JP3001706B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording on a recording sheet in accordance with image information, and more particularly, to a recording sheet such as a strip sheet as a cut sheet or a roll sheet as a continuous sheet. And a recording device that performs recording using a chemical change or a physical change due to thermal energy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a so-called thermal line printer, as shown in FIG. 9, only one paper feed port 51 is provided regardless of the type of paper. Also, when recording on a strip of paper, the paper is inserted from the paper feed port 51, fed by the transport roller 52 to perform cueing, and the recording head 53 records and discharges.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, as shown in FIG.
However, there are only the following problems. (1) When recording on a strip, the sheet must be fed upside down to the user and the operability is poor. (2) When feeding is performed from the bottom of the printer, the feeding port becomes a blind spot for the user, so it is difficult to confirm the insertion state of the sheet, and a feeding error is likely to occur.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to provide a recording apparatus having improved operability by selectively using different feeding ports according to the type of recording sheet.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a typical configuration according to the present invention comprises a first opening through which a cut sheet for recording can be inserted and discharged, and a continuous sheet for recording inserted. A possible second opening, a conveying unit for driving the drive source in the forward and reverse rotations to convey the cut sheet and the continuous sheet inserted from the first and second openings, and conveying by the conveying unit Recording means for recording an image on the cut sheet and the continuous sheet according to image information;
A first sensor disposed between the opening and the recording unit, for detecting the cut sheet and the continuous sheet;
A second sensor disposed between the second opening and the recording means for detecting the continuous sheet;
A sheet retraction unit provided on the opposite side to the recording unit from the opening and for retrieving the inserted cut sheet; a sheet retraction sensor for detecting a cut sheet in the sheet retraction unit; Driving the drive source based on a detection signal by a sensor to cause the cut sheet and the continuous sheet to perform cueing, stopping the drive source based on the rear end detection of the continuous sheet by the second sensor, Control means for controlling the drive source to stop based on the detection of the rear end of the cut sheet by the sheet pull-in sensor.

[0006]

According to the above means, when a cut sheet is used as a recording sheet, the recording sheet is inserted from the first opening, retracted into the sheet retraction section, and then cueed out. Is recorded by the recording means in accordance with the image information while the sheet is being conveyed, and is discharged again from the first opening. When a continuous sheet is used as the recording sheet, the recording sheet is inserted from the second opening, cueed by the conveying unit, and then recorded by the recording unit according to the image information. Discharge.

[0007]

Next, an embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the above-mentioned means is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the printer unit will be described using a handy terminal used for information processing in the outdoors. In describing the embodiments, a handy terminal having no sheet retraction unit will be described first with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 as a reference example, and then with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, the sheet retraction unit according to the present invention. The handy terminal with is described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a handy terminal having no sheet pull-in portion, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a recording mechanism, FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a handy terminal, and FIG.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a setting operation of a recording sheet.

First, the external configuration of the handy terminal will be described with reference to FIG. A is a keyboard which is an input unit for various commands. A display B is a display unit for displaying information input from the keyboard A, displaying error information, an operation sequence, and the like. C is a recording mechanism for outputting necessary information among the input information. Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 1a denotes a roll paper as a recording sheet, which is held in a roll paper holder 2 as a support member. Reference numeral 3 denotes a feeding / discharging port, which is a first opening provided on the upper surface of the apparatus, and is configured to insert and discharge the strip paper 1b as a recording sheet and discharge the roll paper 1a. 4 is the second provided at the lower part of the side of the device.
A feed port, which is an opening, through which the roll paper 1a is fed from the roll paper holder 2.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a platen roller as a conveying means, which is rotated by a driving motor 6 as a driving source shown in FIG. By driving the drive motor 6 in the forward / reverse direction, the recording sheet is conveyed in the forward / reverse direction with the direction in which the recording sheet is discharged from the feed / discharge port 3 as the forward direction, and cueing is performed. As shown in FIG. 2, a feed knob 5b is attached to the rotation shaft 5a of the platen roller 5, and by manually rotating the feed knob 5b, the platen roller 5 is rotated to convey the recording sheet. can do.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a recording head as recording means.
The image is recorded on the roll paper 1a and the strip paper 1b according to the image information. Reference numeral 8 denotes a release lever serving as a pressing means, which presses and releases the recording head 7 against the platen roller 5. The paper used as the recording sheet is a heat-sensitive paper that develops color by heat, and does not like to receive frictional heat due to the paper being rubbed by a frictional material other than the recording head 7 during recording. Also, if the recording head 7 receives friction while being pressed against the platen roller 5 in a state where there is no paper, the recording head 7 is liable to be adversely affected by wear and the like. Therefore,
When the recording sheet is conveyed other than in the recording operation, it is necessary to release the pressing of the recording head 7 by the release lever 8. Reference numeral 9 denotes a release lever sensor serving as a pressing detection unit, which detects an operation state of the release lever 8.

Reference numerals 10a and 10b denote upper and lower pinch rollers, which are driven rotary members, which press the platen roller 5 to sandwich the recording sheet and convey the recording sheet by the cooperative action of the two. 11a and 11b are sheet detecting means, 11a is an upper surface sensor as a first sensor, and 11b is a roll paper sensor as a second sensor. These both detect the presence or absence of a recording sheet.

Next, the structure of the control means for controlling the operation of each part of the handy terminal will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. The recording control unit 13 connected to the main CPU 12 is, for example, a CPU 13 such as a microprocessor.
a, a ROM 13b which stores a control program and various data of the CPU 13a, a RAM 13c which is used as a work area of the CPU 13a and temporarily stores various data, and a counter 13d which counts the number of rotation pulses of the drive motor 6 Etc. are equipped.

The recording control unit 13 receives information from the release lever sensor 9, upper surface sensor 11a, roll paper sensor 11b, etc., and drives a driving motor 6; a motor driving circuit 14 for driving the recording head 7; Output drive signal to 15. The upper surface sensor 11a and the roll paper sensor 11b are turned on when the recording sheet is at the sensor position, and turned off when the recording sheet is not at the sensor position.
State. Reference numeral 16 denotes the drive motor 6 and the recording head 7.
It is a power supply for driving the like.

Next, roll paper 1 is placed in the handy terminal.
A control procedure from feeding and setting of the sheet a and the strip 1b to the start of the recording operation will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, when recording on the roll paper 1a, in step S1, the operator operates the release lever 8 to release the pressing state of the recording head 7 against the platen roller 5, and then moves the leading end of the roll paper 1a to the lower pinch roller 10b. After the leading, the feed knob 5b is manually rotated to guide the leading end of the roll paper 1a to the upper pinch roller 10a.

Next, the process proceeds to step S2, where the roll paper 1a
Of the upper surface sensor 11a through the roll paper sensor 11b
It is determined whether or not the upper surface sensor 11a and the roll paper sensor 11b (both are abbreviated as “sheet sensors 11”) are in the ON state. Become. If both or any one of the sheet sensors 11 is in the OFF state, the process proceeds to step S3 to display on the display B that a sheet feeding error has occurred.

In step S2, the sheet sensor 11
Is in the ON state, Steps S4 to S
Then, the process proceeds to step 5, where the drive motor 6 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction via the motor drive circuit 14, and the roll paper 1a is reversely conveyed by the platen roller 5 until the upper surface sensor 11a is turned off.

In step S5, the upper surface sensor
When 11a is turned off, the process proceeds to steps S6 to S8, and the drive motor 6 is driven to rotate forward through the motor drive circuit 14, and the roll paper 1a is turned on until the upper surface sensor 11a is turned on. When the sheet is conveyed by the platen roller 5 and the upper surface sensor 11a is turned on, the driving of the drive motor 6 is stopped to stop the platen roller 5, and the cueing operation ends.

Next, the process proceeds to step S9 to determine again whether or not the sheet sensor 11 is in the ON state. If the sheet sensor 11 is in the OFF state, the operations of steps S6 to S8 are repeated. Then, the recording controller 13 operates the release lever 8 to display on the display B such that the recording head 7 is pressed against the platen roller 5.

Next, the process proceeds to step S11, where it is determined whether or not the release lever 8 has been operated by the release lever sensor 9. When the release lever sensor 9 is turned on, the position between the recording head 7 and the platen roller 5 is determined. The state is such that the roll paper 1a is sandwiched, and then the flow shifts to step S12 to shift to the recording standby state. Thereafter, when the operator inputs a recording start command from the keyboard A, the operation shifts to a recording operation.

The end of the roll paper 1a during the recording operation is
When the detection is performed by the roll paper sensor 11b and the end is detected by the roll paper sensor 11b, control such as stopping the driving of the platen roller 5 at the time when the roll paper 1a is transported by a predetermined amount and discharged from the feeding / discharging port 3 is performed. I do.

Next, when recording is performed on the strip 1b, first, as a preparation, the operator operates the release lever 8 to release the pressed state of the recording head 7, and the sheet sensor 11 is turned off.
The feed knob 5b is manually rotated in the reverse direction until the F state is reached, and the roll paper 1a is wound into the roll paper holder 2. After confirming that the roll paper 1a is separated from the lower pinch roller 10b, the operator removes the roll paper 1a together with the roll paper holder 2 from the apparatus main body.

Next, in step S20, the feeding and discharging port 3
The strip paper 1b is inserted. When it is detected in step S21 that the upper surface sensor 11a has been turned on, the process proceeds to step S22, where it is confirmed that both the roll paper sensor 11b and the release lever sensor 9 are off.

Next, the processing shifts to step S23, where the recording control unit 13
Performs the operation of driving the drive motor 6 in the reverse direction via the motor drive circuit 14 and drawing the strip 1b into the feed port 4 side by the platen roller 5.

Next, the flow shifts to step S24, where the strip 1
When b is pulled in until the upper surface sensor 11a is turned off, the process proceeds to steps S25 to S27 to drive the drive motor 6 forward through the motor drive circuit 14, and the upper surface sensor 11a is turned on. Strip paper 1
b is conveyed by the platen roller 5, and the upper surface sensor 11a
Is turned on, the drive of the drive motor 6 is stopped to stop the platen roller 5, and the cueing operation is terminated.

Next, the flow shifts to step S28 to determine whether or not the sheet sensor 11 is in the ON state. If the sheet sensor 11 is in the OFF state, the operations of steps S25 to S27 are repeated, and
If it is in the N state, the process proceeds to step S29 and the recording control unit 13
Operates the release lever 8 to display on the display B such that the recording head 7 is pressed against the platen roller 5.

Next, the process proceeds to step S30, where it is determined whether or not the release lever 8 has been operated by the release lever sensor 9. When the release lever sensor 9 is turned on, the position between the recording head 7 and the platen roller 5 is determined. The state is such that the roll paper 1a is sandwiched, and then the flow shifts to step S31 to shift to the recording standby state. Thereafter, when the operator inputs a recording start command from the keyboard A, the operation shifts to a recording operation.

The end of the strip 1b during the recording operation is detected by the roll paper sensor 11b. When the end of the strip 1b is detected by the roll paper sensor 11b, the strip 1b is conveyed by a predetermined amount to be fed from the feeding / discharging port 3. At the time of discharge, control such as stopping driving of the platen roller 5 is performed.

According to the above configuration, the recording sheet can be set by feeding the recording sheet from a different feeding port according to the type of paper and performing the cueing operation, thereby improving the operability at the time of feeding. Can be.

Next, a handy terminal having a sheet pull-in section will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
As shown in (1), the overall configuration of the apparatus is the same as that of the handy terminal of the above-described reference example. However, in this embodiment, the sheet retraction unit 18 for retrieving the strip 1b between the lower pinch roller 10b and the recording head 7 is provided. Is formed. The entrance of the draw-in section 18 is opened and closed by a paper guide 19 which is a guide member slidable in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus bottom portion.
The paper guide 19 is pressed toward the platen roller 5 by a spring 20 shown in FIG. Also, the above-mentioned retracting section 18
Is provided with a pull-in sensor 21 for detecting the presence or absence of the fed and fed strip paper 1b.

At the tip of the bottom of the roll paper holder 2, a protrusion 2a serving as a support member for supporting the roll paper 1a is provided.
When the roll paper holder 2 is mounted, the protruding portion 2a pushes the leading end portion 19a of the paper guide 19 into the apparatus so as to be aligned. A roll paper holder claw is provided on the mounting surface side of the roll paper holder 2.
The roll paper holder 2 is mounted by fitting into a fitting hole 19b of the paper guide 19 formed corresponding to the roll paper holder claw 22 as shown in FIG. is there.

First, when recording on the strip 1b, the operator operates the release lever 8 to release the pressed state of the recording head 7, and inserts the leading end of the strip 1b from the feed / discharge port 3. The strip paper 1b is inserted, and the upper surface sensor 11a is inserted.
When the recording control unit 13 detects that is turned on,
After confirming that both the pull-in sensor 21 and the release lever sensor 9 are OFF, the platen roller 5 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction to draw the strip 1b into the pull-in section 18.

Next, as in the above-described reference example, the upper surface sensor
The pull-in operation is continued until the upper surface sensor 11a is turned on until the upper surface sensor 11a is turned on. When the cueing of the strip 1b is completed, the recording control unit 13 confirms that the upper surface sensor 11a and the retracting sensor 21 are in the ON state, and operates the release lever 8 to display that the recording head 7 is in the pressed state. B is displayed. The upper surface sensor 11a or the pull-in sensor 21 is OFF
If it is in the state, the fact is displayed on the display B as a feeding error, the operator operates the release lever 8 and the release lever sensor 9 is turned on, and the strip paper 1b
Is sandwiched between the recording head 7 and the platen roller 5 to enter a recording standby state.

Next, a recording operation is started by a recording start command in response to a key input by the operator. Strip paper 1b during recording operation
After the sheet is detected by the pull-in sensor 21 and the sheet is conveyed by a predetermined amount in the direction of the feed / discharge port 3, control such as stopping the platen roller 5 is performed.

Next, when recording on the roll paper 1a, first, the operator mounts the roll paper holder 2 on the upper end of the apparatus as shown in FIG. The roll paper holder 2 is integrally mounted by fitting the roll paper holder claws 22 into fitting holes 19b provided in the paper guide 19 as shown in FIG. At this time, the projection 2a provided on the bottom surface of the roll paper holder 2 pushes the leading end 19a of the paper guide 19 into the apparatus. As a result, the paper guide 19 pressed and fixed to the platen roller 5 by the spring 20 slides in a direction away from the platen roller 5, and
The entrance 18 is closed, and the transport path of the roll paper 1a is determined.

Next, the operator inserts a finger through an opening 23 (see FIG. 8) provided on the bottom of the roll paper holder 2 to guide the leading end of the roll paper 1a to the lower pinch roller 10b. Less than,
The cueing operation, the recording operation, and the end detection of the roll paper 1a are performed in the same manner as in the aforementioned reference example.

According to the above configuration, a draw-in section 18 dedicated to the strip 1b which can be opened and closed when the roll paper holder 2 is mounted or not mounted is provided, and the transport path of the strip 1b is made linear, so that a paper jam is prevented. Can be prevented.

Although the present embodiment has been described using a handy terminal as a recording device, the present invention can be applied to other recording devices, for example, an electronic typewriter, a facsimile device, a copying device, a word processor, a printer device, and the like. .

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, the sheet can be set by feeding a recording sheet from a different opening according to the type of sheet and performing a cueing operation. Can be improved. By providing a sheet retraction unit dedicated to the cut sheet and making the transport path of the cut sheet straight, sheet jamming can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a handy terminal according to a reference example.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a recording mechanism.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the handy terminal.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control system.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a setting operation of a recording sheet.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing another configuration of the handy terminal.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory sectional view showing a roll paper transport operation of the handy terminal according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the roll paper holder of the handy terminal according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional recording apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A ... Keyboard B ... Display C ... Recording mechanism 1a ... Roll paper 1b ... Strip paper 2 ... Roll paper holder 3 ... Supply / ejection port 4 ... Supply port 5 ... Platen roller 5a ... Rotating shaft 5b ... Feed knob 6 ... Drive motor 7 Recording head 8 Release lever 9 Release lever sensor 10a, 10b Pinch roller 11a Upper surface sensor 11b Roll paper sensor 12 Main CPU 13 Recording controller 13a CPU 13b ROM 13c RAM 13d Counter 14 ... Motor drive circuit 15 ... Head drive circuit 16 ... Power supply 18 ... Retractor 19 ... Paper guide 20 ... Spring 21 ... Retraction sensor 22 ... Roll paper holder claw 23 ... Opening

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 11/00-11/70 B41J 15 / 04,29 / 48

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] A first opening into which a cut sheet for recording can be inserted and ejected; a second opening into which a continuous sheet for recording can be inserted; Conveying means for conveying the cut sheet and the continuous sheet inserted from the second opening, and recording means for recording an image on the cut sheet and the continuous sheet conveyed by the conveying means in accordance with image information; A first sensor for detecting the cut sheet and the continuous sheet, disposed between the first opening and the recording unit; and disposed between the second opening and the recording unit; A second sensor for detecting the continuous sheet, a sheet retraction unit provided on a side opposite to the recording unit from the first opening for retrieving an inserted cut sheet, and a sheet retraction unit. of A sheet pull-in sensor for detecting a cut sheet, and driving the drive source based on a detection signal from the first sensor to perform cueing of the cut sheet and the continuous sheet, and the continuous sensor by the second sensor. Control means for stopping the driving source based on the detection of the trailing edge of the sheet and stopping the driving source based on the detection of the trailing edge of the cut sheet by the sheet pull-in sensor. apparatus. 2. The control means determines whether or not recording of the continuous sheet by the recording means is possible based on detections of the first sensor and the second sensor. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein whether or not recording of the cut sheet by the recording unit is possible is determined based on detection of a sensor. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first opening is provided on an upper surface of the apparatus main body, the second opening is provided on a side surface of the apparatus main body, and the transfer means is provided between the first opening and the second opening. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a platen roller that forms a conveyance path therebetween; and a driven rotary body that conveys the sheet by sandwiching the sheet with the platen roller. 4. A support member for supporting the continuous sheet in the vicinity of a second opening, a conveyance path from the second opening to the recording means in accordance with attachment / detachment of the support member, and The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a guide member configured to switch a conveyance path to the recording unit. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a display unit for displaying information such as a set state of the cut sheet and the continuous sheet; and an input unit for giving a command to the control unit. The recording device according to claim 1.