JPH0145431B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a label printer that prints a bar code on a label using a thermal head.

Technical Background and Problems With the spread of POS systems, label printers that can print barcode information on labels have been developed. In such label printers, a thermal head is often used as a printing device because barcodes require printing accuracy. The lifespan of this thermal head can be broadly divided into electrical life and mechanical life. Here, the electrical life is the deterioration and destruction of the resistance value of the heating resistor, and the mechanical life is the destruction due to wear. The electrical life is determined by the number of energizing pulses applied to the heating resistor, but in the case of bar codes, electrical deterioration is significant because the same heating resistor is continuously energized.

Therefore, the printed barcode is read by a barcode scanner using a laser or the like, but with advances in this scanner, the reading accuracy has become extremely high, and the length of the barcode has changed in some cases. It can be shortened.
In this way, when the length of the barcode can be made short in relation to the scanner, the life of the thermal head that prints the barcode can be extended.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Based on the background as described above, an object of the present invention is to obtain a label printer that can print barcodes of various lengths.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention allows the label feed amount to be selectively set by the setting unit while a signal for barcode printing is applied to the heating element of the thermal head. The thermal head is configured to be able to print a bar code of 1,000 yen, thereby extending the life of the thermal head by keeping the bar code to the minimum required length.

Embodiment of the invention First, in FIG. 1, the CPU 11 includes a weighing section 2,
While mode selector switch 3 is connected
Connected are a program memory 4 consisting of ROM and RAM, a PLU memory 5 consisting of RAM, a display/key device 6 equipped with keys as a setting section, and a CPU 27 that controls the printer. The PLU memory 5 also functions as a barcode normal length storage means for storing length data of a barcode to be printed in a normal state. this
Connected to the CPU 27 are a program memory 8 consisting of ROM and RAM, a character generator 9 consisting of ROM, and a print buffer 10 consisting of RAM. The CPU 27 also includes a label detector 11, a pulse motor drive 13 that drives the pulse motor 12, a common drive 15 that controls the thermal head 14, and an image signal drive 1.
6 is connected.

Next, the printer section will be explained based on FIG. First, rectangular labels 18 are attached to a long mount 17 at regular intervals. This mount 17 is wound up by a winding part (not shown) via a roller 19, a platen 20 serving as a label feeding part, a peeling plate 21, and a roller 22. A thermal head 14 is provided above the platen 20 and is connected to the label 18 for printing. Further, since the mount 17 is sharply bent at the part of the peeling plate 21, the label 18 is peeled off and pushed out horizontally.
A label detector 11 is provided adjacent to the label detector 1 . Further, a pulley 23 is formed at the end of the platen 20, and a timing belt 25 is stretched between this pulley 23 and a pulley 24 of the pulse motor 12.

Next, the structure and operation of the thermal head 14 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. First, the thermal head 14 has R1 to R256.
256 heating elements 26 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the label 18, and these heating elements 26 are arranged in the order of R1 to R32, R32 to R64, and so on.
They are grouped into 8 groups of 32 each, COM1 to COM8. The common drive 15 is divided into four categories by four transistors 27, and COM1 is connected to the heating element 26 of COM8 and COM1. Similarly, COM2 is connected to the heating element 26 between COM7 and COM2, and COM3 is connected to COM6.
Connected to heating element 26 with COM3, COM4
It is connected to the heating element 26 between COM5 and COM4.

Further, two data latch/picture signal drive circuits 28 and 29 are provided which operate in response to a data latch signal from the CPU 27 and a picture signal drive control signal from the picture signal drive 16.
The heating elements 26 of COM1 to COM4 are connected to one of these, and the heating elements 26 of COM5 to COM8 are connected to the other.
is connected.

Therefore, actual printing is performed at the timing shown in FIG. That is, one line printing cycle is divided into four equal parts and the pulse motor 12 is intermittently fed to perform 1/4 line feeding.
COM1, COM8, COM2 for each 1/4 line feed
energize the heating elements 26 of and COM7, COM3 and COM6, and COM4 and COM5.

Next, the operation will be explained based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6. First, the fifth
The operation of the CPU 11 will be explained with reference to the diagram. After the power is turned on, each connected device is initialized, and the feed amount for controlling the print position and print format on the label 18 is transferred to the CPU 27, which controls the printer. Thereafter, the main routine is entered by scanning the display on the display/key device 6. In this main routine, the data of the weighing section 2 is taken in, the state of the mode changeover switch 3 is read, and the mode is set to fixed amount issue mode, inspection settlement mode, etc.
Modes such as setting mode are set. Further, the key information of the display/key device 6 is taken in and processed.

After this, if it is in the weighing mode, the data in the weighing section 2 is multiplied by the unit price to obtain the price, and when the conditions for issuing the label 18 are set, the print F is set to 1, and data such as the price is output to the display/key device 6. and display it.
If print F is 1, the status of the printing device is checked, and if printing is OK, print data is set and transferred to the CPU 27. Thereafter, print F is reset to 0 and the process returns to the main routine.

Also, if the mode is the inspection settlement mode, the inspection settlement F is determined, and if it is not "0", the status of the printing device is checked, and if printing is OK, the print data is set, and this is transferred to the CPU 27. . Thereafter, the inspection settlement F is reset to 0 and the process returns to the main routine. Furthermore, if the mode is the setting mode, each setting task is performed and the process returns to the main routine.

Next, the operation of the CPU 27 that controls the printer will be explained based on FIG. After turning on the power, each connected device is initialized, receives the feed amount to control the print format, print position, etc. on the label 18 from the CPU 11,
Enter the main routine. In the main routine, it is first determined whether or not paper is being fed, and if it is paper feeding, the pulse motor drive 13 is driven, the pulse motor 12 is rotated, and the process returns to the main routine.
At this time, if paper is not being fed, data from the CPU 11 is received. If this data is the amount of feed, that data is processed and the process returns to the main routine. If this is print data, the data is processed, the character generator 9 is processed, a print pattern is generated on the print buffer 10 and printed, and the process returns to the main routine.

Next, each save routine will be explained based on FIGS. 7 to 12. First, what is shown in Fig. 7 is the feed amount transfer, in which the height of the barcode and the feed amount stored in the PLU memory 5 are transferred when the power is turned on.
Transfer from CPU11 to CPU27. If the height of the barcode at this time, that is, the barcode length data, is set by the barcode length setting means as described later, the data of the set barcode length is sent. . In response to this, as shown in FIG. 8, the CPU 27 processes the feed amount data and sets a feed counter 1 (not shown).

Also, a routine for setting the print buffer 10 shown in FIG. 9 will be explained. When the label printing data is transferred from CPU11 to CPU27, as shown in Figure 6.
It is executed by the CPU27 program. First, clear the print buffer 10 and print the label 1 shown in Figure 3.
A printing pattern is generated on the printing buffer 10 in the order of price, unit price, and weight so that the printing format is 8. Next, a barcode printing pattern is generated by the dimension of barcode height H, and then the product name is printed. Generate a pattern and set a print line counter (not shown).

Next, the print routine will be explained based on FIG. First, the value of feed counter 1 is set in feed counter 2 (not shown). This feed counter 1 is a value that controls the distance from when the label detector 11 detects the leading edge of the label 18 to when the label 18 is fed and stopped, and in order to print at the correct position on the label 18. is the value of Next, data for 1/4 line is set and printed on the label 18 by turning on the common.
After this, 1/4 line feed is performed and is repeated until one line is printed. When one line of printing is completed, a check is made to see if the label 18 is on the label detector 11, and if so, the feed counter 2 is decremented by one. Thereafter, the printing line counter is set to minus 1, and printing and feeding are repeated until the printing line counter becomes 0. Then, when the print line counter reaches 0, one line feed is repeated without printing. Here, when the feed counter 2 becomes 0, the feed is stopped and the process returns.
As a result, a label 18 as shown in FIG. 3 is issued.

Next, to change the height of the barcode, first
The key processing routine shown in FIG. 1 and the setting work routine shown in FIG. 12 are used. first,
In key processing, the mode setting switch 3 checks that the setting mode is set and that it is the mode for setting the barcode height, and the display/key device 6, which acts as a barcode length setting means, Set the data. This number is 5
~15, meaning a height range of 5mm to 15mm. A number that exceeds this range is an error; if it is within this range, the barcode height is H, and the bar setting F is set to 1.
and return.

In the setting routine shown in Figure 12,
A check is made of the bar setting F, which acts as a selection means. That is, if the bar setting F is 0, it means that the bar code is processed based on the normal length data stored in the PLU memory 5 as described above, and if the bar setting F is 1, it means that the bar code is processed based on the normal length data stored in the PLU memory 5 as described above. One thing is that the length data set by the barcode length setting means is set as the "feed amount" by following the feed amount transfer routine shown in FIG.
Set bar setting F to 0 and return. Therefore, in the print routine described above, the height of the bar code is determined as the amount of feed of the label 18 while the print signal to the heating element 26 is being applied.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention provides a thermal head in which a large number of heating elements are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the label feeding direction, and when a barcode printing command is given to the heating elements of the thermal head, the label is printed. Since a setting section is provided to set the feed amount, barcodes of various lengths can be selectively set.
This makes it possible to extend the life of the thermal head by minimizing the length of the barcode.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a block diagram, FIG. 2 is a side view of the main parts of the printer section, and FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the thermal head shown in relation to a label. Figure 4 is a timing chart, Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of CPU1, and Figure 6 is a timing chart.
This figure is a flowchart showing the operation of the CPU 2, FIGS. 7 to 12 are flowcharts of subroutines, and FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing the concept of the present invention. 6... Display/key device (setting section), 14... Thermal head, 18... Label, 20... Platen (label feeding section), 26... Heating element.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a label printer that prints characters or figures in synchronization with the label feeding using a thermal head in which a large number of heating elements are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the label feeding direction, data of the normal length of the barcode is used. a barcode normal length storage means in which is stored, a barcode length setting means for setting the required length of the barcode, and a barcode length setting means for setting the required length of the barcode;
A printing buffer that generates a printing pattern by capturing barcode length along with data such as weight,
A label printer comprising: a selection means for selecting barcode length data to be sent to the printing buffer from the barcode normal length storage means or from the barcode length setting means.