JP2007111929A - Heating unit of printer device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a poor conveyance of a tube-like matter to be printed which became softened too much when setting the matter in a heating unit longer than a needed time. <P>SOLUTION: The heating unit comprises a presence/absence detection mechanism of the tube-like matter to be printed and a conveyance detection mechanism. Even if leaving the tube-like matter to be printed in the heating unit under the condition of not performing a printing operation for a long time, since the tube-like matter to be printed is not softened by heating more than needed, the poor conveyance in the conveyance path of the printer device can be prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a heating unit that is detachable from a printer device that prints characters, symbols, and the like on a tube-shaped substrate.

In a conventional printer of this type, when printing on a tube-shaped substrate, the tube-shaped substrate is strongly sandwiched between the print head and the platen roller, and the tube-shaped substrate is deformed so as to be crushed. Is going.

On the other hand, when the outside air temperature decreases and the tube-shaped printed material becomes cold, the tube-shaped printed material becomes hard and is not easily deformed. If the tube-shaped printed material is not sufficiently deformed, the surface of the tube-shaped printed material does not come into contact with the print head, so that normal printing cannot be performed.

In order to solve such a problem, a detachable heating unit for heating the tube-shaped substrate is installed on the upstream side of the printing mechanism of the printer device, and the tube-shaped substrate is supplied before the tube-shaped substrate is supplied to the print head. The printed material is heated and warmed so that the tubular printed material becomes soft.
JP2003-103844

The tube-shaped substrate is heated using the heating unit, but because it is not communicating with the printer device, the heating unit starts and finishes temperature control if the power unit is turned on even when the printer device is not operating. During this process, if the tube-shaped substrate is set in the heating unit, the tube-shaped substrate will be heated and become softer than necessary. There is a problem that the printed material causes a conveyance failure in the conveyance path in the printer apparatus.

Usually, the heating unit that is detachable from the printer device starts printing by setting the tube-shaped substrate to the heating unit after the temperature adjustment of the heater is completed.

Further, when the heating unit is controlled between the printer main body and the heating unit using a communication cable or the like, the cost of the printer main body is increased, so that the configuration of the printer device is unnecessary for a user who does not use the heating unit.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention detects a presence or absence of a printing material in a heating unit provided with a heating means for heating in a printer device having a printing mechanism for printing on the printing material. A printer device characterized by having a presence / absence detecting mechanism.

The printer device is characterized in that the heating unit is provided with a conveyance detection mechanism for detecting conveyance of the substrate.

The printer apparatus is characterized in that the heating unit is detachable.

The printer is characterized in that the heating means adjusts the temperature in response to detection of conveyance of the substrate.

Further, the heating unit is characterized in that when the temperature adjustment of the heating means is stopped, the heating means does not operate unless the substrate is taken out of the heating unit.

  In addition, the heating unit does not operate when printing is not started for a predetermined time even if the substrate is set in the heating unit.

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a heating unit in which a heating mechanism for detachably heating is provided in a printer device provided with a printing mechanism for printing on a tubular printed material. By providing the presence / absence detection mechanism and conveyance detection mechanism of the substrate, even if the tube-shaped substrate is left in the heating unit without performing a printing operation for a long time, the tube-shaped substrate can be heated by heating more than necessary. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the problem that the tube-like printed material having weakness becomes poor in the conveyance path of the printer device.

In addition, by incorporating the configuration of the present invention in the heating unit, there is no change to the printer device, preventing an increase in cost, and providing the printer device at a low price to users who use the printer device without using the heating unit in places with high temperatures. You can also do it.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a printer apparatus according to the present invention, and either one of a cassette 4 and a heating unit 3 is detachably set at a set position 2 provided on an upper surface. The cassette 4 stores a tape-shaped printed material TP wound in a roll shape. When the cassette 4 is set at the setting position 2, the tape-shaped printed material TP is sandwiched between the pair of transport rollers 5 and sent to the print head 6 at a constant speed.

Printing is performed on the tape-shaped printing material TP by the platen roller 7 and the print head 6 facing the print head 6.

On the other hand, when printing is performed by pulling out the tube-shaped substrate T from a reel wound in a roll shape having a diameter of about 50 cm, the heating unit 3 is set at the set position 2 and the tube-shaped substrate T is removed. One end was pulled out and passed through the heating unit 3 so as to be sandwiched between the conveying rollers 5. Reference numeral 8 denotes a temperature sensor, which detects the outside air temperature and changes the amount of heat applied by the print head 6 according to the air temperature.

Referring to FIG. 2, a pipe-shaped heater 9 as a heating means is provided in the heating unit 3. When the tube-shaped substrate T is passed through the heating unit 3, the tube-shaped substrate T passes through the heater 9.

The switch 10 is turned OFF in a state where the tube-shaped substrate T is soft and printing is performed well because the temperature is high. When the switch 10 is OFF, the heater 9 is not energized, and therefore the tube-shaped substrate T is not heated.

By the way, when a long printed material other than a tube is wound on a reel, a heating unit having the same configuration as the heating unit 3 may be used when printing on the long printed material. . However, it is not necessary to incorporate the heater 9 in the heating unit for the long printed material.

When the temperature drops and the tube-shaped substrate T is cooled and hardened, and printing cannot be performed satisfactorily, the switch 10 is turned on.

The switch 10 can select two locations, “L” for heating at a low temperature and “H” for heating at a high temperature, so that the heating temperature can be switched in two steps according to the outside air temperature.

That is, when the outside air temperature is very low and the tube-shaped substrate T is very hard, the switch 10 is set to “H” and heated at a high temperature, and when the outside air temperature is not so low, the switch 10 Is set to “L” and heated at a low temperature.

In addition, the switch 10 is set to “L” when it is easily heated or stretched due to various conditions such as the material and thickness of the tube-shaped substrate T, as well as the high and low outside air temperature, and vice versa. Switch 10 to “H”.

When “L” is selected, the tube-shaped substrate T is heated at approximately 60 ° C., and when “H” is selected, the tube-shaped substrate T is heated at approximately 80 ° C. . Reference numeral 11 denotes a thermistor that detects the temperature of the heater 9, and the energization state of the heater 9 is controlled based on the detected temperature.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a light emitting diode, which is in one of “lighted”, “flashing”, and “off” depending on the energized state.

In this embodiment, the heating temperature is switched to two stages of “L” and “H”, but the set temperature may be changed continuously.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the light emitting diode 12 is in the “lighted” state, when the tube-shaped substrate T is attached to the heating unit 3 as shown in FIG. The tube-shaped substrate T is detected by the sensor 14A on the third substrate 16.

This means that when there is no printing operation on the printer device 1 side after about 30 seconds after detecting the tube-shaped substrate T, the power supply to the heater 9 is stopped and the light emitting diode 12 is turned off. This is for interrupting the heating of the tubular substrate T more than necessary.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, once the tubular printed matter T is taken out of the heating unit 3, the presser spring 15 returns the medium presser 13 and does not cut the sensor 14A on the substrate 16. It becomes "nothing". Thereafter, by turning the switch 10 OFF / ON (L) (H), the light emitting diode 12 “flashes” and the temperature adjustment of the heater 9 starts again.

At this time, even if the switch 10 is turned OFF / ON (L) (H) with the tube-shaped substrate T set in the heating unit 3, the sensor 14A as the presence / absence detection mechanism is “present”, so the heater Since no power is supplied to 9, this control means prevents the tube-shaped substrate T from being heated more than necessary.

In addition, when the printing operation can be performed within 30 seconds after the tube-shaped substrate T is set in the heating unit 3, the detection roller 18 with the encoder 17 serving as a conveyance detection mechanism is moved by the conveyance of the tube-shaped substrate T. Since the rotation of the sensor 14B on the substrate 16 detects the conveyance of the tube-shaped substrate T, the heater 9 continues to adjust the temperature.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the heating unit 3 has a collar portion 19 that covers the tube-shaped printed material T until the tube-shaped printed material T heated by the heater 9 reaches the print head 6. Is provided.

By covering the tube-shaped substrate T with the collar 19 in this way, it is possible to prevent the tube-shaped substrate T heated by the heater 9 from being cooled before reaching the print head 6.

In addition to preventing cooling, the collar portion 19 is configured to press the heater 9, the medium presser 13, the presser spring 15, and the detection roller 18.

By the way, in the present embodiment, if the switch 10 is in the OFF state, the light emitting diode 12 is “off”, and the switch 10 is in the “L” or “H” state and is detected by the thermistor 11. When the detected temperature is not within the preset range, it “blinks”, and when the detected temperature is within the predetermined range, it is “lit” that printing is possible.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 5, when switch 10 is first set to “L”, energization to heater 9 is started and light-emitting diode 12 “flashes”. The light emitting diode 12 is switched from “flashing” to “lighting” on the assumption that printing is possible if the lower limit temperature of 55 ° C. when the switch 10 is “L” is exceeded.

When it exceeds 65 ° C, which is the upper limit temperature of “L”, energization to the heater 9 is stopped. Then, the temperature of the heater 9 decreases, and the light emitting diode 12 continues to “light” until the temperature reaches 55 ° C., which is the lower limit temperature.

Next, when the switch 10 is switched to “H”, even if the detected temperature is between 55 ° C. and 65 ° C., the light emitting diode 12 is switched to “flashing” and energization to the heater 9 is resumed. The lower limit temperature when the switch 10 was set to “H” was 75 ° C., and the upper limit temperature was set to 83 ° C.

If the switch 10 is switched to “L” again when the detection temperature is between 75 ° C. and 83 ° C. and the light emitting diode 12 is “lit”, the heater 9 is de-energized and the detection temperature is 65 ° C. The light emitting diode 12 is “flashed” until: When the switch 10 is returned to the OFF state shown in FIG. 1, the energization to the heater 9 is stopped and the light emitting diode 12 is turned off.

However, even when the switch 10 is set to “L” or “H”, there is no printing operation after about 30 seconds from setting the tube-shaped substrate T in the heating unit 3, and the tube-shaped substrate When the switch 10 is set to “L” or “H” with the printed matter T set, the light emitting diode 12 is turned “off”.

Accordingly, the operator checks the “lighting” state of the light-emitting diode 12, determines that printing is possible when the “flashing” state is switched to the “lighting” state, and sets the tube-shaped substrate T in the heating unit 3. Then start printing.

  FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the heating unit when printing on the tube-shaped print medium T.

The top view which shows the cassette and heating unit of the printer apparatus by this invention Top view showing details of the heating unit according to the invention Cross-sectional view of a tube set in a heating unit according to the present invention Cross-sectional view of the heating unit according to the present invention without a tube The figure which shows the energized state of the heater and the lighting state of the light emitting diode Flow chart of heating unit of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

1 Printer device
2 Set position
3 Heating unit
4 cassettes
5 Transport roller
6 Print head
7 Platen roller
8 Temperature sensor
9 Heater
10 switch
11 Thermistor
12 Light emitting diode
13 Media presser
14A sensor
14B sensor
15 Presser spring
16 substrate
17 Encoder
18 Detection roller
19 Buttocks T Tube-shaped printing medium

Claims (6)

In a heating unit provided with a heating means for heating in a printer device having a printing mechanism for printing on a printed material, the heating unit is provided with a presence / absence detecting mechanism for detecting the presence or absence of the printed material. Printer device. 2. The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit includes a conveyance detection mechanism that detects conveyance of the substrate.   The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit is detachable. The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit performs temperature adjustment in response to detection of conveyance of the printing material. 5. The heating unit according to claim 1, wherein when the temperature adjustment of the heating unit is stopped, the heating unit does not operate unless the substrate is taken out of the heating unit. 6. The heating unit according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit does not operate when printing is not started for a predetermined time even if the substrate is set in the heating unit.

Images