JP2611538B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer, and more particularly, to a mechanism for detecting a print launch position of a printer.

[Prior Art] There are the following two mechanisms for detecting a print launch position of a conventional printer.

(1) In FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, two detectors 23-1 and 23-2, which are detection means, are connected to the print head 21.
Are fixed to the vicinity of the left and right reversing parts of the carriage 22, respectively, and the detected member 25 is formed or fixed to the carriage 22, and the signals 28-1 and 28-2 of the detectors 23-1 and 23-2 are used. Left and right print launch positions were detected.

(2) In FIG. 9, FIG. 10, and FIG.
One detector 33 attached to a detector substrate 34 is fixed to one of the left and right reversing parts of the carriage 32 including
A detected member 35 is formed or fixed to a carriage 32 including a print head 31, and a signal 38 of the detector 33 determines a printing position on one side where the detector is fixed, and sets the other printing position by software processing or the like. Controlled and decided.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The above two methods have the following disadvantages.

In the configuration of (1), two detectors must be used, and there is a disadvantage that the cost is increased, including circuits around the detector and a control circuit for controlling the printer.

In the configuration of (2), although there is one detector, the printing start position is defined only on one side of the detector, and the stop position of the carriage including the print head is only on one side of the detector. And the printing speed is lost due to the restriction of the stop position.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem, and the detection means is formed by changing the shape of the detected member so that the output signal waveform from the detection means changes at each inversion section. An object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost printer having a print launch position detecting mechanism that can detect the left and right launch positions and that can easily be controlled, even though only one is used.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, a printer according to the present invention includes:
A carriage mounted with printing means and reciprocating in a direction perpendicular to the recording paper transport direction; a rotating cam for reciprocatingly driving the carriage once per rotation via a power transmission member engaged with the carriage; and a rotating cam. The detected member, and a single detecting means for detecting the detected member, wherein the detected member is continuously detected by the detecting means while moving either the forward or backward stroke of the carriage. I do.

[Operation] In the printer configured as described above, the detector detects the detected member provided on the rotating cam for the carriage on which the head is mounted to reciprocate. The printing start position can be specified by the signal output from the detector that has detected the detected member. In addition, it is possible to determine at which reversing section the carriage on which the print head of the printer is mounted is located, and at any position other than the reversing section, the printing direction.

Embodiment An embodiment of a printer according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a top view showing a state in which a carriage 2 on which a print head 1 is mounted at one of the ejection positions in the printer of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view, and FIG. 3 is a signal waveform. FIG. 4 is a top view showing a state where the carriage 2 is moving from one ejection position, and FIG. 5 is a top view showing a state where the carriage 2 is at the other ejection position.

1 and 2, the print head 1 is fixed to the carriage 2. The head feed gear 6 is rotated about a head feed gear shaft 8 by an external power source (not shown). The head feed lever 9 is a head feed lever drive pin 10
With the rotation of the head feed cam 7 formed on the head gear 6 through the head gear 6, the amplitude movement is performed about the head feed lever fulcrum shaft 11. The head feed lever 9 engages with the carriage 2 via the head drive pin 12 to reciprocate the carriage 2 including the print head 1. The guide shaft 13 is a guide when the carriage 2 reciprocates. A detection member 5 is formed on the head feed gear 6 and is detected by a detector 3 provided on a rotation locus of the detection member 5. In this example, the detector 3 uses a photoelectric type groove type photo switch.

According to this configuration, when the head feed gear 6 is driven by an external power source and starts rotating in the direction of arrow 6a, the carriage 2 starts moving in the direction of arrow 2a along the guide shaft 13. The detected member 5 formed on the head feed gear 6 is also indicated by an arrow 6a.
And then reaches the detector 3. The signal at this time is the falling portion 14a of the signal shown in FIG.
The level changes to the level, and the launch position in printing in the direction of arrow 2a can be specified.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the head feed gear 6 is further rotated in the direction of arrow 6a. When the head feed gear 6 rotates in the direction of arrow 6a, the print head 1 further performs arrow 2a while printing.
Move in the direction. At this time, the detected member 5 is passing through the detector 3, and the detector 3 is always detecting the detected member 5. The signal at this time is the steady state 14b of the signal shown in FIG.
And keeps the LOW level state.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the head feed gear 6 is further rotated in the direction of arrow 6a. When the head feed gear 6 continues to rotate in the direction of arrow 6a, the print head 1 is turned over after one line of printing is completed, and starts moving in the direction of arrow 2b. At this time, the detected member 5 ends passing through the detector 3. The signal at this time is the rising portion 14c of the signal shown in FIG.
The level changes to the level, and the launch position in printing in the direction of arrow 2b can be specified.

Therefore, if the stop position of the carriage 2 including the print head 1 is set to be near the center of each of the reversing portions, the signal which detects HIGH or LOW at the time of starting allows the carriage 2 including the print head 1 to determine which of the carriages 2 includes the print head 1. It can be determined whether or not the user is in the reversing section, and the change in the level of the signal 14 after the start is the printing position. According to this method, even when the carriage 2 including the print head 1 is stopped, it is possible to determine which reversal section the user is in, and to determine the position in the reciprocating motion range.

In this embodiment, the case where the head feed cam 7 is formed on the upper plane of the head feed gear 6 has been described. However, the same effect can be obtained when the head feed cam is formed on a cylindrical surface using a cylindrical cam.

[Effects of the Invention] The following items are required as a launch position detecting mechanism.

(1) The launch position can be specified.

(2) It is possible to determine which of the reversing sections has the carriage.

However, as described above, according to the present invention, the carriage on which the printing means is mounted and which reciprocates in the direction perpendicular to the recording paper conveyance direction, and the carriage is rotated by one per rotation through the power transmission member engaged with the carriage. A reciprocating rotary cam, a member to be detected provided on the rotary cam, and a single detecting means for detecting the member to be detected, wherein the member to be detected moves either forward or backward in the carriage. During detection, the signal from the detection means changes near the reversing portion, and the position is used as the reference position of the carriage, so that the ejection position can be specified, and the transporting member can be specified to any of the reversing portions. As described above, it is possible to determine whether or not there is a very simple configuration including the member to be detected and one detector, which is very effective in cost and space saving.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1, 4, and 5 are top views showing one embodiment of the printer of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view, and FIG. 3 is a view showing signal waveforms. 6 to 8 are a top view, a side view, and a diagram showing signal waveforms of the first conventional example. 9 to 11 are a top view, a side view, and a diagram showing signal waveforms of the second conventional example. 1, 21, 31 Print head 2, 22, 32 Carriage 3, 23-1, 23-2, 33 Detector 4, 24, 34 Detection board 5, 25, 35 Detected Member 6 Head feed gear 26, 36 Cylindrical cam 7 Head feed cam 8 Head feed gear shaft 9 Head feed lever 10 Head feed lever drive pin 11 Head feed lever fulcrum shaft 12 …… Head drive pin 13 …… Guide shaft 14, 28, 38 …… Signal 27, 37 …… Head FPC

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A carriage mounted with printing means and reciprocating in a direction orthogonal to a recording paper transport direction; and a rotary cam for reciprocatingly driving the carriage once per rotation via a power transmission member engaged with the carriage. A detected member provided on the rotating cam, and a single detecting means for detecting the detected member, wherein the detected member is moving during either the forward or backward stroke of the carriage. A printer continuously detected by the detection means.