JP2005007592A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer capable of detecting paper jamming through a simple arrangement of providing motor current detection in an existing mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: A reaction force being applied to a drive system when a cutter provided at a part of a carrying passage cuts a recording sheet is detected from the variation in a motor current for driving the cutter and it is determined whether the recording sheet exists at the cutter or not. If the recording sheet exists at the cutter, a decision is made that the recording sheet could not reach the carrying passage to the cutter and paper jamming has occurred. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
More particularly, the present invention relates to a detecting means for detecting a paper jam in a slip.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as means for detecting a paper jam, means for detecting that the recording paper has reached the vicinity of the exit as shown in FIG. 3, and behavior of the recording paper in the middle of the conveyance path as shown in FIG. Means to detect with a sensor are used.
[0003]
In the former case, reflective or transmissive optical sensors 3a and 3b for detecting the recording paper are arranged near the exit of the recording paper, and when the recording paper is jammed inside the printer during paper feeding, If the recording paper has not reached the sensor, it is determined that a paper jam has occurred.
[0004]
On the other hand, in the latter case, the behavior of the paper guide 4b is detected by the sensor 4c to detect that the recording paper has arrived. As shown in FIG. 4, a paper guide is provided in the middle of the conveyance path. When a paper jam occurs, the recording paper is folded in a bellows shape in the conveyance path, and the paper guide 4b is lifted by the reaction force. The amount is detected by the sensor 4c and a paper jam is determined (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-6-191678 [0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As a method of detecting a recording sheet by placing a sensor near the exit, there is a case where a paper jam cannot be detected even when the recording sheet remains inside the exit and the recording sheet is jammed inside the apparatus. On the other hand, a means for detecting the behavior of the recording paper in the middle of the conveyance path with the sensor is effective, but detecting the behavior of the recording paper with the paper guide requires a space for incorporating the paper guide and sensor for detection in the conveyance path. This is necessary and disadvantageous for downsizing of the apparatus. In addition, it is very difficult to manage the degree of reaction force to the paper guide due to the behavior of the recording paper in a productive manner, which can sometimes cause malfunction.
[0007]
Also, the conventional printer continues to issue cooking slips while the user is cooking and serving customers. Even if an ordering printer without paper jam detection means a paper jam occurs, the user often does not notice it. If left as it is, the recording paper will be folded into the device and printing will not stop, but several slips will be sent to the ordering printer. It gets stuck inside.
[0008]
In many cases, the slip printed in this way tries to feed the recording paper while being printed in an incomplete state, so that the print is crushed and cannot be used as a slip. For the user, the slip taken out from the ordering printer that caused the paper jam often has no idea what slip it was going to take because the recording paper has been cut or the print has been crushed inadvertently. For this reason, paper jams are dealt with, and after that, reissue of slips and the like are performed. Alternatively, it may be assumed that the user cannot take an action and the ordering printer cannot be used when the recording paper is caught deeply in the apparatus.
[0009]
The paper jam detection means is effective as a means for preventing such a problem. However, in the conventional detection method, when a sensor or a paper guide is separately provided on the conveyance path, it is difficult to downsize the apparatus and to pursue detection accuracy, and there is a risk of malfunction. The method of providing a sensor near the exit of the recording paper cannot determine that the recording paper continues to be conveyed when the recording paper remains at the exit.
[0010]
[Means for solving the agenda]
In order to solve the above-described problems, a printer according to the present invention includes a print head that includes a print head and a print head energization control unit that controls driving of the print head, a printing unit that prints on recording paper, a fixed blade, and a movable blade. A recording paper cutting unit that cuts the printed recording paper into a desired length, and a recording paper cutting unit that includes a cutter motor that drives the movable blade and a cutter motor control unit that controls the driving of the cutter motor. And a paper feed motor control unit for controlling the driving of the motor, a recording paper transport unit for feeding the recording paper, and a current value flowing through the cutter motor to detect the current value flowing in the vicinity of the cutter. The paper jam detector that detects whether a paper jam has occurred, the print head energization controller, the cutter motor controller, and the paper feed motor controller are mutually controlled. Those, wherein a CPU, in that it consists of.
[0011]
Further, the paper jam detection unit of the present invention detects a current value flowing through the cutter motor when the recording paper is cut, and whether the recording paper is cut based on a value detected by the current detection unit. A paper absence determination unit for determining whether the recording paper is conveyed to the cutter by the drive control of the paper feed motor control unit, and the recording paper is cut by the paper absence determination unit. If it is determined that the recording paper does not reach the cutter, it is determined that the recording paper has not reached the cutter, and a paper jam is determined.
[0012]
More specifically, it is characterized by the following configuration and operation. That is, the printer of the present invention performs paper cutting in units of slips. One slip is a repeated operation of paper feeding and paper cutting by printing. In general, a recording paper transport path of a printer using a thermal printer has a configuration as shown in FIG. 2, and the recording paper 2a is transported while being printed by the print head 14 and the platen roller 2b, and cuts the paper. After that, it reaches the exit.
[0013]
In the present invention, the current detection unit 9 determines the behavior of the current of the motor 7 that drives the cutter by the reaction force applied to the drive system when the cutter 8 that is a part of the conveyance path in FIGS. 5 and 6 cuts the recording paper. Then, it is determined whether or not the recording paper is in the cutter by the paper absence determination unit 10. When it is determined that the recording paper is not in the cutter, it is determined that the recording paper has not reached the conveyance path to the cutter, it is determined that the paper is jammed, and the CPU 1 stops the printing and notifies the display unit to that effect. Display and show to the user.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The printer according to the present invention is applicable to, for example, a printer as an output device of an ordering device used in a store or the like, or a small POS printer that performs slip printing.
[0015]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example when used as an output device of an ordering device used in a store or the like. In the ordering system of FIG. 1, the handy terminal 1A1 is a terminal for inputting an order for a visitor's seat. The handy terminal transfers the ordered order data to the station 1B1 by radio. The station transmits the data to the controller 1D via the LAN line and the HUB 1C. The controller 1D again sends print slip data to the printer 1E via the LAN line, the HUB 1C, and the station 1B2 according to the contents of the order data. The printer 1E prints a slip based on the print data. The above is the process from order ordering to slip output.
[0016]
The present invention is applicable to printers of all printing systems such as a thermal printer that prints on thermal paper using a thermal head equipped with a heating resistor element, and an ink jet printer that jets ink from nozzles to print on recording paper. Although applicable, a thermal printer will be described below as an example in order to avoid complicated description.
[0017]
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing only the main components of the printer of the present invention. Printing and paper cutting will be described with reference to FIG. The recording paper 2a is sandwiched between the print head 14 and the platen roller 2b from the right in FIG. While the platen roller rotates counterclockwise, it is heated in accordance with the contents of the print head 14 characters to print the recording paper. Thereafter, the recording paper is fed in the transport direction and passes between the fixed blade 8a and the movable blade 8b. When the recording paper is fed to the surface on which the recording paper 2a is to be cut, the paper feeding is stopped. The process proceeds to the paper cutting state S21. The movable blade 2b moves perpendicularly to the direction of the fixed blade 2a to sandwich the recording paper and cut it. The above is a series of printing operations of the printer.
[0018]
Next, a basic operation flow of slip printing of this printer will be described with reference to FIG. A CPU (Computer Processing Unit) 1 described later enters a printing state S1 upon receipt of a slip printing instruction, and feeds paper while heating the head. Depending on the contents printed on the slip, the head is not heated and only the paper is fed when it is desired to take out blank paper. Paper feeding is performed so that the cutting position of the recording paper matches the position of the blade of the cutter, where it stops, and the process proceeds to the paper cutting state S21.
[0019]
Next, the operation of the cutter in the paper cutting state S21 will be described. First, the structure of this cutter will be described with reference to FIG. It has a fixed blade 8a having a guillotine structure and a movable blade 8b that is moved by a drive system using a motor. During standby, the movable blade 8b and the fixed blade 8a are stopped with a sufficient opening amount so as not to interfere with the conveyance of the recording paper. The cutter motor 7 transmits the rotational force to the gear 8c, and converts the operation so that the movable blade 8b is moved up and down by the link mechanism 8d. The recording paper is cut by sandwiching the recording paper between the fixed blade 8a and the movable blade 8b, and the motor stops when the motor turns and pulls up the movable blade in the fully opened direction.
[0020]
Next, the recording paper presence / absence determining means at the time of paper cutting according to the present invention will be described. As described above, the cutter 8 has a structure as shown in FIG. 8, and has the link mechanism 8d that converts the rotation of the cutter motor 7 from the movable blade 8b to the fixed blade 8a in the moving direction 8f of the cutter. The cutter 8 is made to wait so that the movable blade 8b and the fixed blade 8a are opened at the place where the printer is on standby. When the cutter cuts the paper, the movable blade 8b gradually approaches the fixed blade, and the recording paper is gradually cut. When the movable blade 8b exceeds the meshing position of the fixed blade 8a, the cutting of the recording paper is completed. When the cutter motor 7 is further rotated, the movable blade 8b starts to move in the opposite direction, and the movable blade 8b and the fixed blade 8a are moved to a position where they are open near the maximum and stopped.
[0021]
An operation flow incorporating the paper jam determination at the time of paper cutting according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. When receiving a slip printing command, the CPU 1 described later enters a printing state S1 and feeds paper while heating the head. Depending on the contents printed on the slip, the head is not heated and only the paper is fed when it is desired to take out blank paper. Paper feeding is performed so that the cutting position of the recording paper matches the position of the blade of the cutter, where it stops and shifts to the paper cutting state S2.
[0022]
Next, a specific operation in the paper cutting state S22 will be described with reference to the configuration diagram of the present invention, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. The CPU 1 sends a command signal 6a1 for rotating the cutter motor 7 to the cutter motor control unit 6 when cutting the paper. The cutter motor 7 rotates and moves the movable blade of the cutter toward the fixed blade. When the cutter motor 7 further rotates after cutting the recording paper, the movable blade changes direction and pulls up the fixed blade. The drive current 6i of the cutter motor 7 flows through the current detection resistor 9S. The voltage across the current detection resistor 9S is sent to the paper absence determination unit 10 by the current detection circuit 9. The paper absence determination unit 10 processes the data of the current detection circuit 9 and determines whether or not the recording paper is cut by the cutter 8.
[0023]
The cutter motor is driven by applying a constant voltage with a voltage driving method. When a cutter motor rotation command is sent to the drive command signal 6a1, the drive control transistors 6b1 and 6b4 of the drive control circuit 6a are turned on, and the cutter motor starts rotating.
[0024]
FIG. 9 is a waveform showing the relationship between the drive command signal 6a1 of the drive control circuit 6a and the drive current 6i of the cutter motor. The drive command signal 6a1 outputs a rotation command while the cutter motor is rotating. For example, when the cutter motor is stopped, a stop command is issued. When the rotation command is issued, the cutter motor rotates and stops when the cutter command is stopped. Then, the drive current of the cutter motor causes a peak current 8a to flow in the positive direction immediately after the rotation due to a large load when the motor is started.
[0025]
Thereafter, when the rotating shaft of the cutter motor rotates with a constant load, the current of the cutter motor continues to rotate 8d while maintaining the current in the positive direction. When a stop command signal is generated in order to stop the cutter motor, the transistors 7a and 7c are turned on, the transistors 7b and 7d are turned off, and the driving current of the cutter motor has a peak value 8e in the negative direction, and then the cutter motor The drive current is zero.
[0026]
In the present invention, the fact that the load current of the cutter motor changes due to the load during rotation of the cutter motor is used to determine whether the cutter is cutting the recording paper or empty. Compared with 8b1 when there is no recording paper, when there is recording paper, the driving load of the movable blade is applied to 8b2, so that a large amount of current is required during the rotation period of the motor.
[0027]
In FIG. 7, the cutter motor 7 passes the drive current 6i through the cutter motor drive current detection resistor 9s during rotation. The drive current-voltage conversion circuit 9b outputs the voltage generated across the detection resistor 9s to the A / D converter 9b. The drive current 6i of the cutter motor 7 is read as a digital value 9c into the paper absence determination unit 10 as a digital value 9c = current detection resistor 9s × drive current 6i.
[0028]
However, although the cutter motor drive current 7i varies in various periods from start-up to rotation-stop, the peak current at the time of start-up and stop of the cutter motor has a large value and is irrelevant to the presence or absence of recording paper. It is not necessary to read the peak current at the time of start and stop as a digital value, and it is possible to acquire data more accurately if the current is read only during the period when the cutter cuts the recording paper.
[0029]
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation flow in the paper cutting state of the present invention. In the flow shown in FIG. 12, the CPU 1 samples the value only during the period of the time axis during which the recording paper is cut while avoiding the period in which the peak current is generated when the cutter is started and stopped. First, a rotation instruction signal is sent to the cutter motor drive circuit 6 (S221). In order to avoid the peak current 9a immediately after the rotation of the cutter motor 7, a period of 9ta is waited (S222). The time of 9 ta may be the time until the movable blade reaches the recording paper or the time to start cutting the recording paper.
[0030]
Next, the digital output of the A / D converter is sampled (S223). This sampling period 9tb may determine the period of the time axis by actual machine evaluation. Thereafter, the cutter motor is rotated until the movable blade returns to the original position (S224), and a stop signal is sent in the vicinity of the maximum opening of the cutter motor (S225).
[0031]
As described above, the operation flow is again sampled in FIG. 11, and the drive current of the cutter motor is sampled in the paper cutting state S22. The printer proceeds to current value determination S3. The paper absence determination unit 10 determines whether the cutter is cut empty or the recording paper is cut based on the sampled digital value.
[0032]
In the determination method, a threshold value is provided in advance between the sampling value when the paper is cut and the sampling value when the recording paper is cut, and the determination is made by comparison with a threshold value. Any number of sampling values may be used. The determination process may be a comparison between the maximum sampling value and a threshold value, or may be a comparison between data obtained by averaging sampling values and a threshold value.
[0033]
For example, the comparison between the sampled average value and the threshold value is (sum of sampling values / number of samplings)> determination threshold, and if the determination result is true, there is paper, and if false, there is no paper. judge.
[0034]
When setting this threshold value, the printer feeds paper to the cutter blade in advance, cuts the recording paper, cuts the recording paper again, and then shows the representative value of the motor current when there is recording paper and when there is no recording paper. Obtainable. You may define the intermediate value of each representative value as a threshold value. According to this action, it is possible to reduce the influence due to data fluctuations due to load fluctuations when there is no recording paper due to variations in the timing of the drive system of the cutter and variations in temperature environment and motor characteristics.
[0035]
When the CPU 1 receives the determination result of step S3 and determines that the paper is jammed, the process proceeds to S4, and the CPU 1 displays a paper jam error on the display unit 5. In this case, the printing action is not continued. If the determination result in step S3 is not a paper jam, the process ends normally and waits for new print data.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention can provide an effect with a simple mechanism in which a current detection of a motor is provided in an existing mechanism without providing a sensor, thereby contributing to cost reduction, downsizing of the apparatus, and securing of stable detection accuracy. Since the paper jam can be detected at an early stage, the recording paper can be prevented from being caught deeply in the apparatus in advance, so that the user can easily deal with the paper jam. Cooking delays can be minimized. As a result, it also contributes to labor saving for users and shortening of cooking delays in stores.
[0037]
Although the present invention has been described with reference to an example of a printer used in an ordering apparatus, it can also be widely used in devices that use a thermal printer. If the present invention is applied to a small device such as a small POS, it is conventionally disadvantageous for downsizing the apparatus because it is necessary to put a paper jam sensor into the conveyance path, but the present invention does not use a sensor. Since there is no need to newly secure the space, it contributes to downsizing of the apparatus.
[0038]
The present invention can be widely used in small printers. Even a printer using an ink jet, an ink ribbon, or the like can be applied as long as it is a device provided with a cutter driven by a cutter motor.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of an ordering apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing main components of the printer of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a conventional paper jam detection unit.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a conventional paper jam detection unit.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a paper jam detection unit of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a specific circuit block diagram of a paper jam detection unit of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a structural diagram showing the structure of the cutter of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a command signal of a drive control circuit and a drive current waveform of a motor.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a basic operation flow of the printer of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of printer printing according to the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an operation flow in a paper cutting state of the printer of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 CPU
6 Cutter motor control unit 6a Drive control circuits 6b1 to 6b 4 Drive transistor 6i Current flowing through the cutter motor 7 Cutter motor 8 Cutter 8a Fixed blade 8b Movable blade 8c Gear 8d that transmits the rotational force of the cutter motor 8d Link mechanism 8e for converting operation 8e Conveying path 8f for recording paper moving direction 8g for moving blade 8g for rotating gear 8h supporting point 9 for link mechanism 9 current detection circuit 9a buffer circuit 9 A / D converter 9s resistance for motor current detection 10 Paper out judgment section

Claims (4)

A printing section comprising a printing head and a printing head energization control section for controlling driving of the printing head, a printing section for printing on recording paper, a cutter comprising a fixed blade and a movable blade, a cutter motor for driving the movable blade, and the cutter A cutter motor control unit that controls driving of the motor; a recording paper cutting unit that cuts the printed recording paper into a desired length; a motor that transports the recording paper; and a paper feed that controls driving of the motor A recording paper transport unit that feeds the recording paper, and a paper jam detection unit that detects whether a paper jam has occurred in the vicinity of the cutter by detecting a current value flowing through the cutter motor. And a CPU that mutually controls the print head energization control unit, the cutter motor control unit, and the paper feed motor control unit. The paper jam detection unit determines a current detection unit that detects a current value that flows through the cutter motor when the recording paper is cut, and whether the recording paper is cut based on a value detected by the current detection unit. A paper absence determination unit, and it is determined that the recording paper is not cut by the paper absence determination unit even though the recording paper is conveyed to the cutter by the drive control of the paper feed motor control unit. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein if it is determined that the recording paper does not reach the cutter, it is determined that the paper is jammed. The paper absence determination unit performs an operation by performing analog / digital conversion to convert the analog current value detected by the current detection unit into a digital value, and cuts the recording paper based on the value obtained by the operation The printer according to claim 2, wherein it is determined whether or not it has been performed. The CPU controls the print head energization control unit, the cutter motor control unit, and the paper feed motor control unit to stop printing based on the determination result from the paper jam detection unit, and is provided. 4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein display control is performed so that a paper jam is displayed on the display unit.

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