JP2006272568A - Motor controlling device, recording device, controlling method for motor controlling device, and controlling method for recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the quantity of optical sensors, and to reduce labor and costs for the attaching and the adjustment. <P>SOLUTION: This recording device 10 comprises two carrying paths, and drives carrying mechanisms corresponding to respective carrying paths by switching them. The recording device 10 is equipped with a cam member, a paper path switch switching motor 66 which drives the cam member, a paper path switching sensor 67 and a sensor detecting section 55, and a controller 51. In this case, the cam member constitutes a carrying path switching mechanism, and at the same time, of which the movable range is regulated. The paper path switching sensor 67 optically detects that the cam member 503 is located at a position under a switching motion. The controller 51 performs the control of the paper path switch switching motor 66 from the output of the paper path switching sensor 67 and based on whether the paper path switch switching motor 66 has lost the synchronism or not, and at the same time, the controller 51 judges whether the switching of the carrying mechanism has normally been performed or not. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, a control method for the recording apparatus, and a control program, and more particularly, a recording apparatus having a plurality of paper transport paths and selectively switching one of them, and a control method and control for the recording apparatus Regarding the program.

In general, the recording apparatus includes a recording head mounted on a carriage, and is provided at the recording member of the recording head, specifically, the tip of the recording lever or the tip of the recording lever while scanning the recording head with the carriage. 2. Description of the Related Art A dot impact printer that records an image on a sheet by hitting a recording pin or a recording wire on a sheet conveyed on a platen via an ink ribbon fed out from a ribbon cartridge is known (for example, a patent Reference 1).
In such a dot impact printer, a printer having both a front paper feeding mechanism and a rear paper feeding mechanism has been proposed. In such a case, when a switching of the paper feeding mechanism is detected, a switching mechanism is provided. A first optical sensor that is shielded by the shielding plate when the switching mechanism is in the front sheet feeding mechanism selection state, and a shielding plate when the switching mechanism is in the rear sheet feeding mechanism selection state. A second light sensor that is shielded from light is provided, and a controller having a CPU determines which light sensor is shielded by the firmware.
JP 2003-127442 A

In the above-described conventional configuration, it is necessary to provide two photosensors, and there is a problem in that the labor of mounting and the labor of adjustment increase. In addition, since two optical sensors are provided, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost increases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus, a recording apparatus control method, and a control program capable of reducing the number of optical sensors and reducing labor and cost of mounting and adjustment.

In order to solve the above problems, in a recording apparatus that has two transport paths and switches and drives the transport mechanisms corresponding to the respective transport paths, the transport path switching mechanism is configured, and the cam member whose movable range is restricted; , A conveyance path switching motor for driving the cam member, an optical sensor unit for optically detecting that the cam member is in a switching operation position, an output of the optical sensor unit, and the conveyance path switching motor And a controller that controls the transport path switching motor based on whether or not the motor has stepped out, and determines whether or not the transport mechanism has been switched normally.
According to the above configuration, the conveyance path switching motor drives the cam member constituting the conveyance path switching mechanism.
At this time, the optical sensor unit optically detects that the cam member is in the switching operation position, and the control unit is based on whether the output of the optical sensor unit and the conveyance path switching motor have stepped out. Then, the conveyance path switching motor is controlled, and it is determined whether or not the conveyance mechanism has been switched normally.

In this case, the control unit shifts to a state where the output of the optical sensor unit is not in a position where the cam member is in a switching operation, and the cam member It may be determined that either the first movable range end or the second movable range end has been reached.
In addition, when the control unit determines that the cam member has reached either the first movable range end or the second movable range end, the controller drives the conveyance path switching motor in the reverse direction, The cam member may be driven to a desired switching completion position based on the output of the optical sensor unit.

  In addition, the cam member that constitutes two transport paths and a transport path switching mechanism and whose movable range is restricted and that the cam member has reached either the first movable range end or the second movable range end are optically displayed. In a control method of a recording apparatus having an optical sensor unit for detecting automatically and switching and driving a conveyance mechanism corresponding to each conveyance path, a cam driving process for driving the cam member, an output of the optical sensor unit, and the A discriminating process for controlling the transport path switching motor based on whether the transport path switching motor has stepped out and determining whether the transport mechanism has been switched normally; and the cam member. Is determined to have reached either the first movable range end or the second movable range end, the conveyance path switching motor is driven in the reverse direction, and based on the output of the optical sensor unit, Serial is characterized in that as and a conveyance path switching process of driving the cam member to the desired switching completion position.

  In addition, the cam member that constitutes two transport paths and a transport path switching mechanism and whose movable range is restricted and that the cam member has reached either the first movable range end or the second movable range end are optically displayed. In a control program for controlling, by a computer, a recording apparatus that has a light sensor unit for detecting the image and that switches and drives a conveyance mechanism corresponding to each conveyance path, the cam member is driven, and the output of the light sensor unit And controlling the transport path switching motor based on whether or not the transport path switching motor has stepped out, determining whether the transport mechanism has been switched normally, and the cam member Is driven to the reverse direction and the optical sensor unit is driven in the reverse direction. Based on the force, the cam member is driven to the desired switching completion position, and characterized in that.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to control the switching of the conveyance path with a single optical sensor, and it is possible to reduce the number of optical sensors to reduce the labor and cost of mounting and adjustment.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[1] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a dot impact printer 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
The dot impact printer 10 records an image including characters by ejecting a recording wire via an ink ribbon onto a recording surface of a recording medium by a recording head 30 that ejects a plurality of recording wires. Here, as the recording medium, various forms of sheets (including paper and resin) such as cut paper, continuous paper, and copy paper can be used. In the present embodiment, an example in which continuous paper is used as the recording medium will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the dot impact printer 10 has a substantially box-shaped exterior made up of an upper case 11 and a lower case 12.
An upper surface cover 13 is disposed on the upper surface front portion of the upper case 11 and is opened upward when a ribbon cartridge (to be described later) is attached to the recording mechanism unit 20. A front paper feed port 111 for supplying continuous paper to the recording mechanism unit 20 is opened at the lower front surface of the upper case 11. A front cover 15 that opens forward is disposed above the front paper feed port 111 so that continuous paper can be set in the recording mechanism unit 20 by opening the front cover 15.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the dot impact printer 10.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper case 11 is provided with an upper back cover 14 that is continuous from the rear of the upper surface of the upper case 11 to the back. The upper back cover 14 is opened toward the rear of the upper case 11 during maintenance of the recording mechanism unit 20 described later. A paper discharge port 113 through which the continuous paper after recording is discharged is opened on the back surface of the upper back cover 14. On the back surface of the upper case 11, below the upper back cover 14, a rear paper feed port 112 for supplying continuous paper to the recording mechanism unit 20 is opened.
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an I / F cover 16 is disposed at the lower back of the lower case 12. A connector (not shown) for connecting the dot impact printer 10 to various devices such as a computer is disposed inside the I / F cover 16. The I / F cover 16 is opened and a cable is connected to the connector. Can be connected.
As shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 121 is disposed on the upper front surface of the upper case 11. The operation panel 121 includes switches for performing various settings related to the operation of the dot impact printer 10, an indicator for notifying the operation state, a liquid crystal display panel, and the like. At the front corner of the lower case 12, a switch 122 for turning on / off the power source of the dot impact printer 10 is disposed. As shown in FIG. 2, a power connector 123 for supplying power to the dot impact printer 10 is disposed on the back surface of the lower case 12.

Next, the configuration of the recording mechanism unit 20 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the recording mechanism unit 20 built in the dot impact printer 10. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the recording mechanism section 20 taken along the line AA in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the recording mechanism unit 20 includes a right side frame 21, a left side frame 22, a front frame 23, and a base frame 24 as main body frames. The main body frame is provided with a recording head 30, a carriage 28 for mounting the recording head 30, a front paper feed mechanism 26 that supplies continuous paper to the recording head 30 from the front side, and a recording paper 30 from the rear side. A rear paper feeding mechanism 27 that supplies continuous paper, a transport mechanism 34 that conveys the continuous paper supplied by the front paper feeding mechanism 26 and the rear paper feeding mechanism 27 toward the recording head 30, and recording by the recording head 30. A paper discharge mechanism 35 for discharging the continuous paper and a ribbon drive unit 37 for driving the ribbon of the ribbon cartridge are disposed.

The side frame 21 and the left side frame 22 are erected so as to face each other at both ends of the recording mechanism unit 20, and a front frame 23 and a base frame 24 are bridged between the right side frame 21 and the left side frame 22. Passed. The front frame 23 is located on the front side of the recording mechanism unit 20, and the base frame 24 is located on the rear side below the recording mechanism unit 20.
Rollers 25 are respectively provided at lower front portions of the right side frame 21 and the left side frame 22, and the recording mechanism unit 20 is supported by the lower case 12 via these two rollers 25. Further, the roller 25 is configured to be rotatable, and the control mechanism (not shown) disposed below the recording mechanism unit 20 can be maintained by tilting the recording mechanism unit 20 toward the front side with the roller 25 as a fulcrum. .

The front paper feed mechanism 26 includes a front paper feed table 261 disposed in the lower front portion of the recording mechanism unit 20, a tractor support shaft 263, which extends in parallel between the right side frame 21 and the left side frame 22, and A tractor drive shaft 264, a pair of left and right front tractors 262, and a front tractor cover 266 attached integrally to each front tractor 262 are provided.
The front paper feed tray 261 has a surface extending obliquely upward from the substantially lower end of the front surface of the recording mechanism unit 20, and this surface allows continuous paper inserted from the front paper feed port 111 (see FIG. 1) to be viewed from below. To support.
A tractor support shaft 263 and a tractor drive shaft 264 are disposed above the front sheet feed table 261, and a pair of left and right front tractors 262 are inserted through the tractor support shaft 263 and the tractor drive shaft 264.

Each of the front tractors 262 has a flat surface portion, and the flat surface portion is arranged so as to be continuous with the surface of the front paper feed table 261. Further, the front tractor 262 includes a tractor belt (not shown) having a plurality of pins 265. The tractor belt is hung on the tractor support shaft 263 and the tractor drive shaft 264. The tractor support shaft 263 is rotatably arranged, while the tractor drive shaft 264 is driven to rotate by a conveyance motor (not shown).
The tractor belt (not shown) rotates as the tractor drive shaft 264 rotates, and moves the pin 265 along the plane of the front tractor 262. The pin 265 is exposed from the flat surface portion of the front tractor 262, and engages with sprocket holes formed at both ends of the continuous paper. When the tractor belt rotates and the pin 265 moves, the continuous paper is conveyed to the recording head 30 side. The front tractor 262 is provided with a front tractor cover 266 that covers the pin 265 from above. By placing the continuous paper on the front tractor 262 and covering the front tractor cover 266, the state where the pin 265 is engaged with the sprocket hole of the continuous paper is maintained.

The rear paper feed mechanism 27 includes a tractor support shaft 272 and a tractor drive shaft 273 that are spanned in parallel between the right side frame 21 and the left side frame 22, a pair of left and right rear tractors 271, and each rear tractor 271. A rear tractor cover 275 attached integrally and a sprocket wheel 276 disposed behind the rear tractor 271 are provided.
On the rear side of the recording mechanism unit 20, a part of the base frame 24 is formed in a plane at a position corresponding to the rear paper feed port 112 (see FIG. 2). The inserted continuous paper is supported from below.
A tractor support shaft 272 and a tractor drive shaft 273 are arranged side by side on the base frame 24, and two rear tractors 271 are inserted through the tractor support shaft 272 and the tractor drive shaft 273.
The rear tractor 271 has a flat portion, and the flat portion is disposed so as to be continuous with the flat surface formed by the base frame 24. The rear tractor 271 includes a tractor belt (not shown) having a plurality of pins 274, and this tractor belt is spanned between a tractor support shaft 272 and a tractor drive shaft 273. The tractor drive shaft 273 is supported by a transport motor (not shown). It rotates by being driven. The pin 274 is exposed on the flat surface portion of the rear tractor 271 and engages with a sprocket hole formed in the continuous paper. Then, the pin 274 is moved by the rotation of a tractor belt (not shown), and the continuous paper is conveyed to the front side.

A sprocket wheel 276 is disposed behind the rear tractor 271. The sprocket wheel 276 is a pair of left and right ring-shaped members that are inserted through a shaft that spans between the right side frame 21 and the left side frame 22, and rotates by being driven by a conveyance motor (not shown). .
A plurality of pins 277 are arranged on the circumferential surface of the sprocket wheel 276, and these pins 277 are engaged with the sprocket holes of the continuous paper conveyed from the rear tractor 271 from above. Then, the continuous paper is wound up by the rotation of the sprocket wheel 276 and conveyed toward the recording head 30.
The rear tractor 271 is provided with a rear tractor cover 275 that covers the pin 277 from above. By placing the continuous paper on the rear tractor 271 and covering the rear tractor cover 275, the state in which the pins 274 are engaged with the sprocket holes of the continuous paper is maintained.

The transport mechanism 34 includes a first transport roller 341 that contacts the back surface of the continuous paper, a second transport roller 342 that faces the first transport roller 341 via the continuous paper, and a second transport that pivotally supports the second transport roller 342. A conveyance roller shaft 343 and a platen 31 disposed to face the recording head 30 are provided. The first conveying roller 341 is disposed above the sprocket wheel 276 and abuts against the back surface of the continuous paper. A second transport roller shaft 343 is disposed at a position facing the first transport roller 341 across the continuous sheet. The second transport roller shaft 343 is rotatably spanned between the right side frame 21 and the left side frame 22, and a plurality of second transport rollers 342 are inserted therethrough. The second conveying roller shaft 343 can be moved within a predetermined range by the operation of a roller opening / closing motor (not shown). When the roller opening / closing motor performs an opening operation, the second conveying roller 342 is separated from the first conveying roller 341. Is done.
When the roller opening / closing motor performs a closing operation, the second transport roller 342 is biased toward the first transport roller 341. The roller opening / closing motor 651 performs the closing operation, so that the continuous paper is sandwiched and supported between the first transport roller 341 and the second transport roller 342.
The first transport roller 341 is driven by a transport motor (not shown) and a driving wheel train 33, and the continuous paper sandwiched between the first transport roller 341 and the second transport roller 342 by the rotation of the first transport roller 341. Is conveyed upward, that is, toward the recording head 30 side.

  In the carriage 28, a guide 28 </ b> A spanned between the right side frame 21 and the left side frame 22 is inserted into the carriage shaft 29. A timing belt, which will be described later, is mounted on the carriage 28 between a carriage driving motor 32 and a carriage driving pulley, which will be described later. The timing belt is driven by the carriage driving motor 32 and the carriage driving pulley, so that the carriage shaft 29 Move along.

Further, the carriage 28 is provided with an optical sensor 401 constituting a linear encoder. A linear scale 402 constituting a linear encoder in cooperation with the optical sensor 401 is arranged in parallel with the carriage shaft 29 at a position facing the optical sensor 401 of the frame body. As a result, although a DC motor is used as the carriage drive motor 32, the position of the carriage 28 can be accurately grasped.
A recording head 30 is mounted on the carriage 28. The recording head 30 faces the recording surface of the continuous paper above the transport mechanism 34, and an ink ribbon (not shown) is disposed between the recording surface of the continuous paper and the recording head 30. By ejecting a recording wire (not shown) from the recording head 30 toward the continuous paper, ink adheres to the recording surface of the continuous paper, and an image including characters is recorded.

At a position facing the recording head 30, a platen 31 is disposed on the back side of the continuous paper. The platen 31 is a flat platen having a plane in contact with the continuous paper, and supports the protruding output of the recording wire in this plane. The platen 31 is configured to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the continuous paper, and is urged toward the continuous paper by a spring (not shown).
The carriage 28 is mounted with a gap adjustment motor (not shown). By the operation of the gap adjusting motor, the gap between the recording head 30 and the continuous paper is appropriately adjusted.
As described above, the carriage drive motor 32 is configured by a DC motor, and the temperature sensor 400 for detecting the temperature of the carriage drive motor 32 is provided on the control board.

The paper discharge mechanism 35 includes a first paper discharge roller 351 that contacts the continuous paper recorded by the recording head 30 from the back side, a movable frame 353 disposed from the right side frame 21 to the left side frame 22, and a movable frame 353. , A support shaft 355, a spring 356 assembled across the movable frame 353 and the left side frame 22, a plurality of paper discharge roller units 357 fixed to the movable frame 353, and a paper discharge roller And a second paper discharge roller 358 assembled in the unit 357.
The first paper discharge roller 351 is in contact with the back surface of the continuous paper above the recording head 30 and is driven to rotate by a conveyance motor and a driving wheel train section 33 (not shown). A movable shaft 354 and a unit support shaft 355 are disposed at a position facing the first paper discharge roller 351 via the continuous paper. The movable shaft 354 and the unit support shaft 355 are spanned between the right side frame 21 and the left side frame 22, and the unit support shaft 355 is fixed to the right side frame 21 and the left side frame 22, while the movable shaft 354. Is movable so as to draw a circle around the unit support shaft 355. The movable frame 353 is fixed to the movable shaft 354 and the unit support shaft 355 and is movable together with the movable shaft 354.

  A plurality of paper discharge roller units 357 arranged in the axial direction of the movable shaft 354 and the unit support shaft 355 are attached to the movable frame 353. A second paper discharge roller 358 is assembled to each of the paper discharge roller units 357 at positions separated from the unit support shaft 355. The movable frame 353 is urged in a direction approaching the first paper discharge roller 351 about the unit support shaft 355 by a spring 356 spanned between the left side frame 22. Therefore, the second paper discharge roller 358 included in the paper discharge roller unit 357 is urged in a direction to be pressed against the first paper discharge roller 351, and the continuous paper is fed to the first paper discharge roller 351 and the second paper by this urging force. It is sandwiched between the paper discharge rollers 358. Further, the movable shaft 354 is moved against the urging force of the spring 356 by the operation of a roller opening / closing motor (not shown). That is, when the roller opening / closing motor 651 opens, the movable shaft 354 moves against the biasing force of the spring 356 by the driving force of the roller opening / closing motor, and the second paper discharge roller 358 is moved to the first paper discharge roller 351. Separate from. When the roller opening / closing motor releases the driving force (closing operation), the second paper discharge roller 358 is pressed against the first paper discharge roller 351 by the biasing force of the spring 356.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the dot impact printer 10 with the top cover 13 opened.
As shown in FIG. 5, a ribbon drive unit 37 is disposed at the right end on the front side of the recording mechanism unit 20. The ribbon drive unit 37 is fixed to the right side frame 21 as shown in FIG. 3, and includes a substantially box-shaped cover, a ribbon take-up shaft 38 and a take-up detection shaft 40 protruding from the cover.
As shown in FIG. 5, a ribbon cartridge support claw 36 that supports the ribbon cartridge when the ribbon cartridge (not shown) is attached is disposed at the left end portion on the front side of the recording mechanism unit 20. The ribbon cartridge support claw 36 is a plate-like member formed integrally with the left side frame 22.
Further, the linear scale 402 constituting the linear encoder described above is provided at a position facing the back side of the ribbon cartridge when the ribbon cartridge is attached.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the carriage control system of the dot impact printer 10.
The control board 10A of the dot impact printer 10 includes a controller 51 that controls the entire dot impact printer 10, an interface 52 that performs an interface operation with an external host computer, a network, and the like, and a print head drive unit that drives the print head HD. 53, a motor drive unit 54 for driving various motors to be described later, a sensor detection unit 55 for processing output signals of various sensors including a paper path detection sensor 67, and a cutter constituting the automatic cutting device CT are attached to the cutter connector 56. A cutter mounting detection unit 57 that detects whether or not the ink ribbon is mounted and a ribbon winding detection unit 59 that detects whether the ink ribbon is correctly wound based on the output of the winding sensor 58 are provided.

The motor drive unit 54 includes a carriage drive motor 61 for driving the carriage, a roller opening / closing motor 62 for opening and closing the conveyance roller, a conveyance motor 63 for conveying the paper, and an ink ribbon. Ribbon drive motor 64, gap adjustment motor 65 for adjusting the gap between the recording head HD and the paper, a paper path switching motor 66 for switching the paper conveyance path, and whether or not paper path switching has been performed. And a paper path switching sensor 67 for detecting whether or not.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet feeding mechanism switching mechanism when the front sheet feeding mechanism (front tractor) is driven. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
A paper path switching drive gear 501 is provided on the output shaft (drive shaft) of the paper path switching motor 66. The paper path switching drive gear 501 meshes with a large gear 502A of the paper path switching transmission gear 502.
The small gear 502B of the paper path switching transmission gear 502 meshes with the rack portion 503E of the cam member 503, and the cam member 503 is moved in the direction of the arrow D1 (front supply) by the rotation of the paper path switching transmission gear 502 and eventually the small gear 502B. It is driven in the direction of the arrow D2 (when the rear paper feeding mechanism 27 is driven).

First, an outline of the operation when the front paper feed mechanism (front tractor) is driven will be described.
The cam member 503 has a cam surface 503A and is slid while being in contact with the side panel side surface of the transmission gear 504 according to the cam profile of the cam surface 503A by being driven in the direction of the arrow D1. The transmission gear 504 is moved to the front side of the drawing against the urging force of the spring 505 and meshed with the front tractor drive transmission gear 506. The movable range of the cam member 503 at this time is the front side of the guide hole 503C of the cam member 503 in the arrow D1 direction, that is, in the clockwise direction (CW direction) of the output shaft (drive shaft) of the paper path switching motor 66. The contact surface 503F is in a position (corresponding to the position D1max in FIG. 13) in contact with the guide pin 520F, and is in the arrow D2 direction, that is, the counterclockwise direction (CCW) of the output shaft (drive shaft) of the paper path switching motor 66. In the direction), the rear-side contact surface 503R of the guide hole 503C of the cam member 503 is a position (corresponding to the position D2 max in FIG. 13) in contact with the guide pin 520R.
On the other hand, a transport drive gear 508 is provided on the output shaft (drive shaft) of the transport motor 63. The large gear 507A of the conveyance transmission wheel 507 is meshed with the conveyance drive gear 508, and the transmission gear 504 is meshed with the small gear 507B.
As a result, the driving force of the conveyance motor 63 is transmitted to the front tractor drive transmission gear 506 via the conveyance drive gear 508, the large gear 507A, the small gear 507B and the transmission gear 504 of the conveyance transmission wheel 507, and supplied to the front tractor supply. The paper mechanism 26 and thus the front tractor 262 are driven.

Next, an outline of the operation when the rear paper feeding mechanism (rear tractor) is driven will be described. In this case, in the initial state, it is assumed that the front tractor paper feed mechanism 26 is in a drivable state.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet feeding mechanism switching mechanism when the rear sheet feeding mechanism (rear tractor) is driven. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 10.
When the cam member 503 is driven in the direction of the arrow D 2, the cam member 503 slides in contact with the surface on the side panel side of the transmission gear 504 according to the cam profile of the cam surface 503 A, thereby urging the transmission gear 504 with the biasing force of the spring 505. To move to the back side of the drawing. Thereby, the meshing state of the transmission gear 504 and the front tractor drive transmission gear 506 is released. At the same time, the transmission gear 504 meshes with the rear tractor drive transmission gear 509.
Also in this case, the large gear 507A of the conveyance transmission wheel 507 is meshed with the conveyance drive gear 508, and the transmission gear 504 is meshed with the small gear 507B, although the meshing position is different from that when the front tractor 262 is driven. is doing.
As a result, the driving force of the conveyance motor 63 is transmitted to the rear tractor drive transmission gear 509 via the conveyance drive gear 508, the large gear 507A of the conveyance transmission wheel 507, the small gear 507B, and the transmission gear 504. Further, the rear tractor drive transmission gear 509 meshes with the transmission gear 510, and the rear paper feed mechanism 27 and thus the rear tractor 271 are driven via the transmission gear 511 and the transmission gear 512.
Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described.
First, an operation when the front paper feeding mechanism 26 is selected and the front tractor 262 is driven will be described.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the positional relationship between the paper path switching sensor 67 and the cam member 503 during operation. In FIG. 13, for easy understanding, the arrangement of the paper path switching sensor 67 and the cam member 503 is different from the actual arrangement.
In FIG. 13, a, b, c, d, and e are the number of steps of the paper path switching motor 66, and a is the number of steps corresponding to the length of the shielding plate 503B.
FIG. 14 is a processing flowchart when the front paper feed mechanism 26 is selected.
The controller 51 refers to the output of the paper path switching sensor 67 via the sensor detection unit 55, the shielding plate 503B formed integrally with the cam member 503 is opposed to the paper path switching sensor 67, and the light shielding state. It is determined whether or not (in FIG. 14, simply described as shielding) (step S1).
In the determination of step S1, when the shielding plate 503B is opposed to the sheet path switching sensor 67 and is in the light shielding state (step S1; shielding), the controller 51 switches the sheet path via the motor drive unit 54. The motor 66 is controlled so that the rotation direction of the output shaft of the paper path switching motor 66 is the clockwise direction (CW), and the number of steps a, b, e shown in FIG.
Maximum feed amount = e + a + b + 30 [step]
And the paper path switching motor is driven (step S2).

Furthermore, after the paper path switching sensor 67 transitions from the light shielding state to the light transmitting state (simply referred to as “transmission” in the figure) as a normal termination condition in this case, the paper path switching motor 66 sends b [step] to step out. If you can stop without. Further, the error interruption condition (abnormal termination condition) in this case is that when the process of feeding the maximum feed amount is completed while the paper path switching sensor is in the light shielding state, that is, the process of feeding the maximum amount is completed in a state where the cam member cannot be driven. If you are.
Next, the controller 51 drives the paper path switching motor 66 under the above conditions, and determines whether or not it has been completed normally (step S3).
If it is determined in step S3 that the operation is normally completed (step S3; Yes), the controller 51 ends the process because the selection operation of the front tractor 262 is normally completed.
If it is determined in step S3 that an error has been interrupted (step S3; No), the process proceeds to a retry operation (step S4).

FIG. 15 is a process flowchart of a retry operation (represented as retry operation F) when the front paper feed mechanism 26 is selected.
First, the controller 51 waits for 1 second (step S11).
Subsequently, the controller 51 controls the paper path switching motor 66 via the motor drive unit 54 to set the rotation direction to the counterclockwise direction (CCW).
Maximum feed amount = c + 30 [step]
Then, the paper path switching motor 66 is driven (step S12).

Further, the termination condition in this case is a case where the paper path switching sensor can be stopped without being stepped out by sending 10 steps after the transition from the light shielding state to the light transmitting state.
Next, the controller 51 controls the transport motor 64 via the motor drive unit 54, sends it 18 [step] in the forward direction, and waits for 50 milliseconds (step S13).
Subsequently, the controller 51 counts the number of retries and determines whether or not the number of retries is a predetermined number of times (third time in the embodiment) (step S14).
In the determination of step S14, in this case, since the number of retries is the first, the controller 51 shifts the process to step S1 again and performs the front tractor selection operation again.
In step S14, if the number of retries is the predetermined number of times (= third time), the controller 51 determines that there is a fatal problem that the front tractor selection operation cannot be completed. Then, the notification is made by display display or the like, the fatal error process for interrupting the control is performed, and the process is terminated (step S15).

On the other hand, when the shielding plate 503B is not opposed to the paper path switching sensor 67 in the determination in step S1 and is in the light transmission state (step S1; transmission), the controller 51 passes through the motor drive unit 54. The paper path switching motor 66 is controlled so that the rotation direction is the clockwise direction (CW),
Maximum feed amount = e + a + b + 30 [step]
age,
Interruption step number = e + 30 [step]
Then, the paper path switching motor 66 is driven (step S5).
Further, the normal end condition in this case is determined by the paper path switching sensor 67 once transiting to the light shielding state and further transiting to the light transmitting state (simply referred to as “transmission” in the figure), and then sent by b [step]. It is assumed that it was possible to stop without adjusting. Further, the error interruption condition (abnormal termination condition) in this case is a case where the process of sending the number of interruption steps is completed while the paper path switching sensor 67 is in the light transmission state.

Next, the controller 51 drives the paper path switching motor 66 under the above conditions, and determines whether or not it has been normally completed (step S6).
If it is determined in step S6 that the operation has been normally completed, the controller 51 ends the process because the selection operation of the front tractor 262 has been normally completed.
As a result, when the cam member 503 is driven in the direction of the arrow D1, it slides in contact with the side panel side surface of the transmission gear 504 in accordance with the cam profile of the cam surface 503A, and the transmission gear 504 is spring-loaded. It is moved to the front side of the drawing against the urging force of 505 and meshed with the front tractor drive transmission gear 506. The driving force of the conveyance motor 63 is transmitted to the front tractor drive transmission gear 506 via the conveyance drive gear 508, the large gear 507A of the conveyance transmission wheel 507, the small gear 507B, and the transmission gear 504, and the front tractor paper feed mechanism 26 and eventually the front tractor 262 is driven.

If the error is interrupted in the determination of step S6 (step S6; No), the controller 51 refers to the output signal of the paper path switching sensor 67 via the sensor detection unit 55, and the shielding plate is connected to the paper path switching sensor 67. It is determined whether or not 503B is not facing and is in a light transmission state (step S7).
If it is determined in step S7 that the shielding plate 503B is not opposed to the paper path switching sensor 67 and is in the light transmission state (step S7; transmission), the controller 51 passes the paper path via the motor drive unit 54. The switching motor 66 is controlled, the rotation direction is set to the counterclockwise direction (CCW),
Maximum feed amount = c + 30 [step]
age,
Interruption step number = e + 30 [step]
Then, the paper path switching motor 66 is driven (step S8).

Further, the termination condition in this case is a case where the paper path switching sensor 67 can stop without sending out by sending 10 [step] after transition from the light transmission state to the light shielding state. Further, the error interruption condition (abnormal termination condition) in this case is a case where the process of sending the number of interruption steps is completed while the paper path switching sensor 67 is in the light transmission state.
Next, the controller 51 shifts the process to step S2 again and performs the same process.
If it is determined in step S7 that the shielding plate 503B is opposed to the paper path switching sensor 67 and is in the light shielding state (step S7; shielding), the process is changed to the retry operation described above (steps S11 to S15). Transition is made (step S9).

Next, the operation when the rear paper feeding mechanism 27 is selected and the rear tractor 271 is driven will be described.
FIG. 16 is a processing flowchart when the rear paper feeding mechanism 27 is selected.
The controller 51 refers to the output of the paper path switching sensor 67 via the sensor detection unit 55, the shielding plate 503B formed integrally with the cam member 503 is opposed to the paper path switching sensor 67, and the light shielding state. It is determined whether or not (in FIG. 16, simply described as shielding) (step S21).
In the determination of step S21, when the shielding plate 503B is opposed to the sheet path switching sensor 67 and is in the light shielding state (step S21; shielding), the controller 51 switches the sheet path via the motor driving unit 54. The motor 66 is controlled so that the rotation direction of the output shaft of the paper path switching motor 66 is the counterclockwise direction (CCW), and the number of steps a, c, d shown in FIG.
Maximum feed amount = c + a + d + 30 [step]
Then, the paper path switching motor is driven (step S22).

Furthermore, after the paper path switching sensor 67 transitions from the light shielding state to the light transmitting state (simply described as transmitting in the figure) as a normal termination condition in this case, the paper path switching motor 66 sends d [step] to step out. If you can stop without. Further, the error interruption condition (abnormal termination condition) in this case is that when the process of feeding the maximum feed amount is completed while the paper path switching sensor is in the light shielding state, that is, the process of feeding the maximum amount is completed in a state where the cam member cannot be driven. If you are.
Next, the controller 51 drives the paper path switching motor 66 under the above conditions, and determines whether or not it has been normally completed (step S23).
In the determination in step S23, when the operation is normally completed (step S23; Yes), the selection operation of the rear tractor 271 is normally completed. Therefore, the controller 51 controls the transport motor 64 via the motor driving unit 54, 18 [step] is sent in the forward direction, waiting for 50 milliseconds, and the process is terminated (step S24).

As a result, when the cam member 503 is driven in the direction of the arrow D2, it slides in contact with the surface on the side panel side of the transmission gear 504 according to the cam profile of the cam surface 503A, and the transmission gear 504 is spring-loaded. It is moved to the back side of the drawing by the urging force of 505. Thereby, the meshing state of the transmission gear 504 and the front tractor drive transmission gear 506 is released. At the same time, the transmission gear 504 meshes with the rear tractor drive transmission gear 509. Accordingly, the driving force of the conveyance motor 63 is transmitted to the rear tractor drive transmission gear 506 via the conveyance drive gear 508, the large gear 507A of the conveyance transmission wheel 507, the small gear 507B, and the transmission gear 504. Further, the rear tractor drive transmission gear 506 meshes with the transmission gear 510, and the rear paper feed mechanism 27 and thus the rear tractor 271 are driven via the transmission gear 511 and the transmission gear 512.
If it is determined in step S23 that the error has been interrupted (step S23; No), the process proceeds to the retry operation R (step S25).

FIG. 17 is a process flowchart of a retry operation (represented as retry operation R) when the rear paper feed mechanism 26 is selected.
First, the controller 51 waits for 1 second (step S31).
Subsequently, the controller 51 counts the number of retries, and determines whether or not the number of retries is a predetermined number of times (third time in the embodiment) (step S32).
In the determination of step S32, in this case, since the number of retries is the first, the controller 51 shifts the process to step S21 again, and performs the rear tractor selection operation again.
In step S32, if the number of retries is the predetermined number of times (= third time), the controller 51 determines that there is a fatal problem that the rear tractor selection operation cannot be completed. Then, notification is made by display display or the like, fatal error processing for interrupting control is performed, and the processing is terminated (step S33).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S21 that the shielding plate 503B is not opposed to the paper path switching sensor 67 and is in a light transmission state (step S21; transmission), the controller 51 passes through the motor drive unit 54. The paper path switching motor 66 is controlled so that the rotation direction is counterclockwise (CCW).
Maximum feed amount = c + a + d + 30 [step]
age,
Number of interruption steps = c + 30 [step]
Then, the paper path switching motor 66 is driven (step S26).
Further, the normal end condition in this case is determined by the paper path switching sensor 67 once transiting to the light shielding state and further transiting to the light transmitting state (simply referred to as “transmission” in the figure), and then sent by b [step]. It is assumed that it was possible to stop without adjusting. Further, the error interruption condition (abnormal termination condition) in this case is a case where the process of sending the number of interruption steps is completed while the paper path switching sensor 67 is in the light transmission state.

Next, the controller 51 drives the paper path switching motor 66 under the above conditions, and determines whether or not it has been normally completed (step S27).
In the determination of step S27, when the operation is normally completed (step S27; Yes), the selection operation of the rear tractor 271 has been normally completed. Therefore, the controller 51 controls the transport motor 64 via the motor drive unit 54, 18 [step] is sent in the forward direction, waiting for 50 milliseconds, and the process is terminated (step S24).
If the error is interrupted in the determination of step S27 (step S27; No), the controller 51 refers to the output signal of the paper path switching sensor 67 via the sensor detection unit 55, and the shielding plate is connected to the paper path switching sensor 67. It is determined whether or not 503B is not facing and is in a light transmission state (step S28).

If it is determined in step S28 that the shielding plate 503B is not opposed to the paper path switching sensor 67 and is in a light transmission state (step S28; transmission), the controller 51 passes the paper path via the motor drive unit 54. The switching motor 66 is controlled, the rotation direction is the clockwise direction (CW),
Maximum feed amount = e + 30 [step]
Then, the paper path switching motor 66 is driven (step S29).
Further, the termination condition in this case is a case where the paper path switching sensor 67 can stop without sending out by sending 10 [step] after transition from the light transmission state to the light shielding state.

Next, the controller 51 shifts the process again to step S22, and thereafter performs the same process.
If it is determined in step S28 that the shielding plate 503B is opposed to the paper path switching sensor 67 and is in a light shielding state (step S28; shielding), the process is changed to the retry operation described above (steps S31 to S33). Transition is made (step S30).
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the paper path switching state can be reliably detected by using only one paper path switching sensor 67.

The above-described embodiment shows one embodiment of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment can be arbitrarily modified and applied within the scope of the present invention.
In the above description, the case where the paper path switching sensor 67 is in the transmissive state in the normal end state of the paper feed mechanism (conveyance path) switching and is in the light shielding state during the switching operation has been described. The paper path switching sensor 67 is in a light-shielding state when the paper feed mechanism (conveyance path) is normally switched, and can be configured to be in a transmissive state during the switching operation.
In the above description, the case of switching the paper feed mechanism has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to a mechanism for switching between driving force transmission paths.

1 is an external perspective view of a dot impact printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a rear view of a dot impact printer. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a recording mechanism part. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a recording mechanism section taken along line AA ′ in FIG. 3. It is a top view of a dot impact printer. It is a functional block diagram of a carriage control system of a dot impact printer. It is an explanatory view of a switching mechanism of the paper feed mechanism when the front paper feed mechanism is driven. It is the elements on larger scale of FIG. It is an AA arrow partial sectional view of FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet feeding mechanism switching mechanism when a rear sheet feeding mechanism is driven. It is the elements on larger scale of FIG. It is a BB arrow partial sectional view of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the positional relationship of the paper path switching sensor and cam member at the time of operation | movement. 6 is a processing flowchart when a front paper feed mechanism is selected. 10 is a processing flowchart of a retry operation when a front paper feed mechanism is selected. 10 is a processing flowchart when a rear paper feeding mechanism is selected. 10 is a processing flowchart of a retry operation when a rear paper feeding mechanism is selected.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Dot impact printer, 13 ... Top cover (cover), 20 ... Recording mechanism part, 26 ... Front tractor paper feed mechanism (conveyance mechanism), 27 ... Rear tractor paper feed mechanism (conveyance mechanism), 28 ... Carriage, 30 ... Recording head 32 ... Carriage drive motor 51 ... Controller (control unit) 55 ... Sensor detection unit (optical sensor unit) 63 ... Conveyance motor 66 ... Paper path switching motor (conveyance path switching motor) 67 ... Paper path switching sensor (light sensor unit), 262... Front tractor, 271... Rear tractor, 503. Side contact surface, 504... Transmission gear, 505.

Claims (5)

In a recording apparatus that has two transport paths and switches and drives a transport mechanism corresponding to each transport path.
A cam member that constitutes a transport path switching mechanism and whose movable range is restricted;
A conveyance path switching motor for driving the cam member;
An optical sensor unit for optically detecting that the cam member is in a position during the switching operation;
Based on the output of the optical sensor unit and whether or not the transport path switching motor has stepped out, the transport path switching motor is controlled, and it is determined whether or not the transport mechanism has been switched normally. A control unit,
A recording apparatus comprising: The recording apparatus according to claim 1,
The control unit shifts the cam member to a first movable state when the output of the optical sensor unit shifts to a state where the cam member is not in a position during the switching operation and the conveyance path switching motor steps out. A recording apparatus, characterized in that it is determined that either the range end or the second movable range end has been reached. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
When the control unit determines that the cam member has reached either the first movable range end or the second movable range end, the controller drives the conveyance path switching motor in the reverse direction, and the optical sensor A recording apparatus, wherein the cam member is driven to a desired switching completion position based on the output of the section. It is optically configured that two conveying paths, a conveying path switching mechanism and a cam member whose movable range is restricted and the cam member has reached either the first movable range end or the second movable range end. In a control method of a recording apparatus having an optical sensor unit for detecting and switching and driving a transport mechanism corresponding to each transport path,
A cam driving process for driving the cam member;
Based on the output of the optical sensor unit and whether or not the transport path switching motor has stepped out, the transport path switching motor is controlled to determine whether or not the transport mechanism has been switched normally. Discriminating process,
When it is determined that the cam member has reached either the first movable range end or the second movable range end, the conveyance path switching motor is driven in the reverse direction, and the output of the optical sensor unit A conveyance path switching process for driving the cam member to a desired switching completion position,
A control method for a recording apparatus, comprising: It is optically configured that two conveying paths, a conveying path switching mechanism and a cam member whose movable range is restricted and the cam member has reached either the first movable range end or the second movable range end. In a control program for controlling by a computer a recording apparatus that has an optical sensor unit to detect and switches and drives a transport mechanism corresponding to each transport path,
Driving the cam member;
Based on the output of the optical sensor unit and whether or not the transport path switching motor has stepped out, the transport path switching motor is controlled,
Determine whether the transfer mechanism has been switched normally,
When it is determined that the cam member has reached either the first movable range end or the second movable range end, the conveyance path switching motor is driven in the reverse direction, and the output of the optical sensor unit The cam member is driven to a desired switching completion position,
A control program characterized by that.

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