JP2578240B2 - Label printer - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a label printer for printing a product name, a bar code, and the like on a label, and more particularly to a label printer having a peeling device for peeling a printed label from a mount. About.

[Prior Art] In a label printer, a peeling device is treated as an optional component. Therefore, a conventional peeling apparatus includes a pulse motor and a paper feed mechanism operated by the motor so that the apparatus can operate by itself. The peeling device is attached to the main body frame of the label printer by screwing, and is operated to feed the label-peeled portion of the backing paper to peel the printed label from the backing on which the label is attached. .

Therefore, a label printer to which a peeling device is attached has a first motor including a pulse motor for feeding a continuous long backing sheet on which a label is stuck on one side to a printing unit and a paper feeding mechanism operated by the motor. It has a paper feed system and a second paper feed system by the peeling device for feeding the label-peeled portion of the backing paper. As described above, the second paper feed system includes a pulse motor and a paper feed mechanism operated by the motor, and the pulse motor is synchronized with the pulse motor of the first paper feed system. Is controlled.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, the label printer temporarily suspends the issuing operation every time a label is issued, and then issues the label again. In such intermittent label issuance, the pulse motors of the first and second paper feed systems are controlled so as to be stopped simultaneously at the time of the interruption.

However, nevertheless, due to the difference in inertia between the two paper feeding systems, it is impossible to completely match the times until these feeding operations stop. The inventor of the present invention has confirmed that the second paper feed system including the peeling device usually requires a longer stopping time than the first paper feed system.

For this reason, the mount is not immediately stopped at the moment when the issuance of the label is interrupted, and may slightly deviate from a predetermined stop position due to the inertia of the second paper feed system. Then, when the next label is issued in this state of misalignment, the issued label is printed out of the normal position by the amount of the misalignment.

In order to avoid such a problem, conventionally, it is necessary to perform so-called trial printing in which printing is performed on a label after the mount is retracted by an appropriate amount by manual operation. The trial shot is repeatedly performed until the printing reaches the normal position.

As described above, the conventional label printer has a problem in that it is difficult to handle since a troublesome trial printing must be performed every time a label is issued. In addition, the peeling device has a pulse motor and the like, and can be driven independently, so that it is large. Therefore, when the size of the label printer is reduced, there is a problem that the peeling device is likely to be an obstacle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a label printer which can improve the handleability and is suitable for miniaturization.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, a label printer of the present invention has a unit for printing, and a unit which is detachably attached as an optional component to this unit. A peeling device, wherein the mechanism unit is provided to extend in the axial direction of the platen roller on a platen roller that is rotatably driven, and a roller support plate that rotatably supports the platen roller, and is attached to one surface of the backing paper. A peeling member for peeling the applied label from the backing sheet immediately after printing, and a peeling unit support for supporting the peeling apparatus, wherein the peeling apparatus peels off the label of the backing sheet between the platen roller. While being provided with the
A peeling roller that is driven and rotated relative to the platen roller via the mount, a peeling frame that is rotatably supported on the platen roller and that is provided to be movable in a direction in which the peeling roller comes into contact with and separates from the platen roller; An elastic body that is provided by urging the peeling frame and presses the peeling roller against the platen roller by the urging force, and detachably engages the peeling unit support with the peeling unit support, thereby attaching the peeling device to the mechanism unit. And a mounting part to be supported.

[Operation] In the label printer of the present invention, the peeling device unitized as an optional component can be supported by the mechanism by engaging the mounting portion of the peeling device with the peeling unit support of the mechanism. By releasing the engagement, the peeling device can be removed from the mechanism. Therefore, when the peeling device is used by being supported by the mechanism, the label can be peeled and issued, and the label without using the peeling device can be issued while being attached to the backing paper.

In a state where the peeling device is attached to the mechanism, the peeling roller provided in the peeling device is rotatably supported by the peeling frame, and the peeling frame is urged by an elastic body. The peeling roller, which is rotatable by the urging force, is mounted on the platen roller with the label-peeled portion of the backing sandwiched therebetween.

Therefore, when the platen roller is driven to rotate, the peeling roller is driven to rotate by the platen roller via the backing sheet sent by this rotation. Along with such a paper feeding operation, the mount is pulled while being bent around the peeling member, so that the label printed at the position of the peeling member can be peeled from the mount.

Then, when the rotation drive of the platen roller is interrupted and the paper feeding operation of the mount is stopped, there is no time lag with respect to this stop, and at the same time, the rotation of the peeling roller driven by the platen roller is stopped.

Therefore, unnecessary paper feed is eliminated, and label displacement can be prevented. Further, as described above, since the peeling roller is rotated by following the platen roller, the peeling device is unitized and does not require a driving unit (such as a pulse motor) for rotating and driving the peeling roller.

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

A mechanism 2 for performing printing is provided in the main body case 1 shown in FIGS. The mechanism unit 2 includes vertical side plates 4, 4 on both left and right ends of a bottom plate 3 arranged horizontally.
5 is provided with a main body frame 6 which is continuous with each other.

The mechanism section 2 includes a platen unit 11 disposed between the side plates 4 and 5 and rotatably supported by the side plates 4 and 5. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, the unit 11 includes a fulcrum shaft 12, a pair of left and right end plates 13, a platen roller 14, an intermediate shaft 15,
16 and a torsion spring (not shown). The fulcrum shaft 12 and the intermediate shaft 15 are also used as a peeling unit support on the mechanism section side that supports a unitized peeling device described later on the mechanism section 2.

Both ends of the fulcrum shaft 12 are non-rotatably fixed to the side plates 4, 5, respectively. A pair of end plates 13 as roller support plates are fitted to both ends of the fulcrum shaft 12 so as to be rotatable along a direction around the shaft 12. The platen roller 14 is a pair of end plates 13
Are rotatably mounted across a front end portion of the vehicle through a bearing (not shown). One end of the platen roller 14
It is connected to a paper feed mechanism (not shown) provided in the mechanism section 2 and is appropriately rotated and driven by this feed mechanism.

The intermediate shaft 15 is located between the fulcrum shaft 12 and the platen roller 14, and is laterally suspended between the pair of end plates 13. A peeling plate 16 serving as a peeling member is positioned near the front side of the platen roller 14 and spans across the front ends of the pair of end plates 13.

The torsion spring wound around the fulcrum shaft 12 has one end hooked to a spring receiver (not shown) fixed to the fulcrum shaft 12 and the other end hooked to the intermediate shaft 15 from below. The portion other than the fulcrum shaft 12 of the platen unit 11 is urged upward by the elastic force of the torsion spring. As a result, the platen roller 14 is pressed against the below-described line thermal head 29 from below. Further, portions other than the fulcrum shaft 12 of the platen unit 11 are appropriately rotated downward around the fulcrum shaft 12 by manual or automatic control against the elastic force of the torsion spring.

A head frame 21 is disposed above the platen unit 11. The mounting structure of the frame 21 is as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. That is, the rear end of the head frame 21 is fitted to the support shaft 22 that is provided so that the side plate 4 projects from the side plate 4 to the side. A support pin 23 projects from the front end of the side frame 4 of the head frame 21 and is fitted into a through hole (not shown) provided in the side plate 4. In addition, the tip of the support shaft 22 has the side plate 5 of the head frame 21 protruding from the end face of the head frame 21, and the side plate 5 of the head frame 21 has a support pin 24 projecting from the front end of the end face of the neck. I have.
The tip of the support shaft 22 and the support pin 24 are connected to the side plate 5.
Is fitted in a hole (not shown) of the clamp plate 25 pivotally attached to the clamp plate 25.

In this manner, the head frame 21 has one end supported by the side plate 4 via the support shaft 22 and the support pin 23, and the other end supported by the tip of the support shaft 22 and the support pin.
Both ends are supported by being supported by the clamp plate 25 of the side plate 5 via 24. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 26 denotes a pivot of the clamp plate 25, and reference numeral 27 denotes a retaining hole. A retaining plate 28 made of a leaf spring attached to the upper surface of the head frame 21 is removably engaged with the retaining hole 27, and the retaining state of the head frame 21 is supported by the engagement with the clamp plate 25. Is maintained. Therefore, after pushing down the distal end portion 28a of the latch plate 28 in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
By rotating 5 in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 7, the support of the side plate 5 of the head frame 21 can be released.

A line thermal head 29 is mounted on the head frame 21. The platen roller 14 is pressed against the head 29 from below. Head frame
As shown in FIG. 8, a guide roller 30 is rotatably mounted on a support shaft 22 which supports 21.

A ribbon driving device 31 is attached to the upper end of the side plate 4 as shown in FIGS. This drive
Numeral 31 denotes an input gear which is operated by receiving the power of the paper feed mechanism (not shown). In FIGS. 7 and 8, reference numeral 32 denotes an input gear connected to the paper feed mechanism. In addition, 33 in FIG.
Is a transmission belt mechanism, 34 is a mechanical gear, 35 is a driven gear, and 36 is a tension pulley, which rotates upper and lower rotating shafts 37 and 38 shown in FIG. Rotary axis 3
7, 38 are provided in pairs.

A ribbon device mounting portion 41 located above the head frame 21 is mounted on the side plate 4. This mounting part
41 is a guide 42 fixed to the side plate 4 as shown in FIG.
And a slider 43 that moves along the guide. A pair of engagement projections 44 are provided on the upper surface of the slider 43.

A ribbon device 45 is detachably attached to the ribbon device attachment portion 41 so as to straddle the ribbon device. The ribbon device 45 includes a pair of left and right frames 46 as shown in FIG.
Are connected by a horizontal shaft 47 and a horizontal plate 48, and a ribbon drive shaft 49 and a ribbon guide shaft 50 are rotatably mounted between the frames 46, respectively, and a ribbon supply shaft 51 is provided above the ribbon drive shaft 49 and the ribbon guide shaft 50. And the ribbon winding shaft 52 are rotatably mounted horizontally. The ribbon drive shaft 49 and the ribbon guide shaft 50 are non-removably fixed to the frame 46, and the ribbon supply shaft 51 and the ribbon take-up shaft 52 are
Detachable from 46.

In the ribbon device 45, a wide hole portion of a polished hole 48a (see FIG. 7) provided in the horizontal
After that, the side plate 4 slightly moves the ribbon device 45 so that the engagement protrusion 44 is inserted into the narrow hole of the polished hole 48a.
Is hooked on the ribbon attaching portion 41 to prevent the ribbon attaching portion 41 from being detached upward. The ribbon device 45 is placed at a predetermined position by moving the side plate 4 along with the slider 43. In addition, this state is maintained by the latch member 53 made of a leaf spring fixed to the guide 42 being hooked by the side plate 5 on the frame 46. When the ribbon device 45 is arranged at a fixed position as described above, the ends of the respective shafts 49 to 52 are fitted and connected to the respective rotating shafts 37 and 38 of the ribbon driving device 31. Has become.

In the configuration described above, a continuous long backing sheet C, on which labels are stuck on one side at equal intervals, is continuously wound on a paper holder (not shown) supported on the rear side of the main body case 1 or the like. Supported. The mount C is unwound from the paper holder, is set between the platen roller 14 and the line thermal head 29, and is appropriately fed by the operation of the paper feed mechanism.

At the same time as this paper feed, the ribbon drive device 31 is operated in synchronization, so the rotational force transmitted to the ribbon drive shaft 49
The transfer ribbon 54 wound around the ribbon supply shaft 51 is pulled out via the ribbon guide shaft 50, and the rotational force transmitted to the ribbon winding shaft 51 accompanying the transfer ribbon 54 causes the platen roller 54 to rotate.
Transfer ribbon passed between 14 and line thermal head 29
The used portion of 54 is wound on the ribbon winding shaft 51.
The transfer amount of the transfer ribbon 54 and the mount C is the same, so that the ink of the transfer ribbon 54 is thermally transferred to the label by the printing operation.

The attachment and detachment of the ribbon device 45 is performed by rotating the clamp plate 25 downward to bring the head frame 21 into a cantilever state,
The platen unit 11 is manually lowered to separate the platen roller 14 from the line thermal head 29. In this state, the transfer ribbon 54 is inserted and removed between the platen roller 14 and the line thermal head 29 with the side plate 5 being visible. It is.

Next, the peeling device 61 shown in detail in FIGS. 1 to 5 will be described. This device 61, together with the release plate 16,
This forms peeling means for peeling the printed label from the backing paper C, and is unitized as an optional component.

The peeling device 61 includes a peeling frame 62, a support shaft 63, a peeling roller 64, a pressing shaft 65, a pair of base plates 66, a pair of hooks 67, a pair of first torsion springs 68, and a pair of And a second torsion spring 69.

The peeling frame 62 is formed by connecting the front ends of a pair of arm portions 62a with a horizontal plate portion 62b integral therewith, and a tongue-shaped operating portion 70 projects integrally forward with the horizontal plate portion 62b. Has been established. The left and right arms 62a are rotatably fitted to both ends of the support shaft 63, respectively. Therefore, the peeling frame 62 is rotatably supported by the support shaft 63 along the direction around the axis. The pressure shaft 65 is located between the horizontal plate portion 62b and the support shaft 63, and is horizontally suspended between the left and right arm portions 62a.

The peeling roller 64 is rotatably supported on the front of the arm 62a so as to be laterally suspended. The pair of base plates 66 are support shafts
63 are fitted at both ends. The base plate 66 projects rearward, has a semicircular mounting groove 71 on its rear surface as shown in FIG. 5, and has an upward mounting protrusion 72 on its front. ing. The pair of hooks 67 are also fitted to both ends of the support shaft 63, respectively, and these have hook portions 73 at the top. The mounting groove 71, the mounting protrusion 72, and the hook 67 are used as mounting portions on the peeling device 61 side, and these are used as the support shaft 12 as described later.
And, it is adapted to be detachably engaged with the intermediate shaft 15.

The first torsion spring 68 is positioned between the arm portion 62a and the base plate 66 and is wound around the support shaft 63.
One end of the spring 68 is hooked on the pressing shaft 65 from below, and the other end of the spring 68 is hooked on the base plate 66. The first torsion spring 68 urges the peeling roller 64 upward through the pressing shaft 65 and the peeling frame 62 by its elastic force. Therefore, the peeling roller 64 is pressed against the platen roller 14 from below by the urging force.

The second torsion spring 69 includes a base plate 66 and a hook 67.
And wound around the support shaft 63. One end of the spring 69 is hooked on a base plate 66, and the other end of the spring 69 is hooked on a hook 67. The second torsion spring 69 urges the hook 67 in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 5 by its elastic force.

The peeling device 61 having the above-described configuration includes the side plate 4 of the main body frame 6,
5, and is detachably attached to the platen unit 11 by the following procedure.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, after the mounting grooves 71 of the pair of base plates 66 are engaged with the fulcrum shaft 12 from the front side, the mounting grooves 71 are The entire peeling device 61 is pushed up in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 3 so as to slide on the peripheral surface. Then, the front end face of the mounting projection 72 is
Engage with 15 rear surface. At the same time, the hook 73 of the hook 67 passes through the rear surface of the intermediate shaft 15, and immediately thereafter, the second
The hook 67 is rotated by the force of the torsion spring 69, and the hook 73 is hooked on the intermediate shaft 15 from above.

This mounting state is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this state, the base plate 66 is supported by the fulcrum shaft 12 and the intermediate shaft 15.
, The vertical movement is stopped by the engagement of the mounting groove 71 with the fulcrum shaft 12 and the engagement of the hook 67 with the intermediate shaft 15. Also,
Removal of the peeling device 61 from the platen unit 11 is performed by pulling the lower portion of the hook 67 in the direction of arrow F in FIG.
After removing the hook portion 73 from the intermediate shaft 15, the peeling device 61
You only have to lower the whole.

A case where a label is issued with the peeling device 61 attached as shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

The work of setting the backing sheet C prior to label issuance is the second
As shown in the figure, the mount C is passed between the platen roller 14 and the line thermal head 29, and the mount C is guided below the platen roller 14 via the peeling plate 16. Then, the operation unit 70 of the peeling frame 62 is pressed down with a finger to
As shown in the figure, the peeling frame 62 is rotated downward against the urging force of the first torsion spring 68. Then, since the peeling roller 64 is separated from the platen roller 14, the leading end of the mount C is passed between the rollers 14 and 64, and the mount C is passed through the peeling frame 62 along the rear surface of the peeling roller 64. . Thereafter, the pressing down of the peeling frame 62 is released. Then, the peeling roller 64 is pressed against the platen roller 14 from below under the mount C by the urging force G of the first torsion spring 68.

After such a setting operation, the above-described label issuing operation is performed. Then, since the mount C is fed by the power of a sheet feeder (not shown), the label is peeled off accordingly. In other words, the platen roller 14 is rotated in the direction of arrow H in FIG. 1 by the power of the paper feeder, and the sheet C wound around the platen roller 14 is moved. It is driven to rotate. Then, the mount C is sharply bent and passes through the peeling plate 16 while being strongly pulled. Therefore, the printed label affixed to the mount C is peeled off from the mount C at the position of the peeling plate 16, and the labels are issued one after another.

The label is issued intermittently as described above. When the issuance of the label is interrupted, the operation of the not-shown paper feeder is stopped. Therefore, the rotation is stopped at the same time in synchronization with the stop of the platen roller 14. Therefore, after the rotation of the platen roller 14 is stopped, the peeling roller 64 does not continue to rotate, and therefore, the mount C is not moved by the peeling roller 64.

Therefore, the mount C is prevented from deviating from the predetermined stop position, so that it is possible to print at the normal position of the label in the next label issuance, and to obtain the print at the normal position. There is no need to adjust the position of C, and the handling can be improved. Of course, the trial printing is not required when resuming the next printing,
It is also possible to prevent labels from being wasted.

In addition, the peeling device 61 driven by the platen roller 14
Since it cannot be driven independently and does not include a motor or the like, it can be made compact. Therefore, when the size of the label printer is reduced, the peeling device 61 does not interfere. Of course, since the above-described peeling device 61 does not include a motor or the like, the number of parts is small and the configuration is simple, so that it can be obtained at low cost and can contribute to cost reduction of the entire label printer.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the present invention, the ribbon device 45 and its driving device 31 may be omitted.

[Effects of the Invention] In the label printer according to the present invention described above, a mechanism for performing printing with the peeling unit support on the rotatably driven platen roller is detachably engaged with the unit support. A unitized peeling device which has a mounting portion to be attached to and detached from the mechanism portion as an optional component, and which is supported by the mechanism portion with respect to the platen roller which is driven and rotated by the mechanism portion. The peeling frame of the peeling device is provided so as to be movable, a peeling roller provided so as to sandwich the label-peeled portion of the mount between the platen roller, is rotatably supported by the peeling frame, and the peeling frame is attached. The peeling roller is pressed against the platen roller by a biasing elastic body, and the peeling roller is driven to rotate by the platen roller via the mount. With such a configuration, the label-peeled portion of the peeling roller can be rotated by being driven by the platen roller via the backing paper sent by the rotation drive of the platen roller. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the displacement of the backing sheet at the time of interrupting the label issuance, and it is not necessary to perform the test hitting when resuming the label issuance. Since there is no need to drive the peeling roller of the apparatus separately from the platen roller, the structure of the peeling device of the peeling device unitized as an optional component can be made compact and simple, which is suitable for downsizing the whole printer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the peeling device, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the peeling device for explaining the procedure for setting the backing paper, FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a procedure for attaching the peeling device to the platen unit. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the entire peeling device. FIG. Is a perspective view showing a part of the mechanism, FIG. 7 is a schematic front view showing a part of the mechanism, and FIG. 8 is a part of the mechanism seen from the direction VIII in FIG. FIG. 13 ... End plate (roller support plate), 14 ... Platen roller,
16: peeling plate (peeling member), 61: peeling device, 62: peeling frame, 64: peeling roller, 68: first torsion spring (elastic body), C: mount, 2 ... mechanical part , 12… fulcrum shaft (peeling unit support), 15… middle shaft (peeling unit support), 67… hook (mounting part), 71… mounting groove (mounting part), 72… mounting protrusion (mounting) Part), 73 ……
Hook hook.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Ikuzo Sugiura 1-484-1, Bunkyo-cho, Mishima-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture (56) References Tokyo-Eki Giken Co., Ltd. 61-164110 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A mechanism for printing, comprising: a unitized peeling device detachably attached as an optional component to the mechanism, wherein the mechanism is rotatably driven by a platen roller; A peeling member provided on a roller support plate rotatably supporting the platen roller so as to extend in the axial direction of the roller roller and peeling the label attached to one surface of the backing sheet from the backing sheet immediately after printing; and supporting the peeling device. And a peeling unit supporting the platen roller, wherein the peeling device is provided with the label-peeled portion of the backing sandwiched between the platen roller and the platen roller, and is driven to rotate by the platen roller via the backing. A peeling roller to be rotatably supported and rotatable in a direction in which the peeling roller comes into contact with and separates from the platen roller. A peeling frame provided, an elastic body provided by urging the peeling frame, and pressing the peeling roller against the platen roller by the urging force; and the mechanism detachably engaging with the peeling unit support. A label printer, comprising: a mounting portion for supporting the peeling device in the portion.