JP2008001065A - Tape printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tape printing apparatus which can reliably detect a printing tape and a printing tape strip that pass through a discharge mechanism and can shorten the minimum tape length of the printing tape to be cut as much as possible. <P>SOLUTION: The tape printing apparatus comprises a discharge means 52 which forcibly discharges a printed and cut tape strip to outside the apparatus, and a detection means 140 which detects the presence of a printing tape T before cut to be fed to the discharge means 52 and the tape strip after cut. The discharge means 52 has a pair of discharge rollers 93 and a pressing mechanism 131. At least the outer peripheral surfaces of the rollers are composed of a continuity material, the rollers rotates to feed the tape strip in a sandwiched state, and the pressing mechanism relatively presses the pair of discharge rollers 93 in the sandwiching direction. The detection means 140 has a pair of contacts 94 which are brought into contact with the conductive part of the discharge rollers 93 and a continuity detection unit 141 which is connected to the pair of contacts 94 and detects the continuity/non-continuity state across the pair of discharge rollers 93. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tape printer provided with discharge means for forcibly discharging a printed tape piece separated from a print tape to the outside of the apparatus.

Conventionally, as this type of tape printer, printing is performed while feeding the printing tape by the printing mechanism, and at the same time the printed printing tape is cut by the cutter mechanism provided on the downstream side of the printing mechanism in the tape feeding direction. There is known one that discharges a cut printing tape (tape piece) by a discharge mechanism provided on the downstream side (see Patent Document 1). In this tape printer, the discharge mechanism has a plurality of sliding contact pieces that rotate and come into contact with the print tape by centrifugal force, and is driven in conjunction with the cutter mechanism.
JP 2002-167092 A

By the way, in the above tape printing apparatus, when the printing tape sent by the printing mechanism is largely deviated from the tape running path before the discharging mechanism due to the bending or the like, even if the discharging mechanism is driven, The printing tape cut by the cutter mechanism remains in the apparatus, causing jamming and cutting twice. In order to solve such a problem, it is conceivable to provide a detection sensor such as an optical sensor downstream of the discharge mechanism. Thereby, it can be detected that the print tape that has been fed forward has reached the discharge mechanism reliably, and it can be detected that the print tape has been reliably discharged. Also, in this case, the minimum tape length of the print tape to be cut is the cutter mechanism so that the optical sensor is not erroneously detected as jamming with respect to the print tape whose tip does not reach the optical sensor during the cutting operation. It is necessary to set it slightly longer than the length between the sensor and the detection sensor.
However, in the configuration as described above, for example, when a transparent tape is used as a printing tape, detection is not possible with a transmissive / reflective optical sensor, and when a black background tape is used, with a reflective optical sensor, A problem that cannot be detected is assumed. In addition, the use of the detection sensor increases the cost, and a problem that an arrangement space for arranging the detection mechanism and the tape discharge port must be secured is assumed. Furthermore, it is difficult to shorten the minimum tape length of the printing tape to be cut.

  The present invention is a tape printer capable of reliably detecting a print tape and a tape piece passing through a discharge mechanism with a simple configuration and minimizing the minimum tape length of a print tape to be cut. It is an issue to provide.

  The tape printing apparatus of the present invention is located on the downstream side of the printing / feeding means in the tape feeding direction of printing / feeding means that feeds the printing tape while feeding it, and cuts the printed portion of the printing tape to cut the tape The cutting means, the discharge means for forcibly discharging the tape piece to the outside of the apparatus, the presence or absence of the printing tape before cutting and the tape piece after cutting facing the discharging means And a control unit for controlling the driving of the printing / feeding unit, the cutting unit, and the discharging unit based on the detection result of the detecting unit, and the discharging unit has at least an outer peripheral surface of the conductive material. And a pair of discharge rollers that rotate and feed in a state where the tape piece is sandwiched, and a pressing mechanism that relatively presses the pair of discharge rollers in the sandwiching direction. A pair of contacts that contact the conductive portion of the roller, and a continuity detection unit that is connected to the pair of contacts and detects a conduction / non-conduction state between the pair of discharge rollers. To do.

  According to this configuration, when the pair of discharge rollers sandwich the printing tape (tape piece), a gap is generated between the pair of discharge rollers, so that the conductive portions of both rollers are in a non-conductive state, and the detection means Detect the presence of a print tape. On the other hand, when the pair of discharge rollers does not sandwich the print tape, the pair of discharge rollers are in contact with each other, and therefore the conductive state is established, and the detection unit detects that there is no print tape. Therefore, by detecting the conduction / non-conduction state of the pair of discharge rollers, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of the print tape at the position of the discharge roller, in other words, the passage state, regardless of the type of the print tape. Further, since there is no need to provide an optical detection sensor, cost reduction and space saving can be achieved. Furthermore, since the print tape can be detected at the position of the discharge roller, the minimum tape length of the print tape to be cut can be made approximately the length between the cutting means and the discharge roller. The length can be shortened.

  In this case, the pair of discharge rollers includes a driving roller and a driven roller, and the driven contact that contacts the conductive portion of the driven roller is a pressing mechanism that presses the driven roller against the driving roller. It is preferable to serve as both.

  According to this configuration, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost of the tape printer can be reduced because the driven mechanism also serves as the pressing mechanism. Further, since the structure around the discharging means can be simplified, the assembly around the discharging means can be easily performed.

  In this case, it is preferable that each contact is constituted by a leaf spring in which a portion in contact with each discharge roller is formed in an arc shape.

  According to this configuration, each contact can be reliably brought into contact with each discharge roller with low friction, and the configuration in which the driven roller is pressed against the drive roller can be simplified.

  In this case, when the printing tape is fed by the distance that the leading edge of the printing tape reaches the discharging means by driving the printing / feeding means, and the detection means maintains the “conductive” state, the control means It is preferable to determine that the tape is running abnormally and stop the driving of the printing / feeding means.

  Further, in this case, when the detecting means maintains the “non-conducting” state when the tape piece is fed by the distance that the rear end of the tape piece is separated from the discharging means by driving the discharging means, the control means It is preferable that the tape piece is determined to be abnormal in running and the driving of the discharging means and the cutting means are stopped.

  According to these configurations, when a running abnormality of the printing tape and the tape piece is detected, the printing / feeding means is stopped, so that the worsening of the running abnormality can be suppressed, and the running abnormality can be easily resolved. Can do.

  In these cases, it is preferable that when the control unit determines that the printing tape or the tape piece is running abnormally, the control unit further includes a notification unit that notifies the fact.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to alert the user of the traveling abnormality by notifying the user that there is an abnormality in the running of the printing tape or the tape piece.

  Hereinafter, a tape printer according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This tape printer prints the print tape that is the object to be printed while feeding it, then cuts the printed part of the print tape to obtain a tape piece, that is, creates a label, The tape piece (label) is discharged out of the apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tape printer 1 contains a device main body 2 that performs a printing process on the print tape T, a printing tape T, and an ink ribbon R, and is detachably attached to the device main body 2. The tape cartridge C is provided.

  In the apparatus main body 2, an outer shell is formed by an apparatus case 3, and a keyboard 5 having various keys 4 is disposed on the upper surface of the front half of the apparatus case 3. An opening / closing lid 6 is widely provided on the upper left surface of the rear half of the device case 3, and a lid opening button 8 for opening the opening / closing lid 6 is provided on the front side of the opening / closing lid 6. A rectangular display 9 for displaying an input result from the keyboard 5 and the like is disposed on the upper right side of the rear half of the device case 3.

  When the lid opening button 8 is pressed to open the open / close lid 6, a cartridge mounting portion 10 into which the tape cartridge C is mounted is formed in the inside thereof, and the cartridge mounting portion 10 is drawn out from the tape cartridge C. A thermal head 15 that performs printing by thermal transfer on the printing tape T, and a platen drive shaft 16 that is fitted to a platen roller 38 to be described later and rotates the platen drive shaft 16 are provided upright.

  A tape discharge port 17 is formed on the left side of the device case 3 so as to communicate the cartridge mounting portion 10 with the outside of the device. The full cutter motor 68 is driven inside the device case 3 so as to face the tape discharge port 17. The cutter unit 18 for performing the cutting operation of the printing tape T and the discharging operation of the tape piece Ta after cutting is incorporated. Although details will be described later, the cutter unit 18 incorporates a part of a detection mechanism 140 (detection means) that detects the print tape T (tape piece Ta) that has been printed and fed.

  The tape cartridge C has an outer shell formed by the cartridge case 30, and the printing tape T and the ink ribbon R wound in a roll shape are accommodated in the cartridge case 30, and the platen roller 38 that feeds the printing tape T Is arranged (see FIG. 5). The printing tape T is a so-called adhesive tape with release paper.

  When the tape cartridge C is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 10 and the opening / closing lid 6 is closed, the thermal head 15 rotates and the printing tape T and the ink ribbon R are sandwiched between the thermal head 15 and the platen roller 38. The tape printer 1 is in a print standby state. When the print key on the keyboard 5 is pressed, the thermal head 15 starts to be driven, and the platen is driven by a tape feed mechanism (not shown) including a tape feed motor 210 (see FIG. 3) and a gear train. The drive shaft 16 is rotated. Then, the platen roller 38 rotates to cause the sandwiched printing tape T and ink ribbon R to run side by side, and the thermal head 15 thermally transfers the ink on the ink ribbon R to the printing tape T. That is, printing on the printing tape T is performed by the printing drive by the thermal head 15 and the rotational feed by the platen roller 38, and the printing / feeding means described in the claims is constituted by the thermal head 15 and the platen roller 38. Yes.

  Then, the printing tape T printed and fed by the thermal head 15 and the platen roller 38 subsequently faces the cutter unit 18. Here, the cutter unit 18 cuts the printed portion of the printing tape T to create a tape piece Ta, and the tape piece Ta is forcibly discharged (details will be described later). Although not shown in both figures, a circuit board constituting a control unit 200 (control means) that performs overall control of the apparatus main body 2 is mounted inside the apparatus case 3.

  Next, the control system of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The tape printer 1 operates an operation unit 201 having a keyboard 5 and a display 9, a printing / feeding unit 202 having a tape feed motor 210 and a thermal head 15 for rotating the platen roller 38, and a full cutter 65. Printing is performed by a cutting / discharging unit 203 having a full cutter motor 68 for operating a discharge roller 93 to be described later and a half cutter motor 58 for operating a half cutter 55, a continuity detection circuit 141 (conduction detection unit), and the discharge roller 93. And a detection unit 204 that detects the presence or absence of the tape T and the tape piece Ta. The tape printer 1 also includes a display driver 211 that drives the display 9, a head driver 212 that drives the thermal head 15, a print feed motor driver 213 that drives the tape feed motor 210, a full cutter motor 68, and a half cutter. A drive unit 205 including a cutter motor driver 214 for driving the motor 58 is further provided. And it has the control part 200 which is connected with these each part and controls the tape printer 1 whole.

  The operation unit 201 functions as an interface with the user, such as inputting character information from the keyboard 5 and displaying various information on the display 9. The printing / feeding unit 202 drives the tape feeding motor 210, rotates the platen roller 38 to feed the printing tape T, and drives the thermal head 15 based on the input character information to send the printing tape. Print on T. The cutting / discharging unit 203 drives the full cutter motor 68 and the half cutter motor 58 to perform half cut and full cut on the printing tape T after printing by the half cutter 55 and the full cutter 65, and at the same time, the full cutter motor. The discharge roller 93 is rotated using 68 as a drive source, and the cut print tape T is discharged outside the apparatus. The detection unit 204 detects the presence or absence of the print tape T and outputs the detection result to the control unit 200.

  The control unit 200 includes a CPU 215, a ROM 216, a RAM 217, and an input control device (IOC: Input Output Controller) 218, which are connected to each other via an internal bus 219. The CPU 215 inputs various signals and data from each unit in the tape printer 1 via the IOC 218 in accordance with the control program in the ROM 216. Further, various data in the RAM 217 is processed based on the various signals / data input, and various signal data is output to each unit in the tape printer 1 via the IOC 218. Thereby, for example, based on the detection result of the detection unit 204, the control unit 200 performs control such as execution or stop of printing / feeding processing and cutting processing.

  Here, the cutter unit 18 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The cutter unit 18 includes a full cutter mechanism 50 (cutting means) having a full cutter 65, a half cutter mechanism 51 having a half cutter 55 disposed downstream of the full cutter mechanism 50 in the tape feeding direction, and a downstream side of the half cutter mechanism 51. And a discharge mechanism 52 (discharge means) for forcibly discharging the cut tape piece Ta is incorporated in the cutter frame 53.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the half cutter mechanism 51 cuts only the adhesive tape of the printing tape T, and receives a cutting blade 56 that cuts into the printing tape T by a press-cut method and a cutting blade 56 that has been cut. A half cutter 55 comprising a blade receiving member 57; a half cutter motor 58 as a power source for the half cutter 55; and a half cutter power transmission mechanism 59 for transmitting the power of the half cutter motor 58 to the cutting blade 56. ing. When the half cutter motor 58 is driven, the rotational power is transmitted to the cutting blade 56 via the half cutter power transmission mechanism 59 and applied to the printing tape T facing the cutting blade 56 and the blade receiving member 57. On the other hand, the cutting blade 56 is half-cut. In this half-cut operation, a cutting line in which only the adhesive tape portion is cut is appropriately formed in the vicinity of the front end or the rear end of the tape piece Ta to be cut.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the full cutter mechanism 50 separates the printed portion of the printing tape T, and includes a full cutter 65 having a fixed blade 66 and a movable blade 67, and a full cutter serving as a power source for the full cutter 65. A motor 68 and a full cutter power transmission mechanism 69 that transmits the power of the full cutter motor 68 to the movable blade 67 are provided.

  The full cutter power transmission mechanism 69 includes a worm gear 75 fixed to the motor shaft of the full cutter motor 68, a first worm wheel 76 that meshes with the upper portion of the worm gear 75, and a first gear 77 that is coaxially connected to the first worm wheel 76. The second gear 78 meshes with the first gear 77, and the crank disk 79 meshes with the second gear 78. A crank pin 80 is provided on the end surface of the crank disk 79. The base of the movable blade 67 of the full cutter 65 is engaged with the crank pin 80.

  The full cutter 65 is a scissors type in which a fixed blade 66 and a movable blade 67 are rotatably connected by a support shaft 85. The fixed blade 66 and the movable blade 67 are formed in an “L” shape, and a long hole 86 that engages with the crank pin 80 of the crank disk 79 is provided at the base of the movable blade 67. Then, when the full cutter motor 68 is driven, the crank disk 79 rotates, the movable blade 67 rotates (swings) about the support shaft 85, and cutting into the printing tape T is performed. Is separated (cut).

  As shown in FIG. 6, the discharge mechanism 52 uses the full cutter motor 68 of the full cutter mechanism 50 as a power source and forcibly discharges the cut tape piece Ta. The discharge mechanism 52 includes a discharge power transmission mechanism 90 branched from the full cutter power transmission mechanism 69, a drive roller 91 that is rotationally driven via the discharge power transmission mechanism 90, and a driven roller 92 that is in rolling contact with the drive roller 91. A pair of discharge rollers (grip rollers) 93 and a pair of leaf springs 94 (contacts) that urge the discharge rollers 93 and serve as contacts of a detection mechanism 140 described later are provided. A pair of discharge rollers 93 that are grip rollers are supported by a roller holder 95 together with a pair of leaf springs 94, and the roller holder 95 is fixed to the cutter frame 53.

  The discharge power transmission mechanism 90 meshes with the second worm wheel 100 that meshes with the side portion of the worm gear 75 and is rotatably supported on the cantilever shaft 99 provided upright on the cutter frame 53. A third gear 101 provided integrally at the lower end of the wheel 100, a drive roller rotating gear 102 meshed with the third gear 101, and a coaxially provided at the upper end of the drive roller rotating gear 102, extend in the axial direction. And an existing drive roller rotating shaft 103. Further, a press-fitting hole 104 into which a roller shaft portion 112 of a driving roller 91 described later is press-fitted is formed in the upper end surface of the drive roller rotating shaft 103, and the lower end surface is rotatably supported by the cutter frame 53. A shaft portion 105 is projected.

  The pair of discharge rollers 93 includes a driving roller 91 that receives power from the driving roller rotating shaft 103 and a driven roller 92 that is opposed to the driving roller 91 and configured to freely rotate.

  The drive roller 91 is made of a conductive material such as copper or brass, and is integrally formed of a drive roller main body 110 and a pair of roller shaft portions 112 projecting from both end faces of the drive roller main body 110, respectively. ing. The driving roller main body 110 is provided at the center of the peripheral surface and a pair of abutting roller portions 113 that abut on the driven roller 92 and at both ends of the abutting roller portion 113 and are tapered toward the outside. The boss part 114 is integrally formed. The roller shaft portion 112 is press-fitted and fixed to the drive roller rotation shaft 103 so that the lower side thereof is press-fitted into a press-fit hole 104 provided in the upper portion of the drive roller rotation shaft 103. For this reason, the drive roller 91 and the drive roller rotating shaft 103 rotate integrally. When the full cutter motor 68 is driven, the drive roller 91 rotates via the discharge power transmission mechanism 90 and the full cutter 65 performs a cutting operation via the full cutter power transmission mechanism 69. That is, the drive roller 91 is rotationally driven in conjunction with the cutting operation of the full cutter 65.

  The driven roller 92 is made of a conductive material like the driving roller 91 and has the same form as the driving roller 91. That is, the driven roller 92 protrudes from the driven roller body 111 formed integrally with the contact roller part 113 and the pair of boss parts 114 sandwiching the contact roller part 113, and both end surfaces of the driven roller body 111, respectively. And a pair of roller shaft portions 112.

  The roller holder 95 is provided with a drive roller bearing portion 120 that supports the roller shaft portion 112 on the upper side of the drive roller 91. The drive roller 91 is formed by both the drive roller bearing portion 120 and the cutter frame 53. It is supported and pivotally supported. More specifically, the roller shaft portion 112 of the drive roller 91 is pivotally supported by the drive roller bearing portion 120 of the drive roller 91, and the shaft portion 105 of the drive roller rotating gear 102 is pivotally supported by the cutter frame 53. That is, the driving roller 91, the driving roller rotating shaft 103, and the driving roller rotating gear 102 are supported by the driving roller bearing portion 120 and the cutter frame 53 so as to rotate integrally.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the roller holder 95 includes a pair of driven rollers that support both roller shaft portions 112 of the driven roller 92 so as to be rotatable and slidable in a direction to be in contact with and away from the driving roller 91. A bearing 121 is provided. That is, the shaft support portion of each driven roller bearing 121 is a long hole 115 (see FIG. 7) extending in a direction orthogonal to the tape feeding direction, and printing is performed between the drive roller 91 and the driven roller 92. When the tape T is present, the driven roller 92 moves backward with respect to the driving roller 91, and when there is no printing tape T between the driving roller 91 and the driven roller 92, the driven roller 92 moves forward with respect to the driving roller 91. The driven roller 92 is pivotally supported so as to advance and retreat.

  The roller holder 95 is provided with a pair of spring fixing portions 125 for fixing one end portion (a mounting portion 135 described later) of each leaf spring 94 described later. Are provided behind the rollers 91 and 92 in order to urge the rollers 91 and 92 in the clamping direction. Each spring fixing portion 125 guides the mounting of the plate spring 94 from above and fixes the plate spring 94 in a mounted state, and a stopper portion 127 that regulates the mounting end position of the plate spring 94. The cross section is formed in an “L” shape. The plate spring 94 is fixed to the spring fixing portion 125 by inserting the attachment portion 135 of the plate spring 94 from above using the fixed guide portion 126 as a guide and abutting against the stopper portion 127.

  The pair of leaf springs 94 urges the driving roller 91 and the driven roller 92 in the clamping direction, and includes a driving side leaf spring 130 that urges the driving roller 91 and a driven side leaf spring 131 that urges the driven roller 92. It is configured.

  The drive-side leaf spring 130 is roughly composed of an attachment portion 135 that is an attachment portion to the spring fixing portion 125, an urging portion 136 that urges the drive roller 91, and a slidable contact portion 137 that slidably contacts the peripheral surface of the drive roller 91. It is formed in a V shape. Further, since the sliding contact portion 137 is formed in an arc shape, the driving-side leaf spring 130 can perform sliding contact with the driving roller 91 with low friction, and always properly contacts with the driving roller 91 appropriately. It becomes possible to make it.

  The driven side leaf spring 131 has the same form as the driving side leaf spring 130, and is formed in a substantially V shape by the attachment portion 135, the biasing portion 136, and the sliding contact portion 137. The driven leaf spring 131 urges the driven roller 92 toward the driving roller 91, and resists the urge of the driven leaf spring 131 when the printing tape T enters between the pair of discharge rollers 93. Then, the driven roller 92 moves backward while rotating, and the printing tape T is sandwiched between the driving roller 91 and the driven roller 92. On the other hand, when the tape piece Ta is detached, the driven roller 92 is advanced by the urging of the driven side leaf spring 131 and the driven roller 92 comes into contact with the driving roller 91. The driven-side leaf spring 131 has a biasing force such that when the printing tape T sent by the platen roller 38 enters between the pair of discharge rollers 93, the feeding force is won and the driven roller 92 is appropriately retracted. ing.

  Next, the detection mechanism 140 partially incorporated in the cutter unit 18 will be described. The detection mechanism 140 includes the pair of leaf springs 94 serving as contacts, and a continuity detection circuit 141 having both ends connected to the pair of leaf springs 94. Since the driven side leaf spring 131 serves as both the bias of the driven roller 92 in the discharge mechanism 52 and the contact of the driven roller 92 in the detection mechanism 140, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost of the apparatus can be reduced. Is planned. Further, the structure around the discharge mechanism 52 can be simply configured, and the assembly around the discharge mechanism 52 can be easily performed.

  The continuity detection circuit 141 is incorporated in a circuit board (not shown), and the pair of discharge rollers 93 are energized via a pair of connected leaf springs 94, whereby the conduction / non-conduction state of the pair of discharge rollers 93 is determined. Detected. That is, when the printing tape T is sandwiched between the pair of discharge rollers 93, the continuity detection circuit 141 is in a non-contact state between the pair of discharge rollers 93 and is in a “non-conduction” state between the pair of discharge rollers 93. It detects that there is, and inputs the detection result to the control unit 200. On the other hand, when the printing tape T is not sandwiched between the pair of discharge rollers 93, the pair of discharge rollers 93 are in contact with each other, and it is detected that the pair of discharge rollers 93 is in a “conductive” state. The detection result is input to the control unit 200. The detection mechanism 140 detects the presence or absence of the print tape T and the tape piece Ta in real time from the start of printing to the completion of discharge.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 8, the cutting operation by the full cutter mechanism 50, the discharge operation by the discharge mechanism 52, and the detection operation by the detection mechanism 140 will be described in detail with reference to tape print feed.

  When printing is started by pressing the print key, the thermal head 15 is driven to print while the printing tape T in a stopped state is accelerated and fed by the platen roller 38 to print on the printing tape T. When the printing tape T is fed, the front end of the printing tape T reaches the full cutter 65 and the half cutter 55 and then enters between the pair of discharge rollers 93 in a rotation stopped state. Then, the printing tape T is sandwiched between the pair of discharge rollers 93, the pair of discharge rollers 93 is in a non-contact state, and the continuity detection circuit 141 detects that it is in a “non-conduction” state. That is, the leading end of the printing tape T is detected at the moment when the printing tape T is sandwiched, and thereafter “presence” of the printing tape T is detected. In the embodiment, when the leading end or the trailing end of the printing tape T reaches a predetermined size on the half cutter 55, the printing operation is temporarily stopped and the half cutter 55 is activated.

  When the printing feed is about to end, the platen roller 38 and the thermal head 15 feed the printing tape T while decelerating the printing tape T. After the printing drive is finished, the blank portion is made to face the full cutter 65 and the print feed is finished. When the feed of the print tape T is stopped, the full cutter motor 68 is driven and the print tape T is stopped. In addition to performing a full cut operation, the pair of discharge rollers 93 perform a discharge operation in conjunction with the full cut operation. That is, the printing tape T is cut by the full cutter 65 in a state where the discharging force is applied to the printing tape T by the pair of discharging rollers 93 (the driving roller 91 is idling). At the moment when the printing tape T is cut, the tape piece Ta is discharged toward the outside of the apparatus by the pair of discharge rollers 93.

  Thereafter, when the rear ends of the tape pieces Ta are separated from the pair of discharge rollers 93, the pair of discharge rollers 93 come into contact with each other, and the continuity detection circuit 141 detects that the state is "conductive". At the moment, the rear end of the tape piece Ta is detected, and the absence of the tape piece Ta is detected. And after tape piece Ta is discharged | emitted from the tape discharge port 17, full cut operation | movement is complete | finished.

  On the other hand, in the tape printer 1, when a running abnormality such as tape clogging occurs due to jamming, or when the printing tape T is lost (that is, at the tape end), the detection mechanism 140 detects the above. Using the result, the control unit 200 performs printing / feeding driving, cutting driving, and discharging driving stoppage, and notifies on the display 9 that the printing tape T is running abnormally or a tape end. (Note that it may be notified by voice or vibration). Hereinafter, the detection flow by the detection mechanism 140 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the print key is pressed, printing on the printing tape T is started (S1), and the platen roller 38 prints and feeds the printing tape T. Then, when the platen roller 38 feeds the printing tape T by a predetermined amount, specifically, a distance slightly longer than the distance between the full cutter 65 and the pair of discharge rollers 93 (S2), the control unit 200 Determines the presence or absence of the print tape T based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 140 (S3).

  At this time, when the control unit 200 determines that the print tape T is “present” between the pair of discharge rollers 93, in other words, the front end of the print tape T has passed between the pair of discharge rollers 93, the printing / printing / printing T is performed as it is. The feed driving is continued (S4), and printing / feed driving is performed until the printing process is completed (S5). However, when half-cutting is performed, printing and feeding are continued after the half-cut operation is performed.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the print tape T is “none” between the pair of discharge rollers 93, that is, the leading end of the print tape T does not pass between the pair of discharge rollers 93, the control unit 200 Assuming that there is an abnormality in traveling or a tape end (S6), the printing drive by the thermal head 15 and the feed drive of the platen roller 38 are stopped, and at the same time, a notification screen informing that is displayed on the display 9. (S7). By making this notification, it is possible to alert the user that the print tape T is running abnormal or a tape end. When the user who visually recognizes the notification screen has solved the abnormal running of the print tape T or when a new tape cartridge C is mounted and the print key is pressed again, this triggers the print / feed drive. The printing tape T is restarted (S8), the printing tape T is again fed (S1), and the above-described flow operation is repeated until the printing tape T is detected.

  When the printing process is completed, the cutting and discharging drive is started (S9), the printing tape T after printing is cut by the full cutter 65 (S10), and after being cut by the pair of discharge rollers 93. The tape piece Ta is discharged (S11). When the pair of discharge rollers 93 discharges and feeds the cut tape piece Ta by a predetermined amount, specifically, a distance slightly longer than the distance between the full cutter 65 and the pair of discharge rollers 93 (S12). ), The control unit 200 determines the presence or absence of the tape piece Ta based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 140 (S13).

  At this time, when the control unit 200 determines that there is no tape piece Ta between the pair of discharge rollers 93, in other words, the rear end of the tape piece Ta has passed between the pair of discharge rollers 93, the discharge operation is completed.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is a tape piece Ta between the pair of discharge rollers 93, that is, the rear end of the tape piece Ta does not pass between the pair of discharge rollers 93, the control unit 200 moves the tape piece Ta. If there is an abnormality (S14), the drive of the full cutter motor 68 is stopped, the cutting drive and the discharge drive are stopped, and at the same time, a notification screen informing that is displayed on the display 9 (S15). This notification alerts the user that the tape piece Ta is running abnormally, that is, the cutting failure by the full cutter 65 or the discharge failure due to the slip of the discharge roller 93, as in the above case. Can do. When the user eliminates the running abnormality of the tape piece Ta and the predetermined key is pressed again, the full cutter motor 68 is re-driven (S16) as a trigger and the tape piece Ta is discharged by the discharge mechanism 52. Then, the above flow operation is repeated until the tape piece Ta is no longer detected.

  As described above, when the running abnormality of the printing tape T and the tape piece Ta occurs, the various driving operations are stopped by the control unit 200, so that the progression of the running abnormality can be suppressed and the running abnormality can be eliminated. Can be easily.

  According to the above configuration, since the presence / absence of the printing tape T can be detected by detecting the conduction / non-conduction state of the pair of discharge rollers 93, various kinds of types can be used regardless of the type of the printing tape T. It becomes possible to detect the printing tape T. Further, since the printing tape T can be detected at the position of the discharge roller 93, the minimum tape length of the printing tape T can be shortened. In addition, since no optical detection sensor is used, cost reduction and space saving can be achieved. In this embodiment, the driven leaf spring 131 serves as both the contact of the detection mechanism 140 and the urging force of the driven roller 92 of the discharge mechanism 52. However, the driven leaf spring 131 may be formed of separate members. In addition, although the drive roller 91 and the driven roller 92 are entirely made of a conductive material, at least the outer peripheral surface of the contact roller portion 113 of each of the rollers 91 and 92 only needs to be made of a conductive material.

It is an external appearance perspective view of the tape printer of a closed state concerning this embodiment. It is an external appearance perspective view of the tape printer of the open state concerning this embodiment. It is a control block diagram of a tape printer. It is a top view of a cutter unit. It is a figure around the conveyance path of a printing tape. (A) is a top view around the full cutter mechanism and the discharge mechanism, and (b) is a side view around the full cutter mechanism and the discharge mechanism. It is a figure around a pair of discharge rollers. It is a figure of the sensor operation | movement sequence of a detection mechanism. It is a figure of the detection flow of a detection mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Tape printer 50 ... Full cutter mechanism 52 ... Discharge mechanism 91 ... Drive roller 92 ... Drive roller 93 ... Discharge roller 94 ... Leaf spring 130 ... Drive side leaf spring 131 ... Drive side leaf spring 140 ... Detection mechanism 141 ... Conduction detection circuit 200 ... Control unit T ... Print tape Ta ... Tape piece

Claims (7)

A printing / feeding means for printing while feeding a printing tape;
A cutting means located on the downstream side in the tape feeding direction of the printing / feeding means, and cutting the printed portion of the printing tape into a tape piece;
A discharge means that is located downstream of the cutting means in the tape feed direction and forcibly discharges the tape piece to the outside of the apparatus;
Detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the printing tape before cutting facing the discharging means and the tape piece after cutting;
Control means for controlling the driving of the printing / feeding means, the cutting means and the discharging means based on the detection result of the detecting means,
The discharge means includes a pair of discharge rollers that at least have an outer peripheral surface made of a conductive material and that rotationally feeds the tape piece in a sandwiched state, and a pressing mechanism that relatively presses the pair of discharge rollers in the sandwiching direction. And having
The detection means includes a pair of contacts that contact a conductive portion of each discharge roller, a conduction detection unit that is connected to the pair of contacts and detects a conduction / non-conduction state between the pair of discharge rollers; A tape printer characterized by comprising: The pair of discharge rollers includes a driving roller and a driven roller,
The driven contact that contacts the conductive portion of the driven roller of the pair of contacts also serves as a pressing mechanism that presses the driven roller against the drive roller. Tape printer.   3. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each contact is configured by a leaf spring in which a portion in contact with each discharge roller is formed in an arc shape. 4.   When the printing tape is fed by the distance that the leading end of the printing tape reaches the discharge means by driving the printing / feeding means, the control means maintains the “conduction” state. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tape printing apparatus determines that the printing tape is running abnormally and stops driving the printing / feeding unit.   5. The tape printer according to claim 4, further comprising a notifying unit for notifying that when the control unit determines that the printing tape is abnormal in running.   When the tape is fed by the distance at which the rear end of the tape piece is separated from the discharge means by driving the discharge means, the control means maintains the “non-conducting” state when the detection means maintains the “non-conduction” state. 6. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means determines that the tape piece is running abnormally, and stops driving of the discharging means and driving of the cutting means.   The tape printing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a notifying unit that notifies that when the control unit determines that the tape piece is abnormal in running.

Images