JP2010125775A - Tape cassette and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tape cassette and a printer, capable of easily detecting a shift of a tape to properly conduct printing, without worsening quality of a print-finished label tape. <P>SOLUTION: A mark 83 capable of detecting a position by an optical sensor is provided in the long transparent tape 82 of a printing medium. The mark 83 is successively provided longitudinal-directionally along a width-directional one end of the transparent tape 82. A color of an adhesive face of a double-coated pressure sensitive adhesive tape 84 bonded onto a printing face of the transparent tape 82 is made same to a color of the mark 83. The optical sensor is opposed to the mark 83 of the transparent tape 82 before bonded to the double-coated pressure sensitive adhesive tape 84, when the tape cassette 51 including the transparent tape 82 is mounted on the tape printer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tape cassette and a printing apparatus, and more specifically, a tape cassette including a transparent tape as a printing medium and a double-sided adhesive tape that adheres to the transparent tape on which printing has been performed, and the tape cassette can be mounted. The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

  Conventionally, a so-called laminate type tape cassette having a transparent tape and a double-sided printing tape is known. In this tape cassette, generally, a transparent tape as a printing medium and a double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape having a release paper bonded to one surface are respectively wound. When the tape cassette is mounted on the printing apparatus and printing is started, printing is performed on one surface (printing surface) of the transparent tape while the two wound tapes are respectively conveyed. Then, a double-sided adhesive tape is adhered to the printed printing surface to form a label tape, and the label tape is discharged to the outside of the printing apparatus. The label tape produced in this way has an advantage that it can be attached to a position desired by the user by removing the release paper. Further, this label tape has an advantage that the printing quality is hardly lowered because the printing surface is not exposed to the outside.

By the way, when printing on a printing medium, it is desired to prevent printing deviation in order to improve printing quality. Therefore, a printing method has been proposed in which a symbol such as a lattice pattern or a mark is written on an image receiving material onto which an image is transferred, and the printing position is adjusted by optically detecting the symbol (for example, see Patent Document 1). According to this printing method, an image can be transferred to an accurate position even when a deviation occurs in the image receiving material.
JP 7-251577 A

  However, when the printing method described in Patent Document 1 is applied to printing on a laminate-type tape, the user visually recognizes symbols printed on the transparent tape along with printed characters and the like. Therefore, there is a problem that the appearance of the printed label tape is impaired and the quality of the label tape is deteriorated. In addition, if the symbol is made smaller or the lines that make up the symbol are made thinner so that the appearance of the label tape is not impaired, it will be difficult to detect the symbol. Printing was not possible.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and is a tape cassette that can easily detect misalignment of a tape and perform appropriate printing without deteriorating the quality of a printed label tape. And a printing apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a tape cassette according to claim 1 of the present invention is a long transparent tape formed with a constant width on which characters, figures or symbols are printed, and printing of the transparent tape. A long double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape that is bonded to the surface and transported while the adhesive surface, which is one surface of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, adheres to the transparent tape that has been printed by a printing device Thus, the tape cassette for discharging the label tape having the opposite surface of the adhesive surface of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape as the application surface, wherein the transparent tape can be position-detected by an optical sensor, The mark of the same color as the color of the said adhesive surface of a double-sided adhesive tape is provided in the fixed position of own width direction.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the invention, the transparent tape includes the mark outside an area where printing by the printing apparatus is performed.

  Moreover, the tape cassette of Claim 3 of this invention is equipped with the said mark along the edge part of the width direction of the said transparent tape in addition to the structure of invention of Claim 1 or 2. .

  Moreover, the printing apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention is one side of a long transparent tape on which characters, figures or symbols are printed and a printing surface of the transparent tape on which printing has been performed. A long double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape to which the adhesive surface is bonded, and a mark of the same color as the color of the adhesive surface of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is provided at a certain position in the width direction on the transparent tape. A printing apparatus to which a tape cassette can be mounted, wherein the transparent tape is transported upstream of a printing means for printing on the printing surface of the transparent tape and a position where the transparent tape and the double-sided adhesive tape are bonded. And an optical sensor that detects the position of the mark in the width direction of the transparent tape, and the difference between the position of the mark detected by the optical sensor and a predetermined reference position of the mark A calculating means for calculating for, as the correction amount calculated difference by the calculation means, and a correcting means for correcting the print position of the width direction of the printing means.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the fourth aspect of the invention, the width detecting means for detecting the width of the transparent tape and the reference position of the mark are A plurality of reference position storage means for storing different types of transparent tapes different from each other, and the calculation means calculates a difference using the reference position corresponding to the transparent tape having a width detected by the width detection means. It is characterized by doing.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the optical sensor is a line sensor provided with the width direction of the transparent tape as a longitudinal direction. It is characterized by being.

  According to the tape cassette of the first aspect of the present invention, the mark whose position can be detected by the optical sensor is provided on the long transparent tape that is the printing medium. This mark is provided at a fixed position in the width direction of the transparent tape, and the color of the adhesive surface with the transparent tape, which is one surface of the double-sided adhesive tape, is the same as the color of the mark. Therefore, by detecting the position of the mark by the optical sensor before the transparent tape and the double-sided adhesive tape are bonded, it is possible to easily detect the shift in the width direction of the transparent tape. Furthermore, after the printing and mark detection are completed, the transparent tape and the double-sided adhesive tape are adhered to each other, so that it is difficult to recognize the presence of the mark having the same color as the adhesive surface of the double-sided adhesive tape. Therefore, it is possible to cause the printing apparatus to perform appropriate printing according to the deviation in the width direction of the transparent tape without deteriorating the quality of the printed label tape.

  Further, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, the tape cassette described in claim 2 of the present invention has a mark provided outside the printing area of the transparent tape, so printing is performed in the printing area of the transparent tape. The mark does not block the written characters. Therefore, it is possible to detect the deviation of the transparent tape by detecting the mark while more surely preventing the quality deterioration of the printed label tape.

  The tape cassette according to claim 3 of the present invention is provided with a mark along the end in the width direction of the transparent tape in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1 or 2. The appearance is not impaired as compared with the case where it is provided in the central portion, and there is a low possibility that the mark may block the printed characters. Accordingly, it is possible to detect the deviation of the transparent tape by detecting the mark while more surely preventing the deterioration of the quality of the printed label tape.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the printing apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in which a double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape having the same color as the mark is attached to a mark provided at a certain position in the width direction of the transparent tape. It is detected by an optical sensor before the surface is bonded to the transparent tape. Then, a difference between the detected position and a predetermined reference position is calculated, and the print position in the width direction can be corrected using the calculated difference as a correction amount. Therefore, it is possible to easily calculate a deviation in the tape width direction caused by a dimensional error or distortion of the tape cassette, a defective mounting of the tape cassette to the printing apparatus, or the like. Then, printing can be performed at an appropriate position on the transparent tape according to the calculated deviation.

  In addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 4, the printing apparatus described in claim 5 of the present invention stores a plurality of mark reference positions for each type of transparent tape having different widths. The difference between the mark detection position and the reference position can be calculated in accordance with the width of the transparent tape that is the print medium. Therefore, it is possible to perform appropriate printing by correcting the shift in the width direction for a plurality of types of transparent tapes having different widths.

  In addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 4 or 5, the printing apparatus according to claim 6 of the present invention detects a shift in the width direction of the transparent tape in a wider range by using a line sensor. Can do. Furthermore, even when the position of the mark provided on the transparent tape differs depending on the type of the transparent tape, the position of the mark can be easily detected.

  Hereinafter, a tape printer 1 to which a tape cassette 51 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings to be referred to are used for explaining the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention, and the configuration of the apparatus described, the flowchart of various processes, etc., unless otherwise specified. It is not intended to be limited to that, but merely an illustrative example.

  First, a schematic configuration of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tape printer 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom side of the tape printer 1 with the tape cassette 51 mounted and the cover removed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bottom side of the tape printer 1 with the cover and tape cassette 51 removed. In the following description, the upper right side of FIG. 1 is the front end side of the tape printer 1, the lower left side is the rear end side of the tape printer 1, and the lower right side is the tape printer 1. And the upper left side is the left side of the tape printer 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the tape printer 1 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. On the front end side of the upper surface, a liquid crystal display unit 4 for displaying print data, a setting screen, and the like is provided. A keyboard portion 3 for operating the tape printer 1 is provided on the rear end side. The keyboard unit 3 has a plurality of keys 31 for inputting characters and commands, a numeric keypad 32 for inputting numbers, and a cursor (not shown) displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 4 for moving up, down, left and right. Cursor keys 8 and the like are provided. Further, a power button 7 is provided between the liquid crystal display unit 4 and the cursor key 8. A print button 9 for giving a print instruction is provided between the liquid crystal display unit 4 and the numeric keypad 32. Further, a tape delivery port 19 (see FIG. 3) through which the printed label tape is discharged is provided on the side surface on the front end side of the tape printer 1. On the front end side of the left side surface of the tape printer 1, a cut button 5 for cutting the printed label tape in the width direction is provided.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, on the front end side of the bottom surface of the tape printer 1, a cassette mounting portion 12 having a rectangular shape in plan view formed in a concave shape for mounting and removing the tape cassette 51 is provided. The cassette mounting portion 12 can mount a plurality of types of tape cassettes 51 (see FIG. 4) having different widths of the tape 81 (see FIG. 7). Behind the cassette mounting part 12, a battery storage part 13 for storing a dry battery is provided adjacently. A cover (not shown) is detachably attached to the bottom surface side of the tape printer 1 provided with these portions.

  Next, the cassette mounting part 12 will be described. For the description of the cassette mounting portion 12, the upper left side in FIG. 3 is the front side of the cassette mounting portion 12, the lower right side is the rear side of the cassette mounting portion 12, and the upper right side is the cassette mounting portion. 12 is the left side of the cassette mounting portion 12. As shown in FIG. 3, a heat sink 16, which is a rectangular heat radiating plate, is provided upright on the front side (upper left side in FIG. 3) from the center of the bottom plate 14 of the cassette mounting portion 12. A thermal head 11 (see FIG. 11) having a heating element is provided on the front surface of the heat sink 16. In addition, the platen roller 22 is disposed in front of the heat sink 16 so as to face the thermal head 11 so as to sandwich the transparent tape 82 (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 7). The transparent tape 82 as a printing medium is pressed against the thermal head 11 by the platen roller 22, and characters, figures, symbols, etc. are printed by the thermal head 11, and then to the tape outlet 19 provided on the right side of the heat sink 16. Sent out.

  A ribbon take-up shaft 15 for taking up the ink ribbon 69 (see FIG. 5) is provided at a substantially center of the bottom plate 14 so as to be rotatable. Further, a transport drive shaft 20 for transporting the tape 81 is provided between the heat sink 16 and the tape delivery port 19 so as to be rotatable. A positioning projection 21 is erected on the rear side (lower right side in FIG. 3) of the conveyance drive shaft 20. The positioning projection 21 is inserted into a concave portion 91 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) of the tape cassette 51 to be described later, so that the tape cassette 51 in the vertical direction of the cassette mounting portion 12, that is, in the width direction of the tape 81. Positioning is performed. Although details will be described later, in the present embodiment, the center in the width direction of the tape 81 is positioned at the center in the vertical direction (height direction) of the thermal head 11 regardless of which type of tape cassette 51 is mounted. Thus, the positioning projection 21 positions the tape cassette 51. Although not shown, the positioning protrusions 21 are disposed at the four corners of the bottom plate 14 and the mounting stability is improved by positioning the tape cassette 51 at four locations.

  A side wall 17 is provided on the upstream side of the thermal head 11 and the platen roller 22 in the transport direction of the transparent tape 82 and adjacent to the transport path. An optical sensor 18 is disposed on the side wall 17. The optical sensor 18 is a reflection type line sensor including a light emitting element 28 and a light receiving element 29 (see FIG. 10), and is arranged with the vertical direction of the cassette mounting portion 12 as a longitudinal direction. More specifically, the optical sensor 18 is arranged so that one end in the longitudinal direction of the optical sensor 18 is positioned slightly below the center of the cassette mounting portion 12 in the vertical direction and the other end is positioned at the lower end of the cassette mounting portion 12. It is installed. As a result, the optical sensor 18 faces the lower end of the transparent tape 82 when any of a plurality of types of tape cassettes 51 having different widths of the transparent tape 82 is mounted. Then, the transparent tape 82 is irradiated with light from the light emitting element 28, and the light receiving element 29 detects the reflected light reflected from the transparent tape 82, whereby the position of a mark 83 (see FIG. 7) on the transparent tape 82 to be described later is determined. Can be detected.

  A cassette detection unit 10 (see FIG. 10) is provided at the left rear corner of the bottom plate 14 of the cassette mounting unit 12. As will be described later, the cassette detection unit 10 detects the identification unit 66 (see FIG. 9) of the tape cassette 51 formed in a different shape depending on the type of the tape cassette 51 by the detection switch 6 (see FIG. 9). Thus, the type of the tape cassette 51 is detected.

  Next, the configuration of the tape cassette 51 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 12 of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tape cassette 51. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the lower case 53 with the upper case 52 removed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the movement restriction unit 93. In the following description, the lower right side of FIG. 4 and the lower side of FIG. 5 are the front end side of the tape cassette 51. The upper left side of FIG. 4 and the upper side of FIG. The right upper side of FIG. 4 and the right side of FIG. 5 are the right side of the tape cassette 51. The diagonally lower left side in FIG. 4 and the left side in FIG. 5 are the left side of the tape cassette 51.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the tape cassette 51 includes an upper case 52 and a lower case 53. The tape cassette 51 has a support hole 57 for rotatably supporting an adhesive tape spool 68 (see FIG. 5) described later, a support hole 56 for rotatably supporting a transparent tape spool 72 (see FIG. 5), and a ribbon. A support hole 55 that rotatably supports the take-up spool 71 (see FIG. 5) is provided. 4 shows only the support holes 55, 56, and 57 formed in the upper case 52, the support holes 55, 56, and 57 of the upper case 52 are similarly shown for the lower case 53. Support holes 55, 56, and 57 are formed to face each other.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an arm portion 58 is provided on the front side (lower right side in the drawing) of the tape cassette 51. The arm unit 58 guides the transparent tape 82 drawn out from the transparent tape spool 72 and the ink ribbon 69 drawn out from the ribbon spool 70 (see FIG. 5), and sends them out from the opening 58A.

  A head mounting portion 59 to which the heat sink 16 including the thermal head 11 (see FIG. 11) is mounted is provided behind the arm portion 58. A support hole 63 is provided on the downstream side of the head mounting portion 59 in the transport direction of the transparent tape 82 and the ink ribbon 69 to rotatably support a tape feed roller 62 described later. The tape feed roller 62 pulls out the transparent tape 82 from the transparent tape spool 72 and pulls out the double-sided adhesive tape 84 from the adhesive tape spool 68 in cooperation with a pressure contact roller (not shown) opposed thereto.

  The double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 84 is composed of a peeling tape 85 and a base tape 86. Adhesive is applied to both surfaces of the base tape 86, and a release tape 85 is preliminarily pasted on one surface in a peelable manner. The other surface is adhered to the printed surface of the transparent tape 82 on which printing has been performed, in the vicinity of the tape feed roller 62, and serves as a background for characters, figures, symbols, and the like printed on the printed surface. As described above, the transparent tape 82 and the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 84 are bonded to each other, whereby a label tape having one surface of the base tape 86 as the application surface is formed. Further, a pair of upper and lower restricting members 64 and 65 are provided in the vicinity of the tape feed roller 62. The regulating members 64 and 65 regulate the tape 81 on which characters are printed in the width direction on the downstream side of the thermal head 11.

  A rectangular opening 54 is provided at a lower portion in the thickness direction (vertical direction in the drawing) at the base portion on the front side of the arm portion 58. When the tape cassette 51 is normally mounted on the cassette mounting portion 12 (see FIG. 2), the opening 54 faces the optical sensor 18 of the tape printer 1. Thus, the transparent tape 82 is attached to the transparent tape 82 at a position where the movement of the transparent tape 82 in the width direction is not restricted and the gap is less than the exposed portion of the transparent tape 82 downstream of the opening 58A in the tape transport direction. Further, the position of a mark 83 to be described later can be detected. Therefore, the actual shift in the width direction of the transparent tape 82 can be accurately detected. Further, the tape printer 1 can detect a deviation of the transparent tape 82 immediately before printing by the thermal head 11 and correct the printing position according to the detected deviation. Therefore, printing can be performed at a more appropriate position.

  Next, the internal configuration of the tape cassette 51 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, an adhesive tape spool 68 in which a double-sided adhesive tape 84 is wound with the peeling tape 85 (see FIG. 4) facing outward is provided on the left rear portion (the upper left portion in the figure) of the lower case 53. The support hole 57 is disposed so as to be rotatable. A transparent tape spool 72 around which a transparent tape 82 is wound is rotatably arranged at the right rear portion (upper right portion in the figure) of the lower case 53. A ribbon spool 70 around which an ink ribbon 69 is wound is rotatably disposed at the right front portion (lower right portion in the drawing) of the lower case 53. Further, a ribbon take-up spool 71 is rotatably disposed between the adhesive tape spool 68 and the ribbon spool 70 through the support hole 55 described above. The ribbon take-up spool 71 pulls out the ink ribbon 69 from the ribbon spool 70 and takes up the ink ribbon 69 consumed by printing characters and the like.

  As described above, the transparent tape 82 is formed by the cooperation of the tape feed roller 62 provided on the downstream side of the head mounting portion 59 and the pressure contact roller (not shown) provided in the tape printer 1. 72. Then, after passing the front side (lower side in the figure) of the head mounting part 59 from the opening 58A of the arm part 58, the tape discharge part 74 provided at the left front part (lower left part in the figure) of the tape cassette 51 is outward. Discharged. The ink ribbon 69 is drawn from the ribbon spool 70 by the ribbon take-up spool 71. Then, after passing through the front side of the head mounting portion 59 from the opening 58A of the arm portion 58, it is guided by the guide portion 75 formed inward of the regulating members 64, 65 (see FIG. 4), and the ribbon take-up spool 71. Rolled up. The double-sided adhesive tape 84 is pulled out from the adhesive tape spool 68 by a tape feed roller 62 and a pressure contact roller (not shown), and is adhered to the transparent tape 82 on the front side of the tape feed roller 62. A clutch spring 76 is attached to the lower part of the ribbon take-up spool 71. The clutch spring 76 prevents the ribbon take-up spool 71 from reversing and prevents the wound ink ribbon 69 from loosening.

  An identification unit 66 is formed on the right rear edge of the lower case 53 at a position where the tape cassette 51 comes into contact with the cassette detection unit 10 when the tape cassette 51 is mounted on the cassette mounting unit 12 of the tape printer 1. The identification unit 66 is provided with a plurality of identification holes 66A for detecting the type of the tape cassette 51 mounted in the cassette mounting unit 12. The types of the tape cassette 51 detected by the cassette detection unit 10 and the identification unit 66 include the width of the tape 81 provided in the tape cassette 51, the type of the tape 81 (receptor type or laminate type), and the like. Then, on the right and left sides of the opening 54 provided at the front edge of the lower case 53, movement restriction units 93 and 93 for restricting the movement of the tape 81 at positions adjacent to the opening 54 (see FIG. 6). ) Is provided.

  Next, the movement restriction units 93 and 93 will be described with reference to FIG. The movement restriction unit 93 includes an upper restriction member 94, a lower restriction member 95, and two surface direction restriction members 96, 96. The upper restricting member 94 is a prismatic protrusion extending from the upper case 52 to the inside of the tape cassette 51 (lower right side in the figure), and the lower restricting member 95 is a prismatic protrusion extending inward from the lower case 53. . The distance between the upper restricting member 94 and the lower restricting member 95 is the same as the width of the transparent tape 82 accommodated in the tape cassette 51. By disposing the transparent tape 82 between them, the transparent tape The movement in the width direction of 82 is restricted.

  The surface direction regulating member 96 is a columnar member extending in the width direction (vertical direction in the drawing) of the tape cassette 51, and is formed in a columnar shape to protect the transparent tape 82. The two surface direction regulating members 96 are arranged side by side so as to form a slight gap into which the transparent tape 82 is inserted. By disposing the transparent tape 82 in the gap between the surface direction regulating members 96, 96, the movement of the transparent tape 82 in the direction (surface direction) orthogonal to the tape surface is restricted.

  One movement restriction unit 93 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the opening 54. Accordingly, in the vicinity of the opening 54 where the optical sensor 18 is located, it is possible to prevent a deviation in the width direction of the transparent tape 82 and the direction perpendicular to the tape surface with respect to the tape cassette 51. When the transparent tape 82 is displaced in a direction orthogonal to the tape surface, an error may occur in detection of the displacement width by the optical sensor 18. Further, even if the deviation width is detected at a position where the deviation in the width direction of the transparent tape 82 is larger than the other positions, it is not possible to correct the printing position appropriately according to the deviation width. Therefore, by providing the movement restricting unit 93 in the vicinity of the opening 54, the optical sensor 18 can more accurately detect the actual deviation width.

  Next, the tape 81 provided in the tape cassette 51 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the tape 81 provided in the tape cassette 51. The tape 81 provided in the tape cassette 51 of the present embodiment is a so-called laminate type tape, and includes the transparent tape 82 and the double-sided adhesive tape 84 as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the transparent tape 82 is a long tape having a constant width and is wound around a transparent tape spool 72 of the tape cassette 51. The transparent tape 82 is provided with a linear mark 83 whose position can be detected by the optical sensor 18 along the lower end. The double-sided adhesive tape 84 is a long tape having the same width as the transparent tape 82, and is wound around the adhesive tape spool 68. Then, the double-sided adhesive tape 84 and the transparent tape 82 on which the printing has been performed are bonded to form a tape 81, which is transported in the transport direction A. Here, the color of the adhesive surface of the double-sided adhesive tape 84 adhered to the transparent tape 82 and the color of the mark 83 attached to the transparent tape 82 are the same. Therefore, the position of the mark 83 on the transparent tape 82 can be detected by the optical sensor 18 before the transparent tape 82 and the double-sided adhesive tape 84 are bonded. Furthermore, when the transparent tape 82 and the double-sided adhesive tape 84 are bonded, it is difficult for the user to recognize that the mark 83 is attached to the transparent tape 82.

  Next, the position of the mark 83 on the transparent tape 82 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the transparent tape 82 on which characters are printed. As will be described in detail later, the tape printer 1 detects the width of the tape 81 of the tape cassette 51 mounted in the cassette mounting section 12 and performs printing by the thermal head 11 according to the detected width of the tape 81 ( 14 and 15). That is, the tape printer 1 performs printing on a predetermined area of the transparent tape 82 according to the width of the tape 81. As a result, the printable area 87 of the transparent tape 82 is, as shown in FIG. 8, a non-print area 88 formed along the upper end portion in the width direction and a non-print area formed along the lower end portion in the width direction. This is an area excluding the area 89.

  The mark 83 is provided in the non-printing area 89 of the transparent tape 82. Therefore, printed characters, figures, symbols, and the like are not blocked by the mark 83, and the print quality is not deteriorated. Further, the mark 83 is provided in a region along the lower end portion of the transparent tape 82 in the non-printing region 89. Therefore, even when some trouble occurs and the printing position is shifted, there is a low possibility that the mark 83 blocks characters and the like. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent a decrease in print quality.

  Next, the positioning of the tape cassette 51 in the thickness direction (the width direction of the tape 81) and the detection of the type of the tape cassette 51 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the identification portion 66 and the recess 91 of the tape cassette 51. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the cassette detection unit 10 and the positioning projection 21 with respect to the identification unit 66 and the recess 91.

  As shown in FIG. 9, an identification hole 66 </ b> A is formed in the identification portion 66 of the tape cassette 51. The formation pattern of the identification hole 66 </ b> A is different depending on the type of each tape cassette 51. A concave recess 91 for positioning the tape cassette 51 with respect to the cassette mounting portion 12 is formed next to the identification portion 66. In the width direction of the tape 81, the distance d between the position w of the bottom surface 92 of the recess 91 and the center position h of the tape cassette 51 is related to the thickness of the tape cassette 51 (the width of the stored tape 81). The recesses 91 are formed so as to have the same distance.

  Then, the tape cassette 51 is mounted on the cassette mounting unit 12 of the tape printer 1. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the switch terminal shaft 6A of the detection switch 6 disposed on the detection sensor substrate 80 of the cassette detection unit 10 is inserted into each identification hole 66A. In the drawing, like the second detection switch 6 from the left, the detection switch 6 facing the portion where the identification hole 66A is provided is turned off. On the other hand, as shown in the leftmost detection switch 6 in the figure, the switch terminal shaft 6A is pushed by the substrate of the identification portion 66 in the detection switch 6 that faces the portion where the identification hole 66A is not provided. , Turn on. The type of the tape cassette 51 such as the width of the transparent tape 82 is detected based on the combination of ON / OFF of the plurality of detection switches 6.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the tape cassette 51 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 12, the positioning projection 21 is inserted into the recess 91. Then, the tip of the positioning projection 21 comes into contact with the bottom surface 92 of the recess 91, and the tape cassette 51 is positioned. As described above, in the width direction of the tape 81, that is, in the thickness direction of the tape cassette 51 (vertical direction in the figure), the distance between the position w of the bottom surface 92 of the recess 91 and the center position h of the tape cassette 51. d is the same distance regardless of the thickness of the tape cassette 51. Therefore, the center position h in the thickness direction of the tape cassette 51 is located at a predetermined position regardless of the width of the tape 81 stored in the tape cassette 51.

  In the present embodiment, the height of the positioning projection 21 and the shape of the recess 91 are determined so that the center position h of the tape cassette 51 is positioned at the center of the thermal head 11 in the height direction. Therefore, the position of the end of the tape 81 to which the mark 83 is attached unless the displacement of the tape 81 in the tape cassette 51, the distortion of the tape cassette 51, the mounting failure of the tape cassette 51 with respect to the cassette mounting portion 12, or the like has occurred. Is a predetermined position corresponding to the tape width. Therefore, in the tape printer 1, the position of the mark 83 in the opening 54 when the tape 81 is not displaced is set as a reference position, and a plurality of reference positions are set in advance for each type of tape 81 having a different width. Yes. Then, the difference between the reference position corresponding to the tape width and the position of the detected actual mark 83 is calculated, and the printing position is corrected according to the calculated difference. Details of this will be described later.

  Next, an electrical configuration of the tape printer 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the tape printer 1. FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram of a reference position table stored in the ROM 102. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a storage area of the RAM 104.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the control configuration of the tape printer 1, the control circuit unit 100 formed on the control board is the core. The control circuit unit 100 includes a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a CGROM 103, a RAM 104, and an input / output interface 105, which are connected to each other by a bus 106.

  The CPU 101 controls the entire tape printer 1. The ROM 102 stores programs necessary for basic operations of the tape printer 1 and setting values for the programs. The ROM 102 stores, for example, a table that associates a combination of ON / OFF of the plurality of detection switches 6 with the type of the tape cassette 51 that is mounted. Further, a reference position table (see FIG. 12) described later is stored. The GCROM 103 stores dot pattern data for printing in association with code data for each of a large number of characters, figures, symbols, and the like. The RAM 104 is a storage device for temporarily storing various data.

  The input / output interface 105 is connected to the optical sensor 18, the detection switch 6, and the keyboard unit 3. As described above, the optical sensor 18 includes the light emitting element 28 that emits light and the light receiving element 29 that receives reflected light. The optical sensor 18 detects the position of the mark 83 based on the amount of received reflected light received by the light receiving element 29. . The input / output interface 105 is connected to a display controller (hereinafter referred to as LCDC) 109 and drive circuits 107 and 108. The LCDC 109 has a video RAM (not shown) and outputs display data to the liquid crystal display unit 4. The drive circuit 107 drives the thermal head 11, and the drive circuit 108 drives a tape feed motor 37 for transporting the tape.

  Next, the reference position table stored in the ROM 102 will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, in the reference position table, the reference position and the normal mounting range are associated with the widths of the tapes 81 included in the tape cassette 51 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 12. As described above, the reference position is the position of the mark 83 in the tape width direction of the opening 54 when the tape 81 is not displaced in the width direction. The normal mounting range is a range of the position of the mark 83 for determining whether or not the tape cassette 51 is normally mounted. When the detection mark position is within the normal mounting range, the tape cassette 51 is normally operated. It is judged that it was installed. In the present embodiment, the position of the lower end of the transparent tape 82 having a tape width of 6 mm when the transparent tape 82 is not displaced is set as the origin for detecting the position of the mark 83. Then, a plurality of reference positions and normal mounting ranges corresponding to the tape width are defined and stored as distances downward from the origin. The actual position of the mark 83 (hereinafter referred to as “detection mark position”) is also detected as a distance from the origin with the lower side being positive, and the difference between the value indicating the detection mark position and the value indicating the reference position is calculated. By calculating, the correction value of the printing position is calculated. Details of this will be described later with reference to a flowchart.

  Next, the storage area of the RAM 104 will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, the RAM 104 has a tape width storage area 1041, a detection mark position storage area 1042, a correction value storage area 1043, a reference use dot storage area 1044, a corrected use dot storage area 1045, and a print data storage area 1046. , And a print number storage area 1047 is provided. In the tape width storage area 1041, the width of the tape 81 detected by the detection switch 6 is stored. The detected mark position storage area 1042 stores the position of the mark 83 detected by the optical sensor 18. The correction value storage area 1043 stores a correction value calculated by obtaining a difference between the detected mark position and the reference position. The reference use dot storage area 1044 stores reference use dots that are used by the thermal head 11 in accordance with the width of the tape 81 and are used before correction according to displacement. The corrected used dot storage area 1045 stores a corrected used dot that is a used dot as a result of the correction according to the shift performed on the reference used dot. The print data storage area 1046 stores the input print data. In the print number storage area 1047, the value of the counter N for counting the remaining number of prints is stored.

  Next, processing performed in the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of main processing performed in the tape printer 1. FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the printing position correction process executed during the main process. When the power of the tape printer 1 is turned on, the CPU 101 executes main processing according to the main program stored in the ROM 102.

  When the main process shown in FIG. 14 is started, first, it is determined whether or not the tape cassette 51 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 12 (S1). If it is determined that it is not attached (S1: NO), this determination is repeated. If it is determined that the tape cassette 51 is mounted (S1: YES), the width H of the tape 81 provided in the tape cassette 51 mounted in the cassette mounting section 12 and the type of the tape 81 (receptor) Mold or laminate mold) is detected by the cassette detector 10 (S2). The detected tape width H is stored in the tape width storage area 1041 of the RAM 104.

  Next, the position of the mark 83 attached to the transparent tape 82 in the tape width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) at the opening 54 is detected by the optical sensor 18 (S3). As described above, in the tape printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the detection mark position is detected by the distance from the origin with the lower side being positive. The detection mark position is stored in the detection mark position storage area 1042 of the RAM 104.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the detection mark position is within a preset normal mounting range (S4). If the position of the mark 83 is not detected, and if there is no detected mark position within the normal mounting range (see FIG. 12) stored in the ROM 102 according to the tape width (S4: NO), “the tape cassette is correct. An error message such as “Not installed” is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 4 (S5), and the process returns to S2. Thereby, since the user can redo the mounting of the tape cassette 51, printing can be prevented without the tape cassette 51 being correctly mounted.

  If the detection mark position is within the set range (S4: YES), the tape width H of the tape cassette 51 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 12 is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 4 (S6). Then, a correction value is calculated by subtracting the value of the reference position corresponding to the tape width H from the value indicating the detected mark position (S7). The calculated correction value is stored in the correction value storage area 1043 of the RAM 104. Then, a print position correction process for correcting the print position according to the correction value is performed (S8).

  As shown in FIG. 13, when the printing position correction process is started, reference use dots of the thermal head 11 are determined according to the detected tape width H (S21). As described above, the reference use dot is a use dot that is used by the thermal head 11 according to the width of the tape 81 and before correction according to the shift is performed. That is, when there is no deviation in the width direction of the transparent tape 82, printing is performed using the reference use dots. The reference use dot and the tape width H are associated with each other in advance. In the process of S21, the reference use dot corresponding to the detected tape width H is determined and stored in the reference use dot storage area 1044 of the RAM 104. The

  Next, the unit of the correction value, which is the distance between the detection mark position and the reference position, is converted into the number of dots of the thermal head 11 (S22). Specifically, when the distance between the centers of the dots of the thermal head 11 is 0.2 mm, if the correction value is +2 mm, the number of dots that can fit in the width of 2 mm is ten, so the correction value is from +2 mm to +10. Is converted into pieces.

  Next, a process of calculating corrected used dots is performed (S23). As described above, the corrected used dot is a used dot obtained as a result of correction performed on the reference used dot according to the shift. In this process, the corrected used dot is calculated by shifting the reference used dot by the correction value converted into the number of dots. Specifically, among the 0th to 127th dots arranged in a straight line in the tape width direction, the reference use dots are the 43rd to 83rd, and the correction value converted into the number of dots is +10. think of. In this case, Nos. 53 to 93, which are ranges in which the reference use dots are shifted by +10, are calculated as corrected use dots. The calculated corrected used dots are stored in the corrected used dot storage area 1045 of the RAM 104, and printing is actually performed using the stored corrected used dots. Then, the process returns to the printing process (see FIG. 12).

  Returning to FIG. 12, when the printing position correction process (S8) is completed, it is determined whether or not the tape cassette 51 has been removed from the cassette mounting portion 12 (S11). If it is detected that the cover of the cassette loading unit 12 has been removed and it is determined that the tape cassette 51 has been removed (S11: YES), the process returns to the determination of S1 and a series of processes for correcting the printing position. Is performed again (S2 to S8). If the tape cassette 51 has not been removed (S11: NO), it is determined whether the print data and the number of prints have been input by the user (S12). If it is not input (S12: NO), the process returns to S11. When the print data and the number of prints are input (S12: YES), the input print data is stored in the print data storage area 1046 of the RAM 104 (S13). Then, the input number of prints is set in the counter N that counts the remaining number of prints (S14), and the process proceeds to determination of whether or not a print instruction has been input (S15).

  If the user has not input a print instruction (S15: NO), this determination is repeated. When a print instruction is input (S15: YES), printing is performed using the corrected used dots calculated according to the correction value (S16). Then, 1 is subtracted from the value of N (S17), and it is determined whether or not the value of N is “0” (S18). If it is not “0” (S18: NO), since the printing has not been completed, the process returns to S16. If it is “0” (S18: YES), the process returns to S11.

  As described above, the tape cassette 51 of the present embodiment includes the transparent tape 82 with the mark 83 that can be detected by the optical sensor 18. The color of the adhesive surface of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 84 adhered to the transparent tape 82 and the color of the mark 83 are the same. Therefore, by detecting the position of the mark 83 by the optical sensor 18 before the transparent tape 82 and the double-sided adhesive tape 84 are bonded, it is possible to easily detect the deviation in the tape width direction of the transparent tape 82. . Further, after the printing and the position detection of the mark 83 are completed, the transparent tape 82 and the double-sided adhesive tape 84 are adhered to each other, whereby the presence of the mark 83 having the same color as the adhesive surface of the double-sided adhesive tape 84 is recognized. It becomes difficult. Therefore, it is possible to cause the tape printer 1 to perform appropriate printing according to the deviation in the width direction of the transparent tape 82 without degrading the quality of the printed tape 81. Further, the mark 83 is provided outside the printable area 87 of the transparent tape 82, more specifically, in an area along the end of the transparent tape 82 in the width direction. Therefore, the mark 83 does not block characters printed in the printable area 87. Accordingly, it is possible to cause the tape printer 1 to detect the deviation of the tape 81 due to the mark 83 while preventing the deterioration of the quality of the tape 81 more reliably.

  Further, the tape printer 1 of the present embodiment is configured so that the position of the mark 83 in the tape width direction is the same as the color of the mark 83 before the adhesive surface of the double-sided adhesive tape 84 is adhered to the transparent tape 82. It is detected by the optical sensor 18. Then, the difference between the detected mark position and the reference position of the mark 83 is calculated, and the print position in the tape width direction can be corrected using the calculated difference as a correction amount. Accordingly, a deviation in the width direction of the tape 81 caused by a dimensional error or distortion of the tape cassette 51, a mounting failure of the tape cassette 51 with respect to the cassette mounting portion 12, or the like can be easily calculated. Then, printing can be performed at an appropriate position on the transparent tape 82 according to the calculated deviation. Further, a plurality of reference positions of the mark 83 are stored for each type of transparent tape 82 having different widths. Then, the difference between the detection mark position and the reference position can be calculated according to the width of the transparent tape 82 as the print medium. Therefore, it is possible to perform appropriate printing with correction of the deviation in the width direction on a plurality of types of transparent tapes 82 having different widths. In addition, by using a line sensor as the optical sensor 18, it is possible to execute an appropriate correction of the printing position for a plurality of types of transparent tapes 82 having different positions of the mark 83. Further, since the mark 83 is continuous in the longitudinal direction of the transparent tape 82, the tape printer 1 can detect the position of the mark 83 regardless of the degree of conveyance of the transparent tape 82.

  The thermal head 11 of the present embodiment and the CPU 101 that controls the printing operation by the thermal head 11 in S16 of FIG. 14 function as “printing means”. The CPU 101 that calculates the difference between the detection mark position and the reference position in S7 of FIG. 14 functions as a “calculation unit”. The CPU 101 that performs the printing position correction process illustrated in FIG. 15 functions as a “correction unit”. The CPU 101 that detects the width of the tape 81 by the detection switch 6 in S2 of FIG. 14 functions as a “width detection unit”. The ROM 102 that stores the reference position of the mark 83 for each tape width corresponds to the “reference position storage unit”.

  Needless to say, the configuration and processing shown in the above embodiment are merely examples, and various modifications are possible. Hereinafter, modifications of the above embodiment will be described.

  First, with reference to FIG. 16, a modified example in which the printing position is corrected each time printing is performed will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart of the main process of the modification. In the main process (see FIG. 14) of the above embodiment, when the power of the tape printer 1 is turned on, and when the tape cassette 51 is once removed and remounted (S1: YES), the mark 83 is displayed. Is detected (S3), and the printing position is corrected according to the detected value (S8). However, the timing for correcting the printing position can be changed as appropriate, and the printing position may be corrected every time printing is performed as in the following modification.

  As shown in FIG. 17, when the tape printer 1 is turned on and the main process is started by the CPU 101, it is determined whether or not print data and the number of prints have been input by the user (S31). If it has not been input (S31: NO), this determination is repeated. If it is input (S31: YES), the input print data is stored (S32), the input number of prints is set in the counter N (S33), and it is determined whether or not a print instruction is input. (S34). If the user has not entered a print instruction (S34: NO), this determination is repeated.

  When the print instruction is input (S34: YES), the cassette detection unit 10 detects the width H of the tape 81 provided in the tape cassette 51 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 12 and the type of the tape 81. And stored in the RAM 104 (S36). Next, the position of the mark 83 attached to the transparent tape 82 in the tape width direction is detected (S37), and it is determined whether or not the detected mark position is within the normal mounting range (S38). If the position of the mark 83 is not detected, and if the detected mark position is not within the predetermined normal mounting range (S38: NO), an error message is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 4 (S39), and S36 Return to processing. If the detected mark position is within the normal mounting range corresponding to the tape width (S38: YES), the correction value is calculated from the detected mark position and the reference position (S41), and the print position correcting process is performed (S42). . Since this print position correction process is the same as the print position correction process (see FIG. 15) of the above embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted.

  Next, printing for one sheet is performed according to the correction value (S43), the value of N is decremented by 1 (S44), and it is determined whether or not the value of N is “0” (S45). When it is not “0” (S45: NO), the process returns to the process of S37, and the printing position correction and the printing process according to the correction value are repeatedly performed (S37 to S44). If the value of N is “0” (S45: YES), the process returns to S31.

  As described above, it is possible to correct the printing position every time printing is performed. As a result, even when a deviation in the width direction of the transparent tape 82 occurs during repeated printing, the printing position can be corrected according to the deviation. The timing for correcting the printing position can be further changed. For example, the printing position may be corrected every time a predetermined number of sheets are printed, or the printing position is corrected every time a predetermined time elapses. Also good. In addition, a process for correcting the printing position when the tape cassette 51 is mounted and a process for correcting the printing position each time printing is performed can be executed together, and the keyboard unit determines which process is executed. You may make a user select by 3 grade | etc.,. In FIG. 14, it is determined whether or not the tape cassette 51 has been removed while waiting for an input of a print instruction (S15: NO) and during printing (S16 to S18). Needless to say, the same processing as in S1 to S8 may be performed when it is mounted again. Further, the method of correcting the printing position is not limited to the method of shifting the reference use dot.

  Further, the above embodiment can be modified in other ways. For example, the position where the mark 83 is attached is desirably a position along the end of the transparent tape 82 in order to reduce the possibility that the mark 83 may block characters or the like. However, if the deviation in the width direction of the transparent tape 82 is not large, if the mark 83 is added outside the printable area 87, the mark 83 does not block characters or the like. The mark 83 in the above embodiment is a solid line, but may be a broken line mark. In addition, it is desirable that the mark 83 of the above embodiment is continuous in the longitudinal direction so that the optical sensor 18 can detect the position of the mark 83 at any timing. However, the present invention can be realized even if the marks 83 are not continuous.

  The optical sensor 18 can be changed as appropriate. The optical sensor 18 of the above embodiment is a reflective line sensor, but a transmissive optical sensor 18 in which a light emitting element and a light receiving element face each other can also be used. The optical sensor 18 may be disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction of the transparent tape 82 relative to the position where the transparent tape 82 and the double-sided adhesive tape 84 are bonded. Not limited.

  Further, the method for detecting the width of the tape 81 of the tape cassette 51 mounted in the cassette mounting unit 12 can be changed as appropriate. For example, in the present embodiment, it is determined that the tape cassette 51 is normally mounted when the detection mark position belongs to any one of a plurality of normal mounting ranges (see FIG. 12). . However, when making this determination, the tape width corresponding to the normal mounting range to which the detection mark position belongs may be determined as the tape width of the mounted tape cassette 51.

1 is a perspective view of a tape printer 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom side of the tape printer 1 with the tape cassette 51 mounted and the cover removed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bottom side of the tape printer 1 with the cover and tape cassette 51 removed. 3 is a perspective view of a tape cassette 51. FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the lower case 53 with the upper case 52 removed. 7 is a perspective view of a movement restriction unit 93. FIG. It is a perspective view of the tape 81 with which the tape cassette 51 is provided. It is a figure which shows the transparent tape 82 on which the character was printed. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the discriminating part 66 and the recess 91 of the tape cassette 51. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the relationship of the cassette detection unit 10 and the positioning protrusion 21 with respect to the identification unit 66 and the recess 91. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the tape printer 1. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a reference position table stored in a ROM 102. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a storage area of a RAM 104. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of main processing performed in the tape printer 1. It is a flowchart of the printing position correction process performed during the main process. It is a flowchart of the main process of a modification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tape printer 6 Detection switch 11 Thermal head 12 Cassette mounting part 18 Optical sensor 51 Tape cassette 66 Identification part 81 Tape 82 Transparent tape 83 Mark 84 Double-sided adhesive tape 87 Printable area 89 Non-printing area 101 CPU
102 ROM

Claims (6)

A long transparent tape formed with a certain width on which characters, figures or symbols are printed;
With a long double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape that is bonded to the printing surface of the transparent tape,
The opposite surface of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is affixed to the transparent tape that has been printed by a printing device while the adhesive surface, which is one side of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, is bonded to the transparent tape. A tape cassette for discharging a label tape as a surface,
The transparent tape is provided with a mark of the same color as the color of the adhesive surface of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, the position of which can be detected by an optical sensor, at a fixed position in its width direction. cassette.   The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein the transparent tape includes the mark outside an area where printing is performed by the printing apparatus.   The tape cassette according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transparent tape includes the mark along an end in a width direction of the transparent tape. A long transparent tape on which characters, figures or symbols are printed, and a long double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape in which an adhesive surface as one surface is bonded to the printing surface of the transparent tape on which printing has been performed A printing apparatus capable of mounting a tape cassette on which the mark of the same color as the color of the adhesive surface of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is provided at a certain position in the width direction.
Printing means for printing on the printing surface of the transparent tape;
An optical sensor provided on the upstream side in the transport direction of the transparent tape from the position where the transparent tape and the double-sided adhesive tape are bonded, and detecting the position of the mark in the width direction of the transparent tape;
A calculating means for calculating a difference between the position of the mark detected by the optical sensor and a predetermined reference position of the mark;
And a correction unit that corrects the printing position in the width direction by the printing unit using the difference calculated by the calculation unit as a correction amount. Width detecting means for detecting the width of the transparent tape;
A plurality of reference position storage means for storing the reference position of the mark for each type of the transparent tape having different widths;
The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the calculation unit calculates a difference using the reference position corresponding to the transparent tape having a width detected by the width detection unit.   The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the optical sensor is a line sensor arranged with a width direction of the transparent tape as a longitudinal direction.

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