JP2018015901A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer that can perform the positioning of a communication antenna easily by a simple construction.SOLUTION: A printer comprises: a printing part for printing a continuum formed continuously with an RFID medium; a controller for communicating with an IC chip of an RFID medium by using a communication antenna; a rotation operation part for moving the communication antenna in a direction along the transportation direction of the continuum; and a resistance application mechanism for establishing a click feeling periodically in accordance with the rotation operation of the rotation operation part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer.

  In recent years, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology for transmitting and receiving information from an IC chip in which identification information is written by non-contact communication has been applied to various fields.

  Patent Document 1 includes a printing unit that performs printing on an RFID medium such as a tag or label in which an IC chip and an antenna pattern of the RFID specification are incorporated, a communication unit that communicates with the IC chip using a communication antenna, There is disclosed a printer comprising:

  In the above printer, the position of the communication antenna can be adjusted. Therefore, the position of the communication antenna with respect to the IC chip can be adjusted according to various RFID media.

JP 2001-331768 A

  However, the structure for adjusting the position of the communication antenna disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a structure in which the fixing screw is loosened to move the bracket to which the communication antenna is attached, or the bracket to which the communication antenna is attached is driven by a motor. It is a structure to be moved.

  In the former, the work is complicated and it is difficult to adjust the position accurately, and in the latter, the structure is complicated, resulting in an increase in cost and an increase in the size of the printer.

  An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily adjust the position of a communication antenna with a simple structure.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer, a printing unit that performs printing on a continuous body provided with a series of RFID media, a communication unit that communicates with an IC chip of the RFID medium using a communication antenna, A rotation operation unit that moves the communication antenna in a direction along a conveyance direction of the continuous body according to a rotation amount; and a resistance applying mechanism that periodically generates a click feeling in accordance with the rotation operation of the rotation operation unit. A printer is provided.

  According to the above aspect, since the mechanism for moving the communication antenna is the rotation operation unit that is manually operated, the structure can be simplified. Further, since a click feeling is periodically generated with the rotation operation of the rotation operation unit, the operator can easily grasp the movement amount of the communication antenna, and the position adjustment of the communication antenna can be easily performed.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is arrow II of FIG. It is the III-III cross section of FIG. It is arrow IV of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printer 100 receives variable information such as price, barcode, other product information, management information on goods or services, etc., on an RFID medium M in which an IC chip C and RFID pattern (not shown) are incorporated. Printing, reading information written in the IC chip C, and writing information into the IC chip C.

  Examples of the RFID medium M include a tag, a label, and a wristband. In this embodiment, a label will be described as an example. The RFID medium M is temporarily attached to the long mount, and is supplied to the printer 100 as a continuous body ML of the RFID medium M.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 communicates with the IC chip C of the RFID medium M using the case 1 that accommodates each component, the printing unit 2 that prints on the RFID medium M, and the communication antenna 3. And a rotation operation unit 5 that moves the communication antenna 3 in a direction along the conveyance direction of the continuous body ML. The continuous body ML is supplied from the supply port 1a of the printer 100 to the printing unit 2, and is discharged from the discharge port 1b after printing.

  The printing unit 2 is a mechanism that performs printing on the RFID medium M and conveyance of the continuous body ML, and includes a thermal head 6 having a heating element, and a platen roller 7 disposed to face the thermal head 6. .

  The printer 100 is a heat-sensitive printer, and when the heating element of the thermal head 6 is energized while the RFID medium M is sandwiched between the thermal head 6 and the platen roller 7, the heat of the heating element is used. The RFID medium M self-colors and printing on the RFID medium M is performed.

  When the platen roller 7 is rotated forward by a drive motor (not shown), the continuous body ML sandwiched between the thermal head 6 and the platen roller 7 is transported in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 (downstream in the transport direction). The When the platen roller 7 rotates in the reverse direction, the continuous body ML is transported in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 (upstream in the transport direction).

  Note that the printer 100 may be a thermal transfer method in which, for example, the ink ribbon is heated to transfer the ink on the ink ribbon to the RFID medium M for printing, an ink jet method, or an electrophotography.

  The controller 4 includes a microprocessor, a storage device such as a ROM and a RAM, an input / output interface, and a bus for connecting them. The controller 4 receives, via an input / output interface, print data and information on the IC chip C from an external computer, a detection signal from a position detection sensor 8 that detects an eye mark (not shown) provided on the continuum ML, and the like. Is entered.

  The controller 4 executes various control programs stored in the storage device by the microprocessor, energizes the heating elements of the thermal head 6, energizes the drive motor of the platen roller 7, energizes the communication antenna 3, and RFID medium. Controls communication (reading, writing) and the like with the M IC chip C.

  When executing the printing, the controller 4 aligns the position of the RFID medium M1 to be printed with the printing start position as shown in FIG. The print start position is the position of the continuum ML when the position of the eye mark of the continuum ML is coincident with the position of the position detection sensor 8, that is, when the position detection sensor 8 is detecting the eye mark. is there.

  Further, the controller 4 communicates with the IC chip C of the RFID medium M2 to be printed next to the RFID medium M1 in a state where the position of the RFID medium M1 to be printed is set to the printing start position.

  Here, if the position of the IC chip C of the RFID medium M2 and the position of the communication antenna 3 are misaligned in the state where the position of the RFID medium M1 is set to the printing start position, the printing of the RFID medium M1 is performed when printing is performed. When the continuous body ML is transported to the start position and communication with the IC chip C is performed, the continuous body ML is transported to a communication position where the positions of the IC chip C of the RFID medium M2 and the communication antenna 3 match. When the number of transport steps increases as described above, there is a risk that the processing efficiency of the printer 100 and the print quality may be reduced.

  On the other hand, the printer 100 of the present embodiment includes the rotation operation unit 5 that moves the communication antenna 3 in a direction along the conveyance direction of the continuous body ML. Therefore, the position of the communication antenna 3 can be adjusted in advance so that the RFID medium M2 becomes the communication position in a state where the position of the RFID medium M1 is set to the print start position.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the width Wa in the width direction of the continuum ML in the communication antenna 3 corresponds to the continuum ML (two-dot chain line) having the width Wm. The continuous body ML having a width Wm is a continuous body ML having the maximum width that can be used in the printer 100.

  According to this, even if the IC chip C of the RFID medium M is disposed at any position in the width direction of the continuous body ML having the maximum width, the controller 4 and the IC chip C can communicate with each other. Therefore, there is no need to move the communication antenna 3 in the width direction.

  Hereinafter, a structure for moving the communication antenna 3 will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the structure for moving the communication antenna 3 is realized by the rotation operation unit 5, the frame 9, and the bracket 10.

  The rotation operation unit 5 of this embodiment is a so-called dial knob, and is manually operated by an operator.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the rotation operation unit 5 includes a male screw portion 5 a that extends along the rotation axis. In the rotation operation unit 5, the base end side of the male screw portion 5 a is rotatably held by the holding portion 9 a of the frame 9. The frame 9 is a member provided so as not to move relative to the case 1.

  More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rotation operation unit 5 includes a small-diameter portion 5b having a larger outer diameter than the male screw portion 5a formed continuously from the male screw portion 5a on the proximal end side of the male screw portion 5a. A large-diameter portion 5c having a larger outer diameter than the small-diameter portion formed continuously from the small-diameter portion 5b.

  A through hole 9 b is provided in the holding portion 9 a of the frame 9, and the small diameter portion 5 b of the rotation operation unit 5 is fitted in the through hole 9 b of the frame 9.

  Further, on the base end side of the male screw portion 5a, spring-like spring portions 5d are provided at two portions equally in the circumferential direction. The spring portion 5d extends from the distal end side of the male screw portion 5a toward the proximal end so as to be separated from the male screw portion 5a.

  A D-cut portion 5e is formed at a position corresponding to the spring portion 5d of the small diameter portion 5b. When the spring part 5d is elastically deformed (compressed) to the reduced diameter side, the spring part 5d is accommodated in the space in which the D-cut part 5e is formed.

  When the rotation operation unit 5 is assembled to the frame 9, the rotation operation unit 5 is inserted into the through hole 9 b of the frame 9 from the male screw portion 5 a side. At this time, the spring portion 5d passes through the through-hole 9b by being compressed in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the through-hole 9b. When the spring portion 5d is released from the compressed state after passing through the through hole 9b, the large-diameter portion 5c and the spring portion 5d cause the rotation operation portion 5 to move in the axial direction with respect to the frame 9 as shown in FIG. Be regulated. That is, the spring part 5d has a function as a retainer for preventing the rotation operation part 5 from coming out of the through hole 9b.

  The communication antenna 3 is attached to the bracket 10 as shown in FIG. The bracket 10 is a member that is held by the frame 9 so as to be movable in a direction along the conveying direction of the continuous body ML.

  The bracket 10 has a female screw portion 10 a that is screwed with the male screw portion 5 a of the rotation operation unit 5. Accordingly, when the rotation operation unit 5 is rotated, the bracket 10 moves according to the rotation amount. That is, the communication antenna 3 attached to the bracket 10 moves.

  The relationship between the rotation amount of the rotation operation unit 5 and the movement amount of the communication antenna 3 is determined by the screw pitch of the male screw portion 5a and the female screw portion 10a. For example, when the screw pitch of the male screw portion 5a and the female screw portion 10a is 6 mm, the bracket 10 can be moved 6 mm by rotating the rotary operation portion 5 once.

  Further, the printer 100 according to the present embodiment includes a resistance applying mechanism 11 that periodically generates a click feeling with the rotation operation of the rotation operation unit 5 so that the operator can easily grasp the movement amount of the communication antenna 3. .

  Hereinafter, the resistance applying mechanism 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

  The resistance applying mechanism 11 according to the present embodiment includes two spring portions 5 d of the rotation operation portion 5 and three convex portions c provided on the holding portion 9 a of the frame 9.

  The convex portion 9c is provided so as to come into contact with the spring portion 5d at a position closer to the rotation axis of the rotation operation portion 5 than the distal end of the spring portion 5d in the radial direction when the rotation operation portion 5 is rotated.

  For this reason, when the rotation operation unit 5 is rotated, the operating force for rotating the rotation operation unit 5 is increased by the compression of the spring portion 5d in contact with the convex portion 9c. When the rotation operation unit 5 is further rotated, the operating force for rotating the rotation operation unit 5 is rapidly reduced when the spring unit 5d gets over the projection 9c and is released from the compressed state. Thereby, a click feeling is generated.

  The three convex portions 9c are provided at intervals of 60 ° with the rotation axis of the rotation operation unit 5 as the center. Since the spring portion 5d is provided on the outer periphery of the rotation operation portion 5 at two equally spaced locations in the circumferential direction, the resistance applying mechanism 11 generates a click feeling six times during one rotation of the rotation operation portion 5.

  Therefore, for example, when the screw pitch of the male screw portion 5a and the female screw portion 10a is 6 mm, the movement amount of the communication antenna 3 per click when the rotation operation portion 5 is rotated is 1 mm. It is easy for the operator to grasp the amount of movement.

  Further, the width of the spring portion 5d is set so as to fit between the two convex portions 9c. Therefore, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, in a state where the spring portion 5d is not elastically deformed by the convex portion 9c, the position of the spring portion 5d is restricted by the two convex portions 9c and the rotation of the rotation operation portion 5 is performed. The position of the direction is determined.

  The frame 9 has a wall portion 9d that comes into contact with the spring portion 5d.

  The wall portion 9d abuts against the spring portion 5d and elastically deforms the spring portion in a state where the spring portion 5d is not elastically deformed by the convex portion 9c. The wall portion 9d is provided such that the deformation of the spring portion 5d by the wall portion 9d is smaller than the deformation of the spring portion 5d by the convex portion 9c.

  In the present embodiment, the wall 9 d is provided in a range of 180 ° around the rotation axis of the rotation operation unit 5. The position of the convex portion 9c and the position of the wall portion 9d may overlap in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis of the rotation operation unit 5 or may not overlap.

  According to this, even if the spring portion 5d is not elastically deformed by the convex portion 9c, one of the two spring portions 5d is always compressed. For this reason, the rotation operation part 5 is always pressed against the through hole 9b by the reaction force of the compressed spring part 5d. Therefore, it is possible to prevent rattling from occurring in the rotation operation unit 5.

  For example, when the spring portion 5d is provided at three circumferentially equally divided positions around the rotation axis of the rotation operation portion 5, the range in which the wall portion 9d is provided is centered on the rotation axis of the rotation operation portion 5. As 120 ° or more.

  The controller 4 also has a function as a notification unit that notifies the worker of the communication state of the RFID medium M with the IC chip C. The notification of the communication state may be performed, for example, by displaying it on a display (not shown) of the printer 100 or by generating an alarm sound.

  According to this, since the operator can work while referring to the notified communication state, the position of the communication antenna 3 can be easily adjusted.

  Next, functions and effects obtained by configuring the printer 100 as described above will be described.

  As described above, the printer 100 according to this embodiment communicates with the IC chip C of the RFID medium M using the printing unit 2 that performs printing on the continuous body ML provided with the RFID medium M and the communication antenna 3. A controller 4, a rotation operation unit 5 that moves the communication antenna 3 in a direction along the conveyance direction of the continuous body ML according to the rotation amount, and a resistor that periodically generates a click feeling with the rotation operation of the rotation operation unit 5 Providing mechanism 11.

  According to this, since the mechanism for moving the communication antenna 3 is the rotation operation unit 5 that is manually operated, the structure can be simplified. Further, since a click feeling is periodically generated with the rotation operation of the rotation operation unit 5, the operator can easily grasp the movement amount of the communication antenna 3, and the position adjustment of the communication antenna 3 can be easily performed.

  More specifically, the rotation operation unit 5 is held by the frame 9 of the printer 100, and the resistance applying mechanism 11 is provided on the spring 9 d provided on the outer periphery of the rotation operation unit 5 and the frame 9. When the portion 5 is rotated, a convex portion 9c that abuts the spring portion 5d at a position closer to the rotation axis of the rotation operation portion 5 than the tip of the spring portion 5d in the radial direction of the rotation operation portion 5 and elastically deforms the spring portion 5d. When the spring portion 5d gets over the convex portion 9c, a click feeling is generated.

  The frame 9 has a wall portion 9d that abuts against the spring portion 5d and elastically deforms the spring portion 5d in a state where the spring portion 5d is not elastically deformed by the convex portion 9c. The deformation is smaller than the deformation of the spring portion 5d by the convex portion 9c.

  According to this, even if the spring portion 5d is not elastically deformed by the convex portion 9c, the rotation operation portion 5 is always pressed against the frame 9 by the reaction force of the spring portion 5d. Therefore, it is possible to prevent rattling from occurring in the rotation operation unit 5.

  The rotation operation unit 5 has a male screw portion 5a extending along the rotation axis, and the communication antenna 3 is attached to a bracket 10 that is held by a frame 9 so as to be movable in a direction along the conveying direction of the continuous body ML. The female screw portion 10a and the male screw portion 5a provided on the bracket 10 are screwed together, and when the rotation operation portion 5 is rotated, the bracket 10 and the communication antenna 3 move in a direction along the conveying direction of the continuous body ML. To do.

  According to this, the mechanism for moving the communication antenna 3 can be realized with a simple structure.

  The rotation operation unit 5 is inserted through a through hole 9b formed in the frame 9, and the spring unit 5d is in contact with the frame 9 and restricts movement of the rotation operation unit 5 in the direction of coming out of the through hole 9b. To do.

  According to this, it is possible to prevent the rotation operation portion 5 from coming out of the through hole 9b of the frame 9 without providing a separate retaining member.

  The width Wa of the continuous body ML in the communication antenna 3 corresponds to the maximum width continuous body ML that can be used in the printer 100.

  According to this, even if the IC chip C of the RFID medium M is disposed at any position in the width direction of the continuous body ML having the maximum width, the controller 4 and the IC chip C can communicate with each other. Therefore, there is no need to move the communication antenna 3 in the width direction.

  The controller 4 also has a function as a notification unit that notifies the communication state of the RFID medium M with the IC chip C.

  According to this, since the operator can work while referring to the notified communication state, the position of the communication antenna 3 can be easily adjusted.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the above embodiment is merely one example of application of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is limited to the specific configuration of the above embodiment. is not.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the position of the communication antenna 3 is adjusted in advance so that the RFID medium M2 becomes the communication position in a state where the position of the RFID medium M1 is set to the print start position. However, depending on the RFID medium M to be used, for example, the position of the communication antenna 3 may be aligned with the IC chip C of the RFID medium M to be printed. The position of the communication antenna 3 may be aligned with the IC chip C of the RFID medium M to be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Printer 1 Case 1a Supply port 1b Discharge port 2 Printing part 3 Communication antenna 4 Controller 5 Rotation operation part 5a Male thread part 5b Small diameter part 5c Large diameter part 5d Spring part 5e D cut part 6 Thermal head 7 Platen roller 8 Position detection sensor 9 Frame 9a Holding part 9b Through hole 9c Protruding part 9d Wall part 10 Bracket 10a Female thread part 11 Resistance applying mechanism 19 Bracket C IC chip M RFID medium M1 RFID medium M2 RFID medium ML Continuous body

Claims (7)

A printer,
A printing unit for printing on a continuous body provided with a series of RFID media;
A communication unit that communicates with the IC chip of the RFID medium using a communication antenna;
A rotation operation unit that moves the communication antenna in a direction along a conveyance direction of the continuous body according to a rotation amount;
A resistance applying mechanism that periodically generates a click feeling with the rotation operation of the rotation operation unit;
Printer with. The printer according to claim 1,
The rotation operation unit is held by a frame of the printer,
The resistance applying mechanism is:
A spring-like spring portion provided on the outer periphery of the rotation operation portion;
When the rotation operation portion is provided on the frame and rotates, the spring portion comes into contact with the spring portion at a position closer to the rotation axis of the rotation operation portion than the tip of the spring portion in the radial direction of the rotation operation portion. A convex portion that elastically deforms,
Including
When the spring part gets over the convex part, a click feeling occurs.
Printer. The printer according to claim 2,
The frame has a wall portion that abuts against the spring portion and elastically deforms the spring portion in a state where the spring portion is not elastically deformed by the convex portion,
The deformation of the spring part by the wall part is smaller than the deformation of the spring part by the convex part,
Printer. The printer according to claim 1,
The rotation operation unit is held by a frame of the printer and has a male screw part extending along a rotation axis,
The communication antenna is attached to a bracket that is movably held in a direction along a conveyance direction of the continuum on the frame,
The female screw portion provided on the bracket and the male screw portion are screwed together,
When the rotation operation unit is rotated, the bracket and the communication antenna move in a direction along the conveying direction of the continuous body.
Printer. The printer 100 according to claim 2 or 3,
The rotation operation part is inserted through a through hole formed in the frame,
The spring part is in contact with the frame and restricts the movement of the rotation operation part in the direction of coming out of the through hole;
Printer. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The dimension in the width direction of the continuum in the communication antenna corresponds to the continuum of the maximum width usable in the printer.
Printer. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The printer further includes a notification unit that notifies a communication state between the communication unit and the IC chip.
Printer.

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