JP4409599B2 - Card printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a card printing apparatus, and more particularly to a card conveyance mechanism that conveys a card on a conveyance path and a card printing apparatus that includes a printing mechanism that performs printing on the conveyed card.

  The printing mechanism structure of the thermal printing (line) printing device for cards is a technology that repeats printing and erasing by heating the thermal surface with the thermal special coating applied to the card surface with a thermal head and controlling the heating temperature. In recent years, leuco printers using leuco dyes are increasingly used.

  The leuco printer covers the entire width of the printing surface with a thermal head of the same size as the printing width, and controls the heat generation temperature and timing of each thermal dot of the head according to the amount of card movement. A new print pattern is formed while erasing the existing portion.

As a structure of a conventional general leuco printer, a platen roller is provided at a position to receive a pressing force for printing the thermal head above the card and the thermal head below the card in order to sandwich the printed card up and down. A rubber roller having a medium soft surface hardness is provided.
The card advances by a predetermined distance at a predetermined speed by the surface frictional force generated by the rotation of the platen roller and the combined force of transport by a mechanism such as a transport roller provided elsewhere, whereby the printing process is performed in accordance with the transport.

As an example, there is a printing method in which a card inserted from an insertion portion is once transported to a predetermined position on a transport path, and a printing step is performed as necessary in the step of transporting from the predetermined position toward the insertion portion. is there.
In this case, since the printing is not performed at the time of card conveyance up to the printing process, it is necessary to make the print head separate from the card and stand by so as not to contact. On the other hand, when the printing process is performed, the print head needs to be lowered and pressed against the printing surface of the card with a constant pressure load. Conventionally, a dedicated drive system (cam mechanism or the like) or a drive source (actuator or the like) has been provided and controlled in order to perform such an elevation operation of the print head.

  Here, FIG. 10 shows an example of a conventional card printing apparatus having a mechanism for moving the print head up and down (see Patent Document 1). 10A, the thermal activation thermal head 140 is pressed against the thermal activation platen roller 141, and the thermal adhesive label R is sandwiched by the thermal adhesive label detection sensor S1. When the cam mechanism 160 is operated based on the detection of the position of the heat-sensitive adhesive label R, the thermal activation thermal head 140 is lowered as shown in FIG. 10B, and the thermal activation platen of the thermal activation thermal head 140 is moved. The pressing state toward the roller 141 side is released.

JP 2003-31030 A

  However, regarding the mechanism that moves the print head up and down, the configuration in which the dedicated drive system and drive source are provided makes the device configuration more complicated, increasing the failure rate, increasing the overall size of the device, and increasing the cost. There has been a problem of inviting it.

  The present invention is made in view of the above circumstances, and does not provide a dedicated drive system or drive source as a mechanism for moving the print head up and down, and simplifies the structure of the apparatus by common use with a card transport drive system. An object of the present invention is to provide a card printing apparatus that can reduce the failure rate, reduce the overall size, and reduce the manufacturing cost.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems by the solving means described below.

A card inserted from the insertion unit to the main body is conveyed to a predetermined position on the conveyance path, and the card transported from the predetermined position toward the insertion unit is printed on the card conveyed by the conveyance mechanism. A card printing apparatus comprising a printing mechanism, wherein the transport mechanism is rotatably provided on a rotation axis orthogonal to a direction in which the card is transported, and is driven by a power unit, and the platen roller A driven roller that is rotatably provided by a parallel rotating shaft, conveys the card, a power transmission mechanism that transmits the rotational power of the platen roller to the driven roller, and is rotatable to the platen roller or the driven roller fitted in, it has a recess in its outer surface and a contour curve leading to the stopping point of action by way of the bottom dead center from the top dead center in the previous upward gradient of the lower dead point, the depression The cam member provided with the bottom dead center and the platen roller or the follower roller to which the cam member is fitted are tightened so that one end is locked to the cam member and the other end is in the radial direction. A coil spring that is bent and provided as a free end, and that can be rotated with respect to the platen roller or the driven roller when the winding is loosened. The printing mechanism includes a print head that is disposed so as to face the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller, and the print head is fixed to the front end side. A head support portion configured such that the rear end side is rotatably supported by the main body portion, and the front end side is capable of approaching / separating from the platen roller, and the main body portion and the head portion. A biasing member that is locked between the print head and the platen roller by biasing the head support portion toward the main body by the biasing member. The card can be clamped at the same time, and a cam follower provided in the head support portion is brought into contact with the cam member at a predetermined position so that the card is inserted and conveyed to a predetermined position of the main body portion, or the main body portion. The cam which is fixedly wound and fixed by the coil spring when the platen roller or the driven roller rotates on one side when the card that has reached a predetermined position is conveyed toward the insertion portion The member rotates, and the cam follower moves on the outer peripheral surface of the cam member in the direction from the bottom dead center to the top dead center, so that the top dead center is reached before reaching the top dead center. Within the range not exceeding the point, the other end of the coil spring comes into contact with the cam lever, and the coil spring is loosened to stop the rotation of the cam member, so that the cam follower moves. When the card is inserted and transported to a predetermined position of the main body, or the card that has reached the predetermined position of the main body is moved to the position where the front end side of the head support portion is separated from the platen roller. On the other hand, when the platen roller or the driven roller is rotated toward the insertion portion, the cam member fixed by the coil spring is rotated, and the cam follower is via the bottom dead center on the outer peripheral surface of the cam member from the top dead center and moves in a direction toward the stop point of action of the above When the coil spring is loosened, the rotation of the cam member is stopped by coming into contact with the stop action point, and the front end side of the head support portion is moved to the platen roller according to the movement of the cam follower. It is a position close to.

  Further, when the cam follower is located at the bottom dead center of the cam member and a region near the cam member, the card is sandwiched between the print head and the platen roller, and contact between the cam follower and the cam member is prevented. It is characterized by being released.

  In addition, the power transmission mechanism is fixed to the platen roller and is provided so as to be rotatable coaxially with the platen roller, and is fixed to the driven roller and rotatably provided coaxially with the driven roller. A driven pulley; and a toothed belt provided between the drive pulley and the driven pulley so as to be capable of rotating around the rotation of the drive pulley.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the cam mechanism causes the print head to contact and separate from the card printing surface, that is, the print head is moved up and down, and the driving force of the card transport mechanism is driven via the coil spring. As a result, the cam mechanism can be automatically operated only by the rotation direction of the drive shaft.

  According to the second aspect, in the vicinity of the bottom dead center of the cam member, the cam follower can move away from the cam member and allow the print head to reach the card printing surface. As a result, the print head can be brought into contact with the card with a pressing force of a constant load set in advance by the biasing member.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a configuration in which power transmission is carried out by the toothed belt, and the card conveying operation by the platen roller and the driven roller can be completely synchronized. Thereby, in the same card conveyance direction, the influence of the feed meshing play does not occur, and the print feed accuracy can be improved. In addition, the entire card printing apparatus can be reduced in size.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a card printing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view (FIG. 2A) and a front view (FIG. 2B) of the card printing apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a state where the printing mechanism 4 is removed from the card printing apparatus 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the transport mechanism 3 of the card printing apparatus 1. FIG. 5 is a schematic view (plan view) showing the configuration of the cam member 61 and its periphery of the card printing apparatus 1. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the rotating action of the cam member 61 in the card printing apparatus 1. 7 to 9 are explanatory views for explaining the card conveying operation and the raising / lowering operation of the print head 40 by the action of the cam member 61 in the card printing apparatus 1.

  1 to 4, the card printing apparatus 1 according to the present invention includes a transport mechanism 3 that transports a card 9 inserted from an insertion section 12 to a main body 2 on a transport path 14, and printing of the card 9. A cleaner mechanism 5 for removing dust adhering to the work surface 9 a and a printing mechanism 4 for printing on the card 9 are provided.

  First, the transport mechanism 3 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the transport mechanism 3 includes a platen roller 16 that is rotatably provided on a rotation axis that is orthogonal to the direction in which the card 9 is transported (arrow A in the figure) and is driven by the power unit 51. Prepare. The platen roller 16 is a member that generates an action of receiving a pressing force when printing on the card 9 by a print head 40 described later. As an example, the surface of the platen roller 16 has a medium soft hardness (rubber hardness of 40 ° in this embodiment). Made of rubber material.

Further, a driving pulley 18 that rotates coaxially with the platen roller 16 is fixed to an end portion of the platen roller 16 in the axial direction. A toothed pulley is used as the drive pulley 18.
In addition, a first driven pulley 20 is provided that is rotatably provided on a rotation shaft that is parallel to the rotation shaft of the drive pulley 18. A toothed pulley is used for the first driven pulley 20 in the same manner as the driving pulley 18.

  A first pinch roller 22 is provided at a position facing the first driven pulley 20 so as to be rotatable on a rotating shaft parallel to the rotating shaft of the first driven pulley 20.

  Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a second driven pulley 24 provided to be rotatable with a rotation shaft parallel to the rotation shaft of the first driven pulley 20 is provided. The first driven pulley 20 is disposed at a position close to the insertion portion 12 and the second driven pulley 24 is disposed at a position far from the insertion portion 12 so that the drive pulley 18 is in the center.

  Note that a second pinch roller 26 is provided at a position facing the second driven pulley 24 so as to be rotatable on a rotating shaft parallel to the rotating shaft of the second driven pulley 24.

  A toothed belt 28 is provided so as to extend from the first driven pulley 20 through the drive pulley 18 to the second driven pulley 24. When the drive pulley 18 is rotationally driven, the toothed belt 28 is rotated around. As an example, a general belt formed by coating a core wire with a rubber material is used for the toothed belt 28.

The operation of the transport mechanism 3 will be described. Rotational power generated by the power unit 51 drives the platen roller 16 via the reduction gear 52, and the driving force is transmitted to the toothed belt 28 by the drive pulley 18 fixed to the platen roller 16, and the tooth The first driven pulley 20 is rotated by the circular movement of the attached belt 28.
Here, when the card 9 is inserted from the insertion portion 12 (in the direction of arrow B), the toothed belt 28 exposed to the conveyance path 14 side at a position where the first driven pulley 20 and the toothed belt 28 are engaged with each other. The card 9 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface 28a (see FIGS. 3 and 4), whereby the card 9 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface 28a of the toothed belt 28 and the first pinch roller 22, and The card 9 is conveyed by the movement and the joint rotation of the first pinch roller 22.

At this time, the interval between the outer peripheral surface 28a of the toothed belt 28 and the first pinch roller 22 is such that the outer peripheral surface 28a of the toothed belt 28 generates an appropriate frictional force against the back surface 9b of the card 9, and the card. The distance is set appropriately according to the thickness of the card 9 so that the distance does not hinder the passage of the card 9.
In addition, the rotation direction of each rotating member when the card 9 inserted from the insertion portion 12 as described above is conveyed inward of the main body portion 2 is referred to as “forward rotation”.

Subsequently, the card 9 that is sandwiched and conveyed by the outer peripheral surface 28a of the toothed belt 28 and the first pinch roller 22 is in a position where the second driven pulley 24 and the toothed belt 28 are engaged with each other. In contact with the outer peripheral surface 28a of the toothed belt 28 exposed to the conveyance path 14 side, and is thereby sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface 28a of the toothed belt 28 and the second pinch roller 26, and The card 9 is conveyed by the movement and the joint rotation of the second pinch roller 26.
As in the case of the first pinch roller 22, the distance between the outer peripheral surface 28 a of the toothed belt 28 and the third pinch roller 26 is such that the outer peripheral surface 28 a of the toothed belt 28 is appropriate for the back surface 9 b of the card 9. It is set appropriately according to the thickness of the card 9 so as to be a distance that generates a large frictional force and does not hinder the passage of the card 9.
Similarly to the above, the rotation direction of each rotating member when the card 9 inserted from the insertion portion 12 is conveyed inward of the main body 2 is referred to as “forward rotation”.

  Incidentally, the distance between the rotation shaft of the first driven pulley 20 and the rotation shaft of the second driven pulley 24 is configured to be a distance shorter than the length of the card 9 in the conveyance direction.

  As described above, the toothed belt 28 is configured to transmit the conveying force and power, and the conveying operations of the platen roller 16 and the driving pulley 18, the first driven pulley 20, and the second driven pulley 24 are completely synchronized. It becomes possible to make it. That is, in the same card transport direction, the influence of the feed meshing backlash does not occur, and the print feed accuracy can be remarkably improved.

  In this embodiment, the driven roller is constituted by the outer peripheral surface 28a of the toothed belt 28 meshed with the first driven pulley 20 and the second driven pulley 24, but may be constituted by using a rubber roller or the like. Good.

  In this embodiment, the power transmission mechanism 6 is constituted by a toothed belt 28 meshed with the drive pulley 18, the first driven pulley 20, and the second driven pulley 24. You may comprise.

  A configuration in which only the first driven pulley 20 is provided and the second driven pulley 24 is omitted is also possible. However, by providing the second driven pulley 24, the conveyance area of the card 9 can be enlarged.

Next, the printing mechanism 4 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printing mechanism 4 includes a print head 40 provided facing the outer peripheral surface 16 a (see FIG. 4) of the platen roller 16, a print head 40 fixed to the front end side, and a rear end side of the print mechanism 40. The head 9 is supported by the main body 2 so as to be pivotable, and the front end side is configured to be able to approach and separate from the platen roller 16. And a pressure application unit 42 that generates an action of clamping between the print head 40 and the platen roller 16.
As an example, the pressure applying part 42 includes an urging member 43 that is locked between the main body part 2 and the head support part 41. That is, the urging member 43 urges the head support portion 41 toward the main body portion 2, and the card 9 can be held between the print head 40 and the platen roller 16.

  Further, the urging member 43 urges the head support portion 41 toward the main body portion 2 to generate a force that acts in a direction in which the cam follower 44 provided on the head support portion 41 comes into contact with the cam member 61 (described later). Let As an example, the cam follower 44 is configured to be rotatable using a wheel-shaped or roller-shaped member as shown in FIG.

  Incidentally, in this embodiment, the card 9 is a reversible thermosensitive recording medium that develops or decolors when given a predetermined amount of heat, and the print head 40 is a thermal head that generates a predetermined amount of heat.

  The operation of the printing mechanism 4 will be described. The card 9 inserted into the insertion portion 12 by the transport mechanism 3 described above is transported by the transport mechanism 3 and passes between the platen roller 16 and the print head 40. When printing is performed here, the printing head 40 is pressed with a predetermined pressure by the pressure applying unit 42 to sandwich the card 9 between the printing head 40 and the platen roller 16. For example, in the case of thermal printing, The print head (thermal head) 40 is heated to a predetermined temperature, and a predetermined amount of heat is applied to the card (reversible thermosensitive recording medium) 9 to effect printing (coloring) or erasing (erasing) information. Let On the other hand, when printing is not performed, the print head 40 is not pressed by the pressure application unit 42, and the print head 40 is separated from the platen roller 16 at an interval equal to or greater than the thickness of the card 9.

In this embodiment, the card inserted from the insertion section is once transported to a predetermined position on the transport path (in the direction of arrow B) and transported from the predetermined position toward the insertion section (in the direction of arrow C). Printing is performed as necessary (see FIGS. 8 and 9).
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 and the like, a position detection sensor 54 that detects the position of the card 9 conveyed on the conveyance path 14 is provided in the main body 2. In the present embodiment, the position detection sensor 54 detects that the card 9 inserted and conveyed from the insertion portion 12 has reached a predetermined position, and then the rotation direction of the power portion 51 is reversed from the normal rotation. In this case (hereinafter referred to as “reverse rotation”), the card 9 is conveyed toward the insertion portion 12 that also serves as a discharge portion for discharging the card 9.

  When printing is performed, the card 9 is sandwiched between the print head 40 and the platen roller 16, so that the card 9 is transported by the rotation of the platen roller 16.

  Here, as a characteristic configuration of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a cam member 61 and a cam follower 44 (described above) that cause the print head 40 to move up and down are provided. The cam member 61 is provided to be rotatably fitted to a driven roller (first driven pulley 20 in this embodiment). In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a cylindrical (columnar) clutch boss 69 that is coaxially rotatable is fixed to one end portion of the first driven pulley 20, and the clutch boss 69 is fixed. The cam member 61 is fitted into the first.

The cam member 61 includes a cam curve connecting at least the top dead center 63 and the bottom dead center 64 on the outer peripheral surface 61a. At this time, if the radius from the rotation axis of the first driven pulley 20, that is, the rotation axis of the cam member 61 to the top dead center 63 is L1, and the radius to the bottom dead center 64 is L2, L2 <L1.
Further, the cam member 61 includes a stop action point 65 that causes an action described later at a position beyond the top dead center 63 through the bottom dead center 64 on the outer peripheral surface 61a. That is, the top dead center 63 and the stop action point 65 are arranged in a positional relationship with the bottom dead center 64 sandwiched therebetween. At this time, if the radius from the rotation axis of the first driven pulley 20, that is, the rotation axis of the cam member 61 to the stop action point 65 is L3, L2 <L3 <L1. However, the line connecting the bottom dead center 64 and the stop action point 65 is not necessarily formed as a cam curve.
In the present embodiment, the cam member 61 includes a recess 62 on the outer peripheral surface 61a, and a top dead center 63, a bottom dead center 64, and a stop action point 65 are provided on the outer peripheral surface 61a. As an example of the shape constituted by a continuous smooth contour curve from the top dead center 63 through the bottom dead center 64 to the stop action point 65 beyond the bottom dead center 64 provided in the part 62 From the viewpoint of workability and the like, a substantially heart shape as shown in FIG. 6 is adopted, but the present invention is not limited to this.
In addition, although the dimension of the thickness direction of the cam member 61 is not specifically limited, It is suitable to form in the thickness of the grade which does not bend easily.

  Incidentally, the cam member 61 may be fitted to the platen roller 16 or the second driven pulley 24.

In addition, a clutch mechanism is provided for controlling the rotation and stop of the cam member 61 at a predetermined timing in order to move the print head 40 up and down as necessary.
In this embodiment, the clutch mechanism is configured to include a coil spring 68 provided so as to wind up a driven roller (first driven pulley 20 in this embodiment) to which the cam member 61 is fitted. The coil spring 68 is provided as a free end with one end 68a engaged with the cam member 61 and the other end 68b bent in the radial direction so that the coil spring 68 can be rotated by being loosened. More specifically, the first driven pulley 20 is provided with a clutch boss 69 fixed coaxially and rotatably therewith, and the coil spring 68 has a cylindrical clutch surface whose inner diameter is the clutch boss (that is, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion). 69a is formed so as to have substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter, and as described above, one end is engaged with the cam member 61 and the cylindrical clutch surface 69a of the clutch boss is wound up.
In other words, the inner diameter of the coil spring 68 is set so that the clutch is engaged when neither the force for tightening the coil spring 68 nor the force for loosening the tightening is applied. .

  Further, the main body 2 is provided with a cam lever 56 that is disposed so that the free end 68b of the coil spring 68 can be brought into contact with it at a predetermined rotational position (see FIGS. 3 to 6).

The operation of the mechanism will be described.
First, a state before the card 9 is inserted into the main body 2 is shown in FIG. Further, the positional relationship between the print head 40 and the platen roller 16 at that time is shown as an enlarged view in FIG.
Next, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the card 9 is inserted from the insertion portion 12 and conveyed to the predetermined position of the main body portion 2 (in the direction of arrow B), the first driven pulley 20 rotates forward. As a result, the cam member 61 fixed to the first driven pulley 20 by the winding force of the coil spring 68 rotates, and the cam follower 44 moves upward from the bottom dead center 64 on the outer peripheral surface of the cam member 61. It moves in the direction toward the dead point 63.
Furthermore, the free end 68b of the coil spring comes into contact with the cam lever 56 at a position slightly before the cam member 61 rotates and the cam follower 44 reaches the top dead center 63 (see FIG. 6A). The winding of the coil spring 68 around the clutch boss 69 is loosened. As a result, the coil spring 68 slides on the cylindrical clutch surface 69 a of the clutch boss, so that the rotational force of the first driven pulley 20 is not transmitted to the cam member 61. As a result, the rotation of the cam member 61 stops (see FIG. 8A). The positional relationship between the print head 40 and the platen roller 16 at that time is shown as an enlarged view in FIG.
Incidentally, the winding of the coil spring 68 is not completely released, and the dimensions of the clutch mechanism are set so as to maintain the half-clutch state.
Further, the cam curve from the bottom dead center 64 to the top dead center 63 is set so that the slope from the top dead center 63 is tight so that the cam follower 44 does not get over the top dead center 63 in the half clutch state. (See FIG. 6 (a)).

  As described above, when the cam follower 44 moves toward the top dead center 63 of the cam member 61, the cam follower 44 rises away from the rotation axis of the cam member 61, that is, the rotation axis of the first driven pulley 20. Then, the tip end side of the head support portion 41 rises to a position where it is separated from the platen roller 16 (see FIGS. 8A and 8B). Accordingly, no force is generated to hold the card 9 between the print head 40 and the platen roller 16.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9A, when the card 9 that has reached a predetermined position of the main body 2 is conveyed toward the insertion portion 12 (in the direction of arrow C), that is, the conveyance direction of the card 9 is the above. When the printing process in the present embodiment is performed in reverse, the first driven pulley 20 rotates in the reverse direction.
Here, the card 9 starts to move in the reverse direction in the reverse direction, and at the same time, the free end 68a of the coil spring 68 is separated from the cam lever 56, and the coil spring 68 is tightened to bring the clutch mechanism into the connected state. At the same time, the cam member 61 rotates. At the time of the reverse rotation, the cam follower 44 is stopped on the inclined surface in front of the top dead center 63 of the cam member 61, whereby the biasing member 43 that biases the head support portion 41 toward the main body portion 2 side. Since the cam follower 44 is pressing the outer peripheral surface 61a of the cam member 61 by the biasing force, an effect of generating an auxiliary force for starting the cam member 61 to rotate in the reverse rotation direction is achieved.

  At this time, the cam follower 44 moves on the outer peripheral surface of the cam member 61 in a direction from the top dead center 63 toward the bottom dead center 64. By this movement, the cam follower 44 descends so as to approach the rotation axis of the cam member 61, that is, the rotation axis of the first driven pulley 20, and descends to a position where the tip side of the head support portion 41 approaches the platen roller 16. (See FIG. 9A). The positional relationship between the print head 40 and the platen roller 16 at that time is shown as an enlarged view in FIG.

  Here, as a characteristic configuration of the present invention, when the cam follower 44 is located at the bottom dead center 64 of the cam member 61 and the vicinity thereof, that is, slightly before the cam follower 44 reaches the bottom dead center 64 of the cam member 61. From the bottom dead center 64 to a point just past the bottom dead center 64, the card 9 is sandwiched between the print head 40 and the platen roller 16, and the cam follower 44 and the cam member It is comprised so that a contact with 61 may be released (refer FIG.6 (b)). That is, in a region near the bottom dead center 64, the cam follower 44 is separated from the cam member 61 and the print head 40 reaches the printing surface of the card 9, thereby pressing a predetermined load preset by the biasing member 43. Thus, the print head 40 comes into contact with the card 9 and the above-described printing process is performed.

Further, as the first driven pulley 20 continues to rotate in the “reverse rotation” direction, the cam follower 44 stops on the outer peripheral surface 61a of the cam member 61 from the top dead center 63 via the bottom dead center 64. It moves in the direction toward the action point 65.
At this time, the cam follower 44 continues to move beyond the bottom dead center 64 of the cam member 61. However, the cam follower 44 has an upwardly inclined cam surface (not necessarily configured as a cam surface) beyond the bottom dead center 64. Therefore, the cam follower 44 has a shape in which the cam member 61 is prevented from rotating by the force that the cam follower 44 tries to get over, and the clutch boss 69 and the coil spring that continue to rotate. Each dimension is set so that the frictional force with the inner diameter of 68 acts in a direction in which the coil spring 68 is loosened and slips. A point on the cam member 61 where the slip occurs is a stop action point 65 (see FIG. 6C).
Thus, when the cam follower 44 abuts (reaches) the stop action point 65 of the cam member 61, the coil spring 68 is loosely tightened, so that a so-called half-clutch state is established, and the coil spring 68 is moved to the clutch boss. Therefore, the rotational force of the first driven pulley 20 is not transmitted to the cam member 61. As a result, the rotation of the cam member 61 stops. Incidentally, at this time, no action is caused in the free end 68a clutch mechanism of the coil spring 68.

As described above, according to the card printing apparatus of the present invention, the cam head is used to move the print head closer to and away from the card printing surface, but the conveyance can be achieved by combining a clutch mechanism using a coil spring. A configuration in which the driving force of the roller for use (the driven roller in the present embodiment) is used as the driving force of the cam member via the coil spring can be realized with a simple structure. In other words, the device structure is simplified by using a common drive system for card conveyance without using a separate drive system for driving the cam member, and a special electrical control device and electrical position sensor are required. Instead, the cam operation can be automatically performed at an appropriate position only in the rotation direction of the drive shaft.
In this way, by using a mechanism with a simple structure, machine components are reduced and the failure rate is drastically reduced, so that not only the reliability is improved, but also the entire card printing apparatus can be reduced in size, and thus manufactured. It also leads to cost reduction.

  Further, by using the cam mechanism, it is possible to perform a gentle lowering operation along the cam curve, particularly when the print head is lowered toward the card printing surface. Therefore, as compared with an apparatus using a mechanism other than the cam, an effect of not generating an impact such as a collision of the print head with the card printing surface is produced.

Further, in a conventional card printing apparatus, a drive system using a toothed belt disposed outside the main body is disposed in the card conveyance path inside the main body, and the frictional force of the outer peripheral surface of the toothed belt is reduced. A configuration in which the card is directly conveyed by using it is realized. As a result, the main transport system needs only a substantially card width, so that the width of the entire card printing apparatus can be reduced, that is, the projected area of the entire apparatus can be reduced.
That is, since it becomes possible to accommodate other additional devices in the volume portion occupied by the conventional drive system, for example, a communication control unit or the like that has been separately assembled and arranged conventionally is accommodated in the same volume. As a result, the entire system can be reduced.

Further, a configuration is realized in which the toothed belt bears both driving of the conveyance system and power transmission. That is, by directly transporting the card using the frictional force of the outer peripheral surface of the toothed belt, the outer peripheral surface plays the same role as the transport roller in the conventional apparatus.
As a result, a pair of toothed belts provided on both the left and right sides in the width direction form the “endless track (endless) belt”, and the conveyance system can be completely synchronized at all the feed points on the left and right sides of the machine. Therefore, the influence of the feed meshing play does not occur in the same card conveying direction, and the printing feed accuracy can be remarkably improved.
Incidentally, a backlash can be provided even in meshing between the toothed belt and each pulley (a configuration in which the backlash is theoretically not possible is also possible), but in comparison with a conventional transmission system using a gear, the above-mentioned backlash does not occur or It can be ignored.

  The card printing apparatus has been described by taking a leuco printer using a reversible thermosensitive recording medium as a card and using a thermal head as a print head. However, the technical idea according to the present invention is applied to other card printing apparatuses. Of course it is possible.

  Also, in a series of processes from card insertion to printing and unloading, the card is conveyed in the inserted direction without reversing the card conveyance direction in the middle, and the end of the main body opposite to the insertion part Even in the case of a configuration in which a card is unloaded, the technical idea according to the present invention can be applied.

It is the schematic which shows an example of the card printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the top view and front view of the card printing apparatus of FIG. It is the schematic which shows the state which removed the printing mechanism from the card printing apparatus of FIG. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the conveyance mechanism of the card printing apparatus of FIG. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the cam member of the card printing apparatus of FIG. 1, and its periphery. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the rotation effect | action of the cam member in the card printing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a card transport operation and a lift operation of a print head by an action of a cam member in the card printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a card transport operation and a lift operation of a print head by an action of a cam member in the card printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a card transport operation and a lift operation of a print head by an action of a cam member in the card printing apparatus of FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the example of the raising / lowering operation | movement of the print head in the card printing apparatus which concerns on the conventional embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Card printer 2 Main-body part 3 Conveyance mechanism 4 Printing mechanism 5 Cleaner mechanism 6 Power transmission mechanism 9 Card 12 Insertion part 14 Conveyance path 16 Platen roller 18 Drive pulley 20 1st driven pulley 22 1st pinch roller 24 2nd Follower pulley 26 Second pinch roller 28 Toothed belt 40 Print head 41 Head support portion 42 Pressure applying portion 43 Energizing member 44 Cam follower 51 Power portion 54 Position detection sensor 56 Cam lever 61 Cam member 62 Recessed portion 68 Coil spring 69 Clutch boss

Claims (3)

A card inserted from the insertion unit to the main body is conveyed to a predetermined position on the conveyance path, and the card transported from the predetermined position toward the insertion unit is printed on the card conveyed by the conveyance mechanism. A card printing device comprising a printing mechanism,
The transport mechanism is provided rotatably on a rotation shaft orthogonal to the direction in which the card is transported, and a platen roller driven by a power unit;
A driven roller that is rotatably provided on a rotating shaft parallel to the platen roller, and that conveys the card;
A power transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational power of the platen roller to the driven roller;
The platen roller or the driven roller is rotatably fitted, and has a recess on the outer peripheral surface, and reaches a stop action point that is located at an upward slope from the bottom dead center through the bottom dead center. A cam member having a contour curve, the bottom dead center being provided in the recess,
One end of the platen roller or the driven roller to which the cam member is fitted is tightened, and one end is locked to the cam member, and the other end is bent in the radial direction to be provided as a free end. A coil spring that is rotatable with respect to the platen roller or the driven roller when tightening is loosened,
The main body includes a cam lever that is disposed so that the other end of the coil spring can come into contact at a predetermined rotation position.
The printing mechanism includes a print head provided to face the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller;
The print head is fixed to the front end side, the rear end side is rotatably supported by the main body portion, and the head support portion is configured such that the front end side can approach and separate from the platen roller;
An urging member that is locked between the main body portion and the head support portion,
The urging member urges the head support portion toward the main body portion so that the card can be held between the print head and the platen roller, and a cam follower provided on the head support portion is provided. Contacting the cam member at a predetermined position;
When the card is inserted and transported to a predetermined position of the main body, or when the card reaching the predetermined position of the main body is transported toward the insertion section, the platen roller or When the driven roller rotates, the cam member fixed by the coil spring is rotated, and the cam follower moves on the outer peripheral surface of the cam member in the direction from the bottom dead center to the top dead center. Then, within the range not exceeding the top dead center before reaching the top dead center, the other end of the coil spring comes into contact with the cam lever, and the coil spring is loosened, whereby the cam member is loosened. , And the tip end side of the head support portion is moved away from the platen roller according to the movement of the cam follower,
When the card is inserted and transported to a predetermined position of the main body, or when the card that has reached the predetermined position of the main body is transported toward the insertion section, the platen roller or When the driven roller rotates, the cam member, which is wound and fixed by the coil spring, rotates, and the cam follower moves from the top dead center to the bottom dead center on the outer peripheral surface of the cam member. moves in the direction toward above the stop point of action of, by abutting on the stop point of action, by the tightening of the coil spring is loosened, rotation of the cam member is stopped, movement of the cam follower Accordingly, the card printing apparatus is characterized in that the front end side of the head support portion is located close to the platen roller. When the cam follower is located at the bottom dead center of the cam member and in the vicinity thereof, the card is sandwiched between the print head and the platen roller, and contact between the cam follower and the cam member is released. The card printing apparatus according to claim 1. The power transmission mechanism is fixed to the platen roller and is provided so as to be rotatable coaxially with the platen roller;
A driven pulley fixed to the driven roller and provided coaxially with the driven roller and rotatable;
The card according to claim 1, further comprising a toothed belt that is stretched between the drive pulley and the driven pulley and is provided so as to be able to move around by rotation of the drive pulley. Printing device.

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