JP2004175073A - Portable printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable printer which can surely protect data in a processing state wherein the prescribed data are protected before the shutoff of power supply from a battery. <P>SOLUTION: In the performance of power-off processing for protecting the prescribed data before the shutoff of the power supply from the battery 10, when the opening of a lid part 22 with respect to a battery storage part 30 for removably housing the battery 10 is detected by a lid part opening/closing sensor, the notification of the opening of the lid part 22 is made by flashing of an LED. This enables an operator to recognize the processing state wherein the prescribed data are protected, before the shutoff of the power supply from the battery 10, when the operator tries to take out the battery 10 from the housing part 30. Thus, data protection (writing of backup data into a flash memory) in the power-off processing can be surely performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable printer driven by power supply from a battery.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, portable small-sized printers have become widespread for convenience of, for example, a person in charge of home delivery and collection. In such a portable printer, necessary data transmitted from a host device such as a handy terminal is received and printed matter such as a label is issued. In this case, the portable printer and the host device are connected by an optical (infrared) interface or a wireless interface.
[0003]
In most of such portable printers, driving power is supplied from a battery. As a battery to be mounted on such a portable printer, there is a battery having a terminal at one end which is electrically connected to a terminal on the printer side. A portable printer in which such a battery is mounted often adopts a structure in which the battery is inserted into the battery storage section from the terminal side and stored.
[0004]
Here, when the battery is taken out of the portable printer, the housing of the portable printer has a structure in which the battery is stored in the battery storage portion and the end of the portable printer that has no terminal is exposed. In other words, a lid for covering the battery housing is provided on the housing of the portable printer so as to be openable and closable with respect to the insertion hole. Such a lid is often provided at a corner of a casing of a portable printer. When removing the battery from the portable printer, the lid is opened, the battery is pulled out from the battery housing, the connection between the battery-side terminal and the printer-side terminal is released, and the battery is removed ( For example, see Patent Document 1).
[0005]
Also, an electronic device such as a portable printer includes a microcomputer. To switch from a power-on state to a power-off state, for example, power-off such as writing data stored in a RAM to a flash memory to protect the data. Processing is required. Such a power-off process requires a time of about one second to several seconds.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-10-084077
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, even if such a power-off process is performed, if the user opens the lid and removes the battery from the battery storage unit without performing the power-off process, the user stores the battery in the RAM. The written data cannot be written to the flash memory, so that the data cannot be protected.
[0008]
Further, in the portable printer as described above, the lid may be opened due to the impact of the fall, and the battery may jump out of the battery storage part due to an action such as accidental dropping during use. In particular, when the lid is provided at the corner of the housing of the portable printer, the tendency is remarkable.
[0009]
Therefore, even if the lid is opened due to the impact of a drop during the power-off process and the battery jumps out of the battery storage unit, the data stored in the RAM cannot be written to the flash memory. Cannot be protected.
[0010]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable printer that can reliably protect data in a processing state where predetermined data is protected before power supply from a battery is cut off.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A portable printer according to the present invention is a portable printer driven by power supply from a battery, comprising: a battery storage portion for removably storing the battery; and a lid portion provided to be openable and closable with respect to the battery storage portion. A lid opening / closing sensor for monitoring the opening / closing of the lid, power-off declaration means for declaring that power supply from the battery is to be cut off, and a power-off declaration means for cutting off power supply from the battery by the power-off declaration means. Is declared, data protection means for protecting predetermined data before power supply from the battery is cut off, and when the data protection means is being executed, the battery cover And a cover opening notifying means for notifying the opening of the cover when the opening of the cover is detected.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0013]
Here, FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a portable printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention from a label discharging side, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing the portable printer 1 from an operator mounting side, and FIG. It is a horizontal sectional view showing an internal structure.
[0014]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the printer main body 1a of the portable printer 1 includes a case 2 having an open surface, and a cover 3 for opening and closing the open surface of the case 2. The cover 3 is rotatably supported by a fulcrum shaft 4 provided on the case 2. The case 2 is provided with a hopper 6 for rotatably storing the long recording paper 5 wound in a roll with the cover 3 closed. In the present embodiment, as the recording paper 5, one in which a number of labels 5b are attached at equal intervals to a mount 5a is used, but other recording paper may be used.
[0015]
The case 2 is provided with a paper guide 7 extending from the bottom of the hopper 6 toward the cover 3. A portion of the paper guide 7 close to the cover 3 has a rotatable platen 8 and a rotatable platen 8. And a label releaser 9 along the longitudinal direction of the platen 8.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 3, a head support 11 provided with a thermal head 12 is provided on the inner surface (side of the hopper 6) of the cover 3 so as to be rotatable around a support shaft 11a. The head support 11 is urged in one direction by a leaf spring 13, and the thermal head 12 contacts the platen 8 with the cover 3 closed. That is, the printing unit 14 is formed by the platen 8 and the thermal head 12.
[0017]
A pinch roller 16 pressed against the platen 8 by the urging force of a spring 15 is rotatably provided on both sides on the free end side of the cover 3. Further, the cover 3 is formed with a label discharge port 17 disposed between the thermal head 12 and the pinch roller 16 to discharge the label 5b, and a paper press 18 for pressing the recording paper 5 in the hopper 6 to float. ing. The case 2 is provided with a mount outlet 19 for discharging the mount 5a between the case 2 and the free end of the cover 3.
[0018]
On the upper surface of the case 2 are a power switch 20 functioning as a power-off declaration means for declaring that power supply from the battery 10 (see FIG. 3) is to be cut off, a feed switch 21 for printing on the label 5b, and a lid 22. And a light receiving window 23 for receiving infrared rays. The lid portion 22, which will be described in detail later, opens and closes when the battery 10 is attached to and detached from the battery storage portion 30 (see FIG. 3) provided on the upper surface which is one surface of the case 2. is there. Further, locking claws 24 are slidably provided on both sides of the cover 3 (see FIG. 1). These locking claws 24 are urged outward and locked to the case 2, and when the cover 3 is opened, the locking claws 24 are slid inward as indicated by arrow marks to engage with the case 2. Release the stop state.
[0019]
In addition, an LED 56 is provided on the upper surface of the case 2. The portable printer 1 of the present embodiment can notify the operator of the operating state of the portable printer 1 by turning on or blinking the LED 56.
[0020]
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an arc surface 25 is formed on one side of the printer main body 1a opposite to the cover 3 so as to be in close contact with the waist of the operator. On the other hand, a non-slip 26 for reducing slip and a belt hook 27 which is hooked on an operator's belt facing the non-slip 26 are formed.
[0021]
Next, the battery storage section 30 and the lid section 22 provided in the case 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the battery housing portion 30 is formed in a substantially same hole shape as the battery 10, and a terminal (not shown) electrically connected to a terminal (not shown) of the battery 10. Is provided on the back side of this hole shape. More specifically, the length of the battery storage section 30 in the insertion / removal direction of the battery 10 is formed slightly shorter than the battery 10. This is because the battery 10 is slightly protruded from the battery storage unit 30 so that the end of the battery 10 can be easily gripped when the battery 10 is removed from the battery storage unit 30. The portable printer 1 according to the present embodiment has a structure in which the battery 10 is inserted into the battery storage unit 30 from the terminal side and stored.
[0022]
A pair of stoppers 31, which are regulating members formed of an elastic member such as rubber, are provided at the opening of the battery housing portion 30. The stopper 31 includes a member 31 a that fills a gap between the battery 10 and the battery storage unit 30 in the storage state with respect to the battery storage unit 30, and a member 31 b that interferes with the insertion / removal locus of the battery 10. That is, since the stopper 31 is formed of an elastic member such as rubber, when the battery 10 is stored in the battery storage unit 30, the member 31a of the stopper 31 is deformed and the battery storage unit 30 and the battery 10 are connected to each other. And the end of the battery 10 is supported by the member 31b of the stopper 31 to restrict the movement of the battery 10 in the detaching direction. Therefore, by providing the stopper 31 at the opening of the battery storage unit 30, the battery 10 does not fly out of the battery storage unit 30 by simply opening the lid unit 22 without complicating the structure. In addition, since the stopper 31 is formed of an elastic member such as rubber, even if it has a certain thickness, the stopper 31 is deformed in accordance with the contact with the battery 10. It is possible.
[0023]
On the other hand, the lid portion 22 is attached to the case 2 via a hinge 22a, and can be opened and closed with respect to the battery storage portion 30. A concave portion 22b is formed in the battery storing portion 30 of the lid portion 22, and the battery 10 and the stopper 31 projecting from the battery storing portion 30 when the battery storing portion 30 is closed are stored in the concave portion 22b.
[0024]
The lid 22 is provided with a protruding portion 22c that protrudes toward the battery storage unit 30 side. On the other hand, in the case 2, a lid open detection switch, which is a microswitch, is provided at a position near the battery storage unit 30 and opposed to the protrusion 22 c of the cover unit 22 closed with respect to the battery storage unit 30. 53 (see FIG. 5) is provided with a recess 32 that allows the protrusion 22c to enter. Therefore, when the lid 22 is closed with respect to the battery storage unit 30, the projection 22 c of the lid 22 enters the recess 32, and the lid open detection switch 53 at the bottom of the recess 32 is turned by the projection 22 c. It is pressed and turned on.
[0025]
With such a configuration, when the battery 10 is correctly stored in the battery storage unit 30, the terminals of the battery storage unit 30 and the terminals of the battery 10 come into contact with each other while the power switch 20 is on, and the electric power is turned off. The power is supplied from the battery 10 to each part such as the thermal head 12 that needs power supply.
[0026]
Next, connection of the control system of each unit of the portable printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The portable printer 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 41 for centrally controlling each unit. The CPU 41 has a ROM (Read Only Memory) 42 in which fixed data such as a program executed by the CPU 41 is written. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 43 for writing variable data such as work data in an updatable manner and a flash memory 44 for registering various information are connected via a bus line 45. A thermal head driver 46 for driving the thermal head 12, a motor driver 48 for driving a motor 47 to which the platen 8 is connected, a sensor circuit 50 to which various sensors 49 are connected, and a cover open for turning on and off by opening and closing the cover 3. A switch circuit 54 to which a switch 51, a power switch 20, a feed switch 21, and a cover open detection switch 53 which is a cover opening / closing sensor that is turned on and off by opening and closing the cover 22, an infrared interface 55, and an LED 56 are connected. The lighting control circuit 57 is connected to the CPU 41. As described above, the circuit shown in FIG. 5 is formed on a substrate (not shown) provided inside the printer main body 1a. Note that the infrared interface 55 is arranged inside the light receiving window 23 described above. The interface is described as I / F in the figure.
[0027]
In such a portable printer 1, the cover 3 is opened when the recording paper 5 is set, the recording paper 5 wound in a roll is stored in the hopper 6 of the printer main body 1a, and the cover 3 is opened. In this state, the leading end of the recording paper 5 is pulled out to a position covering the platen 8 and the label peeling body 9, and the cover 3 is closed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the leading end portion of the backing sheet 5 a of the recording paper 5 is pressed against the platen 8 by the thermal head 12 and the pinch roller 16. The recording paper 5 is bent at an acute angle and is prevented from floating from the bottom surface of the hopper 6 by the paper presser 18. Although the printer main body 1a on which the recording paper 5 is set can be used by placing it on a desk, it is usually used while being attached to the waist of an operator. Then, the power switch 20 is turned on, and printing is performed by inputting print data from a host device (not shown) such as a handy terminal. This host machine constitutes a small portable computer having data input means such as a keyboard and display means for displaying input data and operation status.
[0028]
Next, among the functions executed by the CPU 41 by the control program stored in the ROM 42 built in the portable printer 1, characteristic functions of the portable printer 1 of the present embodiment will be described.
[0029]
Here, FIG. 6 is a flowchart schematically showing a flow of a power-off process which is a characteristic function provided in the portable printer 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, when recognizing that the power switch 20 has been turned off (Y in step S1), the CPU 41 turns on the LED 56 (step S2). The reason why the LED 56 is turned on when the power switch 20 is turned off is that the operator is notified that the power-off process is being executed, and the operator is notified from the battery storage unit 30 during the execution of the power-off process. This is to prevent the battery 10 from being taken out.
[0030]
Subsequently, after the backup data in the flash memory 44 is edited in units of blocks (step S3), if there is no free space in the backup data writing area of the flash memory 44 (N in step S4), the writing area of the flash memory 44 is determined. Is erased (step S5), and backup data is written to the flash memory 44 (step S5: data protection means). On the other hand, if there is a free space in the backup data writing area of the flash memory 44 (Y in step S4), the backup data is written to the flash memory 44 as it is (step S5: data protection means).
[0031]
The processing of steps S3 to S6 is repeated for all the blocks, and when the writing of all the backup data to the flash memory 44 is completed (Y in step S7), the power-off processing is completed, so the LED 56 is turned off. (Step S8), the power supply is cut off (Step S9), and the power-off process ends.
[0032]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart schematically showing the flow of the lid opening / closing monitoring processing during the power-off processing. As shown in FIG. 7, when the CPU 41 detects that the lid 22 that can be freely opened and closed with respect to the battery storage unit 30 is opened during the power-off process (Y in step S11), the CPU 41 blinks the LED 56 (step S12). : Lid opening notification means). The reason why the LED 56 blinks when the lid 22 is opened during the power-off process is to notify the operator again that the power-off process is being performed, and to notify the operator that the power-off process is being performed. Is to prevent the battery 10 from being taken out of the battery storage section 30 without fail. The blinking of the LED 56 (Step S12: lid opening notification means) is executed until the lid 22 is closed (Y in Step S13).
[0033]
As described above, in the present embodiment, when the power-off process for protecting predetermined data is performed before the power supply from the battery 10 is cut off, the battery storage unit that stores the battery 10 in a detachable manner. When the opening of the lid 22 with respect to 30 is detected by the lid open detection switch 53, the opening of the lid 22 is notified by blinking of the LED 56. Thus, when the operator attempts to remove the battery 10 from the battery storage unit 30, it is possible to make the operator recognize that the processing state is protecting predetermined data before the power supply from the battery 10 is cut off. Therefore, data protection (writing of backup data to the flash memory 44) during the power-off process can be reliably performed.
[0034]
Further, in the present embodiment, by providing stopper 31 which is a regulating member for regulating the movement of battery 10 in the direction in which battery 10 is removed from battery storage unit 30 with respect to battery 10 stored in battery storage unit 30, Since the battery 10 cannot be taken out of the battery storage section 30 only by opening the lid section 22, the lid section 22 is opened due to a drop impact due to an action such as accidental dropping during use, and the battery 10 is It is possible to prevent the battery 10 from jumping out of the storage unit 30 and to prevent the operator from opening the lid unit 22 and removing the battery 10 from the battery storage unit 30 at the same time.
[0035]
Further, in the present embodiment, stopper 31 serving as a regulating member is formed of an elastic member such as rubber, and a member 31a that fills a gap between battery 10 and battery storage unit 30 in a storage state with respect to battery storage unit 30 is provided. In the state where the battery 10 is stored in the battery storage unit 30, the member 31 a of the stopper 31 is deformed and the battery storage unit 30 Since the battery 10 is brought into close contact with the battery 10 and the end of the battery 10 is supported by the member 31b of the stopper 31, the movement of the battery 10 in the detaching direction is regulated. It is possible to prevent the battery 10 from jumping out of the battery storage section 30 just by opening the battery. In addition, since the stopper 31 which is a regulating member is formed of an elastic member such as rubber, even if it has a certain thickness, it is deformed in accordance with the contact with the battery 10. Can be taken out.
[0036]
In the present embodiment, the LED 56 is made to blink (light) to notify the operator of the opening of the lid 22 when the power-off process is being performed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, notification by buzzer sound or sound, or notification by locking of the battery 10 in the battery storage unit 30 may be used.
[0037]
When the cover 22 is opened while the power is on, the flash memory 44 may be written by recognizing that the power supply has been declared to be cut off.
[0038]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably protect data in a processing state in which predetermined data is protected before power supply from the battery is cut off.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a portable printer according to an embodiment of the present invention from a label discharging side.
FIG. 2 is an external perspective view illustrating the portable printer as viewed from an operator mounting side.
FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view showing the internal structure of the portable printer.
FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of a battery storage unit.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating connection of control systems of various units of the portable printer.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart schematically showing a flow of a power-off process.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart schematically showing a flow of a lid opening / closing monitoring process.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Portable printer, 10 ... Battery, 20 ... Power-off declaring means, 22 ... Lid, 30 ... Battery storage part, 31 ... Regulatory member, 31a ... Member to fill a gap, 31b ... Member to interfere with the locus of insertion / removal of battery , 53 ... lid open / close sensor

Claims (3)

In a portable printer driven by power supply from a battery,
A battery storage section for storing the battery in a detachable manner,
A lid portion provided to be freely opened and closed with respect to the battery storage portion,
A lid opening / closing sensor for monitoring the opening / closing of the lid,
Power-off declaring means for declaring that power supply from the battery is to be cut off,
When the power-off declaration means declares that power supply from the battery is to be cut off, data protection means for protecting predetermined data before cutting off power supply from the battery;
When the data protection unit is being executed, when the lid opening / closing sensor detects the opening of the lid with respect to the battery storage unit, a lid opening notification unit that notifies the lid of opening,
A portable printer comprising: 2. The portable printer according to claim 1, wherein the battery stored in the battery storage includes a regulating member that regulates movement in a direction in which the battery is removed from the battery storage. 3. The restriction member is formed of an elastic member, and has a function of filling a gap between the battery and the battery storage portion in a state of being stored in the battery storage portion, and a function of interfering with the insertion / removal locus of the battery. 4. The portable printer according to claim 3, wherein:

Images