JP2018144994A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer in which occurrence of jam of a recording medium is reduced when printing is executed while carrying the recording medium.SOLUTION: The printer comprises: a carrying passage for carrying a recording medium; a printing part arranged orthogonally with a carrying direction of the recording medium, containing a platen roller whose width in an axial direction is narrower than a width in a direction orthogonal to the carrying direction of the recording medium, and printing on the carried recording medium; a sensor arranged at a side surface part of an end part of the platen roller in the axial direction for detecting a carrying abnormality of the recording medium in response to motion of a forward end the recording medium when the recording medium is so carried as to be wound on an outer periphery of the platen roller; and a control part for performing control against the carrying abnormality on the basis of a detection result of the sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Embodiments described herein relate generally to a printer that prints on paper using a printing unit including a platen roller.

  Conventionally, a point-of-sale information management system called a POS (Point of Sales) system has become widespread, and a POS printer is used as a terminal of the POS system. The POS printer prints on a recording medium such as a receipt paper. For example, a thermal printer that prints by applying heat to the paper is known.

  The POS printer includes a thermal head that prints by applying heat to a sheet, and a platen roller that conveys the sheet while pressing the sheet against the thermal head. The receipt paper is a belt-like heat-sensitive recording paper, and is held by the holding unit while being wound in a roll shape. The paper wound in a roll shape is called a roll paper.

  By the way, in the POS printer, the paper being conveyed may be wound around the platen roller, and a jam (paper jam) may occur. When a jam occurs, it is necessary to remove the jammed paper manually.

  In order to prevent the occurrence of a jam, a guide member for guiding the paper is provided so that the paper is not wound around the platen roller. There is also a printer having a function of determining the occurrence of a jam (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, even if the guide member is provided, it is not possible to completely prevent the paper from being wound around the platen roller. In particular, when the roll diameter of the roll paper is reduced, the paper is likely to be wound around the platen roller. . Further, when the guide member is provided, the number of parts increases, which is an obstacle to downsizing the printer.

JP 2005-178307 A

  The problem to be solved by the invention is to provide a printer that reduces the occurrence of jams in the recording medium when printing while conveying the recording medium.

  The printer according to the embodiment is arranged so that the conveyance path for conveying the recording medium is orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and the axial width is larger than the width of the recording medium in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. A printing unit that includes a narrow platen roller and that prints on the conveyed recording medium, and is disposed on the side surface of the end of the platen roller in the axial direction so that the recording medium is wound around the outer periphery of the platen roller. A sensor that detects a conveyance abnormality of the recording medium in response to the movement of the front end of the recording medium, and a control unit that controls the conveyance abnormality based on a detection result of the sensor. .

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a printer according to an embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a main part of the printer according to the embodiment. The side view explaining operation | movement of the sensor in one Embodiment.

  Embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same location.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a printer according to an embodiment. In FIG. 1, a thermal printer 10 for POS (Point of Sales) will be described as an example. The printer 10 includes a main body portion 11 and a cover 12, and the cover 12 is attached to the main body portion 11 so as to be openable and closable around a shaft 13.

  The main body 11 includes a hopper 16 that holds the roll paper 14. The roll paper 14 is a belt-like heat-sensitive recording paper (recording medium), and is held by the hopper 16 while being wound around the winding shaft 15 in a roll shape. The roll paper 14 held by the hopper 16 is pulled out from the leading end and conveyed to a paper conveyance path 19 including guide rollers 17 and 18. Note that the roll paper that is pulled out and conveyed is referred to as paper S in the following description.

  A printing unit 20 is provided on the downstream side of the guide roller 18 in the paper conveyance path 19. The printing unit 20 includes a platen roller 21 and a thermal head 22. The platen roller 21 and the thermal head 22 are arranged orthogonal to the transport direction of the paper S, and face each other with the paper transport path 19 in between.

  When the paper S passes between the platen roller 21 and the thermal head 22, the thermal head 22 contacts the recording surface (upper surface in the drawing) of the paper S and applies thermal energy to the recording surface of the paper S. Print characters.

  The platen roller 21 is rotationally driven by the transport motor 23 and transports the paper S sent through the paper transport path 19. The paper S printed by the printing unit 20 is further conveyed to the cutter mechanism 24.

  The cutter mechanism 24 has, for example, a movable blade 25 and a fixed blade 26. By sliding the movable blade 25 with respect to the fixed blade 26, the paper S conveyed along the paper conveyance path 19 is placed at an arbitrary position. Disconnect with. The cut piece of paper is issued from the issue port 27 as receipt paper, for example.

  Further, on the upper surface of the cover 12, for example, a display unit 28 configured by a liquid crystal display is provided. The display unit 28 displays receipt information, and notifies an error display when the receipt paper is jammed or the roll paper 14 runs out. The display unit 28 may include a touch panel type input unit 29.

  In addition to the display unit 28, an audio output unit may be provided. The sound output unit notifies the error by sound when the receipt paper is jammed or the roll paper 14 runs out. The display unit 28 or the audio output unit constitutes a notification unit.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the printer 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31 as a control unit. The CPU 31 is connected to a ROM (Read Only Memory) 33, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 34, and an interface (I / F) 35 via a bus line 32 (address bus, data bus, etc.).

  Further, the CPU 31 is connected to the units such as the transport motor 23, the thermal head 22, the cutter mechanism 24, the display unit 28, and the sensor 36 described later via a bus line 32.

  The ROM 33 stores in advance fixed data such as program data including control programs and setting data. The CPU 31 controls each unit of the printer 10 by developing a program stored in the ROM 33 on the RAM 34 and executing the program. The RAM 34 includes various memory areas such as a buffer area in which print data is expanded. The RAM 34 also has an area for storing data such as messages printed on the paper S (receipt paper).

  The interface (I / F) 35 is connected to the POS control unit 40 and receives detailed transaction data from the POS control unit 40. This detail data includes transaction product detail data such as transaction date / time, transaction number, product code, product name, price, etc. Detail data is included.

  Meanwhile, the printer 10 may wind the paper S around the platen roller 21 while the paper S is being conveyed. In particular, when the roll diameter of the roll paper 14 becomes small, there is a problem that it is easy to wind.

  In the embodiment, when the paper S is to be wound around the platen roller 21, it is detected in advance to reduce the occurrence of jam. Hereinafter, the jam detection mechanism of the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a main part of the printer 10 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 3, the platen roller 21 is disposed in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction A of the paper S and rotates around the rotation shaft 211. Although the thermal head 22 faces the platen roller 21, the illustration of the thermal head 22 is omitted for convenience of explanation.

  The width W1 in the axial direction of the platen roller 21 is set to W2> W1, where W2 is the width (paper width) of the paper S in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction A. When the printing area of the paper S is S1, the width W3 of the printing area S1 in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction A is slightly smaller than the width W1 of the platen roller 21, and W3 <W1. That is, the width W1 of the platen roller 21 is set so that the relationship of W2> W1> W3 is established.

  Further, the sensor 36 is disposed between the end portion in the axial direction of the platen roller 21 and the side end of the paper S (within the range indicated by the width W4). The sensor 36 may be provided only at one end portion in the axial direction of the platen roller 21 or may be provided at the other end portion in the axial direction of the platen roller 21 (a sensor provided at the other end portion is denoted by reference numeral 36 ′). ).

  Although the width W1 of the platen roller 21 is narrower than the paper width W2, since it covers the printing area S1 (width W3), there is no problem in printing.

  FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining the position of the sensor 36 and the operation of the sensor 36. As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor 36 includes, for example, a switch 37 and an actuator 38, and the tip of the switch 37 protrudes toward the inner peripheral side with respect to the outer periphery of the platen roller 21.

  That is, the sensor 36 is disposed on the side surface portion of the end portion of the platen roller 21 and is provided at a position where the edge portion of the front end of the sheet S passes when the sheet S is wound around the platen roller 21.

  If the paper S is wound around the platen roller 21, the switch 37 is pushed by the leading edge of the paper S, and the actuator 38 is activated. For example, when the sheet S is to be wound in the direction of arrow B by the rotation of the platen roller 21, the switch 37 is pushed by the edge portion at the front end of the sheet S and rotates in the direction of arrow C, and the actuator 38 is activated. Thereby, the sensor 36 detects that the paper S is wound around the outer periphery of the platen roller 21, that is, a paper conveyance abnormality.

  The detection result by the sensor 36 is transmitted to the CPU 31 in FIG. The CPU 31 controls the sheet conveyance abnormality based on the detection result of the sensor 36. For example, the display unit 28 displays and alerts (warns) that the paper S has been wound around the platen roller 21. Or when the audio | voice output part is provided, a conveyance abnormality is alert | reported by an audio | voice.

  Further, when the sheet S is wound around the platen roller 21, if the sheet S is continuously conveyed as it is, a jam occurs. Therefore, the CPU 31 controls the carry motor 23 based on the detection result of the sensor 36 and stops the rotation of the carry motor 23.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, when the paper S is wound around the platen roller 21, the switch 37 is pushed by the paper S and rotates, and the actuator 38 is actuated to detect the abnormal conveyance of the paper S at an early stage. can do. Further, based on the detection result of the sensor 36, the CPU 31 displays a warning on the display unit 28.

  When the warning is displayed, the user can open the cover 12 (FIG. 1) and correctly set the leading edge of the paper S in the paper transport path 19. When the sheet S is about to be wound around the platen roller 21, the CPU 31 stops the rotation of the transport motor 23 based on the detection result of the sensor 36. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sheet S from being wound around the platen roller 21 more than that.

  The position where the sensor 36 is provided is provided between the end of the platen roller 21 and the end of the sheet S to be conveyed (range indicated by W4 in FIG. 2) and at a position away from the sheet conveying path 19. Therefore, the sensor 36 does not interfere with the conveyance of the paper S.

  Further, the sensor 36 can be provided at an arbitrary position on the outer peripheral portion of the platen roller 21. That is, in the example of FIG. 4, when the position of the platen roller 21 facing the thermal head 22 is set as the O point, the rotation of the platen roller 21 with respect to the O point as a reference is approximately 2/3 of the outer periphery. A sensor 36 is provided at the position of the distance R point.

  However, the position where the sensor 36 is provided may be provided at a position closer to the O point than the R point, for example, at a Q point having a distance that is approximately half of the outer circumference. Further, if the conveyance of the paper S is not affected, the position where the sensor 36 is provided may be provided at a position closer to the O point than the Q point, for example, the position of the P point.

  When the paper S is wound around the platen roller 21, it is desirable to detect the winding at an early timing. Therefore, by setting the position where the sensor 36 is provided at a position close to the point O, winding can be detected at an early timing, and useless conveyance of the paper S can be stopped.

  The sensor 36 includes the switch 37 and the actuator 38. However, the sensor 36 may be a sensor that operates by the movement of the front end of the paper S wound around the platen roller 21, and an arbitrary configuration is used. Can do.

  As described above, according to the embodiment, when the paper S is likely to be wound around the platen roller 21, it can be detected at an early stage by the sensor, and the occurrence of a jam can be dealt with quickly. Further, since the sensor 36 is provided between the end of the platen roller 21 and the end of the sheet S to be transported, the sheet S is wound without disturbing the original transport operation of the sheet S. Can be reliably detected.

  In the embodiment described above, the POS printer has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a type of printer built in the POS terminal. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to POS but also to other business printers or home printers. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to a thermal type thermal printer but also to a thermal transfer type printer using an ink ribbon.

  In addition, although several embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment is shown as an example and is not intending limiting the range of invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof as well as included in the scope and gist of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printer 14 ... Roll paper 19 ... Paper conveyance path 20 ... Printing part 21 ... Platen roller 22 ... Thermal head 23 ... Conveyance motor ...
28 ... Display section (notification section)
31 ... CPU (control unit)
36 ... sensor S ... paper (recording medium)

Claims (5)

A conveyance path for conveying the recording medium;
Printing that is arranged perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium and includes a platen roller whose width in the axial direction is narrower than the width of the recording medium in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and printing on the conveyed recording medium And
The recording medium is arranged on a side surface portion at an end portion in the axial direction of the platen roller, and the recording medium responds to the movement of the front end of the recording medium when the recording medium is conveyed around the outer periphery of the platen roller. A sensor for detecting the conveyance abnormality of
Based on the detection result of the sensor, a control unit for controlling the conveyance abnormality;
Printer with. When the width in the axial direction of the platen roller is W1, and the width in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium is W2,
2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the axial width W <b> 1 is set to be narrower than the width W <b> 2 of the recording medium and wider than the width W <b> 3 of the print area of the recording medium.   The sensor includes a switch that is rotated by being pushed by an edge portion of a front end of the recording medium when the recording medium is conveyed so as to be wound around an outer periphery of the platen roller, and an actuator that is operated by the rotation of the switch. The printer according to claim 1, comprising: Having a notification section,
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the notification unit based on a detection result of the sensor, and notifies the conveyance abnormality of the recording medium from the notification unit. A conveyance motor that rotationally drives the platen roller;
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the transport motor based on a detection result of the sensor and stops driving the transport motor.

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