JP4091229B2 - Double thermal printer - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a multiple printing apparatus capable of printing on a plurality of sheets, and relates to a technique effective for use in, for example, a thermal printing apparatus (so-called thermal printer) having a thermal head.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Printers used as information output devices include an impact method such as a wire dot printer and a non-impact method. Further, non-impact printers include laser printers and thermal printers. Of these, impact type printers are noisy and have poor print quality, so in recent years non-impact type printers have become widely used. Among non-impact printers, thermal printers are suitable for miniaturization, and are therefore used in a wide range of fields.
[0003]
In particular, in a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal, it is necessary to print two sheets of output paper for a receipt to be handed over to a customer and output paper for a journal to be left as a copy of a store at the same time. The installed printer and the duplex printer having two heads have been put into practical use. However, since the cost of a print head is considerably high in a printer, a multiple printer having a head corresponding to each sheet can achieve downsizing to some extent, but a sufficient effect in terms of cost has not been obtained.
[0004]
In view of this, an invention relating to a double thermal printer has been proposed in which a thermal head is shared and two paper feed units are provided side by side with respect to the common thermal head, thereby reducing the size and improving the economy. (Patent No. 2819595).
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, although the thermal printer according to the invention of the prior application has an advantage that it is an inexpensive device capable of simultaneously printing on two sheets of paper, the drive roller and the motor are one and the sheet feed mechanism is Since the guide part is fixed, the width of the paper to be printed is fixed, and the printing speed must be the same in the two systems, which reveals that there is a problem of low versatility. .
[0006]
In particular, in a POS terminal, there are many cases where it is desired to change the information to be output and the amount of the output paper for receipts to be handed over to customers and the output paper for journals to be kept at the store. Therefore, when the thermal printer according to the above-mentioned prior application is used for a POS terminal, two types of printers having different size ratios of the two sheets must be prepared, and a significant cost reduction cannot be achieved. .
[0007]
Moreover, since the thermal printer according to the above-mentioned prior application patent invention has one drive roller and one motor, the printing speed for two sheets cannot be changed. For this reason, it has been found that when the difference in the amount of output information is large, that is, when the amount of information is extremely different, there is a problem that the paper with the smaller amount of information has a larger margin and is wasted.
[0008]
An object of the present invention is a multiple thermal printer configured to print on a plurality of thermal papers using a single thermal head, and performs printing on each thermal paper independently of printing on other papers. It is an object of the present invention to provide a double thermal printer.
[0009]
It is another object of the present invention to provide a double thermal printer that can easily change the size of paper to be used, thereby reducing the total cost.
[0010]
Still another object of the present invention is to be able to change the printing speed for two sheets of paper, so that even if there is a large difference in the amount of output information, it is possible to cope with the sheet size ratio without changing much. It is to provide a continuous thermal printer.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-described problems, and includes a single thermal head in which a plurality of heat generating elements are arranged in a line and a plurality of portions corresponding to a plurality of thermal sheets can be set. , A paper feeding means capable of separately transferring the plurality of thermal papers, a line memory for storing data to be printed corresponding to the entire area of the thermal head, and a thermal head corresponding to the thermal paper to be printed. A first data storage means for storing data to be printed on the thermal paper to be printed in a part of the line memory corresponding to the part, and a print on the other thermal paper to be printed in another part of the line memory Second data storage means for storing data to be stored, and a signal line for dividing a plurality of heat generating elements into a plurality of heat generating element sets and for generating heat according to the data stored in the line memory. , Which is constituted of two barreled thermal printer.
[0012]
In this configuration, in order to move the thermal head so as to be compatible with thermal papers of various widths, a main body frame, a single thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged in a line, a thermal head, First and second platens arranged side by side in the line direction in which the heat generating elements are arranged, and two thermal sheets inserted between these platens and the thermal head, respectively. Paper feeding means that can be transferred separately, and a movable frame that holds the thermal head and is slidably mounted in a line direction in which the heating element is disposed, should be printed corresponding to the thermal head A line memory for storing data, and a line memo corresponding to a portion of the thermal head corresponding to the thermal paper to be printed out of the two thermal papers. The first data storage means for storing the data to be printed on the thermal paper to be printed is stored in this part, and the data to be printed on the other thermal paper to be printed is stored in the other part of the line memory. A two-stage thermal printer is configured with second data storage means and a signal line that divides a plurality of heating elements into a plurality of heating element sets and generates heat according to the data stored in the line memory. That's fine.
[0013]
In this configuration, the paper feeding means is constituted by two drive motors provided corresponding to the respective thermal papers and two sets of gear reduction mechanisms that transmit the driving force of the drive motors, respectively. By providing drive motor control means for driving the drive motor on the side corresponding to the thermal paper to be printed, the feeding speed of each thermal paper can be set to a different speed.
[0014]
Although the movable frame can move in the width direction, a head fixing means for fixing the movable frame to the boundary position between the two heating element aggregates in the line direction may be provided to ensure the fixing of the head.
[0015]
Further, if a pair of restricting pieces for restricting the end of the thermal sheet is provided at both ends of the movable frame to guide the sheet, it is not necessary to provide any other restricting member, and the configuration is simplified. Furthermore, a support wall may be provided between the first platen and the second platen, and the side surface of the support wall may be configured as a guide surface that regulates the other end of the thermal paper. However, the restricting member provided on the movable frame may be provided in another part of the printer, and the support wall and the guide surface provided between the platens may not be provided.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a thermal printer according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional side view showing a state in which the thermal head is separated from a platen roller, and FIG. 3 is a state in which the thermal head is pressed against the platen roller. FIG.
[0018]
In FIG. 1, 100 is a printer, 1 is a main body frame of the printer, 2a and 2b are platen rollers mounted on the front end of the main body frame 1, and 3 is a main body that can be moved toward and away from the platen rollers 2a and 2b. A lined-dod thermal head 4 attached to the frame 1 is a rotation pressing member for moving the thermal head 3 toward and away from the platen roller 2. The rotary pressing member 4 has a pressing piece 4a located on the back surface of the thermal head 3 and an operating lever 4b provided on one side so as to protrude upward. The main body frame 1 is made of plastic, and the platen rollers 2a and 2b have outer peripheral surfaces covered with an elastic material.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 2, the thermal head 3 is fixed between a pair of left and right head support pieces 6a and 6b fitted to a head support shaft 5 disposed at the lower center of the main body frame 1, and the head support shaft. 5 is held so as to be rotatable about the center. The thermal head 3 is separated from the platen roller 2 at the time of assembly as shown in FIG. 2, and is pressed against the platen rollers 2a and 2b by tilting the operation lever 4b forward as shown by an arrow B in FIG. It is configured as follows.
[0020]
Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, a plurality of leaf springs 7 are fixed to the back surface of the thermal head 3, and the front end side of the leaf springs 7 is a rear wall of a movable frame 20 described later. 25. Thus, when the operating lever 4b is pushed forward, the pressing piece 4a is rotated while the leaf spring 7 is pushed forward while being bent as shown in FIG. The platen roller 2 is configured to be pressed with a predetermined pressure by an elastic force.
[0021]
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a push-up piece 4c is provided at the lower end of the operation lever 4b, and an engagement pin 3a is provided on one side of the thermal head 3 so as to protrude sideways. When the operation lever 4b is rotated rearward as indicated by the arrow A, the push-up piece 4c comes into contact with the engagement pin 3a and lifts it immediately after the pressing piece 4a is separated from the leaf spring 7. Thus, the thermal head 3 is forcibly separated from the platen roller 2.
[0022]
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the platen roller 2 is supported by a rotary shaft 8a between a side wall 1a of the main body frame 1 and a support wall 1c erected at the center of the front end of the frame. One platen roller 2a, and a second platen roller 2b supported by a rotating shaft 8b between the side wall 1b and the support wall 1c are divided into two. Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, the platen roller 2a is formed shorter than 2b.
[0023]
Drive motors 9a and 9b are attached to the rear end portions on both sides of the main body frame 1 in accordance with the two divided platen rollers 2a and 2b. The rotational driving force of the drive motors 9a and 9b is configured to be transmitted to the platen rollers 2a and 2b by gear reduction mechanisms built in the side walls 1a and 1b of the main body frame 1, respectively.
[0024]
Note that a pin 10 laid horizontally above the platen roller 2a between the side wall portion 1a and the support wall 1c of the main body frame 1 slightly above is a stopper for restricting the front position of the operation lever 4b. It is a pin for. The pin 10 also has a function of guiding the printed paper at a desired angle with respect to the cutter when the cutter is attached in front of the platen roller 2b. The reason why the pins 10 are provided only on the platen roller 2a side is that the left-side paper is used for a journal that is left as a record in the store when used in a POS terminal, and the right-side paper is delivered to the customer. This is because it is assumed that the cutter is attached only on the right side for use in the receipt.
[0025]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the thermal head 3 is formed as a single body so as to face the platen rollers 2a and 2b, but the length thereof is the width of the platen roller 2a and the width of 2b. It is designed to be slightly shorter than the total length of the platen rollers 2a and 2b. The difference between the length of the thermal head 3 and the total length of the platen roller is determined according to the thermal head slide amount described later. In other words, the length of the thermal head 3 may be a length obtained by subtracting the sliding amount of the thermal head from the entire length of the platen roller.
[0026]
Next, the slide mechanism of the thermal head 3 will be described.
[0027]
In this embodiment, a movable frame 20 made of a conductive material is attached to the lower surface of the front end of the main body frame 1, and the movable frame 20 has a pair of holding pieces bent upward at both ends as shown in FIG. 21a and 21b are formed, and through holes 22a and 22b formed in the lower portions of the holding pieces 21a and 21b are fitted to the head support shaft 5 so that the body frame 1 can slide in the left-right direction. It is configured. Further, a support pin 11 that supports the rotation pressing member 4 so as to be rotatable is horizontally placed between engagement holes 23a and 23b formed at the distal ends of the holding pieces 21a and 21b.
[0028]
The pair of left and right head support pieces 6a and 6b that support the thermal head 3 are fitted to the head support shaft 5 inside the holding pieces 21a and 21b at both ends of the movable frame 20, and the operation lever 4b. When the movable frame 20 is moved along the head support shaft 5 in the state shown in FIG. 2, the holding pieces 21a and 21b push the head support pieces 6a and 6b laterally to bring the thermal head 3 together. It is configured to slide.
[0029]
Further, the movable frame 20 is provided with restricting pieces 24a and 24b for restricting the end of the sheet, and the sheet used is determined by the distance between the restricting pieces 24a and 24b and the support wall 1c at the front end of the main body frame 1. The width is determined. Accordingly, when the movable frame 20 is slid, the intervals between the regulating pieces 24a and 24b and the support wall 1c change simultaneously, so that the width of the sheet fed by the platen rollers 2a and 2b is changed.
[0030]
The selection of the paper width determined by the distance between the regulating pieces 24a, 24b and the support wall 1c is made on the condition that the boundary between the two heat generating element sets having the thermal head exists at a position between the two print areas. Selected.
[0031]
Specifically, when the movable frame 20 is moved to the left side in FIG. 1, the distance between the regulating pieces 24a and 24b and the support wall 1c is the same, and the thermal paper for printing having the same width between the platen rollers 2a and 2b. In a state where the movable frame 20 is moved to the right side in FIG. 1, the interval between the restricting piece 24a and the support wall 1c is narrowed, and the interval between the restricting piece 24b and the support wall 1c is widened, and the platen roller 2a. Is configured to feed a thermal paper for printing having a narrow width, and the platen roller 2b is configured to feed a thermal paper for printing having a width wider than that of the platen roller 2a. The two states that can be achieved by moving the movable frame 20 toward the left side and the right side satisfy the condition that there is a boundary of the heating element assembly between the two print areas. That is, by sliding the movable frame 20 to the left or right, the combination of the widths of the thermal paper to be used can be changed.
[0032]
Moreover, in this embodiment, the restricting pieces 24 a and 24 b are formed so that the lower ends thereof are in contact with the guide wall 1 d provided at the front end of the main body frame 1. Further, at the front end of the movable frame 20, guide pieces 25 a and 25 b facing the side front walls 1 e and 1 f of the main body frame 1 are erected. As a result, the rotation of the movable frame 20 around the head support shaft 5 is restricted, and the movable frame 20 can slide to the left and right in a stable posture.
[0033]
Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, a gap formed between the movable frame 20 and the inner surface of the side wall of the main body frame 1 in a state where the movable frame 20 is moved to either one end. A stopper / conduction member 30 having a shape as shown in FIG. 5 made of a conductive metal plate or the like at C2 (or C1) is detachably inserted from below the main body frame 1. The gap formed between the movable frame 20 and the inner surface of the side wall of the main body frame 1 is indicated by reference numeral C2 in FIG. 1, but the movable frame 20 is slid to the right end as opposed to FIG. Then, such a gap C1 is generated on the opposite side (left side), and the stopper / conduction member 30 has a symmetrical shape that can be inserted into either the left or right gap.
[0034]
A substantially rectangular notch 31 in the lower front portion of the stopper / conduction member 30 shown in FIG. 5 is formed so as to be able to engage with the head support shaft 5, and is formed from both ends of the center toward the center. The notches 32 and 33 are for facilitating the flexure of the wing pieces 34 and 35 during attachment and detachment. Further, the stopper / conduction member 30 is provided with a contact piece 36 extending obliquely downward from the upper end, and locking pieces 37, 38 bent outward from the tip portions of both wing pieces 34, 35. Yes.
[0035]
Of these, the locking pieces 37 and 38 are engaged with engagement holes formed in the vicinity of the motor mounting portion on the inner surface of the side wall portion of the main body frame 1 to prevent displacement of the stopper / conduction member 30. On the other hand, the contact piece 36 is pressed into contact with the metallic housing of the drive motor 9a or 9b by the elasticity of the stopper / conduction member 30 in the state of being inserted into the gap C1 or C2.
[0036]
The blades 34 and 35 of the stopper / conduction member 30 are in contact with the holding pieces 21a and 21b at both ends of the movable frame 20, and when the thermal head 3 is pressed against the platen rollers 2a and 2b by the movable frame 20. Are assembled so that the tip of the leaf spring 7 on the back is in contact therewith. As a result, the housing of the drive motor 9a or 9b and the thermal head 3 are electrically set to the same potential. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the inner wall inner surface of the side wall 1b (1a) of the main body frame 1 has a protrusion 51 whose front end protrudes from the side front wall 1f (1e) at the front end, A sheet metal 50 formed so as to reach the mounting position of the drive motor 9b (9a) is respectively attached, and the drive motor 9b (9a) is fixed to the sheet metal 40 with screws, and the guide of the movable frame 20 is provided. The piece 25b (25a) is configured to be contactable. As a result, the drive motor 9 a or 9 b on the side where the stopper / conduction member 30 is not inserted and the movable frame 20 have the same potential via the sheet metal 50. These are grounded by a ground wire (not shown) to prevent the thermal head from being damaged by static electricity.
[0037]
2 and 3, reference numeral 42 denotes a detector comprising a micro switch for detecting whether the thermal head 3 is in the up state or the pressed state.
[0038]
Next, a method for using the thermal printer of the above embodiment will be described.
[0039]
In the thermal printer of the embodiment, the movable frame 20 is moved to the left end and the stopper / conduction member 30 is inserted into the gap C2, and the movable frame 20 is moved to the right end and the gap on the opposite side. There are two setting states of the second setting state in which the stopper / conduction member 30 is inserted in (C1). Of these, in the second setting state, the effective printing width of the left platen roller 2a is narrower than in the first setting state, and conversely, the effective printing width of the right platen roller 2b is widened.
[0040]
Moreover, the thermal printer of this embodiment is provided with drive motors 9a and 9b for the platen rollers 2a and 2b, respectively. Therefore, the platen rollers 2a and 2b can independently control the paper feed amount, that is, the printing speed and the size of the printed characters. As a result, unlike the conventional thermal printer, it is not necessary to prepare two types of apparatuses having different ratios of the widths of two printing sheets, and a printer having a different ratio of the widths of two printing sheets in one unit. Can be provided, and the total cost can be reduced.
[0041]
In the embodiment, by inserting the stopper / conduction member 30 into the gap C1 or C2 generated between the movable frame 20 and the side wall portion of the main body frame 1 in a state where the movable frame 20 is slid to one end, Although the movable frame 20 is prevented from moving in the lateral direction during operation, the means for preventing movement of the movable frame 20 is not limited thereto.
[0042]
For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, when the movable frame 20 is moved to the left end or the right end, the engagement slit 1g is engaged with the front end surface of the main body frame 1 facing the restriction piece 24a or 24b (the right side slit is engaged with the restriction piece 24b). The movable frame 20 can be prevented from moving only by the engagement slit 1g. However, as in the embodiment, the movement of the movable frame 20 can be prevented more reliably by inserting the stopper / conduction member 30 into the gap C1 or C2 formed between the side wall of the main body frame 1 and the like. be able to.
[0043]
In the embodiment, the driving force of the driving motor is transmitted to the platen roller and rotated. However, a paper feed roller may be provided separately from the platen roller.
[0044]
Next, control of the thermal printer of the above embodiment will be described based on the block diagram of FIG.
[0045]
The thermal head 3 includes a heating element block 61, an output driver 62, a latch register 63, and a shift register 64. The shift register 64 is a register that receives one line of image data to be printed from a CPU 70 described later. Print data DATA is sent serially from the CPU 70 in synchronization with the clock signal CLOCK. The shift register 64 receives this and holds the print data for one line.
[0046]
The output of the shift register 64 is input to the latch register 63 in parallel. The CPU 70 outputs a LATCH signal to the thermal head 3. When this signal is activated, the print data for one line held in the shift register 64 is transferred to the latch register 63. The
[0047]
The output of the latch register 63 is further input to the output driver 62 in parallel. The output driver 62 is a set of six switching elements, and each element is connected to each heating element D1 to D864 of the heating element block 61 described later. The CPU 70 outputs STROBE 1 to STROBE 6 signals to the thermal head 3. In this embodiment, one STROBE signal corresponds to one switching element. Each switching element of the output driver 62 is turned on / off according to the output state of the latch register 63 when the corresponding STROBE signal becomes active. As in this embodiment, the correspondence between the switching element and the STROBE signal does not have to be 1: 1.
[0048]
In the heating element block 61, 864-dot heating elements D1 to D864 are linearly arranged. One terminal of each of the heating elements D1 to D864 is connected to a common signal line and connected to the VpSW 69. VpSW 69 is a switching circuit for turning on / off the head power supply Vp supplied to the thermal head 3, and supplies a power supply current from the head power supply Vp to the heating elements D 1 to D 864 according to a head power on signal VpON output from the CPU 70. Note that the number of heating elements in the heating element block 61 is not limited to 864 dots in this embodiment, but may vary according to the printing width.
[0049]
The CPU 70 controls these thermal head peripheral circuits. Two image memories 1 (80) and 2 (81) are connected to the CPU 70. These image memories store image data to be printed on the two thermal papers P1 and P2. When the image data is stored, the CPU 70 generates a print interrupt and starts printing the image memory data.
[0050]
In the thermal head 3 configured as described above, if one line of data to be printed is held in the latch register 63 and the STROBE signal is activated while the VpSW is turned on by the head power-on signal VpON, The switching element corresponding to the active STROBE signal of the output driver corresponding to the active (for example, logic signal H level) data among the data held in the latch register 63 is turned on, and the heating element Dn connected thereto A current is supplied to and generates heat. At this time, if the thermal paper is in contact with the thermal head 3, the thermal paper is colored corresponding to the heat generating element that has generated heat and an image is formed.
[0051]
In the thermal printer according to the present invention, one thermal head 3 is divided into a plurality of printing sections. Next, a method for printing by dividing the thermal head will be described.
[0052]
Two sheets P1 and P2 are arranged as shown in FIG. 7 with respect to the heating elements D1 to D864 constituting the thermal head 3. Printing is performed on the paper P1 with heating elements D1 to D540, and printing on the paper P2 is performed with heating elements D595 to D864. A non-printing area that cannot be printed occurs between the two sheets, and D541 to D594 corresponding to this area are not used.
[0053]
As described above, the sheet can be arbitrarily arranged on the condition that the boundary of the switching element set corresponding to the STROBE signal exists at a position between the two print areas. , P2 and the heating element Dm can be arbitrarily changed according to the conditions. Also, the size of the non-printing area, or whether or not it exists, can vary depending on the structure of the printer mechanism. The following description shows the arrangement shown in FIG. 7 as an example.
[0054]
The printing process control is performed as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 and the explanatory diagram of FIG. The line thermal printer prints one line for one line of paper fed by the motor. However, the thermal printer provided with two paper feeding means and a plurality of STROBE signal lines according to the present embodiment divides printing processing for one line into printing processing for two printing areas. The printing process is started by two internal interrupts respectively generated when data exists in the image memory 1 (80) or the image memory 2 (81). In this embodiment, the P1 print interrupt (71) is for activating the process of printing on the paper P1 side. The P1 print interrupt (71) is generated when data exists in the image memory 1 (80). ) Is for starting the process of printing on the paper P2 side, and occurs when data exists in the image memory 2 (81).
[0055]
Hereinafter, a case where the printing process is started by the P1 printing interruption (71) will be described as an example.
[0056]
When a print interruption occurs, first, one line of data 82a to be printed next from the image memory 1 storing the image data to be printed on the paper P1 corresponds to the paper P1 in the line memory 73 within the CPU 70. To the image output buffer 75, that is, the first data storage means (step 1).
[0057]
Further, one line of data 82b to be printed next from the image memory 2 in which the image data to be printed on the paper P2 is stored. Transfer to the second data storage means (step 2).
[0058]
For example, when data exists only in the image memory 1 that generated the interrupt, empty data is input to the area of the other image output buffer 74.
[0059]
One line of image data configured in this way becomes a format to be output to the thermal head 3.
[0060]
Next, the CPU 70 outputs the data of the output buffer 73 to the shift register 64 in synchronization with the output of the CLOCK signal. This is repeated until all the data in the output buffer 73 is transferred to the shift register 64. (Step 3)
Next, the CPU 70 outputs a LATCH pulse. With this pulse, the image data held in the shift register 64 is transferred to the latch register 63. (Step 4)
When data is transferred to the latch register 63, the CPU 70 outputs a head power on signal VpON. By this signal, VpSW is turned on, and the thermal head 3 is connected to the head power supply Vp. (Step 5)
Subsequently, the CPU 70 outputs STROBE signals and STROBE 1 to 4 corresponding to the P1 print area. By this signal, the switching element driven by STROBE 1 to 4 of the output driver corresponding to the active data among the data held in the latch register 63 is turned on, and a current is supplied to the heating element Dn connected thereto to generate heat. . As described above, an image is formed on the thermal paper at this time. (Step 6)
Next, the CPU 70 turns off the VpON signal (step 7), and drives the drive motor on the side corresponding to the paper 1 for one line. (Step 8)
When step 8 ends, the next printing process is different for P1 and P2.
[0061]
When the P2 data printing process is prioritized, the P2 data is already latched, and the process in steps 9 to 12 is the same as the previous P1 printing process in steps 5 to 8, and the P2 thermal sensor An image is formed on the paper side, and the drive motor on the P2 side drives for one line.
[0062]
On the other hand, when the printing process of P1 has priority again, the printing process of steps 1 to 8 proceeds. In this series of processes, the data transfer of P2 is performed without waiting for the printing process of P1, but this process saves the latch data on the P2 side as it is by transferring the same data as the already latched data. Only the P1 side can be rewritten.
[0063]
By repeating the above printing process, the data in the image memories 1 and 2 are output and printed, and when the data in all the image memories are printed, the printing process is completed.
[0064]
The timing of the printing process for the paper P1 and the timing of the printing process for the paper P2 may be synchronized or the printing speed may be changed asynchronously. For example, when it is desired to make the printing speed on the paper P1 faster than the printing speed on the paper P2, the interruption period of P1 may be made shorter than the interruption period of P2. Such an operation is possible because the thermal printer according to the present invention has paper feeding means for paper separately.
[0065]
As for the activation of the printing process, the above embodiment is activated by two interrupts, but may be activated by other means. It may be configured to start as a structure in which printing processing is generated by two timer interruptions. The starting means can have various configurations.
[0066]
Next, another embodiment relating to the mechanism will be additionally described. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the sheet size is changed by moving the movable frame 20 to either the left end or the right end, but the movable frame has two heat generating element sets having a thermal head. It may be configured to be fixed at an arbitrary position on the condition that the boundary of exists at a position between two print areas.
[0067]
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a thermal printer 100 ′ according to another embodiment having such a configuration. In this embodiment, the movable frame 20 can be fixed at several positions in the width direction. 1g ′ is an engagement slit provided in the guide wall 1d ′, and a position where a boundary between two sets of heat generating elements of the sliding thermal head satisfies a condition that exists at a position between the two print regions, It differs from the said Example in the point provided with two or more by the width direction. The movable frame 20 has restriction pieces 24a and 24b as in the above-described embodiment, and the movement in the lateral direction is fixed by the restriction pieces getting stuck in the engagement slit 1g ′. Since a plurality of engagement slits 1g ′ are provided, the movable frame 20 can be fixed at a desired position where the slits exist. According to this configuration, more combinations of sheets than the combinations of sheets that can be used in the above embodiment can be used, and the degree of freedom with respect to the sheet width can be further increased.
[0068]
Also in this configuration, in order to more reliably fix the movable frame 20, a gap C <b> 1 generated between a stopper and a conducting member (not shown) similar to that in the above embodiment and the side wall portion of the main body frame 1 is also provided. You may comprise so that it may insert in 'or C2'. In this case, since the width of the gap C1 ′ or C2 ′ varies depending on a plurality of positions where the movable frame 20 is fixed, a plurality of stopper / conduction members having a plurality of different widths are prepared. The thermal head 3 can be grounded by inserting this stopper / conducting member, as in the above embodiment.
[0069]
In the thermal printer described above, the platen has a structure that rotates in a roller shape, but the platen may have another structure. For example, the present invention can be applied even if the surface facing the thermal head is convex and non-cylindrical and does not rotate or is planar.
[0070]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the multiple thermal printer according to the present invention, a plurality of sheets are made to correspond to one thermal head, and each of the plurality of sheets is transferred, and all areas of the thermal head are supported. A line memory for storing the data to be printed, a first means for setting data to be printed in an area corresponding to the paper to be printed, and an area corresponding to the other paper to be printed in the other area And a second means for setting data to be printed on and a signal line for dividing a plurality of heat generating elements into a plurality of heat generating element sets and generating heat according to the data stored in the line memory. Can be transferred independently, and only the data corresponding to the paper to be printed can be set in the thermal head, so printing of multiple papers on each paper can be performed independently. There is an effect that.
[0071]
In the double thermal printer according to the present invention, the main body frame and the movable frame that holds the thermal head and is slidably attached to the main body frame are provided. Since the sheet can be moved in accordance with the size, the size of the paper to be used can be easily changed, which has the effect of reducing the total cost.
[0072]
Since the means for transporting the paper is provided corresponding to each paper, the printing speed for each paper can be changed, and this can cope with a case where there is a large difference in the amount of output information. There is.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a thermal printer according to the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional side view showing a state in which a thermal head in the thermal printer of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is separated from a platen roller.
3 is a cross-sectional side view showing a state in which a thermal head in the thermal printer of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is pressed against a platen roller.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a specific example of a movable frame.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a specific example of a stopper / conduction member inserted into a gap formed between the movable frame and the main body frame.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the thermal printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram around the thermal head of the thermal printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of print processing of the thermal printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of processing for sending print data of the thermal printer according to the present invention to the head.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Body frame
1a, 1b side wall
1c Support wall
1d, 1d ', 1d "guide wall
1e, 1f Side wall
1g, 1g ', 1g "slit for engagement
1h Slide hole
2a, 2b Platen roller
3 Thermal head
3a engaging pin
4 Rotating pressing member (head up / down mechanism)
4a Pressing piece
4b Operation lever
4c Push-up piece
5 Head support shaft
6a, 6b Head support piece
7 leaf spring
8a, 8b Rotating shaft
9a, 9b Drive motor
10 pins
11 Support pin
20,20 "movable frame
21a, 21b Holding piece
22a, 22b Through hole
23a, 23b engagement hole
24a, 24b Restriction piece
25a, 25b Guide piece
26a, 26b Restriction piece
27 Fixed piece
30 Stopper and conductive member
31, 32, 33 Notch
34, 35 both wing pieces
36 Contact piece
37, 38 Locking piece
41 connector
42 Detector
50 sheet metal
51 protrusion
61 Heating element block
D1 to D864 Individual heating element
62 Output driver
63 Latch register
64 shift register
69 VpSW
70 CPU
71 P1 print interrupt
72 P2 print interrupt
73 line memory
74 Image output buffer for paper P2
75 Image output buffer for paper P1
80 Image memory 1
81 Image memory 2
82a One line of data in image memory 1
82b One line of data in image memory 2
100,100 'printer

Claims (5)

Body frame,
One thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged in a line;
A first platen and a second platen arranged in parallel with each other in a line direction in which the heat generating element is disposed;
A paper feeding means capable of separately transferring two thermal papers inserted between the platen and the thermal head;
A movable frame that holds the thermal head and is slidably mounted in a line direction in which the heating element is disposed;
A line memory for storing data to be printed corresponding to the thermal head;
A first data storage means for storing data to be printed on the thermal paper to be printed in a portion of the line memory corresponding to the portion of the thermal head corresponding to the thermal paper to be printed, of the two thermal papers. When,
A second data storage means for storing data to be printed on the other thermal paper to be printed in another part of the line memory;
A duplex thermal printer, comprising: a plurality of heat generating elements divided into a plurality of heat generating element sets; and a signal line for generating heat according to data stored in a line memory. The paper feeding means includes two drive motors provided corresponding to the thermal papers,
And two sets of gear reduction mechanisms that transmit the driving force of the drive motor,
2. The dual thermal printer according to claim 1 , further comprising drive motor control means for driving a drive motor on a side corresponding to the thermal paper to be printed. The double thermal printer according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising a head fixing means for fixing the movable frame at an arbitrary position in the line direction. 2 barreled thermal printer according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it has a pair of regulating pieces for regulating the end of the thermal paper to both ends of the movable frame. A support wall is provided between the first platen and the second platen, and a side surface of the support wall is the other of the two thermal sheets inserted between the first and second platens and the thermal head. The duplex thermal printer according to claim 4 , wherein the thermal printer is configured to form a guide surface that regulates an end of the printer.

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