JP7694082B2 - Conveying unit and laser marking device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a conveying unit and a laser marking device.

There is a known laser marking device that marks characters, figures, symbols, etc. on a medium such as a card, sheet, or printed matter by irradiating the medium with laser light (see Patent Document 1).

The medium to be marked by the laser marking device described above may have previously been subjected to another process (pre-processing) using another device. For example, letters, figures, symbols, etc. may have been printed on the medium in advance using a printing device. In addition, a protective film may have been formed in advance on the surface of the medium using a film-forming device.

JP 2013-244692 A

Here, the orientation of the medium discharged from the device performing pre-processing such as printing or film formation may not match the orientation expected by the laser marking device. Specifically, in the laser marking device, the orientation of the medium when irradiating the medium with laser light is predetermined. However, the printed medium may be discharged from the printing device in an orientation different from this orientation. In such cases, the medium cannot be processed continuously. In other words, printing by the printing device and marking by the laser marking device cannot be performed continuously. For this reason, the orientation of the printed medium discharged from the printing device must be changed manually before it is fed to the laser marking device.

The object of the present invention is to make it possible to carry out two or more processes, including marking using a laser marking device, consecutively.

A transport unit according to an embodiment includes a transport mechanism that transports a medium to a laser light irradiation section of a laser marking device, and a rotation mechanism that is provided on a transport path of the medium by the transport mechanism and rotates the medium to change the orientation of the medium. The transport mechanism includes a transport belt that supports the medium and moves the medium. The transport belt is provided with a protrusion that abuts against the medium from the rear in the transport direction and pushes the medium forward in the transport direction. The rotation mechanism includes two opposing holding sections, a first drive section that linearly moves at least one of the two holding sections in the opposing direction, and a second drive section that rotates at least one of the two holding sections. The two holding sections of the rotation mechanism are configured to rotate while holding the medium between them to change the orientation of the medium, and the transport mechanism is configured to reverse the transport belt to retract the protrusion after the holding sections hold the medium between them .

The laser marking device according to one embodiment has the transport unit and a laser light irradiation section that irradiates a laser light onto a medium transported by the transport unit to perform marking.

The present invention makes it possible to carry out two or more processes, including marking using a laser marking device, in succession.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a printing system. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a laser marking device. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 11 is another perspective view showing the rotation mechanism. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the transport unit when taking over a booklet discharged from the printing device. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the transport unit after a booklet has been transported to the rotation mechanism and before the rotation mechanism starts to change the orientation of the booklet. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the sequence of a series of operations when changing the orientation of a booklet. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the transport unit after the rotation mechanism has completed changing the orientation of the booklet; FIG.

Below, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that in all drawings used to explain the embodiment, identical or substantially identical components are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted.

<System Configuration>
1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a printing system 1. The illustrated printing system 1 is composed of a printing device 1A and a laser marking device 1B. The printing device 1A and the laser marking device 1B are integrated, and processing (printing) by the printing device 1A and processing (marking) by the laser marking device 1B can be executed continuously. For example, the printing device 1A prints on a medium to be processed and passes the printed medium to the laser marking device 1B. The laser marking device 1B picks up the printed medium from the printing device 1A and marks the picked-up medium.

The medium processed by the printing system 1 is not limited to a specific medium, but in this specification, the structure and operation of the printing system 1 will be described using the example of the medium being a booklet. Note that a "booklet" refers to a printed material consisting of multiple pages bound together, and includes a passport.

<Printing device>
The printing device 1A shown in Fig. 1 performs predetermined printing on one or more pages of a booklet. Specifically, the printing device 1A prints characters, figures, symbols, etc. on at least one page of the booklet by thermal melt transfer.

Here, the booklet in this embodiment includes at least one page made of a material compatible with laser marking, such as plastic. The printing device 1A prints by melting thermal transfer on all or part of the page made of a material compatible with laser marking. In the following description, a page made of a material compatible with laser marking and on which melting thermal transfer printing is performed by the printing device 1A may be called a "target page" to distinguish it from other pages.

<Laser marking device>
2 is a perspective view showing the laser marking device 1B. The laser marking device 1B has a laser light irradiation unit 10 and a transport unit 20, and performs marking on the printed booklet 100 discharged from the printing device 1A. Specifically, the laser marking device 1B irradiates a laser light onto a target page 101 of the booklet 100 on which melt-sensitive thermal transfer printing has been performed by the printing device 1A, and marks characters, figures, symbols, etc. on the target page 101.

<Laser light irradiation part>
The laser light irradiation unit 10 includes an excitation light source, a resonator, an exposure optical system, and the like, and irradiates a laser light (pulse laser light) of a predetermined intensity onto a target page 101 of the booklet 100. For example, a laser diode (LD) or a light emitting diode (LED) is used as the excitation light source included in the laser light irradiation unit 10. The exposure optical system included in the laser light irradiation unit 10 is composed of, for example, one or more galvanometer mirrors and fθ lenses, and irradiates a laser light output from the resonator onto a predetermined position on the target page 101 based on image data, etc.

<Transport unit>
The transport unit 20 has a transport mechanism 30 and a rotation mechanism 40, and transports the booklet 100 discharged from the printing device 1A to the laser light irradiation unit 10. More specifically, the transport unit 20 picks up the booklet 100 discharged from the printing device 1A, transports the booklet 100 in the direction of the arrow X, and supplies it to the laser light irradiation unit 10. In other words, the right side of the paper in Fig. 2 corresponds to the rear in the transport direction, and the left side of the paper in Fig. 2 corresponds to the front in the transport direction.

The booklet 100 is discharged from the printing device 1A with the target page 101 open. The booklet 100 is also discharged from the printing device 1A with the seam parallel to the transport direction (arrow X direction). Meanwhile, the booklet 100 is supplied to the laser light irradiation unit 10 with the seam perpendicular to the transport direction. In other words, the orientation of the booklet 100 is changed by 90 degrees while it is being transported by the transport unit 20.

In the following description, the orientation of the booklet 100 in which the seams are parallel to the transport direction may be referred to as "landscape." On the other hand, the orientation of the booklet 100 in which the seams are perpendicular to the transport direction may be referred to as "portrait." In other words, the booklet 100 is discharged from the printing device 1A in a landscape orientation with the target page 101 open. The transport unit 20 changes the orientation of the booklet 100 picked up from the printing device 1A from landscape to portrait, and then supplies it to the laser light irradiation unit 10.

<Transport mechanism>
Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the transport unit 20. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a transport mechanism 30 constituting the transport unit 20. The transport mechanism 30 has a plurality of transport belts 31, a transport guide 32, and one roller (pinch roller) 33.

<Conveyor belt>
The conveying mechanism 30 has a plurality of conveying belts 31 including two long conveying belts 31a and 31b and one short conveying belt 31c. The three conveying belts 31 extend in the conveying direction and are parallel to each other. Specifically, the short conveying belt 31c is disposed between the two parallel long conveying belts 31a and 31b and parallel to the long conveying belts 31a and 31b.

The conveyor belt 31 supports the booklet 100 discharged from the printing device 1A and moves it toward the laser light irradiation unit 10. In other words, the conveyor belt 31 forms a conveying path that conveys the booklet 100 to the laser light irradiation unit 10.

The long conveyor belts 31a, 31b and the short conveyor belt 31c have the same starting position, but different ending positions. Specifically, the long conveyor belts 31a, 31b extend over the entire length of the conveyor path, while the short conveyor belt 31c extends over a portion of the conveyor path. More specifically, the long conveyor belts 31a, 31b extend from the starting end of the conveyor path through the rotating mechanism 40 to the ending end of the conveyor path. On the other hand, the short conveyor belt 31c extends only from the starting end of the conveyor path to just before the rotating mechanism 40, and does not reach the rotating mechanism 40.

Each conveyor belt 31 is looped around a pair of pulleys (a drive pulley and a driven pulley). Each conveyor belt 31 is driven by the rotation of one of the corresponding pair of pulleys (the drive pulley). In other words, when the drive pulley rotates, the conveyor belt 31 runs in the longitudinal direction, and the booklet 100 placed on the conveyor belt 31 moves toward the laser light irradiation unit 10.

Here, the target page 101 is not located in the middle (center) of the booklet 100. In other words, the target page 101 is not the central page of the booklet 100. For this reason, when the target page 101 is open, the number of pages of the booklet 100 is different on both sides of the seam (see FIG. 2). From another perspective, when the target page 101 is open, the weight of the booklet 100 is different on both sides of the seam. As a result, the load on the conveyor belt 31 becomes uneven, which may cause the conveyance of the booklet 100 to be delayed or may not be conveyed straight.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, protrusions 34 are provided on the long conveying belts 31a and 31b. Each protrusion 34 contacts the booklet 100 from the rear in the conveying direction at a predetermined timing, and pushes the booklet 100 forward in the conveying direction. These protrusions 34 ensure that the booklet 100 is conveyed reliably and stably.

The position where the protrusions 34 on the long conveying belt 31a contact the booklet 100 and the position where the protrusions 34 on the long conveying belt 31b contact the booklet 100 are determined in consideration of the weight distribution and center of gravity of the booklet 100 on the long conveying belts 31a and 31b. From another perspective, the distance between the long conveying belts 31a and 31b is determined in consideration of the weight distribution and center of gravity of the booklet 100 on the long conveying belts 31a and 31b.

<Transport guide>
The conveying mechanism 30 has a plurality of conveying guides 32, which include three conveying guides 32a, 32b, and 32c. The conveying guide 32a corresponds to the long conveying belt 31a, and the conveying guide 32b corresponds to the long conveying belt 31b.

The conveying guide 32a is disposed above the corresponding long conveying belt 31a and parallel to the long conveying belt 31a. Similarly, the conveying guide 32b is disposed above the corresponding long conveying belt 31b and parallel to the long conveying belt 31b.

The booklet 100 being transported to the laser light irradiation unit 10 moves between the transport belt 31 and the transport guide 32. In other words, the booklet 100 passes under the transport guide 32. The transport guide 32, which is positioned above the booklet 100 being transported, prevents or suppresses excessive upward movement or lifting of the booklet 100.

The distance between the conveyor belt 31 and the conveyor guide 32 is set to a dimension that allows the booklet 100 to move smoothly between them. Also, the beginning (tip) of the conveyor guide 32 is tapered to make it easier to introduce the booklet 100 discharged from the printing device 1A between the conveyor belt 31 and the conveyor guide 32.

The transport guide 32 has multiple sensors attached along its longitudinal direction. In other words, the transport mechanism 30 has multiple sensors arranged along the transport direction. Specifically, sensors 35a and 35b are attached to the transport guide 32a, and sensor 35c is attached to the transport guide 32b. Each sensor is an optical sensor including a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, and is used to detect the position and orientation of the booklet 100 on the transport path. For example, when the booklet 100 is transported to a predetermined position or the orientation of the booklet 100 is changed, a part of the booklet 100 enters between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element. Then, the light output from the light-emitting element is blocked by the booklet 100 and does not reach the light-receiving element. Therefore, the position and orientation of the booklet 100 can be detected based on the change in output of the light-receiving element.

<Pinch roller>
The pinch roller 33 is provided above the short conveying belt 31c and can move in a direction approaching the short conveying belt 31c and a direction away from the short conveying belt 31c. That is, the pinch roller 33 can move up and down. When the pinch roller 33 moves downward, it approaches the short conveying belt 31c, and when the pinch roller 33 moves upward, it moves away from the short conveying belt 31c.

When the pinch roller 33 moves downward while the booklet 100 is on the short conveying belt 31c, the booklet 100 is sandwiched between the short conveying belt 31c and the pinch roller 33. In other words, the pinch roller 33 that has moved downward presses against the booklet 100 on the short conveying belt 31c. As will be explained later, the operation of the pinch roller 33 is controlled based on the detection results of the sensor 35a.

<Rotation mechanism>
Fig. 5 is a perspective view (top perspective view) showing the rotation mechanism 40 constituting the transport unit 20. Fig. 6 is another perspective view (bottom perspective view) showing the rotation mechanism 40. Fig. 7 is a side view showing the rotation mechanism 40.

The rotation mechanism 40 has two holding mechanisms 50a, 50b, a first drive unit 60, a second drive unit 70, etc. The rotation mechanism 40 holds the booklet 100 transported by the transport mechanism 30 by sandwiching it from above and below. The rotation mechanism 40 also rotates the held booklet 100 to change the orientation of the booklet 100. In the following explanation, the two holding mechanisms 50a, 50b are collectively referred to as "holding mechanisms 50", while the holding mechanism 50a may be distinguished by calling it the "upper holding mechanism 50a" and the holding mechanism 50b the "lower holding mechanism 50b". However, such general names and distinctions are merely for the convenience of explanation.

<Holding mechanism>
The holding mechanism 50 includes a rod 51, a pad 52, a bracket 53, and the like. The rod 51 is cylindrical, and the pad 52 is disk-shaped. The bracket 53 has a substantially triangular planar shape. The rod 51 is attached to the apex of the bracket 53 or in its vicinity, and the pad 52 is attached to the end of the rod 51. More specifically, the pad 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a is attached to the lower end of the rod 51, and the pad 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b is attached to the upper end of the rod 51. As a result, the pad 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a and the pad 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b face each other vertically across the conveying path. As will be described later, the booklet 100 is sandwiched and held by the opposing pads 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a and the lower holding mechanism 50b. In other words, the pad 52 corresponds to the holding section of the present invention.

The rod 51 and pad 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a can move up and down relative to the bracket 53 and can rotate. On the other hand, the rod 51 and pad 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b cannot move up and down relative to the bracket 53, but can rotate. In addition, the surfaces of the pads 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a and the lower holding mechanism 50b are made of a non-slip material such as rubber.

<First Drive Unit>
The first drive unit 60 has a threaded shaft 61, a guide shaft 62, a first drive motor 63, a first drive belt 64, etc., and linearly moves at least one of the two holding units in the opposing direction (up and down).

One end (upper end) of each guide shaft 62 is fixed to the upper base plate 65a, and the other end (lower end) of each guide shaft 62 is fixed to the lower base plate 65b. The threaded shaft 61 is disposed between the two guide shafts 62 and parallel to these guide shafts 62. The threaded shaft 61 is also rotatably held by the upper base plate 65a and the lower base plate 65b.

The upper end of the threaded shaft 61 is inserted into a threaded hole provided in the bracket 53 of the upper holding mechanism 50a, and the lower end of the threaded shaft 61 is inserted into a threaded hole provided in the bracket 53 of the lower holding mechanism 50b. The upper end of the guide shaft 62 is inserted into a through hole provided in the bracket 53 of the upper holding mechanism 50a, and the lower end of the guide shaft 62 is inserted into a through hole provided in the bracket 53 of the lower holding mechanism 50b.

Here, a trapezoidal thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the threaded shaft 61 over its entire length or approximately its entire length. However, the direction of the trapezoidal thread (upper trapezoidal thread) formed on the upper half of the threaded shaft 61 is opposite to the direction of the trapezoidal thread (lower trapezoidal thread) formed on the lower half of the threaded shaft 61. The upper trapezoidal thread is screwed into a screw hole provided in the bracket 53 of the upper holding mechanism 50a. On the other hand, the lower trapezoidal thread is screwed into a screw hole provided in the bracket 53 of the lower holding mechanism 50b. As a result, when the threaded shaft 61 rotates, the upper holding mechanism 50a and the lower holding mechanism 50b move linearly in opposite directions. Specifically, when the threaded shaft 61 rotates in a first direction, the upper holding mechanism 50a moves downward, while the lower holding mechanism 50b moves upward. Furthermore, when the threaded shaft 61 rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the upper holding mechanism 50a moves upward, while the lower holding mechanism 50b moves downward. In other words, when the threaded shaft 61 rotates in the first direction, the upper holding mechanism 50a and the lower holding mechanism 50b move closer to each other, and when the threaded shaft 61 rotates in the second direction, the upper holding mechanism 50a and the lower holding mechanism 50b move away from each other.

Referring to FIG. 4, a rotating stage plate 36 is provided between the long conveying belt 31a and the long conveying belt 31b. Furthermore, the rotating stage plate 36 is provided with an opening 36a through which the pad 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b can advance onto the conveying path from between the long conveying belt 31a and the long conveying belt 31b.

When the upper holding mechanism 50a and the lower holding mechanism 50b move toward each other, the pad 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b advances through the opening 36a onto the conveying path. As a result, the booklet 100 supported by the long conveying belts 31a and 31b is sandwiched and held from above and below by the pad 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a and the pad 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b. At this time, depending on the amount of movement (amount of rise) of the lower holding mechanism 50b, the booklet 100 may be pushed up, and all or part of the booklet 100 may rise from the long conveying belts 31a and 31b. Even if the booklet 100 does not rise from the long conveying belts 31a and 31b, the load applied to the long conveying belts 31a and 31b is reduced. In short, the friction between the booklet 100 and the long conveying belts 31a and 31b is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 7, a coil spring 51a is provided around the rod 51 of the upper holding mechanism 50a as an elastic body. When the pads 52 of the two holding mechanisms 50 sandwich and hold the booklet 100, the coil spring 51a biases the pad 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a to press against the booklet 100. Then, a reaction force presses the pad 52 of the lower holding mechanism 50b against the booklet 100. As a result, the booklet 100 is securely held with an appropriate force. Note that the coil spring 51a shown in FIG. 7 is omitted from other drawings for convenience of drawing.

The driving force for raising and lowering the holding mechanism 50 (the driving force for rotating the threaded shaft 61) is output from the first drive motor 63 and input to the threaded shaft 61 via the first drive pulley 66, the first drive belt 64, and the first driven pulley 67. Thus, by controlling the direction of rotation of the first drive motor 63, the threaded shaft 61 can be rotated in a first direction or a second direction. From another perspective, by controlling the direction and amount of rotation of the first drive motor 63, the direction and amount of raising and lowering of the holding mechanism 50 can be controlled.

<Second Drive Unit>
The second drive unit 70 has a second drive motor 71, a second drive belt 72, etc., and rotates at least one of the holding units. The second drive motor 71 is disposed on the bracket 53 of the lower holding mechanism 50b. A second drive pulley 73 is attached to the tip of the output shaft of the second drive motor 71, which penetrates the bracket 53 and protrudes downward. Meanwhile, a second driven pulley 74 is attached to the lower end of the rod 51 of the lower holding mechanism 50b, which protrudes downward from the bracket 53. A second drive belt 72 is wound around the second drive pulley 73 and the second driven pulley 74.

When the second drive motor 71 is operated, a rotational drive force is input to the rod 51 of the lower holding mechanism 50b via the second drive pulley 73, the second drive belt 72, and the second driven pulley 74, causing the rod 51 and pad 52 to rotate. Therefore, when a rotational drive force is input to the rod 51 of the lower holding mechanism 50b while the booklet 100 is held by the pads 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a and the lower holding mechanism 50b, the pads 52 of the upper holding mechanism 50a and the lower holding mechanism 50b rotate, and the booklet 100 also rotates. As a result, the orientation of the booklet 100 is changed.

The first driving pulley 66, the first driven pulley 67, the second driving pulley 73, and the second driven pulley 74 are toothed pulleys, and the first driving belt 64 and the second driving belt 72 are toothed belts. The first driven pulley 67 has a larger diameter than the first driving pulley 66, and the second driven pulley 74 has a larger diameter than the second driving pulley 73.

The printing system 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a control means for overall control of the printing device 1A and the laser marking device 1B. The laser marking device 1B also has a control means for overall control of the laser light irradiation unit 10 and the transport unit 20 in cooperation with the control means of the printing system 1 or independently of the control means of the printing system 1. The control means of the laser marking device 1B is composed of a control unit, a communication unit, a display unit, an input unit, an interface unit, a memory unit, etc. This control means controls each part such as the laser light irradiation unit 10 and the transport unit 20 (transport mechanism 30, rotation mechanism 40) based on the programs and data stored in the memory unit.

<Example of laser marking device operation>
The operation of the transport unit 20 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.

Figure 8 shows the state of the transport unit 20 when picking up the booklet 100 discharged from the printing device 1A. Figure 9 shows the state of the transport unit 20 after the booklet 100 has been transported to the rotation mechanism 40 and before the rotation mechanism 40 begins to change the orientation of the booklet 100. Figure 10 shows the sequence of a series of operations when changing the orientation of the booklet 100. Figure 11 shows the state of the transport unit 20 after the rotation mechanism 40 has completed changing the orientation of the booklet 100.

Refer to FIG. 8. When the leading edge of the booklet 100, discharged sideways from the printing device 1A, reaches a predetermined position on the short conveying belt 31c, the pinch roller 33 is activated. Specifically, the pinch roller 33 moves in a direction approaching the short conveying belt 31c (downward). As a result, the front side of the booklet 100 is sandwiched between the short conveying belt 31c and the pinch roller 33. At this time, the rear side of the booklet 100 is held by the printing device 1A. In other words, the booklet 100 straddles the printing device 1A and the laser marking device 1B.

The pinch roller 33 operates based on the detection result of the sensor 35a. In other words, when the leading edge of the booklet 100 reaches the installation position of the sensor 35a, the pinch roller 33 moves downward.

The booklet 100 sandwiched between the short conveying belt 31c and the pinch roller 33 is conveyed toward the rotation mechanism 40 by the three conveying belts 31 including the short conveying belt 31c. Thereafter, when the rear end of the booklet 100 reaches a predetermined position on the short conveying belt 31c, the protrusions 34 provided on the long conveying belts 31a and 31b come into contact with the booklet 100 from the rear in the conveying direction. Specifically, when the rear end of the booklet 100 passes through the pinch roller 33, the protrusions 34 come into contact with the booklet 100. From another perspective, the home position of the protrusions 34 is set so that the protrusions 34 come into contact with the booklet 100 just as the rear end of the booklet 100 passes through the pinch roller 33.

Refer to FIG. 9. When the booklet 100 is transported to the rotation mechanism 40, a series of operations to change the orientation of the booklet 100 is initiated. First, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the leading edge of the booklet 100 was detected by the sensor 35b, the long conveying belts 31a and 31b stop. For example, the long conveying belts 31a and 31b stop when the leading edge of the booklet 100 moves 12.5 mm forward from the installation position of the sensor 35b.

Refer to FIG. 10. After the long conveyor belts 31a and 31b stop, the booklet 100 is held by the holding mechanism 50 of the rotation mechanism 40. Specifically, the upper holding mechanism 50a descends and the lower holding mechanism 50b (not shown) rises to hold the booklet 100 by sandwiching it from above and below (arrows a).

Next, the long conveying belts 31a and 31b rotate in the reverse direction (arrow b) so that the protrusion 34, which is in contact with the booklet 100, moves away from the booklet 100. In other words, the long conveying belts 31a and 31b are driven in the opposite direction, and the protrusion 34 moves back. For example, the long conveying belts 31a and 31b are driven so that the protrusion 34 moves back about 60.0 mm from the booklet 100.

Then, the pads 52 of the two holding mechanisms 50 holding the booklet 100 rotate 90 degrees counterclockwise (arrow c). As a result, the booklet 100 held by the two pads 52 rotates, and the orientation of the booklet 100 changes from landscape to portrait. Note that because the protrusions 34 are retracted before the booklet 100 is rotated, the booklet 100 does not collide with the protrusions 34 during rotation. In addition, when the booklet 100 rotates, friction between the booklet 100 and the long conveyor belts 31a and 31b is reduced, so the booklet 100 rotates smoothly.

See FIG. 11. When the booklet 100 is turned vertically, the booklet 100 moves out from between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of the sensor 35c (FIG. 4). Then, the output of the sensor 35c changes, and it is detected that the change in the orientation of the booklet 100 has been completed.

When the change in the orientation of the booklet 100 is complete, the long conveyor belts 31a and 31b rotate so that the protrusions 34 come into contact with the booklet 100 again. After that, the holding mechanism 50 releases the booklet 100, and the long conveyor belts 31a and 31b resume conveying the booklet 100. Note that before the orientation of the booklet 100 was changed to portrait, it was guided by the three conveyor guides 32 (conveyor guides 32a, 32b, and 32c) (see Figures 8 and 9), but after the orientation of the booklet 100 has been changed to portrait, it is guided by the two conveyor guides 32 (conveyor guides 32a and 32b) (see Figure 11).

Through the series of operations described above, the booklet 100 discharged landscape from the printing device 1A is supplied portrait to the laser light irradiation unit 10 of the laser marking device 1B, where it is marked.

As described above, in the printing system 1 according to this embodiment, two or more processes are performed consecutively on the booklet 100. Specifically, printing on the booklet 100 and marking on the printed booklet 100 are performed consecutively.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, protrusions 34 may be added to improve processing tact. On the other hand, if the medium can be transported reliably without providing protrusions 34, protrusions 34 may be omitted.

Additionally, sensors may be added to more precisely detect the position and orientation of the booklet 100 on the transport path. However, the sensors are not limited to optical sensors. Also, multiple sensors of different types may be installed.

The laser marking device 1B including the transport unit 20 can be combined with a printing device other than the printing device 1A, and can also be combined with a device other than a printing device.

1: Printing system, 1A: Printing device, 1B: Laser marking device, 10: Laser light irradiation unit, 20: Transport unit, 30: Transport mechanism, 31: Transport belt, 31a, 31b: Long transport belt, 31c: Short transport belt, 32, 32a, 32b, 32c: Transport guide, 33: Roller (pinch roller), 34: Protrusion, 35a, 35b, 35c: Sensor, 36: Rotating stage plate, 36a: Opening, 40: Rotating mechanism, 50: Holding mechanism, 50a: Upper holding mechanism, 50b: Lower holding mechanism Holding mechanism, 51: rod, 51a: coil spring, 52: pad, 53: bracket, 60: first drive unit, 61: shaft, 62: guide shaft, 63: first drive motor, 64: first drive belt, 65a: upper base plate, 65b: lower base plate, 66: first drive pulley, 67: first driven pulley, 70: second drive unit, 71: second drive motor, 72: second drive belt, 73: second drive pulley, 74: second driven pulley, 100: booklet, 101: target page

Claims (7)

A conveying unit that conveys a medium to a laser light irradiation unit of a laser marking device,
a transport mechanism that transports the medium to the laser light irradiation unit;
a rotation mechanism that is provided on a path along which the medium is transported by the transport mechanism and that rotates the medium to change the orientation of the medium;
the transport mechanism includes a transport belt that supports the medium and moves the medium;
a protrusion is provided on the conveyor belt to contact the medium from the rear in the conveying direction and push the medium forward in the conveying direction;
the rotation mechanism includes two opposing holding parts, a first drive part that linearly moves at least one of the two holding parts in an opposing direction, and a second drive part that rotates at least one of the two holding parts;
the two holders of the rotation mechanism are configured to rotate while sandwiching and holding the medium to change the orientation of the medium;
the conveying mechanism is configured to reverse the conveying belt to retract the protrusion after the holding portion pinches and holds the medium.
Transport unit. the rotation mechanism further includes an elastic body that presses at least one of the two holding parts that hold the medium against the medium;
The transport unit according to claim 1 . A conveying unit that conveys a medium to a laser light irradiation unit of a laser marking device,
a transport mechanism that transports the medium to the laser light irradiation unit;
a rotation mechanism that is provided on a path along which the medium is transported by the transport mechanism and that rotates the medium to change the orientation of the medium;
the rotation mechanism includes two opposing holding parts, a first drive part that linearly moves at least one of the two holding parts in an opposing direction, and a second drive part that rotates at least one of the two holding parts;
the two holders of the rotation mechanism are configured to rotate while sandwiching and holding the medium to change the orientation of the medium;
the transport mechanism includes a transport belt that supports the medium and moves the medium;
The conveying belt includes two long conveying belts provided with protrusions that contact the medium from the rear in the conveying direction and push the medium forward in the conveying direction, and one short conveying belt;
the conveying mechanism further includes a roller that is movable in a direction approaching the short conveying belt and in a direction away from the short conveying belt,
When the leading edge of the medium reaches a predetermined position on the conveying path, the roller moves in a direction approaching the short conveying belt, and the medium is sandwiched between the short conveying belt and the roller.
When the rear end of the medium reaches a predetermined position on the transport path, the protrusion provided on the long transport belt comes into contact with the medium.
Transport unit. When the rear end of the medium passes the roller, the protrusion provided on the long conveying belt comes into contact with the medium.
The transport unit according to claim 3 . The transport unit according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the transport belt is driven so that the protrusion moves away from the medium after the medium is transported to the rotating mechanism and before the rotating mechanism begins to change the orientation of the medium . After the rotation mechanism has completed changing the orientation of the medium, the conveyor belt is driven so that the protrusions come into contact with the medium again;
After the protrusion comes into contact with the medium again, the two holding portions release the medium from its holding position.
A transport unit according to claim 5 . A conveying unit according to any one of claims 3 to 6 ,
and a laser light irradiation unit that irradiates a laser light onto the medium transported by the transport unit to perform marking.
Laser marking equipment.

Images