JP6280830B2 - Label printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a label printer that prints information such as characters, symbols, figures, or barcodes on a label temporarily attached to a mount, and in particular, has a peeling issue function for peeling and issuing labels one by one from the mount. It relates to a label printer.

  For example, the label printer rotates the platen roller in a state where one end in the longitudinal direction of the continuous label body wound in a roll shape is sandwiched between the thermal head (printing means) and the platen roller (conveying roller of the continuous label body). The printer prints desired information on each of a plurality of labels temporarily attached to a long mount constituting the continuous label body.

  In this type of label printer, the label is peeled off from the backing sheet one by one using a normal issuance mode in which the labels are continuously attached to the backing sheet, and a peeling bar and nip roller placed near the platen roller. There are two types of release issue modes.

  When printing on a label in the peeling issue mode, for example, a peeling sensor composed of a reflective sensor composed of a light emitting LED and a light receiving transistor as described in Patent Document 1 is used, and whether or not the label is peeled off from the mount. Detecting that.

  That is, when the printed label is peeled off from the mount and transported to the printer's issue port, the light emitted from the light emitting LED of the reflective sensor arranged near the issue port is reflected on the surface of the label. It reaches the light receiving transistor and a current flows through the light receiving transistor. Then, the control unit of the printer that has received the current signal transmits a signal to the motor driving unit, and stops the rotation of the platen roller.

  After that, when the label is taken out from the issuing port, the light emitted from the light emitting LED of the reflection type sensor does not reach the light receiving transistor, so the control unit of the printer transmits a signal for rotating the platen roller to the motor driving unit. . As a result, the next label temporarily attached to the mount is sent to the thermal head, subjected to the printing process, then peeled off from the mount, and then conveyed to the issuing port.

Japanese Patent No. 4520378

  In the conventional label printer having the above-described peeling issue function, when the printed label is peeled off from the mount and conveyed to the printer's issue port, the reflective sensor disposed near the issue port is used for the label. Detect the presence or absence. When the reflection type sensor detects that the label has been conveyed to the issue port, the control unit of the label printer stops the rotation of the platen roller until the label is removed from the issue port. To the standby state. When the reflection type sensor detects that the label has been removed from the issue port, the control unit of the label printer rotates the platen roller and starts printing the next label.

  Here, since it is necessary to detect the presence / absence of the label in a short time from when the label printing is started until this label is conveyed to the printer's issue port, the light emitting LED of the reflective sensor is changed in a short cycle. Was turned on and off.

  On the other hand, after it is detected by the reflective sensor that the label has been transported to the issuing port (that is, after the label printer enters the standby state), the reflective sensor is used until the label is removed from the issuing port. From the viewpoint of reducing the power consumption of the LED, the light emitting LED was turned on and off with a relatively long period.

  However, even when the time interval from when the label printer is in the standby state to when the label is removed from the issue port is long, if the LED is kept on and off, the power consumption of the reflective sensor increases. In particular, in a label printer using a small-capacity battery such as a small-sized and portable label printer, the time that can be used by one charge is shortened. Here, when the standby state of the label printer continues for a predetermined time or longer, it may be possible not to turn on the light emitting LED of the reflective sensor, but in this case, it is detected that the label has been removed from the issue port. Since this is impossible, the workability of the label printer is reduced.

  The present invention has been made from the above technical background, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of reducing the power consumption of a label printer having a peeling issue function.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the label printer according to the first aspect of the present invention is a print that prints on a print medium having a long mount and a plurality of labels temporarily attached to one surface thereof at a predetermined interval. and parts, and the peeling mechanism portion before SL information to be retrievable by peeling the labels that are printed one by one from the mount, provided on the extraction side of the label, the light in a predetermined light emitting period in the label emitting element is irradiated, and an optical sensor having a light receiving element for receiving the light reflected by the surface of the label, the label by that that it has been transported to the extraction side is detected by the optical sensor stop operation of conveyance rollers, the label and a control unit for starting the operation of the transport roller when it was removed from the extraction side is detected by the optical sensor la The optical sensor detects that the label has been transported to the take-out side after the operation of the transport roller is started. The first light-emission period and the fact that the label has been removed from the take-out side within a predetermined time after the optical sensor has detected that the label has been carried to the take-out side. The second light emission period until the label is detected by the optical sensor, and the label is removed from the ejection side after the predetermined time has elapsed since the optical sensor detected that the label was transported to the ejection side. A third light emission period until this is detected by the optical sensor, and the third light emission period is longer than the second light emission period. , The second light emitting period, the rather long than the first light emitting period is set to one of the light emitting period, when it is set to the third light emitting period, the label was removed from the extraction side Is detected by the optical sensor, the first light emission period is set .

Label printer of the invention described in claim 2, a printing unit for printing on the print medium having a base sheet of a long and a plurality of labels which are temporarily stuck at predetermined intervals on one surface thereof, before Symbol information printed A peeling mechanism that can peel off and remove the labeled labels one by one from the mount, a light-emitting element that is provided on the label take-out side, and irradiates light at a predetermined light emission period, and the label An optical sensor including a light receiving element that receives the light reflected on the surface of the optical sensor, and the optical sensor detects that the label has been transported to the take-out side, thereby stopping the operation of the transport roller, A first control unit that starts operation of the transport roller when the optical sensor detects that the label has been removed from the take-out side. The optical sensor detects that the label has been transported to the take-out side after the operation of the transport roller is started until the optical sensor detects that the label has been transported to the take-out side. After the detection, until the optical sensor detects that the label has been removed from the take-out side within a predetermined time, the first control unit controls light emission and extinction of the light emitting element, After the predetermined time elapses after the optical sensor detects that the label has been transported to the take-out side, until the optical sensor detects that the label has been removed from the take-out side. The second control unit different from the first control unit controls light emission and extinction of the light emitting element.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the label printer according to the second aspect, when the second control unit is controlling the optical sensor, the first control unit is in a sleep state. Features.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the label printer according to the third aspect of the invention releases the sleep state when the optical sensor detects that the label has been removed from the take-out side in the sleep state. It is characterized by that.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the label printer having the peeling issue function by making the third light emission period longer than the second light emission period.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the second control unit performs the emission and turn-off control of the light emitting element for a certain period of time instead of the first control unit with large power consumption, thereby providing a peeling issue function. It becomes possible to reduce the power consumption of the label printer.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the second control unit is controlling the optical sensor, the first control unit is in the sleep state, thereby reducing the power consumption of the label printer having the peeling issue function. Is possible.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to start printing by canceling the sleep state.

1 is an overall perspective view showing a normal issue state of a label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the principal part of the label printer shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which opened the opening-and-closing cover of the label printer shown in FIG. 1, and a label continuous body. It is a perspective view of the head bracket attached to the label printer. It is explanatory drawing which shows the engagement state of the head bracket and platen roller which are shown in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram of the control part of a label printer. It is a perspective view of the peeling unit attached to the label printer. It is a whole perspective view of the peeling unit removed from the label printer. It is a disassembled perspective view of the peeling unit shown in FIG. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the principal part of a label printer when printing in normal issue mode. It is an enlarged view which shows operation | movement of the peeling unit at the time of switching from normal issue mode to peeling issue mode. It is a whole perspective view which shows the peeling issue state of a label printer. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the principal part of a label printer when printing in peeling issue mode. (A) is a circuit diagram which shows the connection state of CPU and peeling sensor at the time of conveyance of a label continuous body, and the standby of a label printer, (b) is PLD and peeling sensor at the time of sleep of a label printer. It is a circuit diagram which shows a connection state. It is a control timing chart of the peeling sensor at the time of peeling issuing.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiment, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the label printer according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the main part of the label printer, and FIG. 3 is a state in which the opening / closing cover of the label printer is opened and the label It is a perspective view which shows a continuum.

  The label printer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a main body case (housing) 2, a front cover 3 that covers the upper surface of the main body case 2, and an open / close cover 4 that is attached to the upper surface of the main body case 2 so as to be freely opened and closed. ing. In addition, the label printer 1 issues a normal issue mode in which the label 22 is issued without being peeled off from the mount 21 of the label continuous body (print medium) P shown in FIG. 3, and the labels 22 are peeled off from the mount 21 one by one. It has a configuration capable of switching between the peeling issue mode. 1 and 2 show a state when the label printer 1 is in the normal issue mode.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the label continuum P includes a long mount 21 and a large number of labels 22 temporarily attached to the surface (label affixing surface) at a predetermined interval, and is wound in a roll shape. The paper is accommodated in the paper accommodating portion of the main body case 2 in a rotated state. Although not shown, position detection marks for detecting the position of the label 22 are formed on the back surface of the mount 21 at predetermined intervals. Further, the surface of the mount 21 is coated with a release agent such as silicone in order to facilitate the release of the label 22. Further, the surface (printing surface) of the label 22 is coated with a thermosensitive coloring layer that develops color when reaching a predetermined temperature range.

  The front cover 3 of the label printer 1 is fixed to the main body case 2 so as to cover the front surface (left side in FIGS. 1 to 3) and both side surfaces of the main body case 2 except for the opening 3a in which the opening / closing cover 4 is accommodated. Has been. The opening / closing cover 4 has a rear end portion (a right end portion in FIGS. 1 to 3) supported by the main body case 2 by a hinge mechanism, and is rotated in a direction away from and approaching the main body case 2. The opening / closing cover 4 is urged in a direction away from the main body case 2 by the elasticity of the torsion spring 7 (see FIG. 2) attached to the rear end thereof. Then, when the operator pushes the opening / closing cover 4 into the main body case 2 through the opening 3a, the opening / closing cover 4 is engaged with the main body case 2 by a mechanism which will be described later, and is closed.

  The front cover 3 on the front side of the opening 3a is provided with an operation panel 5, a cover open button 6, a pair of release levers 8 and 8, and a cutter 9. As shown in FIG. 1, the operation panel 5 includes a display unit 5a that displays operation commands and various messages of the label printer 1, operation buttons 5b and 5c that operate the label printer 1, and power on / off of the label printer 1. A power button 5d for turning off is provided.

  The cover open button 6 is a button for opening the open / close cover 4, and its lower eight ends are in contact with a head bracket (open / close cover support mechanism) 34 in the main body case 2 as shown in FIG. 2. . Therefore, when the operator presses the cover open button 6, the head bracket 34 is rotated, and the engagement between the opening / closing cover 4 and the head bracket 34 is released by a mechanism to be described later. become.

  The release levers 8 and 8 are members for fixing the peeling unit (peeling mechanism portion) 10 disposed in the vicinity of the release levers 8 and 8 to a position at the time of normal issuance. The engagement between the unit 10 and the release levers 8 and 8 is released. FIG. 2 shows only the nip roller 12 among the members constituting the peeling unit 10, but the specific configuration of the peeling unit 10 will be described later.

  The cutter 9 is a member that cuts the mount 21 (see FIG. 3) of the label continuum P after printing is completed at the time of normal issuance, and is disposed at a position facing the front end of the opening / closing cover 4. A gap between the front cover 3 to which the cutter 9 is attached and the front end of the open / close cover 4 serves as an issuing port through which the label continuous body P after printing is discharged.

  On the other hand, at the time of peeling issuance, the label 22 peeled off from the mount 21 by the peeling unit 10 is discharged from the issuing port, and the mount 21 that has become unnecessary passes through the discharge guide 4a of the opening / closing cover 4 shown in FIGS. It is discharged outside. As shown in FIG. 2, a peeling sensor 27 is attached in the vicinity of the issue port. The peeling sensor 27 is a sensor that detects whether or not the label 22 peeled from the mount 21 at the time of peeling is issued is sent to the issuing port, and is a reflection composed of a light emitting element (LED) and a light receiving element (phototransistor) described later. It consists of a mold sensor (optical sensor).

  The latter half of the inside of the main body case 2 is a paper storage portion that stores the label continuum P. As shown in FIG. 3, paper guides 20 having a disk shape are attached to both side surfaces of the paper storage portion (only one of them is shown in FIG. 3). These paper guides 20, 20 come into contact with both axial end surfaces of the label continuum P when the label continuum P is loaded in the paper container, and rotatably support the label continuum P. Guide the transport. The paper guides 20 and 20 are slid in the width direction of the label continuum P by a rack and pinion mechanism (not shown) so that the position can be changed according to the width of the label continuum P.

  In the main body case 2, an area adjacent to the paper storage unit is a printing unit. The printing unit is a functional unit that performs printing on the label continuum P fed out from the paper storage unit. As shown in FIG. 2, the platen roller (conveying roller) 30, the peeling bar 33, the head bracket 34, the thermal head ( (Print head) 35, a coil spring 36, and the like.

  Of these members constituting the printing unit, the head bracket 34, the thermal head 35, and the coil spring 36 are attached to the main body case 2, and the platen roller 30 and the peeling bar 33 are attached to the tip of the opening / closing cover 4. Yes.

  The platen roller 30 is a transport roller for the label continuum P, and is supported by the open / close cover 4 via the platen roller shaft 31 so as to be rotatable in the forward and reverse directions. The peeling bar 33 is a member that mechanically peels the printed label 22 from the mount 21 of the label continuum P when the label printer 1 performs printing in the peeling issue mode, and both ends of the peeling bar 33 are attached to the opening / closing cover 4. It is arranged in the vicinity of the platen roller 30 while being pivotally supported.

  The head bracket 34 attached to the main body case 2 is a member that maintains the open / close cover 4 in a closed state, and faces the platen roller 30 when the open / close cover 4 is in a closed state, as shown in FIG. Placed in position.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the head bracket 34, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an engaged state between the head bracket 34 and the platen roller 30.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the head bracket 34 is provided with a groove 34a, an insertion hole 34b, and a pressing lever 34c. The head bracket 34 is always urged in the direction close to the platen roller 30 by the elasticity of the coil spring 36, and is attached to the main body case 2 so as to be rotatable about the insertion hole 34b.

  When the operator houses the opening / closing cover 4 in the main body case 2, as shown in FIG. 5, the platen roller shaft 31 of the platen roller 30 is fitted into the groove 34a, and the opening / closing cover 4 is maintained in the closed state. When the operator depresses the cover open button 6 shown in FIG. 2, the lower end portion depresses the pressing lever 34c of the head bracket 34, and the head bracket 34 rotates around the insertion hole 34b. Is removed from the groove 34a. Thereby, the engagement between the platen roller 30 and the head bracket 34 is released, and the open / close cover 4 is opened.

  The thermal head 35 of the printing unit is means for printing information such as characters, symbols, figures, and barcodes on the label continuum P. As shown in FIG. 2, a circuit board 37 that transmits a print signal to the thermal head 35. It is attached to the head bracket 34 in a state mounted on the head bracket 34. The thermal head 35 is disposed so that its printing surface faces the platen roller 30 when the open / close cover 4 is in a closed state. When the label printer 1 performs printing, in both the normal issue mode and the peel issue mode, the label continuum P that is fed out from the paper storage portion is located between the print surface of the thermal head 35 and the platen roller 30. It is conveyed in a state of being sandwiched between the two. Although not shown, a plurality of heating resistors (heating elements) that generate heat when energized are provided on the printing surface of the thermal head 35.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of unit pressers 4 b and 4 b are provided in the vicinity of the platen roller 30 at the tip of the opening / closing cover 4. The unit pressers 4b and 4b are members that fix the peeling unit 10 to the position at the time of peeling issuance at the time of peeling issuance, and are disposed in the vicinity of the end of the peeling bar 33 in a state of being integrally formed with the opening / closing cover 4.

  In addition, a light emitting element 25 a and a reflective sensor 26 are attached to the front end of the opening / closing cover 4 below the platen roller 30. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, a light receiving element 25 b is attached to a location facing the light emitting element 25 a inside the main body case 2. The light emitting element 25a and the light receiving element 25b are paired to constitute a transmissive sensor.

  The transmissive sensor irradiates the gap between the light emitting element 25a and the light receiving element 25b (the transport path of the label continuum P transported from the paper container) with the light of the light emitting element 25a, and the label continuum P passing through the transport path. This is a sensor that detects the label position of the label continuum P by detecting the light transmitted through the light receiving element 25b. The reflective sensor 26 is a sensor that detects, for example, a position detection mark (rectangular black pattern) of the label continuum P that passes through the conveyance path, and includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element (not shown). Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a gear 32 is connected to one end of the platen roller shaft 31. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body case 2 includes a stepping motor 38 that is a driving means for the platen roller 30. The gear 32 of the platen roller shaft 31 is connected to the stepping motor 38 via another gear, timing belt, etc. (not shown) when the opening / closing cover 4 is accommodated in the main body case 2, and the rotation of the stepping motor 38 is controlled by the platen roller shaft. 31.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a battery case 39 is provided below the main body case 2. Inside the battery case 39, a battery 40 made of a lithium ion secondary battery as a drive power source for the label printer 1 is detachably accommodated. As shown in FIG. 1, a battery cover 39 a that covers the battery insertion port of the battery case 39 is attached to one side surface of the main body case 2.

  In the main body case 2 shown in FIG. 2, a control board 41 constituting a control unit of the label printer 1 is attached below the operation panel 5. The control board 41 is a wiring board on which a CPU (central processing unit, first control unit) 42, a PLD (programmable logic device, second control unit) 43 made of silicon chips, passive components (not shown), and the like are mounted. is there.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the control unit of the label printer 1. The control unit includes a CPU 42, a PLD 43, a ROM 44, a RAM 45, a motor control unit 46, a print control unit 47, an interface 48, an external interface 49, a switching unit 50, and the like.

  A CPU (central processing unit) 42 operates according to a control program stored in the ROM 44 and controls the label printer 1 in an integrated manner. The RAM 45 is an image memory that develops print information such as characters, symbols, graphics, or barcodes into dot images. The motor control unit 46 supplies a pulse signal to the stepping motor 38 and drives the stepping motor 38 to rotate the platen roller 30. The print control unit 47 supplies a signal corresponding to the dot image of the print information developed in the RAM 13 to the thermal head 35. The thermal head 35 selectively heats the heating resistor based on this signal, and prints desired information on the label 22 of the label continuum P shown in FIG.

  The PLD 43 has an auxiliary function of the CPU 42 and is connected to the CPU 42 via the switching unit 50. As will be described later, the PLD 43 is a device that drives the peeling sensor 27 instead of the CPU 42 when the label printer 1 enters the sleep mode when printing is performed in the peeling issuing mode.

  The label printer 1 according to the present embodiment can be used not only in a horizontally placed state (the state shown in FIGS. 1 to 3) with the opening 3 a of the front cover 3 facing upward, for example, a belt hook on the bottom surface of the main body case 2. It is possible to use the belt hook in a vertically placed state by attaching the belt hook to an operator standing on the belt.

  Next, the configuration of the peeling unit 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 is a perspective view of the peeling unit 10 attached to the label printer 1, FIG. 8 is an overall perspective view of the peeling unit 10 removed from the label printer 1, and FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the peeling unit 10.

  The peeling unit 10 includes a metal nip roller shaft 11, a resin nip roller 12 that is disposed at the center of the nip roller shaft 11 and is pivotally supported with respect to the nip roller shaft 11, and the nip roller shaft 11. Resin support portions 13 and 13 that support both ends are provided, and are attached to the main body case 2 so as to be relatively movable between a normal issue position and a peeling issue position.

  The nip roller 12 is disposed at a position to press the platen roller 30 when the label printer 1 performs printing in the peeling issue mode, and cooperates with a peeling bar 33 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) near the platen roller 30. This is a member for peeling the printed label 22 from the mount 21 of the label continuum P. The nip roller 12 is retracted to a position separated from the platen roller 30 (obliquely above the platen roller 30) during normal issuance (see FIG. 2).

  On one end side in the longitudinal direction of the pair of support portions 13 and 13 that support the nip roller 12, a long hole shape that guides the movement of the peeling unit 10 in the main body case 2 and regulates the moving range of the peeling unit 10 is provided. Guide rail holes 13a are provided. An operation lever 13b having a flat upper surface is integrally formed on the other end side of each of the pair of support portions 13 and 13. The peeling unit 10 is moved by an operator operating the operation lever 13b with a finger.

  In each of the pair of support portions 13 and 13, a rectangular lock hole 13 c is provided in the vicinity of the operation lever 13 b. One end of the release lever 8 (see FIGS. 1 to 3) of the front cover 3 is inserted into the lock hole 13c. That is, when the operator slides the release lever 8 and inserts one end of the release lever 8 into the lock hole 13c, the movement of the peeling unit 10 is restricted and the peeling unit 10 is held at the normal issue position. When the operator slides the release lever 8 in the opposite direction, the engagement state between the release lever 8 and the lock hole 13c is released, and the peeling unit 10 can be moved. In each of the pair of support portions 13, 13, a portion protruding toward the nip roller 12 is a roller holding portion 13 d through which the end of the nip roller shaft 11 is inserted.

  Further, a metal leaf spring 14 is detachably attached to each of the pair of support portions 13 and 13. These leaf springs 14 and 14 are fixed to the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the support portion 13 (the side on which the nip roller shaft 11 is attached) via screws 15 from the base end portions of the leaf springs 14 and 14. It extends in a curved shape toward one end side (side on which the guide rail hole 13a is provided), and its tip end portion is in a floating state. As will be described later, these leaf springs 14 and 14 are elastic members that urge the nip roller 12 toward the platen roller 30 by contacting the unit presser 4b (see FIG. 3) of the opening / closing cover 4 when the peeling is issued. .

  Next, the printing process of the label printer 1 will be described. First, when printing is performed in the normal issue mode, as shown in FIG. 10, the label continuous body P fed out from the paper storage portion of the main body case 2 is sandwiched between the thermal head 35 and the platen roller 30, and this state By rotating the platen roller 30 in this way, printing on the label 22 is performed while the continuous label P is being conveyed. Then, the label continuum P on which printing has been completed is discharged to the outside through a gap (issue port) between the front cover 3 and the front end of the opening / closing cover 4.

  Next, when switching from the normal issue mode to the peeling issue mode, first, the release levers 8 and 8 shown in FIG. 1 are slid in each other direction (direction approaching the cover open button 6). The engagement between the levers 8 and 8 and the peeling unit 10 is released.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11, the peeling unit 10 is moved to the opening / closing cover 4 side by sliding the operation lever 13 b provided on the support portion 13 of the peeling unit 10. Then, the unit presser 4b of the opening / closing cover 4 enters between the operation lever 13b of the peeling unit 10 and the leaf spring 14, and the peeling unit 10 is fixed at the peeling issuing position, and the nip roller 12 of the peeling unit 10 is moved to the platen roller 30. Is biased to the side. FIG. 12 is an overall perspective view of the label printer 1 thus set in the peeling issue mode.

  When printing is performed in the peeling issue mode, as shown in FIG. 13, the label continuum P fed out from the paper storage portion of the main body case 2 is transferred to the thermal head 35 and the platen roller as in the case of printing in the normal issue mode. In this state, the platen roller 30 is rotated, and printing on the label 22 is performed while the label continuous body P is conveyed.

  Next, the labels 22 on which printing has been completed are peeled one by one from the mount 21 by the peeling bar 33 and sent to the gap (issuance port) between the front cover 3 and the front end of the open / close cover 4. On the other hand, the mount 21 sandwiched between the nip roller 12 and the platen roller 30 of the peeling unit 10 via the peeling bar 33 is sent to the discharge guide 4 a of the opening / closing cover 4.

  When the label 22 peeled off from the mount 21 is sent to the issuing port, a label detection signal is supplied to the CPU 42 from the peeling sensor 27 disposed in the vicinity of the issuing port. Then, the CPU 42 stops the driving of the stepping motor 38 and puts the label printer 1 into a standby state.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, the peel sensor 27 is configured by a reflective sensor having a light emitting element (IR-LED) made of an infrared LED and a light receiving element (Ph-Tr) made of a phototransistor. . Then, when the label 22 peeled off from the mount 21 is sent to the issuing port, the infrared light irradiated from the light emitting element (IR-LED) is reflected by the surface of the label 22 to receive the light receiving element (Ph-Tr). To reach. Then, since a current flows through the light receiving element (Ph-Tr) and this current signal is input to the CPU 42, the CPU 42 that has received this current signal passes through the motor control unit 46 (see FIG. 6) at a predetermined timing. Then, a signal is transmitted to the stepping motor 38, and the driving of the stepping motor 38 is stopped.

  FIG. 15 shows a control timing chart of the peeling sensor 27 at the time of peeling issuance. First, when predetermined print data is transmitted to the CPU 42, the power of the stepping motor 38 is turned on, the platen roller 30 is rotated, printing on the label 22 is performed in the printing unit, and the light emitting element ( IR-LED) emits pulses at a predetermined cycle. Here, the light emission cycle (first light emission cycle) is, for example, continuous blinking with a pulse width = 1 ms (millisecond) and a pulse interval = 4 ms.

  For example, when the light emitting element (IR-LED) continuously emits light four times in this light emission period, if this light pulse can be detected by the light receiving element (Ph-Tr) four times, the CPU 42 displays the label 22 Is sent to the light emitting port, the driving of the stepping motor 38 is stopped at a predetermined timing, and the label printer 1 is put into a standby state. At this time, the CPU 42 switches the light emission cycle of the light emitting element (IR-LED) to a light emission cycle (second light emission cycle) longer than the above light emission cycle.

  Here, for example, after continuously emitting light 8 times at a pulse width of 1 ms and a pulse interval of 4 ms, an interval of 500 ms is set, and after again continuously emitting light 8 times at a pulse width of 1 ms and a pulse interval of 4 ms, an interval of 500 ms is obtained. The light emitting element (IR-LED) is caused to emit light at a light emission period such as placing a light. When the light emitting element (IR-LED) emits light continuously four times with a pulse width = 1 ms and a pulse interval = 4 ms, if the light cannot be detected by the light receiving element (Ph-Tr) four times, the CPU 42 Determines that the label 22 has been removed from the light emitting port, drives the stepping motor 38 to start printing of the next label 22, and sets the light emitting period of the light emitting element (IR-LED) to the first light emitting period, that is, the pulse. Switching to a light emission period (first light emission period) of width = 1 ms (milliseconds) and pulse interval = 4 ms.

  If it is determined by the peeling sensor 27 that the label 22 has been sent to the light emitting port, and the label 22 is not removed from the light emitting port even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the label printer 1 entered the standby state, the CPU 42 As shown in FIG. 14B, the control of the peeling sensor 27 is switched to the PLD 43, and the label printer 1 is set to the sleep state. When the label printer 1 is set to the sleep state, the CPU 42 also goes to the sleep state, and the PLD 43 instead of the CPU 42 emits light at a light emission cycle (third light emission cycle) longer than the light emission cycle in the standby state (second light emission cycle). (IR-LED) is caused to emit pulse light. When the CPU 42 enters a sleep state, the display on the display unit 5a and the electrical control of the stepping motor 38 and the like can be stopped.

  Here, for example, after continuous light emission 8 times with a pulse width = 1 ms and a pulse interval = 4 ms, an interval of 1000 ms is set, and after 8 continuous light emission with a pulse width = 1 ms and a pulse interval = 4 ms, the time interval is 1000 ms. The PLD 43 causes the light emitting element (IR-LED) to emit light at a light emission period such as placing a light emitting element. Then, when the light emitting element (IR-LED) emits light continuously four times with a pulse width = 1 ms and a pulse interval = 4 ms, when this light pulse cannot be detected by the light receiving element (Ph-Tr) four times, the PLD 43 Determines that the label 22 has been removed from the light emitting port, and cancels the sleep state of the label printer 1 by canceling the sleep state of the CPU 42.

  Thereafter, the CPU 42 drives the stepping motor 38 to start printing of the label 22 in the printing unit, and at the same time, the light emitting element (IR-LED) of the peeling sensor 27 emits the light emission period (first light emission period), that is, the pulse. Detection of the label 22 at the issuing port is started by emitting light with a width = 1 ms (milliseconds) and a pulse interval = 4 ms.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the light emission period of the light emitting element (IR-LED) when the label printer 1 is set to the sleep state, and the light emitting element when the label printer 1 is set to the standby state. Since it is longer than the light emission cycle of (IR-LED), the power consumption of the peeling sensor 27 when the label printer 1 is set to the sleep state is reduced. Therefore, the power consumption of the label printer 1 can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, since the PLD 43, which consumes less power than the CPU 42, controls the light emitting element (IR-LED) when the label printer 1 is set to the sleep state, the power consumption of the label printer 1 Can be further reduced.

  As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment. However, the embodiment disclosed in this specification is an example in all respects and is limited to the disclosed technology. It is not a thing. That is, the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed restrictively based on the description in the above-described embodiment, but should be construed according to the description of the scope of claims. All modifications are included without departing from the technical scope equivalent to the described technique and the gist of the claims.

The device that controls the light emitting element when the label printer is set to the sleep state may be a device other than the PLD, for example, another CPU or a processing device having the same performance.
Preferably, the second light emission period can be set between 100 ms and 500 ms, and the third light emission period can be set between 600 ms and 10000 ms.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a dual-purpose printer that can be used for both normal issue and release issue has been described. It can also be applied to a printer that performs printing.
Further, although the reflection type sensor has been described as the optical sensor, a transmissive sensor in which a light emitting element is arranged on the front side of the label and a light receiving element is arranged on the back side of the label may be used.

1 Printer 2 Body case
3 Front cover 3a Opening 4 Opening / closing cover 4a Discharge guide 4b Unit press 5 Operation panel 5a Display 5b 5c Operation button 5d Power button 6 Cover open button 7 Torsion spring 8 Release lever 9 Cutter 10 Peeling unit (peeling mechanism)
11 Nip roller shaft 12 Nip roller 13 Support portion 13a Guide rail hole 13b Operation lever 13c Lock hole 13d Roller holding portion 14 Leaf spring 15 Screw 20 Paper guide 21 Mount 22 Label 25a Light emitting element 25b Light receiving element 26 Reflective sensor 27 Release sensor (reflection type) Sensor)
30 Platen roller (conveyance roller)
31 Platen roller shaft 32 Gear 33 Peeling bar 34 Head bracket 34a Groove 34b Insertion hole 34c Press lever 35 Thermal head (printing head)
36 Coil spring 37 Circuit board 38 Stepping motor 39 Battery case 39a Battery cover 40 Battery 41 Control board 42 CPU (first control unit)
43 PLD (second controller)
44 ROM
45 RAM
46 Motor control unit 47 Print control unit 48 Interface 49 External interface 50 Switching unit P Label continuum (print medium)

Claims (4)

A printing unit for printing on a printing medium comprising a long mount and a plurality of labels temporarily attached to one surface thereof at a predetermined interval ;
A release mechanism that allows extraction by peeling the label before SL information is printed one by one from the mount,
An optical sensor comprising a light emitting element that is provided on the take-out side of the label and that irradiates the label with light at a predetermined light emission period; and a light receiving element that receives the light reflected from the surface of the label;
The label stops the operation of the conveyance roller by that that it has been transported to the extraction side is detected by the optical sensor, that the label was removed from the extraction side is detected by the optical sensor A control unit that starts operation of the transport roller when
A label printer comprising:
The light emission cycle of the light emitted from the light emitting element is a first period from when the operation of the transport roller is started to when the optical sensor detects that the label is transported to the take-out side. The light emission period;
A second period from when the optical sensor detects that the label has been transported to the take-out side to when it is detected by the optical sensor that the label has been removed from the take-out side within a predetermined time. The light emission period;
After the predetermined time elapses after the optical sensor detects that the label has been transported to the take-out side, until the optical sensor detects that the label has been removed from the take-out side. A third light emission period, and
The third light emitting period, the longer than the second light emitting period, the second light emitting period, the rather long than the first light emitting period is set to one of the luminous frequency,
When the third light emission period is set , the label printer sets the first light emission period when the optical sensor detects that the label has been removed from the take-out side . A printing unit for printing on a printing medium comprising a long mount and a plurality of labels temporarily attached to one surface thereof at a predetermined interval ;
A release mechanism that allows extraction by peeling the label before SL information is printed one by one from the mount,
An optical sensor comprising a light emitting element that is provided on the take-out side of the label and that irradiates the label with light at a predetermined light emission period; and a light receiving element that receives the light reflected from the surface of the label;
When the optical sensor detects that the label has been transported to the take-out side, the operation of the transport roller is stopped, and when the optical sensor detects that the label has been removed from the take-out side A first control unit for starting operation of the transport roller;
A label printer comprising:
The optical sensor detects that the label has been transported to the take-out side from the start of operation of the transport roller until the optical sensor detects that the label has been transported to the take-out side. The first control unit controls light emission and extinction of the light emitting element until the optical sensor detects that the label has been removed from the takeout side within a predetermined time after After the predetermined time has elapsed after the optical sensor detects that the label has been transported to the take-out side, until the optical sensor detects that the label has been removed from the take-out side. A label printer, wherein a second control unit different from the first control unit controls light emission and extinction of the light emitting element.   The label printer according to claim 2, wherein the first control unit is in a sleep state when the second control unit is controlling the optical sensor. 4. The label printer according to claim 3, wherein when the optical sensor detects that the label is removed from the take-out side in the sleep state, the sleep state is canceled.

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