JP2004358744A - Label printer - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to facilitate operation for setting label paper.
A transport path is provided between a first unit and a second unit provided to be openable and closable with respect to the first unit. Thus, the second unit 14 is locked and unlocked in the closed state. The platen 18 and the driven roller 23 urged by the urging member 26 toward the platen 18 sandwich and transport the mount. Then, the release of the urging force of the urging member 26 to the driven roller 23 and the disengagement of the hook 41 from the engaging portion 44 are interlocked by the interlocking mechanism C. Further, the driven roller 23 is separated from the platen 18 by releasing the urging force of the urging member 26 to the driven roller 23 by the separating means.
[Selection diagram] Fig. 4

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a label printer that issues a label affixed to a backing sheet by peeling the label from the backing sheet.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in this type of label printer, a label sheet having a label attached to a backing sheet is transported along a transport path, printed on the label by a printing unit including a print head and a platen, and the printed label sheet is printed. The label is peeled from the backing sheet by bringing the backing sheet into contact with the label peeling body, nipping the backing sheet between the platen and the driven roller, and pulling the backing sheet in the direction in which the backing sheet is folded.
[0003]
In such a label printer, for example, a paper transport path is formed between an upper unit having a print head and a lower unit having a platen, and the lower unit is provided to be freely opened and closed with respect to the upper unit. A lock mechanism for locking to the upper unit is provided. In this structure, the transport path is opened by unlocking the upper unit by the lock mechanism and opening the upper unit. This makes it possible to set label paper on the transport path.
[0004]
On the other hand, the driven roller that sandwiches the mount between the platen and the platen is urged toward the platen by an urging member, and thereby the sandwich between the mount and the platen is realized. In order to set label paper between such a driven roller and a platen, if a separation mechanism for separating the driven roller from the platen is provided (for example, see Patent Document 1), the separation mechanism is operated. As a result, the driven roller is separated from the platen, and the label paper is set between them. Further, in the case of a low-priced label printer having no separating mechanism but only a feed mechanism, the label mechanism is set between the platen and the driven roller by operating the feed mechanism.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-309316 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
To set the label paper in the conventional label printer, the operator first operates the lock mechanism to open the upper unit, unlocks the upper unit, and then sets the driven roller and the platen together. In order to set the label paper, the operation of the separation mechanism and the operation of the feed mechanism must be performed separately for each mechanism. There is a problem that the operation is complicated.
[0007]
An object of the present invention is to facilitate the operation for setting a label sheet.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention conveys a label sheet having a label attached to a backing sheet along a conveyance path formed between a first unit and a second unit provided to be openable and closable with respect to the first unit. The label is printed on the label. The printed backing sheet is bent by a label peeling body, and the backing sheet is nipped and conveyed by a driving roller that is rotationally driven and a driven roller that is urged by an urging member toward the driving roller to transfer the label from the backing sheet. The peeling mechanism for peeling, and the engagement and disengagement of the hook provided on the unit provided with the peeling mechanism with respect to the engaging portion provided on the unit provided with no peeling mechanism, the A locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the closed state of the second unit, and an interlocking mechanism for interlocking the release of the urging force of the urging member to the driven roller and the release of the hook from the engaging portion. And separating means for separating the driven roller from the driving roller when the urging force of the urging member against the driven roller is released.
[0009]
Therefore, the unlocking of the upper unit and the separation of the driven roller from the driving roller are performed in conjunction with each other.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view schematically showing the label printer of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view showing an open / close state of an upper unit, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an operation mechanism and its surroundings. 4 shows an operation mechanism and its surroundings, (a) is a vertical side view showing a state where a hook is located at a lock position, (b) is a vertical side view showing a state where a hook is located at an unlock position, and (c). FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a state where a hook is located at a driven roller separation position.
[0011]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the label printer 1 includes a lower unit 13, which is a first unit in which various structures are attached to a main body cover 2, and a second unit in which various structures are attached to an open cover 3. And the upper unit 14, which is a unit of The upper unit 14 is rotatably attached to a rear portion of the lower unit 13 by a support shaft 15 (see FIG. 2), and opens and closes the upper unit 14 with respect to the lower unit 13 by rotating the upper unit 14. Structure. Here, the upper unit 14 shown by a virtual line in FIG.
[0012]
The lower unit 13 will be described. The lower unit 13 is provided with a throw-in type paper storage unit 17 which stores and holds a roll-shaped label paper 16 having a label affixed to a backing, which is located behind the lower unit 13. 18 are provided. The platen 18 is rotatably attached to the main body cover 2 and is rotationally driven by a driving force from a motor (not shown) transmitted by a gear train (not shown).
[0013]
Further, the lower unit 13 is provided with a label peeling body 22 located in front of the platen 18. The label peeling body 22 is for bending the transport direction of the backing paper to peel off the label from the backing paper.
[0014]
In the lower unit 13, a driven roller 23 is provided below the platen 18 in parallel with the platen 18. The driven roller 23 is rotatably provided on a roller support shaft 24 as shown in FIGS. Both ends of the roller support shaft 24 are inserted into long grooves 25 (see FIG. 3) provided on both sides of the main body cover 2 in the direction of contact and separation with the platen 18, and the driven roller 23 contacts the platen 18 by this structure. It is supported releasably. More specifically, the groove 25 closer to the platen 18 is located above, and the groove 25 farther from the platen 18 is located below. Here, the mounting structure of the driven roller 23 by the roller support shaft 24 and the groove 25 constitutes a part of the separating means. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, both end portions of the roller support shaft 24 are urged in the direction of the platen 18 by a pair of leaf springs 26 which are urging members. Crimp. The leaf spring 26 has its upper end fixed to the main body cover 2 and its lower end, which is a free end, set as the point of action on the driven roller 23. Here, the leaf spring 26, together with the driven roller 23, the platen 18, and the label peeling body 22, constitutes a peeling mechanism A.
[0015]
In addition, at the forefront of the lower unit 13, as shown in FIG. 1, a mount outlet 27 for discharging the mount is provided.
[0016]
Next, the upper unit 14 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper unit 14 is provided with a line-type thermal head 30 as a print head, which is located at the tip of the free rotation end. The thermal head 30 is rotatably attached to the open cover 3 of the upper unit 14 by a head shaft 32 via a head holding member 31, and is positioned so that a heating element row (not shown) contacts the platen 18. ing. The thermal head 30 is urged by a coil spring 33 so that the heating element row contacts the platen 18. Here, the head holding member 31, the head shaft 32, and the coil spring 33 constitute a head pressing mechanism. The thermal head 30 forms a printing unit together with the platen 18.
[0017]
Further, a label issuing port 35 for discharging a label is formed at the forefront between the lower unit 13 and the upper unit 14. A transport path 36 is formed between the lower unit 13 and the upper unit 14, between the paper storage unit 17 and the thermal head 30 and the platen 18, passes through the label peeling body 22 and reaches the label issuing port 35. I have. The transport path 36 is connected to a mount transport path 37 that branches off from the position of the label peeling body 22, passes between the platen 18 and the driven roller 23, and reaches the mount outlet 27.
[0018]
Here, the lower unit 13 is provided with an operation mechanism 40 as shown in FIGS. The operation mechanism 40 exerts two functions on the label printer 1 by a rotating operation. One is an operation that enables the upper unit 14 to be locked and unlocked with respect to the lower unit 13 by rotating the operation mechanism 40. The other function is to release the pressing force of the driven roller 23 against the platen 18 by the leaf spring 26 and to separate the driven roller 23 from the platen 18 by rotating the operation mechanism 40. The operation mechanism 40 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0019]
The operation mechanism 40 includes a pair of hooks 41 provided rotatably with respect to the lower unit 13. More specifically, the pair of hooks 41 are fixed to both ends of a rotating shaft 42 that is provided to be rotatable around both sides of the main body cover 2 of the lower unit 13. On both sides of the open cover 3 of the upper unit 14, a pair of entrance holes 43 into which a pair of hooks 41 can enter is provided. The pair of hooks 41 is closed when the upper unit 14 is closed and enters the entrance hole 43. By rotating, the upper unit 14 is disengaged from a pair of engaging portions 44 provided behind the entrance hole 43 on both sides of the open cover 3. These engaging portions 44 are formed in a flat wall shape. Therefore, the turning direction of the hook 41 is set to the engaging and disengaging direction. Here, the hook 41 and the engaging portion 44 constitute a lock mechanism B.
[0020]
The pair of hooks 41 are urged by a coil spring 45 that functions as a tension spring in a direction in which the hooks 41 engage with the pair of engaging portions 44. In addition, the pair of hooks 41 are formed with inclined portions 46 for contacting the engaging portions 44 when the upper unit 14 is closed and releasing the interference by the action of the rotation of the hooks 41. As a result, when the upper unit 14 is closed, the interference of the hook 41 with the engaging portion 44 is relieved by the rotation of the hook 41, and finally the hook 41 is engaged with the engaging portion 44, and the upper unit 14 is closed. 14 is automatically locked to the lower unit 13 (see the solid lines in FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIG. 4A). The position of the hook 41 at this time is called a lock position. Here, in this state, the pressure applied to the platen 18 of the thermal head 30 becomes an appropriate value at which the printing operation can be performed.
[0021]
Each of the pair of hooks 41 is provided with an operation lever 47 (see FIG. 3) that can be operated from outside the label printer 1, and the rotation shaft 42 is also rotated by operating these operation levers 47. . Further, both ends of the rotating shaft 42 are in the direction away from the platen 18 opposite to the biasing direction of the leaf spring 26 with respect to the lower end side, which is the free end of the leaf spring 26, that is, the biasing force on the driven roller 23. A pair of cams 48 capable of exerting a force in a direction in which is released is fixed. Here, the cam mechanism C constituted by the cam 48 and the rotating shaft 42 is an interlocking mechanism.
[0022]
In the operation mechanism 40, as shown in FIG. 4A, the operation lever 47 is operated against the urging force of the coil spring 45 from the state where the hook 41 is located at the lock position, and the hook 41 is moved. By rotating by a predetermined amount in the direction of releasing the engagement from the engagement portion 44 (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4), the engagement of the hook 41 with the engagement portion 44 as shown in FIG. Is released. Thereby, the lock of the upper unit 14 with respect to the lower unit 13 is released, and the upper unit 14 can be opened. The position of the hook 41 at this time is called an unlock position. At this time, the cam 48 rotates simultaneously with the rotation of the rotating shaft 42, but the cam 48 does not abut on the leaf spring 26.
[0023]
In this state, the operation lever 47 is operated, and the rotation of the rotary shaft 42 accompanying the further rotation of the hook 41 in the direction of disengagement from the engagement portion 44 causes the cam to move, as shown in FIG. 48 rotates to push the lower end of the leaf spring 26 in a direction away from the platen 18. As a result, the lower end of the leaf spring 26 is displaced away from the platen 18, and with this displacement, the urging force of the leaf spring 26 on the driven roller 23 is released. Then, the driven roller 23 moves in a direction below the groove 25, that is, in a direction away from the platen 18 by its own weight according to the displacement of the leaf spring 26. Thus, a space is formed between the platen 18 and the driven roller 23. The position of the hook 41 at this time is called a driven roller separation position. Here, the driven roller 23 is separated from the platen 18 by the operation of the cam mechanism C, and the cam mechanism C includes a part of the separating means together with the mounting structure of the driven roller 23 by the roller support shaft 24 and the groove 25 described above. Constitute.
[0024]
In this manner, in the operation mechanism 40, the engagement of the hook 41 from the engagement portion 44 by the cam mechanism C and the release of the urging force of the leaf spring 26 to the driven roller 23 are performed in conjunction with each other.
[0025]
Then, when the operation of the operation lever 47 is stopped from this state, the hook 41 is rotated to the lock position by the coil spring 45. Accordingly, the cam 48 also rotates, and the pressing of the cam 48 against the leaf spring 26 is released. Accordingly, the leaf spring 26 urges the driven roller 23 toward the platen 18, and the driven roller 23 comes into pressure contact with the platen 18.
[0026]
In such a configuration, when setting the label paper 16 on the label printer 1 from the state where the upper unit 14 is closed as shown in FIG. The hook 41 located at the lock position shown is rotated in the disengagement direction, passes through the disengagement position, and is positioned at the driven roller separation position. By one operation on the hook 41, the engagement of the hook 41 is released, the upper unit 14 can be opened, and the driven roller 23 separates from the platen 18 and is moved between the driven roller 23 and the platen 18. A space is formed. Then, with the upper unit 14 opened, the label paper 16 is stored in the paper storage unit 17, the leading end of the label paper 16 is pulled out, and the platen 18 and the driven roller 23 are passed through the printing unit and the label peeling body 22. Pass between In this state, the upper unit 14 is closed. As a result, the hook 41 is positioned at the lock position, the upper unit 14 is locked with respect to the lower unit 13, and the driven roller 23 is pressed against the platen 18 via the backing sheet. Thereby, a printing operation can be performed.
[0027]
Here, as described above, in order to release the lock of the upper unit 14 and set the label paper 16 between the driven roller 23 and the platen 18, the conventional label printer 1 uses two independent mechanisms for two independent mechanisms. In contrast, in the present embodiment, separate operations are required. However, in the present embodiment, the operations can be performed by a single operation on the single operation mechanism 40. Has been realized.
[0028]
In the label printer 1 on which the label paper 16 is set in this manner, the label paper 16 stored and held in the paper storage unit 17 is transported in the transport path 36 by the transport drive of the platen 18, and is thermally transferred to the label. Predetermined print contents are sequentially printed by the head 30. The label paper 16 after the printing is mounted such that the backing comes in contact with the label peeling member 22, and the backing is held between the platen 18 and the driven roller 23, and is pulled and conveyed in a direction of turning back along the backing conveyance path 37. , The label is issued from the label issuing port 35, and the mount is discharged from the mount discharge port 27.
[0029]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the cam mechanism C, which is the interlocking mechanism, is operated by the urging member by the further movement of the hook 41 in the disengaging direction after the hook 41 is disengaged from the engaging portion 44. By releasing the urging force of a certain leaf spring 26, the lock of the upper unit 14 is released, and then the driven roller 23 is separated from the platen 18.
[0030]
In the present embodiment, the urging member is a leaf spring 26, and the cam mechanism C, which is an interlocking mechanism, is rotatable so that the hook 41 is fixed and the hook 41 and the engaging portion 44 can be engaged and disengaged. The upper unit 14 is provided with a rotating shaft 42 provided on the upper unit 14, and a cam 48 which rotates in accordance with the rotation of the rotating shaft 42 and presses the leaf spring 26 in a direction of releasing the urging force on the driven roller 23. Unlocking and separation of the driven roller 23 from the platen 18 can be realized with a simple structure.
[0031]
Further, in the present embodiment, since the driving roller is the platen 18, the structure of the label printer 1 is simplified.
[0032]
In the present embodiment, the platen 18 is provided in the lower unit 13 as the first unit, and the thermal head 30 as the print head is provided in the upper unit 14 as the second unit. By opening the upper unit 14, the space between the thermal head 30 and the platen 18 is opened, so that the label paper 16 can be easily set between them. In addition, since the platen 18 is provided in the lower unit 13, it is not necessary to provide a drive system for driving the platen 18 in the upper unit, whereby the weight of the upper unit 14 is reduced, and the opening / closing operation of the upper unit 14 is performed. Operability is improved.
[0033]
Further, in the present embodiment, a head pressing mechanism 34 that holds the thermal head 30 as a print head so as to be able to freely contact and separate from the platen 18 and urges the thermal head 30 toward the platen 18 is provided. When the upper unit 14, which is the second unit, is locked by B, the pressure on the platen 18 of the thermal head 30 becomes the printable pressure, and by closing the upper unit 14, the print operation is enabled. be able to.
[0034]
Further, by providing the operation lever 47 for manually moving the hook 41, the operation for unlocking the upper unit 14 and separating the driven roller 23 from the platen 18 can be simplified. .
[0035]
In the present embodiment, the hook 41, the driven roller 23, the platen 18, the plate spring 26, the cam mechanism C, the roller support shaft 24, and the groove 25 are provided in the lower unit 13, and the thermal head 30 and the engaging portion 44 Although the example provided in the unit 14 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the units 13 and 14 for attaching them may be reversed.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, since the unlocking of the upper unit and the separation of the driven roller from the driving roller are performed in an interlocked manner, the operation for setting the label paper is realized by one operation, and thus, the label paper is The operation for the set can be easily performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view schematically showing a label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view showing an open / closed state of an upper unit.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an operation mechanism and its surroundings.
4A and 4B show an operation mechanism and its surroundings, wherein FIG. 4A is a vertical sectional side view showing a state where a hook is located at a lock position, FIG. 4B is a vertical sectional side view showing a state where a hook is located at a lock release position, (c) is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a state where the hook is located at a driven roller separation position.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Label printer, 13 ... Lower unit (first unit), 14 ... Upper unit (second unit), 16 ... Label paper, 18 ... Platen (drive roller), 22 ... Label peeling body, 23 ... Follower roller , 24: roller support shaft (separation means), 25: groove (separation means), 26: leaf spring (biasing member), 30: thermal head (print head), 34: head pressing mechanism, 36: transport path, 41: hook, 42: rotating shaft 44: engaging part, 47: operating lever, 48: cam, A: peeling mechanism, B: locking mechanism, C: cam mechanism (interlocking mechanism, separating means)

Claims (7)

The label paper with the label attached to the backing paper is transported along the transport path formed between the first unit and the second unit provided to be able to open and close with respect to the first unit, and printed on the label. Label printer
The printed backing sheet is bent by a label peeler, and the backing sheet is pinched and conveyed by a driving roller that is rotationally driven and a driven roller that is urged by an urging member toward the driving roller to transfer the label from the backing sheet. A peeling mechanism for peeling,
The second unit is in a closed state by engaging and disengaging a hook provided in the unit provided with the peeling mechanism with an engaging portion provided in the unit provided with the peeling mechanism not provided. A lock mechanism for locking and unlocking the
An interlocking mechanism that interlocks the release of the urging force of the urging member to the driven roller and the release of the hook from the engaging portion,
A separating means for separating the driven roller from the driving roller when the urging member releases the urging force of the driven roller. The interlocking mechanism releases the urging force of the urging member by further moving the hook in the disengagement direction after the hook is disengaged from the engagement portion. 1. The label printer according to 1. The urging member is a leaf spring,
The interlocking mechanism includes a rotation shaft to which the hook is fixed and is rotatably provided so that the hook and the engagement portion can be disengaged from each other. 3. The label printer according to claim 1, further comprising a cam that presses in a direction to release the urging force on the driven roller. The label printer according to claim 1, wherein the drive roller is a platen. The platen is provided in the first unit,
The label printer according to claim 4, wherein a print head is provided in the second unit. A head pressing mechanism that holds the print head so as to be able to contact and separate from the platen and urges the print head toward the platen,
6. The label printer according to claim 5, wherein when the second mechanism is locked by the lock mechanism, a pressure applied to the platen of the print head becomes a printable pressure. 7. The label printer according to claim 1, further comprising an operation lever for manually moving said hook.

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