JP2017185656A - Printer and control method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer which is easy to change setting information.SOLUTION: A printer 2 comprises a reader-writer 35a, and an AC adapter 50 being connected to a printer main body 3 and outputting DC power. An RF tag 52 is provided on the AC adapter 50, and setting information PD corresponding to information set to the printer 2 is held in the RF tag 52. A control section 40 of the printer 2 acquires the setting information PD from the RF tag 52 and performs its own setting when the printer 2 is started. Time required for work to be performed by an operator at the time of replacement of the printer 2 can be reduced.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer and a method for controlling the printer, and in particular, printer information (for example, an IP address and printing conditions) that the printer refers to when printing can be quickly and accurately stored by a non-expert. The present invention relates to a printer that can be set appropriately, and a printer control method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, network-compatible printers are known that connect to a network, receive a print command from a host device via the network, and print. Such a printer is used in a network system having a plurality of host devices and a plurality of printers, such as a POS system. The host device transmits a print command to a printer specified by a network address (for example, an IP address) to execute printing.

  In the above system, a failed printer may be replaced with another printer. In the host device, the network address of the printer is registered as the transmission destination of the print command. In such a case, a method of rewriting the information registered in the host device can be considered, but other processing performed in the host device is interrupted, such as accounting processing in the POS system, and the work efficiency of the entire system is reduced. There is a fear. In addition, when a plurality of printers are connected as in the system illustrated in FIG. 1, it is difficult to specify a network address to be changed. Therefore, in order to deal with these problems, when replacing the printer, the network address of the printer after replacement is changed to the network address of the printer before replacement, that is, the network address registered in the host device. It is effective.

  However, in order to set the printer information in the printer after replacement, specialized knowledge and a setting PC are required. In particular, printers installed in network systems such as POS systems often have limited interfaces from the installation location, and it is difficult to set printer setting information quickly and appropriately by operating the printer itself. It is.

  On the other hand, conventionally, when replacing a printer, it has been proposed to read printer information from an external memory such as a USB memory and set the read printer information in the replaced printer (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

JP 2011-164872 A

  In Patent Document 1, when exchanging the printer, the operator arranges a new printer in the same manner as the printer before exchanging the printer, and attaches an external memory (USB memory) to the USB connector of the arranged printer. insert.

  However, in the above document, the operator distinguishes the appearance of a printer whose setting information has been changed by an operator according to the correct procedure and a printer whose setting information has not been changed because the operation has not been performed. Can not do it. That is, the USB connector into which the external memory is inserted in the above document is used or may be used for connection between the printer and another device (for example, a barcode reader). For this reason, after completing the above operation, the operator removes the external memory from the USB connector in order to connect another device to the printer or in anticipation of the connection. Therefore, it is difficult for the operator to determine whether or not the setting information has been changed, and the operator may use the printer without changing the setting information or the setting information may have been changed. Regardless of this, there is a risk of repeatedly changing the setting information of the printer. Both increase the operator's work.

  In Patent Document 1, printer setting information is held in an external memory, but management is required to associate the external memory with the setting information held in the external memory. That is, when changing the setting information of the printer, the operator inserts an external memory that holds setting information corresponding to the installation location of the printer into the printer. The operator needs to know which setting information the setting information stored in the external memory corresponds to, so that the management of the external memory may become complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer that can quickly and appropriately change setting information held by the printer and a printer control method when the printer is replaced or newly introduced. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a printer of the present invention includes a housing, a power supply unit to which power is supplied from a commercial power supply, a power connector provided in the housing and connected to the power supply unit, A proximity wireless communication unit that is provided in the housing and performs proximity wireless communication, a memory module that holds printer information that is information related to a printer, a communication unit that communicates with a host device, and the host via the communication unit A control unit that obtains print data from the apparatus and executes printing of the print data based on setting information held in a predetermined storage area, and the memory module is provided in the power supply unit, and the control unit Controls the proximity wireless communication unit to acquire the printer information from the memory module and the memory module, and to the acquired printer information Hazuki changing the setting information stored in the predetermined storage area.

  In order for the printer to be activated, it is necessary that power be supplied to the casing, and the operator performs an operation of connecting the power supply unit to the power connector when the printer is activated. According to the configuration of the application example, the setting information is changed based on the printer information held in the memory module of the power supply unit connected to the housing by the above operation. That is, the printer acquires information related to the printer from the memory module and performs control to change its own setting information in accordance with work required when the operator starts the printer. Therefore, when the printer is started, a condition for performing control to change the setting information is established, and the possibility that the setting information is not changed due to an operator's work mistake or the like can be reduced.

  In the application example, the communication unit includes a LAN connector to which a LAN cable is connected, and the setting information includes an IP address. The IP address held in the printer is used for connection via the LAN. Therefore, the operator can easily change the IP address of the printer by placing the memory module in the vicinity of the printer, and the host device and the printer can be connected via the LAN without changing the information registered in the host device. Can be connected.

  In the application example, the power supply unit includes an AC adapter, and the AC adapter includes the memory module. The AC adapter has a high degree of freedom in arrangement, and the positional relationship between the proximity wireless communication unit of the housing and the memory module can be a positional relationship in which the proximity wireless communication is stable. Therefore, the stability of the setting information change process is increased.

  In the application example, the power supply unit includes a power cable that connects the AC adapter and the power connector, the AC adapter is stored, and a storage unit that covers the power connector. The AC adapter stored in the storage unit is disposed at a predetermined position with respect to the proximity wireless communication unit. Therefore, the operator can easily place the AC adapter at a position where the close proximity wireless communication is stable.

  In the application example, the power supply unit includes a power cable connected to the power connector, and the memory module is provided in a connector unit connected to the power connector of the power cable. When the printer is activated, the connector unit is connected to the power connector, and the distance between the connector unit and the close proximity wireless communication unit is kept constant. Therefore, regardless of how the operator arranges the housing and the power supply unit, the distance between the memory module and the proximity wireless communication unit is kept constant, and the proximity wireless communication is stabilized.

  In the application example, a power switch is provided, and the control unit acquires the printer information from the memory module when the power switch is operated and the printer is activated. When using the printer, the operator operates the power switch as an operation for starting the printer. This operation rewrites the printer setting information. Therefore, since the printer setting information is changed by a simple operation performed when the printer is used, an additional operator's work for changing the printer setting information is reduced.

  Next, a printer control method of the present invention includes a power connector, a power supply unit that is connected to the power connector and supplies power, and a communication unit that communicates with the host device, and is held in a predetermined storage area. A printer control method for printing print data acquired from the host device via the communication unit based on setting information to acquire printer information held by a memory module provided in the power supply unit And changing the setting information held in the predetermined storage area based on the acquired printer information.

  According to the configuration of the application example, the setting information is changed based on the printer information held in the memory module of the power supply unit. The operation of connecting the power supply unit to the power connector by the operator is necessary when starting up the printer, and the setting information of the printer may not be changed due to an operator's mistake in starting up and using the printer. Can be reduced.

  In the application example described above, a step of acquiring the printer information from the memory module when the printer is activated is executed. When using the printer, the operator operates and activates the printer, and at this time, the setting information of the printer is rewritten. Therefore, since the printer setting information is changed by a simple operation performed when the printer is used, an additional operator's work for changing the printer setting information is reduced.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a POS system to which a printer of the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a configuration of a printer according to the invention. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a printer. The block diagram which shows an example of a structure of RF tag. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a printer. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a printer control method. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for writing setting information held in a storage unit of a printer into a memory module.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each figure, corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  First, an outline of an embodiment of a printer according to the present invention will be described.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a POS system (network system) 1 to which a printer of the present invention is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the POS system 1 is a system introduced into a store or the like, and includes a host device 100 and a printer 2. The host device 100 and the printer 2 communicate via a network NW. The host device 100 and the printer 2 are installed in each lane (first to nth lanes) of a store or the like.

  The host device 100 is a device operated by an operator. Although not shown, the host device 100 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an HDD, various I / Fs (interfaces) connected to the CPU via a bus as a hardware configuration. . In addition, although not shown in the figure, the host device 100 has a barcode reader for reading a barcode via an I / F, a keyboard for inputting a deposit from a customer, a display for displaying a product name, a price, and the like. Connected.

  In addition, the host device 100 includes a function for generating print data and a function for transmitting print data to the printer 2 via the network NW as functional configurations.

  For example, the printer 2 performs printing on a roll-shaped recording paper, which is a printing medium, using a thermal type thermal head, and examples thereof include a receipt printer used in the POS system 1. The printer 2 in the present embodiment is connected to the network NW and performs communication with the host device 100. The printer 2 receives a print command including print data generated from the host device 100 via the network NW, and executes printing based on the print data.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the printer 2 according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of the printer 2 according to the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the printer 2 includes a printer main body (housing) 3 including a printing mechanism 36, and a printer lower unit 4 provided on the lower side in the vertical direction of the printer main body 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer main body 3 has a case made of synthetic resin or the like, and a print medium is accommodated from an opening provided in the case. A power switch 31 and a notification unit 32 are provided on the outer surface of the printer body 3. The operator operates the power switch 31 to switch the printer 2 between the activated state and the hibernate state. The notification unit 32 is provided on the upper surface of the printer body 3. The operator visually recognizes the notification unit 32 and grasps the state of the printer 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer lower unit 4 includes a power supply unit 5 and a storage case (storage unit) 6 in which the power supply unit 5 is stored. The power supply unit 5 is connected to a power connector 33 (see FIG. 3) of the printer body 3. The power supplied to the printer main body 3 is supplied from a commercial power source (not shown) to the power supply unit 5 and is supplied from the power supply unit 5 to the printer main body 3.

  The storage case 6 has a shape that opens upward in the vertical direction, and has an engaging portion that engages with the lower surface of the printer body 3. In the POS system 1, the installation area of the host device 100 and the printer 2 is limited in order to secure a space for the operator to work. The operator can store the power supply unit 5 in the storage case 6 located below the printer main body 3 to secure a work space. Further, in a state where the storage case 6 is engaged with the printer main body 3, the power connector 33 of the printer main body 3 is covered with the storage case 6, and it is possible to reduce the influence exerted on the power connector 33 such as mixing of foreign matter from the outside.

  The power supply unit 5 includes an AC adapter 50 and a power cable 51 connected between the AC adapter 50 and the power connector 33. The AC adapter 50 converts AC power supplied from the AC power source into DC and outputs DC power to the printer body 3. The AC adapter 50 is provided with an RF tag (memory module) 52. As will be described in detail later, the RF tag 52 holds information unique to each printer 2 or unique to each location (lane) where the printer 2 is installed. The power cable 51 includes a connector portion 53 having a shape that engages with the power connector 33. The operator engages the connector part 53 with the power connector 33, whereby the power supply part 5 is connected to the printer body 3.

  Details of the printer main body 3 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the printer body 3 includes a power connector 33, a LAN connector 34, a substrate 35, and a printing mechanism 36. As described above, the power connector 33 is a connector to which the power cable 51 of the power supply unit 5 is connected. The LAN connector 34 is a connector to which a LAN cable is connected, and the printer 2 is connected to the network NW via the LAN cable.

  The substrate 35 and the printing mechanism 36 are accommodated in the internal space of the case. A CPU and nonvolatile memory are mounted on the substrate 35, and a control unit 40 (see FIG. 5) described later is realized by a configuration including the substrate 35. The substrate 35 is equipped with a reader / writer (proximity wireless communication unit) 35a. The reader / writer 35 a performs close proximity wireless communication with the RF tag 52 provided in the AC adapter 50. The reader / writer 35a reads information held in the RF tag 52, transmits the information to the RF tag 52, and holds it in the setting information storage area 52a (see FIG. 4) of the RF tag 52.

  The printing mechanism 36 includes a print head, a paper feed mechanism, a paper cutting mechanism, and the like (all not shown). The printing mechanism 36 outputs a receipt (printed material) based on a print command transmitted from the host device 100 to the printer 2.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the RF tag 52. As shown in FIG. 4, the RF tag 52 includes a setting information storage area 52a in which setting information (printer information) PD related to the printer 2 is held, and installation location information in which information indicating a location where the printer 2 is installed is held. A storage area 52b.

  The setting information storage area 52a includes, as setting information PD, network setting information PD1 used for connection between the printer 2 and the host device 100, and print setting information PD2 indicating details of the receipt mode and print control of the printer 2. , Is retained.

  The network setting information PD1 is a unique IP address assigned to the printer 2. The host device 100 refers to the IP address held as information indicating the transmission destination of the print data, and transmits the print data to the printer 2 included in the network NW and specified by the IP address.

  The print setting information PD2 includes paper width, print density, print speed, font type used for printing, and margin information included in the printed material. Information relating to items included in the print setting information PD2 is held in a predetermined storage area of the printer 2, and is referred to by the control unit 40 when a receipt is output.

  Lane information is stored in the installation location information storage area 52b as information indicating the installation location of the printer 2. The lane information is unique identification information assigned to the lane in which the printer 2 is installed. The operator can refer to the lane information using a portable terminal (not shown) capable of wireless communication with the RF tag 52. When the location where the printer lower unit 4 is installed is changed, the operator can grasp the location where the printer lower unit 4 should be installed based on the lane information held by the RF tag 52, and the error in the installation location. Is reduced.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the printer 2 that configures the POS system 1. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the printer 2 includes a control unit 40 and a storage unit 47 as functional configurations. These functional configurations are realized by executing a predetermined program such as firmware held in the printer 2. The control unit 40 controls each unit of the printer 2 based on information received from the host device 100, information acquired from the RF tag 52, and information stored in the storage unit 47. The storage unit 47 includes a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and holds predetermined information and a control program executed by the control unit 40.

  The control unit 40 includes a print control unit 41 and a printer setting unit 42 as functional configurations.

  The print control unit 41 controls the printing mechanism 36 to control the receipt output. When a print command is received from the host apparatus 100 via the LAN connector 34, the print control unit 41 refers to information related to the print setting information PD2 held in the storage unit 47. The print control unit 41 sends a control command to the printing mechanism 36 based on the referenced information and the received print command to execute printing.

  The printer setting unit 42 performs control related to the settings of the printer 2. The setting of the printer 2 in the present embodiment is executed by the printer 2 such as the paper width of the paper used in the printer 2, the print density, the printing speed, the type of font used for printing, and the margin included in the printed matter. Print settings relating to printing and communication settings used for communication with the host device 100 (for example, an IP address unique to the printer 2) are included. The printer setting unit 42 includes a tag information reading unit 43, a setting update unit 44, a setting writing unit 45, and a setting change detection unit 46 as functional configurations.

  The tag information reading unit 43 performs control for acquiring information held in the RF tag 52. More specifically, the tag information reading unit 43 controls the reader / writer 35a to communicate with the RF tag 52, and receives network setting information PD1 and print setting information PD2 held in the RF tag 52.

  The setting update unit 44 performs control to hold the information acquired by the tag information reading unit 43 in the storage unit 47 as setting information. Information related to the settings of the printer 2 is stored in the storage unit 47, and the setting update unit 44 performs an update process for changing the information stored in the storage unit 47 based on the information acquired by the tag information reading unit 43. Do. When the information acquired by the tag information reading unit 43 and the information already stored in the storage unit 47 are the same, the update process may be completed without changing the information stored in the storage unit 47. . In addition, the update process is a process of comparing the acquired information and the information held in the storage unit 47 for each area of the storage unit 47 and changing the information held in the storage unit 47 if they are different. good.

  The setting writing unit 45 performs control to write information held in the printer main body 3 into the storage area of the RF tag 52. More specifically, the setting writing unit 45 reads the information held in the storage unit 47, controls the reader / writer 35a, transmits the information read from the storage unit 47 to the RF tag 52, and sends the information to a new one. The network setting information PD1 and the print setting information PD2 are stored in the storage area of the RF tag 52.

  The setting change detection unit 46 detects whether the setting held in the printer 2 has been changed. When the information transmitted from the host device 100 includes a command for changing the setting information held in the storage unit 47, it is determined that the setting has been changed. The method of detecting whether or not the setting held in the printer 2 has been changed is not limited to the above. For example, the setting information held in the storage unit 47 at a predetermined cycle is held in a predetermined storage area of the RAM, The setting information held in the storage unit 47 may be compared with the setting information held in the RAM. In this case, it is detected that the retained setting has been changed regardless of the presence or absence of the command.

  Next, a printer control method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control method (printer control method) of the printer 2 according to the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, in the POS system 1 shown in FIG. 1, an example of replacement work performed when a configuration or function related to the printer main body 3 of the printer 2 installed in a specific lane (for example, the first lane) fails. I will explain. By the replacement work, the printer main body 3 having a malfunctioning configuration or function is replaced with another printer main body 3 that operates normally.

  The process illustrated in FIG. 6 is, for example, a process executed in the printer 2 after the printer main body 3 has been replaced. The control unit 40 included in the printer main body 3 after replacement executes the process shown in FIG.

  In the following description, it is assumed that the RF tag 52 holds network setting information PD1 and print setting information PD2, which are IP addresses assigned to the printer 2 before replacement, as setting information PD. The network setting information PD1 held in the RF tag 52 corresponds to information held in the storage unit 47 of the printer 2 before replacement. The print setting information PD2 held in the RF tag 52 is information written by the setting writing unit 45 of the printer 2 before replacement, and is stored in the storage unit 47 of the printer 2 before replacement. Correspond. Processing by the setting writing unit 45 will be described later.

  When the printer 2 installed in a specific lane (for example, the first lane) fails, the operator replaces the printer main body 3 according to the following procedure prior to the processing shown in FIG.

  First, the operator installs the printer body 3 after replacement in the same manner as the printer body 3 before replacement. Specifically, the operator removes the power cable 51 and the LAN cable from the power connector 33 and the LAN connector 34 of the printer body 3 before replacement, and releases the engagement between the printer body 3 and the printer lower unit 4. Next, the operator connects the power cable 51 and the LAN cable removed from the printer body 3 before replacement to the power connector 33 and the LAN connector 34 of the printer body 3 after replacement. The operator engages the printer body 3 with the printer lower unit 4. Then, the operator activates the printer 2 by operating the power switch 31 of the printer body 3 after replacement. The above is the procedure of the work performed by the operator when the printer main body 3 is replaced.

  The control unit 40 of the printer 2 after replacement monitors whether the power switch 31 is operated and the printer 2 is activated (step S10). When the power switch 31 is operated and the printer 2 is activated (step S10: Yes), the tag information reading unit 43 controls the reader / writer 35a to access the RF tag 52 (step S12). The stored setting information PD is read (step S14). Since the RF tag 52 holds the network setting information PD1 and the print setting information PD2 as the setting information PD, the tag information reading unit 43 reads the network setting information PD1 and the print setting information PD2 from the RF tag 52. . If one of the network setting information PD1 and the print setting information PD2 is set to be read, one of the network setting information PD1 and the print setting information PD2 is read based on the setting.

  As described above, the tag information reading unit 43 reads the setting information PD from the RF tag 52 at the timing when the printer 2 is activated. That is, setting information PD (for example, network setting information PD1 and print setting information PD2) can be automatically read from the RF tag 52 when the power switch 31 is operated to activate the printer.

  In the printer 2 of this embodiment, the RF tag 52 is provided in the power supply unit 5. That is, at the timing when the printer 2 is activated, the power supply unit 5 is connected to the printer main body 3, and the RF tag is within a range where the reader / writer 35a of the printer main body 3 can perform near field communication with the reader / writer 35a. 52 is located. Therefore, the setting information PD can be stably read from the RF tag 52.

  Next, the control unit 40 of the printer 2 after replacement performs setting of the printer 2 based on the setting information read in step S14. Specifically, the setting update unit 44 changes the information held as the setting of the printer 2 in the storage unit 47 based on the setting information PD read by the tag information reading unit 43 (step S16).

  As described above, the settings of the printer 2 before replacement held in the RF tag 52 as the network setting information PD1 and the print setting information PD2 are quickly and appropriately set (successful) in the storage unit 47 of the printer 2 after replacement. Is done. In the POS system 1 of the present embodiment, the host device 100 communicates with the printer 2 specified by the IP address, and transmits a print command to the printer 2 specified by the IP address. Therefore, after that, the replaced printer 2 receives information transmitted from the host device 100 based on the IP address set in step S16 via the network NW.

  Next, the control unit 40 of the printer 2 after replacement monitors whether or not print data is received via the network NW (step S20). When a print command including print data is received from the host device 100 (step S20: Yes), the control unit 40 prints the received print data. More specifically, the print control unit 41 refers to the information that is changed in step S16 based on the print setting information PD2 read in step S14 and is stored as the print setting in the storage unit 47. Based on this, the printing mechanism 36 is controlled to perform printing.

  As described above, the printer 2 after replacement outputs a receipt to which the same print settings as the printer 2 before replacement are applied in the same manner as the printer 2 before replacement.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for writing the setting information held in the storage unit 47 of the printer 2 before replacement into the RF tag 52. This flowchart shows an example in which information relating to print settings held in the storage unit 47 is written to the RF tag 52 as print setting information PD2.

  The process illustrated in FIG. 7 is, for example, a process executed in the printer 2 before replacement, and is mainly realized by the control unit 40 of the printer 2 before replacement executing a predetermined program such as firmware.

  First, the control unit 40 of the printer 2 before replacement determines whether or not the set print setting has been changed (step S30). More specifically, the setting change detection unit 46 monitors whether a command for changing the print setting held in the storage unit 47 is received from the host device 100.

  When the setting change detection unit 46 determines that at least a part of the information related to the print settings held in the storage unit 47 of the printer 2 has been changed (step S30: Yes), the setting writing unit 45 stores the information in the storage unit 47. The information to be held is transmitted to the RF tag 52 and held in the setting information storage area 52a as the print setting information PD2 (step S32).

  As described above, the print setting held in the storage unit 47 of the printer 2 before replacement is written in the RF tag 52 and held in the setting information storage area 52a every time at least a part of the print setting is changed. The information is overwritten with the latest print settings set in the printer 2. Note that the IP address held in the storage unit 47 of the printer 2 before replacement is also written to the RF tag 52 as the latest network setting information PD1 every time the IP address is changed.

  As described above, the printer 2 according to the present embodiment changes the setting information held by itself based on the setting information PD held in the RF tag 52 of the power supply unit 5 connected to the power connector 33. The operator connects the power supply unit 5 to the power connector 33 in order to activate the printer 2. That is, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the operator who uses the printer 2 appropriately changes the setting information held by the printer 2 due to the work to be performed and the setting information of the printer 2 is not changed.

  Therefore, even if it is a person other than an expert, the print setting of the printer 2 after replacement based on the print setting related to printing or the communication setting related to communication with the host device that has been set in the printer 2 before replacement. And communication settings can be set quickly and appropriately.

  Further, according to the printer 2 of the present embodiment, the operator can easily change the IP address of the printer 2 after replacement, and the host device 100 and the printer 2 can be changed without changing the information registered in the host device 100. Can be connected.

  In the printer 2 of this embodiment, the RF tag 52 is provided on the AC adapter 50. The AC adapter 50 has a high degree of freedom in arrangement, and the positional relationship between the reader / writer 35a that reads the setting information PD from the RF tag 52 and the RF tag 52 can be set to a positional relationship in which proximity wireless communication between the two is stable. it can. Thereby, the stability of the process of changing the setting information of the printer 2 is increased.

  In addition, the printer 2 of the present embodiment includes a storage case 6 in which the AC adapter 50 is stored. The AC adapter 50 is disposed at a position defined by the storage case 6 with respect to the reader / writer 35a. Therefore, the operator can easily place the AC adapter 50 at a position where the close proximity wireless communication is stable.

  Further, the printer 2 according to the present embodiment performs a process of changing setting information held in the storage unit 47 of the printer 2 when the power switch 31 is operated and the printer 2 is activated. The operator can change the setting information of the printer 2 by starting the printer 2. The operation of starting up the printer 2 is a simple operation that is normally performed when using the printer, and the setting information of the printer is changed without increasing the workload of the operator.

(Modification 1)
In the above embodiment, the RF tag 52 is provided in the AC adapter 50, but may be provided in the connector portion 53 of the power cable 51. In this case, since the connector part 53 provided with the RF tag 52 is engaged with the power connector 33, the distance between the connector part 53 and the reader / writer 35a is kept constant. Therefore, regardless of the installation status of the printer 2, the distance between the RF tag 52 and the reader / writer 35a is constant, and the close proximity wireless communication between them is stable.

(Modification 2)
In step S14 of the above embodiment, if the setting information PD is not normally read from the RF tag 52, the printer 2 may perform error processing. As an error process, the control unit 40 controls the notification unit 32 to notify the operator that the setting update based on the setting information PD is not normally performed. It is possible to prompt the operator to restart the printer 2.

(Modification 3)
In step S14 of the above embodiment, if the setting information PD is not normally read from the RF tag 52, the printer 2 may change the IP address held by itself to dummy information. The situation in which information is not read from the RF tag 52 includes a situation in which the communication between the printer 2 after replacement and the RF tag 52 has failed, and the printer main unit 3 of the printer 2 before replacement includes the printer lower unit 4. The case where it is not installed in the place is considered. In such a case, when the IP address of the printer 2 after replacement is changed and the printer 2 before replacement is connected to the network NW, there are a plurality of devices having the same IP address in the network NW. This may affect the connection between the replaced printer 2 and the host device 100. This modification reduces the possibility that such a situation will occur.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the printer 2 installed in a specific lane (for example, the first lane) in the POS system 1 shown in FIG. However, it is not limited to this.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... POS system, 2 ... Printer, 3 ... Printer main body, 4 ... Printer lower unit, 5 ... Power supply part, 6 ... Storage case, 31 ... Power switch, 32 ... Notification part, 33 ... Power connector, 34 ... LAN connector 35 ... substrate 35a ... reader / writer 36 ... printing mechanism 40 ... control unit 41 ... print control unit 42 ... printer setting unit 43 ... tag information reading unit 44 ... setting update unit 45 ... setting writing 46, setting change detection unit, 47 ... storage unit, 50 ... AC adapter, 51 ... power cable, 52 ... RF tag, 52a ... setting information storage region, 52b ... installation location information storage region, 53 ... connector unit, 100 ... host device.

Claims (8)

A housing,
A power supply unit to which power is supplied from a commercial power source;
A power connector provided in the housing and connected to the power supply unit;
A proximity wireless communication unit that is provided in the housing and performs proximity wireless communication;
A memory module that holds printer information that is information related to the printer;
A communication unit that communicates with the host device;
A control unit that obtains print data from the host device via the communication unit and executes printing of the print data based on setting information held in a predetermined storage area;
The memory module is provided in the power supply unit,
The control unit controls the proximity wireless communication unit to acquire the printer information from the memory module and the memory module, and changes the setting information held in the predetermined storage area based on the acquired printer information A printer characterized by that. The communication unit has a LAN connector to which a LAN cable is connected,
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the setting information includes an IP address. The power supply unit has an AC adapter,
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the AC adapter includes the memory module. The power supply unit has a power cable connecting the AC adapter and the power connector,
The printer according to claim 3, further comprising a storage unit that stores the AC adapter and covers the power connector. The power supply unit has a power cable connected to the power connector,
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the memory module is provided in a connector portion of the power cable that is connected to the power connector. With power switch,
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires the printer information from the memory module when the power switch is operated and the printer is activated. A power supply unit, a power supply unit connected to the power supply connector for supplying power, and a communication unit communicating with the host device, and through the communication unit based on setting information held in a predetermined storage area A printer control method for printing print data acquired from the host device,
Obtaining printer information held by a memory module provided in the power supply unit;
And a step of changing the setting information held in the predetermined storage area based on the acquired printer information.   8. The printer control method according to claim 7, wherein the printer information is acquired from the memory module when the printer is started.

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