JP3617356B2 - Tape printer - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tape printer provided with an eject mechanism that floats a mounted tape cartridge and a tape cutting mechanism that cuts a tape fed out of the tape cartridge.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a tape printer provided with a conventional ejection mechanism, for example, one described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-277678 is known. The eject mechanism of this tape printing device stores the force that the user pushes the tape cartridge into the cartridge mounting part in the spring, and the user opens the open / close lid that is half-opened by the push button of the release button until the user fully opens it. When opened, the spring is released to lift the tape cartridge.
The tape cutting mechanism uses a motor as a power source, and a scissors-type cutter is cut by a crank mechanism via a gear train.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In such a conventional tape printing apparatus, it is necessary to push the tape cartridge strongly against the spring, and the mounting of the tape cartridge becomes complicated. Therefore, this is preferably performed automatically. However, automating the ejection requires a motor and a reduction gear, which complicates the structure and control. Further, a space for the motor is required, and downsizing of the apparatus is hindered.
[0004]
An object of the present invention is to provide a tape printing apparatus having a simple structure and capable of appropriately operating an ejection mechanism and a tape cutting mechanism with a single motor.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A tape printer according to the present invention includes a cartridge mounting portion on which a tape cartridge is detachably mounted, an open / close lid that opens and closes the cartridge mounting portion, and an eject mechanism that lifts the tape cartridge mounted on the cartridge mounting portion from the cartridge mounting portion. A tape cutting mechanism for cutting the tape fed from the tape cartridge mounted on the cartridge mounting portion, a single motor for operating the ejection mechanism and the tape cutting mechanism, respectively, and the rotational power of the motor for the ejection mechanism and tape cutting. A power transmission mechanism that transmits to the mechanism, and a clutch mechanism that is interposed in the power transmission mechanism and selectively switches the rotational power of the motor between an ejection mechanism and a tape cutting mechanism, and the clutch mechanism is interlocked with opening and closing of the opening / closing lid Then, the rotational power of the motor can be ejected with the open / close lid open. Switch to preparative mechanism, and switches the rotation power of the motor to the tape cutting mechanism in the closed state.
[0006]
According to this configuration, when the motor is started with the opening / closing lid opened, the rotational power of the motor is transmitted to the ejection mechanism via the power transmission mechanism, and the ejection mechanism is activated to remove the tape cartridge from the cartridge mounting portion. Make it rise. On the other hand, when the motor is started with the open / close lid closed, the rotational power of the motor is transmitted to the tape cutting mechanism via the power transmission mechanism, and the tape cutting mechanism is activated to cut the tape fed out from the tape cartridge. To do. In this case, the power is switched to the ejection mechanism or the tape cutting mechanism by the clutch mechanism that is linked to the opening / closing of the opening / closing lid of the cartridge mounting portion, so that the switching is performed easily and without the user's awareness. Can do.
[0007]
In this case, the clutch mechanism meshes the input side with the motor-side power transmission gear, and the output side selectively engages with the ejection side input gear on the ejection mechanism side and the cutter side input gear on the tape cutting mechanism side, A gear shaft that rotatably supports the switching gear and is slidable in the axial direction, and interlocked with opening / closing of the opening / closing lid, and the switching gear meshes with the ejection input gear and the cutter input gear. It is preferable to have a switching arm that slides in the axial direction on the gear shaft between the cutting transmission position.
[0008]
Further, in this case, the opening / closing lid has an interlocking piece that engages with the interlocking portion of the switching arm, and the switching arm is configured to be movable forward and backward and is biased toward the opening / closing lid by a spring, It is preferable that a cam mechanism that moves the switching gear together with the spring between the eject transmission position and the cutting transmission position is formed between the interlocking pieces.
[0009]
According to this configuration, the clutch mechanism and the interlocking structure can be simplified, and only the forward and reverse rotations of the motor can be used for the operation of the eject mechanism and the tape cutting mechanism. For this reason, the complexity of motor control can be suppressed, and failures can be reduced. The rotation in the other direction of the motor can be used, for example, when the cutter of the tape cutting mechanism is moved in the direction opposite to the cutting direction to release the biting of the tape.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a tape printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This tape printer has a function of performing desired printing on a printing tape by key input and cutting a printed portion of the printing tape, and the cut printing tape is used as a label to be attached to a document file or the like. Used. That is, the tape printing apparatus creates a label on which characters are printed from a plain printing tape. In this case, the plain print tape and ink ribbon that are consumables are accommodated in the tape cartridge and supplied to the apparatus main body via the tape cartridge.
[0011]
As shown in FIG. 1, the tape printing apparatus 1 has an apparatus case 3 that is divided into upper and lower parts to form an outer shell of the apparatus body 2, and has a key input unit 4 at the front and a liquid crystal display 5 at the right rear. A cartridge mounting portion 7 for mounting the tape cartridge 6 is disposed on the left rear portion. The cartridge mounting portion 7 is provided with an opening / closing lid 8 with a window, and the opening / closing lid 8 is attached to the apparatus main body 2 so as to be freely opened and closed. Further, an ejection mechanism 9 described later is incorporated in the cartridge mounting portion 7, and the ejection mechanism 9 raises (floats) the received tape cartridge 6 to a position where it can be easily taken out.
[0012]
A tape discharge port 10 is formed on the left side of the device case 3 so as to communicate the cartridge mounting portion 7 with the outside of the device. The tape discharge port 10 faces a tape cutter 11 for cutting the sent print tape. (See FIG. 4). The tape cutter 11 is connected to an auto cut mechanism 12 to be described later and is cut by the auto cut mechanism 12. That is, the tape cutter 11 and the automatic cut mechanism 12 constitute a tape cutting mechanism as defined in the claims. Although details will be described later, the auto-cut mechanism 12 and the eject mechanism 9 are operated by the same drive source.
[0013]
On the other hand, the cartridge mounting portion 7 includes a print head 14 covered with a head cover 13, a platen shaft 15 facing the print head 14, a take-up shaft 16 that winds up an ink ribbon, and a guide protrusion that guides the mounting of the tape cartridge 6. 17 is erected. The platen 18 is provided in the tape cartridge 6 (see FIGS. 1 and 4). A tape feeding mechanism (not shown) for rotating the platen 18 and the take-up shaft 16 is incorporated below the cartridge mounting portion 7.
[0014]
When producing a label with this tape printer 1, first, the opening button 19 located at the corner of the opening / closing lid 8 is pushed to lift the opening / closing lid 8, and then the opening / closing lid 8 is completely opened manually. Next, the tape cartridge 6 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 7 from above. When the cartridge 6 is mounted, the opening / closing lid 8 is closed, and the tape printer 1 is put into a print standby state. Next, a desired input is performed by operating the key input unit 4 while viewing the liquid crystal display 5. When a desired input is confirmed on the liquid crystal display 5, the key input unit 4 is further operated to instruct a printing operation.
[0015]
When a printing operation is commanded, the printing tape and the ink ribbon of the tape cartridge 6 start to travel simultaneously, and desired printing is performed on the printing tape by the print head 14. As the printing operation proceeds, the ink ribbon is wound up in the cartridge 6, and the printed printing tape is sent out of the apparatus from the tape discharge port 10. When the printing is completed, the feeding of the blank portion is performed, and then the printing tape and the ink ribbon are stopped. Subsequently, the auto-cut mechanism 12 is activated, the tape cutter 11 is operated, and the printing tape is cut.
[0016]
On the other hand, when the cartridge 6 is taken out, the release button 19 is pressed to raise the open / close lid 8, and then the open / close lid 8 is fully opened manually, and the eject mechanism 9 is driven by key operation in this state. When the eject mechanism 9 is driven, the tape cartridge 6 floats to a position where it can be easily picked up.
[0017]
Next, the eject mechanism 9 and the auto cut mechanism 12 that operate with a single power source will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. These drawings show the cartridge mounting portion 7 around which the device case 3 is removed. The motor 31 is a single power source fixed to the base frame 21, and the gear train connected to the main shaft of the motor 31. Thus, the drive unit 22 is configured, and the eject mechanism 9 and the automatic cut mechanism 12 are selectively operated by the drive unit 22 via the clutch mechanism 23. In this case, a mounting unit case 24 constituting the cartridge mounting unit 7 is disposed on a base frame 21 on which the print head 14 is erected, with a tape feeding mechanism (not shown) interposed therebetween. An eject plate 25 described later is disposed on the bottom plate 24a (see FIGS. 5 and 6).
[0018]
As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 7, the clutch mechanism 23 is interlocked with the opening / closing of the opening / closing lid 8, and when the opening / closing lid 8 is in the “open” state, the rotational power of the motor 31 is ejected. In the “closed” state, the rotational power of the motor 31 is transmitted to the automatic cut mechanism 12. The output end of the eject mechanism 9 is an eject plate 25. When the eject mechanism 9 is operated, the eject plate 25 is raised, and the tape cartridge 6 mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 7 is floated. The output end of the auto-cut mechanism 12 is connected to a scissor-type tape cutter 11 composed of a fixed blade 11a and a movable blade 11b. When the auto-cut mechanism 12 is activated, the tape cutter 11 is cut and operated. Cut the printing tape facing the printer.
[0019]
The drive unit 22 includes a worm (not shown) fixed to the main shaft of the motor 31, a worm wheel 32 that meshes with the worm, and a wide gear 33 that is coaxially fixed to the worm wheel 32. The rotational power of the motor 31 is input from the wide gear 33 to the clutch mechanism 23 via the worm and the worm wheel 32.
[0020]
The clutch mechanism 23 includes a first transmission gear (switching gear) 41 that meshes with the wide gear (power transmission gear) 33, a second transmission gear (switching gear) 42 fixed to the first transmission gear 41, and a first transmission. A clutch shaft (gear shaft) 43 that supports the gear 41 and the second transmission gear 42 so as to be rotatable and slidable in the axial direction, and the first transmission gear 41 and the second transmission gear 42 are arranged on the clutch shaft 43. And a clutch arm (switching arm) 44 having a claw piece 44a to be slid in the direction.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the clutch arm 44 is supported by the base frame 21 through two elongated holes 44b and 44b in a state of being biased by a coil spring 45, and its tail The end extends to the base of the opening / closing lid 8. Further, an engagement piece 44 c that is bent and extends upward is formed at the tail end portion (interlocking portion) of the clutch arm 44. An inclined portion 44d that engages the opening / closing lid 8 is provided at the upper end of the engagement piece 44c.
[0022]
A cam piece (interlocking piece) 46 that is engaged with an inclined portion 44 d of the clutch arm 44 is suspended from the base of the opening / closing lid 8 with respect to the clutch arm 44. An arc-shaped cam portion 46a is formed at the lower end of the cam piece 46, and the inclined portion 44d of the clutch arm 44 is advanced and retracted by the cam action of the cam portion 46a by opening and closing the opening / closing lid 8.
[0023]
That is, when the opening / closing lid 8 is closed, the cam action of the cam piece 46 causes the clutch arm 44 to retreat according to the coil spring 45, and the first transmission gear 41 and the second transmission gear 42 are slid to cut the first transmission gear 41. The second transmission gear 42 is engaged with the ejection side input gear (described later) 51 (see FIG. 8A) while being separated from the side input gear (described later) 71. Conversely, when the opening / closing lid 8 is opened, the cam action of the cam piece 46 advances the clutch arm 44 against the coil spring 45 and slides the first transmission gear 41 and the second transmission gear 42 in the opposite directions. The first transmission gear 41 is engaged with the cutter side input gear 71 and the second transmission gear 42 is separated from the eject side input gear 51 (see FIG. 8B).
[0024]
The eject mechanism 9 includes an eject side input gear 51 that meshes with the second transmission gear 42 of the clutch mechanism 23, a crank pin 52 that projects from the end surface of the eject side input gear 51, and an eject plate 25 that the crank pin 52 engages with. , And a link means 53 for moving the eject plate 25 in parallel.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 6, the link means 53 is configured by connecting a pair of front and rear X links 55, 55 with a connecting arm 56, and is supported by the base frame 21 with the connecting arm 56. The pair of X links 55 and 55 are supported by the base frame 21 and engaged with the eject plate 25. That is, each X link 55 is attached to the base frame 21 and the eject plate 25 so that the two left and right end portions can be rotated, and the other two end portions are respectively connected to the base frame 21 and the eject plate. 25 and is slidable in the left-right direction (see FIGS. 5 and 6). As a result, the eject plate 25 translates (moves up and down) in the vertical direction with respect to the base frame 21.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 5, the eject plate 25 has a plate shape in which an opening and a notch are formed so as to escape the head cover 13 and the take-up shaft 16, and an X link 55 is attached to the front and rear thereof. The rising pieces 61 and 61 are bent. Each rising piece 61 is formed with a pin 62 to which the X link 55 is attached and a long hole 63. Further, a crank long hole 64 is formed at the center of the front-side rising piece 61, and a crank pin 52 projecting from the eject side input gear 51 is engaged with the crank long hole 64. ing.
[0027]
That is, the crank pin 52 and the crank long hole 64 constitute a crank mechanism. When the eject side input gear 51 rotates, the eject plate 25 moves up and down through the crank pin 52 and the crank long hole 64. In addition, due to the parallel movement action of the X link 55, the eject plate 25 moves up and down while maintaining the horizontal posture. Reference numeral 65 in the figure denotes three protruding pieces formed on the ejection plate. During the ejection, the thin tape cartridge 6 is placed on the protruding piece 65, and the thick tape cartridge 6 is The groove portion is placed on the protruding piece 65 and the lower surface is placed on the flat portion (tape cartridges (printing tape) 6 having different thicknesses are prepared).
[0028]
On the other hand, the auto-cut mechanism 12 includes a cutter-side input gear 71 that meshes with the first transmission gear 41 of the clutch mechanism 23, an intermediate gear 72 that meshes with the cutter-side input gear 71, and an input bevel gear that is coaxially fixed to the intermediate gear 72. 73, an output bevel gear 74 that meshes with the input bevel gear 73, and a crank pin 75 (see FIG. 2) that projects from the end face of the output bevel gear 74. The crank pin 75 is engaged with a holder 76 fixed to the movable blade 11 b of the tape cutter 11. That is, the crank pin 75 engages with a long hole (not shown) of the holder 76, and forms a crank mechanism with the long hole. Therefore, when the cutter side input gear 71 rotates and the rotational power is transmitted to the intermediate gear 72, the input bevel gear 73 and the output bevel gear 74, and the output bevel gear 74 rotates, the movable blade 11b is supported by the support shaft 11c via the holder 76. A cutting operation (rotation) is performed around the center.
[0029]
As described above, when the motor 31 is rotated with the opening / closing lid 8 being “closed” (key operation), the power of the motor 31 is transmitted to the tape cutter 11 via the auto-cut mechanism 12, and the tape cutter 11 is cut. Make it work. When the motor 31 is rotated with the open / close lid 8 in the “open” state (key operation), the power of the motor 31 raises the eject plate 25 via the eject mechanism 9, and the tape cartridge 6 is moved to the cartridge mounting portion 7. From the surface. The cutting operation of the tape cutter 11 is such that the movable blade 11b reciprocates from the standby position with respect to the fixed blade 11a, and the ejecting plate 25 is lifted by the ejecting plate 25 being the bottom plate 24a of the mounting portion case 24. It reciprocates up and down from a standby position at a lower position. For this reason, these stop positions (standby positions) are detected by the microswitches 81 and 82, respectively, in order to stop the motor 31 (see FIGS. 4 and 7).
[0030]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the eject mechanism 9 and the auto cut mechanism 12 are operated by the single motor 31 via the clutch mechanism 23, the structure can be simplified. At the same time, the increase in size of the apparatus can be suppressed. In addition, since the clutch mechanism 23 is configured by engaging and disengaging the gear and interlocked with the opening / closing lid 8, it is possible to perform appropriate switching without the user's awareness and the control mechanism is complicated. It can be suppressed. In particular, since the above-described switching is not performed by forward / reverse rotation of the motor 31, the function of dealing with the abnormal operation of the tape cutter 11 and the eject plate 25 by the reverse rotation of the motor 31 is not impaired.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the tape printer of the present invention, the eject mechanism and the tape cutting mechanism can be appropriately operated with a single motor with a simple structure. In addition, since the switching of the power to the eject mechanism or the tape cutting mechanism is performed in conjunction with the opening / closing of the opening / closing lid of the cartridge mounting portion, the switching can be performed easily and without the user's awareness. For this reason, it is possible to configure an apparatus that is less troublesome and easy to use.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a tape printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view around a cartridge mounting portion (eject mechanism) of the tape printer.
FIG. 3 is a side view around a cartridge mounting portion (eject mechanism) of the tape printer.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view around a cartridge mounting portion (eject mechanism) of the tape printer.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an eject plate and a mounting portion case.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a base frame and link means.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view around an auto-cut mechanism.
FIG. 8 is a side view showing the movement of the clutch mechanism.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tape printer 2 Apparatus main body 6 Tape cartridge 7 Cartridge mounting part 8 Opening / closing lid 9 Eject mechanism 11 Tape cutter 12 Auto cut mechanism 14 Print head 21 Base frame 22 Drive part 23 Clutch mechanism 25 Eject plate 31 Motor 33 Wide gear 41 First Transmission gear 42 Second transmission gear 43 Clutch shaft 44 Clutch arm 44c Engagement piece 45 Coil spring 46 Cam piece 51 Eject side input gear 53 Link means 71 Cutter side input gear

Claims (3)

A cartridge mounting portion on which the tape cartridge is detachably mounted;
An open / close lid for opening and closing the cartridge mounting portion;
An eject mechanism for levitating the tape cartridge mounted on the cartridge mounting portion from the cartridge mounting portion;
A tape cutting mechanism for cutting the tape fed out of the tape cartridge mounted on the cartridge mounting portion;
A single motor for operating each of the ejection mechanism and the tape cutting mechanism;
A power transmission mechanism for transmitting rotational power of the motor to the ejection mechanism and the tape cutting mechanism;
A clutch mechanism that is interposed in the power transmission mechanism and selectively switches the rotational power of the motor between the ejection mechanism and the tape cutting mechanism;
The clutch mechanism is interlocked with the opening / closing of the opening / closing lid, and the rotational power of the motor is switched to the ejection mechanism when the opening / closing lid is open, and the rotational power of the motor is switched to the tape cutting mechanism when the opening / closing lid is closed. A tape printing device. The clutch mechanism has a switching gear that meshes with the power transmission gear on the motor side on the input side and selectively meshes with the ejection side input gear on the ejection mechanism side and the cutter side input gear on the tape cutting mechanism side on the output side. ,
A gear shaft that rotatably supports the switching gear and is slidable in the axial direction;
In conjunction with opening / closing of the opening / closing lid, the switching gear is axially moved on the gear shaft between an ejection transmission position where the switching gear meshes with the ejection side input gear and a cutting transmission position where the switching gear meshes with the cutter side input gear. The tape printer according to claim 1, further comprising a switching arm to be slid. The opening / closing lid has an interlocking piece that engages with the interlocking portion of the switching arm,
The switching arm is configured to be movable forward and backward and is biased toward the opening / closing lid by a spring,
Between the interlocking part of the switching arm and the interlocking piece, a cam mechanism is configured to move the switching gear together with the spring between the ejection transmission position and the cutting transmission position. The tape printer according to claim 2.

Images