CN117549680A

CN117549680A - Thermal printer and operation method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN117549680A
Application number: CN202311758537.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周哲衡; 林喆; 袁传奇; 方梦宇
Original assignee: Shanghai Sunmi Technology Group Co Ltd; Shenzhen Michelangelo Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shanghai Sunmi Technology Group Co Ltd; Shenzhen Michelangelo Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-12-19
Filing date: 2023-12-19
Publication date: 2024-02-13

Abstract

The invention provides a thermal printer and a method for operating the same, the thermal printer comprises: the device comprises a first photoelectric transmitting tube, a first photoelectric receiving tube, a second photoelectric transmitting tube and a controller; the first photoelectric transmitting tube and the first photoelectric receiving tube are arranged on the first side of the paper feeding area of the thermal printer; the second photoelectric transmitting tube is arranged on the second side and is opposite to the first photoelectric receiving tube; the controller is configured to: when judging that the printing data exists, starting the first photoelectric emission tube and closing the second photoelectric emission tube; receiving a first feedback signal of a first photoelectric receiving tube to obtain a judging result of whether printing paper passes through a paper feeding area; judging whether the current printing type is label paper printing or not; when the printing paper is judged to be the label printing paper, the second photoelectric emission tube is started, and the first photoelectric emission tube is closed; and receiving a second feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, judging the distribution position of the label paper on the label printing paper on the base paper, and performing label paper printing operation.

Description

Thermal printer and operation method thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of printers, in particular to a thermal printer and an operation method thereof.

Background

In some printer usage scenarios, there is a need to perform printing operations on different types of printing paper. For example, it is sometimes necessary to print a ticket for recording, and it is sometimes necessary to print a label for labeling as a sticker. In order to realize positioning of the printing position when printing on the label paper, the printer needs to have a device capable of detecting and distinguishing the label base paper from the label paper.

However, in some cases, the color distribution of the label base paper and the label paper makes the difference in reflectance less noticeable, thereby making the reflective printing paper detection sensor unable to better identify the boundary of the label base paper and the label paper. In addition, for the label paper with preprinted content, such as express bill, label paper with brand mark (logo), label paper with background pattern, etc., the reflectivity of the preprinted content is different from that of the paper, which also causes interference to the detection process, is easy to misjudge, and affects the boundary positioning of the label paper. For such a situation, some proposals have proposed adding a set of transmission-type printing paper detection sensors, however, this presents challenges in component arrangement for printers such as hand-held printers where the size and internal space are limited; in addition, the manufacturing cost of the printer is increased.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to solve the technical problem of providing a thermal printer and an operation method thereof, realizing intensive setting and application of sensing elements, realizing accurate detection of positions and states of different types of printing paper, and reducing the manufacturing cost of the printer.

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a thermal printer, comprising: the device comprises a first photoelectric transmitting tube, a first photoelectric receiving tube, a second photoelectric transmitting tube and a controller; the first photoelectric transmitting tube and the first photoelectric receiving tube are arranged on the first side of the paper feeding area of the thermal printer, are arranged in parallel and are positioned at adjacent positions; the second photoelectric transmitting tube is arranged on the second side of the paper feeding area of the thermal printer and is opposite to the first photoelectric receiving tube; the controller is configured to perform the following operations: when print data are obtained through judging operation, a first control signal is sent out so as to start the first photoelectric emission tube and close the second photoelectric emission tube; receiving a first feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, and obtaining a judgment result of whether printing paper passes through a paper feeding area or not based on the first feedback signal; if the printing paper passes through the paper feeding area, judging whether the current printing type is label paper printing or not based on the received printing type instruction; when the printing paper is judged to be the label printing paper, a second control signal is sent out to start the second photoelectric emission tube and close the first photoelectric emission tube; and receiving a second feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, judging the distribution position of the label paper on the label printing paper on the base paper based on the second feedback signal, and performing label paper printing operation.

In an embodiment of the invention, the controller is further configured to: in the label paper printing operation process, when the voltage value corresponding to the second feedback signal is smaller than a first voltage threshold value, starting a paper-lack pre-judging process; if the voltage value corresponding to the second feedback signal is still smaller than the first voltage threshold after the first paper feeding distance is passed, sending out a label paper shortage judging control signal to start the first photoelectric emission tube and close the second photoelectric emission tube; and receiving a first feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, and obtaining a judgment result of whether the printer is out of label paper or not based on the first feedback signal.

In an embodiment of the invention, the controller is further configured to: if the printer is judged to be not short of label paper, a second control signal is sent again to start the second photoelectric emission tube and close the first photoelectric emission tube; and receiving a second feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, judging the distribution position of the label paper of the label printing paper on the base paper based on the second feedback signal, and continuing the label paper printing operation.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first paper feeding distance is equal to or greater than a gap value between label sheets on the label printing sheet.

In an embodiment of the invention, the controller is further configured to: when judging whether the current printing type is bill paper printing or not based on the received printing type instruction, keeping the state of opening the first photoelectric emission tube and closing the second photoelectric emission tube, and continuing to print the bill paper.

In an embodiment of the invention, the controller is further configured to: if the print data is not present by the judgment operation, the printing operation is stopped.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first and second photo-emission tubes are respectively configured with a first switch module and a second switch module, so as to perform corresponding on or off operations on the first and second photo-emission tubes according to the first and second control signals.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first switch module has a first transistor and a corresponding first switch resistor; two ends of the first switch resistor are respectively connected to the grid electrode and the source electrode of the first transistor; the second switch module is provided with a second transistor and a corresponding second switch resistor; two ends of the second switch resistor are respectively connected to the grid electrode and the source electrode of the second transistor.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first control signal and the second control signal are output to the gate of the first transistor and the gate of the second transistor; the source electrode of the first transistor and the source electrode of the second transistor are also respectively connected with a first power supply signal and a second power supply signal.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second photo-emitter tube is arranged at the inner side of the bin cover of the printing paper bin.

The invention also provides an operation method of the thermal printer, which comprises a first photoelectric transmitting tube, a first photoelectric receiving tube, a second photoelectric transmitting tube and a controller; the first photoelectric transmitting tube and the first photoelectric receiving tube are arranged on the first side of the paper feeding area of the thermal printer and are positioned at adjacent positions; the second photoelectric transmitting tube is arranged on the second side of the paper feeding area of the thermal printer and is opposite to the first photoelectric receiving tube; the method comprises the following steps: when the print data are obtained through judging operation of the controller, a first control signal is sent out so as to start the first photoelectric emission tube and close the second photoelectric emission tube; receiving a first feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, and obtaining a judgment result of whether printing paper passes through a paper feeding area or not based on the first feedback signal; if the printing paper passes through the paper feeding area, judging whether the current printing type is label paper printing or not based on the received printing type instruction; when the printing paper is judged to be the label printing paper, a second control signal is sent out to start the second photoelectric emission tube and close the first photoelectric emission tube; and receiving a second feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, judging the distribution position of the label paper on the label printing paper on the base paper based on the second feedback signal, and performing label paper printing operation.

In an embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises: in the label paper printing operation process, when the voltage value corresponding to the second feedback signal is smaller than a first voltage threshold value, starting a paper-lack pre-judging process; if the voltage value corresponding to the second feedback signal is still smaller than the first voltage threshold after the first paper feeding distance is passed, sending out a label paper shortage judging control signal to start the first photoelectric emission tube and close the second photoelectric emission tube; and receiving a first feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, and obtaining a judgment result of whether the printer is out of label paper or not based on the first feedback signal.

In an embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises: if the printer is judged to be not short of label paper, a second control signal is sent again to start the second photoelectric emission tube and close the first photoelectric emission tube; and receiving a second feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, judging the distribution position of the label paper of the label printing paper on the base paper based on the second feedback signal, and continuing the label paper printing operation.

In an embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises: when judging whether the current printing type is bill paper printing or not based on the received printing type instruction, keeping the state of opening the first photoelectric emission tube and closing the second photoelectric emission tube, and continuing to print the bill paper.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the following advantages: according to the technical scheme, through intensive setting and application of the sensing element, operation of different detection sensing modes under the size and space constraint conditions of the printer is achieved, accurate detection of the positions and states of different types of printing paper is achieved, the positions of the label paper are accurately positioned, and whether the printer is in a paper-lacking state is detected. Meanwhile, the manufacturing cost of the printer can be saved through the scheme.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the application and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the application.

In the accompanying drawings:

fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a thermal printer according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a first operating state of a thermal printer according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a second operating state of the thermal printer according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a thermal printer according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a label printing paper according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a ticket label printing paper according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method of operating a thermal printer according to one embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart of a method of operating a thermal printer according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of a method of operating a thermal printer according to another embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings that are used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly described below. It is apparent that the drawings in the following description are only some examples or embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present application may be applied to other similar situations according to the drawings without inventive effort. Unless otherwise apparent from the context of the language or otherwise specified, like reference numerals in the figures refer to like structures or operations.

As used in this application and in the claims, the terms "a," "an," "the," and/or "the" are not specific to the singular, but may include the plural, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In general, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" merely indicate that the steps and elements are explicitly identified, and they do not constitute an exclusive list, as other steps or elements may be included in a method or apparatus.

The relative arrangement of the components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application unless it is specifically stated otherwise. Meanwhile, it should be understood that the sizes of the respective parts shown in the drawings are not drawn in actual scale for convenience of description.

In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to define the components, and are merely for convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components, and unless otherwise stated, the terms have no special meaning, and thus should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present application. Furthermore, although terms used in the present application are selected from publicly known and commonly used terms, some terms mentioned in the specification of the present application may be selected by the applicant at his or her discretion, the detailed meanings of which are described in relevant parts of the description herein. Furthermore, it is required that the present application be understood, not simply by the actual terms used but by the meaning of each term lying within.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "on," "connected to," "coupled to," or "contacting" another element, it can be directly on, connected or coupled to, or contacting the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to," "directly coupled to," or "directly contacting" another element, there are no intervening elements present. Likewise, when a first element is referred to as being "electrically contacted" or "electrically coupled" to a second element, there are electrical paths between the first element and the second element that allow current to flow. The electrical path may include a capacitor, a coupled inductor, and/or other components that allow current to flow even without direct contact between conductive components.

Flowcharts are used in this application to describe the operations performed by systems according to embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the preceding or following operations are not necessarily performed in order precisely. Rather, the various steps may be processed in reverse order or simultaneously. At the same time, other operations are added to or removed from these processes.

Embodiments of the present application describe a thermal printer and a method of operating the same.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a thermal printer according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a first operating state of a thermal printer according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a second operating state of the thermal printer according to an embodiment of the present application.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, the thermal printer 100 includes a first photo-emitter 101, a first photo-receiver 102, a second photo-emitter 103, and a controller 201. The first photo emitter 101 and the first photo receiver 102 are disposed in parallel and adjacent to each other on a first side of the paper feed area 402 of the thermal printer 100. The second photo emitter 103 is disposed on a second side of the paper feeding area 402 of the thermal printer 100 and is disposed opposite to the first photo receiver 102. The first photo emitter 101 and the first photo receiver 102 may constitute, for example, a reflective printing paper detection sensor. The controller 201 is connected to the control terminals of the first and second photoemissive tubes 101 and 103, for example, through general-purpose input-output ports P1 and P2. Pin P3 of the controller 201 receives the feedback signal FS of the first photo receiver tube 102. The first photo-receiving cell 102 operates, for example, in a linear amplification region.

In some embodiments, for a handheld printer, or a portable POS cash register, the second photoemitter 103 is mounted, for example, inside the cover of a print cartridge.

In fig. 1 to 3, a printing paper 112 is indicated. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a thermal printer according to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 1 to 4, the printing paper 112 is gradually released from a spool 401 formed of the printing paper, passes through a paper feed area 402, and performs a printing operation on the printing paper by a print head (not shown in the drawings). In fig. 1 to 4, the paper feed direction X is also indicated. Also shown in fig. 1 to 3 are components surrounding the first photoemitter 101, the first photoreceiver 102 and the second photoemitter 103, including different resistances or capacitances. Fig. 4 is a simplified labeling manner, and only the first photo-emitter 101, the first photo-receiver 102 and the second photo-emitter 103 are labeled.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a label printing paper according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a ticket label printing paper according to an embodiment of the present application.

Referring to fig. 5, the printing paper 112 is, for example, a label paper with a slit. The label paper 500 includes a base paper 501 and sub-label papers 502, 503, … adhered to the base paper 501. The sub-label paper area is shown as A1 and the slit area is shown as A2. The heights of the label paper area and the slit area are, for example, H1 and H2, respectively. When printing is continued, printing is sequentially carried out on the adjacent sub-label paper, and the base paper drives the sub-label paper to roll and print along with the rotation of the scroll.

Referring to fig. 6, the printing paper 112 is also, for example, a bill paper (or referred to as a plain printing paper). The bill paper 600 can be printed successively as needed to form the bills 601, 602, ….611 and 612 illustrate boundaries of notes formed by successive printing.

In some embodiments, the controller 201 is configured to perform the following: step 701, when print data is obtained through the judging operation, sending out a first control signal sg1 to turn on the first photo-emission tube 101 and turn off the second photo-emission tube 103; step 702, receiving a first feedback signal FS1 of the first photoelectric receiving tube 102, and obtaining a determination result of whether the printing paper passes through the paper feeding area 402 based on the first feedback signal FS 1; step 703, if it is determined that the printing paper passes through the paper feeding area 402, determining whether the current printing type is label paper printing based on the received printing type instruction; step 704, when the obtained printing paper is label printing paper, sending out a second control signal sg1 to turn on the second photo-emission tube 103 and turn off the first photo-emission tube 101; step 705, receiving the second feedback signal FS2 of the first photo receiver 102, and determining the distribution position of the label paper on the label printing paper on the base paper based on the second feedback signal FS2, and performing the label paper printing operation.

As shown in fig. 2, when the first photo-emitter 101 is turned on and the second photo-emitter 103 is turned off, the first photo-emitter 101 has an emitted light A1, and the emitted light A1 is reflected by the printing paper 112 to form a reflected light A2 and is received by the first photo-receiver 102. The first photo-receiving tube 102 forms a first feedback signal FS1 based on the intensity of the received reflected light A2.

As shown in fig. 3, when the second photo-emitter 103 is turned on and the first photo-emitter 101 is turned off, the second photo-emitter 103 has an emitted light A3, and the emitted light A3 is transmitted through the printing paper 112 to form a transmitted light A4 and is received by the first photo-receiver 102. The first photo receiver tube 102 forms a second feedback signal FS2 based on the intensity of the received transmitted light A4.

In some embodiments, the controller 201 is further configured to: step 806, during the label paper printing operation, when the voltage value corresponding to the second feedback signal FS2 is smaller than the first voltage threshold Vth1, starting the paper-out pre-judging process; step 807, if the voltage value corresponding to the second feedback signal FS2 is still smaller than the first voltage threshold Vth1 after the first paper feeding distance st1, sending a label-missing determining control signal sg3 to turn on the first photo emitter 101 and turn off the second photo emitter 103; the first paper feeding distance st1 is, for example, equal to or greater than a gap value H2 between label sheets on the label printing paper, so as to prevent false alarm; step 808, receiving the first feedback signal FS1 of the first photo receiver 102, and obtaining a determination result of whether the printer is out of label paper based on the first feedback signal FS1.

In some embodiments, the controller 201 is further configured to: step 909, if it is determined that the printer is not short of label paper, re-sending the second control signal sg1 to turn on the second photo-emitter 103 and turn off the first photo-emitter 101; step 910, the second feedback signal FS2 of the first photo receiver 102 is received, and the distribution position of the label paper of the label printing paper on the base paper is determined based on the second feedback signal FS2, so as to continue the label paper printing operation.

In some embodiments, if it is determined that the printer is out of label paper, the printing operation is suspended.

In some embodiments, the controller 201 is further configured to: when it is determined whether the current print type is the receipt paper print based on the received print type instruction, the state of turning on the first photo-emitter 101 and turning off the second photo-emitter 103 is maintained, and the receipt paper print operation is continued.

The controller 201 is further configured to perform, for example, the following operations: if the print data is not present by the judgment operation, the printing operation is stopped.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1 to 3, the first and second photo-emission tubes 101 and 103 are respectively configured with corresponding first and second switching modules SW1 and SW2 to perform corresponding on or off operations on the first and second photo-emission tubes 101 and 103 according to the first and second control signals sg1 and sg 1.

The first switching module SW1 has a first transistor T1 and a corresponding first switching resistor R1. Both ends of the first switching resistor R1 are connected to the gate g1 and the source s1 of the first transistor T1, respectively. The second switching module SW2 has a second transistor T2 and a corresponding second switching resistor R2. Both ends of the second switching resistor R2 are connected to the gate g2 and the source s2 of the second transistor T2, respectively.

The first control signal sg1 and the second control signal sg1 are output to the gate g1 of the first transistor T1 and the gate g2 of the second transistor T2. The source s1 of the first transistor T1 and the source s2 of the second transistor T2 are also connected to the first power supply signal Vdd1 and the second power supply signal Vdd2, respectively. d1 is the drain of the first transistor T1. D2 is the drain of the second transistor T2.

The feedback signal FS output terminal (for example, corresponding to the collector electrode) of the first photo-receiving tube 103 is further connected to a pull-up resistor R13, and is connected to a third power supply signal Vdd3. Meanwhile, the output end of the feedback signal FS of the first photo receiver 103 is also grounded GND through the capacitor C1. The emitter of the first photo-receiving tube 103 is, for example, grounded GND. The first switch module SW1 is connected to the first connection terminal of the first photo-emission tube 101 through a resistor R11, and the second connection terminal of the first photo-emission tube 101 is grounded to GND. The second switch module SW2 is connected to the first connection terminal of the second photo-emission tube 102 through a resistor R12, and the second connection terminal of the second photo-emission tube 102 is grounded to GND.

The application also provides an operation method of the thermal printer.

As previously described, the thermal printer 100 includes the first photo-emitter 101, the first photo-receiver 102, the second photo-emitter 103, and the controller 201. The first photo emitter 101 and the first photo receiver 102 are disposed in parallel and adjacent to each other on a first side of the paper feed area 402 of the thermal printer 100. The second photo emitter 103 is disposed on a second side of the paper feeding area 402 of the thermal printer 100 and is disposed opposite to the first photo receiver 102.

Referring to fig. 7, the operation method of the thermal printer includes: step 701, when print data is obtained through judgment operation of the controller, a first control signal is sent out to start the first photoelectric emission tube and close the second photoelectric emission tube; step 702, receiving a first feedback signal of a first photoelectric receiving tube, and obtaining a judgment result of whether printing paper passes through a paper feeding area based on the first feedback signal; step 703, if it is determined that the printing paper passes through the paper feeding area, determining whether the current printing type is label paper printing based on the received printing type instruction; step 704, when the obtained printing paper is label printing paper, sending out a second control signal to start the second photoelectric emission tube and close the first photoelectric emission tube; step 705, receiving a second feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, judging the distribution position of the label paper on the label printing paper on the base paper based on the second feedback signal, and performing label paper printing operation.

In some embodiments, the method of operating a thermal printer further comprises: when judging whether the current printing type is bill paper printing or not based on the received printing type instruction, keeping the state of opening the first photoelectric emission tube and closing the second photoelectric emission tube, and continuing to print the bill paper.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 8, the method of operating a thermal printer includes, in addition to steps 801 to 805 similar to steps 701 to 705 described above, steps of: step 806, in the label paper printing operation process, when the voltage value corresponding to the second feedback signal is smaller than the first voltage threshold value, starting the paper-lack pre-judging process; step 807, if the voltage value corresponding to the second feedback signal is still smaller than the first voltage threshold after the first paper feeding distance is passed, sending out a label-missing paper judging control signal to start the first photoelectric emission tube and close the second photoelectric emission tube; the first paper feed distance is, for example, equal to or greater than a gap value between label sheets on the label printing paper. Step 808, receiving the first feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, and obtaining a determination result of whether the printer is out of label paper based on the first feedback signal. In some embodiments, when the first feedback signal of the first photo receiver tube is received in step 808, for example, after the first time interval t1 passes, after the first feedback signal FS1 reaches a steady state, a determination result of whether the printer is out of label paper is obtained based on the first feedback signal.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 9, the method of operating a thermal printer includes, in addition to steps 901 to 908 similar to steps 801 to 808 described above, steps of: step 909, if the printer is judged to be not short of label paper, re-sending a second control signal to turn on the second photoelectric emission tube and turn off the first photoelectric emission tube; step 910, receiving a second feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, and judging a distribution position of the label paper of the label printing paper on the base paper based on the second feedback signal, and continuing the label paper printing operation.

According to the thermal printer and the operation method thereof, operation of different detection sensing modes is realized through intensive setting and application of the sensing elements under the size and space constraint conditions of the printer, so that accurate detection of the positions and states of different types of printing paper is realized, the positions of label paper are accurately positioned, and whether the printer is in a paper shortage state is detected. In addition, the scheme can save the manufacturing cost of the printer.

While the basic concepts have been described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above disclosure is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting. Although not explicitly described herein, various modifications, improvements, and adaptations of the present application may occur to one skilled in the art. Such modifications, improvements, and modifications are intended to be suggested within this application, and are therefore within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this application.

Meanwhile, the present application uses specific words to describe embodiments of the present application. Reference to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and/or "some embodiments" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is associated with at least one embodiment of the present application. Thus, it should be emphasized and should be appreciated that two or more references to "an embodiment" or "one embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" in various positions in this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, certain features, structures, or characteristics of one or more embodiments of the present application may be combined as suitable.

Some aspects of the present application may be performed entirely by hardware, entirely by software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or by a combination of hardware and software. The above hardware or software may be referred to as a "data block," module, "" engine, "" unit, "" component, "or" system. The processor may be one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), digital Signal Processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DAPDs), programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or a combination thereof.

While the present application has been described with reference to the present specific embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only, and that various equivalent changes or substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present application, and therefore, all changes and modifications to the embodiments described above are intended to be within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A thermal printer, comprising: the device comprises a first photoelectric transmitting tube, a first photoelectric receiving tube, a second photoelectric transmitting tube and a controller; the first photoelectric transmitting tube and the first photoelectric receiving tube are arranged on the first side of the paper feeding area of the thermal printer, are arranged in parallel and are positioned at adjacent positions; the second photoelectric transmitting tube is arranged on the second side of the paper feeding area of the thermal printer and is opposite to the first photoelectric receiving tube;

the controller is configured to perform the following operations:

when print data are obtained through judging operation, a first control signal is sent out so as to start the first photoelectric emission tube and close the second photoelectric emission tube;

receiving a first feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, and obtaining a judgment result of whether printing paper passes through a paper feeding area or not based on the first feedback signal;

if the printing paper passes through the paper feeding area, judging whether the current printing type is label paper printing or not based on the received printing type instruction;

when the printing paper is judged to be the label printing paper, a second control signal is sent out to start the second photoelectric emission tube and close the first photoelectric emission tube;

and receiving a second feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, judging the distribution position of the label paper on the label printing paper on the base paper based on the second feedback signal, and performing label paper printing operation.

2. The thermal printer of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

in the label paper printing operation process, when the voltage value corresponding to the second feedback signal is smaller than a first voltage threshold value, starting a paper-lack pre-judging process;

if the voltage value corresponding to the second feedback signal is still smaller than the first voltage threshold after the first paper feeding distance is passed, sending out a label paper shortage judging control signal to start the first photoelectric emission tube and close the second photoelectric emission tube;

and receiving a first feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, and obtaining a judgment result of whether the printer is out of label paper or not based on the first feedback signal.

3. The thermal printer of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to:

if the printer is judged to be not short of label paper, a second control signal is sent again to start the second photoelectric emission tube and close the first photoelectric emission tube;

and receiving a second feedback signal of the first photoelectric receiving tube, judging the distribution position of the label paper of the label printing paper on the base paper based on the second feedback signal, and continuing the label paper printing operation.

4. The thermal printer of claim 2 wherein the first paper feed distance is equal to or greater than a gap value between label sheets on the label printing sheet.

5. The thermal printer of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

when judging whether the current printing type is bill paper printing or not based on the received printing type instruction, keeping the state of opening the first photoelectric emission tube and closing the second photoelectric emission tube, and continuing to print the bill paper.

6. The thermal printer of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

if the print data is not present by the judgment operation, the printing operation is stopped.

7. The thermal printer of claim 1 wherein the first and second photo-emitter tubes are respectively configured with respective first and second switch modules to perform respective on or off operations on the first and second photo-emitter tubes in accordance with the first and second control signals.

8. The thermal printer of claim 7 wherein said first switch module has a first transistor and a corresponding first switch resistor; two ends of the first switch resistor are respectively connected to the grid electrode and the source electrode of the first transistor;

the second switch module is provided with a second transistor and a corresponding second switch resistor; two ends of the second switch resistor are respectively connected to the grid electrode and the source electrode of the second transistor.

9. The thermal printer of claim 8 wherein the first and second control signals are output to the gate of the first transistor and the gate of the second transistor;

the source electrode of the first transistor and the source electrode of the second transistor are also respectively connected with a first power supply signal and a second power supply signal.

10. The thermal printer of claim 1 wherein the second photo emitter tube is mounted inside a cover of the print cartridge.

11. A method of operating a thermal printer comprising a first photo-emitter, a first photo-receiver, a second photo-emitter, and a controller; the first photoelectric transmitting tube and the first photoelectric receiving tube are arranged on the first side of the paper feeding area of the thermal printer and are positioned at adjacent positions; the second photoelectric transmitting tube is arranged on the second side of the paper feeding area of the thermal printer and is opposite to the first photoelectric receiving tube;

the method comprises the following steps:

when the print data are obtained through judging operation of the controller, a first control signal is sent out so as to start the first photoelectric emission tube and close the second photoelectric emission tube;

12. The method of operating a thermal printer of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

13. The method of operating a thermal printer of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first paper travel distance is equal to or greater than a gap value between label sheets on the label printing sheet.

15. The method of operating a thermal printer of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises: