JP6959207B2 - Belt mark printing method and belt mark printing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a belt mark printing method and a belt mark printing device for printing a belt mark on the back surface of a belt sleeve by a printer.

The mark was printed on the back surface of the belt by thermal transfer using mark paper or by an inkjet printer (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Thermal transfer using the mark paper, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, is performed by heating and pressing the mark paper on which the heat transferable ink is adhered on the paper as the base material with a thermal roll on the back surface of the belt. Is a method of transferring to the back of the belt.

In printing by an inkjet printer, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, the printer head of the inkjet printer is supported close to the back surface of the belt, and the belt is placed between the printing start position and the printing completion position on the back surface of the belt. This is a method of printing the same belt mark on the same position a plurality of times by reciprocating along the belt length direction.

Jikkenhei 2-95638 Gazette Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-314822

However, the method of Patent Document 1 is not preferable from the viewpoint of energy saving because it takes a long time to press the heat and the productivity is low, and the heat roll needs to be constantly heated.

On the other hand, the method using an inkjet printer disclosed in Patent Document 2 does not require constant heating and can improve productivity, but has a problem that the inkjet nozzle is easily clogged and maintenance is troublesome. there were.

To solve these problems, we have considered using a thermal printer, but how many thermal printers, which are generally used for one-way continuous printing on film, can be applied to mark printing on the back of a belt sleeve. There was a problem to be solved.

Therefore, the present invention solves a problem when applying a thermal printer generally used for unidirectional continuous printing on a film to mark printing on the back surface of a belt sleeve, and compares it with thermal transfer using mark paper or an inkjet printer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a belt mark printing method and a belt mark printing apparatus capable of improving productivity, saving energy, and reducing maintenance.

The belt mark printing method according to the present invention is a belt mark printing method in which a belt mark is printed on the back surface of a belt sleeve by a printer. A thermal transfer thermal printer is used for the printer, and a thermal transfer thermal printer is used between the main shaft and the driven shaft. The setting process in which the belt sleeve is stretched and wound, the printing process in which the spindle is rotated in the forward direction by a servomotor equipped with a rotary encoder to operate the printer, and printing is performed on the back surface of the belt sleeve, and the printer does not operate. In this state, the main shaft is rotated in the reverse direction by the servomotor to return to the printing start position, and the printer is laterally moved along the belt sleeve before, after, or during the return, and the printing step and the returning step. It is a belt mark printing method characterized by including a repeating step of repeating the above.

When trying to use a thermal printer, first of all, there is a problem that the printable range (particularly the printable width) is limited. The belt is manufactured by manufacturing a belt sleeve having a width of about 500 mm to 1250 mm, printing a mark on the back surface of the belt sleeve, and then slicing the belt in the circumferential direction. However, the maximum printable width of the thermal printer is about 100 mm, and in order to print the mark on the entire width of the belt sleeve, it is necessary to repeat printing and lateral movement of the thermal printer to perform printing a plurality of times. However, when printing is performed in a plurality of times in this way, there is a problem that the printing start position shifts. This is because even if the belts have the same size, there may be some error in the belt length depending on the product, so that it is difficult to completely align the printing start position.

As a method of aligning the printing start position, it is conceivable to draw a marked line (a straight line that serves as a mark) on the sleeve and read this as a trigger, but this cannot be adopted because an unnecessary display is attached to the back of the belt. Further, a method of printing after molding the belt and before removing it from the mold is also conceivable. This is because the problem that the length differs depending on the product does not occur as long as it is still attached to the mold. However, in this case, a rubbing mark is generated on the mark at the time of demolding, so this cannot be adopted either.

Therefore, the motor that rotates the spindle is a servo motor with a rotary encoder, and printing is performed in the forward rotation while inputting the encoder pulse to the thermal printer. This gave us the prospect of solving this problem.

That is, according to the configuration of the present invention, when a thermal printer having a narrow printable width is applied to a belt sleeve having a wide width, if printing and lateral movement of the thermal printer are repeated, printing is performed over the entire width of the belt sleeve. You can. At this time, it is necessary to align the print start position, but the print start position can be aligned by controlling the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the spindle by using a servomotor with a rotary encoder. As a result, it has become possible to use a thermal printer with excellent productivity, energy saving, and maintainability.

In the belt mark printing method of the present invention, in the printing step, the encoder pulse of the rotary encoder is input to the printer to control the printing speed of the printer, and in the return step, the encoder pulse is not input to the printer. Such a thing is preferable.

In the belt mark printing method of the present invention, probably because the thermal printer is not supposed to be used in the reverse rotation, the encoder pulse corresponding to the reverse rotation is accumulated in the apparatus, and then the forward rotation is performed to print next. However, it was found that there was a problem that printing could not be performed until the accumulated pulses were discharged.

However, according to this preferred configuration, the thermal printer needs to input the rotation speed of the spindle to control the printing speed, so that the encoder pulse is input. However, the thermal printer is usually configured on the assumption of printing in one direction, and if a pulse of reverse rotation is input, there is a possibility that a problem may occur in which subsequent printing is not performed. In that case, such a problem can be avoided by controlling to cut off the input of the encoder pulse other than at the time of printing.

In the belt mark printing method of the present invention, after the setting step and before the printing step, the spindle is rotated without operating the printer to smooth out the strain of the belt sleeve after the setting step. In the leveling step and the return step, the reverse rotation of the spindle is performed up to a point beyond the printing start position, and then the spindle is rotated forward to return to the printing start position, and a backlash removing step is provided. Those are more preferable.

It was confirmed that the reverse rotation using the servomotor returned the print start position almost exactly, but the print start position was still slightly deviated.

However, according to this more preferable configuration, the rotation control of the spindle using the servomotor returns the printing start position almost accurately, but the distortion when the belt sleeve is set between the two axes and the reverse rotation are still positive. The print start position may shift due to backlash when switching to rotation, but the break-in rotation and backlash removal operation ensure a highly accurate print start position.

It should be noted that the break-in rotation and the backlash removing operation do not have to be performed as a set, and may be performed only once for each.

In the belt mark printing method of the present invention, it is more preferable that the lateral movement amount of the printer in the return step is changed according to the length of the print data by the thermal transfer type thermal printer in the belt width direction.

The printer prints marks on the entire width of the belt sleeve by repeating lateral movement along the belt sleeve, but if the amount of one lateral movement of the printer is fixed, characters and marks may be printed depending on the width of the belt mark. May be cut off in the middle, or the line spacing may be too large.

However, according to the above configuration, the amount of lateral movement of the printer can be changed according to the width of the belt mark to be printed, so that the above problem can be avoided.

In the belt mark printing method of the present invention, it is more preferable that the number of repetitions in the repetition process is determined from the width of the belt sleeve and the lateral movement amount of the printer.

When the amount of horizontal movement of the printer is changed, the required number of prints also changes.

Therefore, the number of repetitions (the number of printings on the printer) is changed from the width of the belt sleeve and the amount of lateral movement of the printer.

The belt mark printing device according to the present invention is a belt mark printing device that prints a belt mark on the back surface of the belt sleeve by a printer, and has a main shaft and a driven shaft around which the belt sleeve is stretched and wound, and the belt sleeve. A thermal transfer type thermal printer provided so as to move forward and backward and laterally along the belt sleeve, a servomotor with a rotary encoder that rotates the spindle, printing by forward rotation of the spindle, and the above. The printer is provided with a control means for repeating the return to the printing start position by the reverse rotation of the spindle and the lateral movement of the printer, and the printer is arranged so as to be printable on the belt sleeve on the spindle. It is characterized by being printed.

According to the configuration of the present invention, by printing on the spindle, the distance between the spindle and the printer is kept constant, and the print quality is improved.

In the belt mark printing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the outer circumference of the main shaft is lined with a material having a hardness lower than that of the main shaft material.

According to this configuration, by lining a low-hardness material on the outer periphery of the spindle, there is a buffering action and the print quality is further improved.

In the belt mark printing apparatus of the present invention, it is more preferable that the control means includes a printing speed correction means in consideration of the belt sleeve thickness.

According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the printing from being stretched, and the print quality is further improved.

It is more preferable that the belt mark printing apparatus of the present invention includes a storage means for storing the belt sleeve thickness corresponding to the type of belt, and reads the belt sleeve thickness corresponding to the type of belt from the storage means.

The thickness of the belt sleeve may be directly input by the operator from an input device such as a PC, but there is a risk that an input error or the like may occur.

Therefore, in this configuration, the belt type and the thickness of the belt sleeve are stored in association with each other in the storage means. Then, when the belt type is input, the control means reads out the belt sleeve thickness corresponding to the belt type from the storage means. As a result, the thickness of the belt sleeve can be easily set.

In the belt mark printing apparatus of the present invention, it is more preferable that the control means includes a movement amount changing means for changing the lateral movement amount of the printer.

The printer prints marks on the entire width of the belt sleeve by repeating lateral movement along the belt sleeve, but if the amount of one lateral movement of the printer is fixed, characters and marks may be printed depending on the width of the belt mark. May be cut off in the middle, or the line spacing may be too large.

However, according to the above configuration, the amount of lateral movement of the printer can be changed according to the width of the belt mark to be printed, so that the above problem can be avoided.

In the belt mark printing apparatus of the present invention, it is more preferable that the control means calculates the number of repetitions of the printing and the lateral movement of the printer from the width of the belt sleeve and the lateral movement amount of the printer.

If the amount of horizontal movement of the printer is changed, the number of repetitions (the number of times the printer prints) also changes, so it is necessary to set it again. Here, the number of repetitions is determined by the width of the belt sleeve and the amount of lateral movement of the printer, but it is inefficient to calculate and input the number of repetitions each time the amount of lateral movement is changed.

However, according to this more preferable configuration, the number of repetitions is automatically calculated from the width of the belt sleeve and the amount of lateral movement of the printer, so that productivity can be improved.

It is possible to use a thermal printer that can improve productivity, save energy, and reduce maintenance as compared with thermal transfer using mark paper or an inkjet printer.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the belt mark printing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the control device of the belt mark printing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the process example of the belt mark printing. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of belt mark printing. It is a flowchart which shows the other procedure of belt mark printing. It is a figure which shows the process example by another procedure of belt mark printing. It is a figure which shows the arrangement example of the printer with respect to the main axis. It is a figure which shows the correction example of a printing speed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the belt mark printing apparatus used in the method of the present invention will be described, and then the belt mark printing method will be described.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a belt mark printing device, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a control device of the belt mark printing device.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the belt mark printing apparatus moves forward and backward toward the belt sleeve 1 and laterally along the belt sleeve 1 with the spindle 2 and the driven shaft 3 around which the belt sleeve 1 is wound in an extended state. Possible thermal transfer type thermal printer 4, servo motor 5 with rotary encoder to rotate spindle 2, printing by forward rotation of spindle 2, return to printing start position by reverse rotation of spindle 2, and printer 4 The control device 6 for repeating the lateral movement of the above is provided.
In FIG. 1, the forward / backward direction toward the belt sleeve 1 is displayed in the Y-axis direction, and the lateral direction along the belt sleeve 1 is displayed in the X-axis direction.

The spindle 2 is rotatably supported on one end side thereof by a fixed frame (not shown). This one end side is synchronously connected to the servomotor 5 via a timing pulley (toothed pulley) 11 and a timing belt (toothed belt) 12. One end side of the spindle 2 and the servomotor 5 may be directly connected via a coupling. The other end side of the main shaft 2 is rotatably supported by a movable frame 13 that can be retracted in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.
Both ends of the spindle 2 are rotatably supported by a movable frame 13 and a fixed frame (not shown) except when the belt sleeve 1 is attached and detached, and the spindle 2 is rotationally driven in the forward or reverse direction via the servomotor 5. NS.

One end of the driven shaft 3 is rotatably supported by the slide frame 14. The slide frame 14 can be moved forward and backward in the Y-axis direction by the cylinder 15 for extending the driven shaft. When the cylinder 15 is extended, the belt sleeve 1 can be wound between the main shaft 2 and the driven shaft 3 in an extended state as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in the figure. The other end side of the driven shaft 3 is free, but like the main shaft 2, both ends may be rotatably supported by a retractable frame.

As the thermal printer 4, a thermal transfer type printer is used. Thermal printers are classified into thermal type and thermal transfer type. The thermal type prints on thermal paper, and is widely used for receipt printing at fax machines and cash registers, and is not used. The thermal transfer method is a method in which the ink applied to the ink ribbon is transferred to a printed matter and printed. This thermal transfer type includes a heat melting type using a pigment and a sublimation type using a dye, and a heat melting type is preferably used. The heat-melting type that uses a pigment has the advantage of being excellent in mark durability (particularly water resistance).
Thermal transfer type thermal melting type thermal printers are further classified into continuous type (head fixed type) and intermittent type (head moving type) according to the movement of the print head. Since the intermittent type often has a narrow printable area and is not suitable for printing long marks, the continuous type is preferably used. Further, in the case of the continuous type (fixed head type), there is an advantage that printing can be performed on an axis in which the printing surface is stable (the influence of belt deflection and vibration described later can be excluded).

The thermal printer 4 is moved forward and backward (Y direction) toward the belt sleeve 1 and laterally along the belt sleeve 1 by the electric actuator 16 for moving forward / backward of the printer and the electric actuator 17 for traversing the printer (lateral movement). It is provided so as to be movable in the X direction). These transmission actuators 16 and 17 are servo-driven to enable accurate position control of the thermal printer 4.

The servomotor 5 that rotates the spindle 2 is equipped with a rotary encoder. The encoder pulse of this rotary encoder is output to the control device 6 to accurately control the forward and reverse rotation of the spindle 2 to control the printing position on the belt sleeve 1. This encoder pulse is also output to the thermal printer 4, and the printing speed can be matched with the peripheral speed of the spindle 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 6 includes a thermal printer 4, an electric actuator 16 for moving forward / backward, an electric actuator 17 for printer traverse (lateral movement), a servomotor 5 for driving a spindle, and a driven shaft. The extension cylinder 15, the input device 18, and the like are connected. Further, the control device 6 has a built-in memory 50. The control device 6 controls to repeat printing by rotating the spindle 2 in the forward direction, returning to the printing start position by rotating the spindle 2 in the reverse direction, and moving the thermal printer 4 laterally. Further, before and after these printing operations, the extension or shortening of the cylinder 15 for extending the driven shaft is controlled for attaching / detaching the belt sleeve 1.

In addition, the control device 6 has a speed signal on / off function 21 at the time of forward / reverse rotation, a break-in operation function 22 after the belt sleeve is set, a backlash removal operation function 23, a speed correction function 24 based on the belt sleeve thickness, and a movement amount changing function 25. To execute. These will be described in detail later.

Next, a basic printing procedure using the above-mentioned printing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

(Belt sleeve setting process)
First, as shown in FIG. 3A, the cylinder 15 (not shown) is shortened, and the driven shaft 3 is moved closer to the spindle 2. With the belt sleeve 1 hanging down, the belt sleeve 1 is inserted from the other end side of the main shaft 2 and the driven shaft 3. The belt sleeve 1 is hung at a predetermined position in the axial direction between the main shaft 2 and the driven shaft 3. At this time, the movable frame 13 of FIG. 1 is retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the belt sleeve setting work. Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the driven shaft 3 is extended to give tension to the belt sleeve 1. At this time, the movable frame 13 of FIG. 1 is returned to a state of supporting both ends of the spindle 2.

(Printing process)
First, the thermal printer 4 is moved from the initial position to the printing position on one end side of the belt sleeve 1. Next, the spindle 2 is rotated by a servomotor 5 with a rotary encoder to operate the thermal printer 4. Then, the first printing is performed while the spindle 2 rotates in the forward direction by a predetermined encoder pulse. At this time, the encoder pulse (speed signal) is also input to the thermal printer 4, and printing is performed in synchronization with the rotation of the spindle 2. The state after the first printing is performed is shown in FIG. 3 (c).

(Return process)
First, the thermal printer 4 is retracted and separated from the belt sleeve 1. Next, the spindle 2 is rotated in the reverse direction to return to the printing start position. At this time, since the spindle 2 is rotated in the reverse direction by the amount of the encoder pulse at the time of normal rotation, the printing start position can be accurately returned. Next, the thermal printer 4 is moved horizontally so that the next printing can be performed. This state is shown in FIG. 3 (d). The lateral feed operation of the thermal printer may be performed at the same time as the reverse rotation of the spindle 2, or may be before the reverse rotation of the spindle 2.

(Repeat process)
The spindle 2 is rotated in the forward direction to operate the thermal printer 4, and the second printing is performed. After that, the return by reverse rotation and the printing by forward rotation are repeated until a predetermined mark is printed on the entire width of the belt sleeve 1. It should be noted that what is printed on the back surface of the belt sleeve 1 is not limited to numbers and letters, but may include a barcode and a brand mark.

(Belt sleeve opening process)
Move the driven shaft 3 toward the spindle 2. With the belt sleeve 1 hanging down, the printed belt sleeve 1 is taken out from the other end side of the main shaft 2 and the driven shaft 3. At this time, the thermal printer 4 and the like are set to the initial positions.

According to such a printing process, when the thermal printer 4 having a narrow printable width is applied to the belt sleeve 1 having a wide width, and printing and lateral movement of the thermal printer 4 are repeated, the entire width of the belt sleeve 1 is covered. , Can print. At this time, it is necessary to align the print start positions, but the print start positions can be aligned by controlling the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the spindle 2 by using the servomotor 5 with the rotary encoder.

The basics of the printing apparatus and the printing method have been described above, but examples of these preferred embodiments will be described below.

(Speed signal on / off function 21 during forward / reverse rotation)
In order to control the printing speed, it is necessary to input the speed of the belt sleeve 1 which is the printed matter to the thermal printer 4. Therefore, the encoder pulse from the servomotor 5 that drives the spindle 2 is input. However, the thermal printer 4 usually assumes printing on a printed matter that moves in one direction, and does not assume reverse rotation. Therefore, when a reverse rotation encoder pulse is input, there is a possibility that a problem may occur in which subsequent printing is not performed. Therefore, control is performed such that the encoder pulse is input when printing is performed while rotating in the forward direction, and the encoder pulse is turned off when the printing is performed in the reverse direction and returns to the initial printing position.
That is, the control device 6 of FIG. 2 includes a speed signal on / off function 21 at the time of forward / reverse rotation. This function 21 will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

In FIG. 4, the belt sleeve 1 is stretched and wound between the main shaft 2 and the driven shaft 3 to be in a printable state (S1). An encoder pulse (speed signal) is input to the printable thermal printer 4 (S2). The spindle 2 is rotated in the forward direction, the thermal printer 4 is operated, and printing is performed on the back surface of the belt sleeve 1 (S3). If the predetermined number of prints is not reached (S4, NO), the input of the encoder pulse (speed signal) to the thermal printer 4 is cut off (S5). The spindle 2 is rotated in the reverse direction and returned to the printing start position (S6). The thermal printer 4 is moved laterally to prepare for the next printing (S7). The next printing is performed (S2, S3). When the predetermined number of prints is reached (S4, YES), the thermal printer 4 is returned to the initial position (standby position) (S8). The driven shaft 3 is brought closer to the main shaft 2, the belt sleeve 1 is opened, and the printed belt sleeve 1 is taken out (S9).

(Run-in rotation function 22 and backlash removal operation function 23)
It was confirmed that the reverse rotation using the servomotor 5 returned to the print start position almost exactly, but the print start position still slightly deviated. The cause is that there is not a little distortion when the belt sleeve is set between the two shafts, and the backlash when switching from reverse rotation to forward rotation (servo motor 5 and spindle 2 are synchronously transmitted). The play between the toothed belt 12 and the toothed pulley 11 was presumed to be the main factor. Therefore, in order to eliminate these factors, a break-in rotation of about one rotation of the belt sleeve is performed after the sleeve is set, and when the reverse rotation is performed, the print start position is not just returned to the print start position, but -20 ° from the print start position. It was decided to rotate it in the reverse direction to the position, then rotate it forward by + 20 ° and send it to the printing start position (backlash removal operation). As a result, the deviation of the printing start position can be suppressed to the extent that it cannot be visually confirmed. The extra reverse rotation angle may be about −5 ° to −90 °. If it is less than this, there is a risk that the backlash cannot be sufficiently removed, and if it is more than this, useless operation increases and productivity decreases.
That is, the control device 6 of FIG. 2 includes a break-in rotation function 22 after setting the belt sleeve and a backlash removal operation function 23. The functions 22 and 23 will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 5 and the operation diagram of FIG.

In FIG. 5, the belt sleeve 1 is wound between the spindle 2 and the driven shaft 3 in an extended state (S11). After this sleeve is set, the belt sleeve is conditioned for about one rotation to make it printable (S12). An encoder pulse (speed signal) is input to the printable thermal printer 4 (S13). The spindle 2 is rotated in the forward direction, the thermal printer 4 is operated, and printing is performed on the back surface of the belt sleeve 1 (S14, FIG. 6A). If the predetermined number of prints is not reached (S15, NO), the input of the encoder pulse (speed signal) to the thermal printer 4 is cut off (S16). The spindle 2 is rotated in the reverse direction, overruns from the printing start position to a position of -20 °, and returned (S17, FIG. 6B). The spindle 2 is rotated forward by + 20 ° and returned to the printing start position (S18, FIG. 6C). The thermal printer 4 is moved laterally to prepare for the next printing (S19). The following printing is performed (S13, S14). When the predetermined number of prints is reached (S15, YES), the thermal printer 4 is returned to the initial position (standby position) (S20). The driven shaft 3 is brought closer to the main shaft 2, the belt sleeve 1 is opened, and the printed belt sleeve 1 is taken out (S21).

It is preferable that both the break-in rotation function 22 and the backlash removal operation function 23 are provided, but any one of them may be provided. Further, in the break-in rotation function 22, the strain is eliminated by the forward rotation, but the strain can be eliminated by the reverse rotation.

(Movement amount change function 25)
The thermal printer 4 prints a mark on the entire width of the belt sleeve 1 by repeating the lateral movement along the belt sleeve 1, but if the amount of one lateral movement of the printer is fixed, the width of the belt mark may change. , It turned out that there are problems such as characters and marks being cut off in the middle and line spacing being too large. For example, when the default value of the lateral movement amount of the printer is 100 mm, the actual lateral movement amount varies depending on the width of the belt mark, such as 99.5 mm or 98.0 mm. If no changes are made, the above problems will occur. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable that the control device 6 has a function 25 for changing the lateral movement amount of the printer.

First, the operator inputs the lateral movement amount of the printer to the input device 18 connected to the control device 6 according to the print data (specifically, the width of the belt mark). The input information is stored in the memory 50 built in the control device 6. Then, the control device 6 changes the lateral movement amount based on the stored input information, so that the above-mentioned problem can be avoided.

Table 1 shows specific examples of the print data stored in the memory 50 and the amount of lateral movement of the printer corresponding to the print data.

(Setting the number of prints)
The number of prints of the thermal printer 4 is determined by dividing the width of the belt sleeve 1 by the amount of horizontal movement of the thermal printer 4, but since the amount of horizontal movement varies depending on the print data, the number of prints is calculated for each print. Work efficiency is poor if you enter it. Therefore, the number of prints can be calculated in conjunction with the above-mentioned movement amount changing function 25 by automatically calculating from the width of the belt sleeve 1 and the lateral movement amount of the thermal printer 4.

(Print on spindle)
Normally, the thermal printer 4 is installed between two axes that support and drive the film, and printing is performed on a flat surface. As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 7, when printing is performed between the shafts in the same manner with the belt sleeve 1, since the belt has a large weight, bending and vibration between the shafts are likely to occur. Therefore, when the thermal printer 1 is installed between the shafts, it is considered that the distance between the thermal head and the printing surface is not constant and the printing quality is deteriorated. In order to avoid this, it is preferable to print on the spindle 2 which is not affected by bending or vibration as shown by the solid line in FIG. 7. It is preferable to use a thermal printer 4 with a fixed head in order to print on the spindle 2 which is in line contact. The thermal printer 4 is installed right next to the main shaft 2 for ease of installation and convenience in use, but it may be directly below or directly above, or at any position between them.

(The outer circumference of the spindle is lined with a low hardness material)
When the spindle 2 was made of iron or a high-hardness resin having a hardness of 90 ° (JIS-A), the print quality was not very good. It is more preferable to line the outer circumference of the spindle 2 with a material having a low hardness because the print quality is improved. Specifically, polyurethane having a hardness of 45 ° (JIS-A) was lined around the iron core with a thickness of 5 mm. As the low hardness material, various elastomers such as vulcanized rubber may be used, the hardness (JIS-A) may be about 30 to 80 °, and the lining thickness may be about 1 to 10 mm.

(Speed correction function 24 based on belt sleeve thickness)
When printing on a thin material such as a film, the peripheral speed of the shaft and the speed of the film (printing surface) are almost the same, and the speed of the printing surface is a constant value calculated from the rotation speed of the shaft and the shaft diameter. .. On the other hand, when printing on a thick product such as the belt sleeve 1, it is necessary to pay attention to the difference between the speed of the printing surface and the peripheral speed of the shaft.
That is, as shown in FIG. 8, as the thickness of the belt sleeve 1 becomes thicker, the speed of the printed surface becomes faster than the peripheral speed of the shaft. Therefore, if no correction is performed, the thicker the sleeve thickness, the longer the characters to be printed and the character spacing, and the lower the print quality.
Therefore, it is preferable to correct the printing speed according to the sleeve thickness. As shown in FIG. 2, the sleeve thickness may be input to the control device 6 each time, but since the sleeve thickness is determined by the product type, it is convenient to automatically read the sleeve thickness when the product type is selected. good.

(How to set the belt sleeve thickness)
The memory 50 stores the sleeve thickness corresponding to the type of belt. On the other hand, the operator inputs the type of the belt on which the mark is to be printed into the input device 18. The control device reads the sleeve thickness from the memory 50 based on the input belt information. Using the read sleeve thickness, the speed correction function 24 automatically corrects the sleeve thickness.

Table 2 shows specific examples of the sleeve thickness stored in the memory 50 corresponding to the type of belt.

1 Belt sleeve 2 Main shaft 3 Driven shaft 4 Thermal printer 5 Servo motor 6 Control device 15 Cylinder 16 Electric actuator 17 Electric actuator 18 Input device 21 Speed signal on / off function during forward / reverse rotation 22 Break-in rotation function 23 Backlash removal operation function 24 Speed correction function based on belt sleeve thickness 25 Movement amount change function 50 Memory

Claims (11)

A belt mark printing method that prints a belt mark on the back of the belt sleeve with a printer.
A thermal transfer thermal printer was used for the printer,
A setting process in which the belt sleeve is wound between the spindle and the driven shaft in an extended state, and a printing process in which the spindle is rotated by a servomotor equipped with a rotary encoder to operate the printer and print on the back surface of the belt sleeve. When,
A return step of rotating the spindle in the reverse direction with the servomotor in a state where the printer is not operating, returning the printer to the printing start position, and laterally moving the printer along the belt sleeve before, during, or during the return.
A belt mark printing method comprising a repeating step of repeating the printing step and the returning step. In the printing process, the encoder pulse of the rotary encoder is input to the printer to control the printing speed of the printer.
The belt mark printing method according to claim 1, wherein the encoder pulse is not input to the printer in the return step. In the step of smoothing the strain of the belt sleeve after the setting step and before the printing step by rotating the spindle without operating the printer and the step of returning the belt sleeve. The belt according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a backlash removing step in which the reverse rotation of the spindle is performed up to a point beyond the printing start position, and then the spindle is rotated forward to return to the printing start position. Mark printing method. The belt mark printing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the amount of lateral movement of the printer in the return step is changed according to the length of the print data produced by the thermal transfer thermal printer in the belt width direction. The belt mark printing method according to claim 4, wherein the number of repetitions in the repetition step is determined from the width of the belt sleeve and the amount of lateral movement of the printer. A belt mark printing device that prints a belt mark on the back of the belt sleeve with a printer.
A spindle and a driven shaft that can be wound with the belt sleeve in an extended state,
A thermal transfer type thermal printer provided so as to move forward and backward toward the belt sleeve and laterally along the belt sleeve.
A servomotor with a rotary encoder that rotates the spindle,
A control means for repeating printing by the forward rotation of the spindle, returning to the printing start position by the reverse rotation of the spindle, and lateral movement of the printer is provided.
The printer is a belt mark printing apparatus, characterized in that the printer is arranged so as to be printable on the belt sleeve on the spindle. The belt mark printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the outer periphery of the spindle is lined with a material having a hardness lower than that of the spindle material. The belt mark printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control means includes a printing speed correction means in consideration of the belt sleeve thickness. The belt mark printing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a storage means for storing the belt sleeve thickness corresponding to the type of belt, and reading the belt sleeve thickness corresponding to the type of belt from the storage means. The belt mark printing device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the control means includes a movement amount changing means for changing the lateral movement amount of the printer. The belt mark printing device according to claim 10, wherein the control means calculates the number of times of repeating the printing and the lateral movement of the printer from the width of the belt sleeve and the lateral movement amount of the printer.

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