JP4882838B2 - Printing control apparatus and printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing control apparatus that controls the operation of a printing apparatus that performs printing using a rechargeable secondary battery as a driving power source, and a printing apparatus that includes the printing control apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a printing apparatus that supplies power for executing printing of print data with power charged in a secondary battery. For example, according to a portable label printer that has a key for inputting characters, symbols, etc., and creates a label on which the input content is printed, it can be placed on a charging stand when it is not in use, to a secondary battery. When the battery is used, printing and other operations are performed using the secondary battery as a driving power source. Therefore, the user can create a label even in a place where power cannot be supplied from the power adapter. During charging by the power adapter, sufficient power is supplied for printing, so printing can be performed immediately.

  In such a printing apparatus, the secondary battery may be charged during printing. In this case, since printing is stopped in the middle, paper, ink, power, etc. are wasted. Therefore, a method has been proposed in which the remaining amount of charge is acquired and the number of printed sheets, print image quality, and print size are limited when the acquired remaining amount of charge is equal to or less than a predetermined amount (for example, Patent Documents). 1). This prevents printing from being stopped halfway by reducing the power consumption necessary for the printing operation even when the charge amount is decreasing.

There has also been proposed a printing apparatus that receives print data and supplies power from an information processing apparatus such as a computer via a USB interface (for example, a mouse printer KP-C50 manufactured by Casio Computer Co., Ltd.). Since this printing device does not have a secondary battery and performs printing operations only by power supply via the USB interface, it does not require connection of another power source or replacement of the installed battery. Both can be printed. Therefore, the apparatus can be simplified and downsized.
JP 2005-149410 A

  However, a printing apparatus equipped with a secondary battery such as the former has a problem in that it is not easy to use because it cannot perform an appropriate operation according to the contents of the print data when the charge amount is decreasing. there were. Further, in a printing apparatus that performs printing using only the power supply via the USB interface as in the latter case, the supplied power is less than the power supplied by the power adapter, and no secondary battery is installed. There was also a problem that it was not possible to increase the size and the printing speed.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problem, and uses a secondary battery to cover the power required for a printing operation, and when the charge amount of the secondary battery is reduced, A print control device capable of controlling an appropriate operation according to the contents of print data and the like, and capable of performing control to display a time until printing is possible, and a printing device including the print control device The purpose is to provide.

The print control apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention, there is provided a print control apparatus for controlling the operation of the printing apparatus that performs printing of the print data by the power of the rechargeable secondary battery is charged to the secondary battery Charging power amount detection means for detecting the amount of electric power being generated, print data creation means for creating the print data, and calculation of the amount of power necessary for printing the print data created by the print data creation means Printing power amount calculating means, a power amount of the secondary battery detected by the charging power amount detecting means, and a power amount necessary for printing calculated by the printing power amount calculating means. a printable judgment means for printing can be a determination of whether the power sale row control to perform printing of the print data when it is determined that it is possible to print the printable determining means self Doshirushi An execution control means, a charging determination means for determining whether or not the secondary battery is being charged, and charging by the charging determination means when it is determined that printing is not possible by the printability determination means. When it is determined that the print battery is in the middle, the print standby time calculation unit that calculates the time until the secondary battery is charged with the amount of power that enables printing of the print data and the print standby time calculation unit A waiting time display means for displaying the printed time, a printing condition changing means for changing the printing condition of the print data, and when the printing condition determining means determines that printing is not possible, the printing condition changing means A change execution selection unit that selects whether or not to change the print condition; and when the change execution selection unit selects to change the print condition, the print condition A change condition input unit that inputs the print condition changed by the update unit; and the print condition is changed by the print condition change unit, and the print enable determination unit determines that printing is possible. Printable display means for displaying that printing is possible, print execution instructing means for instructing execution of printing of the print data, and printable display means displaying that printing is possible In this case, the printing execution instructing unit includes a condition change printing execution control unit that performs control to execute printing of the print data when an instruction to execute printing is performed.

The printing control apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the invention according to claim 1, wherein the printing condition is changed by said printing condition changing means, the pattern of the frame surrounding a predetermined range It includes a condition of a decorative frame that is

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect , the printing condition changed by the printing condition changing means includes a character decoration condition. It is characterized by that.

The printing control apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention selectively be claimed in addition to the configuration of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, does not perform the limitations of the printing conditions by the change run selection means When it is determined that the charging is not being performed by the charging determination unit, an error output unit is provided for outputting an error indicating that printing cannot be performed.

The printing control apparatus of claim 5 of the present invention is addition to the configuration of the invention as defined in claim 1, wherein the printing power calculating means, the printing area calculated from the print data The required amount of power is calculated using at least the total number of dots.
A printing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes the printing control apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects.

According to the printing control apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, is it possible to print the print data from the amount of power charged in the secondary battery and the amount of power necessary for printing the print data? If it is determined whether or not printing is possible, execution of printing is controlled. Also, if the secondary battery is being charged when it is determined that printing is not possible, the time until the secondary battery is charged with the amount of charge that can be printed is calculated. Is displayed. Therefore, it is possible to give the user a sense of security by notifying the user when printing is started, and to improve ease of use. Also, when it is determined that printing is not possible, whether or not to change the printing condition is selected, and if the printing condition is changed and printing is possible, an instruction to execute printing is issued and printing is performed. Since printing of data is executed, the user can freely change the printing conditions and the printing timing according to the printing conditions. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the usability of the printing apparatus, and it is possible to prevent waste of paper, power, ink, and the like due to printing being stopped halfway.

The printing control apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention, the effect of the invention according to claim 1, wherein, decorative frame printing conditions are changed by the printing condition changing means is a pattern frame surrounding a predetermined range Therefore, the total number of dots in the printing area can be changed by changing the decoration frame conditions, and thus the amount of power required for printing can be changed.

Further, in the printing control apparatus according to claim 3 of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1 or 2 , the printing condition changed by the printing condition changing means includes a character decoration condition. By changing the character decoration conditions, the total number of dots in the print area can be changed, and as a result, the amount of power required for printing can be changed.

Further, when the print control apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention, which in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, it is determined that no printing can be by the power shortage of the secondary battery In addition, if the printing conditions are not changed and the secondary battery is not charged, an error indicating that printing cannot be executed can be output. Therefore, the user can quickly take appropriate measures such as starting charging or changing printing conditions in response to an error.

The printing control apparatus according to claim 5 of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, when calculating the amount of power required for printing the print data, the print area Since at least the total number of dots is used, the value can be calculated more finely and accurately than when the amount of power is calculated using only the number of printed sheets and the print size.
Further, the printing apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention can achieve the same effects as the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects.

  Hereinafter, a tape printer 1 having a print control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The tape printing apparatus 1 can perform printing with a power source using a power adapter or with power charged in a built-in secondary battery 61. Therefore, while the power adapter is connected, printing can be performed regardless of the amount of charge of the secondary battery 61, while when the power adapter is disconnected, printing can be performed without being limited in place. . If the tape printer 1 and an external computer are connected by a USB cable, data can be exchanged with the computer and the secondary battery 61 can be charged by power supply from the computer.

  First, a schematic configuration of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the tape printing apparatus 1, and FIG. 2 is a right side view of the tape printing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a liquid crystal display 10 that displays characters, images, and the like over a plurality of lines is displayed on the upper surface portion 3 of the substantially box-shaped tape printer 1 and an operation of the tape printer 1 is instructed. The various input keys 4 are provided. The input key 4 includes a character input key 5 for creating print data, a print key 6 for instructing printing of print data, a space key 7 for inputting kanji conversion and space, execution of line feed commands and various processes, and selection. A return key 8 to be specified, a cursor key 11 for moving a cursor displayed on the liquid crystal display 10 up and down, left and right, and the like are configured. In addition, a tape discharge port 14 through which the printed tape is discharged is formed on the left side surface portion 13.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the right side surface portion 17 of the tape printer 1 has an adapter insertion port 18 to which a power adapter (not shown) is connected, and a USB cable (not shown) for connecting to an external computer. Is provided with a connector 19 and the like. The entire bottom surface of the tape printer 1 is covered with an opening / closing lid 20 that is supported so that one end thereof can be opened and closed. Although not shown, a secondary battery storage unit for storing the secondary battery 61 (see FIG. 3), a tape to be printed, and an ink ribbon are wound and stored inside the open / close lid 20. And a cassette storage portion for storing the tape cassette. Furthermore, a printing mechanism 50 (see FIG. 3) including a thermal head 51, a tape feed motor 53, a cutter 55, and the like is provided inside the tape printer 1.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the tape printer 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the tape printing apparatus 1 mainly includes a control unit 30, a sensor unit 40, a printing mechanism 50, and a power supply unit 60 including a secondary battery 61. The control unit 30 includes a CPU 32 that controls each unit of the tape printer 1, an input / output interface 31 connected to the CPU 32 via a data bus 37, a ROM 33 that stores various programs, various flags, parameters, and printing. The RAM 34 stores data and the like, and the CGROM 35 stores graphic data.

  Here, in the ROM 33, a program storage area 331 storing a control program for controlling the operation of the tape printer 1, a print execution program for executing a printing process, and a parameter table 70 (FIG. 4) described later. And a table storage area 332 for storing various tables (see FIG. 6). Further, the ROM 33 is provided with various storage areas not shown.

  Further, the RAM 34 has a print data storage area 341 for storing print data created by the CPU 32, a flag storage area 342 for storing various flags, and a charge amount storage area 343 for storing the charge amount of the secondary battery 61. A print amount storage area 344 for storing the print amount of the created print data and a print condition storage area 345 for storing the set print conditions are provided. Further, the RAM 34 is provided with various storage areas not shown.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the sensor unit 40 includes a tape detection sensor 41 that detects the presence or absence of a tape cassette in the cassette storage unit and a type of the stored tape cassette, and whether the open / close lid 20 is open. A cover open sensor 42 that detects whether the tape is closed and a cutter sensor 43 that detects the position of the cutter 55 for cutting the tape. Each sensor of the sensor unit 40 is connected to the control unit 30 via the input / output interface 31 and outputs a detection result to the control unit 30.

  The printing mechanism 50 includes a thermal head 51 having a plurality of heating elements, a drive circuit 52 for driving the thermal head 51, a tape feed motor 53, and a drive circuit for driving the tape feed motor 53. 54, a cutter 55 for cutting the printed tape, and a drive circuit 56 for driving the cutter 55. The drive circuit 52, the drive circuit 54, and the drive circuit 56 are connected to the control unit 30 through the input / output interface 31, and the printing mechanism 50 executes printing in accordance with instructions from the control unit 30.

  Further, a display controller (LCDC) 9 that controls data to be displayed on the liquid crystal display (LCD) 10 and an input key 4 are connected to the input / output interface 31.

  The power supply unit 60 includes a rechargeable secondary battery 61 and a charge control unit 62 that manages charging of the secondary battery 61. The control unit 30, the sensor unit 40, the printing mechanism 50, the LCD 10, The input key 4, the adapter insertion port 18, and the connector 19 are connected to each other. Then, the charging control unit 62 determines the amount of charge charged in the secondary battery 61 from the voltage, and controls charging of the secondary battery 61 by the power supplied via the adapter insertion port 18 and the connector 19. . When the secondary battery 61 is not supplied with power from the power adapter via the adapter insertion slot 18, the printing mechanism 50 requires more power than the power supplied from the USB cable via the connector 19. To supply power. Therefore, the tape printer 1 can be driven by the power of the secondary battery 61 without connecting the power adapter, or can be driven by the power supplied from the power adapter. Can be used properly. The secondary battery 61 can be a small secondary battery such as a nickel cadmium battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, a lithium ion battery, or a lithium polymer battery. In this embodiment, a lithium ion battery is used.

  Next, the parameter table 70 stored in the table storage area 332 of the ROM 33 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a data structure of the parameter table 70. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the parameter table 70 includes a level 71 indicating the state of the secondary battery 61, a voltage 72 of the secondary battery 61 detected by the charge control unit 62, and a secondary battery estimated from the voltage 72. 61, and a dot number converted value 74 of the printable print amount estimated from the charge amount 73. Level 71 indicates that the smaller the number, the greater the amount of charge of the secondary battery 61, that is, the higher the level of the amount of power that is charged.

  The parameter table 70 indicates that when the secondary battery 61 is charged by power supply from the USB cable, the state of the secondary battery 61 changes to a lower level when one minute elapses. Classification is carried out. Accordingly, it takes about 3 minutes for the state of the secondary battery 61 to change from the level “6” to the level “3” when the USB cable is being charged. The charge amount 73 (unit:%) is a value calculated from the full charge capacity Cf (unit: Ah) of the secondary battery 61 and the remaining capacity Cr (unit: Ah) calculated based on the voltage. . In accordance with each level, a dot number converted value 74 of a printable print amount is stored in advance.

  Here, the dot number converted value 74 of the printing amount will be described. The tape printer 1 according to the present embodiment that performs printing by driving the thermal head 51 requires a large current for driving the head when printing black, and is therefore necessary for printing print data. The amount of power greatly depends on the number of black dots. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the printing amount determined by the total number of black dots (hereinafter referred to as “the number of dots”) in the print data, the number of cuts, and the like is all converted to the number of dots. Then, the calculated dot number conversion value is referred to the parameter table 70 to calculate the amount of power (level) necessary for printing. For example, according to the tape printer 1, in order to print only the thermal head 51 and the tape feed motor 53 and print the print data having a total number of dots of 300,000 without driving the cutter 55, a charge of 70% It is determined that the amount needs to be charged in the secondary battery 61. Further, in order to drive the cutter 55 once, the same level of power is required as when 2000 dots of print data is printed without driving the cutter 55. Therefore, both when driving the cutter 55 twice to print 296,000 dots of print data and when printing 300,000 dots of print data without driving the cutter 55 once, both require a charge amount of 70%. It is said. As described above, the correspondence between the amount of energy for each operation such as the number of times of cutting and the warm-up of the device and the amount of energy necessary for printing a predetermined number of dots is calculated and determined in advance. Based on this correspondence, a program for converting the print amount including the amount of print data and the number of times the cutter 55 is driven into the number of dots is stored in the program storage area 331 of the ROM 33.

  When the dot number converted value is calculated, the power amount necessary for printing is calculated by referring to this value in the parameter table 70. For example, when the calculated dot number conversion value is D4, since D4 is included in the level “4”, it is determined that the secondary battery 61 requires a charge amount of 60% or more. The If the voltage of the secondary battery 61 detected by the charge control unit 62 is 3.85 V or higher, it is determined that printing is possible because the state of the secondary battery 61 is level “4” or higher.

  Next, the operation of the tape printer 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the main control process of the tape printer 1, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a subroutine of a printing condition change process performed in the main control process. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a change screen when changing printing conditions, FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a decorative frame selection screen, and FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a character decoration selection screen. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a subroutine of estimated waiting time calculation processing performed in the main control processing. The programs shown in the flowcharts are stored in the program storage area 331 of the ROM 33 of the tape printer 1 and are executed by the CPU 32.

  When the tape printer 1 is turned on, the main control procedure shown in FIG. 5 is started and repeated until the power is turned off. In this main process, first, the data in the RAM 34 in the tape printer 1 is cleared, and the system is initialized (S1).

  Next, print data creation processing is performed (S2). In this print data creation process, the user operates the input key 4 to input characters and symbols to be printed on the tape, to input the number of prints, to draw a decorative frame that is a pattern that surrounds or fills a predetermined range. Input of patterns, input of character decoration patterns such as character fonts, shadows, backgrounds, and the like are performed, print data is created according to the input contents, and stored in the print data storage area 341 of the RAM 34. Is done. In addition, the print condition settings of the number of printed sheets, the length of the tape, the character size, the decorative frame pattern, and the character decoration pattern are stored in the print condition storage area 345 of the RAM 34. Then, it is determined whether or not an instruction to print the created print data is given depending on whether or not the print key 6 is pressed (S3). If it is determined that the print key 6 has not been pressed (S3: NO), the print data creation process (S2) is repeated.

  If it is determined that the print key 6 is pressed (S3: YES), the charge amount of the secondary battery 61 is acquired (S4). In the power supply unit 60, the voltage of the secondary battery 61 is constantly detected by the charge control unit 62, and the detection result is output to the control unit 30, whereby the charge amount of the secondary battery 61 is acquired by the CPU 32. . The acquired content is stored in the charge amount storage area 343 of the RAM 34.

  Next, from the print data stored in the print data storage area 341 of the RAM 34 and the print conditions stored in the print condition storage area 345, dots of the print amount determined by the total number of dots of the print data, the number of cuts, etc. A number converted value is calculated (S5). As described above, the correspondence relationship between the energy of each operation and the energy required for printing a predetermined number of dots is determined in advance, and the dot number converted value is calculated based on this, and printing in the RAM 34 is performed. It is stored in the quantity storage area 344.

  Next, it is determined whether or not there is power supply from the power adapter (S6). When a power adapter is connected to the adapter insertion slot 18 (see FIG. 2) and power is supplied (S6: YES), the power required for printing is obtained regardless of the amount of charge of the secondary battery 61. Printing is executed immediately (S8). In the print execution process, first, the CPU 32 of the tape printing apparatus 1 prints print data by controlling the drive circuit 52 that drives the thermal head 51 and the drive circuit 54 that drives the tape feed motor 53. When the printing of one sheet is completed, the CPU 32 controls the drive circuit 56 that drives the cutter 55 to cut the tape. When printing of all the print data is completed, the process returns to S2.

  If it is determined that there is no power supply from the power adapter (S6: NO), it is determined whether printing using the secondary battery 61 as a power source is possible (S7). In this determination, the level of the secondary battery 61 is determined based on the charge amount of the secondary battery 61 stored in the charge amount storage area 343 with reference to the parameter table 70 (see FIG. 4). Further, the level of the secondary battery 61 necessary for printing is determined based on the dot amount converted value of the print amount stored in the print amount storage area 344. If it is determined that the current level is equal to or higher than the required level (S7: YES), printing is executed (S8), and the process returns to S2.

  If it is determined that the current level is lower than the required level (S7: NO), a print condition change selection screen prompting the user to select whether or not to change the print condition is displayed on the liquid crystal display 10. It is displayed (S9). Then, two buttons “execute” and “do not execute” are displayed on the liquid crystal display 10 together with a message prompting selection. Next, whether or not the change is executed or not is selected depending on whether or not the return key 8 is pressed when the cursor in the liquid crystal display 10 is positioned at “execute” or “not execute”. Is determined (S10). If no selection has been made (S10: NO), the process returns to S4, and if printing is possible before the selection of whether or not to change is made (S6: YES, or Printing is executed (S8: YES). On the other hand, when the selection whether or not to execute the change is performed (S10: YES), it is determined whether or not “execute” is selected (S11). When “execute” is selected by the user (S11: YES), a printing condition change process is performed (S12).

  Next, the print condition changing process will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6, when the printing condition change process is started, the number of printed sheets, tape length, character size, decorative frame pattern, character stored in the printing condition storage area 345 of the RAM 34 are displayed. A dot amount converted value of the printing amount when the printing condition of the decoration pattern is set to the minimum value is calculated (S31). Specifically, when the number of prints is set to multiple sheets, the dot number converted value is calculated as one sheet, and the length of the tape is shortened by adjusting the character arrangement, size, and margin amount If it is possible, the value when the tape length is shortened is calculated. If the setting for printing a decorative frame is made, the value is calculated under the condition of no decorative frame (when “None” shown in FIG. 8 is selected). A value is calculated under the condition of a simple character (when the pattern 91 shown in FIG. 9 is selected).

  Next, it is determined whether or not printing is possible if the printing conditions are changed (S32). In this determination, the parameter table 70 (see FIG. 4) determines the level to which the dot number converted value when the printing condition is the minimum value and the level to which the charge amount stored in the charge amount storage area 343 belongs. The If the level to which the current charge amount belongs is lower, it is determined that printing is impossible even if the printing conditions are changed (S32: NO). In this case, an error screen indicating that printing is impossible only by changing the printing conditions is output to the liquid crystal display 10 (S33), and the process returns to the main control process.

  On the other hand, if the level to which the current charge amount belongs is equal to or higher than the level when the printing condition is set to the minimum value, it is determined that printing is possible if the printing condition is changed (S32: YES). Then, the setting contents of the current printing conditions are determined from the storage contents stored in the printing condition storage area 345 (S34). Next, based on the determination result of the setting contents, a change screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 10 (S35). Here, the item of the print condition whose value set by the user is already the minimum value is not displayed on the change screen. As a result, the user can easily change the printing conditions without looking at extra items.

  Next, the voltage of the secondary battery 61 detected by the charge control unit 62 is acquired by the CPU 32 and stored in the charge amount storage area 343 (S36). Then, from the data stored in the print data storage area 341 and the print condition storage area 345, the dot number converted value of the print amount is calculated and stored in the print amount storage area (S37). These processes are the same as the processes of S4 and S5 (see FIG. 5).

  Next, it is determined whether printing using the secondary battery 61 as a power source is possible (S38). In this determination, the level to which the dot amount converted value of the printing amount at that time belongs is compared with the level to which the charging amount belongs. When the level to which the current charge amount belongs is lower, it is determined that printing is impossible (S38: NO), and it is determined whether there is an instruction to change the printing conditions by the user. (S39). If there is an instruction to change the printing conditions (S39: YES), the printing conditions are changed (S40).

  Here, the change of the printing condition (S40) will be described with reference to FIGS. When the printing condition is changed, the user operates the input key 4 while viewing the change screen (see FIG. 7) to select an item to be changed or determine a numerical value to be changed. Specifically, when the “decorative frame” condition is selected while the change screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed, the decorative frame selection screen shown in FIG. 8 is displayed. When one of the decorative frames is selected by the user, the selected decorative frame is stored in the print condition storage area 345. Then, since the number of dots of print data differs for each type of decorative frame, the amount of power required for printing also differs.

  When the “character decoration” condition is selected while the change screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed, the character decoration selection screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. When one of the character decorations is selected, the selected character decoration type is stored in the print condition storage area 345. Similar to the condition of the decorative frame, the number of dots of print data differs for each type of character decoration. Therefore, when the type of character decoration is changed, the amount of power required for printing also changes. Similarly to the change of the decoration frame and character decoration conditions, the conditions such as the number of copies (represented as “number of copies” in FIG. 7) and the tape length are changed, and the changed values are appropriately stored in the print condition storage area 345. Remembered. Then, the process returns to the process of S34, and the process of displaying the change screen (S35), the dot amount converted value of the print amount (S37), and the like is performed again based on the changed printing conditions.

  Returning to the description of the flowchart of FIG. 6, if an instruction to change the printing condition has not been issued (S39: NO), it is determined whether there is an instruction to cancel the execution of the change (S41). If the return key 8 is pressed while the cursor in the liquid crystal display 10 is positioned at “Cancel” (S41: YES), the change screen is deleted, the print condition change process is terminated, and the main control process is completed. Return to. If there is no instruction to cancel the execution of the change (S41: NO), the process returns to S34.

  If it is determined that the level to which the current charge amount belongs is equal to or higher than the level to which the dot amount converted value of the print amount belongs, and printing using the secondary battery 61 as a power source is possible (S38: YES), A “print” button 81 shown in FIG. 7 is made selectable, and it is displayed that printing is possible (S42). Next, it is determined whether or not there is a print instruction from the user (S43). If the return key 8 is pressed while the cursor is positioned on the print button or the print key 6 is pressed, it is determined that there is a print instruction (S43: YES), and printing is executed ( S44), the printing condition changing process is terminated, and the process returns to the main control process. If it is determined that there is no printing instruction (S43: NO), the process proceeds to the determination of S39, and these processes are repeated until there is a printing instruction or an instruction to cancel the change of printing conditions. . Therefore, the user can execute printing under the printing conditions and timing desired by the user. As shown in FIG. 5, in the main control process, when the print condition change process (S12) is completed, the process returns to S2.

  Next, returning to the description of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, if the user selects not to change the printing conditions (S11: NO), it is determined whether or not the secondary battery 61 is being charged. Is performed (S13). When there is no power supply from the USB cable connected to the connector 19 and the secondary battery 61 is not being charged (S13: NO), printing using the secondary battery 61 as a power source and power supplied by the power adapter It is impossible to print with the power source. Accordingly, an error screen indicating that printing is impossible is output to the liquid crystal display 10 (S14), and the process returns to S2. On the other hand, if the secondary battery is being charged (S13: YES), an estimated waiting time calculation process is performed (S15).

  Next, the estimated waiting time calculation process will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10, when the estimated waiting time calculation process is started, the voltage of the secondary battery 61 detected by the charging control unit 62 at that time is acquired by the CPU 32 (S51). Then, it is determined from the parameter table 70 (see FIG. 4) which level Lc the charge level of the secondary battery 61 belongs to (S52).

  Next, the dot amount converted value of the print amount is calculated from the print data stored in the print data storage area 341 of the RAM 34 and the print conditions stored in the print condition storage area 345 (S53). Then, the parameter table 70 determines which level the level Ld to which the calculated dot number converted value belongs is (S54).

  Next, the difference between the level Ld to which the dot amount converted value of the print amount belongs and the level Lc to which the charge amount belongs is calculated, and the time obtained by multiplying the calculated value by 1 minute is stored in the RAM 34 as the estimated waiting time. (S55). As described above, each level provided in the parameter table 70 is determined in advance so that the level is increased by one (charged to the level one lower in number) every time charging is performed for 1 minute with the USB cable. ing. Therefore, for example, when the level Ld to which the dot amount converted value of the print amount belongs is 2 and the level Lc to which the charge amount belongs is 6, it is assumed that charging for approximately 4 minutes is required. The estimated waiting time for minutes will be stored.

  Returning to the description of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, when the estimated waiting time calculation process (S15) is completed, an estimated waiting time of, for example, “about 4 minutes until the start of printing” is displayed on the liquid crystal display (S16). Next, it is determined whether there is power supply from the power adapter (S17). If a power adapter is connected to the adapter insertion slot 18 (see FIG. 2) from the middle and power feeding is started (S17: YES), the power required for printing is covered by power feeding from the power adapter, so printing is not possible. The process is executed (S19), and the process returns to S2.

  When the power adapter is not connected (S17: NO), it is determined whether the amount of charge has reached the required power (S18). This determination is made based on whether or not the level Ld to which the charging amount belongs is equal to or higher than the level Ld to which the dot amount converted value of the printing amount belongs. If it is determined that the amount of charge has not yet reached the required power (S18: NO), the process returns to S15, and the calculation and display of the estimated waiting time is repeated. On the other hand, when the amount of charge reaches the required power (S18: YES), the estimated waiting time displayed on the liquid crystal display 10 is deleted, printing is executed (S19), and the process returns to S2. .

  As described above, according to the tape printer 1 of the present embodiment, the estimated waiting time until charging is completed and printing is possible is calculated and displayed on the liquid crystal display 10, so that the user can feel secure. Can be improved and the ease of use can be improved. In addition, the print amount is calculated mainly using the total number of dots of the print data, and the print amount is calculated each time the print conditions including the decorative frame and the character decoration are changed. The amount of power is calculated. Therefore, compared with the case where the print amount is calculated using only the number of prints, the print area, etc., the print amount and the amount of power required for printing can be calculated finely and accurately.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described in detail above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the amount of charge of the secondary battery 61 is determined by comparing the voltage of the secondary battery 61 with the parameter table 70, but this determination method and the numerical values of each parameter are examples. It depends on the performance of the device and the type of the secondary battery 61. In addition, environmental factors such as temperature, the number of times of charging the secondary battery 61, and the like may be added to the parameters for determining the amount of charge, or the levels may be further classified. Further, a method of grasping the amount of charge by integrating the current value to be charged to the secondary battery 61 or the current value to be discharged from the secondary battery 61, the driving current of the thermal head 51, the tape feed motor 53, etc. May be used to calculate the discharge amount of the secondary battery 61 and to grasp the current charge amount.

  In the present embodiment, the amount of power necessary for printing is calculated by comparing the dot amount converted value of the printing amount with the parameter table 70, but this method can be changed. Further, the decorative frame and shaded selection candidates shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present embodiment, printing using the secondary battery 61 as a power source and printing using power supplied from a power adapter can be used properly. However, the present invention is also applied to a device using only the secondary battery as a power source for printing. Needless to say, you can.

  The printing apparatus and the print control apparatus of the present invention are not limited to the tape printing apparatus as in the above-described embodiment, but can be applied to other forms of printing apparatuses such as a small memo printer and an inkjet printing apparatus.

1 is a plan view of a tape printer 1. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the tape printer 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the tape printer 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a data configuration of a parameter table 70. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of main control processing of the tape printer 1. It is a flowchart of a subroutine of a printing condition change process performed in the main control process. It is explanatory drawing of the change screen at the time of changing printing conditions. It is explanatory drawing of a decoration frame selection screen. It is explanatory drawing of a character decoration selection screen. It is a flowchart of the subroutine of the estimated waiting time calculation process performed in the main control process.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tape printer 4 Input key 5 Character input key 6 Print key 8 Return key 10 Liquid crystal display 32 CPU
33 ROM
34 RAM
50 Printing Mechanism 60 Power Supply Unit 61 Secondary Battery 62 Charging Control Unit 70 Parameter Table 332 Table Storage Area

Claims (6)

A print control device that controls the operation of a printing device that prints print data using the power of a rechargeable secondary battery,
Charge energy detection means for detecting the amount of power charged in the secondary battery;
Print data creating means for creating the print data;
A printing power amount calculating means for calculating a power amount necessary for printing the printing data created by the printing data creating means;
Whether the print data can be printed based on the power amount of the secondary battery detected by the charge power amount detection unit and the power amount necessary for printing calculated by the print power amount calculation unit. A printability determination means for determining
The control for executing printing of the print data and row Cormorant automatic print execution control means when it is determined that it is possible to print the said printable determining means,
A charging determination means for determining whether or not the secondary battery is being charged;
When it is determined that printing is not possible by the printability determination unit, and the charging determination unit determines that charging is being performed, the amount of power that enables printing of the print data is supplied to the secondary battery. Printing standby time calculating means for calculating the time until charging;
Standby time display means for displaying the time calculated by the printing standby time calculation means;
Printing condition changing means for changing the printing condition of the print data;
A change execution selection unit that selects whether or not to change the print condition by the print condition change unit when it is determined by the print enable determination unit that printing is not possible;
A change condition input means for inputting the print condition to be changed by the print condition change means when the change execution selection means has selected to change the print condition;
When the printing condition is changed by the printing condition changing unit, and when it is determined that the printing is possible by the printing possibility determining unit, a printable display unit that displays that printing is possible;
Print execution instructing means for instructing execution of printing of the print data;
Condition-change printing for performing control to execute printing of the print data by an instruction to execute printing by the print execution instruction unit when the printable display unit displays that printing is possible And a print control apparatus comprising: an execution control unit; The printing control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the printing condition changed by the printing condition changing unit includes a decoration frame condition that is a pattern of a frame surrounding a predetermined range. Wherein the printing condition is changed by printing condition changing means, the print control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a condition of character decoration. When the change execution selection unit selects not to limit the printing conditions, an error indicating that printing cannot be performed is determined when the charging determination unit determines that charging is not being performed. the print control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises an error output means for outputting. The print electric power calculation means, the print control according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that to calculate the amount of power required by at least using the total number of dots of the print area to be calculated from the print data apparatus. Printing apparatus comprising the print control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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