JP2015081185A - Both-sided printer for card - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a both-sided printer for a card capable of printing on a front surface side and a rear surface side of a print medium in the same procedure, causing no deviation in printing between front and rear surfaces.SOLUTION: An inversion means for inverting front and rear surfaces of a print medium 50 that is supplied to a transportation path 20 on which a print part 30 is provided, is an inversion device 40 which turns by 180° a rotary drum 42 into which the print medium 50 is fed around an axial direction parallel to the transportation direction of the transportation path 20. Thus, the orientation of the print medium 50 in to and fro direction on the transportation path 20 is the same both in printing on a front surface side and in printing on a rear surface side. The front surface side and the rear surface side of the print medium 50 can be printed in the same procedure, causing no deviation in printing between front and rear surfaces.

Description

  The present invention relates to a double-sided printer for cards that performs printing on the front and back surfaces of a card-like print medium.

  When creating a card such as a credit card, cash card, ID card, or game card, a storage unit that stores a card-like print medium, and a linear transport path that transports a print medium supplied from the storage unit A card for printing on the front and back surfaces of the print medium, comprising: a printing unit that performs printing on one side of the print medium that is transported through the transport path; and a reversing unit that reverses the front and back surfaces of the print medium transported through the transport path. A double-sided printer is used (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Each of the double-sided printers for cards described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 stacks card-like print media in the thickness direction and stores them vertically in the storage unit, and sends them out vertically from one end side of the storage unit. After the print medium is turned sideways by a rotating device that rotates around an axial direction orthogonal to the conveyance path of the printing unit, it is supplied to a linear conveyance path directed horizontally to the one side. Printing is performed in the printing section. When printing on the opposite surface of the print medium, the print medium is returned to the rotating device, and the rotating device is rotated 180 ° around the axis direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying path, so that the front and back surfaces of the printing medium are I try to reverse it.

  In each of the patent documents 1 and 2, an intermediate transfer film is disposed in the printing unit, and an image to be printed is transferred from the ink ribbon to the intermediate transfer film, and then transferred to the intermediate transfer film. The image is retransferred to the print medium. Further, the card printed on the front and back surfaces is discharged from one end of the linear conveyance path to an external or external discharge stacker. Further, the devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 include a magnetic writing unit that records magnetic information in addition to the printing unit, and those described in Patent Document 2 include an IC writing unit and a bar code writing unit. It also has a department.

Japanese Patent No. 3625206 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-136783

  In both card printers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in order to print the front and back surfaces, the print medium is rotated 180 ° around the axis direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport path and the front and back surfaces are reversed. Therefore, the front-rear direction of the print medium on the conveyance path is reversed between when the front side is printed and when the back side is printed. For this reason, when printing the front and back surfaces with a common printing unit, the print direction of the print medium is reversed in the front and back direction on the front side and the back side, and it is necessary to change the printing procedure between the front side and the back side, There is a problem that misalignment is likely to occur in printing between the front and back surfaces.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a double-sided printer for a card that can print the front side and the back side of a printing medium in the same procedure and that does not cause a positional shift in printing between the front and back sides.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a storage unit that stores a card-like print medium, a linear transport path that transports a print medium supplied from the storage unit, and a transport path that is transported through the transport path. A card that prints on the front and back surfaces of the printing medium by the printing unit, and a printing unit that prints on one side of the printing medium and a reversing unit that reverses the front and back surfaces of the printing medium conveyed on the conveyance path. In the double-sided printer, the reversing unit employs a configuration in which the print medium is rotated by 180 ° around an axial direction parallel to the transport direction of the transport path.

  In other words, the reversing means for reversing the front and back surfaces of the print medium rotates the print medium by 180 ° about an axial direction parallel to the transport direction of the transport path, so that the front and back directions of the print medium on the transport path Can be the same when printing the front side and the back side, so that the front side and back side of the print medium can be printed in the same procedure, so that there is no misalignment in printing between the front and back sides I made it.

  The cassette is arranged as a cassette that stores the printing unit in the vertical direction by stacking the print media in the thickness direction, with the printing unit disposed on the upper side of the conveyance path with the conveyance direction of the conveyance path directed in the horizontal direction. Is disposed below the transport path in a direction parallel to the transport path, and the print medium stored in the vertical direction is sent upward from one end side of the cassette, and the sent vertical print medium is turned sideways. By changing the direction and supplying it to the transport path, it is possible to easily replace and maintain the consumables of the printing unit, and to store a large number of printing media in a cassette in a compact manner and efficiently supply it to the printing unit can do.

  A card discharge port for discharging the print medium printed on the front and back surfaces is provided on one end side of the transport path, and the cassette can be pulled out to the side where the card discharge port is provided. Replenishment and card removal after printing can be performed conveniently from the same side. In particular, a double-sided printer for a game card that is incorporated on the front side of a game machine and prints different characters or the like according to the result of the game may have a card outlet and a cassette outlet on the front side of the game machine.

  By providing a grip margin portion on one end side in the transport direction of the print medium, the grip margin portion toward the front end side in the print direction is sandwiched by a feed roller so that the main body portion of the print medium to be printed is from the most advanced. Printing can be performed. In addition, since the print medium is fed to the print section while pulling the gripping portion on the front end side with a feed roller, a relatively low-rigidity print medium such as paper or thin is good without causing bending. Can be printed on. Further, when the print medium is stored in the cassette, the front and back directions of the print medium can be easily aligned, and if the grip margin is provided asymmetrically, the front and back directions of the print medium can be easily aligned. it can.

  By providing the gripping part cutting means, it is possible to eliminate the need to cut the gripping part later.

  In the double-sided printer for cards according to the present invention, the reversing means for reversing the front and back surfaces of the printing medium rotates the printing medium by 180 ° around an axial direction parallel to the conveying direction of the conveying path. The front and back orientation of the print medium is the same when printing the front side and when printing the back side, so that the front side and back side of the print medium can be printed in the same procedure and positioned between the front and back sides. Misalignment can be prevented.

Schematic longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a double-sided printer for cards 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a card-like print medium is stored in the cassette of FIG. 1 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing the vicinity of the positioning claw in FIG. (A)-(c) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view explaining the effect | action of the positioning nail | claw of FIG. FIG. 1 is a partially omitted vertical cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the printing portion of FIG. The perspective view which shows the inversion apparatus of FIG. Front view of FIG. Plan view of FIG. Vertical side view of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This double-sided printer for cards prints on the front and back surfaces of a card-like print medium 50. As shown in FIG. 1, the print medium 50 is stacked in the thickness direction in the case 1 and vertically oriented. The cassette 2 as a storage unit for storing, the direction changing device 10 for changing the direction of the print medium 50 sent out from one end side of the cassette 2 in the horizontal direction, and the horizontal direction of the print medium 50 changed in the horizontal direction A linear transport path 20 that transports the print medium, a printing unit 30 that prints on the upper surface side of the print medium 50 transported through the transport path 20, and a reversal that reverses the front and back surfaces of the print medium 50 transported through the transport path 20. Device 40.

  The case 1 is provided with a card discharge port 1a for discharging the printed printing medium 50 on the front side, and the cassette 2 disposed below the transfer path 20 in a direction parallel to the transfer path 20 is shown in FIG. As shown by the arrow A in FIG. Further, as indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the upper lid 1 b of the case 1 can be tilted so that the front side is lifted, and maintenance and consumables for the printing unit 30 disposed on the upper side of the conveyance path 20. Etc. can be exchanged from the front side. Therefore, since the supply of the printing medium 50, the removal of the printed card, the maintenance of the printing unit 30 and the like can be performed from the front side of the case 1, a double-sided printer for game cards and the like incorporated on the front side of the game machine It is suitable for.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the print medium 50 is provided with a grip margin portion 50 b on one end side in the longitudinal direction which is the front end side of a card-like main body portion 50 a on which printing is performed. The cassette 2 disposed on the lower side is accommodated with the gripping margin 50b facing downward. As will be described later, the gripping allowance portion 50b is cut by the cutter 25 along a cutting line indicated by a two-dot chain line in the drawing after the main body portion 50a is printed.

  The grip margin portion 50b is formed to be asymmetrical by shifting to one side in the width direction, and a concave portion 2a into which the grip margin portion 50b is fitted is provided at the bottom of the cassette 2. Therefore, in addition to the front and back directions that are the printing direction of the print medium 50, the front and back directions can also be stored in the same direction. The gripping allowance 50b may be formed close to one width end. Moreover, it can also be formed in the width center part symmetrically.

  As shown by an arrow B in FIG. 1, the printing medium 50 stored in the cassette 2 is fed upward from the one end side of the case 1 by the feeding claw 3, and is vertically held between the conveying rollers 4. And sent to the direction changing device 10.

  The direction changing device 10 rotates the conveyance roller 11 sandwiching the print medium 50 by 90 ° around an axial direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the conveyance path 20 as indicated by an arrow C in FIG. On both sides of the conveying roller 11, guide plates 12a and 12b for guiding the print medium 50 to the roll gap are provided. A sensor 5 a that detects the print medium 50 is provided on the exit side of the transport roller 4. When the passage of the print medium 50 is detected by the sensor 5a, the direction changing device 10 turns the conveyance roller 11 90 ° to the left, and sets the gripping margin portion 50b on the front end side of the print medium 50 turned downward, The conveyance roller 11 is driven toward the printing unit 30 on the right side and supplied to the conveyance path 20.

  In the conveyance path 20, the printing roller 50 is undulated and printed on the conveyance path 20 as indicated by an arrow D in FIG. A positioning claw 23 for positioning the rear end of the medium 50, a conveying roller 21b, a printing unit 30, a feed roller 24, a conveying roller 21c, a cutter 25 for cutting a gripping margin 50b of the printing medium 50, and a conveying roller 21d are arranged in this order. ing. In addition, a plurality of sensors 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, and 5f that detect the print medium 50 are provided in the conveyance path 20, and a reversing device 40 that will be described later is provided on the left side of the direction changing device 10. . Each of the sensors 5a to 5f is a non-contact optical sensor including a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit. Note that each of the transport rollers 4, 11, 21 a to 21 d that sandwich the print medium 50, the feed roller 24, and the transport roller 46 of the reversing device 40 are all driven rollers driven by a stepping motor, and the other is a driven pinch. It is said to be Laura.

  The sensor 5b is used for delivery of the print medium 50 to the reversing device 40, and reverses the transport roller 11 of the direction changing device 10 oriented in the horizontal direction. The sensor 5c is used for confirming the positioning of the print medium 50 and operating the positioning claw 23, as will be described later. The sensors 5d and 5e are used for controlling the printing unit 30, and an ink ribbon 31 and a platen roller 33, which will be described later, are set in a standby state based on a detection signal from the sensor 5d, and printing starts based on the detection signal from the sensor 5e. Is done. The sensor 5f is used for operating the cutter 25.

  The print medium 50 supplied to the transport path 20 is transported by the transport roller 21a with the gripping portion 50b facing forward, the upper printing surface is cleaned by the cleaning roller 22, and the entrance of the print unit 30 is positioned. The nail 23 is reached.

  FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the vicinity of the positioning claw 23. The positioning claw 23 rotates as shown by an arrow D, and a claw portion 23a that swings up and down, a cam portion 23b that supports the lower end of the claw portion 23a, and a tension spring 23c that biases the claw portion 23a to stand up. Consists of.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the print medium 50 that has reached the positioning claw 23 advances by pushing down the claw portion 23 a biased by the tension spring 23 c and passes through the positioning claw 23. As shown in FIG. 4B, the print medium 50 that has passed through the positioning claw 23 is slightly retracted, and is positioned by pressing the rear end against the claw portion 23a that rises again by the biasing force of the tension spring 23c. When the print medium 50 positioned by the sensor 5 c is detected, the transport roller 21 b is driven to rotate forward, and the print medium 50 is sent to the printing unit 30. FIG. 4C shows the operation when the printing medium 50 on which one side is printed is sent to the reversing device 40, as will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the printing unit 30 is of a thermal transfer type in which the ink on the ink ribbon 31 is heated by the thermal head 32 and transferred to the printing medium 50. The print medium 50 starts printing on the main body 50a between the thermal head 32 and the platen roller 33 in a state where the gripping portion 50b on the front end side is sandwiched between the feed rollers 24, and the feed roller 24 sets a predetermined printing speed. Is fed in the printing direction on the right. Therefore, printing can be performed from the forefront of the main body 50a.

  The ink ribbon 31 has a supply-side core 31a and a take-up-side core 31b. Although not shown in the drawing, each of the three primary colors yellow Y, magenta M, and cyan C is applied to the ink ribbon 31 and the printing surface. The application region of the transparent overcoat material OP that protects is repeatedly provided. These application regions are sequentially sent to the position of the thermal head 32, and color printing is performed on the upper surface of the print medium 50. The ink ribbon 31 may be a single black color for monochrome printing.

  The print medium 50 printed on the surface in this way is conveyed leftward in FIG. 1 so as to move backward in the conveyance path 20 with the gripping portion 50b on the front end side facing the front rightward. . At this time, when the print medium 50 is detected by the sensor 5c, as shown in FIG. 4C, the cam portion 23b of the positioning claw 23 rotates and the claw portion 23a is tilted to position the print medium 50. Passes through the nail 23. The print medium 50 that has passed through the positioning claw 23 is detected by the sensor 5b, and then sent to the reversing device 40 by the reverse rotation of the conveying roller 11 of the direction changing device 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the reversing device 40 has a rotating drum 42 with a receiving plate 41 for receiving a printing medium 50 fed from the conveying path 20 mounted on the front side, and standing on a substrate 43 on the back side. The rolling contact roller 44 is supported at three locations at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface, and the gear mechanism 45 is axially parallel to the transport direction of the transport path 20 as indicated by an arrow E in FIG. It is rotated 180 ° around.

  As shown in FIG. 9, inside the rotating drum 42, a conveyance roller 46 that feeds the printing medium 50 received by the receiving plate 41 to the back of the rotating drum 42, and the printing medium 50 that is fed are held in the upper and lower gaps. A holding member 47 is incorporated. The span between the conveyance roller 46 and the conveyance roller 11 of the direction changing device 10 is shorter than the entire length of the print medium 50 including the gripping margin 50b.

  The receiving plate 41 is formed to be slightly wider than the width of the printing medium 50 and has a U-shape projecting forward on both sides, and has a downward slope that guides the printing medium 50 onto the receiving plate 41 at its tip. A portion 41 a is provided, and a side guide 41 b that guides both the left and right sides of the print medium 50 is provided.

  On the back side of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating drum 42, teeth 45a that mesh with the gear mechanism 45 are cut, and as shown in FIG. The detection bar 48 protrudes. Optical sensors 49a and 49b are attached to the lower left and lower right of the substrate 43. In the state before inversion, the lower left detection bar 48 is detected by the sensor 49a, and the lower right is detected by the sensor 49b. The detection bar 48 is detected.

  When the print medium 50 with the gripping margin 50b directed rightward is fed to the back of the rotary drum 42, the rotary drum 42 is driven to rotate by the gear mechanism 45, and the detection bar 48 located at the upper right portion by the sensor 49a. If the sensor 49b does not detect the detection bar 48, the rotation is stopped, and the rotary drum 42 rotates 180 ° around the axial direction parallel to the transport direction. Accordingly, the front and back surfaces of the print medium 50 fed to the rotary drum 42 are reversed with the gripping margin 50b facing forward.

  The print medium 50 with the front and back surfaces reversed is sent to the transport roller 11 of the direction changing device 10 by the transport roller 46. At this time, the receiving plate 41 that rotates together with the rotary drum 42 comes to the upper side of the printing medium 50, but is supported by the conveying roller 46 and the holding member 47 on the rear end side, and has a card shape with the gripping margin portion 50 b facing forward. Since the print medium 50 has a certain degree of rigidity, as shown in FIG. 9, the print medium 50 is guided to the guide plate 12 b of the direction changing device 10 that opens largely up and down and is sent to the transport roller 11. The receiving plate 41 attached to the rotating drum 42 may have a two-sheet structure, and the print medium 50 may be received therebetween.

  The print medium 50 with the front and back surfaces reversed and with the upper surface as the back surface is sent to the transport path 20 from the transport roller 11 with the gripping portion 50b facing forward, and is printed by the same procedure as that for printing the front surface. The back side is printed at part 30.

  The print medium 50 printed on the front and back surfaces is transported to the cutter 25 by the transport roller 21c shown in FIG. 1, and the grip margin portion 50b on the front end side is cut by the cutter 25, and then from the card discharge port 1a. It is discharged to the front side of the case 1.

  In the above-described embodiment, the ink of the ink ribbon is directly transferred to the printing medium by the printing unit. However, the ink may be transferred again from the ink ribbon to the intermediate transfer film and then transferred to the printing medium. Further, the printing unit is not limited to the thermal transfer type, and may be other types such as an ink jet type. In addition to the printing unit, a magnetic writing unit, an IC writing unit, and the like may be provided.

  In the embodiment described above, the reversing means for reversing the front and back surfaces of the printing medium is configured to rotate the rotary drum to which the printing medium is fed 180 °, but the reversing means is not limited to that of the embodiment, Any print medium may be used as long as the print medium is rotated by 180 ° around an axial direction parallel to the conveyance direction of the conveyance path.

  In the embodiment described above, the printing direction of the front and back surfaces is the longitudinal direction of the printing medium, but the printing direction can also be the width direction of the printing medium.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case 1a Card discharge port 1b Top cover 2 Cassette 2a Recess 3 Feeding claw 4 Conveyance roller 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f Sensor 10 Direction change device 11 Conveyance roller 12a, 12b Guide plate 20 Conveyance path 21a, 21b, 21c 21d Conveying roller 22 Cleaning roller 23 Positioning claw 23a Claw part 23b Cam part 23c Tension spring 24 Feed roller 25 Cutter 30 Printing part 31 Ink ribbon 31a, 31b Core 32 Thermal head 33 Platen roller 40 Reversing device 41 Receiving plate 41a Inclining part 41b Side guide 42 Rotating drum 43 Substrate 44 Rolling roller 45 Gear mechanism 45a Teeth 46 Conveying roller 47 Holding member 48 Detection bar 49a, 49b Sensor 50 Print medium 50a Main body 50b Grab margin

Claims (5)

A storage unit for storing a card-like print medium;
A linear conveyance path for conveying the print medium supplied from the storage unit;
A printing unit that performs printing on one side of a print medium conveyed through the conveyance path;
Reversing means for reversing the front and back surfaces of the print medium transported through the transport path,
In a double-sided card printer that prints on the front and back surfaces of the printing medium at the printing unit,
A double-sided printer for cards, wherein the reversing unit rotates the print medium by 180 ° about an axial direction parallel to the transport direction of the transport path. The printing unit is arranged on the upper side of the conveyance path with the conveyance direction of the conveyance path directed in the horizontal direction,
The storage unit is a cassette that stacks the print media in the thickness direction and stores the print medium in a vertical direction, and the cassette is disposed below the transfer path in a direction parallel to the transfer path.
The printing medium stored in the vertical direction from one end side of the cassette is sent upward, the sent vertical printing medium is changed in the horizontal direction, and supplied to the conveyance path. Double-sided printer for cards as described.   3. The card discharge port according to claim 2, wherein a card discharge port for discharging a print medium printed on the front and back surfaces is provided on one end side of the conveyance path, and the cassette can be pulled out to a side on which the card discharge port is provided. Double-sided printer for cards.   The double-sided printer for cards according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a grip margin is provided on one end side in the transport direction of the print medium.   The card double-sided printer according to claim 4, further comprising a cutting means for the grip allowance portion.