JP3049888B2 - Printing 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 printing apparatus, and more particularly to a process for opening a cover which is openably and closably mounted on a housing of the printing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A printing apparatus is configured to include a power supply circuit and an operating device that is operated by power supplied from the power supply circuit. These power supply circuits and actuators are housed in a housing. A cover is attached to the housing so as to be openable and closable, and the cover is opened when clearing of a clogged print medium, replacing a print ribbon, or supplying toner is performed. Thus, the operator can reach into the housing to perform a desired process.

[0003]

When the voltage applied from the power supply circuit to the various actuators provided in the housing is high, the operator touches the actuators while the voltage is applied when performing the processing. And dangerous. Therefore, it is desirable that the power supply to the actuators that may be touched by the operator be cut off at the same time as the cover is opened. However, it may be inconvenient if the power supply to the actuator is cut off as soon as the cover is opened. For example, in a wire dot printing device, if power supply is interrupted while the print head mounted on the carriage is moving, the carriage is in an uncontrolled state, and the movement before the power is shut off due to inertia. Continue to collide with other members such as the housing and side frame,
There is a risk of damage, and printing is interrupted in the middle of one line or one character, resulting in defective printing. According to the present invention, the power supply is automatically cut off when the cover of the housing is opened, and the power supply is cut off after the end of the operation of the operating device which is disadvantageous if the power is cut off during the operation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing device that can be used.

[0004]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
Ming is installed to be openable and closable to solve the above problems.
Power circuit and its housing in a housing with a
Operating devices operated by the power supplied from the power supply circuit
And a plurality of operating devices in the printing device,
The power supply from the power supply circuit is cut off only after the operation is completed
End-of-operation devices that should be done and no need to end operation
With divided into an actuating ends unnecessary device is a releasing device of the locking device and the locking device prevents the (a) cover is opened, and at least one of the cover open device to open the cover, (b) at least Cover open command means for issuing a cover open command for commanding one of the operations; and (c) predetermining that power supply from a power supply circuit should be cut off when the cover is opened among the plurality of operating devices. a power supply cutoff means for cutting off the power of a plurality of main power shut-off device which is in response to the cover <br/> over open command (d), actuating at least one of said releasing device and said cover open device With
Of the plurality of power interruption devices, the operation termination device is
The operation of the required operation end device has been completed for
Later, the power supply cutoff means cuts off the power, and the operation ends.
Unnecessary devices are directly controlled according to the cover open command.
Cover open to cut off power to Chiniden force supply interrupting means
And a time processing means.

[0005] The invention according to claim 2 is capable of opening and closing.
Power supply in a housing with an attached cover
Power supply circuit and its power supply circuit
In a printing device provided with an operating device,
The device is only supplied with power from the power supply circuit after the end of its operation.
End-of-operation devices that must be shut off and end of operation.
And end-of-operation unnecessary devices.
(1) Cover open operation, which is an operation for opening the cover
Open operation detecting means for detecting a work, (2) a plurality of works
Of the moving devices, the cover
The power supply from the power supply circuit is
Several power cut-off devices that are predetermined to be turned off
Power supply cutoff means for cutting off the power of the device, (3) open
Response to the cover open operation detected by the
Out of a plurality of power interruption devices,
The power is turned off after the operation of the
The power supply cut-off means cuts off the power, and
Immediately after the cover open command.
Cover open time when power supply cutoff means cuts off power
And a control means.

[0006]

In the printing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, if a cover open command is issued by the cover open command means, the lock release device and the cover open device are operated. If only the unlocking device is provided,
The cover is opened when the unlocking device is operated and the cover can be opened.If only the cover opening device is provided, the cover is opened.If both are provided, the cover is opened after the unlocking device is operated. The open device is activated. At the same time, the supply of power to the power cut-off device is cut off. Regarding the devices that do not require operation termination among the power cut-off devices, regardless of whether or not the operation has terminated,
The power supply can be cut off immediately in response to the cover open command.After the cover open command is issued, before the cover starts to open, before the cover is fully opened, or until a short time has elapsed since the cover was opened. The power supply can be cut off at an appropriate time. In addition, the operation required termination device is activated in response to the cover open command.
Control for terminating the operation is performed, and the supply of power is cut off after the end of the operation. The operation termination and power supply cutoff are also performed at an appropriate time after the cover open command is issued, before the cover is started to be opened, before the cover is fully opened, or until a short time has elapsed since the cover was opened. . The power cut-off device may be operating while the cover is open or even after the cover is fully opened.However, it is rare for the operator to start processing immediately after the cover is opened, and the operation is terminated. If it is not, it will be obvious, and the process will not be started. Therefore, the operation is completed within a short time after the cover is opened, and there is no problem even if the power supply is cut off.

[0007] The operation termination unnecessary device and the operation termination required device
Naturally, the power cut-off timing is different, but it is necessary to
If there is a plurality of at least one of the operation termination device,
The power supply of the plurality may be individually cut off for each device, or may be cut off all at once. However, if there are multiple devices that need to be activated when they are shut off all at once,
It must be shut down after all operations have been completed.

An unlocking device and a cover opening device are also one of the operating devices, but may or may not be a power-requiring device. It may be activated, or may be activated after an interruption or termination. If the unlocking device or the cover opening device is not a power cut-off device, the cover opening processing means activates the unlocking or the cover opening device based on the cover opening command for the unlocking device or the cover opening device. Then, only the cover can be opened, or only the cover is opened.

When the unlocking device or the cover opening device is a power cut-off device, it is inevitably also an operation end device. This is because unlocking the cover and opening the cover are indispensable to open the cover, and it is essential that these operations have been completed before the power supply is cut off. Therefore, when the unlocking device is provided, the power supply to the unlocking device is performed for a certain short period after the unlocking based on the cover open command is completed and after the cover is opened by unlocking. It is shut off at an appropriate time until the time elapses. When the cover opening device is provided, the cover is opened when the cover is completely opened or within a predetermined short time after that. In these cases, the cover open processing means activates the unlocking device and the cover open device based on the cover open command, and shuts off the supply of power after the completion of the operation, similarly to the other required operation termination devices. It will be.

In the printing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention,
Are power supply cutoff means and cover opening processing means
Of the cover open operation by the open operation detection means
Except for being actuated in response to the detection,
This is the same as in the printing device according to the invention.

[0011]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the cover is opened and the operator performs processing in the housing, the power of the power cut-off device is automatically cut off, and the operator touches the cover. Is not dangerous, and among the power cut-off devices, the power cut-off device of the power cut-off device is cut off after the end of its operation, so that there is no inconvenience caused by the cut-off of the power during the operation. .

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, taking as an example a case where the present invention is applied to a wire dot type printing apparatus. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a housing, which has a container shape opened upward. Opening 1 of this housing 10
A cover 14 is attached to 2 so as to be rotatable around a shaft 16 so as to close the opening 12. Further, a platen 18 is rotatably provided in the housing 10 so as to support a printing paper, and a printing head 20 is provided to face the printing paper. The print head 20 is mounted on a carriage 22 and performs printing while being moved along the longitudinal direction of the platen 18. The print head 20 and the carriage 22 constitute a print unit 24.

An engagement projection 26 is provided on the inner surface of the cover 14 so as to project therefrom. The engagement protrusion 26 has an L shape,
The cover 14 is kept closed by engagement of the engagement lever 30 with one of the L-shaped arms 28. The engagement lever 30 is rotatably attached to the housing 10 by a shaft 32. One end of the engagement lever 30 is provided with a claw 34 that engages with the arm 28, and the other end is rotatably connected to a plunger 38 of a solenoid 36.
When the solenoid 36 is demagnetized, the plunger 38
Is biased by a spring and is at a protruding end position, and rotates the engagement lever 30 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.
4 is engaged with the arm 28 to prevent the cover 14 from being opened. When the solenoid 36 is excited, as shown in FIG.
0 is rotated clockwise to release the engagement of the claw portion 34 with the arm portion 28 to allow the cover 14 to be opened. The engagement protrusion 26, the engagement lever 30, and the spring provided in the solenoid 36 constitute a lock device, and the solenoid 36 constitutes a release device. Since the claw portion 34 has a hook shape, the solenoid 36 is demagnetized while the cover 14 is open, and the engagement lever 30 is
When the cover 14 is closed, the arm 28 engages with the inclined surface of the claw 34 even when the cover 14 is returned to a position where the lock is closed. The cover 14 can be closed by pivoting in opposition.

A cover open detection switch 5 for detecting that the cover 14 has been opened is provided in the housing 10.
0 is provided. Cover open detection switch 50
Is ON when the cover 14 is closed as shown in FIG.
It emits a signal, and emits an OFF signal when opened as shown in FIG. The power cutoff switch 52 is connected to the cover open detection switch 50. As shown in FIG. 3, the power cutoff switch 52 is provided between the power supply circuit 54 and the printing unit 24, and cuts off the supply of power to the printing unit 24 when the cover 14 is opened.

The housing 10 is provided with a cover open command switch 60 for instructing that the cover 14 can be opened, and a cover open command display 62 for indicating that the cover open command switch 60 has been pressed. ing.

The printing apparatus is controlled by a control device 70 shown in FIG. The control device 70 includes a CPU 72, an RO
The main component is a computer having an M74, a RAM 76 and a bus 78 connecting them. Bus 78
, An input interface 80 is connected, and a control panel 82, a cover open detection switch 50, a cover open command switch 60, and the like are connected. The control panel 82 instructs on-line / off-line switching, high-density printing / high-speed printing switching, and the like. An output interface 86 is also connected to the bus 78, and the printing unit 2 is connected via driving circuits 88 and 90.
4, a solenoid 36 is connected. An external interface 92 is further connected to the bus 78 to exchange data with a host computer or the like. Online means that the computer of the control device 70 is connected to this host computer,
Offline means being disconnected. ROM74
Various routines, such as a cover open control routine shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 and a print routine for controlling the print unit 24 to perform printing, are stored. Less than,
The control for opening the cover 14 will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. Note that the cover open control routine is executed by interruption every set time by a timer.

First, in step S1 (hereinafter abbreviated as S1; the same applies to the other steps), the cover 14 is set in a state where the cover 14 can be opened depending on whether or not the signal of the cover open command switch 60 is ON. It is determined whether or not a command has been issued. If the command has not been issued, the result of the determination in S1 is NO, and the execution of the routine ends. On the other hand, if the cover open command switch 60 is pressed, the determination result in S1 becomes YES, and in S2, it is displayed by the cover open command display 62 that the cover 14 has been commanded to be openable.

Next, S3 is executed to determine whether or not printing is being performed. If printing is not being performed, the determination result of S3 is NO, and S5 is executed. If printing is being performed, the determination result in S3 is YES, and a printing end command is output in S4. In a printing routine (not shown), based on this command signal, the printing unit 24 prints to the end position of the line of the current printing.
Stop the operation of. As a result, the determination result of S3 is NO
Is reached, S5 is executed.

In step S5, the solenoid 36 is excited, and the engagement of the engagement lever 30 with the engagement protrusion 26 is released.
The cover 14 can be opened. Then, the display of the cover open command display 62 is turned off in S6, so that the operator is notified that the lock has been released. Next, in S7, it is determined whether or not the cover 14 has been opened based on whether or not the signal generated by the cover open detection switch 50 is OFF.

When the cover 14 is opened by the operator and the signal of the cover open detection switch 50 is turned off, the power cutoff switch 52 is opened, and the supply of power to the printing unit 24 is cut off. Cover open detection switch 5
0 is at least before the cover 14 is completely opened.
Since the print condition is F, power is not already supplied to the printing unit 24 when the cover 14 is opened, and even if the operator starts processing immediately, there is no danger and the desired processing can be performed safely. Further, the operation of the printing unit 24 (here, the operation includes the deceleration and stop operation of the carriage 22) is terminated before the lock by the lock device is released, and when the power supply is cut off, Since the operation has already been completed, the carriage 22 does not enter the uncontrolled state and does not hit other members such as the housing 10 and the side frames, and printing is not interrupted in the middle of one line.

When the cover 14 is opened, there is no need to release the lock. When the determination result in S7 is YES, S8 is executed, and the solenoid 36 is demagnetized. Therefore, when the process is completed and the cover 14 is closed, the engagement lever 30 is at a position for locking the cover 14. However, as described above, the arm 28 of the engagement protrusion 26 and the inclined surface of the claw portion 34 The cover 14 can be closed by the engagement of. The claw portion 34 is engaged with the arm 28 when the cover 14 is completely closed, so that the cover 14 is locked to prevent the cover 14 from being opened. Further, as the cover 14 is closed in this way, the cover open detection switch 50 is turned ON, the power cutoff switch 52 is closed, and power is supplied to the printing unit 24.

The cover 14 may not be opened even if the cover open command switch 60 gives a command to open the cover 14. In this case, the control panel 82 instructs the next operation, such as restarting printing or terminating printing. Therefore, when the result of the determination in S7 is NO, it is determined in S9 whether or not there is any command.
If there is a command, it is determined that the cover 14 is not opened, and S8
As a result, the engagement lever 30 is engaged with the engagement projection 26 to return the cover 14 to the locked state, and the command is executed in accordance with a control routine provided separately from the cover open control routine. As described above, in the printing apparatus, the power supply to the printing unit 24 is not cut off unless the cover 14 is actually opened.
If the operator changes his mind after pressing the cover open command switch 60 with the intention of opening the power switch, or if the operator does not need to open the power switch, the power supply is not cut off, so that unnecessary cutoff of the power supply can be avoided.

In this printing apparatus, there is a period of time from when the cover open command switch 60 is operated to when the lock is released and the cover 14 can be opened. Since the operation has been displayed on the cover open command display 62, the cover open command switch 60
Is operated by the operator.

As is apparent from the above description, in the present embodiment, the printing unit 24 is a device that requires power interruption and is a device that requires termination of operation, and the power interruption switch 5
Reference numeral 2 denotes a power supply interrupting means according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, and a portion of the ROM 74 for storing S3 to S5 and a portion of the CPU 72 for executing those steps constitute a cover open time processing means. Also, cover
2. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the open command switch 60 is
Configure the open command means and use the cover open detection switch.
The cover 50 detects the cover open according to the second aspect of the present invention.
Means. After the cover 14 is opened,
Although the solenoid 36 is demagnetized, this is for power saving, and in this embodiment, the release device of the lock device is not a power interruption device. In addition, this wire dot type printing device
Although illustration and detailed explanation are omitted, various operating devices
These are power interruption devices, but they are required.
Includes non-operation end unnecessary devices that are not operation end devices.

In the above embodiment, the power cutoff switch 52 cuts off the power supply in conjunction with the cover open detection by the cover open detection switch 50. However, the control device 70 turns off the power cutoff switch 52. May be controlled to open and close. In this case, the detection signal of the cover open detection switch 50 is set to CP
The power is supplied to U72, and the CPU 72 opens and closes the power cutoff switch 52 based on the power, and this control is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

In the flowchart, S11 to S17, S
Steps S19 and S20 are performed in the same manner as S1 to S9. Then, if the signal of the cover open detection switch 50 is turned off and it is detected that the cover 14 is opened,
In step 8, the power cutoff switch 52 is opened and the supply of power to the printing unit 24 is cut off. Then, step S21 is executed to demagnetize the solenoid 36. Next, in S22, it is determined whether the cover 14 has been closed based on whether the signal of the cover open detection switch 50 is ON. If the cover 14 is closed, the determination result in S22 becomes YES, and the power cutoff switch 5
2 is closed, power is supplied to the printing unit 24, and the printing unit 24 is ready for printing.

In the above embodiment, the cover 14
The cover open command switch 60 instructs the computer to be opened. However, an online / offline switch for disconnecting / connecting the connection between the computer constituting the control device 70 and the host computer, etc. The above means may also serve as the cover open command means. When opening the cover 14,
Normally, data reception from the upper host computer is cut off.

In the above-described embodiment, the supply of power to the printing unit 24 is cut off when the cover 14 is opened by the operator. However, the unlocking of the cover 14 performed after the printing operation is completed. May be detected, and before the cover 14 is opened, the power cutoff switch 52 is operated to cut off the power supply.

Further, in the above embodiment, it is displayed by the cover open command switch 60 that a command to open the cover 14 has been issued, and by canceling the display, the operator is notified that the lock has been released. However, it is not essential to make such a display. This is because the cover 14 cannot be opened unless the lock is released, even if the display does not indicate that the lock is not released, that is, that the cover 14 cannot be opened.

Further, the command to open the cover 14 is displayed on the cover open command display 62, but it indicates that the cover 14 is open. When a cover open lamp is provided, when the cover 14 is instructed to be opened, the cover open lamp is turned on to indicate that the command has been issued. Good.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the printing unit 24 has been described as the operation required ending device. However, other devices such as a print medium feeding device may be used as the operation required ending device.

Further, in the above embodiment, the lock device and the release device are provided, and the cover 14 is opened by the operator. However, the cover open device is provided, and the cover is automatically opened based on the cover open command. May be opened. In this case, in each of the above-described embodiments, the processing of S5 and S15 is replaced with the processing of operating the cover opening device and opening the cover 14.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, there is only one power cut-off device, which is a device for ending operation.
A plurality of power interruption devices may be provided. For example, in a printing apparatus that uses a piezoelectric element to drive a printing wire, a DC voltage of several hundred volts is used, and a large-capacity capacitor is usually attached to such a circuit. Therefore, it is desirable for such a circuit to include a circuit that discharges the charge stored in the capacitor before the cover is opened. In such a discharge circuit, a time of several hundred milliseconds elapses before the end of the discharge. Therefore, it is conceivable that this discharge circuit is used as an operation termination device. In the case where there are a plurality of operation termination devices, the cover 14 can be opened after the operation of all the operation termination devices is completed. That is, in S3 or S13 of each of the above-described embodiments, it is determined whether printing has been completed (that is, the carriage has stopped) and the discharge operation has been completed.

Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to a laser printer, a facsimile, a printing device of a copying machine, and the like, in addition to the wire dot printing device.

In addition, without departing from the scope of the claims, the present invention can be implemented in various modified and improved forms based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view schematically showing a state in which a cover of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is closed.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view schematically showing a state where a cover of the printing apparatus is opened.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a power cutoff switch provided between a power supply of the printing apparatus and a printing unit.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control device for controlling the printing device.

FIG. 5 is an RO of a computer which is a main component of the control device.
9 is a flowchart illustrating a cover open control routine stored in M.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing another control routine for cover open control.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Housing 14 Cover 20 Print head 22 Carriage 24 Printing unit 26 Engagement projection 30 Engagement lever 36 Solenoid 50 Cover open detection switch 52 Power cutoff switch 54 Power supply circuit 60 Cover open command switch 70 Control device

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] To 1. A housing having openably mounted cover, a plurality of actuators and is arranged printing device that is operated by power supplied from the power supply circuit and its power supply circuit, a plurality of actuators The power supply circuit only after the end of operation
End-of-operation devices that should be cut off from the power supply from
And devices that do not need to terminate operation.
Kicking with at least one and, a cover open to emit cover open command for commanding at least one operation of the locking device and the release device of the locking device prevents the cover is opened, the cover opening device to open the cover Commanding means, of the plurality of operating devices, shutting off the power of a plurality of power cut-off devices which are determined in advance to shut off the supply of power from the power supply circuit when the cover is opened. Power supply cut-off means, at least one of the release device and the cover open device is operated in response to the cover open command, and the required operation of the plurality of power cut-off devices is
For the end device, the operation of the operation required end device is completed.
To cut off power to the power supply cutoff means after the operation
For devices that do not require operation termination, respond to the cover open command.
And a cover open processing means for immediately stopping the power by the power supply cutoff means . 2. It has a cover which can be opened and closed.
Power supply circuit and power supply
Printing with multiple actuators operated by electric power
In the device, The power supply circuit may be used only after the operation of the plurality of operating devices is completed.
End-of-operation devices that should be cut off from the power supply from
And devices that do not need to terminate operation.
As well as Cover open operation, which is an operation for opening the cover
Open operation detecting means for detecting Among the plurality of operating devices, the open operation detecting means
The power supply circuit according to the detection of the cover opening operation by the
It is predetermined that power supply from
Power supply cutoff to cut off the power of multiple power cutoff devices
Means, Of the cover opening operation by the opening operation detecting means.
In response to the detection, among the plurality of power interruption devices,
For the operation required end device, the operation required
After the termination, the power supply cutoff means cuts off the power,
For the operation termination unnecessary device, the cover open finger
Power is immediately cut off by the power supply cutoff means in accordance with the order.
Cover opening processing means
Printing device.