EP1306222B1 - Printing apparatus and method of controlling the same - Google Patents
Printing apparatus and method of controlling the same Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1306222B1 EP1306222B1 EP02023750A EP02023750A EP1306222B1 EP 1306222 B1 EP1306222 B1 EP 1306222B1 EP 02023750 A EP02023750 A EP 02023750A EP 02023750 A EP02023750 A EP 02023750A EP 1306222 B1 EP1306222 B1 EP 1306222B1
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- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- printing
- motor
- thermal head
- printing apparatus
- journal
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
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- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 15
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 21
- 230000000737 periodic effect Effects 0.000 claims 4
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 230000001360 synchronised effect Effects 0.000 claims 1
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 6
- 238000004804 winding Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/315—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material
- B41J2/32—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads
- B41J2/35—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads providing current or voltage to the thermal head
- B41J2/355—Control circuits for heating-element selection
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J15/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in continuous form, e.g. webs
- B41J15/18—Multiple web-feeding apparatus
- B41J15/22—Multiple web-feeding apparatus for feeding webs in separate paths during printing
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a printing apparatus that is designed to print on a plurality of printing media at the same time, and a method of controlling such a printing apparatus.
- a POS station typically Includes a personal computer, a display device, a drawer, a printing apparatus and a reader such as a barcode reader.
- the printing apparatus of such a POS station has a receipt printing function for printing a receipt to be handed to a customer (purchaser), and a journal printing function for printing a journal, which is a store transaction copy (disclosed in JP-A-9-234930A and JP-A-9-254496 ).
- a printing apparatus of this type has two thermal heads, one for printing data on a first printing medium for the receipts and another one for printing on a second printing medium as the journal.
- a printing apparatus of this type when the two thermal heads are operated at the same time, the peak current is high causing a correspondingly high consumption of power.
- the printing of a journal can be started once the printing of a receipt has been completed. In this case, however, an extended time is required to complete the printing of the receipt and the journal, and the desire of a rapid printing process cannot be met.
- a printing apparatus according to the pre-characterizing portion of claim 1 in known from EP 0 785 080 A . This document does not disclose any details about the controller controlling the motors and the thermal heads.
- US 5,729,274 A discloses a color printing apparatus having three thermal heads to print on one and the same recording medium to obtain color printing.
- the three thermal heads are spatially shifted relative to each other so that a certain position on the recoding medium is sequentially subjected to the three heads.
- At least two of the three thermal heads are driven in a time-sharing manner.
- JP 05-124278 A discloses printing apparatus having a receipt printing unit and a journal printing unit arranged side by side.
- two thermal heads do not print concurrently but quasi-concurrently, i.e., in a time-sharing manner. Since the first and second motors are simultaneously driven at the same or nearly the same speed and the first and second thermal heads are energized in a non-overlapping interleaved manner, an increase in the peak current due to a printing on more than one printing medium can be avoided and the peak current can be reduced compared to the case where the active times of the two thermal heads overlap.
- active time of a thermal head is used herein to denote the time period during which the thermal head is energized and consumes power as opposed to the "inactive time" during which the thermal head is not energized.
- printing processes for which both the first and the second thermal head are used can be performed at virtually the same time, a rapid printing operation can be implemented.
- a printing apparatus 100 is adapted to print information on a receipt printing medium and a journal printing medium.
- roll type printing media are used in the embodiments explained below although the invention is applicable to sheet type printing media as well.
- the particular material of the printing media is not important as long as it allows printing by means of a thermal print head.
- the printing medium used for receipt printing will be referred to "receipt paper” and the printing medium used for journal printing will be referred to "journal paper” hereinafter.
- the printing apparatus 100 comprises an elongated case 102, in one longitudinal end face of which (the front face in Fig. 1 ) a discharge port 104 is formed from which a printed receipt is discharged.
- the side on which the discharge port 104 of the printing apparatus 100 is located is defined as the "front", while the opposite side is defined as the "rear”.
- the case 102 is formed of a lower case portion 106, which accommodates the individual mechanisms of the printing apparatus 100, and an upper case portion 108, which is provided atop the lower case portion 106.
- a front cover 116 is provided that can be opened and closed, while at the top rear of the upper case portion 108 an upper cover 118 is provided that can be opened and closed.
- an operation panel 114 On the front of the upper case portion 108, positioned adjacent to the front cover 116, is an operation panel 114 whereupon switches, such as a power switch, are located.
- switches such as a power switch
- a roll of receipt paper 110 and a roll of journal paper 112 are loaded into the printing apparatus 100.
- the receipt paper and the journal paper used in this embodiment are so-called thermal sensitive printing media that are printed by the application of heat.
- front and rear portions are defined inside of the case 102 of the printing apparatus 100.
- the front section near the discharge port 104, is used for the printing of receipts, and in this section, beginning at the front, an auto cutter 120 for cutting a printed receipt, a receipt printing mechanism 122 for printing a receipt, and a chamber 124 for storing the receipt paper roll 110 are arranged in the named order.
- the rear section is used for journal printing, and in this section, beginning at the front, a journal printing mechanism 126 for printing a journal, a chamber 128 for storing the journal paper roll 112, and a journal winder 130 for winding up the printed journal paper to a roll and for holding the roll are arranged in the named order.
- the receipt printing mechanism 122 includes a thermal head 132 wherein multiple heating elements are aligned in a line on a substrate; a platen roller 134 that is positioned parallel to the thermal head 132; and a motor 136 for rotating the platen roller 134 at a predetermined speed.
- the receipt paper is pulled from the receipt paper roll 110 and is fed to and sandwiched between the thermal head 132 and the platen roller 134.
- the motor 136 such as a four-phase stepping motor, produces a driving force that rotates the platen roller 134 via a transmission (not shown). As the platen roller 134 is rotated, the receipt paper is conveyed in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the heating elements of the thermal head 132 are arranged.
- the receipt paper When the receipt paper is conveyed at a predetermined speed by the rotation of the motor 136 and the heating elements of the thermal head 132 are selectively energized to generate heat, desired characters or pictures are printed on the receipt paper.
- the printed portion of the receipt paper is then discharged through the discharge port 104 and is cut off the remaining receipt paper by the auto cutter 120 to be output as a receipt.
- the auto cutter 120 is located inside the printing apparatus 100 adjacent to the discharge port 104.
- the platen roller 134 is attached to the front cover 116, and the thermal head 132 is attached to a fixed portion of the upper case portion 108.
- the front cover 116 Fig. 1
- the thermal head 132 and the platen roller 134 are separated from each other, and since the chamber 124 is exposed and is accessible from the front, the receipt paper roll 110 can be exchanged.
- the journal printing mechanism 126 like the receipt printing mechanism 122, includes a thermal head 142 wherein multiple heating elements are aligned in a line on a support substrate; a platen roller 144 that is positioned opposite to the thermal head 142; and a motor 146 for rotating the platen roller 144 at a predetermined speed.
- the journal paper is pulled from the journal paper roll 112 and is fed to and sandwiched between the thermal head 142 and the platen roller 144.
- the motor 146 such as a four-phase stepping motor, produces a driving force that rotates the platen roller 144 via a transmission (not shown).
- journal paper When the receipt paper is conveyed at a predetermined speed by the rotation of the motor 146 and the heating elements of the thermal head 142 are selectively energized to generate heat, desired characters or pictures are printed on the journal paper.
- the printed journal paper is then conveyed to the journal winder 130, passing over a guide plate 148 that is located above the thermal head 142.
- a winding reel 150 is arranged in the journal winder 130, and when the winding reel 150 is rotated by a motor (not shown), the printed journal is wound around it.
- the thermal head 142 the design of which provides for this, is separated from the platen roller 144 and the journal paper roll 112 can be exchanged and the roll of printed journal paper can be taken out.
- a controller 200 for controlling printing apparatus 100 comprises a CPU in this embodiment.
- the controller 200 drives the thermal heads 132 and 142 and the motors 136 and 146 to print corresponding characters or pictures on the receipt paper and the journal paper.
- Fig. 3 is a timing chart for explaining a method employed by the controller 200 to control the thermal heads 132 and 142 and the motors 136 and 146.
- the motors 136 and 146 are stepping motors as described above, and are driven by changing, at each step, the phases (coils) of the respective motor that is to be excited.
- the controller 200 drives the motors 136 and 146 so that the phases of both motors are changed simultaneously.
- the time period for each step a i.e., the time period from the begin of one step to the begin of the next following step, is 1 ms.
- the controller 200 also transmits print data to the receipt printing thermal head 132 to energize selected heating elements thereof. Through this operation, data for one dot line is printed on the receipt paper.
- the controller 200 transmits print data to the journal printing thermal head 142 to energize selected heating elements thereof. Through this operation, data for one dot line is printed on the journal paper. In this manner, the controller 200 alternately drives the receipt printing thermal head 132 and the journal printing thermal head 142, so that the active times for these thermal heads do not overlap.
- the actives time b for the thermal heads 132 and 142 is shorter than the time interval c (0.35 ms, in this embodiment).
- the front cover 116 is opened, a receipt paper roll 110 is loaded into the chamber 124, and the front cover 116 is closed.
- the upper cover 118 is opened, a journal paper roll 112 is loaded into the chamber 128, and the upper cover 118 is closed.
- a predetermined length of the journal paper is pulled from the journal paper roll 112, and the leading edge is made to engage a predetermined portion of the winding reel 150.
- the power switch on the operation panel 114 is turned on, the various components of the printing apparatus 100 are activated.
- the controller 200 Upon receipt of a print command from the external computer 202 the controller 200 synchronously drives the motors 136 and 146, and alternately energizes the thermal heads 132 and 142 between the individual steps, as is shown in Fig. 3 .
- the receipt paper pulled from the receipt paper roll 110 is conveyed while being sandwiched between the thermal head 132 and the platen roller 134, and data is printed on the receipt paper by the heat generated by the energized heating elements of the thermal head 132.
- the journal paper pulled from the journal paper roll 112 is conveyed while being sandwiched between the thermal head 142 and the platen roller 144, and data is printed on the journal paper by the heat generated by the energized heating elements of the thermal head 142.
- the printed receipt paper is discharged through the discharge port 104 to the outside and is cut off the remaining receipt paper by the auto cutter 120 to become a receipt.
- the receipt is, for example, handed to a customer in a store.
- the printed journal is guided to the journal winder 130 and is wound around the winding reel 150. This journal is kept, for example, as a copy for the store.
- the motors 136 and 146 are driven stepwise at the same speed and the thermal heads 132 and 142 are energized without their active times overlapping, an increase in the peak current compared to the case of energizing only one thermal head can be avoided and the consumption of power can be reduced. Further, since the receipt and the journal can be printed substantially in parallel, the time required for the printing process can also be reduced compared to the case that the receipt and the journal are printed one after the other.
- thermal heads 132 and 142 are energized at a time point following that, at which the respective other thermal head had been energized, after a time interval ( c : 0.5 ms) that is longer than the period required for the printing of one dot line (the active time b : 0.35 ms), data for one dot line can be printed alternately on the receipt paper and the journal paper by energizing the thermal heads 132 and 142 in a time-sharing or interleaved manner.
- the motors 136 and 146 are synchronously driven and the energizing time points of the thermal heads 132 and 142 are set to be spaced by a time interval c that corresponds to about one half (for example, 0.5 ms) the time allocated to one step a , printing of the receipt and the journal can be implemented at each step, and the printing process can be rapidly performed.
- each step a for the motors 136 and 146 is 1 ms.
- the thermal heads 132 and 142 are energized at the same time as the phase of the corresponding motors 136 and 146, respectively, is changed.
- the time interval c is about one half the time allocated to one step a of the motors 136 and 146 (0.5 ms, in this embodiment).
- the duration of the active time b of the thermal heads 132 and 142 (0.35 ms, in this embodiment) is shorter than the time interval c .
- the timings for changing the phases of the motors 136 and 146 differ, and the energization of the thermal heads 132 and 142 is started at the same time as the phases are changed, respectively, so that an overlap of the active times of the thermal heads 132 and 142 is prevented.
- the peak current is as low as in the first embodiment.
- the energization of the thermal heads 132 and 142 is started at the same time as the phases of the motors 136 and 146, respectively, are changed. However, the energization of the thermal heads 132 and 142 may be started a predetermined time after the changing of the phases of the motors 136 and 146.
- thermal heads Although two thermal heads have been described to be driven in a time-shared manner, one for printing receipts and another for printing a journal, the purpose of the respective printing media, such as receipt and journal, are printed for is irrelevant to the present invention. Also, three or more thermal heads could be driven in a time-shared manner.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that is designed to print on a plurality of printing media at the same time, and a method of controlling such a printing apparatus.
- For sales management for stores, point-of-sale (POS) stations have been widely employed. A POS station typically Includes a personal computer, a display device, a drawer, a printing apparatus and a reader such as a barcode reader. Often the printing apparatus of such a POS station has a receipt printing function for printing a receipt to be handed to a customer (purchaser), and a journal printing function for printing a journal, which is a store transaction copy (disclosed in
JP-A-9-234930A JP-A-9-254496 - In a printing apparatus of this type, when the two thermal heads are operated at the same time, the peak current is high causing a correspondingly high consumption of power. In order to reduce the consumption of power, the printing of a journal can be started once the printing of a receipt has been completed. In this case, however, an extended time is required to complete the printing of the receipt and the journal, and the desire of a rapid printing process cannot be met.
- A printing apparatus according to the pre-characterizing portion of
claim 1 in known fromEP 0 785 080 A . This document does not disclose any details about the controller controlling the motors and the thermal heads. -
US 5,729,274 A discloses a color printing apparatus having three thermal heads to print on one and the same recording medium to obtain color printing. The three thermal heads are spatially shifted relative to each other so that a certain position on the recoding medium is sequentially subjected to the three heads. At least two of the three thermal heads are driven in a time-sharing manner. -
JP 05-124278 A - It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus that is capable of completing a printing process on at least two printing media within a relatively short time while keeping the peak current lower than that of comparable prior art printing apparatus. Another object of the invention is to provide a method of controlling such a printing apparatus.
- These objects are achieved by a printing apparatus as claimed in
claim 1 and a method as claimed in claim 7, respectively. Preferred embodiments of the invention are subject-matter of the dependent claim. - In accordance with the present invention, two thermal heads do not print concurrently but quasi-concurrently, i.e., in a time-sharing manner. Since the first and second motors are simultaneously driven at the same or nearly the same speed and the first and second thermal heads are energized in a non-overlapping interleaved manner, an increase in the peak current due to a printing on more than one printing medium can be avoided and the peak current can be reduced compared to the case where the active times of the two thermal heads overlap. Note that the term "active time" of a thermal head is used herein to denote the time period during which the thermal head is energized and consumes power as opposed to the "inactive time" during which the thermal head is not energized. Furthermore, since printing processes for which both the first and the second thermal head are used can be performed at virtually the same time, a rapid printing operation can be implemented.
- The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
- Fig. 1
- is a perspective view of the external appearance of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
- Fig. 2
- is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the essential components of the printing apparatus;
- Fig. 3
- is a timing chart for explaining a method of controlling thermal heads and motors in the printing apparatus; and
- Fig. 4
- is a timing chart for explaining a method of controlling thermal heads and motors in a printing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
- Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail while referring to the accompanying drawings. A
printing apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment shown inFig. 1 is adapted to print information on a receipt printing medium and a journal printing medium. As will be described in more detail later roll type printing media are used in the embodiments explained below although the invention is applicable to sheet type printing media as well. The particular material of the printing media is not important as long as it allows printing by means of a thermal print head. For convenience of description but without any limiting intention the printing medium used for receipt printing will be referred to "receipt paper" and the printing medium used for journal printing will be referred to "journal paper" hereinafter. - The
printing apparatus 100 comprises anelongated case 102, in one longitudinal end face of which (the front face inFig. 1 ) adischarge port 104 is formed from which a printed receipt is discharged. In the following explanation, the side on which thedischarge port 104 of theprinting apparatus 100 is located is defined as the "front", while the opposite side is defined as the "rear". Thecase 102 is formed of alower case portion 106, which accommodates the individual mechanisms of theprinting apparatus 100, and anupper case portion 108, which is provided atop thelower case portion 106. At the front of the upper case portion 108 afront cover 116 is provided that can be opened and closed, while at the top rear of theupper case portion 108 anupper cover 118 is provided that can be opened and closed. On the front of theupper case portion 108, positioned adjacent to thefront cover 116, is anoperation panel 114 whereupon switches, such as a power switch, are located. A roll ofreceipt paper 110 and a roll ofjournal paper 112 are loaded into theprinting apparatus 100. The receipt paper and the journal paper used in this embodiment are so-called thermal sensitive printing media that are printed by the application of heat. - As is shown in
Fig. 2 , front and rear portions are defined inside of thecase 102 of theprinting apparatus 100. The front section, near thedischarge port 104, is used for the printing of receipts, and in this section, beginning at the front, anauto cutter 120 for cutting a printed receipt, areceipt printing mechanism 122 for printing a receipt, and achamber 124 for storing thereceipt paper roll 110 are arranged in the named order. The rear section is used for journal printing, and in this section, beginning at the front, ajournal printing mechanism 126 for printing a journal, achamber 128 for storing thejournal paper roll 112, and ajournal winder 130 for winding up the printed journal paper to a roll and for holding the roll are arranged in the named order. - The
receipt printing mechanism 122 includes athermal head 132 wherein multiple heating elements are aligned in a line on a substrate; aplaten roller 134 that is positioned parallel to thethermal head 132; and amotor 136 for rotating theplaten roller 134 at a predetermined speed. The receipt paper is pulled from thereceipt paper roll 110 and is fed to and sandwiched between thethermal head 132 and theplaten roller 134. Themotor 136, such as a four-phase stepping motor, produces a driving force that rotates theplaten roller 134 via a transmission (not shown). As theplaten roller 134 is rotated, the receipt paper is conveyed in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the heating elements of thethermal head 132 are arranged. When the receipt paper is conveyed at a predetermined speed by the rotation of themotor 136 and the heating elements of thethermal head 132 are selectively energized to generate heat, desired characters or pictures are printed on the receipt paper. The printed portion of the receipt paper is then discharged through thedischarge port 104 and is cut off the remaining receipt paper by theauto cutter 120 to be output as a receipt. As mentioned above, theauto cutter 120 is located inside theprinting apparatus 100 adjacent to thedischarge port 104. - The
platen roller 134 is attached to thefront cover 116, and thethermal head 132 is attached to a fixed portion of theupper case portion 108. When the front cover 116 (Fig. 1 ) is opened, thethermal head 132 and theplaten roller 134 are separated from each other, and since thechamber 124 is exposed and is accessible from the front, thereceipt paper roll 110 can be exchanged. - The
journal printing mechanism 126, like thereceipt printing mechanism 122, includes athermal head 142 wherein multiple heating elements are aligned in a line on a support substrate; aplaten roller 144 that is positioned opposite to thethermal head 142; and amotor 146 for rotating theplaten roller 144 at a predetermined speed. The journal paper is pulled from thejournal paper roll 112 and is fed to and sandwiched between thethermal head 142 and theplaten roller 144. Themotor 146 such as a four-phase stepping motor, produces a driving force that rotates theplaten roller 144 via a transmission (not shown). When the receipt paper is conveyed at a predetermined speed by the rotation of themotor 146 and the heating elements of thethermal head 142 are selectively energized to generate heat, desired characters or pictures are printed on the journal paper. The printed journal paper is then conveyed to thejournal winder 130, passing over aguide plate 148 that is located above thethermal head 142. - A
winding reel 150 is arranged in the journal winder 130, and when thewinding reel 150 is rotated by a motor (not shown), the printed journal is wound around it. When the upper cover 118 (seeFig. 1 ) of theupper case portion 108 is opened, thethermal head 142, the design of which provides for this, is separated from theplaten roller 144 and thejournal paper roll 112 can be exchanged and the roll of printed journal paper can be taken out. - A
controller 200 for controllingprinting apparatus 100 comprises a CPU in this embodiment. Upon receipt of a printing command from anexternal computer 202, thecontroller 200 drives thethermal heads motors -
Fig. 3 is a timing chart for explaining a method employed by thecontroller 200 to control thethermal heads motors motors controller 200 drives themotors receipt printing motor 136 is changed (a new step starts), thecontroller 200 also transmits print data to the receipt printingthermal head 132 to energize selected heating elements thereof. Through this operation, data for one dot line is printed on the receipt paper. In addition, when a predetermined time interval c has elapsed since the phase of thejournal printing motor 146 was changed (a new step started), thecontroller 200 transmits print data to the journal printingthermal head 142 to energize selected heating elements thereof. Through this operation, data for one dot line is printed on the journal paper. In this manner, thecontroller 200 alternately drives the receipt printingthermal head 132 and the journal printingthermal head 142, so that the active times for these thermal heads do not overlap. - Preferably, the time interval c is substantially half the time period allocated for one step a (i.e., ½ of 1 ms = 0.5 ms, in this embodiment). The actives time b for the
thermal heads thermal head 132 and thethermal head 142 without the active times of thethermal heads - The operation of the thus arranged
printing apparatus 100 will now be explained. Before theprinting apparatus 100 is used, thefront cover 116 is opened, areceipt paper roll 110 is loaded into thechamber 124, and thefront cover 116 is closed. Then, theupper cover 118 is opened, ajournal paper roll 112 is loaded into thechamber 128, and theupper cover 118 is closed. During this procedure, a predetermined length of the journal paper is pulled from thejournal paper roll 112, and the leading edge is made to engage a predetermined portion of the windingreel 150. (It will be understood that the sequence of setting receipt paper and journal paper in the printing apparatus is irrelevant to the present invention.) Subsequently, when the power switch on theoperation panel 114 is turned on, the various components of theprinting apparatus 100 are activated. - Upon receipt of a print command from the
external computer 202 thecontroller 200 synchronously drives themotors thermal heads Fig. 3 . The receipt paper pulled from thereceipt paper roll 110 is conveyed while being sandwiched between thethermal head 132 and theplaten roller 134, and data is printed on the receipt paper by the heat generated by the energized heating elements of thethermal head 132. The journal paper pulled from thejournal paper roll 112 is conveyed while being sandwiched between thethermal head 142 and theplaten roller 144, and data is printed on the journal paper by the heat generated by the energized heating elements of thethermal head 142. The printed receipt paper is discharged through thedischarge port 104 to the outside and is cut off the remaining receipt paper by theauto cutter 120 to become a receipt. The receipt is, for example, handed to a customer in a store. At the same time, the printed journal is guided to thejournal winder 130 and is wound around the windingreel 150. This journal is kept, for example, as a copy for the store. - As is described above, according to this embodiment, since the
motors thermal heads - Especially, since a respective one of
thermal heads thermal heads - In addition, since the
motors thermal heads - A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described. In this embodiment, only the method employed by the
controller 200 for controlling thethermal heads motors - As is shown in
Fig. 4 , in this embodiment the phase changes of themotor 136 are shifted relative to those of themotor 146 by a predetermined time interval c. In this embodiment, each step a for themotors thermal heads motors motors 136 and 146 (0.5 ms, in this embodiment). The duration of the active time b of thethermal heads 132 and 142 (0.35 ms, in this embodiment) is shorter than the time interval c . - In this embodiment, the timings for changing the phases of the
motors thermal heads thermal heads - In this embodiment, the energization of the
thermal heads motors thermal heads motors - Although two thermal heads have been described to be driven in a time-shared manner, one for printing receipts and another for printing a journal, the purpose of the respective printing media, such as receipt and journal, are printed for is irrelevant to the present invention. Also, three or more thermal heads could be driven in a time-shared manner.
Claims (7)
- A printing apparatus, comprising:first transporting means (134) for transporting a first printing medium (110);second transporting means (144) for transporting a second printing medium (112);a first motor (136) for driving the first transporting means (134);a second motor (146) for driving the second transporting means (144);a first thermal head (132) having one or more first heating elements for printing on the first printing medium (110);a second thermal head (142) having one or more second heating elements for printing on the second printing medium (112); anda controller (200) for driving the first motor (136) and the second motor (146), while controlling the first thermal head (132) by energizing selected ones of said one or more first heating elements , and controlling the second thermal head (142) by energizing selected ones of said one or more second heating elements,characterized in that said controller (200) is adapted to- drive the first motor (136) and the second motor (146) simultaneously at substantially the same speed,- control the first thermal head (132) by energizing selected ones of said one or more first heating elements during each of periodic first time intervals (b), and- control the second thermal head (142) by energizing selected ones of said one or more second heating elements during each of periodic second time intervals (b),wherein the period of said first time intervals (b) and the period of said second time intervals (b) are equal, the first time interval (b) and the second time interval (b) forming non-overlapping portions of the period (a).
- The printing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein:each of the first motor (136) and the second motor (146) is a stepping motor adapted to perform a sequence of steps while being driven by said controller (200); andthe first and the second time intervals (b) are synchronized with said sequence of steps of the stepping motors.
- The printing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein the length of said first and that of second time intervals are each substantially half said period.
- The printing apparatus as set forth in claim 2 or 3, wherein the start of each step of the first motor (136) is coincident with the start of a corresponding step of the second motor (146), and the start of each first and/or that of each second time interval is shifted relative to the start of each step of the motors.
- The printing apparatus as set forth in claim 2 or 3, wherein the start of each step of the first motor (136) is coincident with the start of a corresponding first time interval, and the start of each step of the second motor (146) is coincident with the start of a corresponding second time interval and shifted relative to the start of each step of the first motor (136).
- The printing apparatus as set forth in any one of the preceding claim, further comprising:means (104) for discharging the first printing medium (110) to the outside after it has been printed by said first thermal head (132); andmeans (130) for keeping the second printing medium (112) inside the printing apparatus after it has been printed by said second thermal head (142).
- A method of controlling the printing apparatus as defined in any of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of:driving the first motor (136) for transporting the first printing medium (110) and the second motor (146) for transporting the second printing medium (112) simultaneously at substantially the same speed;energizing selected ones of said one or more first heating elements during each of periodic first time intervals (b) to perform printing on the first printing medium (110); andenergizing selected ones of said one or more second heating elements during each of periodic second time intervals (b) to perform printing on the second printing medium (112), wherein the period of said first time intervals (b) and the period of said second time intervals (b) are equal, the first time interval (b) and the second time interval (b) forming non-overlapping portions of the period (a).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2001329821 | 2001-10-26 | ||
JP2001329821A JP3846259B2 (en) | 2001-10-26 | 2001-10-26 | Printing device |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP1306222A2 EP1306222A2 (en) | 2003-05-02 |
EP1306222A3 EP1306222A3 (en) | 2003-10-01 |
EP1306222B1 true EP1306222B1 (en) | 2008-08-27 |
Family
ID=19145653
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP02023750A Expired - Lifetime EP1306222B1 (en) | 2001-10-26 | 2002-10-24 | Printing apparatus and method of controlling the same |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1306222B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP3846259B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN1201941C (en) |
AT (1) | ATE406264T1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE60228536D1 (en) |
HK (1) | HK1056142B (en) |
Families Citing this family (12)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7275881B2 (en) * | 2004-10-15 | 2007-10-02 | Sanford, L.P. | Control of dual printing mechanisms |
DE602005026734D1 (en) * | 2004-10-22 | 2011-04-14 | Sanford Lp | printer |
JP2006130867A (en) * | 2004-11-09 | 2006-05-25 | Noritsu Koki Co Ltd | Photographic apparatus |
US7950860B2 (en) | 2006-05-30 | 2011-05-31 | Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha | Thermal printer and drive control method of thermal head |
US8733872B2 (en) | 2008-01-28 | 2014-05-27 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Common base lateral bipolar junction transistor circuit for an inkjet print head |
JP4718586B2 (en) * | 2008-07-17 | 2011-07-06 | 東芝テック株式会社 | Label printer |
JP5610750B2 (en) * | 2009-11-27 | 2014-10-22 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Thermal printer |
CN102145588B (en) * | 2010-11-19 | 2013-07-24 | 南京汇兴博业数字设备有限公司 | Thermal printer with automatic paper changing function used for self-service device and printing control method of thermal printer |
JP2012206497A (en) * | 2011-03-15 | 2012-10-25 | Seiko Epson Corp | Multifunction printing device |
JP5095838B2 (en) * | 2011-03-31 | 2012-12-12 | 東芝テック株式会社 | Label printer |
CN102991151B (en) * | 2012-12-12 | 2015-06-10 | 厦门菲斯科电子有限公司 | Paper channel structure with double printing movements |
CN106240171A (en) * | 2016-09-24 | 2016-12-21 | 上海普览智能科技有限公司 | Highly integrated doubles print all-in-one of making out an invoice |
Family Cites Families (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPH02258355A (en) * | 1989-03-31 | 1990-10-19 | Toshiba Corp | Electronic apparatus |
JPH03292162A (en) * | 1990-04-09 | 1991-12-24 | Seiko Instr Inc | Heating element drive method in thermal recorder |
JPH05124278A (en) * | 1991-10-31 | 1993-05-21 | Tokyo Electric Co Ltd | Printer for receipt and journal |
US5729274A (en) * | 1992-11-05 | 1998-03-17 | Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. | Color direct thermal printing method and thermal head of thermal printer |
JPH0767825B2 (en) * | 1993-02-18 | 1995-07-26 | 沖電気工業株式会社 | Print control method for printers with multiple print heads |
DE69708465T2 (en) * | 1996-01-19 | 2002-05-23 | Seiko Epson Corp | Pressure device with several printing devices |
JP4126506B2 (en) | 1996-01-19 | 2008-07-30 | セイコーエプソン株式会社 | Printing device having a plurality of printing means |
JP3329174B2 (en) | 1996-02-29 | 2002-09-30 | セイコーエプソン株式会社 | Multifunctional printing device |
-
2001
- 2001-10-26 JP JP2001329821A patent/JP3846259B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2002
- 2002-10-24 AT AT02023750T patent/ATE406264T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2002-10-24 DE DE60228536T patent/DE60228536D1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2002-10-24 EP EP02023750A patent/EP1306222B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2002-10-25 CN CNB021480826A patent/CN1201941C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2003
- 2003-09-19 HK HK03106752.2A patent/HK1056142B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
ATE406264T1 (en) | 2008-09-15 |
CN1201941C (en) | 2005-05-18 |
JP3846259B2 (en) | 2006-11-15 |
HK1056142A1 (en) | 2005-11-09 |
CN1413836A (en) | 2003-04-30 |
EP1306222A2 (en) | 2003-05-02 |
EP1306222A3 (en) | 2003-10-01 |
HK1056142B (en) | 2005-12-09 |
DE60228536D1 (en) | 2008-10-09 |
JP2003127451A (en) | 2003-05-08 |
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