JP2005255405A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a label printer for positioning a tip part of a label and a tag capable of reading-in/writing-in and providable for the circulation on a printing position, without wasting an RFID continuous body such as the label and the tag with built-in RFID, when supplying a power source and after replacing the RFID continuous body. <P>SOLUTION: This printer has a detecting mark at equal intervals by a carrying means 4 when starting the printer 1, and detects the detecting mark by a detecting means 5 while carrying the RFID continuous body 20 forming a printing medium piece with built-in RFID part to the downstream side between the detecting marks, and normally detects a pitch between the detecting marks by reading the RFID part by an RFID reading/writing means 6, and positions the tip part of the normally read printing medium piece in a printing means 7 when normally reading the RFID part of the printing medium piece by the RFID reading/writing means 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  In particular, the present invention relates to a printer in which labels and tags are not wasted after an RFID continuum such as a label or tag with a built-in RFID is replaced or when power is turned on.

In conventional printers, when continuous paper (continuous bodies) such as labels and tags are replaced or when the power is turned on, the automatic feed function of continuous paper called auto loading is used to detect continuous paper labels, detection marks, detection holes, etc. And the pitch of the label or tag (length of one sheet) is measured.
However, with this printer (printing device), the printing device starts after detecting labels, detection marks, detection holes, etc. on continuous paper. There has been a problem of waste (see, for example, “Prior Art” in Patent Document 1).
In order to eliminate the waste of paper, a printer has been developed in which the paper is returned by back feed and the leading edge of the paper is positioned on the print head (for example, see Patent Document 2).
In the case of the above-mentioned paper (label or tag), although it is possible to print immediately if it is positioned on the print head, the RFID continuum can be visually confirmed that reading / writing with respect to the built-in RFID is defective. There is a problem that similar information is not stored in the RFID even if the information is printed.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-36843 JP-A-6-336063

    The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-mentioned problems, and wastes RFID continuums such as labels and tags with built-in RFIDs when power is turned on or after RFID continuums are replaced. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer capable of positioning the leading end of a label or tag that can be read and written and can be used for distribution or the like at a printing position.

The printer according to the present invention has detection marks at equal intervals, an RFID continuum in which a print medium piece having a built-in RFID portion is formed between the detection marks, and a medium supply unit that supplies the RFID continuum And a printing unit that is provided on the downstream side of the medium supply unit and prints necessary items on the surface of the supplied RFID continuum, and a conveyance path formed between the medium supply unit and the printing unit, Conveying means for conveying the RFID continuum along the conveying path, detection means provided on the conveying path for detecting the detection mark of the RFID continuum, and provided on the conveying path to the RFID continuum An RFID reading / writing means for reading and writing necessary items into the built-in RFID unit, wherein the RF While detecting the detection mark by the detection means while conveying the D continuum downstream, the RFID portion is read by the RFID reading / writing means, the pitch between the detection marks is detected normally, And when reading of the RFID part of the printing medium piece by the RFID reading / writing means is normally performed, the leading end of the printing medium piece which has been normally read is positioned on the printing means. And
Further, a cutting means for cutting the RFID continuous body into print medium pieces can be provided on the downstream side of the printing means.
Further, the cutting means can cut the unauthorized printing medium piece before positioning the printing medium piece that has been normally read by the RFID portion to the printing means.

When the printer according to the present invention is turned on, the detection means detects the detection mark while conveying the RFID continuous body containing the RFID part, and the RFID reading / writing means reads the RFID part and reads it. Since the leading end of the printing medium piece that has been normally performed is positioned on the printing means, not only is the expensive RFID continuous body wasted, but also the normal printing medium piece that can be used for distribution etc. is positioned, There is an effect that writing can be performed from the first sheet.
Furthermore, if a cutting means for cutting the RFID continuous body into print medium pieces is provided on the downstream side of the print means, a single-leaf print medium piece can be obtained.
Further, if the unauthorized printing medium piece is cut before the positioning of the printing medium piece on which the RFID portion has been normally read by the cutting means to the printing means, the unauthorized printing medium piece is Since it is separated from the RFID continuum, misuse can be prevented.

    A printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view showing an embodiment of a printer according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic perspective views showing an example of an RFID continuous body used in the printer of the present invention.

First, the tag-like RFID continuous body 20 will be described with reference to FIG.
The RFID continuum 20 includes an RFID part 23 including an IC chip 21 and an antenna 22, and tag holes 24 are formed at equal intervals.
The RFID section 23 can transmit and receive information by RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), and can write necessary item information such as a price and a product number (not shown) to the IC chip 21 via the antenna 22. .
The tag hole 24 has a role as a “detection mark”, and the printing position is determined by the distance from the detected tag hole 24, or the pitch (length) between the tag holes 24, 24 is determined. Further, the tag piece 25 as the “print medium piece” is defined and formed from the pitch with the tag hole 24 left.
The front surface side of the RFID continuum 20 can print information similar to the necessary item information (not shown) such as the price and product number written on the IC chip 21 of the RFID section 23.

FIG. 3 shows a label-like RFID continuum 30, which is formed in a state where a label continuum 32 is laminated on a strip-shaped mount 31 via an adhesive (not shown). The label continuum 32 includes an RFID part 33 including the IC chip 21 and the antenna 22, and rectangular identification marks 34 as “detection marks” are formed at equal intervals on the mount 31. ing. The RFID unit 33 can transmit and receive information by RFID, and can write necessary item information such as a price and a product number (not shown) to the IC chip 21 via the antenna 22.
The identification mark 34 has a role as a “detection mark”, the printing position is determined by the distance from the detected identification mark 34, or the pitch between the identification marks 34, 34 is achieved. A label piece 35 as a “print medium piece” is defined and formed by the identification marks 34, 34. Then, after cutting the RFID continuum 30 together with the mount 31, the mount 31 is peeled off to obtain a label piece 35 containing the RFID part 33 and exposing an adhesive (not shown), which can be affixed to a product (not shown). It is like that.
In the following description, for the convenience of explanation, an example using a tag-like RFID continuous body 20 will be described.

Next, the printer will be described with reference to FIG.
The printer 1 includes a medium supply unit 3 on which an RFID continuous body 20 is mounted, an auxiliary roller 4, a tag hole detection sensor 5 as a detection unit, an RFID read / write unit 6 as an RFID read / write unit, and a printing unit. As a printing unit 7, a ribbon unit 8, a cutter unit 9 as a cutting means, and a conveyance path 10 formed between the medium supply unit 3 and the printing unit 7.

The auxiliary roller 4 sandwiches the RFID continuous body 20 that is mounted on the medium supply unit 3 and is fed out, and rotates when the power is turned on or the RFID continuous body 20 is started up after replacement to feed the RFID continuous body 20. Thus, the RFID continuum 20 is transported along the transport path 10 toward the downstream side where the printing unit 7 is formed.

The tag hole detection sensor 5 is provided in the middle of the conveyance path 10, and receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit 5a that emits light toward the tag hole 24 of the RFID continuum 20 being conveyed, and the light emitted from the light emitting unit 5a. The tag hole 24 is detected based on a change in the amount of received light.

The RFID read / write unit 6 is a device that performs transmission / reception with respect to the RFID unit 23 of the RFID continuum 20. The RFID read / write unit 6 reads the unique ID of the IC chip 21 through the antenna 22 and reads the IC chip 21 that has been read. Necessary item information such as price and product number (not shown) is transmitted and written.

The printing unit 7 includes a print head 11 and a platen 12, and prints necessary item information on the surface of the RFID continuous body 20 via the print head 11, and the platen 12 is connected to a stepping motor (not shown). The RFID continuum 20 sandwiched between the print head 11 is conveyed to the downstream side or back-fed (reversely conveyed) to the upstream side according to the rotation of a stepping motor (not shown).

The ribbon unit 8 includes an ink ribbon 13, a ribbon supply unit 14 on which the ink ribbon 13 is mounted, a ribbon winding unit 15, and an auxiliary roller 16. The ink ribbon 13 attached to the ribbon supply unit 14 is sandwiched between the print head 11 and the platen 12 via the auxiliary roller 16 and melted by the heat of the print head 11 while being wound on the ribbon winding unit 15. Necessary item information can be written on the surface of the RFID continuum 20 via the print head 11.

The cutter unit 9 includes a cutter sensor 17 and a cutter blade 18, and the RFID continuum 20 conveyed to the cutter unit 9 is cut by the cutter blade 18 at a predetermined timing to create a tag piece 25. Yes.
The cutter sensor 17 is provided on the upstream side of the cutter blade 18 and is used for confirming whether the RFID continuous body 20 cut by the cutter blade 18 is normally back-fed to the printing position. It is a sensor and turns OFF when the RFID continuous body 20 is conveyed to the cutter unit 9 provided downstream from the printing unit 7 so that the presence of the RFID continuous body 20 can be recognized. It is turned ON when it is conveyed to the printing unit 7 side, and it can be confirmed that the RFID continuous body 20 does not exist between the cutter unit 9 and the printing unit 7.

Next, positioning of the RFID continuum 20 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the RFID continuous body 20 in a state in which the RFID portions 25 are continuously formed, as viewed from above in FIG.
FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an operation when the RFID continuum 20 is attached to the medium supply unit 3 and power is turned on (not shown) or when the RFID continuum 20 is started up after replacement. Thus, the RFID continuous body 20 is fed and conveyed downstream (in the direction of arrow F) by the rotation of the auxiliary roller 4.

When the first tag hole 24 of the RFID continuum 20 reaches the position of the tag hole detection sensor 5 during the feed conveyance, the presence of the tag hole 24 is detected by the sensor 5 and further fed to the downstream side. (See FIG. 4 (b)). From the detection of the first tag hole 24, the number of steps of a stepping motor (not shown) that rotates the platen 12 is counted. Note that the tag piece 25 before the first tag hole 24 is detected is regarded as “incomplete tag piece 25”.

Furthermore, the RFID continuum 20 is fed and conveyed downstream (in the direction indicated by arrow F), and the RFID read / write unit 6 causes the antenna 22 of the RFID unit 23 to pass when the RFID unit 23 passes through the RFID read / write unit 6. The unique ID (not shown) of the IC chip 21 is read via. When the unillustrated unique ID is read, it is determined that the writable RFID unit 23 exists. Further, the RFID continuum 20 continues to feed in the direction of the printing unit 7. When the next tag hole 24 reaches the position of the tag hole detection sensor 5, it is recognized as the second tag hole 24, and the first tag hole 24. The count number of the stepping motor (not shown) that has started counting from the detection of this (FIG. 4B) is a count number corresponding to the pitch (length) between the first and second tag holes 24, 24. . Then, a predetermined amount of feeding is continued from the position where the second tag hole 24 is detected, and the first tag hole 24 stops at a cutting position at a predetermined distance from the cutter blade 18 (FIG. 4D). In addition, the “incomplete tag piece 25” is cut with the cutter blade 18.
When feeding to the cutting position, it can be recognized that the cutter sensor 17 disposed in the vicinity of the cutter blade 18 is turned OFF, and the RFID continuous body 20 has been normally conveyed to the cutter blade 18 side.

When the “incomplete tag piece 25” is cut, the platen 12 rotates in the reverse direction, and the RFID continuous body 20 is back-feeded by a predetermined amount, and the top of the first sheet is positioned at the position of the print head 11 ( (Refer FIG.4 (e)).
When the RFID continuous body 20 is back-fed to the print head 11 side, the cutter sensor 17 disposed in the vicinity of the cutter blade 18 is turned ON, and the RFID continuous body 20 is normally back-fed to the print head 11 side. Can be recognized.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of the RFID continuum 20 in a state where the RFID portion 25 does not exist at the tip portion, as viewed from above in FIG.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an operation when the RFID continuum 20 is attached to the medium supply unit 3 and the system is started up after power-on (not shown) or after replacement of the RFID continuum 20. As the roller 4 rotates, the RFID continuum 20 is fed and conveyed downstream (in the direction of arrow F).

When the tag hole 24 of the RFID continuous body 20 reaches the position of the tag hole detection sensor 5 during the feed conveyance, the presence of the tag hole 24 is detected by the sensor 5 and further fed to the downstream side (FIG. 5). (See (b)). From the detection of the tag hole 24, the number of steps of a stepping motor (not shown) that rotates the platen 12 is counted.

Furthermore, the RFID continuum 20 is fed and conveyed downstream (in the direction indicated by arrow F), and the RFID read / write unit 6 causes the antenna 22 of the RFID unit 23 to pass when the RFID unit 23 passes through the RFID read / write unit 6. The unique ID (not shown in the figure) of the IC chip 21 is read via the ID, but since the RFID part 23 does not exist and cannot be read, it is regarded as “incomplete tag piece 25”. Further, the RFID continuum 20 continues to feed in the direction of the printing unit 7, and when the next tag hole 24 reaches the tag hole detection sensor 5 position, the count number of the stepping motor (not shown) started first is cleared. Then, the count of the number of steps is newly started (see FIG. 5C).
At this time, the cutter sensor 17 is turned off, and it can be recognized that the RFID continuous body 20 has been normally conveyed to the cutter blade 18 side.

Further, the RFID continuum 20 is fed and conveyed downstream (in the direction indicated by arrow F), and the RFID read / write unit 6 causes the antenna 22 of the RFID unit 23 to pass when the RFID unit 23 passes through the RFID read / write unit 6. The unique ID (not shown) of the IC chip 21 is read via. When the unillustrated unique ID is read, it is determined that the writable RFID unit 23 exists. Further, the RFID continuum 20 continues to feed in the direction of the printing unit 7, and when the next tag hole 24 reaches the position of the tag hole detection sensor 5, it is between the previous tag hole 24 and the tag hole 24 detected this time. The tag piece 25 is regarded as a “normal tag piece 25”, and the count number of the stepping motor (not shown) between the tag holes 24 and 24 is a count corresponding to the pitch (length) of the tag piece 25. (Figure 5 (d)).

Further, a predetermined amount of feed is continued, and the tag hole 24 of the “normal tag piece 25” stops at a position away from the cutter blade 18 by a predetermined distance, and at the downstream of the “normal tag piece 25” by the cutter blade 18. The “incomplete tag piece 25” existing on the side is cut (FIG. 5E).

When the “incomplete tag piece 25” is cut, the platen 12 rotates in reverse, and the RFID continuous body 20 is back-feeded by a predetermined amount, and the tip of the “normal tag piece 25” is placed at the position of the print head 11. Is positioned (see FIG. 5F).
When the RFID continuous body 20 is back-fed to the print head 11 side, the cutter sensor 17 disposed in the vicinity of the cutter blade 18 is turned ON, and the RFID continuous body 20 is normally back-fed to the print head 11 side. Can be recognized.

Next, the above operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In step S01, a first (first) tag hole detection flag, a second (second) tag hole detection flag, and a stepping motor (not shown) stored in a storage unit such as a RAM (not shown). Perform the initial setting to clear the count number and so on to zero.
In step S02, the RFID continuous body 20 is fed and conveyed downstream (forward) by the rotation of the auxiliary roller 4.
In step S03, it is determined whether the tag hole 24 is detected. If the tag hole 24 is not detected, the process returns to step S02 to repeat the feed conveyance of the RFID continuous body 20 in the forward direction (the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 4). On the other hand, if it is determined that the tag hole 24 has been detected, the process proceeds to the next step (step S04).
In step S04, it is determined whether or not the first tag hole detection flag is “1”, that is, whether or not the tag hole 24 has already been detected. If not, the process goes to step S05. If 24 is detected, the process goes to step S07.
In step S05, it is determined whether or not the tag hole 24 is the first (first tag hole 24). If the tag hole 24 is determined to be the first tag hole 24, the first tag hole detection flag “ 1 ”is set in a storage unit such as a RAM (not shown), and the process returns to step S02. On the other hand, if it is determined that the tag is not the first tag hole 24, the process returns to step S02.
In step S07, it is determined whether the tag hole 24 is the second (second tag hole 24). If it is not the second tag hole 24, the process returns to step S02, while it is determined to be the second tag hole 24. In this case, the second tag hole detection flag “1” is set in a storage unit such as a RAM (not shown) in the next step (step S08), and it is determined in step S09 whether it is an “RFID tag”. That is, the RFID read / write unit 6 determines whether or not the tag piece 25 including the RFID unit 23 of the RFID continuous body 20 has been read. If the tag piece 25 has not been read, the process returns to step S02. If it is, the RFID continuous body 20 is fed and conveyed to the cut position in step S10.
In step S11, it is determined whether or not the RFID continuum 20 is positioned under the cutting position, that is, under the cutting blade 18. When it is determined that the cutting position is determined, the cutting blade 18 is operated in step S12 to cut the “incomplete tag piece 25”.
Next, in step S13, the RFID continuum 20 is back-fed. In step S14, it is determined whether or not the first print position, that is, the “normal tag piece 25” is positioned under the print head 11. If it is determined that the positioning is not performed, the process returns to step S13 to repeat the back feed.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S14 that the print position has been determined, the process ends.

    As described above, when the power is turned on or the RFID continuum 20 is started up after replacement, the tag hole detection sensor is carried while the RFID continuum 20 including the RFID portion 23 including the IC chip 21 and the antenna 22 is being conveyed. The tag hole 24 is detected at 5, the RFID read / write unit 6 reads the RFID unit 23, and the leading end of the “normal tag piece 25” that has been read is positioned below the print head 11. Therefore, since the “normal tag piece 25” that can be used for distribution or the like is positioned as well as not wasting an expensive RFID tag, writing can be performed from the first sheet.

It should be noted that the configuration and operation of the above-described embodiment are examples, and it goes without saying that they can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

    For example, according to the cutter sensor 17 in the above embodiment, the RFID continuous body 20 is conveyed to the cutter blade 18 side or the print head 11 side by turning OFF when feeding the RFID continuous body 20 and turning ON when back feeding. Although an example provided for confirming that no jamming (conveyance failure) has occurred in the middle has been described, the present invention is not limited to this example, and can also be used as a position detection sensor. That is, depending on the paper quality and thickness of the RFID continuum 20, it may be possible to slip and cause a conveyance failure. In the above embodiment, the tag hole 25 is detected by the tag hole detection sensor 5 as a position detection sensor. After that, the stepping motor (not shown) starts counting, and the position separated by the distance converted into the count number of the stepping motor is set as the print start position, the print head 11 position, or the cutter blade 18 position. In addition, since the distance is long, there is a factor that causes an error in the conveyance amount, in other words, positioning of the RFID continuous body 20. Therefore, the cutter blade 18 to be positioned and the cutter sensor 17 disposed at a position close to the print head 11 are provided with the function of a position detecting sensor. By setting the distance to the position of the head 11 in terms of the number of steps of a stepping motor (not shown), an error in positioning the RFID continuous body 20 is reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the ribbon portion 8 is provided has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the print medium pieces 25 and 35 are provided with a color development surface coated with a heat-sensitive color development material. By doing so, the necessary items can be printed by the print head 11 without the ink ribbon 13.

1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a tag-like RFID continuous body used in the printer. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a label-like RFID continuum used in the printer. It is explanatory drawing explaining operation | movement of the RFID continuous body in the state in which the RFID part was continuously formed similarly. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 4 for explaining the operation of the RFID continuous body in the state where the RFID portion does not exist at the tip portion. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement similarly.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 3 Medium supply part 4 Auxiliary roller 5 Tag hole detection sensor (detection means)
6 RFID read / write unit (RFID read / write means)
7 Printing section (printing means)
8 Ribbon part 9 Cutter part (cutting means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Conveyance path 11 Print head 12 Platen 13 Ink ribbon 14 Ribbon supply part 15 Ribbon winding part 16 Auxiliary roller 17 Cutter sensor 18 Cutter blade 20 RFID continuous body 21 IC chip 22 Antenna 23 RFID part 24 Tag hole (detection mark)
25 Tag piece (print medium piece)
30 RFID continuum 31 Mount 32 Label continuum 33 RFID section 34 Identification mark 35 Label piece (print medium piece)

Claims (3)

RFID continuum having detection marks at equal intervals, and between the detection marks, a print medium piece having a built-in RFID portion is formed, and
A medium supply unit for supplying the RFID continuum;
A printing unit provided on the downstream side of the medium supply unit and printing a necessary item on the surface of the supplied RFID continuum;
A conveyance path formed between the medium supply unit and the printing unit;
Transport means for transporting the RFID continuum along the transport path;
Detection means provided in the transport path for detecting the detection mark of the RFID continuum;
RFID reading / writing means for reading and writing necessary items to the RFID unit provided in the conveyance path and built in the RFID continuum,
When starting up, the detection means detects the detection mark while the RFID continuum is conveyed downstream by the conveying means, and the RFID reading / writing means reads the RFID part,
When the pitch between the detection marks is normally detected and the RFID reading / writing means normally reads the RFID portion of the print medium piece, the leading end of the print medium piece that has been read normally A printer characterized by positioning a portion on the printing means. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a cutting unit that cuts the RFID continuous body into the print medium pieces downstream of the printing unit. 3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the cutting unit cuts an unauthorized printing medium piece before positioning the printing medium piece that has been normally read by the RFID unit to the printing unit. 4. .

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