JP2008207848A - Strip winding device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a strip winding device for dispensing synchronization between strip supply speed of a feed roller of a supply means and strip supply speed of a platen roller of a printing means during printing of the printing means in the strip winding device in which the strip is looped around the periphery of a commodity and the strip is wound around the commodity so that the strip is pulled in by fixing the pointed head of the strip and an overlapping section between the pointed head and a following section of the strip is combined and cut off. <P>SOLUTION: The strip winding device 1 comprises a supply section 30 for supplying a film F to a mounting table 1B by letting out the film F from a roll R so that a pair of feed rollers 31 and 32 are brought into contact with each other and are driven on supply routes a to a of the film F while the pair of rollers sandwich the film F, and a printing section 20 for printing on the film F so that a thermal head 21 and platen roller 22 are brought into contact with each other and are driven while the thermal head 21 and platen roller 22 sandwich the film F. The platen roller 22 can freely rotate, and the feed rollers 31 and 32 are brought into contact with each other and are driven during printing and non-printing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a band winding device that winds and tightens a band made of resin or paper around an article, and belongs to the technical field of article packaging.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, products with a lid such as a lunch box sold at a convenience store or the like are wound and tightened with a band such as a resin film so that the lid is not removed. A band winding device that winds a band around an article in this manner is well known. Generally, a band winding device includes a table on which an article is placed, and an arch-like shape that is erected on the upper surface of the table so as to surround the article. And a guide. Then, a band is supplied from one side of the table, and the band passes along the inner peripheral surface of the guide after passing under the article placed on the table through a concave groove formed on the upper surface of the table. Supply the belt by forming a loop that loops around the article in an annular shape, with the front end of the belt again entering the concave groove on the table top surface from above and overlapping on the subsequent part of the belt. Stops. Next, after the front end portion of the belt body is gripped and fixed, the belt body is pulled back in the direction opposite to that at the time of supply, so that the belt body is reduced in diameter away from the guide and wound around the outer peripheral surface of the article. It can be tightened. Then, the overlapped portion of the front end portion and the subsequent portion of the band body is bonded by, for example, welding, and the band body is cut in the vicinity of the subsequent side from the bonded portion to complete the band winding (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  By the way, in the band winding device, as a supply means for supplying the band body, it is provided between the supply source of the band body and the article mounting portion, and a pair of feed rollers are in contact with each other with the band body interposed therebetween and driven. Thus, there is one that feeds the band from the supply source of the band and supplies it to the article mounting portion. Also, in the band winding device, the product name or barcode of the article may be printed on the band. In this case, the printing unit is provided on the supply path of the band by the supply unit, and the thermal head and the platen are printed. There are some which print on the belt by contacting and driving with the roller across the belt. When such a supply unit and a printing unit are provided in the band winding device at the same time, during the printing of the printing unit, the band supply speed of the feed roller of the supply unit and the band supply rate of the platen roller of the printing unit Must be synchronized or adjusted, and if this is not successful, the drive of the feed roller of the supply means adversely affects the printing of the printing means, and printing defects may occur. In view of this, it has been proposed to separate the pair of feed rollers and stop the supply of the belt by the feed rollers during printing by the printing means (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2006-168793 (paragraphs 0015 to 0016, FIG. 1) JP 2006-151472 (paragraph 0025)

  However, in the conventional band winding device, the pair of feed rollers are separated from each other during printing by the printing unit, and the supply of the band body by the feed rollers is stopped, which may cause the following problems.

  First, since the pair of feed rollers are in contact with each other with the band interposed therebetween (during non-printing) or separated (during printing), there is a possibility that the supply path of the band is moved and moved each time. May adversely affect printing. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the belt supply path from being shaken and moved even when the feed roller is separated during printing by the printing means.

  In addition, as described above, when the printing unit is a thermal printer that has a thermal head and a platen roller that are in contact with each other with a belt interposed therebetween and performs printing by heat, generally, during printing, For feeding the belt, the thermal head and the platen roller are strongly pressed against each other with the belt sandwiched therebetween. In such a state, when the supply means is provided downstream of the printing means on the supply path of the band and the feed roller of the supply means is separated, the band passing through the thermal head of the printing means is fed to the feed roller. As a result, there is a possibility that the belt member that has passed through the thermal head is caught on the platen roller while being attached to the platen roller.

  Similarly, as described above, when the printing unit is a thermal transfer printer having a thermal head and a platen roller that are in contact with each other with a belt interposed therebetween, and further using an ink ribbon, generally, during printing, for printing. In order to feed the belt, the thermal head and the platen roller are strongly pressed against each other with the belt and the ink ribbon interposed therebetween. In such a state, when the supply means is provided downstream of the printing means on the supply path of the band and the feed roller of the supply means is separated, the band passing through the thermal head of the printing means is fed to the feed roller. As a result, there is a possibility that the belt that has passed through the thermal head is wound on the take-up roller of the ribbon while adhering to the ink ribbon.

  The present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems in the conventional band winding device. The printing belt is fed with the belt feeding speed of the feeding roller of the feeding means and the belt feeding speed of the platen roller of the printing means. The main problem is to solve the above-mentioned problems while eliminating the need for synchronization and adjustment.

  That is, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application claims that the belt body is looped around the article, and the belt body is wound around the article by fixing the front end of the belt body and pulling the belt body. , A band winding device for joining and cutting the overlapping portion of the front end portion and the subsequent portion of the band body, and a pair of feed rollers sandwich the band body between the supply source of the band body and the article mounting portion Is provided with supply means for feeding the belt body from the supply source of the belt body and supplying it to the article placement section by the drive of the belt, and the thermal head and the platen roller on the belt supply path by the supply means Is provided with printing means for printing on the belt body, and the platen roller of the printing means is rotatable, and during printing and non-printing of the printing means. A pair of feed rollers of the supply means Characterized in that it has a control means for driving Te.

  Next, the invention according to claim 2 is the band winding device according to claim 1, wherein the supply means is provided downstream of the printing means on the supply path of the band. Features.

  Next, the invention according to claim 3 is the band winding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the thermal head and the platen roller of the printing means are detachable from each other, and the control means is The thermal head and the platen roller are brought into contact with each other during printing by the printing unit, and the thermal head and the platen roller are separated from each other while the printing unit is not printing.

  Next, a fourth aspect of the present invention is the band winding device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the printing means is of a thermal transfer type using an ink ribbon.

  Next, the invention according to claim 5 is the band winding device according to claim 4, wherein the printing unit includes a traveling unit that causes the ink ribbon to travel, and the control unit includes the printing unit. The traveling means is controlled so that the ink ribbon travels during printing and the ink ribbon stops traveling while the printing means is not printing.

  Next, the invention according to claim 6 is the band winding device according to claim 5, wherein the control means causes the ink ribbon to run backward by a predetermined length while the printing means is not printing. The travel means is controlled.

  According to the invention described in claim 1, the belt is looped around the article, and the belt body is wound around the article by fixing the belt body and pulling the belt body. In the band winding device that joins and cuts the overlapping portion with the subsequent portion, the band is fed from the band supply source and supplied to the article placement section between the band supply source and the article placement section. And supplying means for printing on the band on the supply path of the band by the supply means. In this case, the supply means has a pair of feed rollers in contact with each other with the band interposed therebetween. The belt is supplied by driving, and the printing means performs printing by driving the thermal head and the platen roller in contact with each other with the belt sandwiched therebetween, and the platen roller Rotating freely, during printing and non-printing of the printing means, front Since the pair of feed rollers of the supply means are brought into contact with each other and driven, as a result, only the feed roller of the supply means always supplies the belt during printing or non-printing of the printing means, and the printing means The platen roller is not driven by itself and is only driven as the belt travels even during printing.

  Therefore, first, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for driving the platen roller of the printing means, and the belt supply speed of the feed roller and the belt supply speed of the platen roller are synchronized or adjusted during printing of the printing means. There is no need to do.

  In addition, since the pair of feed rollers do not contact or separate with the band interposed, the supply path of the band does not move and moves each time printing and non-printing are switched, which adversely affects printing. No printing failure occurs.

  Next, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the supply means is provided downstream of the printing means on the supply path of the belt body, the printing means includes a thermal head and a platen roller that are in contact with each other with the belt body interposed therebetween. In the case of a thermal printer that prints by heat, even if the thermal head and platen roller are strongly pressed against each other while printing, the belt that has passed through the thermal head of the printing means is fed. As a result, the belt is pulled by the roller, and as a result, the problem that the belt that has passed through the thermal head is wound around the roller while being attached to the platen roller is suppressed.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the thermal head of the printing unit and the platen roller can be brought into contact with and separated from each other, and during the printing of the printing unit, the thermal head and the platen roller are brought into contact with each other. Since the thermal head and the platen roller are separated from each other during non-printing, the belt is sandwiched between the thermal head and the platen roller when supplying the belt with the supply means during non-printing. Thus, the problem that the vehicle cannot run well is solved, and the belt is smoothly and satisfactorily supplied at high speed by the supply means.

  Next, according to the invention described in claim 4, since the printing means is of a thermal transfer type using an ink ribbon, the printing means has a thermal head and a platen roller that are in contact with each other with the belt interposed therebetween, and In the case of a thermal transfer printer using an ink ribbon, even if the thermal head and the platen roller are strongly pressed against each other with the ribbon and the ink ribbon sandwiched during printing, the belt passing through the thermal head of the printing means is As a result, it is pulled down, and as a result, the problem that the belt that has passed through the thermal head is wound on the take-up roller of the ribbon while adhering to the ink ribbon is suppressed.

  Next, according to the invention described in claim 5, the printing means is provided with running means for running the ink ribbon. The running means is controlled so that the ink ribbon runs during printing of the printing means, and the printing means Since the ink ribbon is stopped during non-printing, the ink ribbon is not consumed during non-printing, and as a result, the consumption amount of the ink ribbon is reliably reduced.

  Next, according to the invention described in claim 6, since the running means is controlled so that the ink ribbon runs backward by a predetermined length while the printing means is not printing, printing and printing are performed on the ink ribbon. As a result, the consumption of the ink ribbon is more reliably reduced. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail through the best embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an internal structure of a band winding device 1 according to the best embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front side. The band winding device 1 has a shape in which a box-shaped main body 1A and a mounting table 1B having a height lower than that of the main body 1A are integrally connected sideways. An arch-shaped film guide 1C is erected on the upper surface 2 of the mounting table 1B.

  A concave groove 3 extending left and right is formed on the upper surface 2 of the mounting table 1B. A sealing plate 6 is disposed at a position slightly closer to the main body 1 </ b> A of the concave groove 3. The article X to be wound is placed on the upper surface 2 of the placement table 1B so as to straddle the concave groove 3 on the seal plate 6.

  The film guide 1C has a rail member 5 that is smoothly curved in a “C” shape when viewed from the front so as to surround the article X placed on the placement table 1B. The rail member 5 is sandwiched between a pair of side plates 9 on the front side and the back side (FIG. 1 shows only the side plate on the back side). Each side plate 9 is provided with a window 9a for placing the article X on the placement table 1B and picking it up from the placement table 1B, whereby the film guide 1C has an arch shape. The lower end portion of the side plate 9 contacts the upper surface 2 of the mounting table 1B, and the left end portion of the side plate 9 contacts the right side surface of the main body 1A. In this state, the lower portion of the rail member 5 enters the concave groove 3. The left part of the rail member 5 enters the main body 1A. A lower right portion 4 continuing to the right portion of the rail member 5 provides a bottom surface of the groove 3 and extends horizontally from side to side at the same height as a support plate 7 (described later) provided in the main body 1A. . A lower left portion continuing to the left portion of the rail member 5 extends horizontally right and left immediately above the support plate 7.

  The band winding device 1 includes a film roll support unit 10 that supports a roll R of a film F that is a band, and a printing unit 20 that performs printing on the film F fed from the film roll R. , A film supply unit 30 for supplying the film F to the mounting table 1B side or returning it from the mounting table 1B side, and a label applying unit 40 for applying a label to the film F. Inside, there is provided a seal cut unit 50 for fixing, heat-sealing and cutting a superposed portion of the leading end portion and the subsequent portion of the film F forming a loop around the article X placed on the placement table 1B. Yes. The seal cut unit 50 is located in a space between the support plate 7 and the lower right portion 4 of the rail member 5 just below the seal contact plate 6.

  The supply path (arrow a ... a) of the film F from the film roll R toward the mounting table 1B will be described. The film F fed out from the film roll R is, as indicated by an arrow a ... a, between the dancer roller 8a, the guide roller 8b, the guide plate 8c, the thermal head 21 of the printing unit 20 and the platen roller 22, and the film supply unit 30. Between the pair of feed rollers 31 and 32, the guide roller 8 d, and the press roller 8 e and the support plate 7. The position immediately after passing through the pressing roller 8e is the origin position A of the film F. The film F further proceeds horizontally on the upper surface of the support plate 7 in the right direction, directly below the peeling bar 41 of the sticking portion 40, below the label pressing roller 8f, the article X placed on the placement table 1B, And it passes through the seal cut unit 50 and reaches the bottom surface (the top surface of the lower right portion 4 of the rail member 5) of the concave groove 3 of the mounting table 1B.

  The film F further proceeds in the right direction horizontally on the bottom surface of the groove 3, and then passes along the inner peripheral surface of the rail member 5 while smoothly curving the space from the right side to the upper side of the article X, It again enters the concave groove 3 of the mounting table 1B from above and overlaps with the subsequent portion of the film F passing over the support plate 7. And in this state, it progresses to the right in the horizontal direction, and stops when the leading end of the film F comes into contact with the stopper 6 a provided on the lower surface of the seal pad 6. The standby position B is the position where the leading end of the film F comes into contact with the stopper 6a and stops. Here, a loop in which the film F surrounds the article X in an annular shape is completed.

  In the supply path a ... a of the film F described above, between the film roll R that is the supply source of the film F and the placement table 1B on which the article X is placed, from the upstream side (film roll R side), the film A printing unit 20 that prints on F, a film supply unit 30 that supplies the film F to the mounting table 1B, and a label application unit 40 that applies a label L to the film F are arranged in this order.

  In the present embodiment, the article X placed on the placement table 1B is a tray with a lid such as a lunch box sold at a convenience store, for example. As shown in FIG. 2 (the arrow in the figure indicates the direction in which the article X shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 is viewed), the film F is wound around the outer peripheral surface by the band winding device 1. Tightened. In that case, a printing area in which printing is performed by the printing unit 20 is set on the film F.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (the arrow a in the figure indicates the direction in which the film F is unwound from the roll R), the film F wound around each article X has a front seal region, printing from the unwinding side. An area, a non-printing area, and a rear seal area are provided in this order. The front seal region is a portion constituting the leading end portion of the film F at the time of feeding from the roll R, and the rear seal region is a portion constituting the subsequent portion of the film F at the time of feeding from the roll R. . In that case, the succeeding rear seal region is superposed on the front seal region at the front end and heat sealed by the seal cut unit 50 (see FIG. 4). The print area is a portion where a barcode, product description, product mark, or the like is displayed. The print area is registered in advance in a print format master shown in FIG. In that case, opaque labels L and L are pasted from the back surface to the barcode portion and the product mark portion by the label pasting portion 40 (see FIG. 4). This is because the film F is made of a transparent resin, and the color of the surface of the article X (tray with lid) is similar to the color of the ink to be printed, or the article X is also made of a transparent resin. If the color of the product is similar to the color of the ink to be printed, it is difficult for the purchaser to visually recognize the product mark or the like, and it becomes difficult for the seller to read the barcode or the like with the scanner. Is attached to the back surface of the film F to ensure the visibility of the product mark and the like and the reading of the barcode and the like. Even in the print area, there is a non-printing portion where nothing is printed.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in an enlarged manner, in the present embodiment, the printing unit 20 employs a thermal printer that performs printing by heat, and in particular, a thermal transfer printer that uses the ink ribbon I. That is, the printing unit 20 includes a thermal head 21, a platen roller 22 disposed on the opposite side of the thermal head 21 with the film F interposed therebetween, and an ink ribbon that runs between the thermal head 21 and the film F. I feeding roller 23 and winding roller 24 are included. The thermal head 21, the feeding roller 23, and the take-up roller 24 are supported by the printing unit frame 20a, and the platen roller 22 is rotatably supported on the main body 1A side. The thermal head 21 is swingable about a fulcrum 21a provided on the printing unit frame 20a. When an electromagnetic solenoid (not shown) is turned on during printing, a platen roller as shown by an arrow b in FIG. When the electromagnetic solenoid is turned off at the time of non-printing by being pressed against the plate 22 with a predetermined pressure, the platen roller 22 is separated as indicated by an arrow c in FIG. That is, the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 can be brought into contact with and separated from each other. During printing in which the thermal head 21 is pressed against the platen roller 22 (FIG. 5), the ink ribbon I is continuously wound around the winding roller 24 as indicated by an arrow o.

  As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 7, the film supply unit 30 includes a pair of feed rollers 31 and 32 arranged with the film F interposed therebetween. The relatively large-diameter upper feed roller 31 is made of metal and is on the drive side, and rotates in the direction of arrow d to supply the film F to the mounting table 1B and rotate in the direction of arrow e. By doing so, the film F is pulled back from the mounting table 1B side. The lower-side feed roller 32 having a relatively small diameter is made of rubber or resin, and is supported by one end of a bracket 33 that is swingable around a fulcrum 33a provided on the main body 1A side. Yes. The other end of the bracket 33 is connected via a return spring 34 to an arm member 35 that can swing around a fulcrum 35a provided on the main body 1A side. The arm member 35 is swung by a predetermined angle in both forward and reverse directions by a stepping motor 36. As a result, the pressing force of the receiving side feed roller 32 against the driving side feed roller 31 is adjusted by the stepping motor 36. That is, as the stepping motor 36 rotates in the direction of arrow f and the arm member 35 swings in the direction of arrow h, the return spring 34 is extended, and the pressure between the feed rollers 31 and 32 increases. Conversely, as the stepping motor 36 rotates in the direction of the arrow g and the arm member 35 swings in the direction of the arrow i, the return spring 34 is returned and the pressure between the feed rollers 31 and 32 decreases. As the pressing force between the feed rollers 31 and 32 increases, the grip force of the film F by the feed rollers 31 and 32 increases, and the film F can be supplied stably and at high speed. Further, it is possible to increase the tightening force (registered in advance in the film master of FIG. 10C) when the film F is pulled back from the placement table 1B.

  As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 8, the label sticking portion 40 includes a peeling bar 41 disposed immediately above the film F traveling on the upper surface of the support plate 7, and the label L after the peeling bar 41 peels off the label L. A label in which a pair of sheet conveying rollers 42 and 42 arranged with the label mount sheet S interposed therebetween and a large number of labels L... L (only one label being peeled is shown in the figure) are arranged in parallel. It includes a feed-out side roller 43 (see FIG. 1) of the mount sheet S and a take-up side roller 44 (see FIG. 1). The label mount sheet S is bent at a steep angle by the guide rollers 45 and 45 and the peeling bar 41, whereby the label L is peeled from the label mount sheet S and the surface on the film F printed by the printing unit 20 (front Surface: The label L is affixed to the surface (back surface: upper surface of the film F in this embodiment) opposite to the lower surface of the film F in this embodiment. The film F to which the label L is attached immediately passes between the support plate 7 and the label pressing roller 8f, so that the label L is reliably attached.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the band winding device 1 is equipped with a control unit 100 that comprehensively manages the band winding operation of the article X by the film F. The control unit 100 inputs various operation signals from the operation panel 101 and detection signals from the article placement sensor 102 that detects that the article X is placed on the placement table 1B. In addition to this, an origin position sensor that detects that the leading end of the film F has returned to the origin position A, a standby position sensor that detects that the leading end of the film F has reached the standby position B, and the like may be provided. Good. However, in this embodiment, the positions A and B are detected by the supply amount of the film F (registered in advance in the film master in FIG. 10C). That is, the leading end of the film F is at the origin position A when the supply amount of the film F is zero, and the leading end of the film F is at the standby position B when the supply amount of the film F is a value registered in the film master. And

  On the other hand, the control unit 100 swings the drive motor 111 that rotates the film roll R in the directions of arrows m and n (see FIG. 1) and the thermal head 21 in the directions of arrows b and c (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The solenoid 112, the drive motor 113 that moves the ink ribbon I in the directions of arrows o and q (see FIGS. 5 and 6), and the reverse drive, and the drive-side feed roller 31 are rotationally driven in the directions of arrows d and e (see FIG. 7). A feed roller drive motor 114; a stepping motor 36 that swings the receiving-side feed roller 32 in the directions of arrows h and i (see FIG. 7); a drive motor 115 that winds the label mount sheet S in the direction of arrow p (see FIG. 1); An actuator 116 for operating the seal cut unit 50 (the operation of the seal cut unit 50 will be described later with reference to FIG. 13), Outputs various control signals to the actuator 117 or the like for retracting the Le caul 6 is advanced in the groove 3 and the grooves within 3. In the winding device 1, the platen roller 22 of the printing unit 20 is driven to rotate without being driven even during printing. For example, a platen roller driving motor is not provided.

  Various tables as illustrated in FIGS. 10A to 10D are stored in a memory (not shown) of the control unit 100. In the merchandise master of FIG. 10A, various data such as a merchandise name, an amount of money, a print format number, a film number, and a tray number are registered in advance using a merchandise code as a key. In the print format master of FIG. 10B, various data such as a print area (see FIG. 3), barcode coordinates, product description coordinates, product mark coordinates, etc. are registered in advance using the print format number as a key. In the film master of FIG. 10C, the film number is used as a key, the tightening force when the film F is pulled back (set based on the strength of the tray), and the seal of the overlapped portion of the film F by the seal cut unit 50 Various data such as the force, the supply amount from the origin position A to the standby position B of the film F, and the label position when the label L is applied to the film F are registered in advance. In the tray master of FIG. 10D, various data such as the width, height, and length of the tray are registered in advance using the tray number as a key.

  For example, when the product code “001” (scallop lunch) is designated, the print format number “P01” is read from the product master, and this is used as a key from the print format master to the film F for “scallop lunch”. The print area, bar code coordinates, product description coordinates, and product mark coordinates are read out, and printing on the film F as shown in FIG. 3 is performed based on these data.

  Similarly, when the product code “001” (scallop lunch) is designated, the film number “F01” is read from the product master, and using this as a key, the film F tightening force for “scallop lunch” from the film master. (That is, the pressing force between the feed rollers 31 and 32), the sealing force of the overlapping portion of the film F (heat and pressure applied to the overlapping portion of the film F by the heat sealer 53 of the seal cut unit 50: described later in FIG. 13), the origin position The supply amount of the film F from A to the standby position B, the presence / absence of the label L application, and the application position of the label L to the film F when the label L is applied are read out. The winding of the article X with the film F as shown and the supply of the film F as shown in FIG. 1 are performed.

  Similarly, when the product code “001” (scallop lunch) is designated, the tray number “T10” is read from the product master, and the tray width and height for “scallop lunch” from the tray master are read as keys. The length is read out, and the article X on the placement table 1B is detected by the article placement sensor 102 based on these data.

  Hereinafter, a specific example of the band winding operation of the article X by the band winding apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, a product as an article X is called by operating the operation panel 101 (step S11). At this time, the leading end of the film F is at the origin position A. Next, the pressing pressure between the feed rollers 31 and 32 is increased by the stepping motor 36 (step S12). Next, the feed rollers 31 and 32 are driven in the direction of the arrow d, and the ink ribbon I is wound in the direction of the arrow o and travels (step S13). Thereby, the film F begins to move to the downstream side (the mounting table 1B side) along the supply path a... A (start of supply of the film F).

  Next, the thermal head 21 comes into contact with the platen roller 22 and printing is started in the printing unit 20 (step S14). On the other hand, in the label sticking part 40, the label L is stuck on the back surface of the film F (step S15). When printing is completed at the printing unit 20, the thermal head 21 is separated from the platen roller 22 (step S16). Also, the winding operation of the ink ribbon I stops (step S17).

  Here, with reference to FIG. 12, the subroutine for the printing control in step S14 will be described. During printing, that is, during the period when the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 of the printing unit 20 pass the printing area of FIG. 3, the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 are in contact with each other as shown in FIG. In principle, I is continuously wound in the direction of arrow o by the drive motor 113. However, even during printing, that is, during the period when the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 of the printing unit 20 are passing through the printing region of FIG. 3, the non-printing portion (see FIG. 3) is passed. At this time, the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 are separated as shown in FIG. 6, and the winding operation of the ink ribbon I is stopped (step S31: this is also included during non-printing).

  Next, the ink ribbon I is rewound by a predetermined length in the direction of the arrow q by the drive motor 113 while the thermal head 21 is separated (during non-printing), that is, runs backward (step S32). Then, when the thermal head 21 is next brought into contact with the platen roller 22, (i) the ink ribbon I is used from the beginning of the unused portion, and (ii) the ink ribbon I is at the same speed as the film F. The ink ribbon drive motor 113 is controlled so that the vehicle travels at step S33.

  Returning to FIG. 11, the drive speed of the feed rollers 31, 32 is then increased (step S18). That is, the film F on which printing and labeling have been completed is supplied to the placement table 1B (article X) side at a high speed. Then, if the film F is supplied only by the supply amount (see the film master in FIG. 10C: the distance from the origin position A to the standby position B along the supply path a... A), the feed rollers 31 and 32 are stopped. (Step S19). That is, the supply of the film F is stopped. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 1, the leading end of the film F reaches the standby position B. That is, the front end portion of the film F comes into contact with the stopper 6 a provided on the lower surface of the seal pad 6 immediately above the seal cut unit 50 and stops. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, the film F is wound around the article X on the placement table 1B with a predetermined space with a margin, thereby forming a loop.

  Next, the film F is pulled back. That is, first, the pressing pressure between the feed rollers 31 and 32 is adjusted according to the tightening force (registered in the film master in FIG. 10C) by operating the stepping motor 36 (step). S20). Then, after the article placement sensor 102 confirms that the article X is placed on the table 1B, the film F starts to be pulled back and tightened (step S21). That is, first, the seal cut unit 50 is raised to fix the front end of the film F between the seal contact plate 6 and the presser plate 51 (see FIG. 13B) as will be described later. Then, the feed rollers 31 and 32 and the film roll R are driven in reverse (step S22). At this time, in step S20, the pressing pressure between the feed rollers 31 and 32 is adjusted according to the tightening force (registered in the film master in FIG. 10C) input in advance for each product X. Therefore, the product X is simply tightened in the predetermined direction suitable for the strength of the product (registered in the tray master of FIG. 10D) by the film F simply by driving the feed rollers 31 and 32 in the reverse direction. It will be tightened by force. Here, the film F is reduced in diameter from the inner peripheral surface of the rail member 5 of the film guide 1C, wound around the outer peripheral surface of the article X, and tightened, and the winding of the article X by the film F is achieved.

  Next, the seal cut unit 50 is operated to heat-seal and cut the overlap portion between the leading end portion and the subsequent portion of the film F (step S23). That is, as shown in FIG. 13, the seal cut unit 50 includes a presser plate (also used as a fixed blade) 51, a cutter (movable blade) 52, a heat sealer 53, and a second presser plate 54 in order from the left in the drawing. Yes. These are independently operated by the actuator 116. The seal cut unit 50 is located directly below the seal pad 6 and from below the lower surface (standby position) of the seal pad 6 through a space between the support plate 7 and the lower right portion 4 of the rail member 5. A stopper 6a for defining B is provided).

  First, FIG. 13A shows a state before the film F is tightened. The film F passing through the bottom surface of the groove 3 from the support plate 7 passes through a slit 51 a formed in the upper part of the presser plate 51. In FIG. 13 (b), the presser plate 51 is raised and the front end portion of the film F is fixed between the seal contact plate 6 and the presser plate 51 (step S22). In this state, the film F is tightened. Next, in FIG. 13C, the second presser plate 54 is raised and the subsequent portion of the film F is pressed against the leading end of the film F and fixed between the sealing plate 6 and the second presser plate 54. To do. In FIG. 13D, the movable blade 52 and the heat sealer 53 are integrally raised, and the movable blade 52 first cuts the film F, and then the heat sealer 53 heat-bonds and joins the overlapping portions. The leading end of the cut film F on the succeeding side returns to the origin position A. Then, in FIG. 13E, the entire seal cut unit 50 is lowered and returns to the initial state (step S24).

  Next, the sealing plate 6 is retracted from the concave groove 3 (step S25). As a result, the heat seal portion (bonding portion) of the film F wound around the article X arrives at the bottom surface of the article X, and the article X that has been band-wrapped can be picked up from the mounting table 1B (FIG. 13). (See (e)). Then, the seal abutting plate 6 advances again into the concave groove 3 (step S25).

  Next, when the leading end of the subsequent portion of the film F cut in step S23 returns to the origin position A, the reverse rotation driving of the feed rollers 31, 32 and the film roll R is stopped (step S26). Then, the pressing pressure of the feed rollers 31 and 32 is reset to a predetermined initial value (step S27), and the process ends.

  In FIG. 11, steps S14 to S16 are periods during printing. During printing, the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 of the printing unit 20 pass through the printing area of FIG. On the other hand, in FIG. 11, steps S11 to S13 and steps S17 to S27 are non-printing periods. During this non-printing period, the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 of the printing unit 20 are in the non-printing region and the front and rear of FIG. It passes through the seal area. Further, as described above with reference to FIG. 12, even during printing in steps S14 to S16, when the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 pass through the non-printing portion shown in FIG. include.

  As described above, the band winding device 1 according to the present embodiment loops the film F by pulling the film F with the film F looped around the article X (see FIG. 1), the front end of the film F being fixed. It winds around the article X, and joins and cuts the overlapping portion between the leading end portion and the subsequent portion of the film F (see FIG. 4). This band winding device 1 includes a film supply unit 30 (see FIG. 1) between a film roll R, which is a supply source of the film F, and a mounting table 1B on which an article X is mounted (see FIG. 1). The film F is fed out from the film roll R and supplied to the mounting table 1B side. In this case, the film supply unit 30 is configured to supply the film F by a pair of feed rollers 31 and 32 being in contact with each other with the film F interposed therebetween (see FIG. 7). In addition, the band winding device 1 includes a printing unit 20 on the supply path a of the film F by the film supply unit 30 (see FIG. 1), and the printing unit 20 is fed out from the film roll R. Print on film F. In this case, the printing unit 20 is configured to print on the film F when the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 are in contact with each other with the film F interposed therebetween (see FIG. 5).

  Further, in the band winding device 1, the platen roller 22 of the printing unit 20 is rotatable, and the pair of feed rollers 31 and 32 of the film supply unit 30 is during printing and non-printing of the printing unit 20. (The feed rollers 31 and 32 are not separated even if the pressure between the feed rollers 31 and 32 is increased or decreased through steps S11 to S27 in FIG. 11). As a result, only the feed rollers 31 and 32 of the film supply unit 30 always supply the film F during printing of the printing unit 20 and during non-printing (including during passage of the non-printing part), and the platen roller 22 of the printing unit 20 Is not driven by itself, and is only driven as the film F travels even during printing of FIG. Thereby, in the band winding device 1 according to the present embodiment, for example, a platen roller driving motor or the like for driving the platen roller 22 of the printing unit 20 may be omitted. Further, it is not necessary to synchronize or adjust the supply speed of the film F by the feed rollers 31 and 32 of the film supply means 30 and the supply speed of the film F by the platen roller 20 of the printing unit 20 during printing. In addition, since the pair of feed rollers 31 and 32 of the film supply means 30 do not contact or separate with the film F interposed therebetween, the supply path a ... a of the film F each time switching between printing and non-printing is performed. Does not move due to this, so that the printing of the printing unit 20 is not adversely affected and printing defects do not occur.

  Further, since the film supply unit 30 is provided downstream of the printing unit 20 on the supply path a of the film F (see FIG. 1), the printing unit 20 that is a thermal printer that performs printing by heat causes Even if the head 21 and the platen roller 22 are strongly pressed against each other across the film F (see FIG. 5), the film F that has passed through the thermal head 21 is pulled downstream by the pair of downstream feed rollers 31 and 32. As a result, the problem that the film F that has passed through the thermal head 21 is wound around the roller 22 while being attached to the platen roller 22 is suppressed.

  Similarly, since the film supply unit 30 is provided downstream of the printing unit 20 on the supply path a of the film F (see FIG. 1), the printing unit 20 which is a thermal transfer printer using the ink ribbon I is performing printing. Even if the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 are strongly pressed against each other across the film F and the ink ribbon I (see FIG. 5), the film F that has passed through the thermal head 21 is moved by the pair of downstream feed rollers 31 and 32. As a result, the film F that has passed through the thermal head 21 is pulled to the downstream side, and the problem that the film F is wound on the take-up roller 24 of the ribbon I while being attached to the ink ribbon I is also suppressed.

  In addition, the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 of the printing unit 20 can be brought into contact with and separated from each other. During printing of the printing unit 20, the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 are brought into contact with each other and when the printing unit 20 is not printing. Since the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 are separated from each other, when the film supply unit 30 tries to supply the film F during non-printing, the film F is sandwiched between the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22. Thus, the problem of being unable to run well is eliminated, and the film F can be smoothly and rapidly supplied at high speed by the film supply unit 30 (see step S18).

  Further, the control is performed by the drive motor 113 that moves the ink ribbon I in the direction of the arrow o in FIG. 5 and the reverse movement in the direction of the arrow q in FIG. Since the ribbon I travels and the printing unit 20 is not printing (Steps S11 to S13 and Steps S17 to S27 in FIG. 11 and Steps S31 to S32 in FIG. 12), the ink ribbon I stops running. The ink ribbon I is not consumed inside, and as a result, the consumption amount of the ink ribbon I is reliably reduced.

  Furthermore, since the ink ribbon drive motor 113 is controlled so that the ink ribbon I runs backward by a predetermined length during the non-printing of the printing unit 20 (step S32 in FIG. 12), in the next step S33, By performing the controls (i) and (ii) as described above, the unused portion between the prints is not left on the ink ribbon I, and as a result, the consumption amount of the ink ribbon I is further ensured. Reduced to

  By the way, in the band winding device 1 according to the embodiment, the printing unit 20 that performs printing on the film F by thermal transfer using the ink ribbon I is provided. In this type of printing unit 20, there are frequent opportunities to handle individual components such as replacement of the ink ribbon I and cleaning or replacement of the thermal head 21. Therefore, improving the handling workability in that case is an important issue in the band winding device 1.

  Therefore, in the band winding device 1, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, all of the thermal head 21 of the printing unit 20, the feeding roller 23 of the ink ribbon I, and the take-up roller 24 are excluded, except for the platen roller 22. 14 and 15 (in the drawing, the film guide 1C, the groove 3 on the upper surface 2 of the mounting table 1B, etc. are omitted) supported by the printing unit frame 20a. As shown further, the printing unit employs a pulling mechanism 20b using a slide rail or the like, so that the whole printing unit can be easily pulled out from inside the main body 1A and can be easily stored inside the main body 1A. (FIG. 14 shows a stored state, FIG. 15 shows a pulled-out state). In that case, a handle 20c is attached to the unit.

  Therefore, by pulling out the printing unit from the inside of the main body 1A to the front, the observation and handling of the ink ribbon I and the thermal head 21 are remarkably better and easier as compared with the case where the printing unit is stored in the main body 1A. The ink ribbon I replacement workability, the thermal head 21 cleaning workability, the thermal head 21 replacement workability, and the like are greatly improved.

  In place of the drawer mechanism 20b using a slide rail or the like, the printing unit may be swung by using a trillion number or the like and moved outward from the main body 1A. For safety, a lock mechanism is provided for fixing and releasing the print unit by operating a lever or the like when the print unit is moved out of the main body 1A or set in the main body 1A. You can also

  The above embodiment is the best embodiment of the present invention, but it goes without saying that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, in the said embodiment, the label L stuck on the film F by the label sticking part 40 was an opaque label for accelerating visual recognition of the product mark etc. printed on the transparent film F, and reading of barcode etc. However, instead of this, for example, a pop label on which a catch copy or the like is printed in advance separately from the printing on the film F by the printing unit 20 may be used. In this case, in the case of an opaque label, the printed portion 20 is attached to the back surface of the film F so as to coincide with the printed portion. In the case of a pop label, the film F is applied to a portion different from the printed portion. It is affixed to the front side.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the printing part 20 is arrange | positioned on the supply path | route a ... a of the film F to the upstream of the label sticking part 40 (refer FIG. 1), labeling is carried out after printing with respect to the film F first. In place of this, instead of this, the label affixing unit 40 is arranged upstream of the printing unit 20 on the supply path a ... a of the film F, the label affixing to the film F is performed first, and printing is performed. It may be. In that case, when the label L is an opaque label, the label L is applied to the surface opposite to the printing surface of the film F if the order is printing-labeling. L can also be affixed on the same surface as the printing surface of the film F (that is, printed on the label L).

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the label sticking part 40 was provided on the supply path | route a ... a of the film F, and label sticking was performed on the film F (refer FIG. 1), it replaces with this and label sticking is carried out. The part 40 may not be provided and the film F may not be labeled.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the film guide 1C is erected on the placement table 1B, and the film F is wound around the article X placed on the placement table 1B in a loop using the film guide 1C. However, instead of this, for example, the film guide 1C is not provided on the mounting table 1B, and the film F is stopped when the leading end of the film F is supplied to the right end of the concave groove 3. The operator holds the tip of the film F in his hand and moves the upper space of the article X from right to left, and the operator manually inserts the tip of the film F into the concave groove 3 on the left side of the article X. A semi-automatic band winding device can also be used.

  As described above in detail with specific examples, the present invention loops the band around the article, and fixes the tip of the band and pulls the band to tighten the band around the article. In a band winding device that joins and cuts the overlapping portion of the front end portion and the subsequent portion of the band body, it does not cause various problems, and it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for driving the platen roller of the printing unit. This technology eliminates the need to synchronize and adjust the belt supply speed of the feed roller and the belt supply speed of the platen roller during printing. Expected availability.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which sees the internal structure of the band winding apparatus which concerns on the best embodiment of this invention from the front side. It is a perspective view of the article wound by the band winding device. It is a top view of the film wound around the said article | item. It is the front view which looked at the articles | goods wound with the said band winding apparatus like the arrow of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale which show the structure of the printing part of the said band winding apparatus, Comprising: A thermal head and a platen roller show the state which faced | interposed across the film. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view similar to FIG. 5, showing a state where the thermal head and the platen roller are separated from each other. It is the elements on larger scale which show the structure of the film supply part of the said band winding apparatus. It is the elements on larger scale which show the structure of the label sticking part of the said band winding apparatus. It is a control system figure of the band winding device. It is a table stored in the memory of the control unit of the band winding device, wherein (a) is a product master, (b) is a print format master, (c) is a film master, and (d) is a tray master. It is a flowchart which shows one example of the band winding operation | movement by the said band winding apparatus. This is a subroutine for control during printing in the band winding operation. It is explanatory drawing of operation | movement of the seal cut unit of the said band winding apparatus, Comprising: A mode that a work progresses in order of (a)-(e). It is a perspective view which shows the state which accommodated the printing unit in the main body inside the unit in the said band winding operation | movement. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the printing unit is similarly pulled out from the inside of the main body.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Band winding apparatus 1A Main body 1B Mounting table (article mounting part)
1C Film guide 3 Groove 5 Rail member 6 Sealing plate 9 Side plate 9a Article placement window 20 Printing section (printing means)
21 Thermal Head 22 Platen Roller 23 Ink Ribbon Feeding Roller 24 Ink Ribbon Take-up Roller 30 Film Supply Unit (Supply Unit)
31 Feed roller (drive side)
32 Feed roller (receiving side)
36 Stepping motor 40 Label sticking part (label sticking means)
41 Peeling bar 50 Seal cut unit 100 Control unit (control means)
112 Thermal head swing solenoid 113 Ink ribbon drive motor (running means)
114 Feed roller drive motor 115 Mount sheet drive motor a ... a Film (band) supply path A Origin position B Standby position F Film (band)
I Ink ribbon L Label R Film roll (band supply source)
S Label mount sheet X Article

Claims (6)

Loop the belt around the article, fix the tip of the belt and pull the belt to wind the belt around the article, and join and cut the overlapping part of the belt tip and the following part A banding device,
A pair of feed rollers are brought into contact with and driven between the supply source of the belt and the article placement section, so that the belt is drawn out from the supply source of the belt to the article placement section. Supply means for supplying,
On the supply path of the belt body by this supply means, a printing means for printing on the belt body is provided by driving the thermal head and the platen roller in contact with each other across the belt body,
The platen roller of the printing means is rotatable and
A band winding device comprising: a control unit that drives a pair of feed rollers of the supply unit in contact with each other during printing and non-printing of the printing unit. The band winding device according to claim 1,
The band winding device, wherein the supply means is provided downstream of the printing means on the supply path of the band. The band winding device according to claim 1 or 2,
The thermal head of the printing means and the platen roller are detachable from each other,
The control means contacts the thermal head and the platen roller during printing by the printing means, and separates the thermal head and the platen roller during non-printing by the printing means. Banding device to do. A band winding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The band winding device, wherein the printing means is a thermal transfer type using an ink ribbon. The band winding device according to claim 4,
The printing unit includes a traveling unit that travels the ink ribbon,
The band winding device, wherein the control means controls the running means so that the ink ribbon runs during printing by the printing means and stops running while the printing means is not printing. The band winding device according to claim 5,
The band winding device, wherein the control means controls the running means so that the ink ribbon runs backward by a predetermined length while the printing means is not printing.

Images