JP6452797B1 - Printer, printer paper cutting control method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

A printer, a paper cutting control method for a printer, and a program capable of reducing the throughput without causing an increase in manufacturing cost are provided.
A paper transport unit (17) for transporting paper (R), a printing unit (18) for printing on the paper, a paper cutting unit (19) for cutting the printed paper, A control unit (100) for controlling the paper transport unit, the printing unit, and the paper cutting unit; and a power supply unit for supplying power to the paper transport unit, the printing unit, the paper cutting unit, and the control unit. The control unit predicts the power consumed by the printing unit and the paper transport unit, and controls the activation of the paper cutting unit.
[Selection] Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer, a paper cutting control method for the printer, and a program.

  Conventionally, for example, when a thermal printer using roll paper is cut after printing, a cutter (paper cutting unit) is used after paper conveyance is stopped to prevent printing from being stopped due to overload detection. It is running. Such a thermal printer is used in various places such as a POS (Point Of Sales) system. For example, in a clearing operation such as a supermarket or a convenience store, if the processing time is long, the POS There is a risk that a customer line will be created in front of the register.

  Therefore, it is required to shorten the time (hereinafter also referred to as throughput) required for the printing process of a thermal printer that prints a receipt or the like and the cutting process (full cut and partial cut) of roll paper. Here, as a technique for shortening the throughput of the thermal printer, for example, it is conceivable to replace parts with a print head or a paper transport motor capable of high-speed printing. In this case, however, the manufacturing cost of the printer is increased. turn into.

  By the way, conventionally, various thermal printers (line thermal printers) applied to, for example, a POS system (POS register) have been proposed.

JP 2009-107090 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-192739

  In the thermal printer that uses the roll paper described above, the paper cutting unit (cutter) that cuts and outputs the printed roll paper (paper) has, for example, a fixed blade and a movable blade, and a motor (cutter motor). The movable blade is driven (moved) by converting the circular motion of the cam driven in Step 2 into reciprocating motion by the crank mechanism. That is, by moving the movable blade, the roll paper located between the fixed blade and the movable blade is sandwiched and cut.

  The movable blade of the cutter is stopped at the position farthest from the fixed blade in the stopped state (initial state), and away from the position where the movable blade and the fixed blade come into contact to start cutting the roll paper (thermal paper). Yes. Therefore, when the cutter is started after the paper conveyance accompanying printing stops, the roll paper cannot be cut immediately, and a delay occurs until the movable blade of the cutter comes into contact with the fixed blade and starts cutting the roll paper. This contributes to a decrease in throughput.

  Here, the movable blade of the cutter in the initial state is stopped at the position farthest from the fixed blade (initial position) by controlling the rotation direction of the cutter motor (DC motor), for example, a DC motor When the roll is rotated to the right, a partial cut (partial cut mode) is performed in which the roll paper is partially connected. When the DC motor is rotated to the left, a full cut (full cut mode) is performed to completely cut the roll paper. It is because it has become. In addition, since the partial cut mode and the full cut mode are arbitrarily designated by the user, for example, it is difficult to bring the movable blade of the cutter close to the fixed blade in advance.

  Further, the position of the movable blade in the initial state (initial position) is farthest from the fixed blade is limited to the cutter configured to select the partial cut mode and the full cut mode based on the rotation direction of the cutter motor. In general, the initial position of the movable blade is a position away from the fixed blade.

  By the way, for example, when printing is performed on roll paper, it is conceivable to simultaneously start the cutter (drive the movable blade) and bring the movable blade closer to the fixed blade from the initial position. However, the power supply of a thermal printer (the power supply built into the printer or a dedicated AC adapter) becomes more expensive as its power supply capacity increases, so it usually supports power supply capacity that allows simultaneous printing and cutting. Not done.

  For this reason, if printing and cutting are simultaneously driven by a normal power supply (built-in power supply or dedicated AC adapter), for example, if there are many print dots in the print data just before the end of printing, the power consumption of the printer will be the current of the power supply. If the power supply capacity (rated power) is exceeded, the power protection circuit is activated, or the fuse is blown and the power supply is stopped, and simultaneous printing and cutting cannot be continued.

  In addition, if a power supply with high current supply capability is applied, printing and cutting can be driven simultaneously, but the high-output type power supply has a high unit price and affects the product price. There is a possibility that a problem may occur, and there is a problem that the throughput cannot be easily reduced by simultaneous driving of printing and cutting.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a printer, a paper cutting control method for a printer, and a program capable of reducing throughput without causing an increase in manufacturing cost.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, a paper transport unit that transports paper, a printing unit that prints on the paper, a paper cutting unit that cuts the printed paper, the paper transport unit, A printer that controls the activation of the paper cutting unit by predicting the power consumed by the printing unit and the paper transport unit. Is done.

  According to the printer, the paper cutting control method, and the program according to the present embodiment, there is an effect that throughput can be reduced without causing an increase in manufacturing cost.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an example of a printer to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of the printer shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the printer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the roll paper cutting unit in the printer shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an operation when performing a partial cut and a full cut by the roll paper cutting unit shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the position of the movable blade and the fulcrum when performing the partial cut by the roll paper cutting unit shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the position of the movable blade and the fulcrum when full cutting is performed by the roll paper cutting unit shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the roll paper cutting unit in one embodiment of the printer according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a printer according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart (part 1) for explaining an example of processing of the paper cutting control program of the printer according to the present invention. FIG. 11 is a flowchart (part 2) for explaining an example of processing of the paper cutting control program of the printer according to the present invention.

  Embodiments of a printer, a paper cutting control method for a printer, and a program according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an example of a printer to which the present invention is applied, and shows an example of a POS thermal printer (line thermal printer) 10. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of the printer shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view for explaining the printer shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the printer 10 prints and outputs a receipt or the like using, for example, roll paper (paper) R, and has a roll paper storage and conveyance section (paper conveyance section) inside. 17, the main unit 11 provided with the printing unit 18 and the roll paper cutting unit (paper cutting unit) 19, and the roll paper containing and conveying unit 17, the printing unit 18 and the roll paper cutting unit 19 are provided so as to be exposed / shielded. A top unit 12. Here, reference numeral 13 indicates an operation lever that opens and closes the top unit 12, and Sw indicates an operation button that is disposed on the top unit 12 and that performs various operation commands.

  A main body frame 11 is accommodated in the main body unit 11 surrounded by the outer case 14, and a top frame 16 is accommodated in the top unit 12. The main body frame 15 is formed by, for example, performing a well-known plastic processing on a thin metal plate based on the design, and a control board (control unit) Pb is disposed on the bottom side. In the main body frame 15, a roll paper containing and conveying unit 17, a printing unit 18, and a roll paper cutting unit 19 are disposed. The roll paper cutting unit 19 is disposed at a position below the operation lever 13 provided on the front end side of the top frame 16.

  In the roll paper storage / conveying unit 17, a storage space capable of storing the roll paper R having a predetermined width and winding diameter is secured by the top frame 16 and the main body frame 15, and the roll paper R drawn out from the storage space is secured. Is provided to the printing unit 18. The guide unit 20 includes an upper guide unit 21 provided on the top frame 16 side, and a transfer panel 22 on the main body frame 15 side facing each other with a predetermined gap.

  The printing unit 18 includes a platen roller 23 provided on the main body frame 15 side, and a print head (thermal print head) 24 provided on the upper guide unit 21 side of the top frame 16. The print head has a plurality of heating elements arranged in a direction crossing the moving direction of the paper (for example, a vertical direction), controls the temperature by a current flowing through each heating element, and roll paper (for example, thermal paper) ) R is printed based on the print data. The print head 24 may be configured not to print directly on the thermal paper roll paper R, but to print on the plain paper roll paper R using an ink ribbon. A paper guide 25 is disposed between the platen roller 23 and the adjacent roll paper cutting unit 19.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the roll paper cutting unit in the printer shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Here, the roll paper cutting unit 19 has a unit structure adjacent to the front of the printing unit 18 (the output side of the printed roll paper R) and detachably disposed on the main body frame 15. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the roll paper cutting unit 19 is a guillotine-type cutting mechanism, and has a fixed blade having a linear blade fixed to the tip of the upper guide unit 21 of the top frame 16. 26, and a pair of members 28a and 28b integrally accommodated in the frame 27, the movable blade 28 has an obtuse V-shaped blade shape. In addition, the notch part C for implement | achieving a partial cut is formed in the butt | matching part upper surface among a pair of members 28a and 28b which comprise the movable blade 28. FIG.

  The frame 27 is provided as a separate body from the main body frame 15, is adjacent to the position where the printing unit 18 is disposed in the main body frame 15, and can open and close the upper side around the lower support shaft B toward the front side. It is installed. Both ends on the upper side of the frame 27 are fixed to the main body frame 15 by fixing screws 29, and a movable blade 28 is accommodated in the frame 27 via a support member 30.

  Here, the partial cutting is performed by raising the movable blade 28 so that the portion (central portion) of the roll paper R corresponding to the notch C is not cut with respect to the fixed blade 26 (so that the central portion is connected). It can be carried out. Further, the roll paper R is completely cut by raising the upper part (blade part) of the movable blade 28 including the notch C so as to be higher than the lower part (blade part) of the fixed blade 26. Full cut can be performed.

  That is, the roll paper cutting unit 19 includes a support member 30 that supports the movable blade 28, a cam lever 31 that drives the support member 30 so that the movable blade 28 moves forward (rises) toward the fixed blade 26, and the movable blade A return spring 32 is provided for biasing 28 together with the support member 30 to return (lower) to the initial position. The cam lever 31 includes a forward movement lever 31a (hereinafter referred to as a lifting lever 31a) and a backward movement lever 31b (hereinafter referred to as a lowering lever 31b) protruding from the rotation central shaft portion 31x. On the other hand, the movable blade 28 is reciprocated (lifted / lowered) via the support member 30 by the electric deceleration drive mechanism 33.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an operation when performing a partial cut and a full cut by the roll paper cutting unit shown in FIG. Here, FIG. 5A is for explaining the operation when performing a partial cut, and FIG. 5B is for explaining the operation when performing a full cut.

6 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the position of the movable blade and the fulcrum when performing partial cutting by the roll paper cutting unit shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the roll paper cutting unit shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the position of a movable blade and the fulcrum in the case of performing full cut by. 6A to 6E show how the fulcrum (transmission pin) P is rotated counterclockwise from the initial position by the short first driving radius r ₁ and then returned to the initial position again. shown, FIG. 7 (a) ~ FIG 7 (e) is a support point P, showing how to return to again its initial position by rotating in the clockwise direction by the long second driving radius r ₂ from the initial position.

First, as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 6 (a) to 6 (e), when performing a partial cut, the rotation direction of the fulcrum P is counterclockwise, and the first drive radius r ₁ is short. The fulcrum P is rotationally moved, and the rising of the movable blade 28 facing the fixed blade 26 is controlled so that the central portion of the roll paper R is connected without being cut by the notch C (see FIG. 6C).

Next, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 7A to 7E, when full cutting is performed, the rotation direction of the fulcrum P is clockwise and the second driving radius r ₂ is long. The roll paper R is completely moved by rotating the fulcrum P and raising the movable blade 28 facing the fixed blade 26 so that the upper portion of the movable blade 28 including the notch C is above the lower portion of the fixed blade 26. (See FIG. 7 (c)).

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 5 (a) and 5 (b), the electric speed reduction drive mechanism 33 is disposed on the outer side of the main body frame 15, and is attached to the rotation center shaft portion 31 x of the cam lever 31. A driving force is applied to the driving motor 36, a worm gear 38, an idle gear 39, a support plate 40, and a transmission arm 41. The worm gear 38 is mounted on the output shaft 37 of the drive motor 36 as a power switching transmission mechanism, and the idle gear 39 is engaged with the worm gear 38. The support plate 40 is pivotally fixed to a support shaft G provided at a predetermined position of the idle gear 39 and is driven by a rotation axis Z and an interlocking shaft K of the idle gear 39 (first driving radius and second driving radius). The first and second switching holes h ₁ and h ₂ and the fulcrum P are provided so as to be able to switch the driving radius). The transmission arm 41 mechanically connects the fulcrum (transmission pin) P through the long hole Lh, and converts the rotational movement of the fulcrum P into the vertical movement of the movable blade 28.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the cam lever 31 that drives the support member 30 and the support member 30 rotate in the cam lever 31 so that the movable blade 28 moves toward the fixed blade 26 in the roll paper cutting unit 19. Engagement is performed via a raising lever 31a and a lowering lever 31b protruding from the central shaft portion 31x. The raising lever 31 a is an engaging portion formed by cutting in the lower portion of the support member 30 and is engaged with the engaging groove 42 so as to contact from below. At that time, the raising lever 31a and the engaging groove 42 are arranged such that, for example, even if the raising lever 31a is inclined, the contact portion is changed from the surface contact to the line contact so that the contact portion proceeds continuously without a step. The inner upper wall surface of 42 is formed as a convex surface having an appropriate curvature.

  The lowering lever 31b and the support member 30 are engaging portions formed on the supporting member 30, and are engaged with the insertion holes 43 by inserting the tip end side of the lowering lever 31b. At that time, the lowering lever 31b and the insertion hole 43 are provided with an appropriate inner lower wall surface of the insertion hole 43 so that the contact portion continuously advances without a step even if the lowering lever 31b is inclined downward. It is formed as a convex surface with a curvature.

  As described above, an example of a printer to which the present invention is applied is based on the rotation direction of the fulcrum P that rotates, for example, as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (e). The roll paper R is partially cut by rotating counterclockwise from the position (lowermost position), and the fulcrum P is moved from the initial position as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (e). The roll paper R is fully cut by rotating it clockwise. Note that the partial cut and the full cut are selectively performed according to the direction in which the fulcrum P is rotated from the initial position, not limited to those described above, and can be realized by various configurations.

  The application of the present invention is not limited to a printer configured to selectively perform partial cut and full cut of the paper depending on the rotation direction of the fulcrum P. The present invention is not limited to the initial position (stop state) of the movable blade 28. The printer has a paper cutting section (roll paper cutting section) 19 that cannot be set to a position (cutting start position) closest to the fixed blade 26 in order to actually cut the paper (roll paper). As a result, the throughput can be shortened even with respect to 10. Furthermore, the present invention has a great effect in, for example, a thermal printer in which power consumption during printing changes greatly according to print data. However, the present invention is not limited to a thermal printer and can be widely applied to various printers. Not too long.

  By the way, in recent years, for example, microcomputers (arithmetic processing devices) mounted on thermal printers have been improved in performance, and it is possible to predict power consumption during printing with high accuracy.

  Therefore, to outline the embodiment according to the present invention, for example, when performing a cut after printing, the control unit (microcomputer), during printing, in order to determine whether printing and cutting can be driven simultaneously, Based on the print data given to the printing unit, the power consumption immediately before the completion of printing (predicted power consumption during printing in the printing unit) is predicted. Further, the control unit obtains cutter-driven power consumption (cutting unit driving power consumption when the paper cutting unit is driven).

  Then, the control unit adds the predicted power consumption during printing and the cutting unit driving power consumption to obtain the simultaneous driving power consumption when the printing unit and the paper cutting unit are driven simultaneously, and the simultaneous driving power consumption is A comparison is made to determine whether the power supply capacity (rated power consumption) is lower than the preset power supply capacity. Here, when it is determined that the power consumption at the time of simultaneous driving is lower than the rated power consumption, printing and cutter driving are simultaneously performed to reduce the throughput.

  As the power source of the printer, for example, in the case of a power source built in the printer or a dedicated AC adapter, the rated power consumption of the power source is stored in advance in a non-volatile memory, for example, and the control unit (microcomputer ) Is recognizable. In addition, when using a general-purpose power supply (AC adapter) provided outside the printer, for example, the user can manually set the rated power consumption of the power supply, or it can be set automatically. The microcomputer can be recognized.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the roll paper cutting unit in one embodiment of the printer according to the present invention. Here, FIG. 8A shows, for example, the case where the simultaneous driving power consumption, which is the sum of the above-described predicted printing power consumption and cutting section driving power consumption, exceeds the rated power consumption of the power source, that is, Similarly, the operation when the roll paper cutting unit is activated to cut the roll paper after all the printing on the roll paper is completed will be described. FIG. 8 (b) is for explaining the operation when, for example, the power consumption during simultaneous driving does not exceed the rated power consumption of the power source, that is, when the throughput can be reduced by this embodiment. It is.

  8 (a) and 8 (b), reference symbols Lp1 and Lp2 indicate that when time is taken on the horizontal axis and printing time is taken on the vertical axis, for example, when one receipt is printed. A characteristic curve is shown, and reference characters Lc1 and Lc2 indicate that, for example, one receipt is cut (cut) when time is taken on the horizontal axis and the height of the fulcrum P of the movable blade 28 is taken on the vertical axis. ) Shows the characteristic curve.

  As shown in FIG. 8 (a), when the power consumption during simultaneous driving exceeds the rated power consumption of the power source, that is, when printing and cutter activation (moving blade movement) are performed simultaneously, the rated power consumption of the power source If, for example, the roll paper R is printed on a receipt based on the characteristic curve Lp1, and the printing on the receipt is completed, the roll paper cutting unit 19 is activated. For example, the fulcrum P is moved based on the characteristic curve Lp1, and the receipt is cut. Therefore, to print and cut one receipt, it takes [print time Tp1] + [cut time Tc1].

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the power consumption during simultaneous driving does not exceed the rated power consumption of the power source, that is, the rated power consumption even when printing and moving the movable blade are performed simultaneously. When the power does not exceed, for example, the roll paper R is printed on a receipt based on the characteristic curve Lp1, and the roll paper cutting unit 19 is activated while the receipt is printed. Then, the movable blade 28 is brought close to the fixed blade 26, and when the printing related to the receipt is completed, the roll paper R is cut immediately by the movable blade 28 and the fixed blade 26. Thereby, for example, it is possible to improve (shorten) the throughput by the time (shortening time Tr) until the movable blade 28 is brought close to the fixed blade 26 from the initial position. Accordingly, the time for printing and cutting one receipt is [printing time Tp1] + [cutting time Tc1]-[shortening time Tr].

  In the above, when the power consumption at the time of simultaneous driving does not exceed the rated power consumption of the power supply, the time for printing and cutting the receipt is, for example, partial cut for rotating the fulcrum P counterclockwise, It is possible to shorten with both full cuts rotating in the direction. The predicted power consumption during printing can be calculated, for example, from the print data given to the printing unit by the arithmetic processing unit (microcomputer), and the cutting unit driving power consumption is, for example, the microcomputer driving the movable blade It can be calculated from the load of the cutter motor (DC motor).

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the printer according to the present invention, in which the control unit 100 in the printer 10 and the cutter motor 200a, thermal head 200b, and paper feed motor 200c controlled by the control unit 100 are extracted and shown. Is. Here, for example, the control unit 100 is provided on the control board Pb in FIG. 3, and controls the entire printer 10 including the cutter motor 200a, the thermal head 200b, and the paper feed motor 200c. The cutter motor 200a corresponds to, for example, the drive motor 36 in FIG. 4, and the thermal head 200b corresponds to, for example, the print head 24 in FIG. The paper feed motor 200c is for carrying the roll paper R accommodated in the roll paper accommodation / conveyance section 17 in FIG. 3 to the printing section 18 and the paper cutting section 19, and for example, rotationally drives the platen roller 23. Used for.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 100 includes a print image buffer (for example, RAM: Random Access Memory) 101 that temporarily stores print data given from the outside (for example, the POS main body), a microcomputer (an arithmetic processing unit). ) 102, and a cutter motor control circuit 103a, a thermal head control circuit 103b, and a paper feed motor control circuit 103c for controlling the cutter motor 200a, the thermal head 200b, and the paper feed motor 200c, respectively.

  The microcomputer 102 includes a cutter control unit 121 including a cutter activation control unit 121a and a cutter motor drive waveform generation unit 121b, and a print control unit 122 including a head control waveform property western part 122a and a paper feed motor drive waveform generation unit 122b. The microcomputer 102 performs processing according to a given program, controls the cutter motor 200a (paper cutting unit 19) via the cutter motor control circuit 103a, and thermal head 200b (printing unit 18) via the thermal head control circuit 103b. And a paper feed motor 200c (paper transport unit: roll paper storage and transport unit 17 and the like) is controlled via the paper feed motor control circuit 103c.

  That is, the microcomputer 102 predicts the predicted power consumption during printing in the printing unit 18 based on the data stored in the print image buffer 101 (print data given to the thermal head 200b (printing unit 18)), and the cutter motor 200a (paper). The power consumption during simultaneous driving when the printing unit 18 and the paper cutting unit 19 are driven simultaneously is calculated by adding the cutting unit driving power consumption when the cutting unit 19) is driven.

  Further, the microcomputer 102 determines whether or not the calculated power consumption during simultaneous driving exceeds the rated power consumption of the power source that supplies power to the printer. That is, when the microcomputer 102 determines that the power consumption during simultaneous driving does not exceed the rated power consumption of the power source, the microcomputer 102 controls the paper cutting unit 19 (cutter motor 200a) while the printing unit 18 is printing. The movable blade 28 is moved toward the fixed blade 26. Then, as described with reference to FIG. 8B, the microcomputer 102 immediately completes the printing by the thermal head 200b (when the printing unit 18 completes the printing), immediately after the paper cutting unit 19 (the movable blade 28 and Control is made so that the paper is cut by the fixed blade 26).

  When it is determined that the power consumption at the time of simultaneous driving exceeds the rated power consumption of the power source, the microcomputer 102 performs printing and cutter activation (movable blade activation) in the same manner as before described with reference to FIG. Without completing the movement, the printing by the thermal head 200b (printing unit 18) is completed, and then the cutter motor 200a (paper cutting unit 19) is activated to control the cutting of the paper.

  Here, as an example, when the present invention is applied to, for example, a lottery printing thermal printer with a maximum speed of 300 mm / sec, there is an effect of throughput reduction of 0.1 second per sheet. That is, this thermal printer is capable of printing 300 mm per second, but when printing 100 mm, the printing time is 0.33 seconds (100 mm ÷ 300 mm / sec), and the present invention is applied. Thus, it was confirmed that a throughput equivalent to that of a printer capable of printing at a maximum speed of 434 mm / sec (100 mm ÷ (0.33 seconds−0.1 seconds)) can be obtained.

  10 and 11 are flowcharts for explaining an example of processing of the paper cutting control program of the printer according to the present invention. 10 and 11 is executed by, for example, the arithmetic processing unit (microcomputer) 102 described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when an example of processing of the paper cutting control program (cutter activation control processing) of the printer according to the present invention is started, in step ST1, it is determined whether printing is in progress, and printing is in progress. If (YES) is determined, the process proceeds to step ST2 to clear (initialize) the simultaneous drive check raster counter to zero, and further to step ST3 to clear (initialize) the cutter activation time counter to zero. Then, the process proceeds to step ST4.

  If it is determined in step ST1 that printing is not in progress (NO), the process proceeds to step ST15 to start the cutter. That is, in the cutter activation control process, when it is determined that printing is not being performed (printing is completed), the process proceeds to step ST15 as it is, and the movable blade starts to move from the initial position. .

In step ST4, the power consumption at the time of printing is predicted from the number of heating dots indicated by [final print raster-simultaneous drive check raster counter]. Further, the process proceeds to step ST5, and the predicted power consumption at the time of printing and the power consumption at the time of cutter driving are advanced. The power consumption during simultaneous driving is calculated by adding the power consumption, and the process proceeds to step ST6. In addition, the power consumption at the time of printing in step ST4 can be calculated | required from the following formula | equation (1), for example.
[Power consumption during printing] = ([Number of honey dots within raster] × [Current consumption per dot] × [Voltage]) × ([Applied pulse time within 1 raster] ÷ [1 raster printing time]) ( 1)

  In step ST6, it is determined whether the power consumption at the time of simultaneous driving does not exceed the rated power consumption of the power source, and if it is determined that the power consumption at the time of simultaneous driving does not exceed the rated power consumption of the power source (YES), Proceed to ST7. That is, if it is determined that the rated power consumption of the power source is not exceeded even if printing and cutter activation (movable blade movement) are performed simultaneously (the rated capacity of the power source is larger and has a margin), the process proceeds to step ST7. The raster printing time indicated by [final print raster-simultaneous drive check raster counter] is added to the cutter activation time counter, and the process proceeds to step ST8. If it is determined in step ST6 that the power consumption during simultaneous driving exceeds the rated power consumption of the power supply (NO), the process proceeds to step ST11.

  In step ST8, the cutter activation time counter determines whether or not the desired cutter activation time has been exceeded. If it is determined that the cutter activation time counter has not exceeded the desired cutter activation time (YES), the process proceeds to step ST9. . Here, the desired cutter activation time means the time from when the cutter is activated until the movable blade of the cutter comes into contact with the fixed blade and starts cutting the paper (roll paper).

  In step ST9, the simultaneous drive check raster counter is incremented (+1), the process returns to step ST4, and the same processing is repeated. In other words, when it is determined that the cutter activation time counter does not exceed the desired cutter activation time, the simultaneous drive check raster counter is incremented to determine whether or not the simultaneous drive for the further raster is possible, and the process proceeds to step ST4. Will return.

  If it is determined in step ST8 that the cutter activation time counter exceeds the desired cutter activation time (NO), the process proceeds to step ST10, where the desired cutter activation time described above is set for the cutter activation time counter, Proceed to step ST11. That is, when it is determined in step ST6 that the power consumption during simultaneous driving does not exceed the rated power consumption of the power supply (YES), and in step ST8, the cutter activation time counter exceeds the desired cutter activation time. If it is determined as (NO) and the process of step ST10 is performed, the process proceeds to step ST11 to determine whether or not the cutters can be driven simultaneously during printing (cutter activation time counter ≠ 0). If it is determined that the cutters can be driven simultaneously (YES), the process proceeds to step ST12, the remaining printing time is obtained from the remaining printing raster, and the process proceeds to step ST13.

  In step ST13, it is determined whether the remaining printing time is equal to or smaller than the cutter activation time counter. If it is determined that the remaining printing time is equal to or smaller than the cutter activation time counter (YES), the process proceeds to step ST15 and the cutter is activated. To finish the process (cutter activation process). If it is determined in step ST13 that the remaining printing time is longer than the cutter activation time counter (NO), the process returns to step ST12, the remaining printing time is obtained from the remaining printing raster, and the process proceeds to step ST13 to repeat the same processing.

  If it is determined in step ST11 that the simultaneous driving of the cutters is not possible during printing (NO), the process proceeds to step ST14, where it is determined whether printing is completed, and if it is determined that printing is completed, step ST15. Proceed to, start the cutter and finish the process. Note that the above-described processing of the paper cutting control program of the printer is merely an example, and it goes without saying that various changes and modifications are possible.

  In the above, the application of the present invention is not limited to the thermal printer using roll paper, but cuts the printed paper, the paper transport unit that transports the paper, the printing unit that prints on the paper, and the like. The present invention can be applied to various printers including a paper cutting unit and a control unit that controls the paper transport unit, the printing unit, and the paper cutting unit.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printer, a printer paper cutting control method, and a program capable of reducing the throughput by changing the control method without causing an increase in the manufacturing cost of the printer. It becomes.

  Although the embodiment has been described above, all examples and conditions described herein are described for the purpose of helping understanding of the concept of the invention applied to the invention and the technology. It is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Nor does such a description of the specification indicate an advantage or disadvantage of the invention. Although embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printer 11 Main body unit 12 Top unit 13 Operation lever 14 Exterior case 15 Main body frame 16 Top frame 17 Roll paper accommodation conveyance part 18 Printing part 19 Paper cutting part 20 Guide part 21 Upper guide unit 22 Conveying panel 23 Platen roller 24 Print head 25 Paper guide 26 Fixed blade 27 Frame 28 Movable blade 29 Fixed screw 30 Support member 31 Cam lever 31a Lift lever 31b Lower lever 31x Rotation center shaft portion 32 Return spring 33 Electric deceleration drive mechanism 34 Detection arm 35 Photo sensor 36 Drive motor 37 Output shaft 38 Worm gear 39 Idle gear 40 Support plate 41 Transmitting arm 42 Engaging groove 43 Insertion hole Sw Operation button Pb Control board R Roll paper C Notch B Support shaft h1 First switching hole h2 Second switching P fulcrum (transmitting pin)
Lh Long hole G Support shaft Z Rotating shaft K Interlocking shaft

Claims (15)

A paper transport unit for transporting paper,
A printing section for printing on the paper;
A paper cutting section for cutting the printed paper;
A control unit that controls the paper transport unit, the printing unit, and the paper cutting unit,
The control unit predicts power consumed by the printing unit and the paper transport unit, and controls activation of the paper cutting unit.
A printer characterized by that. The controller is
Summing the predicted power consumption during printing in the printing unit predicted based on the print data given to the printing unit and the cutting unit driving power consumption when driving the paper cutting unit, the printing unit and the paper cutting unit Obtain the power consumption during simultaneous driving when driving simultaneously,
Controlling the activation of the paper cutting unit based on whether or not the power consumption at the time of simultaneous driving exceeds a rated power consumption of a power source that supplies power to the printer;
The printer according to claim 1. The paper cutting unit has a fixed blade and a movable blade,
The controller is
When it is determined that the power consumption during simultaneous driving does not exceed the rated power consumption of the power source, the movable blade is moved toward the fixed blade while the printing unit is printing, and the printing unit When the printing is completed, control is performed so that the paper cutting unit immediately cuts the paper.
The printer according to claim 2. The controller is
When it is determined that the power consumption during simultaneous driving does not exceed the rated power consumption of the power source, a remaining printing time is obtained from the number of remaining printing rasters in the print data, and the movable blade stopped at an initial position is fixed. to start the movement of the movable blade when the time until it contacts the blade becomes equal to the remaining printing time,
The printer according to claim 3. The power source is built in the printer and supplies power to the paper transport unit, the printing unit, the paper cutting unit, and the control unit.
The printer according to claim 3, wherein the printer is a printer. The power source is provided outside the printer and supplies power to the paper transport unit, the printing unit, the paper cutting unit, and the control unit,
The control unit recognizes a rated power consumption of the power source provided outside the printer;
The printer according to claim 3, wherein the printer is a printer. The paper cutting unit has a full cut mode for completely cutting the paper, and a partial cut mode for cutting with a part of the paper connected,
The full cut mode and the partial cut mode are selected by moving the movable blade from the same initial position.
The printer according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the printer is any one of the above. In the partial cut mode, a cutter motor that drives the movable blade is rotated in a first rotation direction,
In the full cut mode, the cutter motor is rotated in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction.
The printer according to claim 7. The printing unit includes a thermal print head having a plurality of heating elements arranged in a direction intersecting with the moving direction of the paper,
The printer is a thermal printer;
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer is a printer. The paper is roll paper,
The paper cutting unit cuts and outputs the printed roll paper;
The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: A sheet conveying unit configured to convey a sheet; a printing unit configured to print on the sheet; and a sheet cutting unit configured to cut the printed sheet. The sheet printed by controlling the sheet cutting unit. A paper cutting control method for a printer that cuts
Predicting the power consumed by the printing unit and the paper transport unit, and controlling the activation of the paper cutting unit;
A paper cutting control method for a printer. The activation of the paper cutting unit is controlled by
Summing the predicted power consumption during printing in the printing unit predicted based on the print data given to the printing unit and the cutting unit driving power consumption when driving the paper cutting unit, the printing unit and the paper cutting unit Obtain the power consumption during simultaneous driving when driving simultaneously,
Controlling the activation of the paper cutting unit based on whether or not the power consumption at the time of simultaneous driving exceeds a rated power consumption of a power source that supplies power to the printer;
The paper cutting control method for a printer according to claim 11. The paper cutting unit has a fixed blade and a movable blade,
The activation of the paper cutting unit is controlled by
When it is determined that the power consumption during simultaneous driving does not exceed the rated power consumption of the power source, the movable blade is moved toward the fixed blade while the printing unit is printing, and the printing unit When the printing is completed, control is performed so that the paper cutting unit immediately cuts the paper.
The paper cutting control method for a printer according to claim 12. The activation of the paper cutting unit is controlled by
When it is determined that the power consumption during simultaneous driving does not exceed the rated power consumption of the power source, a remaining printing time is obtained from the number of remaining printing rasters in the print data, and the movable blade stopped at an initial position is fixed. to start the movement of the movable blade when the time until it contacts the blade becomes equal to the remaining printing time,
The printer paper cutting control method according to claim 13. A sheet conveying unit configured to convey a sheet; a printing unit configured to print on the sheet; and a sheet cutting unit configured to cut the printed sheet. The sheet printed by controlling the sheet cutting unit. A paper cutting control program for a printer that cuts
In the arithmetic processing unit,
Predicting the power consumed by the printing unit and the paper transport unit, and executing a process for controlling activation of the paper cutting unit;
A paper cutting control program for a printer.

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