JP2015030142A - Printing tape and tape printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing tape and a tape printer that allow the tape printer to accurately detect a reference portion for specifying a position in a printing area while suppressing the tape printer from being complicated in structure.SOLUTION: In a tape 30, a reference portion 31 including a reference code 9 and a non-reference portion 32 having a plurality of adjustment holes 42 lined up longitudinally are formed side by side on an opposite surface 30B in a longitudinal direction. The non-reference portion 32 includes a first black area 44 and a second white area 45. The first area 44 and the second area 45 are formed so that the non-reference portion 32 is color coordinated without the reference code 9 in a longitudinal direction, based on the assumption that each of the plurality of adjustment holes 42 is a portion showing both black and white color.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing tape which is a medium on which a tape printing apparatus can print characters, and a tape printing apparatus capable of printing characters on a printing tape.

  The tape printer can print characters on a printing tape according to the application to create, for example, a label, a description, a wristband, and the like. For example, a printing mark or a detection hole is formed on the printing tape as a reference portion for specifying the position of the printing area. The tape printing apparatus starts printing after positioning the printing tape based on the optically detected reference portion. The printing tape may have holes formed depending on the application. A technique for optically distinguishing a reference portion and a hole formed on a printing tape is known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Patent Document 1 discloses a specification sheet for printing on a specification in which a spelling hole is formed. The automatic transaction apparatus is provided with a light emission sensor facing a reflection sensor for detecting a print mark on the specification sheet. The automatic transaction apparatus can detect the print mark without being affected by the binding hole formed on the specification sheet, using the measurement value in a state where the light emitting sensor is turned on.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a print medium for printing on a wristband in which an adjustment hole for fixing a fastener and a fixing hole are formed. A detection hole having a different opening width from the adjustment hole and the fixing hole of the wristband is formed in the printing medium. The printing apparatus can detect the detection hole separately from the adjustment hole and the fixing hole depending on the difference in the pulse width of the detection signal of the reflection sensor.

JP 2011-181040 A JP 2009-234118 A

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary for the automatic transaction apparatus to include a light emitting sensor in addition to the reflection sensor, and there is a possibility that the structure of the automatic transaction apparatus becomes complicated. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, the output level of the detection signal is compared with a predetermined threshold to distinguish the tape surface and the hole (that is, the adjustment hole, the fixing hole, and the detection hole) in the print medium. However, depending on the size of the predetermined threshold, the tape surface and the hole cannot be distinguished, and there is a possibility that the detection hole cannot be detected accurately.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printing tape and a tape printing apparatus capable of accurately detecting a reference portion for the tape printing apparatus to specify the position of a printing area while suppressing a complicated structure of the tape printing apparatus. Is to provide.

  The printing tape according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a printing surface including a printing region that is a region where a character is printed, and an opposite surface including a reference portion that is a region for specifying the position of the printing region. A tape printer that has a long print tape and that can detect the reference portion based on the amount of reflected light by irradiating the print tape conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the print tape with detection light The printing tape that can be used in the above-mentioned area, provided on the opposite surface and provided on one side or the other side in the longitudinal direction with respect to the reference portion, wherein a plurality of unstable portions are Non-reference portions arranged at intervals along the longitudinal direction, wherein the reference portion includes at least a barcode that extends in a short direction of the printing tape from the plurality of unstable portions, and the barcode is The amount of reflected light is A first mark that is a first color portion that is less than a certain threshold value and a second mark that is a second color portion whose reflected light amount is equal to or greater than the threshold value are spaced in a predetermined order in the longitudinal direction. Arranged side by side, the plurality of unstable portions are portions where the amount of reflected light is less than the threshold value or greater than or equal to the threshold value according to the size of the threshold, and the non-reference portion is the plurality of unstable portions A first region which is a region of the first color provided on at least one of the one side and the other side of the longitudinal direction with respect to at least one of the parts, and the first region among the non-reference parts, And a second region that is the second color region provided in different parts, and each of the plurality of unstable portions is assumed to be a portion showing both the first color and the second color. The non-reference portion does not include the barcode in the longitudinal direction. As a color scheme, the first region and the second region is provided.

  In the printing tape according to this aspect, the reference portion for specifying the position of the printing region and the non-reference portion in which a plurality of unstable portions are arranged in the longitudinal direction are arranged in the longitudinal direction on the surface opposite to the printing surface. Provided. The reference portion includes a barcode in which the first mark and the second mark are arranged side by side without a gap. The non-reference part includes at least one of the plurality of unstable parts, a first area aligned in the longitudinal direction, and a second area provided at a site different from the first area. Assuming that each of the plurality of unstable portions is a portion showing both black and white, the first region and the second region are provided so that the non-reference portion has a color scheme that does not include a barcode in the longitudinal direction. It is done.

  The tape printer can identify the reference portion by irradiating the printing tape conveyed in the longitudinal direction with detection light and detecting a bar code based on the amount of reflected light. The tape printer is prevented from erroneously detecting the same black and white pattern as the barcode indicating the reference portion from the non-reference portion, regardless of whether the plurality of unstable portions are detected as black or white, respectively. Therefore, according to the printing tape according to the present aspect, the tape printing apparatus can accurately detect the reference portion while suppressing the complicated structure of the tape printing apparatus.

  The bar code includes a main mark which is the first mark having a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction, and the length in the longitudinal direction of the first region is greater than the length in the longitudinal direction of the first mark. May be larger. In this case, it is possible to suppress the tape printer from erroneously detecting the first area as the main mark.

  The bar code may include the second mark provided on one side or the other side in the longitudinal direction with respect to the book mark, and including a stability mark having a length in the longitudinal direction larger than that of the book mark. Good. In this case, the tape printer can detect the main mark with reference to the stability mark.

  The first region may extend in the shorter direction than the unstable portion facing the first region in the longitudinal direction, and the barcode may extend in the shorter direction than the first region. . In this case, when the lateral direction position where the detection light is irradiated on the printing tape is a position where the unstable portion is irradiated with the detection light, the first region and the barcode are also irradiated with the detection light. Therefore, it can suppress that a tape printer misdetects a barcode.

  The bar code may extend over the entire width of the printing tape in the short direction. In this case, the tape printer can accurately detect the reference portion regardless of the position in the short direction where the detection light is irradiated on the printing tape.

  The plurality of unstable portions may be a plurality of through holes penetrating the printing tape or a plurality of images printed in an intermediate color between the first color and the second color. In this case, the tape printing apparatus can accurately detect the reference portion even when a through hole or an image on which the color detection result based on the amount of reflected light is difficult to stabilize is provided on the printing tape.

  The tape printer according to the second aspect of the present invention is a tape printer capable of using the above-mentioned printing tape, and is conveyed by the conveying means for conveying the printing tape in the longitudinal direction and the conveying means. Of the print head capable of printing a character on the print tape and the print tape transported by the transport means, at least a position in the short direction where the reference portion is provided is irradiated with detection light. Based on the reflection sensor capable of measuring the amount of reflected light and the amount of reflected light measured by the reflection sensor, a first continuous portion in which one of the first color and the second color continues for a predetermined length or more is detected. Based on the reflected light quantity measured by the first sensor and the reflected sensor, the other of the first color and the second color is continuous within a predetermined range, and the first continuous portion On the other hand, second detection means for detecting a second continuous part adjacent in the transport direction of the printing tape, the first continuous part detected by the first detection means, and the second detection means detected by the second detection means And a print control unit that causes the print head to print a character in the print area of the print tape conveyed by the conveyance unit based on the reference unit including the second continuous unit.

  In the tape printer according to this aspect, the print light transported by the transport unit is irradiated with detection light by the reflection sensor, and the amount of reflected light is measured. Based on the measured amount of reflected light, a first continuous portion in which one of the first color and the second color continues for a predetermined length or more is detected. Based on the measured amount of reflected light, a second continuous portion in which the other of the first color and the second color is continuous within a predetermined range and is adjacent to the first continuous portion in the transport direction is detected. Based on the detected reference portion including the first and second continuous portions, the character is printed by the print head on the print area of the print tape transported by the transport means. The tape printer according to this aspect can accurately detect the reference portion without providing the light emitting sensor separately from the reflection sensor and irrespective of the threshold value used for color detection.

  The reflection sensor may be a movable body that is movable at least within a range in the short direction where the reference portion is provided. In this case, the user can change the position of the reflection sensor in the short direction within the range of the reference portion in the short direction. The tape printer can accurately detect the reference portion regardless of whether or not the detection light is irradiated to the unstable portion.

It is a perspective view of the tape printer 1 with the upper cover unit 5 closed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tape printer 1 with an upper cover unit 5 opened. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a tape printer 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the tape printer 1. FIG. It is a front view of tape 30 concerning a first embodiment. It is a rear view of the tape 30 which concerns on 1st embodiment. It is a flowchart of a reference | standard part detection process. It is a flowchart of an initialization process. It is a flowchart of a barcode determination process. It is a flowchart of a pattern matching process. It is a flowchart of a length collation process. It is a 1st graph which shows the waveform signal produced at the time of color detection. It is a 2nd graph which shows the waveform signal produced at the time of color detection. It is a rear view of the tape 130 which concerns on 2nd embodiment. It is a rear view of the tape 230 which concerns on a modification. It is a rear view of the tape 330 which concerns on a modification. It is a rear view of the tape 430 which concerns on a modification. It is a rear view of the tape 530 which concerns on a modification. It is a rear view of the tape 630 which concerns on a modification. It is a rear view of the tape 730 which concerns on a modification. It is a rear view of the tape 830 which concerns on a modification. It is a rear view of the tape 930 which concerns on a modification.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings to be referred to are used for explaining the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention, and the configuration of the apparatus described is not intended to be limited to this, but merely an illustrative example.

[1. Tape printer 1]
The tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the lower left side, upper right side, upper left side, lower right side, upper side, and lower side of FIGS. 1 and 2 are respectively the front side, the rear side, the left side, the right side, the upper side, and the lower side of the tape printer 1. And

  As shown in FIG. 1, the tape printer 1 includes a housing 2 having a front panel 6 and an upper cover unit 5. The upper cover unit 5 can be opened and closed with respect to the housing 2 by rotating around a rotating shaft portion 2A (see FIG. 3) provided at the rear end portion of the housing 2. Release knobs 17 are provided on the left and right sides of the housing 2. When the release knob 17 is pushed upward, the locking of the upper cover unit 5 to the housing 2 is released, and the upper cover unit 5 can be opened.

  The upper cover unit 5 includes a touch panel 51, a substantially rectangular liquid crystal panel 52, and an operation button unit 53. The touch panel 51 is provided on the upper surface of the upper cover unit 5 and allows the user to input various information (for example, text to be printed) by a touch operation. The liquid crystal panel 52 is provided on the rear side of the touch panel 51 and can display various information. The operation button unit 53 is provided at an upper surface position near the front side of the upper cover unit 5 and includes a power button, a status button, a feed button, and the like.

  The front panel 6 is provided with a first discharge port 6A and a second discharge port 6B located below the first discharge port 6A. The first discharge port 6 </ b> A is formed by a front-side upper edge portion of the housing 2 and a front-side lower edge portion of the upper cover unit 5 with the upper cover unit 5 closed with respect to the housing 2. On the inner side of the lower edge portion of the upper cover unit 5 on the first discharge port 6A side, a cutting blade 8 is attached downward.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tape printer 1 has a concave roll storage portion 4 behind the internal space of the housing 2. The roll storage unit 4 can store a roll 3 in which a printing tape 30 is wound in a roll shape. The roll 3 accommodated in the roll accommodating portion 4 is rotatable about the left-right direction with the winding center of the tape 30 extending in the left-right direction. A plurality of support rollers 55 are provided on the bottom surface of the roll storage unit 4. The plurality of support rollers 55 can rotate in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the tape 30 drawn from the roll 3 when the platen roller 66 is driven to rotate.

  Both surfaces of the tape 30 are a printing surface 30A and an opposite surface 30B (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The printing surface 30A includes a printing area 40 that is an area where characters (characters, numbers, figures, etc.) are printed (see FIG. 5). The opposite surface 30B includes a reference portion 31 that is an area for specifying the position of the print area 40 (see FIG. 6). In the roll 3, the tape 30 is wound in a roll shape so that the print surface 30A faces the radially outer side (in other words, the opposite surface 30B faces the radially inner side).

  The roll storage portion 4 is provided with a pair of guide members 20A and 20B that are arranged to face each other in the left-right direction. The guide member 20 </ b> A is a plate-like member that can contact the right end surface 3 </ b> R of the roll 3 accommodated in the roll accommodating portion 4. The guide member 20 </ b> B is a plate-like member that can contact the left end surface 3 </ b> L of the roll 3 accommodated in the roll accommodating portion 4. The guide members 20A and 20B can be moved closer to each other by moving back and forth along the left-right direction. The left and right positions of the guide members 20A and 20B are adjusted according to the width of the roll 3 accommodated in the roll accommodating portion 4 (that is, the tape width of the tape 30). Thus, the guide members 20A and 20B sandwich the roll 3 accommodated in the roll accommodating portion 4 from both the left and right sides, and guide the tape 30 drawn from the roll 3 in the width direction.

  A print head 61 is provided below the front end of the upper cover unit 5. A platen roller 66 is provided on the upper side of the front end of the housing 2 so as to face the print head 61 in the vertical direction. The roller shaft 66A of the platen roller 66 is rotatably supported by brackets 65 provided at both ends in the axial direction. A gear (not shown) for driving the platen roller 66 is fixed to one shaft end of the roller shaft 66A. When the upper cover unit 5 is closed with respect to the housing 2, the tape 30 on the transport path is sandwiched between the print head 61 and the platen roller 66, and the print head 61 is ready to print on the tape 30. Further, the gear fixed to the roller shaft 66A meshes with a gear train (not shown) on the housing 2 side, and the transport motor 214 (see FIG. 4), which is a stepping motor, can rotate the platen roller 66.

  A peeling plate 58 is provided on the front side of the platen roller 66. When the tape 30 is a label tape having a three-layer structure of a print layer, an adhesive layer, and a release material layer, the release plate 58 peels the release material layer from the printed tape 30. A pinch roller 59 is provided below the platen roller 66. The pinch roller 59 sandwiches and conveys the release material layer folded downward by the release plate 58 with the platen roller 66.

  In a state where the upper cover unit 5 is closed with respect to the housing 2, the user instructs to start printing from the touch panel 51. As the transport motor 214 rotationally drives the platen roller 66, the tape 30 is pulled out from the roll 3 while being guided by the guide members 20A and 20B. The drawn tape 30 is printed by the print head 61 and then discharged from the first discharge port 6A to the outside of the housing 2 via the peeling plate 58 (see the one-dot chain line in FIG. 3). The printed tape 30 is cut by the cutting blade 8.

  When the tape 30 is a label tape, the release material layer is peeled off from the printed tape 30 by the release plate 58. The peeled release material layer is discharged from the second discharge port 6B to the outside of the housing 2 by the pinch roller 59 (see the broken line in FIG. 3). On the other hand, the print layer and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of the tape 30 are discharged by the cutting blade 8 after being discharged from the first discharge port 6A to the outside of the housing 2 (see the dashed line in FIG. 3).

  The reflection sensor 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The reflection sensor 100 is arranged in a sensor arrangement unit 102 that is a recess formed between the platen roller 66 and the roll storage unit 4. A reflective surface 101 that is a surface portion formed in a predetermined color (for example, black) is provided on the lower surface of the upper cover unit 5 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the print head 61. When the upper cover unit 5 is closed with respect to the housing 2, the reflection sensor 100 and the reflection surface 101 face each other across the conveyance path of the tape 30.

  The reflection sensor 100 includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit that are not shown in the drawing similarly to the known reflection sensor. The light emitting unit emits detection light toward the reflection surface 101. When the tape 30 is on the transport path, the irradiated detection light is reflected by the tape 30 and received by the light receiving unit. When the tape 30 is not present on the transport path, the detection light applied to the tape 30 is reflected by the reflecting surface 101 and received by the light receiving unit. The amount of light received by the light receiving unit (hereinafter referred to as reflected light amount) varies depending on whether the detection light is reflected by the tape 30 or the reflective surface 101 and the color of the portion of the tape 30 irradiated with the detection light.

  The CPU 201 (see FIG. 4) of the tape printer 1 determines that a detection position where the amount of reflected light is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is white, and determines a detection position where the amount of reflected light is less than the predetermined threshold is black. When the striped detection pattern (one-dimensional code) expressed in white and black matches the reference code 9 (see FIG. 6) that is an index indicating the reference portion 31, the CPU 201 detects the reference portion 31. Judge. The CPU 201 performs various print controls based on the detected reference unit 31. For example, the CPU 201 specifies the position of the print region 40 (see FIG. 5) based on the detected reference portion 31. The CPU 201 starts printing by the print head 61 when the tape 30 is transported to a position where the print area 40 faces the print head 61.

  The reflection sensor 100 is movable in the sensor placement unit 102 along the width direction of the tape 30 (in this embodiment, the left-right direction) orthogonal to the transport direction of the tape 30. After the roll 3 is stored in the roll storage unit 4, the user adjusts the left and right direction of the reflection sensor 100 so as to coincide with the position in the width direction of the reference unit 31. Thereby, in the tape printer 1, the reference | standard part 31 can be detected using the reflective sensor 100 corresponding to the several types of tape 30 from which a tape width differs.

  The electrical configuration of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The tape printer 1 includes a CPU 201 that controls the tape printer 1. The CPU 201 is connected to the ROM 202, flash memory 203, RAM 204, CGROM 205, communication I / F 206, drive circuits 209 to 212, output circuit 213, and reflection sensor 100.

  The ROM 202 stores various programs to be executed by the CPU 201 (for example, the reference unit detection processing program in FIG. 7). The flash memory 203 stores the above-described threshold value and code information described later. The user can change the threshold value stored in the flash memory 203 within a predetermined range (allowable threshold width) according to various conditions (for example, the type of the tape 30 and the usage environment of the tape printer 1). The RAM 204 stores temporary data including various variables described below. The CGROM 205 stores dot pattern data for printing for printing the text to be printed on the tape 30.

  The drive circuit 209 is an electronic circuit for driving the print head 61. The drive circuit 210 is an electronic circuit for driving the transport motor 214. The drive circuit 211 is an electronic circuit for driving a cutter motor 215 that operates the cutting blade 8. The drive circuit 212 is an electronic circuit for driving the touch panel 51. The output circuit 213 is an electronic circuit that performs display control of the liquid crystal panel 52.

[2. Tape 30 according to First Embodiment]
With reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the tape 30 which concerns on 1st embodiment is demonstrated. The tape 30 of this embodiment is a long tape for printing and creating the wristband 50, and has a single layer structure of white paper. In the tape 30, a plurality of wristbands 50 are provided continuously in the longitudinal direction of the tape 30. The longitudinal direction of the tape 30 is synonymous with the transport direction of the tape 30. A perforation 41 is provided at the connection position of adjacent wristbands 50 in the tape 30 over the entire short direction of the tape 30. The short direction of the tape 30 is synonymous with the width direction of the tape 30.

  Each wristband 50 is previously formed with a plurality of adjustment holes 42 and one fixing hole 43 that are holes that penetrate the tape 30 in the thickness direction. The plurality of adjustment holes 42 are provided on the wristband 50 on the downstream side in the transport direction (left side in FIGS. 5 and 6) so as to be arranged at intervals along the transport direction. One fixing hole 43 is provided on the wristband 50 on the upstream side in the transport direction (the right side in FIGS. 5 and 6). The adjustment hole 42 and the fixing hole 43 are provided at the center in the width direction of the wristband 50. In the present embodiment, the adjustment holes 42 and the fixing holes 43 are 3 mm diameter circular holes, and the 16 adjustment holes 42 are arranged in the transport direction at equal intervals (for example, 10 mm intervals).

  As shown in FIG. 5, a print area 40 is provided for each wristband 50 on the print surface 30 </ b> A of the tape 30. The print area 40 is a rectangular white area that is provided between the plurality of adjustment holes 42 and the fixing holes 43 and is long in the transport direction. The wristband 50 on which various information is printed in the print area 40 is separated from the tape 30 by the perforation 41. The user can wind the wristband 50 around the arm by fixing the fixing hole 43 and the adjustment hole 42 with a fastener (not shown). The user can adjust the winding diameter of the wristband 50 by changing the adjustment hole 42 fixed with the fastener.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a reference portion 31 and non-reference portions 32 and 33 are provided for each wristband 50 on the opposite surface 30 </ b> B of the tape 30. The non-reference portion 32 is a region provided with a plurality of adjustment holes 42 provided on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the reference portion 31. The non-reference portion 33 is a region provided with a fixing hole 43 provided on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the reference portion 31. That is, the reference portion 31 is provided between the non-reference portions 32 and 33 in the transport direction.

  The reference portion 31 includes a reference cord 9 that extends at least in the width direction from the adjustment hole 42 and the fixing hole 43. The reference code 9 is a barcode that extends in the width direction from a first region 44 described later, in which a plurality of identification marks are arranged in a predetermined order without gaps in the transport direction. Each identification mark is either the first mark 31A or the second mark 31B. The first mark 31A is a first color portion that is one of black and white. The second mark 31B is a second color portion which is the other of black and white. In the present embodiment, the first color is black and the second color is white. That is, the first mark 31 </ b> A is a black portion printed on the tape 30 in advance in the reference portion 31. The second mark 31 </ b> B is a portion other than the first mark 31 </ b> A in the reference portion 31 and is a non-colored portion of the tape 30.

  The reference code 9 of the present embodiment extends over the entire width direction of the tape 30 and includes a main mark 91 and a stability mark 92. The main mark 91 is the first mark 31A having a specified transport direction length (hereinafter, length L11). The main mark 91 indicates the origin position for the tape printer 1 to specify the print area 40. The stability mark 92 is a second mark 31B having a specified conveyance direction length (hereinafter, length L12). The stability mark 92 is an indicator portion that is provided on the upstream side or the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the book mark 91 and for the tape printer 1 to identify the book mark 91. The stability mark 92 according to the present embodiment has the longest conveyance direction length among the identification marks included in the reference code 9 and is adjacent to the main mark 91 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction.

  The length L12 of the stability mark 92 is larger than the length L11 of the main mark 91. Furthermore, the length L12 is larger than the separation distance M1 (10 mm in this embodiment) between the two adjustment holes 42 adjacent in the transport direction. The length L12 is larger than the separation distance M2 (8 mm in this embodiment) between the adjustment hole 42 adjacent in the transport direction and the first region 44 described later.

  In the above-described tape printer 1 (see FIG. 4), each time the transport motor 214 transports the tape 30 for one step (for example, 0.1 mm), the reflection sensor 100 performs color detection for one step. The length L11 of the main mark 91 is a transport distance (that is, 4 mm) corresponding to color detection for 40 steps. The length L12 of the stability mark 92 is a conveyance distance (that is, 24 mm) corresponding to color detection for 240 steps. Therefore, the length L12 is larger than both the length L11 and the separation distances M1 and M2.

  The non-reference portion 32 includes a first region 44 that is the same first color portion as the first mark 31A and a second region 45 that is the same second color portion as the second mark 31B. In the present embodiment, the first region 44 is a black portion printed on the tape 30 in advance in the non-reference portion 32. The second region 45 is a portion other than the first region 44 in the non-reference portion 32 and is a non-colored portion of the tape 30. Assuming that each of the plurality of adjustment holes 42 is a portion showing both black and white, the first region 44 and the second region 44 are arranged so that the non-reference portion 32 has a color scheme that does not include the reference code 9 in the transport direction. The arrangement, length, shape, and the like of the region 45 are defined.

  The first region 44 is provided on at least one of the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to at least one of the plurality of adjustment holes 42. The first area 44 extends in the width direction from the adjustment hole 42 facing the first area 44 in the transport direction. Further, the length in the transport direction of the first region 44 (hereinafter referred to as length L21) is larger than the length L11 of the main mark 91. The distance L22 between the two first regions 44 adjacent in the transport direction is different from the length L12 of the stability mark 92.

  In the present embodiment, nine first regions 44 are arranged in the transport direction at equal intervals (for example, 18 mm intervals). That is, the separation distance L22 is 18 mm, which is a size different from the length L12 (that is, 24 mm). Each first region 44 is a rectangular black portion that is disposed in the center of the tape 30 in the width direction and is long in the width direction. The length L21 of each first region 44 is 8 mm, which is larger than the length L11 (that is, 4 mm). Each first region 44 is adjacent to one of the adjustment holes 42 in the longitudinal direction, or a part or all of one of the adjustment holes 42 is formed inside.

  Parts of the non-reference portion 33 other than the fixing hole 43 are also the second region 45. Therefore, the second region 45 included in the non-reference portion 33 is continuous with the second region 45 included in the non-reference portion 32 provided on the upstream side in the transport direction of the non-reference portion 33 with the perforation 41 interposed therebetween.

[3. Reference part detection process]
With reference to FIGS. 7 to 11, the reference portion detection process of the tape printer 1 will be described. The reference part detection process is a process for detecting the reference part 31 from the tape 30. For example, when the user instructs the tape printer 1 to execute printing, the CPU 201 reads a program stored in the ROM 202 and executes a reference portion detection process. As shown in FIG. 7, in the reference portion detection process, an initialization process is first executed (S1).

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the initialization process (S1), the transport counter cnt stored in the RAM 204 is initialized to “0” (S31). The conveyance counter cnt is a variable indicating the number of steps (that is, the conveyance amount of the tape 30) that the conveyance motor 214 has conveyed the tape 30. The record number recordNum stored in the RAM 204 is initialized to “0” (S33). The record number recordNum is a variable indicating the number of records indicating the detection pattern by the reflection sensor 100. Each record is provided for each identical color area (that is, a detection pattern in which the same color is continuously detected), which is an area where the same color is continuous in the transport direction on the tape 30, and includes color information and length information. The color information indicates whether the same color area is black or white. The length information indicates the number of steps corresponding to the transport direction length of the same color area.

  A history buffer (not shown) provided in the RAM 204 is initialized (S35). The history buffer is a storage area for storing records. In the history buffer, identification numbers are assigned to each record in ascending order from the “1” th in the order in which the records are stored. The first record is set in the initialized history buffer (S37). The first record includes color information indicating “white” and length information indicating “0”. Thereafter, the processing returns to the reference portion detection processing (FIG. 7).

  As shown in FIG. 7, after the execution of step S1, the transport motor 214 is driven by one step, and the tape 30 is transported by a predetermined distance (0.1 mm in this embodiment) (S3). The transport counter cnt is incremented by “1” (S5). A barcode determination process for determining whether or not the reference code 9 has been detected is executed (S7).

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the barcode determination process (S7), it is determined whether or not the transport counter cnt is larger than the upper limit value (S41). For example, the upper limit value is the number of steps of the transport motor 214 corresponding to the length of the wristband 50 in the transport direction. When the conveyance counter cnt is larger than the upper limit value (S41: YES), since the conveyance amount of the tape 30 exceeds the length of the wristband 50 in the conveyance direction, “error” is set as the determination result (S43). ).

  When the conveyance counter cnt is equal to or smaller than the upper limit value (S41: NO), color detection by the reflection sensor 100 is executed (S45). In step S <b> 45, one of white and black is detected based on the reflected light amount of the detection light irradiated on the tape 30 conveyed by one step and the threshold value stored in the flash memory 203. It is determined whether or not the detected color is the same as the color detected in the previous step S45 (S47).

  When the detected color is not the same as the previous color (S47: NO), the color detected by the reflection sensor 100 has changed (that is, the detection position of the reflection sensor 100 has reached the upstream end in the transport direction of the same color region). ) In this case, a pattern matching process described later for matching the acquired detection pattern with the reference code 9 is executed (S49). After execution of step S49, a new record is set in the history buffer (S51). The color detected in step S45 is set in the color information of the set new record (S53). “1” is set in the length information of the set new record (S55). The record number recordNum is incremented by “1” (S57).

  On the other hand, when the detected color is the same as the previous color (S47: YES), the color detected by the reflection sensor 100 has not changed (that is, the detection position of the reflection sensor 100 is upstream in the transport direction of the same color region). Not reach the edge). In this case, the length information of the latest record stored in the history buffer is incremented by “1” (S59). Next, it is determined whether or not the final mark determination condition (details will be described later) of the reference code 9 is “over length” (S61). The final mark is an identification mark arranged on the most upstream side in the transport direction among the plurality of identification marks included in the reference code 9.

  When the final mark determination condition is “longer or longer” (S61: YES), the length verification process (S91) described later is performed even if the transport direction length of the same color area currently detected is not fixed. It is feasible. In this case, the pattern matching process is executed as in step S49 (S63). On the other hand, when the final mark determination condition is “equivalent length” (S61: NO), if the transport direction length of the same color area currently being detected is not fixed, a length verification process (S91) described later is performed. Cannot be executed. In this case, “continuation” is set as the determination result (S65).

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the pattern matching process (S49 or S63), it is determined whether or not the record number recordNum is less than the number of marks of the reference code 9 (S81). The number of marks of the reference code 9 is the number of a plurality of identification marks included in the reference code 9.

  In the present embodiment, code information for identifying the reference code 9 is stored in the flash memory 203 in advance. The code information includes the number and arrangement of a plurality of identification marks included in the reference code 9, color information indicating whether each identification mark is white or black, and a length indicating the transport direction length of each identification mark. Information and confirmation conditions for each identification mark to be described later are shown. In the code information, identification numbers are assigned in ascending order from the “1” th to a plurality of identification marks arranged from the downstream side to the upstream side in the transport direction. The CPU 201 can specify the number of marks of the reference code 9, the order of each identification mark, the color information, the length information, and the determination condition by referring to the code information of the flash memory 203.

  When the record number recordNum is less than the number of marks of the reference code 9 (S81: YES), “continuation” is set as the determination result because the number of detection patterns necessary for matching with the reference code 9 is insufficient. (S83). On the other hand, when the record number recordNum is equal to or larger than the number of marks of the reference code 9 (S81: NO), detection patterns equal to or larger than the number of marks are stored in the history buffer. In this case, the variable n stored in the RAM 204 is initialized to “1” (S85).

  Next, the color information of the nth record (that is, the same number as the variable n) stored in the history buffer and the color information of the nth identification mark (hereinafter referred to as the nth mark) included in the reference code 9 are recorded. Are compared (S87). Based on the comparison result of step S87, it is determined whether or not the color indicated by the color information of the nth record matches the color indicated by the color information of the nth mark (S89). If the colors match (S89: YES), a length matching process for matching the length in the transport direction based on the nth record and the nth mark is executed (S91).

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the length matching process (S91), the confirmation condition for the nth mark is acquired with reference to the code information of the flash memory 203 (S111). In the code information of the flash memory 203, either “equivalent length” or “more than length” is set as a determination condition for each identification mark.

  When the determination condition acquired in step S111 is “equivalent length” (S113: YES), the length information of the nth mark is compared with the length information of the nth mark (S115). Based on the comparison result of step S115, it is determined whether or not the transport direction length indicated by the length information of the nth record is equal to the transport direction length indicated by the length information of the nth mark (S117). . For example, when the transport direction length of the nth record is within the range of 0.8 to 1.2 with respect to the transport direction length of the nth mark, it is determined that the transport direction length is equal ( S117: YES). In this case, “length match” is set as the collation result (S119). On the other hand, if the lengths in the transport direction are not equivalent (S117: NO), “length mismatch” is set as the collation result (S121).

  When the determination condition acquired in step S111 is “longer or longer” (S113: NO), the length information of the nth mark is compared with the length information of the nth mark (S123). Based on the comparison result in step S123, it is determined whether or not the transport direction length indicated by the length information of the nth record is equal to or greater than the transport direction length indicated by the length information of the nth mark (S125). . When the transport direction length of the nth record is greater than or equal to the transport direction length of the nth mark (S125: YES), “length match” is set as the collation result (S127). On the other hand, when the transport direction length of the nth record is less than the transport direction length of the nth mark (S125: NO), “length mismatch” is set as the collation result (S129). After execution of any of steps S119, S121, S127, and S129, the process returns to the pattern matching process (FIG. 10).

  As shown in FIG. 10, after the execution of step S91, it is determined whether or not the collation result is “length match” (S93). When the collation result is “length match” (S93: YES), it is determined whether or not the variable n is less than the number of marks of the reference code 9 (S95). When the variable n is less than the number of marks of the reference code 9 (S95: YES), there is an undetermined identification mark. In this case, the variable n is incremented by “1” (S97), and the process returns to step S87. Thereby, steps S87 to S97 are repeatedly executed until there is no undetermined identification mark based on the records and the identification marks in the order corresponding to each other.

  When the variable n is equal to or greater than the number of marks of the reference code 9 (S95: NO), there is no undetermined identification mark. In this case, since all the identification marks included in the reference code 9 match the acquired detection pattern, “pattern match” is set as the matching result (S99). On the other hand, when the colors do not match (S89: NO), or when the collation result is “length mismatch” (S93: NO), “pattern mismatch” is set as the collation result (S101). After execution of any of steps S83, S99, and S101, the process returns to the barcode determination process (FIG. 9).

  As shown in FIG. 9, it is determined whether or not the collation result is “pattern match” after the execution of any of steps S57 and S63 (S67). If the collation result is “pattern match” (S67: YES), “detection complete” is set as the determination result (S69). When the collation result is “pattern mismatch” (S67: NO), “re-execution” is set as the determination result (S71). After execution of any of steps S43, S65, S69, and S71, the process returns to the reference portion detection process (FIG. 7).

  As shown in FIG. 7, after the execution of step S7, it is determined whether or not the determination result is “continue” (S9). If the determination result is “continuation” (S9: YES), the process returns to step S3. Thus, until the color detected by the reflection sensor 100 changes (S47 in FIG. 9: YES) or until the number of records in the history buffer reaches the number of marks in the reference code 9 (S81: NO in FIG. 10), step S3 to S9 are repeatedly executed.

  When the determination result is not “continuation” (S9: NO), it is determined whether or not the determination result is “re-execution” (S11). When the determination result is “re-execute” (S11: YES), the oldest record is deleted from the history buffer (S13). The record number recordNum is decremented by “1” (S15). Thereafter, the process returns to step S3. Thereby, in the next pattern matching process (see FIG. 10), the next record with respect to the previously determined record (that is, the detection pattern adjacent to the upstream in the transport direction with respect to the previously determined detection pattern) A plurality of identification records included in the reference code 9 are collated in order.

  When the determination result is not “re-execution” (S11: NO), it is determined whether or not the determination result is “detection complete” (S17). When the determination result is “detection complete” (S17: YES), the reference unit 31 is specified based on the detected reference code 9 (S19). For example, the identification mark having the longest conveyance direction length among the reference codes 9 is specified as the stability mark 92. An identification mark positioned upstream in the transport direction with respect to the stability mark 92 is specified as the main mark 91. In the subsequent print control, for example, the boundary position between the main mark 91 and the stability mark 92 is used as an origin position for positioning the print head 61 with respect to the print area 40.

  When the determination result is “error” (S17: NO), for example, error processing such as notifying that the reference code 9 cannot be properly detected is executed (S21). After executing one of steps S19 and S21, the reference portion detection process is terminated.

[4. Detection Mode of Reference Unit 31]
A specific mode in which the tape printer 1 detects the reference portion 31 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 12, and 13. The flash memory 203 stores code information of the tape 30 shown in FIG. Specifically, the code information indicates that the reference code 9 includes two identification marks (a main mark 91 and a stability mark 92). The code information indicates the color information “white”, the length information “24 mm”, and the final condition “more than the length” of the stability mark 92 that is the first identification mark. The code information indicates color information “black”, length information “4 mm”, and final condition “equivalent length” of the main mark 91 which is the second identification mark.

  As described above, the threshold value stored in the flash memory 203 can be changed within the allowable threshold width. 12 and 13 exemplify threshold values T1 and T2 as threshold values stored in the flash memory 203. FIG. The threshold T1 is a relatively large threshold within the allowable threshold width. The threshold T2 is a relatively small threshold within the allowable threshold width. Therefore, the threshold value T1 is more easily determined to be black based on the amount of reflected light than the threshold value T2.

  As described above, the reflection sensor 100 can change the position in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the width direction position K <b> 1 is located on one end side (the upper side in FIG. 6) in the width direction with respect to the plurality of first regions 44 in the tape 30. The width direction position K <b> 2 is located at the center in the width direction of the tape 30. Regardless of the position of the reflection sensor 100 in the width direction K1, K2, when the reference portion detection process (see FIG. 7) is executed, the non-reference portion 32, the reference portion 31, and the non-reference portion are accompanied by the conveyance of the tape 30. Detection light of the reflection sensor 100 is irradiated in the order of 33.

  At this time, when the reflection sensor 100 is in the width direction position K1, the non-reference portion 32 irradiates only the second region 45 with the detection light. In the reference portion 31, the detection light is irradiated in the order of the stability mark 92 and the main mark 91. In the non-reference part 33, only the second region 45 is irradiated with the detection light. On the other hand, when the reflection sensor 100 is in the width direction position K2, the non-reference portion 32 irradiates the plurality of adjustment holes 42, the first region 44, and the second region 45 with detection light. In the reference portion 31, the detection light is irradiated in the order of the stability mark 92 and the main mark 91. In the non-reference portion 33, the detection light is irradiated to the fixing hole 43 and the second region 45.

  FIG. 12 shows signal waveforms detected in the above-described reference portion detection process (see FIG. 7) in a state where the reflection sensor 100 is in the width direction position K1 (see FIG. 6). Even when color detection is performed based on any of the threshold values T1 and T2, white is detected based on the amount of reflected light of the detection light applied to the second region 45 and the stability mark 92. Black color is detected based on the amount of reflected light of the detection light applied to the book mark 91.

  In this case, in the pattern matching process (see FIG. 10), the “white” detection pattern based on the second region 45 of the non-reference portion 32 and the stability mark 92 is verified with the stability mark 92 that is the first mark. Further, the “black” detection pattern based on the main mark 91 is collated with the main mark 91 which is the second mark. Thereby, the collation result is set to “pattern match” (S99). In the barcode determination process (see FIG. 8), the determination result is set to “detection complete” (S69). In the reference part detection process (see FIG. 7), the reference part 31 is specified based on the detected reference code 9 (S19).

  FIG. 13 shows signal waveforms detected in the above-described reference portion detection process (see FIG. 7) in a state where the reflection sensor 100 is in the width direction position K2 (see FIG. 6). Similarly to FIG. 12, when color detection is performed based on any of the threshold values T <b> 1 and T <b> 2, white is detected from the second region 45 and the stability mark 92, and black is detected from the main mark 91. On the other hand, the detection light applied to the adjustment hole 42 and the fixing hole 43 passes through the tape 30 in the thickness direction and is reflected by the reflection surface 101 (see FIG. 2), and thus the reflection falls between the threshold value T1 and the threshold value T2. The amount of light is detected. When color detection is performed based on the threshold value T <b> 1, black is detected based on the amount of reflected light from the adjustment hole 42 and the fixing hole 43. When color detection is performed based on the threshold value T <b> 2, white is detected based on the amount of reflected light from the adjustment hole 42 and the fixing hole 43.

  In the present embodiment, assuming that each of the plurality of adjustment holes 42 is a portion showing both black and white, the first non-reference portion 32 has a color scheme that does not include the reference code 9 in the transport direction. A region 44 and a second region 45 are provided. That is, even if each of the plurality of adjustment holes 42 is detected as either black or white, the same detection pattern as the reference code 9 is not detected from the non-reference part 32 in the reference part detection process (see FIG. 7). Thereby, in the tape printer 1, even when color detection is performed based on any of the threshold values T1 and T2, the reference portion 31 is specified as in the example shown in FIG.

[5. Main functions and effects of the first embodiment]
As described above, the tape printer 1 can identify the reference portion 31 by irradiating the tape 30 conveyed in the longitudinal direction with detection light and detecting the reference code 9 based on the amount of reflected light. The tape printer 1 uses the same black and white pattern as the reference code 9 indicating the reference portion 31 as a non-reference regardless of whether the plurality of adjustment holes 42 are detected as either the first color (black) or the second color (white). Incorrect detection from the unit 32 is suppressed. Thereby, the tape printer 1 can detect the reference | standard part 31 correctly, suppressing that the structure of the tape printer 1 becomes complicated.

  The reference code 9 includes a main mark 91. The conveyance direction length of the first region 44 is larger than the conveyance direction length of the book mark 91. Thereby, the detection pattern of the first area 44 does not match the length of the main mark 91 in the transport direction. It is possible to prevent the tape printer 1 from erroneously detecting the first area 44 as the main mark 91.

  The reference code 9 includes a stability mark 92. The stability mark 92 is in contact with the main mark 91 on the downstream side or the upstream side in the conveyance direction, and is longer in the conveyance direction than the main mark 91. Thereby, the tape printer 1 can detect the main mark 91 with the stability mark 92 as a reference.

  The length of the stability mark 92 in the conveyance direction is larger than the distance between two adjustment holes 42 adjacent in the conveyance direction. In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, when color detection is performed based on the threshold value T <b> 1, all of the plurality of adjustment holes 42 are detected as the first color (black). The second area 45 arranged between the two adjustment holes 42 adjacent in the transport direction is detected as the same color area of the second color (white). The conveyance direction length indicated by the detection pattern of the same color region is smaller than the conveyance direction length of the stability mark 92. Thereby, it can suppress that the tape printing apparatus 1 detects the 2nd area | region 45 arrange | positioned between the two adjustment holes 42 adjacent to a conveyance direction accidentally as the stable mark 92. FIG.

  The length of the stability mark 92 in the conveyance direction is larger than the distance between the adjustment hole 42 and the first region 44 adjacent in the conveyance direction. In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, when color detection is performed based on the threshold value T <b> 1, all of the plurality of adjustment holes 42 are detected as the first color (black). The second area 45 disposed between the adjustment hole 42 and the first area 44 adjacent to each other in the transport direction is detected as the same color area of the second color (white). The conveyance direction length indicated by the detection pattern of the same color region is smaller than the conveyance direction length of the stability mark 92. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the tape printer 1 from erroneously detecting the second region 45 disposed between the adjustment hole 42 and the first region 44 adjacent in the transport direction as the stability mark 92.

  A plurality of first regions 44 are provided at intervals in the transport direction. The distance between the two first regions 44 adjacent in the transport direction is different from the length of the stability mark 92 in the transport direction. In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, when color detection is performed based on the threshold value T <b> 2, all of the plurality of adjustment holes 42 are detected as the second color (white). The second region 45 and the adjustment hole 42 arranged between two first regions 44 adjacent in the transport direction are detected as the same color region of the second color (white). The conveyance direction length indicated by the detection pattern of the same color region is smaller than the conveyance direction length of the stability mark 92. Thereby, it can suppress that the tape printing apparatus 1 detects the 2nd area | region 45 arrange | positioned between the two 1st area | regions 44 adjacent to a conveyance direction as the stable mark 92 accidentally.

  Further, in the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the width direction position K <b> 3 includes the other end in the width direction of the plurality of adjustment holes 42 (the lower end in FIG. 6) and the other in the width direction of the plurality of first regions 44. Located between the side ends. When the reflection sensor 100 is at the position K3 in the width direction, the non-reference portion 32 irradiates the first region 44 and the second region 45 with detection light. In the reference portion 31, the detection light is irradiated in the order of the stability mark 92 and the main mark 91. In the non-reference part 33, only the second region 45 is irradiated with the detection light. That is, the adjustment hole 42 and the fixing hole 43 are not irradiated with detection light.

  In this case, even if color detection is performed based on any of the threshold values T1 and T2, the second region 45 disposed between the two first regions 44 adjacent in the transport direction is the second color (white). Detected as the same color area. The conveyance direction length indicated by the detection pattern of the same color region is smaller than the conveyance direction length of the stability mark 92. As a result, similarly to the above, it is possible to prevent the tape printer 1 from erroneously detecting the second region 45 disposed between the two first regions 44 adjacent in the transport direction as the stability mark 92.

  The first area 44 extends in the width direction from the adjustment hole 42 facing the first area 44 in the transport direction. The reference code 9 extends in the width direction from the first region 44. Thereby, when the position in the width direction where the detection light is irradiated on the tape 30 (that is, the position in the width direction of the reflection sensor 100) is a position where the detection light is irradiated to the plurality of adjustment holes 42, the first region 44 is always obtained. Further, the detection light is also irradiated to the reference code 9. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tape printer 1 from erroneously detecting the reference code 9.

  The reference cord 9 extends over the entire width direction of the tape 30. Accordingly, the tape printer 1 can accurately detect the reference portion 31 regardless of the position in the width direction where the detection light is irradiated on the tape 30.

[6. Tape 130 of Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 14, the tape 130 according to the second embodiment is the label tape having the three-layer structure described above. In the tape 130, a plurality of labels 60 are continuously provided in the longitudinal direction of the tape 130. A perforation 41 is provided at a connection position between adjacent labels 60 on the tape 130. Although not shown, a printing area 40 is provided for each label 60 on the printing surface 30 </ b> A (see FIG. 5) that is a printing layer of the tape 130.

  A reference portion 31 and non-reference portions 32 and 33 are provided for each label 60 on the opposite surface 30 </ b> B which is a release material layer of the tape 130. The reference unit 31 includes the reference code 9 as in the first embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the length L12 (for example, 30 mm) of the stability mark 92 is larger than the length L11 (for example, 5 mm) of the main mark 91. Unlike the first embodiment, the non-reference portion 33 is not provided with the fixing hole 43 (see FIG. 6), and is entirely the second region 45.

  The non-reference portion 32 includes the first region 44 and the second region 45 as in the first embodiment, but is not provided with the adjustment hole 42 (see FIG. 6) unlike the first embodiment. Similar to the first embodiment, the length L21 (for example, 8 mm) of the first region 44 is larger than the length L11 of the main mark 91. A separation distance L22 (for example, 20 mm) between two first regions 44 adjacent to each other in the transport direction is different from the length L12 of the stability mark 92.

  The non-reference portion 32 is provided with a plurality of print images 48. Each print image 48 is at least one of a region of an intermediate color (for example, gray) between white and black and a region of a complicated or fine pattern. The print image 48 of the present embodiment is a rectangular image in which fine characters are printed in white with respect to a gray background color. In the example shown in FIG. 14, six print images 48 are arranged at the center in the width direction of the tape 130 and are arranged in the transport direction at equal intervals.

  The first region 44 is provided on at least one of the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to at least one of the plurality of print images 48. The first area 44 extends in the width direction from the print image 48 facing the first area 44 in the transport direction. In the example illustrated in FIG. 14, the six first regions 44 are arranged in the transport direction at equal intervals so as to be adjacent to any one of the plurality of print images 48. The length L12 of the stability mark 92 is larger than the separation distance M1 (for example, an interval of 18 mm) between two print images 48 adjacent in the transport direction. The length L12 is greater than the separation distance M2 (for example, 5 mm) between the print image 48 and the first region 44 that are adjacent in the transport direction.

  In the tape printer 1, the reference portion detection process (see FIG. 7) is performed on the tape 130 as in the tape 30 of the first embodiment. The amount of reflected light of the print image 48 is smaller than the amount of reflected light of the white portion and falls between the threshold value T1 and the threshold value T2. Accordingly, when the print image 48 is irradiated with the detection light, the color (white or white) detected based on the reflected light amount of the print image 48 is the same as when the adjustment hole 42 (see FIG. 6) is irradiated with the detection light. Black) may vary depending on the threshold.

  On the tape 130, assuming that each of the plurality of printed images 48 is a portion showing both black and white, the first region is arranged such that the non-reference portion 32 has a color scheme that does not include the reference code 9 in the transport direction. 44 and a second region 45 are provided. That is, even if each of the plurality of print images 48 is detected as either black or white, the same detection pattern as the reference code 9 is not detected from the non-reference part 32 in the reference part detection process (see FIG. 7). Thereby, in the tape printer 1, the reference | standard part 31 is specified similarly to the tape 30 of 1st embodiment.

[7. Main technical features]
The first and second embodiments described above disclose the following main technical features. The tapes 30 and 130 include a first color portion that is a first color (black) portion, a first color portion that is a second color (white) portion, and an unstable portion described later. The first color portion can detect the first color (black) based on the amount of reflected light by the tape printer 1 regardless of the threshold value used for color detection. The second color portion can detect the second color (white) based on the amount of reflected light by the tape printer 1 regardless of the threshold value used for color detection. In the above embodiment, the main mark 91 and the first region 44 are the first color portion, and the stability mark 92 and the second region 45 are the second color portion.

  The unstable part is a part where the amount of reflected light is less than or greater than or equal to the threshold value, depending on the threshold value used for color detection. In the above embodiment, the adjustment hole 42 and the print image 48 are unstable portions. The tape printer 1 can easily detect one of the first color (black) and the second color (white) based on the amount of reflected light from the unstable portion as the threshold value increases. The tape printer 1 can easily detect the other of the first color (black) and the second color (white) based on the amount of reflected light from the unstable portion as the threshold value decreases.

  When it is assumed that the first region 44 is not provided on the tapes 30 and 130, a combination of a color detected from each of the plurality of unstable portions and a second color (white) detected from the second region 45 May match the reference code 9. The tape printer 1 may erroneously detect the reference code 9 from the non-reference part 32. Therefore, in the tapes 30 and 130, assuming that each of the plurality of unstable portions (the adjustment holes 42 or the print image 48) is a portion showing both black and white, the non-reference portion 32 is a reference code in the transport direction. The first region 44 and the second region 45 are provided so that the color scheme does not include 9.

  In the tape printer 1, the reflected light is measured by irradiating the tapes 30 and 130 conveyed by the platen roller 66 with detection light by the reflection sensor 100 (S3 to S7). Based on the measured amount of reflected light, a first continuous portion in which one of the first color (black) and the second color (white) continues for a predetermined length or more is detected (see FIG. 10). Based on the measured amount of reflected light, the other of the first color (black) and the second color (white) is continuous within a predetermined range (in the above embodiment, within a range of equivalent length), and the first continuous portion On the other hand, a second continuous portion adjacent in the transport direction is detected (see FIG. 10). In the above embodiment, the second color (white) continuous stability mark 92 is the first continuous portion, and the first color (black) continuous main mark 91 is the second continuous portion.

  Based on the detected reference portion 31 including the first and second continuous portions, the character is printed by the print head 61 on the print area 40 of the tape 30, 130 conveyed by the platen roller 66 (S19). Thereby, the tape printer 1 can accurately detect the reference portion 31 without providing the light emitting sensor separately from the reflection sensor 100 and irrespective of the threshold value used for color detection. That is, the tape printer 1 can accurately detect the reference portion 31 while preventing the structure of the tape printer 1 from becoming complicated.

  In the above embodiment, the tapes 30 and 130 correspond to the “printing tape” of the present invention. The plurality of adjustment holes 42 and the plurality of printed images 48 respectively correspond to “a plurality of through holes” of the present invention. The reference code 9 corresponds to the “bar code” of the present invention. The platen roller 66 corresponds to the “conveying means” of the present invention. The CPU 201 that executes the pattern matching process (FIG. 10) corresponds to the “first detection means” and the “second detection means” of the present invention. The stability mark 92 corresponds to the “first continuous portion” of the present invention. The book mark 91 corresponds to the “second continuous part” of the invention. The CPU 201 that executes step S19 (see FIG. 7) corresponds to the “print control unit” of the invention.

  The “first color” and the “second color” may be any two colors that the tape printer 1 can distinguish regardless of the threshold value. The “first color” is not limited to black, and may be a color that approximates black. The “second color” is not limited to white, and may be a color that approximates white. The “first color” may be white or a color approximating white, and the “second color” may be black or a color approximating black. As will be described in a later-described modification, for example, the arrangement, shape, conveyance direction length, and the like of the “first region” and “second region” can be changed within a range that satisfies the above conditions.

[8. Modified example]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. Hereinafter, modifications of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same components as those of the tape 30 of the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. Although a modification of the tape 30 is illustrated, the tape 130 can be similarly deformed by replacing the adjustment hole 42 with the printed image 48.

(1) The tape 30 may include a bar code different from the reference code 9. In the tape 230 shown in FIG. 15, the reference portion 31 includes the reference code 9, the ID code 10, and the boundary mark 99. Similar to the reference code 9, the ID code 10 is a bar code including a first mark 31A and a second mark 31B as a plurality of identification marks. The ID code 10 indicates the type of the tape 230 (for example, the material and tape width of the tape 230).

  In the ID code 10 shown in FIG. 15, three identification marks 11 to 13 are arranged from the downstream side to the upstream side in the transport direction. The identification mark 11 is the first mark 31 </ b> A arranged on the most downstream side in the transport direction in the ID code 10. The identification mark 13 is the first mark 31A arranged on the most upstream side in the transport direction in the ID code 10. The identification mark 12 is a second mark 31B disposed between the identification marks 11 and 13. Each of the identification marks 11 and 13 has a length in the transport direction of 3 mm, and the identification mark 12 has a length in the transport direction of 9 mm.

  The boundary mark 99 is the first mark 31A having a specified length in the transport direction (for example, 4 mm). The ID code 10 is provided upstream of the reference code 9 in the conveyance direction. The boundary mark 99 is provided on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the ID code 10. That is, the ID code 10 is provided between the main mark 91 and the boundary mark 99 in the transport direction. The boundary mark 99 is an index indicating an area where the ID code 10 is arranged.

  In the tape printer 1, after the reference portion 31 is detected by the reference portion detection process (see FIG. 7), color detection is performed by the reflection sensor 100 while the tape 230 is further conveyed. A black identical color area adjacent to the main mark 91 on the upstream side in the transport direction is detected as the leading mark of the ID code 10 (the identification mark 11 in the example of FIG. 15). A black identical color area adjacent to the boundary mark 99 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction is detected as the end mark of the ID code 10 (the identification mark 13 in the example of FIG. 15). The type of the tape 230 is specified by the detected ID code 10 (that is, the arrangement pattern of the identification marks 11 to 13).

  Assuming that each of the plurality of adjustment holes 42 is a portion showing both black and white, the non-reference portion 32 has a color scheme that does not include both the reference code 9 and the ID code 10 in the transport direction. One region 44 and a second region 45 are provided. Thereby, similarly to the above embodiment, the tape printer 1 can detect the reference code 9 and the ID code regardless of whether the plurality of adjustment holes 42 are detected as the first color (black) or the second color (white), respectively. 10 is prevented from being erroneously detected from the non-reference portion 32.

(2) On the tape 30, the arrangement of the main mark 91 and the stability mark 92 may be changed. In the tape 330 shown in FIG. 16, the stability mark 92 is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the main mark 91. In this case, in step S <b> 19 (see FIG. 7), the identification mark located on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the stability mark 92 is specified as the main mark 91.

  Further, the tape 30 may change the arrangement of a plurality of barcodes. In the tape 430 shown in FIG. 17, the ID code 10 is provided with respect to the tape 330 shown in FIG. The ID code 10 is provided on the downstream side of the reference code 9 in the conveyance direction. The boundary mark 99 is provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the ID code 10. In this case, in the tape printer 1, the same black color area adjacent to the boundary mark 99 on the upstream side in the transport direction is detected as the leading mark (identification mark 11 in the example of FIG. 17) of the ID code 10. . The same black color area adjacent to the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the main mark 91 is detected as the end mark of the ID code 10 (the identification mark 13 in the example of FIG. 17).

(3) The first region 44 may be a first color (black) portion provided over a range including the plurality of adjustment holes 42. In the tape 530 shown in FIG. 18, one first region 44 is provided in the non-reference portion 32. The first region 44 is a continuous first color (black) portion in which a plurality of adjustment holes 42 are formed inside. In this case, since the quantity of the 1st area | region 44 printed on the non-reference | standard part 32 is small, manufacture of the tape 530 becomes easy.

  The first area 44 may be an area continuous with the other first color (black) portion. The tape 630 shown in FIG. 19 is different from the tape 530 shown in FIG. In the tape 630, the reference portion 31 is adjacent to the first region 44 on the upstream side in the transport direction. In the reference portion 31, the main mark 91 is arranged on the most downstream side in the transport direction and is continuous with the first region 44.

  The first region 44 and the reference code 9 may be provided in a range including at least the same position in the width direction as the adjustment hole 42. The tape 730 shown in FIG. 20 has a larger length in the width direction of the first region 44 than the tape 630 shown in FIG. In the tape 730, both the reference cord 9 and the first region 44 extend over the entire width direction of the tape 730. The tape 830 shown in FIG. 21 is smaller in the width direction length of the reference cord 9 than the tape 630 shown in FIG. In the tape 830, the reference cord 9 and the first region 44 have the same width and are arranged at the center in the width direction of the tape 830. In each of the tapes 730 and 830, the first region 44 and the reference cord 9 include the same position in the width direction as the adjustment hole 42.

(4) The first region 44 may be provided between two adjacent adjustment holes 42 whose separation distance in the conveyance direction is larger than a predetermined length (the length in the conveyance direction of the stability mark 92). In the tape 930 shown in FIG. 22, the separation distance M1 between the two adjustment holes 42 adjacent to each other in the transport direction is not uniform. At least one of the plurality of first regions 44 is provided between the two adjustment holes 42 in which the separation distance M1 is larger than the length L12 of the stability mark 92. As a result, the tape printer 1 erroneously detects the second mark 45 disposed between the two adjustment holes 42 adjacent in the transport direction as the stability mark 92 while suppressing the number of the first areas 44. This can be suppressed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tape printer 9 Reference | standard code 30,130,230,330,430,530,630,730,830,930 Tape 30A Printing surface 30B Opposite surface 31 Reference | standard part 31A First mark 31B Second mark 32 Non-reference | standard part 40 Printing Region 42 Adjustment hole 44 First region 45 Second region 48 Print image 61 Print head 66 Platen roller 91 Main mark 92 Stability mark 100 Reflection sensor 201 CPU

Claims (8)

A long printing tape having a printing surface including a printing area which is a character printing area and an opposite surface including a reference portion which is an area for specifying the position of the printing area; and The printing tape that can be used in a tape printing apparatus that irradiates the printing tape conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the printing tape with detection light and can detect the reference portion based on the amount of reflected light,
A non-reference region provided on the opposite surface and provided on one side or the other side in the longitudinal direction with respect to the reference portion, wherein a plurality of unstable portions are arranged at intervals along the longitudinal direction. Part
The reference portion includes a bar code extending in a short direction of the printing tape from at least the plurality of unstable portions,
The bar code includes a first mark that is a first color portion where the reflected light amount is less than a predetermined threshold value, and a second mark that is a second color portion where the reflected light amount is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Are arranged side by side with no gap in the longitudinal direction in the order of
The plurality of unstable portions are sites where the amount of reflected light is less than or equal to or greater than the threshold, depending on the size of the threshold.
The non-reference portion is
A first region that is a region of the first color provided on at least one of the one side and the other side in the longitudinal direction with respect to at least one of the plurality of unstable portions;
A second region that is the region of the second color provided in a portion different from the first region in the non-reference portion;
Assuming that each of the plurality of unstable portions is a portion showing both the first color and the second color, the non-reference portion has a color scheme that does not include the barcode in the longitudinal direction. The printing tape, wherein the first region and the second region are provided. The bar code includes a book mark that is the first mark having a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction,
2. The printing tape according to claim 1, wherein a length of the first region in the longitudinal direction is larger than a length of the first mark in the longitudinal direction.   The bar code includes the second mark provided on one side or the other side in the longitudinal direction with respect to the book mark, and includes a stability mark having a length in the longitudinal direction larger than that of the book mark. The printing tape according to claim 2. The first region extends in the shorter direction than the unstable portion facing the first region in the longitudinal direction,
4. The printing tape according to claim 1, wherein the bar code extends in the shorter direction than the first region. 5.   5. The printing tape according to claim 4, wherein the barcode extends over the entire width of the printing tape in the short direction.   2. The plurality of unstable portions are a plurality of through holes penetrating the printing tape or a plurality of images printed in an intermediate color between the first color and the second color. To 5. The printing tape according to any one of 5 to 5. A tape printer capable of using the printing tape according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Transport means capable of transporting the printing tape in the longitudinal direction;
A print head capable of printing a character on the printing tape conveyed by the conveying means;
A reflection sensor capable of measuring the amount of reflected light by irradiating at least a position in the lateral direction in which the reference portion is provided in the printing tape conveyed by the conveying unit;
First detection means for detecting a first continuous portion in which one of the first color and the second color continues for a predetermined length or more based on the amount of reflected light measured by the reflection sensor;
Based on the reflected light amount measured by the reflection sensor, the other of the first color and the second color is continuous within a predetermined range, and the print tape is conveyed in the transport direction with respect to the first continuous portion. Second detecting means for detecting adjacent second continuous portions;
The printing tape conveyed by the conveying means based on the reference part including the first continuous part detected by the first detecting means and the second continuous part detected by the second detecting means. A tape printing apparatus comprising: a printing control means for printing a character in the printing area by the print head.   The tape printer according to claim 7, wherein the reflection sensor is a movable body that is movable at least within a range in the short direction where the reference portion is provided.