JP4556082B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus capable of periodically cleaning an adhesive roller that removes particles adhering to a substrate.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, the name plate is manufactured by cutting a plastic plate into a predetermined size and shape and then printing predetermined characters with a printing device. In this case, the printing apparatus includes a printing unit including a print head that prints predetermined characters and a platen roller, and supplies the printing unit to the printing unit at a constant feed speed. A pair of upper and lower conveying units including an idler roller that rotates with the driving roller by pressing is provided on the upstream side of the printing unit.
[0003]
Here, the printing surface of the plastic plate is covered with protective paper to prevent the printing surface of the plastic plate from being scratched by a cutting operation or the like. This protective paper is peeled off immediately before the plate cut into a predetermined size and shape is supplied to the printing device. However, if the protective paper is removed, particles such as dust remaining in the cut surface and dust in the atmosphere are statically applied to the substrate. May adhere to the printed surface.
[0004]
If printing is performed in such a state, printing failure occurs. For this reason, in this type of printing apparatus, at least the roller located on the printing surface side is an adhesive roller having sufficient adhesiveness to remove particles adhering to the printing surface.
In order to automatically clean the adhesive roller, for example, a cleaning mechanism made of an adhesive tape having sufficient adhesiveness to remove particles transferred to the adhesive roller while always in contact with the adhesive roller is provided. (For example, refer to JP-A-1-136748). In this case, the adhesive tape is installed so as to be wound from the feed roller to a winding roller having a power source via a cleaning roller disposed so as to contact the adhesive roller via the adhesive tape.
[0005]
By the way, if the adhesive tape is always paid out while the conveyance roller is driven to convey the substrate, the amount of tape consumed increases and the running cost increases. For this reason, it is proposed to configure the printing apparatus so that the adhesive roller can be periodically cleaned. In this case, for example, a drive source is provided so that the adhesive roller is movable between the drive roller and the cleaning roller, and the adhesive roller is moved by pressing the substrate and contacting the adhesive tape. It is proposed that the cleaning can be switched.
[0006]
Then, in consideration of printing on the printed material having various lengths, the timing of cleaning the adhesive roller is determined from the amount of the printed material fed to the printing unit in the transport unit.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, if the detection means for detecting the rotation number of the drive roller is provided in the drive roller in order to calculate the accumulated feed amount, the number of parts increases and the manufacturing cost of the apparatus increases.
[0008]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus in which the adhesive roller is periodically cleaned from the feed amount of the substrate without providing a separate detection unit. .
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To solve this problem, the printing apparatus of the present invention, a transport path for transporting a printed matter, a printing unit for printing on the printing object based on the print data inputted via the print data input unit, the printing provided upstream of the parts, and adhesive roller for cleaning the printing surface of the printing substrate in a printing device provided with a roller cleaning means for cleaning the adhesive roller is input to the print data input unit A storage means for storing a cumulative feed amount obtained by accumulating the feed amounts of a plurality of printing materials calculated based on the print data, and comparing the cumulative feed amount stored in the storage means with a preset set value. And a control means for controlling the roller cleaning means so as to clean the adhesive roller according to the comparison result .
[0010]
According to the present invention, since the feed amount of the substrate to be printed is accumulated and calculated from the print data input to the print data input unit, a separate detection is required to calculate the feed amount necessary for periodic cleaning of the adhesive roller. No means is required and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, for example, inside a printing apparatus 1 according to the present invention for continuously printing predetermined characters on a plastic plate having a predetermined length, a control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of the apparatus. ) Is provided. A personal computer 2 capable of inputting print data such as a font, a print width, and a character interval is connected to the control unit via a communication cable 3.
[0012]
2 and 3, a thermal transfer type print head 11 driven by a gear train 11a is disposed in the center of the printing apparatus 1 for printing based on print data. A platen roller 12 is disposed below the print head 11 so as to face the print head 11 to form a printing unit. A rotation shaft 12a is provided in the platen roller 12 so as to pass through, and the rotation shaft 12a is rotatably supported by the frame 4 of the apparatus.
[0013]
In the drawing, a pair of upper and lower conveying units 13 and 14 are provided on the left and right sides of the printing unit. The conveyance unit 13 on the upstream side (right side in FIG. 2) of the conveyance path includes a drive roller 13a and an adhesive roller 13b that rotates with the drive roller 13a by pressing the substrate S. The conveyance unit 14 on the downstream side (left side in FIG. 2) of the conveyance path also includes a drive roller 14a and an idle roller 14b that rotates with the drive roller 14a by pressing the substrate S. Rotating shafts 13c and 14c are provided through the drive rollers 13a and 14a whose outer peripheral surfaces are made of rubber, and these rotating shafts 13c and 14c are rotatably supported by the frame 4. The rotation shafts 13c and 14c and the rotation shaft 12a of the platen roller 12 are driven in synchronization by a first drive motor M1 as a first drive source via a first gear train 15 provided inside the frame 4. .
[0014]
By the way, the plastic plate S which is a substrate to be printed is cut into a predetermined size and shape, and then a predetermined character is printed. In order to prevent the printed surface of the plastic plate S from being scratched by cutting work or the like, at least the printed surface of the plastic plate S is covered with protective paper. This protective paper is peeled off immediately before the plate S cut into a predetermined size and shape is carried into the printing apparatus 1, but when the protective paper is removed, particles such as dust remaining in the cut surface of the plate S and dust in the atmosphere. Adheres to the surface of the plate S due to static electricity. Printing in this state causes printing failure. For this reason, the adhesive roller 13b was given an adhesive force capable of removing particles adhering to the printing surface of the substrate.
[0015]
Moreover, since it is necessary to remove the particles transferred to the adhesive roller 13b from the substrate S, an adhesive tape 16a which is a tape-like cleaning member having an adhesive force capable of removing the particles transferred to the adhesive roller 13b is provided. A roller cleaning mechanism 16 was provided. The adhesive tape 16a is installed so as to be wound around the take-up roller 16d driven by the power from the drive source from the feed roller 16b via the cleaning roller 16c arranged corresponding to the adhesive roller 13b. Yes. Thus, the adhesive roller 16a is cleaned by feeding the adhesive tape 16a in a state where the adhesive roller 13b and the cleaning roller 16c are in contact with each other over the entire width via the adhesive tape 16a. Here, if the adhesive tape 16a is always drawn out, the consumption of the tape increases. In the embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive roller 13b is swingably formed between the drive roller 13a and the cleaning roller 16c by the power from the second drive motor M2, and the adhesive roller 13b swings toward the cleaning roller 16c. The power from the first drive motor M1 is transmitted to the cleaning mechanism 16.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 4, the support shaft 13d inserted through the adhesive roller 13b is rotatably supported by two swing arms 17 arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval. Each swing arm 17 is connected to a driven portion 18b of the cam device 18 so as to swing in synchronism with each other, and a drive portion 18a of the cam device that forms a pair is a second drive source via a second gear train 19. It is connected to a certain drive motor M2. A gear 151 that is a power transmission member connected to the first gear train 15 is attached to the upper end of the driven portion 18b. The gear 151 is driven while its power is transmitted through the first gear train 15 while the first drive motor M1 is driven to convey the substrate. When the second drive motor M2 is driven to clean the adhesive roller 13b and the adhesive roller 13b is swung to a position where the cleaning roller 16c of the cleaning mechanism 16 contacts the cleaning roller 16c via the adhesive tape 16a, the gear 151 is wound. The power from the first drive motor M1 is transmitted to the take-up roller 16d by being connected to the take-up roller 16d.
[0017]
The second gear train 19 is connected to one end of a slide arm 20 that is movable in parallel along the transport path in synchronization with the driving portion 18 a of the cam device 18. First and second position sensors 21a and 21b are respectively disposed on the upstream side of the transport unit 13 located on the carry-in side and the downstream side of the transport unit 14 on the carry-out side (see FIG. 2), and a slide arm. A slide volume type linear sensor 22 that engages with a protruding portion 20 a formed at the center of 20 is disposed. When the first position sensor 21a detects the conveyance of the conveyed object S, the second drive motor M2 is driven to transmit the power to the second gear train 19, and the slide arm 20 is moved to the unloading side (the right side in FIG. 4). : Equivalent to the left side of FIG. 2) and the swing arm 17 is swung.
[0018]
When the change in the resistance value of the linear sensor 22 stops, the second drive motor M2 is stopped. In this case, the adhesive roller 13b presses the conveyed object S. Here, the stop position of the swing arm 17 is set such that the gap dimension between the drive roller 13a and the adhesive roller 13b is 0.5 mm smaller than the thickness of the substrate. Furthermore, the idle roller 14b is configured to swing in synchronization with the carry-in side adhesive roller 13b. In this case, the support shaft 14d of the idle roller 14b provided through the inside is freely rotatable by two swing arms 24 that are driven in synchronization by a cam device 23 connected to the other end of the slide arm 20. It is supported by.
[0019]
Further, the periodic cleaning of the adhesive roller 13b is performed in response to a cleaning instruction from the control unit of the apparatus. In this case, the control unit determines the cleaning time from the transport amount of the transported object in the transport unit 13 in consideration of printing on the printed material having various lengths. Here, in order to calculate the feed amount of the substrate, a detection unit that detects the rotation speed of the drive roller 13a is provided in the drive roller 13a, and the feed amount of the substrate S can be calculated from the rotation speed. This increases the number of parts and increases the manufacturing cost of the apparatus. In the present embodiment, the control unit accumulates and calculates the feed amount of the conveyed object from the print data input to the personal computer 2.
[0020]
When the feed amount of the substrate S calculated from the print data reaches a predetermined set value, the second drive motor M2 is driven by a cleaning instruction from the control unit, and the driving force of the cam device is driven via the second gear train 19. When the portion 18a is driven, the swing arm 17 swings upward and contacts the cleaning roller 16c over the entire width via the adhesive tape 16a. At the same time, the gear 151 attached to the driven portion 18b transmits the power from the first drive motor M1 to the take-up roller 16d. Thereby, the adhesive tape 16a is fed out from the delivery roller 16b, and the accompanying adhesive roller 13b is cleaned. In this case, the cleaning of the adhesive roller 13b is performed at least until the adhesive roller 13b rotates once. The cleaning time of the adhesive roller 13b can be set from the operation panel 10 on the front surface of the printing apparatus.
[0021]
In the present embodiment, the cleaning mechanism 16 is made of the adhesive tape 16a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cleaning roller 16c itself is driven by the first drive motor and has a stronger surface than the adhesive roller. An adhesive roller having adhesive strength can also be used. In this case, the adhesive roller is periodically replaced.
[0022]
Next, an example of cleaning the adhesive roller 13b will be described with reference to a flowchart. Referring to FIG. 5, the feed amount of the printing material that determines the cleaning interval of the adhesive roller 13 b is set from the operation panel 10 formed on the front surface of the printing apparatus 1. This feed amount is stored in a rewritable storage unit such as an EEPROM provided in the control unit. Normally, the cleaning interval is set to 1 m, but it can be changed to any one of 0.5 m, 1.5 m, 2.0 m, and 5.0 m. “No setting” that is not set can be selected.
[0023]
Next, the control unit calculates a feed amount for each printing object to be printed from the print data input to the personal computer 2, and accumulates and stores it. Upon receiving predetermined print data, the printing process is started (S1). When all the print data is printed, the printing is ended. When the feed amount accumulated in the control unit exceeds a predetermined set value (for example, 1 m) (S2), cleaning of the adhesive roller 13b is executed.
[0024]
The control unit checks how much the actual feed amount is (S3). When the actual feed amount is a predetermined value (for example, 2 m) or less, cleaning with the adhesive tape 16a is performed while the adhesive roller 13b rotates once (S4), and when it exceeds 2 m, the adhesive roller 13b During two rotations, cleaning with the adhesive tape 16a is performed (S5). Finally, when the cleaning of the adhesive roller is completed, the feed amount of the substrate S accumulated and stored in the control unit is cleared (S6).
[0025]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the printing apparatus of the present invention, the amount of printing material to be printed can be calculated without separate detection means for periodic cleaning of the adhesive roller, so that the printing apparatus can be manufactured at low cost.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a printing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing an internal structure of the printing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a drive system by a first drive motor. FIG. 5 is a side view showing a drive system by a drive motor of FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart explaining the cleaning time of the adhesive roller.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus 2 Personal computer 13 Conveyance part 13a Drive roller 13b Adhesive roller 16 Roller cleaning mechanism 16a Adhesive tape

Claims (3)

A conveying path for conveying the printing medium, a printing unit for printing on the printing object based on the print data inputted via the print data input unit, provided on an upstream side of the printing unit, the printing surface of the printing substrate a printing apparatus having a cleaning adhering roller, a roller cleaning means for cleaning the adhesive roller, the a,
Storage means for storing an accumulated feed amount obtained by accumulating a plurality of substrate feed amounts calculated based on the print data input to the print data input unit, and an accumulated feed amount stored in the storage means. And a control unit that controls the roller cleaning unit so as to clean the adhesive roller in accordance with the comparison result . 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the cleaning unit to operate to clean the adhesive roller when an accumulated feed amount becomes equal to or greater than a preset value. . The control unit compares the cumulative feed amount stored in the storage unit with a preset set value when printing based on the print data input to the print data input unit is completed. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

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