JP2011111286A - Belt-shaped body conveying device and thermal printer including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a belt-shaped body conveying device which achieves the stable conveying of a belt-shaped body by effectively using an existing conveying roller mechanism without providing a new mechanism for a skew countermeasure and suppresses the generation of skew, and to provide a thermal printer improved in printing quality. <P>SOLUTION: This conveying device for conveying the belt-shaped body Pa includes a conveying roller mechanism 1 having a first roller (pinch roller 11) and a second roller (feed roller 12) and imparting a conveying force to the belt-shaped body Pa arranged between both of the rollers by rotation of both the rollers to convey the belt-shaped body Pa in a conveying direction, a rotation driving part 15 for rotating and driving at least either one roller in the conveying roller mechanism 1, and a regulating part 2 for regulating the inclination of the belt-shaped body Pa by a prescribed angle or more in the conveying direction by receiving the belt-shaped body Pa on either one side of a width direction of the belt-shaped body Pa. The conveying roller mechanism 1 presses the belt-shaped body Pa to the regulating part 2 using the difference between the conveying forces (D1, D2) at both ends in the width direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a belt-like body conveyance device that conveys a belt-like body such as print paper, and more particularly, to a belt-like body conveyance device that conveys a belt-like body in a thermal printer that performs printing on the belt-like body.

  A thermal printer conveys (supplies) a recording medium to a thermal head by a conveyance roller mechanism that conveys the recording medium by rotating the roller while sandwiching the recording medium with a pair of rollers, and supplies the dye or pigment to paper through heating of the thermal head. The printing apparatus prints on the recording medium by transferring the recording medium to the recording medium or by heating the recording medium such as thermal paper whose color changes when heat is detected with a thermal head.

  In one type of thermal printer, as exemplified in Patent Document 1, a plurality of printing units including a thermal head are arranged in series, and a belt-like recording medium is sequentially conveyed (supplied) to the plurality of printing units for continuous printing. However, tandem thermal printers with improved printing throughput are known.

  In general thermal printers, when a recording medium is conveyed, a so-called skew may occur in which the recording medium is inclined with respect to the conveying direction or the position of the recording medium in the width direction is displaced. In order to cope with this skew, for example, in Patent Documents 2 and 3, a recording medium that is separately provided independently of the transport roller mechanism and is driven around an axis that is inclined with respect to an axis orthogonal to the transport direction is driven. A technique for correcting a generated skew by pressing a recording medium against a guide with an aligning roller that rotates in a row is disclosed.

JP 2006-347050 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-119504 JP 2005-169783 A

  As shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, the conventional tandem-type thermal printer is usually configured to carry out continuous printing by conveying a belt-shaped recording medium between adjacent printing units. When the recording medium is transported in a stretched state, it is effective in reducing the occurrence of skew when the recording medium is transported between the printing units. It was not necessary to provide a mechanism for correcting skew such as a aligning roller.

  However, in such a configuration in which the recording medium is conveyed while being stretched between the respective printing units, vibration generated when printing is performed by bringing a thermal head of a certain printing unit into contact with the recording medium, to the adjacent printing unit. There is a problem that print quality is impaired, such as propagation through a recording medium and propagation of streaks due to bounding.

  The inventors of the present invention have made various studies in order to solve this problem, and have come up with a configuration in which a recording medium is conveyed in a relaxed state between adjacent printing units. However, when the recording medium is slackened, the occurrence of skew is remarkably increased, and the skew occurs randomly for each printing section, resulting in a new problem that causes the print quality to be impaired.

  In this case, if a mechanism for countermeasures against skew as shown in Patent Documents 2 and 3 is newly provided, the number of necessary parts increases, and in particular, in a tandem type having a plurality of printing parts. Since it is necessary to newly provide a mechanism for countermeasures against skew for each printing section, the number of parts is remarkably increased, and as a result, the cost for countermeasures against skew is greatly increased.

  The object of the present invention is to pay attention to such problems, and without using a new mechanism for countermeasures against skew, the existing transport roller mechanism is effectively used and the occurrence of skew is suppressed. Then, it is providing the strip | belt-body conveyance apparatus which implement | achieved the conveyance of the stable strip | belt body, and by extension, the thermal printer which improved printing quality.

  In order to achieve this object, the present invention takes the following measures.

  In other words, the belt-like body conveyance device of the present invention is a conveyance device that conveys a belt-like body, and has a first roller and a second roller, and is conveyed to the belt-like body disposed between both rollers by the rotation of both rollers. A conveyance roller mechanism that applies force to convey the belt-like body in the conveyance direction, a rotation drive unit that rotationally drives at least one of the rollers of the conveyance roller mechanism, and one of the widthwise directions of the belt-like body And a restricting portion for restricting the belt-like body from being inclined at a predetermined angle or more with respect to the transport direction by receiving the belt-like body, and the transport roller mechanism is configured to reduce a transport force difference at both ends in the width direction. It is comprised so that the said strip | belt-shaped body may be pressed against the said control part using.

  Using the difference in conveying force means that the belt is skewed if there is no external influence. The difference in conveying force is, for example, the holding force of a roller that holds the belt or between the roller and the belt. Is caused by the frictional force generated in the roller, the rotational speed of the roller, the peripheral speed of the roller, and the like.

  If comprised in this way, the strip | belt-shaped body will always be positively pressed against a control part using the difference of the conveyance force in the width direction both ends of a transport roller mechanism, a control part will receive a strip | belt-shaped body, and it is predetermined with respect to the conveyance direction. In order to restrict the tilting beyond the angle, it is possible to maintain the tilt of the strip in the transport direction at a predetermined angle, suppress the occurrence of skew, and realize stable transport of the strip.

  In addition, the existing transport roller mechanism can be effectively used without providing a new mechanism to prevent skew, because a difference is made in the transport force at both ends in the width direction of the existing transport roller mechanism and the strip is pressed against the regulating portion. It can be used to achieve the intended purpose.

  In order to cope with a secondary skew that may be caused by pressing the band-like body against the restriction portion, a second restriction portion is provided that restricts the belt-like body from being rotated by a reaction force pressed against the restriction portion. It is preferable.

  In order to use the transport roller mechanism simply and effectively, the transport roller mechanism may be configured such that the clamping force on the regulating part side is stronger than the clamping force on the counter-regulating part side.

  Another specific aspect of the transport roller mechanism is that the transport roller mechanism has a roller diameter on the restricting portion side of the transport roller mechanism larger than a roller diameter on the counter-regulating portion side.

  As another specific aspect of the transport roller mechanism, the transport roller mechanism sets the transport force by the protrusion on the restricting portion side of the transport roller mechanism to be larger than the transport force by the protrusion on the counter-regulator portion. It is mentioned.

  According to still another specific aspect of the transport roller mechanism, the transport roller mechanism is configured such that the belt-shaped body is displaced in a state where the center in the width direction of the belt-shaped body is displaced to the regulating portion side from the center in the width direction of the transport roller mechanism. It is mentioned that it is comprised so that it may be clamped and conveyed.

  In order to provide a thermal printer that stably transports a recording medium that is a belt-like body, the belt-like body transport device is disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction of a printing unit having a thermal head, and the belt-shaped body is provided. Is preferably configured to be conveyed with respect to the thermal head.

  In addition to the above-described effects, in order to provide a tandem thermal printer in which vibration generated during printing is prevented from propagating to an adjacent printing unit, and thus improved in print quality, a plurality of printing units are connected in series. It is desirable that the printing apparatus is configured to continuously print in a state in which the belt-like body is slackened in the intermediate portion of the conveyance path between the adjacent printing units. In other words, a tandem thermal printer is a printer in which a plurality of printing units having thermal heads are arranged in series and continuous printing is performed in each printing unit, and the above-described belt-shaped body conveyance device is provided corresponding to each printing unit. The belt-like body is slackened at the intermediate portion of the conveyance path between the adjacent printing units, and the slackened belt-like body is transported to the corresponding printing unit by each belt-like body transport device. It is desirable to be configured.

  Since the present invention has the configuration described above, it is possible to effectively utilize the existing conveyance roller mechanism without providing a new mechanism for countermeasures against skew, and to suppress the occurrence of skew to stably convey the belt-shaped body. As a result, the print quality of the thermal printer can be improved.

1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a tandem thermal printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram regarding a conveyance roller mechanism and a printing unit of the thermal printer. The perspective view which shows the conveyance roller mechanism of the thermal printer. Explanatory drawing about the movement of the belt in the thermal printer The perspective view which shows the conveyance roller mechanism which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which shows the conveyance roller mechanism which concerns on further another embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which shows the conveyance roller mechanism which concerns on embodiment other than the above of this invention.

  A thermal printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  The thermal printer includes a conveyance roller mechanism 1 that conveys a band-shaped recording medium including paper (hereinafter simply referred to as a band-shaped body Pa), and a printing unit 4 that performs printing on the band-shaped body Pa conveyed by the conveyance roller mechanism 1. Is the main constituent.

  In the thermal printer of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of printing units 4 are arranged in series on the conveyance path of the strip-shaped body Pa, and the conveyance roller mechanism 1 is arranged on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of each printing unit 4. It is a tandem type. In this thermal printer, each transport roller mechanism 1 transports and supplies a belt-like body Pa to a printing unit 4 positioned downstream in the transport direction, and each printing unit 4 performs printing, In the printing unit 4, continuous printing is performed by superimposing different prints such as Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan). In this case, in order to prevent vibration generated during printing of a certain printing unit 4 from propagating to the adjacent printing unit 4 via the band-shaped body Pa, a belt-like shape is formed in the conveyance path intermediate portion Sag between the adjacent printing units 4. The body Pa is transported in a relaxed state.

  Next, a detailed configuration relating to the transport roller mechanism 1 and the printing unit 4 will be described with reference to FIG. The side view shown in FIG. 2 is an AA arrow view of the plan view of FIG.

  The transport roller mechanism 1 includes a pinch roller 11 that is a first roller and a feed roller 12 that is a second roller. The belt Pa is sandwiched between the pinch roller 11 and the feed roller 12, and the feed roller 12 is The belt is rotated by a rotation drive unit 15 such as a motor, and the feed roller 12 rotates to apply a conveying force to the band-shaped body Pa, and the band-shaped body Pa is sent out in the conveyance direction to be conveyed.

  The pinch roller 11 and the feed roller 12 are disposed so as to be rotatable about a horizontal direction orthogonal to the transport direction as a rotation axis. The length in the width direction of the pinch roller 11 and the feed roller 12 is set to be approximately equal to the length in the width direction of the band state Pa or longer than the length in the width direction of the band state Pa, and the conveying force is reliably transmitted to the band state Pa. Is configured to do. The pinch roller support portion 13 that supports the pinch roller 11 is L-shaped in a side view and is provided to be rotatable around a horizontal support shaft 13a. The pinch roller 11 is provided on one end side of the pinch roller support portion 13. A biasing portion 14 is provided on the other end side of the pinch roller support portion 13, and the pinch roller support portion 13 is rotated by the biasing force of the biasing portion 14 so that the pinch roller 11 is pressed against the feed roller 12. The belt-like body Pa is sandwiched between the pinch roller 11 and the feed roller 12. The pinch roller support portions 13 are provided in pairs at both ends in the width direction of the pinch roller 11. The biasing portion 14 of this embodiment uses a tension spring, but is not limited to this.

  The printing unit 4 is disposed on the downstream side of the transport roller mechanism 1 in the transport direction, and includes a thermal head 41 and a platen roller 42. The printing unit 4 heats the thermal head 41 while printing the belt-shaped body Pa while sandwiching the belt-shaped body Pa between the thermal head 41 and the platen roller 42 and rotating in synchronization with the rotation of the feed roller 12.

  An auxiliary transport roller mechanism 5 is disposed on the downstream side of the printing unit 4 in the transport direction with respect to the printing unit 4. The auxiliary transport roller mechanism 5 includes a secondary peel roller 51 and a peel roller 52 that are rotatably arranged with the horizontal direction as a rotation axis, and the belt-like body Pa is sandwiched between the secondary peel roller 51 and the peel roller 52. In synchronism with the rotation of the feed roller 12, the conveyance roller mechanism 1 assists the conveyance of the belt-like body Pa. The slave peel roller support portion 53 that supports the slave peel roller 51 is provided in an L-shape in a side view and rotatable about a support shaft 53a centered in the horizontal direction in substantially the same manner as the pinch roller support portion 13 described above. A secondary peel roller 51 is provided on one end side of the secondary peel roller support portion 53, and an urging portion 54 is provided on the other end side of the secondary peel roller support portion 53. The sub peel roller support part 53 is rotated, the sub peel roller 51 is pressed against the peel roller 52, and the belt-like body Pa is sandwiched between the sub peel roller 51 and the peel roller 52. The sub peel roller support portions 53 are also provided in pairs at both ends in the width direction of the sub peel roller 51.

  In the present embodiment, the following configuration is further added to the above configuration.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, on the upstream side in the transport direction of the transport roller mechanism 1, a restriction unit 2 that receives the strip body Pa is provided in one of the width directions of the strip body Pa. The restricting portion 2 is a substantially plate-shaped guide in which a receiving surface 2a orthogonal to the surface of the strip-shaped body Pa is disposed along the transport direction, and the strip-shaped body Pa is transported by receiving this when the strip-shaped body Pa comes into contact. Inclination beyond a predetermined angle with respect to the direction is restricted. In the present embodiment, the receiving surface 2a of the restricting portion 2 is made to coincide with the transport direction, and the belt Pa is restrained so that there is no inclination with respect to the transport direction, that is, the predetermined angle is maintained at 0 degree. In addition, when it is desired to transport the strip Pa in a state inclined with respect to the transport direction, that is, in a state where the strip Pa is tilted with a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the transport direction, that is, a uniform skew is positively generated in each printing unit. If desired, when the receiving surface of the restricting portion 2 is made to coincide with the predetermined inclination angle, the belt-like body Pa can be restricted from being inclined more than the predetermined inclination angle, and can be maintained at the predetermined inclination angle.

  Further, the transport roller mechanism 1 is configured to press the band-shaped body Pa against the restricting portion 2 by using a difference in transport force at both ends in the width direction. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the urging force of the urging portion 14 of the pinch roller support portion 13 that presses the pinch roller 11 against the feed roller 12 is set to different values at both ends in the width direction. Thus, a difference is provided in the clamping force (P1, P2) at both ends in the width direction of the conveyance roller mechanism 1, and a difference is provided in the conveyance force (D1, D2). Similarly, the biasing force of the biasing portion 54 that generates the clamping force of the auxiliary transport roller mechanism 5 is also different at both ends in the width direction.

  Using the difference in conveying force means that the belt is skewed if there is no external influence. The difference in conveying force is, for example, the holding force of a roller that holds the belt or between the roller and the belt. Is caused by the frictional force generated in the roller, the rotational speed of the roller, the peripheral speed of the roller, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the biasing force of the biasing portion 14 provided on the pinch roller support portion 13 on the regulating portion side is greater than the biasing force of the biasing portion 14 provided on the pinch roller support portion 13 on the counter-regulating portion side. When strengthened, the clamping force P2 on the regulating part side becomes stronger than the clamping force P1 on the counter-regulating part side, and the conveying force D2 on the regulating part side of the transport roller mechanism 1 becomes larger than the conveying force D1 on the counter-regulating part side. A pressing force Sk in a direction toward the restricting portion 2 is applied to the band-shaped body Pa. At this time, the anti-conveyance roller mechanism side (upstream side) of the regulating portion 2 in the conveyance direction is provided with play in the conveyance path intermediate portion Sag with the belt-shaped body Pa slackened (see FIG. 1). It is possible to prevent the band-shaped body Pa from being damaged by applying an excessive force to the body Pa.

  Further, the second restricting portion 3 is disposed on the upstream side of the transport roller mechanism 1 in the transport direction and on the side opposite to the restraint portion of the strip Pa. The second restricting portion 3 is a substantially plate-shaped guide in which a receiving surface 3a orthogonal to the surface of the band-shaped body Pa is disposed along the transport direction so as to receive the band-shaped body Pa. The band-shaped body Pa is separated from the restricting portion 2 or is caused to cause a new rotation with the restricting portion 2 as a fulcrum.

  Further, the second restricting portion 3 is separated from the strip-shaped body Pa on the basis of the position where the facing distance between the receiving surface 2a of the restricting portion 2 and the receiving surface 3a of the second restricting portion 3 coincides with the widthwise dimension of the strip-shaped body Pa. It is provided to be slidable in the separating direction and is urged toward the restricting portion 2 by an urging portion 3c such as a push spring. For this reason, when the second restricting portion 3 is slid in a direction away from the strip-shaped body Pa by an appropriate means at the time of initial setting or the like, the strip-shaped body Pa is easily passed between the restricting portion 2 and the second restricting portion 3. In addition, it is easy to deal with a case where a predetermined angle is set with respect to the posture of the band-shaped body Pa described above, or that the band-shaped body Pa is allowed to tilt by a reaction force of the restricting portion 2 within a certain range.

  Further, at the upstream end portions of the restricting portion 2 and the second restricting portion 3 in the transport direction, there are a tapered portion 2b and a tapered portion 3b that are inclined in the direction away from the belt state Pa on the upstream side in the transport direction. Since the tapered portion 2b and the tapered portion 3b are formed so that the space between the restricting portion 2 and the second restricting portion 3 is narrowed from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction, the restricting portion 2 and the second restricting portion 3 are formed. It becomes easy for the band-shaped body Pa to enter between the portions 3.

  Next, the movement of the belt-shaped body Pa to be conveyed will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, a pressing force Sk is applied to the belt-shaped body Pa due to the difference in transport force (D1, D2) at both ends in the width direction of the transport roller mechanism 1, and the belt-shaped body Pa is applied to the restricting portion 2. Pressed. Then, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the receiving surface 2a of the restricting portion 2 and the edge of the belt-like body Pa coincide with each other, and the restricting portion 2 makes a predetermined angle (0 degree) or more with respect to the transport direction. Inclination of the band-shaped body Pa is restricted, and the inclination of the band-shaped body Pa with respect to the transport direction becomes a predetermined angle (0 degree). Although depending on the strength of the pressing force Sk, as shown in FIG. 4C, when the reaction force rSk from the restricting portion 2 acts on the band Pa and the band Pa tries to rotate. In addition, the second restricting portion 3 receives the belt-like body Pa, restricts the strip-like body Pa from being separated from the restricting portion 2, and the belt-like body Pa is rotated by the reaction force rSk pressed against the restricting portion 2. 2 It is regulated by the regulation unit 3.

  As described above, the belt-like body transport device according to the present embodiment is a transport device that transports the belt-like body Pa, and includes the first roller (pinch roller 11) and the second roller (feed roller 12). At least one of the transport roller mechanism 1 and the transport roller mechanism 1 (feed) is configured to apply a transport force to the strip Pa disposed between the two rollers by rotation of the rollers and transport the strip Pa in the transport direction. The rotation drive unit 15 that rotationally drives the roller 12) and the belt-like body Pa in either one of the widthwise directions of the belt-like body Pa restricts the belt-like body Pa from being inclined more than a predetermined angle with respect to the transport direction. The conveyance roller mechanism 1 is configured to press the belt-shaped body Pa against the regulation unit 2 using the difference in conveyance force (D1, D2) at both ends in the width direction. The features.

  Using the difference in conveying force means that the belt is skewed if there is no external influence. The difference in conveying force is, for example, the holding force of a roller that holds the belt or between the roller and the belt. Is caused by the frictional force generated in the roller, the rotational speed of the roller, the peripheral speed of the roller, and the like.

  In this way, by utilizing the difference between the conveying forces (D1, D2) at both ends in the width direction of the conveying roller mechanism 1, the band-shaped body Pa is always positively pressed against the regulating unit 2, and the regulating unit 2 always always uses the band-shaped body Pa. In order to limit the inclination of the belt-shaped body Pa with respect to the transport direction, the tilt of the belt-shaped body Pa with respect to the transport direction is always maintained at a predetermined angle, the occurrence of skew is suppressed, and the stable transport of the belt-shaped body Pa is performed. Can be realized.

  Further, as described above, the tandem thermal printer continuously prints by superimposing different prints such as Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) as described above. If each printing unit 4 is different, the printing quality is remarkably impaired. However, in this embodiment, the skew is uniformly suppressed in each printing unit 4 or the skew is uniformly generated to align the direction of the strips Pa. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the print quality from being impaired and improve the print quality.

  In addition, a difference is provided in the conveyance forces (D1, D2) at both ends in the width direction of the existing conveyance roller mechanism 1, and the band-shaped body Pa is pressed against the regulating unit 2, so that a new mechanism for preventing skew is not provided. The intended purpose can be achieved by effectively utilizing the existing transport roller mechanism 1.

  In particular, since the second restricting portion 3 that restricts the rotation of the strip-shaped body Pa by the reaction force rSk pressed against the regulating portion 2 is provided, the strip-shaped body Pa is stripped by the reaction force rSk that presses the strip-shaped body Pa against the regulating portion 2. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of a secondary skew that the body Pa rotates away from the restricting portion 2, and to make the effect obtained by pressing the band-like body Pa against the restricting portion 2 effective.

  Furthermore, since the conveying roller mechanism 1 has the clamping force P2 on the regulating portion side set to be stronger than the clamping force P1 on the counter-regulating portion side, a difference is provided in the conveying forces at both ends in the width direction of the conveying roller mechanism 1. Can be performed by a simple operation such as changing the urging force of the urging unit 14, and the conveyance roller mechanism can be easily and effectively used.

  Further, the above-described belt-shaped body transporting device is arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction of the printing unit 4 having the thermal head 41 so as to transport the belt-shaped body Pa so as to feed the thermal head 41 in a correct posture. Therefore, it is possible to provide a thermal printer that stabilizes the conveyance of the recording medium that is the band-shaped body Pa.

  Furthermore, since the plurality of printing units 4 are arranged in series and are configured to perform continuous printing in a state in which the belt-shaped body Pa is slackened in the conveyance path intermediate portion Sag between the adjacent printing units 4, the belt-shaped body Pa In addition to the effect of stabilizing the conveyance of the recording medium, it is possible to provide a tandem thermal printer that avoids the propagation of vibrations generated during printing to the adjacent printing unit 4 and thus improves the printing quality. it can.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described based on drawing, it should be thought that a specific structure is not limited to these embodiment. The scope of the present invention is shown not only by the above description of the embodiments but also by the scope of claims for patent, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims for patent.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the restricting portion 2 is disposed on the upstream side of the transport roller mechanism 1, but may be disposed on the downstream side of the transport roller mechanism 1. However, since it is difficult to change the inclination and the position of the band-shaped body Pa on the downstream side of the transport roller mechanism 1 in the transport direction, it is preferable to provide the restriction portion 2 on the upstream side of the transport roller mechanism 1 in the transport direction. Moreover, in this embodiment, although the single control part 2 is provided, you may provide two or more control parts 2. FIG.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in the conveyance path intermediate portion Sag on the side opposite to the conveyance roller mechanism of the regulation unit 2 in the conveyance direction, the belt-like body Pa is loosened, but a thermal printer other than a tandem thermal printer, When applied to other belt-shaped body conveyance devices, the belt-shaped body Pa may be stretched without being slackened on the side opposite to the conveyance roller mechanism of the regulating portion 2 in the conveyance direction. However, even when applied to a thermal printer other than a tandem type thermal printer or other belt-shaped body transport device, the belt-shaped body Pa is loosened at the transport path intermediate portion Sag on the side opposite to the transport roller mechanism of the regulating portion 2 in the transport direction. In this state, it is possible to reliably eliminate the damage to the band-shaped body Pa due to the pressing force Sk with which the band-shaped body Pa is pressed against the restricting portion 2.

  In the present embodiment, the second restricting portion 3 is disposed on the upstream side of the transport roller mechanism 1 in the transport direction and on the side opposite to the restraint portion of the strip-shaped body Pa. The present invention is not limited to this as long as it is possible to restrict the rotation with the pressed reaction force rSk. For example, it may be the downstream side of the transport roller mechanism 1 in the transport direction, or may be the restricting portion side of the strip Pa. Moreover, in this embodiment, although the 2nd control part 3 and the control part 2 have opposed, the 2nd control part 3 and the control part 2 do not need to face. Moreover, in this embodiment, although the single 2nd control part 3 is provided, you may provide two or more 2nd control parts 3. FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the band-shaped body Pa is described as a band-shaped recording medium used in a thermal printer. However, if the object to be transported is a band-shaped recording medium, the band-shaped body Pa is not limited to the band-shaped recording medium. Good.

  Further, a transport roller mechanism 101 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Since the conveying roller mechanism 101 is configured such that the roller diameter W2 of the pinch roller 111 and the feed roller 112 on the restricting portion side is larger than the roller diameter W1 on the counter-regulating portion side, the rotation speed of the roller on the restricting portion side ( Circumferential speed) is faster than the rotational speed (circumferential speed) of the roller on the counter-regulating portion side, and as a result, the conveying force D4 on the regulating portion side of the conveying roller mechanism 101 is larger than the conveying force D3 on the counter-regulating portion side. Thus, a pressing force Sk that presses the band-shaped body Pa against the restricting portion 2 is applied. Also with this transport roller mechanism 101, it is possible to realize a transport roller mechanism that presses the belt-shaped body Pa against the restricting portion 2 by utilizing the difference in transport force at both ends in the width direction.

  Furthermore, a conveyance roller mechanism 201 which is still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. A protrusion that increases the frictional force with the belt-like body Pa in order to reliably transmit the feeding force to the belt-like body Pa to the feed roller 212 (same as the already-mentioned feed rollers 12 and 112) driven by the transport roller mechanism. Is provided. The conveyance roller mechanism 201 is configured such that the conveyance force D6 due to the protrusion T2 on the restriction portion side of the conveyance roller mechanism 201 is set larger than the conveyance force D5 due to the protrusion T1 on the counter-regulation portion side. Specifically, the height of the protruding portion T2 on the restricting portion side is made higher than the protruding portion T1 on the anti-restricting portion side, the size of the protruding portion T2 is made larger than the protruding portion T1, or provided on the restricting portion side. By increasing the density of the projecting portion T2 near the density of the projecting portion T1 provided on the counter-regulating portion side, the transport force D6 by the projecting portion T2 on the regulating portion side is increased. It can be set larger than the conveyance force D5 due to T1. Also with this transport roller mechanism 201, it is possible to realize a transport roller mechanism that presses the belt-shaped body Pa against the restricting portion 2 by utilizing the difference in transport force at both ends in the width direction.

  Further, in other embodiments of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, the transport roller mechanism 301 has the width direction center C <b> 2 of the strip-shaped body Pa closer to the regulating portion than the width direction center C <b> 1 of the transport roller mechanism 301. The belt-shaped body Pa is sandwiched and conveyed in a displaced state. Although exaggerated for easy understanding in FIG. 7, the pinch roller 311 and the feed roller 312 are slightly bent but are bent, so that the closer to both ends in the width direction of the transport roller mechanism 301, the band-like shape. The clamping force for clamping the body Pa tends to increase. The closer to the center in the width direction of the transport roller mechanism 301, the weaker the clamping force for clamping the band Pa. When the band-shaped body Pa is clamped in a state where the center C2 in the width direction of the band-shaped body Pa is displaced to the regulating part side with respect to the width-direction center C1 of the transport roller mechanism 301, the clamping force P4 on the regulating part side is pinched on the anti-regulating part side A difference occurs in the clamping force (P4, P5) that clamps both ends in the width direction of the belt-like body Pa so that it becomes stronger than the force P5, and the conveying force on the regulating part side is larger than the conveying force on the counter-regulating part side. Thus, a pressing force Sk toward the restricting portion 2 is generated in the belt-like body Pa. This conveyance roller mechanism 301 can also realize a conveyance roller mechanism that presses the belt-like body Pa against the regulating portion 2 by using the difference in conveyance force at both ends in the width direction.

  The specific configuration of each part is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 ... Transport roller mechanism 11 ... 1st roller (pinch roller)
12 ... 2nd roller (feed roller)
15 ... Rotation drive part 2 ... Restriction part 3 ... Second restriction part 4 ... Printing part 41 ... Thermal head 101, 201, 301 ... Conveyance roller mechanism Pa ... Strips D1, D2, D3 , D4, D5, D6... Transporting force P1, P2 .. clamping force rsk .. reaction force Sag... Transport path intermediate part W1, W2... Roller diameter T1, T2. Center in the width direction C2 Center of the strip in the width direction

Claims (5)

A transport device for transporting a band-shaped body,
A transport roller mechanism that includes a first roller and a second roller, applies a transport force to the belt-like body disposed between both rollers by rotation of both rollers, and transports the belt-like body in the transport direction;
A rotation drive unit that rotationally drives at least one of the rollers of the transport roller mechanism;
A regulation part that regulates the belt-like body from being inclined at a predetermined angle or more with respect to the transport direction by receiving the belt-like body in any one of the width directions of the belt-like body;
The transporting roller mechanism is configured to press the belt-like body against the restricting portion by using a difference in transporting force at both end portions in the width direction.   The belt-shaped body conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the belt-shaped body is provided with a second restriction portion that restricts rotation of the belt-like body by a reaction force pressed against the restriction portion.   3. The belt-like body conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance roller mechanism makes a holding force on a regulating portion side stronger than a holding force on a counter-regulating portion side.   The transport roller mechanism is configured to sandwich and transport the belt-like body in a state in which the center in the width direction of the belt-like body is displaced to the regulating portion side from the center in the width direction of the transport roller mechanism. The strip | belt-shaped object conveyance apparatus in any one of 1-3. A thermal printer that arranges a plurality of printing units having thermal heads in series and performs continuous printing in each printing unit,
5. The belt-like body conveyance device according to claim 1 is provided corresponding to each printing unit, and the belt-like body is slackened in a middle portion of a conveyance path between the adjacent printing units, and is slackened. A tandem thermal printer configured to transport the belt-shaped body in a state of contact to a corresponding printing unit by each belt-shaped body transport device.

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