JPH01184185A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate a trouble processing, by a method wherein an interruption signal is inputted to a control part when a lid for maintenance and inspection is opened to make manual operation possible while a part of a function is effectively maintained and the control part is reset when the lid is closed after the trouble is excluded. CONSTITUTION:When the interruption from an opening and closing detection switch 6 is confirmed through an input port 13, a central processing unit 11 stands by in an interruption processing state and can execute predetermined processing corresponding to the operation of a setting switch 41. The detection output of the opening and closing detection switch is also inputted to an I/O interface 12 and, when a manual operation switch 31 is turned ON, a plunger 23 is driven and, when a switch 32 is turned ON, a motor 26 is driven. When a lid 1 is closed, the central processing unit 11 returns from interruption processing and performs control so as to make it possible to immediately start printing operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a printer device used in various office equipment such as a copying machine.

(Prior art) Printers used in various office equipment include:
Known structures include thermal transfer type, electrophotographic type, and wire dot impact type. In any case, these printer devices
If a trouble such as a paper jam occurs during printing, a detection mechanism or the like is activated to temporarily stop the printing operation.

When the printer is temporarily stopped, the operator opens the maintenance/inspection lid provided on the printer and removes the jammed paper or the like.

Normally, the opening/closing operation of the maintenance/inspection cover is monitored by a fixed limit switch, etc., and the printer is configured to automatically turn off the power to the printer when the cover is opened. (U.S. Patent No. 4,527,172, etc.)
. This is to prevent the drive unit from malfunctioning during maintenance and inspection work, posing a danger to the operator.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, if the printer suddenly stops, for example, if the printing paper is strongly pinched by the transport mechanism, or if the print head is pressed against the printing paper by the platen roller. If this occurs, it may be very difficult to remove the printed paper. Moreover, if it is forcibly removed, there is a risk of damaging various parts of the device. Therefore, even when the maintenance/inspection cover is opened, some devices are configured so that the operator can freely drive, for example, the platen roller without turning off the power.

However, since this type of drive unit is normally on/off controlled by a simple trigger signal, there remains a risk that the motor may start rotating due to any noise input during inspection work.

On the other hand, if a paper jam or the like occurs and the lid is closed again after predetermined maintenance and inspection work such as paper removal is completed, the operation of the printer device is resumed.

However, if the apparatus suddenly stops during a printing operation, for example, and the interrupted printing operation is immediately resumed after maintenance and inspection work is completed, an inconvenience will occur. For example, if a thermal transfer print head is separated from the platen during maintenance and inspection work, if the supply of print pulses is resumed, the print head may generate heat without contacting the print paper, resulting in overheating.

In order to eliminate this danger, we have added a function that, when the machine suddenly stops due to a paper jam, etc., analyzes the operation immediately before the stop, takes appropriate steps to restart, and automatically continues work. There are also printer devices.

However, the operation program for such a printer device is extremely complicated, requiring development time and causing an increase in cost.

The present invention has been made with attention to the above points, and when the maintenance/inspection lid is opened, it facilitates work such as removing jammed paper, and restarts work without complicating the operation program. The object of the present invention is to provide a printer device that enables the following.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The printer device of the present invention includes a drive unit that operates the mechanical drive mechanism of each part of the printer, and a control unit that has a CPU that outputs a drive control signal to the drive unit. , an opening/closing detection switch that turns on and off according to the opening/closing operation of the maintenance/inspection lid;
a manual operation section that outputs a drive control signal for manual operation of the drive section, and when the open/close detection switch detects the open state of the lid, an interrupt signal is input to the CPU, and the CPU is held in an interrupt processing state, and when the open/close detection switch detects the closed state of the lid,
The control unit is reset and the drive unit returns to its initial state.

(Function) In the above device, when the maintenance/inspection lid is opened, an interrupt signal is input to the control section, and the control section executes the interrupt processing. This interrupt processing means that when the drive unit suddenly stops, some functions necessary for maintenance and inspection work are left in use. Then the operator
The manual operation section is used to appropriately operate each drive mechanism of the drive section to eliminate the obstruction. When the maintenance/inspection lid is closed after the fault elimination work is completed, the control section is reset and returns to the state at the start of the control program.

Further, the drive section returns to the initial state in which the recording operation can be started.

(Embodiment of the Invention) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a printer device of the present invention.

In the figure, this printer device has a structure in which a maintenance/inspection lid 1 is attached to a main body portion 2 so as to be openable and closable. Inside the main body section 2, a cassette 3 containing printing paper, a platen 4, etc. are housed. Also, maintenance inspection lid 1
A print head 5 is attached to the back surface of the printer. Furthermore, an open/close detection switch 6 consisting of a limit switch or the like is attached to one corner of the main body 2. A projection 7 is provided at a corresponding location on the maintenance/inspection lid 1.
When the maintenance/inspection lid 1 is opened/closed, the opening/closing detection switch 6 is pressed to turn it on/off.

On the other hand, this printer device includes a control section 10 and a drive section 20.
and a manual operation section 30 are provided.

The control unit 10 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 11 composed of a microprocessor or the like, an Ilo interface 12, and an input port 13. This is a circuit for controlling the operation of each part of the device.

Further, the drive section 20 is composed of circuits and the like for operating the mechanical drive mechanisms of various parts of the printer, and here, as an example, a drive circuit for a plunger and a motor is illustrated. That is, here the plunger control circuit 21
, a plunger driver 22, a plunger 23 and motor control circuit 24, a motor driver 25, and a motor 26.

On the other hand, the manual operation unit 30 includes switches 31 and 32 for manually operating the plunger 23 and motor 26 in the drive unit 20, respectively, and pull-up resistors 33 and 34 that maintain the control output terminals at a predetermined voltage. It is provided.

In the above circuit, the control section 10 sends a control drive signal 13 to the drive section 20 via the IO interface 12.
It is configured to output signals a and 13b. Further, the manual operation section 30 also sends drive control signals 13a,
13b.

Note that the drive control signals 13a and 13b here refer to, for example, the pull-up resistor 33 provided in the manual operation section 30 at all times.
Both signals are held at a high level by a pull-up resistor 34, and when these fall to a low level, the plunger control circuit 21 or motor control circuit 24 detects this and the plunger 23 or motor 26 is activated. It is assumed that the configuration is such that it is driven.

A setting switch 41 and a sensor 42 are further connected to the I/O interface 12 in this device. The sensor 42 detects the conveyance state of the paper in each part of the apparatus,
Other known sensors for detecting. this is,
A setting switch 41, which has been conventionally used to control printer devices, is added to the device of the present invention, and is capable of outputting a detection signal completely equivalent to that of this sensor 42. When the operator operates this setting switch 41, it is possible to set the signal state as if the printing paper had passed a specific sensor during the printing operation.

Now, here, the output of the open/close detection switch 6 is connected to be inputted to the data input terminal 11a via the input port 13, and to be inputted to the interrupt terminal 11b of the central processing unit 11.

With such a configuration, when the maintenance/inspection lid 1 is opened, the operation of the central processing unit 11 is interrupted.

Then, the central processing unit 11 recognizes that an interrupt has been generated from the open/close detection switch 6 via the input port 13. As a result, the central processing unit 11 waits in an interrupt processing state. That is, for example, when the operator operates the setting switch 41 described above, a corresponding predetermined process can be executed.

This interrupt processing program may be created as a completely separate program from the main program, thereby preventing the main program from becoming complicated and simplifying the entire system.

As described above, in the printer device of the present invention, since the control section is held in an interrupt state during maintenance and inspection, it is possible to perform various tasks such as checking the operation of the sensor 42 by making use of some functions of the control section. It functions extremely effectively not only for recovery from failures but also for various inspections and adjustments.

On the other hand, the control terminal 12b of the IO interface 12 is also connected to receive the detection output of the open/close detection switch. For example, the IO interface 12 is composed of a low active open collector buffer, etc., and when the opening/closing detection switch 6 detects the open state of the maintenance/inspection lid 1, it stops operating while keeping its output side at high impedance. As a result, the pull-up resistor 33 and pull-up resistor 34 in the manual operation section 30 are connected to the drive control signal 13a of the drive section 20.

The input terminal of 13b can be held at a high level.

For example, when the manual operation switch 31 is turned on, the input terminal of the plunger control circuit 21 is switched to a low level, the plunger control circuit 21 and the plunger driver 22 are operated, and the plunger 23 is driven. It is assumed that the plunger 23 opens and closes a clamp that fixes printing paper to a platen drum, for example. This manual switch 31 is useful when it is necessary to release the paper from the clamp in order to remove the printed paper.

On the other hand, when the manual switch 32 is turned on, the input terminal of the motor control circuit 24 is switched to low level, the motor driver 25 is operated, and the motor 26 is driven. This makes it possible to rotate the platen drum by an appropriate amount to facilitate the removal of the paper, for example, when the print paper is sandwiched between the platen drum and the conveying roller.

In this way, in the printer device of this embodiment, the drive unit 2
Each drive mechanism is configured to operate when the input terminals of the 0 drive control signals 13a and 13b reach a predetermined level, for example, a low level, which is different from the conventional mechanism that operates when triggered by a predetermined pulse. , there is less risk of malfunction and higher safety.

Next, when the maintenance/inspection lid 1 is closed after the maintenance/inspection work is completed, the open/close detection switch 6 detects this, the central processing unit 11 returns from the interrupt processing, and the I/O interface 12 is restarted. In this case, the central processing unit 11 is reset, and the drive unit 20 is controlled to return to the initial state in which the printing operation can be started immediately. As a result, even if the operator drives the plunger 23 or the motor 26 in a disorderly manner during maintenance and inspection work, the printer device can return to its initial state and resume printing operations exactly as it was when the printer was first turned on. Can be done.

With this configuration, substantially all trouble removal processing such as paper jams is performed manually by the operator. Therefore, there is no need to prepare the program for handling such failures.

Also, when the lid is closed and the operation is restarted, the drive unit is returned to its initial state, making it impossible to continue the work, but the program content becomes simpler and development costs and time are reduced. You can save money. .

(Effects of the Invention) According to the printer device of the present invention as described above, the operation of the control unit is stopped when the maintenance/inspection lid is open, making it possible to execute a certain interrupt processing program. Furthermore, since the drive section can be controlled by the manual operation section, processing such as removing obstacles becomes easier. In addition, when the maintenance inspection lid is closed and printing is resumed, the drive unit returns to its initial state, so there is no need to prepare a special program for restarting printing, reducing development costs, etc. It is possible to reduce the

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a printer device of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Lid for maintenance inspection, 2... Main body part, 6... Opening/closing detection switch, 10... Control part, 11... CPU,
11b...Interrupt terminal, 12...IO interface, 13...Input board, 20...Drive unit,
30...Manual operation unit, 31.32...Manual switch, 33.34...Pull-up resistor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A drive section that operates the mechanical drive mechanisms of each part of the printer, and a CPU that outputs drive control signals to this drive section.
an opening/closing detection switch that is turned on and off by the opening/closing operation of the maintenance/inspection lid, and a manual operation section that outputs a drive control signal for manual operation of the drive section,
When the open/close detection switch detects the open state of the lid, an interrupt signal is input to the CPU, and the CPU is held in an interrupt processing state, and when the open/close detection switch detects the closed state of the lid, the interrupt signal is input to the CPU. A printer device, wherein the control section is reset and the drive section returns to an initial state.