JP3505764B2 - Label printer - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a label printer,
More specifically, it relates to a label roll paper transfer structure in a label printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a thermal label printer, label roll paper rotatably mounted on a set shaft is fed out by driving a platen roller to print a label. Therefore, when a new label roll paper is installed, the weight of the roll paper is large and the inertial force is large, so that the torque required for feeding the roll paper is large, and especially at the start of printing, a large load is applied to the motor that drives the platen roller. Join. For this reason, the label feeding at the start of printing is not performed stably, the printing shrinks in the label feeding direction and the characters are clogged, and there arises a problem that the printing quality deteriorates.

Such a problem can be solved by using a motor having a sufficient torque, or by providing a tension roller biased by a spring between the label roll paper and the platen roller. The method also causes an increase in the cost of the device, and also becomes an obstacle to making the device smaller and lighter.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and an object thereof is to reduce the shrinkage of printing at the start of printing while adopting an extremely simple structure. It is to provide a label printer that can solve the above problem.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the label printer of the present invention is, in claim 1, characterized in that label roll paper rotatably mounted on a set shaft is fed out by driving a platen roller. In a label printer that prints on a label, at the end of the label entry side of the printing section,
A plate-like member made of an elastic body is attached to the position where it bypasses the label transfer path, and the elasticity of the plate-like member urges the label roll paper in the feeding direction, and the motor for driving the platen roller at the start of printing It is characterized by reducing the applied load.

[0006] Then, the transfer path of the label roll paper, if the diameter of the label roll paper is not less than a predetermined size,
It is characterized by being detoured by the plate-shaped member.

Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention , the plate-like member is attached to the platen roller side of the printing unit to bypass the label transfer path to the thermal head side.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the mounting angle of the plate member can be adjusted.

[0009]

According to the structure of the first aspect, the elasticity of the plate member urges the label roll paper in the feeding direction, and the urging force reduces the load on the motor for driving the platen roller. Therefore, label feeding at the start of printing can be stably performed. Further, since the plate member is provided on the label entry side of the printing unit, this plate member functions as a guide plate when the label roll paper is loaded in the printing unit.

In the label transfer path , the elasticity of the plate-shaped member acts to urge the label roll paper in the feeding direction only when the diameter of the label roll paper is larger than a predetermined size, and the label roll paper diameter is less than the predetermined size. In this case, the urging force of the plate member does not work and the label roll paper is fed out only by the rotational driving force of the platen roller.

[0011] According to the configuration of claim 2, wherein, provided the plate-like member on the platen roller side of the printing unit, and therefore the label transport path was assumed to be diverted to the thermal head side, the plate with respect to the label on the paper roll -Shaped members do not slide,
Therefore, the above-described respective operations can be obtained without fear that the label may be peeled off or the feeding of the roll paper may be hindered by the sliding contact of the plate-shaped member.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately adjust the mounting angle of the plate-like member according to the diameter of the label roll paper to be used, and to obtain the above-mentioned respective effects.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the label printer according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the label printer of this embodiment prints by arranging a thermal head 3 and a platen roller 4 in the vicinity of the label issuing port 1 inside a casing 2 having a label issuing port 1 on the front side. A winding shaft 7 for forming a portion 5 and separating the label roll sheet 1 from the label roll port a so that the set shaft 6 of the label roll paper a is obliquely upward with respect to the printing part 5 and rolls the roll paper (mounting paper a1).
Are arranged below the set shaft 6, and a motor 8 for driving the platen roller, a motor 9 for driving the winding shaft, etc. are arranged at predetermined positions, respectively, and are mounted on the set shaft 6 and rotatably supported. The label roll paper a is fed out from the set shaft 6 by the rotation driving of the platen roller 4 and the mount paper winding shaft 7,
When the roll paper a passes over the platen roller 4, the thermal head 3 prints required data on the label a2,
Further, when passing through the dispenser 22, the label a2 is placed on the mount a1.
The label is released from the label issuance port 1, and the mount a1 is wound around the winding shaft 7.

Here, the set shaft 6 is a shaft which does not rotate,
The label roll paper a is mounted on the set shaft 6 with friction such that the label roll paper a does not rotate due to inertia when the rotation of the platen roller 4 is stopped.

The casing 2 has a substantially box-like shape as shown in the drawing, and an opening 2b having an opening / closing door 2a is opened on one side thereof, and a partition wall opened / closed by the opening / closing door 2a inside the box. A printing mechanism chamber 12 partitioned by 11 is formed, and the printing unit 5, the set shaft 6, the winding shaft 7 and the like are provided in the mechanism chamber 12, and the label roll paper a is replaced by opening and closing the opening / closing door 2a. And the maintenance of the printing unit 5 should be performed. The label issuing port 1 is opened on the front surface of the casing 2 so as to communicate with the printing mechanism chamber 12, and the input operation unit 13 is provided above the label issuing port 1.
And a display unit 14 are provided, various data for each product are input by operating a plurality of touch keys forming the input operation unit 13, and the printing unit 5 and the take-up shaft are instructed by a data processing unit / command unit (not shown). 7 etc. to operate, label roll paper a
It is designed to print the required data on the upper label.

A window hole 11a is formed at a position close to the label issuing port 1 of the partition wall 11, and a substrate 15 is fixed so as to cover a part of the window hole 11a. The head support frame 16 is cantilevered so as to be positioned immediately in front of the label issuing port 1. Further, the label holding member 10 is fixed on the lower end side (label issuing port 1 side) of the head supporting frame 16 in a state of being inserted into the label issuing port 1, and is positioned so as to be positioned in front of the label holding member 10. Equipped with head 3.

On the rear end side (label entry side) of the lower surface of the head support frame 16, a label entry guide 17 extending in a curved shape from the rear end surface 16a of the head support frame 16 toward the label issuing port 1.
Is provided so that the upper surface side (label sticking side) of the roll paper a fed from the set shaft 6 is slidably contacted with the lower surface of the guide 17 and is transported in the direction of the label issuing port 1.

Below the label entry guide 17, a support shaft 18 having one end fixed to the substrate 15 is installed in a cantilever manner. A pair of left and right arm rods 19 and 20 extending toward the label issuing port 1 are fixed to both ends of the support shaft 18, and the end portions of both arm rods 19 and 20 on the label issuing port 1 side are fixed to each other. A platen roller 4, which is in parallel with the support shaft 18 and is in sliding contact with the thermal head 3 in a pressing manner, is rotatably installed and supported. In addition, both arms rod 19,20
A guide plate 21 and a dispenser 22, which are in sliding contact with the lower surface side (mounting side) of the label roll paper a to be transferred, are installed between the upper edges of the above. The rear end side (label entry side) of the guide plate 21 opposes in parallel with the leading end portion of the label entry guide 17 in the extending direction.

The platen roller 4 has one of the shaft supporting portions 4a and 4b projecting from both ends thereof, and one of the shaft supporting portions 4a and 4b is passed through the window hole 11a so that the printing mechanism chamber 12
Of the substrate 15 and the shaft supporting portion 4a of the substrate 15
The stepping motor 8 fixed to the rear side space is linked to the stepping motor 8 via a conduction belt 23 so that the stepping motor 8 is rotated by a predetermined angle by driving the motor 8.

A plate-like member 30 made of an elastic material is attached to the end of the printing portion 5 having the above-mentioned structure on the label entry side. The plate-shaped member 30 has a width dimension slightly larger than that of the label roll paper a, and is a wall-shaped end of the plate-shaped elastic body integrally formed so as to be gradually thinned from one end side in the length direction to the other end side. The curved portion 30 is curved along the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft 18 to form a mounting portion 30a, while the thin end portion is in contact with the lower surface of the roll paper a fed from the set shaft 6 so as to be in contact with the curved surface portion 30.
b is formed, and the attachment portion 30a is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft 18 by a fixing means such as a screw 31 so as to be attached to the support shaft.
Stand diagonally upward from 18 toward the set axis 6 direction,
In other words, the roll paper a fed from the set shaft 6 is attached to the support shaft 18 in a state of standing up so as to cross the transfer path of the roll paper a, whereby the curved surface portion 30b slides on the lower surface of the roll paper a and rolls. The transfer path of the paper a is diverted to the upper side (the thermal head 3 side) and the elasticity thereof causes the label roll paper a to be fed in the feeding direction (in this embodiment, in the direction substantially orthogonal to the feeding direction of the label roll paper a). It will become a force.

Further, the plate-like member 30 has such a length that the transfer path of the roll paper a can be detoured in the above direction when the diameter of the label roll paper a is equal to or larger than a predetermined size in the above-mentioned mounted state. With this, the plate-shaped member is formed only when the diameter of the label roll paper a is equal to or larger than a predetermined size.
The elasticity of 30 works to urge the label roll paper a in the feeding direction, and when the diameter of the label roll paper a is less than a predetermined value, a plate-like member
The urging force of 30 does not act and the label roll paper a is fed out only by the rotational driving force of the platen roller 4.

The attachment of the plate member 30 to the support shaft 18 is performed by the attachment angle (specifically, the attachment portion 30a is used as the support shaft).
By adopting a means capable of adjusting the rising angle of the plate-shaped member 30 which is fixed to 18 and rises obliquely upward, the mounting angle of the plate-shaped member 30 can be appropriately adjusted according to the diameter of the label roll paper a to be used. Adjust and adjust multiple types of label roll paper a
It is possible to deal with. As a means for adjusting the mounting angle of the plate-shaped member 30, for example, in the illustrated example, the plate-shaped member 30 is attached to the support shaft 18, and then the plate-shaped member 30 is attached.
It is conceivable to arbitrarily set the mounting angle of and to fix the one end side of the support shaft 18 to the board 15 with the screw 32 while maintaining the set state. Alternatively, although not shown, screw holes 33 formed in the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft 18 are provided at regular intervals in the circumferential direction, and the mounting angle of the support shaft 18 fixed to the substrate 15 can be arbitrarily set. However, it is also possible to attach the plate member 30.

The label roll paper a is formed by sticking a label a2, which is a heat-sensitive printing paper, on the backing paper a1 at regular intervals and winding the label a2 inside the backing paper a1. It is rotatably mounted on the platen and is prevented from falling off by the holding plate 6a. In that state, the platen roller 4 and the mount take-up shaft 7 are driven to rotate to be fed out from the set shaft 6, and when passing over the platen roller 4, thermal Required data is printed on the label by the head 3, and when passing through the dispenser 22, the label is peeled from the mount a1 and issued from the label issuing port 1, and the mount a1 is wound around the winding shaft 7. Further, a motor 9 for rotating the winding shaft 7 for winding the mount a1 is installed on the back side of the partition wall 11.

According to the label printer of this embodiment constructed as described above, when the diameter of the label roll paper a mounted on the set shaft 6 is equal to or larger than the predetermined size (indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1), The plate-shaped member 30 detours the transfer path of the roll paper a that is fed from the set shaft 6 and transferred to the printing unit 5 in the upward direction (to the thermal head 3 side). In this state, when the motor 8 for driving the platen roller and the motor 9 for driving the winding shaft are driven to feed the roll paper a, the roll paper a is fed from the set shaft 6 as shown by a virtual line in FIG. A predetermined tension is applied to the roll paper a and the plate member 30 is elastically deformed downward, and the label roll paper a for which the detour is reduced is supplied to the printing unit 5. Therefore, the peak of the load applied at the time of starting the motor 8 for driving the platen roller and the motor 9 for driving the take-up shaft is evened out, and in particular, the label feeding at the start of printing is stably performed. There is no fear that the print will shrink in the feeding direction and the characters will be clogged, and high-precision printing becomes possible.

Further, when the label a2 is sequentially fed out from the above-mentioned state and the diameter of the label roll paper a becomes smaller than a predetermined value (indicated by a phantom line in FIG. 1), the roll fed out from the set shaft 6 thereof. The paper a is transported in such a state that the paper a directly enters the printing unit 5 without slidingly contacting the curved surface portion 30b of the plate-shaped member 30 at the midway portion of the transportation path. That is, when the diameter of the label roll paper a is small, the above-mentioned problem does not occur, so that the plate-shaped member 30 is not necessary, and unnecessary substances are removed from the transfer path of the label roll paper a.

The plate-shaped member 30 provided on the label entry side of the printing unit 5 functions as a guide plate when the label roll paper a is loaded in the printing unit 5, and the plate-shaped member 30 further serves as the roll paper a. Since the above-mentioned label a2 is not slidably contacted, the plate-shaped member 30 is provided to complicate the loading work of the label roll paper a to the printing unit 5, or the slidable contact of the plate-shaped member 30 causes the label a2 The above-described effects can be obtained without fear that the roll paper a is peeled off or the feeding of the roll paper a is hindered.

The plate-like member 30 may be provided with ribs on the label sliding surface or slits for facilitating elastic deformation in order to reduce resistance. Further plate-shaped member
Although 30 can be molded using either synthetic resin material or metal material, when metal material is used, not only post-processing is required to remove burrs during molding, The thin-walled structure makes it easier to injure the operator's hands, requires careful handling, and is troublesome during assembly and maintenance work. Inferior to
It is preferable to use a synthetic resin material because these problems can be solved.

Further, when the plate member 30 is molded using a synthetic resin material, it is preferable to prevent the generation of static electricity by mixing a conductive material such as carbon during the molding. Further, in the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained by molding the above-described label entry guide 17 with metal. That is, when the label roll paper a and the plate member 30 are brought into sliding contact with each other, static electricity is generated and the label roll paper a
Even when the label a2 is charged, when the label a2 slides in contact with the entry guide 17 on the downstream side of the plate-shaped member 30 in the roll paper transfer direction, the static electricity of the label a2 disappears due to the metal entry guide 17, and the static electricity becomes thermal. It can be prevented from being transmitted to the head 3.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the screw hole 34 for inserting the screw 31 for fixing the plate member 30 to the support shaft 18 is a long hole extending in the longitudinal direction of the plate member 30 (vertical direction in FIG. 2). By making the mounting portion 30a of the plate-shaped member 30 into a substantially smooth shape that does not bend, the fixing of the plate-shaped member 30 to the support shaft 18 can be tilted with respect to the width direction of the plate-shaped member 30. As a result, when the plate member 30 is attached to the support shaft 18, the partition wall 11 side (the back side in FIG. 2) or the opening 2b is formed.
If it is tilted by a predetermined angle to the side (the front side in FIG. 2), the transfer path of the label roll paper a can be changed to the left and right with respect to the traveling direction, and the print position on the label can be adjusted arbitrarily or the print position It is also possible to correct when there is a deviation.

[0030]

As described above, the label printer of the present invention is provided with a plate-shaped member at the end of the printing unit on the label entry side, and the elasticity of the plate-shaped member urges the label roll paper in the feeding direction. Therefore, when a new label roll paper is mounted, that is, the torque required for feeding the roll paper is large, and even when a large load is applied to the motor that drives the platen roller at the start of printing, The plate-shaped member reduces the load on the motor, and stable label feeding can be performed. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the conventional defect that the print is shrunk in the label feeding direction and the characters are clogged, and it is possible to perform highly accurate printing.

Moreover, since the initial purpose can be achieved with a simple structure in which a plate member made of an elastic material is attached to the printing portion, a motor having sufficient torque can be used, or label roll paper and platen roller can be used. It is less expensive than the case where a means such as a tension roller urged by a spring is provided between them, and there is no fear that the device will become large or assembly will become complicated. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the above-described effects while achieving cost reduction, size reduction and weight reduction of the device, ease of assembly, and the like.

Further, since the plate-shaped member is provided at the end of the printing unit on the label entry side, the plate-shaped member serves as a guide, and the label roll paper can be easily loaded into the printing unit.

In the label roll paper transfer path , the plate roll member urges the label roll paper in the feeding direction only when the torque required for feeding the label is large, while the above effect is obtained, but the roll paper diameter is small. In this case, the label roll paper is fed only by the rotation driving force of the platen roller. Therefore, the urging works only when necessary, and when it is not necessary, the label roll paper is not involved in the transfer path and unnecessary troubles can be prevented.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the plate-like member is prevented from coming into contact with the label on the roll paper, and the predetermined effect can be obtained without fear of peeling the label or obstructing the feeding of the roll paper during the transfer route of the label roll paper. Can be obtained. Also, when loading label roll paper in the printing section,
Since the label roll paper can be placed on the plate-shaped member and used as a guide, loading can be facilitated.

According to the third aspect , by appropriately adjusting the mounting angle of the plate member according to the diameter of the label roll paper mounted on the set shaft, it is possible to handle a plurality of types of label roll paper.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view showing an embodiment of a label printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line (X)-(X) of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Label issuing port 2: Casing
3: Thermal head 4: Platen roller 5: Printing part
6: Set shaft 7: Winding shaft 8, 9: Motor 1
8: Support shaft 30: Plate member 30a: Mounting part 30
b: curved surface a: label roll paper a1: backing paper a
2: Label

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. In a label printer that prints on a label by feeding a roll of label paper rotatably mounted on a set shaft by driving a platen roller, a label transfer path is provided at the end of the print section on the label entry side. Attach a plate-shaped member made of an elastic body that protrudes to the detouring position and attach the label.
The diameter of the label roll paper is
If the size is more than
Is, urges the label roll paper due to the elasticity of the plate-shaped member to the unwinding direction, the label printer, characterized in that to reduce the load on the motor for driving the platen roller at start of printing. 2. The platen in the printing section is the plate-shaped member.
It is attached to the roller side and the label transfer path is
The label printer according to claim 1, wherein the label printer is diverted to the head side . 3. The mounting angle of the plate member can be adjusted.
According to claim 1 or 2, wherein the label printer is characterized in that the the.