JP3892286B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention particularly relates to a printing apparatus that performs predetermined printing on a card-like printed material.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, in order to issue membership cards and the like, printing of predetermined characters and illustrations on a plastic card (hereinafter referred to as “card”) having a predetermined size is increasing. In this case, the printing apparatus includes, for example, a print head, and a platen roller is provided opposite to the print head, and the print head and the platen roller constitute a printing unit. On the upstream side and the downstream side of the printing unit, there are respectively provided first and second conveying means composed of a pair of upper and lower rollers, one of which is driven and the other is rotated by pressing the card. .
[0003]
When the card is supplied directly to the first conveying means on the upstream side by manual feeding, the card is conveyed to the printing section through the first conveying means at a constant feed speed, and predetermined printing is performed in the printing section. Thereafter, the card is discharged to the outside of the printing apparatus by the second conveying means on the downstream side.
[0004]
By the way, when the card is supplied by direct manual feeding, the card is first inserted into the upstream first conveying means and sandwiched between the upper and lower rollers, and then the conveyance to the printing unit is started or the first driven. The card is supplied to the transport means.
[0005]
However, since the length of the card is short, it may be difficult to manually feed the first conveying unit without causing a positional deviation in the left-right direction with respect to the print head or without being inclined with respect to the conveying direction. Many. In addition, once the card is supplied in a shifted state, it is supplied to the printing unit in a shifted state, so that there is a problem that a printing failure such as a printing shift occurs.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As a solution to this problem, upstream of the first conveying means, first conveyor so that the position deviation in the horizontal direction a plurality of cards Card from the stacker to enable storage of taken out one by one does not occur It is proposed to provide card supply means for supplying means.
[0007]
However, in this case, since it is necessary to provide a driving roller constituting the card supply means and its power source, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost of the printing apparatus increases.
[0008]
Therefore, in view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus that does not require a separate card supply unit that causes high costs and can prevent occurrence of printing defects due to misalignment of a substrate.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To solve this problem, the printing device of this invention comprises a carrier tray for chromatic reciprocates holding part for holding a card-like printing material, to print head conveying tray at a constant feed rate In the printing apparatus provided with the transporting means for feeding , the holding part is composed of an opening provided in the transport tray and a thin plate that swings downward at the discharge position and pivotally attached to the opening. The thickness of the thin plate is set to be shorter than the thickness of the transport tray, a space for accommodating the card-like printed material is formed on the thin plate, and the card-like printed material is set in the holding portion on the upstream side of the print head. And a discharge position for discharging a card-like printed material on which predetermined printing has been performed, on the downstream side of the print head, and the thin plate swings downward at the discharge position so that the card-like cover is discharged. It is characterized by sliding off printed matter .
[0010]
According to the present invention, the transport tray moves the transport tray until the transport tray holder reaches the set position, and when the holder reaches the set position, the card-like printed material is set in the holder. Then, the transport unit moves the transport tray to the downstream side at a constant feed speed and sends it to the printing unit to perform predetermined printing. Further, the transport tray moves the transport tray to the downstream side of the printing unit, and when the holding unit reaches the discharge position, the printed material on which printing has been completed is discharged.
[0011]
It is preferable to configure the printing apparatus so that the transport tray is removed and predetermined printing can be performed on the wound long printed material.
[0012]
Further, the holding portion is composed of an opening provided in the transport tray and a thin plate that swings downward at the discharge position and pivotally attached to the opening, and the thickness dimension of the thin plate is determined by the transport tray. If the space for accommodating the card-like printed material is formed on the thin plate, the card-like printed material that has reached the discharge position is caused by its own weight according to the swing of the thin plate of the transport tray. It slides and falls on the thin plate. Thereby, it becomes possible to automatically discharge a card-like printed material on which predetermined printing has been performed.
[0013]
Further, a stacker capable of storing a plurality of prints stacked vertically is detachably mounted at the carry-in position, and the transfer tray is moved by a transfer unit to store the card-like prints stored in the holding unit and the stacker. If the card-like printed material is set in the holding unit when it matches the lower layer, the card-like printed material can be automatically set in the holding unit. By continuously reciprocating this transport tray, continuous printing on the card becomes possible.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a printing apparatus capable of printing predetermined characters and illustrations on a printing material such as a plastic plate or a tape. The printing apparatus 1 is provided with a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of the apparatus. A personal computer 2 for inputting print data such as fonts and character intervals is connected to the control unit via a communication cable 3.
[0015]
Referring to FIG. 2, a thermal transfer type print head 11 that can move up and down is provided at the center of the printing apparatus 1. A platen roller 12 is provided below the print head 11 so as to face each other, and the print head 11 and the platen roller 12 form a printing unit. On the upstream side and the downstream side of the printing units 11 and 12, there are provided first and second conveying means 13 and 14 for feeding the printing material at a constant feeding speed.
[0016]
Each of the first and second transport means 13 and 14 includes drive rollers 13a and 14a and idle rollers 13b and 14b that rotate with the drive rollers 13a and 14a by pressing the printing material. Each drive roller 13a, 14a is driven by a drive motor M through a gear train 15. In this case, the platen roller 12 may be driven synchronously via the gear train 15.
[0017]
Further, the idle roller 13b of the upstream first conveying means 13 (right side in the figure) may be formed as an adhesive roller having an adhesive force capable of removing particles such as dust adhering to the surface of the printing material. Then, when the printed material is inserted into the upstream conveying means 13 by manual feeding, the printed material is sent to the printing units 11 and 12 at a constant feed speed, and predetermined printing is performed.
[0018]
On the upstream side of the first conveying means 13, there is provided a concave storage portion 16 that can store a belt-like printed material wound in a roll shape. A driving roller 16a and an idle roller 16b are disposed at a predetermined interval on the inner peripheral surface of the storage portion 16, and a belt-like printed material can be sent out at a constant feeding speed. In this case, the driving roller 16a may be driven synchronously via the gear train 15.
[0019]
By the way, when the substrate to be printed is a card having a predetermined size for creating a membership card or the like, since the length is short, the position in the left-right direction with respect to the print head 11 in a state where the drive roller 13a is driven. In many cases, it is difficult to manually insert a card into the first transport unit 13 without causing a shift or being inclined with respect to the transport direction.
[0020]
For this reason, the guide member 17 for restricting the lateral movement of both the belt-shaped printed material and the printed material of the card is provided on the upstream side of the first conveying means so as to be movable corresponding to the width dimension of the printed material. However, when the card is manually supplied, the card repeatedly comes into contact with the guide member 17, so that the guide member 17 is slightly displaced and does not function as a guide.
[0021]
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, in the present embodiment, when predetermined printing is performed on the card C, between the upstream side and the downstream side of the printing units 11 and 12 by forward and reverse rotation of the drive rollers 13a and 14a. The transport tray 4 that reciprocates was used. The transport tray moves between a set position S on the upstream side of the first transport means 13 on which the card C is set and a discharge position E on the downstream side of the second transport means 14 for discharging the printed card C. The card C is set in the holding unit 41 of 4, and the card C is sent to the printing units 11 and 12 at a constant feeding speed to perform predetermined printing.
[0022]
In this case, if the guide member 17 is positioned in accordance with the width of the transport tray 4 and the transport tray 4 is installed, the transport tray 4 will not be displaced even if reciprocating is repeated by forward and reverse rotation of the drive rollers 13a and 14a. . For this reason, printing defects such as printing misalignment can be prevented only by setting the card C on the transport tray 4 in parallel with the print head 11.
[0023]
Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the transport tray 4 is made of a synthetic resin thin plate, and the thickness dimension thereof is set shorter than the thickness dimension of the card C. In addition, a substantially rectangular opening 41 a larger than the outer shape of the card C is formed at a predetermined position of the transport tray 4.
[0024]
A thin plate 41b is pivotally mounted on the inner edge of the opening 41a on the rear side in the card C conveying direction so as to be swingable downward via, for example, an adhesive tape-like support member 42, and the opening 41a and the thin plate 41b are connected to each other. Constitutes the holding part 41 of the card C. In this case, when the thin plate 41b is assembled to the opening 41a, the back surfaces of the transport tray 4 and the thin plate 41b are processed so that a recess straddling the opening 41a and the thin plate 41b is formed, and does not protrude from the back surface of the transport tray 4. Thus, the support member 42 is accommodated in the recess.
[0025]
The thin plate 41 b is held horizontally while moving from the set position S to the discharge position E, and swings downward when it reaches the discharge position E outside the printing apparatus 1 after passing through the second conveying means 14. In this case, at the discharge position E, the thin plate 41b swings downward so that the card C on the thin plate 41b slides down by its own weight. Therefore, the card C can be automatically discharged at the discharge position E.
[0026]
In addition, the thickness dimension T1 of the thin plate 41b is set shorter than the thickness dimension T2 of the transport tray so that a space for storing the card C is formed on the thin plate 41b. The lateral width W of the opening 41a substantially corresponds to the lateral width of the card C. Thereby, the position shift of the card | curd C in the left-right direction is prevented only by setting the card | curd C in the holding | maintenance part 41. FIG.
[0027]
In the present embodiment, the stacker 5 is mounted at the set position S. Referring to FIG. 6, the stacker 5 is provided with an accommodating portion 51 substantially corresponding to the outer shape of the card C, and can store approximately 50 cards stacked one above the other and wound in a roll shape. It can be detachably attached to the storage portion 16 that stores the belt-shaped printed material.
[0028]
A pair of substantially L-shaped fitting portions 52 a and 52 b are provided on both outer side surfaces of the accommodating portion 51 of the stacker 5. Then, by inserting the fitting portions 52 a and 52 b into the concave accommodating portion 16, the stacker 5 can be positioned, and the gaps 53 a and 53 b that allow the transport tray 4 to pass therethrough are formed. In this case, the height of the gap 53a in the front in the transport direction is formed such that one or more cards C accommodated in the accommodating portion 51 do not come out.
[0029]
The length of the transport tray 4 is set as follows. That is, while the holding unit 41 moves between the set position S and the discharge position E, the transfer tray 4 is sandwiched between at least one of the first and second transfer units 13 and 14, and the holding unit 41 is It is set so that a part of the transport tray 4 exists below the stacker 5 when it reaches the discharge position.
[0030]
As a result, the lowermost card C stored in the stacker 5 is always in contact with the transport tray 4, and the transport tray 4 is moved by the first and second transport means 13 and 14 to be stored in the holding unit 41 and the stacker 5. The card is automatically set in the holding unit 41 when the card C in the lowermost layer is made coincident with the other card C.
[0031]
The printing on the card C set in the holding unit 41 and the movement of the transport tray 4 between the set position S and the discharge position E are performed inside the printing apparatus 1 in order to detect, for example, the leading end portion of the above-described belt-like printed material. A position sensor 18 provided at a predetermined position is used, and control is performed according to the detection result of the position sensor 18. Further, in order to detect the position of the card C, an opening 41c is opened at the end of the thin plate 41b on the pivoting portion side, and a space between the thin plate 41b and the inner edge of the opening 41a in the horizontal state of the thin plate 41b. The card C is placed on the holding part 41 so that the end of the card C protrudes from 41d (see FIG. 5).
[0032]
Next, a case where predetermined printing is performed on the card C by the printing apparatus of the present invention will be described. First, after the transport tray 4 is installed in the printing apparatus 1, the stacker 5 is mounted at the set position S, and a predetermined number of cards C are stored in the stacker 5. In this case, the lowermost card C stored in the stacker 5 is brought into contact with a portion other than the holding portion 41 of the transport tray 4. Then, the drive rollers 13a, 14a of the first and second transport means 13, 14 are rotated forward or reverse so that the lowermost card C stored in the stacker 5 and the holding portion 41 coincide with each other. The transport tray 4 is moved until it reaches (see FIG. 3A).
[0033]
When the holding portion 41 card C of the bottom layer reaches the set position S is set to move the conveyance tray 4 on the downstream side are rotated in the forward direction of the driving roller 13a of the conveying means 13, at a constant feed rate It is sent to the printing units 11 and 12. The printing units 11 and 12 perform predetermined printing based on data set by the personal computer 2.
[0034]
Further, when the driving rollers 13a and 14a are rotated forward to move the transport tray 4 to the downstream side, the holding portion 41 passes through the second transport means 14, and the thin plate 41b swings downward so that the printed card is printed. The transport tray 4 reaches the unloading position E outside the printing apparatus 1 where C slides down from the thin plate 41b by its own weight (see FIG. 3B). In this case, if a box-shaped stacker (not shown) is installed below the discharge position E, the dropped cards C can be stored in a state of being stacked one above the other. Note that the card C moved to the lowermost position in the stacker 5 is supported by a portion other than the holding portion 41 b of the transport tray 4.
[0035]
Next, in order to perform printing on another card C stored in the stacker 5, when the driving rollers 13a and 14a are reversed, the thin plate 41b swings upward again and returns to the horizontal. Then, the transport tray 4 is moved upstream until the holding unit 41 reaches the set position S again through the second transport unit 14 and the printing units 11 and 12. And the holding | maintenance part 41 and the card | curd C of the lowest layer accommodated in the stacker 5 correspond, and one card is set in this holding | maintenance part 41 again.
[0036]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, As long as it does not deviate from the main point of invention, it can take various forms. For example, the conveyance unit may be provided on either the upstream side or the downstream side of the print head, and the conveyance unit is not limited to the conveyance roller, and may be a rack pinion, a conveyance belt, or the like.
[0037]
In addition, the stacker 5 is shaped to fit into the concave storage portion 16, but a known engagement member that engages with other members may be provided if the storage portion 16 is not provided.
[0038]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the printing apparatus of the present invention does not require a separate card supply means, so that the manufacturing cost of the printing apparatus can be reduced. In addition, the card set in the holding portion of the transport tray is attached to the print head. On the other hand, since the paper is fed at a constant feed speed without causing a positional deviation in the left-right direction, it is possible to prevent printing defects such as a printing deviation. In addition, by using the transport tray, a printing device configured to print predetermined characters and illustrations on a plastic plate, a tape, or the like can be used as a card printing device.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a printing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the printing apparatus. (A) is a set position. (B) is the discharge position.
4 is a cross-sectional view of the transport tray. FIG. 5 is a top view of the transport tray. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the stacker.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus 11 Print head 12 Platen rollers 13 and 14 Conveying means 4 Conveying tray 41 Holding part 5 Stacker

Claims (3)

A transport tray for chromatic reciprocates holding portion for holding a card-like printing material, in a printing apparatus provided with a conveying means for sending at a constant feed rate to the printhead a conveying tray, the holding portion And an opening provided in the transport tray and a thin plate that swings downward at the discharge position and pivotally attached to the opening. The thickness of the thin plate is shorter than the thickness of the transport tray. A space for accommodating the card-like printed material is formed on the thin plate , and a predetermined position is set on the upstream side of the print head, the set position where the card-like printed material is set in the holding portion, and the downstream side of the print head. and a discharge position provided the printing is discharged card-like printing material that has been made, the printing apparatus the sheet in the discharge position, characterized in that the drop sliding the card-like printing substrate swings downward.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport tray is removed and predetermined printing can be performed on a wound long printed material.   At the carry-in position, a stacker capable of storing a plurality of prints stacked one above the other is detachably mounted, and a transfer tray is moved by a transfer means, and the lowermost layer of the card-like prints stored in the holding unit and the stacker is stored. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the card-like substrate is set on the holding portion when the object is matched.

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