JP2015171823A - Tape printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tape printer capable of preventing paper jam when introducing a processing tape, and stabilizing a discharge position.SOLUTION: A tape printer includes: a printing part 202 for executing tape processing, while sending a printing tape T; a cutting part 203 disposed on the downstream side in the tape sending direction of the printing part 202, for cutting the printing tape T having subjected to tape processing; a discharge part 206 disposed on the downstream side in the tape sending direction of the cutting part 203, for sending out the printing tape T to the outside of the printer; and a discharge power transmission device 103 for interlocking drive of the printing part 202 with drive of the discharge part 206.

Description

  The present invention relates to a tape processing apparatus for performing processing on a tape while feeding the processing tape and cutting the processing tape.

  Conventionally, as a tape printer, a platen and print head that prints on a processing tape while feeding it, a full-cut mechanism that separates the tape piece that is the printed part of the processing tape, and forcibly ejecting the tape piece outside the device What is provided with the tape piece discharge | emission mechanism to perform is known (refer patent document 1). The full cut mechanism includes a cutter, a cutter operating mechanism that cuts the cutter, and a cutter motor that serves as a drive source. On the other hand, the tape discharge mechanism includes a discharge roller, a roller shaft that rotatably supports the discharge roller, a power transmission mechanism that rotates the discharge roller, and a discharge auxiliary roller that faces the discharge roller across the tape piece. The cutter motor is also used as the power source. The discharge roller rotates in synchronization with the cutting operation of the cutter.

JP 2002-167092 A

  However, in such a conventional tape printer, since the discharge roller rotates in synchronization with the cutting operation of the cutter, the rotation is stopped when feeding the tape. In other words, when the processing tape is introduced into the cutting mechanism, when the leading edge of the processing tape reaches the tape piece discharging mechanism, the leading edge of the processing tape is clogged at the clamping portion between the discharge roller and the discharge auxiliary roller, and a paper jam occurs. There was a problem that. In addition, since the tape piece discharging mechanism discharges the tape piece vigorously, the tape piece is scattered and the discharge position is not stable.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a tape processing apparatus that can prevent paper jam when a processing tape is introduced and can stabilize a discharge position.

  The tape processing apparatus of the present invention is arranged on the downstream side of the feeding / processing means with respect to the tape feeding direction to feed the processing tape while performing the tape processing on the processing tape, and cut the processed tape after the tape processing. A cutting means; a discharge means that is disposed downstream of the cutting means in the tape feeding direction and feeds the processing tape to the outside of the apparatus; and a feed interlocking means that links the driving of the feeding / processing means and the driving of the discharging means. It is characterized by that.

  According to this configuration, since the feed interlocking means interlocks (synchronizes) the driving of the feeding / processing means and the discharging means, the discharging means is driven even when the processing tape is introduced into the cutting means. Therefore, at this time, when the leading end of the processing tape reaches the discharging means, the leading end of the processing tape is smoothly drawn into the discharging means, so that no paper jam occurs. In addition, since the discharge means is configured to feed the processing tape to the outside of the apparatus so as to extend the tape feed of the feeding / processing means, the cut portion (tape piece) of the processing tape is not scattered and the discharge position Can be stabilized.

  In this case, a control means for controlling the feeding / processing means, the cutting means, and the discharging means is further provided. When the tape processing of the processing tape is completed, the control means cuts the processed tape after processing the tape and processes the processing tape. It is preferable to stop feeding.

  According to this configuration, after the processing tape has been fed for tape processing, the processed portion of the processing tape is cut, and the processed portion of the processing tape is fed out and discharged to the outside of the apparatus. Stop feeding here. That is, at the stage of cutting, the front end of the processing tape is discharged to the outside of the apparatus and the intermediate portion is held by the discharging means. The state is maintained and a series of operations is completed. That is, since the position where the processing tape is held becomes the discharge position, the discharge position can be further stabilized.

  On the other hand, the feeding / processing means has a feeding roller, the discharging means has a discharging roller, the discharging roller rotates so that its peripheral speed is higher than the peripheral speed of the feeding roller, and from the processing tape. It is preferable that sliding rotation occurs when a load exceeding a predetermined value is applied.

  According to the above configuration, the peripheral speed of the discharge roller rotates so as to be faster than the peripheral speed of the feed roller, and the discharge roller rotates and slides when a predetermined load or more is applied from the processing tape. It can prevent clogging and perform normal tape feeding. Therefore, tape processing can be performed with high accuracy.

It is the external appearance perspective view which showed the tape printer of the closed cover state concerning this embodiment. It is the external appearance perspective view which showed the tape printer of the open state. It is the perspective view (a) and top view (b) which showed the tape feed power system. They are a perspective view (a) and an exploded perspective view (b) showing a tape cutting mechanism. It is the perspective view (a) and exploded perspective view (b) which showed the tape discharge | emission mechanism. It is the perspective view (a) which showed the drive roller part, and an exploded perspective view (b). It is the perspective view (a) which showed the driven roller part, and an exploded perspective view (b). (A) is the schematic plan view which showed the tape discharge | emission mechanism at the time of lid closing. (B) is the schematic plan view which showed the tape discharge mechanism at the time of lid opening. (A) is the schematic plan view which showed the tape discharge mechanism when the conduction | electrical_connection path is "conduction". (B) is a schematic plan view showing the tape discharging mechanism when the conduction path is “non-conduction”. It is the control block diagram which showed the tape printer. It is the flowchart which showed the tape processing operation. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating tape processing operation | movement.

  Hereinafter, a tape processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiment, a tape printing apparatus is exemplified as the tape processing apparatus. This tape printing apparatus performs printing on a printing tape (processing tape) as a printing object while feeding it, then cuts the printed portion of the printing tape while half-cutting the printing tape, Is to create. In this embodiment, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “upper”, and “lower” follow the direction (front view) viewed from the user who uses the tape printer.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tape printer 1 contains a device main body 2 that performs a printing process on the print tape T, a printing tape T, and an ink ribbon R, and is detachably attached to the device main body 2. A tape cartridge C. In the tape cartridge C, a printing tape T with a peeling tape Tb to be printed is accommodated so as to be freely fed out.

  In the apparatus main body 2, an outer shell is formed by an apparatus case 3, and a keyboard 5 having various keys 4 is disposed on the upper surface of the front half of the apparatus case 3. On the other hand, an opening / closing lid 6 is widely provided on the upper left surface of the rear half of the device case 3, and a lid opening button 8 for opening the opening / closing lid 6 is provided on the front side of the opening / closing lid 6. Further, a rectangular display 9 for displaying an input result from the keyboard 5 and the like is disposed on the upper right side of the rear half of the device case 3.

  When the lid opening button 8 is pressed to open the opening / closing lid 6, a cartridge mounting portion 10 into which the tape cartridge C is detachably mounted is formed in the inside thereof, and the tape cartridge C opens the opening / closing lid 6. In the opened state, it is detachably mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 10. That is, the opening / closing lid 6 opens and closes the cartridge mounting portion 10. Further, the open / close lid 6 is formed with a viewing window 13 for visually confirming whether the tape cartridge C is mounted or not mounted in a state in which the lid 6 is closed.

  A tape discharge port 17 connected to the cartridge mounting portion 10 is formed on the left side of the apparatus case 3, and a tape discharge path 18 is formed between the cartridge mounting portion 10 and the tape discharge port 17. In the apparatus case 3, the tape cutting mechanism 11 that cuts the printing tape T and the tape piece of the cut printing tape T are discharged from the tape discharge port 17 from the upstream side so as to face the tape discharge path 18. The tape discharge mechanism 12 is assembled and incorporated (details will be described later).

  On the other hand, the cartridge mounting unit 10 has a thermal type print head 21 having a plurality of heating elements in the head cover 20, a platen drive shaft 23 facing the print head 21, and a winding drive for winding an ink ribbon R described later. A shaft 24 and a positioning projection 25 of a tape reel 32 to be described later are disposed. The platen drive shaft 23 and the take-up drive shaft 24 pass through the bottom plate 27 of the cartridge mounting portion 10, and a tape that is a power system that drives the platen drive shaft 23 and the take-up drive shaft 24 in the space below the bottom plate 27. A feed power system 26 (see FIG. 3) is disposed.

  The tape cartridge C is configured such that a tape reel 32 around which a printing tape T is wound and a ribbon reel 33 around which an ink ribbon R is wound at a lower right portion are rotatably accommodated in an upper center portion inside the cartridge case 31. The printing tape T and the ink ribbon R have the same width. A through hole 34 is formed in the lower left portion of the tape reel 32 to be inserted into the head cover 20 that covers the print head 21. Further, in the vicinity of the through hole 34, a platen roller (feed roller) 35 that is fitted to the platen drive shaft 23 and driven to rotate is disposed corresponding to the portion where the printing tape T and the ink ribbon R overlap. . On the other hand, a ribbon take-up reel 36 is disposed in the vicinity of the ribbon reel 33, and the take-up drive shaft 24 is fitted and rotated.

  When the tape cartridge C is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 10, the through hole 34 is formed in the head cover 20, the center hole of the tape reel 32 is positioned in the positioning projection 25, and the center hole of the platen roller 35 is driven in the platen drive shaft 23. The center hole of the ribbon take-up reel 36 is inserted into the shaft 24. By the rotational drive of the platen drive shaft 23 and the take-up drive shaft 24, the printing tape T is fed out from the tape reel 32, and the ink ribbon R is fed out from the ribbon reel 33, and the printing tape T and After overlapping and running in parallel, the printing tape T is fed out of the cartridge case 31 and the ink ribbon R is taken up by the ribbon take-up reel 36. In a portion where the print tape T and the ink ribbon R run side by side, the platen roller 35 and the print head 21 face so as to sandwich them, and so-called print feed is performed.

  The printing tape T is composed of a recording tape Ta having a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer formed on the back surface and a release tape Tb adhered to the recording tape Ta by the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. The printing tape T is wound and accommodated on the tape reel 32 with the recording tape Ta on the outside and the release tape Tb on the inside. In addition, a plurality of types of printing tapes T different in tape type (tape width, ground color of the printing tape T, ground pattern, material (texture), etc.) are prepared. Is housed together.

  A plurality of holes (not shown) for specifying the type of the printing tape T are provided on the back surface of the cartridge case 31. On the other hand, a plurality of tape identification sensors 37 (see FIG. 10) such as microswitches for detecting these bit patterns are provided in the cartridge mounting portion 10 corresponding to the plurality of holes. By detecting the state of a plurality of holes, the tape type (particularly the tape width) can be determined.

  When the tape cartridge C is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 10 and the opening / closing lid 6 is closed, the print head 21 rotates via a head release mechanism (not shown), and the print head 21 and the platen roller 35 are With the print tape T and the ink ribbon R sandwiched therebetween, the tape printer 1 enters a print standby state. When the printing operation is instructed after the input / editing of the print data, the platen roller 35 is rotationally driven to feed out the print tape T from the tape cartridge C, and the print head 21 is driven to apply the desired print tape T to the print tape T. Print. At the same time as the printing operation, the ink ribbon R is wound up in the tape cartridge C, but the printed portion of the printing tape T is sent out from the tape discharge port 17 to the outside of the apparatus. When printing is completed, the printed portion of the printing tape T is cut while the printing tape T is half cut by the tape cutting mechanism 11. Thereby, a label on which a desired character or the like is printed is created. Only the tip of the cut tape piece is discharged from the tape discharge port 17 by the operation of the tape discharge mechanism 12.

  Here, the tape feed power system 26, the tape cutting mechanism 11 and the tape discharging mechanism 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. The tape feed power system 26 includes a tape feed motor 41 that is a power source, and a feed power transmission mechanism 42 that transmits the power of the tape feed motor 41 to the platen drive shaft 23 and the take-up drive shaft 24. That is, the tape feed motor 41 is also used as a power source for the platen drive shaft 23 and the take-up drive shaft 24. Although details will be described later, the tape feed motor 41 is also used as a power source for the discharge drive roller 111 of the tape discharge mechanism 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the feed power transmission mechanism 42 has an input gear 51 that meshes with a gear formed on the main shaft of the tape feed motor 41, a mesh with the input gear 51, a platen drive shaft 23 side, and a take-up drive shaft 24. A branch gear 52 that branches power to the two sides, a first output gear 53 that meshes with the branch gear 52 and rotates the take-up drive shaft 24, and a relay gear 54 that meshes with the branch gear 52; A second output gear 55 that meshes with the relay gear 54 and rotates the platen roller 35 while being pivotally attached thereto is provided. When the tape feed motor 41 is driven, the platen drive shaft 23 and the take-up drive shaft 24 rotate through the gears. Thus, the ink ribbon R is transported in synchronization with the tape feed of the printing tape T.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the tape cutting mechanism 11 includes a scissors-type full cutter 61 that fully cuts the printing tape T, a press-cut half cutter 62 that half-cuts the printing tape T, and a cutter motor that serves as a power source. 63, a cutter power transmission mechanism 64 that transmits the power of the cutter motor 63 to the full cutter 61 and the half cutter 62, and a cutter frame 65 and a gear frame 66 that support them. That is, the cutter motor 63 is also used as a power source for the full cutter 61 and the half cutter 62. Further, the “full cut” here is a cutting process in which the entire printing tape T, that is, the recording tape Ta and the peeling tape Tb, is cut integrally, and the “half cut” is performed without cutting the peeling tape Tb. A cutting process for cutting only the recording tape Ta.

  The cutter motor 63 is a stepping motor and causes the full cutter 61 and the half cutter 62 to perform a cutting operation.

  The full cutter 61 is a scissors type in which a fixed blade 81 and a movable blade 82 are rotatably connected by a support shaft 83. Further, the fixed blade 81 and the movable blade 82 are formed in an “L” shape, and a long hole 84 that engages with a crank disk 74 described later is provided at the base of the movable blade 82.

  The half cutter 62 is of a press-cut type having a cutting blade 91 that cuts into the printing tape T and a blade receiving member 92 that receives the cut cutting blade 91. The cutting blade 91 is rotatably attached to the blade receiving member 92, and at the time of half-cutting, the recording tape Ta is cut by pressing while the cutting blade 91 is in contact with the entire area of the recording tape Ta. In addition, an engagement protrusion 93 that engages with a crank disk 74 described later is formed at the base of the cutting blade 91. The fixed blade 81 includes a blade 81a and a blade holder 81b to which the blade 81a is attached. A support shaft 83 is fixed to the base of the blade holder 81b.

  The cutter power transmission mechanism 64 includes a train wheel 71 composed of three gears and a crank disk 74 that meshes with the downstream end of the train wheel 71. The upstream end of the train wheel 71 is meshed with an input gear that is pivotally attached to the cutter motor 63 (the main shaft thereof), and the rotational power of the cutter motor 63 is applied to the crank disc 74. Further, an eccentric crank pin 75 is provided on the right end surface (on the full cutter 61 side) of the crank disc 74, and this engages with the elongated hole 84 of the movable blade 82 in the full cutter 61. On the other hand, a cam groove (not shown) is formed on the left end surface (on the half cutter 62 side) of the crank disc 74, and the engagement protrusion 93 of the cutting blade 91 in the half cutter 62 is engaged therewith. .

  The shape of the long hole 84 of the full cutter 61 is such that the forward rotation of the crank disc 74 from the initial position acts on (inputs) the full cutter 61 in cooperation with the crank pin 75, and the crank disc 74 rotates in reverse. Is not applied to the full cutter 61 (the full cutter 61 is idled). On the other hand, the cam groove shape of the crank disk 74 cooperates with the engagement protrusion 93 so that the forward rotation of the crank disk 74 from the initial position does not act on the half cutter 62 (the half cutter 62 rotates idly). ), The reverse rotation of the crank disc 74 is formed to act (input) to the half cutter 62. That is, the cutter power transmission mechanism 64 transmits the rotational power of the forward rotation of the cutter motor 63 from the initial position to the full cutter 61, and transmits the rotational power of the reverse rotation of the cutter motor 63 from the initial position to the half cutter 62. It is configured as follows.

  In addition, the cutter power transmission mechanism 64 further includes a cutter position detection sensor 77 (see FIG. 10) disposed so as to face one position on the peripheral surface of the crank disk 74. The cutter position detection sensor 77 is the position where the rotation position of the crank disc 74 is the initial position (ON), whether the crank disk 74 is rotated forward from the initial position (OFF: full cut), or the position rotated backward from the initial position. (OFF: half cut) is detected, and based on this, the positions of the movable blade 82 of the full cutter 61 and the cutting blade 91 of the half cutter 62 (hereinafter, cutter position) are detected. Thereby, in various operations, the cutter position is detected, and abnormality determination of the cutter position is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the tape discharge mechanism 12 includes a drive roller unit 101 having a discharge drive roller 111, a driven roller unit 102 having a discharge driven roller 113 facing the discharge drive roller 111, and a tape on the discharge drive roller 111. A discharge power transmission mechanism (feed interlock mechanism) 103 (refer to FIG. 3) for transmitting the power of the feed motor 41 and the discharge driven roller 113 between the nip position and the retracted position when the opening / closing lid 6 is opened and closed. A rotating lever 104 that moves. That is, the printing tape T is discharged by a nip roller composed of a discharge driving roller 111 and a discharge driven roller 113. The tape discharge mechanism 12 includes the printing tape T between the discharge driving roller 111 and the discharge driven roller 113 with the two contact plates (the roller side contact plate 181 and the rotor side contact plate 182) as electrical contacts. Further, a tape presence / absence detection mechanism 105 (see FIG. 9) for detecting whether or not there is a print tape T facing the tape discharge mechanism 12 is further provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the drive roller unit 101 includes a discharge drive roller (discharge roller) 111 that is in rolling contact with the peeling tape Tb side of the printing tape T, and a drive roller holder that rotatably holds the discharge drive roller 111. 112.

  The discharge drive roller 111 includes a drive roller body 121 with a shaft that is in contact with the printing tape T, a first rotor 122 with a shaft disposed below the drive roller body 121, the drive roller body 121, and the first rotation. And a first roller shaft 123 that connects the child 122 coaxially.

  The entire first roller shaft 123 is made of an insulating material, and a pair of vertical fitting holes 131 are formed at the upper and lower ends thereof. On the other hand, the drive roller main body 121 and the first rotor 122 have outer peripheral surfaces made of a conductor, and the inner extension shaft 132 extending to the inner side (the first roller shaft 123 side) and the mutual And an outwardly extending shaft 133 extending outward. Then, the drive roller main body 121 and the inner extending shaft 132 of the first rotor 122 are press-fitted into the respective fitting holes 131 of the first roller shaft 123 from above and below to form an integral discharge drive roller 111. Further, the first roller shaft 123 is formed with a gear portion 134 that is pivotally attached to the first rotor 122 side, and meshes with the downstream end of the discharge power transmission mechanism 103. Therefore, the rotational power of the tape feed motor 41 is transmitted to the gear unit 134 by the discharge power transmission mechanism 103, and as a result, the integrated discharge drive roller 111 is rotated.

  The drive roller holder 112 is disposed in the holder main body 141, a pair of upper and lower shaft grooves 142 formed integrally with the holder main body 141, and the holder main body 141, and removes dust from the drive roller main body 121 and the first rotor 122, respectively. A pair of dust removing members 143 to be removed. Each dust removing member 143 is a claw-shaped metal piece facing the driving roller main body 121 and the first rotor 122, and is in sliding contact with the driving roller main body 121 and the first rotor 122 during rotation, and dust on the surface thereof. (For example, chips at the time of cutting the printing tape T) are removed.

  The pair of shaft grooves 142 are each formed in a “U” shape, and rotatably receive the drive roller main body 121 and the outer extending shaft 133 of the first rotor 122, respectively. The two contact plates (the roller side contact plate 181 and the rotor side contact plate 182) are disposed so as to close the open ends (open portions) of the pair of shaft grooves 142. The roller side contact plate 181 is formed in a plate shape, and is disposed at the open end of the shaft groove 142 that receives the outer extending shaft 133 of the drive roller main body 121, and is disposed on the drive roller main body 121 trying to escape from the open end. Touching and holding down. On the other hand, the rotor-side contact plate 182 is formed in a plate shape, is disposed at the open end of the shaft groove 142 that receives the outer extending shaft 133 of the first rotor 122, and attempts to escape from the open end. One rotor 122 is contacted and pressed down. That is, the bearing portion of the drive roller body 121 is configured by one shaft groove 142 (upper side) and the roller side contact plate 181, and the bearing portion of the first rotor 122 is the other shaft groove 142 (lower side). Side) and the rotor-side contact plate 182. By these, the discharge drive roller 111 is rotatably supported.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the driven roller unit 102 includes a discharge driven roller 113 that is in rolling contact with the recording tape Ta side of the printing tape T, and a driven roller holder 114 that rotatably holds the discharge driven roller 113. I have.

  The discharge driven roller 113 includes a driven roller body 151, a second rotor 152 disposed below the driven roller body 151, and a second roller body 151 and a second rotor 152 that are coaxially attached to the driven roller body 151. And a roller shaft 153, which rotate as a unit. The driven roller body 151 is in rolling contact with the printing tape T, sandwiches the printing tape T with the driving roller body 121, and rotates. The second rotor 152 is in rolling contact with the first rotor 122. And all of the driven roller main body 151, the 2nd roller shaft 153, and the 2nd rotor 152 are comprised with the conductor. In the state where the discharge driven roller 113 is moved to the nip position, the driven roller main body 151 is in contact with the driving roller main body 121 and the second rotor 152 is in contact with the first rotor 122 as described above. However, in the state where the discharge driven roller 113 has moved from the nip position to the retracted position, the driven roller body 151 and the driving roller body 121 are separated from each other, and the second rotor 152 and the first rotor 122 are separated from each other. (See FIG. 8).

  The driven roller holder 114 is slidably supported by the fixed holder 115 fixed to the base frame, the movable holder 116 that supports the discharge driven roller 113, and the movable holder 116. And a pair of upper and lower return springs 118 that move the discharge driven roller 113 to the retracted position. That is, while the discharge driving roller 111 is fixedly provided, the discharge driven roller 113 is configured to be detachable from the discharge drive roller 111 (movable in the detachment direction).

  The fixed holder 115 has a pair of upper and lower slide rods 161 that slidably support the movable holder 116. Each return spring 118 is externally fitted to each slide rod 161, with one end contacting the fixed holder 115 and the other end contacting the movable holder 116, and attaching the movable holder 116 to the anti-discharge drive roller 111 side in the sliding direction. It is fast. That is, the pair of return springs 118 urges the discharge driven roller 113 to the retracted position via the movable holder 116.

  The movable holder 116 includes a pair of upper and lower bearing frames 164 that rotatably supports the discharge driven roller 113, a connecting frame 165 that connects both the bearing frames 164, and urges both the bearing frames 164 toward the discharge drive roller 111. And a pinching spring 166 for applying a pinching pressure to the discharge driven roller 113. In addition, the movable holder 116 is provided with a pair of dust removing members 167 similar to those of the driving roller unit 101, and is in sliding contact with the driven roller main body 151 and the second rotor 152 at the time of rotation, respectively. Remove dust on the surface.

  Each of the bearing frames 164 includes a loose insertion portion 171 for loosely inserting a shaft extending outwardly of the driven roller main body 151 and the second rotor 152, and an inner side of the driven roller main body 151 and the second rotor 152. A bearing portion 172 that respectively receives the roller shaft 153, a guide groove 173 that slidably guides the upper and lower sides of the connecting frame 165, and a spring rod 174 that externally fits a pair of pinching springs 166 are provided. The pair of bearing frames 164 includes the pair of bearing portions 172, thereby preventing the axial direction of the discharge driven roller 113 from being inclined.

  The connecting frame 165 is disposed above and below, and has a pair of upper and lower guide ribs 176 that engage with the respective guide grooves 173, and a through hole through which each spring rod 174 penetrates at the bottom, and accommodates the pinching spring 166. And a pair of upper and lower spring accommodating recesses 177. That is, the connecting frame 165 is slidably supported with respect to each bearing frame 164 with the pair of spring rods 174 inserted. On the other hand, the pair of sandwiching springs 166 are fitted on the pair of spring rods 174, and one end is in contact with each spring accommodating recess 177 of the connection frame 165 and the other end is in contact with each bearing frame 164. In response to the connecting frame 165, both bearing frames 164 are urged toward the discharge drive roller 111. Accordingly, the pair of pinching springs 166 urges the discharge driven roller 113 to the discharge driving roller 111 via the bearing frame 164 to apply a pinching pressure for pinching the printing tape T.

  The rotation lever 104 is rotatably supported by the standing frame 180 at an intermediate portion, and a contact portion 104a that contacts the movable holder 116 is formed at the tip, and the opening / closing lid 6 is formed at the rear end. A protrusion receiving portion 104b that engages with the formed operating protrusion 117 (see FIG. 2) is formed. Moreover, the rotation lever 104 rotates like a seesaw.

  FIG. 8A is a schematic plan view showing the tape discharging mechanism 12 when the opening / closing lid 6 is closed. FIG. 8B is a schematic plan view showing the tape discharging mechanism 12 when the opening / closing lid 6 is opened. As shown in FIG. 8A, when the opening / closing lid 6 is closed, the operating projection 117 acts on the projection receiving portion 104b to rotate the rotation lever 104. As the rotation lever 104 rotates, the contact portion 104 a contacts and presses the connection frame 165, and the connection frame 165 elastically presses each bearing frame 164 via each pinching spring 166. That is, the rotating lever 104 acts on the movable holder 116 and moves the discharge driven roller 113 to the nip position via the movable holder 116. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the opening / closing lid 6 is opened, the operating projection 117 does not act on the projection receiving portion 104b, so that the movable holder 116 (the pair of bearing frames 164 and the connecting frame is connected by the return spring 118). 165) is pushed, and the discharge driven roller 113 is retracted from the nip position to the retracted position. Thus, the rotation lever 104 moves the discharge driven roller 113 between the nip position and the retracted position in conjunction with opening / closing of the opening / closing lid 6, that is, engagement / disengagement of the operating projection 117.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the discharge power transmission mechanism 103 is configured by a gear train including five gears, the upstream end meshes with the second output gear 55, and the downstream end of the discharge drive roller 111. It meshes with the gear part 134. That is, when the tape feed motor 41 is driven, the discharge drive roller 111 rotates together (simultaneously) with the platen drive shaft 23 and the take-up drive shaft 24. As a result, the tape discharge mechanism 12 is driven in conjunction (synchronization) with the tape feed of the printing tape T (rotation of the platen roller 35). Note that the discharge drive roller 111 is rotated by the discharge power transmission mechanism 103 so that the peripheral speed thereof is higher than the peripheral speed of the platen roller 35. Accordingly, the discharge drive roller 111 can be slip-rotated with respect to the printing tape T so that there is no deficiency in the tape feeding of the platen roller 35, and when the load from the printing tape T exceeds a predetermined value, the discharge driving roller 111 slides and rotates. It is configured as follows. For example, a slip clutch is built in the discharge drive roller 111.

  Here, the tape presence / absence detection mechanism 105 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the tape presence / absence detection mechanism 105 includes the roller-side contact plate 181 and the rotor-side contact plate 182, and a continuity detection circuit 183 connected to both contact plates 181 and 182 via lead wires, It has. The roller-side contact plate 181 makes one connection end of the continuity detection circuit 183 in contact with the drive roller body 121, and the rotor-side contact plate 182 makes the other connection end of the continuity detection circuit 183 contact the first rotor 122. Let As shown in FIG. 9A, the tape discharge mechanism 12 includes a driving roller main body 121, a driven roller main body 151, a second roller shaft 153, a second rotor 152, and a first rotor 122 from the roller side contact plate 181. , And an electric conduction path 184 to the rotor side contact plate 182 is formed. As shown in FIG. 9B, when the printing tape T, which is an insulator, is sandwiched between the driving roller body 121 and the driven roller body 151, the conduction of the conduction path 184 is interrupted. The continuity detection circuit 183 detects the presence / absence of the printing tape T between the driving roller body 121 and the driven roller body 151 by detecting the continuity / non-conduction state in the continuity path 184, and the tape discharging mechanism. 12 is detected whether or not there is a printing tape T that has reached 12.

  Next, the control system of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The tape printing apparatus 1 includes an operation unit 201, a printing unit (feeding / processing unit) 202, a cutting unit (cutting unit) 203, a discharge unit (discharge unit) 206, and a detection unit 204. The tape printer 1 also includes a display driver 211 that drives the display 9, a head driver 212 that drives the print head 21, a print feed motor driver 213 that drives the tape feed motor 41, and a cutter that drives the cutter motor 63. A drive unit 205 including a motor driver 214 is further provided. And it has the control part 200 which is connected with these each part and controls the tape printer 1 whole.

  The operation unit 201 includes a keyboard 5 and a display 9, and functions as an interface with the user, such as inputting character information from the keyboard 5 and displaying various information on the display 9. The detection unit 204 includes a tape identification sensor 37, a tape presence / absence detection mechanism 105, and a cutter position detection sensor 77, and detects the tape type (particularly the tape width), the cutter position, and the presence / absence of the printing tape T. The detection results are output to the control unit (control means) 200.

  The printing unit 202 includes a tape feed motor 41 and a print head 21 for rotating the platen roller 35 and the discharge drive roller 111, and the tape feed motor 41 is driven to rotate the platen roller 35 to rotate the print tape T. The printing head 21 is driven based on the input character information while feeding, and printing is performed on the printing tape T being sent. The cutting unit 203 includes a cutter motor 63 that operates the full cutter 61 and the half cutter 62. The cutter motor 63 is driven, and the full cutter 61 and the half cutter 62 perform half-cutting on the printing tape T after printing. Or do a full cut. The discharge unit 206 discharges the printing tape T by rotating the discharge drive roller 111 using the tape feed motor 41 as a drive source. Further, the respective units in the tape printer 1 are arranged in order of the printing unit 202, the cutting unit 203, and the discharging unit 206 from the upstream side in the tape feeding direction of the printing tape T.

  The control unit 200 includes a CPU (Control Processing Unit) 215, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 216, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 217, and a controller (IOC: Input Output Controller) 218, which are connected to each other by an internal bus 219. . The CPU 215 inputs various signals and data from each unit in the tape printer 1 via the controller 218 in accordance with a control program in the ROM 216. Further, various data in the RAM 217 is processed based on the various signals / data input, and various signal data is output to each unit in the tape printer 1 via the controller 218. Thereby, for example, based on the detection result of the detection unit 204, the control unit 200 controls printing processing and cutting processing.

  Next, a tape processing operation by the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. First, the control unit 200 drives the printing unit 202 (the tape feeding motor 41 and the printing head 21) to start the tape feeding and printing process of the printing tape T (S1, FIG. 12A). Then, the printing process is performed on the printing tape T while feeding the tape (FIG. 12B). At this time, since the discharge drive roller 111 rotates in conjunction with the platen roller 35, when the leading end of the printing tape T reaches the nip point of the tape discharge mechanism 12, the drive roller main body 121 and the driven roller main body 151 are drawn. Nipped and rotated.

  When the drive of the tape feed motor 41 is continued and driven for a distance (feed amount) at which the leading end of the printing tape T reaches the nip point of the tape discharge mechanism 12 (S2: Yes), the detection unit 204 (tape The presence / absence detection mechanism 105) detects the presence or absence of the printing tape T in the tape discharge mechanism 12 (S3). That is, it is detected whether the conduction path 184 is in a conduction state or a non-conduction state. When the conduction path 184 is in a conduction state (FIG. 12D), it is determined that the printing tape T is present in the tape discharge mechanism 12. In the non-conduction state, it is determined that there is no printing tape T in the tape discharge mechanism 12. If it is determined that there is no printing tape T (S3: No), it is determined that the running is abnormal, and the tape feeding and printing process are interrupted. That is, the tape feed motor 41 and the print head 21 are stopped (the print unit 202 and the discharge unit 206 are stopped) (S4), and an error message indicating “tape feed error” is displayed on the display 9 (S5). .

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the print tape T is present (S3: Yes, FIG. 12C), the tape feed and print processing are continued (S6), and the tape feed motor 41 is continued until the print processing is completed. And the drive of the print head 21 is continued (FIG.12 (e)). At this time, the printing tape T is fed by the rotation of the discharge driving roller 111. When the printing process is completed (S7: Yes), the cutting unit 203 executes a tape cutting process (S8, FIG. 12 (f)). In the tape cutting process, the tape feeding motor 41 is driven to feed the tape, the cutting position of the printing tape T is made to face the full cutter 61 or the half cutter 62, the tape feeding motor 41 is stopped, and then the cutter motor 63. Is driven to cut the full cutter 61 or the half cutter 62 to perform a cutting process. That is, the printed part is cut by the cutting operation of the full cutter 61. At this time, the discharge driving roller 111 rotates in conjunction with the tape feed during the cutting process, and the discharge process is performed. When the printed portion of the printing tape T is cut by the cutting process of the full cutter 61, the leading end side of the printing tape T is drawn out of the apparatus by the discharging process, and the rear end side is a tape discharging mechanism. 12 (held). That is, when the printed portion of the printing tape T is cut, the cut tape piece is held in the tape discharge mechanism 12 in this state, and can be removed from the user. In the present embodiment, the feeding of the printing tape T is stopped here. That is, the subsequent tape discharge is canceled and the tape processing operation is terminated.

  Even when the tape processing operation is completed and the tape piece held by the tape discharging mechanism 12 has not been removed from the user, the rotation of the discharge driving roller 111 during the next tape processing operation automatically Is discharged outside the apparatus. That is, it is possible to prevent a paper jam due to the tape pieces of the tape discharge mechanism 12 even during continuous printing in which labels are continuously formed.

  According to the above configuration, when the leading end of the printing tape T reaches the tape discharging mechanism 12, the leading end of the printing tape T is smoothly drawn into the discharging unit 206, so that no paper jam occurs. Further, since the discharge unit 206 is configured to feed the printing tape T out of the apparatus so as to extend the tape feed of the printing unit 202, the cut portion (tape piece) of the printing tape T is not scattered. The discharge position can be stabilized.

  Further, in the tape processing operation, the feeding after cutting is canceled, and the series of operations is completed with the print tape T held, so that the position where the print tape T is held becomes the discharge position. Furthermore, it can be stabilized.

  Furthermore, when the peripheral speed of the discharge drive roller 111 is rotated so as to be faster than the peripheral speed of the platen roller 35, and the discharge drive roller 111 is slidingly rotated when a predetermined load or more is applied from the print tape T, the print tape T-clogging and the like can be prevented, and normal tape feeding can be performed. Therefore, tape processing can be performed with high accuracy.

  In this embodiment, the tape discharge after the cutting process is canceled, but the tape discharge after the cutting process is executed without canceling, and the tape piece is completely discharged. Also good.

  In the present embodiment, the tape process is a print process. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a Braille embossing process or a cutting process may be performed. There may be.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Tape printing apparatus 35: Platen roller 103: Discharge power transmission mechanism 111: Discharge drive roller 200: Control part 202: Printing part 203: Cutting part 206: Discharge part T: Printing tape

The present invention relates to a tape printer for performing processing on a tape while feeding the processing tape and cutting the processing tape.

An object of the present invention is to provide a tape printer that can prevent paper jam when a processing tape is introduced and can stabilize a discharge position.

The tape printer of the present invention includes a tape to be used for printing, a processing unit that performs a printing process on the tape, a cutting unit that is disposed downstream of the processing unit in a direction in which the tape is conveyed, and a cutting unit. A discharge roller unit that is disposed on the downstream side in the direction in which the tape is conveyed, holds the tape cut by the cutting unit, and holds the tape in a state that can be removed by the user, a processing unit, a cutting unit, and a discharge roller When the printing process is completed, the conveyance of the tape by the discharge roller unit is stopped and the cutting unit is controlled to cut the tape, and the cutting unit held between the discharge roller unit cuts the tape. And a detection unit capable of detecting the presence or absence of the tape that has been used.
In this case, the detection unit has a detection circuit connected to the discharge roller unit, and the discharge roller unit has conductivity, and includes a first roller and a second roller arranged to face each other. The detection circuit is preferably a closed circuit via the first roller and the second roller in a state where the tape is not sandwiched between the discharge roller portions.

Hereinafter, a tape printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiment, a tape printing apparatus is exemplified as the tape processing apparatus. This tape printing apparatus performs printing on a printing tape (processing tape) as a printing object while feeding it, then cuts the printed portion of the printing tape while half-cutting the printing tape, Is to create. In this embodiment, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “upper”, and “lower” follow the direction (front view) viewed from the user who uses the tape printer.

Claims (1)

A feeding / processing means for carrying out tape processing on the processing tape while feeding it;
A cutting means disposed on the downstream side in the tape feeding direction of the feeding / processing means and cutting the treated tape after tape processing;
Discharging means disposed downstream of the cutting means in the tape feeding direction and delivering the processing tape to the outside of the apparatus;
A tape processing apparatus comprising: feed interlocking means for interlocking driving of the feeding / processing means and driving of the discharging means.

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