JP3871008B2 - Platen mechanism, printing apparatus using the same, and control method therefor - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a platen mechanism, a printing apparatus using the platen mechanism, and a control method therefor, and more particularly, an apparatus in which a gap between a print head and a platen is used as a conveyance path in other processes such as reading magnetic ink characters. The present invention relates to a technique for smoothly transporting a recording medium.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a printing apparatus, for example, an impact type printing apparatus, the gap between the print head and the platen is an important factor that determines the printing quality of the printing apparatus. If the gap is wider than necessary, the print head cannot properly catch the paper surface, resulting in blurring or distortion of characters. Further, in an ink jet printer, if the gap is too large, the flying angle error of the ink droplet is amplified and the print quality is deteriorated. Therefore, in order to ensure high print quality, it is necessary to make the platen close to the head surface at a position facing the print head to realize a sufficiently small gap.
[0003]
On the other hand, if the gap between the print head and the platen is too small, there arises a problem that it becomes difficult to insert the paper into the gap. That is, the sheet is conveyed from the supply side to the printing unit through a conveyance path by a conveyance device such as a conveyance roller. The paper transport path has a sufficient margin in the thickness direction of the paper in order to prevent paper jamming along the path. Therefore, the paper is inserted into a narrower gap in the printing unit from the transport path having a margin. As a result, the leading edge of the paper may hit the platen or its peripheral portion and cause a paper jam.
[0004]
In order to avoid such a problem, there is one in which the platen is configured to be able to appear and retract with respect to the conveyance path. 8 to 10 show conventional examples of such a printing apparatus. A platen 81 is disposed so as to face the print head 80 supported so as to be movable to the left and right. The platen 81 is a plate-like member having a length corresponding to the moving region of the print head 80, and is fixed to a support member 83 that is supported so as to be swingable about a shaft 82. The support member 83 is connected to the plunger 84 and swings when driven to move the platen 81 toward and away from the print head 80.
[0005]
As shown in FIG. 9, the front end surface of the platen 81 is positioned in the transport path 85 during printing, and the gap G with the print head 80 is set small. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, when the paper P is inserted into the printing unit, the platen 81 is moved rearward with respect to the print head 80, and the front end surface of the platen 81 is retracted from the conveyance path 85. As a result, it becomes easy to insert the paper P into the printing unit.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional printing apparatus has the following problems.
[0007]
(1) Since the entire platen 81 is moved back and forth by the plunger 84, advanced operation control and dimensional accuracy of each component are required to make the gap between the print head 80 and the print head constant during printing. The
[0008]
(2) Further, due to the above structure, a sufficient gap is required between the opening of the conveyance path 85 and the platen 81, and the leading edge of the paper may be caught in this gap, which may cause a paper jam.
[0009]
(3) Since the platen 81 needs to be stably held against the impact force caused by the print head 80, the plunger 84 must have a high output to counter the impact force.
[0010]
In addition, a technique is disclosed in which the gap between the print head and the platen can be adjusted so that the gap is wide when inserting paper into the gap and the gap is narrow when printing is performed (special feature). (Kaihei 11-11365). In such a printer, the platen gap is made variable by rotating an eccentrically mounted cylindrical platen.
[0011]
In such a configuration, when the eccentric cylindrical platen is configured to protrude from the guide wall constituting the conveyance path, the moving radius of the cylindrical platen is larger than the radius of the platen. A large gap is created between the two. Therefore, as in the prior art, the leading edge of the paper may enter the gap between the platen and the guide wall, causing a paper jam.
[0012]
Further, when the leading edge of the paper collides with a portion that forms the gap, even when the paper does not become jammed, the conveyance speed of the paper fluctuates, for example, when MICR characters are read from the paper. Causes read errors.
[0013]
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to keep the gap between the print head and the platen constant during the printing, and to smoothly perform this without affecting the transport speed of the paper passing through the gap when printing is not performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a platen mechanism and a printing apparatus capable of guiding the user.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a platen mechanism of the present invention is a platen mechanism that is provided facing a print head and supports a recording medium, and a guide wall that guides conveyance of the recording medium to the print head; A support portion which is rotatably provided about an axis substantially parallel to the guide wall and protrudes from the guide wall at a position facing the print head to support the recording medium with respect to the print head; and the print head A platen member having a guide part that guides conveyance of the recording medium substantially continuously to the guide wall at a position facing the guide wall, and rotating the platen member to selectively support the support part and the guide part. A platen moving mechanism that moves to a position facing the print head, and urges the recording medium in a direction away from the print head, in cooperation with the support portion of the platen member, An urging member that supports the recording medium at a predetermined distance from the print head, and the guide portion of the platen member is disposed away from the urging member at a position facing the print head. It is characterized by that.
[0015]
According to this configuration, during printing, the platen member can be rotated so that the support portion faces the print head, thereby functioning as a platen. In this case, since the force acting on the platen from the print head is received by the rotating shaft of the platen, the platen does not move by the force, and stable printing can be performed. Further, when the recording medium passes, the platen member may be rotated so that the guide portion faces the print head. Since the guide unit is configured to be almost continuous with the guide wall constituting the conveyance path, it is possible to smoothly guide the recording medium passing therethrough. Thereby, the speed fluctuation of the recording medium can be prevented. In addition, the recording medium is biased in a direction away from the print head, and the bias is applied to support the recording medium at a predetermined distance from the print head in cooperation with the support portion of the platen member. A distance between the recording medium and the print head at the time of printing by disposing the guide portion of the platen member at a position facing the print head and being spaced apart from the biasing member. Therefore, in an inkjet printer, for example, it is possible to prevent a decrease in print quality due to a change in print position due to a flying state of ink droplets. Further, since the urging member and the guide portion are separated from each other when the recording medium passes and the passage is secured, it is possible to avoid speed fluctuation due to the collision of the recording medium.
[0016]
[0017]
In addition, it is preferable that the guide portion of the platen member is aligned with an end portion of the guide wall at a position facing the print head. In this case, the alignment means that the platen member is arranged with a minimum gap necessary for movement. Thereby, the speed fluctuation | variation by the collision with the guide part of a recording medium is avoided.
[0018]
Further, in these cases, the platen member has an introduction portion that guides the recording medium from the end portion of the guide wall to the support portion when the support portion is located at a position facing the print head. Is desirable. As a result, when the speed fluctuation does not matter according to the purpose of transporting the recording medium, the recording medium can be passed with the support portion facing the print head while enabling printing.
[0019]
The present invention can also be applied to a printing apparatus and exhibits the same operations and effects as described above.
[0020]
In this case, a pair of transport rollers for transporting the recording medium when printing on the recording medium by the print head, a transport roller opening / closing mechanism for bringing the pair of transport rollers into and out of contact with each other, and the platen When the moving mechanism moves the support portion of the platen member to a position facing the print head, the conveying roller opening / closing mechanism brings the pair of conveying rollers into contact with each other, and the platen moving mechanism is moved to the platen member. When the guide unit is moved to a position facing the print head, the transport roller opening / closing mechanism interlocks the platen moving mechanism and the transport roller opening / closing mechanism so that the pair of transport rollers are separated from each other. It is desirable to have a linkage mechanism.
[0021]
As a result, the recording medium can be transported more reliably during printing, and the platen member can be retracted and the transport roller in the transport path can be moved out of the transport path, resulting in faster processing and easier control. In addition, the drive source can be omitted.
[0022]
The platen moving mechanism includes a drive shaft, a clutch mechanism that intermittently transmits the driving force of the drive shaft to the platen member, and the clutch mechanism is in a transmission state at a predetermined timing, and You may comprise so that it may have a trigger mechanism which makes the said clutch mechanism a non-transmission state according to rotation amount. As a result, the drive shaft can be shared with other mechanisms, for example, a recording medium transport mechanism, and the apparatus can be downsized by reducing the number of drive sources. In addition, since the conveyance path can be secured and printing can be prepared simultaneously with the conveyance of the recording medium, the processing speed can be increased.
[0023]
Also, the printing apparatus of the present invention conveys the recording medium through the printing head for printing on the recording medium, a detector for reading information provided on the recording medium, the printing head and the detector. A conveyance mechanism; a guide wall for guiding conveyance of the recording medium to the print head by the conveyance mechanism; and a rotatable rotation about an axis facing the print head and substantially parallel to the guide wall, A support portion that protrudes from the guide wall at a position facing the print head and supports the recording medium with respect to the print head, and transports the recording medium substantially continuously to the guide wall at a position facing the print head. A platen member having a guide portion for guiding the platen member, and rotating the platen member so that the support portion and the guide portion are respectively opposed to the print head and a support position. A platen moving mechanism that is selectively positioned at a guide position that opposes the print head, and the platen moving mechanism that controls the platen moving mechanism so that at least the printing head performs printing, the platen member is placed at the support position and the detector. When performing the reading process according to the above, the control device for moving the platen to the guide position and the recording medium are urged in a direction away from the print head, and in cooperation with the platen member, An urging member that supports the recording medium at a predetermined distance from the print head, and the platen member is separated from the urging member at the guide position.
[0024]
By appropriately switching the position of the platen member between printing and passing through the recording medium, not only can the effect of the present invention be further ensured, but also by combining the control device of the present invention and the above platen mechanism. In particular, it is possible to more reliably prevent speed fluctuations when reading information from the recording medium.
[0025]
[0026]
The detector may have a magnetic head for reading magnetic ink characters recorded on the recording medium. Reading magnetic ink characters is particularly susceptible to fluctuations in the conveyance speed, and is an application example in which the effect of the present invention is most remarkable.
[0027]
Further, in the above case, a command interpreter that interprets a control command received from a host device to which the printing device is connected is provided, and the control device responds to the command interpreter, and the command interpreter is executed by the detector. It is desirable to move the platen member to the guide position when a command for instructing information reading processing is interpreted. Thereby, it is possible to secure a conveyance path for the recording medium in advance in preparation for reading information from the recording medium.
[0028]
The printing apparatus control method of the present invention includes a print head that prints on a recording medium, a detector that reads information provided on the recording medium, and the recording medium that passes through the printing head and the detector. A transport mechanism for transporting, a guide wall for guiding the transport of the recording medium to the print head by the transport mechanism, and rotatably provided about an axis facing the print head and substantially parallel to the guide wall. A support portion that protrudes from the guide wall at a position facing the print head and supports the recording medium with respect to the print head; and the recording medium substantially continuously to the guide wall at a position facing the print head. A platen member having a guide part for guiding the conveyance of the sheet, and rotating the platen member so that the support part and the guide part are respectively opposed to the print head. A platen moving mechanism that is selectively positioned at a guide position that opposes the printing head, and a platen moving mechanism that controls the platen moving mechanism, and at least when performing printing by the print head, the platen member is at the support position, When performing the reading process by the detector, there is provided a control method in a printing apparatus having a control device for moving the platen to the guide position, respectively, (a) the recording medium is moved along the guide wall A transporting step for transporting; (b) a support step for projecting the platen member to the support position to support the recording medium with respect to the print head; and (c) printing on the recording medium by the print head. A printing step, (d) a guide step of retracting the platen member to the guide position to guide the recording medium, and (e) a detector. A reading step of reading information provided on the recording medium being conveyed in the conveying step (a); and (f) information provided on the recording medium received from a host device to which the printing apparatus is connected. An interpreting step for interpreting a predetermined control command for instructing reading, and the printing step (c) and the reading step (e) are performed after the supporting step (b) and the guiding step (d), respectively. The guide step (d) is performed when the predetermined control command is interpreted according to the command interpretation step (f).
[0029]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are an external perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a composite processing apparatus including a printing apparatus according to the present invention. Prior to the details of the printing apparatus according to the present invention, an outline of the composite processing apparatus will be described. The composite processing apparatus reads magnetic ink characters (MICR characters: MagneticInkCharacterRecognition characters) recorded on paper such as personal checks, and performs printing on the paper according to the read results. However, the printing apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to that incorporated in such a complex processing apparatus, and can be applied to a printing apparatus configured as a single unit. This will become more apparent from the following description.
[0030]
The composite processing apparatus 1 shown in the figure includes an information reading device 3, a first printing device 4, and a second printing device 30 according to the present invention in a housing 2. The composite processing apparatus 1 also includes a check paper P conveyance path 10 continuous from the front to the top, and the information reading apparatus 3, the first printing apparatus 4, and the second printing apparatus 30 are respectively It is arranged on the conveyance path 10. The information reading device 3 is configured to include a magnetic head that reads information (for example, an identification symbol indicating the validity of the check, a personal authentication number, an expiration date, etc.) formed of magnetic ink characters printed on the upper surface of the check paper P. ing. The first and second printing apparatuses 4 and 30 perform printing on the check sheet P according to the reading result of the information reading apparatus 3, and the first printing apparatus 4 performs the surface printing on the check sheet P. The second printing apparatus 30 performs endorsement printing. Normally, the read result is sent to a host device such as a POS terminal or an ECR (Electric Cash Register) to which the complex processing device is connected, and after the host device determines validity and the like, Printing is performed on a check sheet based on print data from the apparatus.
[0031]
The first printing device 4 also performs printing on the roll paper R provided at the rear of the housing 2. The roll paper R is guided from the second conveyance path 5 to the conveyance path 10 and supplied to the first printing apparatus 4.
[0032]
The check paper P set in the insertion port 11 of the transport path 10 is detected by the paper end sensor 6 installed on the upstream side of the transport roller 12, and the transport roller 12 is activated based on the output signal. Drawn into. The check paper P is transported at high speed along the transport path 10 by the transport roller 12, and the information reading device 3 reads information consisting of magnetic ink characters provided on the check paper P in the meantime. When it is detected by the second paper edge sensor 7 that the check paper P has been conveyed to the second printing device 30, the printing device 30 detects the check paper P based on the print data from the host device. Print on the back side. When the endorsement printing by the printing apparatus 30 is completed, the check paper P is sent to the first printing apparatus 4 by the transport roller 13. Here, the check sheet P is printed out on the basis of print data from the host device, and then discharged from the carry-out port 14 to the outside of the housing 2 of the device.
[0033]
Next, details of the second printing apparatus 30 will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an enlarged main part of the printing apparatus 30. The printing apparatus 30 includes a print head 31 that is movably supported along the width direction of the check paper P. In the embodiment, the print head 31 is of a dot impact type, and by inputting a large number of dots on the check paper P, necessary information such as characters and symbols is formed.
[0034]
Although a so-called serial type print head is shown in this figure, the present invention is not limited to this, and the printing apparatus preferably applies a plurality of dots simultaneously on one line parallel to the longitudinal direction of the platen 32. A so-called shuttle type print head that can be formed is used. Actually, an ink ribbon is arranged by a detachable cartridge in front of the print head 31, and a mask plate for pressing the check paper P against the platen 32 is arranged. Note that these are omitted.
[0035]
A platen 32 is disposed to face the print head 31. The platen 32 is schematically a columnar member extending in the width direction of the check paper P. From both ends of the platen 32, a shaft 32 a penetrating in the center extends, and is attached to the frame 34 side of the apparatus via a bearing member 33. That is, the platen 32 is rotatably supported in front of the print head 31. The shaft 32 a is provided in parallel with the guide wall 10 a (see FIG. 4) constituting the transport path 10 and in parallel with the transport direction of the print head 31. The transport direction of the print head refers to the arrangement direction of pins constituting the print dots in the shuttle head. As shown in FIG. 11, the gear 35 attached to one side of the shaft 32a is connected to a drive source (not shown) through several gear trains, and the platen 32 is rotationally driven by the power of the drive source. .
[0036]
The platen 32 has two special surfaces (hereinafter referred to as a support surface 36 and a guide surface 37, respectively) along the axial direction thereof. As the platen 32 rotates, either the support surface 36 or the guide surface 37 faces the print head 31. That is, the platen 32 has two stop positions, and is controlled to be stopped in a state where any one of the surfaces is on the print head 31 side.
[0037]
FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment for detecting the state of the platen 32. The state of the platen 32 can be detected by the rotation angle detection device 40 that is a combination of the rotary encoder 38 and the photocoupler 39. In the first embodiment, the support surface 36 and the guide surface 37 are formed at positions rotated by approximately 180 degrees. In FIG. 3, the support surface 36 is shown on the front side, and the guide surface 37 is the platen 32. It is hidden on the back side.
[0038]
FIG. 4 shows a state from the side of the printing apparatus 30. This figure clearly shows an example of the shape of the platen 32 and the positional relationship between the print head 31 and the transport path 10. The print head 31 and the platen 32 are arranged to face each other as shown in the drawing, and a guide wall 10a for conveying the check paper P extends above and below the print head 31 and the platen 32. Note that the guide wall on the downstream side in the transport direction may be omitted depending on the transport direction of the check paper P.
[0039]
As apparent from the figure, the platen 32 is provided with the support surface 36 and the guide surface 37 at positions substantially opposed to the outer peripheral surface thereof. The support surface 36 is a surface that faces the print head 31 when printing on the check paper P, and functions as a contact surface that supports the check paper P on the back side against the impact of the print head 31 (see FIG. 4). An ink ribbon 41 is arranged between the print head 31 and the check paper P. An elastic member 38 is provided to keep the check paper P in close contact with the support surface 36 of the platen 32 so that the distance between the print head 31 and the check paper P is kept appropriate. The elastic member 38 is provided on the side of the guide wall 10b on the print head side that constitutes the conveyance path 10, and contacts the support surface 36 in a state where the check paper P is not present, thereby completely closing the conveyance path. The elastic member 38 is preferably a leaf spring, may be extended in parallel with the platen 32, and may move with the print head 31.
[0040]
Here, the support surface 36 is formed with a distance L1 from the rotation center of the platen 32 so that the distance G (about 0.6 mm to 0.9 mm) with the print head 31 is appropriate. ing. In this example, although the support surface 36 is comprised by the substantially plane, this invention is not limited to this. For example, when the above-described shuttle head is used as the printing apparatus 30, since the pins forming the printing dots are arranged in parallel with the rotation axis 32 a of the platen 32, the support surface 36 has the rotation axis 32 a as the axis. It may be a part of a cylindrical surface. Thereby, even if there is an error in the rotational position of the platen 32, it is possible to always position the support surface 36 at an equal distance from the print head. When a part of the support surface 36 is worn, it is possible to make the part other than the worn part face the print head by changing the rotational position of the platen 32.
[0041]
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, it is desirable that the platen 32 is provided with an introduction surface 39 for smoothly introducing the check paper P onto the support surface 36. By providing the introduction surface 39, when the conveyance speed fluctuation is not a problem when the check sheet P is carried into the printing unit for printing on the check paper P, the guide surface 37 is not opposed to the print head 31. The check paper P can be passed smoothly. The introduction surface 39 may be provided only on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the check paper P.
[0042]
On the other hand, the guide surface 37 is a surface facing the print head 31 when the check paper P passes through the printing unit. The guide surface 37 is formed with a distance L2 from the rotation center of the platen 32 so that the surface is substantially continuous with the surface of the guide wall 10a on the platen 32 side. That is, in this state, the guide surface 37 forms a part of the guide wall of the transport path 10 in front of the print head 31. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the guide surface 37 is opposed to the print head 31 side. As is apparent from this figure, the platen 32 is substantially retracted from the print head 31. As a result, the conveyance path in front of the print head 31 is widened and the elastic member 38 and the platen 32 are brought into contact with each other. The check paper P can be easily passed by being released. That is, when the check sheet P passes through the printing unit, the platen side is smoothly guided by the guide surface 37 of the platen 32, and the print head side is smoothly guided by the elastic member 38, so that the platen 32 and the print head 31 are guided. In addition, the ink ribbon 41 does not collide with the ink ribbon 41 to cause fluctuations in the conveyance speed. In one embodiment, a metal platen of φ11 mm, L1 = 5 mm, L2 = 3 mm is centered at 5.8 mm from the tip of the printhead so that the gap G between the head and platen during printing is 0.8 mm. Arranged to come to the position. In addition, about 2.5-3.0 mm is suitable for the width D of the conveyance path 10.
[0043]
In the case of a structure in which a plurality of ribs are provided on the surface of the guide wall 10a in parallel with the conveyance direction of the check paper P to prevent the check paper P from being attracted to the guide wall 10a, as shown in FIG. It is desirable to provide ribs 37d continuous to the 32 guide surfaces 37.
[0044]
4 and 5, the end portion of the guide wall 10 a on the platen 32 side is disposed close to the outer peripheral surface of the platen 32. That is, the end portion of the guide wall 10 a and the outer peripheral surface of the platen 32 are “aligned”. However, all of the outer peripheral surfaces do not have to be aligned, and at least the end portion of the guide surface 37 and the end portion of the guide wall 10a may be aligned. FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of the platen 32. In this example, a cylindrical surface is not formed between the guide surface 37 and the support surface 36, and a substantially flat surface 42 is formed. Thereby, the rotational mass of the platen 32 can be reduced and the switching between the support surface and the guide surface can be performed at higher speed. Note that the flat surface 42 takes into consideration the action as the introduction surface 39 described above, but if the action is not required, the platen in the shaded portion can be further removed. Also in these cases, when the guide surface 37 is located on the side facing the print head 31, the gap between the guide surface 37 and the guide wall 10a can be minimized, and the check sheet P can be stabilized. Can be conveyed.
[0045]
In one embodiment, this gap is about 0.2 mm. Since the outer peripheral surface of the platen 32 is configured as an arc with respect to the center of rotation except for the regions of the support surface 36 and the guide surface 37, the radius of rotation is maximum at the arc portion, and thus this gap is minimized. can do. In particular, it is important that the gap when the check paper shown in FIG. By minimizing the gap at the time of passing, the possibility that the leading edge of the check paper P hits the gap to cause fluctuations in the conveyance speed and paper jam is minimized.
[0046]
FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of the platen 32. In this example, the guide surface 37 is composed of a plurality of surfaces 37a, 37b, 37c parallel to the rotation shaft 32a. This is because the rotational position error of the platen 32 is taken into consideration, and by providing the surface 37a, the platen protrudes from the guide wall 10a toward the conveying path 10 even when the stop position of the platen 32 moves counterclockwise. do not do. Further, by providing the surface 37c, when the stop position of the platen 32 moves in the clockwise direction, the platen 32 is prevented from protruding into the conveyance path. These surfaces can be formed as an integral curved surface, but by being configured as a combination of flat surfaces as described above, it can be easily manufactured by a processing apparatus such as a milling machine. In this case, it is desirable to provide an inclined surface 10b for guiding the check paper P on the guide wall 10a on the downstream side in the check paper P conveyance direction.
[0047]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram relating to drive control of the platen 32. In the figure, the platen driving unit 60 rotates the platen 32 as described above, and selectively makes the support surface 36 or the guide surface 37 face the print head 31. The control unit 61 receives output signals from the paper end sensor 62 installed on the upstream side in the check paper conveyance direction of the printing apparatus 30, the paper end sensor 63 installed on the downstream side, and the rotation angle detection device 40, and receives the output signals. Accordingly, the platen driving unit 60 is driven and controlled. That is, when the paper edge sensor 62 detects the passage of the check paper P, the control unit 61 reads the signal of the rotation angle detection device 40. When the support surface 36 of the platen 32 is on the print head 31 side, the platen drive unit 60 is driven so that the platen 32 is rotated 180 degrees so that the guide surface 37 comes to the print head side. As a result, when the check paper P passes through the printing unit of the printing apparatus 30, the platen 32 is always retracted from the conveyance path to facilitate the passage of the check paper P. When the check sheet P is set at a predetermined position of the printing unit of the printing apparatus 30, the sheet end sensor 63 on the downstream side of the printing apparatus 30 detects this and sends it to the control unit 61. In response to this, the control unit 61 rotates the platen 32 by a predetermined angle, 180 degrees in this example, and drives the platen drive unit 60 so that the support surface 36 comes to the print head side. As a result, printing on the check sheet P becomes possible. 2 can be used as the paper edge sensor 62, and the paper edge sensor 7 can be used as the paper edge sensor 63.
[0048]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure in the printing apparatus 30. When the check paper P is carried into the conveyance path 10, the platen 32 is set so that the guide surface 37 comes to the print head 31 side (701). Subsequently, the check paper P is carried into the printing apparatus 30 by driving the conveyance roller 12 and set at an appropriate printing position (702). When it is detected that the check paper P is set in a printable state, the platen 32 is rotated 180 degrees and the support surface 36 is set to the print head 31 side (703). Printing is started in this state (704). When printing on the check paper P by the printing apparatus 30 is completed, the check paper P is unloaded from the printing apparatus 30 by the transport roller 13 (705).
[0049]
FIG. 11 shows another embodiment of the platen moving mechanism. In this mechanism, the structure of the platen itself is the same as described above. A gear 35 is provided on the rotation shaft 32 a of the platen 32. The gear 35 meshes with the transmission gear 19, and the transmission gear 19 meshes with the clutch gear 18. Therefore, when the clutch gear 18 is connected to the drive shaft 16, the power of the drive shaft 16 is transmitted to the platen 32 via the clutch gear 18, the transmission gear 19, and the gear 35. The trigger plunger 15 is used to connect or disconnect the clutch gear 18 and the drive shaft 16. That is, when the trigger plunger is in the suction state and the engagement between the trigger lever 15a and the clutch ratchet wheel 17 is released, the clutch gear is in the connected state, and conversely, when the trigger lever 15a is released in the non-suction state, the compression spring 15b As a result, the trigger lever 15a is engaged with the claws 17a, 17b or 17c of the clutch ratchet wheel 17, and the clutch gear 18 is disconnected.
[0050]
FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the clutch mechanism. A clutch spring 26 is wound around the drive shaft 16 so as to be in close contact with the drive shaft 16 when no external force is applied. The drive shaft is inserted through the clutch gear 18 and the clutch wheel 17 so that the drive shaft can slide and rotate. These components are assembled so that one end portion 26a of the clutch spring is inserted into the groove 17d provided in the clutch pinion wheel 17, and the other end portion 26b is inserted into the groove 18a provided in the clutch gear wheel 18.
[0051]
Next, the operation of this clutch mechanism will be described. It is assumed that the drive shaft 16 rotates in the arrow R direction. At this time, when any one of the clutch pawls of the clutch ratchet 17 is engaged with the trigger lever 15a, the clutch spring 26 has a direction opposite to the arrow R from the groove 17d of the clutch ratchet wheel 17 at the end portion 26a. That is, a force is received in the direction in which the clutch spring 26 is unwound. As a result, the inner diameter of the clutch spring 26 is increased, the frictional force with the drive shaft 16 is lost, and the clutch spring 26 idles. Accordingly, the clutch gear 18 engaged with the clutch spring 26 is also stopped and is idled with respect to the drive shaft 16. On the other hand, when the engagement between the clutch pawl and the trigger lever 15 a is released, the clutch spring 26 regains the frictional force with the drive shaft 16 and rotates together with the drive shaft 16. At this time, when a load torque is applied to the clutch gear 18 in the direction opposite to the arrow R, the clutch spring 26 is further wound around the drive shaft 16 from the claw 18a of the clutch gear 18 to the end portion 26b of the clutch spring 26. The force to act. As a result, the frictional force between the drive shaft 16 and the clutch spring 26 is increased, and the drive force that rotates the clutch gear 18 against the load is transmitted from the drive shaft 16.
[0052]
Thus, since the clutch spring 26 slides with respect to the drive shaft 16, it is desirable to form it in a shape with high wear resistance. For example, a spring in which wires having a square cross section are aligned and wound is suitable. It is also effective to impregnate the spring with lubricating oil.
[0053]
In this example, the reduction ratio between the clutch gear 18 and the platen 32 is 1, and as shown in FIG. 16, the clutch ratchet wheel 17 has a position where the support surface 36 of the platen 32 faces the print head, Claws 17a and 17b are provided corresponding to the positions where the guide surfaces 37 are opposed to each other. That is, when the trigger lever 15a is engaged with the claw 17a, the support surface 36 of the platen 32 can be opposed to the print head 31, and when the trigger lever 15a is engaged with the claw 17b, the guide surface 37 can be opposed.
[0054]
The claw 17c is used to determine the initial position of the platen 32. That is, by controlling the energization time of the trigger plunger 15 according to the following procedure, the claw 17a and the trigger lever 15a can always be engaged. After turning on the power, the drive shaft is rotated by a predetermined amount, and any one of the claws 17a, 17b or 17c is initially engaged with the trigger lever 15a, and then the trigger plunger 15 is slightly longer than the half-turn time of the trigger claw wheel. Energize for a long time. Thus, the trigger lever 15a engages with the claw 17c when initially engaged with the claw 17a, and with the claw 17b when initially engaged with the claw 17b or 17c. Thereafter, the trigger plunger 15 is energized for a time slightly longer than the time required for the trigger ratchet wheel to rotate from the claw 17b to the claw 17c. As a result, the claw 17a is always engaged with the trigger lever 15a. In addition, the value measured in advance may be used for the above time setting. However, in order to avoid the influence of fluctuations in the load on the driving shaft and fluctuations in the driving voltage, the rotation amount of the driving shaft is detected. However, it is desirable to generate a predetermined timing according to this. The encoder 40 described above is preferably used for detecting the rotation amount of the drive shaft.
[0055]
As described above, when the connection state between the clutch gear 18 and the drive shaft 16 is switched, there is some deformation of the clutch spring 26, so that the clutch pinion 17 and the clutch gear 18, and consequently the platen 32, are changed. Produces a slight phase difference. Therefore, when the platen moving mechanism of the present invention is configured using such a clutch mechanism, the shape of the guide surface as shown in FIG. 12 is desirable. It is also desirable to employ a shuttle type print head that is not affected by the displacement of the support surface in the platen rotation direction.
[0056]
Returning to FIG. 11, the description around the platen moving mechanism in this example will be continued. A cam gear 21 is engaged with the transmission gear 19. Further, the cam portion 21a of the cam gear 21 is arranged so that the cam follower portion 25a of the sub-frame 25 to which one of the conveying rollers 13 is attached comes into contact. That is, when the cam gear 21 rotates, the cam portion 21a abuts on the cam follower portion 25a, and the subframe 25 is rotated around the rotation fulcrum 24 against the compression coil spring 22, whereby the conveyance roller One side 13b moves to the right side of the drawing and is separated from the other transport roller 13a. This secures a passage for the check paper P to pass further downstream of the platen 32 in the check paper transport direction. The platen gear 35 and the cam gear 21 have the same number of teeth, and the platen 32 and the cam portion 21a rotate with the same phase. The phase is set so that the transport roller 13b is positioned farthest from the transport roller 13a when the guide surface 37 of the platen 32 faces the print head 31. At this time, the platen 23 facing the first printing apparatus 4 is also positioned at the furthest position from the printing apparatus 4, and a conveyance path for the check paper P to pass through is also secured here.
[0057]
In the figure, a magnetic head 3 for reading the MICR in the vicinity of the insertion opening 11 of the check paper P and a pressing member 3a for pressing the check paper P against the magnetic head 3 to reduce reading errors are provided. ing. The transport roller 12 is used to transport the check paper P when reading the MICR characters on the check paper P.
[0058]
Next, a control circuit and a control method for the platen moving mechanism of this example will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 17 shows a circuit block diagram of this example. The interface 51 is a circuit that physically and logically connects the printing apparatus (composite processing apparatus) 1 of this example and a host apparatus (not shown). Specifically, an interface signal driver, a receiver, a UART circuit that captures serial data in accordance with a predetermined protocol, and the like are included. Data from the host device captured by the interface 51 is processed by the CPU 52 under a control program stored in the ROM 53. In the course of processing, the RAM 54 is used as a temporary storage. The CPU 52 outputs a control signal to each control target such as a driver 56 of the trigger plunger 15 and a driver 57 driving a motor (not shown) which is a power source of the drive shaft 16 via the input / output circuit 55, and also via the circuit. Then, the state of each part of the printing apparatus, for example, the encoder pulse corresponding to the rotation amount of the drive shaft 16 and the state of the paper detector 6 are input. The input / output circuit 55 includes a power supply voltage conversion circuit between a logic circuit and a drive circuit, a timing conversion circuit such as a latch circuit for synchronizing with the operation of the CPU 52, and the like. The trigger plunger driver 56 and the motor driver 57 include a power transistor, a surge voltage absorbing diode, and the like.
[0059]
FIG. 18 shows a flowchart according to the control method of the platen 32 in this example. The control method shown in this flowchart is stored in the ROM 53 as a control program for the CPU 52. After the power is turned on, a predetermined mechanism is initialized, and data from the host device is analyzed to detect a “MICR read command” (step S1). When this command is detected, the CPU 52 outputs a drive signal having a predetermined length to the trigger plunger driver 56 via the input / output circuit 55 so that the guide surface 37 of the platen 32 faces the print head 31. That is, the guide surface 37 is set (step S2). The predetermined length is obtained by counting pulses output from the encoder 40 as described above. In the case of this example, since the number of encoder pulses output while the clutch ratchet wheel 17 rotates from the claw 17b to the claw 17c in FIG. 16 is known, in step S2, the number of pulses that is one pulse greater than this number of pulses. The drive signal is output until counting. Thus, the clutch gear, that is, the platen 32 can be reliably rotated from the claw 17a to the claw 17b and vice versa.
[0060]
In step S3, whether or not the check sheet P is inserted is checked by the output of the sheet sensor 6. If the check sheet P is inserted, the conveyance roller 12 on the insertion port side is closed, that is, the check sheet P is detected by the conveyance roller 12. Can be conveyed (step S4). The sheet sensor 6 of this example includes a trailing edge sensor 6a for detecting the trailing edge of the sheet and a leading edge sensor 6b for detecting the leading edge of the sheet. Is detected, it is determined that the check sheet P has been inserted. Then, while the check paper P is being conveyed at a high speed and at a constant speed by the conveyance roller 12, the MICR characters described therein are read by the magnetic head 3. Prior to this, it is desirable to drive an actuator (not shown) to press the check paper P against the magnetic head 3 and maintain this state during the reading operation.
[0061]
When the reading is completed, the reading result is transmitted to the host device via the interface circuit 51 (step S6). The host device analyzes the read result and issues a MICR read command again if rereading is necessary. If there is a re-reading instruction from the host device (step S7), the printing apparatus 1 performs backfeed (step S8) and performs MICR reading again (step S5).
[0062]
When the print command is received from the host device after the reading is completed, the indication surface of the platen 32 is immediately set (step S9), and the preparation for the end printing and the preparation for the transport for the front printing are performed. Then, according to the type of the print command (steps S10 and S12), printing is performed by the corresponding printing unit (steps S11 and S13), and discharging is performed. Note that after the end printing, the next process is determined by determining whether or not to perform the front printing by a command from the host.
[0063]
As mentioned above, although one embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the matters shown in the embodiment, and the description of the claims and the detailed description of the invention, as well as the well-known technology. Based on the above, a range in which those skilled in the art can make changes and applications thereof is included. In the above-described embodiment, the support surface 36 is linearly formed as the contact surface during printing. However, the peripheral surface of the cylindrical platen may be used as it is. Further, although the guide surface 37 is linear in the embodiment, it is preferably a surface that is continuous with the conveyance path 10 adjacent to the printing apparatus 30. Therefore, when the conveyance path is curved at a portion adjacent to the printing apparatus, the guide surface is preferably a curved surface along the same. Further, the support surface and the guide surface do not necessarily need to be arranged at a position rotated by 180 degrees as shown in the embodiment, and can be arranged at an arbitrary angle with respect to each other.
[0064]
In this example, the platen 32 is composed of a single member, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the support portion having the support surface, the guide portion having the guide surface, and the introduction portion having the introduction surface are separately provided. It is good also as a platen member combining with these.
[0065]
In this example, an apparatus for processing a check sheet on which MICR characters are printed has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and recording is performed using an OCR or bar code reader with a fixed detection unit. The present invention can be applied to various apparatuses such as an apparatus for reading information from a medium and an apparatus for printing on a recording medium with a magnetic tape attached.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a composite processing apparatus including a printing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic perspective view showing a main part of the printing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the printing apparatus showing the rotational position of the platen during printing.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the printing apparatus showing the rotational position of the platen when carrying check paper.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram relating to platen drive control.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control procedure in the printing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of a conventional printing apparatus.
FIG. 9 is a side view showing the position of a platen during printing in a conventional printing apparatus.
FIG. 10 is a side view showing a position of a platen when paper is carried in a conventional printing apparatus.
FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view showing another platen moving mechanism of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the shape of another platen of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the shape of another platen of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the shape of another platen of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view showing a clutch mechanism used in the platen moving mechanism of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a clutch mechanism used in the platen moving mechanism of the present invention.
FIG. 17 is a block diagram relating to another platen drive control of the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing another control procedure in the printing apparatus according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Combined processing equipment
2 Case
3 Information reader
4 Printing device
5 Transport path
6, 7 Paper edge sensor
10 Transport path
11 insertion slot
12, 13 Transport roller
14 Unloading
30 Printing device
31 Print head
32 platen
32a axis
33 Bearing members
34 frames
35 gears
36 Support surface
37 Guide surface
38 Rotary encoder
39 Photocoupler
40 Rotation angle detector
41 Ink ribbon
P check paper
R roll paper

Claims (16)

A platen mechanism that is provided facing the print head and supports a recording medium,
A guide wall for guiding conveyance of the recording medium to the print head;
A support portion which is rotatably provided about an axis substantially parallel to the guide wall and protrudes from the guide wall at a position facing the print head to support the recording medium with respect to the print head; and the print head A platen member having a guide portion that guides conveyance of the recording medium substantially continuously to the guide wall at a position facing the guide wall;
A platen moving mechanism that rotates the platen member and selectively moves the support portion and the guide portion to a position facing the print head;
A biasing member that biases the recording medium in a direction away from the print head and supports the recording medium at a predetermined distance from the print head in cooperation with the support portion of the platen member; ,
The platen mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion of the platen member is disposed away from the biasing member at a position facing the print head. The platen mechanism according to claim 1, wherein
The platen mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion of the platen member is aligned with an end portion of the guide wall at a position facing the print head. The platen mechanism according to claim 1, wherein
The platen mechanism, wherein the platen member has an introduction portion that guides the recording medium from an end portion of the guide wall to the support portion when the support portion is located at a position facing the print head. A print head for printing on a recording medium;
A transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium through the print head;
A guide wall for guiding conveyance of the recording medium to the print head by the conveyance mechanism;
The print head is opposed to the print head and is rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to the guide wall, and protrudes from the guide wall at a position facing the print head to support the recording medium with respect to the print head. A platen member having a support portion and a guide portion that guides conveyance of the recording medium substantially continuously to the guide wall at a position facing the print head;
A platen moving mechanism that rotates the platen member and selectively moves the support portion and the guide portion to a position facing the print head;
A biasing member that biases the recording medium in a direction away from the print head and supports the recording medium at a predetermined distance from the print head in cooperation with the support portion of the platen member; ,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion of the platen member is disposed away from the biasing member at a position facing the print head. The printing apparatus according to claim 4.
The printing apparatus, wherein the guide portion of the platen member is aligned with an end portion of the guide wall at a position facing the print head. The printing apparatus according to claim 4.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the platen member includes an introduction portion that guides the recording medium from an end portion of the guide wall to the support portion when the support portion is located at a position facing the print head. The printing apparatus according to claim 4.
A set of transport rollers for transporting the recording medium when printing on the recording medium by the print head;
A transport roller opening and closing mechanism for contacting and separating the pair of transport rollers from each other;
When the platen movement mechanism moves the support portion of the platen member to a position facing the print head, the conveyance roller opening / closing mechanism brings the pair of conveyance rollers into contact with each other, and the platen movement mechanism When the guide portion of the platen member is moved to a position facing the print head, the platen moving mechanism and the conveyance roller opening / closing mechanism are arranged so that the conveyance roller opening / closing mechanism separates the pair of conveyance rollers from each other. And a linkage mechanism that links the two. The printing apparatus according to claim 4.
The platen moving mechanism is
A drive shaft;
A clutch mechanism for intermittently transmitting the driving force of the drive shaft to the platen member;
A printing apparatus comprising: a trigger mechanism that sets the clutch mechanism to a transmission state at a predetermined timing and sets the clutch mechanism to a non-transmission state according to a predetermined rotation amount of the platen member. A print head for printing on a recording medium;
A detector for reading information provided on the recording medium;
A transport mechanism that transports the recording medium through the print head and the detector;
A guide wall for guiding conveyance of the recording medium to the print head by the conveyance mechanism;
The print head is opposed to the print head and is rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to the guide wall, and protrudes from the guide wall at a position facing the print head to support the recording medium with respect to the print head. A platen member having a support portion and a guide portion that guides conveyance of the recording medium substantially continuously to the guide wall at a position facing the print head;
A platen moving mechanism that rotates the platen member and selectively positions the support portion and the guide portion at a support position facing the print head and a guide position facing the print head, respectively.
The platen moving mechanism is controlled so that the platen member is at the support position at least when printing is performed by the print head, and the platen is at the guide position when the reading process is performed by the detector. A control device to be moved;
A biasing member for biasing the recording medium in a direction away from the print head and supporting the recording medium at a predetermined distance from the print head in cooperation with the platen member;
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the platen member is separated from the biasing member at the guide position. The printing apparatus according to claim 9.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the platen member is aligned with an end of the guide wall at the guide position. The printing apparatus according to claim 9.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the platen member includes an introduction portion that guides the recording medium from an end portion of the guide wall to the support portion at the support position. The printing apparatus according to claim 9.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector includes a magnetic head that reads magnetic ink characters recorded on the recording medium. The printing apparatus according to claim 9.
A command interpreter that interprets a control command received from a host device to which the printing device is connected;
In accordance with the command interpreter, the control device moves the platen member to the guide position when the command interpreter interprets a command instructing a reading process of the information by the detector. apparatus. The printing apparatus according to claim 9.
A set of transport rollers for transporting the recording medium when printing on the recording medium by the print head;
A transport roller opening and closing mechanism for contacting and separating the pair of transport rollers from each other;
When the platen movement mechanism moves the platen member to the support position, the conveyance roller opening / closing mechanism brings the pair of conveyance rollers into contact with each other, and the platen movement mechanism moves the platen member to the guide position. In this case, the transport roller opening / closing mechanism includes a linkage mechanism that interlocks the platen moving mechanism and the transport roller opening / closing mechanism so that the pair of transport rollers are separated from each other. The printing apparatus according to claim 9.
The platen moving mechanism is
A drive shaft;
A clutch mechanism for intermittently transmitting the driving force of the drive shaft to the platen member;
A printing apparatus comprising: a trigger mechanism that sets the clutch mechanism to a transmission state at a predetermined timing and sets the clutch mechanism to a non-transmission state according to a predetermined rotation amount of the platen member. A print head for printing on a recording medium;
A detector for reading information provided on the recording medium;
A transport mechanism that transports the recording medium through the print head and the detector;
A guide wall for guiding conveyance of the recording medium to the print head by the conveyance mechanism;
The print head is opposed to the print head and is rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to the guide wall, and protrudes from the guide wall at a position facing the print head to support the recording medium with respect to the print head. A platen member having a support portion and a guide portion that guides conveyance of the recording medium substantially continuously to the guide wall at a position facing the print head;
A platen moving mechanism that rotates the platen member and selectively positions the support portion and the guide portion at a support position facing the print head and a guide position facing the print head, respectively.
The platen moving mechanism is controlled so that the platen member is at the support position at least when printing is performed by the print head, and the platen is at the guide position when the reading process is performed by the detector. A control method in a printing apparatus having a control device to be moved,
(A) a conveying step of conveying the recording medium along the guide wall;
(B) a supporting step of projecting the platen member to the support position and supporting the recording medium with respect to the print head;
(C) a printing step of printing on the recording medium by the print head;
(D) a guide step of retracting the platen member to the guide position to guide the recording medium;
(E) a reading step of reading information provided on the recording medium conveyed in the conveying step (a) by the detector;
(F) an interpretation step of interpreting a predetermined control command instructing reading of information provided on the recording medium received from a host device to which the printing device is connected;
The printing step (c) and the reading step (e) are performed after the supporting step (b) and the guiding step (d), respectively, and the guiding step (d) is performed in the command interpretation step (f). In response, the printing apparatus control method is executed when the predetermined control command is interpreted.

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