JP2007308235A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce cost for identification of paper by reducing the number of parts since the types of paper can be identified by one paper type transmission member because the paper type transmission member having parts to be detected the shapes of which are different from each other for each type of paper is fitted to a paper roll in the direction according to the type of paper and the parts to be detected corresponding to the types of paper are located at predetermined positions, and the shapes of the parts to be detected are detected at the predetermined positions. <P>SOLUTION: In this image forming device, a paper roll formed by wrapping a band-like paper around a core is rotatably supported and printing is applied to the extracted portion of the paper. The image forming device comprises a paper type transmission member 2 on which the parts 22, 23 to be detected having different shapes for each type of paper are installed at different positions and on which either of the parts 22, 23 to be detected is positioned at a predetermined location when it is installed on the paper roll in the direction according to the type of paper and a paper type identification means for identifying the type of paper by detecting the shapes of the parts 22, 23 to be detected at the predetermined locations. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an image forming apparatus that changes control parameters such as printing speed in accordance with the type of printing paper in order to optimize printing quality. Such an image forming apparatus includes means for identifying the type of printing paper.
As a means for identifying the paper type, for example, a paper on which an identification mark corresponding to the paper type is printed in advance on the back side is used, and the paper is identified by reading the identification mark with a reading device provided in the image forming apparatus. There is something to do. In addition, as shown in Patent Document 1, in an image forming apparatus that uses roll paper on which belt-shaped paper is wound as paper, the shape of a flange that is a part of a roll paper support and is attached to both ends of the roll paper Is defined for each paper type, and means for identifying the paper type by identifying the shape of the flange is provided.
JP 2002-220140 A

  Among the above two conventional techniques, the former case has a problem that the processing cost of the paper increases because it is necessary to print the identification mark on the back surface of the paper. In the latter case, since it is necessary to prepare flanges having different shapes for each type of paper, there is a problem that the number of parts increases and the cost of the image forming apparatus increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to reduce the cost related to paper identification.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the present invention, as a first means, an image for printing on the drawn-out portion of the paper, in which a roll-like paper having a belt-like paper wound around a winding core is rotatably supported. In the forming apparatus, when the plurality of detected portions having different shapes for each type of the paper are provided at different positions and mounted on the roll paper in an orientation corresponding to the type of the paper, the detected portion Is provided with a paper type transmitting member that is located at a predetermined position, and a paper type identification unit that detects the shape of the detected portion at the predetermined position and identifies the type of the paper.

  Further, as a second means, in the first means, the sheet type transmission member is provided on each of the two surfaces, and a flat plate portion having two surfaces which are brought into contact with a side edge of the roll paper. What was a flange provided with the said to-be-detected part provided was employ | adopted.

  As a third means, in the second means, the detected part has a slit of a different number for each type of paper in a cylindrical fitting part press-fitted into the inner periphery of the roll core of the roll paper. The paper type identification means includes a sensor for detecting the slit, and a determination unit for determining the type of the paper by determining the number of the slits based on a detection result of the sensor. The thing equipped with was adopted.

  As a fourth means, in the third means, the sensor is provided at a position in the vicinity of both side edges of the roll paper.

  According to the present invention, a paper type transmission member having a plurality of detected portions having different shapes for each paper type is attached to the roll paper in a direction corresponding to the paper type, thereby supporting the paper type. Since the detected part is positioned at a predetermined position and the shape of the detected part is detected at the predetermined position, the number of parts can be reduced because one type of paper can be identified by one paper type transmission member. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost related to paper identification.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a pair of flanges 2 and 2 ', a pinch roller 3, a feed roller 4, a thermal head 5, a platen roller 6, ink ribbon support shafts 7 and 8, guide rollers 9 and 10, a pinch roller 11, and a feed roller. 12, a sensor 13 and a control unit 14 are provided.
The roll paper R has a predetermined length of a hollow cylindrical member in which a paper having a predetermined width is wrapped around a circumferential surface of a winding core, and the flanges 2 and 2 ′ are respectively provided at both ends of the roll paper R. It is to be attached. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the shape of one flange 2 of the paired flanges 2 and 2 ′. FIG. 3 is a perspective view (a) showing a positional relationship between the flange 2 and the sensor 13 and a part thereof. It is a front view (b). The flange 2 is, for example, a resin molded product, and includes a flat plate portion 21, fitting portions 22 and 23, and rotating shafts 24 and 25 as illustrated.

The flat plate portion 21 is a disk-shaped portion having a predetermined thickness, and one surface (surface A or surface B) comes into contact with the side edge of the roll paper R when mounted on the roll paper R.
The surface A has eight regions that are radially divided, and four regions that are not adjacent to each other among the eight regions are formed as the recessed portions a, and the region that contacts the side edge of the roll paper R and the recessed portions a are provided. It is formed alternately. The surface B is formed in the same manner. The surface B has eight regions that are radially divided, and four regions that are not adjacent to each other among the eight regions are formed as depressions b, and the side edges of the roll paper R are formed. The area | region which contact | abuts and the hollow part b are formed alternately. Here, the back of the recess a is a region in contact with the side edge of the roll paper R in the surface B, and the back of the region in contact with the side edge of the roll paper R in the surface A is a recess b. .
A note label 26 is affixed to one of the recesses a. The note label 26 has a description such as “please attach this side to the first type of paper”. . Similarly, a note label 27 is affixed to one of the recesses b, and this note label 27 has a description such as “please attach this surface to the second type paper with the outside”. Has been made.

  The fitting portion 22 is a cylindrical portion protruding from the center portion of the surface A of the flat plate portion 21, and the fitting portion 23 is a cylindrical portion protruding from the center portion of the surface B of the flat plate portion 21. The flange 2 is fixed to the roll paper R by press-fitting the fitting portion 22 or the fitting portion 23 into the inner periphery of the winding core C. Further, the fitting parts 22 and 23 are detected parts in the present embodiment, the fitting part 22 has eight slits 28, the B-side fitting part 23 has four slits 29, Each is formed so as to be substantially parallel to the width direction of the roll paper R.

The rotating shafts 24 and 25 are shaft-like portions protruding from the center portions of the fitting portions 22 and 23, and the shaft centers of the rotating shafts 24 and 25 are rolls when the flange 2 is mounted and fixed to the roll paper R. It coincides with the axis of the paper R.
With the flange 2 configured as described above and the flange 2 ′ paired with the flange 2 sandwiching the roll paper R, one of the rotary shaft 24 and the rotary shaft 25 on the opposite side of the roll paper R, The roll paper R is rotatably supported by the rotation shaft of one flange 2 'being supported by a bearing (not shown). And the power of the motor which is not illustrated is transmitted to the rotating shaft of flange 2 '.

The pinch roller 3 is provided so as to be able to contact with and separate from the feed roller 4 and is urged in a direction in which the pinch roller 3 is pressed against the feed roller 4. Press contact. The feed roller 4 rotates to feed the paper P between the feed roller 4 and the pinch roller 3 to the thermal head 5. The platen roller 6 is provided so as to be able to contact with and separate from the thermal head 5 and is urged in a direction in which it is pressed against the thermal head 5. The sheet P and the ink ribbon I inserted between the thermal head 5 and the platen roller 6 are Press contact with the thermal head 5. The ink ribbon I is an area in which the ribbon surface is divided into predetermined lengths and areas are set, and a plurality of colors of ink and a protective layer are sequentially applied to different areas, for example, cyan ink, magenta Ink, yellow ink, and protective layer in this order are repeatedly held in the length direction.
The ink ribbon support shaft 7 rotatably supports the used ink ribbon I, and the ink ribbon support shaft 8 rotatably supports the unused ink ribbon I. The guide rollers 9 and 10 guide the ink ribbon I before and after the thermal head 5 positioned therebetween. The ink ribbon support shafts 7 and 8 appropriately move the ink ribbon I with respect to the thermal head 5 by sending out or winding the ink ribbon I.
The thermal head 5 includes a heating resistor, and heats the ink ribbon I with the heating resistor while sandwiching the ink ribbon I and the paper P between the platen roller 6 and the ink or the protective layer on the ink ribbon I. Is transferred to the paper P. The pinch roller 11 is provided so as to be able to contact with and separate from the feed roller 12 and is urged in a direction in which the pinch roller 11 is pressed against the feed roller 12. The paper P inserted between the feed roller 12 and the pinch roller 11 is fed to the feed roller 12. Press contact. The feed roller 12 rotates to feed the paper P after printing with the pinch roller 11.

  With the above configuration, the paper P passes between the pinch roller 3 and the feed roller 4, subsequently passes between the thermal head 5 and the platen roller 6, and finally passes between the pinch roller 11 and the feed roller 12. Are ejected. Further, with the above configuration, the ink ribbon I is delivered from the ink ribbon support shaft 8, is passed around the guide roller 10, is guided, passes between the thermal head 5 and the platen roller 6, and is further hung on the guide roller 9. It is passed and guided and wound on the ink ribbon support shaft 7.

  The sensor 13 is provided in the vicinity of the flange 2 in the image forming apparatus 1 and at a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion 22 or 23 that is not fitted to the winding core C. The reflected light that is emitted and reflected by the fitting portion 22 or 23 when the slit 28 or 29 is not located on the optical axis is received. The sensor 13 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the detection result to the control unit 14.

The control unit 14 controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 1 based on a control program and various control data stored in the internal memory. That is, the control unit 14 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs control calculation based on the control program, various control data, and the like, and various input / output interface lines that exchange data with the other units. And overall control of the other parts.
In addition, the control unit 14 is a determination unit in the present embodiment, stores the association between the number of slits 28 and 29 formed in the fitting units 22 and 23 and the paper type, and the output of the sensor 13. The type of paper P is identified according to the above. For example, if the number of times that the sensor 13 does not receive the reflected light while the flange 2 rotates once is 8, the control unit 14 determines that the first type of paper P is being used. If the number of times the sensor 13 does not receive the reflected light while the flange 2 rotates once is four, the control unit 14 determines that the second type of paper P is being used. Here, in order to determine that the flange 2 has made one rotation, the control unit 14 accumulates the usage amount of the paper P, calculates the diameter of the roll paper R, and determines the flange 2 from the diameter of the roll paper and the printing speed. The time required for one rotation is calculated, and this time is determined.
Further, the control unit 14 stores the association between the paper type and the values of various control parameters in the internal memory. When the type of the paper P is identified, the control unit 14 reads the control parameter corresponding to the paper type from the internal memory. Based on the control parameters, the above-described units are controlled. Examples of the control parameter include energy per unit time given to the heating resistor of the thermal head 5 set for controlling the printing density and color, the printing speed, and the like.

  The operation of the image forming apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described. First, from the winding direction of the roll paper R, the user determines a side end closer to the sensor 13 in a state where the roll paper R is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, that is, a side end where the flange 2 is to be mounted. Subsequently, the user determines the orientation corresponding to the type of the paper P when being mounted on the roll paper R of the flange 2 from the type of the paper P of the roll paper R and the annotation labels 26 and 27 of the flange 2. The flange 2 is attached to the side edge of the roll paper R. Next, the user attaches the flange 2 ′ to the other side end of the roll paper R. Then, the user mounts the roll paper R with the flanges 2 and 2 ′ mounted on the image forming apparatus 1.

  When the user operates a predetermined operation key (not shown) after the roll paper R is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, the control unit 14 performs an initial operation of the image forming apparatus 1. That is, the control unit 14 pulls out the paper P from the roll paper R, drives a motor that transmits power to the rotation shaft of the flange 2 ′, and rotates the feed roller 4, the platen roller 6, and the feed roller 12 to Then, the paper P is passed between the pinch roller 3 and the feed roller 4, passed between the thermal head 5 and the platen roller 6, and passed between the pinch roller 11 and the feed roller 12. At this time, the control unit 14 does not energize the thermal head 5 and keeps the heating resistor from generating heat without printing. When the paper P is pulled out in the initial operation, the flange 2 rotates one or more times. While the flange 2 makes one rotation, the sensor 13 emits light, receives reflected light from the fitting portion 22 or 23, and outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the light reception result to the control portion 14. When the electrical signal is input from the sensor 13, the control unit 14 calculates the number of times that the reflected light is not received during the time during which the flange 2 rotates once (that is, the number of slits 28 or 29), Accordingly, the type of paper P is identified. Then, the control unit 14 reads out control parameters corresponding to the type of the paper P from the internal memory, and controls the energy and printing speed applied to the heating resistor of the thermal head 5 based on the control parameters.

  Since the printing is performed while winding the drawn paper, the control unit 14 controls the feed roller 4 and the feed roller 12 prior to printing, and draws the paper P in the length necessary for printing in advance. Prepare. At the time of printing, on the basis of the control parameters determined by the above initial operation, driving of a motor for transmitting power to the rotation shaft of the flange 2 ′, the feed roller 4, the feed roller 12, and the ink ribbon support shafts 7 and 8 are performed. By controlling the rotation, while the paper P and the ink ribbon I are moved intermittently, the heat generation of the heating resistor of the thermal head 5 is controlled based on the control parameters, and printing is performed on the paper P.

  In this way, the flanges 2 formed on the front and back sides of the fitting portions 22 and 23 having the slits 28 and 29 formed in different numbers for each type of the paper P are used, and the flange 2 is used according to the type of the paper P. Since the type of the paper P is determined by detecting the number of slits 28 or 29 formed in the fitting portion 22 or 23 corresponding to the type of the paper P by mounting the roll paper R in the direction. Since a single flange 2 can identify a plurality of types of paper P, the number of parts can be reduced, and the cost for identifying the paper P can be reduced.

In this embodiment, the flange 2 conventionally used in the image forming apparatus 1 that uses the roll paper R as printing paper is used as a paper type transmission member, and the two fitting portions 22 and 23 are provided for each type of paper P. A different number of slits 28 and 29 are provided to form a detected portion, and the paper type identification means determines the type of the paper P based on the sensor 13 that detects the slits 28 and 29 and the detection result of the sensor 13. The two types of paper P are identified and realized by the control unit 14 as a unit. However, the implementation is not limited to this configuration, and the paper type transmission member is not the flange 2 but another member. The detected portion may be different from the fitting portions 22 and 23 in which the slits 28 and 29 are formed as long as it has a different shape for each type of the paper P. Knowledge Means may be any one which identifies the type of the sheet P by determining the shape of the different detected part shapes for each type of sheet P without those consisting of a sensor 13 the control unit 14.
In this embodiment, the sensor 13 is provided at one of the side edges of the roll paper R. However, when the sensor 13 is provided in the vicinity of both side edges of the roll paper R, the user can place the flange 2 on either side of the roll paper R. The paper type can be identified so as to be attached to the side edge.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a shape of one flange of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a partial front view showing a positional relationship between a flange and a sensor of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Flange (paper type transmission member), 2 '... Flange, 3 ... Pinch roller, 4 ... Feed roller, 5 ... Thermal head, 6 ... Platen roller, 7, 8 ... Ink ribbon support shaft, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9,10 ... Guide roller, 11 ... Pinch roller, 12 ... Feed roller, 13 ... Sensor, 14 ... Control part, 21 ... Flat plate part, 22, 23 ... Fitting part (detected part), 24, 25 ... Rotating shaft , 26, 27 ... note label, 28,29 ... slit, A, B ... surface, C ... winding core, I ... ink ribbon, P ... paper, R ... roll paper

Claims (4)

An image forming apparatus that rotatably supports a roll paper in which a belt-like paper is wound around a winding core, and performs printing on a drawn portion of the paper,
When a plurality of detected parts having different shapes for each type of the paper are provided at different positions and mounted on the roll paper in an orientation corresponding to the type of the paper, any of the detected parts is at a predetermined position. A paper type transmission member located at
Paper type identifying means for detecting the shape of the detected portion at the predetermined position and identifying the type of the paper;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The paper type transmission member is a flange including a flat plate portion having two surfaces that are brought into contact with a side edge of the roll paper, and the detected portion provided on each of the two surfaces. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The detected portion is a cylindrical fitting portion that is press-fitted into the inner periphery of the roll core of the roll paper, and a different number of slits are formed for each type of the paper,
The paper type identification unit includes a sensor that detects the slit, and a determination unit that determines the type of the paper by determining the number of the slits based on a detection result of the sensor. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sensor is provided at a position near both side edges of the roll paper.

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