JP2013220875A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily move first and second units constituting a sensor, simultaneously.SOLUTION: A printer includes: a conveyance mechanism which conveys a printing medium; a printing mechanism which performs printing on the printing medium to be conveyed by the conveyance mechanism; a sensor which includes first and second units disposed facing a first surface of the printing medium to be conveyed by the conveyance mechanism and a second surface on the other side of the first surface, respectively; a driving mechanism which drives the first unit in a predetermined direction along the first surface; a guide mechanism which guides the second unit along the predetermined direction; a first magnetic field generator which is disposed in the first unit and which generates a magnetic field in at least a part of an area formed with the second unit; and a second magnetic field generator which is disposed in the second unit and which generates a magnetic field along a direction of the magnetic field, generated by the first magnetic field generator, in at least a part of an area formed with the first unit.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer that performs printing on a print medium.

  A label continuum in which a plurality of label pieces are temporarily attached to a belt-like mount at a predetermined pitch, or a tag continuum in which a perforation is formed on a belt-like sheet at a predetermined pitch so that it can be separated into a plurality of tags. A printer for printing on the print medium is equipped with a pitch detection sensor for detecting the pitch of the print medium.

  As shown in Patent Document 1 below, a pitch detection sensor in a conventional printer includes a lower mounting member having a light emitting element, an upper mounting member having a light receiving element, and a connecting member that connects these mounting members. It has a U-shape. The pitch detection sensor allows a print medium to be inserted between the lower mounting member and the upper mounting member, and receives light emitted from the light emitting element at the light receiving element. Thereby, marks and holes formed at a predetermined pitch on the print medium are detected, and the pitch of the print medium is detected.

  In such a pitch detection sensor, when the width of the print medium exceeds the length of the lower mounting member and the upper mounting member, the detectable range by the light emitting element and the light receiving element extends to the mark or hole formed on the printing medium. In some cases, the pitch of the print medium cannot be detected. Although the lower mounting member and the upper mounting member are configured as independent units, and each is driven by the front side and the back side of the print medium, a system that can cope with a wide print medium is conceivable. It has not always been easy to synchronize with the upper mounting member.

JP 2008-201059 A (FIG. 2)

  Therefore, in view of the above points, the present invention is configured so that the first unit and the second unit are simultaneously placed in a state where the first unit and the second unit constituting the sensor are arranged with the print medium interposed therebetween. An object is to provide a printer that can be easily moved.

  In order to solve the above problems, a printer according to one aspect of the present invention is transported by a transport mechanism that transports a print medium, a printing mechanism that performs printing on a print medium transported by the transport mechanism, and a transport mechanism. A first unit and a sensor including a second unit disposed opposite to the first surface of the print medium and the second surface opposite to the first surface; A drive mechanism for driving in a predetermined direction along the surface; a guide mechanism for guiding the second unit along the predetermined direction; and at least one of regions between the first unit and the second unit. The first magnetic field generator for generating a magnetic field in the unit and the second unit, and at least part of the region between the first unit and the direction of the magnetic field generated by the first magnetic field generator Generate a magnetic field along And a second magnetic field generator comprises a.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, the first unit and the second unit can be driven by the driving mechanism, and the first unit and the second unit are attracted by the magnetic field. It becomes easy to move the units simultaneously.

FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing a state where one side plate of the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention is removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a main part of the printer illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows the label sensor shown in FIG. 2, its drive mechanism, and a guide mechanism. It is a front view of the label sensor shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the upper unit of the label sensor used for the printer which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and its guide mechanism.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same referential mark is attached | subjected to the same component and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a state in which one side plate of the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention is removed. The printer 1 can be separated into a plurality of labels by continuously forming a label continuous body in which a plurality of label pieces are temporarily attached to a belt-like mount at a predetermined pitch, or a perforation formed in a belt-like sheet at a predetermined pitch. This is a printer that performs printing on a printing medium such as a continuous tag body. In the following, a case where printing is performed on a label temporarily attached to a mount will be described as an example. Further, an example will be described in which printing is performed by transferring ink ribbon ink onto a print medium using a thermal head.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes a label supply reel 14, a label sensor 18, a ribbon supply reel 21, a ribbon take-up reel 22, a platen roller 30, and a thermal head 31 inside a housing 10. And a head pressing mechanism 32.

  On the label supply reel 14, a continuous label body 13 wound in a roll shape is rotatably held. The label continuum 13 drawn from the label supply reel 14 is guided between the lower label guide 41 and the upper label guide 42 and between the label transport roller 43 and the guide roller 44. The label transport roller 43 can be driven by a stepping motor (not shown), and intermittently transports the label continuous body 13 from the right side to the left side in the drawing.

  The label sensor 18 includes a lower unit 8 a and an upper unit 8 b that are arranged with the conveyance path of the label continuous body 13 interposed therebetween. The lower unit 8 a faces the lower surface of the label continuum 13, and the upper unit 8 b faces the upper surface of the label continuum 13. At least one of the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b is provided with a light emitting element (described later), and at least the other is provided with a light receiving element (described later). The label sensor 18 functions as a pitch detection sensor that detects the label pitch of the label continuum 13, for example.

  An ink ribbon 23 is wound around the ribbon supply reel 21 and the ribbon take-up reel 22. Each of the ribbon supply reel 21 and the ribbon take-up reel 22 can be driven by a motor (not shown). A plurality of guide rollers 33, 34 and 35 are provided in order to define the transport path of the ink ribbon 23. The transport path of the label continuum 13 and the transport path of the ink ribbon 23 merge at a position between the platen roller 30 and the thermal head 31.

  The platen roller 30 can be driven in synchronization with the label conveying roller 43 by a stepping motor (not shown), and intermittently conveys the label continuous body 13 or the ink ribbon 23 from the right side to the left side in the drawing. To do. The transport direction of the label continuum 13 and the ink ribbon 23 in this case is referred to as a forward direction in the present application, and the opposite direction is referred to as a reverse direction in the present application.

  By driving the ribbon take-up reel 22, the ink ribbon 23 conveyed in the forward direction can be taken up. By driving the ribbon supply reel 21, the ink ribbon 23 can be rewound in the reverse direction.

  The thermal head 31 has a set of fine heating elements that generate heat when an electric current is passed, and is disposed to face the platen roller 30. The continuous label body 13 and the ink ribbon 23 are inserted between the thermal head 31 and the platen roller 30, and current is passed through the heating element of the thermal head 31 to cause the heating element to generate heat. Thereby, printing is performed by transferring the ink of the ink ribbon 23 to the label temporarily attached to the label continuous body 13.

  The head pressing mechanism 32 defines the distance or pressing force between the thermal head 31 and the platen roller 30 by pressing the thermal head 31 via the spring member 32a and controlling the pressing force.

  The label continuum 13 on which the label has been printed is separated from the transport path of the ink ribbon 23 when it reaches the position of the guide roller 34, and passes between the label transport roller 45 and the guide roller 46. The label transport roller 45 can be driven in synchronization with the platen roller 30 and the label transport roller 43 by a stepping motor (not shown), and intermittently transports the label continuous body 13 in the forward direction. The label continuum 13 that has passed between the label transport roller 45 and the guide roller 46 is discharged from the label discharge port 48 to the outside of the housing 10.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of the printer shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the label sensor shown in FIG. 2 and its drive mechanism and guide mechanism. FIG. 4 is a front view of the label sensor shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower unit 8 a of the label sensor 18 is supported by a sensor driving gear 51 and a sensor guide shaft 52 that are arranged in parallel to each other. The sensor guide shaft 52 is inserted into a through hole 8d (see FIG. 1) that penetrates the lower unit 8a. The sensor drive gear 51 has a male screw formed on the outer periphery thereof. A female screw is formed in a screw hole 8c (see FIG. 1) penetrating the lower unit 8a, and the sensor drive gear 51 is screwed into the screw hole 8c.

  The sensor guide shaft 52 allows the lower unit 8 a to move along the sensor guide shaft 52. The sensor drive gear 51 is rotationally driven by a sensor drive motor 55. At this time, since the lower unit 8a is supported by the sensor drive gear 51 and the sensor guide shaft 52 and the rotation of the lower unit 8a is restricted, when the sensor drive gear 51 rotates, the lower unit 8a is moved to the sensor drive gear 51 and the sensor guide. It moves along the shaft 52. The lower unit 8a is driven by such a drive mechanism.

  On the other hand, the upper unit 8b of the label sensor 18 is supported by two sensor guide shafts 53 and 54 arranged in parallel to each other. The sensor guide shafts 53 and 54 are inserted into two through holes 8e and 8f (see FIG. 1) penetrating the upper unit 8b, respectively. By such a guide mechanism, the upper unit 8b can move in the paper width direction along the sensor guide shafts 53 and 54.

  As shown in FIG. 4, permanent magnets are disposed in the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b, respectively. The N pole 81 of the permanent magnet disposed in the lower unit 8a and the S pole of the permanent magnet disposed in the upper unit 8b. It is located so that 82 may oppose. The N pole 81 of the permanent magnet arranged in the lower unit 8a generates a magnetic field around it. The direction of the magnetic field generated by the N pole 81 is a direction away from the N pole 81 as indicated by an arrow A1. On the other hand, the S pole 82 of the permanent magnet arranged in the upper unit 8b also generates a magnetic field around it. The direction of the magnetic field generated by the S pole 82 is a direction approaching the S pole 82 as shown by an arrow A2.

  That is, the direction of the magnetic field generated by the N pole 81 and the direction of the magnetic field generated by the S pole 82 are substantially the same in a region sandwiched between the N pole 81 and the S pole 82. Therefore, an attractive force due to a magnetic field acts between the N pole 81 of the permanent magnet arranged in the lower unit 8a and the S pole 82 of the permanent magnet arranged in the upper unit 8b. Similarly, the attractive force due to the magnetic field indicated by the arrows B1 and B2 also acts between the N pole 84 of the permanent magnet arranged in the upper unit 8b and the S pole 83 of the permanent magnet arranged in the lower unit 8a.

  As a result, the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b are attracted to each other. Therefore, if the lower unit 8a is driven by the sensor drive gear 51, the upper unit 8b also follows this and moves along the sensor guide shafts 53 and 54. .

  A light emitting element 85 and a light receiving element 86 are provided at positions of the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b facing each other. When the light receiving element 86 receives light emitted from the light emitting element 85, marks or holes provided in the label continuous body 13 for each label pitch are detected. Driving of the platen roller 30 and the label transport rollers 43 and 45 is controlled based on the detection result of the label sensor 18.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor drive gear 51 and the sensor guide shafts 52, 53, and 54 are arranged so as to be orthogonal to the transport direction of the label continuous body 13 from the label transport roller 43 to the label transport roller 45. . Therefore, the lower unit 8 a and the upper unit 8 b can move in the width direction of the label continuous body 13.

  The lower label guide 41 and the upper label guide 42 are respectively formed with an opening 41a and an opening 42a along the moving direction of the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b. The lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b can detect a mark or a hole provided in the label continuum 13 through this opening.

  According to the first embodiment, since the lower unit 8 a and the upper unit 8 b can move in the width direction of the label continuous body 13, various width direction dimensions of the label continuous body 13 can be accommodated. That is, even if the width of the label continuous body 13 is wide, if the lower unit 8a is driven to a desired position in the width direction, the upper unit 8b moves following the lower unit 8a, and the mark provided on the label continuous body 13 Or a hole can be detected.

  Even if the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b are not driven synchronously, if only the lower unit 8a is driven, the upper unit 8b moves following the movement of the lower unit 8a by magnetic force. Therefore, even if the positional relationship between the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b is shifted, the positional relationship can be easily recovered by manually moving the upper unit 8b. Even if backlash occurs in the drive mechanism of the lower unit 8a, the positional relationship between the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b does not shift, and even if they are shifted, they can be easily recovered.

  Note that the magnetic field shown in FIG. 4 shows only a relatively strong magnetic field generated in the region between the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b, and means that no magnetic field is generated except for the illustrated part. It is not a thing.

  Further, the arrangement of the permanent magnets in the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b is not limited to the illustrated mode. It is only necessary that the north pole of at least one permanent magnet disposed on one of the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b and the south pole of at least one permanent magnet disposed on the other face each other. In the above description, the permanent magnet is used as the magnetic field generating mechanism provided in the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b. However, the present application is not limited to this. For example, an electromagnet may be used.

  Moreover, although the case where the magnetic field generation | occurrence | production mechanism was provided in the position where both the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b oppose was demonstrated, this application is not limited to this. An attractive force is applied between the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b by providing a magnetic field generating mechanism in one of the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b and providing a magnetic member containing a ferromagnetic material such as iron or nickel on the other. May be.

  Further, in order to reduce friction between the upper unit 8b and the sensor guide shafts 53 and 54 and friction between the lower unit 8a and the sensor guide shaft 52, a bearing mechanism may be employed.

  Instead of driving the lower unit 8a and causing the upper unit 8b to follow the lower unit 8a, the upper unit 8b may be driven to cause the lower unit 8a to follow the upper unit 8b. Instead of arranging the light emitting element 85 in the lower unit 8a and the light receiving element 86 in the upper unit 8b, the light receiving element may be arranged in the lower unit 8a, and the light emitting element may be arranged in the upper unit 8b. The light emitting element and the light receiving element may be arranged in the lower unit 8a, and the corresponding light receiving element and light emitting element may be arranged in the upper unit 8b. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the light emitting element 85 and the light receiving element 86, a light emitting element 87 and a light receiving element 88 may be further arranged in the lower unit 8a (or the upper unit 8b). When the light emitted from the light emitting element 87 is reflected by the label continuum 13 and the reflected light is received by the light receiving element 88, when used as a reflective label sensor, the lower unit 8a and the upper unit 8b Even if the positional relationship deviates, the label pitch of the label continuum 13 can be detected.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the upper unit of the label sensor used in the printer according to the second embodiment of the present invention and its guide mechanism. In the second embodiment, an upper unit 8g is used instead of the upper unit 8b (see FIG. 3), and a guide rail 56 is used instead of the two sensor guide shafts 53 and 54 (see FIG. 3). Configurations and operations other than the upper unit 8g and the guide rail 56 shown in FIG. 5 are the same as those in the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 5, a part of the upper unit 8 g hidden by the guide rail 56 is shown by showing a state in which a part of the guide rail 56 is cut out.

  The upper unit 8g has a suspended portion 8h having a T-shaped cross section. The guide rail 56 has a T-shaped cavity 56a that can accommodate the suspended portion 8h. The upper unit 8g can move along the guide rail 56 by the suspension portion 8h moving in the cavity 56a.

  According to the second embodiment, since the upper unit 8g is guided by the single guide rail 56, it is possible to reduce the friction generated between the guide rail 56 and the upper unit 8g.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer, 8a ... Lower unit, 8b ... Upper unit, 8c ... Screw hole, 8d, 8e, 8f ... Through-hole, 8g ... Upper unit, 8h ... Suspension part, 10 ... Housing, 13 ... Label continuous body, 14 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Label supply reel, 18 ... Label sensor, 21 ... Ribbon supply reel, 22 ... Ribbon take-up reel, 23 ... Ink ribbon, 30 ... Platen roller, 31 ... Thermal head, 32 ... Head pressing mechanism, 32a ... Spring member, 33 , 34, 35 ... guide roller, 41 ... label lower guide, 42 ... label upper guide, 43 ... label transport roller, 44 ... guide roller, 45 ... label transport roller, 46 ... guide roller, 48 ... label discharge port, 51 ... Sensor drive gear, 52, 53, 54 ... sensor guide shaft, 55 ... sensor drive motor, 56 ... guide rail, 56a ... cavity 81 ... N-pole, 82 ... S-pole, 83 ... S-pole, 84 ... N-pole, 85 ... light emitting element, 86 ... light-receiving element, 87 ... light emitting element, 88 ... light-receiving element

Claims (3)

A transport mechanism for transporting a print medium;
A printing mechanism for printing on a print medium conveyed by the conveyance mechanism;
A sensor including a first unit and a second unit disposed to face the first surface of the print medium transported by the transport mechanism and the second surface opposite to the first surface;
A drive mechanism for driving the first unit in a predetermined direction along the first surface;
A guide mechanism for guiding the second unit along the predetermined direction;
A first magnetic field generator disposed in the first unit and generating a magnetic field in at least a part of a region between the second unit;
A second magnetic field that is disposed in the second unit and that generates a magnetic field along the direction of the magnetic field generated by the first magnetic field generator in at least a part of a region between the first unit and the first unit. A generator,
A printer comprising: The first magnetic field generator includes a first magnet,
The second magnetic field generator includes a second magnet,
The first magnet and the second magnet are arranged such that one N pole of the first magnet and the second magnet and the other S pole face each other.
The printer according to claim 1. A transport mechanism for transporting a print medium;
A printing mechanism for printing on a print medium conveyed by the conveyance mechanism;
A sensor including a first unit and a second unit disposed to face the first surface of the print medium transported by the transport mechanism and the second surface opposite to the first surface;
A drive mechanism for driving the first unit in a predetermined direction along the first surface;
A guide mechanism for guiding the second unit along the predetermined direction;
A magnetic field generator arranged on one of the first unit and the second unit to generate a magnetic field;
A printer comprising: a magnetic member disposed on the other of the first unit and the second unit and having magnetism.

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