JP2013001000A - Label printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a label printer able to ensure print precision by accurately detecting a position detecting mark put on recording paper in advance, without being affected by a change in the height of the surface of the recording paper due to conveyance.SOLUTION: The label printer comprises: a sensor configured to optically read a mark put on the recording paper; a sensor box holding the sensor and configured to position the sensor opposite the surface of the recording paper; a recording-paper pressing member which is provided in the sensor box so as to extend in a direction orthogonal to the direction of conveyance of the recording paper, and which comes into contact with the surface of the recording paper to smooth the recording paper guided to an area opposite the sensor; and an elastic body which brings the recording-paper pressing member into contact with the surface of the recording paper by elastically supporting the sensor box, and which keeps the clearance, between the surface of the recording paper and the sensor, constant.

Description

  The present invention relates to a label printer having a mechanism for accurately detecting a mark previously attached to a paper recording paper without being affected by the height of the paper surface of the recording paper due to the bending of the paper.

  A label printer used for label printing, form printing, etc. detects a position detection mark printed in advance on a recording sheet, aligns the recording sheet at a predetermined printing position, and prints a barcode or other information. Configured as follows. Here, as the recording paper for label printing, so-called fan hold paper is used in which long recording paper having a predetermined width is alternately folded on the front surface side and the back surface side for each predetermined length. In this case, generally, the position detection mark is printed and formed as a rectangular black mark at a mountain fold portion and a valley fold portion at one side portion of the folded recording paper.

  In the label printer, the black mark of the fan hold paper continuously conveyed in one direction is optically detected, and the conveyance amount (feed amount) of the fan hold paper to the printing unit is controlled to control the bar code or the like. Execute printing. Therefore, it is important to accurately detect the position detection mark (black mark) attached to the recording paper.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-22130

  By the way, when fan hold paper is used as the recording paper used for printing by the label printer, the folded recording paper is continuously conveyed in one direction while being supplied and supplied to the label printer. On the paper portion on which the black mark) is printed, peaks and valleys appear alternately due to the bending caused by the folded portion. As a result, the paper surface position of the portion where the black mark is printed is displaced in the paper thickness direction, so that the detection of the black mark by the sensor is likely to be unstable, which causes a false detection of the mark and consequently a decrease in printing accuracy.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the label printer according to the present embodiment
A sensor that optically reads the mark on the recording paper;
A sensor box that holds the sensor and is provided in the conveyance path of the recording paper, and positions the sensor so as to face the paper surface of the recording paper;
The recording paper that extends in the width direction of the recording paper perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording paper, is provided in the sensor box, and is brought into contact with the paper surface of the recording paper and is guided to the opposite area of the sensor. A recording paper pressing member to be
The sensor box is elastically biased toward the recording paper side so that the recording paper pressing member is brought into contact with the paper surface of the recording paper, and the separation distance between the paper surface of the recording paper and the sensor is kept constant. Body,
It is characterized by comprising.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a sensor unit in a label printer according to an embodiment. The figure which shows the positional relationship of the black mark attached | subjected to the fan hold paper shown in FIG. 1, and the sensor which detects this black mark. The figure which shows schematic structure of the mechanism which drives the movable shaft of the 1st sensor box and 2nd sensor box which are shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, a label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a main part of a sensor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a recording paper (fan hold paper) that is transported through a predetermined transport path and guided to the sensor unit. Is shown. As shown schematically in FIG. 2, the fan hold paper 1 is, for example, a long paper having a paper width W of about 20 cm, and alternately folds and troughs every predetermined length in the longitudinal direction (for example, 8 cm). It is folded, is unfolded in a planar shape, and is continuously conveyed in the longitudinal direction at a constant speed. In the figure, 2 indicates a mountain fold portion, 3 indicates a valley fold portion, and 4 indicates a rectangular printed in advance on the mountain fold portion 2 and the valley fold portion 3 on one side of the fan hold paper 1 respectively. A shape black mark (position detection mark) is shown.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the sensor unit includes a first sensor box 10 and a second sensor box 20 that are disposed to face the front and back surfaces of the fan hold paper 1 across the conveyance path of the fan hold paper 1. Is provided. The first and second sensor boxes 10 and 20 are obtained by storing inner boxes 12 and 22 inside box-shaped outer boxes 11 and 21, respectively, and recording on the fan hold paper 1 in these inner boxes 12 and 22. Sensors 13 for optically detecting the black marks 4 are incorporated. In the figure, the sensor incorporated in the inner box 22 of the second sensor box 20 is omitted.

  Incidentally, for example, the sensor 13 is a reflective type composed of a projector 13 a that projects a slit-shaped constant amount of sensing light toward the surface of the fan hold paper 1 and a light receiver 13 b that receives the reflected light from the fan hold paper 1. The black mark 4 printed on the fan hold paper 1 is detected from the change in the amount of light received by the light receiver 13b.

  The inner boxes 12 and 22 each incorporating such a sensor 13 are screwed into movable shafts 14 and 24 made of long screws provided in the outer boxes 11 and 21 and supported by a linear guide (not shown) to support the fan. The fan hold paper 1 is supported so as to be movable in the width direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the hold paper 1. The inner boxes 12 and 22 are moved in the width direction of the fan hold paper 1 as the movable shafts 14 and 24 are rotated, and the sensor for the black mark 4 attached to the fan hold paper 1 is moved. The 13 opposing positions are set to be displaced.

  Here, one of the first and second sensor boxes 10 and 20 supported by a housing (frame) (not shown) of the sensor unit, specifically, the side facing the surface of the fan hold paper 1 guided to the sensor unit. 1, the first sensor box 10 disposed on the upper side of the fan hold paper 1 is provided so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of the fan hold paper 4. In particular, the first sensor box 10 is suspended by an elastic body 15 including four pressing springs interposed between the four corners of the external box 11 and the casing (frame). It is pressed and urged in a direction to contact the paper surface.

  A recording paper pressing member 16 is provided at a position upstream of the outer box 11 in the first sensor box 10 in the conveyance direction of the fan hold paper 1 and is connected to a lower portion of the wall surface of the outer box 11. The recording paper pressing member 16 extends in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the fan hold paper 1 (width direction of the fan hold paper 1), and has a bowl-like shape that forms a curved surface that contacts the paper surface of the fan hold paper 1. Consists of things. The recording paper pressing member 16 is displaced integrally with the outer box 10 that is displaced by the pressing force of the elastic body 15 and comes into contact with the paper surface of the fan hold paper 1. The recording paper pressing member 16 that is displaced in this manner presses the fan hold paper 1 with the spring force applied by the elastic body 15, so that the recording paper is not concerned with the paper thickness of the fan hold paper 1. It plays the role of flattening the fan hold paper 1 guided to the area facing the sensor box 10 while being in sliding contact with the pressing member 16.

  Note that the second sensor box 20 disposed on the lower side of the fan hold paper 1 in FIG. 1 on the back side of the fan hold paper 1 is basically configured in the same manner as the first sensor box 10 described above. . However, the conveyance path of the fan hold paper 1 is here guided by guiding the back side of the fan hold paper 1 with a guide and regulating the conveyance height position with reference to the paper surface on the back side of the fan hold paper 1. The second sensor box 20 is fixedly supported by a housing (frame) (not shown) of the sensor unit described above.

  By the way, the internal boxes 12 and 22 incorporated in the external boxes 11 and 21 of the first and second sensor boxes 10 and 20 are configured to be adjusted in conjunction with each other. Specifically, the movable shafts 14 and 24 that are respectively provided in the external boxes 11 and 21 to displace the internal boxes 12 and 22 are connected to a gear box 30 provided on the side of the external boxes 11 and 21. .

  As schematically shown in FIG. 3, the gear box 30 includes a first drive gear 31 connected to the movable shaft 14 on the first sensor box 10 side and a second sensor box 20 side. A second drive gear 32 connected to the movable shaft 24 and an interlocking gear 33 that meshes with the first and second drive gears 31 and 32 are provided. In particular, the interlocking gear 33 is provided with its rotating shaft biased and biased toward the first and second drive gears 31 and 32 by the tension spring 4. As a result, the height of the first sensor box 10 with respect to the change in the thickness of the fan hold paper 1 is displaced by the elastic body 15 described above, and the axial center position of the first drive gear 31 is changed accordingly. Even in this case, the meshing state of the interlocking gear 33 and the first and second drive gears 31 and 32 is kept stable.

  Here, the interlocking gear 33 is manually rotated according to the paper width of the fan hold paper 1, and by rotating the interlocking gear 33, the first and second drive gears 31, 32 are rotated. As a result, the movable shafts 14 and 24 incorporated in the first and second sensor boxes 10 and 20 are rotationally driven in conjunction with each other. As the movable shafts 14 and 24 rotate, the inner boxes 12 and 22 move and displace in the width direction of the fan hold paper 1, and the sensor 13 is placed in the passage area of the black mark 4 provided on one side of the fan hold paper 1. Are adjusted so as to face each other.

  According to the sensor unit configured as described above, the first sensor box 10 supported by the elastic body 15 is always in contact with the front surface of the fan hold paper 1, and the fan hold paper 1 is flattened so that the above-described internal structure is obtained. Since the light is guided to a region facing the sensor 13 incorporated in each of the boxes 12 and 22, the separation distance (opposite space) between the sensor 13 and the paper surface of the fan hold paper 1 can be kept constant. In particular, the distance between the front and back sides of the fan hold paper 1 and the sensor 13 is not limited regardless of the thickness of the fan hold paper 1 and regardless of the presence of the mountain folds and valley folds of the fan hold paper 1. The distance (opposite spacing) can be kept constant.

  Further, even when the fan hold paper 1 is conveyed while being affected by mechanical vibrations in the conveyance path while causing fluctuations (vibrations) in the thickness direction thereof, the fluctuations are suppressed by the recording paper pressing member 16 described above, The fan hold paper 1 can be flattened and stably guided to the sensor unit. As a result, the detection of the black mark 4 by the sensor 13 can be ensured and the detection accuracy can be sufficiently increased, so that it is possible to always execute printing of a barcode or the like based on the detection result of the black mark 4 with high accuracy. Become.

  That is, according to the label printer having the above configuration, the sensor box holding the sensor is provided so as to be displaceable in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of the recording paper via the elastic body, and the recording paper pressing member provided in the sensor box Is brought into contact with the paper surface of the recording paper, so that the distance between the surface of the recording paper flattened by the recording paper pressing member and the sensor is always kept constant. As a result, since the detection condition (detection distance) by the sensor of the position detection mark previously attached to the recording paper is made constant, the position detection mark can always be detected accurately, and the position detection mark Printing of a barcode or the like based on the detection result can always be executed with high accuracy.

  Further, by using a spring that urges the sensor box toward the paper surface of the recording paper as an elastic body that supports the sensor box, the support structure can be simplified. In addition, by setting the portion of the recording paper pressing member facing the recording paper as a curved surface that is in sliding contact with the surface of the recording paper, the recording paper guided to the region facing the sensor box without obstructing the conveyance of the recording paper can be easily obtained. Can be flattened.

  Furthermore, by incorporating an internal box provided with a sensor into the external box so as to be movable in a direction crossing the recording paper conveyance direction, the position of the sensor relative to the recording paper can be easily displaced in the width direction of the recording paper. Therefore, it is possible to deal with recording paper having various paper widths. Further, if a first sensor box and a second sensor box are provided so as to face the front and back surfaces of the recording paper with the conveyance path of the recording paper interposed therebetween, marks attached to the front or back surface of the recording paper are respectively provided. It can be detected reliably.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, the recording paper to be printed, such as a barcode, is not limited to the fan-hold paper folded as described above, but may be one wound in a roll shape. Although not directly related to the gist of the present invention, the above-described printer unit may be an ink jet type or a laser printer. Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the external box 11 is elastically biased toward the paper surface side of the recording paper 1 using a pressing spring as the elastic body 15, but the external box 11 may be elastically biased using a tension spring. Of course it is possible. Needless to say, the elastic bias position of the outer box 11 by the elastic body 15 is not specified. In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist thereof.

1 Fan hold paper (recording paper)
4 Black mark (position detection mark)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,20 Sensor box 11,21 External box 12,22 Internal box 13 Sensor 14,24 Movable shaft 15 Elastic body 16 Recording paper pressing member 31,32 Drive gear 33 Interlocking gear 34 Tension spring

Claims (6)

A sensor that reads the mark on the recording paper;
A sensor box that holds the sensor and is provided in the conveyance path of the recording paper, and positions the sensor so as to face the paper surface of the recording paper;
The recording paper is provided in the sensor box extending in the width direction of the recording paper orthogonal to the recording paper conveyance direction, and flattenes the recording paper that is brought into contact with the surface of the recording paper and led to the opposite area of the sensor. A recording paper pressing member;
The sensor box is elastically biased toward the recording paper side so that the recording paper pressing member is brought into contact with the paper surface of the recording paper, and the separation distance between the paper surface of the recording paper and the sensor is kept constant. Body,
A label printer comprising:   2. The elastic body according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body includes a spring that is interposed between a printer housing including the conveyance path and the sensor box and biases the sensor box toward a paper surface of the recording paper. Label printer.   The recording paper pressing member is provided on the upstream side of the recording direction of the recording paper in the sensor box and extends in the width direction of the recording paper, and a portion facing the recording paper is in sliding contact with the paper surface of the recording paper. The label printer according to claim 1, wherein the label printer is a curved surface. The sensor box is composed of an internal box that houses the sensor, and an external box that supports the internal box so as to be movable in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the recording paper.
The label printer according to claim 1, wherein the spring supports the external box movably in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of the recording paper on a printer housing including the conveyance path.   The inner box is supported inside the outer box so as to be movable in the width direction of the recording paper via a shaft, and is adjusted in position in the width direction of the recording paper by the rotation of the shaft. The label printer according to claim 4, which is a printer.   The sensor box includes first and second sensor boxes arranged to face the front and back surfaces of the recording paper with the conveyance path of the recording paper interposed therebetween, and is provided in each of the first and second sensor boxes. The label printer according to claim 4, wherein the shafts that displace the inner box are rotationally driven in conjunction with each other to displace the inner box in the same direction.

Images