JP5945957B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that performs printing on a print medium.

  2. Description of the Related Art A printing apparatus (serial printer) that forms a desired print on a print medium is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this printing apparatus, a printing medium (paper) is conveyed by a conveying means (platen), and desired printing is formed by the printing means on the conveyed printing medium. At that time, a predetermined reference position of the print medium is detected by a sensor unit (paper detection sensor unit). The sensor unit is arranged to be movable along the width direction of the print medium in preparation for the case where a plurality of types of print mediums having various widths are used.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-155684

  However, in the prior art, in order to make the sensor unit movable as described above, the shaft member is penetrated in the width direction inside the sensor unit. As a result, it is necessary to assemble the sensor unit in a state where the shaft member penetrates in advance, and further assemble the large assembly to the apparatus main body. As a result, it has been difficult to simplify and rationalize the manufacturing process.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a configuration capable of simplifying and rationalizing a manufacturing process in a printing apparatus including a sensor unit movable in the width direction.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a transport unit that transports a print medium in a predetermined transport direction, a print unit that performs desired printing on the print medium transported by the transport unit, A casing that includes the conveying means and the printing means and that constitutes the outer shell of the apparatus; a sensor unit that detects a predetermined reference position of the printing medium to be used for printing control by the printing means; and A sensor placement section provided in a transport path of the print medium, wherein the sensor unit is disposed so as to be movable along a width direction of the print medium perpendicular to the transport direction. parts are substantially horizontal placement surface for placement of the sensor unit, a through hole formed in the mounting surface so as to extend in the width direction, while along from the through-hole in the conveyance direction side In A rack member extending substantially horizontally in the width direction, and the sensor unit includes a sensor for optically detecting the predetermined reference position, A sensor main body movably mounted along the width direction, and a member that protrudes downward from the lower portion of the sensor main body while penetrating the through-hole, and has a lower end engaged with the lower portion of the mounting surface. A leg member and a spring member fixed to a lower portion of the sensor main body and applying a substantially horizontal elastic biasing force for meshing with the rack member from a substantially horizontal direction . A base end portion fixed to a lower portion of the sensor body, a tip end portion having a meshing shape for meshing with the rack member from a substantially horizontal direction, the tip end portion and the base end portion are connected, and the tip end Applying the elastic biasing force in a substantially horizontal direction to the part Characterized in that it is a leaf spring having an intermediate portion.

  In the present invention, the printing medium is conveyed by the conveying means, and desired printing is formed by the printing means on the conveyed printing medium. At this time, a predetermined reference position of the medium to be printed is detected by a sensor unit arranged in the sensor arrangement unit for use in the control of the print formation.

  In addition, the sensor unit is arranged so as to be movable along the width direction of the print medium in case a plurality of types of print mediums having various widths are used. That is, in the sensor unit, the sensor main body is mounted on the upper part of the substantially horizontal mounting surface of the sensor arrangement portion, and the engagement foot portion protruding from the lower portion of the sensor main body passes through the through hole of the sensor arrangement portion. . And the lower end part of an engagement leg part engages with the lower part of a mounting surface in the lower side (back side) of the through-hole of a sensor arrangement | positioning part. Thereby, the sensor main body can move along the through hole while engaging with the placement surface.

  As described above, in the sensor unit, the sensor body placed on the upper portion of the placement surface is engaged with the lower portion of the placement surface while the engagement foot portion provided on the lower portion is engaged with the lower portion of the placement surface. It is a structure that moves to. Accordingly, the movement of the sensor unit in the width direction can be realized with a simple structure as compared with the conventional structure in which the shaft member is penetrated in the width direction inside the sensor unit and the sensor unit is slid along the shaft. Further, by providing an appropriate large hole portion in a partial region of the through hole, it is possible to attach the sensor unit after the sensor placement portion and the surrounding structure are assembled. As a result, the manufacturing process can be simplified and rationalized as compared with the conventional structure in which a large assembly in which the shaft member is penetrated in the width direction needs to be attached inside the sensor unit.

  On the other hand, a rack member is extended substantially horizontally in the width direction in the sensor arrangement portion so that positioning is easy when the user manually moves the sensor unit in the width direction as described above. ing. Correspondingly, a spring member is fixed to the sensor body, and an elastic biasing force for meshing with the rack member is given by the spring member. Thus, the user can easily position the sensor unit by moving the sensor unit in the width direction while appropriately changing the meshing position with the rack member, and then stopping the movement at the proper meshing position. Can do.

  Here, as described above, the user manually moves the sensor unit in the width direction (for example, holding the sensor unit by hand). As a result, when the user grips the sensor unit, a downward pressing force due to the grip may act. Therefore, the rack member is meshed in the vertical direction, and the spring member acts in the vertical direction on the urging force for the meshing (for example, in the lower part of the sensor body, the upper part of the placement surface or the placement surface. If it is provided at the lower part (e.g., at the upper part of the engaging foot part), the pressing force may act on the spring member and the spring member may be damaged or the durability may be adversely affected.

  In the present invention, in correspondence with the above, a rack member is provided on one side of the through hole in the conveying direction, and the rack member is engaged with the rack member from a substantially horizontal direction. And a spring member gives the elastic biasing force for the said mesh | engagement from the substantially horizontal direction in the lower part of a sensor main body. Thereby, even if it is a case where the above downward pressing force acts, damage to a spring member and a durable fall can be prevented.

  According to the present invention, the manufacturing process can be simplified and rationalized.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the label production apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. In a label production apparatus, it is a perspective view showing the state which opened the upper cover unit and mounted | wore with the roll. In a label production apparatus, it is a perspective view showing the state where the upper cover unit was opened and the roll was removed. It is a sectional side view showing the whole structure of a label production apparatus. In the comparative example in which the rib member is not provided, an explanatory diagram of a state where the print target layer and the adhesive layer are peeled off by the release plate, and the print target layer and the adhesive layer by the release plate in the embodiment provided with the rib member It is explanatory drawing of the state by which peeling is carried out. In a label production apparatus, it is a front view showing the state which opened the upper cover unit and mounted | wore with the roll. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the configuration shown in FIG. 2 and a perspective view showing an extracted head unit. In a label production apparatus, it is a perspective view showing the state where the upper cover unit was opened and the roll was removed. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration shown in FIG. It is a perspective view showing the detailed structure of a guide member. It is a partially broken perspective view of the structure shown in FIG. It is the perspective view of the state which looked at the roll accommodating part in which the guide member is provided from the lower surface side. It is explanatory drawing explaining the inclination prevention function of a guide member. FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view showing details of the vicinity of the sensor unit as seen from the direction A in FIG. 8. It is XX 'sectional drawing of FIG. It is a perspective view showing the structure of the lower side of a sensor main body. They are the perspective view which looked at the spring member from the front side, and the perspective view which looked from the back side. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the label production apparatus of the state which attached the operation sheet | seat. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which an operation sheet is placed on the touch panel unit and a seat cover is attached, and a perspective view illustrating a state in which the operation sheet is mounted on the touch panel unit. It is a perspective view showing the label production apparatus of the state which replaced with the upper cover unit and attached the cover unit. It is sectional drawing by the RR 'cross section in FIG. 1, and the principal part extraction enlarged view of Fig.21 (a). It is a perspective view showing the whole structure of a seat cover. It is the perspective view showing the structure of a seat cover, and the principal part extraction enlarged view of Fig.23 (a). It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance from the back side of the label production apparatus in the state which attached the cover unit. FIG. 4 is a rear view of the label producing apparatus with the battery power supply unit removed from the bottom, and a rear view of the label producing apparatus with the battery power supply unit attached to the bottom. It is a perspective view showing the state which attached the battery power supply unit to the bottom part. It is the perspective view which looked at the battery power supply unit from the front side upper part, and the perspective view seen from the rear side upper part. It is a functional block diagram showing the control system of a label production apparatus. It is a perspective view showing the radio | wireless communication unit provided with the serial connection plug. It is a perspective view showing the external appearance from the back side of the label production apparatus which attached the wireless communication unit shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the label producing apparatus in a state where the wireless communication unit is not attached, and a rear view of the label producing apparatus in a state where the wireless communication unit is attached to the back surface portion. FIG. 33 is a perspective view illustrating a wireless communication unit including a USB connection plug, and a rear view of the label producing apparatus in which the wireless communication unit of FIG. It is a perspective view of the label production apparatus of the state which mounted | wore the back surface part with the wireless communication unit.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Outline appearance configuration>
First, the schematic external configuration of the label producing apparatus 1 (printing apparatus) of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the front / rear direction, the left / right direction, and the up / down direction indicate directions of arrows appropriately shown in each figure such as FIG.

  In FIG. 1, the label producing apparatus 1 includes a housing 2 having a front panel 6 and an upper cover unit 5. The housing 2 and the upper cover unit 5 are made of resin, for example. The upper cover unit 5 includes a touch panel portion 5A, a substantially rectangular liquid crystal panel portion 5B, and an operation button portion 5C.

  The upper cover unit 5 is pivotally connected to the housing 2 via a rotating shaft portion 2a (see FIG. 4 to be described later) at the rear end, whereby the upper cover unit 5 is opened and closed with respect to the housing 2. It has a possible structure. Note that a lower portion of the upper cover unit 5 is integrally formed with a housing cover portion 2A that constitutes a part of the housing 2. When the upper cover unit 5 is opened and closed, the housing cover portion 2A is also integrally formed. It opens and closes (see FIG. 2, FIG. 3, etc. described later).

  The liquid crystal panel unit 5B is pivotally connected to the touch panel unit 5A at the rear end via a rotating shaft unit 5a (see FIG. 4 described later), whereby the liquid crystal panel unit 5B is opened and closed with respect to the touch panel unit 5A. It has a possible structure.

  The operation button portion 5C is provided at the upper surface position near the front of the upper cover unit 5, and includes a power button 7A of the label producing apparatus 1, a status button 7B for displaying peripheral device operating states, a feed button 7C, and the like. ing.

  Release knobs 17 are provided on the left and right side walls of the housing 2. By pushing up the release knob 17, the upper cover unit 5 is unlocked from the housing 2 and the upper cover unit 5 can be opened.

  The front panel 6 is provided with a first discharge port 6A and a second discharge port 6B located at a site below the first discharge port 6A. Further, the portion of the front panel 6 that includes the second discharge port 6B serves as an opening / closing lid 6 that can be rotated forward to facilitate the installation and discharge of a print-receiving tape 3A described later, for example. ing.

  The first discharge port 6 </ b> A is formed by the front side upper edge of the housing 2 and the front side lower edge of the upper cover unit 5 when the upper cover unit 5 is closed. Note that a cutting blade 8 is attached to the inner side of the lower edge portion of the upper cover unit 5 on the first discharge port 6A side (see also FIGS. 2 and 3 to be described later).

<Internal structure>
Next, the internal structure of the label producing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the label producing apparatus 1 has a concave roll storage portion 4 behind the internal space of the housing 2 (corresponding to one side in the first horizontal direction). The roll storage unit 4 stores a roll 3 in which a print-receiving tape 3A having a desired width (corresponding to a print-receiving medium) is wound in a roll shape so that the print-receiving tape 3A is fed from the upper side of the roll.

  The roll 3 is rotatable so that the axis of winding of the print-receiving tape 3A is in the left-right direction (corresponding to the second horizontal direction) perpendicular to the front-rear direction (corresponding to the first horizontal direction). 4 is housed.

<Printed tape>
On the print-receiving tape 3A constituting the roll 3, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 4, for example, a label mount L used for a price tag or the like is continuously arranged along the longitudinal direction on the release material layer 3c. . That is, the label mount L has a two-layer structure in this example, and is laminated in the order of the print-receiving layer 3a on which printing is formed by the print head 61 and the adhesive layer 3b. And the label mount L is adhere | attached on the surface of one side of the peeling material layer 3c at predetermined intervals by the adhesive force of the said adhesive layer 3b. That is, the print-receiving tape 3A has a three-layer structure of the print-receiving layer 3a, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 3b, and the release material layer 3c at the portion where the label mount L is adhered (see the enlarged view in FIG. 4). In a portion where the mount L is not bonded (that is, a portion between the label mounts L), a single-layer structure having only the release material layer 3c is formed. The label mount L that has been printed is finally peeled off from the release material layer 3c, so that it is affixed to an adherend such as a predetermined product as a print label.

<Support roller>
Three support rollers 51 to 53 are provided on the bottom surface of the roll storage unit 4. The support rollers 51 to 53 are driven when at least two rollers come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roll 3 when the platen roller 66 (corresponding to the conveying means) is driven to rotate and the print-receiving tape 3A is pulled out from the roll 3. And the roll 3 is rotatably supported. These three support rollers have different circumferential positions with respect to the roll 3, and the first support roller 51, the second support roller 52, and the third are arranged along the circumferential direction of the roll 3 from the front to the rear. The support rollers 53 are arranged in this order. These first to third support rollers 51 to 53 are divided into a plurality of portions in the left-right direction (in other words, the roll width direction), and only the portion on which the roll 3 is mounted rotates according to the roll width. It has become.

<Guide member>
On the other hand, the roll storage portion 4 also includes a first guide member 20A that contacts the right end surface 3R of the roll 3 and guides the print-receiving tape 3A in the left-right direction (that is, the tape width direction; the same applies hereinafter), A second guide member 20B that contacts the left end surface 3L and guides the print-receiving tape 3A in the left-right direction is provided. The first guide member 20A and the second guide member 20B can be moved closer to each other by moving forward and backward along the left-right direction. Then, the first guide member 20A contacts the roll 3 from the right side and the second guide member 20B contacts from the left side, thereby guiding the print-receiving tape 3A while sandwiching the roll 3 from both sides. Thus, since both guide members 20A and 20B are provided so as to be able to advance and retract along the left and right direction, the guide members 20A and 20B are advanced and retracted according to the width of the accommodated roll 3, and the position is adjusted. The roll 3 can be sandwiched between the guide members 20A and 20B with respect to the roll 3 having an arbitrary width, and the width direction of the print-receiving tape 3A can be guided. The details of the support structure for advancing and retracting the guide members 20A and 20B will be described later.

<Sensor unit>
In addition, on the front side of the roll storage unit 4, a sensor arrangement unit 102 (see FIG. 14 and the like to be described later) is provided in the transport path of the print-receiving tape 3 </ b> A as a concave portion mounting surface. A sensor unit 100 for optically detecting a predetermined reference position of the print-receiving tape 3A is provided along the width direction of the roll 3 (print-receiving tape 3A) (that is, the left-right direction). It is provided to be movable. The detailed structure of the sensor unit 100 will be described later.

<Platen roller, print head, and surrounding structure>
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a print head 61 is provided below the front end of the upper cover unit 5. A platen roller 66 is provided above the front end of the housing 2 so as to face the print head 61 in the vertical direction. The roller shaft 66A of the platen roller 66 is rotatably supported by brackets 65 (see FIG. 4) provided at both ends in the axial direction, and the platen roller 66 is driven at one shaft end of the roller shaft 66A. A gear (not shown) is fixed.

  At this time, the arrangement position of the platen roller 66 in the housing 2 corresponds to the attachment position of the print head 61 in the upper cover unit 5. Then, by closing the upper cover unit 5, the print-receiving tape 3 </ b> A is sandwiched between the print head 61 provided on the upper cover unit 5 side and the platen roller 66 provided on the housing 2 side. Printing is possible. Further, by closing the upper cover unit 5, the gear fixed to the roller shaft 66A of the platen roller 66 meshes with a gear train (not shown) on the side of the housing 2, and the platen roller motor configured by a stepping motor or the like. The platen roller 66 is rotationally driven by 211 (see FIG. 28 described later). As a result, the platen roller 66 feeds the print-receiving tape 3A from the roll 3 stored in the roll storage unit 4, and conveys the print-receiving tape 3A in a posture in which the tape width direction is the left-right direction.

  The print head 61 is fixed to one end of a support member 62 (see FIG. 5 described later) that is pivotally supported at an intermediate portion thereof and biased downward by an appropriate spring member (not shown). By opening the upper cover unit 5 with the release knob 17, the print head 61 is separated from the platen roller 66 (see FIG. 3 and the like). On the other hand, when the upper cover unit 5 is closed, the print head 61 presses and urges the print-receiving tape 3 </ b> A against the platen roller 66 by the urging force of the spring member, so that printing is possible.

  The roll 3 is configured by winding the print-receiving tape 3A in a roll shape so that the label mount L is radially outward. As a result, the print-receiving tape 3A is fed from the upper side of the roll 3 with the surface on the label mount L side facing upward (see the wavy line in FIG. 4), and is printed by the print head 61 disposed on the upper side of the print-receiving tape 3A. Printing is formed.

  Further, on the front side (corresponding to the other side in the first horizontal direction) of the platen roller 66, the release material layer 3c is folded back to the lower side of the platen roller 66, so that the print layer 3a and the adhesive layer are separated from the release material layer 3c. A peeling plate 200 is provided for peeling off the agent layer 3b. The printed layer 3a and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 3b that have been peeled off from the release material layer 3c by the release plate 200 are disposed on the housing 2 via the first discharge port 6A located further forward of the release plate 200. It is discharged outside. The cutting blade 8 is used by an operator to cut the print target layer 3a and the adhesive layer 3b discharged to the outside of the housing 2 through the first discharge port 6A at a desired position.

  On the other hand, a pinch roller 201 is provided below the platen roller 66 to sandwich and convey the release material layer 3 c folded back by the release plate 200 between the platen roller 66 and the platen roller 66. The release material layer 3c conveyed by the pinch roller 201 is discharged to the outside of the housing 2 from the second discharge port 6B. The pinch roller 201 is provided on the opening / closing lid 6C via an appropriate support member (not shown).

<Outline of conveyance of print-receiving tape>
In the above configuration, when the upper cover unit 5 is closed and the platen roller 66 is rotationally driven by the platen roller motor 211, the print-receiving tape 3A is pulled. As a result, the print-receiving tape 3A is fed out from the roll 3 while being guided in the width direction by the guide member 20A and the guide member 20B. The print-receiving tape 3 </ b> A fed out from the roll 3 is printed by the print head 61 and then folded back to the lower side of the platen roller 66 by the peeling plate 200. At this time, the printing layer 3a and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 3b are peeled off from the release material layer 3c as described above by utilizing the fact that the printing layer 3a which is stiff is unable to follow such a folding path. The printed layer 3a and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 3b (in other words, the label mount L) peeled off by the peeling plate 200 in this manner are discharged from the first discharge port 6A to the outside of the housing 2 and used as a print label. . In FIG. 4, the conveyance path of the print-receiving tape 3 </ b> A fed out and conveyed from the roll 3 is indicated by a wavy line or a one-dot chain line.

<Pressure structure of the tape to be printed>
Next, a pressing structure for the print-receiving tape 3 </ b> A conveyed along the above-described path, which is one of the features of this embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As described above, the release material layer 3c of the print-receiving tape 3A that has been printed by the print head 61 is folded back by the release plate 200, and the print-receiving layer 3a and the adhesive layer 3b are peeled off. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5A, the print-receiving tape 3 </ b> A is in a slack state between the holding position O by the print head 61 and the platen roller 66 and the support position Q by the peeling plate 200. Then, the above-mentioned peeling may not be sufficiently good (see FIG. 5A described later).

  Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5B, FIG. 6, and FIG. 4, above the section between the clamping position O and the support position Q in the transport path of the print-receiving tape 3A. In addition, the rib member 300 is provided. The rib member 300 comes into contact with the print-receiving tape 3A conveyed in the section between the sandwiching position O and the support position Q from above, and as a result, as shown in FIG. The transport path of the tape 3A is made substantially linear (for example, transported in a state close to a tight state). Thereby, the said peeling can be performed most favorably and efficiently. As shown in FIG. 5B, the rib member 300 is arranged such that the lower end position thereof is located above the line that linearly connects the clamping position O and the support position Q by Δh. Has been. Further, the peeling plate 200 is arranged such that the height position of the support position Q is lower than the height position of the clamping position O by the platen roller 66 and the print head 61.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, the rib member 300 is disposed at the end of the bracket 301 having a substantially rectangular tray shape, and a plurality of ribs 300a projecting in a substantially arcuate shape are substantially equidistant in the left-right direction. Are installed side by side. Further, a swinging support portion 302 projects from the end portion of the bracket 301 opposite to the rib member 300. At this time, the rectangular plate-like print head 61 is attached to the central opening of the bracket 301. Accordingly, the rib member 300 and the print head 61 are configured as a head unit HU (see FIG. 7) in which these are integrated. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5B, these head units HU (including the rib member 300 and the print head 61) swing as a whole with the sandwiching position O as a fulcrum via the swing support portion 302. This makes it possible to flexibly move away from the transport path.

<Details of guide member advance / retreat support structure>
Next, with reference to FIGS. 8 to 13, both guide members 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B using the first to third support rollers 51, 52 and 53, which is one of the other features of the present embodiment, are advanced and retracted. Details of the support structure will be described.

<Rail member and guide support>
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a rail member 11 is provided on the bottom surface of the roll storage portion 4. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the guide members 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B are provided with a guide support portion 24 correspondingly. The guide support part 24 has a concave fitting part 24A at the center of its lower end part. The rail member 11 is fitted with the fitting portion 24 of the guide support portion 24 of the guide members 20A and 20B along the width direction of the roll 3 (that is, the left and right direction), and the guide members 20A and 20B are advanced and retracted. Is guided while maintaining the position in the forward / backward direction. 10 shows the detailed structure of the guide member 20B as an example, but the guide member 20A has a substantially equivalent structure (except that the left and right are reversed) (see FIG. 11).

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 10, the guide members 20A and 20B are provided with rack members 406 and 407 in the horizontal direction on each side with respect to the fitting portion 24A of the guide support portion 24. ing. The rack members 406 and 407 are provided so as to alternately face the guide support portions 24 of the guide members 20A and 20B. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, both rack members 406 and 407 mesh with the central gear 408 from both sides on the lower surface side of the roll storage portion 4. As a result, only one of the guide members 20A and 20B (in this example, the guide member 20A) is moved to one side along the rail 11, and the other (in this example, the guide is guided through the gear 408). The member 20B) moves in the other direction along the rail.

<Through hole in guide support>
As one of the features of this embodiment, among the guide support portions 24 of the guide members 20A and 20B, one side (left side in FIG. 10) and the other side (in FIG. 10) along the transport direction of the print-receiving tape 3A. On both sides of the right side), through holes 400A and 400B are provided. The through holes 400A and 400B are inserted through the second support roller 52 and the third support roller 53 provided on the bottom surface of the roll storage portion 4 along the left-right direction, respectively, and the guide members 20A and 20B. Guiding the advance and retreat along the left-right direction.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13A, the second support roller 52 and the third support roller 53 are inserted through the through holes 400A and 400B formed in the guide support portion 24 with a slight clearance. ing. Thereby, guide member 20A, 20B can smoothly advance / retreat along the left-right direction as mentioned above. However, as shown in FIG. 13B, when the guide members 20A, 20B are inclined to some extent, the inner wall surfaces of the through holes 400A, 400B come into contact with the outer diameters of the second support roller 52 and the third support roller 53. Thereby, it suppresses so that the inclination of guide member 20A, 20B may not increase any more.

  Further, the guide members 20A and 20B further have end portions (or the vicinity thereof) on the front side (corresponding to one side along the transport direction) and the rear side (corresponding to the other side along the transport direction) of the tape to be printed 3A. ) Are provided with rib-sliding engagement sliding portions 401 and 402 (see FIG. 10 and the like). The engaging sliding portions 401 and 402 are engaged with stepped-shaped engaged portions 403 and 404 (see FIG. 9 and FIG. 4 described above) provided in the roll storage portion 4, respectively, and the guide member By sliding with the engaged portions 403 and 404 at the time of advancement and retreat along the left and right directions of 20A and 20B, the advance and retreat are guided.

  In addition, a guide projection 405 is provided on the upper part of the front side of the guide members 20A and 20B so as to protrude along the left-right direction. The guide projection 405 contacts and guides the end portion in the width direction of the print-receiving tape 3 </ b> A fed out from the roll 3 from above. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the vertical flapping of the print-receiving tape 3 </ b> A at both ends of the print-receiving tape 3 </ b> A fed out from the roll 3 rotating in the roll storage unit 4.

<Sensor unit>
Next, the sensor unit 100 provided in the transport path of the print-receiving tape 3A, which is still another feature of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 14, in order to show the positional relationship of the sensor unit 100, peripheral members are simplified as appropriate.

  As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 8 and the like, in the label producing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the platen roller 66 is attached to the print-receiving tape 3A from the roll 3 stored in the roll storage unit 4. The print head 61 is fed out and conveyed, and the print head 61 performs desired printing on the print-receiving tape 3 </ b> A, thereby creating a print label. At this time, a predetermined reference position of the print-receiving tape 3A is detected by the sensor unit 100 provided in the conveyance path of the print-receiving tape 3A, and printing such as determination of a print start position by the print head 61 is performed using the reference position. Control is performed. The sensor unit 100 is held near the tape surface of the print-receiving tape 3 </ b> A on the upstream side in the transport direction of the print head 61.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 and the like, a sensor placement portion 102 is formed as a recess between the platen roller 66 and the roll storage portion 4 in the transport path of the print-receiving tape 3A. In the sensor unit 100, in the case where a plurality of types of print-receiving tape 3A having various widths are used, the width direction of the print-receiving tape 3A perpendicular to the transport direction of the print-receiving tape 3A is used in the sensor placement unit 102. It is arranged so as to be movable along (that is, the left-right direction).

<Outline of sensor unit and sensor placement unit>
The sensor unit 100 includes a sensor main body 101. The sensor main body 101 is a known reflection type sensor including a light emitting unit (not shown) and a light receiving unit (not shown). That is, the light emitted from the light emitting part passes through the print-receiving tape 3A and is received by the light receiving part. At this time, the print-receiving tape 3A has a three-layer structure of the print-receiving layer 3a, the adhesive layer 3b, and the release material layer 3c at the portion where the label mount L is adhered as described above. The part that is not bonded (the part between the label mounts L) has a single-layer structure of only the release material layer 3c. As a result, for example, the end position in the transport direction of the label mount L is detected as the reference position based on the difference in the amount of light received by the light receiving unit due to the difference in thickness.

The sensor placement unit 102 includes a substantially horizontal placement surface 103 for placing the sensor unit 100, a substantially rectangular through hole 104 formed in the placement surface 103 so as to extend in the left-right direction, and a through hole. A rack member 105 extending substantially horizontally in the left-right direction is provided on the rear side of the hole 104 (in other words , corresponding to one side along the transport direction of the print-receiving tape 3A from the through-hole 104 ). The sensor body 101 is placed on the placement surface 103 so as to be movable along the left-right width direction.

  The through hole 104 includes a slide hole portion 104a extending along the width direction. On the left end side of the slide hole portion 104a, a pair of insertion hole portions 106a and 106b having a rectangular shape wider than the width orthogonal to the horizontal width direction of the slide hole portion 104a is formed.

<Detailed structure of sensor body>
As shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 15, from the lower part of the sensor main body 101, a rectangular protrusion-shaped engagement foot 107 is provided so as to protrude downward while penetrating the through hole 104. The engaging foot portion 107 includes a lower end portion 107f and an intermediate portion 107e that connects the sensor main body 101 and the lower end portion 107f. Further, between the intermediate portion 107e and the lower end portion 107f, four protruding retaining portions 107a, 107b, 107c, and 107d are provided as a pair on the front and rear sides.

  At this time, the slide hole portion 104a of the through hole 104 does not allow the lower end portion 107f of the engagement foot portion 107 to pass therethrough and allows the intermediate portion 107e to pass therethrough. On the other hand, the insertion hole portion 106a of the through hole 104 allows the lower end portion 107f and the intermediate portion 107e to pass therethrough. Therefore, when the sensor unit 100 is assembled in the manufacturing process, the retaining portions 107c and 107d are inserted into the insertion hole portion 106a on the end side of the slide hole portion 104a, and the retaining portions 107a and 107b are inserted into the insertion hole portion 106b. Is done. At this time, the four protrusion-shaped retaining portions 107a, 107b, 107c, and 107d engage with the lower portion of the mounting surface 103 through the slide hole portion 104a (see FIG. 15). Then, after the lower end portion 107f is engaged with the lower portion of the placement surface 103, the intermediate portion 107e is moved from the insertion hole portion 106a to the slide hole portion 104a. In this way, the sensor main body 101 is attached to the slide hole 104a so as to be movable along the left-right direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14 (see also FIG. 4 above), in this example, a prohibiting member 500 is provided on the lower side of the slide hole portion 104a on the insertion hole portion 106a side. Are provided integrally with a member (in this example, a cover member 501 for guiding the discharge of the release material layer 3c, see FIG. 4). In the manufacturing process, the prohibiting member 500 is in a state in which the engaging foot portion 107 into which the lower end portion 107f is inserted from the insertion hole portions 106a and 106b is moved to the slide hole portion 104a as described above. In conjunction with the closing operation of the inner lid (not shown), it moves downward on the insertion hole 106a side. Thereby, the movement of the intermediate portion 107e to the position of the insertion hole portion 106a is prohibited, and the engagement of the engagement foot portion 107 (in other words, the sensor unit 100) with the through hole 104 is maintained.

<Lower structure of sensor body>
As shown in FIG. 16, a drawer portion 108 from which a harness H connected to the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion is pulled out is provided in a central region in the plan view of the rectangular protruding engagement foot portion 107. . Further, a spring member 600 made of a leaf spring is fixed to the lower portion of the sensor body 101, and gives a substantially horizontal elastic biasing force for meshing with the rack member 105 from a substantially horizontal direction (thick arrow in FIG. 15). reference). That is, the rack member 105 is extended substantially horizontally on the sensor arrangement portion 102, and an elastic biasing force for engaging with the rack member 105 is given by the spring member 600. As a result, the user can easily manually move the sensor unit 100 by manually moving the sensor unit 100 in the width direction while appropriately changing the meshing position with the rack member 105 and then stopping the movement at the proper meshing position. Can be positioned.

  At this time, the spring member 600 is formed in a substantially L shape in plan view so as to bypass the drawer portion 108 and the engagement foot portion 107 of the sensor main body 101. At this time, a pair of opposing left and right L-shaped insertion frame portions 107g are formed in the lower portion of the sensor body 101. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 16, the spring member 600 has a base end portion 601 attached and fixed to the insertion frame portion 107g and a meshing shape for meshing with the rack member 105 from a substantially horizontal direction. A distal end portion 602 provided, and an intermediate portion 603 that is connected to the proximal end portion 601 so as to connect the distal end portion 602 and the proximal end portion 601, and applies a substantially horizontal elastic biasing force to the distal end portion 602, It has.

  The intermediate portion 603 is provided below the sensor body 101 in a horizontal extending portion 604 extending substantially in the horizontal direction along the conveyance direction, and is bent downward from the horizontal extending portion 604 so as to be continuously provided, and hangs downward. A hanging extension portion 605 extending in the horizontal direction, and a width extending portion 606 that is bent from the hanging extension portion 605 in the horizontal direction and extends in the horizontal direction.

  The distal end portion 602 has a protrusion shape as a meshing shape corresponding to the interdental groove shape of the rack member 105. The horizontally extending portion 604 is provided with a tongue piece portion 607 cut and raised in a substantially U shape. When the base end portion 601 is inserted into the insertion frame portion 107g, the spring member 600 is prevented from rattling and inadvertent removal by being held by the elastic force of the tongue piece portion 607.

<Locking structure of touch panel seat cover>
Next, a seat cover locking structure that is detachably attached to the touch panel portion 5A of the upper cover unit 5, which is another feature of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS. To do.

  18 and 19, as already described, the touch panel portion 5 </ b> A is provided on the upper cover unit 5. The operator can make a desired operation input by touching the operation surface P (see FIG. 19B) of the touch panel portion 5A with a fingertip or the like from above. At this time, in the present embodiment, for example, the operation sheet S is placed on the operation surface P so that the operation input can be smoothly performed. A plurality of types of operation sheets S are prepared, and various operation buttons are arranged in different arrangements depending on, for example, the user's needs and applications. In order to prevent the operation sheet S from being detached from the operation surface P of the touch panel unit 5A, the seat cover 700 is detachably provided on the touch panel unit 5A (or the housing 2). Note that the touch panel unit 5A may be configured as an optional product, for example, and in an aspect where the touch panel unit 5A is not used, for example, as shown in FIG. 20, the upper part of the upper cover unit 5 may be covered with a lid unit 5 ′. .

<Seat cover>
As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the seat cover 700 is configured such that the operation sheet S is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface 702 exposed to the outside of the label producing apparatus 1 and the operation surface P of the touch panel unit 5 </ b> A. An inner peripheral surface 703 that covers at least a part of 5A. That is, as shown in FIG. 19B, the operation sheet S is placed on the operation surface P of the touch panel portion 5A, and a sheet cover 700 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is placed thereon. At this time, as shown in FIG. 19A and FIG. 21B, at least the touch panel portion 5 </ b> A of the touch panel portion 5 </ b> A is inserted while the operation sheet S is sandwiched between the inner peripheral surface 703 of the seat cover 700 and the operation surface P. Cover part. Thereby, by removing the seat cover 700 from the touch panel portion 5A as necessary, a plurality of types of operation sheets S can be appropriately exchanged and used.

  As shown in FIGS. 22, 23 (a) and 21 (a), the seat cover 700 is arranged along the substantially horizontal portion 706 located at the top of the operation sheet S and the short direction of the substantially horizontal portion 706. A substantially vertical portion 707 that hangs substantially vertically downward from both ends. The substantially vertical portion 207 is provided as a left and right pair so as to cover the sides of the touch panel portion 5A.

<Locking claw>
At this time, in the present embodiment, the sheet cover 700 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the touch panel unit 5A in order to appropriately replace and use the plural types of operation sheets S as described above. That is, a plurality of locking claws 704 that can be locked to the locked portion 705 of the touch panel portion 5 </ b> A are provided on the inner peripheral surface 703 of each of the left and right pair of substantially vertical portions 707. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 21A and 23B, the plurality of locking claws 704 are respectively connected to a base end portion 704a connected to the inner peripheral surface 703 of the substantially vertical portion 707 and the base end portion 704a. A bent portion 704b provided on the distal end side with respect to the end portion 704a, and a distal end portion 704c provided further on the distal end side than the bent portion 704b and facing toward the outside of the apparatus along the short side direction. Yes. Then, the distal end portion 704c is displaced inward by the bending of the substantially vertical portion 707, so that the engagement with the locked portion 705 can be released.

<Arrangement position of locking claw>
Here, in the label producing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the housing 2 has a longitudinal direction (corresponding to the front-rear direction) and a short direction (corresponding to the left-right direction). In addition, it has a substantially box shape. Therefore, for example, a case where the operator holds the entire apparatus from above by hand and carries it can be considered. In the present embodiment, as described above, the seat cover 700 can be attached to and detached from the touch panel portion 5A at the top of the housing 2. However, if the operator holds the seat cover 700 when carrying the operator, it is necessary to prevent the seat cover 700 from being removed.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19B, FIG. 22 and the like, avoid the central portion in the longitudinal direction, which is highly likely to be gripped naturally by the operator when carrying, avoiding the central portion other than the central portion. The locking claw 704 is provided. Specifically, as described above, in the inner peripheral surface 703, on one side and the other side (the left side and the right side) in the short side direction, other than the central portion along the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction). A plurality of (four in this example) locking claws 704 are provided. Correspondingly, the touch panel portion 5A is provided with a plurality of (four in this example) locked portions 705 to which the plurality of locking claws 704 are respectively locked. As described above, the locking claw 704 and the locked portion 705 are disposed so as to avoid a portion that the operator will grip, so that the seat cover 700 can be attached to the housing 2 or the touch panel when the operation sheet S is replaced. It is possible to prevent the seat cover 700 from being accidentally detached from the housing 2 or the touch panel portion 5A when the operator carries the device while being removable from the portion 5A. At this time, in the seat cover 700, an outer peripheral portion corresponding to the locked portion 705 indicates the presence of the locked portion 705 (in this example, an inverted triangle) as shown in FIG. A portion 708 is provided (not shown in other drawings).

<Battery power supply unit mounting structure>
Next, a structure for mounting the battery power supply unit to the bottom of the housing 2, which is another feature of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 to 28. In each of the following drawings (particularly FIGS. 24, 26, 30, 31, 32, and 33), an example in which the lid unit 5 'is mounted instead of the touch panel unit 5A is shown as an example. To show.

<Interface part at the bottom of the housing>
As already described, the label producing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes the platen roller 66 that conveys the print-receiving tape 3A and the print head 61 that performs desired printing on the print-receiving tape 3A. A plurality of operating devices are included. The plurality of operating devices operate by being supplied with power from an external power supply apparatus 900 (AC adapter; see FIG. 28 described later).

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 24, the housing 2 has a substantially box shape including a total of four of a front side surface 800a, a right side surface 800b, a left side surface 800c, and a rear side surface 800d, each corresponding to a first side surface portion. It has a shape. A concave portion 801 is formed below the rear side surface 800d. An interface unit IF including a plurality of connection jacks including the connection jack for power supply is provided in the concave portion 801 so as to face the outside of the housing 2 (see also FIG. 28 described later).

  That is, as shown in FIG. 25A and FIG. 24, the interface unit IF has a first power connection jack 801a (a so-called DC jack, corresponding to a first power receiving terminal) in order from the right side to the left side. ), A so-called RJ25 type serial connection jack 801b, a second USB connection jack 801c for functioning as a so-called USB host, a so-called network RJ45 type LAN cable connection jack 801d, and a so-called USB function, for example. The first USB connection jack 801e is arranged side by side.

  In normal times, as shown in FIG. 24, the first power connection jack 801a provided in the interface unit IF is open (see also FIG. 25 (a)). By connecting an external power supply connection plug 900a (see FIG. 28 described later) of the external power supply apparatus 900, each operating device is connected from the external power supply apparatus 900 (see FIG. 28 described later) via the first power supply connection jack 801a. Power is supplied to

<Battery power supply unit>
Here, in the label producing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a battery power supply unit 802 can be attached to the bottom of the housing 2 as shown in FIG. When the battery power supply unit 802 is mounted, power is supplied to each operating device by a battery power supply BT (see FIG. 28 described later) provided in the battery power supply unit 802. That is, the battery power unit 802 is provided with a second power connection jack 803 (corresponding to a second power receiving terminal) having the same function as the first power connection jack 801a. When the external power supply device 900 is connected to the second power supply connection jack 803, power is supplied from the external power supply device 900 to the battery power supply BT of the battery power supply unit 802 via the second power supply connection jack 803, and charging is performed. can do.

  As shown in FIGS. 27 (a), 27 (b), and 26, the battery power unit 802 includes a front side surface 802a, a right side surface 802b, a left side surface 802c, and a rear side corresponding to the second side surface portion. A total of four side surfaces 802d are provided. The front side surface 802a, the right side surface 802b, the left side surface 802c, and the rear side surface 802d of the battery power unit 802 are arranged in front of the housing 2 when the battery power unit 802 is mounted on the bottom of the housing 2 as described above. The side surface 800a, the right side surface 800b, the left side surface 800c, and the rear side surface 800d are substantially on the same plane. As shown in FIG. 27B, the second power connection jack 803 is provided at the center of the rear side 802d of the battery power unit 802.

<Control system>
Next, the control system of the label producing apparatus 1 including the power supply path from the external power supply apparatus 900 and the battery power supply unit 802 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 28, the label producing apparatus 1 is provided with a power supply circuit 2151 for performing on / off processing of the power of the label producing apparatus 1. The battery power supply unit 802 includes a charging circuit 2011, a booster circuit 2011a, and a battery power supply BT made of, for example, a lithium ion battery having a rating of 14 [V].

  Further, the label producing apparatus 1 is provided with a CPU 2120 that constitutes a calculation unit that performs a predetermined calculation. The CPU 2120 performs signal processing according to a program stored in advance in the ROM 2140 while using the temporary storage function of the RAM 2130, thereby controlling the entire label producing apparatus 1. The ROM 2140 stores a control program for executing the charging process of the battery power source BT and the label creation process. The CPU 2120 includes a motor drive circuit 2160 that controls the drive of the platen roller motor 211 that drives the platen roller 66, a print head control circuit 2170 that controls energization of the heating elements of the print head 61, and a battery detection circuit. 2300.

  The first power connection jack 801a of the interface unit IF is connected to the power circuit 2151. When an external power connection plug 900a (a so-called DC plug, which corresponds to a power supply terminal) of the external power supply 900 such as an AC adapter is connected to the first power connection jack 801a, power is supplied from the external power supply 900 to the power circuit 2151. Supply is made.

  On the other hand, when the battery power supply unit 802 is attached to the bottom of the casing 2 and the external power supply connection plug 900a is not connected to the second power supply connection jack 803 of the battery power supply unit 802, the battery detection circuit 2300 drives the battery. Is detected, and the battery drive control mode is set based on the control of the CPU 212. At this time, in the booster circuit 2011a, the rated voltage (14 [V] in the above example) from the battery power supply BT is boosted to a predetermined voltage (for example, 25 [V]), and power is supplied to the power supply circuit 2151. Is called.

  Furthermore, the above-described liquid crystal panel unit 5B, touch panel unit 5A, serial connection jack 801b, first USB connection jack 801c, LAN cable connection jack 801d, second USB connection jack 801e, ROM 2140, and RAM 2130 are connected to the CPU 2120. Yes.

<Incorrect connection of power supply terminal>
Here, as described above, the first power connection jack 801 a is provided on the housing 2 side, and the second power connection jack 803 is also provided on the battery power unit 802. Therefore, when the battery power supply unit 802 is mounted on the housing 2 as described above, the operator should connect the external power supply connection plug 900a of the external power supply device 900 (originally to the second power supply connection jack 803). ) There is a risk of accidental connection to the first power connection jack 801a. This connection makes it impossible to charge the battery power source BT.

<Shielding member>
Therefore, in this embodiment, the battery power unit 802 is provided with a shielding member 804. That is, as shown in FIG. 26, FIG. 27A, and FIG. 27B, the first power connection jack 801a of the interface unit IF of the upper edge of the rear side surface 802d of the battery power unit 802 is provided. A vertically long block-shaped shielding member 804 is provided at a position corresponding to the arrangement position. The shielding member 804 is inserted into the concave portion 801 at the bottom of the housing 2 when the battery power supply unit 802 is attached to the housing 2 as described above.

  The shielding member 804 is provided on the opposite side of the surface portion 804b and the surface portion 804b that is substantially flush with the rear side surface 802d of the housing 2 when inserted into the concave portion 801. And a back surface portion 804a facing the receiving side of the connection plug 900a.

  That is, when the battery power supply unit 802 is attached to the bottom of the casing 2, as shown in FIG. 25B, the shielding member 804 is positioned on the receiving side of the external power connection plug 900a of the first power connection jack 801a. Then, at least a part of the receiving side is shielded (in the example of FIG. 25B, the left end portion of the first power connection jack 801a is slightly exposed). The shielding member 804 exposes the remaining part on the receiving side. On the other hand, when the battery power supply unit 802 is detached from the bottom of the housing 2, as shown in FIG. 25A, the shielding member 804 is separated from the receiving side of the external power connection plug 900a of the first power connection jack 801a. Thus, the shielding is stopped.

<Removing and attaching the wireless communication unit>
Next, attachment / detachment of the wireless communication unit, which is one of the other features of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In this embodiment, for example, by attaching a wireless communication unit 1000 (corresponding to the first mutual recognition wireless communication) such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) to the housing 2 that performs mutual recognition wireless communication (corresponding to the first mutual recognition wireless communication). Wireless communication with an external device can be performed to transmit / receive information such as the print data (see FIG. 30 and the like described later).

<Details of wireless communication unit>
As shown in FIG. 29, the wireless communication unit 1000 has a curved shape in which the back side surface 1000 b substantially matches the rear side surface 800 d of the housing 2 described above, and the front side surface 1000 a is the rear side surface 800 d of the housing 2. The curved surface shape is substantially the same as the curved surface. Further, on the lower edge side of the wireless communication unit 1000, a unit connector 1001 is integrally extended at a position corresponding to the position of the serial connection jack 801b of the interface unit IF of the housing 2. Further, on the upper edge side of the wireless communication unit 1000, there is provided an attachment base 1002 provided with a screw hole H1 for fixing the wireless communication unit 1000 to the rear side surface 800d of the housing 2 with a screw N1.

  The unit connector 1001 connects the serial connection plug SPL with the gripping claws facing downward so as to be inserted into the serial connection jack 801b, and the serial connection plug SPL and the wireless communication unit 1000. A serial cable (not shown).

  The front side surface 1000a is provided with a power display unit 1004 such as an LED lamp that indicates the power ON state of the wireless communication unit 1000. Further, energization switches 1005 are provided at the corners of the front side surface 1000a for switching on and off when performing wireless communication with an external device.

<Connection with connection jack>
As shown in FIG. 30, the wireless communication unit 1000 having the above configuration is mounted and fixed to the rear side surface 800d of the housing 2 using the screw N1. At the time of mounting, as shown in FIG. 31 (b), connection to the label producing apparatus 1 is performed using the serial connection jack 801b. That is, as described above, from the right side to the left side, the interface unit IF has a first power connection jack 801a, a serial connection jack 801b, a second USB connection jack 801c, a LAN cable connection jack 801d, and a first USB connection. Jacks 801e are arranged in this order (see FIG. 31A). That is, the first USB connection jack 801e is disposed at the leftmost end portion (corresponding to one end portion in the substantially horizontal direction) in the horizontal direction.

  At this time, a USB connection plug (not shown) from the host device can be inserted into the second USB connection jack 801c in a direction in which the longitudinal direction is substantially horizontal. A LAN connection plug (not shown) can be inserted into the LAN cable connection jack 801d with the gripping claw portion facing upward. A USB connection plug PL (from a so-called function device) can be inserted into the first USB connection jack 801e so that the longitudinal direction is substantially vertical (see FIG. 32B described later).

  When the wireless communication unit 1000 is attached to the housing 2, the serial connection jack 801b is used as shown in FIG. 31 (b) and FIG. That is, the wireless communication unit 1000 is attached to the upper side (corresponding to a predetermined portion) of the concave portion 801 having the interface part IF on the rear side surface 800d without covering the interface part IF. At that time, the serial connection plug SPL of the unit connector 1001 is inserted into the serial connection jack 801b with the gripping claw portion facing downward. At this time, the unit connector 1001 connects the wireless communication unit 1000 and the serial connection jack 801b corresponding to the wireless communication unit 1000 (while exposing the other connection jacks). With this connection, the label producing apparatus 1 can perform information transmission / reception by wireless communication with an external device via the wireless communication unit 1000.

<Installation of other wireless communication units>
In the present embodiment, another wireless communication unit 1000 ′ different from the above-described wireless communication unit 1000 that performs Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication can be mounted (see FIG. 33 and the like described later). In this example, the wireless communication unit 1000 ′ (corresponding to the second unit) is a mutual recognition wireless communication (second mutual communication) such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) that is different from the mutual recognition wireless communication of the wireless communication unit 100. (Corresponding to recognition wireless communication), wireless communication with an external device is performed, and information transmission / reception of the print data, for example, is executed.

  The configuration of the wireless communication unit 1000 ′ is shown in FIG. Parts equivalent to those of the wireless communication unit 1000 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified. The wireless communication unit 1000 ′ includes a back side surface 1000 b, a front side surface 1000 a, a mounting base 1002, a power display unit 1004, and an energization switch 1005, similar to the wireless communication unit 1000.

  On the lower edge side of the wireless communication unit 1000 ′, a unit connector 1001 ′ is integrally extended at a location corresponding to the position of the first USB connection jack 801 e of the interface unit IF of the housing 2. .

  The unit connector 1001 ′ includes a USB connection plug PL whose longitudinal direction is substantially vertical so as to be inserted into the first USB connection jack 801e, the USB connection plug PL, and the wireless communication unit 1000 ′. And a USB cable (not shown).

  When the wireless communication unit 1000 ′ is attached to the housing 2, as shown in FIGS. 32 (b) and 33, the wireless communication unit 1000 ′ has a concave portion 801 with an interface portion IF on the rear side surface 800d. Similar to the wireless communication unit 1000, the interface unit IF is attached to the upper side (corresponding to a predetermined part) without covering the interface unit IF. At that time, the USB connection plug PL of the unit connector 1001 ′ is inserted into the first USB connection jack 801e in a direction in which the longitudinal direction is substantially vertical. At this time, similarly to the unit connector 1001, the unit connector 1001 ′ connects the wireless communication unit 1000 ′ to the corresponding first USB connection jack 801e (while exposing the other connection jacks). By this connection, the label producing apparatus 1 can perform information transmission / reception with an external device via wireless communication via the wireless communication unit 1000 ′.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the rib member 300 comes into contact with the print-receiving tape 3A conveyed in the section between the clamping position O and the support position Q from above, and the print-receiving tape 3A. The conveyance path is made substantially linear. Thereby, the said peeling can be performed most favorably and efficiently. At this time, by using the rib member 300, the contact area when contacting the print-receiving tape 3A from above can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of a conveyance failure and an increase in conveyance resistance as compared with the case where the contact from above is performed by a fixing member having a flat plate surface or a pressing roller.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the lower end position of the rib member 300 is positioned above the line connecting the clamping position O and the support position Q by Δh. As a result, as described above, when the actual transport path of the print-receiving tape 3A is in a straight line from the holding position O to the support position Q, the rib member 300 does not contact the print-receiving tape 3A. . As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent an increase in useless conveyance resistance.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the peeling plate 200 is disposed such that the height direction position of the support position Q is lower than the height direction position of the clamping position O. This has the following significance.

  That is, as described above, in the case where the print head 61 is in contact with the upper part of the platen roller 66 and the pinch roller 201 is in contact with the lower part of the platen roller 66 and is conveyed, the height position of the clamping position Q is assumed to be If the height position of the support position O is equal (that is, if the conveyance path from the clamping position Q to the support position O is substantially horizontal), the pinch roller 201 needs to be disposed relatively forward. As a result, the layout in the housing 2 is restricted, and the housing 2 is increased in size in the front-rear direction.

  Further, as described above, the opening / closing lid 6C provided with the second discharge port 6B in the front panel 6 of the housing 2 can be rotated forward, and the pinch roller 201 is provided on the opening / closing lid 6C. Yes. In the case of this configuration, the structure in which the pinch roller 201 is inserted into the lower part of the platen roller 66 and locked by one operation as well as the operation of closing the opening / closing lid 6C is positioned at a predetermined contact position with the platen roller 66. From the viewpoint of However, if the pinch roller 201 is disposed relatively forward as described above, the above-described sinking and locking structure becomes difficult.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, as described above, the height direction position of the support position Q of the peeling plate 200 is made lower than the height direction position of the clamping position O by the print head 61 and the platen roller 66. Thereby, since the position of the pinch roller 201 can be arranged relatively rearward, the above-described adverse effects can be avoided and the operability can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, as described above, the rib member 300 is provided integrally with the print head 61 as the head unit HU, and the head unit HU including the print head 61 is attached to the platen roller 66. It is provided so that it can be viewed from the perspective. In this way, by configuring the rib member 300 integrally with the print head 61, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and to reduce the installation space as compared with the case where both are provided separately. At this time, since the print head 61 moves away from the platen roller 66, the rib member 300 does not have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the conveyance path, but the rib member 300 flexibly moves according to the conveyance state. Can be far away. Also by this, it is possible to reliably prevent an increase in useless conveyance resistance.

  In the present embodiment, the rib member 300 does not have a fixed positional relationship with respect to the transport path, and the rib member 300 swings around the pinching position O as a fulcrum according to the transport state, and is transported flexibly. Can be close to the path. Also by this, it is possible to reliably prevent an increase in useless conveyance resistance.

  In the present embodiment, the guide members 20A and 20B are brought into contact with the end surface in the width direction of the roll 3 of the roll storage portion 4, and the print-receiving tape 3A fed out from the roll 3 is guided in the width direction. The guide members 20A and 20B can advance and retreat along the left-right direction. Thereby, guide member 20A, 20B can be made to contact the end surface with respect to the roll 3 of various width | variety by adjusting the position by moving the guide member 20A, 20B appropriately according to the width | variety of the roll 3 accommodated. . Accordingly, it is possible to reliably guide the print-receiving tape 3A while corresponding to the roll 3 having an arbitrary width. At that time, through-holes 400A and 400B are provided in the guide members 20A and 20B that are configured to advance and retract in the left-right direction as described above. The support rollers 52 and 53 are inserted through the through-holes 400A and 400B in the left-right direction, respectively, and thereby guide when the guide members 20A and 20B advance and retreat in the width direction is performed. As a result, as described above, it is possible to easily and smoothly adjust the position of the guide members 20A and 20B to accommodate the roll 3 having an arbitrary width.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the first guide member 20A contacts the roll 3 from the right side and the second guide member 20B contacts from the left side. Thereby, it is possible to reliably guide the print-receiving tape 3A while sandwiching the roll 3 from both sides in the width direction. Further, by engaging the rack members 406 and 407 with the gear 408, both the first guide member 20A and the second guide member 20B can be moved, and the forward and backward movements of the guide members 20A and 20B can be linked. Thereby, even when rolls 3 having various widths are used, the center positions in the width direction of the rolls 3 can be easily aligned.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the guide support portion 24 provided on the guide members 20A and 20B is provided on the bottom surface of the roll storage portion 4 in addition to the guide of the guide members 20A and 20B moving forward and backward by the support rollers 52 and 53. Engaging with the provided rail member 11 also guides the advance and retreat of the guide members 20A and 20B in the width direction. At that time, the guide members 20A and 20B are guided to advance and retract in the width direction by the support rollers 52 and 53 inserted through the through holes 400A and 400B on both sides of the guide support portion 24, respectively. Accordingly, the position adjustment of the guide members 20A and 20B can be performed more easily and smoothly.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the engagement sliding portions 401 and 402 of the guide members 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B engage with and engage the engaged portions 403 and 404 of the roll storage unit 4. Thereby, the smooth width direction advance and retreat of the guide members 20A and 20B can be further reliably performed.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, a guide protrusion 405 is provided so as to protrude along the left-right direction at the upper part on the front side of the guide members 20A, 20B. Thus, as described above, the flapping of the print-receiving tape 3A in the vertical direction can be suppressed at both ends of the print-receiving tape 3A fed from the roll 3, and smooth conveyance can be surely performed.

  In the present embodiment, the sensor unit 100 includes the sensor body 101 placed on the placement surface 103 while the engagement foot 107 provided on the lower portion engages the lower portion of the placement surface 103. The structure moves in the left-right direction along the through-hole 104. Accordingly, the sensor unit 100 can be moved in the left-right direction with a simple structure as compared with the conventional structure in which the shaft member penetrates the sensor unit 100 in the left-right direction and the sensor unit 100 is slid along the shaft. it can. Further, by providing the insertion hole portion 106a which is a large hole portion in a partial region of the through hole 104, as described above, after the sensor placement portion 102 and the surrounding structure are assembled, the insertion hole portion 106a. It is possible to attach the sensor unit 100 by inserting from above. As a result, the manufacturing process can be simplified and rationalized as compared with the conventional structure in which a large assembly in which the shaft member is penetrated in the width direction needs to be attached inside the sensor unit 100.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the spring member 600 is engaged with the rack member 105 from a substantially horizontal direction. This has the following significance. That is, as described above, the user moves the sensor unit 100 in the width direction while appropriately changing the meshing position with the rack member 105 (for example, by gripping the sensor unit 100 by hand), and then performs appropriate meshing. By stopping the movement at the position, the sensor unit 100 can be easily positioned. As a result, when the user grips the sensor unit 100, there is a possibility that a downward pressing force due to the gripping acts. Therefore, if the rack member 105 is meshed in the vertical direction and the spring member 600 is provided so as to apply the urging force for the meshing in the vertical direction (for example, mounted on the lower part of the sensor body 101). The upper surface of the mounting surface 103 or the lower surface of the mounting surface 103 and the upper portion of the engaging foot 107, etc.), the pressing force acts on the spring member 600 and the spring member 600 is damaged. Or the durability may be adversely affected.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, a rack member 105 is provided on the rear side (corresponding to one side in the transport direction) of the through-hole 104 and meshes with the rack member 105 from a substantially horizontal direction. The spring member 600 gives an elastic biasing force for the meshing from a substantially horizontal direction at the lower part of the sensor body 101. Thereby, even if it is a case where the above downward pressing force acts, the failure | damage of a spring member 600 and durability fall can be prevented.

  In this embodiment, in particular, the spring member 600 includes a proximal end portion 601, an intermediate portion 603, and a distal end portion 602, and the distal end portion 602 meshes with the rack member 105 from a substantially horizontal direction. As the spring member 600 itself meshes with the rack member 105 in this way, the number of parts can be reduced and the entire sensor unit 100 can be downsized compared to the case where a dedicated member for meshing is provided separately from the spring member 600. be able to.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the intermediate portion 603 between the base end portion 601 and the tip end portion 602 is horizontally extended from the base end portion 601 side toward the tip end portion 602 side. → A width extending portion 606 is provided. As described above, since a long path exists between the base end portion 601 and the tip end portion 602, a flexible and sufficient elastic biasing force can be applied to the tip end portion 602.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the spring member 600 is configured to be substantially L-shaped in plan view. As a result, a long path is provided between the base end portion 601 and the tip end portion 602 as described above to provide a flexible and sufficient elastic biasing force, and prevent the entire sensor unit 100 from being enlarged in plan view. can do.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, after assembling the sensor placement portion 102 in the manufacturing process, the engagement foot portion 107 is inserted from the insertion hole portions 106a and 106b of the through hole 104, and the slide hole is inserted. The sensor unit 100 can be attached to the sensor placement unit 102 by moving the unit 104a to engage with the placement surface. Further, by attaching the above-described cover member 501 after the attachment, the engaging foot portion 107 moved to the slide hole portion 104a by the prohibiting member 500 provided integrally with the cover member 501 is mistakenly inserted again. It is prevented from being disengaged from 106a, 106b and disengaged. As a result, the manufacturing process can be reliably simplified and rationalized as compared with the above-described conventional structure.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, in the seat cover 700, the locking claw 704 is provided at a portion other than the central portion where the operator is likely to naturally hold when carrying. Accordingly, the seat cover 700 can be removed from the touch panel unit 5A when the operation sheet S is replaced, and the seat cover 700 is prevented from being accidentally detached from the housing 2 (or the touch panel unit 5A) when the operator carries the operation sheet S. Can do.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the locking claw 704 includes a proximal end portion 704a, a bent portion 704b, and a distal end portion 704c. Then, the distal end portion 704c is displaced inward of the apparatus by the bending of the substantially vertical portion 707, so that the locking to the locked portion 705 is released. Accordingly, when the seat cover 700 is removed, the left and right substantially vertical portions 707 of the seat cover 700 having a substantially U-shaped cross section are bent and displaced toward the inside of the apparatus so as to be close to each other. The claw 704 can be easily detached from the locked portion 705 and removed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in particular, the seat cover 700 is provided with a display portion 708 indicating the presence of the locked portion 705. Thereby, the position of the to-be-latched part 705 and the latching claw 704 can be made to make an operator recognize visually reliably. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the operator from accidentally removing the seat cover 700 during carrying.

  In the present embodiment, a shielding member 804 is provided on the battery power supply unit 802 that can be mounted on the bottom of the housing 2. When the battery power supply unit 802 is attached to the housing 2, the shielding member 804 shields at least a part of the first power connection jack 801 a external power connection plug 900 a receiving side provided in the housing 2. As a result, when the operator tries to connect the external power connection plug 900a of the external power supply device 900, the first power connection jack 801a is blocked from the operator and cannot be seen (or becomes difficult to see). )reference). As a result, the above-described erroneous connection can be prevented. When the battery power supply unit 802 is detached from the bottom of the housing 2, as shown in FIG. 25 (a), the operator can connect the external power connection plug 900a to the first power supply by stopping the shielding of the shielding member 804. It can be reliably connected to the jack 801a.

  Further, particularly in the present embodiment, when the battery power supply unit 802 is mounted on the housing 2, the shielding member 804 does not shield all of the power supply terminal receiving side of the first power connection jack 801a, but partially. It exposes (refer FIG.25 (b)). Accordingly, due to the presence of the shielding member 804, other connection terminals provided in the interface unit IF (in the above example, the serial connection jack 801b, the second USB connection jack 801c, the LAN cable connection jack 801d, the first USB connection jack 801e). ) Can be made unimpeded.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, even when the battery power supply unit 802 is attached to the bottom of the housing 2, the front side surface 800 a, the right side surface 800 b, the left side surface 800 c, the rear side surface 800 d, and the battery power supply unit 804 are mounted. There are no irregularities in the overall appearance of the apparatus formed by the front side surface 802a, the right side surface 802b, the left side surface 802c, and the rear side surface 802d. Therefore, the aesthetics of the entire apparatus can be improved.

  Further, particularly in the present embodiment, even when the battery power supply unit 802 is attached to the bottom of the housing 2 and the shielding member 804 is inserted into the concave portion 801, the surface portion 804b of the shielding member 804 is It is on substantially the same plane as the rear side surface 800d. That is, the shielding member 804 does not protrude from the rear side surface 800d of the housing 2 in a convex shape, and the outer shape is not uneven. Thereby, the aesthetics of the whole apparatus can further be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the wireless communication unit 1000 (or the wireless communication unit 1000 ′) is attached to the upper side of the concave portion 801 where the interface unit IF is located without covering the interface unit IF. At that time, the unit connector 1001 connects the wireless communication unit 1000 (or wireless communication unit 1000 ′) and the corresponding serial connection jack 801b (or the first USB connection jack 801e) to the other connection jacks. Connect while exposing. As a result, the label producing apparatus 1 performs information transmission / reception with an external device via wireless communication via the wireless communication unit 1000 (or wireless communication unit 1000 ′).

  As a result, the wireless communication unit 1000 (or the wireless communication unit 1000 ′) is mounted, and the unit connector 1001 of the wireless communication unit 1000 (or the wireless communication unit 1000 ′) is connected to one connection jack of the interface unit IF. Even in the state, other connection jacks of the interface unit IF can be used for further connection applications. As a result, even when information is transmitted / received to / from an external device by wireless communication in the label creating apparatus 1, the label creating apparatus 1 and another external device (such as an operation terminal or another label creating apparatus) are further wired, for example. Can be connected. Therefore, various connection modes at the time of use can be expanded, and convenience can be improved.

  Further, particularly in the present embodiment, when the wireless communication unit 1000 is mounted on the housing 2, the serial connection plug SPL of the unit connector 1001 is placed on the serial connection jack 801 b with the gripping claw portion facing downward. Is inserted. In this state, in the lower part of the rear side 800d of the housing 2, the wireless communication unit 1000, the serial cable, the serial connection plug SPL, and the serial connection jack 801b are arranged in this order from the top to the bottom (see FIG. 30). ). At that time, the gripping claw portion of the serial connection plug SPL is located not on the wireless communication unit 1000 or the serial cable side (without such an interference object) but on the opposite side (lower side). As a result, the serial connection plug SPL can be inserted into and removed from the serial connection jack 801b relatively easily, so that the workability when the wireless communication unit 1000 is attached / detached can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the power supply display unit 1004 representing the power ON state is provided on the front side surface 1000a. Thereby, when the wireless communication unit 1000 is attached to a predetermined part of the casing, it is possible to make the operator clearly recognize that the electrical connection is correctly performed and the power supply is turned on. As a result, the convenience for the operator is improved.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, a wireless communication unit 1000 capable of executing Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication and a wireless communication unit 1000 ′ capable of executing Wi-Fi communication are selectively attached to the housing 2. The interface unit IF can be connected. As a result, one appropriate wireless communication unit 1000, 1000 ′ corresponding to the type of wireless communication to be executed can be selected from the wireless communication unit 1000 and the wireless communication unit 1000 ′, and can be used while being used properly. As a result, the entire apparatus can be reduced in size as compared with the case where all of the plural types of mutual recognition wireless communication functions are fixedly incorporated in the label producing apparatus 1.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the USB connection plug PL provided in the unit connector 1001 ′ of the wireless communication unit 1000 ′ attached to and detached from the housing 2 is connected to the first USB connection jack 801e of the interface unit IF. At this time, the USB connection plug PL is inserted into and removed from the first USB connection jack 801e in a direction in which the longitudinal direction is a substantially vertical direction (so-called vertical direction). Thereby, the enlargement of the substantially horizontal dimension of the interface part IF can be prevented and the miniaturization can be achieved. The first USB connection jack 801e is disposed at the leftmost end of the interface unit IF among all the connection jacks 801a to 801e. Thereby, the surface on one side in the short direction of the USB connection plug PL of the wireless communication unit 1000 ′ is placed on the outer side of the device without other connection jacks 801a to 801d and interferences (left side in this example. FIG. 33 and FIG. 32 (b)). As a result, the USB connection plug PL can be inserted into and removed from the first USB connection jack 801e relatively easily, so that the workability at the time of attaching and detaching the wireless communication unit 1000 ′ can be improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and technical idea of the present invention.

  For example, the case where the print-receiving tape 3A in which the label mount L is continuously arranged on the tape is used has been described above as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the print-receiving tape layer (heat-sensitive layer or image receiving layer) is formed on the entire tape surface. Printing may be performed on the formed tape to be printed and cut into a predetermined length to create a printed label. The present invention is also applicable to such a case. In the above, a method for printing on the print-receiving tape 3A (so-called non-laminate method) is used, but a method for printing on a cover film different from the print-receiving tape 3A and bonding them together (so-called laminate method). The present invention may be applied.

  In the above description, the case in which the print-receiving tape 3A is fed from the upper side of the roll 3 has been described as an example. In this case, the roll 3 is acted on by a force to roll the roll 3 in the direction opposite to the tape feeding direction (in this example, the rear side). The two rollers 51 and 52 may be disposed on the side opposite to the feeding direction side of the print-receiving tape 3A.

  In addition, the arrow shown in FIG. 28 shows an example of the signal flow, and does not limit the signal flow direction.

In addition to those already described above, the methods according to the above-described embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the present invention is implemented with various modifications within a range not departing from the gist thereof.

1 Label making device (printing device)
2 Housing 3 Roll 3A Printed tape (printed medium)
3a Printed layer 3b Adhesive layer 3c Release material layer 4 Roll storage unit 5 Upper cover unit 5A Touch panel unit 6A First discharge port 6B Second discharge port 20A, 20B Guide member 24 Guide support unit 51 First roller 52 Second roller 53 Third roller 61 Print head 66 Platen roller 100 Sensor unit 107 Engagement foot part 200 Release plate 201 Pinch roller 300 Rib member 400A Through hole 400B Through hole 700 Sheet cover 704 Locking claw 705 Locked part 801a First power connection Jack (first power receiving terminal)
803 Second power connection jack (second power receiving terminal)
802 Battery power unit 900 External power supply (AC adapter)
1000 Wireless communication unit (first unit)
1000 'wireless communication unit (second unit)

Claims (4)

Conveying means for conveying the print medium in a predetermined conveying direction;
Printing means for performing desired printing on the printing medium conveyed by the conveying means;
A casing constituting the outer shell of the apparatus, which encloses the conveying means and the printing means;
A sensor unit for detecting a predetermined reference position of the printing medium for use in printing control by the printing means;
A sensor disposition unit provided in a transport path of the print medium in the housing, the sensor unit being disposed so as to be movable along a width direction of the print medium perpendicular to the transport direction;
Have
The sensor placement unit is
A substantially horizontal mounting surface for disposing the sensor unit;
A through hole formed in the mounting surface so as to extend in the width direction;
In the one in the conveying direction from the through hole, and a rack member that extends substantially horizontally in the width direction,
With
The sensor unit is
A sensor body that optically detects the predetermined reference position, and is mounted on the upper surface of the mounting surface so as to be movable along the width direction;
An engaging foot part that protrudes downward from the lower part of the sensor body while penetrating the through hole, and a lower end part of which engages with the lower part of the mounting surface;
A spring member fixed to a lower portion of the sensor body and providing a substantially horizontal elastic biasing force for meshing with the rack member from a substantially horizontal direction;
Equipped with a,
The spring member is
A base end fixed to the lower part of the sensor body;
A tip portion having a meshing shape for meshing with the rack member from a substantially horizontal direction;
An intermediate portion that connects the distal end portion and the proximal end portion and applies the elastic biasing force in a substantially horizontal direction to the distal end portion;
A printing device , comprising: a leaf spring comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 1 .
The intermediate portion of the spring member is
A horizontally extending portion that is connected to the base end portion and extends in a substantially horizontal direction along the transport direction below the sensor body;
A drooping extension part that is bent downward from the horizontal extension part and continuously provided, and extends downwardly;
A width extending portion that is bent and continuously provided in the width direction from the hanging extension portion, and extends in the width direction;
With
The tip portion is the meshing shape,
A printing apparatus comprising a protrusion shape corresponding to the interdental groove shape of the rack member. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
The sensor body is
A pull-out portion from which a harness connected to the sensor is pulled out is provided in a central region in a plan view,
The spring member is
A printing apparatus having a substantially L shape in plan view so as to bypass the drawer portion and the engagement foot portion of the sensor body. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The engagement foot part further includes an intermediate part that connects the sensor body and the lower end part,
The through hole includes a slide hole portion that does not allow the lower end portion to pass through and allows the intermediate portion to pass therethrough, and an insertion hole portion that allows the lower end portion and the intermediate portion to pass through.
And,
In the state where the intermediate portion is moved from the insertion hole portion to the slide hole portion after the engagement foot portion is inserted through the insertion hole portion and the lower end portion is engaged with the lower portion of the placement surface, A printing apparatus, wherein a prohibiting member that prohibits movement of the intermediate portion to the insertion hole portion is provided integrally with the casing or a member fixed to the casing.

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