JP6289386B2 - Printing device and program - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a printing apparatus and a program.

  In recent years, non-contact power feeding systems that send power to devices without using power cables have appeared. The non-contact power supply system is a non-contact state power supply to peripheral devices such as PC (Personal Computer), POS (Point of Sales) terminals, and printing devices using, for example, an electromagnetic field resonance phenomenon. Supply.

  By the way, in a non-contact power supply system, for example, a printing apparatus that prints information on paper consumes a large amount of power during printing processing. In particular, when printing at high speed or when the printing rate is high, it is necessary to supply a large current (peak current) to the printing apparatus in a short time. However, in the non-contact power supply system, it is not possible to supply a large amount of power that can cope with the peak current to the printing apparatus. For this reason, the printing apparatus is equipped with a secondary battery capable of supplying a peak current, and supplies a large amount of electric power charged to the secondary battery to cope with the peak current supply in the printing process.

  However, when the printing apparatus performs printing or during printing, if the power charged in the secondary battery is insufficient, there is a problem that printing must be waited until the secondary battery is charged.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a program capable of performing printing without waiting for charging of the secondary battery even when the power charged in the secondary battery is insufficient. .

  The printing apparatus of the embodiment is in a non-contact state without mechanical connection with a printing unit that prints information on paper, a secondary battery that supplies first power to the printing unit, and an external non-contact power feeder. The non-contact power receiving unit that receives power from the non-contact power feeder and supplies the second power smaller than the first power to the printing unit and the power charged in the secondary battery are sufficient. In this case, the first power is supplied from the secondary battery to the printing unit, and when the power charged in the secondary battery is insufficient, the second power is supplied from the non-contact power receiving unit to the printing unit. Power control means for supplying to the paper, and the information is printed on the paper in a first printing form that can be executed by the supply of the first power, and can be executed by the supply of the second power. In the second printing form with low power consumption, the information is printed on the paper. And a print control means for printing.

  The program according to the embodiment is in a non-contact state in which there is no mechanical connection with a printing unit that prints information on paper, a secondary battery that supplies first power to the printing unit, and an external non-contact power feeder. A program for controlling, using a computer, a printing apparatus comprising: a non-contact power receiving unit that receives power from the non-contact power feeder and supplies second power smaller than the first power to the printing unit. If the power charged in the secondary battery is sufficient, the computer supplies the first power to the printing unit from the secondary battery, and the power charged in the secondary battery. Is insufficient, the power control means for supplying the second power from the non-contact power receiving unit to the printing unit, and the information on the sheet in a first printing form that can be executed by the supply of the first power. Printing and supplying the second power In a more feasible and a power consumption than the first printing mode with a small second printing mode, the print control means for printing the information on the paper, is to function.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a non-contact power feeding system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a side section of the printing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mechanism for supplying power to each unit of the printing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the printing apparatus. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the printing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of control processing of the printing apparatus. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mechanism for supplying power to each unit of the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of control processing of the battery remaining amount determination circuit in the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of control processing of the printing apparatus in the second embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the printing apparatus and the program according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In addition, this invention is not limited by embodiment described below.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a non-contact power feeding system including a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. The non-contact power feeding system 1 includes a POS terminal 10, a printing device 80 as a peripheral device connected to the POS terminal 10, a scanner 40, a display 50, and a bill and coin change machine 60. The non-contact power feeding system 1 includes a POS terminal 10 and peripheral devices such as a printing device 80, a scanner 40, a display device 50, and a change machine 60 that are mutually connected, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity). ), Etc., so that they can communicate wirelessly.

  The POS terminal 10 is an information processing apparatus that executes merchandise sales data processing. The printing device 80 is a printer that prints product information and settlement information of traded products transmitted from the POS terminal 10 on predetermined paper such as receipt paper. The printing apparatus 80 includes a thermal head as a printing unit. The thermal head generates heat from the heating elements arranged in a line and transfers heat to the thermal paper that is the paper. The thermal paper is colored by the heat transmitted from the thermal head while being transported by a platen or the like provided facing the thermal head. In this way, the printing apparatus 80 performs printing on the paper.

  The thermal head needs to heat the heating element in a short time when printing at high speed or printing with a high printing rate (printing density). In this case, the thermal head receives a large amount of electric power, and causes a large current exceeding the rated value (hereinafter referred to as “peak current”) to flow through the heating element.

  The scanner 40 is a code scanner that optically reads a coded product code. The display device 50 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display that displays various information for an operator who operates the POS terminal 10 or a customer who has purchased a product. The change machine 60 is an automatic change machine that stores deposited money and automatically dispenses money (change) based on a command (withdrawal command) from the POS terminal 10. Note that these peripheral devices are not limited to the above-described devices. The non-contact power feeding system 1 may include peripheral devices other than those described above. Moreover, the non-contact electric power feeding system 1 should just be equipped with one or more peripheral devices.

  Each peripheral device is supplied with electric power in a non-contact state from a non-contact power supply 84 (see FIG. 2) provided outside. The non-contact power supply 84 is connected to a commercial power source or the like, and supplies power to each peripheral device in a non-contact state without mechanical connection by an electromagnetic induction method, a magnetic field resonance method, or other methods. In the embodiment, a magnetic field resonance method will be described. If the magnetic field resonance method is used, even if the non-contact power feeder and each peripheral device are separated from each other by several centimeters to about 2 meters, power can be supplied from the non-contact power feeder to each peripheral device.

  Here, the magnetic field resonance method is a method of supplying electric power in a non-contact manner using a resonance phenomenon. The resonance phenomenon is a phenomenon in which an object that vibrates at the same frequency is placed close to it, and when one object is vibrated, the other object also vibrates. In the magnetic field resonance method, a coil having the same resonance frequency is provided as an object to vibrate on a power transmission side (non-contact power feeder) that supplies power and a power reception side (non-contact power reception unit) that receives power supply. The coil on the power transmission side generates an oscillating magnetic field when an alternating current is supplied. At this time, the coil on the power receiving side has the same resonance frequency as that of the coil on the power transmitting side, so that a magnetic field is also generated around the coil on the power receiving side. As a result, the coil on the power receiving side generates an induced current flowing in the coil on the power receiving side even in a non-contact state without mechanical connection with the power transmitting side. Therefore, the coil on the power transmission side can supply electric power to the coil on the power reception side in a non-contact manner. In the magnetic field resonance method, since the coil on the power transmission side and the coil on the power reception side are strongly coupled to each other, high power supply efficiency can be obtained even if the distance between the coils is long.

  FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the printing apparatus 80, which is one of peripheral devices, taken from the side. In FIG. 2, the printing apparatus 80 includes a lower case 22 and an upper case 21, and the upper case 21 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the lower case 22 using a hinge 28 as a fulcrum.

  The printing apparatus 80 includes a paper storage unit 26, a conveyance unit 816, and a printing unit 817. The paper storage unit 26 is provided on the back side (right side in FIG. 2) of the printing device 80, and holds and stores the paper 27 (heat sensitive paper) wound in a roll shape. The paper 27 is stored in the paper storage unit 26 in a state where the upper case is rotated upward to be opened. The transport unit 816 includes a platen 23, a motor 25, a transport roller 29, and the like, pulls out the leading end of the paper 27 stored in the paper storage unit 26, and transports the paper 27 toward the printing unit 817. The printing unit 817 is provided on the front side (left side in FIG. 2) of the printing apparatus 80 and includes a thermal head 24. The printing unit 817 includes a thermal head 24, and prints on the paper 27 conveyed by the conveyance unit 816 using the thermal head 24. The printing apparatus 80 includes a paper cutting unit (not shown), and cuts the paper 27 printed by the printing unit 817. The cut paper 27 is issued as a receipt.

  The printing apparatus 80 includes a non-contact power receiving unit 83 fixed to the bottom surface of the lower case 22 inside the lower case 22. The non-contact power reception unit 83 includes a coil on the side to which power is supplied. The non-contact power receiving unit 83 is supplied with power from the non-contact power feeder 84 in a non-contact state. Further, the printing apparatus 80 includes a secondary battery 82 in the lower case 22.

  The non-contact power supply 84 is provided below the lower case 22 of the printing apparatus 80, for example, on the installation surface where the printing apparatus 80 is installed. The non-contact power receiving unit 83 and the non-contact power feeder 84 face each other substantially in parallel in a non-contact state without mechanical connection at a distance of several centimeters. The non-contact power feeder 84 includes a coil 85 that supplies power and a plug 85 that is supplied with power from a commercial power source. When the plug 85 is connected to a commercial power source, a current flows through the coil on the non-contact power feeder 84 side. Then, an induced current flows through the opposing coil on the non-contact power receiving unit 83 side. In this way, the non-contact power feeder 84 supplies power to the non-contact power receiving unit 83. Since the non-contact power feeder 84 and the non-contact power reception unit 83 are in a non-contact state, the power supplied from the non-contact power feeder 84 to the non-contact power reception unit 83 is not so large. The non-contact power receiving unit 83 charges the secondary battery 82 with the power supplied from the non-contact power feeder 84. In addition, the non-contact power receiving unit 83 supplies power to the hardware 81 using all or part of the power supplied from the non-contact power feeder 84.

  Next, the supply (power supply) to each part of the power (arrow of power supply a) supplied from the non-contact power supply 84 by the non-contact power receiving unit 83 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, the printing apparatus 80 includes hardware 81 (see FIG. 4 for details) including a conveyance unit 816 and a printing unit 817, a secondary battery 82, and a non-contact power reception unit 83.

  The secondary battery 82 can store electricity by charging, and is composed of, for example, a lithium ion battery. The secondary battery 82 is charged by receiving power from the non-contact power receiving unit 83. The secondary battery 82 supplies power to each device and circuit of the hardware 81 including the printing unit 817. Note that the secondary battery 16 may be of a type other than the lithium ion battery.

  When the printing unit 817 performs printing at high speed or performs printing with a high printing rate, it is necessary to supply large power from the secondary battery 82 to the hardware 81. The secondary battery 82 with sufficient charged power supplies predetermined first power to the hardware 81 (an arrow for power supply c). The first power refers to a large power that can supply a peak current. The secondary battery 82 that is charged and has sufficient power has a capability of supplying the first power to the hardware 81. On the other hand, the secondary battery 82 for which the charged power is insufficient cannot supply the first power to the hardware 81.

  When a predetermined first power is supplied from the secondary battery 82 to the hardware 81, the printing device 80 performs printing in the first printing mode under the control of a control unit 800 (see FIG. 4) described later. In the first printing mode, at least the first power is supplied to the printing unit 817, so that the paper 27 is conveyed at a high speed by the conveying unit 816, and a peak current is generated for the thermal head 24 of the printing unit 817. A printing form in which printing is performed on the paper 27 at a high speed.

  The non-contact power receiving unit 83 supplies the power supplied from the non-contact power supply 84 to the secondary battery 82 (arrow of charge b). The non-contact power receiving unit 83 supplies power to the hardware 81 including the printing unit 817 using all or part of the power supplied from the non-contact power supply 84 (arrow of power supply d). ). In this case, the non-contact power reception unit 83 supplies the second power to the hardware 81. The second power is a power smaller than the first power.

  The non-contact power receiving unit 83 is supplied with power in a non-contact state from the non-contact power feeder 84 (reception). Due to the property that power is supplied in a non-contact state, the non-contact power receiving unit 83 cannot receive a large amount of power from the non-contact power feeder 84. For this reason, the non-contact power receiving unit 83 cannot supply the first power that causes the peak current to flow to the hardware 81. Therefore, the non-contact power reception unit 83 supplies the second power based on the power supplied in a non-contact state from the non-contact power supply 84 to the hardware 81.

  When the second power is supplied, printing is performed in the second printing mode under the control of a control unit 800 (see FIG. 4) described later. In the second printing mode, the second power smaller than the first power is supplied to the conveyance unit 816 and the printing unit 817. A printing form in which printing is performed on the sheet 27 without causing a peak current to the thermal head 24 of the printing unit 817 while the sheet 27 is conveyed by the conveyance unit 816 at a lower speed than the first printing form. The second printing form consumes less power than the first printing form.

  Next, the hardware 81 of the printing apparatus 80 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, a printing apparatus 80 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 811 serving as a control entity, a read only memory (ROM) 812 that stores various programs, a random access memory (RAM) 813 that develops various data, and various programs. A memory unit 814 and the like are provided. The CPU 811, ROM 812, RAM 813, and memory unit 814 are connected to each other via a data bus 815. The CPU 811, the ROM 812, and the RAM 813 constitute the control unit 800. That is, the control unit 800 executes control processing described later by the CPU 811 operating according to the control program 8141 stored in the ROM 812 or the memory unit 814 and expanded in the RAM 813.

  The memory unit 814 is configured by a non-volatile memory such as an HDD (Hard Disc Drive) or a flash memory that retains stored information even when the power is turned off, and stores a program including a control program 8141. The memory unit 814 includes a print data unit 8142 and a reference voltage unit 8143.

  The print data portion 8142 stores print data such as product information and settlement information to be printed on the paper 27 transmitted from the POS terminal 10 as a result of the product transaction. The reference voltage unit 8143 stores a reference voltage for supplying power from the secondary battery 82 to the hardware 81. The controller 800 compares the reference voltage stored in the reference voltage unit 8143 with the output voltage of the secondary battery 82, and the output voltage of the secondary battery 82 is equal to or higher than the reference voltage or less than the reference voltage. Monitoring.

  In addition, a transport unit 816 and a printing unit 817 are connected to the data bus 815 via a controller 818. In addition, a wireless I / F 819 is connected to the data bus 815. The wireless I / F 819 can communicate with the POS terminal 10 by wireless communication. Although not shown, the data bus 815 is also connected to an indicator that indicates the status of the printing apparatus 80, an error, and the like, a display unit that indicates a message, and the like. These indicators and display units are turned on or displayed under the control of the control unit 800.

  Subsequently, a control process of the printing apparatus 80 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the printing apparatus 80. The control unit 800 causes the power control unit 801 and the print control unit 802 to function by following various programs including the control program 8141 stored in the ROM 812 and the memory unit 814.

  The power control means 801 supplies the first power from the secondary battery 82 to the printing unit 817 when the power charged in the secondary battery 82 is sufficient, and the power charged in the secondary battery 82 is insufficient. In this case, the second power is supplied from the non-contact power receiving unit 83 to the printing unit 817.

  The print control unit 802 prints information on the paper 27 in the first print form that can be executed by supplying the first power, and can execute the print by supplying the second power, and consumes less power than the first print form. The printing function has a function of printing the information on the paper 27.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of control processing of the printing apparatus 80. In FIG. 6, the control unit 800 (power control means 801) supplies power from the secondary battery 82 to the hardware 81 (S11). In this case, the power supplied from the secondary battery 82 to the hardware 81 by the control unit 800 is the first power. Next, it is determined whether print data is received from the POS terminal 10 (S12). When determining that the print data has been received (Yes in S12), the control unit 800 stores the received print data in the print data unit 8142 (S13).

  Next, the control unit 800 determines whether or not the output voltage of the secondary battery 82 is equal to or higher than the reference voltage stored in the reference voltage unit 8143 (S14). When it is determined that the voltage is equal to or higher than the reference voltage (Yes in S14), the control unit 800 (printing control unit 802) supplies the first power to the conveying unit 816 and the printing unit 817, and the printing unit 817 performs the first printing. The form printing process is executed (S15). That is, the control unit 800 controls the transport unit 816 to transport the paper 27 at a high speed, generates a peak current as necessary, and performs printing so that the thermal head 24 performs a printing process on the paper 27 at a high speed. The unit 817 is controlled.

  Next, the control unit 800 prints all the print data stored in the print data unit 8142 and determines whether the printing is finished (S16). When it is determined that the printing has been completed (Yes in S16), the control unit 800 cuts the printed paper 27 by a paper cutting unit (not shown) (S17). In this way, the control unit 800 issues a receipt. On the other hand, if it is determined that printing has not ended (No in S16), the control unit 800 returns to S15.

  If it is determined that the output voltage of the secondary battery 82 is less than the reference voltage (No in S14), the control unit 800 stops the power supplied from the secondary battery 82 to the hardware 81 (S21). ). Then, the control unit 800 (power control means 801) supplies power directly from the non-contact power receiving unit 83 to the hardware 81 (S22). Here, the power supplied from the control unit 800 to the hardware 81 is the second power.

  Next, the control unit 800 (printing control means 802) supplies the second power to the conveying unit 816 and the printing unit 817, and executes the printing process of the second printing mode in the printing unit 817 (S23). That is, the control unit 800 controls the transport unit 816 so as to transport the paper 27 at a low speed, and controls the print unit 817 so as to execute the printing process on the paper 27 without generating a peak current for the thermal head 24. To do. The printing process in the second form consumes less power than the printing process in the first form.

  Next, the control unit 800 prints all the print data stored in the print data unit 8142 and determines whether the printing is finished (S24). When it is determined that the printing is finished (Yes in S24), the control unit 800 cuts the printed paper 27 by a paper cutting unit (not shown) (S25). And the control part 800 stops supply of the electric power from the non-contact power-receiving part 83 performed by S22 (S26). If it is determined that printing has not ended (No in S24), the control unit 800 returns to S23.

  If it is determined that print data has not been received from the POS terminal 10 (No in S12), the control unit 800 causes the output voltage of the secondary battery 82 to be equal to or higher than the reference voltage stored in the reference voltage unit 8143. It is determined whether it is present or less than the reference voltage (S31). When it is determined that the voltage is less than the reference voltage (Yes in S31), the control unit 800 charges the secondary battery 82 with the electric power supplied from the non-contact power supply 84 by the non-contact power receiving unit 83 (S32). Then, the control unit 800 returns to S11. When it is determined that the voltage is equal to or higher than the reference voltage (No in S31), the control unit 800 returns to S11.

  According to the first embodiment, when the output voltage of the secondary battery 82 is equal to or higher than the reference voltage stored in the reference voltage unit 8143, the control unit 800 uses the power charged in the secondary battery. Is sufficient, the first power is supplied from the secondary battery 82 to the hardware 81. Then, the control unit 800 controls the printing unit 817 to execute printing in the first printing mode. On the other hand, when the output voltage of the secondary battery 82 is less than the reference voltage stored in the reference voltage unit 8143, the control unit 800 determines that the power charged in the secondary battery is insufficient and is non-contact. The second power is supplied directly from the power receiving unit 83 to the hardware 81. Then, the control unit 800 controls the printing unit 817 to execute printing in the second printing mode. Therefore, even when the power supplied from the secondary battery is insufficient, the control unit 800 executes the printing process without waiting for the output voltage of the secondary battery to be charged to be equal to or higher than the reference voltage. be able to.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that in the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals or corresponding symbols, and description thereof is omitted. A feature of the second embodiment is that the non-contact power receiving unit 83 includes a battery remaining amount determining circuit 831. The battery remaining amount determining circuit 831 monitors the voltage of the secondary battery 82, and the battery remaining amount determining circuit 831 is a secondary battery. Switching power supply from the battery 82 to the hardware 81 and power supply from the non-contact power receiving unit 83 to the hardware 81 are switched. The hardware configuration of the hardware 81 of the second embodiment is substantially the same as the hardware configuration of the hardware 81 of the first embodiment (FIG. 4) (there is no configuration corresponding to the reference voltage unit 8143). Therefore, a description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mechanism for supplying power to each unit of the printing apparatus. In FIG. 7, the non-contact power reception unit 83 includes a battery remaining amount determination circuit 831. The remaining battery level determination circuit 831 is electrically connected to the hardware 81 via the communication line 87. The communication line 87 is constituted by a signal line or a data bus. The remaining battery level determination circuit 831 includes a switching unit 8311, a determination unit 8312, and a reference voltage unit 8313.

  The reference voltage unit 8313 determines whether power is supplied from the secondary battery 82 to the hardware 81 (arrow of power supply c) or whether power is supplied from the non-contact power receiving unit 83 to the hardware 81 (arrow of power supply d). The reference voltage for storing is stored. Determination unit 8312 is connected to secondary battery 82 via communication line 86. The communication line 86 is constituted by a signal line or a data bus. The determination unit 8312 monitors the voltage of the secondary battery 82 by inputting the voltage of the secondary battery 82 via the communication line 86. Based on the voltage input from secondary battery 82 and the reference voltage stored in reference voltage unit 8313, determination unit 8312 determines which power is supplied from secondary battery 82 or non-contact power reception unit 83. To do. The switching unit 8311 supplies the power determined by the determining unit 8312 to the hardware 81. Based on the supplied power, the control unit 800 executes a printing process.

  Further, the remaining battery level determination circuit 831 receives information indicating that printing has been completed via the communication line 87. When the battery remaining amount determination circuit 831 supplies power to the hardware 81 from the non-contact power reception unit 83, the battery remaining amount determination circuit 831 supplies power to the hardware 81 from the non-contact power reception unit 83 based on the print end information. Stop.

  Next, the flow of the control processing of each part of the battery remaining amount determination circuit 831 in the second embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 8, the switching unit 8311 supplies power from the secondary battery 82 to the hardware 81 (S71). In this case, the power supplied from the secondary battery 82 to the hardware 81 is the first power. Next, the determination unit 8312 determines whether there is print data (S72). When information indicating the presence of print data is input from the communication line 87, the determination unit 8312 determines that the print data is present. If it is determined that there is print data (Yes in S72), the determination unit 8312 then determines whether the output voltage of the secondary battery 82 is equal to or higher than the reference voltage stored in the reference voltage unit 8313 ( S73). If it is determined that the voltage is equal to or higher than the reference voltage (Yes in S73), the battery remaining amount determination circuit 831 returns to S71. If it is determined that there is no print data (No in S72), the determination unit 8312 returns to S71.

  On the other hand, when the determination unit 8312 determines that the output voltage of the secondary battery 82 is less than the reference voltage (No in S73), the switching unit 8311 uses the power supplied from the secondary battery 82 to the hardware 81. Stop (S81). Then, the switching unit 8311 supplies power directly from the non-contact power receiving unit 83 to the hardware 81 (S82). Here, the power supplied from the switching unit 8311 to the hardware 81 is the second power.

  Next, the determination unit 8312 determines whether printing by the hardware 81 has been completed (S83). When a print end signal is input from the hardware 81 via the communication line 87, the determination unit 8312 determines that printing by the hardware 81 has ended. If the determination unit 8312 determines that printing by the hardware 81 has been completed (Yes in S83), the switching unit 8311 stops the supply of power from the non-contact power reception unit 83 executed in S82 (S84). Then, the determination unit 8312 returns to S71. If it is determined that printing by the hardware 81 has not ended (No in S83), the determination unit 8312 returns to S81.

  Next, the flow of control processing of the printing apparatus in the second embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 9, S41 and S42 are the same processes as S12 and S13 of FIG. Next, the control unit 800 determines whether power is supplied from the secondary battery 82 (S43). Based on the determination result of S73 in FIG. 8, power is supplied from the secondary battery 82 or the non-contact power receiving unit 73. The control unit 800 determines S43 based on this control.

  When it is determined that power is supplied from the secondary battery 82 (Yes in S43), the control unit 800 executes the processes of S44 to S46 (the same processes as the processes of S15 to S17 in FIG. 6). In addition, when it is determined that power is not supplied from the secondary battery 82 (No in S43), the control unit 800 executes the processing of S51 to S53 (the same processing as the processing of S23 to S25 in FIG. 6). . Then, the control unit 800 transmits a signal indicating that the printing is completed to the battery remaining amount determination circuit 831 via the communication line 87 (S54).

  If it is determined in S41 that print data has not been received (No in S41), the control unit 800 executes the processing in S61 and S62 (the same processing as that in S31 and S32 in FIG. 6). Note that S44 and S51 constitute the print control means 802, and S71 and S82 constitute the power control means 801.

  According to the second embodiment, when the output voltage of the secondary battery 82 is equal to or higher than the reference voltage stored in the reference voltage unit 8143, the remaining battery level determination circuit 831 is charged to the secondary battery. The first power is supplied from the secondary battery 82 to the hardware 81 on the assumption that the power being supplied is sufficient. On the other hand, when the output voltage of the secondary battery 82 is less than the reference voltage stored in the reference voltage unit 8143, the remaining battery level determination circuit 831 assumes that the power charged in the secondary battery is insufficient. The second power is supplied directly from the non-contact power receiving unit 83 to the hardware 81. When the first power is supplied from the secondary battery 82 to the hardware 81, the control unit 800 controls the printing unit 817 to execute printing in the first printing mode. In addition, when the second power is supplied from the non-contact power receiving unit 83 to the hardware 81, the control unit 800 controls the printing unit 817 to execute printing in the second printing mode. Therefore, even when the power supplied from the secondary battery is insufficient, the control unit 800 executes the printing process without waiting for the output voltage of the secondary battery to be charged to be equal to or higher than the reference voltage. be able to.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment is shown as an example and is not intending limiting the range of invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, changes, and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  For example, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the control unit 800 is charged in the secondary battery 82 by comparing the output voltage of the secondary battery 82 with the reference voltage stored in the reference voltage unit 8143. It was determined whether the power was sufficient. However, the controller 800 may determine whether or not the power charged in the secondary battery 82 is sufficient based on an amount related to power other than voltage (for example, a current value).

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the first printing form is a high-speed printing, and the second printing form is a low-speed printing form. However, the point is that the second print form may be a print form that consumes less power than the first print form. For example, the second print form may be a print form in which the number of print dots is thinned out from the first print form.

  Note that the program executed by the printing apparatus 80 according to the embodiment is an installable or executable file, and is a computer such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). Recorded on a readable recording medium.

  The program executed by the printing apparatus 80 according to the embodiment may be configured to be stored by being stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloaded via the network. The program executed by the printing apparatus 80 according to the embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  Further, the program executed by the printing apparatus 80 of the embodiment may be configured to be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Non-contact electric power feeding system 10 POS terminal 27 Paper 80 Printing apparatus 81 Hardware 82 Secondary battery 83 Non-contact electric power reception part 84 Non-contact electric power feeder 800 Control part 801 Power control means 802 Printing control means 816 Conveyance part 817 Printing part 831 Ionization remainder Quantity determining circuit 8311 switching unit 8312 determining unit 8313 reference voltage unit 8143 reference voltage unit

JP 2009-172891 A

Claims (6)

A printing section for printing information on paper;
A secondary battery for supplying first power to the printing unit;
A non-contact state without mechanical connection with an external non-contact power feeder, receiving power from the non-contact power feeder and supplying a second power smaller than the first power to the printing unit A power receiving unit;
When the power charged in the secondary battery is sufficient, the first power is supplied from the secondary battery to the printing unit, and the power charged in the secondary battery is insufficient. Power control means for supplying the second power from the non-contact power receiving unit to the printing unit;
The information is printed on the paper in a first printing form that can be executed by supplying the first power, and the second printing form that can be executed by supplying the second power and consumes less power than the first printing form. Print control means for printing the information on the paper;
Printing device with The power control means supplies the first power from the secondary battery to the printing unit assuming that the power charged in the secondary battery is sufficient if the voltage of the secondary battery is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage. If the voltage of the secondary battery is less than a predetermined voltage, the second power is supplied to the printing unit as the power charged in the secondary battery is insufficient.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1. The power control means stops the supply of the first power from the secondary battery to the printing unit when the power charged in the secondary battery is insufficient.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The printing unit includes a thermal head that prints by transferring heat to the paper according to a temperature change,
In the first printing mode, when the first power is supplied, high power is supplied to the paper that is conveyed at a high speed to the thermal head to print the information on the paper. And
In the second printing mode, when the second power is supplied, the information is printed on the paper without supplying large power to the thermal head with respect to the paper conveyed at low speed. Printing,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1. The secondary battery can be charged,
The power control means charges the secondary battery.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1. A printing unit that prints information on a sheet; a secondary battery that supplies first power to the printing unit; and a non-contact state without mechanical connection with an external non-contact power feeder. A non-contact power receiving unit that receives power and supplies second power smaller than the first power to the printing unit, and a program for controlling the printing apparatus using a computer,
The computer,
When the power charged in the secondary battery is sufficient, the first power is supplied from the secondary battery to the printing unit, and the power charged in the secondary battery is insufficient. Power control means for supplying the second power from the non-contact power receiving unit to the printing unit;
The information is printed on the paper in a first printing form that can be executed by supplying the first power, and the second printing form that can be executed by supplying the second power and consumes less power than the first printing form. Print control means for printing the information on the paper;
Program to make it function.

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