JP2003191583A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a printer in which the timing for replacing each consumable component constituting a label printer can be informed accurately. <P>SOLUTION: In the maintenance information table of an EEPROM 21, a guaranteed distance, the term of guarantee, the date of replacement, the count of a distance counter, and the like, are stored for each consumable component. A CPU 11 counts the number of rotating steps of a stepping motor 7 and updates the count of each consumable component on the maintenance information table. At a specified timing, e.g. the end of print, the CPU 11 makes a decision whether the carrying distance being calculated from the count has exceeded the guaranteed distance or not, and makes a decision whether the term of guarantee has elapsed or not after the date of replacement based on the date of today being outputted from a calendar IC 22 for each consumable component and then informs the timing for replacing each consumable component from an informing section 23 depending on the decision results. When the consumable component is replaced, the date of replacement is updated and the count is initialized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing device,
In particular, the present invention relates to a printing device that holds maintenance information for periodically exchanging consumable parts.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional label printer as a printing device counts the number of steps in which a stepping motor rotates and stores the counted value in a non-volatile memory. Hereinafter, this count value is referred to as the life counter count value. Then, based on the count value of the life counter, it is used as a guide for replacement of consumable parts such as a timing belt, a gear, and a spring in the printing apparatus, and the parts are replaced by regular maintenance and inspection.

[0003]

However, the life of each consumable part that constitutes the printer is different, and the life of the consumable part depends on the environment in which the printer is used (for example, temperature, humidity, operating frequency, etc.). Often depends on. Also, if it is in stock for a long time after production, the timing belt etc. will harden even if it is not used,
There is a case of adhesion. Due to such characteristics, it is difficult to grasp the replacement time (whether or not the life has expired) of each consumable part only by the count value of the life counter.

Further, when a component is replaced by maintenance and inspection, the count value of the life counter for that component will not serve as a guide after that. When parts are replaced, the service person writes the replacement date and details of the replacement parts in the report, but if another service person does maintenance after that, if there is no such report, the count value of the life counter will be used as a guide. Then, there is a possibility that the parts that have already been replaced may be replaced again.

Further, since the criterion for judging whether or not the consumable parts have reached the end of life is unclear, it is difficult for the user to replace the consumable parts at an appropriate time, and the belt is broken or the gear is worn. In many cases, the service person is called after the printing apparatus does not operate normally due to the spring stretching out. In that case, even if the replacement parts are in stock, the printing process is interrupted until the service person arrives at the user's end and the replacement of the parts is completed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to more accurately grasp the replacement time of each consumable part and to replace it at an appropriate time.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer which conveys a predetermined sheet of paper and prints predetermined print data on the sheet of paper. Calendar information output means for outputting information,
For each consumable part, maintenance information including at least information indicating a used distance and information indicating a secular change of each of the consumable parts constituting the printing device is detected for each consumable part. Storage means, first determining means for determining whether or not the usage distance of each consumable part exceeds a predetermined reference value, and the consumable part has a predetermined reference level due to aging based on the calendar information. A second determining means for determining whether or not the deterioration has occurred, and an informing means for informing the replacement timing of each consumable part according to the determination results of the first determining means and the second determining means. Characterize. Further, the information indicating the used distance corresponds to the distance that the sheet is conveyed by the conveying means, and the information indicating the change over time includes the information indicating the date when the consumable part was replaced and the information indicating the warranty period of the consumable part. The change over time corresponds to the time that has passed since the consumable part was replaced.When the consumable part is replaced, the information indicating the working distance and the information indicating the change over time are initialized and the consumable part is replaced. The information indicating the date of opening can be updated. Further, the warranty period of each consumable part can be modified according to the usage environment of the printing apparatus.

[0008]

1 shows an example of the configuration of an embodiment of a label printer to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the label printer 100 is driven by a control unit 10 that controls each unit, a thermal head (hereinafter, simply referred to as a head) 5 that prints on a sheet 1, and a control unit 10 The stepping motor (hereinafter, simply referred to as a motor) 7 and the timing belt (hereinafter, simply referred to as a belt) 8 are rotated by the rotational driving force of the motor 7, which will be described later. A platen roller (hereinafter simply referred to as a platen) 6 that conveys the sheet 1 set on the supply shaft 2 and presses the sheet 1 against the thermal head 5, and a supply shaft 2 that rotatably supports the sheet 1. And a guide roller 3 for guiding the paper 1 to the thermal head 5, a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion on the back surface of the paper 1, and the printing roller or the like formed on the back surface of the paper 1. Mark (black rectangle marks), and a pitch sensor 9 for detecting, based on the amount of light received by the light receiving portion.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration example of the embodiment shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the control unit 10 stores a predetermined control program in a ROM (re
CPU (central processing), which operates according to a control program stored in the ROM 12 and controls each unit.
unit) 11 and a RAM (random ac) for storing various data necessary for the CPU 11 to operate.
access memory 13 and an EEPROM (electrical) for storing a maintenance information table described later.
ly erasable and programma
ble read only memory) 21,
Calendar IC (integr) that outputs calendar data
corresponding to print data such as a character, a figure, and a barcode to be printed supplied from the CPU 11 and a motor control unit 14 that supplies a pulse signal to the stepping motor 7 to rotate the stepping motor 7. A control signal is generated and supplied to the thermal head 5 to perform a printing operation, and a light emitting unit of the pitch sensor 9 is controlled to emit light and receive an electric signal output from the light receiving unit. A sensor control unit 16 that converts the data into digital data and supplies the digital data to the CPU 11, an external interface 17, and an interface 20.

An input unit 18 for inputting various data and commands, a display unit 19 for displaying the input data input from the input unit 18 and various information, and an LED
A notification unit 23 including a buzzer, a buzzer, and the like, which notifies predetermined information.
And are connected via the interface 20.
Input data input from the input unit 18 is supplied to the CPU 11 via the interface 20, and display data corresponding to various information displayed on the display unit 19 is supplied from the CPU 11 via the interface 20. ing. Further, under the control of the CPU 11, the interface 20 is provided with a signal supply for causing an LED to emit light and a signal supply for causing a buzzer to sound in order to notify predetermined information.
It is supposed to be done through.

Various devices such as a personal computer (PC) 200 connected to the outside are connected to the external interface 1
Various data and commands can be transmitted / received via the terminal 7.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the structure of the maintenance information table stored in the EEPROM 21 of FIG. As shown in the figure, the maintenance information table is composed of each data indicating a warranty distance, a warranty period, a replacement date, a distance counter, and a flag for each consumable part that constitutes the label printer. The contents of the maintenance information table can be displayed on the display unit 19 by operating the input unit 18. That is, when a predetermined command is input from the input unit 18, the CPU 11 reads the maintenance information table from the EEPROM 21, creates display data, and supplies it to the display unit 19 via the interface 20. As a result, the contents of the maintenance information table are displayed on the display unit 19. By checking the replacement date of each consumable part in this maintenance information table, the service person can know the date when each consumable part was replaced last time during maintenance and inspection.
It is possible to avoid a situation where a consumable part that is still usable is mistakenly replaced.

The distance shown as the guaranteed distance is the distance that the sheet 1 is conveyed, and it is shown that the consumable parts do not have to be replaced until the sheet 1 is conveyed by the guaranteed distance. There is. This distance is equal to the stepping motor 7
Can be calculated from the number of steps in which the sheet rotates and the transport distance of the sheet 1 per step. The period shown as the warranty period indicates that the period does not have to be replaced. The exchange date indicates the date when the consumable part was exchanged. The distance counter is a stepping motor 7
It is a value obtained by counting the number of steps of. The flag is a flag indicating whether or not it should be exchanged.
The initial value of the flag is 0, and the value 1 is set when it is determined that the flag should be replaced. The value 0 is set (reset) immediately after the consumable part is replaced.

In the case of this example, the guarantee distance of the timing belt 8 is 800 kilometers (Km), the guarantee period is 5 years,
The date of exchange (exchange date) is May 21, 2001,
The count value of the distance counter is 834C7 (hexadecimal notation), and the value of the flag is 0. The round belt (not shown) has a guarantee distance of 100 km, a guarantee period of 3 years, and a replacement date of 19
On July 1, 1999, the count value of the distance counter is 3004
The value of the flag is 1 in BF8E (hexadecimal notation). In addition, the warranty period and replacement date for each consumable part such as the headgear and the platen 6 are similarly set.

Next, the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. At the start of printing, the label printer 100 has the CPU
When the print data transmitted from the personal computer 200 is received via the external interface 17 under the control of 11, the RAM 13 supplies the print data to the RAM 13 and temporarily stores it. Next, the CPU 11 edits the print data stored in the RAM 13, creates bitmap image data, and expands it in the drawing area in the RAM 13.

Next, the CPU 11 supplies the bit map image data expanded in the drawing area to the head control unit 15 to instruct the head control unit 15 to print, and at the same time, to the motor control unit 14 to start the conveyance of the paper 1. Order to
The head controller 15 supplies the thermal head 5 with a control signal corresponding to the bitmap image data supplied under the control of the CPU 11.

The thermal head 5 operates based on the control signal supplied from the head controller 15 to start printing on the paper 1. At the same time, the motor control unit 14 supplies a pulse signal to the stepping motor 7 to rotate the stepping motor 7. As a result, the stepping motor 7
The rotational driving force of the platen roller 6 is transmitted to the platen roller 6 via the belt 8 to rotate the platen roller 6 and
The sheet 1 sandwiched between the thermal heads 5 is conveyed. In this way, the printing process on the paper 1 is executed.

When the printing process is executed, the CPU 11
The process as a distance counter is executed. That is, the motor controller 14 counts the number of pulses supplied to the stepping motor 7 from 0, supplies the count value to the RAM 13,
Store it temporarily.

Upon completion of printing the print data transmitted from the personal computer (PC) 200, the CP
U11 adds the count value stored in the RAM 13 to the count value of the distance counter of each consumable part in the maintenance information table.

Next, the CPU 11 compares, for each consumable part, the preset guaranteed distance and the cumulative transport distance of the sheet 1 converted from the count value of the distance counter. When the transport distance of the sheet 1 converted from the count value of the distance counter exceeds the guaranteed distance, it is determined that it is time to replace the sheet,
While notifying the warning by controlling the notification unit 23,
Set the value of the flag of the consumable part that needs to be replaced to 1.
When the value of the flag is 1, it indicates that the consumable part corresponding to this flag is at the replacement time.

The CPU 11 also updates the replacement date of the maintenance information table. The replacement date indicates the date when the consumable part is replaced, and when the consumable part is replaced, the date of the day of replacement is set. Then, the CPU 11 first acquires the current date from the calendar IC 22. Next, compare the current date with the replacement date of each consumable part, and if the current date is after the replacement date and the date calculated by the warranty period, determine that it is time to replace the consumable part. Then, the notification unit 23 is controlled to notify the warning, and the flag value of the consumable part is set to 1. When the value of the flag is 1, it indicates that the consumable part corresponding to this flag is at the replacement time.

Next, referring to the flow chart of FIG.
A detailed processing procedure when the CPU 11 notifies the time to replace each consumable part will be described. First, in step S1, the CPU 11 acquires calendar data from the calendar IC 22 and substitutes it in the variable X. Calendar data is data indicating the current date. Therefore,
The today's date is assigned to the variable X. Next, in step S2, it is determined whether or not the check of the warranty period of a predetermined consumable part has been completed. When it is determined that the check of the warranty period is not completed, the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, the variable Y is substituted with the next replacement date (the next replacement date) obtained by adding the warranty period to the date when the consumable part was replaced (replacement date). Next, in step S4, the value of the variable Y (the date of the next exchange date (the date to be exchanged next)) is compared with the value of the variable X (today's date). As a result, the value of variable Y is variable X
If it is larger than the value of, that is, if today's date has not passed the next replacement date, the process returns to step S2, the table of the next consumable part is referred to, and the processes of step S2 and thereafter are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if the value of the variable Y is less than or equal to the value of the variable X, that is, if today's date is the same as the next exchange date, or if today's date is past the next exchange date, step S
Go to 5.

In step S5, the value of the flag of this consumable part which is determined to have the value of the variable Y equal to or less than the value of the variable X is set to 1. Next, in step S6,
The CPU 11 executes a warning process. That is, when the value of the flag is set to 1, a signal is supplied to the notification unit 23 to turn on the LED. Alternatively, sound the buzzer. Alternatively, the LED is turned on and the buzzer is sounded at the same time to notify that the consumable part is to be replaced. If an LED is provided for each consumable part or a buzzer sounds pattern is set for each consumable part, it is possible to notify which consumable part has reached the end of its life and it is time to replace it. Also, on the display unit 19,
It is also possible to display a message or mark indicating that it is time to replace the predetermined consumable part.

When the process of step S6 is completed, the process returns to step S2, and the processes of step S2 and subsequent steps are repeatedly executed. If it is determined in step S2 that the check of the warranty period has ended, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, it is determined whether or not the check of the guaranteed distance is completed. As a result, if it is determined that the check of the guaranteed distance is not completed, the process proceeds to step S8.

In step S8, the guaranteed distance of the consumable part preset in the maintenance information table is compared with the count value of the distance counter. As a result, when the guaranteed distance is larger than the distance converted from the count value of the distance counter, the process returns to step S7, the table of the next consumable part is referred to, and the processing of step S7 and thereafter is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if the count value of the distance counter is greater than or equal to the guaranteed distance, the process proceeds to step S9.

In step S9, the value of the flag of this consumable part is set to 1. Next, step S10
At, the CPU 11 executes the same warning process as in step S6. After that, the process returns to step S7, and the processes after step S7 are repeatedly executed.

If it is determined in step S7 that the check of the guaranteed distance has been completed, this processing ends.

When there are a plurality of consumable parts, the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is executed for each consumable part. Further, this processing is executed when the power is turned on, when a series of printing processing is completed, or the like.

In this way, when there is a consumable part with the flag value set to 1, that is, when there is a consumable part that is about to be replaced, it is informed that the consumable part should be replaced. be able to.

When the owner or the user of the label printer 100 is informed of this, he / she contacts the service person and requests the replacement of the expendable parts which are about to be replaced. Upon receipt of this request, the serviceman replaces the consumable part that is about to be replaced, and operates the input unit 18 to input data indicating the replaced consumable part.

The input data is transferred to the interface 20.
Is supplied to the CPU 11 via. When the CPU 11 receives this data, it resets the value of the flag corresponding to the consumable part corresponding to this data in the maintenance information table stored in the EEPROM 21 to 0. next,
The CPU 11 resets the value of the distance counter of the expendable component corresponding to this data to zero. Next, the calendar IC2
The exchange date in the maintenance information table is updated with the current date acquired from 2 as the exchange date.

In the above embodiment, the guarantee distance is set in advance, and the time to replace the consumable part is notified by comparing the set guarantee distance with the conveyance distance of the sheet 1. Or based on the number of tags printed, etc.
It is also possible to notify the replacement time of each consumable part. In that case, the guaranteed number of sheets (the number of printed sheets that guarantees that the consumable parts operate normally) is set in advance for each consumable part.

Information concerning the environment in which the label printer 100 operates is regularly measured and recorded, for example, temperature, humidity, vibration, etc., and based on this information, each consumable part of the label printer 100 is guaranteed. You can also correct the period and guaranteed distance. For example, the label printer 100
When used in a high or low temperature environment, a high humidity environment, an environment with a lot of vibration, or an environment in which these are combined, deterioration may be accelerated depending on the characteristics of consumable parts. By resetting the warranty period and warranty distance of the parts to be shorter according to their respective characteristics, it is possible to accelerate the replacement period according to the characteristics of each consumable part.

Further, here, when the consumable parts are replaced, the service man operates the input unit 18 to input data indicating the manually replaced consumable parts, and the CPU 11 causes the EEP.
The contents of the maintenance information table of the ROM 21 are rewritten. However, a detection device for detecting whether or not each consumable part has been replaced is provided for each consumable part, and the detection device indicates that the consumable part has been replaced. When it is detected, CP
It is also possible to notify U11 and update the replacement date of the replaced consumable part in the maintenance information table by the CPU 11 to initialize the count value of the distance counter to zero.

When the test printing is performed, a mark indicating whether or not it is time to replace each consumable part is printed together with the dip switch setting information and the mode setting information output by the test printing. You can also In addition, by inputting a predetermined command from the input unit 18, it is possible to print the state of each consumable part, for example, the contents of the maintenance information table, and when the state of each consumable part is printed, each consumable part is replaced. It is also possible to print a mark indicating whether it is time to come.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, maintenance information is held for each consumable part, and whether or not each consumable part is due for replacement is determined based on the warranty distance and the warranty period. Since the judgment is made for each consumable part, it is possible to more accurately notify the replacement time of each consumable part. Also, since the replacement date is stored in the maintenance information table for each consumable part,
During maintenance and inspection, the service person displays the contents of the maintenance information table on the display unit 19 and confirms the replacement date of each consumable part, so that the consumable part within the warranty period is not accidentally replaced. You can

Further, since the guaranteed distance and the guaranteed period stored in the maintenance information table can be changed appropriately,
Even when used in a harsh environment (for example, in a high temperature, low temperature, high humidity environment, or in a frequently used environment), an appropriate warranty distance and warranty period can be set for each consumable part. Therefore, the replacement time of each consumable part can be accurately notified regardless of the use environment.

In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the label printer has been described.
The present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to other printing apparatuses.

Further, it goes without saying that the configurations and operations of the above-described embodiments are examples, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0041]

As described above, according to the printing apparatus of the present invention, the conveying means conveys the paper, the calendar information output means outputs the calendar information, and the detecting means conveys the paper by the conveying means. The stored distance is detected, and the storage means stores, for each consumable part, maintenance information including at least information indicating a used distance and information indicating a secular change of each consumable part that constitutes the printing device. The first determining means determines whether or not the usage distance of each consumable part exceeds a predetermined reference value, and the second determining means determines, based on the calendar information, the consumable part to a predetermined reference level due to aging. Since it is determined whether or not the consumable parts have deteriorated as described above, and the notifying means notifies the replacement time of each consumable part according to the judgment results of the first judging means and the second judging means. The replacement time depends on each consumable part To understand the probability, it can be replaced at an appropriate time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an embodiment of a label printer to which a printing device of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control unit in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a maintenance information table.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of notifying the replacement time of each consumable part.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 sheet 2 supply axis 3 guide rollers 5 thermal head 6 Platen roller 7 Stepping motor 8 belts 9 Pitch sensor 10 Control unit 11 CPU 12 ROM 13 RAM 14 Motor control unit 15 Head controller 16 Sensor control unit 17 External interface 18 Input section 19 Display 20 interfaces 21 EEPROM 22 Calendar IC 23 Notification section 100 label printer 200 Personal Computer (PC)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A printing apparatus for feeding a predetermined sheet of paper and printing predetermined print data on the sheet of paper, comprising: a sheet feeding section for feeding the sheet of paper; a calendar information output section for outputting calendar information; Detecting means for detecting the distance that the sheet has been conveyed by means, and maintenance information consisting of at least information indicating a used distance and information indicating a change over time of each consumable part that constitutes the printing device, Storage means for storing each of the consumable parts and first determining means for judging whether or not the usage distance of each consumable part exceeds a predetermined reference value, and the consumable part is determined by the change over time based on the calendar information. Second determining means for determining whether or not deterioration has occurred above the reference level, and a report for notifying the replacement time of each consumable part according to the determination results of the first determining means and the second determining means. A printing device comprising an knowing means. 2. The information indicating the used distance corresponds to the distance that the sheet is conveyed by the conveying means, and the information indicating the change over time is information indicating the date when the consumable part is replaced, The time-dependent change corresponds to the time elapsed since the consumable part was replaced, and when the consumable part is replaced,
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the information indicating the used distance and the information indicating the change over time are initialized, and the information indicating the date when the consumable part is replaced is updated. 3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the warranty period of each consumable part is modified according to the usage environment of the printer.