JP5110926B2 - cartridge - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from a printing apparatus .

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, printing apparatuses that take in image data acquired by an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera and print it on a recording medium such as photographic paper have been widely used in general households.

  In such a domestic printing device, if an ink ribbon and photographic paper are set in advance, the image data can be captured and a high-quality photo can be printed simply by giving a print instruction. Can do. For this reason, recently, an increasing number of people enjoy photo printing at home.

  In such a domestic printing apparatus, it is required to simplify the preparatory work (setting an ink ribbon, photographic paper, capturing image data, etc.) as much as possible. Proposals have been made for improvement.

As an example, there is a printing apparatus including a cartridge in which an ink ribbon and photographic paper are integrated. If the cartridge is used, the two operations, ink setting and photographic paper setting, which have been performed so far, need only be one operation of cartridge mounting operation, and the preparation operation can be simplified.
JP 2000-108442 A

  Here, as for the cartridge integrated as described above, until now, a printing apparatus using cut paper as photographic paper has been common. However, the photographic paper disposed in the cartridge is not limited to cut paper, and roll paper obtained by winding a belt-like photographic paper around a roller may be used.

  This is because when roll paper is used as the photographic paper, a large amount of photographic paper can be held in a space-saving cartridge, and the conveyance mechanism can be shared for cartridges having different print sizes.

  When printing is performed using cut paper, a cut paper having a size larger than the print area is prepared in order to hold the paper during printing. For this reason, the user has to cut a part larger than the print area for holding the paper after printing by himself / herself. On the other hand, in the case of roll paper, a printing paper cutting cutter is provided in the printing apparatus, and the printing apparatus cuts the printing paper, so that only the printing area can be cut out and provided to the user.

  Also, in the case of conventional cut paper, since the number of prints per cartridge is determined in advance, the printing device side can grasp the remaining photographic paper by counting the number of prints, whereas in the case of roll paper, That alone cannot accurately recognize the rest of the photographic paper. For this reason, when adopting roll paper instead of cut paper, a configuration that can directly monitor the presence or absence of the remaining photographic paper is indispensable.

  On the other hand, it is desirable that the cartridge is designed to be sealed as much as possible so that the roll paper contained therein cannot be touched from the outside, and if an opening or the like is provided for monitoring, foreign matter or the like is present in the cartridge. There is also a possibility that it may lead to adverse effects such as image quality degradation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a printing apparatus using a cartridge in which an ink ribbon and roll paper are integrated, the remaining amount of roll paper can be recognized while maintaining the sealed state of the cartridge. The purpose is to do so.

In order to achieve the above object, a cartridge according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is,
A cartridge that can be attached to and detached from a printing device,
Roll paper wound around a roller;
Detecting means that is arranged inside the roller and detects the presence or absence of the roll paper wound around a predetermined position on the surface of the roller from the inside of the roll paper;
Output means for outputting a detection result by the detection means to the printing apparatus.

  According to the present invention, in a printing apparatus using a cartridge in which an ink ribbon and roll paper are integrated, the remaining amount of roll paper can be recognized while maintaining the sealed state of the cartridge.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, “printing” refers to a series of overall operations from performing printing based on a printing instruction from the user, cutting the roll paper to a predetermined size, and discharging the roll paper. Also, “printing” refers to an operation of recording an image on a roll paper by performing a thermal transfer of the ink applied to the ink ribbon on the roll paper in a printing operation.

[First Embodiment]
1. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an external configuration of a printing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment and a cartridge 110 used in the printing apparatus 100.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 100 includes a housing 101 whose side surface is openable and detachable (mounting / removing) in the direction of an arrow 120, and a display unit 102 and an operation unit are provided on the upper part of the housing 101. Part 103 is arranged.

  The display unit 102 includes a display screen such as an LCD, and displays image data to be printed and a menu for inputting setting data necessary for printing.

  The operation unit 103 includes a power switch 104 that instructs to turn on / off the power of the printing apparatus, and a selection switch 105 for selecting various menus displayed on the display unit 102. Further, a left / right key 106 and an up / down key 107 for moving the cursor displayed on the display unit 102 to a desired position are arranged around the selection switch 105.

  The cartridge 110 contains an ink ribbon to which ink is applied and roll paper (a belt-like recording medium wound around a roller) as photographic paper. Further, in a state before the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, the roll paper is hermetically sealed by the housing 111, and the user does not directly touch the roll paper. At the time of printing, the roll paper is pulled out from the cartridge 110, and the ink applied to the ink ribbon is transferred to the roll paper by the thermal head of the printing apparatus, and printing is performed.

  Reference numeral 112 denotes a rotation shaft of a roller around which roll paper is wound. When the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, the rotation axis is coupled to a rotation mechanism of a paper feed motor included in the printing apparatus 100 and is rotated by the printing apparatus 100. Be controlled.

  Reference numerals 113 and 114 denote rotation axes of the ink ribbon supply roller and the take-up roller, respectively. When the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, the take-up roller rotation shaft 114 is coupled to the rotation mechanism of the ink ribbon winding motor included in the printing apparatus 100, and the rotation is controlled by the printing apparatus 100.

2. Functional block diagram 2 of the printing apparatus is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the printing apparatus 100. A main controller 201 controls the entire printing apparatus 100, and has functions as image data control means and setting means described later.

  A ROM 202 is connected to the main controller 201 and stores a control program and the like. The main controller 201 operates according to the control program stored in the ROM 202. The RAM 203 is used as a work memory for arithmetic processing of the main controller, and various setting data input via the operation unit 103 are also temporarily stored.

  Reference numerals 224Y, 224M, and 224C denote image buffers for storing image data received via the image data input unit 229. 224Y is a yellow image buffer that temporarily stores yellow image data, and 224M and 224C are image buffers that temporarily store magenta and cyan image data, respectively.

  Reference numeral 227 denotes a thermal head. When the built-in heating element generates heat, the ink applied to the ink ribbon is sublimated and printed on the roll paper.

  Reference numeral 226 denotes a head drive circuit that drives a heating element (not shown) built in the thermal head 227. Printing is performed by the driver controller 225 connected to the main controller 201 controlling the head driving circuit 226 using the image data recorded in the bitmap format in the image buffers 224Y to 224C.

  Reference numeral 211 denotes a roll paper transport motor driver for driving the drive motors 212 and 213. The drive motors 212 and 213 are coupled to a decurling roller, a grip roller, a paper discharge roller, a paper discharge kick roller, and the like, which will be described later, via a rotation mechanism, and convey these roll papers by driving these rollers. .

  Reference numeral 214 denotes a paper feed motor driver that controls the rotation of the paper feed motor 215. In a state where the cartridge 110 is mounted, the paper feed motor 215 is coupled with a roller which is a roll shaft of the roll paper unit and is rotated via a rotation mechanism. The rotational drive is controlled.

  An ink ribbon winding motor driver 216 controls the rotation of the ink ribbon winding motor 217. When the cartridge 110 is mounted, the ink ribbon take-up roller and the ink ribbon take-up motor 217 are coupled to each other via a rotation mechanism. The

  Reference numeral 218 denotes a head up / down motor driver. The driver 218 controls the rotation of the head up / down motor 219 that moves the thermal head 227 up and down, thereby operating the thermal head 227 between the printing position and the retracted position.

  Reference numeral 220 denotes a cutter motor driver. The cutter motor driver 220 controls the cutter motor 221 that drives the cutter blade and the cutter receiving blade constituting the cutter unit, thereby cutting the roll paper.

  Reference numeral 204 denotes an end detection sensor that detects when the roll paper wound around the roller is consumed and the remaining amount of the roll paper wound around the roller becomes less than one roll (output is ON). (It becomes OFF) Details of processing at the time of termination detection will be described later.

  Reference numeral 205 denotes a roll paper detection sensor, which detects that the roll paper disposed in the cartridge 110 has been pushed out and the leading end has been discharged from the cartridge outlet. The roll paper detection sensor is provided in the vicinity of the cartridge outlet in the width direction of the roll paper, and detects the right and left ends in the width direction of the roll paper discharged from the cartridge outlet. Due to the difference in detection timing of the roll paper detection sensor 205, the printing apparatus 100 can recognize the inclination in the width direction of the roll paper pushed out from the cartridge outlet.

  Reference numeral 206 denotes a roll paper cueing sensor, which is arranged behind a platen roller provided to face the thermal head 227, and the leading end of the roll paper pulled out from the cartridge 110 has passed behind the platen roller at the start of printing. Detect that.

  Reference numeral 207 denotes a ribbon cueing sensor that detects an identification band applied to the tip of each color of the ink ribbon. The ink ribbon winding operation by the ink ribbon winding motor 217 is controlled based on the detection result of the ribbon cueing sensor 207.

  An environmental temperature sensor 208 detects the ambient temperature of the environment where the printing apparatus 100 is placed. The input energy input to the thermal head 227 by the head drive circuit 226 is controlled based on the detection result of the environmental temperature sensor 208.

  A head pressure detection sensor 209 detects the head pressure when the thermal head 227 is lowered to the printing position and presses the ink ribbon and the roll paper with the platen roller during printing.

  Reference numeral 210 denotes a print range identification sensor which is arranged in the vicinity of the cutter unit and identifies a print area.

  A display control unit 222 controls the display unit 102 to display a menu for inputting image data to be printed and setting data necessary for printing.

  An IC read / write unit 230 reads information from a cartridge information chip (IC) arranged in the cartridge 110 and writes information to the IC. Information read from the IC includes, for example, roll paper size (width, thickness, length), roll paper characteristics, roller diameter, ink ribbon manufacturing information, ink ribbon characteristic information, and ink ribbon take-up roller. And the diameter of the ink ribbon supply roller. Examples of information written in the IC include information on the number of printed sheets, information on the number of printed sheets, information on cause of printing errors, and the like.

3. Detailed Configuration of Cartridge Next , the detailed configuration of the cartridge 110 will be described. FIG. 3 is a view showing the appearance of the cartridge 110.

  As described above, when the cartridge 110 is detached from the printing apparatus 100, the roll paper is stored in the housing 111 so that the user cannot directly touch the roll paper from the outside. With such a configuration, mixing of foreign matters and the like into the cartridge 110 is avoided.

  Reference numeral 301 denotes a contact for transmitting the output of the end detection sensor 204 to the printing apparatus 100. When the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, it is combined with a contact (not shown) on the printing apparatus 100 side to detect the end. The output of the sensor 204 is transmitted to the printing apparatus 100.

  FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the cartridge 110. The internal configuration of the cartridge 110 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 4, reference numeral 401 denotes an upper housing that covers the upper part of the ink ribbon unit 402. An ink ribbon unit 402 includes a supply roller 402-2 around which the ink ribbon 402-1 before use is wound, and a take-up roller 402-3 around which the used ink ribbon 402-1 is wound up. The supply roller 402-2 and the winding roller 402-3 are rotatably supported by the housing 111.

  Reference numeral 403 denotes a guide roller that defines a transport path of the ink ribbon 402-1 when the take-up roller 402-3 winds the used ink ribbon 402-1. The guide roller 403 is rotatably supported by the housing 111.

  Reference numeral 404 denotes a roll paper unit, which includes a roller 404-1, a roll paper 404-2 wound around the roller 404-1, and a roll paper leading end holding member 404-3. The roller 404-1 is rotatably supported by the side housing 405 and the housing 111.

  The side housing 405 covers the side surface of the roll paper unit 404 and pivotally supports the roller 404-1. Moreover, the separation member 406 for peeling off the front-end | tip part of the roll paper 404-2 wound by the roller 404-1 from the wound part is provided.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the roll paper unit 404, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an external configuration of the roll paper unit. Roll paper front end holding members 404-3 are respectively provided at both ends of the roller 404-1, and the roll paper front end holding member 404-3 is connected to the roller 404-1 via a friction clutch (not shown). Connected. As shown in FIG. 5, the roller 404-1 has a hollow structure for weight reduction, and a terminal detection sensor 204 is provided inside. The end detection sensor 204 is a reflection type optical sensor such as a photo reflector, and irradiates the roll paper 404-2 from the inside through an opening 501 provided in a part of the roller 404-1. -2 receives the reflected light from -2. The reception result is transmitted to the printing apparatus 100 via the contact 301.

When detecting a sheet from the outside of the cartridge 110, it is necessary to provide an opening for sensor irradiation in the housing 111 to detect the remaining amount of the sheet inside the housing.
On the other hand, by providing the end detection sensor 204 inside the roller 404-1, it is not necessary to provide an opening for irradiation in the housing 111. Therefore, it becomes possible for the user not to directly touch the roll paper, and it is possible to prevent dust and dirt from entering the housing. In the case of roll paper, if the diameter of the roller 404-1 is reduced, the printing paper will be wrinkled and curled, affecting the quality. A space is generated inside the roller 404-1. Therefore, in the present invention, since the end detection sensor is arranged using the hollow structure of the roller 404-1, a space saving of the printing apparatus 100 is realized as compared with the case where the end detection sensor is provided on the printing apparatus 100 side. can do.

  Furthermore, when a termination detection sensor is provided on the printing apparatus 100 side and the roll paper 404-2 is irradiated from the outside of the roll paper 404-2, the termination detection sensor and the roll paper 404-2 are consumed. The distance from the irradiation position of the roll paper 404-2 will change.

  On the other hand, the end detection sensor 204 is provided inside the roller 404-1 of the roll paper unit 404 to irradiate the inside of the roll paper 404-2. Then, the distance between the end detection sensor 204 and the irradiation position of the roll paper 404-2 is constant regardless of the consumption of the roll paper 404-2. Further, by fixing the end of the roll paper to a part of the roller 404-1, the distance between the end detection sensor 204 and the roll paper 404-2 can be kept constant. As a result, the presence or absence of the roll paper 404-2 can be reliably detected, and erroneous detection can be avoided.

4). The internal structure of the printing apparatus in a state in which the cartridge is set Figure 6, a state in which the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100 is a sectional view from the side of the printing apparatus 100. The configuration of each unit that operates when the printing apparatus 100 performs print processing will be briefly described with reference to FIG. In the above description, the same reference numerals are assigned to the components already described, and the description is omitted here.

  In FIG. 6, reference numeral 601 denotes a drawing path through which the roll paper 404-2 included in the cartridge 110 passes when being drawn to the printing position during printing. Reference numeral 602 denotes a cartridge outlet. When the roll paper 404-2 wound around the roller 404-1 is peeled off and passes through the drawing path 601, the roll paper 404-2 is drawn out of the cartridge 110 from the cartridge outlet 602.

  Reference numerals 603-1 and 603-2 denote a decurling roller and a decurling driven roller, which correct the curl of the roll paper 404-2. Reference numerals 604-1 and 604-2 denote grip rollers and pinch rollers. During normal rotation (when the grip roller 604-1 rotates counterclockwise toward the paper surface), the roll paper 404-2 is pulled out from the cartridge 110. , And conveyed toward the printing position 611.

  Reference numeral 605 denotes a platen roller that performs printing by thermally pressing the thermal ribbon 227 with the ink ribbon 402-1 and the roll paper 404-2 superimposed on each other.

  A paper discharge roller 606 conveys the roll paper 404-2 in the paper discharge direction. Reference numeral 607 denotes a paper discharge kick roller, which has a concavo-convex portion and kicks the printed and cut roll paper 404-2 into a paper discharge box (not shown).

  Reference numeral 608 denotes a gear train that transmits the operation of the cutter motor 221 to the cutter unit. Reference numerals 609 and 610 denote a cutter blade and a cutter receiving blade constituting the cutter unit, which are arranged at positions facing each other across the conveyance path of the roll paper 404-2. The cutter blade 609 and the cutter receiving blade 610 are driven by a gear train 608, and the upper and lower blades are rubbed together in a scissors shape to cut the roll paper 404-2.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, the leading end of the roll paper 404-2 is peeled off by the separation member 406, and the drawing path 601 It stays.

  Further, the housing of the cartridge 110 covering the ink ribbon 402-1 at a position corresponding to the printing position 611 is removed, and the ink ribbon 402-1 is exposed to the outside of the cartridge 110.

5). Overall Flow of Print Processing Next, the overall flow of print processing in the printing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an overall flow of printing processing in the printing apparatus 100. After the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100 and the power is turned on, the reading of the information of the IC arranged in the cartridge 110 is completed, and the loading of the image data to be printed is completed, the processing shown in FIG. Is started.

  In step S <b> 701, information regarding image data selected as a print target by the user via the operation unit 103 is received from the image data displayed on the display unit 102. Note that the number of image data that can be selected as a print target is not limited to one, and may be plural.

  In step S <b> 702, it is determined whether there is a print instruction from the user via the operation unit 103. If it is determined in step S702 that there is a print instruction, the process advances to step S703.

  In step S703, it is determined whether printing is possible. Here, it is determined based on the remaining amount of roll paper 404-2 whether or not all the image data selected in step S701 can be printed.

  If it is determined in step S703 that printing is not possible, a message indicating that printing is not possible is displayed on the display unit 102, and the process proceeds to step S709.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S703 that printing is possible, the process proceeds to step S704, and print data (drawing data) for each color is generated based on the selected image data.

  In step S705, printing processing is performed using the generated print data. Details of the printing process will be described later.

  In step S706, it is determined whether or not the end detection sensor 204 is turned off during the printing process. If it is determined that the end detection sensor 204 is turned off during the printing process, the process advances to step S707 to perform the end detection process. Details of the end detection process will be described later.

  In step S708, it is determined whether there is the next image data selected as a print target. If it is determined in step S708 that there is the next image data selected as a printing target, the process returns to step S703 and the above processing is repeated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S708 that there is no next image data selected as a print target, or if it is determined in step S703 that printing is not possible, the process proceeds to step S709.

  In step S709, end processing is performed to return to the state of FIG. Specifically, the thermal head 227 is returned to the retracted position, and the roll paper 404-2 is wound up so that the leading end of the roll paper 404-2 comes to the drawing path 601.

6). Operation During Printing Process Next , the operation of the printing apparatus 100 during the printing process in step S705 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 8 to 10.

6.1 Pulling out Roll Paper In the state shown in FIG. 6, when the roller 404-1 that rotates integrally with the roll paper 404-2 is driven (clockwise counterclockwise), the roll paper 404-2 is rotated. When the roll paper 404-2 is rotated, the roll paper 404-2 wound around the roller 404-1 is peeled off one after another by the separation member 406 and pushed out to the drawing path 601. As a result, the leading end of the roll paper 404-2 is discharged from the cartridge outlet 602.

  In the vicinity of the cartridge outlet 602, there is a roll paper detection sensor 205 (not shown in FIG. 6), which is provided facing the width of the roll paper 404-2 with a sufficient distance.

  Accordingly, when the roll paper 404-2 is discharged from the cartridge outlet 602, it is determined how much the roll paper 404-2 is discharged based on the difference in detection timing of the roll paper detection sensor 205. it can.

  Here, if the determined inclination is equal to or larger than the allowable amount, the pulling-out operation is stopped and a warning is displayed on the display unit 102. When the roll paper 404-2 is drawn obliquely, the inclination at that time is promoted while being conveyed through the inside of the printing apparatus 100. As a result, accurate printing cannot be performed, and in the worst case, there is a possibility of deviating from the transportable width of the roll paper 404-2 allowed in the printing apparatus 100.

6.2 The roll paper 404-2 drawn out from the roll paper decurling cartridge outlet 602 is guided to the curl removing roller 603-1 and the curl is removed.

  The curl removing roller 603-1 is made of soft rubber, and presses against a hard curl driven roller 603-2 disposed at an opposing position to deform the roll paper 404-2, thereby causing the roll paper 404- Bend the traveling direction of 2 by about 90 degrees.

  With such a configuration, the winding wrinkles generated by being wound around the roller 404-1 are eliminated by squeezing on the side opposite to the winding direction around the roller 404-1. Needless to say, curl removal is not realized only by such a configuration, but may be realized by other configurations. For example, the curling may be performed by passing a hard wall-shaped member, or the curling may be performed by passing a plurality of curling rollers through a zigzag.

  The curl removal roller 603-1 is detached when the roll paper 404-2 is pulled out. The roll paper 404-2 is pressed against the curl driven roller 603-2 at the timing when the roll paper 404-2 is pulled out to the position of the curl removal roller 603-1, and the roll paper 404-2 is sandwiched.

6.3 The roll paper 404-2 after the curling of the roll paper is carried out is conveyed by the curl removing roller 603-1 and reaches the grip roller section.

  The grip roller unit includes a grip roller 604-1 and a pinch roller 604-2. Until the roll paper 404-2 reaches the grip roller section, the grip roller 604-1 is separated from the pinch roller 604-2. Then, at the timing when the roll paper 404-2 is conveyed to the position of the grip roller portion, the roll paper 404-2 is pressed against the pinch roller 604-2, and the roll paper 404-2 is held.

  Fine protrusion-like claws are formed on the surface of the grip roller 604-1, and the roll paper 404-2 is gripped by biting into the back surface of the roll paper 404-2.

  The roll paper 404-2 gripped by the grip roller section is further conveyed and passes between the thermal head 227 and the platen roller 605 disposed to face the thermal head 227 (see FIG. 8).

  A roll paper cueing sensor 206 (not shown in FIG. 8) is disposed behind the platen roller 605. When the leading end of the roll paper 404-2 passes between the thermal head 227 and the platen roller 605, a roll is detected. The paper cueing sensor 206 is turned on.

  When the main controller 201 receives the ON signal of the roll paper cueing sensor 206, the main controller 201 calculates how far the roll paper 404-2 should be conveyed. The roll paper 404-2 is conveyed by a grip roller 604-1 controlled based on the calculation result, and stops when it reaches a predetermined position (printing start position) (the cueing of the roll paper 404-2 is completed).

6.4 Printing Operation 6.4.1 Head Down When the cueing of the roll paper 404-2 is completed, the ink ribbon 402-1 stored in the cartridge 110 is wound up. The ink ribbon 402-1 is wound up via a ribbon winding motor 217 provided in the printing apparatus 100 and a gear train connected to the motor.

  An identification band is applied in a band shape in the width direction of the ink ribbon 402-1 at the cueing position of each surface of the Y, M, C, and overcoat layers. In particular, an identification band of a different color is applied to the leading portion of the first Y surface that is a reference for printing.

  In the present embodiment, two identification bands are applied to the leading portion of the Y surface, which is distinguished from the fact that there is one identification band for the leading portion of the other color. These distinctions are identified by the ribbon cue sensor 207, and the identification result is transmitted to the main controller 201 so that the main controller 201 can recognize that it is the first surface of the print.

  When the ribbon cueing sensor 207 recognizes that two identification bands are applied, the main controller 201 stops the ink ribbon winding motor 217. At the same time, a head up / down motor 219 for moving the thermal head 227 up and down is driven to rotate the thermal head 227 to the printing position 611.

  The thermal head 227 is rotatably disposed on the base of the printing apparatus 100 via a head lever 612. A head up / down motor 219 drives the head lever 612 to rotate the thermal head 227 to a predetermined printing position 611. (See FIG. 9).

  The base of the printing apparatus 100 includes a rotation center of the head lever 612, a rotation center of the grip roller unit, and a support unit that supports the rotation center of the platen roller 605. These components are configured as a unit. . The correlation between the dimensions of these parts greatly affects the printing performance. By configuring the parts as described above, the head touch is stabilized as compared with the case where these parts are configured separately.

6.4.2 Curling removal OFF
When the thermal head 227 rotates to a predetermined printing position 611, the curl removing roller 603-1 is detached and curl removal is turned off. This is to prevent an excessive load from being applied to the roll paper 404-2 during the printing operation.

6.4.3 Printing When the thermal head 227 reaches the printing position 611, reciprocating conveyance of the roll paper is started by the grip roller 604-1.

  Here, when the roll paper 404-2 wound around the roller 404-1 is conveyed in the opposite direction by the grip roller 604-1, the roll paper 404-2 returns to the inside of the cartridge 110. At this time, the paper feed motor 215 operates to rotate the roller 404-1 in a direction opposite to the rotation direction when the roll paper 404-2 is pushed out before the start of printing. As a result, the roll paper 404-2 is rewound onto the roller 404-1 without any excess.

  The paper feed motor 215 has a clutch mechanism having a sliding torque. When operating in the direction of pulling out the roll paper 404-2 with such a configuration, all the force from the paper feed motor 215 is transmitted, and when operating in the rewinding direction, it operates with a predetermined slip torque.

  With this configuration, when the roll paper 404-2 is rewound during the printing operation, it is possible to rewind the portion pulled out by the grip roller portion without applying excessive stress.

  The winding length of the ink ribbon 402-1 at the time of printing, the unwinding length of the roll paper 404-2, and the transport distance of the roll paper 404-2 by the grip roller unit were applied to the ink ribbon 402-1. The detection timing of the identification band is controlled as a print start reference.

  For example, when the postcard size cartridge 110 is mounted, about 150 mm, and when the L size cartridge 110 is mounted, about 127 mm is printed. Control.

  Note that the type of the mounted cartridge can be recognized by the IC read / write unit 230 reading information on the IC arranged in the cartridge 110.

6.4.4 Improving image quality for writing During printing operation, the manufacturing information (for example, density information) of the ink ribbon 402-1 read from the IC arranged in the cartridge 110 is used to adjust the energy applied to the thermal head 227. .

  Further, the main controller 201 obtains the ambient temperature of the usage environment from the ambient temperature sensor 208 provided in the printing apparatus 100, and the optimum input energy is obtained from the ambient temperature and the manufacturing information of the ink ribbon 402-1. calculate. Then, the energy applied to the thermal head 227 is adjusted based on the calculation result.

  More specifically, when the ambient temperature is low, the thermal head 227 does not sufficiently increase the temperature of the thermal head 227 particularly immediately after the start of printing, and therefore, in the vicinity of the printing start position on the roll paper 404-2. There is a tendency that the printing result becomes thin. For this reason, the image quality of the roll paper 404-2 immediately after the start of printing becomes non-uniform in the vicinity of the end (the end on the side cut by the cutter unit).

  In order to avoid such a situation, in the printing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, an operation of storing the residual heat immediately before the start of printing is performed, or thermal energy is input in consideration of temperature characteristic information of the ink ribbon 402-1. Thus, the image quality in the vicinity of the cut surface is improved.

6.4.5 Print end operation In the print operation, the print operation (heating operation) continues immediately after the print end (that is, the leading end of the roll paper 404-2) passes through the heating element of the thermal head 227. Resulting in.

  For this reason, when the thermal head 227 falls from the tip of the roll paper 404-2 together with the head lever 612 and comes into contact with the platen roller 605 that is a rubber member, the platen roller 605 may be deformed or melted.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the thermal head 227 is configured not to move more than the thickness of the roll paper 404-2 in the pressing direction of the platen roller 605. However, the method for avoiding the deformation of the platen roller 605 is not limited to this. For example, the head pressure detection sensor 209 is configured to detect the pressure change that occurs when the leading end of the roll paper 404-2 is removed from the thermal head 227, thereby stopping the energy input to the thermal head 227. Also good.

6.4.5 Printing Completion When the printing operation is executed for a predetermined length from the printing start reference, the winding operation of the ink ribbon 402-1 and the rewinding operation of the roll paper 404-2 are stopped, and the grip roller The conveyance of the roll paper 404-2 by 604-1 is stopped.

6.4.5 Sending in the paper discharge direction When the printing on the roll paper 404-2 is completed, the head up / down motor 219 is driven to rotate the head lever 612 to be fixed integrally with the head lever 612. The thermal head 227 is retracted to a predetermined retract position. At this time, the ink ribbon 402-1 is wound up by a minute amount to take up the slack of the ink ribbon 402-1.

  Next, the roll paper 404-2 is conveyed to the printing start position. The conveyance at this time is performed for the conveyance distance at the time of printing.

  When the print start position is reached, the same print operation is started for M ink. Further, after the printing operation for M ink, the same processing is performed for C ink and overcoat. That is, one complete image is generated by four reciprocating conveyances of Y, M, C, and overcoat.

6.5 Cut and paper discharge operation 6.5.1 Transport in paper discharge direction When the overcoat process is completed, the roll paper 404-2 is transported in the paper discharge direction. In the present embodiment, a printing range identification sensor 210 (not shown in FIG. 9) is disposed in the vicinity of the cutter unit in order to make the cutting position with the cutter unit more accurate. Then, the print area is determined based on the output signal from the print range identification sensor 210, and the conveyance amount of the roll paper 404-2 is corrected based on the determined print area.

6.5.2 Operation of paper discharge roller When the roll paper 404-2 reaches the cutting position of the cutter unit, the paper discharge roller 606 is driven to grip the roll paper 404-2 (see FIG. 10).

6.5.3 Cutting process In addition to the cutter blade 609, the cutter motor 221 having a gear train 608 for driving the cutter blade 609 and the cutter receiving blade 610 disposed facing the cutter blade 609 are integrated in the cutter unit. It is structured. The cutter unit is configured to be detachable from the printing apparatus 100 from the outside.

  This is because the cutter unit 609 may lack the cutter blade 609 due to its structure, and there is a possibility that an exchange operation may occur. Therefore, the exchange operation can be easily performed.

  When the cutter motor 221 of the cutter unit is driven, the roll paper 404-2 is cut. In the present embodiment, the cutting method using the cutter blade 609 is described as a method of scissoring the upper and lower blades and sequentially cutting in the width direction of the roll paper 404-2. However, the present invention is particularly limited to this. It is not a thing. For example, a cutting method of traveling while rotating a circular rotary blade may be used, or a method of cutting at a stroke by moving the cutter blade vertically in the vertical direction may be used.

6.5.4 Paper Discharge The remainder of the roll paper 404-2 whose tip has been cut by the cutting process is gripped by the paper discharge roller 606.

  From this state, the paper discharge roller 606 is driven, and the roll paper 404-2 is conveyed in the paper discharge direction. Here, the paper discharge roller 606 is provided with a paper discharge kick roller 607 at an opposing position. When the printed roll paper 404-2 is conveyed in the paper discharge direction, the paper discharge kick roller 607 is provided. The end portion of the printed roll paper 404-2 is engaged with the uneven portion. As a result, the printed roll paper 404-2 is kicked to a paper discharge box (not shown).

  At this time, the kick-out auxiliary lever arranged coaxially with the rotation shaft of the paper discharge roller 606 urges the printed roll paper 404-2 toward the paper discharge box in the direction of the paper discharge box. The printed roll paper can be securely stored in the paper discharge box. The paper discharge roller 606 stops after being driven for a predetermined time.

  With the above operation, the printing process (step S705) is completed.

7). Operation at the time of termination detection Next, the operation of the termination detection processing (step S707) executed when the termination detection sensor 204 is turned off will be described in detail.

7.1 Operation of End Detection Sensor First, the operation of the end detection sensor 204 during the printing process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the end detection sensor 204 during the printing process, and (A) to (C) on the left side of the drawing are cross-sectional views of the roll paper unit 404. The state where the roll paper 404-2 is consumed from (A) to (C) is shown. On the other hand, the right side of the drawing is a graph showing a change in output of the end detection sensor 204 accompanying consumption of the roll paper 404-2.

  As described above, since the end detection sensor 204 is a reflection type optical sensor, in the state (A) where the roll paper 404-2 is wound around the outside of the opening portion 501, reflection from the roll paper 404-2 is performed. Receives light. Therefore, the output of the end detection sensor 204 is turned on (1102).

  On the other hand, when the roll paper 404-2 wound around the opening 501 is peeled off (B), the reflected light from the roll paper 404-2 cannot be received. The output of the sensor 204 is turned off (1103). Thereafter, since the supply of the roll paper 404-2 continues (C), the output of the end detection sensor 204 remains OFF (1104).

  As shown in FIG. 11, the opening 501 is in the vicinity of the position (fixed position 1101) where the longitudinal end of the roll paper 404-2 is fixed on the surface of the roller 404-1, and the fixed position 1101. It is provided behind. For this reason, when the output of the end detection sensor 204 is turned OFF, the length of the roll paper 404-2 wound around the roller 404-1 is the circumference of the roller 404-1.

7.2 Details of Termination Detection Processing Next, details of the termination detection processing (step S707) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a detailed flow of the termination detection process (step S707).

  In step S1201, the leading end position of the roll paper 404-2 when the end detection sensor 204 is turned off is identified.

  In step S1202, the circumference of the roller 404-1 is calculated based on the diameter of the roller 404-1 read from the IC.

  In step S1203, the length of the roll paper 404-2 up to the separation member 406 is calculated based on the tip position of the roll paper 404-2 identified in step S1201. Then, the remaining amount of the roll paper 404-2 is calculated by adding to the circumference of the roller 404-1 calculated in step S1202.

  Here, in the case of the printing apparatus 100, the roll paper 404-2 from the separating member 406 to the printing position 611 cannot be used for printing (this length is referred to as a non-printing length). Therefore, the printable length is a length obtained by subtracting the non-printing length from the calculated remaining amount.

  In step S1204, the print size of the cartridge 110 read from the IC is read.

  In step S1205, the printable length calculated in step S1203 is divided by the print size read in step S1204 to calculate the number of printable sheets.

  In step S1206, it is determined whether the number of printable sheets calculated in step S1205 is less than the number of print target sheets. If it is determined in step S1206 that the number of printable sheets is smaller than the number of print target sheets, the process advances to step S1207 to recognize that printing is impossible. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1206 that the number of printable sheets is equal to or greater than the number of printable sheets, the process advances to step S1208 to recognize that printing is possible. As described above, the printing apparatus 100 determines whether printing is possible based on whether the number of printable sheets is equal to or greater than the number of print target sheets.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the present embodiment, by providing the end detection sensor inside the roller, it is not necessary to provide an opening for the sensor in the housing of the cartridge, and the sealed state of the cartridge is maintained. It becomes possible.

  That is, in a printing apparatus using a cartridge in which an ink ribbon and roll paper are integrated, the remaining roll paper can be recognized while maintaining the sealed state of the cartridge.

  In addition, in the case of this embodiment, since it is arranged using the hollow structure of the roller, it is incidental that space saving of the printing apparatus can be realized compared with the case where the end detection sensor is provided on the printing apparatus side. An effect is also obtained.

  Furthermore, since the distance between the end detection sensor and the irradiation position of the roll paper is always constant regardless of the consumption state of the roll paper, an incidental effect that false detection can be avoided is also obtained.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 14, FIG. 15, and FIG. The basic configuration of the second embodiment, the flow of terminal detection, and the like are the same as those of the first embodiment, and thus description thereof will be omitted, and only different portions from the first embodiment will be described. The same functions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the second embodiment, the end detection sensor 204 is not provided inside the roll paper unit 404 but is provided on the printing apparatus side. Specifically, a terminal detection sensor 204 is provided on a roller drive shaft 503 provided in the printing apparatus to transmit the driving force of the paper feed motor 215 to the roller 404-1 of the roll paper unit.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the roll paper unit 404 and the paper feed driving mechanism of the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment. By mounting the cartridge 110 in the printing apparatus, the roller rotation shaft 112 of the roll paper unit 404 and the roller driving shaft 503 of the printing apparatus are fitted, and the driving force of the paper feed motor 215 is transmitted to the roll paper unit. Become. The roller drive shaft 503 is provided with the end detection sensor 204. Further, the roller 404-1 of the roll paper unit 404 is provided with an opening 501 for detecting the end.

  A termination detection method according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15 are cross-sectional views of the roll paper unit 404 in a state where the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a case where the remaining amount of roll paper is present, and FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a case where the roll paper is consumed and there is no remaining amount of roll paper.

  When the cartridge is mounted, the roller rotation shaft 112 and the roller driving shaft 503 of the printing apparatus are fitted. The end detection sensor 204 is provided on the roller drive shaft 503. This end detection sensor 204 is a reflection type optical sensor, which irradiates the roll paper 404-2 from the inside through an opening 501 provided in a part of the roller 404-1, and reflects light from the roll paper 404-2. Receive. Since the end detection sensor is provided on the roller drive shaft 503, when the roller rotation shaft 112 and the roller drive shaft 503 of the printing apparatus are fitted, a part of the roller 404-1 facing the end detection sensor 204 is provided. An opening 501 is provided.

  When the roller rotation shaft 112 and the roller drive shaft 503 of the printing apparatus are fitted together, a plurality of openings 501 may be provided if a plurality of positions of the roller 404-1 can be positioned to face the end detection sensor. Good. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, when the fitting portion of the roller drive shaft 503 is a triangle, the roll paper unit 404 can be fitted in three positions. Therefore, it is necessary to provide three openings. That is, it is desirable to provide the openings 501 at the positions and the number according to the shape of the fitting portion of the roller drive shaft 503. Accordingly, it is possible to mount the roll paper unit 404 so that the opening 501 is surely opposed to the end detection sensor.

  In addition, a light absorbing member 502 that absorbs the light of the end detection sensor is provided at a position facing the opening 501 of the roll paper unit 404 so that it can be reliably detected when the roll paper runs out. Also good.

  Also in the second embodiment, since the inside of the roll paper 404-2 is irradiated, the distance between the end detection sensor 204 and the irradiation position of the roll paper 404-2 is the same as in the first embodiment. Regardless of the consumption of 404-2, it is constant. As a result, the end can be detected stably and reliably. Unlike the first embodiment, since the end detection sensor is provided on the roller drive shaft 503 of the printing apparatus, the remaining amount of a large number of cartridges can be detected with one sensor.

  In the second embodiment, the opening portion 501 is provided at the fitting portion with the printing apparatus. However, the roll paper serves as a lid of the opening portion 501 by fixing the roll paper to the roller 404-1. Will come to an end. Therefore, in order to detect the paper from the outside of the roll paper, the structure is such that dust and dust are less likely to enter than when the opening is provided in the housing 111.

[Other Embodiments]
In the first embodiment, the reflection type optical sensor is used as the end detection sensor, but the present invention is not particularly limited to this.

  In the first embodiment, the end detection sensor is disposed at the end in the width direction of the roller. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be disposed at the center in the width direction of the roller. Good. Further, the number of end detection sensors is not limited to one, and a plurality of end detection sensors may be arranged to avoid erroneous detection by taking a logical sum.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the printable / impossible determination is made when the end detection sensor is turned off. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of printable sheets is displayed. May be. At this time, a message indicating that the remaining amount of roll paper is low may be displayed.

  Note that the present invention can be applied to a system (for example, a copier, a facsimile machine, etc.) consisting of a single device even when applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, interface device, reader, printer, etc.). You may apply.

  Needless to say, the object of the present invention can also be achieved by supplying a system or apparatus with a storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments. In this case, the above functions are realized by the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

  As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, or the like is used. be able to.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the case where the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by executing the program code read by the computer. For example, an OS (operating system) running on a computer performs part or all of actual processing based on an instruction of the program code, and the functions of the above-described embodiments may be realized by the processing. Needless to say, it is included.

  Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized. Is also included. That is, after the program code is written in the memory, the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code, and is realized by the processing. This is also included.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an external configuration of a printing apparatus 100 and a cartridge 110 used in the printing apparatus 100. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the printing apparatus 100. FIG. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the cartridge 110 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the cartridge 110 according to the first embodiment. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a roll paper unit 404. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the state in which the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100 as viewed from the side of the printing apparatus 100. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an overall flow of a printing process in the printing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the printing apparatus 100 during a printing process. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the printing apparatus 100 during a printing process. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the printing apparatus 100 during a printing process. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the termination | terminus detection sensor 204 during a printing process. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed flow of a termination | terminus detection process. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the roll paper unit 404 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the roll paper unit 404 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the roll paper unit 404 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a roll paper unit 404 and a paper feed mechanism of a printing apparatus according to a second embodiment.

Claims (3)

A cartridge that can be attached to and detached from a printing device,
Roll paper wound around a roller;
Detecting means that is arranged inside the roller and detects the presence or absence of the roll paper wound around a predetermined position on the surface of the roller from the inside of the roll paper;
An output means for outputting a detection result by the detection means to the printing apparatus. The predetermined position is
The end of the roll paper is in the vicinity of a fixed position where the end of the roll paper is fixed to the surface of the roller, and is a position opposite to the direction in which the roll paper is wound as viewed from the fixed position. Item 2. The cartridge according to Item 1. The detection means includes
2. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the presence or absence of the roll paper is detected by receiving reflected light with respect to light applied to the roll paper wound around the predetermined position.

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