JP2022080705A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a printer capable of switching between a continuous issuance and a separation issuance, which suppresses occurrence of curl of a label separated from a mount in separation issuance time.SOLUTION: One embodiment of the present invention is a printer capable of switching between a separation issuance and a continuous issuance. This printer includes: a platen roller that conveys a printing medium; a printing head that prints on a label, a separation part with a separation roller that can move between a separation issuance position and a continuous issuance position; a separation member that separates the label from a mount by directing the mount located downstream of the platen roller to the separation roller at the separation issuance position in the separation issuance time; and a curl correction part having an auxiliary roller that can be moved between a retraction position which is a retracted position from the print medium and a pressing position that presses a surface of the printing medium between the platen roller and the separation member; and is configured so that the auxiliary roller moves from the retracted position to the pressing position in conjunction with the movement of the separation roller from the continuous issuing position to the separation issuing position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a printer.

Generally, in a label printer, a continuous paper having a plurality of labels temporarily attached to a strip-shaped mount is sandwiched between a thermal head and a platen roller, and the platen roller is rotated to convey the continuous paper on the label. Is configured to print the desired information.
Conventionally, a label printer capable of switching between two types of issuance methods, continuous issuance and peeling issuance, is known (for example, Patent Document 1). The continuous issuing method is a method of issuing with the label temporarily attached to the mount, and the peeling issuing method is a method of issuing by peeling the label from the mount.
The printer described in Patent Document 1 is configured to switch between continuous issuance and peeling issuance by moving the mount holding roller support frame of the peeler unit (peeling unit) between the first swivel position and the second swivel position. Has been done.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-185774

By the way, in a thermal type label printer, since printing is performed by heating the label, it is inevitable that the label expands and contracts and bends (that is, curls occur) due to the heat during printing. In particular, when the continuous paper is pulled out from the roll paper wound in a roll shape for printing, the degree of curl becomes large especially when the roll diameter becomes small.
The generation of such curls becomes a particular problem at the time of issuance of peeling. In the case of continuous issuance, since a large number of labels with mounts are issued at one time, the degree of curl of each label is unlikely to be large, and the user can correct the curl after issuance. On the other hand, in the case of peeling issuance, it is difficult to correct the curl of the label after issuance because it is issued one by one with the mount peeled off.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to suppress the occurrence of curl of a label peeled off from a mount at the time of peeling printing in a printer capable of switching between continuous printing and peeling printing.

One aspect of the present invention is a peeling issue in which the label is peeled off from the mount of a print medium having a label releasably attached to the mount, and a continuous issue is issued without peeling the label from the mount. A peeling unit having a platen roller that conveys the printing medium, a print head that prints on the label, and a peeling roller that can move between the peeling issuing position and the continuous issuing position. At the time of issuing the peeling, the peeling member that peels the label from the mount and the position retracted from the printing medium by directing the mount downstream from the platen roller toward the peeling roller at the peeling issuing position. A curl correction unit having an auxiliary roller movable between a retracted position, a pressing position for pressing the surface of the print medium between the platen roller and the peeling member, and the peeling roller. It is a printer configured to move the auxiliary roller from the retracted position to the pressed position in conjunction with the movement from the continuous issuing position to the peeling issuing position.

According to an aspect of the present invention, in a printer capable of switching between continuous printing and peeling printing, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of curl of the label peeled from the mount at the time of peeling printing.

It is a perspective view at the time of continuous printing about the printer which concerns on embodiment. It is sectional drawing at the time of continuous issuance about the printer which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view at the time of peeling issue about the printer which concerns on embodiment. It is sectional drawing at the time of the peeling issue about the printer which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure explaining the operation of a stopper. It is a figure which shows the state of the printer which concerns on embodiment during the transition from continuous printing to peeling printing, FIG. 6A is a perspective view, and FIG. 6B is an enlarged sectional view. It is a figure which shows the state of the printer which concerns on embodiment during the transition from continuous printing to peeling printing, FIG. 7A is a perspective view, and FIG. 7B is an enlarged sectional view. It is a figure which shows the state of the printer which concerns on embodiment during the transition from continuous printing to peeling printing, FIG. 8A is a perspective view, and FIG. 8B is an enlarged sectional view. It is a figure which shows the state of the printer which concerns on embodiment during the transition from continuous printing to peeling printing, FIG. 9A is a perspective view, and FIG. 9B is an enlarged sectional view. It is a figure which shows the state of the printer which concerns on embodiment during the transition from continuous printing to peeling printing, FIG. 10A is a perspective view, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged sectional view. It is a figure which shows the state of the printer which concerns on embodiment during the transition from continuous printing to peeling printing, FIG. 11A is a perspective view, and FIG. 11B is an enlarged sectional view. It is a figure which shows the state of the printer which concerns on embodiment during the transition from continuous printing to peeling printing, FIG. 12A is a perspective view, and FIG. 12B is an enlarged sectional view. It is a figure which shows the state of the printer which concerns on embodiment during the transition from continuous printing to peeling printing, FIG. 13A is a perspective view, and FIG. 13B is an enlarged sectional view.

[Configuration of printer 1]
The printer 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a label printer configured to be able to switch between continuous printing and peeling printing. Hereinafter, the printer 1 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In each figure, for example, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 1, the directions of upper (UP), lower (DN), left (LH), right (RH), front (FR), and rear (RR) are defined. However, this definition of orientation is solely for convenience of illustration and is not intended to limit the attitude of the printer of the present invention when in use.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the printer 1 according to the embodiment at the time of continuous printing. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the printer 1 according to the present embodiment at the time of continuous printing. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printer 1 according to the present embodiment at the time of peeling issuance. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the printer 1 according to the present embodiment at the time of peeling and issuing.

The perspective view in the present disclosure shows the inside of the frame 2 exposed so that the internal structure of the printer 1 can be easily understood. A person skilled in the art can design a desired printer according to the present invention by mounting a frame on a housing or the like based on the present disclosure.
The cross-sectional view in the present disclosure shows a state when the cut surface formed by a plane orthogonal to the left-right direction of the printer 1 and located at the center of the left-right direction of the printer 1 is viewed toward the right.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer 1 includes a frame 2, a printer cover 3, a peeling unit 4, a curl correction unit 5, a pair of stoppers 7L, 7R, and a pair of coil springs 6L, 6R (an example of an urging member). ), A hinge 8, a platen roller 10, a peeling bar 12, and a thermal head 28. Although the coil spring 6L is not visible in the figure, it is arranged symmetrically with the coil spring 6R.
In the printer 1, various internal parts are protected by the frame 2 and the printer cover 3.

The printer cover 3 is configured to be swingable between an open position for accommodating the roll paper R (an example of a roll body) and a closed position for closing the roll paper accommodating chamber. The printer cover 3 can be moved to the open position by operating a cover open button (not shown) provided on the frame 2.

The printer cover 3 is pivotally supported by a hinge 8 (see FIG. 2) with respect to the frame 2 so that the printer cover 3 can swing with respect to the frame 2 between the open position and the closed position. The printer cover 3 is urged from the closed position to the open position by a torsion spring (not shown) arranged on the hinge 8. The printer cover 3 is provided with a lock mechanism that is released by pressing (operating) a cover opening button (not shown). When the lock is released by pressing the cover opening button by the operator, the printer cover 3 is configured to swing from the closed position to the open position by the urging force of the torsion spring arranged on the hinge 8. ..

The roll paper R is a strip-shaped continuous paper P wound in a roll shape. The continuous paper P has a strip-shaped mount PM and a plurality of labels PL temporarily attached to the mount PM at predetermined intervals. The label-attached surface of the mount PM is coated with a release agent such as silicone so that the label PL can be easily peeled off. Further, on the back surface of the label affixing surface of the mount PM, a position detection mark indicating the position of the label PL is formed at predetermined intervals.
The front side of the label PL is a printing surface on which information is printed, and a heat-sensitive color-developing layer that develops a specific color when a predetermined temperature range is reached is formed. The back side of the printed surface is an adhesive surface coated with an adhesive, and the label PL is temporarily attached to the mount PM by attaching the adhesive surface to the label affixing surface of the mount PM.

As shown in FIG. 2, a platen roller 10 is pivotally supported at the tip of the printer cover 3 in a state of being rotatable in the forward and reverse directions. The platen roller 10 is a transport means for transporting the continuous paper P drawn out from the roll paper R, and is formed in a state of extending along the width direction of the continuous paper P. A platen-side gear (not shown) is connected to one end of the platen shaft 10a of the platen roller 10. The platen-side gear engages with the main body-side gear arranged on the frame 2 when the printer cover 3 is in the closed position, and mechanically attaches to a stepping motor (not shown) for driving a roller via the main body-side gear. It is designed to be connected.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the printer cover 3, a peeling bar 12 is installed along the platen roller 10 in the vicinity of the platen roller 10. The peeling bar 12 is a peeling member that peels the label PL from the mount PM at the time of issuing the peeling, and both ends thereof are fixed to both side walls of the printer cover 3.

A pair of guide grooves 31L and 31R are provided at the tip of the printer cover 3 when the printer cover 3 swings. The pair of guide grooves 31L and 31R are configured to receive both ends of the shaft 45a of the peeling roller 45 at the time of issuing the peeling.

The frame 2 is provided with a pair of notches 27L and 27R that hold both ends of the platen shaft 10a of the platen roller 10 when the printer cover 3 is closed (the notch 27R is not visible in FIG. 1). A thermal head 28 (an example of a print head) is arranged in front of the pair of notches 27L and 27R.

The thermal head 28 is a printing means for printing information such as characters, symbols, figures, or barcodes on a label PL temporarily attached to a mount PM conveyed from the roll paper R. The thermal head 28 is provided so as to face the platen roller 10 when the printer cover 3 is in the closed state.
The thermal head 28 includes a plurality of heat generating elements (heat generating resistors) arranged along the width direction of the continuous paper P, and a plurality of heat generating elements are selected based on a signal transmitted from a circuit board (not shown). Printing is performed by energizing the device.
In front of the thermal head 28, an urging member for urging the thermal head 28 toward the platen roller 10 so that the thermal head 28 is pressed against the platen roller 10 at an optimum pressure for printing ( For example, it is preferable to provide a coil spring or the like).

As shown in FIG. 1, the frame 2 has a pair of frame side portions 2L and 2R. Grooves 21L, 22L, and 23L that engage with the peeling unit 4 are formed on the frame side portion 2L. Grooves 21R, 22R, 23R that engage with the peeling unit 4 are formed on the frame side portion 2R. The grooves 21L, 22L, 23L and the grooves 21R, 22R, 23R are provided at symmetrical positions, respectively.
More specifically, the grooves 21L and 21R are configured to engage with the engaging protrusions 41L and 41R of the release roller arms 4L and 4R, respectively, and the engaging protrusions 41L and 41R can move in the corresponding grooves. To. The grooves 22L and 22R engage with the engaging protrusions 42L and 42R of the release roller arms 4L and 4R, respectively, and the engaging protrusions 42L and 42R are configured to be movable in the corresponding grooves. The grooves 23L and 23R are respectively engaged with each end of the shaft 45a of the peeling roller 45, and each end of the shaft 45a is configured to be movable in the corresponding groove.

As shown in FIG. 2, the groove 21R has a substantially V-shape, and has a first groove 211R and a second groove 212R having different orientations, respectively. The first groove 211R is a groove that gently downwards from the front end to the rear. The second groove 212R is a groove extending upward and forward from the branch position of the first groove 211R and the second groove 212R. The same applies to the groove 21L.
As will be described later, each groove is used for moving the peeling unit 4 when switching between continuous issuing and peeling issuing.

The peeling unit 4 has a peeling roller 45 that moves between the continuous issuing position and the peeling issuing position.
The peeling roller 45 extends in the same direction as the platen roller 10 extends. As shown in FIG. 2, the peeling roller 45 is at a position (continuous issuing position) separated from the platen roller 10 at the time of continuous issuing. As shown in FIG. 4, the peeling roller 45 is at a position facing the platen roller 10 (peeling issuing position) at the time of issuing the peeling. When the peeling roller 45 is in the peeling issuing position, the peeling roller 45 is driven by the rotation of the platen roller 10 and sandwiches and conveys the mount PM together with the platen roller 10.

In order to move the peeling roller 45 between the continuous issuing position and the peeling issuing position, a pair of peeling roller arms 4L and 4R connected to the shaft 45a of the peeling roller 45 are provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the pair of peeling roller arms 4L and 4R extend from both ends of the shaft 45a of the peeling roller 45 along the inner surfaces of the frame side portions 2L and 2R, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the release roller arm 4R has engaging protrusions 41R and 42R.
A part of the engaging protrusion 41R is inserted into the groove 21R, and the engaging protrusion 41R is configured to be movable along the groove 21R. The engaging protrusion 42R is inserted into the groove 22R and is configured to be movable along the groove 22R. One end of the coil spring 6R is attached to the engaging protrusion 41R.
The peeling roller arm 4R is formed with a contact surface 43R so as to face rearward. The contact surface 43R has a role of contacting the curl straightening unit 5 and assisting the movement of the curl straightening unit 5 when shifting from continuous issuance to peeling issuance.
The peeling roller arm 4L has the same configuration.

The curl correction unit 5 has an auxiliary roller 55, and is a member that corrects the curl of the label PL by the auxiliary roller 55 at the time of issuing peeling. As shown in FIG. 1, the curl correction unit 5 is arranged between the peeling roller arm 4L and the peeling roller arm 4R.
The auxiliary roller 55 extends in the same direction as the platen roller 10 extends. As shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary roller 55 is in a retracted position, which is a position retracted from the continuous paper P at the time of continuous issuance.
As shown in FIG. 4, the auxiliary roller 55 is in the pressing position between the platen roller 10 and the peeling bar 12 at the time of issuing the peeling. When the auxiliary roller 55 is in the pressing position, the auxiliary roller 55 presses the continuous paper P backward between the platen roller 10 and the peeling bar 12, thereby correcting the curl of the continuous paper P.

The curl correction unit 5 has a shaft portion 51 (an example of the first shaft) and a pair of spring mounting portions 52L and 52R.
The shaft portion 51 is a swing shaft that is the center when the curl correction unit 5 swings, and is arranged in parallel with the auxiliary roller 55.
As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of spring mounting portions 52L and 52R are attached to the other ends of the pair of coil springs 6L and 6R having one end attached to the pair of engaging protrusions 41L and 41R, respectively. In the figure, the spring mounting portion 52L and the coil spring 6L are not visible, but they are arranged symmetrically with the spring mounting portion 52R and the coil spring 6R, respectively. The pair of coil springs 6L and 6R are configured to operate the peeling unit 4 and the curl straightening unit 5 in conjunction with each other.

The pair of stoppers 7L and 7R are provided to regulate the operation of the peeling unit 4 as needed. Each stopper is configured to be movable in the vertical direction according to an operation with respect to an operation lever (not shown).
The stopper 7L is provided to regulate the movement of the engaging protrusion 42L that is movable along the groove 22L of the frame side portion 2L. The stopper 7R is provided to regulate the movement of the engaging protrusion 42R that is movable along the groove 22R of the frame side portion 2R.
A more detailed configuration of the pair of stoppers 7L and 7R and their operation will be described later.

Although not shown, the printer 1 may have a cutter that cuts the mount PM of the continuous paper P at the time of continuous printing. The cutter can be installed in a state of extending along the width direction of the continuous paper P at the discharge port from which the continuous paper P is discharged.

In the case of continuous issuance, a mount with the required number of label PLs can be created by cutting, and the label PL can be peeled off from the mount PM and pasted at the site. It is suitable when it is located away from the printer 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, at the time of continuous issuing, the peeling roller 45 of the peeling unit 4 is in the continuous issuing position separated from the platen roller 10. The continuous paper P drawn out from the roll paper R is sandwiched between the platen roller 10 and the thermal head 28, and is printed on the label PL on the continuous paper P.

In the case of peeling issuance, the label PL is discharged one by one in a state of being peeled off from the mount, so that it is suitable when the object to which the label PL is attached is near the operator. When issuing the peeling, the peeling roller 45 of the peeling unit 4 is set at the peeling issuing position. That is, the peeling roller 45 is arranged at a position facing the platen roller 10. Also in the peeling issuance, the continuous paper P drawn out from the roll paper R is sandwiched between the platen roller 10 and the thermal head 28 and printed on the label PL on the continuous paper P, which is the same as the continuous issuance. In the peeling issue, as shown in FIG. 4, the mount PM of the continuous paper P drawn out from the roll paper R is swirled sharply by the peeling bar 12, sandwiched between the platen roller 10 and the peeling roller 45, and discharged. With the sharp turn of the mount PM on the peel bar 12, the label PL is peeled from the mount PM and discharged.

Although not shown, it is preferable that the peeling unit 4 is provided with a peeling sensor. The peeling sensor is a light reflection type sensor that detects the presence or absence of the peeled label PL at the time of issuing the peeling, and may be arranged at a position facing the label PL. In FIG. 4, the label PL peeled off by the peeling bar 12 stops at the peeling bar 12 due to the adhesive force of the label PL, and the presence or absence of the label PL is detected by the peeling sensor. When the operator takes out the peeled label, the peeling sensor detects that there is no label PL and is controlled to issue the next label.

[Stopper 7L, 7R]
Next, the operation of the stopper 7L will be described with reference to FIG. Although the stopper 7R will not be described, its configuration and operation are the same as those of the stopper 7L.

FIG. 5 shows the positions of the peeling roller arm 4L at the time of continuous issuance, switching between continuous issuance and peeling issuance, and at the time of peeling issuance. As described above, the engaging protrusion 41L of the peeling roller arm 4L moves along the groove 21L, and the engaging protrusion 42L of the peeling roller arm 4L moves along the groove 22L.

The stopper 7L is slidable up and down, and a protrusion 71L is provided at the lower end of the stopper 7L, and a protrusion 72L is provided at the rear. The stopper 7L can be moved in the vertical direction in response to an operation on an operation lever (not shown), and is a stopper operating position (bottom position) at the time of continuous issuance and peeling issuance, and a stopper at the time of switching between continuous issuance and peeling issuance. It can be positioned between the non-operating position (top position) and.

A contact surface 7Ls is provided on the upper portion of the stopper 7L, and a stopper contact portion 25L protruding from the periphery is provided on the outer surface of the frame side portion 2L. At the stopper operating position, the contact surface 7Ls abuts on the upper surface 2Lt of the frame side portion 2L, and the bottom surface of the stopper 7L abuts on the stopper contact portion 25L.

At the time of continuous issuance, the engagement protrusion 41L of the release roller arm 4L is located at the frontmost position of the first groove 211L of the groove 21L, and the engagement protrusion 42L of the release roller arm 4L is the frontmost position of the groove 22L. It is in the position (front end position). At this time, the stopper 7L is in the stopper operating position, and the protrusion 71L of the stopper 7L limits the movement of the engaging protrusion 42L. That is, the engaging protrusion 42L is locked. Therefore, the peeling roller arm 4L remains stationary. In this state, the peeling roller 45 of the peeling unit 4 is in the continuous issuing position.

When switching between continuous issuance and peeling issuance, the stopper 7L is moved to the stopper non-operating position (top position). That is, when switching between continuous issuance and peeling issuance, the operator moves the stopper 7L from the stopper operating position to the stopper non-operating position by operating an operation lever (not shown).
When the stopper 7L is in the stopper non-operating position, the engaging protrusion 42L of the release roller arm 4L can freely move along the groove 22L. Therefore, the engaging protrusion 41L can move along the groove 21L in conjunction with the movement of the engaging protrusion 42L.

At the time of issuing the peeling, the engaging protrusion 41L of the peeling roller arm 4L is located at the uppermost position (upper end position) of the second groove 212L of the groove 21L, and the engaging protrusion 42L of the peeling roller arm 4L is the groove 22L. It is in the rearmost position (rear end position) of. At this time, the stopper 7L is in the stopper operating position, and the protrusion 72L of the stopper 7L limits the movement of the engaging protrusion 42L. That is, the engaging protrusion 42L is locked. Therefore, the peeling roller arm 4L remains stationary. In this state, the peeling roller 45 of the peeling unit 4 is in the peeling issuing position.

[Switching operation from continuous issuance to peeling issuance]
Next, the operation of switching the printer 1 from continuous printing to peeling printing will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 13. Each of FIGS. 6 to 13 includes a perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing a state of the printer 1 according to the embodiment during the transition from continuous printing to peeling printing.
In the following description, the operation of the peeling roller arm 4R of the peeling unit 4 is mainly referred to, but the same operation is applied to the peeling roller arm 4L.

When the cover opening button (not shown) is operated from the continuous issuance state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer cover 3 is unlocked, and the printer cover 3 is released by the urging force of the torsion spring arranged on the hinge 8. Swings, and as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the printer cover 3 moves to the open position.
At this point, the release roller 45 remains in the continuous issuing position. There is no change in the position of the curl correction unit 5, and the auxiliary roller 55 is in the retracted position.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the urging force (restoring force) of the coil spring 6R is configured to act between the engaging protrusion 41R of the release roller arm 4R and the spring mounting portion 52R of the curl correction unit 5. ing. The urging force of the coil spring 6R works to move the engaging protrusion 41R rearward along the groove 21R and to swing the spring mounting portion 52R of the curl straightening unit 5 around the shaft portion 51.
However, when the release roller 45 is in the continuous issuing position, as described above, since the stopper 7R is in the stopper operating position, the protrusion 71R of the stopper 7R limits the movement of the engaging protrusion 42R. Therefore, the engaging protrusion 42R does not move regardless of the urging force of the coil spring 6R.
At this time, the shaft 45a of the peeling roller 45 is located at the lower end of the grooves 23L and 23R.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the operator performs an operation of moving the stoppers 7L and 7R from the stopper operating position (bottom position) to the stopper non-operating position (top position). As a result, the engaging protrusion 42L of the peeling roller arm 4L and the engaging protrusion 42R of the peeling roller arm 4R are in a state of being freely movable along the groove 22L and the groove 22R, respectively.
Then, with respect to the release roller arm 4R, the engaging protrusion 41R starts moving along the first groove 211R of the groove 21R by the urging force of the coil spring 6R. In conjunction with the movement of the engaging protrusion 41R, the engaging protrusion 42R starts moving along the groove 22R. The same applies to the peeling roller arm 4L.
On the other hand, the spring mounting portion 52R of the curl correction unit 5 begins to swing clockwise around the shaft portion 51 due to the urging force of the coil spring 6R.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the engaging protrusion 41R of the release roller arm 4R advances along the first groove 211R by the urging force of the coil spring 6R. That is, as shown in FIG. 8B, the engaging protrusion 41R advances to the branch position between the first groove 211R and the second groove 212R, and the engaging protrusion 42R reaches the rear end position of the groove 22R. Along with this, the shaft 45a of the peeling roller 45 escapes from the groove 23R, and the peeling roller arm 4R protrudes upward from the frame side portion 2R. The spring mounting portion 52R of the curl straightening unit 5 swings around the shaft portion 51 from the position shown in FIG. 7B, and is in a position closer to the engaging protrusion 41R.
The same applies to the operation of the peeling roller arm 4L.

Further, the contact surface 43R of the peeling roller arm 4R comes into contact with the curl correction unit 5 and begins to press the curl correction unit 5 backward. Similarly, the contact surface 43L of the peeling roller arm 4L abuts on the curl straightening unit 5 and begins to press the curl straightening unit 5 backward.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the operator performs an operation of moving the stoppers 7L and 7R from the stopper non-operating position (top position) to the stopper operating position (bottom position). As a result, the engaging protrusion 42L of the peeling roller arm 4L and the engaging protrusion 42R of the peeling roller arm 4R are locked to their current positions (rear end positions), respectively.
As shown in FIG. 9B, the engaging protrusion 41R remains at the branch position of the first groove 211R and the second groove 212R, and the release roller arm 4R remains in a state of protruding upward.
The same applies to the operation of the peeling roller arm 4L.

Next, the operator performs an operation of closing the printer cover 3. Then, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the guide groove 31R at the tip of the printer cover 3 receives one end of the shaft 45a of the peeling roller 45 located above the frame 2. Similarly, the guide groove 31L at the tip of the printer cover 3 receives the other end of the shaft 45a of the peeling roller 45. That is, the peeling roller arms 4L and 4R start to engage with the printer cover 3.
The contact surfaces 43L and 43R of the peeling roller arms 4L and 4R are still in a state of pressing the curl correction unit 5.

As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, when the shaft 45a of the peeling roller 45 advances along the guide grooves 31L and 31R as the printer cover 3 moves to the closed position, the peeling roller 45 moves to the attachment surface of the mount PM. Start contacting. Further, since the guide grooves 31L and 31R extend downward toward the platen shaft 10a from the inlet to the back, FIGS. 12A and 12A and FIGS. As shown in 12B, the mount PM is pressed downward.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12B, as the shaft 45a of the peeling roller 45 advances inside the guide groove 31R, the engaging protrusion 41R has a groove 21R with the contact surface 43R of the peeling roller arm 4R as a fulcrum. Ascends along the second groove 212R of. That is, due to the operating force for closing the printer cover 3 of the operator, the engaging protrusion 41R rises in the direction away from the spring mounting portion 52R of the curl correction unit 5 against the urging force of the coil spring 6R. The operation of the engaging protrusion 41L of the peeling roller arm 4L is also the same.

Further, when the printer cover 3 moves toward the closed position, the peeling roller arms 4L and 4R start pressing the curl correction unit 5 backward as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B. As a result, the auxiliary roller 55 of the curl straightening unit 5 begins to come into contact with the continuous paper P between the platen roller 10 and the peeling bar 12.

After that, when the printer cover 3 reaches the closed position, the peeling roller 45 of the peeling unit 4 becomes the peeling issuing position as shown in FIG. That is, the peeling roller 45 is located adjacent to the platen roller 10 and sandwiches the mount PM together with the platen roller 10. The engaging protrusion 41R is located at the upper end position of the second groove 212R of the groove 21R. The same applies to the engaging protrusion 41L.
The auxiliary roller 55 of the curl correction unit 5 reaches the pressing position between the platen roller 10 and the peeling bar 12, and presses the continuous paper P backward.

The auxiliary roller 55 of the curl straightening unit 5 presses the continuous paper P between the platen roller 10 and the peeling bar 12, so that the curl of the label PL on the continuous paper P is straightened.

[Switching operation from peeling issuance to continuous issuance]
Next, the operation of switching the printer 1 from peeling issuance to continuous issuance will be described. Switching the printer 1 from peeling issuance to continuous issuance is performed in the reverse procedure of switching from continuous issuance to peeling issuance.
In this case as well, the operator first slides the stoppers 7L and 7R from the stopper operating position (bottom position) to the stopper non-operating position (top position), whereby the engaging protrusions 42L and 42R are The lock is released so that the engaging protrusions 42L and 42R can be moved in the corresponding groove.

Next, by performing an operation of opening the printer cover 3, as shown in FIG. 8, the peeling roller arms 4L and 4R are swung counterclockwise, whereby the peeling rollers 31L and 31R from the guide grooves 31L and 31R of the printer cover 3 are swung. The shaft 45a of 45 escapes. Then, due to the urging force of the coil spring 6R, the engaging protrusion 41R of the release roller arm 4R moves along the second groove 212R to the branch position of the first groove 211R and the second groove 212R (shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B). Move to position).

Next, the operator moves the engaging protrusions 42L, 42R forward against the urging force of the coil springs 6L, 6R, so that the engaging protrusions 41L, 41R move to the front end position. .. Here, the operator slides the stoppers 7L and 7R from the stopper non-operating position (top position) to the stopper operating position (bottom position), whereby the engaging protrusions 42L and 42R are locked. , The peeling unit 4 is fixed at the positions shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and the peeling roller 45 is fixed at the continuous issuing position.

As described above, the printer 1 includes a peeling unit 4 and a curl straightening unit 5, and is linked to the movement of the peeling issuing position from the continuous issuing position of the peeling roller 45 of the peeling unit 4, and the auxiliary roller of the curl straightening unit 5. 55 is configured to move from the retracted position to the pressing position and press the continuous paper P between the platen roller 10 and the peeling bar 12. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of curl of the label peeled from the mount by the peeling bar 12 at the time of issuing the peeling.

As described above, the printer 1 includes coil springs 6L and 6R provided between the peeling unit 4 and the curl straightening unit 5, and the coil springs 6L and 6R move the peeling roller 45 from the continuous issuing position to the peeling issuing position. The peeling unit 4 is urged in the direction of movement. Therefore, when switching from continuous issuance to peeling issuance, the peeling roller 45 of the peeling unit 4 can be smoothly moved toward the peeling issuance position by the urging force of the coil springs 6L and 6R.

As described above, when the curl correction unit 5 swings around the shaft portion 51, the auxiliary roller 55 moves from the retracted position to the pressing position, and the peeling unit 4 is subjected to the urging force of the coil springs 6L and 6R. The curl correction unit 5 is pressed so that the curl correction unit 5 swings. Therefore, the curl correction unit 5 can be operated in conjunction with the movement of the peeling unit 4 by utilizing the urging force of the coil springs 6L and 6R.

As described above, the printer 1 has a roll paper storage chamber for accommodating the roll paper R in which the continuous paper P is wound in a roll shape, an open position for opening the roll paper storage chamber, and a closed position for closing the storage chamber. A printer cover 3 that can be moved between the printer covers 3 and the like. The printer cover 3 has guide grooves 31L and 31R, and the guide grooves 31L and 31R accommodate the shaft 45a of the peeling roller 45 according to the movement of the printer cover 3 from the open position to the closed position. The roller 45 is moved to the peeling issuing position. Therefore, the operator can move the peeling roller 45 to the peeling issuing position only by closing the printer cover 3, and the operability is good.
Further, the peeling unit 4 presses the curl correction unit 5 in response to the movement of the printer cover 3 toward the closed position, so that the auxiliary roller 55 moves to the pressing position between the platen roller 10 and the peeling bar 12. .. Therefore, the operator can move the peeling roller 45 to the peeling issuing position and at the same time move the auxiliary roller 55 to the pressing position only by closing the printer cover 3. Therefore, no special operation is required to move the auxiliary roller 55 to the pressing position.

As described above, the printer 1 includes stoppers 7L and 7R that restrict the movement of the peeling unit 4 and thereby fix the peeling roller 45 to the continuous issuing position or the peeling issuing position. Therefore, the operator can issue the label by switching between continuous issuance and peeling issuance, if necessary.

Although the embodiment of the printer of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Further, the above-described embodiment can be variously improved or modified without departing from the gist of the present invention.
In the above-described embodiment, the operator has described the operation of moving the engaging protrusions 42L and 42R forward, but those skilled in the art may appropriately provide an operating means such as a lever for performing the operation in the housing of the printer. can.
It is not essential to engage the printer cover 3 with the peeling unit 4 and move the peeling roller 45 to the peeling issuing position in response to the movement of the printer cover 3 from the open position to the closed position. The peeling roller 45 may be moved to the peeling issuing position according to the operator's operation on the peeling unit 4.

1 ... Printer 2 ... Frame 2L, 2R ... Frame side 2Lt ... Top surface 21L, 22L, 23L, 21R, 22R, 23R ... Groove 211R ... First groove 212R ... Second groove 25R ... Stopper contact part 27L, 27R ... Notch Part 3 ... Printer cover 31L, 31R ... Guide groove 4 ... Peeling unit 4L, 4R ... Peeling roller arm 41L, 41R, 42L, 42R ... Engagement protrusion 43L, 43R ... Contact surface 45 ... Peeling roller 45a ... Shaft 5 ... Curl correction unit 51 ... Shaft part 52L, 52R ... Spring mounting part 55 ... Auxiliary roller 6L, 6R ... Coil spring 7L, 7R ... Stopper 7Ls ... Contact surface 71L, 72L ... Protrusion 8 ... Hinge 10 ... Platen roller 10a ... Platen shaft 12 ... Peeling bar 28 ... Thermal head P ... Continuous paper PM ... Mount PL ... Label R ... Roll paper

Claims (6)

A printer capable of switching between peeling and issuing by peeling the label from the mount of a printing medium having a label releasably attached to the mount and continuous issuing without peeling the label from the mount. And,
The platen roller that conveys the print medium and
A print head that prints on the label and
A peeling unit with a peeling roller that can move between the peeling issuing position and the continuous issuing position,
A peeling member that peels the label from the mount by directing the mount located downstream of the platen roller toward the peel roller at the peel issuing position at the time of issuing the peel.
A curl correction unit having an auxiliary roller that can be moved between a retracted position that is a retracted position from the print medium and a pressing position that presses the surface of the print medium between the platen roller and the peeling member.
Equipped with
The auxiliary roller is configured to move from the retracted position to the pressing position in conjunction with the movement of the peeling roller from the continuous issuing position to the peeling issuing position.
Printer. A urging member provided between the peeling unit and the curl straightening unit is provided.
The urging member urges the peeling unit in a direction of moving the peeling roller from the continuous issuing position to the peeling issuing position.
The printer according to claim 1. When the curl correction unit swings around a predetermined first axis, the auxiliary roller moves from the retracted position to the pressed position.
The peeling unit presses the curl straightening unit so that the curl straightening unit swings due to the urging force of the urging member.
The printer according to claim 2. A storage chamber for accommodating a roll body in which the print medium is wound in a roll shape, and a storage chamber.
A cover that can be moved between the open position that opens the containment chamber and the closed position that closes the containment chamber.
Equipped with
The cover has a groove portion, and the groove accommodates the shaft of the peeling roller in response to the movement from the open position to the closed position, thereby moving the peeling roller to the peeling issuing position.
The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3. When the peeling unit presses the curl correction unit in response to the movement of the cover toward the closed position, the auxiliary roller moves to the pressing position.
The printer according to claim 4. A stopper is provided which restricts the movement of the peeling unit and thereby fixes the peeling roller to the continuous issuing position or the peeling issuing position.
The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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