JP6929520B2 - Printing equipment and printing programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing program for producing a printed matter on which a desired print is formed.

Conventionally, there is known a printing apparatus that prints desired on a print medium and cuts the printed medium after printing to produce a printed matter (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In this conventional technique, for example, a plurality of printed matter having different print contents (characters, etc.) can be printed on a series of printable media by printing operations at the same time. At this time, different printed matter has a function of separating the printed matter for each leaf according to the printed content (hereinafter, referred to as "full cut") and the printed medium according to the printed content. It has a function of semi-separating each leaf (hereinafter referred to as "half-cut").

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-006472

In the above-mentioned conventional technique, a full cut and a half cut can be combined at the time of printing.

Here, in the printed matter creation work of the printing apparatus, if the full cut and the half cut are combined based on a predetermined number of sheets set in advance for the printed medium after printing, for example, a difference in the number of characters may occur. When the lengths of the printed matter are different due to the above, the printed matter cannot be sorted according to the combination desired by the user, and the printed medium cannot be cut according to the user's application and preference.

An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a printing program capable of cutting a printed medium according to a user's application and preference while reducing the burden of operation labor.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a transport means for transporting a printable medium, a printing means for forming prints on the printable medium transported by the transport means, and using the printed medium as a printed medium. A cutting means for cutting the printed medium, a housing including the transport means, the printing means, and the cutting means, and a housing provided in the housing to discharge the printed medium from the inside of the housing to the outside of the housing. A printing device having a discharge port for printing, a detection means provided below the discharge port in the housing, and a detection means for non-contactly detecting a detection target located outside the housing, and the detection. It has a control means for controlling the operation of the cutting means according to the detection result of the means.

In the present invention, printing is performed by the printing means on the printed medium conveyed by the conveying means to form a printed medium. The printed medium is cut by a cutting means into a printed matter such as a print label, and then discharged from the discharge port to the outside of the housing.

At that time, the desired form of cutting the printed medium may differ depending on the user's application and preference. Therefore, in the present invention, the detection means is provided in the housing, and the control means controls the operation of the cutting means according to the detection result. Thereby, for example, the user holds his / her hand in front of the detection means and causes the detection means to detect the hand as a detection target, so that the disconnection means can be made to perform the operation intended by the user. As a result, the burden of operation labor can be reduced as compared with the case where the user sets the disconnection on the screen of the operation terminal connected to the printing device or the screen provided on the printing device itself, for example.

Further, in particular, in the present invention, the detection means is arranged below the discharge port. As a result, for example, with the user holding his / her hand over the detection means and performing the above operation, the printed matter discharged from the discharge port can be received by hand as it is, so that the operation of the cutting means can be performed with one action. You can receive it, which further improves convenience. Further, it is also possible to detect the printed matter itself discharged from the discharge port by the detecting means, thereby operating the cutting means.

According to the present invention, it is possible to cut a printed medium according to a user's application and preference while reducing the burden of operation labor.

It is a system block diagram which shows the print label generation system which includes the print label making apparatus operated by the operation terminal of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the print label making apparatus. It is an enlarged plan view which shows an example of the internal unit provided in a housing schematically together with a cartridge. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of the control system of a print label making apparatus. It is a top view which shows an example of the appearance of the created printed matter. It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the print label making apparatus which shows an example which a user holds a hand over an action detection sensor. It is explanatory drawing of an example of the print setting screen which a user sets by using an operation terminal. It is a flow chart which shows an example of the processing executed by the control system of a print label making apparatus. It is an enlarged plan view which shows another example of the internal unit provided in a housing schematically together with a cartridge. It is a functional block diagram which shows another example of the control system of a print label making apparatus. It is a top view which shows another example of the appearance of the created printed matter. It is a flow chart which shows the other example of the processing executed by the control system of a print label making apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the print label making apparatus which shows the other example which a user holds a hand over an action detection sensor. It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the print label making apparatus which shows the example which arranged the plurality of action detection sensors.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is an embodiment when the present invention is applied to a print label generation system.

FIG. 1 shows a print label generation system including a print label creation device which is a printing device in the present embodiment and a terminal connected to the print label creation device in order to execute the printed matter creation method in the present embodiment. .. In this print label generation system LS, a plurality of print label creation devices 1 (three print label creation devices 1A, 1B, 1C in this example) are connected from, for example, a general-purpose computer via a wired or wireless communication line NW. It is connected to a terminal 118 (in this example, one desktop personal computer 118A and a notebook personal computer 118B) as one or more operating terminals.

The terminal 118 includes an operation unit 118a composed of a keyboard or a mouse (including a touch pad), a display unit 118b composed of a liquid crystal display or the like, a CPU (calculation means), RAM, ROM, HDD (all not shown) and the like. It is equipped with a main body 118c with an interior. The CPU executes various programs stored in advance in the HDD while using the temporary storage function of the RAM. As a result, the entire print label creation device 1 is controlled. The stored program also includes a print program according to the present embodiment when three print label creation devices 1A, 1B, and 1C are selectively used to create a plurality of print labels (printed matter) described later. included.

<Overall structure of print label making device>
Next, the overall structure of the print label creating devices 1A, 1B, and 1C will be described with reference to FIG. These three print label creating devices 1A, 1B, and 1C have the same structure as each other, and when it is not necessary to distinguish between them, they are hereinafter simply referred to as "print label creating device 1" as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 2, the print label creating device 1 can be opened and closed on the device main body 2 having a housing 200 having a substantially hexahedral (substantially cubic) shape on the outer shell and the upper surface of the device main body 2 (see the arrow in FIG. 2). It has an opening / closing lid 3 provided on (or may be detachable).

The housing 200 is located on the front surface of the apparatus main body 2 (see the arrow in FIG. 2), and prints are formed on a strip-shaped (tape-shaped) printed medium (not shown) created inside the apparatus main body 2. A front wall 5 provided with a discharge port 4 for discharging the finished medium T to the outside, and a front lid 6 of the front wall 5 provided below the discharge port 4 and whose lower end is rotatably supported (openable and closable). , Is equipped.

At one end of the front wall 5, a power key 7 for turning on / off the power of the print label making device 1 and a cutting unit 30 (see FIG. 3 described later) arranged inside the device main body 2 are used. A cutter drive key 8 is provided so as to be able to be driven by the manual operation of the above. In addition to the cutter drive key 8, the front lid 6 is provided with a non-contact action detection sensor (detection means) 9 for enabling the cutting unit 30 to be driven by a predetermined action by the user. If the action detection sensor 9 is arranged below the discharge port 4 and detects a detection target in a non-contact manner, for example, a known optical sensor, infrared sensor, ultrasonic sensor, or the like is applied. be able to. At this time, it is desirable that the action detection sensor 9 has a detection accuracy including the distance to the detection target.

The opening / closing lid 3 is rotatably pivotally supported at the right rear end (see the arrow in FIG. 2) of the device main body 2 and is always attached in the opening direction via an urging member (not shown) such as a spring. It is being pushed. Then, by pressing the open / close button 10 arranged adjacent to the open / close lid 3 on the upper surface of the device main body 2, the lock between the open / close lid 3 and the device main body 2 is released, and the urging action of the urging member is performed. Opened by. A see-through window 11 covered with a transparent cover is provided on the central side of the opening / closing lid 3.

<Internal unit>
Next, an internal unit arranged inside the housing 200 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the internal unit of the print label creating device 1 is roughly composed of a cartridge holder 13 for accommodating a cartridge 12, a printing mechanism 20 having a printing head (thermal head) 21 as a printing means, and a printing mechanism 20. A cutting unit 30 and a label discharging mechanism (not shown) are provided.

The print head 21 includes a large number of heat generating elements, and is mounted on a head mounting portion (not shown) erected on the cartridge holder 13.

The cartridge holder 13 stores the cartridge 12 so that the width direction of the printed medium T discharged from the discharge port 4 after being discharged from the tape ejection portion (not shown) of the cartridge 12 is in the vertical direction. ..

The cartridge 12 has a housing 14 and a first roll 102 around which a strip-shaped base material tape 101 is wound (actually, it is spiral, but it is simply shown concentrically in the figure). A second roll 104 (actually a spiral shape, but simply concentrically shown in the figure) around which a transparent cover film 103 having a width substantially the same as that of the base material tape 101 is wound, and an ink ribbon. Ribbon supply side roll 106 (actually spiral, but simply concentric in the figure) that feeds 105 (thermal transfer ribbon, but not required if the tape to be printed is thermal tape) and after printing. It has a ribbon winding roller 107 for winding the ink ribbon 105, and a tape feeding roller 22 rotatably supported in the vicinity of the tape discharging portion of the cartridge 12. The cover film 103 and the printed medium T on which the base material tape 101 is attached to the cover film 103 constitute the printed medium according to each claim.

The first roll 102 winds the base material tape 101 around the reel member 102R. As shown in the enlarged view of the A part surrounded by the ellipse of the two-point chain line in FIG. 3, the base tape 101 has a four-layer structure in this example, and the base tape 101 has a four-layer structure from the side wound inside (right side in FIG. 3). Toward the opposite side (left side in FIG. 3), an adhesive layer 101a made of an appropriate adhesive material, a colored base film (base material layer) 101b made of PEL (polyethylene terephthalate), etc., and an adhesive layer made of an appropriate adhesive material. (Adhesive layer for sticking) 101c and release paper (release material layer) 101d are laminated in this order.

An adhesive layer 101a for later adhering the cover film 103 is formed on the front side (right side in FIG. 3) of the base film 101b, and is peeled off by the adhesive layer 101c on the back side (left side in FIG. 3) of the base film 101b. Paper 101d is adhered to the base film 101b.

The second roll 104 winds the cover film 103 around the reel member 104R.

The housing 14 has a detected portion 15. On the other hand, a cartridge sensor 16 is provided at a position corresponding to the detected portion 15 of the cartridge holder 13. The cartridge sensor 16 detects the mounted state of the cartridge 12 and also detects the cartridge information (tape attribute information) regarding the type of the cartridge 12.

On the other hand, a roller holder (not shown) is rotatably pivotally supported on the cartridge holder 13 by a support shaft, and can be switched between a printing position (contact position) and a release position (separation position) by a switching mechanism. ing. A platen roller 23 and a tape pressure welding roller 24 are rotatably arranged on the roller holder. Then, when the roller holder is switched to the printing position, the platen roller 23 and the tape pressure welding roller 24 are pressed against the printing head 21 and the tape feed roller 22. The tape feed roller 22 of the cartridge 12 presses and adheres the base material tape 101 and the cover film 103 to form the printed medium T, and feeds the tape in the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. The ribbon take-up roller 107 and the tape feed roller 22 are rotationally driven in conjunction with each other by driving the ribbon take-up roller drive shaft 108 and the tape feed roller drive shaft (conveying means) 109. As a result, a transport driving force is applied to the printed medium T and the ink ribbon 105, respectively. The ribbon take-up roller drive shaft 108 and the tape feed roller drive shaft 109 have a gear mechanism (not shown) in which the driving force of a transport motor 121 (see FIG. 4 described later), which is a pulse motor provided on the outside of the cartridge 12, is not shown. It is driven by being transmitted via.

The cutting unit 30 includes a cutting portion (cutting means) 31 that fully cuts the printed medium T. The cutting portion 31 includes a fixed blade 33 and a movable blade 34. The driving force of the cutter motor 122 (see FIG. 4 described later) is transmitted to the movable blade 34 via a power transmission mechanism or the like (for example, a cutter hasba gear, a boss, an elongated hole, etc.) which is not shown, and the movable blade 34 rotates. do. As a result, the movable blade 34 cooperates with the fixed blade 33 to cover all the layers of the printed medium T (the cover film 103 and the adhesive layer 101a shown in the enlarged view of the C portion surrounded by the ellipse of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 3). , Base film 101b, adhesive layer 101c, and release paper 101d) are divided (totally cut) in the thickness direction, and a full-cut line CL (described later in FIG. 5 (a)) is formed at the rear end of the label along the transport direction. ) Etc.). This completely cut state is detected by a micro switch (not shown) that is switched by the action of the cutter hasva gear cam. The full-cut line CL actually divides all the layers of the printed medium T in the thickness direction, and as shown in FIG. 5B, for example, four types of printed matter L1 to L4. It will be separated one by one. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5A, no physical line segment remains between one (series) strip-shaped printed matter. Further, in the following description, the printed matter L1 to L4 are collectively referred to as "printed matter L" unless otherwise specified.

As shown in the enlarged view of the C portion surrounded by the ellipse of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 3, each printed matter L1 to L4 has a five-layer structure in which the cover film 103 is added to the above-mentioned four-layer structure. That is, from the cover film 103 side to the opposite side, five layers are composed of the cover film 103, the adhesive layer 101a, the base film 101b, the adhesive layer 101c, and the release paper 101d.

The label discharge mechanism discharges the printed matter L after being completely cut by the cutting unit 30 from the discharge port 4. That is, the label discharge mechanism faces the drive roller 51 (see FIG. 4 described later) that rotates by the driving force of the tape discharge motor 124 (see FIG. 4 described later) with the printed medium T sandwiched between the drive roller 51 (see FIG. 4 described later). It has a pressing roller (not shown).

<Operation of internal unit>
In the internal unit having the above configuration, when the cartridge 12 is mounted on the cartridge holder 13, the cover film 103 and the ink ribbon 105 are sandwiched between the print head 21 and the platen roller 23, and the base tape 101 and the cover are held. The film 103 is sandwiched between the tape feed roller 22 and the tape pressure welding roller 24. Then, the ribbon winding roller 107 and the tape feeding roller 22 are rotationally driven in synchronization with the winding direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3 by the driving force of the transport motor 121. At this time, the tape feed roller drive shaft 109, the tape pressure welding roller 24, and the platen roller 23 are connected by a gear mechanism (not shown), and the tape feed roller 22, tape pressure welding is performed as the tape feed roller drive shaft 109 is driven. The roller 24 and the platen roller 23 rotate, and the base material tape 101 is unwound from the first roll 102 and supplied to the tape feed roller 22.

On the other hand, the cover film 103 is fed out from the second roll 104. The ink ribbon 105 driven by the ribbon supply side roll 106 and the ribbon take-up roller 107 is brought into contact with the back surface of the cover film 103 by being pressed against the print head 21. Then, a plurality of heat generating elements of the print head 21 are energized by the drive circuit 119A (see FIG. 4 described later). As a result, the print R (see FIG. 3) based on the print data from the terminal 118 is printed on the back surface of the cover film 103 along the transport direction.

Then, the base film 101 and the cover film 103 for which printing has been completed are adhered and integrated by the tape feed roller 22 and the tape pressure welding roller 24 to form a printed medium T, and the printed medium T is formed from the tape ejection portion to the outside of the cartridge 12. Is transported. The ink ribbon 105 that has finished printing on the cover film 103 is wound around the ribbon winding roller 107 by driving the ribbon winding roller drive shaft 108.

Then, the cut unit 30 performs the above-mentioned total cutting on the printed medium T generated by being bonded as described above, and the printed matter L is generated. The printed medium T (printed matter L) is then further discharged from the discharge port 4 (see FIG. 2) by the label discharge mechanism.

<Control system of print label creation device>
The control system of the print label creating device 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The control circuit 110 shown in FIG. 4 is arranged on a control board (not shown) of the print label creating device 1.

The control circuit 110 is provided with a CPU 111 that controls each device, an input / output interface 113 connected to the CPU 111 via a data bus 112, a CGROM 114, ROMs 115, 116, and a RAM 117.

The ROM 116 stores various programs necessary for controlling the print label creating device 1. The CPU 111 performs various operations based on the various programs stored in the ROM 116.

The RAM 117 is provided with a text memory 117A, a print buffer 117B, a parameter storage area 117C, and the like. The print data input from the terminal 118 is stored in the text memory 117A. The print buffer 117B stores printing dot patterns such as a plurality of characters and symbols, the number of applied pulses which is the amount of formation energy of each dot, and the like as dot pattern data, and the print head 21 is stored in the print buffer 117B. Dot printing is performed according to the existing dot pattern data. Various calculation data and the like are stored in the parameter storage area 117C.

The input / output interface 113 includes a terminal 118, a drive circuit 119A for driving the print head 21, a drive circuit 119B for driving the transport motor 121, and a drive circuit 119C for driving the cutter motor 122. , A drive circuit 119E for driving the tape discharge motor 124 is connected.

In a control system centered on such a control circuit 110, when the print data such as character data is input via the terminal 118, the text (document data) is sequentially stored in the text memory 117A and printed. The head 21 is driven via the drive circuit 119A, and each heat generating element is selectively generated and driven corresponding to the print dots for one line to print the dot pattern data stored in the print buffer 117B. At the same time, the transfer motor 121 controls the transfer of the tape via the drive circuit 119B.

An example of the printed matter L produced by the print label creating apparatus 1 using the printed medium T (in this example, four types of printed matter L1 to L4) will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (b).

In each of the printed matter L1 to L4 shown in FIGS. 5A to 5B, a print area in which the print R is printed on the cover film 103 (for example, a range excluding top, bottom, left, and right margins according to the number of characters, font size, etc.). )It is included. In the printed matter L1 to L4 shown in FIG. 5, the desired print R is printed on the back surface of the cover film 103 in the print area. In the printed matter L1 shown in FIG. 5, the print R of the character "ABCDE" is printed in the print area. In the printed matter L2 shown in FIG. 5, the print R of the character "F" is printed in the print area. In the printed matter L3 shown in FIG. 5, the print R of the character "GHJ" is printed in the print area. In the printed matter L4 shown in FIG. 5, the print R of the character "MNOP" is printed in the print area. That is, in this example, the printed matter L1 to L4 have different printed contents, and as a result, the lengths (label lengths) along the transport direction are different.

Further, the printed matter L1 to L4 are all four, for example, as shown in FIG. 5B, by switching whether or not to perform total cutting to the printed medium T at the boundary between the printed matter L1 to L4 under the control of the CPU 111. By making a full cut, it will be in a disjointed state.

In the above, the main part of the present embodiment is to create a plurality of printed matter L by using the plurality of print label creating devices 1A to 1C, and at that time, drop the printed matter L1 to L4 to hand with one action. To make it.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the print label creating device 1 forms a print on the tape feed roller drive shaft 109 for transporting the cover film 103 and the cover film 103 conveyed by the tape feed roller drive shaft 109. A print head 21 as a printed medium T, a cutting portion 31 for cutting (full cutting) the printed medium T, a housing 200 including a tape feed roller drive shaft 109, a print head 21, and a cutting portion 31. The housing 200 is provided with a discharge port 4 for discharging the printed medium T from the inside of the housing 200 to the outside of the housing 200, and is provided below the discharge port 4 of the housing 200. It has an action detection sensor 9 that detects a detection target located outside the body 200 in a non-contact manner, and a CPU 111 that controls the operation of the cutting unit 31 according to the detection result of the action detection sensor 9.

That is, in the present embodiment, the cover film 103 conveyed by the tape feed roller drive shaft 109 is printed by the print head 21 to form the printed medium T. The printed medium T is cut by the cutting portion 31 to form a printed matter such as a print label, and then is discharged from the discharge port 4 to the outside of the housing 200.

At that time, the desired form of cutting the printed medium T may differ depending on the user's application and preference. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the action detection sensor 9 is provided in the housing 200, and the CPU 111 controls the operation of the cutting unit 31 according to the detection result. As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the user holds his / her hand in front of the action detection sensor 9 and causes the action detection sensor 9 to detect the hand as a detection target, thereby causing the cutting portion 31 to be intended by the user. It is possible to make the operation to do.

As a result, for example, on the screen of the operation terminal connected to the print label creation device 1 or the screen provided in the print label creation device 1, when the user sets the disconnection on the setting screen as shown in FIG. 7, for example. In comparison, the burden of operation labor can be reduced.

Further, in particular, in the present invention, the action detection sensor 9 is arranged below the discharge port 4. As a result, for example, while the user holds his / her hand over the action detection sensor 9 and performs the above operation, the printed matter discharged from the discharge port 4 can be received by hand as it is, so that the cut portion can be cut with one action. 31 operations + reception can be performed, further improving convenience. Further, it is also possible to have the action detection sensor 9 detect the printed matter itself discharged from the discharge port 4, thereby operating the cutting portion 31.

Therefore, the CPU 111 controls whether or not the cutting unit 31 cuts the printed medium T. Hereinafter, an example of the control routine executed by the CPU 111 based on the print program will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

<Label creation process>
When the user operates the terminal 118 to perform a predetermined label creation operation by the print label creation device 1 and receives print data for the printed matter L1 to L4 created by the user from the terminal 118, the CPU 111 causes the CPU 111 to drive the circuit 119B. The tape feed roller 22 and the ribbon take-up roller 107 are rotationally driven by the driving force of the transport motor 121, and the drive roller 51 is rotationally driven by the driving force of the tape discharge motor 124 via the drive circuit 119E.

As a result, the base material tape 101 is fed out from the first roll 102 and supplied to the tape feed roller 22, and the cover film 103 is fed out from the second roll 104, and the base material tape 101 and the cover film 103 are taped together. It is adhered and integrated by the feed roller 22 and the tape pressure welding roller 24 to form a printed medium T, and is further conveyed from the outer direction of the cartridge 12 to the outer direction of the print label making device 1.

In this transport state, in step S1, the CPU 111 counts the number of pulses output by the drive circuit 119B that drives the transport motor 121, which is an appropriate known method, based on the print data acquired from the terminal 118. Etc.) to determine whether or not the cover film 103 has reached the printing start position by the print head 21. The CPU 111 waits in a loop when the determination is not satisfied without reaching the print start position (No), and shifts the process to step S2 when the determination is satisfied after reaching the print start position (Yes).

In step S2, the CPU 111 outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 119A via the input / output interface 113, energizes the print head 21, and displays characters corresponding to the acquired print data in the above-mentioned print area of the cover film 103. , Symbols, bar codes, etc. (for example, the character "ABCDE" of the printed matter L1) R is started to be printed.

After that, the CPU 111 shifts the process to step S3, and determines whether or not the printed medium T has been conveyed to the print end position based on the print data. The determination at this time may be detected by a known method as described above. The CPU 111 waits in a loop when the determination is not satisfied without reaching the print end position (No), and shifts the process to step S4 when the determination is satisfied after reaching the print end position (Yes).

In step S4, the CPU 111 also outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 119A via the input / output interface 113, stops the energization of the print head 21, and stops printing the print R (printing of the character “ABCDE”). As a result, the printing of the print R on the print area of one printed matter L1 is completed. After that, the CPU 111 shifts the process to step S5.

In step S5, based on the print data acquired above, whether the cut setting of the rear end portion of the printed matter L created at this time has the full cut function using the action detection sensor 9 enabled. Judge whether or not. That is, in the acquired print data, for example, in the printed matter L1 to L4 shown in FIGS. 5A to 5B, the rear end portion is set to the full cut setting. In such a case, the CPU 111 determines on the setting screen shown in FIG. 7 whether the auto cut function is enabled or another cut function is enabled. For example, when the auto cut function is enabled and the determination is not satisfied (No), the CPU 111 skips the process to step S8, and the determination is satisfied by enabling another function without enabling the auto cut function. In the case (Yes), the process is moved to step S6.

In step S6, the CPU 111 waits for the detection signal from the action detection sensor 9, and if the determination is not satisfied without receiving the detection signal from the action detection sensor 9 (No), the CPU 111 waits in a loop, for example, FIG. When it is detected that the user's hand is held up and the determination is satisfied (Yes), the process proceeds to step S7. In addition, this step S6 corresponds to the acquisition procedure described in each claim.

In step S7, the CPU 111 determines whether or not the detection signal from the action detection sensor 9 continues for a predetermined time. Here, for example, if the CPU 111 does not receive the detection signal from the action detection sensor 9 continuously for 1 second or longer and the determination is not satisfied (No), the CPU 111 waits in a loop and continues from the action detection sensor 9 for 1 second or longer. When the detection signal is received and the determination is satisfied (Yes), the process proceeds to step S8.

In step S8, the CPU 111 determines, for example, whether or not the printed medium T has been conveyed to a predetermined full-cut position including a margin. If the CPU 111 does not determine that the printed medium T has been conveyed to the predetermined full-cut position (No), the CPU 111 continuously conveys the printed medium T and waits in a loop to reach the predetermined full-cut position. If it is determined that the printed medium T has been conveyed (Yes), the process proceeds to step S9. That is, based on the acquired print data, the printed medium T uses the same known method as in step S1 to make the printed matter L2 a rear end portion including a margin of the printed matter L1 (printed matter L2 following the printed matter L1 along the transport direction). It is determined whether or not the printed matter has been transported to the full-cut position located at the boundary with the printed matter. In other words, the CPU 111 determines whether or not the printed medium T has reached a position where the movable blade 34 of the cutting unit 30 faces the full cut line CL. The determination is not satisfied (No) until the full cut position is reached, and the loop waits. When the determination is reached, the determination is satisfied (Yes) and the process proceeds to step S9.

In step S9, the CPU 111 outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 119B and the drive circuit 119E via the input / output interface 113, stops driving the transport motor 121 and the tape discharge motor 124, and winds the tape feed roller 22 and the ribbon. The rotation of the take roller 107 and the drive roller 51 is stopped. As a result, in the process in which the printed medium T fed out from the cartridge 12 moves in the ejection direction, the movable blade 34 of the cutting unit 30 faces the full cut line CL of the printed matter L1 from the first roll 102. The feeding of the base material tape 101, the feeding of the cover film 103 from the second roll 104, and the transfer of the printed medium T are stopped.

After that, in step S10, the CPU 111 outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 119C to drive the cutter motor 122, rotate the movable blade 34 of the cutting unit 30, and cover the printed medium T with the cover film 103 and the adhesive layer. A full-cut process is performed in which the 101a, the base film 101b, the adhesive layer 101c, and the release paper 101d are all divided (= completely cut) to form a full-cut line CL. By the division by the cutting unit 30, it is separated from the printed medium T, and one printed matter L is generated. Note that this step S10 corresponds to the control procedure described in each claim. After that, the CPU 111 shifts the process to step S14.

If necessary, the CPU 111 outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 119B and the drive circuit 119E via the input / output interface 113, and rotationally drives the tape feed roller 22, the ribbon winding roller 107, and the drive roller 51 for printing. The transport of the finished medium T is restarted. As a result, the transfer by the drive roller 51 is started, the generated printed matter L is conveyed toward the discharge port 4, and is discharged from the discharge port 4 to the outside of the print label making device 1. The transport here is arbitrary, for example, depending on the length of the margin of the printed matter L, the length of the transport path from the cut position to the discharge port 4, and the like.

In step S14, the CPU 111 determines whether or not the creation of all the printed matter L (for example, the next printed matter L2 to L4) included in the printed data has been completed based on the acquired print data. If the creation of all labels has not been completed yet, the determination is not satisfied (NO), the process is returned to step S1, and the same procedure is repeated. If the creation of all labels has been completed, the determination is satisfied (Yes), and this flow ends.

By the above control, the printed matter L1 to L4 having the corresponding predetermined print R are sequentially generated while repeating steps S1 to S10 and step S14, and finally all the printed matter assigned to the print label creating device 1. L1 to L4 are generated.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the print R is formed on the tape feed roller drive shaft 109 for transporting the cover film 103 and the cover film 103 conveyed by the tape feed roller drive shaft 109, and has been printed. A printing head 21 as a medium T, a cutting portion 31 for cutting (full cutting) the printed medium T, a housing 200 including a tape feed roller drive shaft 109, a printing head 21, and a cutting portion 31, and a housing. A discharge port 4 provided in the housing 200 for discharging the printed medium T from the inside of the housing 200 to the outside of the housing 200, and a discharge port 4 provided below the discharge port 4 of the housing 200 and located outside the housing 200. The CPU 111 provided in the print label creating device 1 having the action detection sensor 9 that detects the detection target (for example, the user's hand, the printed medium T) in a non-contact manner acquires the detection result of the action detection sensor 9 (for example, the operation detection sensor 9). Step S6) is performed, and the operation of the cutting unit 31 is controlled (step S7) according to the acquired detection result.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Hereinafter, such other examples will be described step by step.

(1) When There is a Half Cut Next, another example of the print label creating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13. In this example, in addition to the full cut function, a so-called half cut function is provided. Therefore, since the configurations and functions other than the cutting unit 30 are the same (or substantially the same) as the configurations and functions shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, they are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted. do.

<Internal unit>
As shown in FIG. 8, the internal unit of the print label creating apparatus 1 is roughly composed of a cartridge holder 13 for accommodating a cartridge 12, a printing mechanism 20 having a printing head (thermal head) 21 as a printing means, and a printing mechanism 20. A cutting unit 30 and a label discharging mechanism (not shown) are provided.

The cutting unit 30 includes a cutting portion (cutting means) 31 that fully cuts the printed medium T, and a half-cutting portion (half-cutting means) 32 that partially cuts the printed medium T in half in the thickness direction. .. The configuration of the cutting portion 31 is the same as described above.

In the half-cut portion 32, the pedestal 35 and the half cutter 36 are arranged so as to face each other so that the printed medium T is located between them. The half cutter 36 rotates around a predetermined rotation fulcrum (not shown) by the driving force of the half cutter motor 123 (see FIG. 4 described later). As a result, the half cutter 36 cooperates with the cradle 35 to divide (half-cut) the other layers of the printed medium T except the release paper 101d in the thickness direction while leaving the release paper 101d. A half-cut line HC (see FIGS. 10 (c) to 10 (e) described later) is formed at a portion to be the rear end of the label along the line. Contrary to the above, the half cutter 36 may divide only the release paper 101d of the printed medium T. In this case, the positional relationship between the half cutter 36 sandwiching the printed medium T and the cradle 35 in FIG. 3 is reversed. Although the details will be described later, the half-cut line HC shown in FIGS. 10 (c) to 10 (e) is a broken line in the representation of the drawing, but is a solid line when physically viewed from one side. Is. Further, the half-cut wire HC may be formed in a perforated shape when physically viewed from either side. In this case, the cut portion is completely cut (divided) in the thickness direction, and the other portions are not cut.

<Operation of internal unit>
In the internal unit having the above configuration, the generated printed medium T is completely or half-cut by the cutting unit 30, and the printed matter L is generated. The printed matter L is then further discharged from the discharge port 4 (see FIG. 2) by the label discharge mechanism.

<Control system of print label creation device>
The control system of the print label creating apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in FIG. 4 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified as appropriate. The input / output interface 113 includes a terminal 118, a drive circuit 119A for driving the print head 21, a drive circuit 119B for driving the transport motor 121, and a drive circuit 119C for driving the cutter motor 122. , The drive circuit 119D for driving the half cutter motor 123 and the drive circuit 119E for driving the tape discharge motor 124 are connected.

The ROM 116 stores various programs necessary for controlling the print label creating device 1. The CPU 111 performs various operations based on the various programs stored in the ROM 116.

The input / output interface 113 includes a terminal 118, a drive circuit 119A for driving the print head 21, a drive circuit 119B for driving the transport motor 121, and a drive circuit 119C for driving the cutter motor 122. , The drive circuit 119D for driving the half cutter motor 123 and the drive circuit 119E for driving the tape discharge motor 124 are connected.

In a control system centered on such a control circuit 110, when the print data such as character data is input via the terminal 118, the text (document data) is sequentially stored in the text memory 117A and printed. The head 21 is driven via the drive circuit 119A, and each heat generating element is selectively generated and driven corresponding to the print dots for one line to print the dot pattern data stored in the print buffer 117B. At the same time, the transfer motor 121 controls the transfer of the tape via the drive circuit 119B.

An example of the printed matter L produced by the print label creating apparatus 1 using the printed medium T (in this example, four types of printed matter L1 to L4) will be described with reference to FIGS. 11A to 11E.

In each of the printed matter L1 to L4 shown in FIGS. 11 (a) to 11 (e), a print area in which the print R is printed on the cover film 103 (for example, a range excluding top, bottom, left, and right margins according to the number of characters, font size, and the like). )It is included. In the printed matter L1 to L4 shown in FIG. 11, the desired print R is printed on the back surface of the cover film 103 in the print area. In the printed matter L1 shown in FIG. 11, the print R of the character "ABCDE" is printed in the print area. In the printed matter L2 shown in FIG. 11, the print R of the character "F" is printed in the print area. In the printed matter L3 shown in FIG. 11, the print R of the character "GHJ" is printed in the print area. In the printed matter L4 shown in FIG. 11, the print R of the character “MNOP” is printed in the print area. That is, in this example, the printed matter L1 to L4 have different printed contents, and as a result, the lengths (label lengths) along the transport direction are different.

Further, in the printed matter L1 to L4, by switching whether to cut into the printed medium T at the boundary between the printed matter L1 to L4, for example, as shown in FIG. 11B, all four are fully cut. In addition to the case where the states are separated, as shown in FIG. 11 (c), when all four are half-cut to form a series of states, as shown in FIGS. 11 (d) and 11 (e). As shown, when a full cut and a half cut are mixed in 2 to 3 sheets, the printed medium T can be cut and connected according to the user's application and preference.

As described above, the CPU 111 further includes a half-cut portion 32 (half cutter) that partially cuts the printed medium T in the thickness direction, and the CPU 111 includes the cut portion 31 and the half according to the detection result of the action detection sensor 9. It is also possible to control the operation of the cutting portion 32. That is, the CPU 111 controls the mode of cutting to the printed medium T by the cutting unit 31 and the half-cutting unit 32 (full-cut ON / OFF and half-cut ON / OFF).

As a result, it is possible to discharge the printed matter one by one or to discharge a plurality of printed matter in a continuous manner according to the user's application and preference, and further improve the convenience. .. In particular, when the printed matter itself discharged from the discharge port 4 is detected by the action detection sensor 9, the printed medium T is half-cut by the half-cut portion 32 while the printed matter is not detected, so that a plurality of printed matter are continuous. It is also possible to gradually hang down from the discharge port 4, and when a plurality of hung down printed matter is detected by the action detection sensor 9, the printed medium T can be cut (totally cut) by the cutting portion 31.

Here, the CPU 111 is, for example, a state in which the user holds his / her hand for a relatively long time as shown in FIG. 6 and a state in which the user holds his / her hand for a relatively short time as shown in FIG. The mode of disconnection is controlled according to the time (ex. 1 second or more or less than 1 second) when the action detection sensor 9 detects the hand of the user to be detected.

In such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 12, in addition to the above-mentioned steps S1 to step S4, step S6, step S8 to step S10 and step S14, the CPU 111 has steps S5, step S7 and steps S7 for half-cut processing. The processes of steps S11 to S13 are executed based on the above printing program. The processing of steps S1 to S4, step S6, steps S8 to S10, and step S14 is the same as (or substantially the same as) the above.

In step S5, based on the print data acquired above, whether the cut setting of the rear end portion of the printed matter L created at this time has the full cut function using the action detection sensor 9 enabled. Judge whether or not. That is, in the acquired print data, for example, the half-cut function is enabled on the setting screen shown in FIG. 7. In such a case, the CPU 111 determines whether the auto cut function is enabled, whether another cut function is enabled, or the like. For example, when the auto cut function is enabled and the determination is not satisfied (No), the CPU 111 skips the process to step S8, and the determination is satisfied by enabling another function without enabling the auto cut function. In the case (Yes), the process is moved to step S6.

In step S6, the CPU 111 waits for the detection signal from the action detection sensor 9, and if the determination is not satisfied without receiving the detection signal from the action detection sensor 9 (No), the CPU 111 waits in a loop, for example, FIG. When it is detected that the user's hand is held up and the determination is satisfied (Yes), the process proceeds to step S7. As described above, step S6 corresponds to the acquisition procedure described in each claim.

In step S7, the CPU 111 determines whether or not the detection signal from the action detection sensor 9 continues for a predetermined time. Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the printed matter L1 is fully cut and received by hand, the CPU 111 basically holds his / her hand until the processes of steps S8 to S10 described above are executed. As a result, the detection signal is continuously received from the action detection sensor 9 for 1 second or longer. On the other hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, when a hand is held so as to pass in front of the action detection sensor 9, as a result, a momentary detection signal of less than 1 second is received from the action detection sensor 9. It will be. Therefore, if such a difference in operation is determined as a request of a user having a different cutting mode and the determination that the duration after the determination in step S6 continues for a predetermined time or longer is not satisfied (No), step S11 If the determination that the duration after the determination in step S6 continues for a predetermined time or longer is satisfied (Yes), the process is transferred to step S8 and the above-mentioned full cut is executed. ..

In step S11, the CPU 111 uses the same known method as in step S1 to move the printed medium T to the rear end portion of the printed matter L1 (with the printed matter L2 following the printed matter L1 along the transport direction) based on the acquired print data. It is determined whether or not the product has been transported to the half-cut position located at the boundary of). In other words, the CPU 111 determines whether or not the printed medium T has reached a position where the half cutter 36 of the half cut portion 32 faces the half cut line HC. The determination is not satisfied (No) until the half-cut position is reached, and the loop waits. When the determination is reached, the determination is satisfied (Yes) and the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, the CPU 111 stops the rotation of the tape feed roller 22, the ribbon take-up roller 107, and the drive roller 51 to stop the transfer of the printed medium T in the same manner as in step S9. As a result, the base material tape 101 is fed from the first roll 102 and the cover film 103 is fed from the second roll 104 in a state where the half cutter 36 of the half-cut portion 32 faces the half-cut line HC of the printed matter L1. , And the transfer of the printed medium T is stopped.

After that, in step S13, the CPU 111 outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 119D via the input / output interface 113 to drive the half cutter motor 123, rotate the half cutter 36, and cover the printed medium T with the cover film 103. , The adhesive layer 101a, the base film 101b, and the adhesive layer 101c are divided (= half-cut) to form a half-cut line HC. By the division by the half-cut portion 32, one printed matter L1 (in a state of being connected without being separated from the printed medium T on the rear end side in the transport direction) is generated. In addition, the same step S10 and this step S13 as described above correspond to the control procedure described in each claim. After that, the process is transferred to step S14.

After that, as shown in FIGS. 11 (c) to 11 (e), the CPU 111 performs only half-cut, half-cut and full-cut according to the length of the detection time of the action detection sensor 9 accompanying the user's hand holding operation. The printed medium T (printed matter L1 to L4) can be cut according to the user's application and preference while reducing the burden of operation labor.

(2) When the action detection sensor 9 is a distance sensor That is, by using the action detection sensor 9 as a distance sensor, the CPU 111 controls the cutting mode according to the distance to the detection target detected by the distance sensor. It is also possible to do.

In such a case, for example, the position of the hand shown in FIG. 6 is a position close to the discharge port 4 for receiving the printed matter L1 to L4. On the other hand, since the hand position shown in FIG. 13 does not receive the printed matter L1 to L4, no problem occurs even at a position far from the discharge port 4. Therefore, it is possible to control the full cut / half cut by changing the time of holding the hand to the distance to the hand.

(3) When a plurality of action detection sensors 9 are arranged That is, as shown in FIG. 14, the action detection sensors 9 are set below the discharge port 4 and three action detection sensors 9A to 9C in the vertical direction, depending on the combination thereof. It is also possible to control the mode of disconnection by the CPU 111.

For example, in step S6 described above, if none of the three action detection sensors 9A to 9C is detected, the process waits as it is, and then the operation of FIG. 6 described above is performed with reference to the lowest action detection sensor 9C. Wait for the operation shown in FIG.

On the other hand, in step S6 described above, if the uppermost action detection sensor 9A detects the printed medium T before cutting, the other action detection sensors 9B to 9C detect nothing even after a lapse of a predetermined time. If not, the function shown in FIG. 7 is prioritized and full cut (or half cut) is executed, and then the printing of the next printed matter L is started.

Further, in step S6 described above, when the lowermost action detection sensor 9C detects the user's hand while the uppermost action detection sensor 9A detects the printed medium T before cutting, in step S7, FIG. A full cut or a half cut is executed according to the operation of 6 or the operation of FIG. When the highest and middle action detection sensors 9A and 9B detect the printed medium T before cutting and the lowest action detection sensor 9C detects the user's hand, a full cut is performed.

In the above, the arrows shown in FIGS. 4 and 10 indicate an example of signal flow, and do not limit the signal flow direction.

Further, the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 8 and 12 do not limit the present invention to the procedure shown in the above flow, and add / delete or change the order of the procedure within a range that does not deviate from the purpose and technical idea of the invention. You may.

In addition to the above, the methods according to the above-described embodiment and each modification may be appropriately combined and used.

In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the present invention is carried out with various modifications within a range not deviating from the gist thereof.

1 (1A to 1C) Print label making device (printing device)
4 Discharge port 9 Action detection sensor (detection means)
21 Print head (printing means)
31 Cutting part (cutting means / full cutter)
32 Half-cutting part (half-cutting means / half-cutter)
103 Cover film (printed medium)
108 Tape feed roller drive shaft (conveying means)
111 CPU (control means)
118 terminal (operation terminal)
200 housing L printed matter (L1 to L4)
R Print T Printed medium

Claims (9)

A transport means for transporting the printable medium and
A printing means that forms a print on the printed medium conveyed by the conveying means and uses the printed medium as a printed medium.
A cutting means for cutting the printed medium and
A housing including the transport means, the printing means, and the cutting means,
An discharge port provided in the housing and discharging the printed medium from the inside of the housing to the outside of the housing.
Is a printing device that has
A detection means provided below the discharge port of the housing and non-contactly detecting a detection target located outside the housing.
A control means for controlling the operation of the cutting means when the state in which the detection target is detected by the detection means continues for a predetermined time.
A printing apparatus characterized by having. In the printing apparatus according to claim 1,
It further has a setting means for setting the operating conditions of the cutting means.
The control means
When the setting by the setting means is the first setting, the operation of the cutting means is controlled when the state in which the detection target is detected by the detection means continues for a predetermined time.
When the setting by the setting means is a second setting different from the first setting, the operation of the cutting means is controlled regardless of whether or not the detection target is detected by the detection means. Printing equipment. In the printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.
The control means
A printing apparatus characterized in that it controls whether or not to perform cutting on the printed medium by the cutting means. A transport means for transporting the printable medium and
A printing means that forms a print on the printed medium conveyed by the conveying means and uses the printed medium as a printed medium.
A cutting means for cutting the printed medium and
A housing including the transport means, the printing means, and the cutting means,
An discharge port provided in the housing and discharging the printed medium from the inside of the housing to the outside of the housing.
Is a printing device that has
A detection means provided below the discharge port of the housing and non-contactly detecting a detection target located outside the housing.
A control means that controls the operation of the cutting means according to the detection result of the detection means, and
A semi-cutting means for partially cutting the printed medium in the thickness direction ,
Have,
The control means
A printing apparatus characterized in that the operations of the cutting means and the semi-cutting means are controlled according to the detection result of the detecting means. In the printing apparatus according to claim 4,
The control means
A printing apparatus characterized in that the mode of cutting into the printed medium by the cutting means and the semi-cutting means is controlled. In the printing apparatus according to claim 5.
The control means
A printing apparatus characterized in that the cutting mode is controlled according to the time during which the detection means is detecting the detection target. In the printing apparatus according to claim 5.
The detection means is a distance sensor.
The control means
A printing apparatus characterized in that the cutting mode is controlled according to the distance to the detection target detected by the distance sensor. In the printing apparatus according to claim 5.
The detection means is a plurality of sensors arranged in the vertical direction below the discharge port.
The control means is a printing apparatus characterized in that the cutting mode is controlled according to the detection result of each sensor included in the plurality of sensors. A transport means for transporting a print medium, a printing means for forming prints on the print medium transported by the transport means to be a printed medium, a cutting means for cutting the printed medium, and the above. A housing including a transporting means, a printing means, and a cutting means, a discharge port provided in the housing for discharging the printed medium from the inside of the housing to the outside of the housing, and the discharge of the housing. For a calculation means provided in a printing device provided below the outlet and having a detection means for detecting a detection target located outside the housing in a non-contact manner.
The acquisition procedure for acquiring the detection result of the detection means and
A control procedure for controlling the operation of the cutting means when the state in which the detection target is detected continues for a predetermined time according to the detection result acquired in the acquisition procedure.
A printing program to execute.

Images