Device for printing one or several objects moving in a feed direction

Translation of description of equivalent WO 2004033218 A1

A device for printing one or more movable objects in a feed direction

The invention relates to a device for printing one or more movable in a feed direction articles, especially labels, packaging, packaging sections, a band strip or from adhering to a Tragerbandstreifen labels with a print head and means for supplying the object to be printed to the print head.

Such a device is known for example from DE 195 07 892 AI. In the known apparatus, a label tape consisting of a Tragerbandstreifen with removable labels adhering to it, is passed between a thermal printing head and a printing roller and printed by thermal or thermal transfer method. Then the labels are achieved by means of a separating device from the carrier tape by the latter is guided around a dispensing edge. The printhead is mounted stationary in the device and lingers when printing in the thermal process during the entire transport and print time on the label or the Tragerbandstreifen.

Further, generic devices are known in which the print head from the label and the carrier tape strip for the times is lifted during which will not be printed.

The printing speed of a thermal printer is limited in terms of print quality. Furthermore, the wear of the thermal strip increases with increasing speed.

Object of the present invention is to improve a device of the aforementioned type in that it offers a higher printing performance and labeling capacity without degradation of print quality and / or increasing the thermal bars wear.

This object is achieved by a device having the features of claim 1. The inventive apparatus is essentially characterized in that the print head is provided with a drive, by which the print head is movable in the feed direction of the object to be printed and counter to the advancing direction of the article ,

In the inventive apparatus, the feed speed of the object to be printed can thus be increased without the selected depending on the desired print quality and the thermal bars life maximum printing speed of the printhead is increased. The inventive device makes it possible therefore to increase the feed rate of the object to be printed and thus the printing performance or labeling capacity without degrading the print quality and without increasing the wear of the thermal strip. According to a preferred embodiment of the inventive device, the print head may be provided with a means by which the print head automatically to the object to be printed and can be moved away from the object. This configuration makes it possible to lift the print head during printing pauses and the movement counter to the feed direction of the article from the latter. Thereby minimizing abrasion induced wear of the printhead.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the drive, by which the print head is movable in the feed direction of the object to be printed and counter to the advancing direction of the article, be associated with a controller which controls said drive so that the print head when moving in the feed direction of the to printed article having the same speed as the object to be printed or a lower speed than the object to be printed. In this case, there may be broadcast at the feed speed proportional measuring signals to the controller, wherein the controller controls the movement of the print head in dependence on the detected feed speed preferably includes means for detecting the feed speed of the object to be printed.

A further advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention is characterized in that the drive through which the print head is moved in the feed direction and counter to the advancing direction of the tape strip, a crank mechanism or a piezoelectric actuator having. With a crank mechanism can be reliably especially fast forward and back directed thrust movements of the print head realize parallel to the feed direction of the tape strip. The same applies to a piezoelectric actuator.

An advantageous development of the inventive device consists in that the stroke length of the slider-crank mechanism is adjustable. This embodiment enables an adjustment of forward and reverse-directed movement of the printing head parallel to the feed direction of the tape strip in dependence on the label length and / or the distance from adhering to the tape strip, to be printed on labels.

A preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention further consists in that the print head is mounted on a sliding guide mounted in a carrier which also transmits the drive through which the print head inlet to the tape strip and is movable away from the tape strip. This drive may comprise a cam disk or a circular disk with eccentrically arranged axis of rotation by means of which, in contact with the tape strip is the print head against the action of at least one spring element, preferably a coil spring engageable.

Instead of a pressure roller as having conventional, a stationarily arranged printhead generic devices is present in the inventive device the print head a plattenför sodium counter-bearing can be arranged oppositely preferably over which slides the rear side of the tape strip during its advancement. Further preferred and advantageous embodiments of the inventive device are specified in the subclaims.

The invention with reference to a several embodiments drawing depicting in more detail. Show it:

FIG. 1 is a schematic, not to scale,

View of a device according to a first embodiment and

FIG. 2 is a schematic, not to scale,

View of a device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows an apparatus for printing on adhesive on a support gerbandstreifen 1 labels 2. The labels 2 are on the tape strips 1 attached with a substantially uniform distance from one another. The tape strip 1 is unwound from a supply roll 3 and fed to a printing unit. The printing mechanism is composed of a print head 4 in the form of a Ther odruckkopfes and a plate-shaped, having a smooth surface counter-bearing 5, which slides over the back of the tape strip 1 during its feed. The print head 4 is formed as a strip-shaped and extends transversely to the feed direction of the tape strip 1 essentially over the width or the width of the labels. The print head 4 presses the labels 2 with sufficient force against the fixed plate-type thrust bearing 5 and printed, for example, in thermal or thermal transfer printing. In tape downstream of the printing unit a relatively sharp deflection provided in the form of a dispensing edge 6, at which the printed labels can be peeled off 2 in a conventional manner from Tragerbandstreifen 1 and removed through an opening in the housing of the device and applied to a to characterizing the subject. The Tragerbandstreifen 1 ird wound after being deflected at the dispensing edge 6 on a by a stepping motor 7 driven winding roller 8 a rewinder. The rotation speed of the stepping motor 7 and the winding roller 8 is preferably infinitely adjustable.

The thermal head 4 is held on a plate-shaped support 9, which is mounted in a sliding guide 10th The slide 10 shown schematically can be formed for example, from roller bearings. The carrier 9 is provided with a drive, by which it, and thus the print head 4 in the feed direction and counter to the advancing direction of the band strip 1 is moved parallel. This is indicated by the double arrow. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive includes a stationarily arranged motor 11, preferably an electric motor, whose motor shaft 12 is a circular disc 13 drives. The circular disk 13 has an eccentrically arranged pin 14 on which is articulated one end of a joint rod 15th The other end of the link rod 15 is articulated with an attached to the support pin 9 sixteenth The circular disk 13 with the eccentric pin 14, the hinged thereto joint rod 15 and the bearing in a sliding guide carrier 9 with the attached pivot pins 16 thus form a slider-crank mechanism. The distance between the rotation axis of the motor shaft 12 and the center point of the circle fitted to the disc 13 Pivot pin 14 determines the stroke length of the slider-crank mechanism.

In order to move the print head 4 if required with different stroke lengths in the feed direction and counter to the advancing direction of the carrier tape strip 1, the distance of the pivot pin 14 with respect is adjustable to the rotary axis of the motor shaft 12 and the pivot pin 14 n of the circular disk 13 in accordance with displaceable and fixable mounted ,

The motor 11 of the actuator is a controller 17 associated with that controls the drive in such a way that the print head 4 when moved in the feed direction of the carrier tape strip 1 has the same speed as the Tragerbandstreifen 1 or a lower speed than the Tragerbandstreifen 1 has. The reference numerals 18 and 19 denote a light emitting transmitter diode and a receiver diode responsive to light which are part of a measuring device for detecting the feed speed of the carrier tape tab first The substantially uniformly spaced labels 2 or other evenly spaced marks on the Tragerbandstreifen 1 interrupt the reception of light emitted by the transmitter diode 18 light at the receiving diode 19 when the tape strip is transparent. If the receiving diode receiving the light emitted by the transmitter diode light due to light reflection on the labels 2 or to the label-free sections 20 of the tape strip 1, it is - in contrast to the illustration in the drawing - on the facing along with the transmitter diode 18 labels 2 side of the support band strip 1 arranged. As an alternative to the transmitter and receiver diodes 18, 19 other means can be used to detect, for example, a scrollable on the Tragerbandstreifen dynamo or the like, the feed speed of the carrier tape strip.

The receiving diode 19 or the dynamo delivers measurement signals which are proportional to the feed speed of the carrier tape tab first These signals are sent to the sensing and control means 17 which controls the rotational speed of the motor shaft 12 and consequently the translational movement of carrier 9 and the print head 4 in dependence on the detected feeding speed of the carrier tape tab first

The carrier 9 is provided with a device, the print head 4 to-by the Tr gerbandstreifen 1 and can be moved away from the Tragerbandstreifen. 1 This device is also connected via a signal line 21 to the measurement and control device 17 and includes an electric motor 26, preferably a stepping motor, and a circular disc 27 with an eccentrically arranged axis of rotation. With 28 a formed on the substrate 9 for mounting the motor 26 is designated. The carrier 9 is shown in the drawing in longitudinal section. The print head 4 is provided with mutually parallel rods 29, 30, which are guided in bearings formed in the carrier 9. The upper ends of the rods 29, 30 are interconnected by a transverse rod 31st Between the support and the cross-bar, a spring element 32 is arranged in the form of a helical spring which moves the print head 4 from the tape strip. Means of the circular disc 27 eccentrically mounted, which at the Top of the cross bar 31 engages, the print head 4 can be brought into contact against the action of the coil spring 32 with the carrier tape strips 1 or the respective label to be printed second

The measurement and control device 17 controls the drives in such a way that the print head 4 abuts when the movement in the feed direction of the carrier tape tab 1 to a adhering to the Tragerbandstreifen, to be printed label 2 and against the feed direction of the tape strip 1 at a distance from the Tragerbandstreifen movement or the labels adhering thereto 2 is moved.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 differs from the embodiment of FIG. 1 only in that instead of the electric motor 26, the circular disc eccentrically mounted 27, the holder 28, of and from the rods 29, 30 and the crossbar 31 formed parallel guidance of the spring element 32, at least one piezoelectric actuator 33 is employed to raise and lower the print head. 4 The thermal printing head 4 is at least one piezoelectric actuator 33 is attached in Fig. 2 to which is in turn supported on the underside of plate-shaped carrier 9. The carrier 9 is in turn mounted in a sliding 10th Instead of a slide guide 10, however, a roller bearing may, as already mentioned, be used.

The invention is not limited in its embodiment to the embodiments described above. Rather, several variants are conceivable that even in fundamentally differing construction of the inventive idea as disclosed in the claims is to make use of. In particular, the invention is not limited to the printing of adhering to a Tragerbandstreifen labels. Likewise, the invention also when printing on one side with an adhesive LABEL FOR continuous paper (so-called linerless), individually fed labels without backing paper and partially printed package sheaths of paper or cardboard are used.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

Tragerbandstreifen

label

supply roll

Printhead (Print Head)

anvil

dispensing edge

stepper motor

take-up reel

carrier

slide

motor

motor shaft

circular disc

pivot pin

joint rod

pivot pin

Control (measurement and control device

transmitter diode

Receiver Diode label free tape portion

signal line

signal line

signal line

signal line

signal line

electric motor

circular disc

holder

rod

rod

crossbar

Spring element (helical spring)