JP2009107130A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer which can save the trouble for a user to select a sheet kind when a roll sheet is set. <P>SOLUTION: The printer has a motor current value detecting means which detects a motor current value when the roll sheet is cut by a cutter unit, a comparing means which compares the motor current value detected by the motor current value detecting means with table data of motor currents for every medium stored beforehand in a memory means, and a sheet kind distinguishing means for roll sheets which distinguishes the sheet kind of the roll sheet on the basis of comparison results by the comparing means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus using roll paper.

  When setting roll paper in the printer, the user usually selects and sets the paper type by panel operation or the like. Based on this setting, the printer selects a printing condition or the like so that optimum printing can be performed.

  Usually, a user often prints on a set roll paper under optimum printing conditions. However, there is a case where the printing quality is not necessarily optimum like a test print. In such a case, in order to save time, the user may select the paper type set immediately before, for example, without setting the media type correctly. Alternatively, a user who is not sure about the media may set the paper type appropriately.

  For users who frequently change the paper type, setting the roll paper type by panel operation is a heavy work.

  As described above, the type of roll paper set in the printer may be different from the set type of roll paper. In this case, a user who is trying to perform optimum printing on the roll paper may not obtain a desired print quality.

Against this background, attempts have been made to automatically determine the type of media in a printing apparatus. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an invention that uses an optical sensor to discriminate a paper type is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this case, the medium is irradiated with light, the light reflected by the surface of the medium is received by the sensor, and the amount of received light varies depending on the surface characteristics of the medium. The reflected light may detect regular reflection or irregular reflection, or the amount of light of both regular reflection and irregular reflection. The paper is discriminated according to the difference in the amount of regular reflection and irregular reflection.
JP 2001-058396 A

  However, there are media of the same type that differ only in thickness. Some media are of different paper types but have the same surface characteristics. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the type of media only with the surface characteristics.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus that can save the user from having to select a paper type when setting roll paper.

The present invention relates to a motor current value detecting means for detecting a motor current value when a roll paper is cut by a cutter unit, a motor current value detected by the motor current value detecting means, and a medium stored in a storage means in advance. Printing means comprising: comparing means for comparing table data of each current value; and roll paper type discriminating means for discriminating a paper type of the roll paper based on a comparison result by the comparing means. Device.

According to the present invention, since the paper type of the roll paper is determined based on the motor current value when the roll paper is cut by the cutter unit, the user has to select the paper type when setting the roll paper. There is an effect that it can be omitted.

  The best mode for carrying out the invention is the following embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an inkjet printer PR1 that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The ink jet printer PR1 is an example of a printing apparatus, and includes a print head 21 that ejects ink droplets, a carriage 2, a linear scale 11, a carriage motor 12, a paper feed motor 13, a paper detection sensor 22, and a cutter unit. 23.

  The print head 21 ejects ink droplets. A print head 21 and a cutter unit 23 are mounted on the carriage 2. The carriage motor 12 reciprocates the carriage 2 in the main scanning direction. The paper feed motor 13 rotates a paper feed roller that transports the roll paper 100. The linear scale 11 serves as position information when the carriage motor 12 is controlled.

  By rotating the carriage motor 12, the carriage 2 reciprocates and ink is ejected from the print head 21. By rotating the paper feed motor 13 in synchronization with the operation of the carriage 2, the roll paper 100 is intermittently conveyed and printing is performed.

  The cutter unit 23 cuts the roll paper 100 into a sheet size, is mounted on the carriage 2, is lowered when the roll paper 100 is cut, and moves the carriage 2 to cut the roll paper 100. The cutter unit 23 is reciprocated by a cutter driving means (not shown).

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing control blocks of the ink jet printer PR1.

  The ink jet printer PR1 includes an interface unit that transmits and receives data and commands to and from the host computer 200, a print control unit 3 that controls a print operation, and an operation panel 6 that sets the operation state of the printer. Have.

  The ink jet printer PR1 receives image data from the host computer 200 via the interface unit. The received image data is stored in the print buffer 38 and transferred to the print head 21.

  The print control unit 3 includes a CPU 30, a ROM 31, a RAM 32, an EEPROM 33, an I / O port 34 such as an input / output signal, an A / D converter 35, a carriage motor control unit 36, and a paper feed motor control unit 37. Have The RAM 32 is provided with an area for holding information on the current value obtained by the current detection means. A memory for holding information on the current value may be provided separately from the RAM 32.

  The CPU 30 controls the entire printing operation by the control program. The ROM 31 stores a control program and the like. The RAM 32 is used as a reception buffer or a work area. The EEPROM 33 stores control information related to a printing operation and the like. The input / output signal etc. I / O port 34 is an input / output signal etc. I / O port for sensor signals. The carriage motor control means 36 drives and controls the carriage motor 12. The paper feed motor control unit 37 controls the paper feed motor 13. The paper feed motor control unit 37 drives the paper feed motor 13.

  The operation panel 6 includes an operation unit 60 and a notification unit 61. The operation means 60 is composed of a switch or the like for the user to make settings such as the operation of the ink jet printer PR1. The notification unit 61 is configured by an LED, an LCD, a buzzer, or the like that notifies the user of the state of the ink jet printer PR1.

  Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the above embodiment.

  In S1, the roll paper 100 is mounted on the inkjet printer PR1. Usually, the roll paper 100 is held on a spool. The leading end of the roll paper 100 is inserted from the roll paper 100 insertion opening. In S <b> 2, the roll paper presence sensor detects the medium “present”. In S <b> 3, the paper feed motor control unit 37 drives the paper feed motor 13, rotates the paper feed roller, and transports the roll paper 100.

  In S4, the carriage 2 on which the paper detection sensor 22 is mounted is moved to the roll paper 100 path. The paper feed motor 13 controls the position of the carriage 2 by detecting the slit of the code wheel with an encoder and counting the output encoder pulses by an encoder counter. The sheet is transported at a low speed, and the encoder pulse count value when the sheet detection sensor 22 detects the sheet is used as a reference, and the sheet feed amount is controlled according to the count value of the encoder counter from this reference position.

  After detecting the leading edge of the paper, the carriage 2 is scanned left and right with the paper feed motor 13 stopped, and the left and right edges of the medium are detected.

  The carriage 2 is an encoder mounted on the carriage 2, detects a slit of the linear scale 11 stretched in the scanning direction of the carriage 2, counts pulse signals from the encoder, and controls the position of the carriage 2. The control based on the encoder pulse is the same as the control in the paper feed motor 13.

  In the following sequence, a detection timing for detecting a current is determined based on position information obtained by counting the encoder pulses.

  In S5, after the paper is detected by the paper detection sensor 22, the roll paper 100 is conveyed by a predetermined amount. Thereafter, the cutter unit 23 mounted on the carriage 2 is lowered to a position where the roll paper can be cut. Then, the leading end portion of the roll paper 100 is cut by moving the carriage 2.

  When the cutter unit 23 is lowered, the carriage 2 may be lowered. At this time, a member or a support member that guides the movement of the carriage adjusts the distance between the carriage and the roll paper.

  If the load applied to the cutter differs for each medium when cutting the paper, the medium can be determined according to the difference in the load. The carriage moves at a target speed. As the load on the cutter increases, the speed decreases. Therefore, the motor control circuit supplies large power to the DC motor to maintain the target speed.

  For example, a DC motor is used as a motor for driving the carriage 2. The current (electric power) of the DC motor increases in proportion to the load.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a motor current detection circuit 70 for detecting the motor current in the above embodiment.

  The motor current detection circuit 70 that detects the motor current includes a cutter motor 71, a detection resistor 73 connected in series to the transistor 72, a low-pass filter 74, and an A / D converter 35.

  Therefore, the load when the cutter unit 23 cuts the paper is measured as a motor current value. The current Im flowing through the cutter motor 71 is detected as a voltage value Vm applied to the detection resistor 73 as shown in FIG.

  Since the motor current waveform is noisy, a low-pass filter 74 is provided in front of the A / D converter 35 for detecting the voltage value.

  When cutting the paper, the cutter unit moves from one end of the paper to the other end, and the current value is measured while the cutter unit is moving. However, during the period of passing through the edge of the paper and during the acceleration / deceleration period of the motor, the fluctuation of the load becomes large, so that the fluctuation of the current becomes large. .

  The CPU reads information related to the output of the A / D converter 35 or the current value stored in the memory, and calculates the average value of the monitored current values.

  In S6, the current value for each paper type stored in advance in the storage means is compared with the current value obtained in S5. In S7, the set medium is determined from the comparison result. In S8, the discriminated paper type result is displayed on the panel or the printer driver in the host computer 200.

  In the above embodiment, the printer using the roll paper 100 holds the cutter unit, and the load when cutting the media differs depending on the thickness, material, etc. of the media. Based on the current value when cutting the media, Determine the media.

  According to the above embodiment, when the roll paper 100 is set, it is possible to save the user from selecting the paper type.

  In the above embodiment, the type of media is determined based on the current value. Instead of doing this, instead of doing this, the media type is determined based on the PWM value indicating the amount of power output from the control circuit to the motor drive circuit. The type may be determined.

  Further, the above embodiment does not need to add a new sensor or the like, and the circuit has a very simple configuration, so that it can be realized at a low cost.

  When the roll paper 100 is touched by hand at the time of setting, the tip portion is soiled, the corner is broken at the time of setting, there is a trace of the tape stop, or the tip portion is not suitable for printing due to manual cutting by the user. Many. For this reason, when the roll paper 100 is set, a part of the tip is usually cut. In this normal sequence, the leading edge precut operation, the paper type is determined, so that no extra time is required for detection.

  If the paper type is discriminated on the printer side, when setting the paper from the printer driver during printing, a warning can be given if the type of paper loaded in the printer is not the desired one. Therefore, the mistake of printing on different media is reduced.

  For example, the accuracy of discrimination can be further improved by combining the above-described embodiment with a paper type discrimination technique using a conventional optical sensor. It can be used not only in combination with paper discrimination using an optical sensor, but also in combination with other paper discrimination methods.

  In the above embodiment, the detection resistor 73, the low-pass filter 74, and the A / D converter 35 are examples of motor current value detection means for detecting a motor current value when the roll paper is cut by the cutter unit.

  The CPU 30 is an example of a comparison unit that compares the motor current value detected by the motor current value detection unit with the table data of the current value for each medium stored in the storage unit in advance. Further, the CPU 30 is an example of roll paper type discriminating means for discriminating the paper type of the roll paper based on the comparison result by the comparison means.

  The timing at which the motor current value detecting means detects the motor current is based on position information obtained by detecting the slit of the linear scale 11 and counting the encoder signal output.

  The notification unit 61 is an example of a display control unit that displays the paper type determined by the roll paper type determination unit on a panel or a host computer.

  Further, when the user operates through a panel operation or a host computer, the CPU 30 sets the paper type for the displayed paper type or changes the setting.

Moreover, the said Example can be grasped | ascertained as invention of a method. That is, the said Example has a motor current value detection process which detects the motor current value when cutting roll paper with the said cutter unit. Further, the embodiment includes a comparison step of comparing the motor current value detected in the motor current value detection step with the table data of the current value for each medium stored in the storage unit in advance. Further, the embodiment includes a roll paper type discriminating step for discriminating the paper type of the roll paper based on the comparison result in the comparison step.

1 is a diagram illustrating an inkjet printer PR1 that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the control block of inkjet printer PR1. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the said Example. It is a figure which shows the motor current detection circuit 70 which detects a motor current in the said Example.

Explanation of symbols

PR1 ... Inkjet printer,
2 ... carriage,
11 ... Linear scale,
12 Carriage motor,
13 ... paper feed motor,
21 ... print head,
22: Paper detection sensor,
23 ... Cutter unit,
35 ... A / D converter,
71 ... Cutter motor,
72 ... transistor,
73 ... Detection resistance,
74: Low-pass filter,
100 ... roll paper,
200: Host PC.

Claims (5)

Print head for printing on paper, carriage mounted with print head, carriage motor for reciprocating carriage in main scanning direction, carriage motor control means for driving the carriage motor, and paper for transporting roll paper A feed roller, a paper feed motor for rotating the paper feed roller, a paper feed motor control means for driving the paper feed motor, a cutter unit for cutting the roll paper, and a cutter drive means for reciprocating the cutter unit A printing apparatus comprising:
Motor current value detecting means for detecting a motor current value when cutting the roll paper with the cutter unit;
Comparing means for comparing the motor current value detected by the motor current value detecting means with table data of current values for each medium stored in the storage means;
Roll paper type discriminating means for discriminating the paper type of the roll paper based on the comparison result by the comparing means;
A printing apparatus comprising: In claim 1,
The timing at which the motor current value detection means detects the motor current is performed based on position information obtained by detecting a slit of a linear scale and counting an encoder signal that is output. apparatus. In claim 1 or claim 2,
A printing apparatus comprising: a display control unit that causes a panel or a host computer to display a paper type determined by the roll paper type determining unit. In claim 3,
A printing apparatus that sets or changes a setting of a paper type for the displayed paper type by a user operation through a panel operation or a host computer. Print head for printing on paper, carriage mounted with print head, carriage motor for reciprocating carriage in main scanning direction, carriage motor control means for driving the carriage motor, and paper for transporting roll paper A feed roller, a paper feed motor for rotating the paper feed roller, a paper feed motor control means for driving the paper feed motor, a cutter unit for cutting the roll paper, and a cutter drive means for reciprocating the cutter unit In a control method of a printing apparatus comprising:
A motor current value detecting step of detecting a motor current value when the roll paper is cut by the cutter unit;
A comparison step of comparing the motor current value detected in the motor current value detection step with table data of current values for each medium stored in the storage means;
A roll paper type discriminating step for discriminating the paper type of the roll paper based on the comparison result in the comparison step;
A control method for a printing apparatus, comprising:

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