Display creation device

Abstract

To provide a display article creation device which can suppress generation of printing failures caused by deterioration of conveyance accuracy at the time of printing of a printing medium even by using a printing medium having a larger size than that of a conventional printing medium.SOLUTION: A display article creation device includes: a printing part for performing printing on a printing medium by a printing head; a cutting part for cutting a printing part or its periphery in the printing medium into an arbitrary shape by a cutting head; a first rotor opposite to the printing part through the printing medium; a second rotor opposite to the cutting part through the printing medium; a first motor for rotating the first rotor and the second rotor, and conveying the printing medium; and a pressing part which is provided at a position opposite to the second rotor through the printing medium, and can press the printing medium toward the second rotor, wherein the pressing part is configured to adjust a pressing force of the printing medium.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9A

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for creating displayed objects, and more particularly to an apparatus for creating displayed objects by printing any characters, figures, images, etc. on a print medium and cutting the resulting printout into any shape. [Background technology]

[0002] The applicant has developed and proposed various sign printers, printing machines, cutting machines, free-cut label printers, etc., as display object creation devices for creating display objects such as labels and signs. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 by the applicant describe a so-called cut-and-print machine that integrates a function for printing any characters, images, etc., on a print medium such as an adhesive sheet, and a function for cutting out the contours of the print object thus obtained into any shape to obtain a display object. Such cut-and-print machines are usually configured to press an ink ribbon against a print medium such as a sheet using a print head (printer head), print on the sheet while transporting it, and cut the printed area or its surroundings with a cutout head (cutting head).

[0003] Moreover, the sheet is usually transported by rotating a platen arranged opposite the print head and a sprocket arranged opposite the cut-out head using a motor. Furthermore, whether printing on the sheet or cutting the sheet, pins provided at equal intervals on the outer circumferential surface of the sprocket engage with feed holes (sprocket holes) drilled at both ends in the width direction of the sheet to feed the sheet, and the sheet located on the sprocket side is pressed from above by a pressure roller or the like to prevent the engagement from coming loose or the sheet from becoming loose. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-52156 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-198424 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Such cut-and-print machines are suitable for producing relatively large display items, and recently, there has been an increasing demand for producing even larger display items using wider sheets. However, as the sheet size becomes larger and the weight increases, the feed load of the sprocket for transporting the sheet inevitably increases. In this case, the pressure of the sheet by the pressure roller, which was not a problem in the past, may cause a further increase in the feed load both during printing, when the sheet is transported at a relatively low speed, and during cutting, when the sheet is transported at a relatively high speed. In particular, during cutting, when the sheet is transported at a relatively high speed, the adverse effect of the increase in the feed load tends to be significant. And, due to such an increase in the feed load, there is a concern that the sheet transport accuracy (feed accuracy) may deteriorate, and in some cases, the pressure roller may become a brake that hinders the transport of the sheet, preventing the sheet from being transported to the specified position, resulting in poor printing or poor cutting.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and aims to provide an object creation device that is capable of preventing the occurrence of printing defects and cutting defects that may result from a deterioration in the transport accuracy of the print medium, even when using a larger print medium than conventional methods (e.g., a wide sheet). [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention employs the following configuration.

[0008] [1] An example of a display object creation device according to the present disclosure includes a printing unit that prints on a print medium using a print head, a cutting unit that cuts a print portion of the print medium or the periphery of the print portion into an arbitrary shape using a cutting head, a first rotating body that faces the printing unit across the print medium, a second rotating body that faces the cutting unit across the print medium, a first motor that rotates the first rotating body and the second rotating body to transport the print medium, and a pressing unit that is provided at a position facing the second rotating body across the print medium and can press the print medium against the second rotating body. The pressing unit is configured to be able to adjust the pressing force of the print medium. The pressing force of the pressing unit can be adjusted both when printing and when cutting the print medium. In either case, it is preferable to adjust the pressing force of the pressing unit so that the feed load of the print medium does not exceed the allowable load when printing and cutting.

[0009] In this configuration, while the first and second rotating bodies are rotated to transport the printing medium, any characters, figures, images, etc. are printed on the printing medium from above or on the first rotating body, and the printed portion or its periphery is cut into any shape from above or on the second rotating body. Then, a pressing unit provided at a position facing the second rotating body presses the printing medium toward the second rotating body, and the pressing force at that time is adjusted. Therefore, when printing and cutting the printing medium, the pressing force by the pressing unit can be appropriately adjusted to a degree that does not cause an increase in the feed load beyond the allowable amount. This prevents the printing medium from coming off the first or second rotating body or from loosening, and appropriately reduces the feed load applied to the printing medium from the pressing unit during transportation, even if the printing medium becomes large and its weight increases.

[0010] [2] In the above configuration, the pressing unit may be configured to be able to continuously adjust the pressing force of the printing medium. In this configuration, the pressing force of the pressing unit on the printing medium can be continuously changed, so that the pressing force of the pressing unit on the printing medium can be adjusted more precisely, which is effective when fine adjustment of the pressing force of the pressing unit on the printing medium is required depending on the weight load of the printing medium and the speeds of the first and second rotating bodies.

[0011] [3] Alternatively, in the above configuration, the pressing force of the pressing unit on the printing medium may be adjustable in multiple stages. In such a configuration, the pressing force of the pressing unit on the printing medium can be changed intermittently (in stages), so that the pressing force of the pressing unit on the printing medium can be adjusted to a larger value, which is effective when it is necessary to greatly change the pressing force of the pressing unit on the printing medium depending on the weight load of the printing medium and the speeds of the first and second rotating bodies.

[0012] The above configurations [2] and [3] may be combined. That is, the pressing unit may be configured to adjust the pressing force of the printing medium steplessly or in multiple steps. In this case, it is advantageous to finely adjust the pressing force to a desired pressing force while greatly changing the pressing force according to the weight load of the printing medium and the speed of the first and second rotating bodies.

[0013] [4] Alternatively, in the above configuration, the pressing unit may be configured to adjust the pressing force by switching between pressing and not pressing the print medium. In such a configuration, switching is performed between a mode in which the pressing unit presses the print medium with a predetermined pressing force and a mode in which the pressing unit does not press the print medium (the pressing unit moves away from the print medium and retreats). Therefore, the control structure and control method of the pressing unit can be simplified compared to a case in which the pressing force of the pressing unit against the print medium is adjusted steplessly or in multiple steps.

[0014] [5] In the above configuration, the pressing section may be configured not to press the printing medium when cutting the printing medium, but to press the printing medium when printing the printing medium. Usually, the effect of increased feed load due to the pressing force of the pressing section on the printing medium is more significant when cutting the printing medium, which is transported at high speed, than when printing the printing medium. Therefore, in this configuration, the printing medium can be appropriately transported and cut without applying an unnecessary feed load to the printing medium when cutting, while the printing medium can be pressed to transport and print stably.

[0015] [6] Alternatively, in the above configuration, the pressing section may be configured to adjust the pressing force so that the pressing force when cutting the print medium is smaller than the pressing force when printing the print medium. In this configuration, the feed load applied to the print medium when cutting is lighter than the feed load applied to the print medium when printing, allowing for proper transport and cutting, while the print medium can be pressed during printing to ensure stable transport and printing.

[0016] [7] In the above configuration, a second motor may be provided that rotates the second rotating body to transport the printing medium when the printing medium is cut. In this configuration, a motor with a relatively low speed and high torque is used as the first motor, and a motor with a relatively high speed and low torque is used as the second motor. When the printing medium is cut, the second rotating body can be separated from the first motor and rotated only by the second motor. This makes it possible to achieve both stable printing on the printing medium and appropriate high-speed cutting of the printing medium.

[0017] [8] In the above configuration, a first drive unit may be provided that moves the pressing unit toward the print medium as the print head moves toward the first rotor. In this configuration, the first drive unit can move the pressing unit toward the print medium and press the print medium at the same time as the print head moves toward the first rotor. This allows stable printing while pressing the print medium to be performed efficiently and with a simple configuration, shortening the time required for printing processing and improving throughput.

[0018] [9] In the above configuration, a second drive unit may be provided that moves the pressing unit away from the print medium side as the print head moves away from the first rotating body side. In this configuration, the second drive unit can retract the print head from the first rotating body side and the pressing unit from the print medium side to release the pressure on the print medium. This allows the print medium to be cut properly and quickly without pressing the print medium, efficiently, and with a simple configuration, and the time required for the cutting process can be shortened to improve throughput.

[0019] In the present disclosure, the functions of one "part," "machine," "mechanism," or "apparatus," and their constituent parts or components, may be realized by two or more physical means, devices, etc., or the functions of two or more "parts," "machine," "mechanism," or "apparatus," and their constituent parts or components, may be realized by one physical means, device, etc. Furthermore, "part," "machine," "mechanism," and "apparatus" are concepts that can also be rephrased as, for example, "means" or "system," etc. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the present disclosure, the pressing unit presses the print medium toward the second rotating body, and the pressing force by the pressing unit can be adjusted appropriately to the extent that the pressing force by the pressing unit does not increase the feed load beyond the allowable amount when printing and cutting the print medium. This prevents the print medium from coming off the first rotating body or the second rotating body, or from loosening, and appropriately reduces the feed load applied to the print medium from the pressing unit during transport, even if a larger (longer and wider) print medium than before is used and its weight increases. As a result, deterioration of the transport accuracy of the print medium is prevented, and the occurrence of printing defects and cutting defects that may result from this can be suppressed, making it possible to create larger displayed objects than before using large print media. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1]1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an example of a display object creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an example of a display object creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (with a printer cover open); [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic plan view conceptually illustrating a portion of a configuration of an example of a display object creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a portion of a more practical configuration of an example of a display object creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the inside of the printer as viewed toward the sheet roll side along the line VV in FIG. 1. [Figure 6A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic appearance of a sprocket; [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 6A. [Figure 7] 1 is a plan view illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a control system in an example of a display object creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8A] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view (partially omitted) showing the printing unit and the pressing unit (when the print head and the pressing roller are lowered). [Figure 8B] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view (partially omitted) showing the printing unit and the pressing unit (when the print head and the pressing roller are raised). [Figure 9A] FIG. 13 is a perspective view (partially omitted) showing the printing unit and the pressing unit as viewed from the sheet roll side (when the print head and the pressing roller are lowered). [Figure 9B] FIG. 6B is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 6A (when the print head and the pressure roller are raised). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment according to an example of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example, and is not intended to exclude the application of various modifications and technologies not specified below. That is, an example of the present disclosure can be implemented by various modifications within the scope of its purpose. In addition, in the description of the drawings below, the same or similar parts are given the same or similar symbols, and the drawings are schematic and do not necessarily match the actual dimensions, ratios, etc. Furthermore, there may be parts in which the dimensional relationship and ratios differ between the drawings. In addition, it goes without saying that the embodiments described below are some embodiments of the present disclosure, and not all embodiments. Furthermore, other embodiments that can be obtained by a person skilled in the art without requiring creative acts based on the embodiments of the present disclosure are all included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Example of display creation device configuration] 1 and 2 are perspective views showing an example of a display object creating device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The printer (display object creating device) 1 includes a printer body 110 having side walls 110a and 110b, and a cover 120 provided in an openable and closable manner in an upper portion between the side walls 110a and 110b. A long and wide (e.g., 300 mm wide) printing sheet S is detachably stored in a lower portion between the side walls 110a and 110b. The printing sheet S may be, for example, a long sheet attached to a long release paper, and may be provided as a sheet roll R wound in a form called an outward winding in which the printing surface of the printing sheet S faces outward. In addition, a plurality of through holes (not shown) called sprocket holes are formed at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction at both ends of the width direction of the printing sheet S. The printing sheet S and the sheet roll R on which it is wound correspond to an example of a printing medium.

[0024] With the above-described external configuration, the printer 1 has, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole when the cover 120 is closed. Furthermore, an operation panel P is provided on, for example, one side wall portion 110a of the printer body 110, for accepting operations such as conveying the printing sheet S from the user. The printer 1 is also configured so that an ink ribbon cassette 130 is detachably stored inside the cover 120.

[0025] Here, FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view conceptually showing a part of the configuration of an example of a display object creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a part of a more practical configuration of an example of a display object creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that FIG. 3 is a view of the internal structure of the printer body 110 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 viewed from the side wall portion 110a side, and FIG. 4 is a view of the internal structure of the printer body 110 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 viewed from the side wall portion 110b side on the opposite side. Also, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a state in which the inside of the printer 1 is viewed toward the sheet roll R side along the line VV in FIG. 1. As shown in these FIGS. 3 and 4, the printer 1 includes, as its main functions, a printing unit 10, a cutting unit 20, a printing motor (first motor) M1, a cutting motor (second motor) M2, a platen (first rotating body) 31, and a sprocket (second rotating body) 32.

[0026] (Print section 10) The printing unit 10 is provided inside the cover 120, and mainly has a function of printing any characters, figures, images, etc. on the printing sheet S by the print head 11, and includes a print head drive unit 12 connected to the print head 11. In addition, with the ink ribbon cassette 130 stored in the cover 120, the ink ribbon B pulled out from the ink ribbon cassette 130 is disposed below the print head 11 in the drawing. The ink ribbon B is stored in a roll in the payout core 131 of the ink ribbon cassette 130, and is configured to be paid out from there and taken up on the take-up core 132 of the ink ribbon cassette 130. In addition, as an example of the ink ribbon B, there can be mentioned one configured by applying a thin film of ink that can be transferred to the printing sheet S by heat and pressure to a long medium.

[0027] Here, the print head 11 is, as one example, configured as a thermal head (thermal transfer type), and configured such that its longitudinal length is approximately the same as the printable width of the printing sheet S, or is longer than the width of the printing sheet S. Also, as shown in Fig. 4, the print head 11 is attached to a support member (not shown) having a first guide roller 131g provided on the pay-out side of the ink ribbon B (close to the pay-out core part 131) with respect to the print head 11, and a second guide roller 132g provided on the take-up side of the ink ribbon B (close to the take-up core part 132).

[0028] Furthermore, the print head drive unit 12 has, for example, an elevation solenoid or motor (neither shown) that performs the elevation operation of the print head 11, i.e., the operation of pressing the print head 11 against the printing sheet S and the operation of retracting (separating) the print head 11 from the printing sheet S, and an ink ribbon transport motor 133 connected to a winding core part 132 for pulling out the ink ribbon B from the ink ribbon cassette 130. The print head drive unit 12 positions the print head 11, first guide roller 131g, and second guide roller 132g at appropriate positions relative to a platen 31, which will be described later. The print head 11 and platen 31 are disposed opposite each other with the ink ribbon B and the printing sheet S sandwiched between them.

[0029] (cutting section 20) The cutting unit 20 is provided inside the side walls 110a, 110b of the printer body 110 and across both side walls 110a, 110b, and has the function of using a cutting head 21 to cut out the printed area or its surroundings on the printing sheet S into any shape, for example, as a label for an indicative object having a desired contour while leaving the release paper behind (called half cutting, etc.), and is equipped with a cutting head drive unit 22 connected to the cutting head 21.

[0030] The cutting head 21 is attached to a guide rail 23 extending in the width direction of the printing sheet S, downstream of the print head 11 in the transport direction (arrow Ya in FIG. 3), so as to be freely movable. This guide rail 23 may be a flat rail or may be one using a plurality of wires (a flat rail is shown in FIG. 3). Furthermore, the cutting head 21 has, for example, a pen-tip-shaped cutter that is approximately perpendicular to the peripheral surface of a sprocket 32, which will be described later.

[0031] The cutting head drive unit 22 has, for example, a stepping motor and a feed mechanism (neither shown) built into or connected to one end of the guide rail 23, and, for example, a lifting solenoid or motor (neither shown) for lifting and lowering the cutter of the cutting head 21, i.e., for pressing the cutter against the printing sheet S and for retracting (moving away) the cutter from the printing sheet S. Cutting out characters, figures, images, etc. printed on the printing sheet S can be performed by cooperation between the cutting head drive unit 22 controlling the cutting head 21 to move forward and backward along the guide rail 23 and controlling the cutting motor M2, described later, to rotate the sprocket 32 ​​forward and backward. The cutting head 21 and the sprocket 32 ​​are disposed opposite each other with the printing sheet S in between.

[0032] (Pressing part 30) 4 and 5, the presser section 30 is provided at a position facing the sprocket 32 ​​with the printing sheet S interposed therebetween, and has a pair of presser rollers 34, 35 disposed above the sprocket 32 ​​and on the upstream and downstream sides of the printing sheet S. The presser rollers 34, 35 are disposed on a pair of rotating shafts and are provided to be rotatable in accordance with the movement of the printing sheet S while pressing the printing sheet S towards the sprocket 32 ​​from above.

[0033] Here, Fig. 8A and Fig. 8B are side cross-sectional views (partially omitted) showing the printing unit 10 and the pressing unit 30, and are views showing the printing unit 10 and the pressing unit 30 viewed from a cut surface different from that of Fig. 4. Fig. 8A shows the printing head 11 and the pressing roller 34 arranged on the upstream side in a lowered state, and Fig. 8B shows the printing head 11 and the pressing roller 34 in a raised state. Figs. 9A and 9B are perspective views (partially omitted) showing the printing unit 10 and the pressing unit 30 viewed from the sheet roll R side, with Fig. 9A corresponding to the state of Fig. 8A (when the printing head 11 and the pressing roller 34 are lowered), and Fig. 9B corresponding to the state of Fig. 8B (when the printing head 11 and the pressing roller 34 are raised). These figures are also for explaining an example of a mechanism in which the pressing unit 30 presses the printing sheet S against the sprocket 32 ​​and releases the pressure.

[0034] As shown in these figures, the print head 11 of the printing unit 10 is held by the print head holder 11h along its extension direction. The rotation shaft 34a of the pressure roller 34 of the pressure unit 30 is held by the roller holder 34h together with the rotation shaft of the pressure roller 35. The roller holder 34h is formed with a protrusion 30p that protrudes toward the print head holder 11h. The roller holder 34h is pivotally supported at its center, for example, and is biased upward. On the other hand, the print head holder 11h is formed with a protrusion 11p that protrudes downward at a position opposite the protrusion 30p of the roller holder 34h. With this configuration, when the print head holder 11h descends from the initial position, the protrusion 11p interferes with the protrusion 30p of the roller holder 34h, and when the print head holder 11h descends further, the roller holder 34h is pressed down from the biased state.

[0035] 8A and 9A, when printing on the printing sheet S, the print head drive unit 12 of the printing unit 10 drives the solenoid or motor for raising and lowering the print head 11, and the print head holder 11h that holds the print head 11 is guided down by the axial member 13. This moves the print head 11 from the retracted position where it is out of contact with the platen 31 to the printing position where it abuts against the platen 31. As a result, the print sheet S and the ink ribbon B are sandwiched between the print head 11 and the platen 31, and the print sheet S and the ink ribbon B are pressed against the platen 31.

[0036] At the same time, the roller holder 34h is pressed down by the descent of the print head holder 11h, and the pressure roller 34 held by the roller holder 34h also moves downward, moving from a retracted position where it is out of contact with the sprocket 32 ​​to a position where it abuts against the sprocket 32. As a result, the printing sheet S is sandwiched between the pressure roller 34 and the sprocket 32 ​​so that the engagement between the sprocket holes Sh drilled at both ends of the printing sheet S in the width direction and the pins 32t of the sprocket 32 ​​does not come out.

[0037] On the other hand, when cutting the printing sheet S, as shown in Figures 8B and 9B, when the print head drive unit 12 of the printing unit 10 drives the solenoid or motor for raising and lowering the print head 11, the print head holder 11h that holds the print head 11 rises, guided by the axial member 13. This moves the print head 11 from the printing position in contact with the platen 31 to a retracted position (separated position) where it is not in contact with the platen 31. As a result, the printing sheet S and ink ribbon B that were sandwiched between the print head 11 and the platen 31 are released, and the state in which the printing sheet S and ink ribbon B were pressed against the platen 31 is released.

[0038] At the same time, the upward biasing state of the roller holder 34h is restored by the rise of the print head holder 11h (i.e., the roller holder 34h is in an unloaded state where no load is applied), and the presser portion 30 returns to its initial biased position. This also moves the presser roller 34 held by the roller holder 34h upward, and it is positioned from a position in contact with the sprocket 32 ​​to a retracted position (separated position) where it is not in contact with the sprocket 32. As a result, the state in which the printing sheet S is clamped by the presser roller 34 and the sprocket 32 ​​is released.

[0039] From the above, the print head driving unit 12 and the print head holder 11h constitute an example of a "first driving unit" and a "second driving unit" in this disclosure.

[0040] (Printing sheet S transport system) The transport of the printing sheet S in the printer 1 is mainly performed by a printing motor M1, a cutting motor M2, a platen 31, and a sprocket 32. Each of these components is also provided inside the side walls 110a and 110b of the printer body 110 and across both side walls 110a and 110b.

[0041] When printing on the printing sheet S, the printing motor M1 rotates the roller-shaped platen 31 and roller-shaped sprocket 32 ​​to transport the printing sheet S in the forward direction (paper feed direction, paper discharge direction, specified direction) indicated by the arrow Ya in Fig. 3. When cutting the printing sheet S, the cutting motor M2 rotates the sprocket 32 ​​to transport the printing sheet S in the forward direction indicated by the arrow Ya in Fig. 3 and in the reverse direction (predetermined direction and the opposite direction). An encoder 60 for measuring the transport distance of the printing sheet S is coaxially provided on the rotation shaft M2a of the cutting motor M2.

[0042] More specifically, the platen 31 has a platen driving pulley 31b provided at one end of the rotation shaft 31a on the side wall portion 110a side, and an endless belt EB1 is stretched between the rotation shaft M1a of the printing motor M1 and the platen driving pulley 31b. As a result, when printing the printing sheet S, the power of the printing motor M1 is transmitted to the platen 31, causing the platen 31 to rotate. In addition, the sprocket 32 ​​has a torque limiter 50, which will be described later, on its rotation shaft 32a, and an endless belt EB2 is stretched between the rotation shaft M1a of the printing motor M1 and the torque limiter 50. As a result, when printing the printing sheet S, the power of the printing motor M1 is transmitted to not only the platen 31 but also the sprocket 32, causing the sprocket 32 ​​to rotate together with the platen 31.

[0043] The sprocket 32 ​​also has a sprocket drive pulley 32b provided on the inner side of the rotary shaft 31a, and an endless belt EB2 is stretched between the rotary shaft M2a of the cutting motor M2 and the sprocket drive pulley 32b. As a result, when the printing sheet S is cut, the power of the cutting motor M2 is transmitted to the sprocket 32, causing the sprocket 32 ​​to rotate at a predetermined high speed.

[0044] Here, FIG. 6A is a perspective view showing the appearance of the sprocket 32, and FIG. 6B is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 6A. As shown in FIG. 5, 6A, and 6B, the torque limiter 50 (generally called an "overload protection mechanism" or the like) is coaxially provided at one end of the rotating shaft 32a of the sprocket 32 ​​on the side wall portion 110a side. This torque limiter 50 is configured not to transmit the power of the printing motor M1 to the sprocket 32 ​​in excess of the torque limiter 50's capacity when a load (rotation load) exceeding the capacity of the torque limiter 50 is detected from the printing motor M1. In addition, a torque diode (registered trademark: omitted below, generally called a "reverse input prevention mechanism" or the like) 40 is also coaxially provided on the sprocket 32. This torque diode 40 has a power transmission section 41 and a power non-transmission section 42 that are integrated coaxially with each other. The power of the printing motor M1 is transmitted to the sprocket 32 ​​by a power transmission section 41, while the power of the cutting motor M2 is configured not to be transmitted to the printing motor M1 by a power non-transmission section .

[0045] In addition, multiple pins 32t are formed on the outer surface of the sprocket 32 ​​at the same intervals as the sprocket holes, which protrude from sprocket holes provided at both ends of the width of the printing sheet S mentioned above and engage with the printing sheet S.The printing sheet S is transported during printing and cutting by being fed out by the platen 31 and guided by the sprocket 32.

[0046] [Control system hardware configuration example] 7 is a plan view showing a schematic example of a hardware configuration of a control system in an example of an object creation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The printer 1 mainly includes a control unit 70 connected to a printing unit 10, a cutting unit 20, a printing motor M1, and a cutting motor M2. The control unit 70 includes a control calculation unit 71, a communication interface (I / F) unit 72, a storage unit 73, an input unit 74, and an output unit 75, and each unit can be connected to each other via a bus line 76 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0047] The control calculation unit 71 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like, and controls each component and performs various calculations required for printing, cutting, and conveying the printing sheet S in accordance with information processing. The communication I / F unit 72 is, for example, a communication module for communicating with other components, i.e., "units" and "devices," via wire or wirelessly. Any communication method may be used by the communication I / F unit 72 for communication, and examples of such methods include a LAN (Local Area Network) and a USB (Universal Serial Bus), and an appropriate communication line equivalent to the bus line 76 may also be used. Both the printing unit 10 and the cutting unit 20 may be configured to be able to communicate with the control calculation unit 71 and the like via the communication I / F unit 72.

[0048] The memory unit 73 is an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and stores various programs executed by the control and calculation unit 71 (such as calculation programs for executing the printing, cutting, and transporting processes of the printing sheet S, as well as monitoring programs using various sensors, control programs for controlling the operations of these, etc.), coordinate information and color information of objects to be printed on the printing sheet S, etc.

[0049] The input unit 74 is an interface device for accepting various input operations from a user who uses the printer 1, and may be realized, for example, by a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, an operation panel P (FIGS. 1 and 2) having touch buttons, an audio microphone, an external memory, etc. The output unit 75 is an interface device for notifying the user who uses the printer 1 of various information by displaying, outputting audio, printing, etc., and may be realized, for example, by a display, a speaker, the printer 1 itself, etc.

[0050] With the above configuration, the control unit 70 acquires drawing data of an object to be displayed, for example, from an information processing device externally connected to the communication I / F unit 72, the storage unit 73, or the input unit 74, drives the print head 11, the printing motor M1, the ink ribbon transport motor 133, and a solenoid or motor for lifting and lowering the print head 11, and prints on the print sheet S while transporting the print sheet S with the platen 31 and sprocket 32. The control unit 70 also drives the cutting head 21, the cutting motor M2, the sprocket 32, and a solenoid or motor for lifting and lowering the print head 11 to cut the printed print sheet S into a predetermined shape, and also cuts the print sheet S across its entire width at a specified position as necessary.

[0051] [Example of display creation device in action] An example of the operation of the printer 1 having the above configuration will be described below. First, when the cover 120 is opened as shown in FIG. 2 in order to load the printing sheet S into the printer 1, the ink ribbon cassette 130 and the printing unit 10 housed inside the cover 120 are retracted upward, exposing the transport path of the printing sheet S. In this state, as shown in FIG. 2, the sheet roll R is loaded and the printing sheet S is inserted between the sprocket 32 ​​and the pressure rollers 34, 35 from above the platen 31, so that the pins 32t of the sprocket 32 ​​fit into and engage with the sprocket holes formed in the printing sheet S. Then, when the cover 120 is closed, the printing sheet S is ready to be transported by the sprocket 32.

[0052] (Printing of printing sheet S) Next, when the printer 1 starts operating, the control unit 70 of the printer 1 acquires drawing data of the display object and cutout shape data of the printing portion of the display object from an information processing device externally connected to the communication I / F unit 72, the memory unit 73, or the input unit 74, and transfers or inputs the drawing data, cutout shape data, etc. to the control calculation unit 71. The control calculation unit 71 first transmits print commands to the printing unit 10, the cutting unit 20, and the printing motor M1 based on the drawing data.

[0053] The print head drive unit 12 of the printing unit 10, which has received a command from the control calculation unit 71, drives a solenoid or motor for lifting the print head 11, moves the print head 11 from a retracted position where it is not in contact with the platen 31 to a printing position where it is in contact with the platen 31, and positions the first guide roller 131g and the second guide roller 132g at predetermined positions. As a result, the print head 11 and the platen 31 sandwich the printing sheet S and the ink ribbon B, and the ink ribbon B is pressed against the printing sheet S. At the same time, the print head drive unit 12 of the printing unit 10 moves the pressure roller 34 downward, and positions it from the retracted position where it is not in contact with the sprocket 32 ​​to a position where it is in contact with the sprocket 32. Meanwhile, the cutting head drive unit 22 of the cutting unit 20 drives a solenoid or motor for lifting the cutting head 21, and positions the cutting head 21 at a retracted position (separated position) where it is not in contact with the printing sheet S.

[0054] In this state, the control calculation unit 71 drives the printing motor M1, and the power is transmitted to the platen 31 and the sprocket 32 ​​via the endless belts EB1 and EB2 and the torque diode 40. As a result, the platen 31 and the sprocket 32 ​​rotate in the forward direction so that the printing sheet S is transported in the direction indicated by the arrow Ya, and the pressure rollers 34, 35 come into contact with the printing sheet S and rotate in response to the movement of the printing sheet S.

[0055] Here, according to the gear ratio, the endless belt EB1 rotates the platen 31 at a relatively low speed, and the endless belt EB2 rotates the sprocket 32 ​​at a relatively high speed. At that time, if a load on the sprocket 32 ​​that is greater than the allowable load from the printing motor M1 is detected, the torque limiter 50 adjusts the torque so that the conveying speeds of the platen 31 and the sprocket 32 ​​are equal, and as a result, the printing sheet S is also conveyed at a relatively low speed.

[0056] During printing, the control calculation unit 71 does not drive the cutting motor M2, but the cutting motor M2 rotates via the endless belt EB3 by the rotational power of the sprocket 32. Therefore, by measuring the number of rotation steps of the cutting motor M2 with the encoder 60, the amount of rotation of the sprocket 32 ​​during printing, i.e., the transport distance of the printing sheet S during printing, is measured.

[0057] At the same time, the print head drive unit 12 drives the ink ribbon transport motor 133 to rotate the take-up core unit 132, transporting the ink ribbon B in accordance with the transport of the printing sheet S. As a result, characters, figures, images, etc. according to the drawing data are thermally transferred and printed on the printing sheet S by the print head 11 while the printing sheet S and the ink ribbon B are supplied and transported in an overlapping state in the forward direction indicated by the arrow Ya onto the platen 31.

[0058] (Cutting the printing sheet S) When printing is completed, the control calculation unit 71 transmits a cutting command to the printing unit 10, the cutting unit 20, and the cutting motor M2 based on the cutout shape data. The print head driving unit 12 of the printing unit 10, which has received the command from the control calculation unit 71, drives the solenoid or motor for raising and lowering the print head 11, moves the print head 11 from the printing position where it abuts against the platen 31 to a retracted position (separated position) where it is not in contact with the platen 31, and positions the first guide roller 131g and the second guide roller 132g in predetermined positions accordingly. This releases the printing sheet S and the ink ribbon B that were sandwiched between the print head 11 and the platen 31. At the same time, the print head driving unit 12 of the printing unit 10 moves the pressure roller 34 upward, and positions it from the position where it abuts against the sprocket 32 ​​to the retracted position (separated position) where it is not in contact with the sprocket 32.

[0059] Meanwhile, the cutting head drive unit 22 of the cutting unit 20 drives a solenoid or motor for lifting the cutting head 21, and positions the cutting head 21 from a retracted position where it is out of contact with the sprocket 32 ​​to a cutting position where it abuts against the sprocket 32. This brings the cutter of the cutting head 21 into contact with the printing sheet S. Furthermore, the cutting head drive unit 22 moves the cutting head 21 forward and backward in the width direction of the printing sheet S along the guide rails 23 in accordance with the cutout shape data.

[0060] The control calculation unit 71 also drives the cutting motor M2, and the power is transmitted to the sprocket 32 ​​via the endless belt EB3. As a result, the sprocket 32 ​​rotates in a forward direction and a reverse direction so that the printing sheet S is transported in the forward direction and the reverse direction indicated by the arrow Ya in accordance with the cut-out shape of the printed portion of the display object. The rotation speed M2v of the cutting motor M2 is set to be higher than the rotation speed M1v of the printing motor M1, and the sprocket 32 ​​rotates at a relatively high speed according to the rotation speed M2v of the cutting motor M2, and as a result, the printing sheet S is also transported at a relatively high speed.

[0061] In this way, the cutting of printed portions such as letters, figures, images, etc. printed on the printing sheet S is performed at high speed by cooperation between the cutting head drive unit 22, which controls the cutting head 21 to move forward and backward along the guide rail 23, and the cutting motor M2, which controls the sprocket 32 ​​to rotate forward and backward.

[0062] During cutting, the control calculation unit 71 does not drive the printing motor M1 (endless belts EB1 and EB2 are also stopped), and the rotational power of the sprocket 32 ​​rotated by the cutting motor M2 is blocked by the torque diode 40 and is not transmitted to the printing motor M1. In other words, the printing motor M1 is dynamically disconnected from the sprocket 32 ​​and the cutting motor. As a result, during cutting of the printing sheet S, the printing motor M1 does not become a load resistance for the rotation of the sprocket 32 ​​by the cutting motor M2. Furthermore, the amount of rotation of the cutting motor M2 is measured by the encoder 60, and it is also possible to measure the transport distance of the printing sheet S during cutting.

[0063] Then, after cutting of the display object has been completed, the control calculation unit 71 will, if necessary, repeatedly print and cut another display object, and / or, with the cutting motor M2 stopped, cut the printing sheet S across its entire width at a specified position using the cutting means 24 shown in Figure 4, for example, and then terminate operation of the printer 1.

[0064] According to the printer 1 configured in this manner, while rotating the platen 31 and the sprocket 32 ​​to transport the printing medium, any characters, figures, images, etc. can be printed on the printing medium on the platen 31, and the printed portion or its periphery can be cut into any shape on the sprocket 32. The pressing unit 30 provided at a position facing the sprocket 32 ​​can press the printing sheet S toward the sprocket 32, and the pressing force of the pressing unit 30 on the printing sheet S can be adjusted so that the feed load of the printing sheet S does not exceed the allowable load both when printing and when cutting the printing sheet S. This can prevent the sheet conveyance accuracy from deteriorating due to an increase in the feed load of the printing sheet S, or the pressing roller 34 from acting as a brake to prevent the printing sheet S from being conveyed to a predetermined position. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of printing defects or cutting defects due to such problems, and printing and cutting can be reliably performed while the printing sheet S is being properly conveyed.

[0065] In addition, the pressing section 30 does not press the printing sheet S when cutting, but presses the printing sheet S when printing, so that no unnecessary feed load is placed on the printing sheet S when cutting, allowing for proper transport and cutting, while at the same time pressing the printing sheet S to prevent it from coming off the sprocket 32 ​​when printing, thereby enabling stable transport and printing of the printing sheet S.

[0066] Furthermore, by using a relatively slow-speed, high-torque motor M1 as the printing motor M1 and a relatively fast-speed, low-torque motor M2 as the cutting motor M2, when cutting the printing sheet S, the sprocket 32 ​​can be disconnected from the printing motor M1 and rotated only by the cutting motor M2, making it possible to achieve both stable printing on the printing sheet S and appropriate high-speed cutting of the printing sheet S.

[0067] Furthermore, as the print head 11 moves downward toward the platen 31 by the print head drive unit 12 and print head holder 11h (first drive unit), the presser unit 30 is pressed toward the print sheet S, so that the print head 11 can be moved toward the platen 31 and the presser roller 34 of the presser unit 30 can press the print sheet S simultaneously. This makes it possible to efficiently perform stable printing while pressing the print sheet S with a simple configuration, shortening the time required for printing processing and improving throughput.

[0068] Similarly, as the print head drive unit 12 and print head holder 11h (second drive unit) move the print head 11 upward from the platen 31 side, the presser unit 30 returns from the printing sheet S side to its initial biased position, so that the print head 11 can be moved from the platen 31 side and the pressure on the printing sheet S by the pressure roller 34 of the presser unit 30 can be released. Therefore, the printing sheet S can be cut properly and quickly efficiently with a simple configuration without pressing the printing sheet S, and the time required for the cutting process can be shortened and throughput can be improved.

[0069] Furthermore, a torque diode 40 is provided on the rotating shaft 32a of the sprocket 32, and while the printing sheet S is being printed, the driving force from the printing motor M1 can be reliably transmitted to the sprocket 32 ​​by a power transmission section 41, while while the printing sheet S is being cut, the power of the cutting motor M2 is not transmitted to the printing motor M1 by a power non-transmission section 42. This makes it possible to prevent the printing motor M1 from co-rotating when the cutting motor M2 is driven. As a result, the printing motor M1 does not become a load resistance for the cutting motor M2, so that the printing sheet S can be properly and reliably transported at high speed when being cut.

[0070] In addition, since the printing motor M1 is connected to a "slippery part" such as the torque limiter 50, slippage may occur in the printing motor M1 itself, causing a discrepancy in the relationship between the actual movement of the printing sheet S and the actual amount of rotation (number of steps) of the printing motor M1, which may make it difficult to accurately measure the conveying distance of the printing sheet S. On the other hand, since the cutting motor M2 is not connected to such a "slippery part," there is no concern that the cutting motor M2 itself may slip, and the rotation of the sprocket 32 ​​that conveys the printing sheet S and the rotation of the cutting motor M2 are reliably linked. Therefore, in the printer 1, an encoder 60 is provided on the cutting motor M2 to measure the number of steps, thereby accurately measuring the amount of rotation of the sprocket 32, i.e., the conveying distance of the printing sheet S, and the printing and cutting of the printing sheet S can be performed appropriately.

[0071] [Variations] Here, including the configuration of the pressing section 30 configured as described above, the pressing force of the pressing section 30 against the printing sheet S can be adjusted in various ways as described below.

[0072] (Variation 1) For example, the roller holder 34h may be configured to be continuously raised and lowered by an appropriate driving means, so that the pressing force of the pressing unit 30 on the printing sheet S can be adjusted steplessly. This allows the pressing force of the pressing unit 30 on the printing sheet S to be continuously variable, making it possible to adjust the pressing force of the pressing unit 30 on the printing sheet S more precisely. Therefore, this configuration is effective when fine adjustment of the pressing force of the pressing unit 30 on the printing sheet S is required depending on conditions such as the weight load of the printing sheet S and the speeds of the platen 31 and sprocket 32.

[0073] (Variation 2) For example, the roller holder 34h may be configured to be capable of being raised and lowered intermittently by an appropriate driving means, so that the pressing force of the pressing unit 30 on the printing sheet S can be adjusted in multiple stages. This allows the pressing force of the pressing unit 30 on the printing sheet S to be varied intermittently (in stages), making it possible to adjust the pressing force of the pressing unit 30 on the printing sheet S to a greater extent. Therefore, this configuration is effective when it is necessary to greatly change the pressing force of the pressing unit 30 on the printing sheet S depending on conditions such as the weight load of the printing sheet S and the speeds of the platen 31 and sprocket 32.

[0074] (Variation 3) For example, the roller holder 34h may be configured to be continuously and intermittently raised and lowered by an appropriate driving means, so that the pressing force of the pressing unit 30 on the printing sheet S can be adjusted steplessly or in multiple steps (a combination of modifications 2 and 3). This is advantageous when fine-tuning the pressing force on the printing sheet S by the pressing unit 30 to the desired pressing force while greatly changing it according to conditions such as the weight load of the body of the printing sheet S and the speeds of the platen 31 and sprocket 32.

[0075] (Variation 4) The pressing unit 30 may be configured to adjust the pressing force by switching between pressing and not pressing the printing sheet S. The configurations shown in Figs. 8A and 8B and Figs. 9A and 9B described above are included in this modified example. That is, this allows switching between a mode in which the pressing unit 30 presses the printing sheet S with a predetermined pressing force and a mode in which the pressing unit 30 does not press the printing sheet S (the pressing unit 30 moves away from the printing sheet S and retreats). Therefore, the control structure and control method of the pressing unit 30 can be simplified compared to a case in which the pressing force of the pressing unit 30 on the printing sheet S is adjusted steplessly or in multiple steps.

[0076] (Variation 5) The pressing force of the pressing section 30 on the printing sheet S by the pressing section 30 may be adjusted so that the pressing force of the pressing section 30 on the printing sheet S when cutting the printing sheet S is smaller than the pressing force of the pressing section 30 on the printing sheet S when printing the printing sheet S. Even in this case, the feed load applied when cutting the printing sheet S is lighter than the feed load applied when printing the printing sheet S, allowing for proper transport and cutting, while the printing sheet S can be pressed during printing to ensure stable transport and printing.

[0077] The above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples as an example of the present disclosure have been described in detail above. However, as mentioned above, the above description merely shows an example of the present disclosure in every respect, and it goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples can be partially replaced, deleted, or combined, and further, modifications as mentioned above are possible. For example, the print head 11 may be an inkjet type instead of a thermal head used together with the ink ribbon B. The encoder 60 may be provided on the sprocket 32. In addition, since the rotation of the sprocket 32 ​​and the rotation of the cutting motor M2 are reliably linked, the encoder 60 may be provided on the rotating shaft 32a of the sprocket 32. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1... printer (display generating device), 10... printing unit, 11... print head, 11h... print head holder (first drive unit, second drive unit), 11p... protrusion, 12... print head drive unit, 13... axial member, 20... cutting unit, 21... cutting head, 22... cutting head drive unit, 23... guide rail, 24... cutting means, 30... pressing unit, 30p... protrusion, 31... platen (first rotating body), 31a... rotating shaft, 31b... Platen driving pulley, 32... sprocket (second rotating body), 32a... rotating shaft, 32b... sprocket driving pulley, 32t... pin, 34... pressure roller, 34a... rotating shaft, 34h... roller holder, 40... torque diode, 41... power transmission section, 42... non-power transmission section, 50... torque limiter, 60... encoder, 70... control section, 71... control calculation section, 72... communication I / F section, 72... communication interface Interface (I / F) section, 73...storage section, 74...input section, 75...output section, 76...bus line, 110...printer body, 110a...side wall section, 110a...both side walls, 110b...side wall section, 110b...both side walls, 120...cover, 130...ink ribbon cassette, 131...feed-out core section, 131g...first guide roller, 132...wind-up core section, 132g...second guide roller, 133...ink ribbon conveyor Feed motor, B...ink ribbon, EB1...endless belt, EB2...endless belt, EB3...endless belt, M1...printing motor (first motor), M1a...rotating shaft, M2...cutting motor (second motor), M2a...rotating shaft, P...operation panel, R...sheet roll (printing medium), S...printing sheet (printing medium), Sh...sprocket hole, SSD...solid state drive, Ya...arrow (positive direction).

Claims

1. a printing unit that prints on a print medium using a print head; a cutting unit that cuts the printed portion of the print medium or the periphery of the printed portion into an arbitrary shape using a cutting head; a first rotating body that faces the printing unit via the printing medium; a second rotating body that faces the cutting unit across the print medium; a first motor that rotates the first rotating body and the second rotating body to transport the print medium; a pressing portion provided at a position facing the second rotating body with the printing medium interposed therebetween, the pressing portion being capable of pressing the printing medium toward the second rotating body; Equipped with The pressing unit is configured to be capable of adjusting the pressing force of the printing medium. Display creation device.

2. The pressing force of the pressing portion on the printing medium can be adjusted steplessly.

2. The display object creating device according to claim 1.

3. The pressing force of the pressing unit against the print medium can be adjusted in multiple steps.

2. The display object creating device according to claim 1.

4. The pressing force of the pressing unit can be adjusted by switching between pressing and not pressing the print medium.

2. The display object creating device according to claim 1.

5. The pressing section is configured not to press the printing medium when the printing medium is cut, and to press the printing medium when the printing medium is printed.

5. The display object creating device according to claim 4.

6. The pressing section adjusts the pressing force so that the pressing force when cutting the print medium is smaller than the pressing force when printing the print medium.

4. The display object creating device according to claim 1.

7. a second motor that rotates the second rotating body to transport the printing medium when the printing medium is cut; 6. The display object creating device according to claim 1.

8. a first drive unit that moves the pressing unit toward the printing medium side in association with the movement of the print head toward the first rotating body side; 8. The display object creating device according to claim 1.

9. a second drive unit that moves the pressing unit away from the printing medium side in accordance with the movement of the print head away from the first rotating body side; 9. The display object creating device according to claim 1.

Images