Labeling device

Abstract

To provide a labeling device capable of peeling off labels and sticking them to objects without peeling off margin areas formed on a printing tape.SOLUTION: The portion from the tip of a label 160 after the last label was peeled off during the previous printing to a printing position PR cannot be printed again and is a waste label 161. While conveying a tape 150 by a conveyor roller 34, the CPU supplies slack prevention current to the motor that drives a reel 80 of the winding section until the tip of the waste label 161 reaches waste position DP which is beyond peel position PL. The slack prevention current causes non-peeling tension in a peeling material 170 by driving the winding section with a load less than the peeling load required for peeling. Therefore, the waste label 161 can pass through the peeling position PL without being peeled off. After the tip of the waste label 161 reaches the waste position DP, winding current is supplied to the motor to generate peeling tension, and the peeling material 170 is wound onto the reel 80.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 38

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a label affixing device for affixing a label to an adherend.

Background Art

[0002] A label affixing device for affixing a label detachably attached to a backing paper to an adherend medium is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The label affixing device includes a feeding roller that feeds the backing paper toward an acute angle portion, and a pulling roller that pulls and collects the backing paper that has passed through the acute angle portion. The label affixing device weakens the tension of the backing paper in the vicinity of the acute angle portion and prevents the label from peeling off the backing paper by decelerating or accelerating the speed of one of the feeding roller and the pulling roller to create a speed difference between the rollers.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the case of a label affixing device that prints on a printing tape and creates labels by half-cutting, there are cases where, after printing on a preceding label, the subsequent label is not created and the preceding label is affixed to the adherend. In this case, the portion located between the printed portion and the peeling portion of the label material becomes a blank area that is not used in the creation of the next label. Patent Document 1 targets a so-called die-cut label in which only a label is pre-attached to a backing paper, and does not consider the processing of the blank area.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a label affixing device that peels off a label without peeling off the blank area formed on a printing tape and affixes it to an adherend.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a label sticking device including: a printing unit that prints an image on a label material of a printed tape having a tape-shaped label material and a release material attached to one surface of the label material; a conveying unit that conveys the printed tape printed by the printing unit; a cutting unit that is disposed downstream of the printing unit in the conveying direction of the printed tape and cuts the label material printed by the printing unit into single-piece labels; a peeling unit that peels the label cut by the cutting unit from the release material; and a control unit that controls each of the printing unit, the conveying unit, and the cutting unit. In the label sticking device that sticks the label peeled by the peeling unit to an adherend which is an object to which the label is to be stuck, the control unit cuts the label material so that a blank area, which is an area not to be printed by the printing unit, is formed between a preceding label which is one of the labels and a succeeding label located upstream of the preceding label in the conveying direction. When the downstream end of the blank area in the conveying direction is located at the position of the peeling unit or upstream of the peeling unit in the conveying direction, the conveying unit conveys the printed tape with a second tension applied to the printed tape, the second tension being smaller than a first tension required for the peeling unit to peel the label. When the downstream end of the blank area in the conveying direction is located downstream of the position of the peeling unit in the conveying direction, the conveying unit conveys the printed tape with the first tension applied to the printed tape.

[0007] The second tension is, for example, a tension at which the printed tape slackens during conveyance of the printed tape. By conveying the printed tape with the second tension when the downstream end of the blank area is located at the position of the peeling unit and upstream of the peeling unit, the downstream end of the blank area passes through the position of the peeling unit without being peeled by the peeling unit. The first tension is a tension at which the peeling unit can peel the label from the printed tape. By applying the first tension to the printed tape after the downstream end of the blank area has passed beyond the position of the peeling unit, the slack of the printed tape disappears and the blank area is conveyed without being peeled. Therefore, the label sticking device can peel the label and stick it to the adherend without peeling the blank area.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a label applicator including a printing unit that prints an image on a label material of a tape-shaped label material having a release material attached to one surface of the label material, a conveyance unit that conveys the printed tape printed by the printing unit, a cutting unit that is disposed on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the printed tape and cuts the label material printed by the printing unit into single-piece labels, a peeling unit that peels the label cut by the cutting unit from the release material, and a control unit that controls each of the printing unit, the conveyance unit, and the cutting unit, and attaches the label peeled by the peeling unit to an adherend that is a label application target, the control unit forms a blank area, which is an area not to be printed by the printing unit, between a preceding label, which is one of the labels, and a succeeding label located upstream of the preceding label in the conveyance direction, cuts the label material so that the blank area is formed, and when the blank area is located at the position of the peeling unit or upstream of the peeling unit in the conveyance direction, conveys the printed tape with a second tension applied to the printed tape, the second tension being smaller than a first tension required for the peeling unit to peel the label, and when an upstream end of the blank area in the conveyance direction is located in the vicinity of the peeling unit upstream of the position of the peeling unit in the conveyance direction, conveys the printed tape with the first tension applied. A label applicator is provided.

[0009] The second tension is, for example, a tension that causes the printed tape to slack during conveyance of the printed tape. By conveying the printed tape with the second tension when the blank area passes through the peeling unit, the blank area is not peeled by the peeling unit. The first tension is a tension with which the peeling unit can peel the label from the printed tape. By applying the first tension to the printed tape when the upstream end of the blank area is located in the vicinity of the peeling unit upstream of the peeling unit, the slack of the printed tape disappears, and at that time, since the blank area has passed through the peeling unit, it is conveyed without being peeled. Therefore, the label applicator can peel the label and attach it to the adherend without peeling the blank area.

[0010] In the first and second aspects, the cutting portion may have a semi-cutting portion that cuts the label material among the label material and the release material of the printing tape. The label applicator can cut the label material without cutting the release material by the semi-cutting portion and create single-piece labels. Therefore, the label applicator can peel off the label and attach it to the adherend without peeling off the blank area generated when creating the label discontinuously from the release material.

[0011] In the first and second aspects, the cutting portion may have a full-cutting portion that separates the printing tape, and the full-cutting portion may be disposed upstream of the semi-cutting portion in the conveyance direction. By having the full-cutting portion, the label applicator can separate the release material with the blank area attached, so it is not necessary to peel off the blank area each time a label is attached, and the blank area can be easily processed.

[0012] In the first and second aspects, when the control unit continuously prints single-piece labels, the control unit performs printing on the labels by the printing unit without forming the blank area between the preceding label and the subsequent label, and when the upstream end of the preceding label in the conveyance direction is conveyed to the position of the semi-cutting portion, the control unit may temporarily stop printing on the subsequent label by the printing unit and perform cutting of the label material by the semi-cutting portion. When the label applicator continuously creates labels, no blank area is formed, so it is possible to suppress the unnecessary consumption of the label material.

[0013] In the first and second aspects, the printing unit may include at least a mounting unit for mounting a tape cassette that houses at least the label material and the release material and has an index unit including information indicating the type of the printing tape, and a detection unit for detecting the type of the printing tape based on the information indicated by the index unit of the tape cassette. The label applicator can create labels from various types of printing tapes by replacing the tape cassette. Depending on the type of the printing tape, there are some that cannot perform the process of reversely running the printing tape upstream in the transport direction. When creating a label from such a printing tape, the label applicator can easily process it so that the blank area is not peeled off.

[0014] In the first and second aspects, the transport unit may include a winding unit for winding the printing tape, and the control unit may control the winding unit to apply the first tension at which the label material is peeled off from the printing tape by the peeling unit and the second tension at which the label material is not peeled off from the printing tape by the peeling unit to the release material. The label applicator can easily control the transport of the printing tape by the first tension and the second tension by winding the printing tape by the winding unit, so that the peeling of the blank area can be surely suppressed.

[0015] In the first and second aspects, the transport unit may include a transport roller for feeding the printing tape sandwiched between roller nips toward the peeling unit, and the control unit may control the transport roller to apply the first tension at which the label material is peeled off from the printing tape by the peeling unit and the second tension at which the label material is not peeled off from the printing tape by the peeling unit to the printing tape. The label applicator can easily control the transport of the printing tape by the first tension and the second tension in cooperation with the winding unit by feeding the printing tape by the transport roller, so that the peeling of the blank area can be surely suppressed.

[0016] In the first aspect and the second aspect, the conveying unit may include a first drive source for driving the winding unit and a second drive source for driving the conveying roller. Since the drive sources of the winding unit and the conveying roller are different, the label affixing device can easily control the conveyance of the printing tape by the first tension and the second tension by individually driving the respective drive sources, and can surely suppress the peeling of the margin area.

[0017] In the first aspect and the second aspect, the control unit conveys the printing tape by the conveying roller, stops the winding of the peeling material by the winding unit, or controls the first drive source to drive the winding unit with a load smaller than the peeling load required for peeling the label by the peeling unit, thereby applying the second tension to the printing tape. The control unit conveys the printing tape by the conveying roller and controls the first drive source to drive the winding unit with a load equal to or greater than the peeling load required for peeling the label by the peeling unit, thereby applying the first tension to the printing tape. The label affixing device can easily apply the first tension or the second tension to the printing tape by controlling the driving of the winding unit and the conveying roller respectively, and can surely suppress the peeling of the margin area.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] An embodiment of a label affixing device 1 embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings to be referred to are used to explain the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention, and the configuration of the described device and the like are not intended to be limited thereto, but are merely illustrative examples. The label affixing device 1 is a device for generating a label 160 by printing on a tape 150 of a tape cassette 100 (see FIG. 4), and for winding and affixing the generated label 160 around a cable 19. Hereinafter, the lower left, upper right, upper left, lower right, upper, and lower parts of FIG. 1 are referred to as the front, rear, left, right, upper, and lower parts of the label affixing device 1, respectively.

[0020] <Overview of Label Affixing Device 1> The label affixing device 1 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the label affixing device 1 has a box-shaped housing 10. The housing 10 has a base 11, a main unit 2, a main board 12, a cover 15, a tape mounting portion 30, a printing portion 3, and a cutting portion 9. The base 11 is a pedestal of the label affixing device 1. The base 11 is in the shape of a rectangular box and is provided with adjusting feet at the bottom to keep it horizontal when the label affixing device 1 is placed on a table or the like. A power supply board, a battery, etc. (not shown) are housed in the base 11. A low floor portion 11A is formed at the front end of the base 11. The low floor portion 11A is stepwise lower than the other parts of the base 11. A recess 11B is formed in a portion from approximately the center in the left-right direction of the low floor portion 11A to the right end. The main unit 2 is arranged in the recess 11B of the low floor portion 11A of the base 11 and is fixed to the base 11.

[0021] The main unit 2 is a unit for peeling the label 160 from the tape 150 printed in the printing portion 3 (described later) and winding the label 160 around the cable 19. The main unit 2 has a peeling portion 4, a pressing portion 5, an opening / closing member 6, and a winding portion 7 (described later). The lower end portion of the main unit 2 is arranged in the recess 11B of the low floor portion 11A of the base 11 and is fixed to the base 11. The main unit 2 will be described later.

[0022] The main board 12 is plate-shaped and extends in the vertical and front-rear directions. It is disposed at a position to the left of the center in the left-right direction of the base 11 and extends upward. The lower end of the main board 12 is fixed to the lower end of the main unit 2 within the base 11. The main board 12 supports a tape mounting portion 30, a printing portion 3, a cutting portion 9, a winding portion 8 (described later), and an operation panel 13 on the right side, and supports a control portion 14 (see FIG. 30) and a drive portion on the left side. The control portion 14 controls the operation of the label affixing device 1. The drive portion includes a gear group 39 (see FIG. 4), a cam 93, a gear group 94 (see FIG. 6), and a gear group 88 (see FIG. 25). The gear group 39 drives the printing portion 3 by driving of a motor MT3. The cam 93 drives a full-cut cutting blade 91 of the cutting portion 9 by driving of a motor MT4. The gear group 94 drives a half-cut cutting blade 92 of the cutting portion 9 by driving of a motor MT5. The gear group 88 drives the winding portion 8 by driving of a motor MT2. The operation panel 13 is fixed to the upper end of the main board 12. The operation panel 13 includes an operation portion 13A including a plurality of buttons for receiving input of operations for the label affixing device 1, and a notification portion 13B including a plurality of LEDs for notifying the operation status of the label affixing device 1. A handle used for carrying the label affixing device 1 is provided at the upper end of the main board 12. A cover 15 for protecting the control portion 14 and the gear group 39 is attached to the left side of the main board 12.

[0023] On the right side of the main board 12, a tape mounting portion 30 is provided substantially at the center in the front-rear and vertical directions of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the tape mounting portion 30 is box-shaped with an open right side, and can mount various tape cassettes such as a thermal type, a receptacle type, and a laminate type. The thermal type tape cassette includes a thermal paper tape. The receptacle type tape cassette includes a tape and an ink ribbon. The tape cassette used for the label affixing device 1 of the present embodiment is a laminate type tape cassette 100. The laminate type tape cassette 100 includes a film tape 110, a double-sided adhesive tape 120, and an ink ribbon 130. The film tape 110 is a transparent PET tape. The double-sided adhesive tape 120 is a tape in which a base material 140 and a release material 170 (see FIG. 6) are laminated via an adhesive. The tape cassette 100 will be described later.

[0024] <Printing Unit 3> As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the printing unit 3 is provided below the tape mounting unit 30. The printing unit 3 includes a head holder 31, a thermal head 32, a platen roller 33, a conveying roller 34, a drive shaft 35, and a winding shaft 36. The head holder 31 is provided below the tape mounting unit 30. The head holder 31 is plate-shaped and extends in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The thermal head 32 is provided on the lower surface of the head holder 31. The thermal head 32 includes a plurality of heating elements (not shown). The plurality of heating elements are arranged in a row in the left-right direction. When the tape cassette 100 is mounted on the tape mounting unit 30, the thermal head 32 heats the ink ribbon 130 by the plurality of heating elements and transfers the ink to the film tape 110. The head holder 31 supports the thermal head 32 and functions as a heat sink for the heating elements.

[0025] A drive shaft 35 for conveying the tape 150 is provided obliquely downward in front of the head holder 31. The drive shaft 35 extends rightward from the bottom surface of the recess of the tape mounting unit 30 and is rotationally driven by a motor MT3 connected via a gear group 39. When the tape cassette 100 is mounted, the drive shaft 35 engages with the shaft hole of the drive roller 101 of the tape cassette 100. A winding shaft 36 is provided obliquely upward behind the head holder 31. The winding shaft 36 is rotationally driven by the drive of a motor MT3 connected via a gear group 39. When the tape cassette 100 is mounted, the winding shaft 36 engages with the winding spool 132 of the tape cassette 100.

[0026] A platen holder 37 is provided below the head holder 31. The platen holder 37 is arm-shaped and is rotatably supported around a support shaft 37A extending in the left-right direction. The support shaft 37A is provided at the rear end of the platen holder 37. The platen roller 33 and the conveyance roller 34 are rotatably supported on the front end side of the platen holder 37. As the platen holder 37 swings, the platen roller 33 comes into contact with and separates from the thermal head 32. The conveyance roller 34 is provided on the left side of the platen roller 33. As the platen holder 37 swings, the conveyance roller 34 comes into contact with and separates from the drive roller 101 of the tape cassette 100.

[0027] A sensor SW5 (see FIG. 4) is provided on the upper surface of the platen holder 37, that is, the surface facing the thermal head 32. The sensor SW5 includes a plurality of detection switches. Each detection switch is provided at a position facing an index portion 102A formed on the lower wall of the arm portion 102 of the tape cassette 100 in a state where the tape cassette 100 is mounted on the tape mounting portion 30.

[0028] The cassette cover 38 (see FIG. 1) is rotatably supported at the rear end portion of the tape mounting portion 30. The rotation center of the cassette cover 38 extends in the vertical direction. The cassette cover 38 opens and closes the open portion of the tape mounting portion 30. The platen holder 37 swings between a standby position (the position shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4) and a printing position (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 4) in conjunction with the opening and closing of the cassette cover 38. When the cassette cover 38 is opened, the platen holder 37 moves to the standby position. The standby position is a position where the platen roller 33 and the conveyance roller 34 are separated from the tape mounting portion 30. When the platen holder 37 moves to the standby position, the user can attach and detach the tape cassette 100 to and from the tape mounting portion 30. When the cassette cover 38 is closed, the platen holder 37 moves to the printing position. The printing position is a position where the platen roller 33 and the conveyance roller 34 approach the tape mounting portion 30. In the printing position, the platen roller 33 presses the film tape 110 and the ink ribbon 130 against the thermal head 32, and the conveyance roller 34 presses the double-sided adhesive tape 120 and the film tape 110 against the drive roller 101 after overlapping them.

[0029] The tape cassette 100 houses a film tape 110, a double-sided adhesive tape 120, and an ink ribbon 130 in a box-shaped case. The film spool 111 around which the film tape 110 before printing is wound is rotatably supported at a position obliquely upward and rearward inside the case. The ribbon spool 131 around which the unused ink ribbon 130 is wound is rotatably supported at a position obliquely downward and rearward inside the case. The tape spool 121 around which the double-sided adhesive tape 120 is wound is rotatably supported at a position obliquely upward and forward inside the case. The take-up spool 132 for taking up the used ink ribbon 130 is rotatably supported at a position between the film spool 111, the tape spool 121, and the ribbon spool 131. The drive roller 101 is rotatably supported at a position obliquely downward and forward of the tape spool 121 inside the case.

[0030] An arm portion 102 is provided at the lower part of the case. The arm portion 102 extends from the rear lower part to the front lower part of the case. An indicator portion 102A is formed on the lower wall of the arm portion 102. The indicator portion 102A includes a plurality of detection holes. The detection holes are holes selectively formed at predetermined positions of the indicator portion 102A. The positions where the detection holes are formed differ according to the type of the tape cassette 100. When the platen holder 37 moves toward the printing position, the sensor SW5 faces the lower wall of the arm portion 102 of the tape cassette 100, and the detection switch of the sensor SW5 is selectively pressed by the detection holes of the indicator portion 102A. The detection switch corresponding to the position where no detection hole is formed among the predetermined positions of the indicator portion 102A is pressed and turned on. On the other hand, the detection switch corresponding to the position where the detection hole is formed among the predetermined positions is not pressed and turned off. The label affixing device 1 detects the type of the tape cassette 100 based on the on / off combination of the detection switches of the sensor SW5.

[0031] An opening 103 is provided at the left end of the arm portion 102. The opening 103 is formed in a slit shape extending in the left - right direction, and discharges the film tape 110 drawn from the film spool 111 and the ink ribbon 130 drawn from the ribbon spool 131 to the outside from the inside of the case after overlapping them.

[0032] The head insertion portion 104 is formed above the arm portion 102. The head insertion portion 104 penetrates the case in the vertical direction. The front - lower part of the head insertion portion 104 is a head opening 105 that opens downward. The head opening 105 is located downstream (front side) in the conveyance direction (front - rear direction) of the film tape 110 from the opening 103. With the tape cassette 100 mounted on the tape mounting portion 30, a head holder 31 is inserted into the head insertion portion 104.

[0033] The drive roller 101 is located in front of the head insertion portion 104 and is positioned between the opening 103 of the arm portion 102 and the guide portion 106 in the conveyance direction of the film tape 110. The drive roller 101 is cylindrical and extends in the left - right direction. The lower end portion of the drive roller 101 is exposed downward from the case. The drive roller 101 supports the double - sided adhesive tape 120 in a state where the film tape 110 and the double - sided adhesive tape 120 are overlapped. With the tape cassette 100 mounted on the tape mounting portion 30, a drive shaft 35 is inserted into the shaft hole of the drive roller 101. The drive roller 101 rotates by the rotational drive of the drive shaft 35 and conveys the film tape 110 and the double - sided adhesive tape 120 by sandwiching them in a roller nip NP (see FIG. 5) with the conveyance roller 34.

[0034] The guide portion 106 is provided at the front lower diagonal corner of the case. The guide portion 106 is located downstream (left side) in the conveyance direction of the film tape 110 from the opening portion 103. The guide portion 106 is formed in a slit shape extending in the left-right direction. The tape 150 with the double-sided adhesive tape 120 attached to the film tape 110 is conveyed to the drive roller 101 and passes inside the guide portion 106. The guide portion 106 supports the tape 150 from both sides in the width direction. Thereby, the tape 150 is discharged from the tape cassette 100 while the posture of the tape 150 is maintained.

[0035] During printing in the printing unit 3, the platen holder 37 moves from the standby position to the printing position. The platen roller 33 overlaps the film tape 110 and the ink ribbon 130 and presses them against the thermal head 32. The platen roller 33 rotates and conveys the film tape 110 forward. At the same time, the thermal head 32 generates heat and the ink ribbon 130 is heated. Thereby, the ink of the ink ribbon 130 is transferred to the printing surface Ut (see FIG. 6) of the film tape 110. Thereby, an image including characters and the like is printed on the film tape 110. After printing, the ink ribbon 130 is separated from the film tape 110 and wound around the take-up spool 132.

[0036] The double-sided adhesive tape 120 is overlapped on the printed surface Ut of the printed film tape 110. The base material 140 of the double-sided adhesive tape 120 contacts the printed surface Ut of the film tape 110. In this state, the film tape 110 and the double-sided adhesive tape 120 pass through the roller nip NP between the driving roller 101 and the conveying roller 34 with the film tape 110 disposed below the double-sided adhesive tape 120. By attaching the film tape 110 to the base material 140 with an adhesive, a printed label 160 (see FIG. 6) is generated. The upper surface of the label 160 corresponds to the adhesive surface Ur (see FIG. 6) to which the adhesive of the base material 140 adheres, and the release material 170 is attached to the adhesive surface Ur. That is, the tape 150 is generated in a state where the release material 170 is attached to the label 160 by attaching the double-sided adhesive tape 120 to the film tape 110. The width direction of the tape 150 corresponds to the left-right direction. The conveyance path of the tape 150 that passes through the cutting unit 9 from the printing unit 3 and is conveyed to the main unit 2 is referred to as the "conveyance path R1". The conveyance direction of the tape 150 in the conveyance path R1 is referred to as the "conveyance direction Y1". The conveyance direction Y1 is the direction from the roller nip NP between the driving roller 101 and the conveying roller 34 through the cutting unit 9 and toward the main unit 2, facing forward.

[0037] <Cutting unit 9> As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cutting unit 9 is disposed on the downstream side of the transport roller 34 of the printing unit 3 in the transport direction Y1 of the tape 150. The cutting unit 9 has a full cut cutting blade 91 and a half cut cutting blade 92. The full cut cutting blade 91 has a fixed blade 91A fixed above the transport path R1 and a movable blade 91B rotatable below the transport path R1. The fixed blade 91A extends in the left-right direction with the blade tip facing downward. The movable blade 91B is plate-shaped and extends in the left-right direction with the blade tip facing upward, and is supported by a rotation shaft 91C. The rotation shaft 91C is provided to the left of the transport path R1 and extends in the front-rear direction. The movable blade 91B is connected to the motor MT4 via a cam 93 and rotates about the rotation shaft 91C by the driving force of the motor MT4. The full cut cutting blade 91 divides (fully cuts) the tape 150 by moving the blade tip of the movable blade 91B from below the transport path R1 across the transport path R1 upward with respect to the blade tip of the fixed blade 91A.

[0038] The half cut cutting blade 92 is provided on the downstream side of the full cut cutting blade 91 in the transport path R1. The half cut cutting blade 92 has a fixed base 92A fixed above the transport path R1 and a movable blade 92B rotatable below the transport path R1. The fixed base 92A extends in the left-right direction and has a blade facing surface 92D facing downward, i.e., facing the transport path R1. The movable blade 92B is plate-shaped and extends in the left-right direction, and is supported by a rotation shaft 92C. The rotation shaft 92C is provided to the left of the transport path R1 and extends in the front-rear direction. The movable blade 92B is connected to the motor MT5 via a gear group 94 and rotates about the rotation shaft 92C by the driving force of the motor MT5. The movable blade 92B has a blade tip extending in the left-right direction facing upward. A protrusion 92E that protrudes slightly upward from the blade tip is formed at the tip portion of the movable blade 92B. The size of the protrusion 92E protruding upward from the blade tip is equal to or less than the thickness of the release material 170.

[0039] The tape 150 conveyed along the conveyance path R1 has the release material 170 of the label 160 facing upward and the front (front) surface Us on the side opposite to the adhesive surface Ur facing downward, with the film tape 110 attached to the lower side of the double-sided adhesive tape 120. The half-cut cutting blade 92 has the cutting edge of the movable blade 92B approaching the cutting surface 92D of the fixed base 92A, and cuts the film tape 110 and the base material 140, that is, the label 160, which are below the release material 170, from the surface Us side toward the adhesive surface Ur side with the cutting edge. The half-cut cutting blade 92 forms a gap not exceeding the thickness of the release material 170 between the cutting edge and the cutting surface 92D by means of the protrusion 92E, leaving (half-cutting) the release material 170 uncut.

[0040] <Main unit 2> As shown in FIGS. 7 to 11, the main unit 2 reinforces both side surfaces of the base 20 with the left side plate 25 and the right side plate 26 (see FIG. 9), and includes a peeling portion 4, a pressing portion 5, an opening and closing member 6, and a winding portion 7 between the left side plate 25 and the right side plate 26. The base 20 is made of resin and supports the entire main unit 2. The base 20 has a bottom portion 21, an intermediate portion 22, an upper portion 23, and a rear portion 24. The size of the base 20 in the left-right direction is larger than the maximum width of the tape 150 (label 160) corresponding to the label attaching device 1.

[0041] The bottom 21 is in the shape of a box with a square tube extending in the left - right direction, and has a partition plate 212 extending in the front - rear and up - down directions at the center in the left - right direction. The lower part of the bottom 21 is arranged in the recess 11B of the base 11. On the upper part of the bottom 21, a housing part 211 with a semi - cylindrical concave surface having the left - right direction as the axial direction and open upward and forward is formed. On the bottom 21, a winding part 7 for winding the label 160 around the cable 19 is provided. A drive mechanism 705 (see FIG. 9) for transmitting the driving force for driving the rotating body 70 of the winding part 7 is supported on the right surface of the left side plate 25 and arranged in the area on the left side of the partition plate 212 within the bottom 21. A motor MT1 for generating the driving force for driving the rotating body 70 is assembled on the left surface of the left side plate 25, and the rotating shaft penetrates the left side plate 25 and is connected to the drive mechanism 705. The rotating body 70 is housed in the housing part 211. The winding part 7 will be described later. The rear part 24 protrudes rearward from the bottom 21. The rear part 24 is arranged rearward of the recess 11B in the base 11 and is fixed to the base 11 with screws together with the lower part of the bottom 21.

[0042] The middle part 22 has a left wall 221, a right wall 222, and a connecting wall 223, and is formed above the bottom 21. The left wall 221 extends upward from the left rear end of the bottom 21, and the right wall 222 extends upward from the right rear end of the bottom 21. The connecting wall 223 connects the left wall 221 and the right wall 222 in the left - right direction at the rear. The area between the left wall 221 and the right wall 222 is a peeling area 224 (see FIG. 11), which is a space open forward and downward. The label 160 is pulled downward in the peeling area 224 and peeled off from the peeling material 170. On the middle part 22, a pressing part 5 for pressing the end of the label 160 against the cable 19 is provided. On the front ends of the left wall 221 and the right wall 222 in the middle part 22, guide surfaces 51 extending in the up - down direction and facing forward are formed. The pressing part 5 and the guide surfaces 51 will be described later.

[0043] The upper part 23 is formed above the middle part 22. Each of the left wall 221 and the right wall 222 extends further from the middle part 22 to the upper part 23. As shown in FIG. 11, the upper part 23 has a first wall 231 and a second wall 236. The first wall 231 is in the shape of a plate bridging between the left wall 221 and the right wall 222, and extends obliquely upward in the front direction in a side view. The second wall 236 is in the shape of a plate bridging between the left wall 221 and the right wall 222, and extends obliquely upward in the rear direction in a side view from the front end of the first wall 231. The peeling part 4 is provided at the connecting part of the first wall 231 and the second wall 236. The peeling part 4 will be described later.

[0044] The first wall 231 defines the most downstream part in the conveying direction Y1 of the conveying path R1 of the tape 150 that has been conveyed along the conveying path R1 and passed through the cutting part 9, and the conveying path R2 along which the tape 150 is conveyed toward the peeling part 4. The conveying path R2 is connected to the conveying path R1. The first wall 231 has a first surface 232 and a second surface 233 facing the conveying path R1, and a third surface 234 facing the conveying path R2. The first surface 232 is located downstream of the cutting part 9 in the conveying direction Y1 of the tape 150 conveyed along the conveying path R1, and faces obliquely downward in the front direction. The first surface 232 is disposed at the position where the tape 150 that has passed through the cutting part 9 enters the main unit 2. The second surface 233 is located at the most downstream in the conveying direction Y1 in the conveying path R1 and is connected to the first surface 232, and faces downward. By contacting the tape 150, the second surface 233 defines the conveying direction Y1 of the tape 150.

[0045] The conveying direction Y2 is the direction in which the tape 150 is conveyed along the third surface 234 along the conveying path R2, and is obliquely upward in the front direction. The third surface 234 is connected to the second surface 233 at the most upstream position in the conveying direction Y1 of the conveying path R1, extends toward the peeling part 4, and faces obliquely downward in the front direction. The third surface 234 contacts the tape 150 conveyed along the conveying path R2 to define the conveying direction Y2 and guides the tape 150 toward the peeling part 4.

[0046] The second wall 236 defines a conveyance path R3 for the release material 170 that is conveyed toward the take-up unit 8. The second wall 236 has a fourth surface 237, a fifth surface 238, and a roller 239 that face the conveyance path R3. The fourth surface 237 is located most upstream in the conveyance direction Y3 of the release material 170 conveyed along the conveyance path R3 and faces obliquely upward in the front. The conveyance direction Y3 is the direction in which the tape 150 is conveyed along the conveyance path R3 along the fourth surface 237 and is obliquely upward in the rear. The fourth surface 237 is disposed at the entrance of the conveyance path R3 where the release material 170 from which the label 160 has been peeled off at the peeling unit 4 is conveyed toward the take-up unit 8 located obliquely upward in the rear of the main unit 2, and guides the release material 170 along the conveyance path R3 to the roller 239. The roller 239 is provided at the connection portion between the fourth surface 237 and the fifth surface 238. The roller 239 adjusts the conveyance direction of the release material 170 that has passed through the roller 239 in accordance with the change in the outer diameter of the release material roll 175 (see FIG. 26) of the release material 170 wound around the take-up unit 8, and suppresses breakage of the release material 170. The fifth surface 238 extends obliquely upward in the rear at a gentler upward angle than the fourth surface 237.

[0047] The angle θ1 formed by the conveying direction Y1 and the conveying direction Y2 is greater than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees. The tape 150 with an image printed by the printing unit 3 is conveyed along the conveying path R1 toward the cutting unit 9 with the label 160 positioned below the release material 170. The tape 150 with the release material 170 remaining and the label 160 cut by a half cut at the cutting unit 9 is conveyed along the conveying path R2 in a stretched state by being wound around the winding unit 8 positioned above the peeling unit 4. Therefore, the tape 150 does not contact the first surface 232 in the conveying path R2, contacts the second surface 233 positioned below the first surface 232, and is guided in the conveying direction Y1. The tape 150 is further guided in the conveying direction Y2 along the third surface 234 toward the peeling unit 4. The tape 150 is bent at an angle greater than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees at the connection portion 235 between the second surface 233 and the third surface 234. The release material 170 of the tape 150 is on the connection portion 235 side with respect to the adhesive surface Ur of the base material 140 of the label 160, and the surface Us of the label 160 faces downward. Thus, when the cut portion Ct half cut by the half cut cutting blade 92 of the tape 150 passes through the connection portion 235 between the second surface 233 and the third surface 234, the cut portion Ct is widened by being bent at an obtuse angle with the release material 170 side on the inside. Therefore, the end portion of the label 160 is easily peeled off from the release material 170.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 7 to 11, the left side plate 25 is a plate-shaped metal member extending in the vertical and front-rear directions and is fixed to the left side surface of the base body 20 with screws. When the main unit 2 is fixed to the base 11, the left side plate 25 is disposed at a position substantially in the center in the left-right direction of the low floor portion 11A. A circular opening 25A penetrating the left side plate 25 in the left-right direction is formed at the center of the left side plate 25. The upper end portion of the inner circumference of the opening 25A is notched upward and is connected to an opening portion that notches a part of the upper end of the left side plate 25. Among the upper end portions of the left side plate 25, the upper end portion at the rear side of the opening 25A extends upward more than the upper end portion at the front side and extends longer upward than the upper end portion at the rear side of the opening 26A of the right side plate 26. In a state where the left side plate 25 is assembled to the base body 20, the circular portion of the opening 25A is disposed at a position corresponding to the accommodating portion 211 of the bottom portion 21.

[0049] The right side plate 26 is a plate-shaped metal member extending in the vertical and front-rear directions, and is fixed to the right side surface of the base body 20 with screws. When the main unit 2 is fixed to the base 11, the right side plate 26 is disposed at a position closer to the right end of the low floor portion 11A and faces the left side plate 25 in the left-right direction. The right side plate 26 has substantially the same shape as the left side plate 25, and a circular opening 26A penetrating the right side plate 26 in the left-right direction is formed at the center of the right side plate 26. The upper end portion of the inner circumference of the opening 26A is notched upward and is connected to an opening portion that notches a part of the upper end of the right side plate 26. Among the upper end portions of the right side plate 26, the upper end portion on the rear side of the opening 26A extends above the upper end portion on the front side. In a state where the right side plate 26 is assembled to the base body 20, the circular portion of the opening 26A is disposed at a position corresponding to the accommodating portion 211 of the bottom portion 21.

[0050] The left support portion 71 is fixed to the left side surface of the left side plate 25 with screws. The left support portion 71 extends in the vertical and front-rear directions, has a box shape with a thickness in the left-right direction, is formed in a stepped shape at approximately the center in the vertical direction, and has a greater thickness in the lower portion than in the upper portion. A guide portion 71B that is recessed downward from the upper end is formed in the left support portion 71. The guide portion 71B has a substantially U shape, and the bottom portion 71C has a semi-circular shape. An opening is formed in the bottom portion 71C, and the input portion 706B (described later) of the lever member 706 is exposed. The bottom portion 71C of the guide portion 71B is a guide position for guiding the cable 19 so that the cable 19 is disposed at a winding position P3 where the winding portion 7 winds the label 160 around the cable 19. The guide portion 71B guides the cable 19 to the bottom portion 71C.

[0051] Among the upper end portions of the left support portion 71, an induction surface 71D for guiding the cable 19 toward the guide portion 71B is formed at the upper end portion in front of the guide portion 71B. The induction surface 71D is an inclined surface that faces obliquely upward and rearward. When the cable 19 that has passed through the guide passage R4 (described later) and passed through the pressing portion 5 is displaced forward, the induction surface 71D abuts on the cable 19 and guides the cable 19 to the guide portion 71B so as to reach the winding portion 7. On the right surface of the left support portion 71, a substantially C-shaped rotation receiving portion 71A that protrudes rightward in the circumferential direction excluding the guide portion 71B along the semicircular shape of the bottom portion 71C is formed. In a state where the left support portion 71 is assembled to the left side plate 25, the rotation receiving portion 71A is disposed in the circular portion of the opening portion 25A of the left side plate 25 and protrudes to the right of the left side plate 25. The rotation shaft portion 73C (described later) of the rotating body 70 of the winding portion 7 is engaged with the rotation receiving portion 71A. The inner surface of the rotation receiving portion 71A rotatably supports the rotation shaft portion 73C. The outer surface of the rotation receiving portion 71A is supported by the circular portion of the opening portion 25A of the left side plate 25. Since the rotation shaft portion 73C of the rotating body 70 is supported by both the left support portion 71 and the left side plate 25, the rotating body 70 is less likely to tilt or shift even when the user strongly presses the cable 19 against the rotating body 70.

[0052] The right support portion 72 is fixed to the right surface of the right side plate 26 with screws. The right support portion 72 extends in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction, has a thickness in the left-right direction, is formed in a stepped shape at approximately the center in the vertical direction, and has a greater thickness in the lower portion than in the upper portion. In the right support portion 72, a guide portion 72B that is recessed downward from the upper end is formed. The guide portion 72B has a substantially U shape, and the bottom portion 72C has a semicircular shape. An opening is formed in the bottom portion 72C, and the input portion 707B (described later) of the lever member 707 is exposed. The bottom portion 72C of the guide portion 72B is a guide position for guiding the cable 19 on the right side of the winding position P3. The guide portion 72B guides the cable 19 to the bottom portion 72C.

[0053] Among the upper end portions of the right support portion 72, on the upper end portion in front of the guide portion 72B, a guide surface 72D for guiding the cable 19 toward the guide portion 72B is formed. The guide surface 72D is an inclined surface that faces obliquely upward and rearward. The guide surface 72D abuts against the cable 19 when the moving direction of the cable 19 is shifted forward, and guides it to the guide portion 72B. On the left surface of the right support portion 72, a substantially C-shaped rotation receiving portion 72A that protrudes leftward in the circumferential direction excluding the guide portion 72B along the semicircular shape of the bottom portion 72C is formed. In a state where the right support portion 72 is assembled to the right side plate 26, the rotation receiving portion 72A is disposed in the circular portion of the opening portion 26A of the right side plate 26 and protrudes to the left side of the right side plate 26. The rotation receiving portion 72A engages with a rotation shaft portion 74C (described later) of the rotating body 70. The inner surface of the rotation receiving portion 72A rotatably supports the rotation shaft portion 74C of the rotating body 70. The outer surface of the rotation receiving portion 72A is supported by the circular portion of the opening portion 26A of the right side plate 26. Since the rotation shaft portion of the rotating body 70 is supported by both the right support portion 72 and the right side plate 26, the rotating body 70 is less likely to tilt or shift even when the user strongly presses the cable 19 against the rotating body 70.

[0054] <Peeling portion 4> The peeling portion 4 peels the label 160 from the peeling material 170. The peeling portion 4 has a round bar-shaped peeling shaft 40 extending in the left-right direction. A fixing portion for fixing the peeling shaft 40 is formed at the connection portion between the first wall 231 and the second wall 236. The peeling shaft 40 is disposed at the most downstream position in the conveyance direction Y2 along the third surface 234 in the conveyance path R2 and at the most upstream position in the conveyance direction Y3 along the fourth surface 237 in the conveyance path R3. The peeling shaft 40 is exposed on the guide surface 51 of the pressing portion 5 (see FIG. 8). A coating layer for suppressing the adhesion of the adhesive material when the label 160 is peeled is formed on the surface of the peeling shaft 40.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 11, the angle θ2 formed by the conveying direction Y2 and the conveying direction Y3 is 90 degrees or less. The tape 150 conveyed along the conveying path R2 reaches the peeling portion 4 in a state where the label 160 is easily peeled from the peeling material 170 at the connecting portion 235. The tape 150 is bent at an angle of 90 degrees or less with the peeling material 170 in contact with the peeling shaft 40 at the peeling portion 4 when the peeling material 170 is pulled by the winding portion 8. Therefore, when the cut portion Ct passes through the peeling portion 4, the tape 150 is bent at an acute angle or a right angle with the peeling material 170 side on the inside, so that the cut portion Ct is widened more than when passing through the connecting portion 235. Therefore, the end portion of the label 160 is peeled from the peeling material 170. When the peeling material 170 moves in the conveying direction Y3, the end portion of the label 160 peeled from the peeling material 170 moves along the conveying direction Y2, rides on the support surface 62 of the opening and closing member 6, and is disposed at the sticking position P1 with the adhesive surface Ur facing upward. The sticking position P1 is the position where the end portion of the label 160 is stuck to the cable 19, and is the most upstream position in the guiding direction Y4 in which the cable 19 inserted into the guiding passage R4 of the pressing portion 5 is guided.

[0056] At the cut portion Ct of the label 160 cut by the half-cut cutting blade 92, the adhesive material adhering to the surface on the side bonded to the printing surface Ut of the film tape 110 of the base material 140 is exposed on the cut surface. Among the conveying paths R1, no rollers for conveying the tape 150 are arranged on the downstream side in the conveying direction Y1 from the cutting portion 9 and in the conveying path R2. Therefore, the tape 150 is not nipped between the rollers on the path from the cutting portion 9 to the peeling portion 4. Further, when the tape 150 passes through the connecting portion 235, the peeling material 170 is located on the connecting portion 235 side. Therefore, the tapewise 150 is bent at an obtuse angle with respect to the peeling material 170 with the label 160 side, and is not bent at an acute angle. Since the conveying paths R1 and R2 are configured in this way, the tape ics wise 150 suppresses the re-adhesion of the adhesive material exposed on the cut surface at the cut portion Ct on the path from the cutting portion 9 to the peeling portion 4.

[0057] <Opening and closing member 6> As shown in FIGS. 7 to 11, the opening / closing member 6 is box-shaped and extends in the vertical direction, and is disposed in front of the base body 20. The opening / closing member 6 has a shaft body 6A that penetrates the lower end portion in the left-right direction and projects in the left-right direction from the left surface and the right surface of the lower end portion, respectively (see FIG. 9). The shaft body 6A engages with shaft holes 25B and 26B formed in the front lower corner portion of the left side plate 25 and the front lower corner portion of the right side plate 26, respectively, and supports the opening / closing member 6 rotatably. The opening / closing member 6 has a hook 6D that interlocks with the opening / closing button 6B at the front upper corner portion and engages with the base body 20. When the opening / closing button 6B is pressed and the engagement between the base body 20 and the hook 6D is released, the opening / closing member 6 rotates forward at the upper end portion to be in an open state. In the open state, the main unit 2 exposes the peeling region 224 of the pressing portion 5 and the accommodating portion 211 of the winding portion 7 on the front surface of the label affixing device 1 (see FIG. 8). In the closed state, the main unit 2 covers the peeling region 224 and the accommodating portion 211 with the opening / closing member 6 (see FIG. 7).

[0058] The opening / closing member 6 has a pressing member 60 that protrudes rearward and moves forward and backward on the rear surface in the closed state. The pressing member 60 extends in the vertical direction, and the lower end portion is supported by the shaft body 6A, and the upper end portion swings in the front-rear direction as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 11. The pressing member 60 is urged rearward by a compression coil spring 6C disposed in the opening / closing member 6. The front surface of the pressing member 60 is a pressing surface 61. When the opening / closing member 6 is in the closed state, the pressing surface 61 extends in the vertical and horizontal directions and faces rearward. In this state, the pressing surface 61 is disposed in front of the opening of the peeling region 224 of the pressing portion 5, and has a front-rear gap with the guide surface 51 in a side view. The guide surface 51 is disposed at a position shifted in the left-right direction with respect to the pressing surface 61 and does not face the pressing surface 61 in the front-rear direction. Further, the size of the pressing surface 61 in the left-right direction is larger than the maximum width of the tape 150 corresponding to the label affixing device 1.

[0059] The pressing surface 61 presses the end of the label 160 against the cable 19 passing through the guide passage R4 between the guide surface 51 and the pressing surface 61 in the guide direction Y4 by the biasing force. The pressing surface 61 extends longer than the guide surface 51 in the guide direction Y4 so that the pressing of the end of the label 160 by the pressing surface 61 is maintained until the label 160 is peeled off from the peeling material 170. Let the virtual line connecting the most downstream position P2 of the pressing surface 61 in the guide direction Y4 in the guide passage R4 and the connecting portion 235 be the virtual line L. The pressing surface 61 extends to the position P2 where the angle θ3 formed by the conveying direction Y2 and the virtual line L is 40 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less. By setting the angle θ3 to 40 degrees or more, the angle formed by the label 160 and the release paper at the time of peeling of the label 160 can be increased, and the load required for peeling can be reduced. In particular, if the angle θ3 is 90 degrees, no load is applied to the peeling material 170 in the conveying direction Y2. Since the force with which the label 160 pulls the peeling material 170 at the time of peeling of the label 160 can be reduced, it is possible to prevent the tape 150 before printing from being pulled out of the tape cassette 100. Thereby, the printing unit 3 can suppress the occurrence of distortion in printing on the tape 150. Further, since the pressing surface 61 extends from the sticking position P1 to the position P2, it is possible to maintain the state in which the end portion is pressed against the cable 19 until the label 160 is peeled off from the peeling material 170.

[0060] The pressing member 60 further has a support surface 62 and an inclined surface 63. The support surface 62 is connected to the upper end of the pressing surface 61 and faces obliquely upward rearward in the closed state. The support surface 62 guides the position in the front-rear direction when the user arranges the cable 19 at the sticking position. Further, when the end of the label 160 peeled off from the peeling material 170 rides up, the support surface 62 adheres to the cable 19 by sandwiching the end portion between the support surface 62 and the cable 19 when the user attaches the end of the label 160 to the cable 19. Further, when the outer diameter of the cable 19 is larger than the gap between the pressing surface 61 and the guide surface 51, the support surface 62 can obtain a stress for moving the upper end portion of the pressing member 60 forward from the cable 19 that abuts against the inclined support surface 62 that inclines forward, and widen the gap.

[0061] The inclined surface 63 is connected to the lower end of the pressing surface 61 and faces obliquely downward to the rear in the closed state. When the cable 19 with the label 160 wound around by the winding part 7 is moved upward and taken out from the label sticking device 1, the inclined surface 63 guides the cable 19 into the gap between the pressing surface 61 and the guiding surface 51. Further, when the outer diameter of the cable 19 is larger than the gap between the pressing surface 61 and the guiding surface 51, the inclined surface 63 can obtain the stress for moving the upper end part of the pressing member 60 forward from the cable 19 contacting the inclined surface 63 inclined forward, and widen the gap.

[0062] <Pressing part 5> The pressing part 5 is a part that presses the end part against the cable 19 so that the end part of the label 160 does not peel off during the process of guiding the cable 19 with the end part of the label 160 stuck at the sticking position toward the winding part 7. The pressing part 5 is composed of the pressing member 60 of the opening and closing member 6, the middle part 22 of the base body 20, and the moving member 50. The moving member 50 is arranged in the peeling area 224 of the middle part 22. The peeling area 224 is an area surrounded by the left wall 221, the right wall 222, the connecting wall 223, and the first wall 231. As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the moving member 50 extends in the width direction and the extending direction and is box-shaped with a thickness. The top wall 50A has a flat top surface, and the left wall 50B, the right wall 50C, and the base wall 50D extend from the left, right, and base edges toward the bottom side. The bottom surface is open, and the top wall 50A is reinforced by ribs. The middle part of the base wall 50D in the width direction is notched. The front part 50E becomes thinner as it approaches the tip.

[0063] The left wall 50B and the right wall 50C are provided with pins 50F protruding in the width direction on the tip 50E side. The pins 50F engage with guide holes 225 formed in the left wall 221 and the right wall 222 of the peeling region 224, respectively. The guide holes 225 include a first guide hole 225A linearly extending in the vertical direction in a side view and a second guide hole 225B connected to the lower end of the first guide hole 225A and extending in an arc shape. The left wall 50B and the right wall 50C have guide holes 50H through which a shaft body 226 extending in the width direction is inserted on the base 50G side. The guide hole 50H is a long hole extending in the extending direction. The shaft body 226 is supported by the left wall 221 and the right wall 222 of the peeling region 224. A torsion spring 227 is assembled to the shaft body 226. The torsion spring 227 biases the moving member 50 so that the tip 50E is located above the base 50G.

[0064] The guide surfaces 51 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the peeling region 224 and guide the cable 19 with the label 160 attached at the attachment position P1 to the winding portion 7. The user holds the cable 19 extending in the left - right direction with both hands and brings the cable 19 into contact with the guide surfaces 51. The user moves the cable 19 downward along the guide surfaces 51 toward the winding portion 7 located below the attachment position P1. The cable 19 passes through the guide passage R4 between the guide surfaces 51 and the pressing surface 61 in the guide direction Y4 and reaches the winding portion 7. The guide direction Y4 is the direction in which the cable 19 moves along the guide surfaces 51 extending in the vertical direction and is the downward direction in the vertical direction.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 15, when the cable 19 moves in the guiding direction Y4, the conveyance of the tape 150 in the conveyance path R2 is stopped. The tape 150 is held in a state of being sandwiched between the conveyance roller 34 and the driving roller 101, and even when stress is applied in the direction of being pulled out from the printing unit 3, the pulling out is suppressed. The conveyance path R2 is exposed in the peeling area 224. Therefore, the label 160 with its end portion attached to the cable 19 is peeled off from the peeling material 170 within the peeling area 224 as the cable 19 moves in the guiding direction Y4. The angle θ4 formed by the conveyance direction Y2 of the tape 150 in the conveyance path R2 and the vertical downward direction in which the guiding surface 51 extends is 90 degrees or less. The angle θ4 is set so that the label 160 can be smoothly peeled off from the peeling material 170 by the movement of the cable 19 to which the end portion of the label 160 is attached. When the angle θ4 becomes an obtuse angle greater than 90 degrees, the stress required to peel the label 160 from the peeling material 170 increases. When the label 160 is peeled off in this state, the tape 150 stopped in the conveyance path R2 is pulled in, making it difficult to peel the label 160 neatly. The third surface 234 of the first wall 231 is set at an inclination angle so that the angle θ4 is 90 degrees or less.

[0066] The moving member 50 is biased by a torsion spring 227. In a state where no load is applied, the tip portion 50E protrudes into the guide passage R4 below the attachment position P1 and is located in front of the guide surface 51 in a side view. When the cable 19 with the end portion of the label 160 attached thereto moves in the guide passage R4 in the guiding direction Y4 from the attachment position P1, the tip portion 50E of the moving member 50 sandwiches the end portion of the label 160 between the cable 19 from the downstream side in the guiding direction Y4 and contacts the cable 19. The pressing surface 61 of the pressing member 60 maintains a state of pressing the end portion of the label 160 against the cable 19 by the biasing of the compression coil spring 6C.

[0067] As shown in Fig. 16, when the cable 19 moves in the guiding direction Y4, the moving member 50 rotates downward on the tip 50E side about the shaft body 226 that supports the base 50G due to the pressing of the cable 19. By moving the guide hole 50H relative to the shaft body 226, the moving member 50 can shift the position of the fulcrum during rotation. And since the pin 50F moves along the linear first guide hole 225A among the guide holes 225, the tip 50E of the moving member 50 maintains a state of protruding into the guide passage R4. Therefore, the tip 50E holds the end of the label 160 between it and the cable 19 from the downstream side in the guiding direction Y4, and peels off the label 160 from the peeling material 170 together with the cable 19.

[0068] As shown in Fig. 17, the guide surface 51 is shorter than the pressing surface 61 in the vertical direction. When the tip 50E of the moving member 50 moves downward from the most downstream position in the guiding direction Y4 of the guide surface 51, the pin 50F moves along the arc-shaped second guide hole 225B among the guide holes 225. The second guide hole 225B curves in a direction away from the guide passage R4 backward. Therefore, the tip 50E gradually retracts from the guide passage R4 as the cable 19 moves in the guiding direction Y4. When the cable 19 further moves in the guiding direction Y4 and reaches the most downstream position P2 of the pressing surface 61 in the guide passage R4, the pressing of the end of the label 160 by the pressing surface 61 ends.

[0069] As shown in Fig. 18, the middle part 22 of the base body 20 has an inclined surface 52 below the guide surface 51. The inclined surface 52 is connected to the lower end of the guide surface 51 and faces obliquely downward and forward. The inclined surface 52 guides the cable 19 into the gap between the pressing surface 61 and the guide surface 51 when the cable 19 with the label 160 wound around by the winding part 7 is moved upward and taken out from the label sticking device 1. When sticking the label 160, the user presses the cable 19 against the guide surface 51 and moves the cable 19 along the guide surface 51, so the cable 19 may move along the inclined surface 52 from the lower end of the guide surface 51. The moving member 50 retracts backward from the inclined surface 52 when the pin 50F moves along the second guide hole 225B. Therefore, the moving member 50 does not interfere with the movement of the cable 19.

[0070] The label affixing device 1 cuts the tape 150 with the half-cut cutting blade 92 to a length corresponding to the thickness and use of the cable 19 to generate the label 160. The label 160 preferably has a length such that the peeling of the label 160 from the release material 170 is completed with the position P2 where the pressing surface 61 finishes pressing the end of the label 160 as the peeling completion position. However, when the cable 19 reaches the position P2, the label 160 is in a state of being affixed to the cable 19 with sufficient strength by the pressing of the end by the pressing surface 61 and the clamping of the end by the moving member 50. Therefore, even if the label 160 has a length such that it cannot complete peeling from the release material 170 even when the cable 19 reaches the position P2, the label affixing device 1 can sufficiently perform the peeling of the label 160 at a position further downstream in the guiding direction Y4 than the position P2 only by the adhesive force to the cable 19.

[0071] <Winding portion 7> The winding portion 7 winds and affixes the label 160 whose end adheres to the cable 19 arranged at the winding position P3 around the cable 19. As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 19 to 21, the winding portion 7 has a substantially cylindrical rotating body 70 with a partially missing side surface. The rotation axis 70A, which is the center of rotation of the rotating body 70, extends in the left-right direction and is rotatably supported by a left support portion 71 fixed to the left surface of the left side plate 25 and a right support portion 72 fixed to the right surface of the right side plate 26, respectively. The rotating body 70 has a left side surface portion 73, a right side surface portion 74, and a peripheral surface portion 75. The left side surface portion 73 and the right side surface portion 74 are disk-shaped and face each other with a separation in the left-right direction.

[0072] The left side surface 73 has an external gear 73A on the left side face. The external gear 73A is connected to a drive mechanism 705 provided at the bottom 21 of the main unit 2, and the driving force generated by the motor MT1 is transmitted and input from the external gear 73A. An insertion portion 73B that is recessed from the peripheral end portion toward the rotation axis center 70A is formed on the left side surface 73. The insertion portion 73B is substantially U-shaped and extends radially from a semi-circular bottom portion 731 centered on the rotation axis center 70A to an opening portion 732 corresponding to a part of the peripheral end portion of the left side surface 73. The left side surface 73 has a substantially C-shaped rotation shaft portion 73C that protrudes leftward along the circumferential direction excluding the insertion portion 73B, radially inside the rotation axis center 70A from the external gear 73A. The rotation shaft portion 73C engages with a rotation receiving portion 71A formed on the right side face of the left support portion 71 and is rotatably supported.

[0073] The right side surface 74 has a detection plate 74A at the peripheral edge of the right side face. The detection plate 74A is arranged at a position where it is detected by a sensor SW3 (see FIG. 9), which is a transmissive photosensor, when the rotating body 70 is in the initial position. By controlling to stop the rotation of the rotating body 70 when the sensor SW3 detects the detection plate 74A, the rotating body 70 can be stopped at the initial position. Here, the initial position of the rotating body 70 is a position where the opening portions 732 and 742 are arranged at the upper end portions of the bottom portions 731 and 741, which will be described later, and the cable 19 and the label 160 can be inserted into the insertion portions 73B and 74B. The sensor SW3 is provided at a position obliquely upward and rearward of the accommodating portion 211 at the bottom 21 of the base body 20, and is at a position rearward of the position of the rotating body 70 arranged in the accommodating portion 211, that is, when the opening and closing member 6 is opened and the accommodating portion 211 is viewed from the front, it is arranged at a position on the back side of the accommodating portion 211. An insertion portion 74B that is recessed from the peripheral end portion toward the rotation axis center 70A is formed on the right side surface 74. The insertion portion 74B is substantially U-shaped and extends radially from a semi-circular bottom portion 741 centered on the rotation axis center 70A to an opening portion 742 corresponding to a part of the peripheral end portion of the left side surface 73. The right side surface 74 has a substantially C-shaped rotation shaft portion 74C that protrudes rightward along the circumferential direction excluding the insertion portion 74B, radially inside the rotation axis center 70A from the peripheral end portion. The rotation shaft portion 74C engages with a rotation receiving portion 72A formed on the left side face of the right support portion 72 and is rotatably supported.

[0074] The peripheral surface portion 75 extends in the left - right direction and is semi - cylindrical, and is provided between the left side surface portion 73 and the right side surface portion 74. The peripheral surface portion 75 is substantially U - shaped in a side view, and both ends are connected to the left side surface portion 73 and the right side surface portion 74 respectively. The open portions of the peripheral surface portion 75 and the insertion portions 73B, 74B are arranged in the same direction in the radial direction of the rotation axis 70A. The peripheral surface portion 75 houses the arm members 76, 77 inside and supports them so as to be swingable.

[0075] The rotating body 70 is in a state where the openings 732, 742 are arranged at the upper end portions of the bottoms 731, 741, and it is possible to insert the cable 19 and the label 160 into the insertion portions 73B, 74B. The rotational position of the rotating body 70 in this state is the initial position. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, it is assumed that the rotating body 70 is arranged in the initial position. The insertion portions 73B, 74B are arranged below the vertical direction of the pasting position P1 and on the downstream side in the guiding direction Y4 from the position P2 of the guiding passage R4. The openings 732, 742 of the insertion portions 73B, 74B open toward the surface Us of the end portion of the label 160 arranged at the pasting position P1.

[0076] The winding portion 7 has the arm members 76, 77, the coil springs 78, 79, and the support shaft 702 inside the rotating body 70. The arm members 76, 77 hold the cable 19 with the cable 19 sandwiched therebetween when the label 160 is wound around the cable 19 by the winding portion 7. The arm member 76 and the arm member 77 are members made of the same - shaped metal. The arm members 76, 77 each have a clamping portion 76A, 77A, a receiving portion 76B, 77B, a bearing portion 76C, 77C, a spacer 76D, 77D, and a fixing portion 76E, 77E. The clamping portions 76A, 77A are flat plate - shaped extending in the left - right direction and the up - down direction, and are arranged to face each other with a gap in the front - rear direction. The spacers 76D, 77D are provided at positions closer to the bearing portions 76C, 77C than the rotation axis 70A in the clamping portions 76A, 77A respectively, and abut against each other to secure the gap of the clamping portions 76A, 77A.

[0077] The bearing portions 76C and 77C are formed at the ends of the clamping portions 76A and 77A on the side where the spacers 76D and 77D are provided. One support shaft 702 is inserted through the bearing portions 76C and 77C. Therefore, the arm members 76 and 77 swing around the common support shaft 702. Both ends of the support shaft 702 are supported at positions radially outside the radial center 70A of the rotating shaft on the left side surface 73 and the right side surface 74 of the rotating body 70, rather than at the bottoms 731 and 741 of the insertion portions 73B and 74B. Therefore, the ends of the arm members 76 and 77 on the side opposite to the support shaft 702 swing, approaching and separating from each other. Protrusions 76F and 77F (see FIG. 21) extending to the side opposite to the clamping portions 76A and 77A are formed on the bearing portions 76C and 77C. The protrusions 76F and 77F are disposed in an opening 75A (see FIG. 19) formed at the bottom of the circumferential surface 75 of the rotating body 70. When the arm members 76 and 77 swing around the support shaft 702 and the swing range reaches a predetermined range, the protrusions 76F and 77F contact the edge of the opening 75A. That is, the opening 75A defines the swing range of the arm members 76 and 77. The swing range is a range in which the tips 76G and 77G of the arm members 76 and 77 do not protrude from the outer peripheries of the left side surface 73 and the right side surface 74, that is, the outer periphery of the rotating body 70 (see the dotted line in FIG. 19).

[0078] The receiving portions 76B and 77B are formed at the ends of the arm members 76 and 77 on the side opposite to the support shaft 702 and are connected to the clamping portions 76A and 77A, respectively. The receiving portions 76B and 77B bend in a direction away from each other in the front-rear direction. That is, the receiving portions 76B and 77B are directed radially inward of the rotational axis 70A in a side view, and the size of the gap between them gradually decreases. The surfaces of the clamping portion 76A and the receiving portion 76B on the side of the rotational axis 70A form a smooth continuous surface, and a coating layer for suppressing the adhesion of the adhesive material is formed on the surface. Similarly, the surfaces of the clamping portion 77A and the receiving portion 77B on the side of the rotational axis 70A form a smooth continuous surface, and a coating layer for suppressing the adhesion of the adhesive material is formed on the surface. The receiving portions 76B and 77B guide the cable 19 moving from the pressing portion 5 to the winding portion 7 closer to the rotational axis 70A in the front-rear direction on the surface that bends the cable 19 and guide it into the gap between the clamping portions 76A and 77A.

[0079] The retaining portions 76E and 77E are formed on the surfaces of the clamping portions 76A and 77A opposite to the mutually facing surfaces, and hold one ends of the coil springs 78 and 79. The other ends of the coil springs 78 and 79 are held on the inner surface of the peripheral surface portion 75 of the rotating body 70. The arm members 76 and 77 are biased toward the rotation axis 70A side by the coil springs 78 and 79 respectively. The clamping portions 76A and 77A hold the cable 19 inserted into the gap.

[0080] The winding portion 7 further has lever members 706 and 707 and sensors SW1 and SW2. The sensors SW1 and SW2 are microswitches and detect when the cable 19 reaches the respective guiding positions of the left support portion 71 and the right support portion 72, that is, the bottom portions 71C and 72C. When the portions corresponding to the guiding portions 71B and 72B of the cable 19 are located at the guiding positions, the portion of the cable 19 corresponding to the rotating body 70 is located at the winding position P3. The winding position P3 is the position of the rotation axis 70A at the bottom portions 731 and 741 of the insertion portions 73B and 74B, or a position in the vicinity thereof. The bottom portions 731 and 741 are semi-circular curved surfaces centered on the rotation axis 70A which is the rotation center of the rotating body 70. The radius of curvature of the bottom portions 731 and 741 corresponds to the size of the cable 19 with the largest outer diameter among the outer diameters of the cables 19 around which the labeling device 1 can wind the label 160. Therefore, when a cable 19 with an outer diameter that is not the maximum diameter contacts the bottom portions 731 and 741, the position of the center line of the cable 19 does not coincide with the rotation axis 70A. The winding portion 7 can wind the label 160 even if the position of the center line of the cable 19 is deviated from the position of the rotation axis 70A of the rotating body 70. Therefore, the winding position P3 is the position where the portion of the cable 19 corresponding to the rotating body 70 is arranged when the cable 19 is located at the guiding position. Thus, the winding position P3 does not necessarily coincide with the rotation axis 70A.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 22, the lever member 707 is a plate-shaped member that bends and extends stepwise in the front-rear direction, and has a support portion 707A, an input portion 707B, and an acting portion 707C. The support portion 707A is a fulcrum that rotatably supports the lever member 707, and is provided at the front end portion of the lever member 707. The lever member 707 is assembled to the left surface of the right support portion 72. The shaft body that engages with the support portion 707A protrudes from the left surface of the right support portion 72. The rear end side of the lever member 707 is biased upward by a coil spring 707D. The input portion 707B is formed on the upper surface of the intermediate portion of the lever member 707 and protrudes upward. A part of the input portion 707B is exposed on the bottom portion 72C through an opening formed in the bottom portion 72C of the guide portion 72B of the right support portion 72. The input portion 707B swings the lever member 707 by being pressed by a cable 19 guided by the bottom portion 72C. The acting portion 707C is provided at the rear end of the lever member 707. The acting portion 707C is located rearward and upward of the input portion 707B and the support portion 707A in a state where the input portion 707B is exposed on the bottom portion 72C. The sensor SW2 is disposed below the acting portion 707C and fixed to the right surface of the right side plate 26. The sensor SW2 is a switch for driving a drive portion that rotates the rotating body 70. Since the acting portion 707C is located above the input portion 707B, even if foreign matter such as water adheres to the input portion 707B through the opening of the bottom portion 72C, it is difficult for the foreign matter to reach the acting portion 707C. Therefore, the adhesion of foreign matter to the sensor SW2 is suppressed.

[0082] The lever member 706 shown in FIG. 10 also has the same configuration as the lever member 707. The lever member 706 is a plate-shaped member that bends and extends in a stepped manner in the front-rear direction, and has a support portion 706A, an input portion 706B, and an acting portion 706C. The support portion 706A is a fulcrum that rotatably supports the lever member 706, and is provided at the front end portion of the lever member 706. The lever member 706 is assembled to the right surface of the left support portion 71. The shaft body that engages with the support portion 706A protrudes from the right surface of the left support portion 71. The rear end side of the lever member 706 is biased upward by a coil spring (not shown). The input portion 706B is formed on the upper surface of the middle portion of the lever member 706 and protrudes upward. A part of the input portion 706B is exposed on the bottom portion 71C through an opening formed in the bottom portion 71C of the guide portion 71B of the left support portion 71. The input portion 706B is swung by being pressed by a cable 19 guided by the bottom portion 71C. The acting portion 706C is provided at the rear end of the lever member 706. The acting portion 706C is located rearward and upward of the input portion 706B and the support portion 706A in a state where the input portion 706B is exposed on the bottom portion 71C. The sensor SW1 is disposed below the acting portion 706C and fixed to the left surface of the left side plate 25. The sensor SW1 is a switch for driving a drive portion that rotates the rotating body 70. Since the acting portion 706C is located above the input portion 706B, even if foreign matter such as water adheres to the input portion 706B through the opening of the bottom portion 71C, it is difficult for the foreign matter to reach the acting portion 706C. Therefore, the adhesion of foreign matter to the sensor SW1 is suppressed.

[0083] The cable 19 that has moved the guide path R4 in the guide direction Y4 to peel the label 160 from the peeling material 170 further moves downward from the position P2. The guide surfaces 71D of the left support portion 71 and the guide surfaces 72D of the right support portion 72 contact the portions outside the left and right directions of the portion where the label 160 of the cable 19 is attached, and guide the cable 19 to the guide portions 71B and 72B. The cable 19 moves downward along the guide portions 71B and 72B. As shown in FIG. 19, the rotating body 70 has stopped at the initial position. The cable 19 can enter the insertion portions 73B and 74B. The cable 19 enters the gap between the clamping portions 76A and 77A of the arm members 76 and 77 by being guided by the guide portions 71B and 72B and the insertion portions 73B and 74B. Even if the moving direction of the cable 19 is displaced in the front-rear direction, the cable 19 is guided to the receiving portions 76B and 77B where the gap narrows downward and enters the gap between the clamping portions 76A and 77A. As shown in FIG. 23, when the cable 19 enters the gap between the clamping portions 76A and 77A, the cable 19 presses the arm members 76 and 77 to swing the arm members 76 and 77 around the common support shaft 702, and expands the gap between the clamping portions 76A and 77A. The arm members 76 and 77 maintain the state of clamping and holding the cable 19 with the clamping portions 76A and 77A by the biasing force.

[0084] When the cable 19 reaches the bottom portions 71C and 72C of the guide portions 71B and 72B, that is, the guide position, the portion where the end of the label 160 is attached is arranged at the winding position P3 in the rotating body 70. As shown in FIG. 23, the portion of the cable 19 that has reached the guide position presses the input portions 706B and 707B downward. By the downward movement of the input portions 706B and 707B, the acting portions 706C and 707C move downward. The acting portions 706C and 707C are located at positions farther from the support portions 706A and 707A than the input portions 706B and 707B, respectively. Therefore, the acting portions 706C and 707C move downward by a distance longer than the distance by which the input portions 706B and 707B move downward due to the pressing of the cable 19. When the acting portions 706C and 707C move downward, they contact the sensors SW1 and SW2, respectively, and turn them on.

[0085] When both the sensor SW1 and the sensor SW2 are turned on, the control unit 14 drives the motor MT1 to perform control for rotating the rotating body 70. As shown in FIG. 24, when the rotating body 70 rotates, the label 160 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the cable 19. The surfaces of the clamping portions 76A and 77A of the arm members 76 and 77 that contact the cable 19 are flat surfaces. Therefore, even if the central position of the cable 19 is displaced from the position of the rotation axis 70A of the rotating body 70, the clamping portions 76A and 77A can always maintain the state of holding the outer peripheral surface of the cable 19 by the biasing of the arm members 76 and 77. Similarly, even if the outer diameter of the cable 19 is different, the clamping portions 76A and 77A can always maintain the state of holding the outer peripheral surface of the cable 19. When the rotating body 70 rotates while the clamping portions 76A and 77A hold the cable 19, the label 160 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the cable 19 and is attached to the cable 19 by the adhesive material.

[0086] The control unit 14 controls the number of rotations and the rotational position of the rotating body 70 by the sensor SW3 detecting the detection plate 74A of the rotating body 70. When the number of rotations of the rotating body 70 reaches a preset number of rotations, the control unit 14 performs control to stop the rotating body 70 at the initial position. That is, the openings 732 of the insertion portions 73B and 74B are located above the bottom portion 731. The cable 19 around which the label 160 is wound can be taken out from the insertion portions 73B and 74B and the guide portions 71B and 72B. When the cable 19 is discharged from the guide portion 72B, the lever member 707 moves the acting portion 707C upward by the biasing force, turning off the sensor SW2.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 11, when the cable 19 moves in a direction opposite to the guide direction Y4, the inclined surface 63 of the pressing member 60 and the inclined surface 52 of the intermediate portion 22 of the base body 20 guide the cable 19 to the position of the guide passage R4. Further, when the cable 19 passes through the guide passage R4, by pressing the pressing surface 61 along the inclined surface 52, the upper end portion of the pressing member 60 moves forward, expanding the guide passage R4 in the front-rear direction. The cable 19 passes through the guide passage R4, and the cable 19 with the label 160 attached is taken out from the label attaching device 1.

[0088] Incidentally, the rotating body 70 can be removed from the accommodating portion 211 by opening the opening / closing member 6, and maintenance can be performed. As shown in FIG. 8, the user presses the opening / closing button 6B of the opening / closing member 6 to open the opening / closing member 6. The peeling region 224 of the pressing portion 5 and the accommodating portion 211 of the winding portion 7 are exposed on the front side of the label affixing device 1. The user removes the screws of the left support portion 71 and the right support portion 72 and removes each of them from the left side plate 25 and the right side plate 26. The rotation shaft portions 73C and 74C of the rotating body 70 are disengaged from the rotation receiving portions 71A and 72A of the left support portion 71 and the right support portion 72. Therefore, the user can remove the rotating body 70 from the accommodating portion 211. The sensor SW3 non-contactly detects the detection plate 74A of the rotating body 70. Further, the sensor SW3 is disposed at a position on the inner side of the accommodating portion 211. For this reason, when removing the rotating body 70, there is no need to remove the signal line of the sensor SW3 or to disengage the engagement between the sensor SW3 and the detection plate 74A.

[0089] Also, the sensors SW1 and SW2 are fixed to the left side plate 25 and the right side plate 26, respectively. Therefore, when the user removes the left support portion 71 and the right support portion 72 from the left side plate 25 and the right side plate 26, there is no need to remove the signal lines of the sensors SW1 and SW2. The lever members 706 and 707 are assembled to the left support portion 71 and the right support portion 72, respectively, and are held at positions separated from the sensors SW1 and SW2 by the spring force of the coil spring 707D. Therefore, when the user removes the left support portion 71 and the right support portion 72 from the left side plate 25 and the right side plate 26, the lever members 706 and 707 do not interfere with the sensors SW1 and SW2.

[0090] When attaching the rotating body 70 to the accommodating portion 211, the user performs the operation in the reverse procedure of the removal process. The user places the rotating body 70 in the accommodating portion 211. The user temporarily places the rotation receiving portions 71A and 72A of the left support portion 71 and the right support portion 72 on the circular portions of the open portions 25A and 26A of the left side plate 25 and the right side plate 26. The user respectively fits and temporarily engages the rotation shaft portions 73C and 74C of the rotating body 70 with the rotation receiving portions 71A and 72A of the left support portion 71 and the right support portion 72. By rotating the left support portion 71 and the right support portion 72 with the rotation receiving portions 71A and 72A as the fulcrums, the user aligns the guide portions 71B and 72B of the left support portion 71 and the right support portion 72 with the open portions 25A and 26A of the left side plate 25 and the right side plate 26. The user fastens the screws to fix the left support portion 71 and the right support portion 72 to the left side plate 25 and the right side plate 26 respectively, thereby completing the attachment of the rotating body 70.

[0091] <Take-up portion 8> As shown in FIGS. 3 and 11, the take-up portion 8 is located obliquely upward behind the peeling portion 4 and is provided on the right surface of the main board 12 above the upper front corner portion of the tape mounting portion 30. The take-up portion 8 winds up the peeling material 170 from which the label 160 has been peeled off by the peeling portion 4 in a roll shape, thereby applying the tension necessary for the conveyance of the tape 150 and the peeling of the label 160 to the tape 150. As shown in FIG. 1, the take-up portion 8 has a cylindrical shape, and the rotation axis 80A extends in the left-right direction. The length of the take-up portion 8 in the left-right direction is larger than the maximum width of the tape 150 (label 160) corresponding to the label attaching device 1. The left end portion of the take-up portion 8 is connected to a driving portion provided on the main board 12 and rotates counterclockwise in a right-side view under the control of the control portion 14. The right end portion of the take-up portion 8 is open. The peeling material 170 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the take-up portion 8, and when discarded, the peeled material roll 175 in a roll shape is pulled out to the right from the right end portion.

[0092] As shown in FIGS. 25 to 29, the take-up unit 8 includes a reel 80, a rotating shaft 81, a retracting member 82, a pressing member 84, a lid member 85, and an operating member 86. The reel 80 has a cylindrical shape and extends in the axial direction of the rotation axis 80A. The left side surface of the reel 80 is closed, and at the center, it has an opening into which the rotating shaft 81 extending from the gear group 88 of the driving unit is inserted. The opening of the rotating shaft 81 connects to the inner peripheral surface of a cylindrical shaft 80D that extends cylindrically rightward from the left side surface within the reel 80. The rotating shaft 81 is fastened to the cylindrical shaft 80D with a screw at the right end of the cylindrical shaft 80D and is fixed to the reel 80. The gear group 88 transmits the driving force of the motor MT two provided in the driving unit to the rotating shaft 81 and rotates the reel 80 according to the control of the control unit 14.

[0093] The right side surface of the reel 80 is open. The reel 80 has an opening 80C that penetrates the outer peripheral surface 80B and opens the outer peripheral surface 80B with a width of approximately one-fourth of the outer peripheral surface 80B. The opening 80C opens on the right side surface. The retracting member 82 is disposed in the opening 80C. The retracting member 82 has a plate shape with substantially the same size as the width of the opening 80C and has an outer surface 82A that curves along the outer peripheral surface 80B. At one end side in the circumferential direction on the outer surface 82A of the retracting member 82, a shaft hole 82C (see FIG. 27) through which a shaft 82B extending in the axial direction is inserted is formed. The shaft 82B is held by a bearing 80E formed inside the reel 80 at one end side in the circumferential direction in the opening 80C of the reel 80. Therefore, the retracting member 82 swings about the shaft 82B with the other end side in the circumferential direction on the outer surface 82A as a free end. The free end can radially enter and exit between the inside and outside of the reel 80 through the opening 80C.

[0094] The reel 80 has a slit-shaped insertion port 80F extending in the axial direction on the outer peripheral surface 80B on the other end side in the circumferential direction from the opening 80C. The inner wall of the insertion port 80F extends substantially in the center in the radial direction within the reel 80. The end of the release material 170 wound by the winding portion 8 is inserted into the insertion port 80F. The pressing member 84 is a leaf spring made of metal. One end portion of the pressing member 84 in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction is bent, and a pressing portion 84A having a plurality of teeth arranged in the axial direction is formed at the edge portion. The other end portion of the pressing member 84 is divided into three portions in the axial direction. The portions on both sides in the axial direction at the other end portion of the pressing member 84 are support portions 84C. The support portions 84C are bent into a cylindrical shape with a curvature larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical shaft 80D, respectively. The support portion 84C engages with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical shaft 80D and rotatably supports the pressing member 84 around the cylindrical shaft 80D.

[0095] The middle portion in the axial direction at the other end portion of the pressing member 84 is a regulating portion 84B. The regulating portion 84B extends toward the other end side while being bent in a stepped shape. In a state where the pressing portion 8A is disposed at the inner wall portion of the insertion port 80F, the regulating portion 84B is hooked on a hooking portion 80G provided in the vicinity of the bearing 80E within the reel 80. The regulating portion 84B regulates the rotation of the pressing member 84 in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the right side. The portion between the support portion 84C and the pressing portion 84A is a flexible portion 84D. The flexible portion 84D is bent by the pressing of the first cam 87A (described later). The flexible portion 84D is bent by the pressing and returns to the original state by the elastic force when the pressing is released. The inner wall portion of the insertion port 80F is provided with a receiving tooth portion 80H (see FIG. 27) having a plurality of receiving teeth formed in a stepped shape with respect to the insertion direction of the end of the release material 170. The receiving teeth of the receiving tooth portion 80H extend in the axial direction. The pressing portion 84A of the pressing member 84 is disposed at a position facing the receiving teeth of the receiving tooth portion 80H.

[0096] The lid member 85 closes the right side surface of the reel 80. The lid member 85 is disposed inside the right end portion of the reel 80 and is fixed with screws. The lid member 85 has an elongated notch-shaped outlet 85A. The outlet 85A is formed at a position corresponding to the opening portion on the right side surface side of the insertion port 80F and is connected to the insertion port 80F. The end portion of the release material 170 inserted into the insertion port 80F can be taken out from the outlet 85A by sliding it rightward. The operation member 86 moves the free end of the retracting member 82 and the pressing portion 84A of the pressing member 84. The operation member 86 has an operation portion 86A and a cam member 87. The operation portion 86A has a rotation shaft 86B and is inserted into the support hole 85B of the lid member 85 and is rotatably supported. The operation portion 86A is disposed on the right side surface of the lid member 85 and rotates between a first position (see FIG. 28) that axially overlaps the outlet 85A and the insertion port 80F and a second position (see FIG. 29) that does not axially overlap the outlet 85A and the insertion port 80F.

[0097] The cam member 87 is disposed inside the reel 80 and has a thick shaft 87C, a first cam 87A and a second cam 87B, and a thin shaft 87D. The thick shaft 87C extends in the axial direction and is connected to the rotation shaft 86B of the operation portion 86A. The first cam 87A and the second cam 87B are connected to the left end portion of the thick shaft 87C. The thin shaft 87D extends in the axial direction and is connected to the left end portions of the first cam 87A and the second cam 87B. The thick shaft 87C and the thin shaft 87D are coaxial. The thin shaft 87D is supported by a bearing portion 80J formed on the left side surface inside the reel 80. The cam member 87 is disposed between the free end of the retracting member 82 and the pressing portion 84A of the pressing member 84 inside the reel 80. The first cam 87A changes the position of the free end of the retracting member 82 according to the rotation of the operation portion 86A.

[0098] When the operation unit 86A is in the first position, the first cam 87A pushes out the free end of the projecting / retracting member 82 radially outward to place the projecting / retracting member 82 in the projecting position. The projecting position is a position where the position of the outer surface 82A of the projecting / retracting member 82 in the radial direction is substantially the same as the position of the outer peripheral surface 80B of the reel 80 (see FIG. 26). When the operation unit 86A is in the second position, the first cam 87A releases the pushing out of the free end of the projecting / retracting member 82 to place the projecting / retracting member 82 in the retracted position. The retracted position is a position where the position of the outer surface 82A of the projecting / retracting member 82 in the radial direction is arranged more radially inward than the position of the outer peripheral surface 80B of the reel 80 (see FIG. 27).

[0099] The circumferential length of the reel 80 when the projecting / retracting member 82 is in the projecting position is referred to as the first circumferential length. The circumferential length is the shortest circumferential length of the reel 80 and is the shortest length of the outer contour line in a cross-section including the opening 80C in a cross-section orthogonal to the rotation axis 80A. The first circumferential length is the length of the outer contour line connecting the line along the outer peripheral surface 80B of the reel 80 and the line along the outer surface 82A of the projecting / retracting member 82 at the opening 80C. The first circumferential length is substantially equal to the length of the outer peripheral surface 80B of the reel 80 when there is no opening 80C. The circumferential length of the reel 80 when the projecting / retracting member 82 is in the retracted position is referred to as the second circumferential length. The second circumferential length is the length of the outer contour line connecting the line along the outer peripheral surface 80B of the reel 80, the line along a part of the outer surface 82A of the projecting / retracting member 82 at the opening 80C, and the tangent line extending from the edge of the opening 80C to the outer surface 82A. The tangent line extending from the edge of the opening 80C to the outer surface 82A passes through the inside of the opening 80C. Therefore, the second circumferential length is shorter than the first circumferential length.

[0100] The second cam 87B changes the position of the pressing portion 84A of the pressing member 84 in accordance with the rotation of the operation portion 86A. When the operation portion 86A is in the first position, the second cam 87B presses the flexible portion 84D. When the flexible portion 84D bends, the pressing portion 84A moves to the contact position. The contact position is the position where the pressing portion 84A contacts the receiving tooth portion 80H formed on the inner wall of the insertion port 80F (see FIG. 26). When the operation portion 86A is in the second position, the second cam 87B releases the pressure on the flexible portion 84D. When the flexible portion 84D is restored by the elastic force, the pressing portion 84A moves to the separated position. The separated position is the position where the pressing portion 84A is separated from the receiving tooth portion 80H (see FIG. 26).

[0101] When the user winds up the release material 170 from which the label 160 has been peeled off, the user rotates the operation portion 86A and arranges it in the second position. The pressure on the flexible portion 84D by the second cam 87B is released, and the flexible portion 84D is restored by the elastic force, moving the pressing portion 84A to the separated position. The user inserts the end portion of the release material 170 into the insertion port 80F of the reel 80. The end portion of the release material 170 is inserted to the depth of the insertion port 80F without contacting the pressing portion 84A. The user rotates the operation portion 86A and arranges it in the first position. The flexible portion 84D is pressed by the second cam 87B, moving the pressing portion 84A to the contact position. The pressing portion 84A bites and clamps the end portion of the release material 170 between the receiving tooth portion 80H. Also, the flexible portion 84D biases the pressing portion 84A by the elastic force. The pressing portion 84A is biased to apply a load to the end portion of the release material 170, pressing the end portion of the release material 170 against the receiving tooth portion 80H. Therefore, the end portion of the release material 170 is difficult to come out of the insertion port 80F at the start of winding by the winding portion 8. The user operates the operation panel 13 to give an instruction to rotate the winding portion 8. The control unit 14 drives the motor MT2 of the drive unit to rotate the rotary shaft 81, rotating the reel 80 counterclockwise in a right side view. The release material 170 is wound up by the winding portion 8, and the slack is eliminated. Since the retracting / extending member 82 is in the protruding position, the inner circumferential length of the release material roll 175 of the release material 170 wound up by the winding portion 8 becomes the first circumferential length.

[0102] The outer peripheral surface 80B of the reel 80 is preferably a cylindrical surface with a constant radial distance from the rotational axis 80A. Further, the outer surface 82A of the retractable member 82 when in the extended position preferably forms a cylindrical surface with the same radial distance from the rotational axis 80A as the outer peripheral surface 80B of the reel 80. By the outer peripheral surface 80B of the reel 80 and the outer surface 82A of the retractable member 82 forming a cylindrical surface, the winding unit 8 can suppress unevenness in the speed at which the reel 80 winds the release material 170, so unevenness is less likely to occur in the printing on the label 160.

[0103] The release material 170 is wound around a tape spool 121 as a double-sided adhesive tape 120 attached to the adhesive surface Ur of the base material 140 within the tape cassette 100. Therefore, the release material 170 is subjected to a coating process that suppresses the adhesion of the adhesive material on both sides so that the double-sided adhesive tape 120 can be fed out from the tape spool 121, and it is slippery during conveyance. The winding unit 8 pulls the release material 170 by winding it with the driving force of the motor MT2 to assist in conveyance. Therefore, the winding unit 8 can apply a sufficient peeling force against the slippage of the release material 170 to the peeling unit 4.

[0104] Note that the change in the outer diameter of the release material roll 175 when the winding unit 8 finishes winding compared to the outer diameter when it starts winding the release material 170 is preferably suppressed within 20% of the outer diameter of the reel 80. The release material 170 has a part of the surface on the label 160 side cut at the cut portion Ct of the label 160 (see FIG. 6). For this reason, if the change in the force by which the release material 170 is pulled by the winding of the winding unit 8 becomes large, the release material 170 may tear at the cut portion Ct. Therefore, the label affixing device 1 suppresses tearing of the release material 170 during winding by setting the change in the outer diameter of the release material roll 175 from the start to the end of winding within 20% of the outer diameter of the reel 80 and suppressing the change in the force by which the release material 170 is pulled.

[0105] The take-up unit 8 winds the release material 170 around the outer peripheral surface 80B of the reel 80 while pulling it. For this reason, the release material roll 175 is in a state of being tightly wound around the reel 80 and cannot be easily removed from the reel 80. When removing the release material roll 175, the user rotates the operation unit 86A and positions it at the second position. The pressing part 84A moves to the separated position. Also, the insertion / withdrawal member 82 is released from being pushed out by the first cam 87A and can move to the retracted position. The insertion / withdrawal member 82 is pushed into the opening 80C by the release material roll 175 tightly wound around the reel 80 and is positioned at the retracted position. The circumferential length of the reel 80 becomes the second circumferential length, which is shorter than the inner circumferential length of the release material roll 175. Therefore, a gap is generated between the inner surface of the release material roll 175 and the outer surface 82A of the insertion / withdrawal member 82, and the release material roll 175 becomes easy to move on the outer peripheral surface 80B.

[0106] As shown in FIG. 28, when the operation unit 86A is in the first position, the operation unit 86A overlaps the take-out port 85A in the axial direction, and the user cannot see inside the insertion port 80F. As shown in FIG. 29, when the operation unit 86A is in the second position, the take-out port 85A does not overlap the operation unit 86A in the axial direction, and the user can see inside the insertion port 80F. Therefore, the user can know whether the release material roll 175 can be removed or not just by checking whether the take-out port 85A overlaps the operation unit 86A by looking at the right side surface of the take-up unit 8.

[0107] The user moves the release material roll 175 in the axial direction and removes it from the right end portion of the reel 80. Since the operation unit 86A has moved to a position where it does not overlap the take-out port 85A, the user can take out the end portion of the release material 170 in the axial direction outside the insertion port 80F through the take-out port 85A.

[0108] <Electrical Configuration> Referring to FIG. 30, the electrical configuration of the label affixing device 1 will be described. The control unit 14 of the label affixing device 1 includes a CPU 41, a ROM 42, a RAM 43, a flash memory 44, an input / output interface 45, drive circuits MC, SC, and an external interface (I / F) 47. The CPU 41, ROM 42, RAM 43, flash memory 44, and input / output interface 45 are connected via a data bus 46. The CPU 41 comprehensively controls the label affixing device 1. The ROM 42 stores constants necessary for the CPU 41 to execute various programs. The RAM 43 stores primary data generated when the CPU 41 executes processing. The flash memory 44 stores programs, variables, etc. executed by the CPU 41.

[0109] Connected to the input / output interface 45 are a notification unit 13B, an operation unit 13A, drive circuits MC, SC, a sensor S, and an external I / F 47. The notification unit 13B is a plurality of LEDs capable of notifying the state of the label affixing device 1. The notification unit 13B includes a tape replacement LED that lights up when the tape cassette 100 is in a replaceable state. The operation unit 13A is a button for operating the label affixing device 1. The drive circuit MC is an electronic circuit for driving the motor M. The drive circuit SC is an electronic circuit for driving the thermal head 32. The external I / F 47 connects to an external terminal 47A (not shown) to perform communication. For example, the CPU 41 can update the program by storing the program received from the external terminal 47A in the flash memory 44. The external terminal 47A is a general-purpose personal computer (PC) or a mobile terminal.

[0110] The motor M includes motors MT1 to MT5. The motor MT1 is a motor for driving the winding unit 7. The motor MT2 is a DC motor for driving the take-up unit 8. The motor MT3 is a motor for driving the drive shaft 35 and the take-up shaft 36. The motor MT4 is a motor for driving the full-cut cutting blade 91. The motor MT5 is a motor for driving the half-cut cutting blade 92.

[0111] Sensor S includes sensors SW1 to SW7. Sensor SW1 is a microswitch capable of detecting whether cable 19 is disposed at winding position P3 at the left end of winding portion 7 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). Sensor SW2 is a microswitch capable of detecting whether cable 19 is disposed at winding position P3 at the right end of winding portion 7 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). Sensor SW3 is a transmissive photosensor for detecting the rotational position and rotation speed of winding portion 7 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). Sensor SW4 is a contact sensor for detecting whether tape cassette 100 is mounted on tape mounting portion 30 (not shown). Sensor SW5 is a plurality of detection switches for detecting the type of tape cassette 100 (see FIG. 4). Sensor SW6 is a microswitch for detecting whether movable blade 91B of full cut cutting blade 91 is in the initial position. Sensor SW7 is a microswitch for detecting whether movable blade 92B of half cut cutting blade 92 is in the initial position.

[0112] <Power-on Processing> Referring to FIGS. 31 and 32, the power-on processing will be described. The power-on processing is started when the power of label affixing device 1 changes from OFF to ON, and the CPU 41 reads and executes the program stored in flash memory 44. Label affixing device 1 performs a process of setting the respective positions of full cut cutting blade 91, half cut cutting blade 92, and rotating body 70 of winding portion 7 to the initial positions when the power is turned on.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 31, CPU 41 detects the states of sensors SW6 and SW7 (S11). When movable blade 91B of full cut cutting blade 91 is in the initial position (the position where the opening degree of movable blade 91B with respect to fixed blade 91A is the largest), sensor SW6 is ON. Similarly, when movable blade 92B of half cut cutting blade 92 is in the initial position (the position where the opening degree of movable blade 92B with respect to fixed base 92A is the largest), sensor SW7 is ON.

[0114] If the full cut blade 91 is in the initial position (S12: YES), the CPU 41 transfers the process to S15. If it is not in the initial position (S12: NO), the CPU 41 drives the motor MT4 until the sensor SW6 turns ON to move the movable blade 91B to the initial position (S13). If the half cut blade 92 is in the initial position (S15: YES), the CPU 41 transfers the process to S17. If it is not in the initial position (S15: NO), the CPU 41 drives the motor MT5 until the sensor SW7 turns ON to move the movable blade 92B to the initial position (S16).

[0115] The CPU 41 executes the winding initial position process (S17). The winding initial position process is a process of arranging the rotating body 70 of the winding unit 7 in the initial position. The initial position of the rotating body 70 is a position where the cable 19 can be inserted into the insertion portions 73B and 74B, and is a position where the detection light of the sensor SW3 is blocked by the detection plate 74A and the detection result becomes OFF. As shown in FIG. 32, the CPU 41 sets the number of HP rotation wait times to 0 (S21). The number of HP rotation wait times is a variable for counting the number of times the rotating body 70 is rotated for positioning when the rotating body 70 is not in the initial position. The CPU 41 detects the state of the sensor SW3. If it is OFF (S22: NO), since the rotating body 70 is in the initial position, the winding initial position process is terminated, and the process returns to the power-on process, and the power-on process is terminated.

[0116] When the sensor SW3 is ON (S22: YES), the CPU 41 drives the motor MT1 to rotate the rotating body 70 forward (S23). The direction in which the rotating body 70 rotates forward is the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the right side of the label affixing device 1. The motor MT1 rotates the rotating body 70 one turn in less than 500 msec. If the sensor SW3 does not turn OFF even after 500 msec or more has elapsed since the rotating body 70 started rotating forward (S25: NO, S26: NO, S25: YES), the CPU 41 stops driving the motor MT1 to stop the rotating body 70 (S37). The CPU 41 lights the LED of the notification unit 13B to notify an error (S38) and stops the operation of the label affixing device 1.

[0117] When the sensor SW3 turns OFF within less than 100 msec after the rotating body 70 starts to rotate forward (S26: YES, S27: NO), the CPU 41 ignores the detection result of the sensor SW3, returns the process to S25, and continues the forward rotation of the rotating body 70. When 100 msec or more has elapsed since the rotating body 70 started to rotate forward and the sensor SW3 turns OFF (S26: YES, S27: YES), if the number of HP rotation waiting times is less than 1 (S29: NO), 1 is added to the number of HP rotation waiting times (S30). The CPU 41 continues the forward rotation of the rotating body 70 and waits for the sensor SW3 to turn ON (S31: NO). When the sensor SW3 turns ON (S31: YES), the CPU 41 waits for the sensor SW3 to turn OFF again (S33: NO).

[0118] When the sensor SW3 turns OFF (S33: YES), if the number of HP rotation waiting times is 1 or more (S29: YES), the CPU 41 stops driving the motor MT1 and stops the rotating body 70 (S34). The CPU 41 checks the state of the sensor SW3 again. If it is OFF (S35: YES), since the rotating body 70 is at the initial position, the winding initial position process ends, returns to the power-on process, and ends the power-on process. On the other hand, if the sensor SW3 is ON in S35, since the rotating body 70 has passed the initial position after the driving of the motor MT1 is stopped until the rotating body 70 stops, the CPU 41 lights the LED of the notification unit 13B to notify an error (S38) and stops the operation of the label attaching device 1.

[0119] <Processing at the time of cassette mounting> Referring to FIG. 33, the processing at the time of cassette mounting will be described. When the user replaces the tape cassette 100 mounted on the label attaching device 1 or newly mounts the tape cassette 100, the user performs an operation to instruct the start of the replacement operation of the tape cassette 100 via the operation unit 13A. The processing at the time of cassette mounting starts when an instruction for the replacement operation of the tape cassette 100 is input, and the CPU 41 reads and executes the program stored in the flash memory 44.

[0120] The CPU 41 detects the state of the sensor SW4. If it is ON (S41: NO), it waits for the tape cassette 100 mounted on the tape mounting unit 30 to be removed. If the tape cassette 100 is not mounted on the tape mounting unit 30 (when a new tape cassette 100 is to be mounted), or if the tape cassette 100 mounted on the tape mounting unit 30 is removed (when the tape cassette 100 is to be replaced), the sensor SW4 turns OFF (S41: YES). If the sensor SW4 is OFF (S42: NO), the CPU 41 waits for the tape cassette 100 to be mounted on the tape mounting unit 30.

[0121] When the tape cassette 100 is mounted on the tape mounting unit 30 and the cassette cover 38 is closed, the platen holder 37 moves to the printing position. The conveyance roller 34 sandwiches the tape 150 at the roller nip NP with the driving roller 101, and the tape 150 is in a state where it can be conveyed. When the sensor SW4 turns ON due to the mounting of the tape cassette 100 (S42: YES), the CPU 41 detects the states of the sensors SW6 and SW7 (S43). If the full-cut cutting blade 91 is at the initial position (S43: YES), the CPU 41 shifts the process to S47. If it is not at the initial position (S45: NO), the motor MT4 is driven to move the movable blade 91B to the initial position (S46). If the half-cut cutting blade 92 is at the initial position (S47: YES), the CPU 41 shifts the process to S50. If it is not at the initial position (S47: NO), the motor MT5 is driven to move the movable blade 92B to the initial position (S49).

[0122] When the user starts the operation of setting the tape 150 of the mounted tape cassette 100 on the reel 80, the user operates the set button (not shown) of the operation unit 13A. The CPU 41 waits for the input of the operation on the set button of the operation unit 13A (S50: NO). When the set button is operated (S50: YES), the CPU 41 drives the motor MT3 to convey the tape 150 sandwiched between the driving roller 101 and the conveying roller 34 by a distance of the reaching distance, which is the length required for the downstream end of the tape 150 in the conveying direction to reach the reel 80, and then stops the driving of the motor MT3 (S51). The reaching distance is the length obtained by adding a margin required for the operation of inserting into the insertion port 80F of the reel 80 to the lengths of the conveying paths R1, R2, and R3, and is, for example, 185 mm.

[0123] Even when the user inserts the downstream end of the tape 150 into the insertion port 37F of the reel 80 and arranges the operation unit 86A at the first position to complete the setting of the tape 150, the user operates the set button of the operation unit 13A. The CPU 41 waits for the input of the operation on the set button of the operation unit 13A (S53: NO). When the set button is operated (S53: YES), the CPU 41 ends the cassette mounting process.

[0124] In addition, when using the tape cassette 100 without replacing it after cutting the tape 150 with the full-cut cutting blade 91, the user can start the operation of setting the tape 150 on the reel 80 by pressing and holding the set button of the operation unit 13A. In this case, the CPU 41 executes the processes of S51 and S53.

[0125] <Printing process> Referring to FIGS. 34 to 41, the printing process will be described. The user operates an external terminal 47A such as a PC to create print data for printing a label and sends a print command to the label affixing device 1. In the following description, the case of printing two labels 160 for pasting on two cables 19 respectively will be taken as an example. For convenience, among the two labels 160, the label 160 created first is referred to as the preceding label 162, and the label 160 created later is referred to as the subsequent label 163 (see FIG. 37). The length of the label 160 to be created is, for example, 32 mm.

[0126] Also, the end portion on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the label 160 after the last label 159 (see FIG. 37) created at the time of the previous printing is peeled off is at a position X1 (described later) in the middle of the conveyance path R2 (see FIG. 18). In the following description, for convenience, the end portion on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the label 160 is referred to as the leading end portion of the label 160 (waste label 161, preceding label 162, subsequent label 163), and the end portion on the downstream side in the conveyance direction is referred to as the trailing end portion of the label 160 (waste label 161, preceding label 162, subsequent label 163). Since the laminate type tape cassette 100 is configured to bond the film tape 110 and the double-sided adhesive tape 120 at the roller nip NP, it cannot be conveyed upstream in the conveyance direction. Therefore, the portion from the leading end portion of the label 160 located in the middle of the conveyance path R2 to the printing position PR (see FIG. 37) where the thermal head 32 prints on the film tape 110 cannot be newly printed. This portion of the label 160 is referred to as the waste label 161 (see FIG. 37) for convenience. In the printing process, in order to wind the waste label 161 together with the release material 170 around the reel 80 of the winding unit 8 without peeling the waste label 161 from the release material 170, drive control is performed on the motor MT2 that rotates the reel 80 of the winding unit 8 and the motor MT3 that drives the drive roller 101 that conveys the tape 150 by sandwiching it between the roller nip NP of the conveyance roller 34.

[0127] The printing process is started when the CPU 41 reads and executes a program stored in the flash memory 44 upon receiving a printing command from the external terminal 47A. As shown in FIGS. 34 to 36, the CPU 41 determines the type of the tape cassette 100 mounted on the tape mounting section 30 based on the detection result of the sensor SW5. In order to prevent the tape 150 from breaking, the take-up section 8 needs to reduce the torque for taking up with the reel 80 as the tape width of the tape 150 becomes smaller. Since the labeling device 1 sets the magnitude of the current flowing through the motor MT2 that rotates the reel 80 according to the tape width, a table (not shown) associating the tape width with the current values (peeling current A3, take-up current A2, anti-slack current A1) is stored in the flash memory 44.

[0128] Based on a table, the CPU 41 sets each of the peeling current A3, winding current A2, and anti-loosening current A1 corresponding to the tape width (S71). The peeling current A3 is a current value required to apply a load equal to or greater than the peeling load that generates a peeling tension necessary for the leading end of the label 160 to be peeled by the peeling unit 4 to the tape 150 to the motor MT2 that rotates the reel 80. The peeling current A3 flows through the motor MT2 when the leading end of the label 160 to be peeled (the leading label 162, the trailing label 163) passes through the peeling position PL (see FIG. 37). For example, the peeling current A3 when the tape width is 24 mm is 0.15 A. The winding current A2 is a current value that flows through the motor MT2 when the reel 80 winds the tape 150. The winding current A2 applies a load to the motor MT2 that is equal to or greater than the peeling load and smaller than the load applied by the peeling current A3. For example, the winding current A2 when the tape width is 24 mm is 0.1 A. Note that the winding current A2 also flows through the motor MT2 immediately before flowing the peeling current A3 in order to prevent a sudden tension from being applied to the tape 150 when the label 160 is peeled. The anti-loosening current A1 is a current value that flows through the motor MT2 to wind the tape 150 with the reel 80 so that the label 160 is not peeled and no large looseness occurs in the tape 150, including when the leading end of the label 160 passes through the peeling position PL. The anti-loosening current A1 applies a load less than the peeling load to the motor MT2, so that the tension generated in the tape 150 is a non-peeling tension less than the peeling tension.

[0129] The CPU 41 sets the waste distance L1 of the tape 150 (see FIG. 37(A)) (S72). The waste distance L1 is the distance for transporting the tape 150 until the leading end of the waste label 161 reaches the waste position DP from the position X1. The position X1 is the position of the leading end of the waste label 161 when the last label 159 was peeled off during the previous printing. The waste position DP is a position where the leading end of the waste label 161 is not peeled even when the motor MT2 is driven with the winding current A2 and the reel 80 winds the tape 150. In the present embodiment, the waste position DP is, for example, a position 10 mm downstream in the transport direction from the peeling position PL.

[0130] When the end of the label 160 is disposed at the attachment position P1, the tip portion is disposed at a peeling completion position PB separated by a distance set according to the outer diameter of the cable 19 from the peeling position PL downstream in the conveyance direction. For example, when the outer diameter of the cable 19 is φ5, the peeling completion position PB is a position 5 mm downstream in the conveyance direction from the peeling position PL. Also, the length of the label 160 is set according to the outer diameter of the cable 19 and the number of winding turns around the cable 19. For example, when the outer diameter of the cable 19 is φ5 and it is wound around the cable 19 twice, the length of the label 160 is 32 mm. Information on the position X1 set based on the print data at the previous printing is stored in the flash memory 44, and the CPU 41 calculates a discard distance L1 based on the position X1 and the discard position DP.

[0131] At T0 (see FIG. 36), the CPU 41 performs a reverse rotation process of temporarily rotating (reversing) the motor MT3 in a direction opposite to the direction in which the conveyance roller 34 conveys the tape 150 (S73). At T0, the tip portion of the discarded label 161 is at the position X1, and the position of the tip portion of the preceding label 162 is the printing position PR (see FIG. 37(A)).

[0132] The CPU 41 sets a feeding distance L2 of the tape 150 (see FIG. 37(A)) (S75). The feeding distance L2 is the distance from the current position to the position where the conveyance of the tape 150 is temporarily stopped during the process of conveying the tape 150. In the present embodiment, the position where the conveyance of the tape 150 is temporarily stopped is the half-cut position HC where the label 160 is half-cut, or the peeling completion position PB where the tip portion is located when the end of the label 160 is disposed at the attachment position P1. The first temporary stop position reached after starting the conveyance of the tape 150 at T2 is the half-cut position HC. Therefore, the feeding distance L2 set at T2 is the distance for conveying the tape 150 until the tip portion of the preceding label 162 reaches the half-cut position HC from the printing position PR. In the present embodiment, the distance between the printing position PR and the half-cut position HC is, for example, 28 mm. The CPU 41 sets the feeding distance L2 at T2 based on the distance between the printing position PR and the half-cut position HC.

[0133] In S76 to S85, printing based on print data is performed while the tape 150 is being conveyed. The CPU 41 rotates (rotates forward) the motor MT3 in the direction in which the conveyance roller 34 conveys the tape 150 (S76). The discard distance L1 is controlled by the rotation amount of the motor MT3. Until the conveyance distance of the tape 150 reaches the discard distance L1 (S77: NO), the CPU 41 passes the slack prevention current A1 through the motor MT2 and rotates the reel 80 to wind up the tape 150 (S79). The motor MT2 is controlled so that a load equal to or greater than the peeling load does not occur. Therefore, the reel 80 rotates when the load becomes light and stops rotating when the load becomes heavy, thereby winding up the tape 150 without applying a load equal to or greater than the peeling load to the tape 150.

[0134] The CPU 41 selectively drives the heating element of the thermal head 32 based on the print data to perform printing on the film tape 110 of the portion that becomes the leading label 162 (S84). The film tape 110 is adhered to the double-sided adhesive tape 120 at the roller nip NP and conveyed as the tape 150. The delivery distance L2 is controlled by the rotation amount of the motor MT3. If the conveyance distance of the tape 150 has not reached the delivery distance L2 (S85: NO), the CPU 41 returns the process to S76 and continues printing on the leading label 162 while conveying the tape 150.

[0135] When the conveyance distance of the tape 150 reaches the delivery distance L2 in T4 (S85: YES), the CPU 41 stops driving the motor MT3 and stops conveying the tape 150 by the conveyance roller 34 (S91). The CPU 41 stops driving the motor MT2 and stops winding up the tape 150 by the reel 80 (S92). The temporary stop position in T4 is the half-cut position HC (S93: YES, see FIG. 37(B)). The CPU 41 drives the motor MT5 to drive the half-cut cutting blade 92 and half-cuts the label 160 (S95). A cut portion Ct is formed between the rear end portion of the discarded label 161 and the front end portion of the leading label 162.

[0136] Since the leading end of the label 160 is not at the peeling completion position PB (S96: NO), the CPU 41 returns the process to S73. The CPU 41 performs a reverse process on T6 (S73) and sets the delivery distance L3 (see Fig. 37(A)) between T8 and T12 (S75). The delivery distance L3 set at T8 is the distance for which the tape 150 is conveyed until the leading end of the subsequent label 163 reaches the half-cut position HC from the position X2. The position X2 is the position of the trailing end when the leading end of the preceding label 162 is at the half-cut position HC. A blank portion is not provided between the preceding label 162 and the subsequent label 163, and the label 160 is formed by continuous printing. Therefore, the position of the trailing end of the preceding label 162 is the position of the leading end of the subsequent label 163. The CPU 41 sets the delivery distance L3 at T8 based on the length and the position of the leading end of the preceding label 162.

[0137] The CPU 41 executes the processes of S76 to S85 and performs printing based on the print data while conveying the tape 150. When the conveyance distance of the tape 150 reaches the discard distance L1 at T10, the leading end of the discard label 161 is positioned at the discard position DP (S77: YES, see Fig. 38(A)). At T10, the leading end of the preceding label 162 to be peeled is not positioned between the peeling control position PA and the peeling completion position PB (S80: NO). The peeling control position PA is the position where the peeling current A3 starts to flow through the motor MT2 that rotates the reel 80. For example, when the outer diameter of the cable 19 is φ5, the peeling control position PA is a position 3 mm upstream in the conveyance direction from the peeling position PL.

[0138] After the leading end of the discard label 161 reaches the discard position DP, until the leading end of the preceding label 162 reaches the peeling control position PA, the CPU 41 supplies the winding current A2 to the motor MT2 to rotate the reel 80 and wind up the tape 150 (S81). The motor MT2 winds up the tape 150 with a load equal to or greater than the peeling load. Since the leading end of the discard label 161 has passed the discard position DP, it is not peeled off from the peeling material 170 and is conveyed together with the peeling material 170 toward the reel 80. The CPU 41 finishes printing on the preceding label 162 between T8 and T10 and then continues to print on the subsequent label 163 (S84). The CPU 41 continues the processes of S76 to S85.

[0139] When the conveyance distance of the tape 150 reaches the delivery distance L3 at T12 (S85: YES), the CPU 41 stops the conveyance of the tape 150 by the conveyance roller 34 (S91) and stops the winding of the tape 150 by the reel 80 (S92). The temporary stop position at T12 is the half-cut position HC (S93: YES, see Fig. 38(B)). The CPU 41 drives the motor MT5 to drive the half-cut cutting blade 92 to half-cut the label 160 (S95). A cut site Ct is formed between the rear end of the preceding label 162 and the leading end of the subsequent label (the subsequent label is not numbered correctly in the original, assuming it's a typo and should be 163).

[0140] Since the leading end of the preceding label 162 is not at the peeling completion position PB (S96: NO), the CPU 41 returns the process to S73. The CPU 41 performs a reverse process at T14 (S73) and sets the delivery distance L4 (see Fig. 38(B)) between T16 and T20 (S75). The delivery distance L4 set at T16 is the distance to convey the tape 150 until the leading end of the preceding label 162 reaches the peeling completion position PB from the position X3. The position X3 is the position of the leading end of the preceding label 162 when the leading end of the subsequent label 163 is at the half-cut position HC. The CPU 41 sets the delivery distance L4 at T16 based on the length of the preceding label 162 and the half-cut position HC.

[0141] The CPU 41 executes the processes of S76 to S85 and performs printing based on print data while conveying the tape 150. At T16, the leading end of the leading label 162 is upstream of the peeling control position PA in the conveyance direction (S80: NO). The CPU 41 passes the winding current A2 to the motor MT2 and rotates the reel 80 to wind up the tape 150 (S81). Since a load equal to or greater than the peeling load is applied to the leading end of the leading label 162, it begins to peel as the tape 150 is conveyed. At T18, the leading end of the leading label 162 reaches the peeling control position PA (see Fig. 39(A)). After T18, until the leading end of the leading label 162 reaches the peeling completion position PB (S80: YES), the CPU 41 passes the peeling current A3 to the motor MT2 (S83). A larger peeling load is applied to the leading end of the leading label 162, and it is peeled by the peeling portion 4. The CPU 41 continues to print on the subsequent label 163 based on the print data even after T16 (S84). After finishing the printing on the subsequent label 163, the CPU 41 does not drive the thermal head 32, and no printing is performed on the label 160 upstream of the subsequent label 163 in the conveyance direction.

[0142] When the conveyance distance of the tape 150 reaches the delivery distance L4 at T20 (S85: YES), the CPU 41 stops the conveyance of the tape 150 by the conveyance roller 34 (S91) and stops the winding of the tape 150 by the reel 80 (S92). The temporary stop position at T20 is the position where the leading end of the leading label 162 reaches the peeling completion position PB (S93: NO, S96: YES, see Fig. 39(B)). The CPU 41 waits until the attachment of the leading label 162 to the cable 19 is completed in the winding process described later or until a button for instructing the next operation by the user is operated (S97: NO). When the attachment of the leading label 162 in the winding process is completed or there is a button operation by the user (S97: YES), since the subsequent label 163 is printed following the leading label 162 based on the print data, the label 160 for which the attachment to the cable 19 has been completed is not the final label in the current print data (S99: NO), and the process returns to S73.

[0143] The CPU 41 performs a reverse process on T22 (S73) and sets the delivery distance L5 (see FIG. 39(B)) between T24 and T26 (S75). The delivery distance L5 set at T24 is the distance for transporting the tape 150 until the rear end portion of the subsequent label 163 reaches the half-cut position HC from the position X4. The position X4 is the position of the rear end portion of the subsequent label 163 when the front end portion of the preceding label 162 is at the peeling completion position PB. The CPU 41 sets the delivery distance L5 at T24 based on the lengths of the preceding label 162 and the subsequent label 163 and the peeling completion position PB.

[0144] The CPU 41 executes the processes of S76 to S85 and performs printing based on the print data while transporting the tape 150. At T24, since the front end portion of the subsequent label 163 is upstream of the peeling control position PA in the transport direction (S80: NO), the CPU 41 passes a winding current A2 through the motor MT2 to wind up the tape 150 (S81). When the transport distance of the tape 150 reaches the delivery distance L5 at T26 (S85: YES), the CPU 41 stops the transport of the tape 150 by the transport roller 34 (S91) and stops the winding of the tape 150 by the reel 80 (S92). The temporary stop position at T26 is the half-cut position HC (S93: YES, see FIG. 40(A)). The CPU 41 drives the motor MT5 to drive the half-cut cutting blade 92 and half-cuts the label 160 (S95). A cut portion Ct is formed at the rear end portion of the subsequent label 163.

[0145] The CPU 41 returns the process to S73 (S96: NO) and performs a reverse process on T28 (S73). The CPU 41 sets the delivery distance L6 (see FIG. 40(A)) between T30 and T34 (S75). The delivery distance L6 set at T30 is the distance for transporting the tape 150 until the front end portion of the subsequent label 163 reaches the peeling completion position PB from the position X5. The position X5 is the position of the front end portion when the rear end portion of the subsequent label 163 is at the half-cut position HC. The CPU 41 sets the delivery distance L6 at T30 based on the length of the subsequent label 163 and the half-cut position HC.

[0146] At T32, the leading end of the subsequent label 163 reaches the peeling control position PA (see Fig. 40(B)). After T30, until the leading end of the subsequent label 163 reaches the peeling completion position PB (S80: YES), the CPU 41 passes a peeling current A3 through the motor MT2 (S83). A larger peeling load is applied to the leading end of the subsequent label 163, and it is peeled off by the peeling unit 4. When the conveyance distance of the tape 150 reaches the feeding distance L6 at T34 (S85: YES), the CPU 41 stops the conveyance of the tape 150 by the conveyance roller 34 (S91) and stops the winding of the tape 150 by the reel 80 (S92). The temporary stop position at T34 is the position where the leading end of the subsequent label 163 reaches the peeling completion position PB (S93: NO, S96: YES, see Fig. 41). When the pasting of the preceding label 162 in the winding process is completed or there is a button operation by the user (S97: YES), since the subsequent label 163 is the final label in the current print data (S99: YES), the CPU 41 performs a reverse process at T36 (S100) and ends the print process.

[0147] <Winding process> With reference to Figs. 42 and 43, the winding process will be described. The winding process is a process of winding and pasting the label 160 onto the cable 19. The winding process starts when the sensor SW1 at the left end of the winding position P3 detects the arrangement of the cable 19 and the sensor SW2 at the right end of the winding position P3 detects the arrangement of the cable 19, and the CPU 41 reads and executes the program stored in the flash memory 44. The winding process is executed in parallel with the print process.

[0148] As shown in FIG. 42, the CPU 41 sets the OFF-ON detection count to 0 (S123). The OFF-ON detection count is a variable for counting the number of times the detection result of the sensor SW3 changes from OFF to ON. By the winding initial position process at power-on, the rotating body 70 of the winding unit 7 is at the initial position. The detection result of the sensor SW3 at the initial position is OFF. The CPU 41 drives the motor MT1 to reverse the rotating body 70 (S125). The direction in which the rotating body 70 reverses is the clockwise direction when viewed from the right side of the label affixing device 1. If the sensor SW3 does not turn ON even after a predetermined reverse time has elapsed since the start of the reverse (S126: NO, S130: NO, S126: YES), the CPU 41 stops driving the motor MT1 to stop the rotating body 70 (S127). The CPU 41 lights the LED of the notification unit 13B to notify an error (S129) and stops the operation of the label affixing device 1.

[0149] If the sensor SW3 turns ON before the reverse time has elapsed since the rotating body 70 started to reverse (S126: NO, S130: YES), 1 is added to the OFF-ON detection count (S131). The CPU 41 continues to reverse the rotating body 70 until the reverse time elapses (S133: NO), and when the reverse time elapses (S133: YES), it stops driving the motor MT1 to stop the rotating body 70 (S134). The reverse time is the time it takes for the rotating body 70 to rotate approximately 90 degrees in the reverse direction.

[0150] As shown in FIG. 43, the CPU 41 drives the motor MT1 to rotate the rotating body 70 forward (S141). The CPU 41 waits until the sensor SW3 turns OFF (S142: NO), and when it turns OFF (S142: YES), it determines whether the OFF-ON detection count is 3 or more (S143). If the OFF-ON detection count is less than 3 (S143: NO), the CPU 41 waits until the sensor SW3 turns ON (S145: NO), and when it turns ON (S145: YES), it adds 1 to the OFF-ON detection count (S146) and returns the process to S142. At this time, the rotating body 70 has rotated forward once.

[0151] When the number of OFF-ON detections becomes 3 or more (S143: YES), the CPU 41 continues the forward rotation of the rotating body 70 until the additional forward rotation time elapses (S147: NO). When the additional forward rotation time elapses (S147: YES), the CPU 41 stops driving the motor MT1 to stop the rotating body 70 (S149). The additional forward rotation time is the time it takes for the rotating body 70 to rotate until the detection position of the detection plate 74A by the detection light reaches approximately the center from the edge.

[0152] The CPU 41 waits until the sensor SW1 at the left end turns OFF and the sensor SW2 at the right end turns OFF when the cable 19 with the winding of the label 160 completed is taken out from the winding position P3 (S150: NO). When the sensor SW1 turns OFF and the sensor SW2 turns OFF (S150: YES), the CPU 41 waits until the standby time required for the removal of the cable 19 is elapsed (S151). The CPU 41 executes the winding initial position process (see FIG. 32) (S153). When the rotating body 70 is arranged at the initial position, the winding process ends.

[0153] As described above, the non-peeling tension is the tension that causes the tape 150 to slacken during the conveyance of the tape 150, for example. The non-peeling tension is generated when the reel 80 of the winding unit 8 winds up the tape 150 by flowing a slack-preventing current A1 through the motor MT2 that rotates the reel 80, so that the reel 80 pulls the tape 150 with a load less than the peeling load. When the tip of the waste label 161 is located at the peeling position PL and upstream of the peeling position PL, by flowing the slack-preventing current A1 that generates the non-peeling tension through the motor MT2, the tip of the waste label 161 passes through the peeling position PL without being peeled off by the peeling unit 4. The peeling tension is the tension at which the peeling unit 4 can peel the label from the tape 150. The peeling tension is generated when the reel 80 of the winding unit 8 winds up the tape 150 by flowing a peeling current A3 or a winding current A2 through the motor MT2 that rotates the reel 80, so that the reel 80 pulls the tape 150 with a load equal to or greater than the peeling load. By flowing the peeling current A3 or the winding current A2 that generates the peeling tension through the motor MT2 after the tip of the waste label 161 has passed beyond the peeling position PL, and applying the peeling tension to the tape 150, the slack of the tape 150 is eliminated, and the waste label 161 is conveyed without being peeled off. Therefore, the label affixing device 1 can peel the preceding label 162 and the subsequent label 163 and affix them to the cable 19 without peeling off the waste label 161.

[0154] When the waste label 161 passes through the peeling position PL, by flowing the slack-preventing current A1 that generates the non-peeling tension through the motor MT2 to the tape 150, the waste label 161 is not peeled off by the peeling unit 4. When the rear end of the waste label 161 is located near the peeling unit 4 upstream of the peeling position PL, by flowing the peeling current A3 or the winding current A2 that generates the peeling tension through the motor MT2 to the tape 150, the slack of the tape 150 is eliminated, and at that time, since the waste label 161 has passed through the peeling position PL, it is conveyed without being peeled off. Therefore, the label affixing device 1 can peel the preceding label 162 and the subsequent label 163 and affix them to the cable 19 without peeling off the waste label 161.

[0155] The label affixing device 1 can cut the label 160 without cutting the release material 170 by the half-cut cutting blade 92, and can create single-sheet labels 160. Therefore, the label affixing device 1 can peel the label 160 (preceding label 162, succeeding label 163) from the release material 170 without peeling the waste label 161 that occurs when creating the label 160 discontinuously, and affix it to the cable 19.

[0156] Since the label affixing device 1 has the full-cut cutting blade 91, it can cut off the release material 170 with the waste label 161 attached, so there is no need to peel off the waste label 161 each time a label is affixed, and the waste label 161 can be easily processed.

[0157] When the label affixing device 1 continuously creates the label 160, the preceding label 162 and the succeeding label 163 can be continuously formed without forming a blank part, and the waste label 161 is not formed, so it is possible to suppress the consumption of the label 160 more than necessary.

[0158] The label affixing device 1 can create the label 160 from various types of tapes 150 by replacing the tape cassette 100. Depending on the type of the tape 150, there are some that cannot perform the process of running the tape 150 backward to the upstream side in the transport direction. When creating the label 160 from such a tape 150, the label affixing device 1 can be easily processed so that the waste label 161 is not peeled off.

[0159] The label affixing device 1 can generate a peeling tension and a non-peeling tension on the tape 150 by winding the tape 150 by the winding unit 8, and can easily control the transport of the tape 150, so the peeling of the waste label 161 can be surely suppressed.

[0160] The label affixing device 1 can easily control the transport of the tape 150 by the peeling tension and the non-peeling tension in cooperation with the winding unit 8 by sending out the tape 150 by the transport roller 34, so the peeling of the waste label 161 can be surely suppressed.

[0161] Since the motors MT2 and MT3 that drive the winding unit 8 and the conveying roller 34 are different from each other, the label applicator 1 can easily control the conveyance of the tape 150 under peeling tension and non-peeling tension by driving the respective motors MT2 and MT3 individually, and can surely suppress the peeling of the waste label 161.

[0162] The label applicator 1 can easily apply peeling tension or non-peeling tension to the tape 150 by controlling the driving of the winding unit 8 and the conveying roller 34 respectively, and can surely suppress the peeling of the waste label 161.

[0163] <Others> In the above embodiment, the film tape 110 is an example of the "label material" of the present invention. The printing surface Ut is an example of the "one surface" of the present invention. The tape 150 is an example of the "printed tape" of the present invention. The conveying roller 34, the driving roller 101, and the motor MT3 are examples of the "conveying unit" of the present invention. The cable 19 is an example of the "adherend" of the present invention. The waste label 161 is an example of the "margin area" of the present invention. The half-cutting blade 92 is an example of the "half-cutting portion" of the present invention. The full-cutting blade 91 is an example of the "full-cutting portion" of the present invention. The tape mounting portion 30 is an example of the "mounting portion" of the present invention. The sensor SW5 is an example of the "detection unit" of the present invention. The motor MT2 is an example of the "first driving source" of the present invention. The motor MT3 is an example of the "second driving source" of the present invention. The peeling tension generated by the reel 80 rotating by flowing the peeling current A3 or the winding current A2 through the motor MT2 to pull the tape 150 is an example of the "first tension" of the present invention. The non-peeling tension generated by the reel 80 rotating by flowing the anti-slack current A1 through the motor MT2 to pull the tape 150 is an example of the "second tension" of the present invention.

[0164] <Modification> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. When the conveyance distance of the tape 150 is less than the discard distance L1 and before the leading end of the discard label 161 reaches the discard position DP, during T2 to T10, the CPU 41 may supply the anti-slack current A1 to the motor MT2 of the reel 80, but the motor MT2 may be in a stopped state. That is, until the leading end of the discard label 161 reaches the discard position DP, even if the conveyance roller 34 feeds out the tape 150, the reel 80 may not wind up the tape 150, and the tape 150 may be left slack in the conveyance path R3.

[0165] When the leading end of the discard label 161 reaches the discard position DP, the current supplied to the motor MT2 of the reel 80 is switched from the anti-slack current A1 to the winding current A2. However, for example, when the trailing end of the discard label 161 reaches the peeling control position PA, the current may be switched from the anti-slack current A1 to the winding current A2. In this case, since the leading end of the discard label 161 has surely passed the peeling position PL, peeling of the discard label 161 can be surely suppressed.

[0166] The label affixing device 1 causes the winding unit 8 to wind up the discard label 161 generated between the previous printing and the current printing without peeling it. However, for example, the leading ends of the labels 160 for which printing has failed or the extra printed labels 160 may be controlled so as not to be peeled, and they may be wound up by the winding unit 8 together with the release material 170.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0167] 1 Label affixing device 3 Printing unit 4 Peeling unit 8 Winding unit 9 Cutting unit 14 Control unit 19 Cable 30 Tape mounting unit 34 Conveyance roller 41 CPU 91 Full-cut cutting blade 92 Half-cut cutting blade 100 Tape cassette 101 Driving roller 102A Indicator section 110 Film tape 150 Tape 160 Label 161 Discarded label 162 Preceding label 163 Succeeding label 170 Release material A1 Anti-slack current A2 Take-up current A3 Release current DP Discarded position HC Half-cut position MT2,MT3 Motor NP Roller nip PL Release position SW5 Sensor Ut Printing surface

Claims

1. A printing unit that prints an image on the label material of a printing tape having a tape-shaped label material and a release material attached to one surface of the label material; A conveying unit that conveys the printing tape printed by the printing unit; A cutting unit that is disposed downstream of the printing unit in the conveying direction of the printing tape and cuts the label material printed by the printing unit into single labels; A peeling unit that peels the label cut by the cutting unit from the release material; A control unit that controls each of the printing unit, the conveying unit, and the cutting unit; In a label affixing device that affixes the label peeled by the peeling unit to an adherend that is the object to which the label is to be affixed, The control unit: Cuts the label material so that a blank area, which is an area outside the printing target of the printing unit, is formed between a preceding label, which is one of the labels, and a succeeding label located upstream of the preceding label in the conveying direction; When the downstream end of the blank area in the conveying direction is located at the position of the peeling unit or upstream of the peeling unit in the conveying direction, conveys the printing tape with a second tension applied to the printing tape, the second tension being smaller than a first tension required for the peeling unit to peel the label; When the downstream end of the blank area is located downstream of the position of the peeling unit in the conveying direction, conveys the printing tape with the first tension applied to the printing tape. A label affixing device characterized by the above.

2. A printing unit that prints an image on the label material of a printing tape having a tape-shaped label material and a release material attached to one surface of the label material; A conveying unit that conveys the printing tape printed by the printing unit; A cutting unit that is disposed downstream of the printing tape in the conveying direction and cuts the label material printed by the printing unit into single labels; A peeling unit that peels the label cut by the cutting unit from the release material; A control unit that controls each of the printing unit, the conveying unit, and the cutting unit; In a label affixing device that affixes the label peeled by the peeling unit to an adherend that is the object to which the label is to be affixed, The control unit: Cuts the label material so that a blank area, which is an area outside the printing target of the printing unit, is formed between a preceding label, which is one of the labels, and a succeeding label located upstream of the preceding label in the conveying direction; When the blank area is located at the position of the peeling part or upstream of the peeling part in the conveying direction, the printing tape is conveyed with a second tension smaller than the first tension required for peeling the label applied to the printing tape. When the upstream end of the blank area in the conveying direction is located near the peeling part upstream of the peeling part in the conveying direction, the printing tape is conveyed with the first tension applied. A label affixing device characterized by the above.

3. The cutting part has a half-cutting part that cuts the label material among the label material and the peeling material of the printing tape. The label affixing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

4. The cutting part has a full-cutting part that separates the printing tape, The full-cutting part is arranged upstream of the half-cutting part in the conveying direction. The label affixing device according to claim 3, characterized by the above.

5. When the control part continuously prints the single-sheet labels, Printing on the label by the printing part is performed without forming the blank area between the preceding label and the succeeding label, When the upstream end of the preceding label in the conveying direction is conveyed to the position of the half-cutting part, printing on the succeeding label by the printing part is temporarily stopped, and the label material is cut by the half-cutting part. The label affixing device according to claim 3, characterized by the above.

6. The printing part has at least a mounting part for mounting a tape cassette that houses at least the label material and the peeling material and has an index part including information indicating the type of the printing tape, and a detection part for detecting the type of the printing tape based on the information indicated by the index part of the tape cassette. having the above The label affixing device according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

7. The conveying part includes a winding part for winding the printing tape, The control part controls the winding part to apply the first tension at which the label material is peeled from the printing tape by the peeling part and the second tension at which the label material is not peeled from the printing tape by the peeling part to the peeling material. The label affixing device according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

8. The conveying part includes a conveying roller for sending out the printing tape sandwiched between roller nips toward the peeling part, The control part controls the conveying roller to the first tension at which the label material is peeled from the printing tape by the peeling portion, and the second tension at which the label material is not peeled from the printing tape by the peeling portion are applied to the printing tape The label affixing device according to claim 7, characterized in that.

9. The conveying unit includes a first drive source for driving the winding unit, and a second drive source for driving the conveying roller The label affixing device according to claim 8, characterized in that it is provided with.

10. The control unit conveys the printing tape by the conveying roller, and stops the winding of the peeling material by the winding unit, or controls the first drive source to drive the winding unit with a load smaller than the peeling load required for peeling the label by the peeling portion, thereby applying the second tension to the printing tape, conveys the printing tape by the conveying roller, and controls the first drive source to drive the winding unit with a load equal to or greater than the peeling load required for peeling the label by the peeling portion, thereby applying the first tension to the printing tape The label affixing device according to claim 9, characterized in that. ​

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