JP2899456B2 - Label printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To print predetermined printing information on a corresponding label or tag by accurately positioning a sheet at a printing position when predetermined number of labels or tags are issued. CONSTITUTION:The label printer comprises an information area for storing information such as an intermediate label length, etc., of labels of one set having predetermined number of sheets, and a P-counter for measuring the length from the front end to the rear end of the label according to an output signal from a transmission sensor. When the intermediate label length stored in the area is measured by the counter, a feeding number alpha set for positioning at a preset printing position is set as the number of feeding steps, and a label sheet is positioned at a printing position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is, against the paper for transporting
It relates label printer for issuing a label with printed predetermined print information Te.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional label printer, a label sheet or a tag sheet as shown in FIG. 7A or 7B is known as a sheet. In the label sheet shown in FIG. 7A, a plurality of labels 1 are adhered to a backing sheet 2 at predetermined intervals, and in order to position such a label sheet at a printing position, a transmission type optical sensor is used. , The front end of the label 1 is detected and positioned at the printing position. In the label paper or tag paper shown in FIG. 7B, the black mark 3 printed in advance on the back surface of the paper is detected by a reflective optical sensor and positioned at the printing position.

[0003] In general, a method of positioning at a printing position is as follows.
While feeding the paper, the sensor detects the front end of the label or the black mark by the sensor, and after the sensor detects the front end of the label or the black mark, by further conveying the paper by a predetermined number of feeds set in advance,
The print start position of the label paper or tag paper was adjusted to the print position of the print head.

[0004] For example, in the case of label paper in which a plurality of labels are stuck on a backing paper at a predetermined interval, when the front end of the label is the printing start position, the distance from the printing position of the print head to the transmission sensor. Let a be a, and let b be the length from the front end of a label affixed to a label sheet at a predetermined interval to the front end of the next label. Set the number of feeds at the time.
The positioning to the printing position is performed by controlling the transport sensor to detect the front end of the label by the transmission type sensor and to convey the label paper further by the set number of feeds to stop. This applies to label paper and tag paper provided with black marks.

[0005] The conventional label printer detects the front end of the label or one mark by the sensor as described above,
The label paper or tag paper is further transported by a predetermined number of feeds set in advance to position the paper at the printing position.

[0006]

The object of the invention is to be Solved by the way, label paper
The Oite, dimension in the conveying direction, i.e. double of different sizes
As one set the number of sheets of labels, there may be issued by printing the print information associated with each label.

[0007] For example, label paper has a size
A set of different labels attached at predetermined intervals
And use information on the same product for each label in this set.
Some labels are printed depending on the application.
When printing on a set, always the first set of labels
When the print position is reached, the relevant information about the product is printed.
You have to get started.

[0008] However, such label paper is not suitable.
And simply detect the front edge of the rear label
Positioning of the other label to the printing start position
Cannot always detect the label size.
When the first label comes to the print position,
There was a problem that control to start printing information could not be performed .

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for producing a sheet having different dimensions in the conveying direction.
A set of multiple labels that are
Mark on label paper with multiple sets pasted at predetermined intervals
Characters, always use the first label of a set of labels.
Can be positioned exactly at the printing position,
An object of the present invention is to provide a label printer capable of printing accurate print information on all labels .

[0010]

Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention, in the transport direction
A set of multiple labels with different dimensions
Label paper with multiple sets pasted at predetermined intervals between labels
Is transported, and the label paper to be transported is
In the label printer for <br/> issuing labels to print the relevant print information with each other on each label, a sensor for detecting the front end or rear end of each label <br/> Le of the label sheet, a set of labels To
And the first identification dimension storage means <br/> dimensions Hojo paper is stored for identifying the size in the conveying direction of the label definitive, the sensor
In response to the front end or the rear Tanken and out of Lula Bell is a set of labels
Dimension measurement means for measuring the dimension of the first label in the transport direction, and the dimension value and identification dimension measured by the dimension measurement means
The dimension value of the dimension information stored in the storage means matches within the allowable value
The judgment means for judging whether or not
Is determined, the label that the sensor will detect this time is
Judge that it is the second label, and the sensor detects the label
When done, the first set of labels is printed based on that
And a positioning control means for performing a transfer control for positioning.

[0011]

[Action] Oite to such a configuration, the label paper is conveyed
The front or rear edge of the label on the paper.
Detected by the sensor. Also before the label by the sensor
In response to the edge or trailing edge detection, the
The dimensions are measured, and the measured dimension values are stored in the identification dimension storage means.
That the dimension value of the dimension information stored in
The first label in a set passes through the sensor.
Judge that the sensor detects the second label
When the second label is detected, one set is
Position the first label in the print position. Thus 1
Prints related printing information for each label in the set.
Issue labels.

[0012]

[0013]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a label printer to which the present invention is applied, in which a label sheet 3 is supplied between a thermal line head 1 and a platen 2 opposed to the thermal line head 1. It has become. A transport path for supplying the label paper 3 between the thermal line head 1 and the platen 2 includes a reflection sensor 4 composed of an optical sensor for detecting a black mark provided on the back surface of the paper, and a plurality of A transmission sensor 5 including an optical sensor for detecting a front end and a rear end of a label on a label sheet on which the label is stuck at a predetermined interval is provided.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main circuit configuration.
Reference numeral 11 denotes a CPU (central process
r unit). A ROM (read only memory) 12 in which program data of processing performed by the CPU 11 is stored.
And a RAM (random access memory) in which a memory area used when the CPU 11 performs processing is formed.
Reference numeral 13 is connected to the CPU 11 via a system bus 14. The RAM 13 is further formed with an information area 13a as identification dimension storage means, and a P counter 13b and a G counter 13c as dimension measurement means.

I / O (input / output) unit 1 for inputting output signals from the reflection sensor 4 and the transmission sensor 5
5. A communication I / F (interface) 16 connected to the host computer via a line is also connected to the CPU 11 via the system bus 14. The communication I / F from the host computer via a line
16, based on the setting command received by the user, the dimensional information of the label paper or tag paper to be printed is stored in the information area 1.
3a.

A keyboard controller 18 for controlling the keyboard 17, a display controller 20 for controlling the display 19, a head driver 21 for driving the thermal line head 1, a feed motor 22 for feeding (feeding) paper, and a ribbon for feeding A motor driver 24 that drives a ribbon motor 23 for performing the operation is connected to the CPU 11 via the system bus 14.

FIG. 3 shows the flow of the print position positioning process performed by the CPU 11. Note that this print position positioning process is performed when the transmission sensor 5 is specified, and the label is printed by detecting the front end or the rear end of the label on the label paper in which a plurality of labels are attached to the mount at predetermined intervals. Positioning to the position is performed. In the case of positioning to a printing position by a black mark, for example, in the case of tag paper or the like, the reflection sensor 4 is designated, and in that case, a process different from the printing positioning process described here is performed.
In the print positioning process shown in FIG. 3, first, a process of reading a detection value output from the transmission sensor 5 is performed.

Next, it is confirmed whether the previous detection value read from the transmission sensor 5 is stored in the RAM 13 or not. If there is no previous detection value read, that is, the previous sensor value,
In step 1, the feed motor 22
A process of performing step conveyance is performed, and the detection value read from the transmission sensor 5 at this time, that is, the sensor value is stored in the RAM 13 as a previous sensor value, and further, the P counter 13b
+1 is added to the count value and the process returns to the beginning of the print positioning process.

If the previous sensor value is stored in the RAM 13, the previous sensor value is compared with the current sensor value, and
If the previous sensor value is larger than the current sensor value, the count value of the G counter 13c is set to "1", and the process proceeds to the above-described step 1.

If the previous sensor value is substantially equal to the current sensor value, it is checked whether the count value set in the G counter 13c is "0", and if the count value is set to "0". The process proceeds to step 1 described above. If the count value is not set to "0", the process of +1 is performed on the count of the G counter 13c, and the process proceeds to step 1 described above. I have.

If the previous sensor value is smaller than the current sensor value, it is checked whether the count value of the G counter 13c is larger than 10.
The count of the P counter 13b and the count of the G counter 13c are both set to "0", and the process proceeds to the above-described step 1.

If the count value of the G counter 13c is greater than 10, the count value of the P counter 13b becomes
It is determined whether or not the data of the intermediate label length stored in the information area 13b formed in the AM 13 is equal with a tolerance of ± 5%.
The processing shifts to.

If it is determined that the data of the intermediate label length is equal to the tolerance of ± 5%, the number of feed steps is set to a preset number of steps α for printing positioning (positioning control means). The count of the G counter 13c is set to “0”, and the current sensor value is stored in the RAM 13 as the previous sensor value. Then, the print positioning process is completed.

In this embodiment having such a configuration, first, a set of large and small two sheets is used by using a label sheet on which two kinds of large and small labels as shown in FIG. Consider a case in which print information of the same type of product is printed on a label and issued.

The pitch L between the two large and small labels is 70 mm in the embodiment. The length P of the larger label is 40 mm. The widths G1 and G2 of the gap between the labels are both 2
mm.

At this time, the command received by the communication I / F 16 from the host computer via the line is as shown in FIG. 31 indicates a set of label pitches L, 32 indicates a gap width G1 between the rear end of the smaller label and the front end of the larger label, 33 indicates the length P of the larger label, and 34 indicates the length of the larger label. It shows the gap width G2 between the rear end of the larger label and the front end of the smaller label. The numerical values here are set in units of 0.1 mm.

According to the information of these commands, the RAM 1
In the information area 13a formed in No. 3, the length obtained by adding the gap width 34 to the length 33 of the larger label is converted into the number of steps and stored as the intermediate label length.

FIG. 6 shows a corresponding transmission sensor 5 for label paper.
2 shows a graph of the detected values of. As shown in FIG. 6, the threshold level A
The level is higher, and in the relatively transparent portion of the gap between the labels, the level is lower than the threshold level A.

Therefore, if the transmission sensor 5 continues to detect a level lower than the threshold level A after 10 steps of feeding, it means that a gap between labels has been detected (a general resolution of 8 dots / mm). Then, since 8 dots are 8 steps in 1 mm,
With 2 mm, there are 16 steps. This is confirmed by the G counter 13c that counts the number of steps when the transmission sensor 5 detects a level lower than the threshold level A.

When the transmission sensor 5 detects a level higher than the threshold level A from a gap portion having a level lower than the threshold level A, the front end of the label is detected, and the threshold level A is detected. Threshold level A from higher level
When the transmission sensor 5 and the G counter 13c detect a lower level gap, the rear end of the label is detected.

Therefore, the number of steps during which the transmission sensor 5 detects from the front end of the label to the front end of the next label is P.
The count is performed by the counter 13b.
± for the intermediate label length stored in the information area 13a
If the tolerance is equal to 5%, when the leading end of the smaller label is detected, the preset number of steps α for positioning the label paper at the printing position is set to the number of feed steps, and the number of feed steps is set in the print positioning operation. The label paper is conveyed by the set number of feed steps (α) to position the label paper at the printing position.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when two large and small labels are issued as one set, the length from the front end of the larger label to the front end of the smaller label is converted into the number of steps. By providing an information area 13a for storing a numerical value and a P counter 13b for measuring the length from the front end of the label to the front end of the label by the number of steps, the count value of the P counter 13b is changed to the numerical value stored in the information area 13a. When it is equal to, it is confirmed that the front end of the smaller label has been detected.

At this time, by setting the number of steps α for positioning the label paper at the printing position when the front end of the smaller label is detected by the transmission sensor to the number of feed steps, the label paper can be accurately positioned at the printing position. Can be positioned. Therefore, appropriate print information can be printed on the larger label and the smaller label, respectively.

[0035] Incidentally, in this embodiment, has been described to issue two labels magnitude as a set 必
Of course, the invention is not limited to this.

[0036]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
As a set of multiple labels with different dimensions in the transport direction,
Multiple sets were attached on the backing paper with a predetermined interval between each label
For printing on label paper, always one set
Position the first label of the label exactly at the print position.
To ensure accurate printing of all labels in a set
A label printer capable of printing information can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a main part of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main circuit configuration of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a flow of a print positioning process of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a printed label of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary view showing a setting command according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an output of a transmission sensor for label paper of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a conventional label sheet and tag sheet.

[Explanation of symbols]

5: transmission sensor, 11: CPU, 13a: information area,
13b ... P counter, 13c ... G counter.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of labels having different dimensions in the transport direction.
As a set, leaving a predetermined space between each label on the backing paper
Conveys a plurality of sets of label paper, and the conveyed label
In the label printer for issuing a label with printed indicia <br/> character information associated with each other to each label for each set with respect to the bell paper sensor for detecting the front end or rear end of each label of the label sheet And transport of the first label in a set of labels
And identifying the size storage unit dimensions Hojo paper is stored for identifying the dimension feed, the first label set of labels in response to the front or rear Tanken unloading of by Lula bell to the sensor Transport
Dimension measuring means for measuring a dimension in a direction, and a dimension value measured by the dimension measuring means and stored in the identification dimension storing means.
It is determined whether or not the dimension values of the
Judgment means to judge the match
The label that the sensor will detect next time
Judge as a label, and the sensor performs label detection
And place the first set of labels in the printing position
A label printer, comprising: positioning control means for performing transfer control for positioning.