JP2022166762A - Display article creation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a display article creation device which can suppress generation of printing failures caused by deterioration of conveyance accuracy at the time of printing of a printing medium even by using a printing medium having a larger size than that of a conventional printing medium.SOLUTION: A display article creation device includes: a printing part for performing printing on a printing medium by a printing head; a cutting part for cutting a printing part or its periphery in the printing medium into an arbitrary shape by a cutting head; a first rotor opposite to the printing part through the printing medium; a second rotor opposite to the cutting part through the printing medium; a first motor for rotating the first rotor and the second rotor, and conveying the printing medium; and a pressing part which is provided at a position opposite to the second rotor through the printing medium, and can press the printing medium toward the second rotor, wherein the pressing part is configured to adjust a pressing force of the printing medium.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9A

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a technique for creating display materials, and more particularly to an apparatus for creating display materials by printing arbitrary characters, figures, images, etc. on a print medium and cutting the resulting printed material into arbitrary shapes. .

The present applicant has developed and proposed various sign printers, printing machines, cutting machines, free-cut label printers, etc. as display object production apparatuses for producing display objects such as labels and signboards. For example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2 by the present applicant, there is a function to print arbitrary characters, images, etc. on a printing medium such as an adhesive sheet, and the outline of the printed matter obtained by doing so can be made into an arbitrary shape. A so-called cut-and-print machine is described that integrates the function of cutting out to obtain a display object. In such a cut-and-print machine, a print head (printer head) normally presses an ink ribbon against a print medium such as a sheet and prints while conveying the sheet. It is configured to cut around the perimeter with a cutting head (cutting head).

Also, the sheet is normally conveyed by a method in which a platen opposed to the print head and a sprocket opposed to the cut-out head are rotationally driven by a motor. Furthermore, during both printing on the sheet and cutting the sheet, the pins provided at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the sprocket are engaged with feed holes (sprocket holes) drilled at both ends in the width direction of the sheet. In order to prevent disengagement and loosening of the sheet, the sheet positioned on the side of the sprocket is pressed from above by a pressing roller or the like.

JP 2017-52156 A JP-A-11-198424

Such a cut-and-print machine is suitable for producing relatively large display objects, and recently there is an increasing demand for production of even larger display objects using wider sheets. ing. However, when the size of the sheet increases and the weight increases, the feeding load on the sprocket for conveying the sheet inevitably increases. In this case, the pressing of the sheet by the presser roller, which has not been a problem in the conventional art, causes further feeding during both printing in which the sheet is conveyed at a relatively low speed and cutting in which the sheet is conveyed at a relatively high speed. This may lead to an increase in load. In particular, during cutting where the sheet is conveyed at a relatively high speed, adverse effects due to an increase in the feed load tend to become noticeable. Due to such an increase in the feeding load, the conveying accuracy (feeding accuracy) of the sheet deteriorates, and in some cases, the pressing roller acts as a brake that prevents the sheet from being conveyed, and the sheet is conveyed to a predetermined position. There is a concern that printing failures and cutting failures may occur.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. It is an object of the present invention to provide a display object creation device capable of suppressing the occurrence of cutting defects.

The present invention adopts the following configurations in order to solve the above-described problems.

[1] An example of the display object creation device according to the present disclosure includes a printing unit that prints on a printing medium with a printing head, and a cutting head that cuts the printed part on the printed medium or the circumference of the printed part into an arbitrary shape. a cutting unit that faces the printing unit via the printing medium; a second rotating body that faces the cutting unit via the printing medium; the first rotating body and the second rotating body; A first motor for rotating a rotating body to convey the print medium, and a motor provided at a position facing the second rotating body with the printing medium interposed therebetween, and capable of pressing the printing medium toward the second rotating body. and a presser foot. Further, the pressing portion is configured to be able to adjust the pressing force of the printing medium. It should be noted that the pressing force applied to the print medium by the presser can be adjusted during printing and cutting of the print medium. Also, in any case, it is preferable to adjust the pressing force of the presser so that the load of feeding the print medium does not exceed the allowable load during printing and cutting.

In such a configuration, while the first rotating body and the second rotating body are rotated to transport the printing medium, arbitrary characters, figures, images, etc. are printed on the printing medium on or from above the first rotating body. Then, on the second rotating body or from above, the printed portion or its periphery is cut into an arbitrary shape. Then, a pressing portion provided at a position facing the second rotating body presses the print medium toward the second rotating body, and the pressing force at that time is adjusted. Therefore, when printing and cutting the print medium, the pressing force of the pressing portion can be appropriately adjusted to such an extent that the feeding load does not increase beyond the allowable amount. This prevents the print medium from coming off the first rotating body and the second rotating body and from loosening the print medium. The feed load applied from the presser portion is moderately reduced.

[2] In the above configuration, the pressing portion may be configured to be capable of steplessly adjusting the pressing force of the printing medium. With such a configuration, it is possible to continuously change the pressing force of the pressing portion on the printing medium, so that the pressing force of the pressing portion on the printing medium can be adjusted more finely. This is effective when it is necessary to finely adjust the pressing force of the presser on the print medium according to the speeds of the first rotating body and the second rotating body.

[3] Alternatively, in the above configuration, the pressing portion may be configured to be able to adjust the pressing force of the printing medium in a plurality of steps. With such a configuration, it is possible to intermittently (stepwisely) change the pressing force of the presser on the print medium. This is effective when it is necessary to greatly change the pressing force of the presser on the print medium according to the weight load and the speed of the first rotating body and the second rotating body.

Note that the configurations of [2] and [3] above may be combined. That is, the pressing portion may be configured so that the pressing force of the printing medium can be adjusted steplessly or in a plurality of steps. This is advantageous when finely adjusting the pressing force to a desired pressing force while largely changing the pressing force according to the speed of the rotating body.

[4] Alternatively, in the above configuration, the pressing portion may be configured to be able to adjust the pressing force by switching whether or not the printing medium is pressed. In such a configuration, switching is performed between a mode in which the presser presses the print medium with a predetermined pressing force and a mode in which the presser does not press the print medium (the presser moves away from the print medium and retreats). Therefore, the control structure and control method of the pressing portion can be simplified as compared with the case where the pressing force of the pressing portion on the printing medium is adjusted steplessly or in a plurality of steps.

[5] In the above configuration, the pressing section may be configured not to press the printing medium when cutting the printing medium, but press the printing medium when printing on the printing medium. Normally, the effect of an increase in the feed load due to the pressing force applied to the print medium by the presser portion is more pronounced during cutting when the print medium is transported at high speed than during printing of the print medium. Therefore, in such a configuration, the print medium can be properly conveyed and cut without applying an extra feed load to the print medium during cutting, while the print medium can be pressed to perform stable conveyance and printing during printing.

[6] Alternatively, in the above configuration, the pressing portion adjusts the pressing force so that the pressing force when cutting the print medium is smaller than the pressing force when printing the print medium. may be configured to With such a configuration, the feed load applied to the print medium during cutting is reduced more than the feed load applied to the print medium during printing, so that proper feeding and cutting can be achieved, while the print medium is stably pressed during printing. transport and printing can be performed.

[7] In the above configuration, a second motor may be provided that rotates the second rotating body to convey the print medium when the print medium is cut. In such a configuration, a relatively low-speed, high-torque motor is used as the first motor, a relatively high-speed, low-torque motor is used as the second motor, and the second rotating body is separated from the first motor when cutting the print medium. can be rotated only by the second motor. This makes it possible to achieve both stable printing on the print medium and appropriate high-speed cutting of the print medium.

[8] In the above configuration, a first drive section may be provided that moves the holding section toward the print medium as the print head moves toward the first rotating body. In such a configuration, the first drive section can move the presser section toward the print medium to press the print medium at the same time as the print head moves toward the first rotating body. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently perform stable printing while pressing the print medium with a simple configuration, shorten the time required for print processing, and improve throughput.

[9] In the above configuration, a second driving section may be provided that moves the pressing section from the print medium side as the print head is moved from the first rotating body side. In such a configuration, the second driving section can retract the print head from the first rotating body side and at the same time retract the holding section from the print medium side to release the pressure on the print medium. Therefore, the print medium can be cut efficiently and at high speed without pressing the print medium, and the time required for the cutting process can be shortened, thereby improving the throughput. .

In addition, in the present disclosure, one “unit”, “equipment”, “mechanism”, “device”, and the functions possessed by their constituent parts and components are defined as two or more physical means, devices, etc. or the functions of two or more "units", "devices", "mechanisms", "apparatuses" and their constituent parts or elements are combined into one physical means or device and the like. Furthermore, "unit", "equipment", "mechanism", and "apparatus" are concepts that can be rephrased as, for example, "means" or "system".

According to the present disclosure, the pressing portion presses the print medium toward the second rotating body, and when the printing medium is printed and cut, the pressing force by the pressing portion does not increase the feed load beyond the allowable amount. , the pressing force can be adjusted appropriately. This prevents the print medium from coming off the first rotating body or the second rotating body or loosening of the print medium, while using a larger (longer and wider) print medium than before and increasing the weight of the print medium. Even so, the feed load applied from the pressing portion to the print medium during transport is moderately reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the conveying accuracy of the printing medium, suppress the occurrence of printing defects and cutting defects that may result from it, and create a larger display than before using a large printing medium. becomes possible.

1 is a perspective view showing an example configuration of a display object creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a perspective view (with a printer cover opened) showing an example configuration of a display object creation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view conceptually showing part of the configuration of an example of a display object creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a plan view showing part of a more practical configuration of an example of a display creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a state in which the inside of the printer is viewed toward the sheet roll side along line VV in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of a sprocket; 6B is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 6A; FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an example of a hardware configuration of a control system in an example of a display object creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view (partially omitted) showing the printing section and the pressing section (when the print head and pressing roller are lowered); FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view (partially omitted) showing a printing unit and a pressing unit (when the print head and pressing roller are raised); FIG. 4 is a perspective view (partially omitted) showing a state in which the printing unit and the presser unit are viewed from the sheet roll side (at the time of lowering the print head and the presser roller); FIG. 6B is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 6A (when the print head and pressing roller are raised);

Hereinafter, an embodiment according to an example of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples, and are not intended to exclude various modifications and application of techniques not explicitly described below. That is, the example of the present disclosure can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, in the description of the drawings below, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and the drawings are schematic and do not necessarily correspond to actual dimensions, proportions, and the like. Furthermore, even between drawings, there are cases where portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios are included. Further, it goes without saying that the embodiments described below are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure and not all of the embodiments. In addition, any other embodiments obtained by persons skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without requiring creative actions fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[Configuration example of display creation device]
1 and 2 are perspective views each showing an example configuration of a display creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A printer (display creation device) 1 includes a printer main body 110 having side walls 110a and 110b, and a cover 120 provided at an upper portion between the side walls 110a and 110b so as to be openable and closable. Further, in the lower portion between the side wall portions 110a and 110b, a long and wide (for example, 300 mm width) printing sheet S is detachably stored. As the printing sheet S, for example, a long sheet is attached to a long release paper. It can be provided as a sheet roll R wound in a form. A plurality of through holes (not shown) called sprocket holes are formed at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction at both ends of the printing sheet S in the width direction. The printing sheet S and the sheet roll R around which the printing sheet S is wound correspond to an example of the printing medium.

With the external configuration as described above, the printer 1 has, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole when the cover 120 is closed. Further, for example, one side wall portion 110a of the printer main body 110 is provided with an operation panel P for receiving an operation for conveying the printing sheet S from the user. Further, the printer 1 is configured such that the ink ribbon cassette 130 is detachably accommodated inside the cover 120 .

Here, FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view conceptually showing part of the configuration of an example of the display creation device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 4 is a display according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing part of a more practical configuration of an example of an object making device; 3 is a view of the internal structure of the printer body 110 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 viewed from the side wall portion 110a, and FIG. 4 shows the internal structure of the printer body 110 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 from the opposite side. is a view viewed from the side of the side wall portion 110b. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the inside of the printer 1 viewed toward the sheet roll R side along the line VV in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the main functions of the printer 1 are a printing unit 10, a cutting unit 20, a printing motor (first motor) M1, a cutting motor (second motor) M2, a platen A (first rotating body) 31 and a sprocket (second rotating body) 32 are provided.

(Printing unit 10)
The printing unit 10 is provided inside the cover 120 and mainly has a function of printing arbitrary characters, figures, images, etc. on the printing sheet S by the print head 11 , and is connected to the print head 11 . A print head drive unit 12 is provided. Further, with the ink ribbon cassette 130 housed in the cover 120, the ink ribbon B pulled out from the ink ribbon cassette 130 is arranged below the print head 11 in the drawing. The ink ribbon B is stored in a roll shape in a delivery core 131 of the ink ribbon cassette 130 , and is delivered therefrom to be wound around a take-up core 132 of the ink ribbon cassette 130 . Further, as an example of the ink ribbon B, there is a ribbon formed by applying ink that can be transferred to the printing sheet S with heat and pressure onto a long medium in the form of a thin film.

Here, the print head 11 is configured by, for example, a thermal head (thermal transfer method), and the length in the longitudinal direction is substantially the same as the printable width of the print sheet S, or It is configured to be longer than the width of S. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the print head 11 includes a first guide roller 131g provided on the ink ribbon B delivery side (near the delivery core portion 131) with respect to the print head 11, and a winding of the ink ribbon B. It is attached to a supporting member (not shown) having a second guide roller 132g provided on the side (closer to the winding core 132).

Further, the print head driving unit 12 performs, for example, an up-and-down operation of the print head 11, that is, an operation of pressing the print head 11 against the printing sheet S and an operation of withdrawing (separating) the print head 11 from the printing sheet S. For example, it has an elevating solenoid or motor (both not shown) and an ink ribbon transport motor 133 connected to a take-up core 132 for withdrawing the ink ribbon B from the ink ribbon cassette 130 . The print head drive unit 12 positions the print head 11, the first guide roller 131g, and the second guide roller 132g at appropriate positions with respect to the platen 31, which will be described later. The print head 11 and the platen 31 are arranged to face each other with the ink ribbon B and the printing sheet S interposed therebetween.

(Cutting part 20)
The cutting unit 20 is provided inside the side wall portions 110a and 110b of the printer main body 110 and over both side wall portions 110a and 110b. A cutting head drive connected to a cutting head 21 that has a function of cutting out (called half-cutting, half-cutting, etc.) leaving a release paper as a label of a display object having a desired outline, for example. A portion 22 is provided.

The cutting head 21 is mounted on a guide rail 23 extending along the width direction of the printing sheet S on the downstream side of the printing head 11 in the conveying direction of the printing sheet S (arrow Ya in FIG. 3) so as to be free to travel. ing. The guide rail 23 may be a flat rail or a rail using a plurality of wires (the flat rail is shown in FIG. 3). Furthermore, the cutting head 21 has, for example, a pen point-like cutter substantially perpendicular to the peripheral surface of the sprocket 32, which will be described later.

The cutting head drive unit 22 includes, for example, a stepping motor and a feeding mechanism (both not shown) built in or connected to one end of the guide rail 23, and the vertical movement of the cutter of the cutting head 21, that is, the cutting to the printing sheet S. and the operation of withdrawing (separating) the cutter from the printing sheet S, for example, an elevating solenoid or motor (both not shown). Cutouts of characters, figures, images, etc. printed on the printing sheet S are controlled by the cutting head drive unit 22 to move the cutting head 21 forward and backward along the guide rails 23, and by the cutting motor M2, which will be described later, to control the sprocket. 32 can be performed in cooperation with the control for rotating forward/reverse. The cutting head 21 and the sprocket 32 are arranged to face each other with the printing sheet S interposed therebetween.

(Pressing portion 30)
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the pressing portion 30 is provided at a position facing the sprocket 32 with the printing sheet S interposed therebetween. It has a pair of pressing rollers 34, 35 arranged at the . The pressing rollers 34 and 35 are arranged on a pair of rotating shafts, and are rotatable in accordance with the movement of the printing sheet S while pressing the printing sheet S toward the sprocket 32 from above. there is

8A and 8B are side cross-sectional views (partially omitted) showing the printing unit 10 and the pressing unit 30, and show the printing unit 10 and the pressing unit 30 viewed from a different cross-section than FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing; 8A shows a state in which the print head 11 and the pressure roller 34 arranged on the upstream side are lowered, and FIG. 8B shows a state in which the print head 11 and the pressure roller 34 are raised. 9A and 9B are perspective views (partially omitted) showing a state in which the printing unit 10 and the pressing unit 30 are viewed from the sheet roll R side, and FIG. 9A is a state of FIG. 9B corresponds to the state of FIG. 8B (when the print head 11 and the presser roller 34 are raised). These figures are also diagrams for explaining an example of a mechanism by which the pressing portion 30 presses the printing sheet S against the sprocket 32 and releases the pressing.

As shown in these figures, the print head 11 of the printing section 10 is held by a print head holder 11h over its extending direction. A rotating shaft 34a of the pressing roller 34 of the pressing portion 30 and a rotating shaft of the pressing roller 35 are held by a roller holder 34h. The roller holder 34h is formed with a protrusion 30p that protrudes toward the print head holder 11h. The roller holder 34h is, for example, pivotally supported at its central portion so as to be able to swing, and is biased upward. On the other hand, the print head holder 11h has a projection 11p projecting downward at a position facing the projection 30p of the roller holder 34h. With such a configuration, when the print head holder 11h descends from the initial position, the protrusion 11p interferes with the protrusion 30p of the roller holder 34h. It will be done.

When the printing sheet S is printed, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A, the print head driving unit 12 of the printing unit 10 drives the solenoid or motor for raising and lowering the print head 11, thereby holding the print head 11. The print head holder 11h descends while being guided by the axial member 13. As shown in FIG. As a result, the print head 11 moves from the retracted position out of contact with the platen 31 to the printing position in contact with the platen 31 . As a result, the print head 11 and the platen 31 sandwich the print sheet S and the ink ribbon B, and the print sheet S and the ink ribbon B are pressed against the platen 31 .

At the same time, the lowering of the print head holder 11h pushes down the roller holder 34h, and the pressing roller 34 held by the roller holder 34h also moves downward and is positioned from the retracted position where it is out of contact with the sprocket 32 to the position where it contacts. be done. As a result, the press roller 34 and the sprocket 32 hold the printing sheet S so that the pins 32t of the sprocket 32 are not disengaged from the sprocket holes Sh drilled at both ends of the printing sheet S in the width direction. be done.

On the other hand, when cutting the printing sheet S, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 9B, the print head drive unit 12 of the printing unit 10 drives the solenoid or motor for raising and lowering the print head 11, thereby holding the print head 11. The print head holder 11h is guided by the axial member 13 and ascends. As a result, the print head 11 moves from the printing position in contact with the platen 31 to the retracted position (separated position) in which it does not contact the platen 31 . As a result, the printing sheet S and the ink ribbon B sandwiched between the print head 11 and the platen 31 are released, and the state in which the printing sheet S and the ink ribbon B are pressed against the platen 31 is released.

At the same time, the upward biasing state of the roller holder 34h is restored by the upward movement of the print head holder 11h (that is, the roller holder 34h is in a no-load state where no load is applied), and the pressing portion 30 is returned to its initial state. Return to biased position. As a result, the pressing roller 34 held by the roller holder 34h also moves upward, and is positioned from a position in contact with the sprocket 32 to a retracted position (separated position) in which it does not contact the sprocket 32 . As a result, the holding state of the printing sheet S between the pressing roller 34 and the sprocket 32 is released.

As described above, the print head drive unit 12 and the print head holder 11h constitute an example of the “first drive unit” and the “second drive unit” in the present disclosure.

(Conveyance system for printing sheet S)
The printing sheet S is conveyed in the printer 1 mainly by the printing motor M1, the cutting motor M2, the platen 31, and the sprocket 32. As shown in FIG. These components are also provided inside the side walls 110a and 110b of the printer body 110 and over the side walls 110a and 110b.

When the printing sheet S is printed, the printing motor M1 rotates the roller-shaped platen 31 and the roller-shaped sprocket 32 so that the printing sheet S is moved in the forward direction indicated by the arrow Ya in FIG. direction, predetermined direction). Further, the cutting motor M2 rotates the sprocket 32 when cutting the printing sheet S, and cuts the printing sheet S in the forward direction and its reverse direction (predetermined direction and its opposite direction) indicated by the arrow Ya in FIG. transport. An encoder 60 for measuring the conveying distance of the printing sheet S is coaxially provided on the rotating shaft M2a of the cutting motor M2.

More specifically, the platen 31 has a platen driving pulley 31b provided at one end of the rotating shaft 31a on the side wall portion 110a side. An endless belt EB1 is laid between it and the pulley 31b. Accordingly, when the printing sheet S is printed, the power of the printing motor M1 is transmitted to the platen 31, and the platen 31 rotates. The sprocket 32 has a torque limiter 50, which will be described later, on its rotating shaft 32a, and an endless belt EB2 is stretched between the torque limiter 50 and the rotating shaft M1a of the printing motor M1. As a result, when the printing sheet S is printed, the power of the printing motor M<b>1 is transmitted not only to the platen 31 but also to the sprocket 32 , so that the sprocket 32 rotates together with the platen 31 .

In addition, the sprocket 32 has a sprocket driving pulley 32b provided on the inner side of the rotating shaft 31a, and an endless belt is provided between the rotating shaft M2a of the cutting motor M2 and the sprocket driving pulley 32b. EB2 is installed. Accordingly, when cutting the printing sheet S, the power of the cutting motor M2 is transmitted to the sprocket 32, and the sprocket 32 rotates at a predetermined high speed.

Here, FIG. 6A is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of the sprocket 32, and FIG. 6B is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 6A. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A and 6B, the above-described torque limiter 50 (generally called an "overload protection mechanism") is coaxially mounted on one end of the rotation shaft 32a of the sprocket 32 on the side of the side wall 110a. is provided. This torque limiter 50 does not transmit the power of the printing motor M1 to the sprocket 32 in excess of the allowable amount of the torque limiter 50 when a load (rotational load) exceeding the allowable amount of the torque limiter 50 is detected from the printing motor M1. is configured as A torque diode (registered trademark: abbreviated hereinafter, generally called a “reverse input prevention mechanism” or the like) 40 is also coaxially installed on the sprocket 32 . This torque diode 40 has a power transmission portion 41 and a power non-transmission portion 42 coaxially integrated with each other. The power of the printing motor M1 is transmitted to the sprocket 32 by the power transmission portion 41, while the power of the cutting motor M2 is not transmitted to the printing motor M1 by the power non-transmission portion .

On the outer peripheral surface of the sprocket 32, pins 32t protruding from the sprocket holes provided at both ends in the width direction of the printing sheet S described above and engaging the printing sheet S are arranged at the same intervals as the sprocket holes. , and the printing sheet S is transported during printing and cutting by feeding by the platen 31 and guiding by the sprocket 32 .

[Hardware configuration example of control system]
FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing an example of a hardware configuration of a control system in an example of a display object creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; The printer 1 mainly includes a printing section 10, a cutting section 20, a printing motor M1, and a control section 70 connected to the cutting motor M2. The control unit 70 includes a control calculation unit 71, a communication interface (I/F) unit 72, a storage unit 73, an input unit 74, and an output unit 75, which are connected to each other via a bus line 76 so as to be able to communicate with each other. can be

The control calculation unit 71 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc., and controls printing, cutting, and conveying of the printing sheet S according to information processing. It performs control of each component and various calculations necessary for the operation. Also, the communication I/F unit 72 is a communication module for communicating, for example, by wire or wirelessly with the “unit” and “apparatus” that are other components. The communication method used by the communication I/F unit 72 for communication is arbitrary, and examples thereof include LAN (Local Area Network) and USB (Universal Serial Bus), and an appropriate communication line equivalent to the bus line 76 is applied. can also Both the printing unit 10 and the cutting unit 20 can be configured to communicate with the control calculation unit 71 and the like via the communication I/F unit 72 .

The storage unit 73 is an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc., and various programs (printing, cutting of the printing sheet S) executed by the control operation unit 71 , an arithmetic program for executing the transport process, a monitoring program by various sensors, a control program for performing control processing of those operations, etc.), coordinate information and color of the display printed on the printing sheet S Stores information, etc.

The input unit 74 is an interface device for receiving various input operations from the user who uses the printer 1, and includes, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, an operation panel P having touch buttons (FIGS. 1 and 2), an audio microphone. , an external memory, or the like. The output unit 75 is an interface device for notifying the user of the printer 1 of various types of information by means of display, voice output, print output, etc. It can be realized.

With the above configuration, the control unit 70 acquires drawing data of a display object from, for example, an information processing device externally connected to the communication I/F unit 72, the storage unit 73, or the input unit 74, and prints the print head 11, The printing motor M1, the ink ribbon conveying motor 133, and the lifting solenoid or motor of the print head 11 are driven to print on the printing sheet S while the printing sheet S is conveyed by the platen 31 and the sprocket 32. FIG. Further, the control unit 70 drives the cutting head 21, the cutting motor M2, the sprocket 32, and the lifting solenoid or motor of the printing head 11 to cut out the printed printing sheet S in a predetermined shape. , and if necessary, the printing sheet S is cut across the entire width at a designated position.

[Example of operation of display creation device]
An operation example of the printer 1 having the above configuration will be described below. First, in order to load the printing sheet S into the printer 1, the cover 120 is opened as shown in FIG. The transport path of S is exposed. In this state, as shown in FIG. 2, the sheet roll R is loaded, and the printing sheet S is inserted between the sprocket 32 and the pressing rollers 34 and 35 from above the platen 31, whereby the printing sheet S The pin 32t of the sprocket 32 is fitted into and engaged with the sprocket hole formed in . Then, when the cover 120 is closed, the sprocket 32 is ready to convey the printing sheet S.

(Printing of printing sheet S)
Next, when the operation of the printer 1 is started, the control unit 70 of the printer 1 receives the drawing data of the display object from the information processing device externally connected to the communication I/F unit 72, the storage unit 73, or the input unit 74, and , obtains cutout shape data and the like of the printed portion of the display object, and transfers or inputs the drawing data and the cutout shape data and the like to the control calculation unit 71 . The control calculation unit 71 first transmits a print command to the printing unit 10, the cutting unit 20, and the printing motor M1 based on the drawing data.

The print head drive unit 12 of the print unit 10 that has received the command from the control calculation unit 71 drives the elevation solenoid or motor of the print head 11 to move the print head 11 from the retracted position where the platen 31 is out of contact with the platen. 31, and positions the first guide roller 131g and the second guide roller 132g at predetermined positions. As a result, the printing sheet S and the ink ribbon B are sandwiched between the print head 11 and the platen 31, and the ink ribbon B is pressed against the printing sheet S. As shown in FIG. At the same time, the print head driving section 12 of the printing section 10 moves the pressing roller 34 downward and positions it from the retracted position where it is out of contact with the sprocket 32 to a position where it contacts. On the other hand, the cutting head driving section 22 of the cutting section 20 drives the lifting solenoid or motor of the cutting head 21 to position the cutting head 21 at the retracted position (separated position) where the printing sheet S is out of contact.

In this state, the control calculation unit 71 drives the printing motor M1, and the power is transmitted to the platen 31 and the sprocket 32 via the endless belts EB1 and EB2 and the torque diode 40, respectively. As a result, the platen 31 and the sprocket 32 rotate in the normal direction so that the printing sheet S is conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow Ya, the pressing rollers 34 and 35 contact the printing sheet S, and the printing sheet It rotates following the movement of S.

Here, depending on the gear ratio, the endless belt EB1 rotates the platen 31 at a relatively low speed, and the endless belt EB2 rotates the sprocket 32 at a relatively high speed. At that time, when a load exceeding the allowable amount is detected on the sprocket 32 from the printing motor M1, the torque is adjusted by the torque limiter 50 so that the conveying speeds of the platen 31 and the sprocket 32 become equal. The printing sheet S is also conveyed at a relatively low speed.

During printing, the control calculation unit 71 does not drive the cutting motor M2, but the cutting motor M2 is rotated by the rotational power of the sprocket 32 via the endless belt EB3. Therefore, by measuring the number of steps of rotation of the cutting motor M2 with the encoder 60, the amount of rotation of the sprocket 32 during printing, that is, the conveying distance of the printing sheet S during printing is measured.

At the same time, the print head drive unit 12 drives the ink ribbon transport motor 133 to rotate the take-up core unit 132 to transport the ink ribbon B in accordance with the transport of the printing sheet S. As a result, while the printing sheet S and the ink ribbon B are superimposed on the platen 31 in the positive direction indicated by the arrow Ya, characters, figures, images, etc. corresponding to the drawing data are printed by the printing head 11 while being supplied and transported. Thermal transfer printing is performed on the printing sheet S.

(Cutting of printing sheet S)
After printing is completed, the control calculation unit 71 transmits a cutting command to the printing unit 10, the cutting unit 20, and the cutting motor M2 based on the cutout shape data. The print head drive unit 12 of the print unit 10 that has received the command from the control calculation unit 71 drives the elevation solenoid or motor of the print head 11 to move the print head 11 from the printing position where it contacts the platen 31 to the platen 31 . The first guide roller 131g and the second guide roller 132g are positioned at predetermined positions along with the movement to the retracted position (separated position) where contact is not made. As a result, the printing sheet S and the ink ribbon B sandwiched between the print head 11 and the platen 31 are released. At the same time, the print head driving section 12 of the printing section 10 moves the pressing roller 34 upward and positions it from the position in contact with the sprocket 32 to the retracted position (separated position) where it does not contact the sprocket 32 .

On the other hand, the cutting head driving section 22 of the cutting section 20 drives the lifting solenoid or motor of the cutting head 21 to move the cutting head 21 from the retracted position where it is out of contact with the sprocket 32 to the cutting position where it contacts the sprocket 32. position. As a result, the cutter of the cutting head 21 comes into contact with the printing sheet S. As shown in FIG. Further, the cutting head drive unit 22 advances and retreats the cutting head 21 in the width direction of the printing sheet S along the guide rails 23 in accordance with the cutout shape data.

The control calculation unit 71 also drives the cutting motor M2, and the power thereof is transmitted to the sprocket 32 via the endless belt EB3. As a result, the sprocket 32 rotates in the forward and reverse directions so that the printing sheet S is conveyed in the forward and reverse directions indicated by the arrow Ya, corresponding to the cutout shape of the printed portion of the display object. do. Further, the rotation speed M2v of the cutting motor M2 is set higher than the rotation speed M1v of the printing motor M1, and the sprocket 32 is rotated at a relatively high speed corresponding to the rotation speed M2v of the cutting motor M2. As a result, the printing sheet S is also conveyed at a relatively high speed.

In this way, the cutout of the printing portion such as characters, figures, and images printed on the printing sheet S is controlled by the cutting head drive unit 22 to advance and retreat the cutting head 21 along the guide rails 23, and to perform cutting. This is performed at high speed in cooperation with the control for rotating the sprocket 32 forward and reverse by the motor M2.

During cutting, the control calculation unit 71 does not drive the printing motor M1 (the endless belts EB1 and EB2 are also stopped), and the rotational power of the sprocket 32 rotated by the cutting motor M2 is a torque diode 40 and is not transmitted to the printing motor M1. That is, the printing motor M1 is dynamically decoupled from the sprocket 32 and the cutting motor. As a result, when the printing sheet S is cut, the printing motor M1 does not act as a load resistance to the rotation of the sprocket 32 by the cutting motor M2. Furthermore, it is also possible to measure the amount of rotation of the cutting motor M2 by the encoder 60 and measure the conveying distance of the printing sheet S during cutting.

After the cutting by clipping of the display object is completed, the control calculation unit 71 repeats printing and cutting of another display object as necessary, and/or stops the cutting motor M2. For example, after the printing sheet S is cut across the entire width at the specified position by the cutting means 24 shown in FIG. 4, the operation of the printer 1 is finished.

According to the printer 1 configured in this way, while the platen 31 and the sprocket 32 are rotated to convey the print medium, arbitrary characters, figures, images, etc. are printed on the print medium on the platen 31, and the sprocket 32 is printed. Any shape can be cut at or around the printed area. A pressing portion 30 provided at a position facing the sprocket 32 can press the printing sheet S toward the sprocket 32. The pressing force of the printing sheet S by the pressing portion 30 is During both printing and cutting, the feeding load of the printing sheet S can be adjusted so as not to exceed the allowable amount. Therefore, due to the increase in the feeding load of the printing sheet S, the sheet conveying accuracy deteriorates, or the pressing roller 34 acts as a brake that prevents the printing sheet S from being conveyed, making it impossible to convey the printing sheet S to a predetermined position. It can be deterred. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of poor printing and poor cutting due to such problems, and it is possible to reliably carry out printing and cutting while properly conveying the printing sheet S.

In addition, since the pressing portion 30 does not press the printing sheet S when cutting the printing sheet S, but presses the printing sheet S when printing the printing sheet S, an extra feeding load is applied to the printing sheet S when cutting. While the printing sheet S can be properly conveyed and cut without giving any Printing can be done.

Furthermore, by using a relatively low-speed, high-torque motor as the printing motor M1 and a relatively high-speed, low-torque cutting motor M2, the sprocket 32 can be rotated by the printing motor when cutting the printing sheet S. Stable printing on the printing sheet S and proper high-speed cutting of the printing sheet S can be achieved by separating from M1 and rotating only by the cutting motor M2.

Further, the print head drive unit 12 and the print head holder 11h (first drive unit) press the pressing unit 30 toward the printing sheet S as the print head 11 moves downward toward the platen 31, so that printing is possible. The movement of the head 11 to the platen 31 side and the pressing of the printing sheet S by the pressing roller 34 of the pressing portion 30 can be performed at the same time. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently perform stable printing while pressing the printing sheet S with a simple configuration, shorten the time required for the printing process, and improve the throughput.

Similarly, the print head drive unit 12 and the print head holder 11h (second drive unit) move the print head 11 upward from the platen 31 side so that the pressing unit 30 moves from the printing sheet S side to the initial urging position. , it is possible to move the print head 11 from the platen 31 side and release the pressing of the printing sheet S by the pressing roller 34 of the pressing portion 30 . Therefore, the printing sheet S can be cut efficiently and at high speed without pressing the printing sheet S, and the time required for the cutting process can be shortened to improve the throughput. can be made

Furthermore, a torque diode 40 is provided on the rotating shaft 32a of the sprocket 32, and the driving force from the printing motor M1 is reliably transmitted to the sprocket 32 by the power transmission section 41 during printing of the printing sheet S. On the other hand, while the printing sheet S is being cut, the power of the cutting motor M2 is not transmitted to the printing motor M1 by the power non-transmitting portion . As a result, it is possible to prevent the printing motor M1 from co-rotating when the cutting motor M2 is driven. As a result, the printing motor M1 does not act as a load resistance to the cutting motor M2, so that the printing sheet S can be conveyed properly and reliably at high speed during cutting.

In addition, since the printing motor M1 is connected to a "slippery part" such as the torque limiter 50, slippage occurs in itself, causing the actual movement of the printing sheet S and the actual rotation of the printing motor M1. There is a possibility that the relationship between the amount (number of steps) and the amount (number of steps) will be deviated, and the conveying distance of the printing sheet S cannot be measured accurately. On the other hand, since the cutting motor M2 is not connected to such a "slippery part", there is no concern that the cutting motor M2 itself will slip. Rotation of the cutting motor M2 is reliably interlocked. Therefore, in the printer 1, the cutting motor M2 is provided with an encoder 60 to measure the number of steps, thereby accurately measuring the amount of rotation of the sprocket 32, that is, the conveying distance of the printing sheet S, and cutting the printing sheet. S can be properly printed and cut.

[Modification]
Here, the presser section 30 including the configuration of the presser section 30 configured as described above can adjust the pressing force against the printing sheet S in various forms as follows.

(Modification 1)
For example, by configuring the roller holder 34h to be continuously raised and lowered by an appropriate driving means, the pressing portion 30 may be configured to be able to adjust the pressing force of the printing sheet S steplessly. good. As a result, the pressing force of the printing sheet S by the pressing portion 30 can be varied continuously, so that the pressing force of the printing sheet S by the pressing portion 30 can be adjusted more finely. Therefore, such a configuration is effective when it is necessary to finely adjust the pressing force of the printing sheet S by the pressing portion 30 according to conditions such as the weight load of the printing sheet S and the speed of the platen 31 and the sprocket 32 .

(Modification 2)
For example, by configuring the roller holder 34h so that it can be intermittently raised and lowered by an appropriate driving means, the pressing portion 30 can adjust the pressing force of the printing sheet S in a plurality of stages. good. As a result, the pressing force of the printing sheet S by the pressing portion 30 can be varied intermittently (stepwise), so that the pressing force of the printing sheet S by the pressing portion 30 can be adjusted to be greater. becomes. Therefore, such a configuration is effective when it is necessary to greatly change the pressing force of the pressing portion 30 on the printing sheet S according to conditions such as the weight load of the printing sheet S and the speed of the platen 31 and the sprocket 32 . be.

(Modification 3)
For example, by configuring the roller holder 34h to be able to move up and down continuously and intermittently by an appropriate driving means, the pressing portion 30 can adjust the pressing force of the printing sheet S steplessly or in a plurality of steps. (Combination of Modifications 2 and 3). As a result, depending on conditions such as the weight load of the body of the printing sheet S and the speed of the platen 31 and the sprocket 32, the pressing force of the pressing portion 30 on the printing sheet S is greatly changed and finely adjusted to a desired pressing force. It is advantageous when

(Modification 4)
The pressing portion 30 may be configured to be able to adjust the pressing force by switching whether or not the printing sheet S is pressed. The configurations shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B and FIGS. 9A and 9B are included in this variation. In other words, there is a mode in which the pressing portion 30 presses the printing sheet S with a predetermined pressing force, and a mode in which the pressing portion 30 does not press the printing sheet S (the pressing portion 30 is separated from the printing sheet S and retracted). ) mode switching is performed. Therefore, the control structure and control method of the pressing portion 30 can be simplified as compared with the case where the pressing force of the pressing portion 30 on the printing sheet S is adjusted steplessly or in a plurality of steps.

(Modification 5)
The pressing portion 30 is set so that the pressing force of the printing sheet S by the pressing portion 30 when cutting the printing sheet S is smaller than the pressing force of the printing sheet S by the pressing portion 30 when printing the printing sheet S. Alternatively, the pressing force of the pressing portion 30 on the printing sheet S may be adjusted. Even in this case, the feeding load applied when cutting the printing sheet S is reduced more than the feeding load applied when printing the printing sheet S, so that the printing sheet S can be properly conveyed and cut. By pressing S, stable transportation and printing can be performed.

The above embodiments and modifications have been described in detail above as examples of the present disclosure. It goes without saying that various modifications and variations can be made without notice. In addition, the above-described embodiments and modifications can be partially replaced, deleted, or combined, and can be modified as described above as appropriate. For example, the print head 11 may use an inkjet system instead of the thermal head used together with the ink ribbon B. FIG. Encoder 60 may be provided on sprocket 32 . Further, since the rotation of the sprocket 32 and the rotation of the cutting motor M2 are reliably interlocked, the encoder 60 may be provided on the rotating shaft 32a of the sprocket 32.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Printer (display object production|generation apparatus), 10... Printing part, 11... Print head, 11h... Print head holder (1st drive part, 2nd drive part), 11p... Projection part, 12... Print head drive part, 13 Axial member 20 Cutting portion 21 Cutting head 22 Cutting head driving portion 23 Guide rail 24 Cutting means 30 Pressing portion 30p Protruding portion 31 Platen (first rotating body ), 31a... rotary shaft, 31b... platen drive pulley, 32... sprocket (second rotating body), 32a... rotary shaft, 32b... sprocket drive pulley, 32t... pin, 34... pressing roller, 34a... rotary shaft, 34h Roller holder 40 Torque diode 41 Power transmission unit 42 Power non-transmission unit 50 Torque limiter 60 Encoder 70 Control unit 71 Control calculation unit 72 Communication I/F unit , 72... communication interface (I/F) section, 73... storage section, 74... input section, 75... output section, 76... bus line, 110... main body of printer, 110a... side wall section, 110a... both side wall sections, 110b... Side wall part 110b... Both side wall parts 120... Cover 130... Ink ribbon cassette 131... Delivery core part 131g... First guide roller 132... Winding core part 132g... Second guide roller 133... Ink ribbon transport Motor B... Ink ribbon EB1... Endless belt EB2... Endless belt EB3... Endless belt M1... Printing motor (first motor) M1a... Rotary shaft M2... Cutting motor (second motor) M2a Rotation shaft, P: operation panel, R: sheet roll (printing medium), S: printing sheet (printing medium), Sh: sprocket hole, SSD: solid state drive, Ya: arrow (positive direction).

Claims (9)

a printing unit that prints on a print medium with a print head;
a cutting unit that cuts a printed portion of the print medium or a periphery of the printed portion in an arbitrary shape using a cutting head;
a first rotating body facing the printing unit through the printing medium;
a second rotating body facing the cutting unit through the print medium;
a first motor that rotates the first rotating body and the second rotating body to convey the print medium;
a pressing portion provided at a position facing the second rotating body with the printing medium interposed therebetween and capable of pressing the printing medium toward the second rotating body;
The display object creation device, wherein the pressing section is configured to be able to adjust the pressing force of the printing medium. 2. The display object creating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion can steplessly adjust the pressing force of the printing medium. 2. The display object creating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion can adjust the pressing force of the printing medium in a plurality of steps. 2. The display object creating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion can adjust the pressing force by switching whether or not the printing medium is pressed. 5. The display object creating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the pressing section is configured not to press the printing medium when cutting the printing medium, but to press the printing medium when printing the printing medium. 4. The presser unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pressing force is adjusted such that the pressing force when cutting the print medium is smaller than the pressing force when printing the print medium. Display object creation device. 6. The display creation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second motor that rotates the second rotating body to transport the print medium when the print medium is cut. 8. The display object creating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first driving section that moves the holding section toward the printing medium as the print head moves toward the first rotating body. 9. The display object creating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second driving section that moves the holding section from the printing medium side as the printing head is moved from the first rotating body side.

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