the cartridge C between the moving position and the cartridge C. Causes the cartridge C to reciprocate in the Y-axis direction with respect to the printing position set in the printer unit 10.

The Y-axis moving mechanism 42 includes a carriage 44 that contains and transports the cartridge C, a guide rod 45 that supports the carriage 44 on the base side, and guides the movement thereof, and moves the carriage 44 along the guide rod 45. It comprises a gear moving mechanism 46 for moving and a drive motor 74 for operating the gear moving mechanism 46. The guide rod 45 has both outer ends supported by the apparatus frame 14 and supports a rod receiving portion 48 of the carriage 44 so as to be slidable in the axial direction.

The carriage 44 includes a base support plate 50, a side plate 51 extending from the base support plate 50 to the cartridge mounting section 6 side, and a bottom plate 52.
And is supported by the guide rod 45 by a rod receiving portion 48 provided at the bottom. An X-axis moving mechanism 41 to be described later is provided on the bottom plate 52.
The cartridge C is taken into the slide portion 53 by the hook member 61. A carriage detection switch 54 for detecting the home position of the carriage 44 is incorporated on the outer surface of the side plate 51 (see FIG. 9), and the carriage 44 moves in the Y-axis direction. By contacting and turning on,
The home position of the carriage 44 is detected. Although details will be described later, when the power of the apparatus main body 2 is turned on, the carriage 4
4 moves to the home position and enters a standby state.

A cartridge detection sensor (detection section) 55 composed of a reflection type photo interrupter or the like is incorporated in the end face of the side plate 51 on the cartridge mounting section 6 side (see FIG. 9). On the other hand, as described above, a barcode-like seal (detected portion) 25 on which information such as the type of the cartridge C is printed is attached to the end face of each cartridge C. The cartridge detection sensor 55 includes the seal 2
5, the carriage 44 moves in the Y-axis direction with respect to the plurality of cartridges C mounted side by side in the cartridge mounting section 6, and the cartridge detection sensor 55 reads the seal 25. , The type of each cartridge C and its position are detected.

Further, although not shown, a cartridge detection switch for detecting the type of the cartridge C mounted on the carriage 44 is attached to the carriage 44. The cartridge detection switch checks whether the cartridge C pulled out from the cartridge mounting section 6 is the target cartridge C or not. The detection results of these switches and sensors are output to the control unit 12.

The gear moving mechanism 46 has a carriage 4 at both ends.
The screw gear 57 is engaged with the carriage 4, the carriage drive shaft 58 supports the screw gear 57 slidably in the axial direction, and a rack 59 in which the screw gear 57 meshes. The carriage drive shaft 58 is constituted by a spline shaft or the like, and has both outer ends rotatably supported by the apparatus frame 14. The rack 59 has both outer ends fixed to the apparatus frame 14. A drive motor 74 is connected to an end of the carriage drive shaft 58 on the printer unit 10 side via a main reduction gear train 77 (see FIG. 10). When the drive motor 74 rotates forward and reverse, the carriage drive shaft 58 is rotated. , The screw gear 57 rotates forward and backward, and receives a reaction force from the rack 59 to reciprocate the carriage 44 together with the screw gear 57 in the Y-axis direction.

The X-axis moving mechanism 41 has a main part incorporated in the carriage 44, and a hook member 61 which engages with the projecting case part 24 of the cartridge C to insert and remove it from the cartridge mounting part 6, and a hook member 61. A holding plate 62 for holding the cartridge C taken into the carriage 44 by the 61 so as not to fall between the side plate 51 of the carriage 44, a hook moving mechanism 63 for moving the hook member 61 forward and backward in the X-axis direction, and a hook moving mechanism A hook drive shaft 64 for operating the 63 and a drive motor 74 for rotating the hook drive shaft 64 are provided. In this case, the drive motor 74 also serves as a power source for the X-axis moving mechanism 41 and the Y-axis moving mechanism 42, and switches the X-axis moving mechanism by switching a clutch (not shown) incorporated in the main reduction gear train 77 described above. 41 and the Y-axis moving mechanism 42 are selectively driven.

The hook member 61 is mounted on the slide portion 53 on the bottom surface of the carriage 44 so as to be able to advance and retreat, and comprises a hook body 66 and a pair of projections 67, 67 standing upright at both front and rear ends of the hook body 66. Have been. A pair of protrusions 6
7, 67 are opposed to each other with a distance fitting into the projecting case portion 24 of the cartridge C, and are moved from the direction in which the cartridges C are arranged to the projecting case portion 24 with the movement of the carriage 44 by the Y-axis moving mechanism 42. Engage. Hook body 6
The friction roller 68 of the hook moving mechanism 63 is in rolling contact with the upper surface of the side end of the hook 6, and the rotation of the friction roller 68 causes the hook member 61 to advance and retreat on the bottom surface of the carriage 44. The operation of the hook member 61 is controlled by time, and when the hook member 61 reaches the front and rear end positions, the friction roller 68 slips and rotates.

The hook drive shaft 64 is connected to the carriage drive shaft 5.
As in the case of 8, a spline shaft or the like is provided, and both outer ends are rotatably supported by the apparatus frame 14. A drive motor 74 is connected to the end of the hook drive shaft 64 on the printer unit 10 side via the main reduction gear train 77 described above.
When the drive motor 74 rotates forward and reverse, the hook drive shaft 64 rotates forward and reverse, and the rotation power is input to the hook moving mechanism 63.

The hook moving mechanism 63 includes three friction rollers 68, 68, 68 arranged at regular intervals in the X-axis direction, and a plurality of intermediate rollers or a plurality of intermediate rollers for transmitting power to the three friction rollers 68, 68, 68. Intermediate gear (both not shown)
And Of the three friction rollers 68, 68, 68, the friction roller 6 disposed on the base side of the carriage 44
8 is attached to the hook drive shaft 64 so as to be slidable in the axial direction.
Together with this friction roller 68, the other friction rollers 68, 68 simultaneously rotate forward and backward. Thus, the three friction rollers 6
8, 68, 68 are sequentially provided on the hook body 6 of the hook member 61.
6 and forward and backward in the X-axis direction while feeding it forward.

The holding plate 62 is configured to be able to advance and retreat in the Y-axis direction with respect to the carriage 44. Although not shown, a position regulating mechanism for regulating the position of the holding plate 44 is provided between the holding plate 62 and the carriage 44. Is incorporated. The position regulating mechanism releases the position regulating state by, for example, slightly pressing the holding plate 62 toward the carriage 44, is left when the carriage 44 separates, and gradually enters the position regulating state when the carriage 44 approaches. It has a configuration. Therefore, in this embodiment, before the carriage of the cartridge C,
The carriage 4 is moved to the printer unit 10 and is brought into contact with the printer unit 10 to release the position regulation.
After separating the carriage 4, the carriage 44 is brought closer again to regulate the position of the holding plate 62 so that the holding plate 62 and the side plate 51 of the carriage 44 have a separation distance corresponding to the width of the cartridge C to be conveyed.

Here, a series of movements of the cartridge transport section 11 will be described step by step. From the state of FIG.
Is turned on, the carriage 44 is reset to the home position, and then moves to the printer unit 10 side.
And its device position are detected. When the detection is completed, the robot moves to the home position again and enters a standby state. Here, when an input is made from the keyboard 4 and printing is instructed, the carriage 44 at the home position reciprocates once to the printer unit 10 and regulates the position of the holding plate 62 to a desired separation width.

When the carriage 44 returns to the home position, the hook member 61 moves forward and faces the side of the cartridge C group. Next, the carriage 44 moves to the printer unit 10 side, and moves the hook member 61 to a desired position of the cartridge C. In this movement, the hook member 61 moves along the projecting case portion 24 of each cartridge C, and stops by holding the projecting case portion 24 of the desired cartridge C. Here, the hook member 61 is retracted, and the desired cartridge C is pulled out of the group of cartridges C and placed on the carriage 44. The cartridge C received by the carriage 44 is transported toward the printer unit 10 while being sandwiched between the side plate 51 of the carriage 44 and the holding plate 62, and is set as it is on the printer unit 10 (see FIG. 6). Status).

Here, the printer unit 10 is driven to draw out the printing tape T from the cartridge C to perform desired printing, and to separate the printed portion Tt of the printing tape T. When such a series of printing operations is completed, the cartridge C is conveyed in the reverse order and returned to the original position. Then, the carriage 44 returns to the home position and enters a standby state.

Next, the printer section 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 10. The printer section 10 feeds out the printing tape T from the cartridge C set by the cartridge transport section 11 and feeds the printing tape T to the destination, and also feeds the ink ribbon R in the cartridge C over the printing tape T, and a tape feed mechanism 71 for printing. A tape printing mechanism 72 for performing printing by thermal transfer on the printing tape T, facing the tape T and the ink ribbon R, and a tape cutting mechanism 73 for separating the printed portion Tt of the printing tape T, are provided. 72 and 73 are supported by the device frame 14. In addition, each of these mechanisms 7
1, 72 and 73 are collectively controlled by the control unit 12.

As described above, the drive motor 74 also serves as a power source for the X-axis movement mechanism 41 and the Y-axis movement mechanism 42, and rotates the print head 75 of the tape feed mechanism 71 and the tape print mechanism 72. It also serves as a drive source for movement (see FIG. 10). The cutter motor 76 serving as a power source of the tape cutting mechanism 73 also serves as a power source of a clutch switching mechanism (not shown) for switching power to each mechanism driven by the drive motor 74. The rotational power of the drive motor 74 is selectively transmitted to each mechanism via a main reduction gear train 77 incorporating a clutch, and the rotational power of the cutter motor 76 is supplied to the tape cutting device via a sub reduction gear train 78. It is selectively transmitted to the mechanism 73 and the clutch switching mechanism. As described above, in the embodiment, in consideration of the operation timing of each mechanism, the mechanism that does not operate redundantly is operated by a single drive source (drive motor) as much as possible.

The tape feed mechanism 71 includes a pinch roller 80 for feeding the print tape T forward and backward, a platen 28 facing the print head 75, a platen shaft 81 engaging with the platen 28, and the winding core 30 of the cartridge C. And a winding shaft 82 that engages with the winding core 30.
The pinch roller 80 is located near the tape discharge port 8,
A drive roller 84 is provided so as to face the tape feed path 83 and is connected to a drive motor 74. The drive roller 84 is configured to include a pressing roller (free roller) 85 urged toward the drive roller 84. The printing tape T is fed by the driving roller 84 rotating while being held between the driving roller 84 and the pressing roller 85.

The platen 28 is mounted on the cartridge C as described above, and engages with the platen shaft 81 when the cartridge C is set in the printer unit 10. The platen shaft 81 is connected to a pinch roller 80 via a gear (not shown), and rotates in synchronization with the pinch roller 80. In this case, the platen shaft 81 for rotating the platen 28 is a sliding shaft so that the pinch roller 80 is mainly used for feeding the tape.

The take-up shaft 82 is disposed below the print head 75, which will be described later, and is rotated by the drive motor 74 via the main reduction gear train 77 described above. When the cartridge C is set in the printer section 10, the winding shaft 82 engages with the winding core 30 of the ink ribbon R, and the winding of the ink ribbon R becomes possible. Therefore, the winding shaft 8
2 and the platen shaft 81 are rotated by a drive motor 74 in synchronization.

The tape printing mechanism 72 includes a pinch roller 80
, And is disposed so as to face the tape feed path 83, and includes a thermal transfer type print head 75 and the platen 28 described above. The print head 75 includes a head main body 87 and a head holder 88, and is rotatably supported by the apparatus frame 14 at the portion of the head holder 88. The base of the head holder 88 is connected to the drive motor 7.
4 is engaged with the eccentric cam 89 connected to the drive motor 7.
By the rotation of 4, the rotation is made between a contact position where the platen 28 is in contact with the platen 28 via the eccentric cam 89 and a retracted position where the platen 28 is separated. The print head 75 is always in the retracted position, and rotates when the cartridge C is set in the printer unit 10 to the contact position, and enters a print standby state.

Although details will be described later, the print head 75
Is to replace the laminating tape L with the printing tape (the printed portion T
t) When affixing to T, it also serves as a pressing member (initial adhering means) for pressing the leading end of the laminate tape L against the printed portion Tt. That is, the above-described pinch roller 80
Accordingly, when the printing tape T and the laminating tape L are adhered and fed, the print head 75 rotates to the contact position, and the leading end of the laminating tape L is pressed against the printed portion Tt so that the lamination tape can be started. I do.

The tape cutting device 73 includes a pinch roller 80
And a print head 75, which is provided with a scissor-type cutter 91 for separating the print tape T, and a crank disk 92 for operating the cutter 91 for cutting. The cutter 91 includes a fixed blade 93, a movable blade 94,
It comprises a support shaft 95 for connecting these components, and is attached to the apparatus frame 14 in a state facing the tape feed path 83. A crank pin 92a of a crank disc 92 is engaged with the arm 94a of the movable blade 94, and the crank disc 9 rotates by the rotation of the cutter motor 76.
When 2 rotates, the movable blade 94 performs a cutting operation with respect to the fixed blade 93.

Here, the operation of the printer unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the tape printing apparatus 1 performs normal printing on the printing tape T,
Multicolor printing and laminating are possible. In normal printing, the tape cartridge Tc is connected to the printer unit 1.
When set to 0, the platen shaft 81 engages with the platen 28 of the tape cartridge Tc, and the winding shaft 82 engages with the winding core 30. Further, the print head 75 enters the opening 27 of the tape cartridge Tc and faces the platen 28.

When a print command is issued, the print head 75
Rotates, and the printing tape T and the ink ribbon R are sandwiched between the platen 28 and the platen 28. Then, the pinch roller 8
0, the platen 28 and the take-up core 30 rotate, the print tape T and the ink ribbon R are simultaneously sent, and the print head 75 is driven to perform printing on the print tape T via the ink ribbon R. At that time, the print tape T is sent out of the apparatus from the tape outlet 8 along the tape feed path 83. On the other hand, the ink ribbon R is unreeled from the unwinding core 29, is U-turned at the opening 27, and is wound around the winding core 30.

When the printing is completed, the feeding of the printing tape T is stopped after the feeding including the margin is performed. here,
The cutting operation of the cutter 91 cuts off the printed portion (including the blank portion) Tt of the printing tape T. Subsequently, the print head 75 rotates to the retracted position, and the tape cartridge Tc is returned to the cartridge mounting portion 6. It is. And
The printed portion Tt is sent out from the tape outlet 8. When performing color printing on the printing tape T,
After printing is performed by reciprocating the printing tape T three times to transfer the YMC three-color ink, the printed portion Tt is cut off.

On the other hand, when multi-color printing and lamination processing are performed, the printed portion Tt cut off by the cutter 91 is once fed back, but the two parts have similar operations. The explanation will proceed mainly. As shown in FIG. 12, in the laminating process, the front cutting margin T
The character is printed in anticipation of “a” and the rear cutting margin Tb (FIG. 10A), and the printed portion Tt is cut off at the rear cutting margin Ta (FIG. 10B). In this state, the printed portion Tt is held by the pinch roller 80. Subsequently, the cartridge transport unit 11 is driven to return the tape cartridge Tc to the cartridge mounting unit 6, and
Instead, the laminate cartridge Lc is transported from the cartridge mounting section 6 to the printer section 10 and set therein.

When the laminate cartridge Lc is set, the printed portion Tt is reversed, and the printed portion Tt is
The t enters the laminate cartridge Lc and is housed in the printing tape housing part 22 in a loop (FIG. 9C). Here, the print head 75 rotates to the contact position, and presses the non-adhered portion La provided at the leading end of the laminated tape L against the front cutting margin Tt of the printed portion Tt. In this state, the platen 28 is rotated to slightly send the printed portion Tt and the laminated tape L to a position where the leading end bites the pinch roller 80, and the non-adhered portion La of the laminated tape L together with the printed portion Tt is moved. Separate (FIG. 4D).

Subsequently, the printed portion Tt and the laminate tape L are adhered and fed by the platen 28 and the print head 75 while the printed portion Tt and the laminated tape L are overlapped with each other and the pinch roller 80 strongly sandwiches both. Then, when the rear cutting margin Tb of the printed portion Tt reaches the position of the cutter 91, the feeding is stopped, and the printed portion Tt and the laminate tape L are cut at the rear cutting margin Tb (FIG. )). In this state, a part of the rear cutting allowance Tb remains attached to the leading end of the laminated tape L remaining in the laminate cartridge Lc, and this part is left unattached in the next laminating process. It becomes the attachment part La. Then, in the same manner as described above, the print head 75 is rotated to the retracted position ((f) in the drawing), and the laminate cartridge Lc is returned to the cartridge mounting section 6. Further, the printed portion Tt thus laminated is sent out of the apparatus from the tape outlet 8.

In the case of multi-color printing, the ribbon cartridge Rc is transported and set from the cartridge mounting section 6 to the printer section 10 in the state shown in FIG. To reverse. Then, after rotating the print head 75 to the contact position, reprinting is performed on the printed portion Tt with the ink ribbon R of the ribbon cartridge Rc.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a control system of the tape printing apparatus 1. As a basic configuration, an operation unit 300 having a keyboard 4 and a liquid crystal display 5 for interfacing with a user, a cartridge mounting unit (6) ) 500,
Printer section (10) 700, cartridge transport section (1
1) 600, a detection unit 800 for performing various detections, a power supply unit 290 for supplying power to each unit, a driving unit (DRV) 270 having various drivers to drive each unit circuit, and each unit in the tape printing apparatus 1. A control unit (12) 200 for controlling is provided. For this reason, a circuit board (not shown) is housed in the apparatus main body 2 in addition to the cartridge mounting section 500, the cartridge transport section 600, the printer section 700, the various sensors and switches of the detecting section 800, and the like. The circuit board includes a detection unit 800, a power supply unit 900, a DRV 270,
Each circuit for the control unit 200 is mounted.

In FIG. 13, for convenience of explanation of the control system, the detecting section 800 is provided with the carriage detecting switch 5 described above.
4, a cartridge detection sensor 55, a cartridge detection switch, and the like are provided. Then, the detection unit 800 transmits various detection signals from these to the control unit 200.
Report to The DRV 270 controls the display 4, the print head 75, the drive motor 74, etc.
In addition to a display driver, a head driver, and a motor driver that are driven according to the instruction of 00, a movable section control driver is also provided. The movable section control driver incorporates a logic circuit and the like constituted by a gate array, a custom LSI, and the like.
0, switching control of movable parts in the cartridge transport unit 600, the printer unit 700, and the like, according to an instruction from the control unit 200.

The liquid crystal display 5 of the operation unit 800
Is used when editing a character input from the keyboard 4 on the display screen, visually recognizing the result, or the like. On the keyboard 3, in addition to a character key group and a number key group, a function key group for designating various operation modes and the like are arranged. The function keys include a power key (power switch), a print key (print switch) for instructing the start of printing, a selection key for selecting various modes, and a printing type such as two-color printing and laminating printing. A print type instruction key for selection, a style key for setting various styles including a character size, and the like are included. As shown in the figure, the keyboard 4 inputs various commands and data as described above to the control unit 200.

The control unit 200 includes a CPU 210, a ROM 2
20, character generator ROM (CG-ROM)
230, RAM 240, input / output control circuit (IOC) 25
0 and are connected to each other by an internal bus 260. The ROM 220 has a control data area for storing control data including a kana-kanji conversion table (dictionary) in addition to a control program area for storing a control program processed by the CPU 210. The CG-ROM 230 stores font data of characters and the like prepared in the tape printer 1 and outputs corresponding font data when code data for specifying the characters and the like is given.
The RAM 240 is backed up when the power is off, has various register groups, a text data area, a display image data area, a print image data area, various buffer areas, and the like, and has a work area for control processing. Used as

The IOC 250 incorporates a logic circuit that supplements the function of the CPU 210 and handles interface signals with various peripheral circuits. For example,
Timers for performing various clocks are also incorporated as functions in the IOC 250. For this reason, the IOC 250 is connected to the detection unit 800 and the keyboard 4, and receives or processes various detection signals from the detection unit 800 and various commands and input data from the keyboard 3 without changing or processing the internal bus 2.
60, and in conjunction with the CPU 210, C
The data and control signals output from the PU 210 or the like to the internal bus 260 are output to the DRV 270 as they are or processed.

With the above configuration, the CPU 210 executes the IOC according to the control program in the ROM 220.
Various signals, data, etc. are input from various units in the tape printer 1 via the CPU 250, and font data from the CG-ROM 230, various data in the RAM 240, etc. are processed.
By outputting various signals and data to each unit in the tape printer 1 via the OC 250, various types of position control for printing, drive control, display control of a display screen, and the like are performed, and the print head 75 is controlled. In this case, the entire tape printing apparatus 1 is controlled, for example, printing on the tape T under predetermined printing conditions.

Next, the processing flow of the entire control of the tape printer 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. When the process is started by pressing the power key (power on), as shown in the figure, first, initialization is performed to return the tape printer 1 to the state at the time of the previous power off (S1). Next, the previous display screen is displayed as an initial screen (S2). Subsequent processes, that is, a determination branch (S3) of whether or not a key input is made and various interrupt processes (S4) are processes conceptually shown. Actually, the tape printer 1
Then, when the initial screen display (S2) ends, the key input interrupt is permitted, and until the key input interrupt occurs, the state is maintained while performing various state detection processes (S5) (S3: (No), when a key input interrupt occurs (S3: Y)
es), the process shifts to each interrupt process (S4), and when the interrupt process ends, the state is maintained again (S4).
3: No).

As described above, in the tape printing apparatus 1, the main processing is performed by the interrupt processing. Therefore, if the print image creation / printing is ready, the user can press the print key at any time. Then, a print processing interrupt occurs, the print processing is started, and the print image can be printed based on the print image data. That is, the user can arbitrarily select an operation procedure up to printing.

On the other hand, in the tape printer 1, in addition to the above-described key input interrupt, an interrupt process that is preferentially permitted by various detection signals is set. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the above-described state detection process (S5) is started by detecting the elapse of the auto power-off time by the timer and the detection of the opening of the open / close lid 8 in addition to the power-off by the power key, When activated by power-off with a key (S51: Yes) or detection of elapse of the auto power-off time (S52: Yes), cartridge return processing (S5).
4: After the same operation as S17 described later with reference to FIG. 16), the power is turned off immediately after the activation by the open / close lid open detection (S53: Yes) (S55).

By the way, the power may be turned off without performing post-processing, as in the case of detecting the opening / closing lid described above. Therefore, the state when the power is turned on next is not constant. Here, as shown in FIG. 18, the state of the carriage when the power is turned on includes the initial position, the middle of the carriage movement (without the cartridge), the middle of the carriage movement (there is a cartridge), the inside of the printer, the middle of the cartridge removal, and the cartridge removal position. The state of moving to is considered. Is the target position from the beginning, so there is no problem, but the others are dealt with as follows. That is, in the above-described initial setting process (S1), first, as shown in FIG. 16, the mechanism unit initial setting is performed (S11).

In this mechanism section initial setting process (S11),
In order to cope with a case where the printer is stopped due to power-off during printing (see FIG. 12A), the printer is stopped after the cutting operation is performed and the cutter is opened (cutter open) (S11).
1). Subsequently, a printer unit (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”) 7
00, the state in which the print head 7 is pressing the print tape T (from the contact position to the retracted position) is released (to open the head: S11).
2). Thereby, the carriage can be moved from the state to the home position (initial position).

Subsequently, for returning the cartridge, the hook member of the carriage is moved forward (to the outer end) (S
113). As a result, the hook member is located on the outer end side of the protruding case portion of each cartridge, so that the above-mentioned state is changed to a state where it can be moved to the initial position. In this case, the hook on the inside of the hook member comes into contact with the inside of the cartridge in the cartridge mounting portion from the state of, and the hook on the contrary, from the state of, maintains the original movable state. . For these reasons, at the time when the process of the forward movement of the hook member is completed, the carriage becomes movable to the initial position (S113). Then, next, the carriage is moved to the initial position and stopped (S11).
4) Then, the hook member is moved to a reset position (a position where the cartridge can be mounted and movable) and stopped (S).
115), the mechanism section initial setting process (S11) ends (S116). This mechanism unit initial setting process (S1
The state of the carriage after the completion of 1) is as shown in FIG.

When the mechanism section initial setting process (S11) is completed, as shown in FIG. 16, the cartridge type on the carriage is read by the cartridge detection switch (S12).
The type and position of various cartridges in the cartridge mounting section 500 are detected (S13). Then, based on these detection results, there is a cartridge on the carriage (S14:
If there is no return space (S15: No), a cartridge return impossible message is displayed (S1).
6). On the other hand, at other times (S14: No or S1
5: Yes), after the cartridge return process (S17: the same as S54 in FIG. 15), other initial settings such as restoring the saved control flags are performed (S1).
8), the initial setting process (S1) ends (S19).

Here, a cartridge return process (S) common to FIGS. 15 and 16 (hereinafter also used in other process flows)
In 17), as shown in FIG. 19, the carriage is stopped at the initial position (S171), confirmed by the carriage detection switch (S172), moved from the initial position to the cartridge return position, and stopped (S173). Next, the cartridge is returned at that position (S174),
After returning the hook member to the reset position, the carriage is returned to the initial position and stopped (S175), and the cartridge return process (S17) is completed (S176).

By the way, in the state of waiting for the key input interruption (S3) in FIG. 14, when the printing is ready, the printing can be executed by operating the printing key. An operation of the print key causes a print processing interrupt, and the print processing (S
When 6) is started, as shown in FIG. 20, it is first determined whether or not two-color printing is to be performed (S61).
1: Yes), next, the normal print processing is performed (S6).
2). In the normal printing process (S62), as shown in FIG.
It is set to 0 (S621).

In the process of setting the tape cartridge in the printer (S621), as shown in FIG. 22, first, the cartridge type on the carriage is read by the cartridge detection switch (S6211), and the presence or absence of the cartridge is determined (S6212). ). There is a cartridge (S6212: No), and this tape cartridge TC
Is different from the previous time (S6213), and if they are the same (S6213: No), the process is directly performed (S6213).
1) is completed (S6216). On the other hand, if different from the previous time (S6213: Yes), after performing the cartridge return processing (S6214: the processing of FIG. 19 described above), the tape cartridge removal / setting processing is performed (S613).
215), and the process (S621) ends (S621).
6). When there is no cartridge (S6212: Y
es), similarly, after the tape cartridge removal / set processing is performed (S6215), the processing (S621) is ended (S6216).

Here, in the tape cartridge removal / set processing (S6215), first, as shown in FIG. 23, a cartridge mounting portion detection processing is performed (S6215).
1). In this process (S62151), as shown in FIG. 24, first, the carriage is moved to the initial position and stopped (S621511), and the carriage is used by switching the driving force from the same drive source (drive motor). When the operation is started, the reference position is confirmed by the carriage detection switch (S621512). continue,
The type and position of each cartridge are detected by the cartridge detection sensor (S621513). Then again,
The carriage is moved to the initial position and stopped (S6215)
14), and terminate the process (S62151) (S6215).
15).

The cartridge mounting portion detecting process (S6215)
When 1) is completed, as shown in FIG. 23, the initial position is confirmed again by the carriage detection switch (S621).
52), the hook member is moved forward (S62153),
After confirming the initial position (S62154), the carriage width is set. That is, the holding plate is set at a position corresponding to the width of the cartridge (S62155). Subsequently, the carriage is moved to the cartridge removal position and stopped (S62156), and the cartridge is removed by the hook moving mechanism (S62157). At this time,
In order to switch the driving to the hook moving mechanism, the initial position of the carriage is reconfirmed (S62158), and then the carriage is moved and transported to the printer 700 with the cartridge mounted (S62159).
The process (S6215) ends (S62160), and FIG.
As shown in (5), the process of setting the tape cartridge in the printer (S621) is completed (S6216).

When the tape cartridge is the same as the previous one (S6213: No), the tape cartridge resetting process (S6217) may be performed as shown by the dotted line in FIG. In this case, first, as shown in FIG.
The carriage is moved to the initial position (S62171),
After reconfirming the initial position of the carriage by the carriage detection switch (S62172), the carriage is transported to the printer 700 (S62173), and the process (S621).
7) is ended (S62174), and as shown in FIG.
Processing for setting the tape cartridge in the printer (S62
1) is completed (S6216).

When the process of setting the tape cartridge in the printer (S621) is completed, as shown in FIG.
Next, a tape printing / cutting process is performed (S622). In the tape printing / cutting process (S622), as shown in FIG. 26, first, the print head 7 is rotated to the contact position (head closed: S6221), and then the tape is fed to the pinch roller (S6222). Then, printing and accompanying tape feed are performed (S6223: see FIG. 12A). Next, the print tape is cut by a cutter for subsequent tape ejection, multicolor printing processing, lamination processing, and the like (S6224), and the print head 7 is rotated to the retracted position (head open: S6225), and the carriage is moved. Is moved to the initial position (S6226), and the process (S622)
Is ended (S6227), and as shown in FIG. 21, the normal printing process (S62) is ended (S623: FIG. 12B).
reference).

When the normal printing process (S62) is completed during two-color printing (S61: Yes), next, as shown in FIG. 20, a multi-color printing process is performed (S63). In the multicolor printing process (S63), as shown in FIG. 27, first, the tape cartridge is returned to the cartridge mounting portion 500 by the cartridge return process (S631: the same as the process described above in FIG. 19), and then the ribbon cartridge is removed. Is set in the printer 700 (S632).

From this state, next, the printed portion is fed into the ribbon cartridge (S633: FIG. 1).
2 (c)). Next, printing (multicolor printing) on the printed portion is performed (S634), and the cartridge return process (S6) is performed.
35: The ribbon cartridge is returned to the cartridge mounting section 500 by the same processing as described above with reference to FIG.
35), and the process (S63) ends (636). When the multi-color printing process (S63) is completed, as shown in FIG.
Next, the tape T resulting from the printing is discharged from the tape discharge port 10 (S64), and the printing process (S6) ends (S6).
5).

On the other hand, in the printing process (S6), it is determined whether or not the printing is two-color printing (S61).
61: No), it is next determined whether or not the printing is a laminate printing (S66).
No), after performing only the normal print processing (S67: the same as the processing described above with reference to FIG. 21), the print result tape T is discharged from the tape discharge port 10 (S64), and the print processing (S64) is performed.
6) is ended (S65).

Then, at the time of laminate printing (S66:
(Yes), next, the normal printing process is performed (S68: the same as the process described above in FIG. 21), and subsequently, the laminating process is performed (S69). In this lamination process (S69),
As shown in FIG. 28, first, the cartridge return processing (S
691: The tape cartridge is returned to the cartridge mounting section 500 according to the same processing as described above in FIG. 19), and the laminate cartridge is set in the printer 700 (S
692).

From this state, next, the printed portion is fed into the laminate cartridge (S693:
FIG. 12 (c)). Next, lamination is started (S
694: see FIG. 2 (d)).
To start laminating, and cut (cut) the tip when the laminated tip reaches the cut position.
(S695), and then continue laminating (S69).
6). When the rear cutting margin of the printed portion reaches the cut position, the printed portion is cut at this portion (S697: FIG. 1).
2 (f)), the laminated cartridge is returned to the cartridge mounting portion 500 by the cartridge return process (S698: the same as the process described above with reference to FIG. 19), and the process (S698) is performed.
9) is ended (S699). When the laminating process (S69) is completed, as shown in FIG.
(S64), and the printing process (S6) ends (S65).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a plurality of tape cartridges Tc, ribbon cartridges Rc, and laminate cartridges Lc are appropriately mounted on the cartridge mounting section 6 and individually conveyed to the printer section 10. Because printing and laminating processes are performed, desired printing can be freely performed on multiple types of tape widths, multiple types of tape colors, or special printing tapes. It can be done freely. At that time, the number of cartridges C that can be inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body 2 can be minimized, and a plurality of cartridges C can be appropriately stored in the apparatus main body 2.

Particularly, in the laminating process, the printing tape T
And the feeding end of the laminate tape L,
The printing tape T can be stuck to the laminate tape L with high accuracy without being stuck in advance.

[0106]

As described above, according to the tape printing method and the tape printing apparatus of the present invention, one arbitrary tape cartridge is selected from a plurality of tape cartridges housed in the same apparatus, and is conveyed to the printing position. Since the printing is performed in this way, the user can save the labor required for replacing the cartridge and storing the cartridge.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a tape printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically illustrating an internal configuration of the tape printing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an internal structure diagram schematically showing the internal structure of various cartridges.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of various cartridge units.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a state in which an upper case of the tape printer (printing standby state) is removed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a state where an upper case of the tape printing apparatus (printed state) is removed.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state where an upper case of the tape printing apparatus (printing standby state) is removed.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a combination of a plurality of cartridges mountable on a cartridge mounting unit.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a cartridge transport unit of the tape printer.

FIG. 10 is an inner side view of a printer unit of the tape printing apparatus.

FIG. 11 is an inner side view in a state where a cartridge is mounted on a printer unit of the tape printing apparatus.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a procedure of a lamination process.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a control system of the tape printing apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the entire control.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of various state processes.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a mechanism section initial setting process (1).

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a mechanism section initial setting process (2).

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a state of the carriage when the power is turned on and an initial setting process thereof.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a cartridge return process.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a printing process.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of a normal printing process.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of processing for setting a tape cartridge in a printer unit.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart of a tape cartridge removal / setting process.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart of a cartridge mounting portion detection process.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart of a cartridge resetting process.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart of a tape printing / cutting process.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart of a multicolor printing process.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart of a lamination process.

FIG. 29 is an internal structure diagram schematically showing an internal structure of a laminate cartridge according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tape printing apparatus 2 Main body 4 Keyboard 6 Cartridge mounting part 10 Printer part 11 Cartridge transport part 12 Control part 21 Cartridge case 24 Projecting case part 25 Seal 28 Platen 33 Cartridge holder 41 X-axis moving mechanism 42 Y-axis moving mechanism 44 Carriage 55 Cartridge sensor 61 Hook member 71 Tape feed mechanism 72 Tape printing mechanism 73 Tape cutting mechanism 74 Drive motor 75 Print head 76 Cutter motor 80 Pinch roller 84 Drive roller 85 Press roller 91 Cutter C cartridge Tc Tape cartridge Rc Ribbon cartridge Lc Laminating cartridge T Printing Tape Tt Printed part Ta Front cut allowance Tb Rear cut allowance R Ink ribbon L Laminating tape Ll Pasted part La Non Wearing part

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A tape printing method in which a plurality of tape cartridges each having a print tape mounted thereon are mounted on an apparatus main body, and selectively printing is performed on the plurality of print tapes. A forward transport process for automatically transporting the tape cartridge from the mounting position to the print position selectively; a printing process for printing on the print tape while feeding the print tape from the tape cartridge transported to the print position; A tape printing method, comprising: a cutting step of cutting off a portion; and, after the cutting step, a backward transporting step of transporting the tape cartridge from a printing position to a mounting position. 2. A cartridge mounting section in which a plurality of tape cartridges each having a printing tape mounted thereon are removably mounted, a tape feeding means for feeding the printing tape while feeding the printing tape from the tape cartridge, and a tape feeding means. Tape printing means for printing on the printing tape, tape cutting means for separating a printed portion of the printing tape, and a plurality of tapes between a mounting position in the cartridge mounting portion and a printing position facing the tape printing means. Cartridge transporting means for selectively transporting any one tape cartridge from the cartridge; and control means for integrally controlling the tape feeding means, the tape printing means, the tape cutting means, and the cartridge transporting means. A tape printing device characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. The printing tape mounted on each of the plurality of tape cartridges has a tape width and / or
3. The tape printer according to claim 2, wherein the tape color is different. 4. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cartridge mounting section is configured to be detachable by arranging the plurality of tape cartridges in a row in the thickness direction. 5. A first moving mechanism for reciprocating the tape cartridge in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the tape cartridge between the mounting position and the middle position of the movement, the cartridge conveying means; 5. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a second moving mechanism for reciprocating the tape cartridge between the tape printer and the second printer. 6. The second moving mechanism moves along the direction in which the cartridges are arranged along with the moving operation of the second moving mechanism, and continuously changes the types and positions of the plurality of tape cartridges. A detectable detector is provided, and a detection target portion corresponding to the detector is provided in each of the tape cartridges. The control unit controls the cartridge transport unit based on a detection result of the detector. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control is performed. 7. An input unit for inputting a character to be printed and its attributes, and a tape width selecting unit for selecting a tape width of a printing tape based on an input result of the input unit, wherein the control unit 7. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls the cartridge conveying unit based on a selection result of the tape width selecting unit. 8. A character size designating means for designating a character size of a character to be printed, wherein said control means selects a tape width of a printing tape based on a result specified by said character size designating means, 7. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cartridge transport unit is controlled. 9. The tape cartridge has an ink ribbon mounted thereon in addition to the printing tape, the tape feeding means feeds the printing tape and the ink ribbon simultaneously, and the tape printing means uses a thermal transfer method. 9. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein printing is performed. 10. The ink ribbon includes a full-color ink ribbon, and the control unit controls the tape feeding unit and the tape printing unit based on a color printing command to correct a printing tape. 10. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the tape printing apparatus performs color printing while performing reverse feeding. 11. The cartridge mounting section is configured so that, instead of the tape cartridge, a ribbon cartridge mounting only an ink ribbon having an ink color different from that of the ink ribbon is detachable. Based on a print command, after separating the printed portion, controlling the tape transport unit and the tape printing unit to exchange and transport the tape cartridge and the ribbon cartridge, and cause the printed portion to reprint. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein: 12. The cartridge mounting section is configured so that a laminating cartridge mounted with a laminating tape for laminating the printing tape can be detachably mounted instead of the tape cartridge, Controlling the tape transport means and the tape feed means after separating the printed portion, exchanging and transporting the tape cartridge and the laminating cartridge, and adhering and feeding the printed portion and the laminating tape. The tape printer according to any one of claims 2 to 11, wherein: 13. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the tape cartridge and the corresponding laminating cartridge are mounted on the cartridge mounting portion while being mounted on a cartridge holder.