JP2007320162A - Thermal printer and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermal printer capable of rapidly printing print data on both sides of thermal paper and printing important data for a user on a viewable portion in the thermal paper when the important data is included in the print data, and a method for controlling the same. <P>SOLUTION: Thermal heads 2, 4 to be respectively in contact with a front face 1a and a rear face 1b of thermal paper 1 are provided. Print data D0 input from an external device is divided into first print data D1 and second print data D2. The driving of the thermal heads 2, 4 is controlled according to the print data D1, D2. Print data Dm corresponding to a keyword is retrieved, and then the first print data D1 including the print data Dm is printed on the front face 1a of the thermal paper 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal printer using thermal paper having a heat-sensitive layer on both sides and a control method thereof.

  Thermal paper used in thermal printers has a heat sensitive layer on one side. Accordingly, the thermal printer prints print data input from the outside on one side of the thermal paper with one thermal head. The printed thermal paper is cut by a cutter and provided to the user.

  When the amount of input print data is large, the thermal paper to be printed becomes long and is difficult for the user to handle.

On the other hand, recently, thermal paper having a heat-sensitive layer on both sides has been developed and put into practical use. In order to perform double-sided printing on this thermal paper, for example, as with double-sided copying in a copying machine, the paper is fed into an image forming unit such as a photosensitive drum or a developing unit to form an image on one side of the paper. It is necessary to take measures such as returning the formed paper to the image forming unit while inverting it and forming an image on the other side of the paper at the image forming unit (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-233256 JP-A-6-24882

However, it takes time to take measures such as the above-mentioned copying machine and cannot be applied to a thermal printer used for issuing a sales receipt to a customer at a store or the like.
Even if you issue a sales receipt for double-sided printing, the total amount, deposit amount, and change data that are important to the customer are at the bottom of the print data. End up. In this case, the sales receipt printed with great effort is very difficult for the user to handle.

  In consideration of the above circumstances, the present invention can quickly print the printing data on both sides of the thermal paper, and if the printing data includes data important to the user, the important data is It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal printer capable of printing on an easily viewable thermal paper and a control method thereof.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal printer having a thermal layer on both sides and fed in a predetermined direction, a first thermal head in contact with one side of the thermal paper, and the other thermal paper. A second thermal head in contact with the surface; search means for searching print data corresponding to a keyword registered in advance from print data input from outside; and the input print data is searched for. First control means for dividing the first print data including the print data and the second print data not including the searched print data, and the first thermal according to the first print data. And second control means for controlling driving of the head and controlling driving of the second thermal head in accordance with the second print data.

  According to the thermal printer and the control method of the present invention, the printing data can be printed quickly on both sides of the thermal paper, and if the printing data includes data important for the user, the important data is displayed. It is possible to provide a thermal printer capable of printing on an easily viewable thermal paper and a control method thereof.

Hereinafter, a thermal head according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the structure of the main part is shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes thermal paper, which has a heat-sensitive layer on one surface (referred to as the front surface) 1a and the other surface (referred to as the back surface) 1b, and is wound in a roll shape so that the front surface 1a is on the inside. 22 is fed in the direction of the arrow shown. The heat-sensitive layer is formed of a material that, for example, black or red color when heated to a predetermined temperature or higher.
A first thermal head 2 in contact with the front surface 1a of the thermal paper 1 and a second thermal head 4 in contact with the back surface 1b are provided along the feeding direction of the thermal paper 1. These first and second thermal heads 2, 4 have a large number of heating elements arranged in a direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction of the thermal paper 1, and positions separated from each other along the paper feeding direction of the thermal paper 1. It is arranged. The first thermal head 2 is located downstream of the second thermal head 4 in the paper feeding direction.

  A first platen roller 3 is disposed at a position facing the first thermal head 2 across the thermal paper 1, and a second platen roller 5 is located at a position facing the second thermal head 4 across the thermal paper 2. It is arranged. Further, a cutter 6 is provided on the downstream side of the first thermal head 2 in the paper feeding direction to cut the thermal paper 1 behind the print area. The distance between the upstream second thermal head 4 and the downstream first thermal head 2 is X, and the distance between the first thermal head 2 and the cutter 6 is Y.

FIG. 2 shows a control circuit of the thermal printer main body 10 including the configuration of FIG.
A control program storage ROM 12, a data storage RAM 13, a communication interface 14 for transmitting / receiving data to / from the host device 30, an operation condition setting operation unit 15, and a thermal paper feeding mechanism A paper feed drive circuit 21 for driving 16, a cutter drive circuit 22 for driving the cutter 6, a first head drive circuit 23 for driving the first thermal head 2 in accordance with first print data D <b> 1 to be described later, and a second to be described later. A second head drive circuit 24 for driving the second thermal head 4 in accordance with the print data D2 is connected.

On the other hand, the CPU 11 includes the following means (1) to (5) as main functions.
(1) Retrieval means for retrieving print data Dm corresponding to a keyword registered in advance from print data D0 input from the external host device 30. The keyword is at least one item included in the print data to be printed on one side of the thermal paper 1.

  (2) The input print data D0 is changed into the first print data D1 including the searched print data Dm and the second print data D2 not including the searched print data Dm. First control means for dividing.

  (3) Second control means for controlling the driving of the first thermal head 2 in accordance with the first printing data D1 and for controlling the driving of the second thermal head 4 in accordance with the second printing data D2.

  (4) Registration means for registering the keyword according to the operation of the operation unit 15.

  (5) While feeding the thermal paper 1, the driving of the second thermal head 4 corresponding to the second print data D2 is started first, and the print start position based on the driving corresponds to the first thermal head 2. Third control means for starting driving of the first thermal head 2 according to the first print data D1.

  The first thermal head 2 includes a latch circuit 41, an energization control circuit 42, and an edge head 43 as shown in FIG. The edge head 43 has a large number of heat transfer elements 43a, 43b,... 43n for thermal transfer arranged in a line. The latch circuit 41 latches the first print data D1 supplied from the head drive circuit 23 for each line according to the strobe signal STB from the head drive circuit 23. The energization control circuit 42 energizes the heating elements 43a, 43b,... 43n of the edge head 43 according to the data in the latch circuit 41 and at the timing when the enable signal ENB supplied from the head drive circuit 23 becomes active. ,Control. The configuration of the second thermal head 4 is the same as that of the first thermal head 2. Therefore, the description is omitted.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
When the keyword registration mode is set on the operation unit 15 (YES in step 101), items included in the main print data to be printed on one surface of the thermal paper 1 by the operation of the operation unit 15, for example, “total” It is possible to register (store) the “amount”, “cash amount”, “change”, etc. in the RAM 13 as keywords (step 102).

  When the print data D0 transmitted from the external host device 30 is received by the thermal printer (YES in step 103), the print data D0 is stored in the RAM 13. At this time, the print data Dm corresponding to the keyword registered in advance is searched from the print data D0 (step 104).

  An example of the print data D0 is shown in FIG. The print data D0 includes print data from the first line to the 100th line. In particular, the 98th to 100th lines at the bottom are print data for “total amount”, print data for “custody amount”, and print data for “change”. These three print data are print data Dm corresponding to the keyword.

When the print data Dm is found by the search (YES in step 105), the print data D0 includes the first print data D1 including the print data Dm, and the second print data D2 not including the print data Dm. (Step 106).
That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the first print in the form in which the print data Dm which is the print data from the 98th line to the 100th line is added to the print data from the 1st line to the 47th line. Data D1 is generated. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, second print data D1 including print data of the remaining 48th to 97th lines is generated. The generated first print data D1 and second print data D2 are stored in the RAM 13.

  After this sorting, the feeding of the thermal paper 1 is started, and the driving of the second thermal head 4 according to the second print data D2 is started first, and the 48th line to the 97th line on the back surface 1b of the thermal paper 1 is started. The print data up to the line is printed. When the feeding of the thermal paper 1 proceeds and the print start position on the back surface 1b side based on the driving of the second thermal head 4 is in a state corresponding to the first thermal head 2, the first print data D1 is used. The driving of the first thermal head 2 is started, and the print data from the first line to the 47th line and the print data from the 98th line to the 100th line are printed on the surface 1a of the thermal paper 1 (step 108). ).

  Thus, as shown in FIG. 8, the print data of the first print data D1 having the print data Dm at the bottom is printed on the surface 1a of the thermal paper 1, and the print data of the second print data D2 is printed on the thermal paper. 1 is printed on the back surface 1b.

  In this case, on the surface 1a of the thermal paper 1, a blank area having a width SP1 is secured between the start position of each printed character line and one end Q1 in the width direction. On the back surface 1b of the thermal paper 1, a blank area having a width SP2 is secured between the start position of each character line to be printed and the other end Q2 in the width direction. Further, a blank area Ly corresponding to the distance Y from the cutter 6 to the first thermal head 2 is generated at the front end side of the front surface 1a and the back surface 1b, and the distance X from the first thermal head 2 to the second thermal head 4 is set. A corresponding blank area Lx is generated.

  The printed thermal paper 1 is cut by a cutter 6 and provided to a customer as a sales receipt. This sales receipt is printed with important data “total amount”, “deposit amount”, and “change” in an easily visible location on the surface 1a side.

  If the print data Dm is not found by the above search (NO in step 105), the print data D0 is divided into the first print data D1 and the second print data D2 (step 107). Then, the print data of the first print data D1 is printed on the front surface 1a of the thermal paper 1, and the print data of the second print data D2 is printed on the back surface 1b of the thermal paper 1.

  As described above, the thermal paper 1 having the heat-sensitive layers on both sides is prepared, the first thermal head 2 in contact with the front surface 1a of the thermal paper 1 and the second thermal head 4 in contact with the back surface 1b are provided. Input print data D0 is divided into first print data D1 and second print data D2, and printing is performed by controlling the driving of thermal heads 2 and 4 according to these print data D1 and D2. The data D0 can be printed quickly by dividing it into the front surface 1a and the back surface 1b of the thermal paper 1.

  Therefore, even when the amount of print data D0 is large, the length of the thermal paper 1 to be printed can be shortened. When the thermal paper 1 is used as a sales receipt at a store or the like, a large number of product purchase data can be stored in a short receipt, which is easy for the user to handle. This also saves thermal paper 1.

  In particular, print data Dm consisting of print data of “total amount”, “deposit amount”, and “change” is searched based on a pre-registered keyword, and if the print data Dm is found, the print data Since the first printing data D1 including Dm is printed on the surface 1a of the thermal paper 1, even if the amount of the printing data D0 is large and the thermal paper 1 to be printed becomes long, the data important for the customer is stored. Can be presented in an easy-to-read form.

  When a conventional single-sided print type thermal printer is connected to the host device 30, only the conventional thermal printer and the thermal printer of the present embodiment are replaced, and the hardware and software are provided on the host device 30 side. It is possible to easily execute keyword search of the print data Dm, distribution processing of the print data D0 including incorporation of the print data Dm, and double-sided print processing without making any changes to the surface. Since only the thermal printer is replaced, the function can be improved while minimizing the cost increase on the user side.

  In the above-described embodiment, the print data Dm is incorporated at the bottom of the first print data D1, but there is no limitation on the assembly position, and for example, the print data Dm may be incorporated at the top. The keyword is not limited to the items of “total amount”, “deposit amount”, and “change”, and various registration changes are possible.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

The figure which shows the structure of the principal part of one Embodiment. The block diagram of the control circuit of one Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of a thermal head in one embodiment. The flowchart for demonstrating the effect | action of one Embodiment. The figure which shows the format of the data for printing D0 in one Embodiment. The figure which shows the format of the printing data D1 (Dm is included) in one Embodiment. The figure which shows the format of the data D2 for printing in one Embodiment. The figure which shows the printing result in one Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Thermal paper, 1a ... Front surface (one surface), 1b ... Back surface (the other surface), 2 ... 1st thermal head, 3 ... 1st platen roller, 4 ... 2nd thermal head, 5 ... 2nd platen roller , 6 ... cutter, 11 ... CPU, 13 ... RAM, 15 ... operation unit, 16 ... paper feed mechanism, 17 ... paper detector, 23 ... first head drive circuit, 24 ... second head drive circuit, 41 ... latch circuit , 42 ... energization control circuit, 43 ... edge head, 43a, 43b, ... 43n ... heating element

Claims (8)

Thermal paper having a heat-sensitive layer on both sides and fed in a predetermined direction;
A first thermal head in contact with one surface of the thermal paper;
A second thermal head in contact with the other surface of the thermal paper;
Search means for searching print data corresponding to a keyword registered in advance from print data input from outside;
First control means for dividing the input print data into first print data including the searched print data and second print data not including the searched print data;
Second control means for controlling driving of the first thermal head in accordance with the first print data and controlling driving of the second thermal head in accordance with the second print data;
A thermal printer characterized by comprising: The thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein the keyword is at least one item included in main print data to be printed on one side of the thermal paper. The thermal printer according to claim 1, further comprising registration means for registering the keyword. 4. The thermal head according to claim 1, wherein each of the thermal heads includes a plurality of heating elements arranged in a line along a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the thermal paper. Thermal printer. The said 1st thermal head and the said 2nd thermal head are provided in the position mutually separated along the paper feeding direction of the said thermal paper, The Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Thermal printer. The thermal printer according to claim 5, wherein the first thermal head is located downstream of the second thermal head in the paper feeding direction. While feeding the thermal paper, the driving of the second thermal head according to the second printing data is started, and when the print start position based on the driving corresponds to the first thermal head, the first printing is performed. The thermal printer according to claim 6, further comprising third control means for starting driving of the first thermal head according to business data. Thermal paper having a heat sensitive layer on both sides and fed in a predetermined direction, a first thermal head in contact with one surface of the thermal paper, a second thermal head in contact with the other surface of the thermal paper, and the thermal In a thermal printer having a control unit for controlling the head,
The controller is
Searching print data corresponding to a keyword registered in advance from print data input from outside;
Dividing the input print data into first print data including the searched print data and second print data not including the searched print data;
Controlling the driving of the first thermal head according to the first printing data, and controlling the driving of the second thermal head according to the second printing data;
A method for controlling a thermal printer.

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