JP2002178578A - Label printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a label printer having simple constitution and constituted so as to accurately detect label paper or a detection mark by a single paper detection means. SOLUTION: A guide 27a for guiding the feed of label paper is provided to a cover body 16 and, in such a state that a printer main body 12 is closed by the cover body 16, the guide 27a is opposed to a paper guide 30d at a predetermined interval. The paper guide 30d has a slide contact surface 30d1 enabling the slide contact with the label paper, a part of the slide contact surface 30d1 is depressed to form a recessed part, a paper sensor 45 is attached to the interior of the recessed part, a projected part 27b projected toward the recessed part is provided at the position opposed to the recessed part, and the detection of the label paper fed to a printing means or the detection of a detection mark is performed by the paper sensor 45.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal label printer which prints a detection mark on the back surface and prints and records on a label paper having a plurality of labels temporarily attached at predetermined intervals on the front surface. The present invention relates to a label printer equipped with a paper sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a mark or the position of a detection mark.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional label printer 100 will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7, a label printer 100 includes a housing 102 and a label supply unit 103 housed in the housing 102.
, A printing unit 104, a peeling unit 105, and a mount winding unit 109. As shown in FIG. 8, the label paper 200 generally has a band-shaped backing 202 having a label release layer (not shown) applied to the surface thereof,
And a label 204 having a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (not shown) on the back surface, which is temporarily attached to the front surface of the second at a predetermined interval. In addition, the detection mark 20
6 is printed and formed in black on the side edge at a position corresponding to the front end of the label 204. The mount 202 is wound in a roll shape with the back surface on which the detection mark 206 is printed facing outward.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 7, a wide rectangular opening 102 a is formed on the upper surface of the housing 102. A label sheet 200 wound in a roll shape is mounted on the label supply unit 103. The printing unit 104 includes a thermal head 112 and a platen roller 11.
The label paper 200 is resiliently contacted between the thermal head 112 and the platen roller 113 to perform predetermined printing on the label 204.

[0004] The peeling means 105 includes a turning bar 114 for turning the feeding direction of only the mount 202 and a guide roller 11.
5 and a pair of backing paper feed rollers 116 and 117. By the rotation of the mount feed roller 116, the mount 202 is sandwiched between the mount feed roller 117 and pulled by a predetermined tension, and only the mount 202 is turned in the feed direction at the tip of the turning bar 114, so that the label 204 has its own rigidity. With this, the sheet is separated from the backing sheet 202. Label 20
4 is peeled off, and the backing sheet 202 is wound by the backing sheet winding means 109.

[0005] In such a label printer 100, printing is performed in units of the label 204. Therefore, a detector for detecting both the presence or absence of the label paper 200 and the location of the printing corresponding to the label 204 is used. (Sensor) is required.

[0006] In the case of separately detecting the label paper and the detection mark, at least two detectors are required, and the manufacturing cost of a label printer provided with the detectors increases. Therefore, in recent years, a label printer has been known in which both a label paper and a detection mark are detected by a single detector in order to suppress the cost increase.

[0007]

However, if the label paper is not conveyed to an optimum position for detecting the label paper and the detection mark, there is a problem that the detector cannot detect the label paper and the detection mark with high accuracy. Was.

Also, the label paper 2 transported on the detector
At 00, the label 204 of the mount 202 and the label 20
When the light emitted from the detector is applied to the gap (gap G) between the gap and No. 4, the detector may erroneously recognize the gap as a black detection mark. In particular, when the mount 202 is made of a material such as thin glassine paper and the light emitted from the detector is transmitted, the problem of erroneous recognition becomes significant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a label printer having a simple structure and capable of detecting a label sheet and a detection mark with high accuracy by a single sheet detecting means.

[0010]

At least one of the above objects is attained.
As a first solution for solving the problem, as a first solution, a plurality of labels are temporarily attached to the front surface at predetermined intervals, and a label paper on which a detection mark for detecting the position of the label is formed on the back surface,
Label detection means for detecting label paper or a detection mark, printing means having a platen roller and a thermal head capable of resiliently contacting the platen roller, and a label paper placed thereon and a conveying direction of the label paper to the printing means A printer body having a paper guide portion disposed on the upstream side of
A cover body that is openably and closably attached to the printer main body, wherein the cover body is provided with a guide portion for guiding the transport of the label paper, and the guide portion is provided when the cover body is closed by the printer main body. The paper guide portion is disposed so as to face the paper guide portion at a predetermined interval, the paper guide portion has a sliding contact surface to which the label paper can slide, and a part of the sliding contact surface is recessed to form a concave portion, The paper detecting means is mounted in the concave portion, and the guide portion is provided with a protruding portion protruding toward the concave portion at a position facing the concave portion to detect or detect the label paper conveyed to the printing means. Is detected by the paper detecting means.

As a second solution, the protrusion is
It is arranged so as to be shifted in the width direction of the label paper from a position facing the paper detecting means.

As a third solution, a plurality of projections are formed, and each projection is formed in a belt-like shape in the direction of transport of the label paper.

As a fourth solution, when the cover is closed at the closing position of the printer main body, the guide portion of the cover and the sliding contact surface of the paper guide portion are in contact with each other, and the tip of the protrusion is formed in the recess. Has entered, and thereafter, the cover body returns to the closed position, and a transport path capable of transporting the label paper is formed such that the tip of the protrusion is flush with the sliding contact surface of the paper guide section. It is.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A thermal type label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the thermal printer mainly includes a printer main body 12 and a cover body 16 that can be opened and closed about a hinge axis with respect to the printer main body 12. The printer body 12 is made of sheet metal, and has a rectangular bottom plate portion 30a, first and second side plate portions 30b and 30c bent upward at substantially right angles from both ends of the bottom plate portion 30a, and a bottom plate portion. And a paper guide portion 30d bent at a substantially acute angle along the rear side edge portion 30a.

The paper guide portion 30d has a sliding contact surface 30d1 for slidingly contacting the label paper 200 with its inclined upper surface.
It has a cutout portion 30e having a rectangular notch at the tip end, and a concave portion 30f which is provided in parallel with the cutout portion 30e and is slightly recessed to form a concave shape. A pair of notch pieces (not shown) facing each other are formed in the recess 30f.
One sheet sensor (sheet detecting means) 45 is attached to the notch.

The paper sensor 45 is a reflection type optical sensor (photo-reflector type optical sensor) and includes a light emitting diode 45a as a light emitting element and a phototransistor 45b as a light receiving element. Then, the paper sensor 45 detects that the label paper 200 is present by irradiating the label paper 200 with light emitted from the light emitting diode 45a and receiving the reflected light with a predetermined amount of light by the phototransistor 45b. The light irradiates the detection mark 206, and the reflected light is applied to the phototransistor 45.
b, the light quantity is smaller than that of the label paper 200, so that the detection mark 206 is detected. In order for the paper sensor 45 to detect the absence of the label paper 200, the stepping motor 54 described later is rotated to rotate the platen roller 35 by a certain number of steps (width of the detection mark 206 + α) without immediately detecting the label paper 200. The paper sensor 45 determines from the detection state by performing the idle feeding.

A platen roller 35 whose surface is made of an elastic member such as rubber is rotatably supported between the first and second side plate portions 30b and 30c. Platen roller 3
The metal rotary shaft 35 a is attached at one end to a part of the illustrated gear group 55, and the platen roller 35 is rotated via the gear group 55 by the driving force of the stepping motor 54. . Further, between the first and second side plate portions 30b and 30c, a rotatable thin metal turning bar 31 is rotatably supported near the upper portion of the platen roller 35.

The first and second lever arms 44 and 46 are
Attached to each end of a lever shaft 42 pivotally supported between the first and second side plate portions 30b, 30c so as to be along the first and second side plate portions 30b, 30c, respectively, and to be rotatable. Has become. Lock claw receiving portions 44b, 46b are formed at the distal ends of the first and second lever arms 44, 46, respectively.
Further, the lock claw receiving portion 46b of the first lever arm 44
, A lock release knob 44c is formed.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cover body 16 is made of sheet metal and has a substantially rectangular flat plate portion 17 and a front side of the flat plate portion 17 (a lower side in FIG. 3). Side plate portions 18 bent downward at substantially right angles from both ends of
19 and small side plates 18s, 19s bent downward at substantially right angles from both rear ends thereof.

The flat plate portion 17 has, at its center, three engaging pieces 17b which are cut out and bent downward, and a rectangular opening 17a which is elongated in the width direction at the tip end thereof. The opening 17a serves as an outlet for the label 204 of the label paper 200 on which the print is recorded.
Each of the side plates 18 and 19 has a pressing piece 24 bent at a substantially right angle at each front end thereof, and a lock claw 18a and 19a at each rear corner thereof.

A mounting sheet feed roller 22 is rotatably supported between the side plates 18 and 19 in the vicinity of each pressing piece 24. The backing paper feed roller 22 has a surface on which silicon,
It is formed of a non-adhering member to which an adhesive is unlikely to adhere, such as a coating material such as fluorine, or a coating material containing a particulate substance added thereto. The mount feed roller 22
Resiliently contacts the platen roller 35 and
It is driven in accordance with the rotation of.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cover 1
6, between the side plate portions 18 and 19, the opening portion 17 of the flat plate portion 17 is provided.
a guiding member 37 disposed along the front side edge portion of FIG.
Are provided in a bridge. The guide member 37 is made of a sheet metal having a substantially U-shaped cross section, a part of which is exposed in the opening 17a, and a first wall surface portion whose inclination angle gradually increases toward the rear side of the opening 17a. 37a and this first
And a second wall portion 37b integrally formed at a substantially right angle with a longitudinal edge of the side surface portion 37a. The first wall 37 a of the guide member 37 is connected to the turning bar 3.
1, the label 204 is formed along the feeding direction of the label 204 peeled from the backing sheet 202. The second wall portion 37b is
It is formed along the feed direction of the mount 202 turned by the turning bar 31. The guide member 37 has a surface formed of the same non-adhesive member as the mount feed roller 22.

Next, the rectangular head mounting plate 25
Thermal head 25 having a plurality of heating elements (not shown)
a, and is disposed on the lower surface side (inside) of the flat plate portion 17. The head mounting plate 25 is provided with bent portions (not shown) bent upward at both end edges thereof, and the bent portions are arranged between the small side plate portions 18s and 19s, and the metal shaft 15 is inserted therethrough. And is rotatably supported. Further, between the flat plate portion 17 and the head mounting plate 25,
Three coil springs 23 are provided, and one end of each coil spring 23 is inserted into the engagement piece 17b.
The other end is mounted so as to be locked to the head mounting plate 25. As a result, while the head mounting plate 25 is elastically urged by the plurality of coil springs 23,
Is attached to the flat plate portion 17. The printing means includes a platen roller 35 and a thermal head 25a which can be elastically contacted with the platen roller 35 by the coil spring 23.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the support 27 is made of a black resin having a substantially inverted triangular cross section and hardly reflecting light. 4 (lower side in FIG. 4). The support 27 is provided with a guide portion 27a for guiding the label paper 200 in the transport direction on the inclined surface on the head mounting plate 25 side. The guide portion 27a has a concave portion 30f at a position facing the concave portion 30f and the notch portion 30e of the paper guide portion 30d.
A total of four protrusions 27b are formed, each of which protrudes toward the notch portion 30e and which protrudes in a long band shape in the transport direction of the label paper 200.

Each protruding portion 27b is arranged so as to be shifted in the width direction of the label paper 200 from a position facing the paper sensor 45. Then, the cover body 16 is
In the state where the projection 27 is
b faces the paper guide portion 30d of the printer main body 12 at a predetermined interval. That is, a transport path S having a gap (t1) of a predetermined dimension is formed between the protrusion 27b and the sliding contact surface 30d1 of the paper guide 30d. Further, at the vertex (lower end) portion of the support 27,
Two rotatable paper feed rollers 29 are supported side by side in the axial direction of the shaft 15.

Next, the printing and recording method of the label printer and the operation of detecting the label paper 200 by the paper sensor 45 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6A, 6B, and 6C. First, a roll-shaped label paper 200 is inserted into the printer main body 12, and is closed by the cover body 16 so as to cover the upper part of the label paper 200. As shown in FIG.
Is closed at the closing position of the printer body 12, the sliding contact surface 3 between the guide portion 27a of the cover body 16 and the paper guide portion 30d.
0d1 abuts once, the gap in the transport path S disappears, and the tip of the projection 27b enters the recess 30f, after which the cover body 16 returns to the closed position and the projection 27
The transport path S is formed such that the leading end of b is flush with the sliding contact surface 30d1 of the paper guide portion 30d.

Further, by closing the cover body 16,
The first and second lever arms 44 and 46 pressed against the cover body 16 are rotated. The lock claws 18a and 19a of the cover body 16 are connected to the first and second lever arms 4 respectively.
Locked to lock claw receiving portions 44b, 46b of 4, 46,
A detection switch (not shown) is pressed by the pressing piece 24 to detect the closed state and the locked state of the cover body 16.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the leading end of the label paper 200 loaded in the printer main body 12 contacts the paper feed roller 29 and is disposed on the transport path S. Subsequently, the platen roller 35 and the thermal head It is elastically contacted between 25a. Further, the leading end side of the label paper 200 is bent at an acute angle by the turning bar 31 and turned, and is disposed in elastic contact between the platen roller 35 and the mount feeding roller 22.

Motor shaft 54a of stepping motor 54
Rotates, the platen roller 35 rotates clockwise in FIG. 6A through the gear group 55 due to the rotational driving force. Due to the rotation of the platen roller 35, the mounting sheet feeding roller 22 that elastically contacts rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 6A, and conveys the mounting sheet 202 of the label sheet 200 in the direction of arrow A with a predetermined tension.

As shown in FIG. 6B, when the label 204 of the label paper 200 starts to be transported to a predetermined position between the thermal head 25a and the platen roller 35, the paper sensor 45 detects the label paper 200. That is, the paper sensor 45 irradiates the light emitted from the light emitting diode 45a to the back surface of the label paper 200, and in the case where there is no detection mark 206, the reflected light having the large light amount is received by the phototransistor 45b. , Label paper 200
(Not the position of the detection mark 206) is detected.

When the light emitted from the light emitting diode 45a is applied to a portion of the back surface of the label paper 200 where the detection mark 206 is present, the paper sensor 45 generates almost no reflected light because the detection mark 206 is black. The light is not received by the phototransistor 45b and is determined to be the detection mark 206, and the position of the label 204 is detected. In addition,
When the label paper 200 runs out, the reflected light disappears and the paper sensor 45 detects the detection mark 206 on the label paper 200.
In order not to mistake the label sensor 200 for the detection mark 206 of the label paper 200 or the absence of the label paper 200, the paper sensor 45 determines a certain number of steps (the width of the detection mark 206 + α) by the platen roller 35 or the stepping motor 54. Is rotated, and if no reflected light is received during this time, it is recognized that there is no label paper 200.

Then, the position of the label paper 200 is determined based on the detection output signal from the paper sensor 45, and a plurality of heating elements (not shown) constituting the thermal head 25a are heated at a predetermined position to produce the label 204. The desired print record is made on the surface of.

Subsequently, the label paper 200 on which the label 204 on which the print record has been made is affixed is fed by the rotation of the platen roller 35 in the direction of the arrow, and
Only 02 is bent at an acute angle by the turning bar 31, is so-called turned, and is fed and pinched between the platen roller 35 and the mount feed roller 22 while being guided along the surface of the second wall portion 37b. Platen roller 3
5, the backing feed roller 22 driven by the rotation
As a result, only the mount 202 is sequentially fed in the direction of arrow A.

On the other hand, the label 204 is peeled off from the backing sheet 202 turned by the turning bar 31 by the strength of the strain (rigidity), and is conveyed as it is with the rotation of the platen roller 35 downstream in the label sheet feeding direction. Continue to be. Then, the label 204 is discharged from the opening 17a and disposed on the first wall surface 37a of the guide member 37 (see FIG. 6C). Subsequently, by stopping the rotation of the platen roller 35, the feeding operation of the mount 202 is also stopped. Subsequently, printing and recording on the new label 204 of the label paper 200 is performed by repeating the above-described paper feeding operation.

Next, the effects of the label printer of the present embodiment described above will be described. 1) A plurality of labels 204 are temporarily attached to the surface at predetermined intervals,
A label paper 200 on which a detection mark 206 for detecting the position of the label 204 is formed on the back surface;
00 or paper sensor 4 capable of detecting detection mark 206
5 and the label paper 200 are placed on the platen roller 3.
A printer body 12 having a paper guide portion 30d disposed upstream in the direction of transport of the label paper 200 to a printing means having a thermal head 25a which can elastically contact the platen roller 35; And a cover body 16 attached to be openable and closable.
6 is a guide unit 2 for guiding the transport of the label paper 200.
When the cover 16 is closed by the printer main body 12, the guide 27 a is attached to the paper guide 3.
0d with a predetermined interval, and the paper guide portion 30d has a sliding contact surface 3 on which the label paper 200 can slide.
0d1, a part of the sliding contact surface 30d1 is recessed to form a recess 30f, and a paper sensor 45 is mounted in the recess 30f. The guide portion 27a is located at a position facing the recess 30f. A projection 27b protruding toward the concave portion 30f is provided, and the detection of the label paper 200 or the detection mark 206 conveyed to the printing means is performed by the paper sensor 45. Since the position of the label paper 200 is regulated by the protrusion 27b so that the distance from the paper sensor 45 is constant, the label sensor 200 and the detection mark 206 can be detected with high accuracy by the paper sensor 45.

2) The protrusion 27b is shifted from the position facing the paper sensor 45 in the width direction of the label paper 200, so that the space directly above the paper sensor 45 becomes a space and the label shown in FIG. Since the gap portion (gap G) between the labels 204 of the paper 200 is not erroneously recognized as the detection mark 206, the paper sensor 45 can detect the detection mark 206 with higher accuracy. In particular, when the mount 202 of the label paper 200 is thin glassine paper,
The effect appears remarkably.

3) The protruding portions 27b are formed in at least one pair, and each protruding portion 27b is formed so as to protrude in a belt-like shape in the transport direction of the label paper 200.
Since 0 is conveyed while sliding on each of the protrusions 27b, stable paper feeding is performed without skew, so that the detection of the label paper 200 and the detection mark 206 by the paper sensor 45 can be detected with higher accuracy. .

4) When the cover body 16 is closed at the closing position of the printer main body 12, the guide portion 27a of the cover body 16 and the sliding contact surface 30d1 of the paper guide portion 30d come into contact with each other. The tip enters, and thereafter, the cover body 16 returns to the closed position, and the protrusion 27b
Is formed so that the leading end of the projection 27b is flush with the sliding contact surface 30d1 of the paper guide portion 30d.
Since it is arranged at a position flush with the sliding contact surface 30d1 after entering the inside of 0f, it is possible to narrow the transport path of the label paper 200 to a more desired gap.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
Changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0040]

As described above, the label printer of the present invention is a label paper in which a plurality of labels are temporarily attached to the front surface at predetermined intervals and a detection mark for detecting the position of the label is formed on the back surface. A sheet detecting means capable of detecting a label sheet or a detection mark, a printing means having a platen roller and a thermal head which can resiliently contact the platen roller, a label sheet placed thereon, and the label sheet A paper guide portion arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction,
And a cover body openably and closably attached to the printer body, and the cover body is provided with a guide portion for guiding the conveyance of the label paper, and the cover body is closed by the printer body. In the state, the guide section is opposed to the paper guide section at a predetermined interval, and the paper guide section has a sliding contact surface on which label paper can slide.
A part of the sliding contact surface is recessed to form a recess, and a paper detecting means is mounted in the recess. The guide has a protrusion protruding toward the recess at a position facing the recess. Being
By detecting the label paper conveyed to the printing means or detecting the detection mark by the paper detecting means, the distance between the label paper conveyed on the paper detecting means and the paper detecting means is kept constant by the protrusion. The position is regulated so that the label paper,
The detection mark can be detected with high accuracy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the label printer viewed from another angle.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the label printer.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view as viewed from a dashed line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part showing a sensor mounting structure of the label printer.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the label printer.
FIG. 6A shows a state in which a label sheet consisting of only a backing sheet is located on the sensor, FIG. 6B shows a state in which a label sheet with a label pasted on the sensor and a gap between the labels is located, and FIG. Respectively shows a state in which the printed label is discharged.

FIG. 7 is a schematic explanatory view of a conventional label printer.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a commonly used label sheet.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 Printer Main Body 16 Cover Body 25a Thermal Head 27 Support 27a Guide 27b Projection 30d Paper Guide 30d1 Sliding Surface 30f Concave 35 Platen Roller 45 Paper Sensor (Paper Detecting Means) 200 Label Paper 204 Label 206 Detection Mark S Transport Path

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C058 AB15 AC06 AD06 AE04 AE14 AF06 AF36 GB04 GB14 GB36 GB47 GC06 GE03 2C060 BA01 BC02 BC04 BC12 BC15 BC46 3E095 BA03 CA02 DA13 DA15 DA22 EA02 EA09 EA13 EA22 EA26 FA29 3F104 AA02 FA08

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A label paper on which a plurality of labels are temporarily attached at predetermined intervals on a front surface and a detection mark for detecting the position of the label is formed on the back surface, and the label paper or the paper capable of detecting the detection marks. A detecting unit, a printing unit having a platen roller and a thermal head which can resiliently contact the platen roller, and the label paper is placed on the upstream side in the transport direction of the label paper to the printing unit. A printer body having a paper guide portion; and a cover body openably and closably attached to the printer body, wherein the cover body is provided with a guide portion for guiding the transport of the label paper, and the cover In a state in which the body is closed by the printer main body, the guide section is disposed so as to face the paper guide section at a predetermined interval, and the paper guide section is The label paper has a sliding contact surface capable of sliding contact, and a part of the sliding contact surface is recessed to form a concave portion,
The paper detecting means is mounted in the concave portion, and the guide portion is provided with a protrusion projecting toward the concave portion at a position facing the concave portion, and the label conveyed to the printing means. A label printer wherein the detection of a sheet or the detection of the detection mark is performed by the sheet detection means. 2. The label printer according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions are arranged so as to be shifted in a width direction of the label paper from a position facing the paper detection unit. 3. The label printer according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the protrusions are formed, and each of the protrusions is formed to protrude in a band shape in the direction of transport of the label paper. 4. When the cover body is closed at a closing position of the printer main body, the guide portion of the cover body and the sliding contact surface of the paper guide portion are in contact with each other, and the protrusion is formed in the recess. The leading end enters, and thereafter, the cover body returns to the closing position, and the label paper can be conveyed so that the leading end of the protrusion is flush with the sliding contact surface of the paper guide part. 4. The label printer according to claim 1, wherein a transport path is formed.