CN110744926B

CN110744926B - Printing apparatus, control method, and recording medium

Info

Publication number: CN110744926B
Application number: CN201910623373.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 小泽健夫
Original assignee: Casio Computer Co Ltd
Current assignee: Casio Computer Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-07-23
Filing date: 2019-07-10
Publication date: 2022-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 2039-07-10
Also published as: JP2020015183A; CN110744926A; JP7183604B2

Abstract

A control circuit (12) of a printing apparatus (1) controls a platen roller (7), a thermal head (8), and a half cutter (10) to perform: a half-cut process of carrying the thermosensitive tape (42) in the forward direction before the start of printing and half-cutting by the half-cutter (10); a reverse conveyance process of conveying the thermosensitive tape (42) in a reverse direction after the half-cut process is performed so that a printing start position of the thermosensitive tape (42) becomes a head position; and a printing process performed by the thermal head (8) while the thermosensitive tape (42) is conveyed in the forward direction after the reversing conveyance process is completed. A control circuit (12) detects that an interruption has occurred in the execution of at least 1 or more of the cutting process, the reverse conveyance process, and the printing process, and controls the conveyance of the belt member after the interruption in accordance with the detected interruption-time execution process.

Description

Printing apparatus, control method, and recording medium

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

With regard to the present application, priority is claimed on the basis of japanese patent application laid-open at 23.7.7.2018, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The disclosure of the present specification relates to a printing apparatus, a control method, and a recording medium.

Background

Conventionally, there is known a label printer which prints characters, graphics, and the like on a long print medium and cuts the printed print medium with a cutter to form a label.

In the label printer, both the print head and the cutting device are provided on the conveyance path of the medium to be printed, but due to space constraints, the cutting device is disposed at a position apart from the print head to some extent downstream in the conveyance direction from the print head. Therefore, when the platen roller rotates only in the forward direction, an unnecessary margin having a size corresponding to the distance between the printing position and the cutting position appears at the leading end of the print medium due to the difference between the printing position and the cutting position in the label printer.

Techniques related to such a problem are described in, for example, japanese patent laid-open No. 2012-179882. In the label printer described in japanese unexamined patent publication No. 2012-179882, since the platen roller can be rotated in the reverse direction before the printing of the print head is started to convey the print medium in the reverse direction, unnecessary margins can be reduced.

However, in the label printer, the process is sometimes forcibly interrupted by a user operation or the like. For example, if the process is forcibly interrupted during reverse conveyance of the print medium, the print medium is conveyed to a position upstream in the conveyance direction from the normal position before printing is started in the next process. If the print medium is excessively conveyed to the upstream side, the subsequent printing may not be performed properly, which is not desirable.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above circumstances, an object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a technique for preventing a print medium from being conveyed to a position upstream in a conveyance direction from a normal position before printing is started after a forcible suspension.

One aspect of the present invention provides a printing apparatus including: a transport roller that transports the belt member; a print head that prints on the tape member; a cutting section that cuts the belt member; and a control unit that controls the transport roller, the print head, and the cutting unit to perform: a cutting process of conveying the tape member in a forward direction toward a discharge port before printing by the print head is started, and performing the cutting process by the cutting unit; a reverse conveyance process of conveying the belt member in a direction opposite to the forward direction after the cutting process is performed so that a print start position in the belt member becomes a position of the print head; and a printing process performed by the print head while the tape member is being conveyed in the forward direction after the reversing conveyance process is completed, wherein the control unit detects that an interruption has occurred in execution of at least one of the cutting process, the reversing conveyance process, and the printing process, and controls conveyance of the tape member after the interruption in accordance with a process executed at the time of the detected interruption.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a control method for a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus including: a transport roller that transports a belt member, a print head that prints on the belt member, and a cutting portion that cuts the belt member, wherein the control method is characterized by controlling the transport roller, the print head, and the cutting portion to: a cutting process of conveying the tape member in a forward direction toward a discharge port before printing by the print head is started, and performing the cutting process by the cutting unit; a reverse conveyance process of conveying the belt member in a direction opposite to the forward direction after the cutting process is performed so that a print start position in the belt member becomes a position of the print head; and a printing process of performing the printing process by the print head while the tape member is being conveyed in the forward direction after the reversing conveyance process is completed, detecting that an interruption has occurred in execution of at least 1 or more of the cutting process, the reversing conveyance process, and the printing process, and controlling conveyance of the tape member after the interruption in accordance with the detected process being executed at the time of the interruption.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a non-transitory recording medium on which a computer-readable program is recorded, the program causing a computer of a printing apparatus including a transport roller that transports a belt member, a print head that prints on the belt member, and a half cutter that half-cuts the belt member to execute: controlling the transport roller, the print head, and the cutting section to: a cutting process of conveying the tape member in a forward direction toward a discharge port before printing by the print head is started, and performing the cutting process by the cutting unit; a reverse conveyance process of conveying the belt member in a direction opposite to the forward direction after the cutting process is performed so that a print start position in the belt member becomes a position of the print head; and a printing process that is performed by the print head while the tape member is being conveyed in the forward direction after the reversing conveyance process is completed, detects that an interruption has occurred in the execution of at least 1 or more of the cutting process, the reversing conveyance process, and the printing process, and controls the conveyance of the tape member after the interruption in accordance with the detected process that is being executed at the time of the interruption.

Drawings

The following detailed description will be further understood when considered in conjunction with the following drawings.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the printing apparatus 1 with the cover 4 closed.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the printing apparatus 1 with the cover 4 opened.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the media adapter 20.

Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the print medium 40.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the thermosensitive tape 42.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the printing apparatus 1.

Fig. 7 is an example of a flowchart of processing performed by the printing apparatus 1.

Fig. 8A to 8G are diagrams for explaining the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the process performed after the preceding process is normally ended.

Fig. 9A and 9B are diagrams for explaining the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the previous process of interruption before the start of reverse conveyance.

Fig. 10A to 10G are diagrams for explaining the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the process performed after the interruption in the case where the previous process was interrupted before the start of reverse conveyance.

Fig. 11A to 11D are diagrams for explaining the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the previous process interrupted in the reverse conveyance.

Fig. 12A to 12E are diagrams for explaining the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the process performed after the interruption in the case where the previous process was interrupted during reverse conveyance.

Fig. 13A to 13E are diagrams for explaining the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the process immediately before the interruption in the printing process.

Fig. 14A to 14C are diagrams of the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the process performed after the interruption in the case where the previous process was interrupted in the printing process.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the printing apparatus 1 with the cover 4 closed. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the printing apparatus 1 with the cover 4 opened. The structure of the printing apparatus 1 will be described below with reference to fig. 1 and 2.

The printing apparatus 1 is a label printer that prints on a thermosensitive tape 42 included in a print medium 40. Hereinafter, a label printer of a thermal type using the thermal tape 42 will be described as an example, but the printing method is not particularly limited. The printing apparatus 1 may be a thermal transfer type label printer using an ink ribbon. The printing apparatus 1 may be an ink jet printer, a laser printer, or the like. The printing apparatus 1 may perform printing by the one-pass method or the scanning method.

As shown in fig. 1, the printing apparatus 1 includes an apparatus casing 2, an input unit 3, a cover 4 that can be opened and closed, a window 5, and a display unit 6. Further, although not shown, the apparatus casing 2 is provided with a power line connection terminal, an external device connection terminal, a storage medium insertion port, and the like.

The input unit 3 is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus casing 2. The input unit 3 includes various keys such as an input key, a cross key, a shift key, and a decision key. The cover 4 is disposed on the apparatus casing 2. The user can open the lid 4 by pressing the button 4a to release the lock mechanism as shown in fig. 2. In order to make it possible to visually confirm whether or not the printing medium 40 is accommodated in the printing apparatus 1 even when the cover 4 is closed, a window 5 is formed in the cover 4. The cover 4 has a display unit 6.

The display unit 6 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (electro-luminescence) display, or the like. The display unit 6 displays characters and the like corresponding to the input from the input unit 3, a selection menu for various settings, messages related to various processes, and the like. The display unit 6 may be a display with a touch panel, or may function as a part of the input unit 3.

As shown in fig. 2, the apparatus housing 2 includes a medium adapter accommodating portion 2a, a platen roller 7, and a thermal head 8 below the cover 4. The medium adapter housing portion 2a houses the medium adapter 20, which houses the print medium 40. The apparatus casing 2 further includes a full cutter 9, a half cutter 10, and an optical sensor 11 between the discharge port 2b for discharging the thermosensitive tape 42 and the thermal head 8. The half cutter 10, the full cutter 9, and the optical sensor 11 are arranged in this order from the discharge port 2b side. The media adapter 20 and the print medium 40 will be described later.

The platen roller 7 is a transport roller that transports the thermosensitive tape 42. The platen 7 is rotated by the rotation of the conveyance motor 32 (see fig. 6). The conveyance motor 32 is, for example, a stepping motor, a Direct Current (DC) motor, or the like. The platen roller 7 rotates while sandwiching the thermosensitive tape 42 fed out from the media adapter 20 between the thermal head 8, thereby conveying the thermosensitive tape 42 in the conveyance direction.

The thermal head 8 is a print head that prints on the thermal tape 42. The thermal head 8 has a plurality of heat generating elements 8a (see fig. 6) arranged in a main scanning direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the thermosensitive tape 42, and prints one line by heating the thermosensitive tape 42 with the heat generating elements 8 a.

The full cutter 9 is a 1 st cutting device that cuts the thermosensitive tape 42, and cuts the thermosensitive tape 42 to form a tape piece. The full cut is an operation of cutting all the layers constituting the thermosensitive tape 42 in the width direction of the thermosensitive tape 42.

The half cutter 10 is a 2 nd cutting device that cuts the thermosensitive tape 42, and forms a cut in the thermosensitive tape 42 by half-cutting the thermosensitive tape 42. The half-cut is an operation of cutting a layer other than a separator L1 (see fig. 5) described later in the thermosensitive tape 42 in the width direction.

The optical sensor 11 is a sensor disposed on the conveyance path of the thermosensitive tape 42 in order to detect the leading end of the thermosensitive tape 42. The optical sensor 11 includes, for example, a light emitting element and a light receiving element. The light emitting element is, for example, a light emitting diode, and the light receiving element is, for example, a photodiode. The optical sensor 11 detects the reflected light of the light emitted from the light emitting element by a light receiving element, and outputs a signal to a control circuit 12 (see fig. 6) described later. The control circuit 12 detects the tip of the thermosensitive tape 42 based on, for example, a change in the amount of reflected light detected by the light-receiving element. The light sensor 11 is not limited to a photo reflector that detects reflected light of light emitted from the light emitting element. The optical sensor 11 may be a photo interrupter in which a light emitting element and a light receiving element are disposed to face each other.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the media adapter 20. Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the print medium 40. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the thermosensitive tape 42. The structure of the media adapter 20 and the to-be-printed medium 40 is explained below with reference to fig. 3 to 5.

The media adaptor 20 is a media adaptor for accommodating the to-be-printed medium 40, and accommodates the to-be-printed medium 40 so that a user can replace the to-be-printed medium 40. That is, the media adapter 20 is designed on the premise that the user puts in and takes out the print medium 40 to and from the media adapter 20.

As shown in fig. 3, the media adapter 20 includes an adapter main body 21 and an adapter cover 22 openably and closably attached to the adapter main body 21. The printed medium 40 is accommodated in the internal space of the media adapter 20 partitioned by the adapter body 21 and the adapter cover 22.

The media adapter 20 is designed in accordance with the tape width of the thermosensitive tape 42 included in the print medium 40. The tape width of the thermosensitive tape 42 to be housed in the media adapter 20 is displayed in the area 21a of the adapter main body 21. In this example, the media adapter 20 is a media adapter for a tape having a tape width of 6 mm.

In the printing apparatus 1, the medium adapter 20 that stores the medium to be printed 40 is stored in the printing apparatus 1, and the medium to be printed 40 is stored in the printing apparatus 1. In addition, the printing apparatus 1 can accommodate media adapters corresponding to different tape widths. Specifically, the printing apparatus 1 may be, for example, a media adapter 20 for a 6mm tape shown in fig. 3, a media adapter for a 9mm tape, a media adapter for a 12mm tape, a media adapter for a 18mm tape, or the like.

As shown in fig. 4, the print medium 40 includes a paper tube 41, a thermosensitive tape 42, a scattering prevention sheet 43, and a marking sheet 44.

The paper tube 41 is a cylindrical member wound with the thermosensitive tape 42, and has a hollow portion 41 a. The thermosensitive tape 42 is a printing tape member wound in a longitudinal direction and having a cylindrical shape, and is wound to have a hollow portion 42 a. The scattering prevention sheet 43 is an adhesive sheet attached to one of the annular side surfaces (side surface 42c) of the thermosensitive tape 42. The label sheet 44 is an adhesive sheet that is attached to the other of the annular side surfaces (side surface 42b) of the thermosensitive tape 42.

The paper tube 41 is provided in the hollow portion 42a of the thermosensitive tape 42. The paper tube 41 is a cylindrical member, and a protruding portion formed on the bottom surface of the adapter body 21 is inserted into a hollow portion 41a of the paper tube 41 in a state where the print medium 40 is accommodated in the medium adapter 20. The paper tube 41 is used to smoothly rotate the to-be-printed medium 40 inside the medium adapter 20 without damaging the to-be-printed medium 40 while the thermosensitive tape 42 is being conveyed by the platen roller 7.

The thermosensitive tape 42 has, for example, a 5-layer structure as shown in fig. 5. That is, the separator L1, the adhesive layer L2, the base material L3, the coloring layer L4, and the protective layer L5 were stacked in this order. A separator L1 was releasably attached to the base material L3 covering the adhesive layer L2. The material of the separator L1 is, for example, paper, but is not limited to paper, and may be PET (polyethylene terephthalate). The adhesive layer L2 is an adhesive member coated on the substrate L3. The material of the substrate L3 is, for example, colored PET. The coloring layer L4 is a thermosensitive coloring layer that develops color by heating with thermal energy. The material of the protective layer L5 is, for example, transparent PET.

The structure of the thermosensitive tape 42 is not limited to the structure shown in fig. 5. For example, the thermo-sensitive tape 42 may be formed without the protective layer L5 and the coloring layer L4 may be exposed.

The thermosensitive tape 42 has a shape corresponding to the paper tube 41 in a state of being wound around the paper tube 41. That is, the thermosensitive tape 42 has a cylindrical shape, and both side surfaces (side surface 42b, side surface 42c) have a circular ring shape.

The scattering prevention sheet 43 is an adhesive sheet for maintaining the shape of the thermosensitive tape 42. The thermosensitive tape 42 sometimes expands according to a change in humidity. However, by attaching the scattering prevention sheet 43 to the side surface 42c of the thermosensitive tape 42, the shape change of the thermosensitive tape 42 due to the expansion, that is, the scattering of the thermosensitive tape 42 can be suppressed. The scattering prevention sheet 43 can suppress the change in shape even when the thermosensitive tape 42 is hit by dropping of the print medium 40 or the like.

The scattering prevention sheet 43 has an opening 43a and an adhesive surface 43 b. The opening 43a is the same size as the hollow portion 41a of the paper tube 41 or larger than the hollow portion 41a of the paper tube 41. The scattering prevention sheet 43 is attached to the side face 42c such that the opening 43a faces the hollow portion 42a of the thermosensitive tape 42. In addition, the scattering prevention sheet 43 is desirably sized to cover the side face 42c of the thermosensitive tape 42. That is, the scattering prevention piece 43 is desirably larger than the side face 42 c. This allows the entire thermosensitive tape 42 to be held by the adhesive surface, and thus the shape can be maintained more reliably.

The shape of the scattering prevention piece 43 is desirably a shape similar to the shape of the side surface 42 c. That is, if the side surface 42c has a circular ring shape, it is desirable that the scattering prevention piece 43 also have a circular ring shape. This can reduce the area that does not contribute to maintaining the shape of the thermosensitive tape 42, and therefore, the size of the scattering prevention sheet 43 can be reduced. Further, since the exposure of the adhesive surface is also reduced, the adhesion of dust, dirt, and the like to the scattering prevention sheet 43 can be suppressed.

The label sheet 44 is an adhesive sheet indicating the type of the print medium 40 (more strictly, the type of the thermosensitive tape 42). The thermosensitive tape 42 is of various types depending on the tape width and the difference in color of the surface to be printed. The label sheet 44 includes information for specifying the type, and the user can easily specify the type of the print medium 40 by attaching the label sheet 44 to the side surface 42b of the thermosensitive tape 42.

The label sheet 44 has an opening 44a and an adhesive surface 44 b. The opening portion 44a is smaller than the hollow portion 42a of the thermosensitive tape 42, and further smaller than the hollow portion 41a of the paper tube 41. The label sheet 44 is attached to the side face 42b such that the opening 44a is opposed to the hollow portion 42a of the thermosensitive tape 42. In addition, the marking sheet 44 is desirably smaller than the side face 42b of the thermosensitive tape 42 at least before the start of use of the to-be-printed medium 40, for example, at the time of sale of the to-be-printed medium 40 or the like. In more detail, the area of the marking piece 44 is desirably smaller than the area of the side face 42b of the thermosensitive tape 42. Thus, the area covered by the label sheet 44 among the side surfaces 42b of the thermosensitive tape 42 becomes small, and thus the remaining amount of the thermosensitive tape 42 can be easily checked.

The materials of the paper tube 41, the scattering prevention sheet 43, and the marking sheet 44 are not limited to paper. In this case, if these components are made of paper, the used print medium 40 that has run out of the thermosensitive tape 42 can be discarded as combustible waste. For this reason, the material of the paper tube 41, the scattering prevention sheet 43, and the marking sheet 44 is desirably paper.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the printing apparatus 1. As shown in fig. 6, the printing apparatus 1 includes a control circuit 12, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 14, a display drive circuit 15, a head drive circuit 16, a thermistor 17, a conveying motor drive circuit 31, a conveying motor 32, an encoder 33, a cutter motor drive circuit 34, a cutter motor 35, and a tape width detection switch 36, in addition to the above-described components.

The control circuit 12 is a control Unit including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control circuit 12 controls each part (for example, the platen roller 7 and the thermal head 8) of the printing apparatus 1 by developing and executing a program stored in the ROM13 in the RAM 14.

The ROM13 stores a program for performing the processing shown in fig. 7 described later and various data (for example, fonts and the like) necessary for executing the program. The RAM14 is a work memory used in the execution of programs. A physical (non-temporary) recording medium such as the ROM13 or the RAM14 is included in a computer-readable recording medium storing programs and data used for processing in the printing apparatus 1.

The display drive circuit 15 is a liquid crystal display driver circuit or an organic EL display driver circuit. The display drive circuit 15 controls the display unit 6 based on the display data stored in the RAM 14.

The head drive circuit 16 controls energization to the heat generating element 8a of the thermal head 8 based on print data and a control signal under the control of the control circuit 12. The thermal head 8 is a print head having a plurality of heat generating elements 8a arranged in the main scanning direction. The thermal head 8 prints on the thermosensitive tape 42 line by heating the thermosensitive tape 42 with the heating element 8 a. That is, in the printing apparatus 1, the control circuit 12 is a control section that controls the thermal head 8 by controlling the energization to the heat generating element 8a via the head drive circuit 16.

The thermistor 17 is embedded in the thermal head 8. The thermistor 17 measures the temperature of the thermal head 8.

The conveyance motor drive circuit 31 drives the conveyance motor 32 under the control of the control circuit 12. The conveyance motor 32 may be a stepping motor or a Direct Current (DC) motor, for example. The platen 7 is rotated by a transport motor 32. The conveyance motor 32 is controlled by the conveyance motor drive circuit 31 to rotate not only in the forward direction, which is the direction in which the thermosensitive tape 42 is discharged, but also in the reverse direction, which is the direction in which the thermosensitive tape 42 is rewound.

The platen roller 7 is a transport roller that is rotated by the driving force of the transport motor 32 and transports the thermosensitive tape 42 along the longitudinal direction (sub-scanning direction, transport direction) of the thermosensitive tape 42. When the transport motor 32 rotates in the forward direction, the platen roller 7 releases the thermosensitive tape 42 from the media adapter 20 and transports the thermosensitive tape 42 in the forward direction. When the transport motor 32 rotates in the reverse direction, the platen 7 rewinds the thermosensitive tape 42 fed from the media adapter 20, and transports the thermosensitive tape 42 in the reverse direction.

That is, in the printing apparatus 1, the control circuit 12 is a control section that controls the platen roller 7 by controlling the conveyance motor 32 via the conveyance motor drive circuit 31.

The encoder 33 outputs a signal to the control circuit 12 in accordance with the driving amount (rotation amount) of the conveyance motor 32 or the platen 7. The encoder 33 may be provided on the rotation shaft of the conveying motor 32 or on the rotation shaft of the platen 7. The control circuit 12 can determine the amount of conveyance of the thermosensitive tape 42 based on the signal from the encoder 33.

In addition, in the case where the conveying motor 32 is a stepping motor, the control circuit 12 may determine the conveying amount based on a signal (input pulse number) input to the conveying motor driving circuit 31 that drives the conveying motor 32. Therefore, in the case where the conveying motor 32 is a stepping motor, the encoder 33 may be omitted, and the control circuit 12 may determine the conveying amount based on the signal (input pulse number) input to the conveying motor driving circuit 31.

The cutter motor drive circuit 34 drives the cutter motor 35 under the control of the control circuit 12. The full cutter 9 is operated by the power of the cutter motor 35 to cut all the layers of the thermosensitive tape 42 to produce a tape piece. The half cutter 10 is operated by the power of the cutter motor 35 to cut the layers (L2-L5) of the thermosensitive tape 42 other than the spacer L1.

The tape width detection switch 36 is a switch for detecting the width of the thermosensitive tape 42 stored in the media adapter 20 based on the shape of the media adapter 20, and is provided in the media adapter storage unit 2 a. The tape width detection switch 36 is provided in plural in the medium adapter housing section 2 a. The media adapters 20 corresponding to different tape widths are configured such that the plurality of tape width detection switches 36 are pressed in different combinations. The control circuit 12 thus specifies the type of the media adapter 20 based on the combination of the pressed tape width detection switches 36, and detects the width (tape width) of the thermosensitive tape 42 stored in the media adapter 20.

In the printing apparatus 1 configured as described above, the platen roller 7 can be rotated in the reverse direction before printing is started to carry the thermal tape 42 in a reverse direction. This can reduce unnecessary white spots generated at the leading end of the thermosensitive tape 42. In the printing apparatus 1, when the user performs an operation to forcibly interrupt the process of the printing apparatus 1, the control circuit 12 stores the conveyance amount R1 (1 st conveyance amount) by which the thermo-sensitive tape 42 is conveyed in the reverse direction to the direction toward the discharge port 2b in the ROM13 before the interrupt time point of the process, and then interrupts the process. Then, in the processing performed after the interruption, the control circuit 12 conveys the thermosensitive tape 42 to the printing start position based on the conveyance amount R1. Thus, even when a forced interruption occurs, printing can be normally performed in the subsequent process. This is explained in detail with reference to fig. 7.

Fig. 7 is an example of a flowchart of processing performed by the printing apparatus 1, and shows a control method of the printing apparatus 1 by execution of a program. Fig. 8A to 8G are diagrams for explaining the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the process performed after the preceding process is normally ended. First, the operation of the printing apparatus 1 when the previous process is normally completed will be described.

In the printing apparatus 1, when a print command is input after the previous process is normally ended, the control circuit 12 starts the process shown in fig. 7. The control circuit 12 first determines whether or not the previous processing has ended normally (step S1). Whether or not the previous processing has ended normally can be determined based on a flag stored in the ROM13, for example. The flag is rewritten at the end of the processing and at the time of interruption.

If it is determined at step S1 that the normal end is achieved, the control circuit 12 sets the conveyance amount C2 and the conveyance amount R2 for the forward conveyance amount C and the reverse conveyance amount R, respectively (step S2). Fig. 8A shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the time of setting the transport amount in step S2. In fig. 8A, the leading end 42T of the thermosensitive tape 42 is in the full cutter position.

The carrying amount C2 is, for example, a distance obtained by adding the length of the margin for half-cut provided at the leading end 42T of the thermosensitive tape 42 to the distance between the full-cutter position and the half-cutter position. The transport amount R2 is, for example, a distance obtained by subtracting the margin length between the print start area and the half-cut target area from the distance between the head position and the half-cutter position. The transport amount R2 is a transport amount of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the reverse direction when the process is normally completed, and is a reference value of the transport amount in the reverse direction. The conveyance amount R2 is an example of the 2 nd conveyance amount of the printing apparatus 1.

The full cutter position is a position of the full cutter 9 in the printing apparatus 1. The half cutter position is a position of the half cutter 10 in the printing apparatus 1. The head position is a position of the thermal head 8 in the printing apparatus 1. The print start area is an area closest to the leading end 42T of the thermosensitive tape 42 among the print areas of the thermosensitive tape 42. The print area is an area where printing is performed by the thermal head 8 among the areas of the thermal tape 42. The region between the print start region and the leading end 42T of the thermosensitive tape 42 is a region where printing is not performed, and the margin for half-cutting is included in this region.

When the conveyance amount is set, the control circuit 12 starts the forward rotation of the conveyance motor 32 (step S3). Then, the control circuit 12 causes the platen roller 7 to convey the thermosensitive tape 42 in the forward direction by the conveyance amount C2 set in step S2, that is, until the half-cut target region (also referred to as a half-cut position) of the thermosensitive tape 42 reaches the half-cutter position (step S4). Fig. 8B shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the conveyance in step S4.

When the conveyance is completed, the control circuit 12 controls the cutter motor drive circuit 34 to half-cut the thermosensitive tape 42 by the half-cutter 10 (step S5). Fig. 8C shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the half-cut in step S5. The series of processes from step S3 to step S5 is an example of a half-cut process in which the thermosensitive tape 42 is conveyed in the forward direction toward the discharge port before printing by the thermal head 8 is started, and the half-cut by the half-cutter 10 is performed.

When the half-cut is performed, the control circuit 12 then causes the conveying motor 32 to start the reverse rotation (step S6). Then, the control circuit 12 causes the platen roller 7 to convey the thermosensitive tape 42 in the reverse direction by the conveyance amount R2 set in step S2, that is, until the print start area of the thermosensitive tape 42 reaches the head position (step S7). Fig. 8D shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the conveyance in step S7. The series of processing from step S6 to step S7 is an example of reverse conveyance processing in which the thermosensitive tape 42 is conveyed in the reverse direction after the half-cut processing is performed so that the printing start position of the thermosensitive tape 42 is the position of the thermal head 8.

After the conveyance is completed, the control circuit 12 performs the printing process (step S22). Here, the control circuit 12 controls the transport motor drive circuit 31 and the head drive circuit 16 to print based on print data by the thermal head 8 while the platen roller 7 rotates and advances to transport the thermosensitive tape 42 in the forward direction. Fig. 8E shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the printing process in step S22.

When the printing process is finished, the control circuit 12 then causes the platen roller 7 to convey the thermosensitive tape 42 in the forward direction until the region to be cut of the thermosensitive tape 42 reaches the full cutter position (step S23). The region to be completely cut (also referred to as a completely cut position) is a region where the heat-sensitive tape 42 is completely cut. The full-cut target region is, for example, a region separated from the rear end of the print region by the length of the margin of the label. Fig. 8F shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the conveyance in step S23.

When the conveyance is finished, the control circuit 12 controls the cutter motor drive circuit 34 so that the full cutter 9 performs full cutting of the thermosensitive tape 42 (step S24), and the processing shown in fig. 7 is finished. The thermosensitive tape 42 is thereby cut, and a tape piece is formed by separating the thermosensitive tape 42 of the continuous medium. Fig. 8G shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the full cut in step S24. Fig. 8G shows how a label tape having a print length PL1 is produced.

As described above, according to the printing apparatus 1, by conveying the thermosensitive tape 42 in the reverse direction before printing, it is possible to reduce unnecessary margins generated at the leading end of the thermosensitive tape 42. Further, since half-cutting is performed before printing, printing can be performed without stopping conveyance in the middle of printing. Therefore, the reduction of printing quality caused by half cutting can be prevented.

Next, a case will be described in which the previous process is started from a state after the normal end (fig. 9A) and is interrupted before the reverse conveyance is started, that is, before the process of step S6 is started. Fig. 9A and 9B are diagrams for explaining the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the previous process of interruption before the start of reverse conveyance. Fig. 9A shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the start of the previous process. Fig. 9B shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the time of interruption of the previous process. In fig. 9B, the leading end 42T of the thermosensitive tape 42 is located between the full cutter position and the half cutter position.

Fig. 10A to 10G are diagrams for explaining the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the process performed after the interruption in the case where the previous process was interrupted before the start of reverse conveyance. In the printing apparatus 1, when a print command is input after the interruption, the control circuit 12 starts the processing shown in fig. 7 from the state shown in fig. 10A.

The control circuit 12 first determines whether or not the previous processing has ended normally (step S1), and if not, acquires a transport amount R1, which is a transport amount by which the thermosensitive tape 42 is transported in the direction opposite to the direction toward the discharge port 2b until the time of interruption (step S8). Specifically, the control circuit 12 reads out the conveyance amount R1 from the ROM13 as a storage unit and stores the read conveyance amount R1 in the RAM 14. In this example, since the previous processing ends before the reverse conveyance starts, the conveyance amount R1 is 0. In this case, the control circuit 12 sets the conveyance amount C2 and the conveyance amount R2 for the forward conveyance amount C and the reverse conveyance amount R, respectively (step S16). Since the conveyance amount R1 is 0, the conveyance amount R set in step S16 is also the conveyance amount R2 to the conveyance amount R1.

When the conveyance amount is set, the control circuit 12 starts the forward rotation of the conveyance motor 32 (step S17). Then, the control circuit 12 causes the platen roller 7 to convey the thermosensitive tape 42 by the conveyance amount C2 set in the forward direction conveyance step S16 (step S18). Fig. 10B shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the conveyance in step S18. When the forward transport amount at the time of interruption is stored in the ROM13, the transport amount may be read out from the ROM13 to the RAM 14. In this case, in step S18, the thermosensitive tape 42 may be fed in the forward direction by the difference between the conveyance amount C2 and the read conveyance amount. That is, the thermal tape 42 can be conveyed in the forward direction so that a predetermined half-cut position is a half-cutter position.

After the end of the conveyance, the control circuit 12 controls the cutter motor drive circuit 34 so that the half cutter 10 half-cuts the thermosensitive tape 42 (step S19). That is, the control circuit 12 causes the half cutter 10 to half cut the thermosensitive tape 42. Fig. 10C shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the half-cut in step S19.

When the half-cut is performed, the control circuit 12 then causes the conveying motor 32 to start the reverse rotation (step S20). Then, the control circuit 12 causes the platen roller 7 to convey the thermosensitive tape 42 by the conveyance amount R2 set in the reverse conveyance step S16 (step S21). In addition, since the transport amount R1 is 0, in other words, in step S21, the control circuit 12 causes the platen roller 7 to transport the thermosensitive tape 42 in the reverse direction by the transport amount R2, i.e., the transport amount R1. Fig. 10D shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the conveyance in step S21.

After the conveyance is completed, the control circuit 12 performs the printing process (step S22). After that, the control circuit 12 causes the platen roller 7 to convey the thermosensitive tape 42 in the forward direction until the full-cut target area of the thermosensitive tape 42 reaches the full-cutter position (step S23). Finally, the control circuit 12 controls the cutter motor drive circuit 34 so that the full cutter 9 performs full cutting of the thermosensitive tape 42 (step S24), and the processing described in fig. 7 is ended. Fig. 10E, 10F, and 10G show the states of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the printing process in step S22, at the end of the carrying process in step S23, and at the end of the full cut in step S24, respectively.

As described above, according to the printing apparatus 1, even when the previous process is interrupted before the start of reverse conveyance, the process performed after the interruption can be normally printed, and a label tape piece having a print length PL1 can be generated as shown in fig. 10G.

Next, a case will be described in which the previous processing is interrupted during reverse conveyance, that is, the processing of step S7, from the state after the normal end (fig. 11A). Fig. 11A to 11D are diagrams for explaining the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the previous process in which reverse conveyance was interrupted. Fig. 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D show the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the start of the previous process, at the end of the conveyance in step S4, at the end of the half-cut in step S5, and at the time of interruption of the previous process, respectively.

Fig. 12A to 12E are diagrams for explaining the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the process performed after the interruption in the case where the previous process was interrupted during reverse conveyance. In the printing apparatus 1, when a print command is input after the interruption, the control circuit 12 starts the processing shown in fig. 7 from the state shown in fig. 12A.

The control circuit 12 first determines whether or not the previous processing has ended normally (step S1), and if not, reads out the reverse conveyance amount at the time of interruption, that is, the conveyance amount R1 from the ROM13 and stores it in the RAM14 (step S8). In this example, since the previous processing was interrupted in the reverse conveyance, the conveyance amount R1 is greater than 0 and the conveyance amount R2 is insufficient (0 < R1 < R2). In this case, the control circuit 12 sets the conveyance amount R2-R1(═ R3) for the conveyance amount R in the reverse direction (step S13). That is, the conveyance amount R is set to be shorter than the reverse conveyance amount that has been performed in the previous processing. The conveyance amounts R2 to R1 are examples of the 3 rd conveyance amount of the printing apparatus 1.

After the conveyance amount is set, the control circuit 12 starts the reverse rotation of the conveyance motor 32 (step S14). Then, the control circuit 12 causes the platen roller 7 to convey the thermosensitive tape 42 in the reverse direction by the conveyance amounts R2-R1 set in step S13 (step S15). Fig. 12B shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the conveyance in step S15. That is, the thermosensitive tape 42 is transported in the reverse direction so that the print start position in the thermosensitive tape 42 becomes the head position.

After the conveyance is completed, the control circuit 12 performs the printing process (step S22). After that, the control circuit 12 causes the platen roller 7 to convey the thermosensitive tape 42 in the forward direction until the full-cut target area of the thermosensitive tape 42 reaches the full-cutter position (step S23). Finally, the control circuit 12 controls the cutter motor drive circuit 34 so that the full cutter 9 performs full cutting of the thermosensitive tape 42 (step S24), and the processing shown in fig. 7 is ended. Fig. 12C, 12D, and 12E show the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the printing process in step S22, at the end of the carrying process in step S23, and at the end of the full cut in step S24, respectively.

As described above, according to the printing apparatus 1, even when the previous process is interrupted during the reverse conveyance, the printing can be normally performed in the process performed after the interruption, and the tape piece of the label having the print length PL1 can be generated as shown in fig. 12E. Further, in the processing performed after the interruption, since the conveyance amount in the reverse direction is set to be shorter than the conveyance amount R1, the thermosensitive tape 42 can be prevented from being excessively conveyed upstream. Therefore, the occurrence of a trouble due to excessive reverse conveyance can be avoided.

Next, a case will be described in which the previous process is interrupted in the printing process, i.e., the process of step S22, from the state after the completion of the normal operation (fig. 13A). Fig. 13A to 13E are diagrams for explaining the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the process immediately before the interruption in the printing process. Fig. 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, and 13E show the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the start of the previous process, at the end of the conveyance at step S4, at the end of the half-cut at step S5, at the end of the conveyance at step S7, and at the time of interruption of the previous process, respectively.

Fig. 14A to 14C are diagrams for explaining the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 in the process performed after the interruption in the case where the previous process was interrupted in the printing process. In the printing apparatus 1, when a print command is input after the interruption, the control circuit 12 starts the processing shown in fig. 7 from the state shown in fig. 14A.

The control circuit 12 first determines whether or not the previous processing has ended normally (step S1), and if not, reads out the reverse conveyance amount at the time of interruption, that is, the conveyance amount R1 from the ROM13 and stores it in the RAM14 (step S8). In this example, since the previous process was interrupted in the printing process, the conveyance amount R1 is R2. That is, the 1 st conveyance amount reaches the 2 nd conveyance amount. In this case, the control circuit 12 sets the conveyance amount C3 to the forward conveyance amount C (step S9). The delivery amount C3 is, for example, at least the distance between the head position and the full cutter position.

After the conveyance amount is set, the control circuit 12 starts the forward rotation of the conveyance motor 32 (step S10). The control circuit 12 then causes the platen roller 7 to convey the thermosensitive tape 42 in the forward direction by the conveyance amount C3 set in step S9 (step S11). Fig. 14B shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the conveyance in step S11.

After the end of the conveyance, the control circuit 12 controls the cutter motor drive circuit 34 so that the full cutter 9 performs full cutting of the thermosensitive tape 42 (step S12). That is, the control circuit 12 performs the full-cut processing of the full-cutter 9 to cause the full-cutter 9 to cut the thermosensitive tape 42. Fig. 14C shows the state of the thermosensitive tape 42 at the end of the full cut in step S12. In addition, this state is the same state as at the time of normal end.

After that, the control circuit 12 performs the same processing as that in the case where it is determined that the previous processing has normally ended. That is, steps S2 to S7 and steps S22 to S24 are performed.

As described above, according to the printing apparatus 1, even when the previous process is interrupted during the printing process, the area already printed is removed by the full cut in the process performed after the interruption. For this reason, printing can be performed normally.

As described above, in the printing apparatus 1, even when the process is forcibly interrupted, the process performed after the interruption can be appropriately restored by using the transport amount R1 stored before the interruption, and the printing can be performed after the restoration. Specifically, the control circuit 12 controls the conveyance of the thermal sensitive tape 42 corresponding to which process is interrupted among the half-cut process, the reverse conveyance process, and the printing process. More specifically, when the conveyance amount R1 (1 st conveyance amount) is less than the conveyance amount R2 (2 nd conveyance amount), the thermosensitive belt 42 is conveyed out by the conveyance amount R2-the conveyance amount R1 (3 rd conveyance amount) in the reverse conveyance direction before printing in the process after the interruption, and when the conveyance amount R1 (1 st conveyance amount) reaches the conveyance amount R2 (2 nd conveyance amount), the conveyance amount R2 is conveyed out in the reverse conveyance direction. This enables normal printing during the interrupted process.

The above-described embodiments are specific examples for easy understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The printing apparatus, the control method, and the program can be variously modified and changed within a range not departing from the scope of the claims.

In the above-described embodiment, the printing apparatus 1 having the input unit 3 and the display unit 6 is exemplified, but the printing apparatus may not have an input unit or a display unit, and may receive print data or a print command from an electronic device different from the printing apparatus.

In the above-described embodiment, the printing is performed after the half-cut, but the half-cut may be performed during the printing. In this case, since the forward conveyance performed before printing can be omitted, printing can be started quickly.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus is characterized by comprising:

a transport roller that transports the belt member;

a print head that prints on the tape member;

a cutting section that cuts the belt member; and

a control part for controlling the operation of the display device,

the control unit controls the transport roller, the print head, and the cutting unit to perform:

a cutting process of conveying the tape member in a forward direction toward a discharge port before printing by the print head is started, and performing the cutting process by the cutting unit;

a reverse conveyance process of conveying the belt member in a direction opposite to the forward direction after the cutting process is performed so that a print start position in the belt member becomes a position of the print head; and

a printing process performed by the printing head while the belt member is conveyed in the forward direction after the reversing conveyance process is completed,

the control unit detects that an interruption has occurred in execution of any one of the cutting process, the reverse conveyance process, and the printing process, and controls conveyance of the belt member after the interruption in a corresponding manner in accordance with the detected interruption-time execution process.

2. Printing device according to claim 1,

the printing device is provided with: a storage unit that stores a transport amount of the transport roller,

if it is determined that the process being executed is interrupted, the control unit stores the transport amount of the belt member transported in the direction opposite to the forward direction as a 1 st transport amount in the storage unit from a start time point of the process being executed to an interruption time point, and controls the transport of the belt member based on the 1 st transport amount stored in the storage unit in the process being executed after the process being interrupted.

3. Printing device according to claim 1 or 2,

the cutting unit includes: a half cutter that half-cuts the belt member,

the control unit controls the transport roller, the print head, and the half cutter to perform:

a half-cut process of conveying the tape member in a forward direction toward a discharge port before printing by the print head is started and performing the half-cut process by the half-cutter;

a reverse conveyance process of conveying the belt member in a direction opposite to the forward direction after the half-cut process is performed so that a print start position in the belt member becomes a position of the print head; and

and a printing process performed by the printing head while the belt member is conveyed in the forward direction after the reversing conveyance process is completed.

4. A printing device according to claim 3,

in the case where the half-cut process among the half-cut processes is interrupted,

the control unit performs the half-cut processing by conveying the tape member in the forward direction so that a half-cut position of the tape member is a position of the half-cutter, in a processing performed after the interruption of the processing.

5. Printing device according to claim 1 or 2,

in the case where the in-transit process of the reverse conveyance process in the direction opposite to the forward direction is interrupted,

the control unit may convey the belt member in the direction opposite to the forward direction so that a print start position of the belt member is a position of the print head in a process performed after the interruption of the process.

6. Printing device according to claim 1 or 2,

the cutting unit further includes: a full cutter that performs full cutting of the belt member,

when the in-conveyance process to the forward direction in the printing process is interrupted after the completion of the reverse conveyance process,

the control unit may cause the tape member to convey at least a distance between the printing head and the full cutter in the forward direction and perform full cutting by the full cutter in a process performed after the process is interrupted.

7. Printing device according to claim 2,

the storage unit stores a 2 nd conveyance amount which is a conveyance amount of the belt member in a direction opposite to the forward direction when the process is normally completed,

in a case where an interruption occurs in execution of the cutting process, the 1 st conveyance amount is 0,

in a case where an interruption occurs in execution of the reverse conveyance process, 0 < the 1 st conveyance amount < the 2 nd conveyance amount,

when an interruption occurs in the execution of the printing process, the 1 st transport amount is the 2 nd transport amount.

8. A control method for a printing apparatus,

the printing device is provided with: a transport roller for transporting a belt member, a print head for printing the belt member, and a cutting section for cutting the belt member,

the control method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of,

controlling the transport roller, the print head, and the cutting section to:

the method further includes detecting that an interruption has occurred in execution of any one of the cutting process, the reverse conveyance process, and the printing process, and controlling conveyance of the belt member after the interruption in a corresponding manner in accordance with the detected interruption-time execution process.

9. A non-transitory recording medium on which a computer-readable program is recorded, the program causing a computer of a printing apparatus including a transport roller that transports a belt member, a print head that prints on the belt member, and a cutting portion that cuts the belt member to execute:

controlling the transport roller, the print head, and the cutting section to:

the processing of detecting that an interruption has occurred in the execution of any one of the cutting processing, the reverse conveyance processing, and the printing processing, and controlling the conveyance of the belt member after the interruption in a corresponding manner in accordance with the processing being executed at the time of the detected interruption.