JP3296175B2 - Tube printing adapter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an adapter for tube printing capable of forming a terminal- number display tube, which is attached to an electric-wire end, by the use of long tube whose cross-section is circular. SOLUTION: An adapter 12 for tube printing has the same shape as a tape cassette used for a tape printer, and a pressure lever and intermediate lever 21 are mounted on a shaft in it. The pressure lever and intermediate lever 21 are opened by a compression spring 26 and also urged by an extension spring 35 in the direction where they are retracted. A tube 15 is inserted from a tube- introducing window 18 of a side to be set between the platen roller 8 and thermal head 7 of the tape printer, and when an operation handle 28 is turned clockwise, the intermediate lever 21 and pressure lever turn forward by being pushed by an operation cam 30, so that the front end of the pressure lever is pressed to the rear of a platen roller support arm 27. The tube having a circular cross-section is pressed flat by this pressure, and it is subjected to printing while carried to the left.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tube printing adapter used for a printer.
The present invention relates to a tube printing adapter capable of printing on a circular cross-section tube.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a tape printer capable of producing a terminal number indicating tube for covering an end portion of an electric wire connected to a terminal block of electric equipment. This type of tape printer can print characters on tape using an adhesive tape cassette with release paper, and print on a synthetic resin tube by loading a tube cassette containing a wire coating tube. A terminal number display tube can be created.

When a tube cassette and an ink ribbon cartridge are loaded into a cassette accommodating portion and an ink ribbon cartridge accommodating portion of a tape printer, respectively, the tube and the ink ribbon are located between the thermal head and the platen roller. At the time of printing, a platen roller supported by a rotating arm presses against the thermal head and presses the tube and the ink ribbon. The platen roller is driven to rotate by a motor, and the ink is thermally transferred to the tube by the thermal head while feeding the tube and the ink ribbon.

[0004] The tubes of the tube cassette are preliminarily formed into a flat and crushed shape so that the thermal head comes into uniform contact, and are wound around a core and housed in the cassette. When attaching the printed tube to the end of the wire,
An operator restores the tube into a cylindrical shape with a finger and inserts the tube into the electric wire.

[0005]

Since the terminal number indicating tube made by using the conventional tube cassette is crushed flat, it is often difficult to insert the tube into the electric wire as it is. It takes time and effort to adjust the shape, and especially when a large number of tubes are mounted, there is a problem in work efficiency.

However, in order to print on a tube having a cylindrical cross section, the contact pressure between the thermal head and the platen roller must be increased, and a lower contact pressure than tube printing is sufficient. If the thermal head and the platen roller are always brought into contact with each other with a strong pressure even during tape printing, a problem occurs in that the durability of the thermal head and the tape driving mechanism is reduced.

Therefore, there is a technical problem to be solved in order to improve the function of a printer by enabling printing on a long cylindrical tube according to the intended use without sacrificing the versatility and durability of the printer. Problems arise, and an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to achieve the above object, and has a thermal head and a platen roller which can be brought into and out of contact with the thermal head. Tube printing used by attaching to a printer device that prints while rotating the platen roller by rotating the platen roller while holding the ink ribbon of the ink ribbon cartridge between the platen roller and the thermal head and printing synchronously with the tape or tube. An adapter, wherein a side wall of a case having the same shape as the cassette is provided with a window communicating with a tube guide in the case from the outside, a lever is pivotally mounted in the case, and a tip of the lever is supported by a platen roller of a printer device Face the back of the arm and connect it to the lever via a compression spring. The intermediate lever and the intermediate lever is provided an operating handle for rotating operation, there is provided the elastic contact to and separate from freely formed tubes print adapter lever to the back of the platen roller support arm by said operating handle.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a printer 1 for preparing a number display tube for electric wire terminals and a lettering tape, in which a keyboard 2 is arranged at a front part, and a liquid crystal display panel 3 is provided at a left part of a center part.
Is provided. A cassette cover 6 for covering a cassette loading chamber 5 provided on the rear right side of the outer casing 4 is pivotally attached to the outer casing 4 via a hinge (not shown) at the rear end. The cassette loading chamber 5
Can be opened.

In the cassette loading chamber 5, a thermal head 7, a platen roller 8, an ink ribbon take-up reel shaft 9, a manual tape cutter 10, and a half-cut tape cutter 11 are provided.
Are arranged. A tube cassette, an adhesive tape cassette, or, as shown in the figure, a tube printing adapter 12 having the same shape as the tube cassette or the like is mounted at a predetermined position in the cassette loading chamber 5 and the ink ribbon cartridge 1
3, the ink ribbon 14 of the ink ribbon cartridge and the printing material such as the wire covering tube 15 or the adhesive tape with release paper are located between the thermal head 7 and the platen roller 8.

When characters and symbols are input through the keyboard 2, the input contents are displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 3. When a print execution command is input, the platen roller 8 is pressed against the thermal head 7 by the printing mechanism and is driven to rotate. . The ink ribbon 14 and the tube 15 or the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape with release paper sandwiched between the thermal head 7 and the platen roller 8 run in conjunction with each other, and the thermal ink of the ink ribbon 14 is thermally transferred to the tube 15 and the like by the thermal head 7. The print is sent to the left. The sent printed matter is cut by a manual tape cutter 10 coupled to the manual cutting button 16 via a link by pressing a manual cutting button 16 provided on the left edge of the outer casing 4.

The printer 1 also has an automatic half-cutting function of cutting only the adhesive tape of the adhesive tape with release paper on the boundary line of each print block, a half-cutting of the electric wire tube, and a function of cutting the boundary between each print block. A boundary line printing function for printing a vertical line is provided. These functions can be turned on / off by operating the keyboard 2. When the automatic half-cutting function is selected, the control unit controls a cutter driver circuit for driving the tape cutter 11 for half-cutting, and the tape or the wire tube is half-cut in the middle of each printing block. By performing the half-cutting process, the work of separately attaching each printing block printed on the tape and attaching the wire tube to the end of the wire can be easily performed.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the upper lid of the tube printing adapter 12 is removed. As described above, the lower case 17 of the tube printing adapter 12 has the same shape as the tube cassette used in the printer 1, and A window 18 for introducing a tube is provided at the front.

A fixed shaft 19 is erected on the front right side of the lower case 17, and a pressure lever 20 and an intermediate lever 21 having a channel-shaped cross section are rotatably mounted on the fixed shaft 19, respectively. The two levers 20 and 21 are respectively formed with holes 22 and 23 in the vicinity of the front ends of the opposing surfaces, and the pins 24 are inserted through the holes 22 and 23 so that one end of the pin 24 is located forward (lower in FIG. 2). It is fixed to the pressure lever 20 and the rear intermediate lever 21
A snap ring 25 is fitted to the rear end of the pin 24 that has passed through. A compression coil spring 26 is externally mounted on the pin 24 to urge the two levers 20 and 21 in the expanding direction, and by applying an external force in the compression direction, the two levers 20 and 2 are opened.
1 is formed so as to be reduced. The tip of the pressure lever 20 is bent toward the platen roller support arm 27.

An operation handle 28 is provided behind the two levers 20 and 21, and the operation handle 28 is pivotally mounted on a fixed shaft 29 provided on the lower case 17. An operation cam 30 and a rotation angle restricting convex portion 31 at a position displaced from the operation cam 30 are radially projected below the operation handle 28. Stoppers 32 and 33 are provided on the rear and right sides of the operation handle 28, and the rotation of the operation handle 28 can be performed within a range in which the rotation angle regulating protrusion 31 rotates between the two stoppers 32 and 33. The position of the right stopper 33 fixed to the upper lid can be adjusted forward and backward.

A tension coil spring 35 is mounted on the intermediate lever 21 and a spring support bracket 34 provided at the rear of the lower case 17, and the intermediate lever 21 and the pressure lever 20 are provided.
Is biased rearward to press the intermediate lever 21 against the operation cam 30. In the pressure release state shown in FIG. 2, the operation handle 28 is urged in the counterclockwise direction by being pressed by the intermediate lever 21, and the rotation angle restricting convex portion 31 is
2, the operation handle 28 is in the release position.

Then, the distal end of the wire covering tube 15 is inserted through the window 18 on the side, pulled out to the left from between the platen roller 8 and the thermal head 7 through the tube guide 36, and the operation handle 28 is rotated clockwise.
As shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate lever 21 and the pressure lever 20 rotate forward by being pressed by the operation cam 30, and the convex portion at the tip of the pressure lever 20 becomes the support arm 27 of the platen roller 8.
Press against the back of

A tube 15 is provided at the tube outlet of the lower case.
4, the tube 15 is pressed against a vertical position regulating guide 39 provided on an upper lid 38 to position the vertical position of the tube 15 as shown in FIG.

With the rotation of the operation handle 28, the intermediate lever 21 compresses the compression coil spring 26 and further rotates forward, so that a line connecting the rotation center of the operation cam 28 and the point of contact at the front end is in contact with the back surface of the intermediate lever 21. When the dead center crosses at right angles, the operation handle 28 is rotated clockwise by the repulsive force of the intermediate lever 21, the rotation angle regulating convex portion 31 abuts the right stopper 33, and the operation handle 28 stops rotating. I do. The pressure of the pressure lever 20 at this time is determined by the compression amount of the compression coil spring 26,
It can be adjusted by adjusting the front and rear positions of.

When the pressure of the pressure lever 20 is applied, the tube 15 having a circular cross section is flattened and crushed by the platen roller 8 and the thermal head 7, and characters and numerals are printed on the surface of the tube 15 while being sent to the left. Is done.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment, in which a V-shaped guide groove 40 is provided on the side surface of a tube guide 36, and the tube 15 is pressed against the guide groove 40, regardless of the outer diameter of the tube 15. The upper and lower positions h at the center of the tube 15 are formed to be constant.

Incidentally, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible, for example, replacing the rotary operation handle with a sliding type. It is natural to reach.

[0023]

As described in detail above, the tube printing adapter of the present invention is mounted on a printer in place of the conventional tube cassette, whereby the contact pressure between the thermal head and the platen roller is increased, and the cross section of the tube printing adapter is increased. Since printing can be performed on a long tube having a shape, it is possible to create a printing tube having better workability for attaching to an electric wire than a tube shaped flat, and reduce the cost of consumables.

If the tube printing adapter is removed from the printer, the contact pressure between the thermal head and the platen roller drops to a set value suitable for printing on a tape or a flat tube. The function of the printer can be improved without sacrificing durability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a printer equipped with a tube printing adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state where an upper lid of the tube printing adapter of the present invention is removed, and shows a pressure released state.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tube printing adapter of the present invention in a state where an upper lid is removed, and shows a used state.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a tube outlet of the tube printing adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the present invention and showing a tube guide shape of a tube printing adapter.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 5 Cassette loading chamber 7 Thermal head 8 Platen roller 12 Tube printing adapter 13 Ink ribbon cartridge 14 Ink ribbon 15 Tube 17 Lower case 18 Window 20 Pressure lever 21 Intermediate lever 24 Pin 26 Compression coil spring 27 Platen roller support arm 28 Operation handle Reference Signs List 30 operation cam 31 rotation angle regulating projection 32, 33 stopper 35 extension coil spring 36 tube guide 37 leaf spring 38 top lid 39 vertical position regulation guide 40 guide groove

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-7-164702 (JP, A) JP-A-6-74345 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 3/36 B41J 3/407 B41J 11/20 B41J 29/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A thermal head (7) and a platen roller (8) that can be freely attached to and detached from the thermal head, and a tape or tube loaded in a cassette and an ink ribbon of an ink ribbon cartridge are separated by the platen roller and the thermal head. A tube printing adapter which is used by being attached to a printer device which prints while nipping and driving a platen roller to rotate a tape or a tube and an ink ribbon synchronously, and a case having the same shape as the cassette (17). A window (18) is provided on the side wall of the case to communicate with the tube guide (36) in the case from outside, and a lever (20) is pivotally mounted in the case so that the end of the lever is
An intermediate lever (21) connected to the lever via a compression spring (26) and an operation handle (28) for rotating the intermediate lever are opposed to the rear surface of a platen roller support arm (27) of the printer device. A tube printing adapter, wherein the lever (20) is formed so as to be able to elastically contact and separate from the back surface of the platen roller support arm (27) by the operation handle.