JPH0219988A - Printer having picture reading function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve accuracy in reading an original to be read by outputting a command to move a print head to an original press-contacting position or near the press-contacting position when a picture reading command is outputted. CONSTITUTION:The picture drawn on a form M1 supported by a platen M2 is read by a picture reading means M6 provided on a carriage M3 based on the picture reading command outputted by a picture reading command output means M7. Further, when the above-mentioned picture reading command is outputted from the picture reading command output means M7, the command to move a print head M4 to the press-contacting position or near the press- contacting position is outputted to a print head driving control means M5 by a press-contacting command output means M8. Consequently, when the picture is to be read, the title device works so that the print head M4 can press-contact or stop the form M1 supported by the platen M2 to a small clearance. Thus, the position and the flatness of the original to be read can be easily maintained, and the accuracy in reading the original can be improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a printing device having an image reading function for reading an image written on paper.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, there are printers that are not only equipped with a print head but also equipped with an image reading device for reading images on a carriage. The image reading device has a configuration in which, for example, light emitted from a light projecting section is reflected on a document to be read, the reflected light is captured by a light receiving section, and the optical information is converted into an electrical signal. In a printer equipped with a reading device, if the original to be read rises from the platen when reading the image, the image written on the original to be read cannot be accurately read.

Therefore, the printer is equipped with a document holder that presses the document to be read against the platen when reading an image, or by reducing the gap between the image reading device and the platen to improve image reading accuracy. I was trying to improve.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the device equipped with the document holder has problems in that the device becomes large and the control for driving the document holder becomes complicated.

Furthermore, in the configuration in which the gap between the image reading device and the platen is reduced, the document to be read still moves freely in the gap, so there is a problem that the reading accuracy cannot be sufficiently increased. Ta.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is a printing device having an image reading function that improves reading accuracy by easily maintaining the position and flatness of a read document when reading an image. The purpose is to provide

[Means for solving the problem] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has adopted the configuration shown below as a means for solving the problem. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the printing device having an image reading function according to the present invention includes a platen M2 that supports a sheet M1;
A carriage M3 that moves parallel to the print line, a print head M4 that is provided on the carriage M3 and prints on the paper M1 supported by the platen M2, and the print head M4 is pressed against the paper M1 during printing. a print head drive control means M5 for controlling the drive to a pressure contact position where the print head is moved to a pressure contact position when not printing and to a release position where it is separated from the paper M1 when not printing, and an image written on the paper M1 provided on the carriage M3 and supported by the platen M2. In a printing device having an image reading function, which includes an image reading means M6 for reading an image, and an image reading command output means M7 for outputting an image reading command to the image reading means M6, the image reading command output means M7 outputs an image from the image reading command output means M7. A pressure contact command output means M8 is provided for outputting a command to the print head drive control means M5 to move the print head M4 to the pressure contact position or near the pressure contact position when the reading command is output. There is.

[Function] The printing device having an image reading function of the present invention configured as described above prints on the paper M1 supported by the platen M2 with the print head M4 provided on the carriage M3. The drive control means M5 drives and controls the print head M4 to a press position where the print head M4 is pressed against the paper M1 supported by the platen M2 during printing, and to a release position where the print head M4 is separated from the paper M1 during non-printing. . Further, based on the image reading command outputted by the image reading command outputting means M7, the image reading means M6 provided on the carriage M3 outputs the image from the platen M2.
The image written on the paper M1 supported by the paper M1 is read. Further, when the image reading command is output from the image reading command output means M7, the pressure contact command output means M8 causes the print drive control means M5 to move the print head M4 to the pressure contact position or near the pressure contact position. Outputs the command to do so. Therefore, when reading an image, the print head M4 acts to press the paper M1 supported by the platen M2 or to hold it in a small gap.

[Example] Next, a preferred example of the present invention will be described in detail using the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a thermal printer having an image reading function as a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the heradbolder of the thermal printer.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the thermal printer 1 of this embodiment, a platen 3 is provided on its frame (not shown). The platen 3 supports an original to be read or a paper sheet (in the figure, an original to be read G) inserted as a support drum 7 rotates and is connected to a step motor 5 for feeding paper. Further, a carriage guide 9 and a guide shaft 11 parallel to the platen 3 are respectively fixed to the frame. This carriage guide 9 has
A carriage 13 is supported so as to be able to reciprocate.

The carriage 13 includes a carriage step motor 15.
A drive belt 17 connected to the carriage 13 is attached, and the carriage 13 is reciprocated as the carriage step motor 15 rotates. The guide shaft 11 includes:
A head holder 19 is rotatably supported and reciprocally movable.

The head holder 19 is supported while being accommodated in a notch 13a formed in the carriage 13, and is reciprocated integrally with the carriage 13. A thermal head 21 is attached to this head holder 19, and this thermal head 21
In this method, a large number of heat-generating elements (not shown) arranged in the row direction of thermal paper are selectively made to generate heat, causing the thermal paper to develop color and the letters to be shaped into dots.

Print using the formula.

A tension spring 23 (FIG. 3) is installed between the carriage 13 and the helad bolter 19.

The tension spring 23 urges the thermal head 21 in a direction away from the thermal paper. Further, the guide shaft 11
A head release plate 14 is supported so as to be swingable about the guide shaft 11. The head release plate 14 is in pressure contact with a lever 25 (FIG. 3) of the head holder 19 rotated by the spring force of the tension spring 23, thereby determining the position of the thermal head 21. In addition, the head release plate 14
An electromagnetic solenoid 31 is provided on the left end side.

This electromagnetic solenoid 31 has a bifilar winding structure, and reciprocates the plunger 33 by appropriately switching the excited winding. This reciprocating motion causes the swinging lever 37, which swings around the support shaft 35, to move back and forth. Let it sway,
The head release plate 14 is swung around the guide shaft 11 via the compression spring 39. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4(A), when one winding in the electromagnetic solenoid 31 is excited and the plunger 33 is retracted, the rocking bar 37 rotates in the X direction about the support shaft 35. , the head release plate 14 swings in the lifting direction. As a result, the lever 25 of the head holder 19 is lifted, and the thermal head 21 is held in a pressure contact position where it comes into pressure contact with the thermal paper (or the document G to be read). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4(B), when the electromagnetic solenoid 31 operates and the plunger 33 protrudes, the rocking bar 37 rotates in the X direction about the support shaft 35, and the head release plate 14 swings downward.

As a result, the thermal head 21 is held at the release position where it is separated from the thermal paper (or the document G to be read) by the spring force of the tension spring 23.

Note that when this thermal printer 1 is used as a printing device, a thermal transfer type ribbon cartridge (not shown) is loaded on the carriage 13, but if an image reading cartridge 41 is loaded in place of this ribbon cartridge, the platen 3 The image of the original to be read G supported by the scanner can be read as image data in units of dots.

As shown in FIG. 5, the image reading cartridge 41 includes a case 45 having a protrusion 43 that faces the original G to be read with a predetermined gap when loaded in the carriage 13. , a close contact image sensor unit 51 is built-in. Close contact image sensor unit 5
1 is an LED light D light 3, a SELFOC lens 55,
It is composed of a light receiving section 57 in which a plurality of charge accumulation type optical sensor sections using an amorphous silicon film are arranged in a straight line, and a signal processing circuit board 59 that sequentially extracts the charges accumulated in each optical sensor section from the end. . Note that the light receiving section 57 is fixed in a biased state by a leaf spring 61.

The image reading operation of the thermal printer 1 loaded with the image reading cartridge 41 configured in this manner will be described next. When a drive signal is manually applied to the carriage drive motor 15, the carriage 13 moves in the print line direction. Then, the image reading cartridge 21 loaded in the carriage 13 also moves in the same direction.
The light emitted from each light emitting part of the D light source 53 is transmitted to the original G to be read.
The light receiving part 57 is transmitted through the SELFOC lens 55.
An image is formed on each optical sensor section, and the incident optical information is accumulated in each optical sensor section over an accumulation period. Then, the signal processing circuit board 59 extracts the charges accumulated over the accumulation period in chronological order from the end side, so that one line of the image written on the reading document G is read as image data in dot units. .

The paper feeding stepping motor 5, carriage stepping motor 15, electromagnetic solenoid 31, and signal processing circuit board 59 are connected to an electronic control device 70. As shown in FIG. 6, the electronic control device 70 is configured as an arithmetic and logic operation circuit mainly including a well-known CPU 70a, ROM 70b, RAM 70c, etc., and receives data sent from an external host computer HC and from the signal processing circuit board 59. A paper feeder 70d that captures the reading signal of the output image and outputs a control signal to the host computer HC and the signal processing circuit board 59, etc., and a paper feeder that outputs a drive current to the paper feed stepping motor 5. Drive circuit 70e, carriage stepping motor 15
A carriage drive circuit 70f that outputs a drive current to the electromagnetic solenoid 31, a solenoid drive circuit 70g that outputs a drive current to the electromagnetic solenoid 31, and the like are provided. CPU70a is ROM7
According to the procedure (program) stored in 0b, R
While temporarily reading and writing the data necessary for the AM70c, it also prints characters on paper in dot format according to the data sent from the host computer HC, and prints images written on the document G in dots. Execute the process of reading it as image data.

Next, the processing executed by the electronic control device 70 will be explained based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

Immediately after the power is turned on, initialization processing such as clearing the internal registers of the CPU 70 is performed (step 10).
0). Next, a process is performed to output a ready signal to the host computer HC (step 110), and as a result, the host computer HC detects that the thermal printer 1 is ready to accept data. continue,
Determines whether or not print command data is sent from the host computer HC via the turnout port door 0d (
Step 120). Here, when it is determined that printing command data has been transmitted, a printing process for printing characters on paper is executed (step 130). This printing process is a well-known process in which data transmitted from the host computer HC is printed on paper in dot format while outputting drive current to the paper feeding stepping motor 5 and the carriage stepping motor 15.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 120 that no print command data has been transmitted, then
It is determined whether image reading command data is transmitted from the host computer HC via d (step 14).
0). Here, if it is determined that no print command data has been transmitted, the process returns to step 120. On the other hand, when it is determined that image reading command data has been transmitted, a head pressure contact signal is output to the solenoid drive circuit 70g, and the thermal head 21 is moved to the pressure contact position where it is pressed against the document G to be read. Execute image reading processing to read the image written on document G (step 160)
.

The details of this image reading process are as follows. First, a drive current is output to the carriage stepping motor 15 to move the image reading cartridge 21 mounted on the carriage 13 at a constant speed along the print line. In this manner, the contact image sensor unit 51 is operated as described above, and one line of image written on the read document G is read as image data in units of dots. Next, a drive current is output to the paper feeding stepping motor 5 to feed the paper by one line, and then the carriage 13 is moved to read the next line of image data. Thereafter, such processing is repeated to read one page of the original document G.

After step 160 is executed, a release signal is output to the solenoid drive circuit 70g, and the thermal head 21 is returned to the release press position where it is separated from the original document G (step 170).

After executing the process in step 130 or step 170, the process returns to step 110, outputs a ready signal to the host computer HC, and returns to the initial state of accepting and accepting data transmission.

As described in detail above, when the printing device having the image reading function of this embodiment receives image reading command data from the host computer HC, it moves the thermal head 21 to read the original document G.
The device is configured to move to a pressure contact position where it comes into pressure contact with the user, and then execute image reading processing. Therefore, the conventional thermal head 21 serves as a document presser during image reading, and maintains the position and flatness of the document G to be read. For this reason, compared to the conventional technology, the reading original G is
The reading accuracy can be improved.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 8, the printer as a printing device having an image reading function of this embodiment has an image reading cartridge 4.
1 and a movable plate 81 is installed, and the other configurations are exactly the same as the first embodiment described above. The movable plate 81 is located on the printing surface side of the thermal head 21 (the side on which the heating elements are arranged) when the image reading cartridge 41 is loaded into the carriage 13, and is rotatably mounted on a hinge portion 83. It is set up.

In this embodiment with such a configuration, when the thermal head 21 moves to the pressure contact position where it comes into pressure contact with the read document, the printed surface side of the thermal head 21 acts to come into pressure contact with the read document via the movable plate 81. Therefore, this embodiment has the same effect as the first embodiment, and the printing surface of the thermal head 21 does not rub against the original to be read when the carriage 13 moves and the paper is fed. Abrasion can be prevented.

Further, in the first embodiment, when executing the image reading process, the thermal head 21 was moved to a pressure contact position where it comes into pressure contact with the original BG to be read. It may be configured to move to a position near the pressure contact position that is a predetermined distance away from G, that is, the focal length of the thermal head 21. In such a case, since the separation distance is very short, the reading position located in the gap may be The movement of the original G can be sufficiently suppressed, and the reading accuracy of the original G can be improved as in the first embodiment.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.
For example, a structure in which a contact image sensor unit 51 is fixed in advance on the carriage 13 instead of the image reading cartridge 41 may be used within the scope of the present invention.
Of course, it can be implemented in various ways.

As described in detail above, in the printing device with the image reading function of the present invention, the conventional print head acts as a document holder when reading an image, and the paper on which the image is written (the document to be read) ) to maintain its position and flatness.

Therefore, it is possible to improve the reading accuracy of the read document with a simpler configuration than in the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the basic configuration of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a thermal printer having an image reader hhi as a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the head holder of the thermal printer, and Figure 4 (A
) is an explanatory diagram showing the mechanism for moving the thermal printer to the pressure contact position, FIG. 4(B) is an explanatory diagram showing the mechanism for moving the thermal head to the release position, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the image reading cartridge. FIG. 6 is a block diagram mainly showing the configuration of the electronic control device, FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the electronic control device, and FIG. 8 is an outline of the characteristic parts of the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. G... Original to be read 3... Platen 3...
Carriage 14...Head release plate 5...
Carriage drive motor... Thermal head 3... Tension spring 25... - Levert... Electromagnetic solenoid 33... Plunger 37... Rocking bar 41... Image reading cartridge 70... Electronic control Device

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A platen that supports paper; a carriage that moves parallel to the print line; a print head that is provided on the carriage and prints on the paper that is supported by the platen;
a print head drive control means for controlling the drive to a pressure contact position where it comes into pressure contact with the paper during printing and to a release position where it separates from the paper when not printing; In a printing device having an image reading function, comprising: an image reading means for reading an image; and an image reading command outputting means for outputting an image reading command to the image reading means; A printing device having an image reading function, characterized in that a pressure contact command output means is provided for outputting a command to the print head drive control means to move the print head to the pressure contact position or near the pressure contact position when . .