JPS63242667A - Method for cueing head label of label printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform accurate cueing without generating an error, by subtracting the value calculated by adding the distance between labels and the cueing distance of the head label from a spaced-apart distance to calculate a label feed distance and feeding base paper by the label feed distance from the rear end of the label. CONSTITUTION:When the spaced-apart distance from a detection position D to a printing position P is set to L, the number of labels after the passage of the detection position D and before the passage of the printing position P are set to N, the cueing distance from the leading end of a label 13 to a cueing position is set to beta, the distance (the length of the adhered label) from the leading end of the label 13 to the leading end of the next label 13 is set to (l), the distance between the labels is set to gamma and a label feed distance is set to alpha, the cueing operation of the head label 13 can be performed by calculating the label feed distance alpha. The spaced-apart distance L is L=lN-beta+alpha-gamma and, therefore, the label feed distance alpha is alpha=L-lN+beta+gamma. The label feed distance alpha is calculated by utilizing the stepping signal of a stepping motor 17 on the basis of the adhered label length (l) and the distance gamma between the labels being the detection results of a photosensor 21. As mentioned above, since the label feed distance is calculated and base paper is fed by the label feed distance from the rear end of the label to perform the cueing of the head label, extremely accurate cueing can be performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a label printer that sequentially prints predetermined items on a plurality of labels attached to a single mount, and the present invention relates to a label printer that prints predetermined items in order on a plurality of labels attached to a single mount. Regarding the label cue method.

Conventional technology A plurality of labels are affixed to a long mount, the labels are conveyed in sequence, predetermined items are printed on the labels in order, and the printed labels are peeled off from the mount and issued. In a label printer, it is necessary to locate the first label. Here, the first label is one of the labels being transported.
The label that reaches the printing position first. Further, cueing refers to the act of setting the distance from the leading edge of the leading label to the printing start position.

An example of such a method for locating the first label will be explained based on FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 shows an example of the label 2 attached to the mount 1. The length of the labels 2 in the transport direction is set to label length a, the interval between each label 2 is set to distance, and the head-out distance is set to distance C. On the other hand, inside the label printer, as shown in FIG. 6, a detector 3 is arranged in the label conveyance path to detect the label portion and the portion between the labels. As this detector 3, for example, a photosensor or the like that detects a difference in light transmittance is used.

Therefore, to cue the first label.

The detector 3 detects the tip 2a of the label 2.

Printing on the leading label is started at the time when the label 2 has been conveyed by the label conveying distance d from the leading end 2a. The label transport distance #ld is a distance obtained by adding the label length a, the label amount ratio @b, and the cueing distance 111c.

Problem to be Solved by the Invention When locating the first label, the label transport distance #ld must be input. This is because if the label length a and the distance between labels differ, the label transport distance d will also differ. Therefore, it is necessary to input the label transport distance d every time the label 2 to be printed is changed, which has the disadvantage of being complicated.

Further, accurate cueing can be performed using the label conveyance distance d only when the detector 11D of the detector 3 is located at the leading end 2a of the label 2 and the printing position P is located at the leading end 2a of the leading label 2. It is.

However, this positional relationship naturally changes when the label size changes and the label length a changes.
It is not constant, and therefore, when the label size is changed, the cue position changes slightly, so there is also the disadvantage that it is necessary to print several labels 2 and make fine adjustments.

Furthermore, as described above, even if the label conveyance distance d is manually adjusted to finely adjust the position of starting one label, accurate positioning may not always be possible. Label transport distance 11111
The value of d is not a value determined based on a value detected during actual printing, but a value determined in accordance with a predetermined standard for the label 2. For this reason, the cue position varies depending on individual differences in the labels 2, the state of attachment of the labels 2 to the mount 1, and the like.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention moves the detection position away from the printing position by a predetermined distance, and calculates the length of the attached label, which is the length from the tip of a label to the tip of the next label, and the distance between each label. The distance between labels is detected, and the number of labels after passing the detection position and before passing the printing position is added to the attached label length, and the sum of the distance between labels and the beginning distance of the first label is subtracted from the separation distance. By this, the label transport distance is determined, and the top label is located by transporting the mount by the label transport distance from the rear end of the label.

action The label conveyance distance determined in this way is:

This correction value, which includes a correction value obtained by subtracting the inter-label distance and start-up distance from this label transport distance, is the difference between the printing position when the detected position is at the leading edge of the label and the leading edge of the first label. It's a misalignment. Therefore, cueing can be performed without requiring fine adjustment.

Further, the distance between the detection position and the printing position, the number of labels, and the cueing distance are constants, and the length of the attached label and the distance between labels are known values that are detected in real time. Therefore, the label conveyance distance can be determined without any setting operation, and there is no complicated setting operation. Moreover, since the numerical values of the pasted label length and the distance between labels are detected in real time, there is no error and accurate cueing is performed.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be explained based on FIGS. 1 to 4. A label printer 12 is provided with a weighing plate 10 on the top and integrated with a weighing section 11. Inside this label printer 12.

One end of a long mount 14 to which a plurality of labels 13 are attached is wound and held around a holding shaft 15, and the other end of the mount 14 is guided along a predetermined path and wound around a winding shaft 16. There is.

Here, the transport route of the mount 14 will be explained. First, a platen 18 that is rotated by a stepping motor 17 and a thermal head 19 that rotatably contacts the platen 18 are provided, and the mount 14 is placed between the platen 18 and the thermal head 19. are guided by.

Naturally, the label 13 is directed toward the thermal head 19 side. Further, a tension roller 20 that applies tension to the mount 14 is provided between the platen 18 and the holding shaft 15, and a photosensor 21 as a detection section is provided between the tension roller 20 and the platen 18. It is provided.

This photosensor 21 has one light emitting part 21a and one light receiving part 21b.
It becomes more. Next, a peeling plate 22 is provided adjacent to the platen 18 for peeling off the label 13 from the mount 14 by bending the mount 14. The mount 14 is guided from its peeling plate 22 to the winding shaft 16 by two rollers 23. Note that the label printer 12 is provided with a label issuing port 24 that is located close to the peeling plate 22 and that issues the label 13 that has been peeled off from the mount 14 .

Next, electrical connections of each part will be explained.

A CPU 25 is provided, and the stepping motor 17. The thermal head 19 and the photosensor 21 are connected to each other. Further, the weighing section 11 is also connected via an analog-to-digital converter 26. Furthermore, a memory 27 and a numeric keypad 28 are also connected to the CPU 25.

In such a configuration, the label printer 12 prints on the label 13 with the thermal head 19 while conveying the backing paper 14 with the platen 18. On the other hand, the take-up shaft 16 is driven by a motor (not shown) and always prints on the backing paper 14.
Since the label is being wound up, the label 13 after printing
is peeled off from the mount 14 by the peeling plate 22 and issued from the label issuing port 24.

Here, the operation for locating the first label 13 will be explained. First, the detection position by the photosensor 21 is detected by the detection section! D
and the printing position by the thermal head 19 is the printing position P.
shall be. Also, as shown in Figure 1, the dimensional relationship of each part.

L: Distance from detection unit fiD to printing position tap (hereinafter referred to as
(referred to as separation distance) N: Label 13 after passing the detection position fiD and before passing the printing position Hp
(hereinafter referred to as the number of labels) β Distance from the tip of the label 13 to the cueing position (hereinafter referred to as the cueing position) Q = Distance from the tip of the label 1 to the tip of the next label 13 (hereinafter referred to as the pasted label (hereinafter referred to as length) γ: interval between each label 13 (hereinafter referred to as inter-label distance); α distance over which labels 13 should be conveyed (hereinafter referred to as label conveyance distance). Therefore, by determining the label conveyance distance α, it is possible to perform a cueing operation for the leading label 13. From the above definition, the separation distance is L=QN-β+α-γ ・・・・・・■ b
Karu. Therefore, the label conveyance distance α is given by formula (■).

α=L−QN×β×γ ・・・・・・■. Among these, the separation distance L, the number of labels N, and the cueing distance β are constants. Therefore, the label transport distance α is determined by detecting the attached label length Q and the inter-label distance γ.

Therefore, the attached label length Q and the inter-label distance γ are determined based on the detection results of the photosensor 21 and using the step signal of the stepping motor 17. That is, the light emitting portion 21a of the photosensor 21 is always in a light emitting state with a constant voltage applied thereto. Therefore, a certain potential is generated in the light receiving section 21b due to the reception of the light. In reality, the light emitted from the light emitting section 21a is blocked by the label 13 portion and is transmitted through the mount 14 portion between the labels 13. Therefore, when the nine labels 13 pasted on one mount 14 pass the photosensor 21, the light receiving section 21b is at the ground potential when the label 13 portion passes, and rises to a predetermined potential when the label 13 passes between the labels 13. Therefore, by using the step signal of the stepping motor 17 that is emitted at regular intervals, the step signal is set to "0" when the light receiving section 21b is at the ground potential, and the step signal is set to "1" when the potential reaches a predetermined potential. Create a binary count signal. By calculating the number of count signals and the period of the step signal, the attached label length Q and the inter-label distance γ are calculated. Note that FIG. 4 shows a timing chart of the potential of the photosensor 21 corresponding to the position of the label 13, the step signal, and the count signal.

Therefore, the calculated attached label length Q and inter-label distance γ
By substituting and into equation 0, the label transport distance α can be found. Therefore, if printing is started by the thermal head 19 at the time when the label 13 has been transported by the label transport distance α from the rear end of the label 13, the printing start position will match the preset cue position of the leading label 13. .

The leading label 13 is located as described above, but since the label transport distance α is determined according to the label size, fine adjustment is not required even if the label size is changed, and the label transport distance α is The values for the attached label length Q and the distance between labels γ are not predetermined values as a standard, but are values detected in real time. It is. Therefore, even if there is a dimensional error or an attachment error on the mount 14 on the side of the printed label 13, accurate cueing can be expected.

Effects of the Invention The present invention separates the detection position from the printing position by a predetermined separation distance, and calculates the length of the attached label, which is the length from the tip of a label to the tip of the next label, and the inter-label distance, which is the distance between each label. The label conveyance distance is calculated by adding the number of labels after passing the detection position and before passing the print position to the length of the pasted label, and then subtracting the sum of the distance between labels and the beginning distance of the first label from the separation distance. The beginning of the first label is determined by transporting the mount from the rear end of the label by the label transport distance, so the beginning position of the label can be set accurately without requiring any setting operations by the operator. This has the advantage that the operation can be simplified and extremely accurate cueing can be expected.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a side view showing the dimensional relationship between the label attached to the mount, the detection part, and the printing position, Fig. 2 is a vertical side view of the label printer, and Fig. 3 is A block diagram showing the electrical connections of each part. Figure 4 is a timing chart of the photo sensor potential, step signal, and count signal corresponding to the position of the label. Figure 5 is a conventional example of a label attached to a mount. Fig. 6 is a plan view thereof, and Fig. 6 is a side view thereof. 13... Label, 14... Mounting paper, D... Detection position, P... Print position, L... Separation distance, Q... Length of pasted label, γ... Distance between labels, N ...number of labels,
β...Starting distance, α...Label transport distance 3.3 Figure 7" Kawaninotoi i': 1110110----------------------
--0611111001----0061+
10 (10----------4111111135 figure (
Wing υ) Figure 36 (signed)

Claims (1)

[Claims] The detection position for detecting the label part on the mount and the part between the labels is set a predetermined distance away from the printing position where printing is performed on the label, and the length from the leading edge of the label to the leading edge of the next transported label. The pasted label length, which is the distance between the labels, and the inter-label distance, which is the distance between each of the labels, are detected, and the number of labels after passing the detection position and before passing the printing position is added to the pasted label length, and the inter-label distance and the beginning of the first label are calculated. The label transport distance is determined by subtracting the sum of the distance and the distance from the separation distance, and the leading label is located by transporting the mount by the label transport distance from the rear end of the label. A method for locating the first label of a label printer, which is characterized by: