JP5235703B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus in which a cartridge containing roll paper is detachable.

  In recent years, printing apparatuses (also referred to as printers) that capture 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 home printer, as long as an ink ribbon and photographic paper are set in advance, it is possible to easily print high-quality photographs simply by capturing image data and giving a print instruction. it can. For this reason, recently, an increasing number of people enjoy photo printing at home.

  Such home printers are required to simplify preparatory work such as setting ink ribbons and photographic paper and capturing image data as much as possible. Proposed for purpose.

  As an example, there is a printer including a cartridge in which an ink ribbon and photographic paper are integrated (see Patent Document 1). If this cartridge is used, the two operations of installing the ink ribbon and the mounting of the photographic paper, which have been performed so far, only need to be performed by one operation of mounting the integrated cartridge, thereby simplifying the preparation work. Can be planned.

  Here, as described above, until now, it has been common to use cut sheets (sheets) as photographic paper. However, the photographic paper disposed in the cartridge is not limited to cut paper, and roll paper (winding 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.

  The presence / absence of a print margin in cut paper and roll paper will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 20A is a side view schematically illustrating a state immediately before starting printing when a cut sheet is conveyed. FIG. 20B is a side view schematically illustrating a state immediately before the start of printing when the roll paper is conveyed. FIG. 20C is a side view schematically illustrating the state immediately before the cutting operation when the roll paper is conveyed.

  When printing is performed using cut paper, the photographic paper 706 is conveyed by the grip roller 702 and the pinch roller 701 as shown in FIG. 20A, and the printing range 705 (in the drawing) is conveyed while conveying the photographic paper. Ink is transferred to the black part). It is necessary to always grip the printing paper 706 by the grip roller 702 and the pinch roller 701 for paper conveyance during printing, and the distance X between the heat generation part of the thermal head 703 and the grip position of the grip roller 702 cannot be printed and is left blank. turn into. Therefore, in order to provide prints with no margins, prepare a cut sheet with a size larger than the print size, and prepare perforations at positions where the margins can be cut in advance. Have to be cut by the user.

  On the other hand, in the case of the roll paper 707, the photographic paper is a continuous paper, and the printer is provided with a cutter 708 for cutting the photographic paper. Therefore, from the position shown in FIG. Transport to position and cut. By cutting only the print area 705 of the roll paper 707 in this way, a print product with no margin can be provided to the user.

  Next, the operation of the roll paper printer will be described with reference to FIG.

  Here, when the photographic paper stored in the cartridge is a roll paper, the roll paper operates as follows in the printer at the time of printing.

  In FIG. 21, the roll paper 807 is wound around a roller, and the leading edge 807a of the roll paper 807 is pulled out of the cartridge 809 and conveyed between the thermal head 803 and the platen roller 804 by the conveyance rollers 801 and 802. . The ink ribbon 811 and the roll paper 807 are conveyed in a state of being overlapped between the thermal head 803 and the roll paper 807, and heat is applied to the ink ribbon 811 from the thermal head 803, and the ink of the ink ribbon 811 is applied to the roll paper 807. Transcript. By carrying this back and forth for each color, the ink of each color is superimposed. The roll paper 807 for which printing has been completed is cut by the cutter 808 at the boundary between the print portion and the margin, and then discharged by the discharge roller pairs 805 and 806. Thus, the printing is completed, and after the printing is completed, the drawn roll paper 807 is rewound and stored in the cartridge 809 to return to the state before starting printing.

  Here, when the roll paper is rewound after completion of printing, if the leading end of the roll paper is completely rewound into the cartridge, the roll paper cannot be pulled out of the cartridge again.

  Therefore, when the roll paper that has been drawn out is rewound after the printing is completed, it is necessary to perform control so that the leading end of the roll paper is left outside the cartridge.

  There is also a method of holding the roll paper as shown in FIG. 4 of Patent Document 2, but in this case, a certain area from the front end portion of the roll paper to the rear end side is exposed to the outside of the cartridge. The roll paper may become dirty when not in use, or the roll paper may be damaged when the cartridge is attached or detached.

  Alternatively, by providing a roller inside the cartridge, it is possible to send the roll paper stored up to the inside of the cartridge to the outside of the cartridge again, but in this case, the cartridge has a complicated configuration.

  Further, when the cartridge is removed from the printer after the printing is completed and the coupling between the cartridge roller and the cartridge roller rotating mechanism of the printer is released, the cartridge roller becomes rotatable. It is also conceivable that the rotatable roller rotates, the leading end of the roll paper is rewound, and the leading end of the roll paper cannot be pulled out from the cartridge.

For this reason, the cartridge containing the roll paper is configured so that the roll paper is reliably pulled out to the outside of the cartridge even when the roll paper is rewound and then removed from the printer, and the printing is performed smoothly. It is desirable to keep it.
JP 2000-108442 A Actual registration 2524381

  In a roll paper printer, it is necessary to completely store the roll paper in a cartridge and to reliably feed the roll paper.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a printing apparatus that stores roll paper while winding it, the roll paper conveyance load in the next paper feeding operation is reduced from the roll paper completely stored state, and the roll paper is reliably It is intended to be capable of storing and feeding paper.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is a roller shaft around which roll paper is wound, and an elastically deformable roll paper holding flange provided at both ends of the roller shaft, and having a notch. A cassette containing at least a roll paper unit composed of a roll paper holding flange having a portion formed along the outer periphery;
A cutting mechanism for cutting the roll paper,
The roll paper of the roll paper unit can be sent out from the cassette by rotating the roller shaft, or the roll paper can be taken up in the cassette, and a part of the roll paper sent out from the cassette In a printing apparatus for storing the roll paper in the cassette by wrapping the outer periphery of the brim portion,
When the roll paper is sent out from the cassette, the distance from the position where the roll paper crosses the flange portion to the cutting position of the cutting mechanism is X, and the outer peripheral length of the flange portion is L,
X <L
The cutting mechanism is provided at a position where

  According to the present invention, in a printing apparatus that stores roll paper while winding it, the roll paper is completely stored by setting the roll paper withdrawal amount and the roll paper winding amount to the outer periphery of the roll paper holding flange to a predetermined amount. The roll paper conveyance load in the next paper feeding operation from the state is reduced. In addition, the roll paper can be reliably stored and fed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

"Example of apparatus to which the present invention is applied"
1. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an external configuration of a printing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention 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 opened and closed and in which a cartridge 110 can be attached and detached in the direction of an arrow 120. Has been.

  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 as photographic paper. Further, in a state before the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, the roll paper is completely covered by the main body 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.

  The cartridge 110 is provided with a rotating shaft 112 of a roller around which roll paper is wound. When the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, the rotating shaft 112 of the paper feeding motor included in the printing apparatus 100 is provided. The rotation is controlled by the printing apparatus 100 in combination with the rotation mechanism.

  The cartridge 110 further includes an ink ribbon supply roller 113 and an ink ribbon take-up roller rotating shaft 114. 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.

  Here, the cartridge used in the printing apparatus 100 will be described.

  First, the detailed configuration of the cartridge will be described. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the appearance of the cartridge.

  As shown in FIG. 22, when the cartridge 110 is detached from the printing apparatus, the roll paper is stored in the main body 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.

  FIG. 23 is an exploded view of the cartridge 110. The internal configuration of the cartridge 110 will be described with reference to FIG.

  23, the cartridge 110 includes an upper housing 401, an ink ribbon unit 402, a guide roller 403, a roll paper unit 404, a side housing 405, and a main body housing 111 (also referred to as a cassette) that accommodates these. Consists of.

  The upper housing 401 covers the upper part of the ink ribbon unit 402. The ink ribbon unit 402 includes a supply roller 402-2 on which the ink ribbon 402-1 before use is wound, and a take-up roller 402-3 on which the used ink ribbon 402-1 is wound. The supply roller 402-roller roller 402-3 is rotatably supported by the main body housing 111.

  The guide roller 403 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 main body housing 111.

  The roll paper unit 404 includes a roller 404-1 as a roll paper shaft, a roll paper 404-2 wound around the roller 404-1, and a flange 404-3. The roller 404-1 is rotatably supported by the side housing 405 and the main body housing 111. Details of the roll paper unit 404 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The side housing 405 covers the side surface of the roll paper unit 404 and pivotally supports the roller 404-1. Further, the side housing 405 includes a separation member 406 for picking up the leading end portion of the roll paper 404-2 wound around the roller 404-1.

  Next, FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining the details of the roll paper unit 404.

  At both ends of the roller 404-1, elastically deformable flanges 404-3 made of an elastic member are provided. This flange prevents the roll paper 404-2 from shifting in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the roll paper). Further, this flange has a flange portion 503, which prevents the roll paper 404-2 from spreading in the outer diameter direction of the flange 404-3 due to the rigidity of the roll paper 404-2. It is out. The brim portion 503 is formed with a notch portion 501 for gripping both ends of the leading end portion of the roll paper 404-2 to the outer periphery.

  Here, the separation member 406 (see FIG. 23) provided in the cartridge 110 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 25 schematically shows the relationship between the separating member 406 and the roll paper unit 404.

  By rotating the roller 404-1 in the roll paper feeding direction, the roll paper unit 404 rotates in the feeding direction. When the roll paper unit 404 rotates, the leading edge of the roll paper held on the outer periphery of the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is guided by the separation member 406 and guided to the roll paper outlet of the cartridge 110. As shown in FIG. 25A, the roll paper held on the outer periphery of the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is guided by the separation member 406 as shown in FIG. When the roll paper unit 404 further rotates, as described above, the roll paper holding flanges provided on both sides of the roll paper are elastically deformed and the roll paper inside the unit is fed out, and as shown in FIG. Advances on the separating member 406.

  The roll paper holding flange 404-3 is an elastic member and is elastically deformed when the roll paper is fed out. FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the roll paper holding flange 404-3.

  A part of the flange portion 503 of the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is a notch portion 401. When the roll paper comes out from the notch portion 501, the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is elastically deformed. And the leading edge of the roll paper is held as described below.

  FIG. 27 shows a state in which the roll paper elastically deforms the roll paper holding flange 404-3 and the roll paper 404-2 comes out of the roll paper holding flange 404-3. As described above, when the roll paper 404-2 is fed out, the roll paper 404-2 is advanced and the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is pushed and expanded.

  Specifically, FIG. 27A shows a state in which the roll paper regulated by the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is protruding from the cutout portion 501 of the roll paper holding flange. At this time, the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is not elastically deformed, and the tip of the roll paper 404-2 is placed on the outer side of the flange portion 503a of the roll paper holding flange. When the roll paper unit is rotated in the direction of the arrow 19A, the leading edge of the roll paper is scooped up by the separating member 406 as described above, and the state shown in FIG. In FIG. 27 (b), the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is elastically deformed in the direction indicated by the arrow 19B, and the roll paper 404-2 is formed at the flange portion 503 of the roll paper holding flange provided on both sides of the roll paper unit. It is in a sandwiched state. The roll paper 404-2 passes over the brim portion 503 of the roll paper holding flange at a portion where the interval between the roll paper holding flanges 404-3 provided at both ends of the roll paper 404-2 is close to the width of the roll paper 404-2. It goes out of the roll paper holding flange 404-3.

  By doing in this way, the part by which the both ends of roll paper 404-2 are hold | maintained moves, and roll paper 404-2 is drawn | fed out by this while roll paper unit 404 is rotating. Then, when the rotation of the roll paper unit 404 is stopped, the roll paper unit 404-2 can be held in a standby state.

2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the printing apparatus 100.

  The printing apparatus 100 includes a main controller 201 that controls the entire apparatus, a roll paper conveyance motor driver 211, a paper feed motor driver 214, an ink ribbon winding motor driver 216, a head up / down motor driver 218, and a cutter motor driver 220. And have. Further, the printing apparatus 100 includes an end detection sensor (roll paper end detection sensor) 204, a roll paper cue sensor (first detection sensor) 206, and a ribbon cue sensor 207. As other sensors, a roll paper detection sensor 205, an environmental temperature sensor 208, a head pressure detection sensor 209, and a print range identification sensor 210 are provided in the apparatus 100. The main controller 201 includes an image data input unit 229, an IC read / write unit 230, a driver controller 225, and the like. In addition to the drivers, the driver controller 225 controls the drive circuit 226 that drives the thermal head 227 according to the contents of the image memories 224Y, 224M, and 224C.

  A roll paper transport motor driver 211 is a 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. .

  The paper feed motor driver 214 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 shaft 112 (404) around which roll paper is wound and which serves as a rotary shaft of the roll paper unit via a rotary mechanism. The rotational driving of the roller shaft 112 is controlled by 214.

  The 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, so that the ink ribbon take-up motor driver 216 controls the take-up and take-up of the ink ribbon. The

  The head up / down motor 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.

  The cutter motor driver 220 controls the cutter blades constituting the cutter unit (cutting mechanism) and the cutter motor 221 that drives the cutter receiving blade, thereby cutting the roll paper.

  The end detection sensor 204 is arranged in the cartridge. When the roll paper wound around the roller is consumed and the remaining amount of roll paper wound around the roller shaft becomes less than one roll, the sensor 204 detects this. When the end is detected, a message that the remaining amount of roll paper is low is displayed on the display unit 102.

  A roll paper cueing sensor 206 is disposed between a platen roller and a grip roller provided to face the thermal head 227. This sensor 206 detects that the leading edge of the roll paper drawn from the cartridge 110 has passed behind the grip roller at the start of printing.

  The ribbon cue sensor 207 detects an identification band applied to the leading end 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.

3. 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. The configuration of each unit that operates when the printing apparatus 100 performs print processing will be briefly described with reference to FIG. Note that the same reference numerals are assigned to the components already described, and the description thereof is omitted here.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge 110 is formed with a conveyance path 601 through which the roll paper 404-2 included in the cartridge 110 passes when the roll paper 404-2 is pulled out to the printing position 611 at the time of printing, and a cartridge roll paper outlet 602. Yes.

  In FIG. 3, the roll paper 404-2 that has been wound around the roller shaft 404-1 is pulled out from the cartridge roll paper outlet 602 to the outside of the cartridge 110 by being peeled off by the separation member 406, and the conveyance path 601. Pass through.

  In the printing apparatus 100, there are a pinch roller 604-1 and a grip roller 604-2, which sandwich the roll paper 404-2. Further, a decurling guide 603 is provided to give a curvature opposite to the curling direction of the roll paper during printing, and corrects curl of the roll paper 404-2. As the grip roller 604-2 rotates clockwise in the drawing, the roll paper 404-2 sent out from the cartridge 110 is conveyed toward the printing position 611.

  Furthermore, a platen roller 605, a paper discharge roller 606, a driven roller 607, and a gear train 608 that transmits the operation of the cutter motor 221 to the cutter unit are disposed in the printing apparatus 100. The cutter unit includes a cutter blade 609 and a cutter receiving blade 610.

  The platen roller 605 maintains the state in which the ink ribbon 402-1 and the roll paper 404-2 are superposed between the thermal head 227 at the printing position 611.

  A paper discharge roller 606 conveys the roll paper 404-2 in the paper discharge direction. The paper discharge roller 606 and the driven roller 607 are arranged at positions facing each other via the roll paper 404-2, and are pressed and separated by a driving mechanism (not shown). The paper 404-2 is pinched.

  The cutter blade 609 and the cutter receiving blade 610 constituting the cutter unit are disposed 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.

4). 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. 4 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 state shown in FIG. 3 is realized, and when the capture of the image data to be printed is completed, the processing shown in FIG. 4 is started.

  In step S <b> 801, 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.

  In step S <b> 802, it is determined whether there is a print instruction from the user via the operation unit 103. If it is determined in step S802 that there is a print instruction, the process advances to step S803.

  In step S803, it is determined whether printing is possible. Here, it is determined based on the remaining amount of roll paper 404-2 whether all the image data selected in step S801 can be printed.

  If it is determined in step S803 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 S806.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S803 that printing is possible, the process proceeds to step S804, and print data for each color is generated based on the selected image data.

  In step S805, printing processing is performed using the generated print data. Details of the printing process will be described later.

  In step S806, it is determined whether there is the next image data selected as a print target. If it is determined in step S806 that there is the next image data selected as a print target, the process returns to step S803 and the above processing is repeated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S806 that there is no next image data selected as a print target, or if it is determined in step S803 that printing is not possible, the process proceeds to step S807.

  In step S807, 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 transport path 601.

5. Operations of Each Unit During Print Processing Next, operations of the printing apparatus 100 during the print processing in step S805 will be described.

  First, a paper feeding operation for delivering roll paper from a cassette and transporting it to a print start position will be described. In the state shown in FIG. 3, when the roller shaft 404-1 that rotates integrally with the roll paper 404-2 is driven counterclockwise in the drawing, the roll paper 404-2 rotates. As the roll paper 404-2 rotates, the roll paper holding flange 404-3 also rotates. As a result, the leading end of the roll paper 404-2 wound around the roller shaft 404-1 advances along the inner peripheral surface of the main body housing (cassette) 111, is scooped up by the separation member 406, and is pushed out to the drawing path 601. It is. As a result, the leading end of the roll paper 404-2 is sent out from the cartridge roll paper outlet 602.

  The roll paper 404-2 sent out from the cartridge roll paper outlet 602 reaches the grip roller section as shown in FIG. The grip roller unit includes a pinch roller 604-1 and a grip roller 604-2. The pinch roller 604-1 is always in pressure contact with the grip roller 604-2, and the roll paper 404-2 is guided to the grip position, so that the roll paper 404-2 is sandwiched between the grip roller portions.

  Fine protrusion-like claws are formed on the surface of the grip roller 604-2, 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.

  A roll paper cueing sensor 206 is disposed on the downstream side of the grip roller unit. When the leading end of the roll paper 404-2 passes, the roll 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 the remaining paper conveyance amount according to the print size. The main controller 201 as a conveyance amount control unit controls a roll paper conveyance motor based on the calculation result to drive the grip roller 604-2 connected by a gear train, and the roll paper 404-2 is a grip roller. When it reaches the print start position, it stops, and the cueing of the roll paper 404-2 is completed. In this way, the roll paper necessary for printing one image is pulled out from the cartridge, conveyed to the print start position, and waits.

  Here, the termination detection process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the vicinity of the end of the roll paper 404-2 is pulled out from the roll paper unit 404. FIG.

  The end of the roll paper is detected by the roll paper cueing sensor 206 before being conveyed to the printing start position. As shown in FIG. 6, an end detection hole 404-4 is preliminarily formed in the end roll paper as an identification mark near the center in the width direction near the end of the roll paper 404-2. The position of the roll paper cueing sensor 206 shown in FIG. 22 is also provided at a position where the hole 404-4 can be detected. The end of the roll paper is detected by the roll paper cueing sensor 206 detecting this end detection hole 404-4. The roll paper end detection is processing performed when the roll paper cueing sensor 206 detects the leading edge of the roll paper 404-2 and then conveys it to the print start position. This is a process for detecting whether or not the last sheet of the roll paper 404-2 can be printed and whether or not the roll paper 404-2 has entered the last print.

  When the leading edge of the roll paper 404-2 is conveyed to the position shown in FIG. 5 and the conveyance of the roll paper 404-2 to the print start position 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.

  A reflection sheet 112 is pasted on the opposite side of the ink cueing sensor 207 shown in FIG. 5 so as to reflect the light projected by the ink cueing sensor 207.

  Here, the marker of the ink ribbon will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7, on the ink ribbon 402-1, a marker is applied in a band shape at the cueing position of each surface of the yellow ink surface 2402, the magenta ink surface 2403, the cyan ink surface 2404, and the overcoat layer 2405. .

  The marker is a black line, and the ribbon cue sensor 207 detects that the light reflected on the reflection sheet 112 is shielded by the marker. Two markers are applied to the head portion of the yellow ink surface 2402 to distinguish it from one marker at the head portion of another color. These distinctions are identified by the ribbon cueing sensor 207 shown in FIG. 5 and the identification result is transmitted to the main controller 201, so that the main controller 201 indicates the cueing position of the yellow surface to be printed first. Can be recognized.

  When the ribbon cue sensor 207 detects a marker on the yellow surface 2402, 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 frame of the printing apparatus 100 via a head lever 612. The head up / down motor 219 drives the head lever 612 to print the thermal head 227 as shown in FIG. Rotate to position 611.

  When the thermal head 227 reaches the printing position 611, reciprocal conveyance of the roll paper is started by the grip roller 604-2, and a printing operation is performed in which the ink is transferred in a superimposed manner in the order of yellow, magenta, cyan, and overcoat layer. .

  When printing on the roll paper 404-2 is completed, the head up / down motor 219 is driven to rotate the head lever 612, and the thermal head 227 fixed integrally with the head lever 612 is retracted to a predetermined retracted position. Let 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.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the roll paper 404-2 is conveyed in the paper discharge direction. At this time, the roll paper 404-2 is conveyed so that the boundary between the print area and the non-print area is at the cutting position of the cutter unit. The grip roller 604-2 and the pinch roller 604-1 are in a state of holding the roll paper 404-2, and the roll paper 404-2 is conveyed by a predetermined amount by rotating the grip roller 604-2 by a predetermined amount.

  In the cutter unit, a cutter receiving blade 610 disposed facing the cutter blade 609, a cutter motor 221 that drives the cutter blade 609, and a gear train 608 are integrally configured. When the cutter motor 221 of the cutter unit is driven, the upper and lower teeth are rubbed together, and the roll paper 404-2 is cut. Note that a second detection sensor (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of roll paper is provided on the downstream side of the cutter unit, and when the second detection sensor detects roll paper, the cutter unit operates and roll paper is detected. Is disconnected.

  The remainder of the roll paper 404-2 whose leading end 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 leading edge of the roll paper on the roll storage unit advances in the paper discharge direction simultaneously with the paper feed at the time of paper discharge. As a result, the printed roll paper 404-2 is sent in the paper discharge direction by the paper discharge roller 606, and is then pushed out of the front end of the unprinted roll paper coming from the upstream side and goes out of the printer.

6). Roll paper rewinding After the paper discharge operation is completed, the roll paper 404-2 is pulled out as shown in FIG. When the next printing is not performed, the roll paper must be completely stored in the cartridge so that the cartridge can be detached. Therefore, a roll paper winding operation is performed.

  The roll paper winding operation is performed by rotating the grip roller 604-2 and the roll paper roller shaft 404-1 in the clockwise direction. During roll paper winding, the roll paper cueing sensor 206 used for roll paper cueing is used. The roll paper is accurately transferred to the main body housing (cassette) 111 by further driving the grip roller 604-2 and the roll paper roller shaft 404-1 by a predetermined amount starting from the state where the roll paper is changed to the state without the roll paper. It can be stored.

“Examples of the Invention”
There are two problems in reducing the roll paper conveyance load in the next paper feeding operation from the roll paper completely housed state and ensuring that the roll paper can be stored and fed. The first is to keep the amount of wrap around the roll paper holding flange below a predetermined amount, and the second is to make sure that the end of the roll paper is securely wound around the outer periphery of the roll paper holding flange when storage is completed.

  In order to solve these two problems, the relationship between the amount of roll paper drawn from the cartridge and the winding length around the roll paper holding flange is important, and the relationship between the lengths will be explained using schematic diagrams. To go.

  First, the amount of withdrawal will be described.

  In a normal winding operation, a roll paper is printed, and after the printed matter is cut, the winding operation is performed immediately. Therefore, the length of the roll paper to be drawn immediately before winding is determined by the distance from the position where the roll paper crosses the roll paper holding portion of the roll paper holding flange 404-3 to the cutting position 2001 by the cutter. The case where it is stored after being intentionally pulled out will also be described later.

  Next, a configuration for reducing the roll paper conveyance load in the next paper feeding operation from the roll paper completely stored state will be described.

  28 and 29 are cross-sectional views of the roll paper unit, showing the state of the roll paper held on the outer periphery of the roll paper holding flange.

  FIG. 28 shows a state in which the leading end of the roll paper is held on the outer periphery of the flange 503 of the roll paper holding flange for less than one turn. In this state, the roll paper roller shaft is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing in order to feed the front end of the roll paper 404-2 from the main body housing (cassette) 111. Then, the leading edge of the roll paper advances in the counterclockwise direction in the figure and is scooped up by the separating member 406 and can surely advance to the roll paper outlet 602 of the main body housing (cassette) 111.

  On the other hand, if the roll paper 404-2 is wound around the outer circumference of the roll paper holding flange as shown in FIG. 29, the effect of preventing the roll paper holding flange 503 from spreading is lost. As a result, in the vicinity of the position 2901 in the drawing, the inner roll paper that is about to come out from the flange portion 503 of the roll paper holding flange presses the outer roll paper against the inner wall of the main body housing (cassette) 111. As a result, the transport load increases and the roll paper tip 404-2 does not advance.

  From the above, it is necessary to keep the amount of paper wrapping around the outer periphery of the flange portion 503 of the roll paper holding flange at one turn or less.

  A condition for keeping the amount of wrap around the roll paper holding flange below a predetermined amount for solving the above-described problem will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship among the roll paper cassette, the flange of the roll paper holding flange, the grip roller, the pinch roller, and the cutter. The distance from the position where the roll paper 404-2 crosses the flange 404-3 to the cutting position 2001 by the cutter is X, and the length of the outer periphery around which the roll paper 404-2 of the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is wound Let L be L.

  With respect to the magnitude relationship between X and L, there are two cases where X is larger than L and X is smaller than L.

  A case where X is larger than L will be described with reference to FIG.

  When X is larger than L, there are a case where the diameter of the roll paper holding flange is relatively small and a case where the cutter position is relatively far from the cartridge. In FIG. 12, a case where the cutter position is relatively far will be described.

  FIG. 12A shows a state immediately after the roll paper cutting operation is performed, FIG. 12B shows a state during winding, and FIG. 12C shows a state when winding is completed.

  When the cutter position is far and the roll paper pull-out length is long as shown in FIG. 12A, when the roll paper is stored as shown in FIG. The tip is wrapped around. As a result, the paper rolls up during paper feeding, increasing the transport load.

  A case where X is smaller than L will be described with reference to FIG.

  When X is smaller than L, there are a case where the diameter of the roll paper holding flange is relatively large and a case where the cutter position is relatively close to the cartridge. In FIG. 13, a case where the cutter position is relatively close will be described so that it can be easily compared with FIG.

  FIG. 13A shows a state immediately after the roll paper cutting operation is performed, FIG. 13B shows a state during winding, and FIG. 13C shows a state when winding is completed.

  When the cutter position is close and the roll paper pull-out length is short as shown in FIG. 13A, the roll paper holding flange has a suitable amount less than one turn in the roll paper holding state as shown in FIG. It becomes a state of wrapping. In this state, the leading edge of the sheet can be advanced without being unrolled during the next sheet feeding.

As described above, as shown in FIG. 11, the distance X from the position where the roll paper crosses the flange of the roll paper holding flange 404-3 to the cutting position 2001 by the cutter, and the roll paper 404 of the roll paper holding flange 404-3. -2 is wound around the outer periphery length L as follows: X <L (Expression 1)
In this example, this condition is also satisfied.

If the roll paper is pulled out after cutting, the distance is Y
X + Y <L (Formula 2)
It is necessary to become.

  By satisfying this condition, the roll paper at the outermost periphery is not affected by the roll spread of the roll paper even after the roll paper is wound and stored, and a stable paper feeding operation can be performed.

  Next, a configuration for ensuring that the end of the roll paper is reliably wound around the outer circumference of the roll paper flange when the storage is completed will be described.

  In order to make the end of the roll paper wound around the outer periphery of the roll paper flange, it must be securely held on the outer periphery of the flange portion 503 of the roll paper holding flange. There are two roll paper winding start states, and the two states will be described with reference to FIG. Two views (a) and (b) of FIG. 27 are perspective views illustrating the positional relationship between the deformation of the roll paper holding flange and the end face of the roll paper.

  The first state is a case where the roll paper has come out from the cutout portion 501 of the roll paper holding flange shown in FIG. 27A. The roll paper is the outer periphery of the flange portion 503 of the roll paper holding flange immediately after the start of the winding operation. It is wound up while being wound around.

  In the second state, as shown in FIG. 27B, the roll paper has come out from other than the cutout portion 501 of the roll paper holding flange, and the roll paper holding flange is deformed. In this case, the roll paper is wound while being stored in the inner diameter portion of the flange portion 503 of the roll paper holding flange immediately after the start of winding. After the end of the roll paper in the width direction passes through the cutout portion 501 of the roll paper holding flange, the roll paper is wound while being wound around the outer circumference of the roll paper holding flange flange 2101.

  The problem occurs when the roll paper leading edge is wound up before the roll paper end of the roll paper passes through the notch 501 of the roll paper holding flange during winding of the roll paper in the second state. . At this time, since the leading end of the roll paper has been stored in the inner diameter portion of the flange portion 503 of the roll paper holding flange, the leading end of the roll paper cannot be scooped up to the outer periphery of the flange portion 503 of the roll paper holding flange, Paper feeding becomes impossible.

  The conditions for ensuring that the end of the roll paper is securely wound around the outer periphery of the roll paper flange when the storage is completed will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the roll paper unit and the roll paper holding flange in the present embodiment, and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the printing apparatus to which the roll paper unit is mounted. FIG. 16 is a schematic view seen from the side of the apparatus for showing the length relationship which is a feature of the present embodiment.

  FIG. 14A shows a roll paper unit which is a feature of the embodiment performed to solve the second problem. As shown in FIG. 14B, this roll paper unit is provided with two notches 501 in the flange portion 503 of the roll paper holding flange 404-3. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the cassette 111 containing the roll paper unit shown in FIG. 14 is mounted in the recording apparatus. Hereinafter, explanation will be given by using a plurality of notches 501 in the roll paper holding flange.

  FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship among the roll paper cassette, the flange of the roll paper holding flange of FIG. 14, the grip roller, the pinch roller, and the cutter.

  The distance from the position where the roll paper crosses the flange of the roll paper holding flange 404-3 to the cutting position 2001 by the cutter is X, and the outer circumference length around which the roll paper 404-2 of the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is wound Is L, and N is the number of notches provided in the roll paper holding flange.

  This second problem is likely to occur when the roll paper pull-out amount X described above is smaller than the outer periphery L of the roll paper holding flange. When the roll paper 404-2 is wound from the state where the roll paper holding flange is cut out from the cutout portion 501 of the roll paper, the roll paper 404-2 is wound around the outer periphery of the roll paper holding flange 404-3 from the start of winding. Therefore, the leading edge of the roll paper 404-2 does not fall into the inside of the roll paper holding flange 404-3.

  On the other hand, when the roll paper 404-2 comes out from a portion other than the cutout portion of the roll paper holding flange 404-3, the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is bent, and the roll paper 404-2 starts to be wound. At this point, the roll paper is held while being stored while being stored in the inner diameter side of the roll paper holding flange 404-3.

  This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17A shows a state immediately after the roll paper cutting operation is performed, FIG. 17B shows a state during winding, and FIG. 17C shows a state when winding is completed.

  As shown in FIG. 17A, the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is in a bent state, and the roll paper 404-2 is dropped and stored on the inner diameter side of the roll paper holding flange 404-3 at the start of winding. While being rolled up. Even during the winding shown in FIG. 17B, the roll paper that has not passed through the cutout 501 of the roll paper holding flange is wound while falling into the inner diameter side of the roll paper holding flange 404-3 and being stored. As shown in FIG. 17C, the end of the roll paper is finally stored inside the roll paper holding flange 404-3.

  As a cause of storing the leading edge of the roll paper in this way, the leading edge of the rolled paper is stored in a state where the rolled paper does not pass through the cutout portion of the rolled paper holding flange. In order to eliminate this cause, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a plurality of notches 501 of the roll paper holding flange are provided.

  The roll paper winding operation in this form (FIG. 16) will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 18A shows a state immediately after the roll paper cutting operation is performed, FIG. 18B shows a state during winding, and FIG. 18C shows a state when winding is completed.

  The positional relationship between the roll paper withdrawal amount and the roll paper holding flange cutout is the same as that in the configuration of FIG. 11, but in FIG. 18, two cutouts 501 are provided on the roll paper holding flange. Is provided at a position that divides the circumferential length into two equal parts.

  As shown in FIG. 18 (a), the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is in a bent state, and the roll paper 404-2 is dropped into the inner diameter side of the roll paper holding flange 404-3 and stored at the start of winding. While being rolled up. However, since the two notches 501 are provided, the roll paper has already passed through the notch portion of the roll paper holding flange in the course of winding shown in FIG. Paper is wrapped around. Then, in the roll paper winding completion state of FIG. 18C, the roll paper tip is held on the outer periphery of the roll paper holding flange. In this state, the roll paper leading edge can be advanced without winding up at the time of the next paper feeding.

If X and L are used as shown in FIG. 16 and the number of notches 501 is defined as N as described above, the condition for reliably winding the roll paper tip around the outer circumference of the roll paper holding flange 404-3 is as follows.
X> L / N (Formula 3)
It becomes.

  Here, it is assumed that the notches are arranged at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the flange 404-3. That is, L / N in Expression 3 indicates the distance of the outer periphery of the flange 404-3 from one notch to the next notch.

  By satisfying this relationship, the present printing apparatus can perform the roll paper winding operation without worrying about the leading edge of the roll paper 404-2, detecting the leading edge of the roll paper 404-2 with a sensor, and stopping it on the guide. There is no need to give consideration to a lock mechanism to prevent rotation.

  This embodiment corresponds to the case where N in Formula 3 is 2, that is, two notches are provided. By increasing the notch 501 of the roll paper holding flange, the cycle of the roll paper passing through the notch 501 of the roll paper holding flange flange was shortened. This ensures that the roll paper holding flange has a notch 501 in the roll paper when the roll paper is wound and stored, and the roll paper 404-2 is wound around the outer circumference of the roll paper holding flange 404-3.

In order to prevent the roll paper from wrapping around the flange more than once, and to prevent the roll paper tip from falling from the outer periphery of the flange and entering the inside, Expression 1 and Expression 3 are satisfied, or Expression 2 and Expression 3 must be satisfied. If Equation 1 and Equation 3 are satisfied,
L>X> L / N (Formula 4)
The outer periphery of the flange and the positions of the roll paper cassette and the cutter must be set so that Equation 4 is satisfied. At this time, if N = 1, Expression 4 does not hold, so the number N of cutouts must be at least 2 or more.

  In the above, the relationship between the amount of roll paper drawn and the length of wrap around the roll paper holding flange has been described in order to ensure that the roll paper can be wound and fed.

  In this description, the relationship between the outer peripheral length of the roll paper holding flange and the roll paper length drawn from the cassette shown in Equation 1 can also be used in error processing. The flow will be described with reference to FIG.

  The flowchart of FIG. 19 shows the case where the process ends normally and the case where the ink ribbon error process is performed and the process ends with an error display. The ink ribbon error is an error when a problem such as the ink ribbon cueing not being completed in the ink ribbon winding operation occurs. When an error occurs, the cassette must be ready to be taken out, and in order to take out the cassette, the roll paper that has been drawn out must be completely stored in the cassette.

  The normal operation starts from the start of printing, performs paper cueing and paper end checking, and conveys the paper to the print start position. Then, each color is superimposed by repeating ink ribbon cueing (step S901), printing, and returning. If it is determined in step S902 that all colors have been printed, the printed material is transported to a position where it can be separated by transport before cutting, cut, and discharged. When there is no next print, a paper storage operation for storing the paper in the cassette is performed, and a standby state is entered after the storage is completed. If there is a next print, it is checked whether the end of the sheet has been detected. If the end is not detected, the printing operation is performed again.

  If the end is detected in the continuous printing, the out of paper after roll paper storage is displayed on the monitor and the process ends with an error.

  Next, a roll paper cutting process when an ink ribbon error occurs before printing will be described. The processing portion for determining an ink ribbon error is step S901 after the roll paper is conveyed to the print start position. If the ink ribbon supply side is not rotating at the time of ink ribbon cueing, or if the identification band cannot be detected and cueing of the ink ribbon is not completed within a predetermined time, an error is determined, and the process proceeds to an error processing sequence.

  At this time, if the roll paper is normally conveyed, it has reached the printing start position, and the amount of roll paper drawn at this time is longer than the outer periphery of the roll paper holding flange. If the roll paper is simply wound up from this state, it will be wound around the roll paper holding flange more than once.

  In step S903, the user is informed that an ink ribbon error has occurred. Subsequently, in step S904, it is determined whether the roll paper withdrawal amount is longer or shorter than the roll paper flange outer circumferential length.

  When the roll paper pull-out amount X is longer than the outer peripheral length L of the roll paper holding flange, the process proceeds to the next step S905. On the other hand, if the roll paper pull-out amount X is shorter than the outer peripheral length L of the roll paper holding flange, the roll paper can be stored, so that the unprinted paper is taken up and stored without being cut.

  In step S905, it is determined whether the end of the roll paper has been undetected. If it is not detected, the pre-cut conveyance is performed, the roll paper is cut, and the roll paper is stored.

  Here, step S905 for determining whether the end of paper is not detected will be described. By inserting this process into the process flow, the roll paper cutting operation can be omitted. If the end of the sheet is detected while the roll paper is being transported to the print start position, it indicates that the roll paper is the last print. In this embodiment, the number of printable sheets of roll paper and the number of printable sheets of ink ribbon are the same. Therefore, the ink ribbon error at this time may be an error due to the last ink ribbon cueing or for some reason. This indicates that the ribbon has been lost first. For this reason, the last drawn roll paper is not used in the next printing. Therefore, since it is not necessary to perform a paper feeding operation after storage, even when the roll paper withdrawal amount is longer than the outer peripheral length of the roll paper holding flange, it is possible to wind up and store the paper as it is. Therefore, the cutting operation before storing the roll paper can be omitted, and wasteful chips can be prevented from coming out.

1 is a diagram illustrating an external configuration of a printing apparatus and a cartridge used in the printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a state where the cartridge is mounted on the printing apparatus as viewed from the side of the printing apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an overall flow of a printing process in the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an operation of a printing apparatus when a paper cueing is completed as an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the roll paper end detection hole as one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the marker of an ink ribbon as one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an operation of a printing apparatus during a printing process as an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the decal of roll paper as one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the printing apparatus immediately after the paper discharge operation as an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between length X and L which are the characteristics of one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation when X is larger than L in FIG. 11. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation when X is smaller than L in FIG. 11. It is a perspective view explaining the roll paper unit and roll paper holding | maintenance flange in one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the apparatus which mounted | wore with the cassette in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship of length X, L, N which becomes the characteristic in one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation when N = 1 as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation when N = 2 as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a normal operation during printing and an ink ribbon error as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a paper position when printing cut paper and roll paper in a conventional roll paper printer. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a roll paper printer. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a cartridge 110. FIG. 23 is an exploded view of the cartridge 110 of FIG. 22. It is a perspective view of the roll paper unit 404 of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the role of the separation member 406 of FIG. It is a perspective view of the roll paper holding flange of FIG. FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining elastic deformation of the roll paper holding flange and roll paper feeding in the roll paper unit of FIG. 24. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining roll paper feeding / storage. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining roll paper feeding / storage.

100 Printer 110 Cartridge 111 Main Body Housing 112 Roll Paper Roller Shaft 206 Roll Paper Cue Sensor 207 Ribbon Sensor 404 Roll Paper Unit 404-1 Roll Paper Roller Shaft 404-2 Roll Paper 404-3 Roll Paper Holding Flange 404-4 Roll Paper Terminal detection hole 501 Notch 503 Roll paper holding flange flange 609 Cutter blade 610 Cutter receiving blade 2001 Cutter cutting position

Claims (11)

Roller shaft around which roll paper is wound, and roll paper holding flange which is an elastically deformable roll paper holding flange provided at both ends of the roller shaft, and has a flange portion formed along the outer periphery. A cassette containing at least a roll paper unit composed of:
A cutting mechanism for cutting the roll paper,
The roll paper of the roll paper unit can be sent out from the cassette by rotating the roller shaft, or the roll paper can be taken up in the cassette, and a part of the roll paper sent out from the cassette In a printing apparatus for storing the roll paper in the cassette by wrapping the outer periphery of the brim portion,
When the roll paper is sent out from the cassette, the distance from the position where the roll paper crosses the flange portion to the cutting position of the cutting mechanism is X, and the outer peripheral length of the flange portion is L,
X <L
The printing apparatus is characterized in that the cutting mechanism is provided at a position. Roller shaft around which roll paper is wound, and roll paper holding flange which is an elastically deformable roll paper holding flange provided at both ends of the roller shaft, and has a flange portion formed along the outer periphery. A cassette containing at least a roll paper unit composed of:
A cutting mechanism for cutting the roll paper,
The roll paper of the roll paper unit can be sent out from the cassette by rotating the roller shaft, or the roll paper can be taken up in the cassette, and a part of the roll paper sent out from the cassette In a printing apparatus for storing the roll paper in the cassette by wrapping the outer periphery of the brim portion,
When the roll paper is sent out from the cassette, the distance from the position where the roll paper crosses the flange portion to the cutting position of the cutting mechanism is X, and the outer peripheral length of the flange portion is L,
X <L
The diameter of the outer periphery of the collar portion is set so that The brim portion has a plurality of the notches,
When the number of the notches is N,
X> L / N
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The brim portion has a plurality of the notches,
When the outer peripheral distance of the brim portion from one notch to the other notch is Y,
L>X> Y
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: Conveying means for conveying the roll paper;
A first detection sensor for detecting a leading edge of the roll paper;
A transport amount control means for controlling a transport amount by the transport means;
With
The first detection sensor and the carry amount control means determine the amount of roll paper drawn,
2. When the drawing amount is determined to be a predetermined amount or more, after the cutting mechanism is operated to cut the roll paper, the operation of storing the leading end of the roll paper in the cassette is performed. 4. The printing apparatus according to any one of 3. An identification mark provided near the end of the roll paper;
Roll paper end detection means for detecting the end of the roll paper by detecting the identification mark,
When the identification mark is detected by the roll paper end detection means,
5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein even if it is determined that the roll paper is pulled out by a predetermined amount or more, the roll paper winding operation is performed without performing the roll paper cutting operation.   6. The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined amount, which is a criterion for determining the amount of withdrawal, is an outer peripheral length of the flange portion. A second detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of roll paper on the downstream side of the cutting mechanism;
When the second detection sensor detects roll paper,
5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the roll mechanism is cut by operating the cutting mechanism, an operation of storing the leading end of the roll paper in the cassette is performed. 6. The roll shaft can be attached to a printing apparatus having a cutting mechanism for cutting the roll paper, and is cut by a roll shaft around which the roll paper is wound, and an elastically deformable roll paper holding flange provided at both ends of the roller shaft. A roll paper holding flange formed with a flange portion having a notch along the outer periphery, and at least a roll paper unit configured to rotate, and the roll of the roll paper unit by rotating the roller shaft in the feeding direction The paper can be sent out from the cassette to the printing apparatus, and the roll paper is taken up in the cassette by rotating the roller shaft in the winding direction, and the roll paper sent out from the cassette It is a cassette that can store the roll paper inside the cassette by winding a part around the outer periphery of the collar. I,
When the roll paper is sent out from the cassette, the distance from the position where the roll paper crosses the flange portion to the cutting position of the cutting mechanism is X, and the outer peripheral length of the flange portion is L,
X <L
An outer periphery of the collar portion is set so that   The cassette according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of the notches are provided on an outer periphery of the brim portion. When the outer peripheral distance of the brim portion from one notch to the other notch is Y,
L>X> Y
The cassette according to claim 10, wherein

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