Conveying device

Abstract

To provide a transport device which enables looseness of a mount to be eliminated easily.SOLUTION: A transport device includes: a platen roller which transports a label sheet comprising a belt-like mount and a label applied to the mount; a peeling roller which rotates with the platen roller in a first position where the peeling roller is pressed to the platen roller and transports the mount sandwiched between itself and the platen roller; a peeling base which contacts with the mount between the platen roller and the peeling roller and bends back a transport direction of the mount at an acute angle to peel the label from the mount; a switch part which switches the position of the peeling roller between the first position and a second position at the downstream side in a transport direction of the mount which moves away from the platen roller; and a mount guide which the peeling roller moving between the first position and the second position contacts in a rolling manner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a conveying device.

Background Art

[0002] Some printers that print on label paper in which labels of a specified size are affixed to a strip of backing paper at a predetermined interval issue (peel and issue) the labels while peeling them from the backing paper (for example, Patent Document 1). The peeling of the label is performed by changing the traveling direction of the backing paper at an acute angle by a peeling table provided near the paper discharge port. When the peeled and discharged label is removed from the paper discharge port, the above-described printer issues the next label.

[0003] Judgment as to whether the label has been removed is made by detecting whether there is a label between the peeling table and the paper discharge port based on the output of a sensor provided near the paper discharge port. However, if the backing paper that changes the traveling direction at the peeling table is loose without being in close contact with the peeling table, the sensor may detect the backing paper. In this case, the sensor output will indicate that there is a label regardless of the presence or absence of the label, which is inconvenient.

[0004] Printers may be downsized by sharing components, etc. In this case, the structure for conveying the backing paper for peel and issue may be a peeling roller that presses the backing paper on the downstream side of the peeling table against a platen roller. In such a structure, the backing paper sandwiched between the peeling roller and the platen roller is conveyed as the platen roller rotates.

[0005] In the above-described structure, when positioning the peeling roller at a position where the backing paper is pressed against the platen roller after sandwiching the label paper between the platen roller and the printing head, it is not easy to keep the backing paper in a taut state without slack. Also, it is difficult to pull out the backing paper sandwiched between the peeling roller and the platen roller without rotating the platen roller in order to remove the slack of the backing paper.

Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a conveying device that can easily remove sagging from the backing paper. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The transport device of the embodiment includes a platen roller for transporting label paper consisting of a strip-shaped backing and a label attached to the backing; a peeling roller that rotates together with the platen roller at a first position pressed against the platen roller and transports the backing sandwiched between the platen roller and the peeling roller; a peeling table that contacts the backing between the platen roller and the peeling roller and peels the label from the backing by sharply bending the transport direction of the backing; a switching unit that switches the position of the peeling roller between the first position and a second position downstream of the transport direction of the backing, away from the platen roller; and a backing guide to which the peeling roller rolls and makes contact as it moves between the first position and the second position. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a printer in an open state. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic side view showing an example of a printer structure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the peeling mechanism. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the peeling mechanism. [Figure 6] Figure 6 illustrates the process of label detection. [Figure 7] Figure 7 illustrates label detection. [Figure 8] Figure 8 illustrates label detection. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows the operation of the movable lever, operating wheel, and backing board guide. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows the operation of the movable lever, operating wheel, and backing board guide. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the external appearance of a printer 1 according to an embodiment. The printer 1 comprises a housing 2, a display and operation unit 3, an open / close button 4, and a paper output slot 5. The side on which the paper output slot 5 is located is the front side of the printer 1, and the side opposite to the side on which the paper output slot 5 is located is the rear side.

[0010] The housing 2 is a box-shaped container comprising an upper case 21 and a lower case 22. Part of the front of the lower case 22 is formed by a front cover 23. The upper case 21 has a downward-facing opening, and the lower case 22 has an upward-facing opening. The upper case 21 is rotatably attached to the lower case 22 by a hinge 20 on its rear side. This connects the upper case 21 and the lower case 22 so that they can rotate, opening and closing each other's openings.

[0011] The hinge 20 rotatably connects the upper case 21 and the lower case 22 on the rear side. The hinge 20 is equipped with a biasing member, such as a torsion spring, on one side in the width direction of the lower case 22. The biasing member biases the upper case 21 in the direction that opens the lower case 22, thereby slowing down the movement of the upper case 21 when closing the lower case 22.

[0012] The display operation unit 3 is located on the top surface of the upper case 21. The display operation unit 3 receives input for various operations and displays various information. The open / close button 4 is located on the front side of the side of the upper case 21. When the open / close button 4 is pressed, the lock state of the structure that holds the upper case 21 in the position to close the lower case 22 is released, and the upper case 21 lifts up according to the biasing force of the biasing member, opening the housing 2.

[0013] The paper output slot 5 is an opening for issuing (discharging) the printed label paper 61, and is located between the upper end of the front cover 23 and the lower front end of the upper case 21.

[0014] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the printer 1 according to the embodiment in an open state. Figure 3 is a schematic side view showing an example of the structure of the printer 1 according to the embodiment. Inside the housing 2 are a paper holding section 6, a printing section 7, a ribbon support section 8, and a peeling mechanism 9. The peeling mechanism 9 is an example of a transport device and is provided inside the front cover 23. Note that the printer 1 including the peeling mechanism 9 is also an example of a transport device.

[0015] The paper holding unit 6 rotatably holds the roll paper 60 on which the strip-shaped label paper 61 is wound. The label paper 61 consists of a strip-shaped backing 610 and a label 611 attached to the backing 610. The label 611 has an adhesive layer on the back of the side on which printing is applied (printing surface).

[0016] The printing unit 7 prints on the label paper 61 while transporting it from the paper holding unit 6, and includes a print head 71 and a platen roller 72. The print head 71 is fixed to the inner surface of the upper case 21, and the upper case 21 is in close contact with the platen roller 72 when the opening on the top surface of the lower case 22 is closed.

[0017] The print head 71 is, for example, a thermal head, and is equipped with multiple heating elements arranged in parallel. The print head 71 prints on the label paper 61 sandwiched between itself and the platen roller 72 using the heat from the heating elements. The platen roller 72 rotates when the driving force of the stepping motor is transmitted to it, and transports the label paper 61 sandwiched between it and the print head 71.

[0018] The printer 1 performs printing by thermally transferring the ink on the surface of the ink ribbon. The ribbon support part 8 supports the ink ribbon in a wound state.

[0019] The ribbon support part 8 includes support shafts 81 and 82. The support shaft 81 supports the unused wound ink ribbon and supplies or rewinds the ink ribbon by rotating. The support shaft 82 winds up the used ink ribbon and winds up or rewinds the ink ribbon by rotating.

[0020] The support shaft 81 and the support shaft 82 are supported at both ends by the inner wall of the upper case 21 and rotate when a driving force is transmitted to one end.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the peeling mechanism 9. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the peeling mechanism 9. The peeling mechanism 9 includes a peeling table 91, a peeling roller 92, a movable lever 93, an operation wheel 94, a backing guide 95 (see FIG. 9), and a sensor 90 (see FIG. 3).

[0022] Note that, an uneven shape 51 for making it difficult to attach the label 611 discharged from the paper discharge port 5 is provided at the upper edge portion of the front cover 23. Further, a notch 52 for allowing the light emitted by the light emitting part of the sensor 90 to pass through is provided at the center of the upper edge portion of the front cover 23.

[0023] [[ID=2^0]]The sensor 90 is provided for detecting the label 611 issued from the paper discharge port 5 and detects an object existing between the peeling table 91 and the paper discharge port 5. More specifically, the sensor 90 has a light emitting part and a light receiving part, and detects the object when the light receiving part receives the light emitted by the light emitting part and reflected by the object.

[0024] The peeling mechanism 9 is a mechanism for peeling the label 611 from the backing paper 610 of the label paper 61. The peeling table 91 is a rod-shaped member with an acute-angled side in its longitudinal cross-section, and is positioned with the acute-angled side facing downstream in the paper transport direction. The peeling table 91 contacts the backing paper 610 between the platen roller 72 and the peeling roller 92, and peels the label 611 from the backing paper 610 by bending the transport direction of the backing paper 610 at an acute angle.

[0025] In the first position where it is pressed against the platen roller 72, the peeling roller 92 rotates together with the platen roller 72 to transport the backing paper 610 sandwiched between the platen roller 72 and the peeling roller 92.

[0026] More specifically, the release roller 92 holds the backing paper 610, which has passed the printing section 7, gone around the release table 91, and been folded back, between itself and the platen roller 72. The release roller 92 is biased toward the platen roller 72 by the spring 921, so the back surface of the backing paper 610 is pressed against the platen roller 72. When the platen roller 72 rotates in this state, the backing paper 610 is transported.

[0027] Figures 6 to 8 illustrate the detection of label 611.

[0028] Figure 6 shows the state in which the label 611 issued from the paper output slot 5 is detected by the sensor 90. The sensor 90 detects the label 611 by receiving the light emitted by the light-emitting part and reflected off the back surface of the label 611 with the light-receiving part, and outputs a signal indicating this.

[0029] Figure 7 shows the state where label 611 has been removed and sensor 90 detects nothing. The light emitted from the light-emitting part of sensor 90 is not reflected and does not enter the light-receiving part.

[0030] Figure 8 shows a state where the backing paper 610 is loose. In this state, the light emitted by the light-emitting part of the sensor 90 is reflected by the backing paper 610 and enters the light-receiving part, resulting in the output of a false detection signal. In other words, the sensor 90 outputs a signal indicating that the label 611 has been issued, regardless of whether the label 611 is actually present at the paper output slot 5.

[0031] To prevent the problems shown in Figure 8, the slack in the backing paper 610 must be eliminated. For this purpose, the peeling mechanism 9 of the printer in this embodiment includes, in addition to the peeling table 91 and peeling roller 92 described above, a movable lever 93, an operating wheel 94, and a backing paper guide 95.

[0032] Figures 9 and 10 show the operation of the movable lever 93, the operating wheel 94, and the backing guide 95. Figure 9 shows the state in which the release roller 92 is in a position to press against the platen roller 72, and the label 611 can be peeled off and issued. The position of the release roller 92 shown in Figure 9 will be referred to as the peelable position below. Figure 10 shows the state in which the release roller 92 is positioned away from the platen roller 72.

[0033] The movable lever 93 is an example of a switching mechanism that switches the position of the peeling roller 92 between a first position and a second position. The second position is a position downstream in the conveying direction of the backing paper 610, away from the platen roller 72.

[0034] Furthermore, the switching unit of this embodiment moves the peeling roller 92 by rotational motion around the center of the circumference including the first and second positions. The movable lever 93 is a rod-shaped member that rotates around the shaft 931 as a pivot point, with one end being a gripping portion 932 and the other end being an operating portion 933.

[0035] The shaft 931 is rotatably mounted on the lower case 22 relative to a stationary member and is substantially parallel to the shaft 922 of the peeling roller 92. The gripping portion 932 surrounds the shaft 922 of the peeling roller 92 by gripping it. In other words, the shaft 922 passes through the gripping portion 932. As a result, the longitudinal direction of the movable lever 93 is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the peeling roller 92.

[0036] The control unit 933 is where the operator of the printer 1 applies force. The control unit 933 receives manual force to rotate the peeling roller 92 when the peeling roller 92 is in the second position.

[0037] When the operator moves the operating unit 933 upward (or downward), the peeling roller 92 connected to the gripping unit 932 moves downward (or upward). In this embodiment, the peeling roller 92 is located below the platen roller 72 and is biased upward toward the platen roller 72 by a spring 921 (Figures 3 and 5).

[0038] When separating the peeling roller 92 from the platen roller 72, the operator operates the operating part 933 of the movable lever 93 against the biasing force of the spring 921.

[0039] The backing paper guide 95 is the surface that the release roller 92, which moves between a first position and a second position, rolls into contact with. The backing paper 610 is pressed against the backing paper guide 95 by the release roller 92, which moves downward, and the backing paper 610 is guided by the backing paper guide 95.

[0040] Reference numeral 25 indicates a recess 25, which is a fixed component in the lower case 22 and is located opposite the inner surface of the front cover 23. The cardboard guide 95 is movable in the direction of moving in and out of the recess 25. As a result, the cardboard guide 95 in this embodiment is movable in the radial direction of the circumference.

[0041] A spring 951 is built between the recess 25 and the backing paper guide 95. The spring 951 is an example of a biasing member that biases the backing paper guide 95 in a direction that presses against the peeling roller 92.

[0042] The spring 951 is compressed when the cardboard guide 95 is subjected to a load that pushes it into the recess 25, allowing the cardboard guide 95 to move, and when there is no load, it positions the cardboard guide 95 in a predetermined position. The predetermined position is a position where there is virtually no step difference between the edge of the front cover 23 side of the cardboard guide 95 and the edge of the recess 25.

[0043] Since the peeling roller 92 moves by rotation with the shaft 931 as the pivot point, the peeling roller 92 presses against the backing paper guide 95 when the distance from the shaft 931 to the outer surface of the peeling roller 92 exceeds the distance to the backing paper guide 95. At this time, the backing paper guide 95 is pushed into the recess 25 against the biasing force of the spring 951. In other words, at this time the operator operates the operating unit 933 against the biasing force of the spring 921 and then against the biasing force of the spring 951.

[0044] The operating range of the control unit 933 when separating the release roller 92 from the platen roller 72 is from the position where the release roller 92 moves further from the deepest point of the recess 25 of the backing paper guide 95 to a slightly shallower depth. This prevents the release roller 92 from unexpectedly returning to the release position (shown in Figure 9) without operating the control unit 933.

[0045] The operating wheel 94, together with the roller 941 and the driven roller 942 (see Figure 5), constitutes an example of a transmission unit. The transmission unit is in contact with the peeling roller 92 located in the second position and receives the manual force that rotates the peeling roller 92 and transmits it to the peeling roller 92.

[0046] The operating wheel 94 is positioned with its axis of rotation inside the front cover 23 and its outer circumference exposed outside the front cover 23. The operating wheel 94 rotates when an operator applies force by placing their finger or the like on the part exposed from the front cover 23.

[0047] The operating wheel 94 and the roller 941 are connected. The roller 941 is located inside the front cover 23. The axis of rotation of the roller 941 is the same as the axis of rotation of the operating wheel 94, and the roller 941 rotates together with the operating wheel 94 when it is rotated by the operator's force.

[0048] As shown in Figure 5, the driven roller 942 is mounted on the shaft 922 of the peeling roller 92. The driven roller 942 contacts the roller 941 when the operating unit 933 is raised and the peeling roller 92 is lowered and away from the platen roller 72. When the driven roller 942 and the roller 941 are in contact, the operating wheel 94 is operated and the roller 941 rotates, causing the driven roller 942 to rotate as well. With this configuration, the peeling roller 92 can be rotated by operating the operating wheel 94.

[0049] In this configuration, as shown in Figure 8, if the backing paper 610 becomes loose, the operator pushes up the operating part 933 of the movable lever 93. This causes the peeling roller 92 to roll away from the platen roller 72. As a result, the backing paper 610 is separated from the platen roller 72 and becomes sandwiched between the backing paper guide 95 and the peeling roller 92.

[0050] Next, the operator applies a downward force to the exposed portion of the operating wheel 94, causing it to rotate. This causes the peeling roller 92 to rotate via the roller 941 and the driven roller 942, applying a downward force to the backing paper 610. At this time, the label paper 61 between the print head 71 and the platen roller 72 remains sandwiched between them, so only the backing paper 610 is transported. This removes any slack in the backing paper 610, allowing it to be properly taut.

[0051] Furthermore, the embodiments described above can be modified and implemented as appropriate by changing some of the configurations or functions of each of the devices described above.

[0052] For example, in the above embodiment, the movable lever 93 is configured to accept an operation to move the peeling roller 92 away from the platen roller 72, but in implementation, the peeling roller 92 may be made movable by a different structure. An example of a different structure is to configure the peeling roller 92 to be able to move in parallel in a direction away from the platen roller 72, and to expose the operating end that receives the force for parallel movement from the front cover 23.

[0053] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1. Printer (an example of a transport device), 2...casing, 20...hinge, 21...Upper case, 22...Lower case, 23...Front cover, 25...Indentation 3...display operation section, 4…Open / close button, 5...paper ejection slot, 51...uneven shape, 6...Paper holding section, 60...Roll paper, 61...Label paper, 610...Backing paper, 611...Labels 7...Printing unit, 71...Print head, 72...Platen roller, 8...Ribbon support part, 81...Support shaft, 82...Support shaft, 9. Peeling mechanism (an example of a conveying device), 90... Sensor, 91... Peeling table, 92... peeling roller, 922... shaft, 93...Movable lever (example of switching part), 931...Shaft, 932...Gripping part, 933...Operating part, 94...Operating wheel (an example of a transmission part), 941...Roller, 942...Driven roller, 95... Mounting board guide. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0055] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5843351

Claims

1. A platen roller that transports label paper consisting of a strip-shaped backing and a label attached to the backing, A peeling roller that rotates together with the platen roller at a first position where it is pressed against the platen roller, and that conveys the backing paper sandwiched between the platen roller and the peeling roller, A peeling platform between the platen roller and the peeling roller that peels the label from the backing paper by contacting the backing paper and folding the backing paper at an acute angle in the transport direction, A switching unit that switches the position of the peeling roller between the first position and a second position located downstream in the conveying direction of the backing paper, away from the platen roller, The backing paper guide with which the peeling roller moves between the first position and the second position, A conveying device equipped with the following features.

2. A transmission unit that contacts the peeling roller located at the second position and receives manual force to rotate the peeling roller and transmits that force to the peeling roller. The conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. The switching unit moves the peeling roller by rotational motion around the center of the circumference, which includes the first position and the second position. The conveying device according to claim 1.

4. The base guide is movable in the radial direction of the circumference. The conveying device according to claim 3.

5. The backing paper guide is further provided with a biasing member that biases it in a direction that presses against the peeling roller. The conveying device according to claim 4.

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