JP4054914B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing device which can be constituted by a simple mechanism and can efficiently print to a plurality of points of a surface of a printing object. <P>SOLUTION: The device is equipped with a printer mechanism 15 set at a predetermined position within a device body 1, a detecting means set to be movable over to a first position and a second position in the device body 1, and a printing control means. The detecting means detects a tray 9 which supports an optical disk D as the printing object to be printed by the printer mechanism 15, and a position of the tray 9. The printing control means drives the printer mechanism 15 only when the tray 9 is detected by the detecting means to be at the first position or the second position, and carries out printing to the optical disk D as the printing object supported by the tray 9. In the device, printing is carried out at each position of the first position and the second position by moving the tray 9 to the first position and the second position through manual operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&amp;NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that uses a recording medium represented by an optical disc or the like as a printing object, and prints information such as a title of data recorded on the recording medium as the printing object on its surface.

Conventionally, as a printing apparatus that performs printing on the surface of an optical disk such as a CD-R (Compact Disk-Recordable), there is one disclosed in JP-A-2003-72173.
This printing apparatus includes, in the apparatus main body, a tray that supports an optical disk that is an object to be printed, and a printer mechanism that performs printing in a predetermined area of the optical disk supported by the tray. The tray is provided so as to move between the inside and the outside of the apparatus main body, and the optical disk is attached and detached while being pushed out of the apparatus main body. During the printing operation, the tray is stored in the apparatus main body. The printer mechanism moves a thermal head to a predetermined range on the tray during a printing operation and performs printing on a predetermined area of the optical disk supported on the tray.

In this printing apparatus, printing is performed on a part of the surface of the optical disc by one printing operation of the printer mechanism. Therefore, when it is desired to print on a plurality of locations on the surface (label surface) of the optical disk with this printing device, after the printing of one location is completed, the tray is once pushed out of the main body of the device by, for example, the first printing. In the printing area, the optical disk on the tray is manually rotated 180 ° and repositioned so that the area opposite to the circular hole in the center of the disk corresponds to the position of the printer mechanism. It is necessary to return the tray to the inside of the apparatus main body and perform printing at the different place by the second printing operation of the printer mechanism.
JP 2003-72173 A

  As described above, the conventional printing apparatus performs printing on a predetermined area on the surface of the optical disc, and the area that can be printed by one printing operation is limited to the entire surface of the optical disc. Because of the size, when it is desired to further expand the printing area and print at a plurality of locations, the tray must be ejected once, and the arrangement of the optical disk on the tray must be changed and repeated.

  That is, in the conventional printing apparatus, each time one printing process is finished, the tray is pushed out of the apparatus main body to which the optical disk can be attached and detached, aligned on the tray, and the optical disk mounting position is changed manually. Furthermore, since troublesome work such as returning the tray to the inside of the apparatus main body and restarting the printing operation is required, there is a problem in that the efficiency of the printing work is reduced.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus that can be configured with a simple mechanism and can efficiently print at a plurality of locations on the surface of a printing object. To do.

A printing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is provided with printing means provided at a predetermined position in the apparatus main body, movably provided between a first position and a second position in the apparatus main body, Support means for supporting an optical disk as a printing object to be printed by the printing means, movement operation means for moving the support means to the first position or the second position, and detecting the position of the support means When the detection means detects that the support means is disposed at the first position or the second position when a printing instruction is given, the printing means is driven. Then, when printing is performed on the optical disk supported by the support means, and the detection means detects that the support means is not disposed at either the first position or the second position, The printing It is characterized in that it comprises a printing control means on the optical disk supported by the support means without driving the stage not to be printed.

In the printing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the detection unit detects that the support unit is disposed at the first position, the print control unit drives the printing unit to perform the first operation. the print data printed on the optical disk, the when the support means that is disposed in said second position is detected by said detecting means, said second print data by driving the printing means It is characterized by printing on an optical disk .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the detection means detects that the support means is not disposed at either the first position or the second position, the printer is further notified. It is characterized by comprising an informing means for informing.

Printing apparatus according to the invention of claim 4, a printing unit provided at a predetermined position in the apparatus main body, a first in the apparatus main body to support the optical disk as a printing object to be printed by the printing means A support means provided so as to be movable between a position and a second position; a movement operation means for moving the support means to the first position or the second position; and the support means. A detecting means for detecting the position of the optical disc , and when the detecting means detects that the optical disc is disposed at the first position or the second position when a printing instruction is given. the printing means to drive performs printing on the optical disk supported by said supporting means, said optical disk is placed in either the first position and the second position by said detecting means If Ikoto is detected, is characterized by and a printing control unit does not perform printing on supported the optical disk to said support means without driving the print means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, when the detection unit detects that the optical disk is disposed at the first position, the print control unit drives the printing unit to Printing the print data, and when the detecting means detects that the optical disk is located at the second position, the print control means drives the printing means to print the second print data It is characterized by doing.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the printing apparatus according to the sixth aspect, wherein at least two switches operated via the optical disk when the support means supporting the optical disk moves to the first position and the second position. The detection means is constituted by the detection signal from the switch, and the support when the support means is arranged at the first position and the second position together with the detection of the position of the optical disk. It is characterized by detecting the presence or absence of the optical disk supported by the unit.

  The printing apparatus of the invention of claim 7 further comprises a locking means for locking the support means to the apparatus main body so as to position the support means relative to the apparatus main body at the first position and the second position. It is a feature.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus, wherein the moving operation means includes an operation member movably provided on an outer surface of the apparatus main body, and a connecting means for connecting the operation member and the support means. The support means is configured to move to the first position and the second position via the connecting means based on a moving operation.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, when the support means is disposed at the first position and the second position, the operation member is detachably locked to the apparatus main body. It is characterized by comprising locking means.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the supporting means for supporting the optical disk printed by the printing means is connected to the first position and the second position in the apparatus main body with respect to the printing means provided at a predetermined position of the apparatus main body. The optical disk supported by the support means is once taken out of the apparatus main body, and the support position of the support means is changed by simply moving the support means within the apparatus main body. operation without the need of, it becomes possible to perform printing at a plurality of positions of the optical disk, can provide a printing apparatus capable of printing well efficiency in a plurality of locations on the surface of the optical disc by a simple structure.

Then, the detection position is in the apparatus main body of the support means, because its position are constituted to have printed on the optical disk is performed by only printing means when in the a first position and a second position of the predetermined Therefore, it is possible to accurately align the printing on the optical disk .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform printing on the optical disc based on the print data corresponding to the position of the support means in the apparatus main body, and the first print data and the second print in advance. By distinguishing the data, each print data can be automatically printed at a desired position on the optical disk .

According to the invention of claim 3, when the position of the support means in the apparatus main body is not arranged at either the first position or the second position, it is detected and notified, so the support means However, it is possible to prevent inconvenience that printing is performed at an unscheduled position of the optical disk at a position different from the first position and the second position.

According to the invention of claim 4, with respect to the printing means provided at a predetermined position of the apparatus main body, the supporting means for supporting the optical disk printed by the printing means is the first position and the second position in the apparatus main body. The optical disk supported by the support means is once taken out of the apparatus main body, and the support position of the support means is changed by simply moving the support means within the apparatus main body. Thus, it is possible to perform printing at a plurality of locations on the optical disc without requiring the above operation, and a printing apparatus capable of efficiently printing at a plurality of locations on the surface of the optical disc with a simple configuration can be provided.

Then, the position of the optical disk supported by the support means in the apparatus main body is detected, and printing is performed on the optical disk by the printing means only when the position is at a predetermined first position and second position. Since it is configured, it is possible to accurately perform printing alignment on the optical disk .

According to the invention of claim 5, printing can be performed on the optical disk based on the print data corresponding to the position of the optical disk in the apparatus main body, and the first print data and the second print data are previously stored. By distinguishing these, each print data can be automatically printed at a desired position on the optical disc .

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the support means moves to the first position and the second position, the detection means is provided by the two switches operated via the optical disk supported by the support means. because they constitute a detecting position of the optical disk at its two switches, combining its and detection of the presence or absence of the optical disc on the supporting means can be done, separate switch mechanism is not required, the configuration easily Become.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the support means is provided to lock the support means with respect to the apparatus main body at the first position and the second position, the support means is supported by the support means during the printing operation. Therefore, the optical disk that has been used does not move inadvertently, so that the optical disk can always be printed properly.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the moving operation means includes an operation member provided on the outer surface of the apparatus main body so as to be movable, the operation of moving the support means can be easily and efficiently performed from outside the apparatus main body. Can do.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided locking means for detachably locking the operation member to the apparatus main body when the support means is positioned at the first position and the second position. from can be positioned sealed properly lock the said support means in a predetermined first position and the second position.

  1 and 2 show the appearance of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printing apparatus includes an apparatus main body 1, and the apparatus main body 1 includes a main body case 2 and a cover 3. Yes.

  The main body case 2 has an opening 5 in the substantially front half of the upper surface, and the cover 3 is rotatably attached to the opening 5 via a hinge 6, and the opening 5 is opened and closed by the cover 3. It is like that.

  A base 7 is provided on the inner bottom portion of the main body case 2, and a tray 9 is horizontally provided on the base 7 as support means for supporting a printing object. The tray 9 is supported by a guide rail 10 provided on the base 7 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction in the apparatus main body 1. A detachable protrusion 11 is formed to protrude. Further, a buffer sheet 12 made of a rubber material or the like having appropriate elasticity and buffering properties is attached to the upper surface of the tray 9.

  A key input unit 13 and a liquid crystal display unit 14 are provided on the upper surface of the cover 3. The key input unit 13 is a character input key for inputting characters and symbols, a character size key for inputting and setting the character size, a Kanji conversion key for editing the input character, a no-conversion key, and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 13. Cursor keys for moving the cursor, specific function keys for confirming various input data and selection data, instructing the start of specific functions, print keys for printing the input character strings and images, power supply for the device There are provided a power key for turning on and off, a control key necessary for other operations, and the like.

  Further, in the main body case 2, although not shown, electronic devices such as a microcomputer for driving and controlling electronic components of each part of the apparatus such as a key input unit 13, a liquid crystal display unit 14, and a motor of a printer mechanism 15 as a printing unit described later. Circuit components are provided.

  The printer mechanism 15 provided in the main body case 2 includes a bridge-shaped printer frame 16 attached to the base 7 so as to straddle the tray 9 as shown in FIG. When the tray 9 is arranged at the first position on the front side in the main body case 2, the tray 9 has a leg portion 16 a and a horizontal frame portion 16 b horizontally installed between the leg portions 16 a. It is provided so that it may arrange | position in the position near the rear part of the main body case 2 rather than the center part.

  The printer frame 16 supports a carriage 17 and constitutes a traveling path for reciprocating the carriage 17 left and right along the surface of the tray 9. That is, the printer frame 16 includes a guide shaft 18 that slidably supports the carriage 17, and the guide shaft 18 is installed between the leg portions 16a in parallel with the horizontal frame portion 16b.

  The carriage 17 supported by the guide shaft 18 includes a carriage motor 19 on the back surface. An output gear 19 a is attached to the output shaft of the carriage motor 19, and a drive gear 20 that meshes with the output gear 19 a is provided in the carriage 17. ing. A rack 21 that meshes with the drive gear 20 in the carriage 17 is attached to the surface of the horizontal frame portion 16 b that faces the tray 9.

  A ribbon cartridge 31 containing an ink ribbon 30 for thermal transfer printing is detachably mounted on the front surface of the carriage 17. In the ribbon cartridge 31, a ribbon feeding core 33 and a ribbon winding core 34 are provided, and the ink ribbon 30 is stretched between the ribbon feeding core 33 and the ribbon winding core 34.

  A one-way clutch gear 36 that meshes with the drive gear 20 and a transmission gear 37 that meshes with the one-way clutch gear 36 are provided in the carriage 17. The transmission gear 37 is provided with a ribbon take-up shaft 38 coaxially. The ribbon take-up shaft 38 protrudes to the front side of the carriage 17 and is fitted to the ribbon take-up core 34.

  When the output gear 19a rotates in the forward direction by the activation of the carriage motor 19, the rotational power is transmitted to the ribbon take-up shaft 38 via the drive gear 20, the one-way clutch gear 36, and the transmission gear 37. As a result, the ribbon take-up core 34 fitted to the ribbon take-up shaft 38 rotates and the ink ribbon 30 is taken up.

  When the output gear 19a of the carriage motor 19 rotates in the reverse direction, the rotational power is interrupted by the one-way clutch gear 36 and is not transmitted to the ribbon take-up shaft 38, and therefore the ribbon take-up core 34 does not rotate. The ink ribbon 30 is not wound up.

  The first and second carriage position detection switches SW3 and SW4 are positioned on both ends of the guide shaft 18 so as to correspond to both ends of the movement range of the carriage 17 inside the leg portions 16a of the printer frame 16, respectively. Is provided.

  In this printing apparatus, the standby position of the carriage 17 is the right end portion of the guide shaft 18 in FIG. 3, and the carriage 17 waits at this standby position before starting printing. When the carriage 17 is placed at this standby position, it is detected by the detection switch SW4, and the detection switch SW4 is turned on.

  The home position of the carriage 17 is the left end portion of the guide shaft 18, and when the carriage 17 is disposed at this home position, the detection switch SW3 detects this, and the detection switch SW3 is turned on.

  In the carriage 17, as shown in FIG. 4, a head arm 50 and a cam 51 as an attitude control mechanism for controlling the attitude of the head arm 50 are provided. The head arm 50 is supported so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction via a shaft 52, and a thermal head 53 as a print head is attached to the tip of the head arm 50.

  The thermal head 53 is attached to the head arm 50 so as to protrude forward from the front surface of the carriage 17, and the ink ribbon 30 in the ribbon cartridge 31 mounted on the front surface of the carriage 17 passes under the thermal head 53. The thermal head 53 is adapted to come in contact with and separate from the surface of the optical disk D mounted on the tray 9 with the ink ribbon 30 interposed therebetween in accordance with the rotation of the head arm 50.

  The head arm 50 is elastically biased counterclockwise in FIG. A step 56 is formed on the upper edge of the head arm 50 opposite to the thermal head 53. The step portion 56 is composed of a high-order portion 56a and an inclined portion 56b that extends downwardly and continues to one end of the high-order portion 56a, and a stopper 54 is formed in the middle of the high-order portion 56a. .

  The cam 51 is rotatably supported via a pin 57, and a first protrusion 51a protruding toward the right side and a second protrusion 51b protruding toward the left side from the pin 57, And a third protrusion 51c protruding downward from the pin 57.

  First and second receiving members 58a and 58b are provided at both ends of the horizontal frame portion 16b of the printer frame 16, and inclined guide portions 59 are formed at the ends of the receiving members 58a and 58b.

  The carriage 17 reciprocates between the standby position at the right end of the guide shaft 18 and the home position at the left end of the guide shaft 18 in accordance with the drive of the carriage motor 19 in FIGS. 3 and 4. The standby position is a position where the carriage 17 waits before printing starts, and the carriage 17 moves to and stops there after printing, and is also a position where the ribbon cartridge 31 is replaced. The home position is for controlling the position of the carriage 17 in the moving range with the carriage 17 moving to that position immediately after the start of the printing operation, using that as a reference position. In the printing apparatus, both the positions are positions for controlling the movement of the thermal head 53.

  When the carriage 17 moves from the home position toward the standby position, the third protrusion 51c of the cam 51 contacts the inclined portion 56b of the step portion 56 of the head arm 50, as shown in FIG. By this contact, the thermal head 53 at the tip of the head arm 50 is brought down by the urging force of the spring 55 and comes into contact with the optical disk D on the tray 9. Under this state, the surface of the optical disk D (label surface) Then, thermal transfer printing using the ink ribbon 30 is performed.

  When the carriage 17 reaches the standby position, as shown in FIG. 4B, the first protrusion 51a of the cam 51 contacts the guide portion 59 of the receiving member 58b, and the cam 51 is pinned by this contact. Rotate clockwise around 57.

  In response to the rotation of the cam 51, the third protrusion 51c moves from the inclined portion 56b of the head arm 50 to the high position portion 56a, and this movement causes the head arm 50 to rotate clockwise about the shaft 52. By this rotation, the thermal head 53 is raised and separated from the surface of the optical disc D.

  The rotation range of the cam 51 in the clockwise direction is restricted by the stopper 54. Therefore, the carriage 17 stops at the standby position while keeping the thermal head 53 in the up state, and waits for the printing start operation.

  When the carriage 17 moves from the standby position toward the home position, as shown in FIG. 3C, the thermal head 53 moves while maintaining the up state.

  When the carriage 17 reaches the home position, as shown in FIG. 4D, the second protrusion 51b of the cam 51 comes into contact with the guide portion 59 of the second receiving member 58b. Thus, the cam 51 rotates counterclockwise around the pin 57.

  In response to the rotation of the cam 51, the third protrusion 51c moves from the high position portion 56a of the head arm 50 to the inclined portion 56b. With this movement, the head arm 50 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 52. By this rotation, the thermal head 53 is lowered and comes into contact with the surface of the optical disc D.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a movement operation means for moving the tray 9 is provided on the upper surface of the main body case 2. That is, a long concave portion 60 is formed on the upper surface of the main body case 2 in the front-rear direction, and a slide base 61 and an operation knob 62 as operating members are accommodated in the concave portion 60 as shown in FIGS. .

  The slide base 61 is accommodated in the recess 60 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction, and the operation knob 62 is provided on the slide base 61. The slide base 61 is connected to the tray 9 via a connection shaft 63, and the tray 9 moves in the front-rear direction of the main body case 2 along the guide rail 10 together with the slide base 61. .

  The operation knob 62 is mounted on the slide base 61 so as to be slidable in the width direction of the recess 60 and immovable in the longitudinal direction of the recess 60. The operation knob 62 is elastically urged to the right in FIG.

  A first engagement hole 65a and a second engagement hole 65b are formed on one side surface of the recess 60 so as to be divided into one end side and the other end side in the longitudinal direction. An engagement protrusion 66 that can be engaged with and disengaged from the engagement holes 65a and 65b is integrally provided on one end surface of the operation knob 62.

  When the tray 9 is disposed at the first position on the front side in the main body case 2, the operation knob 62 is disposed integrally with the slide base 61 at the end portion on the front side of the recess 60. The engaging projection 66 of 62 is engaged with the first engaging hole 65a by the urging force of the spring 64, and the tray 9 is locked at the first position by this engagement.

  From this state, the fingertip is put on the operation knob 62 and the operation knob 62 is moved to the left in FIG. 5 against the spring 64 to remove the engagement protrusion 66 from the first engagement hole 65a. The tray 9 is moved from the one end side to the other end side along the concave portion 60 integrally with the slide base 61 so that the tray 9 is moved from the first position to the second rear side in the main body case 2. Move to the position. When the operation knob 62 moves to the other end side of the recess 60, when the fingertip is released from the operation knob 62, the operation knob 62 moves rightward in FIG. 66 engages with the second engagement hole 65 b, whereby the tray 9 is locked at the second position on the rear side in the main body case 2.

  In the main body case 2, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the tray 9 is arranged at the first position, it comes into contact with the outer peripheral edge of the optical disk D supported on the tray 9. The first switch SW1 for detecting the position of the tray 9 and the optical disc D, and the tray 9 is supported on the tray 9 when the tray 9 is disposed at the second position as shown in FIG. 7B. A second switch SW2 that detects the position of the tray 9 and the optical disk D in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the optical disk D is provided.

  FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of an electronic circuit of the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus includes a control unit 100, which includes a key input unit 13, a liquid crystal display unit 14, a drive circuit 103 for driving the thermal head 53, and a carriage motor 19. The drive circuit 104, tray position detection switches SW1 and SW2 for detecting the position of the tray 9 (optical disk D) in the apparatus main body 1, and carriage position detection switches SW3 and SW4 for detecting the movement position of the carriage 17 are connected. Has been.

  Further, a display font ROM 105, a print font ROM 106, a ROM 107, and a RAM 108 are connected to the control unit 100. The display font ROM 105 stores display dot patterns for a large number of characters and symbols, and the printing font ROM 106 stores printing dot patterns for large and small character sizes. The ROM 107 stores a display control program for controlling the liquid crystal display unit 14 and a control program for performing control related to printing processing of the printing apparatus in accordance with the character code data input from the key input unit 13. Yes. The RAM 108 stores input data and its print data, and areas such as registers and counters for storing various data used in the printing process of the printing apparatus are secured.

  Next, the operation of the printing apparatus will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

  When performing printing, the cover 3 is opened and closed, and the optical disk D, which is a printing object, is mounted on the tray 9. At this time, the carriage 17 is disposed at a standby position where it is retracted from the upper side of the tray 9 to the right side thereof. Therefore, the optical disk D can be easily mounted on the tray 9 without the carriage 17 being in the way.

  Further, the key input unit 13 is operated to input first print data and second print data composed of desired character strings to be printed at two places on the optical disc D. Each print data input by the key input unit 13 is stored in the RAM 108.

  When the cover 3 is opened and the optical disk D is mounted on the tray 9, the tray 9 is placed at either the first position or the second position.

  In this state, when a print instruction is issued by operating the print key, the carriage 17 moves from the standby position to the home position, and the print processing of FIGS. 9 and 10 is started. First, predetermined initial processing is performed, and first and second printed flags f and g indicating whether or not the first and second print data stored in the register of the RAM 108 have been printed are set. It is reset (step S1). The printed flag indicates that the print data is set and printed when the print data is printed.

  Next, it is determined whether the tray position detection switch SW1 is in an ON state (step S2). If the tray position detection switch SW1 is in the ON state, it is determined whether the first printed flag is set (YES in step S2, step S3).

  If the tray position detection switch SW1 is in the ON state and the first printed flag f is set, the first print data to be printed on the tray 9 at the first position has already been printed. Then, an error message is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 14, and the carriage 17 returns from the home position to the standby position and ends (YES in step S3, steps S36 and S36a, end).

  When the tray position detection switch SW1 is in the ON state and the first printed flag f is reset, the tray 9 is at the first position in the apparatus main body 1 and the optical disk D is subjected to the first printing. Since the data is not printed, the first print data is expanded in a predetermined area of the RAM 108 to print the first print data (YES in step S2, NO in step S3, step S4). ). Then, a message indicating that printing is being performed is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 14, the thermal head 53 is driven based on the first print data, and the carriage motor 19 is rotated forward in synchronization with this. Driven, the carriage 17 moves from the home position toward the standby position, and all of the first print data is printed in the predetermined first range of the optical disc D (steps S5, S6, S7, S8).

  When printing of the first print data is completed, the first printed flag f is set (step S9). Further, it is determined whether the carriage motor 19 is driven in the forward direction to move the carriage, and whether the carriage position detection switch SW4 is ON (steps S10 and S11). When the carriage reaches the standby position, the carriage position detection switch SW4 is turned on, and the cam 51 of the attitude control mechanism is operated to move the thermal head 53 to the print standby position (YES in step S10).

  When the carriage position detection switch SW4 is turned on, the carriage motor 19 is driven in reverse by that signal (step S12). The carriage is moved toward the home position by the reverse drive of the carriage motor 19. The arrival of the carriage 17 at the home position is detected when the carriage position detection switch SW3 is turned on, whereby the carriage motor 19 is stopped (YES in steps S12 and S13, S14). 51 is activated to move the thermal head 53 to the printing position.

  Next, it is determined whether the second printed flag g is reset (step S15). When the second printed flag g is reset, the tray 9 is moved to print the second print data. That is, the operation knob 62 of the moving operation means is operated with the fingertip to move the tray 9 from the first position to the second position.

  At this time, the liquid crystal display unit 14 displays guidance that prompts the user to give an instruction to start printing the second print data (step S16). The guidance display is configured such that, for example, it is possible to select whether or not to print the second location (second print data). If it is selected not to print the second print data, the carriage 17 is moved to the standby position, and the process ends (NO in step S17, S36a, end).

  When execution of printing of the second print data is selected, it is determined whether the tray position detection switch SW2 is in the ON state (YES in step S17, S18). If the tray position detection switch SW2 is OFF and the tray 9 is not in the second position, the processes in steps S16 to S18 are repeated.

  If the tray 9 is in the second position and the tray position detection switch SW2 is in the ON state, the second print data is developed to print the second print data (step S21). Then, a message indicating that printing is in progress is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 14, the thermal head 53 is driven based on the second print data, and the carriage motor 19 is rotated forward in synchronization with this. When driven, the carriage 17 moves toward the standby position, and all of the second print data is printed in a predetermined second range of the optical disc D (steps S22, S23, S24, S25).

  When the printing of the second print data is completed, the second printed flag g is set (step S26). Further, it is determined whether the carriage motor 19 is driven in the forward direction to move the carriage 17 and the carriage position detection switch SW4 is turned on (steps S27 and S28).

  When the carriage 17 reaches the standby position, the carriage position detection switch SW4 is turned on, and the cam 51 of the attitude control mechanism is operated to move the thermal head 53 to the print standby position (YES in step S27).

  When the carriage position detection switch SW4 is turned on, the carriage motor 19 is driven in reverse (step S29). The carriage 17 is moved toward the home position by the reverse drive of the carriage motor 19. The arrival of the carriage 17 at the home position is detected by turning on the carriage position detection switch SW3, whereby the carriage motor 19 is stopped (YES in steps S29 and S30, S31). At this time, the cam 51 of the attitude control mechanism is actuated to move the thermal head 53 to the printing position.

  Next, it is determined whether the first printed flag f has been reset (step S32). Here, if it is determined that the first printed flag f is set, the printing of the first and second print data has been completed, so that the carriage 17 is driven by the forward rotation of the carriage motor 19. Is moved to the standby position to end the printing process (NO in step S32, S36a, end). Then, the carriage 17 moves to the standby position, whereby the optical disk D on the tray 9 can be taken out.

The above processing is performed when the tray 9 is in the first position at the start of printing. However, when the tray 9 is not in the first position at the start of printing, that is, when the tray position detection switch SW1 is in the OFF state. Then, it is determined whether or not the tray position detection switch SW2 is in an ON state (NO in step S2, S19). Here, when the tray position detection switch SW1 is in the OFF state and the tray position detection switch SW2 is also in the OFF state, the tray is not in the first position or the second position, and the tray 9 is not ready for printing. Since it is either in an appropriate position or the optical disk D is not mounted on the tray 9, an error is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 14 based on the information, and the carriage 17 is moved to the standby position to end the process. (NO in step S2, the S 19 NO, S37, S36a, end).

  If it is determined in step S19 that the tray 9 is in the second position, it is determined whether the second printed flag g is set (YES in step S19, S20). If it is determined that the second printed flag g is set, since the second print data has already been printed, an error is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 14, and the carriage 17 is moved to the standby position to end. (YES in step S20, S36, S36a, end). If the second printed flag g is reset, the second print data is printed according to steps S21 to S31 as described above.

  When the printing of the second print data is completed, it is determined whether the first printed flag f has been reset, and the next second printing (the first print data of the first print data) is determined in the same manner as in step S16. When guidance for printing is displayed and printing of the first print data is instructed, it is determined whether the tray 9 is in the first position (steps S33 to S35).

  If it is determined that the tray 9 is in the first position, printing of the first print data is performed according to steps S4 to S14. When the printing of the first print data is finished, it is next determined whether or not the second printed flag g is reset (step S15). Here, if it is determined that the second printed flag g is set, the printing of the first and second print data has been completed. Therefore, the carriage 17 is returned to the standby position to perform the printing process. (NO in step S15, S36a, end).

  If it is selected in step S34 that printing of the first print data is not performed, the carriage 17 is moved to the standby position and the process ends (NO in step S34, S36a, end).

  In FIG. 11, the tray 9 is moved to the first position and the second position in the apparatus main body 1, and the first print data A and the second print are printed at two positions on the surface of the optical disc D at each position. An example of printing data B is shown.

  As described above, according to the embodiment, the optical disk D, which is a printing object supported by the tray 9, is taken out of the apparatus main body 1 and supported by the tray 9 only by the operation of moving the tray 9 within the apparatus main body 1. It is possible to easily and efficiently perform desired printing at a plurality of locations on the optical disc D without requiring an operation such as changing the position.

  The movement operation of the tray 9 can be easily and efficiently performed from the outside of the apparatus main body 1 through the operation knob 62. When the tray 9 is disposed at the first position and the second position, the engagement protrusion 66 of the operation knob 62 is engaged and locked with the engagement holes 65a and 65b on the side surface of the recess 60. 9 can be accurately positioned at the first position and the second position, and inadvertent movement of the tray 9 (optical disk D) can be reliably prevented during the printing operation.

  In addition, when the engaging projection 66 of the operation knob 62 is engaged and locked with the engaging holes 65a and 65b on the side surface of the recess 60, it is also possible to provide a locking means for locking the locked state. In this case, the tray 9 can be more accurately positioned by the first position and the second position, and the inadvertent movement of the tray 9 (optical disk D) during the printing operation can be more reliably prevented. be able to.

  As the locking means for locking the tray 9 at the first position and the second position, a structure as shown in FIG. 12 can be adopted. That is, in this locking means, a locking piece 70 made of a leaf spring is provided in the apparatus main body 1. The locking piece 70 is disposed so as to face one side surface of the tray 9, one end thereof is fixed to the apparatus main body 1, and a protrusion 70 a is formed to protrude from the other end. A first recess 9 a and a second recess 9 b that can be engaged with and disengaged from the protrusion 70 a are formed on one side of the tray 9.

  When the tray 9 is arranged at the first position as shown in FIG. 12A, the protrusion 70a of the locking piece 70 is engaged with the first recess 9a of the tray 9 by the elastic force of the locking piece 70. As a result, the tray 9 is locked at the first position.

  When the tray 9 moves to the second position on the rear side of the apparatus body 1, the protrusion 70 a is detached from the first recess 9 a against the elastic force of the locking piece 70, and the tray 9 12B, the projection 70a is engaged with the second recess 9b of the tray 9 by the elastic force of the locking piece 70 as shown in FIG. 9 is locked in the second position.

  Even in such a structure, the tray 9 can be accurately positioned at the first position and the second position, and the inadvertent movement of the tray 9 (optical disk D) can be reliably prevented during the printing operation. Can do.

  Tray position detection switches SW1 and SW2 as detection means for detecting the position of the tray 9 are for detecting the position of the tray 9 by contacting the outer peripheral edge of the optical disc D arranged on the tray 9. Therefore, the presence / absence of the arrangement of the optical disk D on the tray 9 can be detected by the detection switches SW1 and SW2. That is, the detection switches SW1 and SW2 have a function of detecting the presence / absence of the optical disk D in addition to the function of detecting the position of the tray 9, and therefore, a separate means for detecting the presence / absence of the optical disk D is unnecessary. Configuration is simplified.

1 is a perspective view showing an overall appearance of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view of the state which opened the cover of the printing apparatus. The front view which shows the structure of the principal part of the printing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a front view showing the operation of the carriage in the printer mechanism of the printing apparatus. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the tray movement operation means of the printing apparatus. The top view which shows the structure of the tray movement operation means of the printing apparatus. The side view which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the tray position detection switch of the printing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic circuit of the printing apparatus. 6 is a flowchart showing a part of the flow of printing processing of the printing apparatus. 6 is a flowchart showing the remainder of the printing process flow of the printing apparatus. The top view which shows the optical disk which printed the character string with the printing apparatus. The top view which shows the modification of the tray latching means in the printing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Apparatus main body 2 ... Main body case 3 ... Cover 5 ... Opening part 9 ... Tray 15 ... Printer mechanism 17 ... Carriage 18 ... Guide shaft 19 ... Carriage motor 30 ... Ink ribbon 31 ... Ribbon cartridge 53 ... Thermal head 61 ... Slide stand 63 ... Connection shaft 64 ... Spring 65a, 65b ... Engagement hole 66 ... Engagement protrusion 100 ... Control part

Claims (9)

Printing means provided at a predetermined position in the apparatus main body;
A support means provided so as to be movable between a first position and a second position in the apparatus main body, and supporting an optical disc as a printing object to be printed by the printing means;
Moving operation means for moving the support means to the first position or the second position;
Detection means for detecting the position of the support means;
When it is detected by the detection means that the support means is disposed at the first position or the second position when printing is instructed, the support means is driven by driving the print means. When printing is performed on the optical disk supported by the optical disk , and the detection unit detects that the support unit is not disposed at either the first position or the second position, the printing unit is driven. Print control means that does not print on the optical disk supported by the support means without causing
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing control unit drives the printing unit to print the first print data on the optical disc when the detection unit detects that the support unit is disposed at the first position. When the detection means detects that the support means is disposed at the second position, the printing means is driven to print second print data on the optical disc. The printing apparatus according to claim 1.   Furthermore, when the detection means detects that the support means is not disposed at either the first position or the second position, the detection means further comprises notification means for notifying the fact. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. Printing means provided at a predetermined position in the apparatus main body;
A support means provided to support an optical disk as a printing object to be printed by the printing means and to be movable between a first position and a second position in the apparatus main body;
Moving operation means for moving the support means to the first position or the second position;
Detecting means for detecting the position of the optical disc supported by the supporting means;
When it is detected that the optical disk is disposed at the first position or the second position by the detection unit when a printing instruction is given, the printing unit is driven to the support unit. Printing on the supported optical disk , and driving the printing means when the detecting means detects that the optical disk is not located at either the first position or the second position. Print control means that does not print on the optical disc supported by the support means without,
A printing apparatus comprising: The print control means drives the printing means to print first print data when the detection means detects that the optical disk is arranged at the first position, and the optical disk 5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the detection unit detects that it is arranged at the second position, the printing unit is driven to print second print data. 6. The detection means is composed of at least two switches that are operated via the optical disk when the support means supporting the optical disk moves to the first position and the second position, The presence / absence of the optical disk supported by the support means when the support means is disposed at the first position and the second position, together with detection of the position of the optical disk by a combination of detection signals from the switch The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the printer is detected.   7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising locking means for locking the support means to the apparatus main body so as to position the support means relative to the apparatus main body at the first position and the second position. The printing apparatus in any one.   The movement operation means includes an operation member movably provided on an outer surface of the apparatus main body, and a connection means for connecting the operation member and the support means, and the connection means is operated based on a movement operation of the operation member. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support unit is configured to move the support unit to the first position and the second position.   Furthermore, when the said support means is arrange | positioned in the said 1st position and a said 2nd position, it has a latching means which latches the said operation member to an apparatus main body so that engagement / disengagement is possible. Item 9. The printing apparatus according to Item 8.

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