JP2018202662A - Medium supply device and image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a medium supply device in which a malfunction hardly occurs in a cutter part in the cutting operation of a continuous medium, and an image formation apparatus having the same.SOLUTION: A roll sheet feeder 200 being the device supplying an RFID continuous medium 11 from a roll sheet 10 includes: a holder 201 which rotatably supports the roll sheet; a holder drive part 202 which rotates the roll sheet; medium conveyance parts (210, 220, 230) which convey the continuous medium 11 pulled out from the roll sheet in the prescribed conveyance direction F1; position detection parts (241, 242) which detect the position of the continuous medium 11 in the conveyance direction F1; a cutter part 250 which cuts the continuous medium 11 at the prescribed cutting position; and a control part 280. The control part performs control of rewinding so that the position of the continuous medium 11 has the target physical relation with the cutting position by the holder drive part and medium conveyance parts on the basis of the position of the continuous medium 11 detected by the position detection parts and the cutting position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a medium supply device that supplies a continuous medium having a plurality of label portions each embedded with a wireless communication tag, and an image forming apparatus including the medium supply device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printing apparatus as an image forming apparatus detects occurrence of a jam during printing on roll paper that is a continuous medium (also referred to as “RFID continuous medium”) in which RFID (Radio Frequency IDentifier) as a wireless communication tag is embedded. In this case, in order to minimize the adverse effect on the printing apparatus and the RFID continuous medium, the printing operation in the printer unit (also referred to as “printing unit” or “image forming unit”) of the printing apparatus is immediately stopped and the printing apparatus The medium supply (paper feed) operation by the medium supply device (roll paper feeder) is immediately stopped, and the operator is informed that it is waiting for recovery work.

  In the restoration work, the operator operates the cutter unit of the medium supply device to cut the RFID continuous medium, removes the RFID continuous medium remaining in the printer unit of the printing device, and is pulled out of the roll paper to the medium supply device. An unused RFID continuous medium is set again.

JP-A-2015-141358

  However, in the conventional medium supply device, when the medium cannot be normally conveyed due to a jam or the like, the cutting position by the cutter unit overlaps with a hard member such as an antenna unit of an RFID unit or an IC (Integrated Circuit) unit, for example. There is. As a result, there is a problem that defects such as shortening of the blade life of the cutter part or chipping of the cutter part are likely to occur.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a medium supply device that does not easily cause a problem in a cutter unit in a continuous medium cutting operation, and an image forming apparatus including the medium supply device. To do.

  A medium supply apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a medium supply apparatus that supplies a continuous medium having a plurality of label portions each embedded with a wireless communication tag to an external apparatus, and a holder that supports the continuous medium; A drive unit that moves the continuous medium supported by the holder; a medium transport unit that transports the continuous medium drawn from the holder in a predetermined transport direction or a rewind direction opposite to the transport direction; A position detection unit that detects the position of the continuous medium in the transport direction, a cutter unit that cuts the continuous medium at a predetermined cutting position, and a control unit that controls the operation of the entire apparatus. Based on the position of the continuous medium and the cutting position detected by the position detection unit, the position of the continuous medium is set to the cutting position and the target by the driving unit and the medium transport unit. And performing control to return to the holder side to a positional relationship.

  An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes the medium supply device and an image forming unit that forms an image on the continuous medium cut and separated by the medium supply device.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in the cutting | disconnection operation | movement of a continuous medium, there exists an effect that it can make it difficult to produce a malfunction in a cutter part.

  In addition, by using a function for appropriately controlling the cutting position of the continuous medium, the function of cutting the vicinity of the rear end of the label unit having the wireless communication tag in which the defect is detected and supplying the defective tag to the printer unit is provided. There is an effect that can be.

FIGS. 1A to 1C are side views schematically showing a printer unit and a medium supply device (roll paper feeder) of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 1 (b) shows the state at the start of the slack forming operation of the continuous medium, and FIG. 1 (c) shows the slack formation of the continuous medium. Indicates the state when completed. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows roughly an example of the roll paper which consists of RFID continuous media. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows roughly an example of the internal structure of the label part (sheet | seat) which comprises an RFID continuous medium. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a control system of the medium supply device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a relationship (normal time) between a continuous medium and a cutting position by a cutter unit when the continuous medium is set in the medium supply apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a relationship (at the time of jam release) between a continuous medium and a cutting position by a cutter unit when the continuous medium is set in the medium supply device according to the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a reception process from a printer unit in the medium supply device according to the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart schematically showing processing when a jam occurrence is detected in the medium supply device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a printer unit of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a medium supply device (roll paper feeder) of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a side view schematically showing a configuration of a printer unit and a roll paper feeder of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIGS. 12A to 12C are side views showing a schematic configuration of the roll paper feeder according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 12A shows a set start state of a continuous medium drawn from the roll paper. FIG. 12B shows a state at the start of the slack formation operation of the continuous medium, and FIG. 12C shows a state at the completion of the slack formation of the continuous medium. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a continuous medium setting operation by the roll paper feeder according to the second embodiment. FIGS. 14A to 14D are side views showing a schematic configuration of the roll paper feeder according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 14A shows the start state of setting the RFID continuous medium drawn from the roll paper. FIG. 14 (b) shows the state at the start of the leading edge detection operation of the label part next to the head label part, and FIG. 14 (c) shows the state of the continuous medium in the RFID read / write state. 14 (d) shows the state of another continuous medium in the RFID read / write state (when the length of the label portion in the transport direction is large). 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of setting an RFID continuous medium by a roll paper feeder according to Embodiment 2. It is a figure which shows the example of the result of the function confirmation of the RFID continuous medium by the roll paper feeder which concerns on Embodiment 2 in a table format. (A) to (d) are side views showing a schematic configuration of the roll paper feeder according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 17 (a) shows the start of rewinding of the RFID continuous medium drawn from the roll paper. FIG. 17B shows a previous state, FIG. 17B shows a state when the rewinding of the RFID continuous medium drawn from the roll paper is completed, and FIG. 17C shows the winding of the RFID continuous medium drawn from the roll paper. FIG. 17 (d) shows a state when the return is completed (a state where the region between the defective label portion and the label portion immediately after that is overlapped with the cutting position by the cutter portion), and the RFID continuous medium is cut and separated by cutting. It is a figure which shows the state from which the top part made is discharged | emitted. 10 is a flowchart showing an RFID continuous medium rewinding operation by the roll paper feeder according to the second embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a roll paper feeder as a medium supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and an image forming apparatus having the roll paper feeder will be described. The roll paper feeder and the image forming apparatus described below are examples, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

<< 1 >> Embodiment 1
<1-1> Configuration FIGS. 1A to 1C are side views schematically showing a printer unit 100 and a roll paper feeder 200 as a medium supply device of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 1A shows a start state of setting the continuous medium 11 drawn from the roll paper 10, and FIG. 1B shows a state at the start of the slack forming operation of the continuous medium 11, and FIG. ) Shows a state when the slack formation of the continuous medium 11 is completed. As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 includes a roll paper feeder 200 that is a medium supply device, and a printer unit 100 that is connected to the roll paper feeder 200. I have. For example, the printer unit 100 forms an image on a continuous medium (also referred to as “continuous paper”) 11 drawn from the roll paper 10 by an electrophotographic method. However, the printing method of the printer unit 100 may be a method other than the electrophotographic method (for example, an ink jet method). An example of the printer unit 100 is shown in FIG. Further, the roll paper feeder 200 may be configured to be detachable from the printer unit 100. When the roll paper feeder 200 is removed from the printer unit 100, the printer unit 100 has a function as a normal printer that prints an image on a sheet (for example, a sheet) accommodated in the printer unit 100. it can.

  The roll paper feeder 200 is a roll in which a continuous medium 11 having a plurality of label portions 12 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the medium is provided with an RFID as a wireless communication tag (for example, embedded) and wound in a roll shape. This is a device that pulls out a continuous medium 11 from a sheet medium (roll paper) 10, cuts it, and supplies it to a printer unit 100 as an external device. The roll paper feeder 200 includes a holder 201 that rotatably supports the roll paper 10, a holder driving unit that rotates the roll paper 10 supported by the holder 201 (a pulse motor 202 for a holder in FIG. 4 described later), and roll paper. A medium transport unit that transports the continuous medium 11 drawn from 10 in a transport direction F1 parallel to the longitudinal direction of the medium or in a rewind direction F2 opposite to the transport direction F1, and a position for detecting the position of the continuous medium 11 in the transport direction F1. Sensors 241 and 242 serving as detection units, a cutter unit 250 that cuts the continuous medium 11 at a predetermined cutting position, and a control unit (a microprocessor 280 in FIG. 4 described later) that controls the operation of the entire apparatus. .

As shown in FIG. 1, the medium transport unit of the roll paper feeder 200 according to the first embodiment is
Conveying rollers (or conveying roller pairs) 210, 220, and 230, and pulse motors 211, 221, and 231 that give rotational driving force thereto are included. Further, the roll paper feeder 200 according to the first embodiment includes guide rollers 271, 272, a slack bar 273 that forms a slack in the slack forming area 276, and a slack bar guide 274 that moves the slack bar 273. . Furthermore, the roll paper feeder 200 includes a cutter unit 250, sensors 243 and 244 that detect the position of the slack bar 273, and an RFID reader / writer antenna 260 that is an RFID reading / writing antenna.

  When the control unit receives a jam occurrence detection signal from the printer unit 100, based on the position of the continuous medium 11 detected by the sensors 241 and 242 as position detection units and the cutting position by the cutter unit 250, the holder driving unit And the rewinding control is performed by the medium transport unit until the position of the continuous medium 11 becomes the positional relationship between the cutting position and the target. Here, the target positional relationship is a positional relationship in which the cutting position by the cutter unit 250 overlaps with a gap region (21 in FIGS. 5 and 6 to be described later) where the RFID constituent member is not embedded in the continuous medium 11.

  FIG. 2 is an external perspective view schematically showing an example of the roll paper 10 made of an RFID continuous medium. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing an example of the internal structure of the label portion (sheet) 12 constituting the RFID continuous medium.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the RFID continuous medium 11 is a roll paper 10 as an externally wound roll medium having a printing surface on the front side, and a black mark 28 as a printing positioning means is labeled on the back surface. Printed for each copy (sheet). As shown in FIG. 3, each sheet has a package 14 composed of a pair of sheet-like members, and an inlay (embedded object) 17 in the package 14 is provided with an antenna unit 15 and an IC unit 16. Yes. The print positioning means may be a mark or structure having a shape or color other than the black mark 28.

  The roll paper holder 201 is a support means for rotatably supporting the roll paper 10 made of the RFID continuous medium 11, and the roll paper 10 is moved in the transport direction F1 by a holder pulse motor 202 (shown in FIG. 4 described later). Reverse rotation that applies force in the reverse unwinding direction F2 is performed, and a load is shut off by a mechanical torque limiter (not shown) so that a force in the direction F2 exceeding a certain upper limit value is not applied. Thus, an appropriate back tension is applied when the RFID continuous medium 11 is conveyed. By this back tension, the skew of the continuous medium 11 is suppressed.

  The pulse motor 211 is a motor for driving the transport roller 210. The transport roller 210 is operated by the pulse motor 211, pulls out the RFID continuous medium 11 from the roll paper 10 set in the roll paper holder 201, and transports it to the transport roller 220. Further, when the rotation direction of the pulse motor 211 is set to F4 (CW direction in the figure), the operation in the transport direction F1 is performed.

  The pulse motor 221 is a motor for driving the transport roller 220. The conveyance roller 220 is operated by the pulse motor 221 and conveys the RFID continuous medium 11 sent from the conveyance roller 210 to the conveyance roller 230 on the downstream side. Further, the transport roller 220 performs a transport operation in the transport direction F1 when the rotation direction of the pulse motor 221 is set to the direction F4.

  The pulse motor 275 is a motor for operating the slack bar guide 274. The slack bar guide 274 is raised or lowered under the driving force of the pulse motor 275.

  The pulse motor 231 is a motor for driving the transport roller 230. The conveyance roller 230 is operated by the pulse motor 231 and conveys the RFID continuous medium 11 sent from the conveyance roller 220 to the printer unit 100. Further, when the rotation direction of the pulse motor 231 is set to the CW (clockwise) direction, the operation in the transport direction F1 is performed.

  The guide roller 271 is a roller that guides the RFID continuous medium 11 from the conveyance path to the sag forming area 276. The guide roller 272 is a roller that guides the RFID continuous medium 11 from the sag forming area 276 to the conveyance path. The slack bar guide 274 is a guide that secures a space for passing paper and places the slack bar 273. When the slack bar guide 274 is lowered to the lower end position in the paper passing state, the slack of the continuous medium 11 is formed. I do.

  The slack bar guide 274 is moved up and down by a pulse motor 275. For example, the ascending operation is performed when the rotation direction of the pulse motor 275 is set to the CW direction. Since the slack bar 273 is supported so as to ride on the slack bar guide 274, if the slack bar guide 274 is lowered to the lower end position while the transport roller 210 and the transport roller 220 are operated and the transport roller 230 is stopped, By lowering to its position by its own weight, the conveyed RFID continuous medium 11 is sent to the sagging formation area 276. As shown in FIG. 1C, when the slack bar 273 reaches the lower end position, the slack formation is completed.

  The cutter unit 250 is a cutting unit that is operated by a DC (direct current) motor 251 (shown in FIG. 4) to cut the RFID continuous medium 11. When the paper length notified from the host device is reached, the cutter unit 250 is in this position. Then, the RFID continuous medium 11 is stopped, and the cutting operation by the cutter unit 250 is performed. At this time, since the transport roller 210 and the transport roller 220 are stopped and the transport roller 230 is operating, the cutting operation is performed while supplying the RFID continuous medium 11 to the printer unit 100 from the slack portion. . Further, this position is a reference position for paper length management.

  The sensor 241 is a medium insertion detection sensor that detects that the leading end of the RFID continuous medium 11 has been inserted. The sensor 242 is a sensor that detects the black mark 28 and performs a cueing operation of the RFID continuous medium 11 with reference to this position. The sensor 243 detects the position of the slack bar 273. The sensor 244 detects the position of the slack bar 273a.

  The RFID reader / writer antenna 260 is an antenna portion of the RFID reader / writer control unit 261 (shown in FIG. 4), and stops at this position for each label portion (one sheet) of the RFID continuous medium 11 to read. & Write operation. At this time, since the transport roller 210 and the transport roller 220 are stopped and the transport roller 230 is operating, the continuous medium 11 is supplied from the “sag” to the printer unit 100 as described above.

  The sagging formation area 276 is an area for securing sagging of the continuous medium 11. In general, operations that need to be performed while stopping paper transport such as “RFID read / write” and “paper cutting with a circle cutter or guillotine cutter” in the printing apparatus after the printer unit 100 starts printing. Since printing is performed at a constant speed until printing is completed, “sag” is prepared in preparation for “paper conveyance stop during printing”, and “sag” is supplied to the printer unit 100 while paper conveyance is stopped during printing. "RFID read / write" and "paper cutting with a circle cutter or guillotine cutter" are realized.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of the roll paper feeder 200 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the roll paper feeder 200 includes a microprocessor 280, a pulse motor control circuit 289, a pulse motor 211, a pulse motor 221, a pulse motor 275, a pulse motor 231, and a pulse motor for a holder. 202, a cutter control circuit 252 which is a DC motor control circuit, a DC motor 251, a cutter unit 250, a sensor 241, a sensor 242, a sensor 243, a sensor 244, an RFID reader / writer control unit 261, An RFID reader / writer antenna 260.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the microprocessor 280 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 281, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 285, an I / O (Input / Output) port 286, and a UART (Universal Asynchronous Recipient-Receiver Transmitter-Receiver-Receiver-Receive 287. The microprocessor 280 controls the pulse motor, DC motor, and RFID read / write based on the sensor state.

  The ROM 281 stores a control program and control information for the microprocessor 280, and includes a determination unit 282, a storage unit 283, and a detection unit 284. The determination unit 282 includes “determination of insertion of the RFID continuous medium 11 based on information from the sensor 241”, “determination of black mark 28 detection based on information from the sensor 242”, “determination of no sag based on information from the sensor 243”, and “sensor 244”. The slack formation end determination based on the information from “, the paper length determination based on the operation amount information of the pulse motor 211”, the “notification determination from the printer unit 100”, and the like are performed.

  The storage unit 283 includes “the number of pulses of the pulse motor necessary for the movement from the sensor 242 to the paper length reference position”, “the number of pulses of the pulse motor necessary for the movement from the sensor 242 to the RFID reader / writer antenna 260”, “ The number of pulses of the pulse motor 275 necessary for the movement from the upper end position of the slack bar guide 274 to the lower end position of the bar guide 274 is stored.

  The detection unit 284 detects the state change of the sensor 241, the sensor 242, the sensor 243, and the sensor 244. The RAM 285 is used as a memory for managing various information in the roll paper feeder 200. The I / O port 286 is an input / output port of the microprocessor 280, and performs motor control, acquisition of sensor information, control of the RFID reader / writer control unit 261, and the like.

  The pulse motor control circuit 289 includes a pulse motor 202 for operating the roll paper holder 201, a pulse motor 211 for operating the transport roller 210, a pulse motor 221 for operating the transport roller 220, and a pulse for operating the transport roller 230. The motor 231 and the pulse motor 275 that moves the slack bar guide 274 up and down are controlled.

  The cutter control circuit 252 controls the DC motor 251 that operates the cutter unit 250. The RFID reader / writer control unit 261 reads the written information and writes new information to the RFID continuous medium 11 conveyed under the RFID reader / writer antenna 260 through the RFID reader / writer antenna 260.

  The UART 287 is a serial interface of the microprocessor 280 and is used for communication with the printer unit 100. The printer unit 100 notifies the roll paper feeder 200 of the paper length of the continuous medium 11, notification of a gap amount 21, which will be described later, and alarm status. For example, when the printer unit 100 detects a jam during printing, the printer unit 100 notifies the roll paper feeder 200 of the occurrence of the jam and makes a transition to an alarm state.

<< 1-2 >> Operation FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a cutting position of the RFID continuous medium 11 in a normal state performed by the roll paper feeder 200 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the cutting position of the RFID continuous medium 11 when the jam is released by the roll paper feeder 200 according to the first embodiment. Below, the cutting position with respect to the conveyance direction F1 is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a black mark 28 as a reference position portion is formed on the back surface of the RFID continuous medium 11. The black mark 28 is a mark for enabling detection of the position of the RFID continuous medium 11 in the transport direction F1 (medium longitudinal direction). The black marks 28 are arranged at a constant interval in the longitudinal direction of the medium (that is, arranged at an equal pitch), and the interval between two adjacent black marks 28 is the black mark pitch 20. . The black mark pitch 20 is set directly by the printer unit 100 or by a printer driver.

The gap amount 21 is an amount corresponding to the distance from the rear end of the print region 22 to the front end of the next print region. As with the black mark pitch 20, the gap amount 21 is set directly by the printer unit 100 or by the printer driver. The gap amount 21 is 3 mm, for example. The print area 22 is an area where an image is formed by the printer unit 100, and has the following relationship in the transport direction F1.
(Length of printing area 22) = (Black mark pitch 20) One (Gap amount 21)
The damaged paper 27 is the RFID continuous medium 11 that becomes damaged paper due to a jam.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the distance 23 from the black mark 28 to the cutting position in the normal state is near the middle between the print area 22 and the print area 22, and is, for example, “gap amount 21 × 0.5”. . In this embodiment, it is 1.5 mm, and this position is the normal cutting position 24.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the distance 25 from the black mark 28 to the cutting position 26 at the time of releasing the jam is in the vicinity of the rear end of the printing area 22 of the waste paper 27. For example, “gap amount 21 × 0.9 " In this embodiment, it is 2.7 mm, and this position is the cutting position 26. The vicinity of the rear end is set to “gap amount 21 × 0.9”. However, this is not limited as long as it is larger than 0.5 and smaller than 1.0.

  Next, the operation of the roll paper feeder 200 at the time of jam release will be described. In this description, the printer unit 100 detects a jam, but the roll paper feeder 200 may detect a jam. In this case, the notification direction is reversed (a notification by the UART 287 is sent from the roll paper feeder 200 to the printer unit). 100), there is no change.

(1) When the printer unit 100 detects a jam during printing, a jam notification is sent to the roll paper feeder 200 through the UART 287.

(2) In the microprocessor 280, when the determination unit 282 determines a jam based on the notification from the printer unit 100, the pulse motor 211, the pulse motor 221, and the pulse motor 231 are transmitted from the I / O port 286 through the pulse motor control circuit 289. By stopping the holder pulse motor 202, the transport roller 210, the transport roller 220, the transport roller 230, and the roll paper holder 201 are stopped. Since the operation of the printer unit 100 is also stopped at the same time, this stopping operation causes the entire printing apparatus to be in an emergency stop state due to a jam. At this time, the roll paper feeder 200 is in the state shown in FIG.

(3) By operating the pulse motor 211, the pulse motor 221 and the holder pulse motor 202 in the reverse direction of the transport direction F1, the transport roller 210, the transport roller 220, and the roll paper holder 201 are rotated in the reverse direction, and the slack forming area 276 is formed. The “sag” is rewound and the slack bar 273 gradually approaches the upper end position from the lower end position.

(4) When the detection unit 284 detects the slack bar 273 (no slack) by the sensor 243, the pulse motor 211, the pulse motor 221, and the pulse motor 202 for the holder are stopped, so that the transport roller 210, the transport roller 220, and the roll The reverse rotation of the paper holder 201 is stopped. The roll paper feeder 200 at this time is in the state shown in FIG.

(5) By operating the pulse motor 211 and the pulse motor 221 so as to advance the continuous medium 11 in the transport direction F1, the transport roller 210 and the transport roller 220 rotate. By operating the holder pulse motor 202 in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction (to apply the back tension when the medium is conveyed in the conveyance direction), the roll paper holder 201 performs the reverse rotation operation. Since the conveying force 220 is stronger and a torque limiter (not shown) is provided, the appearance is stopped. At this time, since the pulse motor 231 is stopped, the transport roller 230 is stopped.
As described above, the RFID continuous medium 11 transported by the transport roller 210 and the transport roller 220 is accumulated as “sag” in the sagging formation area 276 as shown in FIG.

(6) When the detection unit 284 detects the black mark 28 by the sensor 242, after the continuous medium 11 is transported from this position to the cutting position (jam release) 26, the pulse motor 211, the pulse motor 221, and the holder pulse By stopping the motor 202, the rotation of the transport roller 210, the transport roller 220, and the roll paper holder 201 is stopped.
The transport amount at this time is L10,
The distance from the sensor 242 stored in the storage unit 283 to the cutting position of the cutter unit 250 is L11,
If the distance (jam release) 25 from the black mark 28 to the cutting position is L12,
The carry amount L10 is expressed by the following equation.
L10 = L11−L12

  In the first embodiment, the above (1) to (6) are explanations of “operation of the roll paper feeder 200 in releasing jam” of the printing apparatus, and thereafter, the operator performs a recovery operation. To recover, the RFID continuous medium 11 is manually cut by the medium cutting execution switch on the operation panel of the printer unit 100, the continuous medium that has jammed inside the printer unit 100 is removed, and the RFID continuous medium 11 is reset. Do. Note that the RFID continuous medium 11 downstream from the cutting position (at the time of jam release) 26 with respect to the conveyance direction F1 is a portion that becomes the leading end after the jam release, and the upstream side of the conveyance direction F1 becomes the waste paper 27.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating processing in which the roll paper feeder 200 according to the first embodiment receives information from the printer unit 100. The processing in FIG. 7 is periodically executed according to the main processing routine. The roll paper feeder 200 receives a large number of notifications from the printer unit 100 and executes processing according to the contents. In the first embodiment, a paper jam notification to be used will be described.

  The reception determination (step S101) is a process of determining the presence / absence of a command from the printer unit 100 by the determination unit 282. Paper jam notification determination (step S102) is a process in which the determination unit 282 determines whether the notification received from the printer unit 100 is a paper jam notification. The paper jam setting process (step S103) is a process when a paper jam notification is received from the printer unit 100, and is shown in detail in FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the paper jam setting process of the roll paper feeder 200 according to the first embodiment. This process is a process of setting the state of the roll paper feeder 200 to “waiting for the operator to clear jam”.

  The pulse motor 211 OFF processing (steps S201, S211 and S222) is processing for setting the pulse motor 211 to stop for the pulse motor control circuit 289 via the I / O port 286.

  The pulse motor 221 OFF processing (steps S202, S212, and S223) is processing for setting the pulse motor 221 to stop for the pulse motor control circuit 289 through the I / O port 286.

  The pulse motor 231 OFF process (step S203) is a process for setting the pulse motor 231 to stop for the pulse motor control circuit 289 via the I / O port 286.

  The holder pulse motor 202 OFF process (steps S204, S213, and S224) is a process for setting the holder pulse motor 202 to stop for the pulse motor control circuit 289 through the I / O port 286.

  The rotation direction setting process (CCW direction) (step S205) of the pulse motor 211 is a process of setting the rotation direction of the pulse motor 211 in the CCW direction to the pulse motor control circuit 289 through the I / O port 286.

  The rotation direction setting process (CCW direction) of the pulse motor 231 (step S206) is a process of setting the rotation direction of the pulse motor 231 in the CCW direction to the pulse motor control circuit 289 via the I / O port 286.

  The pulse motor 211 ON process (steps S207 and S216) is a process of setting the operation of the pulse motor 211 to the pulse motor control circuit 289 through the I / O port 286.

  The pulse motor 221 ON process (steps S208 and S217) is a process of setting the operation of the pulse motor 221 to the pulse motor control circuit 289 through the I / O port 286.

  The holder pulse motor 202 ON process (steps S209 and S218) is a process of setting the operation of the holder pulse motor 202 to the pulse motor control circuit 289 via the I / O port 286.

  The state determination (step S210) of the sensor 243 is processing for determining the ON / OFF state of the sensor 243 detected by the detection unit 284 by the determination unit 282.

  The rotation direction setting process (CW direction) of the pulse motor 211 (step S214) is a process of setting the rotation direction of the pulse motor 211 to the CW direction with respect to the pulse motor control circuit 289 through the I / O port 286.

  The rotation direction setting process (CCW direction) (step S215) of the pulse motor 231 is a process of setting the rotation direction of the pulse motor 231 to the CW direction with respect to the pulse motor control circuit 289 through the I / O port 286.

  The state determination (step S219) of the sensor 242 is processing for determining the ON / OFF state of the sensor 242 detected by the detection unit 284 by the determination unit 282.

  In the conveyance amount setting process (step S220) up to the cutting position (jam release) 26, the distance from the black mark to the cutting position (jam release) 25 stored in the storage unit 283 is set to the pulse motor 211 and the pulse motor 221. This is a process of storing and holding the carry amount converted into the number of pulses in the RAM 285.

  The conveyance end determination (step S221) is processing for determining whether the conveyance of the conveyance amount up to the cutting position (jam release) 26 stored and held in the RAM 285 is completed by the determination unit 282.

<< 1-3 >> Effect As described above, in the first embodiment, when a jam occurs during printing, the medium conveying operation by the roll paper feeder 200 is immediately stopped and then formed in the sag forming area 276. All the slack of the continuous medium is rewound, and the continuous medium is conveyed from the position where the continuous medium slack is unwound until the black mark 28 is detected. After the black mark 28 is detected, the continuous medium is cut (jam release) 26 The following effects can be obtained.

(1) In the cutting of the RFID continuous medium 11 at the time of jam recovery, continuous to the continuous medium separation area where the antenna part 15 and the IC part 16 do not exist (that is, the area between the label part 12 and the next label part 12). Since the medium is moved, damage to the cutter unit 250 can be prevented and the load can be minimized.

(2) In the cutting of the RFID continuous medium 11 at the time of jam recovery, the cutting position of the continuous medium is changed from the cutting position (normal time) 24 shown in FIG. 5 to the cutting position shown in FIG. By changing to 26, when the RFID continuous medium 11 is reset after a jam recovery performed after cutting, the extra length from the leading edge to the black mark 28 is large, so that it is possible to perform highly accurate reference alignment from the first sheet. .

(3) Even if there is “sag” necessary for mechanism control, by rewinding when a jam occurs, it becomes possible to greatly reduce the portion of the expensive RFID continuous medium that becomes the waste paper 27.

<< 2 >> Embodiment 2
<< 2-1 >> Configuration In the second embodiment, when a defective RFID is detected, a printing operation can be executed except for the defective RFID. In the second embodiment, the same or corresponding components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the printer unit 100 of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 9, the printer unit 100 includes a main control unit 101, an operation display unit 102, a print data reception unit 103, a print data analysis unit 104, a paper transport control unit 105, and roll paper feeder control. Unit 106 and print control unit 107.

  The printer unit 100 according to the second embodiment is an electrophotographic printing apparatus that transfers (temporarily transfers) each color toner onto an intermediate transfer belt, and superimposes each color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt, and then onto a sheet. In the following description, it is assumed that an intermediate transfer method for transferring (secondary transfer) is used.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the operation display unit 102, the print data receiving unit 103, the paper conveyance control unit 105, the roll paper feeder control unit 106, and the print control unit 107 are controlled by the main control unit 101. ing.

  The operation display unit 102 includes a plurality of button switches, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and the like. The LED is turned on according to the state of the printer unit 100, and a message is displayed on the LCD. By pressing a button switch, it has a function of selecting or executing an item displayed on the LCD.

  The print data receiving unit 103 is an I / F (Interface) unit for receiving print data from a host information processing apparatus. The print data analysis unit 104 is a processing unit for analyzing print commands and control commands included in the print data received by the print data reception unit 103.

  The paper transport control unit 105 has a function for transporting the print medium under various conditions. The roll paper feeder control unit 106 has a function for controlling a roll paper feeder 200a described later. The print control unit 107 is a processing unit for printing the result of the print command included in the print data analyzed by the print data analysis unit 104 described above.

  FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the roll paper feeder 200a according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the roll paper feeder 200a includes a main control unit 290, a control command receiving unit 291, a control command analyzing unit 292, a pulse motor control circuit 289, pulse motors 211, 221, 231, A cutter control circuit 252, a cutter unit 250, an RFID reader / writer control unit 261, and an RFID reader / writer antenna 260 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the control command receiving unit 291, the pulse motor control circuit 289, the cutter control circuit 252, and the RFID reader / writer control unit 261 are controlled by the main control unit 290.

  The control command receiving unit 291 is an I / F unit for receiving a control command from the roll paper feeder control unit 106 of the printer unit 100. The control command analysis unit 292 is a processing unit for analyzing the control command received by the control command reception unit 291 described above.

  The pulse motor control circuit 289 is a processing unit for controlling a pulse motor described later. The pulse motors 211, 221, and 231 are motors for driving a sheet conveying roller and the like. The cutter control circuit 252 is a processing unit for controlling a cutter unit described later. The cutter unit 250 is a cutter unit for cutting the roll paper 10 at an arbitrary position.

  The RFID reader / writer control unit 261 has a function of communicating with an RFID tag included in a print medium via an RFID reader / writer antenna 260 described later. The RFID reader / writer antenna 260 is an antenna for radiating radio waves in a frequency band such as an HF band (short wave band) and a UHF band (ultra-high frequency band) to an RFID tag included in a print medium. The RFID tag included in the print medium operates by receiving this radio wave and obtaining operating power from electromagnetic induction or direct radio waves, and performs communication via the RFID reader / writer antenna 260.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the printer unit 100 and the roll paper feeder 200a according to the second embodiment.

  The roll paper feeder 200 a according to the second embodiment is a feeder unit that feeds the continuous medium 11 and supplies the continuous medium 11 to the printer unit 100. As shown in FIG. 11, the roll paper feeder 200 a includes transport rollers 210, 220, and 230 for transporting the continuous medium 11.

  The transport rollers 210, 220, and 230 are driven by pulse motors 211, 221, and 231. Note that a pulse motor is actually required for each transport roller, but in the figure, the pulse motors 211, 221, and 231 are collectively referred to as a plurality of pulse motors.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the roll paper feeder 200 a includes a slack bar 273. The slack bar 273 is a slack lever for creating a slack between the printer unit 100 and the roll paper feeder 200a, and is similarly driven by the pulse motors 211, 221, and 231 described above.

  The printer unit 100 is an apparatus that forms an image on the label unit by electrophotography. The printer unit 100 includes, for example, an image forming unit 110 that forms a toner image by an electrophotographic method, a primary transfer roller 122 that transfers the toner image onto the intermediate transfer belt 121 of the transfer unit 120, and an intermediate transfer belt 121. And a secondary transfer roller 140 that transfers the transferred toner image onto a sheet (for example, a label). The sheet is conveyed by the conveyance roller 130 and the like, and after the toner image is transferred, the sheet passes through the fixing unit 150 and is fixed by the discharge roller 160 after the toner image is fixed on the sheet.

  12A to 12C are diagrams illustrating a schematic configuration of a sheet setting operation (basic) of the roll paper feeder 200a according to the second embodiment. 12A shows an initial operation stage when the roll paper 10 is set on the roll paper feeder 200a. FIG. 12B shows the roll paper 10 set on the roll paper feeder 200a. FIG. 12C shows the final operation stage when the roll paper 10 is set in the roll paper feeder 200a.

  As illustrated in FIG. 12A, the roll paper feeder 200 a includes a sensor 242 that is an optical sensor for detecting the leading end of the label portion of the roll paper 10. As illustrated in FIG. 12B, the roll paper feeder 200 a includes a sensor 245 that is an optical sensor for detecting the leading end of the label portion of the roll paper 10. As illustrated in FIG. 12C, the roll paper feeder 200 a includes sensors 243 and 244 for detecting the upper end position and the lower end position of the slack bar 273.

<< 2-2 >> Operation First, the operation of the printer unit 100 according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a first paper setting operation of the roll paper feeder 200a according to the second embodiment. The first paper setting operation is a basic operation when the roll paper 10 is a normal continuous medium (paper) that does not incorporate RFID.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in step S301, a paper end sensor (not shown) is used to determine whether or not a sheet is set in the roll paper feeder 200a. If a paper set is detected (YES in step S301), the process proceeds to the next step S302, where the conveyance roller 210 is driven and conveyance of the roll paper 10 is started.

  Subsequently, the process proceeds to the next step S303, in which it is determined whether the sensor 242 has detected the leading end of the label portion. If the leading edge of the label portion cannot be detected, the roll paper 10 has not been transported to a predetermined position, so the process returns to step S302 and the above process is repeated.

  If the leading edge of the label portion can be detected by the sensor 242 (YES in step S301), it can be seen that the conveyance of the roll paper 10 has been completed to a predetermined position, so the process proceeds to the next step S304, and the number counter is initialized. To do. The number counter is a counter for counting how many label portions are included between the sensor 242 and the sensor 245 of the roll paper feeder 200a, and is used in a processing flow of a paper rewinding operation described later. When the leading end of the label portion is detected by the sensor 242, the roll paper feeder 200a is in the state shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S305, where driving of the transport rollers 220 and 230 is started, and the transport of the roll paper 10 is continued. Next, in step S306, it is determined whether the sensor 242 has detected the leading end of the label portion. If the leading end of the label portion can be detected (YES in step S306), the number counter is incremented by 1 (+1 is added) in the next step S307.

  If the leading end of the label portion cannot be detected (NO in step S306), it is determined in step S308 whether the sensor 245 has detected the leading end of the label portion. If the sensor 245 cannot detect the leading edge of the label portion (NO in step S308), since the transport of the roll paper 10 has not been completed up to a predetermined position, the process returns to step S305 and the above processes are repeated.

  If the sensor 245 can detect the leading edge of the label portion (YES in step S308), it can be seen that the roll paper 10 has been transported to a predetermined position, and therefore the transport roller 230 is stopped in the next step S309. When the leading edge of the label portion is detected by the sensor 245, the roll paper feeder 200a is in the state shown in FIG. Subsequently, driving of the slack bar 273 is started in the next step S310.

  Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S311 to determine whether the sensor 242 has detected the leading end of the label portion. If the sensor 242 can detect the leading edge of the label portion, the number counter is incremented by 1 (+1 is added) in the next step S312.

  When the sensor 242 cannot detect the leading end of the label portion (NO in step S311), the process proceeds to step S313, and it is determined whether or not the lower end position of the slack bar 273 can be detected by the sensor 243. If the lower end position cannot be detected (NO in step S313), since the roll paper 10 has not been transported to the predetermined position, the process returns to step S310 and the subsequent processes are repeated.

  If the lower end position of the slack bar 273 can be detected by the sensor 244 (YES in step S313), it is known that the conveyance of the roll paper 10 has been completed up to a predetermined position, so the process proceeds to the next step S314, and the conveyance roller 210 220 and the slack bar 273 are stopped, and the processing flow is ended. When the lower end position of the slack bar 273 is detected by the sensor 244, the roll paper feeder 200a is in the state shown in FIG.

  FIGS. 14A to 14D are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of a second paper setting operation (RFID) of the roll paper feeder 200a according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14A shows an initial operation stage when the roll paper 10 is set in the roll paper feeder 200a. FIG. 14B shows a state in which the sensor 242 performs the following operation during the paper conveyance for the conveyance distance L1. 14C shows a state in which the leading end of the label portion is detected, and FIG. 14C shows a state in which the paper conveyance for the conveyance distance L1 has been completed and the RFID tag of the leading label portion can be read and written. FIG. 14D shows a state where the RFID tag of the head label part is readable and writable when the length of the label part is long.

  FIG. 14A shows the transport distance L1 required until the position of the RFID tag at the head label portion of the roll paper 10 matches the position of the RFID reader / writer antenna 260 with reference to the position of the sensor 242. Has been. This state occurs when the length of the label portion is shorter than the transport distance L1, and L2 is the distance that can be transported up to this time.

  FIG. 14B shows the transport distance L2 necessary for making the RFID tag of the next label portion readable and writable. FIG. 14D shows the transport distance L3 required until the position of the RFID tag in the leading label portion of the roll paper 10 matches the position of the RFID reader / writer antenna 260 with reference to the position of the sensor 242. Has been. As shown in FIG. 14D, when the length of the label portion is long, the leading end of the next label portion is not detected by the sensor 242 even if the paper is conveyed by the conveyance distance L3.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a second paper setting operation (RFID) of the roll paper feeder 200a according to the second embodiment. This flowchart describes the characteristic behavior particularly when the roll paper 10 is set on the premise of the first paper setting operation (basic) of FIG. 13 described above.

  As shown in FIG. 15, in step S401, whether or not a sheet is set on the roll paper feeder 200a is detected by a paper end sensor (not shown). If a sheet is detected (YES in step S401), the next step is performed. In step S402, driving of the transport roller 210 is started, and transport of the roll paper 10 is started.

  Subsequently, the process proceeds to the next step S403, and it is determined whether or not the leading label portion of the roll paper 10 has been detected by the sensor 242. If the leading end of the label portion cannot be detected (NO in step S403), the conveyance of the roll paper 10 has not been completed up to a predetermined position, so the process returns to step S402 and the subsequent processes are repeated.

  If the sensor 242 can detect the leading label portion of the roll paper 10 (YES in step S403), it can be seen that the roll paper 10 has been transported to a predetermined position, and therefore the process proceeds to the next step S404. The counter is initialized with the distance L1. Note that this transport counter is a counter that is automatically subtracted by the amount that the roll paper 10 has been transported by the transport rollers 210 and 220.

  Subsequently, driving of the transport rollers 210 and 220 is started in the next step S405, and it is determined whether or not the next label portion of the roll paper 10 has been detected by the sensor 242 in the next step S406. If the leading end of the next label portion can be detected by the sensor 242 (YES in step S406), since the length of the label portion is shorter than the distance L1, the processing is performed in preparation for transporting the next label portion. In step S407, the current transport distance is stored in the temporary storage area.

  If the leading end of the next label portion cannot be detected by the sensor 242 (NO in step S406), the process proceeds to the next step S408, where the conveyance counter is checked to determine whether conveyance for a predetermined conveyance distance has been completed. If not completed, the process returns to step S405.

  If transport for a predetermined transport distance has been completed (YES in step S408), the process proceeds to the next step S409, the transport rollers 210 and 220 are stopped, and an RFID tag check is performed in the next step S410. . This check result is stored in the temporary storage area.

  Subsequently, in step S411, it is determined whether the transport distance is stored in step S407. If the transport distance has been stored (YES in step S411), the process proceeds to the next step S412, where the transport counter is initialized with the stored value, and the stored value is cleared in step S413, and then step S405. Return to.

  If it is determined in step S411 that the transport distance is not stored (NO in step S415), the process proceeds to the next step S414 to start driving the transport rollers 210 and 220. In step S414, the sensor 242 It is determined whether or not the next label portion of the roll paper 10 has been detected.

  If the sensor 242 cannot detect the leading edge of the label portion (NO in step S415), since the transport of the roll paper 10 has not been completed up to a predetermined position, the processes in and after step S414 are repeated.

  In step S415, when the leading end of the next label portion can be detected, the process returns to step S404. Note that this processing flow describes only the characteristic part in handling the roll paper 10, and the part not specified in this processing flow is the same as the processing flow described in FIG.

  FIG. 16 shows the result of the RFID tag check performed in the processing flow of the second paper setting operation (RFID) of the roll paper feeder 200a according to the second embodiment. FIG. 16 shows an example in which the number counter for counting how many label portions are included between the sensors 242 and 245 of the roll paper feeder 200a described above is 7. It can be seen that the first to third sheets from the 245 side were OK, the fourth sheet was NG, and the fifth to seventh sheets were OK.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the result of the RFID tag check is stored as a one-dimensional array, and the number of arrays is determined by the number counter n.

  When the roll paper 10 is conveyed by printing or the like and the label portion exceeds the sensor 245, the one-dimensional array as the RFID tag check result overwrites the second result on the first result, and n−1. The number n is updated so as to overwrite the result of the nth sheet, and the sheet counter n is decremented by 1 (that is, -1 is added).

  Similarly, when the roll paper 10 is conveyed by printing or the like, the RFID tag check is performed with the label portion exceeding the sensor 242, the result is written at the end of the one-dimensional array, and the number counter n is incremented by 1 ( That is, +1 is added).

  FIGS. 17A to 17D are diagrams illustrating a schematic configuration of the rewinding operation of the roll paper feeder 200a according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17A shows a state in which the roll paper 10 is normally set in the roll paper feeder 200a. In FIG. 17A, a label portion 12a including a defective RFID tag is shown.

  FIG. 17B shows a state in which the continuous medium 11 is rewound and the slack of the label portion in the slack portion of the roll paper feeder 200a is completely removed. In FIG. 17B, the distance between the label portion and the label portion is indicated by a distance L4, and the shortest distance from the sensor 245 to the sensor 242 is indicated by a distance L5. In this example, three or more label portions are included in the distance L5.

  FIG. 17C shows a state in which the slack of the label portion in the slack portion is removed until the rear end of the label portion of the defective RFID label portion 12a matches the cutter portion 250 position. FIG. 17D shows a state where the rear end of the label portion of the defective RFID label portion 12a is cut by the cutter portion 250, and only the downstream side is conveyed from the cutter portion and cut and discharged.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a rewinding operation of the RFID continuous medium 11 by the roll paper feeder 200a according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 18, in step S <b> 501, the driving of the conveyance roller is stopped and the conveyance of the roll paper 10 is stopped.

  In the next step S502, the RFID tag function is checked, and as a result, the main control unit 290 checks whether or not there is a label portion (defective label portion) including a defective RFID tag in the RFID continuous medium 11.

  If there is a defective label portion (YES in step S502), the process proceeds to the next step S503, and it is checked whether or not the rear end portion of the defective label portion can be rewound to the position of the cutter portion 250. Here, whether or not rewinding is possible depends on the distance L5 that represents the shortest distance from the sensor 242 to the sensor 245 shown in FIGS. Judgment is made based on whether or not the answer is larger than the answer divided by the distance L4 representing the interval distance between the parts.

  If the defective label portion can be rewound (YES in step S503), the process proceeds to the next step S504 to start rewinding to the rear end, and further in step S505, the sensor 242 detects the rear end portion of the defective label portion. Determine whether or not.

  If the rear end of the defective label portion has not been detected (NO in step S505), the process returns to step S504, and if the rear end of the defective label portion has been detected (YES in step S505), the process proceeds to the next step. In step S509, the driving of the conveyance roller is stopped. In step S510, the cutter unit 250 is driven to cut and eject the roll paper 10, and the processing is completed.

  If there is no label portion including a defective RFID tag in step S502, or if it is determined in step S501 that the rear end portion of the defective label portion cannot be rewound to the cutter portion position, in order to minimize waste paper. Then, the process proceeds to step S506, the roll paper 10 is returned as much as possible, and re-conveyance is started in the next step S507. In the next step S508, it is determined whether or not the rear end of the label portion is detected by the sensor 242.

  If the rear end of the label portion has not been detected (NO in step S508), the process returns to step S507. If the rear end of the label portion has been detected (YES in step S508), the process proceeds to step S509. In step S510, the cutter unit 250 is driven to cut and eject the roll paper 10 to complete the process.

<< 2-3 >> Effect As described above, according to the printer unit 100 according to the second embodiment, during the rewinding operation of the roll paper feeder 200a, the rewinding operation based on the already detected RFID tag detection result is performed. . As a result, when a paper jam or the like occurs during printing, the label portion including the defective RFID tag can be discarded, and an effect that a known blank label does not occur at the time of reprinting after the jam release is obtained.

<< 2-4 >> Modified Example In the second embodiment, reading and writing of the RFID tag is performed in a transport stop state during printing, taking an example of an electrophotographic printing apparatus that is difficult to pause once a printing operation is started. can do. For this reason, the roll paper feeder 200a has a configuration in which the continuous medium 11 is slack and absorbs a difference in conveyance speed. However, the sag forming means is not limited to the illustrated example, and any decurling mechanism or skew for removing the curl may be used as long as the length of the continuous medium 11 existing in the roll paper feeder 200a can be increased. A mechanism similar to the mechanism for removing the film may be applied.

  In the second embodiment, the printer unit 100 and the roll paper feeder 200a grasp the apparatus status and perform various determinations and operations. However, the printer unit 100 and the roll paper feeder 200a notify the host apparatus of the status of various sensors included in the apparatus. The configuration may be such that various determinations are performed by a program of the host device, and the result is notified to the printer unit 100 or the roll paper feeder 200a to perform the operation.

  Note that the present invention is also applicable to a medium supply device that stores (holds) unused RFID continuous media in a storage unit (holder) in a zigzag manner, and supplies the continuous media to an external device from there.

  10 roll paper (roll-like medium), 11 continuous medium (RFID continuous medium), 12 label part (sheet), 14 package, 15 antenna part, 16 IC part, 100 printer part (image forming part), 200, 200a roll paper Feeder (medium supply device), 201 holder, 210, 220, 230 transport roller (medium transport unit), 211, 221, 231 pulse motor, 241, 242 sensor, 250 cutter unit, 260 RFID reader / writer antenna, 271, 272 Guide roller, 273 slack bar, 274 slack bar guide, 276 slack forming area, 280 microprocessor (control unit).

Claims (6)

A medium supply device that supplies a continuous medium having a plurality of label portions each embedded with a wireless communication tag to an external device,
A holder for supporting the continuous medium;
A drive unit for moving the continuous medium supported by the holder;
A medium transport unit that transports the continuous medium drawn from the holder in a predetermined transport direction or a rewind direction opposite to the transport direction;
A position detector for detecting the position of the continuous medium in the transport direction;
A cutter unit for cutting the continuous medium at a predetermined cutting position;
A control unit for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus;
With
Based on the position of the continuous medium and the cutting position detected by the position detection unit, the controller controls the positional relationship between the cutting position and the target by the drive unit and the medium transport unit. The medium supply device is configured to perform control to return to the holder side until it becomes.   The positional relationship of the target when receiving a jam detection signal notifying the occurrence of a jam of the continuous medium from the external device is that the cutting position is a gap where the constituent members of the wireless communication tag are not embedded in the continuous medium. The medium supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the medium supply apparatus has a positional relationship overlapping with an area. The continuous medium includes, as the plurality of label parts, a first label part and a second label part immediately after the first label part,
The positional relationship of the target is a positional relationship in which the cutting position overlaps a region on the first label portion side with respect to an intermediate line of the gap region in the gap region. The medium supply device described. A wireless communication unit that wirelessly communicates with the wireless communication tag;
The control unit is in a normal state in which the wireless communication tag of each of the plurality of label units can perform a predetermined function based on a result of wireless communication by the wireless communication unit, or performs the predetermined function To determine if it is in an abnormal state
The positional relationship of the target when the wireless communication tag in the abnormal state is present is such that the cutting position is a gap region in which the constituent members of the wireless communication tag are not embedded in the continuous medium, The medium supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the medium supply apparatus has a positional relationship overlapping a gap region including a rear end of a label portion in which a wireless communication tag in a normal state is embedded. The sag forming part which forms the sag of the said continuous medium which increases the full length of the said continuous medium after it pulls out from the said holder and is supplied to the said external apparatus is provided. The any one of Claim 1 to 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. Or a medium supply device. The medium supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on the continuous medium cut and separated by the medium supply device.

Images