JP2022146267A - Conveyance unit, and laser marking device - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable continuously executing two or more pieces of processing comprising marking with a laser marking device.SOLUTION: A conveyance unit 20 comprises a conveyance mechanism 30 for conveying a booklet 100 to a laser beam irradiation part 10 of a laser marking device 1B; and a rotation mechanism 40 for changing a direction of the booklet 100 by rotating the booklet 100, that is provided on a conveyance path of the booklet 100. The conveyance mechanism 30 comprises a conveyor belt 31 for moving the booklet 100 while supporting the booklet 100. The rotation mechanism 40 comprises two pads 52 opposed to each other, a first drive part for directly moving at least one of the two pads 52 in the opposing direction, and a second drive part for rotating at least one of the two pads 52. The two pads 52 included in the rotation mechanism 40 changes the direction of the booklet 100 via rotation in a state of sandwiching and holding the booklet 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a conveying unit and a laser marking device.

2. Description of the Related Art A laser marking device is known that marks characters, figures, symbols, etc. on a medium such as a card, sheet, or printed matter by irradiating the medium with a laser beam (see Patent Document 1).

A medium to be marked by a laser marking device such as the one described above may be previously subjected to another treatment (pretreatment) using another device. For example, characters, figures, symbols, etc. may be printed in advance on a medium by a printing device. In some cases, a protective film or the like is formed in advance on the surface of the medium by a film forming apparatus.

JP 2013-244692 A

Here, the direction of the medium discharged from the device that performs pretreatment such as printing or film formation may not match the direction assumed in the laser marking device. Specifically, in the laser marking device, the orientation of the medium when irradiating the medium with laser light is determined in advance. However, the printed medium may be ejected from the printing device in an orientation different from this orientation. In such cases, the media cannot be processed continuously. In other words, printing by the printing device and marking by the laser marking device cannot be performed continuously. For this reason, it is necessary to manually change the orientation of the printed medium discharged from the printing apparatus before supplying it to the laser marking apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to allow two or more processes, including marking by a laser marking device, to be performed in succession.

A transport unit according to one embodiment includes a transport mechanism that transports a medium to a laser beam irradiation unit of a laser marking device, and is provided on a transport path of the medium by the transport mechanism, and rotates the medium to change the orientation of the medium. and a changing rotation mechanism. The transport mechanism includes a transport belt that moves the medium while supporting the medium. Further, the rotation mechanism includes two opposing holding portions, a first driving portion that linearly moves at least one of the two holding portions in the opposing direction, and a second driving portion that rotates at least one of the two holding portions. and a drive unit. The two holders included in the rotation mechanism rotate while sandwiching and holding the medium to change the direction of the medium.

A laser marking apparatus according to one embodiment includes the transport unit and a laser beam irradiation unit that irradiates a medium transported by the transport unit with a laser beam to perform marking.

According to the present invention, two or more processes including marking by a laser marking device can be performed in succession.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a printing system; FIG. It is a perspective view showing a laser marking device. 4 is a perspective view showing a transport unit; FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a conveyance mechanism. It is a perspective view which shows a rotation mechanism. It is another perspective view which shows a rotation mechanism. It is a side view which shows a rotation mechanism. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the transport unit when picking up the booklet ejected from the printing apparatus; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the transport unit after the booklet has been transported to the rotating mechanism and before the rotating mechanism starts changing the orientation of the booklet; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the order of a series of operations when changing the orientation of the booklet; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the transport unit after the rotation mechanism has completed changing the orientation of the booklet;

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, in all the drawings for describing the embodiments, the same or substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the printing system 1. As shown in FIG. The illustrated printing system 1 comprises a printing device 1A and a laser marking device 1B. The printing device 1A and the laser marking device 1B are integrated, and the processing (printing) by the printing device 1A and the processing (marking) by the laser marking device 1B can be continuously executed. For example, the printing device 1A prints on a medium to be processed, and delivers the printed medium to the laser marking device 1B. The laser marking device 1B receives the printed medium from the printing device 1A and marks the received medium.

The medium processed by the printing system 1 is not limited to a specific medium, but in this specification, the structure and operation of the printing system 1 will be described by taking the case where the medium is a booklet as an example. A "booklet" means a printed matter in which a plurality of pages are bound, and includes a passport.

<Printing device>
A printing apparatus 1A shown in FIG. 1 performs predetermined printing on one or more pages of a booklet. Specifically, the printer 1A prints characters, figures, symbols, etc. on at least one page of a booklet by fusion thermal transfer.

Here, the booklet in this embodiment includes at least one page formed of a material compatible with laser marking, such as plastic. The printing apparatus 1A performs printing on all or part of a page formed of a material compatible with laser marking by means of fusion thermal transfer. In the following description, a page formed of a material compatible with laser marking and to be subjected to fusion thermal transfer printing by the printing apparatus 1A may be called a "target page" to distinguish it from other pages.

<Laser marking device>
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the laser marking device 1B. The laser marking device 1B has a laser beam irradiation unit 10 and a conveying unit 20, and marks the printed booklet 100 discharged from the printing device 1A. Specifically, the laser marking device 1B irradiates a target page 101 of the booklet 100, which has undergone fusion thermal transfer printing by the printing device 1A, with a laser beam to mark characters, figures, symbols, etc. on the target page 101. do.

<Laser beam irradiation part>
The laser light irradiation unit 10 includes an excitation light source, a resonator, an exposure optical system, and the like, and irradiates a target page 101 of the booklet 100 with laser light (pulse laser light) of a predetermined intensity. For example, a laser diode (LD) or a light emitting diode (LED) is used as an excitation light source provided in the laser light irradiation unit 10 . Further, the exposure optical system provided in the laser beam irradiation unit 10 includes, for example, one or more galvanometer mirrors, an fθ lens, and the like. Irradiate a predetermined position above.

<Conveyor unit>
The transport unit 20 has a transport mechanism 30 and a rotation mechanism 40 and transports the booklet 100 ejected from the printing apparatus 1A to the laser beam irradiation section 10 . More specifically, the transport unit 20 receives the booklet 100 discharged from the printing apparatus 1A, transports the received booklet 100 in the direction of arrow X, and supplies it to the laser beam irradiation unit 10 . That is, the right side of the paper surface of FIG. 2 corresponds to the rear side in the conveying direction, and the left side of the paper surface of FIG. 2 corresponds to the front side of the conveying direction.

The booklet 100 is ejected from the printer 1A with the target page 101 opened. Further, the booklet 100 is discharged from the printing apparatus 1A in a direction in which the binding line is parallel to the conveying direction (arrow X direction). On the other hand, the booklet 100 is supplied to the laser beam irradiation unit 10 with the binding line perpendicular to the conveying direction. That is, the orientation of the booklet 100 is changed by 90 degrees while being transported by the transport unit 20 .

In the following description, the orientation of the booklet 100 in which the binding line is parallel to the conveying direction may be referred to as "horizontal orientation". On the other hand, the orientation of the booklet 100 in which the binding line is orthogonal to the conveying direction is sometimes called "vertical orientation". That is, the booklet 100 is ejected from the printing apparatus 1A with the target page 101 opened and in landscape orientation. The conveying unit 20 changes the direction of the booklet 100 received from the printing apparatus 1A from landscape to portrait and then supplies the booklet 100 to the laser beam irradiation unit 10 .

<Transport Mechanism>
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the transport unit 20. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the transport mechanism 30 that constitutes the transport unit 20. As shown in FIG. The transport mechanism 30 has a plurality of transport belts 31 and transport guides 32 and one roller (pinch roller) 33 .

<Conveyor belt>
The multiple transport belts 31 of the transport mechanism 30 include two long transport belts 31a and 31b and one short transport belt 31c. The three transport belts 31 extend along the transport direction and are parallel to each other. Specifically, between two long transport belts 31a and 31b parallel to each other, a short transport belt 31c is arranged parallel to the long transport belts 31a and 31b.

The transport belt 31 moves the booklet 100 discharged from the printing apparatus 1A toward the laser beam irradiation section 10 while supporting it. In other words, the transport belt 31 forms a transport path for transporting the booklet 100 to the laser beam irradiation section 10 .

The long conveying belts 31a and 31b and the short conveying belt 31c have the same start position, but different end positions. Specifically, the long transport belts 31a and 31b extend over the entire length of the transport path, while the short transport belt 31c extends over part of the transport path. More specifically, the long transport belts 31a and 31b extend from the beginning of the transport path to the end of the transport path through the rotation mechanism 40. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, the short conveying belt 31 c extends only from the beginning of the conveying path to just before the rotating mechanism 40 and does not reach the rotating mechanism 40 .

Each conveying belt 31 is wound around a pair of pulleys (drive pulley and driven pulley). Each transport belt 31 is driven by rotation of one of the corresponding pair of pulleys (driving pulley). That is, when the driving pulley rotates, the transport belt 31 runs in the longitudinal direction, and the booklet 100 placed on the transport belt 31 moves toward the laser beam irradiation unit 10 .

Here, the target page 101 is not positioned in the middle (center) of the booklet 100 . In other words, target page 101 is not the central page of booklet 100 . Therefore, when the target page 101 is opened, the number of pages of the booklet 100 differs on both sides of the binding (see FIG. 2). From another point of view, when the target page 101 is opened, the weight of the booklet 100 is different on both sides of the binding. As a result, the load applied to the conveying belt 31 becomes non-uniform, and there is a risk that the booklet 100 will not be conveyed straight.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, projections 34 are provided on the long conveying belts 31a and 31b. Each protrusion 34 abuts on the booklet 100 from behind in the conveying direction at a predetermined timing, and pushes the booklet 100 forward in the conveying direction. The protrusion 34 ensures that the booklet 100 is conveyed reliably and stably.

The position at which the projection 34 provided on the long transport belt 31a abuts the booklet 100 and the position at which the projection 34 provided on the long transport belt 31b abuts the booklet 100 are different from each other. , 31b of the booklet 100 in consideration of the weight distribution and the position of the center of gravity. From another point of view, the interval between the long transport belts 31a and 31b is determined in consideration of the weight distribution and the center of gravity of the booklet 100 on these long transport belts 31a and 31b.

<Conveyance guide>
The multiple transport guides 32 of the transport mechanism 30 include three transport guides 32a, 32b, and 32c. The transport guide 32a corresponds to the long transport belt 31a, and the transport guide 32b corresponds to the long transport belt 31b.

The transport guides 32a are arranged above the corresponding long transport belts 31a and parallel to the corresponding long transport belts 31a. Similarly, the transport guide 32b is arranged above the corresponding long transport belt 31b and parallel to the long transport belt 31b.

The booklet 100 conveyed to the laser beam irradiation unit 10 moves between the conveying belt 31 and the conveying guide 32 . In other words, the booklet 100 passes below the transport guide 32 . The transport guide 32 positioned above the transported booklet 100 prevents or suppresses excessive upward movement and lifting of the booklet 100 .

The distance between the transport belt 31 and the transport guide 32 is set so that the booklet 100 can move smoothly between them. Further, in order to facilitate introduction of the booklet 100 discharged from the printing apparatus 1A between the transport belt 31 and the transport guide 32, the beginning end (tip) of the transport guide 32 is tapered.

A plurality of sensors are attached to the transport guide 32 along its longitudinal direction. That is, the transport mechanism 30 has a plurality of sensors arranged along the transport direction. Specifically, the sensors 35a and 35b are attached to the transport guide 32a, and the sensor 35c is attached to the transport guide 32b. Each sensor is an optical sensor including a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, and is used to detect the position and orientation of the booklet 100 on the conveying path. For example, when the booklet 100 is conveyed to a predetermined position or the orientation of the booklet 100 is changed, part of the booklet 100 enters between the light emitting element and the light receiving element. Then, the light emitted from the light emitting element is blocked by the booklet 100 and does not reach the light receiving element. Therefore, the position and orientation of the booklet 100 can be detected based on the output change of the light receiving element.

<Pinch roller>
The pinch roller 33 is provided above the short transport belt 31c and is movable in a direction approaching the short transport belt 31c and a direction away from the short transport belt 31c. That is, the pinch roller 33 can move up and down. When the pinch roller 33 moves downward, it approaches the short conveying belt 31c, and when it moves upward, it separates from the short conveying belt 31c.

When the pinch roller 33 moves downward while the booklet 100 is on the short conveying belt 31 c , the booklet 100 is sandwiched between the short conveying belt 31 c and the pinch roller 33 . In other words, the pinch roller 33 moved downward presses against the booklet 100 on the short conveying belt 31c. As will be described later, the operation of the pinch rollers 33 is controlled based on the detection result of the sensor 35a.

<Rotating Mechanism>
FIG. 5 is a perspective view (upper perspective view) showing the rotation mechanism 40 that constitutes the transport unit 20. As shown in FIG. 6 is another perspective view (lower perspective view) showing the rotation mechanism 40. FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the rotating mechanism 40. FIG.

The rotating mechanism 40 has two holding mechanisms 50a and 50b, a first driving section 60, a second driving section 70, and the like. The rotating mechanism 40 holds the booklet 100 conveyed by the conveying mechanism 30 by sandwiching it from above and below. The rotating mechanism 40 also rotates the held booklet 100 to change the orientation of the booklet 100 . In the following description, the two holding mechanisms 50a and 50b are collectively referred to as the "holding mechanism 50", while the holding mechanism 50a is called the "upper holding mechanism 50a" and the holding mechanism 50b is called the "lower holding mechanism 50b". may be distinguished. However, such generic terms and distinctions are merely generic terms and distinctions for convenience of explanation.

<Holding Mechanism>
The holding mechanism 50 includes rods 51, pads 52, brackets 53, and the like. The rod 51 is cylindrical and the pad 52 is disk-shaped. Moreover, the bracket 53 has a substantially triangular planar shape. The rod 51 is attached to or near the vertex of the bracket 53 , and the pad 52 is attached to the end of the rod 51 . More specifically, the pad 52 of the upper retaining mechanism 50 a is attached to the lower end of the rod 51 and the pad 52 of the lower retaining mechanism 50 b is attached to the upper end of the rod 51 . As a result, the pads 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a and the pads 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b face each other vertically across the transport path. As will be described later, the booklet 100 is sandwiched and held between the pads 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a and the pads 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b that face each other. That is, the pad 52 corresponds to the holding portion of the present invention.

The rod 51 and the pad 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a are vertically movable and rotatable with respect to the bracket 53. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, the rod 51 and the pad 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b cannot move vertically with respect to the bracket 53, but can rotate. Further, the surfaces of the pads 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a and the lower holding mechanism 50b are made of a non-slip material such as rubber.

<First drive unit>
The first driving section 60 has a threaded shaft 61, a guide shaft 62, a first driving motor 63, a first driving belt 64, etc., and linearly moves at least one of the two holding sections in the opposite direction (vertical direction). .

One end (upper end) of each guide shaft 62 is fixed to the upper base plate 65a, and the other end (lower end) of each guide shaft 62 is fixed to the lower base plate 65b. A threaded shaft 61 is arranged between and parallel to two guide shafts 62 . The threaded shaft 61 is also rotatably held by an upper base plate 65a and a lower base plate 65b.

The upper end side of the threaded shaft 61 is inserted through a screw hole provided in the bracket 53 of the upper holding mechanism 50a, and the lower end side of the threaded shaft 61 is threaded through a screw provided in the bracket 53 of the lower holding mechanism 50b. inserted through the hole. The upper end side of the guide shaft 62 is inserted through a through hole provided in the bracket 53 of the upper holding mechanism 50a, and the lower end side of the guide shaft 62 is inserted through a through hole provided in the bracket 53 of the lower holding mechanism 50b. inserted through the hole.

Here, trapezoidal threads are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the threaded shaft 61 over the entire length or substantially the entire length. However, the direction of the trapezoidal thread (upper trapezoidal thread) formed in the upper half of the threaded shaft 61 and the direction of the trapezoidal thread (lower trapezoidal thread) formed in the lower half of the threaded shaft 61 are different. is in the opposite direction. The upper trapezoidal screw is screwed into a screw hole provided in the bracket 53 of the upper holding mechanism 50a. On the other hand, the lower trapezoidal screw is screwed into a threaded hole provided in the bracket 53 of the lower holding mechanism 50b. As a result, when the threaded shaft 61 rotates, the upper holding mechanism 50a and the lower holding mechanism 50b linearly move in opposite directions. Specifically, as the threaded shaft 61 rotates in a first direction, the upper retaining mechanism 50a moves downward while the lower retaining mechanism 50b moves upward. Also, when the threaded shaft 61 rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the upper retaining mechanism 50a moves upward while the lower retaining mechanism 50b moves downward. In other words, when the threaded shaft 61 rotates in the first direction, the upper retaining mechanism 50a and the lower retaining mechanism 50b are brought closer together, and when the threaded shaft 61 rotates in the second direction, the upper retaining mechanism 50a and the lower retaining mechanism 50b are brought closer together. The mechanism 50b is separated.

Referring to FIG. 4, a rotating stage plate 36 is provided between the long transport belts 31a and 31b. Further, the rotary stage plate 36 is provided with an opening 36a through which the pad 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b can advance onto the conveying path from between the long conveying belts 31a.

When the upper holding mechanism 50a and the lower holding mechanism 50b move toward each other, the pad 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b advances onto the conveying path through the opening 36a. As a result, the booklet 100 supported by the long conveying belts 31a and 31b is sandwiched and held by the pads 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a and the pads 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b. At this time, the booklet 100 may be pushed up depending on the amount of movement (lifting amount) of the lower holding mechanism 50b, and all or part of the booklet 100 may be lifted off the long transport belts 31a and 31b. Further, even if the booklet 100 does not rise from the long transport belts 31a and 31b, the load applied to the long transport belts 31a and 31b is reduced. In short, the friction between the booklet 100 and the long transport belts 31a, 31b is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 7, a coil spring 51a as an elastic body is provided around the rod 51 of the upper holding mechanism 50a. The coil spring 51a biases the pads 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a against the booklet 100 when the pads 52 of the two holding mechanisms 50 hold the booklet 100 therebetween. Then, the pad 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b is also pressed against the booklet 100 by reaction. As a result, the booklet 100 is reliably held with an appropriate force. It should be noted that the coil spring 51a shown in FIG. 7 is omitted in other drawings for convenience of drawing.

A driving force for raising and lowering the holding mechanism 50 (driving force for rotating the threaded shaft 61 ) is output from the first driving motor 63 via the first driving pulley 66 , the first driving belt 64 and the first driven pulley 67 . Input to threaded shaft 61 . Thus, by controlling the rotation direction of the first drive motor 63, the threaded shaft 61 can be rotated in the first direction or the second direction. From another point of view, by controlling the rotation direction and rotation amount of the first drive motor 63, the elevation direction and elevation amount of the holding mechanism 50 can be controlled.

<Second drive unit>
The second driving section 70 has a second driving motor 71, a second driving belt 72, etc., and rotates at least one of the holding sections. The second drive motor 71 is arranged on the bracket 53 of the lower holding mechanism 50b. A second drive pulley 73 is attached to the tip of the output shaft of the second drive motor 71 that penetrates the bracket 53 and protrudes downward. On the other hand, a second driven pulley 74 is attached to the lower end of the rod 51 of the lower holding mechanism 50 b protruding downward from the bracket 53 . A second driving belt 72 is wound around the second driving pulley 73 and the second driven pulley 74 .

When the second drive motor 71 operates, a rotational driving force is input to the rod 51 of the lower holding mechanism 50b via the second drive pulley 73, the second drive belt 72 and the second driven pulley 74, and the rod 51 and the pad are rotated. 52 rotates. Therefore, when a rotational driving force is input to the rod 51 of the lower holding mechanism 50b while the booklet 100 is held by the pads 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a and the lower holding mechanism 50b, the upper holding mechanism 50a and the lower holding mechanism 50b are rotated. The pad 52 of the holding mechanism 50b rotates, and the booklet 100 also rotates. As a result, the orientation of the booklet 100 is changed.

The first drive pulley 66, the first driven pulley 67, the second drive pulley 73 and the second driven pulley 74 are toothed pulleys, and the first drive belt 64 and the second drive belt 72 are toothed belts. be. The first driven pulley 67 has a larger diameter than the first drive pulley 66 , and the second driven pulley 74 has a larger diameter than the second drive pulley 73 .

The printing system 1 of this embodiment includes control means for centrally controlling the printing device 1A and the laser marking device 1B. In addition, the laser marking apparatus 1B is a control means that controls the laser beam irradiation unit 10 and the transport unit 20 in cooperation with the control means provided in the printing system 1, or independently from the control means provided in the printing system 1. It has The control means provided in the laser marking device 1B is composed of a control section, a communication section, a display section, an input section, an interface section, a storage section, and the like. This control means controls each section such as the laser beam irradiation section 10 and the transport unit 20 (the transport mechanism 30 and the rotation mechanism 40) based on the programs and data stored in the storage section.

<Operation example of laser marking device>
The operation of the transport unit 20 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11. FIG.

FIG. 8 shows the state of the transport unit 20 when picking up the booklet 100 ejected from the printing apparatus 1A. FIG. 9 shows the state of the transport unit 20 after the booklet 100 has been transported to the rotating mechanism 40 and before the rotating mechanism 40 starts changing the orientation of the booklet 100 . FIG. 10 shows the order of a series of operations when changing the orientation of the booklet 100 . FIG. 11 shows the state of the transport unit 20 after the rotation mechanism 40 has completed changing the orientation of the booklet 100 .

Please refer to FIG. When the leading edge of the booklet 100 laterally discharged from the printing apparatus 1A reaches a predetermined position on the short conveying belt 31c, the pinch roller 33 is actuated. Specifically, the pinch roller 33 moves in a direction (downward) to approach the short conveying belt 31c. As a result, the front side of the booklet 100 is sandwiched between the short conveying belt 31 c and the pinch roller 33 . At this time, the rear side of the booklet 100 is held by the printer 1A. That is, the booklet 100 straddles the printing device 1A and the laser marking device 1B.

The pinch roller 33 operates based on the detection result of the sensor 35a. That is, when the leading edge of the booklet 100 reaches the installation position of the sensor 35a, the pinch roller 33 moves downward.

The booklet 100 sandwiched between the short conveying belt 31c and the pinch roller 33 is conveyed toward the rotating mechanism 40 by the three conveying belts 31 including the short conveying belt 31c. After that, when the trailing edge of the booklet 100 reaches a predetermined position on the short conveying belt 31c, the projections 34 provided on the long conveying belts 31a and 31b come into contact with the booklet 100 from behind in the conveying direction. Specifically, when the rear end of the booklet 100 passes the pinch roller 33 , the projection 34 contacts the booklet 100 . From another point of view, the home position of the protrusion 34 is set so that the protrusion 34 contacts the booklet 100 at tie timing when the rear end of the booklet 100 passes through the pinch roller 33 .

See FIG. When the booklet 100 is conveyed to the rotation mechanism 40, a series of operations for changing the orientation of the booklet 100 are started. First, when the sensor 35b detects the leading edge of the booklet 100 and a predetermined time elapses, the long transport belts 31a and 31b stop. For example, the long conveying belts 31a and 31b stop at the timing when the leading edge of the booklet 100 moves 12.5 mm forward from the installation position of the sensor 35b.

Please refer to FIG. After the long conveying belts 31 a and 31 b are stopped, the booklet 100 is held by the holding mechanism 50 of the rotating mechanism 40 . Specifically, the upper holding mechanism 50a is lowered and the lower holding mechanism 50b (not shown) is raised to sandwich and hold the booklet 100 from above and below (arrow a).

Next, the long transport belts 31a and 31b are reversed so that the projection 34 in contact with the booklet 100 is separated from the booklet 100 (arrow b). That is, the long conveying belts 31a and 31b are driven in the opposite direction, and the protrusion 34 retreats. For example, the long conveying belts 31a and 31b are driven such that the protrusion 34 retreats from the booklet 100 by about 60.0 mm.

After that, the pads 52 of the two holding mechanisms 50 holding the booklet 100 rotate counterclockwise by 90 degrees (arrow c). As a result, the booklet 100 held by the two pads 52 is rotated, and the orientation of the booklet 100 is changed from landscape to portrait. Since the projection 34 is retracted before the booklet 100 is rotated, the booklet 100 does not collide with the projection 34 during rotation. Further, when the booklet 100 rotates, the friction between the booklet 100 and the long transport belts 31a and 31b is reduced, so the booklet 100 rotates smoothly.

Please refer to FIG. When the booklet 100 is oriented vertically, the booklet 100 is retracted from between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the sensor 35c (FIG. 4). Then, the output of the sensor 35c changes, and it is detected that the orientation of the booklet 100 has been changed.

When the orientation change of the booklet 100 is completed, the long transport belts 31a and 31b rotate so that the protrusions 34 contact the booklet 100 again. Thereafter, the holding of the booklet 100 by the holding mechanism 50 is released, and the transport of the booklet 100 by the long transport belts 31a and 31b is resumed. Note that the booklet 100 was guided by the three transport guides 32 (transport guides 32a, 32b, 32c) before the orientation was changed to the portrait orientation (see FIGS. 8 and 9). The booklet 100 after being changed to 2 is guided by two transport guides 32 (transport guides 32a and 32b) (see FIG. 11).

Through the series of operations as described above, the booklet 100 discharged horizontally from the printer 1A is supplied vertically to the laser beam irradiation unit 10 of the laser marking device 1B and marked.

As described above, in the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment, two or more processes are continuously performed on the booklet 100 . Specifically, printing on the booklet 100 and marking on the printed booklet 100 are performed continuously.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, protrusions 34 may be added to improve processing tact. On the other hand, if the medium can be reliably transported without providing the protrusion 34, the protrusion 34 may be omitted.

Further, sensors may be added to more precisely detect the position and orientation of the booklet 100 on the conveying path. However, the sensor is not limited to the optical sensor. Also, a plurality of sensors of different types may be installed.

The laser marking device 1B including the transport unit 20 can be combined with a printing device other than the printing device 1A, and can also be combined with a device other than the printing device.

1: printing system, 1A: printing device, 1B: laser marking device, 10: laser beam irradiation section, 20: transport unit, 30: transport mechanism, 31: transport belt, 31a, 31b: long transport belt, 31c: short Conveyor belt, 32, 32a, 32b, 32c: Conveyance guide, 33: Roller (pinch roller), 34: Protrusion, 35a, 35b, 35c: Sensor, 36: Rotating stage plate, 36a: Opening, 40: Rotating mechanism, 50: holding mechanism, 50a: upper holding mechanism, 50b: lower holding mechanism, 51: rod, 51a: coil spring, 52: pad, 53: bracket, 60: first drive unit, 61: shaft, 62: guide shaft , 63: first drive motor, 64: first drive belt, 65a: upper base plate, 65b: lower base plate, 66: first drive pulley, 67: first driven pulley, 70: second drive section, 71: third 2 drive motor, 72: second drive belt, 73: second drive pulley, 74: second driven pulley, 100: booklet, 101: target page

Claims (8)

A transport unit for transporting a medium to a laser beam irradiation part of a laser marking device,
a transport mechanism that transports the medium to the laser beam irradiation unit;
a rotation mechanism provided on a transport path of the medium by the transport mechanism and rotating the medium to change the direction of the medium;
The transport mechanism includes a transport belt that moves the medium while supporting the medium,
The rotation mechanism includes two holding portions facing each other, a first driving portion that linearly moves at least one of the two holding portions in the opposing direction, and a second driving portion that rotates at least one of the two holding portions. and
The two holders included in the rotation mechanism rotate while sandwiching and holding the medium to change the orientation of the medium.
transport unit. The rotation mechanism further includes an elastic body that presses at least one of the two holding units holding the medium against the medium.
A transport unit according to claim 1 . The transport belt of the transport mechanism is provided with a projection that contacts the medium from the rear in the transport direction and pushes the medium forward in the transport direction.
3. A transport unit according to claim 1 or 2. The transport belts of the transport mechanism include two long transport belts provided with the protrusions and one short transport belt,
The transport mechanism further comprises a roller movable in a direction approaching the short transport belt and a direction away from the short transport belt,
when the leading end of the medium reaches a predetermined position on the conveying path, the roller moves in a direction approaching the short conveying belt, and the medium is sandwiched between the short conveying belt and the roller;
When the trailing edge of the medium reaches a predetermined position on the conveying path, the projection provided on the long conveying belt contacts the medium.
4. A transport unit according to claim 3. When the trailing edge of the medium passes through the roller, the protrusion provided on the long transport belt contacts the medium.
5. A transport unit according to claim 4. After the medium is conveyed to the rotating mechanism and before the rotating mechanism starts changing the orientation of the medium, the conveyor belt is driven such that the protrusion is separated from the medium.
The transport unit according to any one of claims 3-5. after the rotation mechanism has completed changing the orientation of the medium, the transport belt is driven such that the protrusions again contact the medium;
After the protrusion contacts the medium again, the holding of the medium by the two holding parts is released.
A transport unit according to claim 6 . a transport unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7;
a laser beam irradiation unit that performs marking by irradiating a laser beam onto the medium conveyed by the conveying unit;
Laser marking device.

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