JP2013158894A - Cutter device, adhesive label issue device, printer, and cutting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cutter device which can reduce the size, the weight and the cost of the device and can cut a recording sheet without stopping conveyance of the sheet, an adhesive label issue device, a printer, and a cutting method.SOLUTION: If the conveying speed of label paper P is indicated by V (mm/sec); the moving speed of a carriage 43 by S (mm/sec); the distance, in a support shaft part 47 (the carriage 43), between the end face 65 located on a rear side in a positive direction G1 along a moving direction G of the carriage 43 and the cutting position of a lower round blade and an upper round blade 42 is shown by L (mm); and a conveying amount of the label paper P conveyed while the carriage 43 moves by the distance L is indicated by M (mm), then the relation among the conveying speed V, the moving speed S, the distance L and the conveying amount M is given by S:V=L:M. The label paper P is cut by setting each parameter so that the conveying amount M becomes less than 1.05 and by transversely moving the carriage 43 obliquely toward the downstream side of the conveying direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutter device, an adhesive label issuing device, a printer, and a cutting method.

Conventionally, a recording surface (printing) formed on the surface of a substrate as a label paper for adhesive labels used for food POS labels, logistics / transport labels, medical labels, baggage tags, bottle / can labels, etc. Surface), an adhesive layer formed on the back surface of the substrate, and a release paper (separator) covering the adhesive layer are widely known.
When using this type of adhesive label on an adherend, after printing predetermined information such as a barcode or price on the recording surface, the adhesive label is cut into a predetermined length, and the release paper Needs to be peeled off from the adhesive layer and attached to the adherend. However, since it is actually difficult to collect and recycle the peeled release paper, there is a problem that the release paper becomes industrial waste.

Therefore, in recent years, pressure-sensitive adhesive labels that do not use release paper have been proposed from the viewpoint of environmental protection and environmental load reduction.
As such an adhesive label, for example, a release agent such as a silicone resin is applied to the surface of the recording surface, and the release property between the recording surface and the adhesive layer is ensured even if the adhesive label is wound in a roll shape. Things are known (first adhesive label). Moreover, what uses the thermoactive adhesive layer which expresses adhesiveness by heating a non-adhesive adhesive layer at normal temperature is also known (2nd adhesive label). In addition, a non-adhesive resin layer is coated on the entire surface of the adhesive layer, and a hole (minute opening) is formed in the resin layer by heating to expose the adhesive layer and develop adhesiveness. (Third adhesive label).

  Moreover, as a label issuing device that develops adhesive force on an adhesive label that develops adhesiveness by heating the adhesive surface, as in the second and third adhesive labels described above, printing is performed on the printing surface of the adhesive label. There is a printing unit, a cutter unit that cuts the pressure-sensitive adhesive label after printing to a desired length, and a pressure-sensitive adhesive unit that heats the pressure-sensitive adhesive surface to develop the pressure-sensitive adhesive label. A heat source using a heat roller, a thermal head, or the like has been studied as a heat source for the expression unit.

However, in the pressure-sensitive adhesive label issuing apparatus that handles a pressure-sensitive adhesive label that exhibits a pressure-sensitive adhesive force by heating and has a heat-sensitive coloring layer on the print surface, a heat source is required for both the recording surface and the pressure-sensitive adhesive surface.
Furthermore, sticking of the adhesive label in the adhesive force developing unit may occur due to the adhesive force after heating the adhesive surface of the adhesive label with the adhesive force developing unit. In order to suppress this, it is preferable to transport the adhesive label without stopping the transport of the adhesive label after the adhesive force is developed.
In addition, in order to develop adhesive force on the entire adhesive surface on the back of the adhesive label, arrange a cutter unit upstream from the adhesive expression unit and develop adhesive force until the adhesive label passes the adhesive expression unit. It is necessary to heat the unit without stopping the conveyance of the adhesive label.

  Therefore, for example, in Patent Document 1, a paper slack unit that loosens the adhesive label is provided between the cutter unit and the adhesive expression unit as a configuration that does not stop the conveyance of the adhesive label during conveyance in the adhesive expression unit. A proposed configuration has been proposed. According to this configuration, the adhesive label is loosened between the upstream paper passing portion and the downstream paper passing portion, so that when the adhesive label is cut, cutting by the cutter unit upstream of the paper slack unit. Even if conveyance of the adhesive label is stopped at the position, conveyance can be continued while absorbing the slack of the adhesive label in the paper slack unit on the downstream side of the paper slack unit. It is said that the adhesive label can be cut without stopping.

JP 2003-316265 A

  However, in the configuration including the paper slack unit described above, it is necessary to secure a slack area for loosening the adhesive label between the upstream side paper passing portion and the downstream side paper passing portion. There is a problem that leads to.

On the other hand, the structure which provides the cutter unit which can cut | disconnect an adhesive label, without stopping conveyance of an adhesive label is also examined. As such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 12, an adhesive label is sandwiched between a movable blade 202 having a spiral blade 201 formed on the outer peripheral surface of a rotatable support column 200 and the movable blade 202. The structure using what is called a rotary cutter 210 provided with the fixed blade 203 to cut | disconnect is proposed. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, a movable blade 205 that can be rotated along the adhesive label transport direction, and a fixed blade 206 that sandwiches the adhesive label between the movable blade 205 and cuts the adhesive label. A configuration using a so-called swing cutter 220 is proposed.
In the rotary cutter 210 and the swing cutter 220, the movable blades 202 and 205 are rotated or rotated along the adhesive label conveyance direction, so that the cutting can be performed while the adhesive label is conveyed.

  However, the rotary cutter 210 and the swing cutter 220 described above have a problem that the structure is complicated and the rigidity of the blade is required, which makes the cutter large, heavy, and expensive.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and can cut the recording paper without stopping the conveyance of the recording paper while reducing the size, weight, and cost. It is an object of the present invention to provide an adhesive label issuing device, a printer, and a cutting method.

  The cutter device according to the present invention is a cutter device that cuts the recording paper to a desired length without stopping the conveyance of the belt-like recording paper that is continuously conveyed, on one side of the recording paper. A first blade disposed, a second blade disposed on the other surface side of the recording paper, and sandwiching the recording paper between the first blade, and the first blade and the second blade are supported. And a carriage that is movable in a direction that intersects the conveyance direction of the recording paper, wherein the conveyance speed of the recording paper is V, the movement speed of the carriage is S, the first blade, and the second The distance between the cutting position of the recording paper by the blade and the end face located on the rear side in the movement direction of the carriage is L, and the conveyance amount of the recording paper conveyed while the carriage moves the distance L is M. Then, these conveyance speed V and movement speed S The relationship between the distance L and the transport amount M is S: V = L: M, and at least of the transport speed V, the moving speed S, and the distance L so that the transport amount M is less than 1.05. Any one of them is set, and the carriage moves obliquely across the plane in the width direction of the recording paper toward the downstream side in the transport direction.

According to this configuration, the recording sheet can be cut along the moving direction of the carriage by sandwiching the recording sheet with the first blade and the second blade. In this case, by inclining the end of the carriage movement direction toward the downstream side in the recording paper conveyance direction, cutting can be performed without stopping the recording paper conveyance, so that the printing (issue) cycle can be shortened. In addition, when the cutter device of the present invention is mounted on the above-described adhesive label issuing device, the paper slack unit is not provided as in the prior art, so that the device can be reduced in size and simplified.
In addition, since the cutting direction and the width direction of the recording paper can be aligned by inclining the carriage, the rigidity of the cutter device itself is higher than when a conventional rotary cutter, swing cutter, or the like is used. Therefore, it is possible to cut the recording paper while conveying it while reducing the size, weight and cost.

  By the way, when the configuration in which the first blade and the second blade are supported by the carriage is adopted, the cutting position along the moving direction of the carriage in the width direction of the recording paper (the cutting position of the recording paper by the first blade and the second blade). There is a risk that the rear side of the recording paper, that is, the cut area (cut area) of the recording paper may interfere with the carriage and the recording paper may be bent (so-called paper jam). In this case, in the width direction of the recording paper, the portion of the recording paper that has not been cut is also bent at the same time, and the recording paper is clogged between the first blade and the second blade, leading to defective cutting of the recording paper. There is a fear.

  Therefore, according to the configuration of the present invention, when the conveyance speed V, the movement speed S, the distance L, and the conveyance amount M are set, the conveyance speed V and the movement speed S are set so that the conveyance amount M is less than 1.05. And / or the distance L is set in combination, so that the recording paper can be cut well while suppressing the occurrence of paper jam due to the interference between the recording paper and the carriage.

Further, the first blade and the second blade are supported by the carriage so as to be able to rotate in the opposite directions while sandwiching the recording paper on the conveyance surface of the recording paper.
According to this configuration, since the first blade and the second blade move in the width direction of the recording paper together with the carriage while rotating, the recording paper can be cut efficiently.

The distance L is set to be less than 1.05 × (S / V).
According to this configuration, the conveyance amount M can be adjusted by changing the cutter device itself, and, for example, power saving can be achieved as compared with the case where the moving speed S is changed.

Further, the pressure-sensitive adhesive label issuing apparatus according to the present invention is a heat-sensitive pressure-sensitive adhesive label in which the recording paper exhibits an adhesive force by heating, and the adhesive force that causes the recording paper to exhibit an adhesive force by heating the recording paper. An expression unit, and the above-described cutter device disposed upstream in the transport direction from the adhesive force expression unit are provided.
According to this structure, after cutting to the desired length with a cutter apparatus, without stopping conveyance of a recording paper, it can heat by an adhesive force expression unit and can express the stable adhesive force. In this case, since the recording paper can be cut without stopping, it is possible to issue a high-quality adhesive label while shortening the issuing cycle.

Further, the printer according to the present invention is provided with the above-described adhesive label issuing device and a printing unit that is disposed upstream of the cutter device in the transport direction and performs printing on the recording paper. It is a feature.
According to this configuration, the desired information can be stably printed on the recording paper before the adhesive force is expressed by the adhesive force developing unit, so that various information is clearly printed, and thereafter stable adhesive force is expressed. A high-quality pressure-sensitive adhesive label can be obtained.

  Further, the cutting method according to the present invention includes a first blade disposed on one side of the belt-shaped recording paper continuously conveyed, and the first blade disposed on the other surface of the recording paper. A second blade that sandwiches the recording paper between the first blade and the second blade, and moves along a direction intersecting the recording paper conveyance direction on the recording paper conveyance surface. A cutting method for cutting the recording paper into a desired length without stopping the recording paper transport using a cutter device including a carriage that is made possible, the cutting speed of the recording paper being increased V, the moving speed of the carriage, S, the distance between the cutting position of the recording paper by the first blade and the second blade, and the end face located on the rear side in the moving direction of the carriage, L, the carriage The recording paper conveyed while moving the distance L When the transport amount is M, the relationship among the transport speed V, the moving speed S, the distance L, and the transport amount M is S: V = L: M, and the transport amount M is less than 1.05. The recording paper is cut by adjusting at least one of the transport speed V, the moving speed S, and the distance L.

According to this configuration, the recording paper can be cut along the moving direction of the carriage by sandwiching the recording paper by the first blade and the second blade and moving the carriage through these blades. In this case, since the recording paper can be cut without being stopped, the printing cycle can be shortened. Further, since the paper slack unit is not provided as in the prior art, the apparatus can be reduced in size and simplified.
In addition, since the cutting direction of the recording paper and the cutting direction of the first blade and the second blade (carriage movement direction) can be aligned, the cutter device can be used in comparison with the conventional rotary cutter or swing cutter. It is not necessary to increase the rigidity of itself, and it is possible to cut the recording paper in a conveyed state after achieving reduction in size, weight, and cost.
In particular, when the conveyance speed V, the movement speed S, the distance L, and the conveyance amount M are set, at least one of the conveyance speed V, the movement speed S, and the distance L so that the conveyance amount M is less than 1.05. By cutting the recording paper after adjusting the above, it is possible to cut the recording paper satisfactorily while suppressing the occurrence of paper jam due to the interference between the recording paper and the carriage. Furthermore, in addition to these parameters, by adjusting the inclination angle of the carriage, it is possible to align the cutting direction of the recording paper with the cutting direction of the first blade and the second blade (movement direction of the carriage).

According to the present invention, it is possible to cut the recording paper without stopping the conveyance while reducing the size, the weight, and the cost.
Further, the occurrence of paper jam due to the interference between the recording paper and the carriage can be suppressed, and the recording paper can be cut well.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of a cutter apparatus, (a) is a front view, (b) is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of (a). It is a top view of a cutter apparatus. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printer. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printer. It is a top view of a cutter apparatus, and is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the operating method of a cutter apparatus. It is a top view of a cutter apparatus, and is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the operating method of a cutter apparatus. It is a side view of the cutter apparatus for demonstrating a cutting defect. It is a top view which shows the cutter apparatus in embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the operating method of the cutter apparatus which set the flame | frame diagonally with respect to the width direction of a label paper. It is a top view which shows the other structure of a cutter apparatus. It is a front view which shows the other structure of a cutter apparatus. It is a perspective view of a rotary cutter. It is a perspective view of a swing cutter.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a thermal printer provided with the cutter device of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, a thermal printer 1 (hereinafter referred to as a printer 1) of this embodiment uses a roll paper R for an adhesive label Q, and a strip-shaped label paper (continuously fed out from the roll paper R) ( After printing on recording paper) P, it is cut into a predetermined length to form an adhesive label Q, and the adhesive label Q is caused to exhibit an adhesive force and issued.
In the present embodiment, the left-right direction in FIG. 1 is described as the conveyance direction F of the label paper P, the roll paper R direction is the upstream side with respect to the conveyance direction F, and the opposite direction is the downstream side.

The roll paper R described above is formed by winding a strip-shaped label paper P around the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical core material P ′, and is rotatably housed and held in a roll housing portion (not shown). The label paper P includes a printable layer formed on one surface side (hereinafter referred to as a front surface) of a base material, and an adhesive layer formed on the other surface side (hereinafter referred to as a back surface side) of the base material. And a non-adhesive functional layer that covers the adhesive layer and regulates the adhesive strength thereof.
The functional layer is a perforation forming layer in which holes are formed by being heated by an adhesive force developing thermal head 63, which will be described later. By forming these holes, the adhesive layer passes through the holes to form label paper P (adhesive label). Q) is exposed on the back surface and develops adhesive strength. The printable layer in this embodiment is a heat-sensitive recording layer that develops color when heated. In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the label sheet P is conveyed with the surface thereof facing upward.

  The printer 1 includes a printing unit 21 that performs printing on the printable layer of the label paper P that is fed from the roll paper R, and a cutter that cuts the label paper P printed by the printing unit 21 into adhesive labels Q having a desired length. A device 22, a pressure-sensitive adhesive expression unit 23 that heats the pressure-sensitive adhesive label Q cut by the cutter device 22 and develops a pressure-sensitive adhesive force on the pressure-sensitive adhesive label Q, and a paper holding unit 24 that holds the pressure-sensitive adhesive label Q that expresses pressure It is equipped with. In addition, the adhesive label issuing apparatus in this embodiment is comprised by the cutter apparatus 22 and the adhesive force expression unit 23 among each component mentioned above.

(Printing unit)
The printing unit 21 is a thermal printing mechanism in which a printing platen roller 31 and a printing thermal head 32 are arranged opposite to each other in the vertical direction (thickness direction of the label paper P), and are downstream of a roll paper storage unit (not shown). It is arranged on the side. The printing thermal head 32 is a line-type thermal head in which a large number of heating elements (not shown) are arranged along the width direction of the label paper P, and is disposed on the surface side (upper side) of the label paper P. Yes. The printing thermal head 32 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the printing platen roller 31 by an elastic member such as a coil spring (not shown).

  The printing platen roller 31 is disposed on the back side (lower side) of the label paper P, and is configured to be rotatable by a drive source (not shown). In the printing unit 21, the label paper P is fed out from the roll paper R by rotating the printing platen roller 31 while the label paper P is sandwiched between the printing platen roller 31 and the printing thermal head 32. Transport.

(Cutter device)
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the cutter device, FIG. 2 (a) is a front view, and FIG. 2 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2 (a). FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cutter device.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cutter device 22 includes a frame 35 and a cutter unit 36 that is mounted on the frame 35 and configured to reciprocate along the width direction of the label paper P.
The longitudinal direction of the frame 35 extends along the width direction of the label paper P. Specifically, the frame 35 is formed such that the length in the longitudinal direction is longer than the length in the width direction of the label paper P. The top plate portion 37 of the frame 35 serves as a guide surface that guides the label paper P along the transport direction F.

  The cutter unit 36 is disposed on the back side (lower side) of the label paper P and the lower round blade (first blade) 41 and on the front side (upper side) of the label paper P. The upper round blade (second blade) 42 supported so as to sandwich the label paper P in between is rotatably supported, and is movable along the width direction of the label paper P (longitudinal direction of the frame 35) (moving in FIG. 2) A carriage 43 in the direction G) and driving means 44 (see FIG. 2) for driving the carriage 43 are provided.

  First, the carriage 43 is made of a resin, metal, or the like, and is a box type formed in a C shape when viewed from the conveyance direction F and the width direction of the label paper P. Specifically, the carriage 43 includes a first base portion 45 disposed below the top plate portion 37, a second base portion 46 disposed above the top plate portion 37, and the like. And a support shaft portion 47 that connects the base portions 45 and 46.

  Each of the base portions 45 and 46 is disposed so as to sandwich the top plate portion 37 with a gap in the vertical direction with respect to the top plate portion 37. The label paper P passes between the second base portion 46 and the top plate portion 37. Each base portion 45, 46 has a rotation shaft (first rotation shaft 51 and second rotation shaft) in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction G of the carriage 43 on the conveyance surface of the label paper P between the base plate portion 37 and the top plate portion 37. 52). One end side of each of the rotating shafts 51 and 52 protrudes from the base portions 45 and 46, and the other end side is rotatably supported by the base portions 45 and 46.

  The support shaft portion 47 supports the second base portion 46 at the upper end portion and the first base portion 45 at the lower end portion, and the width direction of the label paper P in each of the base portions 45 and 46 when viewed from the transport direction F. Is arranged on the rear side of the forward direction G1, which will be described later, in the movement direction G of the carriage 43.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drive means 44 includes a drive motor 53 such as a DC motor, and a feed screw mechanism 54 for transmitting the drive force of the drive motor 53 to the carriage 43.
The drive motor 53 is installed below the frame 35, and its output shaft 53 a extends along the width direction of the label paper P. The output shaft 53a of the drive motor 53 passes through the side wall 55a of the frame 35, and a drive gear 56 is fixed to the tip of the drive shaft 53 outside the side wall 55a.

The feed screw mechanism 54 has a screw shaft 57 that is rotatable about an axis and in which a spiral groove 50 is formed in the outer peripheral surface axial direction.
The screw shaft 57 extends along the width direction of the label paper P (longitudinal direction of the frame 35), and both ends thereof are rotatably supported by the side wall portions 55a and 55b of the frame 35. A driven gear 58 is fixed to one end side (one side wall 55a side) of the screw shaft 57 outside the side wall 55a. The driven gear 58 meshes with the drive gear 56, and the screw shaft 57 rotates as the drive motor 53 rotates.

A pin (not shown) that engages with the spiral groove 50 of the screw shaft 57 is disposed on the carriage 43 so as to be extendable and contractable. This pin moves in the axial direction on the screw shaft 57 along the spiral groove 50 of the screw shaft 57 as the screw shaft 57 rotates, whereby the carriage 43 moves in the width direction (moving direction G) of the label paper P. Move along.
Note that the spiral groove 50 of the feed screw mechanism 54 of the present embodiment is a continuous groove formed so as to be folded back at one end in the axial direction of the screw shaft 57. It reciprocates in the axial direction of the screw shaft 57. In the following description, in the moving direction G of the carriage 43, the screw shaft 57 is directed from the initial position on one end side in the axial direction (see FIG. 3A) to the cut completion position on the other end side (see FIG. 7). The direction is the forward direction G1, and the direction from the other end side to the one end side is the reverse direction.

  The frame 35 is provided with a detection unit 39 that detects that the carriage 43 is in the above-described initial position. The detection unit 39 includes a photo sensor, a micro switch, and the like, and is installed at a position overlapping the carriage 43 when the carriage 43 is in the initial position.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lower round blade 41 is a so-called circular cutter formed in a disk shape, and its outer peripheral edge is a cutting edge. Further, the cutting edge of the lower round blade 41 is disposed at the same height as the top plate portion 37 of the frame 35 described above. Further, the center of rotation of the lower round blade 41 is connected to one end of the first rotation shaft 51 described above.

  The upper round blade 42 is a circular circular cutter similar to the lower round blade 41 described above, and is disposed at the same height as the top plate portion 37 of the frame 35 so as to face the lower round blade 41. Yes. The cutting edge of the upper round blade 42 and the cutting edge of the lower round blade 41 are in contact at one point, and the label paper P is sandwiched and cut at this contact portion (cutting position C). The upper round blade 42 is connected to one end of the second rotation shaft 52 at the center of rotation.

As shown in FIG. 2B, a label press 59 is connected to the other end side of the second rotating shaft 52. The label retainer 59 has a wheel (not shown) arranged coaxially with the upper round blade 42 and an O-ring 60 attached to the outer peripheral portion of the wheel.
The wheel is made of rubber, plastic, metal, or the like, is disposed above the top plate portion 37, and is provided so as to rotate together with the conveyance of the label paper P via the second rotating shaft 52. The lower edge of the O-ring 60 is positioned so as to contact the top plate portion 37 of the frame 35 or the surface of the label paper P guided on the top plate portion 37. Therefore, the label pressing mechanism 59 is rotated by the frictional resistance between the O-ring 60 and the top plate portion 37 or the label paper P, and the upper circular blade 42 and the lower circular blade 41 are rotated by the rotation of the label pressing mechanism 59. It is designed to rotate in the reverse direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, on the downstream side of the cutter device 22, a conveying roller 61 that sends the cut adhesive label Q toward the downstream adhesive force expression unit 23 is disposed.

(Adhesive expression unit)
The adhesive force expression unit 23 includes an adhesive force expression platen roller 62 and an adhesive force expression thermal head 63 that are opposed to each other in the vertical direction, and is disposed downstream of the cutter device 22. The thermal head 63 for expressing adhesive force is a line head in which a number of heating elements (not shown) are arranged along the width direction of the adhesive label Q, and is disposed on the back side (lower side) of the adhesive label Q. Yes. The thermal head 63 for expressing the adhesive force is pressed toward the platen roller 62 for expressing the adhesive force by an elastic member such as a coil spring (not shown) and is in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface thereof.

  The platen roller 62 for expressing the adhesive force is disposed on the surface side of the adhesive label Q and is configured to be rotatable by a driving source (not shown). In the adhesive expression unit 23, the adhesive label platen roller 62 is rotated between the adhesive expression platen roller 62 and the adhesive expression thermal head 63, and the adhesive label expression unit 23 is rotated. Q can be transported.

(Paper holding unit)
The paper holding unit 24 conveys the adhesive label Q that has passed through the adhesive force expression unit 23 to a position where it can be taken out, and holds the conveyed adhesive label Q until the user takes it out. Specifically, the paper holding unit 24 includes a plurality of transport rollers 64 that are arranged on the downstream side with respect to the adhesive force expression unit 23 and are arranged along the transport direction F of the adhesive label Q.

(Printer operation method)
Next, the operation of the printer 1 described above will be described. 4 and 5 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the printer.
As shown in FIG. 4, the printer 1 is first connected to an external input device (not shown), and issuance conditions are output from the external input device to the printer 1 in step S1. As the issuing conditions, for example, the conveyance speed V of the label paper P (adhesive label Q), the length of the adhesive label Q, print data, adhesive layout data (pattern data for forming perforations), the moving speed of the carriage 43, for example. S etc.

  In step S2, the external input device instructs the number of adhesive labels Q to be issued (k), and in step S3, the external input device starts counting the number of adhesive labels Q to be issued (count number n = 1). ).

Subsequently, in step S4, the external input device determines whether or not the count number n is equal to or less than the issued number k (n ≦ k).
When the determination result of step S4 is “YES” (when n ≦ k), the process proceeds to step S5.
On the other hand, if the determination result in step S4 is “NO” (when n = k), it is determined that the instructed number of issued sheets k has been issued, or that the number of issued sheets k has not been input (0 sheets). To end the flow.

  In step S5, the external input terminal starts the conveyance of the label sheet P by operating various conveyance rollers, and drives the printing thermal head 32 in step S6. The label paper P supplied to the printing unit 21 is sent out downstream between the printing platen roller 31 and the printing thermal head 32. At this time, the label sheet P supplied to the printing unit 21 is used as the nth adhesive label Q, and the printing operation according to the above-described issuing conditions is performed. Specifically, when the label paper P passes between the printing platen roller 31 and the printing thermal head 32, printing data such as barcodes and characters is sequentially applied to the surface (printable layer) of the label paper P. Printed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, when the output of the print data to the label paper P corresponding to the nth adhesive label Q is completed in step S7, the print thermal head 32 is driven in step S8. Stop.

  Subsequently, the label paper P that has passed through the printing unit 21 is supplied to the cutter device 22. The label paper P supplied to the cutter device 22 is sent out on the top plate portion 37 of the frame 35 toward the downstream side. When the cutting position of the label paper P (the label length position of the nth adhesive label Q) reaches the cutter device 22 (step S9), the cutter device 22 is driven in step S10.

6 and 7 are plan views of the cutter device, and are explanatory diagrams for explaining an operation method of the cutter device.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, in step S <b> 10, when the drive motor 53 is first driven, the driving force is transmitted to the driven gear 58 via the drive gear 56. Then, the driven gear 58 rotates, the screw shaft 57 of the feed screw mechanism 54 rotates, and the carriage 43 starts moving from the initial position on the screw shaft 57 toward the other end (in the width direction of the label paper P). .

  As the carriage 43 moves, the label paper P is cut by the lower round blade 41 and the upper round blade 42. At this time, since the lower round blade 41 and the upper round blade 42 are configured to be rotatable in opposite directions so as to draw the label paper P, the label paper P can be cut efficiently.

By the way, in the cutter device 22 shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the carriage 43 moves along the width direction of the label paper P with respect to the label paper P that is continuously conveyed. It is inclined with respect to the width direction of the paper P. Specifically, in the moving direction G of the carriage 43, the adhesive label Q is cut so as to increase in length from the rear side to the front side along the positive direction G1.
In order to correct this oblique cutting, in this embodiment, the frame 35 of the cutter device 22 is set obliquely with respect to the width direction of the label paper P as shown in FIG. Specifically, the cutter device 22 is disposed so as to be obliquely traversed toward the downstream side in the transport direction F as it moves forward in the forward direction G1 in the movement direction G of the carriage 43. In this case, since the cutting can be performed in accordance with the conveyance of the label paper P, the width direction of the label paper P is aligned with the cutting direction, and the cutting direction of the adhesive label Q is in the width direction of the label paper P. In contrast, it is not inclined (that is, cut at right angles to the conveyance direction F (length direction) of the label paper P). In FIG. 9, the configuration of the cutter device 22 is the same as that of the cutter device 22 shown in FIGS.

  When the carriage 43 reaches the cutting completion position (step S11), the movement of the carriage 43 is stopped (step S12), and then the rotation of the printing platen roller 31 in the printing unit 21 is stopped (step S13).

  Subsequently, the printing platen roller 31 in the printing unit 21 is driven in reverse (step S14), and the label paper P is transferred in reverse. Thereafter, when the downstream end of the label paper P is retracted to the upstream side of the cutter device 22 (step S15), the driving of the printing platen roller 31 is stopped (step S16).

When the label paper P is retracted from the cutter device 22, the movement of the carriage 43 is resumed (step S17). Specifically, when the drive of the drive motor 53 is resumed in the state where the carriage 43 is at the cut completion position in step S11 described above, the screwed portion of the pin of the carriage 43 is reversed via the spiral groove 50 of the screw shaft 57. Start moving in the direction.
When the carriage 43 moves to the initial position (step S18), the movement of the carriage 43 is temporarily stopped in step S19, and the process proceeds to step S30.

  By the way, in steps S10 to S12 described above, the cutting process by the cutter device 22 is performed on the upstream end of the n-th adhesive label Q, and at the same time, as shown in step S21 and later, The nth adhesive label Q is sequentially supplied to the adhesive expression unit 23 from the downstream side.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, when the n-th adhesive label Q is supplied to the adhesive expression unit 23 (step S21), the adhesive expression thermal head 63 is driven (step S22). The adhesive label Q supplied to the adhesive force developing unit 23 is inserted between the adhesive force developing thermal head 63 and the adhesive force developing platen roller 62, and the adhesive force developing platen roller 62 causes the adhesive force developing thermal head to be used. In 63, it is conveyed downstream while expressing adhesive force.

  At this time, each heating element of the thermal head 63 for expressing adhesive force generates heat by applying thermal energy separately based on the label information described above. Therefore, only the part of the back surface (functional layer) of the pressure-sensitive adhesive label Q that is in contact with the heat generating element that has generated heat is locally heated, and when the perforated part of the functional layer reaches the melting point, the functional layer is melted and pores are formed. It is formed. Thereby, the adhesive layer of the adhesive label Q is exposed through the hole. As a result, the adhesive strength can be expressed in the adhesive label Q (step S23).

When the nth adhesive label Q finishes passing through the adhesive expression unit 23, the drive of the adhesive expression thermal head 63 is stopped (step S24).
On the other hand, the n-th adhesive label Q sent out from the adhesive expression unit 23 is supplied to the paper holding unit 24. The adhesive label Q supplied to the paper holding unit 24 is sent out downstream by the transport roller 64. When the adhesive label Q is discharged from the adhesive force expression unit 23 (step S25), the drive of the adhesive force expression platen roller 62 of the adhesive force expression unit 23 is stopped (step S26).

  Next, by stopping the driving of the paper holding unit 24 (step S27), the adhesive label Q that is adhesively held on the transport roller 64 of the paper holding unit 24 can be peeled off and taken out. Thus, the issue of the adhesive label Q is completed.

Thereafter, in step S28, it is determined whether or not the adhesive label Q has been taken out.
If the determination result in step S28 is “YES”, it is determined that the adhesive label Q has been removed, and the process proceeds to step S30.
On the other hand, if the determination result in step S28 is “NO”, it is determined that the adhesive label Q is still present on the transport roller 64, and the flow of step S28 is repeated to stand by.

In step S30, it is determined whether or not the carriage 43 is stopped at the initial position.
If the determination result of step S30 is “YES”, it is determined that the carriage 43 is stopped at the initial position, and the process proceeds to step S31.
On the other hand, if the determination result of step S30 is “NO”, it is determined that the carriage 43 has not yet stopped at the initial position, and the flow of step S30 is repeated.

  Thereafter, in step S31, after adding one count number n, the above-described steps after step S4 are repeated.

  By the way, when the configuration in which the lower round blade 41 and the upper round blade 42 are supported by the carriage 43 (support shaft portion 47) as in the present embodiment is adopted, the movement direction of the carriage 43 in the width direction of the label paper P is adopted. In G, the rear side of the cutting position C along the positive direction G1, that is, the cut area (cut area) of the label paper P interferes with the carriage 43 (support shaft portion 47), and the label paper P bends. (So-called paper jam).

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, in the width direction of the label paper P, the label paper P in the region (uncut region) where the label paper P is not cut out of the moving direction G of the carriage 43 is bent. There is a possibility that the label paper P is clogged between the lower round blade 41 and the upper round blade 42, leading to defective cutting of the label paper P.

Therefore, as a result of diligent efforts, the inventors of the present application have determined that the conveyance speed of the label paper P is V (mm / sec), the movement speed of the carriage 43 is S (mm / sec), and the support shaft portion 47 (carriage 43). The distance between the end face 65 located on the rear side of the positive direction G1 along the moving direction G of the carriage 43 and the cutting position C of the lower round blade 41 and the upper round blade 42 is L (mm: see FIG. 2A). ) When the transport amount of the label paper P transported while the carriage 43 moves the distance L is M (mm), the cause of the cutting failure of the label paper P is V, S, L, M described above. I found it related. That is, the above-described relationship among the conveyance speed V, the movement speed S, the distance L, and the conveyance amount M can be expressed as the following formula (1).
S: V = L: M (1)

The inventor of the present application conducted a test for measuring the relationship between the conveyance speed V, the movement speed S, the distance L, the conveyance amount M, and the occurrence of cutting failure of the label paper.
Table 1 shows the success or failure of cutting (the presence or absence of defective cutting) when the conveying speed V and the moving speed S are varied while the distance L (10.5 (mm)) is constant. That is, in this test, the transport amount M was calculated based on the transport speed V, the moving speed S, and the distance L, and the success or failure of the cutting with respect to the transport amount M was measured. The label paper P used in this test has a width of 50 mm and a thickness of 100 μm. In Table 1, “◯” indicates that cutting was successful, and “x” indicates that cutting was defective due to the above-described causes.

  As shown in Table 1, when the moving speed S is 250 (mm / sec), the transport speed V is 25 (mm / sec) or more, that is, the transport amount M is 1.05 (mm) or more. As a result, cutting failure occurred. When the moving speed S is 450 (mm / sec), the transport speed V is faster than 45 (mm / sec), that is, the transport amount M is larger than 1.05 (mm / sec) (for example, In the case of 1.17 (mm / sec) or more), a result that cutting failure occurs was obtained.

  From the above results, in order to suppress the occurrence of cutting defects, the conveyance speed V, the movement speed S, and the distance L may be set so that the conveyance amount M is at least less than 1.05 (mm). Possible (1.05> (VL / S)).

In order to satisfy the transport amount M <1.05 (mm), for example, the following method can be considered.
First, in order to satisfy the transport amount M <1.05 using the transport speed V, adjustment is performed by setting the power supplied to various drive sources of the printer 1 (for example, the transport speed V is relatively slow). can do.
In order to satisfy the transport amount M <1.05 using the moving speed S, the power supplied to the drive motor 53 can be set (adjusted relatively fast). Thereby, since the existing circular cutter can be utilized as it is, the increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

In order to satisfy the transport amount M <1.05 using the distance L (L <1.05 × (S / V)), for example, the width direction of the label paper P in the support shaft portion 47 (the length of the frame 35) It is conceivable to reduce the width along the direction. However, in this case, the support shaft portion 47 is made of metal instead of resin, or the thickness of the support shaft portion 47 along the conveyance direction F of the label paper P is increased (for example, the thickness of the support shaft portion 47). It is necessary to ensure the rigidity of the support shaft portion 47 by increasing the width as compared with (1).
Further, by reducing the outer diameter of each of the round blades 41, 42, the end surface of the support shaft portion 47 located on the rear side in the positive direction G1 along the movement direction G of the carriage 43, the lower round blade 41, and the upper It is also conceivable to reduce the distance from the cutting position C of the round blade 42 by L (mm).

  As described above, adjusting the distance L among the transport speed V, the moving speed S, and the distance L can adjust the transport amount M by changing only the cutter device 22 as compared to changing the transport speed V. Compared with the case where the moving speed S is changed, there is an advantage in that power saving can be achieved. Note that at least one of the conveyance speed V, the movement speed S, and the distance L may be adjusted, or a plurality of conditions may be combined and adjusted.

And according to this embodiment, first, the lower round blade 41 arranged on the back side of the label paper P, the upper round blade 42 arranged on the front side of the label paper P, and each of these round blades 41, 42. And a carriage 43 that is supported and movable along a direction intersecting the transport direction F.
According to this configuration, the label paper P can be cut along the moving direction G of the carriage 43 by sandwiching the label paper P between the lower round blade 41 and the upper round blade 42. In this case, since the end of the carriage 43 in the moving direction G is inclined toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction F of the label paper P, it is possible to cut without stopping the conveyance of the label paper P, thereby shortening the printing (issue) cycle. it can. Further, since the paper slack unit is not provided as in the prior art, the apparatus can be reduced in size and simplified.

  Further, since the carriage 43 is inclined by a certain amount in a plane with respect to the width direction of the label paper P, the cutting can be performed in accordance with the conveyance of the label paper P. Therefore, the width direction of the label paper P and the cutting direction And can be aligned. Therefore, the label paper P can be cut at right angles to the conveyance direction F of the label paper P. As a result, it is not necessary to increase the rigidity as compared with the case where the conventional rotary cutter 210, swing cutter 220, or the like is employed. Therefore, it is possible to stably cut the paper without stopping the conveyance of the label paper P after reducing the size, weight, and cost.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the conveyance speed V, the movement speed S, and the distance L are set so that the conveyance amount M is less than 1.05 (mm).
According to this configuration, the occurrence of paper jam due to the interference between the label paper P and the support shaft portion 47 (carriage 43) can be suppressed, and the label paper P can be cut well.

And according to the label issuing apparatus which has the cutter apparatus 22 mentioned above, after cutting the label paper P to the desired length by the cutter apparatus 22 without stopping conveyance of the label paper P, it is desired by the adhesive force expression unit 23. Stable adhesive strength can be expressed only in the area to be applied. In this case, since it can be cut without stopping the conveyance of the label paper P, it is possible to issue the high-quality adhesive label Q after shortening the issuing cycle.
Further, according to the printer 1 of the present embodiment, since desired information can be stably printed on the label paper before the adhesive force expression unit 23 develops the adhesive force, various information is clearly printed, and thereafter In addition, a high-quality pressure-sensitive adhesive label Q that exhibits stable adhesive strength can be obtained.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, it is desirable that the conveyance speed V of the label paper P is always constant. However, when it is necessary to limit the current consumption due to the battery drive and the mounted power supply capacity, depending on the data amount of printing or adhesive layout There is also a possibility that the conveyance speed V is lowered by driving the thermal heads 32 and 63 by dividing the print data and the adhesive layout data. In that case, on the conveyance surface of the label paper P, the angle formed by the conveyance direction F and the movement direction G of the carriage 43 is adjusted to the conveyance speed V that is the most frequently used among the conveyance speeds V, or to the average speed. It is preferable to do. In this case, the angle formed by the cutting direction with respect to the width direction of the label paper P (cutting angle) is preferably suppressed within ± 5 degrees.

Further, as means for changing the moving direction G of the carriage 43 with respect to the width direction of the label paper P on the conveyance surface of the label paper P, that is, means for changing the cutting angle (cutting direction), the configuration shown in FIG. It is possible to employ a simple rotation means 101.
The rotation means 101 includes a rotation shaft 100 serving as a rotation center of the frame 35, an eccentric cam 102 disposed on the other end side of the frame 35, and an urging member 110 disposed on one end side. Yes.

  The pivot shaft 100 is respectively directed from a base portion (not shown) disposed above the top plate portion 37 of the frame 35 and below the bottom wall portion 38 (see FIG. 2) toward the top plate portion 37 and the bottom wall portion 38. The pair extends along the vertical direction, and supports the intermediate portions of the top plate portion 37 and the bottom wall portion 38 in a rotatable manner.

The eccentric cam 102 is supported so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 103 provided at a position offset with respect to the center. The rotating shaft 103 is provided with a driven gear 104 and is transmitted to the eccentric cam 102 via a transmission gear 105 by a rotating means (not shown).
The urging member 110 is a coil spring interposed between the frame 35 and a fixing portion 111 arranged on one end side along the moving direction G of the carriage 43 on the upstream side of the frame 35, and the frame 35 is fixed to the fixing portion 111. It is biased toward a direction away from 111 (downstream side along the conveyance direction F).

  According to this configuration, since the distance between the rotating shaft 103 and the frame 35 changes due to the rotation of the eccentric cam 102, the compression / restoration by the biasing member 110 can be adjusted. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10A, the distance between the rotation shaft 103 and the frame 35 increases, so that the other end side of the frame 35 is separated from the rotation shaft 103 against the restoring force of the urging member 110. It turns toward the direction (downstream side along the conveyance direction F). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the distance between the rotating shaft 103 and the frame 35 approaches, the direction in which the frame 35 approaches the rotating shaft 103 by the restoring force of the urging member 110 (in the transport direction F). It turns toward the upstream side). That is, the angle formed by the conveyance direction F and the movement direction G can be adjusted as appropriate based on the rotation angle of the eccentric cam 102. Thereby, the angle formed by the transport direction F and the movement direction G of the carriage 43 can be set in accordance with the transport speed V.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the detection unit 39 that detects that the carriage 43 is in the initial position has been described. In addition, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the carriage 43 is in the cut completion position. You may provide the detection part 139 which detects that there exists.

In the above-described embodiment, the first blade and the second blade of the present invention have been described as a rotatable circular cutter. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and at least one of the first blade and the second blade does not rotate. May be rotatably provided.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the spiral groove 50 is formed in the screw shaft 57 of the feed screw mechanism 54 and the carriage 43 is reciprocated by the DC motor has been described. The carriage may be driven and the movement direction of the carriage 43 may be pulse-controlled.
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the feed screw mechanism 54 is employed as the moving mechanism of the carriage 43, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a belt or the like may be used.

Although the case where the cutter apparatus 22 of this invention was applied to the thermal printer for adhesive labels Q was demonstrated, it is not restricted to this. In other words, the present invention can be applied to various configurations as long as the recording paper to be conveyed is cut.
Furthermore, the printing unit 21 is only required to be disposed upstream of the adhesion developing unit 23 in the conveying direction, and may be disposed, for example, between the cutter device 22 and the adhesion developing unit 23.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Thermal printer (printer) 21 ... Printing unit 22 ... Cutter apparatus 23 ... Adhesive force expression unit 41 ... Lower round blade (1st blade) 42 ... Upper round blade (2nd blade) 43 ... Carriage 47 ... Supporting shaft part 51 ... first rotating shaft 52 ... second rotating shaft 65 ... end face C ... cutting position F ... conveying direction G ... moving direction L ... distance M ... conveying amount P ... label paper (recording paper) S ... moving speed V ... conveying speed

Claims (6)

In the cutter device for cutting the recording paper to a desired length without stopping the conveyance of the strip-shaped recording paper that is continuously conveyed,
A first blade disposed on one side of the recording paper;
A second blade that is disposed on the other surface side of the recording paper and sandwiches the recording paper with the first blade;
A carriage that supports the first blade and the second blade and is movable along a direction intersecting a conveyance direction of the recording paper;
The recording paper transport speed is V, the carriage moving speed is S, the cutting position of the recording paper by the first blade and the second blade, and the end face located on the rear side in the moving direction of the carriage. When the distance is L and the transport amount of the recording paper transported while the carriage moves the distance L is M,
The relationship among these conveyance speed V, movement speed S, distance L, and conveyance amount M is
S: V = L: M,
At least one of the conveyance speed V, the movement speed S, and the distance L is set so that the conveyance amount M is less than 1.05.
The cutter device characterized in that the carriage is moved obliquely across the plane in the width direction of the recording paper toward the downstream side in the transport direction.   2. The cutter according to claim 1, wherein the first blade and the second blade are supported by the carriage so as to be able to rotate in the opposite directions while sandwiching the recording paper on the conveyance surface of the recording paper. apparatus.   The cutter device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance L is set to be less than 1.05 x (S / V). The recording paper is a heat-sensitive adhesive label that develops adhesive strength by heating,
An adhesive force expression unit for heating the recording paper to express the adhesive strength of the recording paper;
An adhesive label issuing device, comprising: the cutter device according to claim 1, which is disposed upstream of the adhesive expression unit in the transport direction. An adhesive label issuing device according to claim 4;
A printer comprising: a printing unit that is disposed upstream of the cutter device in the transport direction and that prints on the recording paper. A first blade disposed on one surface side of a belt-like recording paper continuously conveyed;
A second blade that is disposed on the other surface side of the recording paper and sandwiches the recording paper with the first blade;
Using a cutter device that supports the first blade and the second blade, and includes a carriage that is movable along a direction intersecting the recording paper conveyance direction on the recording paper conveyance surface. , A cutting method for cutting the recording paper to a desired length without stopping the conveyance of the recording paper,
The recording paper transport speed is V, the carriage moving speed is S, the cutting position of the recording paper by the first blade and the second blade, and the end face located on the rear side in the moving direction of the carriage. When the distance is L and the transport amount of the recording paper transported while the carriage moves the distance L is M,
The relationship among these conveyance speed V, movement speed S, distance L, and conveyance amount M is
S: V = L: M,
A cutting method comprising cutting the recording paper by adjusting at least one of a conveyance speed V, a movement speed S, and a distance L so that the conveyance amount M is less than 1.05.

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