JP2010052272A - System and method for maintaining printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system and a method for maintaining a printer which executes maintenance by monitoring actions of the printer at all times and detects abnormalities during stages ranging to the stoppage of action. <P>SOLUTION: The printer 2 and a host computer 3 are bidirectionally and communicatively connected with each other. The printer 2 includes a control part 11 for executing the control processing of the printer 2, a monitoring means (a control monitoring part) 12 for monitoring the control processing, an abnormal information generation means (an abnormal information generation part) 13 for generating abnormal information when an abnormality is determined by the monitoring means 12, an abnormal information storing means (an abnormal information storing part) 14, a printer information generation means (a printer information generation part) 15 for generating printer information comprising contents of abnormal information and the number of the generation of abnormal information, and an information transmitting means (an information transmitting means) 16 for transmitting printer information to the host computer 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer maintenance system and a printer maintenance method.

  In various printers, each part that is moved or moved by a motor or the like usually becomes gradually dull due to deterioration, and eventually stops. In the past, maintenance was performed only after operation stopped until operation stopped due to life or failure. In other words, maintenance is not performed until requested by the user, and once a failure occurs, it cannot be used until the repair is completed, which is inconvenient for the user. In particular, for example, a sublimation printer is often used as an unattended ID photo printer, and when the operation of the printer at such an installation place stops, the user waits until a maintenance person goes to the site. Had to do.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses a system that transmits printer error information to a host computer.

JP 2000-148430 A

  However, Patent Document 1 has a problem that the printer cannot be used until the repair is completed because error information is transmitted to the host computer when an error has already occurred in the printer.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a printer maintenance system and a printer maintenance method capable of constantly monitoring the operation of a printer, detecting an abnormality before the operation is stopped, and performing maintenance.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a printer maintenance system in which a printer and a host computer are connected so as to be capable of bidirectional communication, wherein the printer includes a control unit that performs control processing of the printer, and the control Monitoring means for monitoring processing, abnormality information creating means for creating abnormality information when the monitoring means determines that an abnormality has occurred, abnormality information accumulating means for accumulating the abnormality information, content and number of occurrences of the abnormality information A printer maintenance system is provided, comprising: printer information creating means for creating printer information comprising: information sending means for sending the printer information to the host computer. When an abnormality occurs, the contents and the number of occurrences are transmitted to the host computer, whereby it is possible to appropriately determine the timing of printer repair or component replacement via the host computer.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the monitoring unit checks whether an operation time for performing a predetermined operation is within a preset time, and the abnormality information is created when the preset time is exceeded. By accumulating abnormal information from the time when the operation of the motor or the like starts to become dull, maintenance can be performed at a stage before the operation stops, and a sudden operation stop can be prevented.

  Preferably, the printer information creating unit transmits the printer information to the host computer when the number of occurrences of the abnormality information reaches a preset number. Thereby, the maintenance time can be known through the host computer.

  The printer information creating means may transmit the printer information to the host computer when there is a request for transmitting the printer information from the host computer. Thus, the latest printer information can be known at an arbitrary timing using the host computer.

  Further, according to the present invention, the printer and the host computer are connected so as to be capable of bidirectional communication, and it is checked whether or not the operation time for performing the predetermined operation of the printer is within a preset time. Abnormal information is created when the set time is exceeded, and when the number of occurrences of the abnormal information reaches a preset number of times, printer information including the content of the abnormal information and the number of occurrences is transmitted to the host computer. A printer maintenance method is provided.

  Further, according to the present invention, the printer and the host computer are connected so as to be capable of bidirectional communication, and it is checked whether or not the operation time for performing the predetermined operation of the printer is within a preset time. Anomaly information is created when a set time is exceeded, and when there is a request from the host computer, printer information including the contents of the anomaly information and the number of occurrences is transmitted to the host computer, A printer maintenance method is provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to perform maintenance by detecting an abnormality of the printer at a stage before stopping the operation.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the printer maintenance system of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the inside of the printer. The printer 2 and the host computer 3 are connected by a USB cable 4. The host computer 3 is used when printing data to be printed by the printer 2 is transmitted to the printer 2. The printer 2 includes a control unit 11, a control monitoring unit 12, an abnormality information creation unit 13, an abnormality information storage unit 14, a printer information creation unit 15, an information transmission unit 16, and a USB interface 17.

  The control unit 11 controls the operation of each unit in the printer 2. The control monitoring unit 12 monitors the operation time of each unit of the printer 2 for a preset operation, and checks whether the processing operation has been performed within a predetermined time. The abnormality information creation unit 13 creates the information as abnormality information when the control monitoring unit 12 determines that the processing time of the predetermined operation exceeds the preset time. The abnormality information storage unit 14 stores the abnormality information. The printer information creation unit 15 creates printer information including the content and number of times of abnormality information. The printer information is transmitted from the information transmission unit 16, and the signal is transmitted to the host computer 3 via the USB cable 4 connected to the USB interface 17.

  FIG. 3 shows a configuration of a sublimation printer 2 as an example of a printer according to the present invention. The printing paper 22 wound in a roll shape on the paper roll 21 is transported by being sandwiched between a grip roller 23 and a pinch roller 24 that are arranged to face each other. The grip roller 23 receives a rotational force from a transport motor 25 that is a stepping motor. A platen roller 26 is provided in front of the printing paper 22 after passing between the grip roller 23 and the pinch roller 24. The printing paper 22 is printed by a platen roller 26, an ink ribbon 27, and a thermal head 28.

  The ink ribbon 27 is supplied from the supply roller 29, passes through the thermal head 28, is printed on the printing paper 22, and is then wound around a winding roller 30 that is rotated by a motor 31. The ink ribbon 27 is formed by applying ink to a film or the like, and has a configuration in which three primary colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) are connected.

  At the time of printing, when the leading end of the printing paper 22 passes the position of the platen roller 26 and is conveyed to a predetermined position, the thermal head 28 disposed on the upper side of the ink ribbon 27 descends onto the ink ribbon 27. That is, the platen roller 26, the printing paper 22, the ink ribbon 27, and the thermal head 28 are superposed in order from the lower side. The printing paper 22 is printed while being conveyed in the direction of rewinding the paper roll 21. When energy is applied by applying electricity to a resistor (not shown) in the thermal head 28, heat is generated in the thermal head 28, the heat is transmitted to the ink ribbon 27, and the dye applied to the ink ribbon 27 is sublimated. To do. A large number of fine holes are formed in the image receiving layer on the surface of the printing paper 22, and an image is formed by the sublimation dye soaking into the holes. The temperature of the head rises according to the amount of current passed through the thermal head 28, and the dye on the ink ribbon 27 sublimates by an appropriate amount according to the temperature, and is transferred to the printing paper 22. In this way, the sublimation printer sublimates the ink by applying heat to the ink ribbon 27 and deposits it on the printing paper 22. Since the amount of ink sublimated by the amount of heat can be controlled, a fine gradation expression can be obtained. In particular, it is widely used for printing photographs.

  Further, a guide member 32 that guides the printing paper 22 in the discharge direction is provided in front of the conveyance direction of the printing paper 22, and a cutter 33 that cuts the printed printing paper 22 is provided further forward. The cutter 33 is operated by a motor 34. Below the cutter 33, a disposal box 36 for storing the slag 35 cut off is provided.

  In the sublimation printer 2 described above, for example, a contact type sensor 41 for detecting the operation of the cutter 33 is provided in order to monitor the operation of the cutter 33. An LED sensor 42 is provided on the front side of the thermal head 28 in order to mark the ink ribbon 27. The sensor 41, the LED sensor 42, the above-described transport motor 25, and the motors 31, 34 are connected to the control unit 11 (see FIG. 2).

  Hereinafter, monitoring of the operation of the cutter 33 will be described as an example of the procedure of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure.

  When the printing operation is started, the printing process using the three colors Y, M, and C of the ink ribbon and the overcoat (OP) is sequentially performed (S1). When the printing is completed (S2), the printing paper is sent in the discharge direction (S3). When the printing paper reaches a predetermined position of the cutter, first, a cutting process for cutting off the slag protruding from the printing unit is started. At this time, the contact-type sensor 41 shown in FIG. 3 detects the start of the operation of the cutter 33, and measurement of the time required for the cutting operation is started (S4).

  When the paper cutting is completed (S5), the time required for the cutting operation is measured (S6). It is determined whether the cut time is within a preset time, for example, 200 ms (S7). If it is within 200 ms, the process proceeds to the next process. When the time exceeds 200 ms, it is determined that there is an abnormality, and the abnormality information of the cutting operation is recorded in the abnormality information creating unit 13 shown in FIG. 2 (S13), and the process proceeds to the next process.

  Further, the printing paper is fed to an appropriate position (S8), and paper cutting for cutting the printing portion is performed. At the same time, the sensor 41 detects the start of the operation of the cutter 33 and starts measuring the time required for the cutting operation (S9).

  When the paper cutting is completed (S10), the time required for the cutting operation is measured (S11). It is determined whether or not the cut time is within a preset time of, for example, 200 ms (S12). If the cut time is within 200 ms, the printing process ends. If it exceeds 200 ms, the abnormal information of the cutter operation is recorded in the abnormal information creating unit 13 (S14), and the printing process is completed.

  In the above processing, when abnormality information is created, it is accumulated in the abnormality information storage unit 14 of FIG. 2. For example, when the operation time of the paper cut processing exceeds 200 ms 50 times, the cutter 33 or the cutter It is determined that the cutter mechanism including the motor 34 is deteriorated. Then, the printer information is transmitted to the host computer 3 via the USB cable 4. It should be noted that the operation time for creating the abnormality information is 300 ms, and may be transmitted to the host computer 3 when it exceeds 10 ms 10 times, and it is determined that there is an abnormality according to the characteristics and usage of each printer 2. The standard to be set is set. Printer information such as abnormality information may be transmitted to the host computer 3 in real time, or may be transmitted only when there is a request from the host computer 3. Further, since the host computer 3 is normally used by a user who uses the printer 2, the printer information is recorded in an area that can be viewed only by a maintenance person who has logged in, for example, with a password. Furthermore, the printer information transmitted to the host computer 3 may be transmitted to a computer in a department that performs maintenance via the Internet.

  The maintenance staff of the printer determines the maintenance time according to the printer information transmitted to the host computer 3, and performs parts replacement, repair, etc. before the operation stops. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a trouble that the printer fails and stops in the middle of the user's print request.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing different processing procedures according to the present invention. Hereinafter, the procedure for monitoring the ink ribbon conveyance and the thermal head operation will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the thermal head 28 moves up and down in three stages: a printing position A at the time of printing, a conveyance position B when the printing paper 22 is conveyed, and a standby position C when printing is not performed. To do. This vertical movement is performed by transmitting power by a motor (not shown). When printing is started, first, the thermal head 28 is lowered from the standby position C to the transport position B, and at the same time, measurement of the time required for the lowering operation of the thermal head is started (S21). When the thermal head reaches the transport position (S22), the time required for the operation of the thermal head to descend from the standby position C to the transport position B is measured, and the operation time is checked according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 (S23).

  As shown in FIG. 6, the operation time is checked by measuring the operation time (S41) and determining whether the operation has been performed within a preset time (S42). If it is within the predetermined time, the process proceeds to the next process as it is. If the predetermined time has been exceeded, the abnormality information is created, and then the process proceeds to the next process. The abnormality information is created in the abnormality information creation unit 13 in FIG. 2 and accumulated in the abnormality information accumulation unit 14. The descent time from the standby position C to the transport position B of the thermal head is, for example, normal within 500 ms, and abnormal information is created when the descent time is exceeded.

  Next, the printing paper is conveyed (S24), and the ink ribbon is further conveyed to mark the ink ribbon. As shown in FIG. 8, the ink ribbon has a configuration in which three colors Y, M, and C and an overcoat (OP) are continuous, and a positioning mark 43 is formed at the tip of Y that is printed first. It is printed. The mark 43 is formed of, for example, a black line, and is read by the LED sensor 42 shown in FIG. 3 to detect that the mark 43 has passed the position of the sensor 42. Simultaneously with the start of transport of the ink ribbon, measurement of the time required for the transport operation of the ink ribbon is started (S25). When the ink ribbon reaches a predetermined position and the sensor 42 detects the mark 43 (S26), the time required for marking the ink ribbon is measured, and the operation time is checked according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 (S27). The time required for marking is, for example, within 330 ms as normal, and abnormal information is created when the time exceeds it.

  When the ink ribbon reaches a predetermined position, the printing process is performed. The thermal head is lowered from the transport position B to the printing position A, and at the same time, measurement of the time required for the lowering operation of the thermal head is started (S28). When the thermal head reaches the printing position A (S29), the time required for the operation of the thermal head to descend from the transport position B to the printing position A is measured, and the operation time is checked according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 (S30). . The descent time from the conveyance position B to the printing position A is, for example, normal within 150 ms, and abnormal information is created when the descent time is exceeded.

  Thereafter, a printing process using an ink ribbon is performed (S31). Printing is performed sequentially for each of the colors Y, M, and C, and finally an overcoat (OP) is applied. When the printing process for one color is completed (S32), the thermal head rises from the printing position A to the transport position B, and at the same time, measurement of the time required for the raising operation of the thermal head is started (S33). When the thermal head reaches the transport position B (S34), the time required for the operation of the thermal head to rise from the printing position A to the transport position B is measured, and the operation time is checked according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 (S35). . The rising time from the printing position A to the transport position B is, for example, normal within 100 ms, and abnormal information is created when the rising time is exceeded. When the Y printing is completed and the thermal head is raised, the process returns to the printing paper conveyance process (S24), and the M printing is performed through the above-described processes (S25 to S30) (S31). Thereafter, the same process is repeated, and four printing processes of Y, M, C, and OP are performed.

  When the four printing processes are completed (S36), the printing paper is transported to the discharge position, the slag is cut off, the printing section is cut, and the printed matter is discharged. Further, the thermal head is raised to the standby position C (S37).

  In this way, the normal printing operation is performed while checking the deterioration state of the motor mechanism including the motor mechanism that moves the thermal head 28 up and down and the motor 31 that transports the ink ribbon 27. When the abnormality information is created and the number of times reaches a predetermined number, the printer information is transmitted to the host computer, and the maintenance time is determined.

  In the above-described embodiment, the operation time related to the conveyance of the printing paper is not checked, but it can be checked in the same manner as the conveyance of the ink ribbon.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the deterioration state of each part is checked while continuing a series of printing operations, and abnormality information is created if an abnormality occurs, so that the operation stops. It is possible to grasp the deterioration state and perform maintenance before any trouble occurs.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this example. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that it belongs to.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied as a technique for grasping a deterioration state inside a device that performs operations such as conveyance and movement, and timing maintenance.

1 is a schematic diagram of a system configuration for performing printer maintenance according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an internal block diagram of FIG. 1. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a printer according to the present invention. The flowchart which shows the monitoring procedure of cut operation | movement in the maintenance system of this invention. 5 is a flowchart showing a monitoring procedure for a thermal head moving operation and an ink ribbon transport operation in the maintenance system of the present invention. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the operation time check of FIG. The side view which shows the position of a thermal head. The top view which shows a part of ink ribbon.

Explanation of symbols

2 Printer 3 Host computer 4 USB cable 11 Control unit 12 Control monitoring unit 13 Abnormal information creation unit 14 Abnormal information storage unit 15 Printer information creation unit 16 Information transmission unit 17 USB interface 21 Paper roll 22 Printing paper 23 Grip roller 24 Pinch roller 25 Conveyance motor 26 Platen roller 27 Ink ribbon 28 Thermal heads 31, 34 Motor 32 Guide member 33 Cutter 35 Slag 36 Waste box 41 Sensor 42 LED sensor

Claims (6)

A printer maintenance system in which a printer and a host computer are connected so as to be capable of bidirectional communication,
The printer includes a control unit that performs control processing of the printer, a monitoring unit that monitors the control processing, an abnormality information generation unit that generates abnormality information when the monitoring unit determines that an abnormality has occurred, and the abnormality information An abnormality information storage means for storing information, a printer information creation means for creating printer information comprising the contents and frequency of occurrence of the abnormality information, and an information transmission means for sending the printer information to the host computer. A printer maintenance system.   The monitoring means checks whether an operation time for performing a predetermined operation is within a preset time, and the abnormality information is created when the preset time is exceeded. The printer maintenance system according to 1.   3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer information creating unit transmits the printer information to the host computer when the number of occurrences of the abnormality information reaches a preset number. Maintenance system.   3. The printer maintenance according to claim 1, wherein the printer information creation unit transmits the printer information to the host computer when there is a request to transmit the printer information from the host computer. system. Connect the printer and host computer so that they can communicate in both directions.
Check whether the operation time for performing the predetermined operation of the printer is within a preset time, create abnormality information when the operation time exceeds the preset time, and set the number of occurrences of the abnormality information in advance A printer maintenance method, comprising: transmitting printer information comprising the contents of the abnormality information and the number of occurrences to the host computer when the number of occurrences is reached. Connect the printer and host computer so that they can communicate in both directions.
When the operation time for performing the predetermined operation of the printer is within a preset time, anomaly information is created when the operation time exceeds the preset time, and a request is made from the host computer In addition, the printer maintenance method includes transmitting printer information including the contents of the abnormality information and the number of occurrences to the host computer.

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