JPH0224181A - Stop control device of printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable suitable stop treatment to be performed even when a power source is turned off in the course of printing by a method wherein when the power source is turned off under a state in which a printer head is in a head down state, source voltage is supplied only for a specific time, and the printer head is made to be in a head up state within said time. CONSTITUTION:When supply of output voltage of a power source 8 is interrupted by turning off a power source switch 7 while a thermal head 1 is under a head down state HD, a sequence circuit 30 detects that the power source has been turned off and informs a CPU 31 thereof. Besides the sequence circuit 30 maintains supply of power source voltage to the CPU 31 and a driver circuit 32 only for a specific time. The CPU 31 immediately stops driving of the thermal head 1 and makes the thermal head be in a head up state HU by driving a head up motor 33. Further, after completion of abovementioned operation, the CPU 31 informs the sequence circuit 30 that head up treatment has been completed. The sequence circuit 30 stops supply of power source being maintained by receiving this information, and stops the printer.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] Regarding a stop control device for a thermal transfer type or thermal type serial printer, a printer that can perform appropriate stop processing even if the power is turned off during printing. A stop control device for a printer that performs printing with a printer head in a head-down state, and takes out printing paper with the printer head in a head-up state, comprising: Voltage supply maintenance means for maintaining the on state by supplying power supply voltage for a predetermined period of time when the printer head is powered off in a head down state; and a voltage supply maintenance means for maintaining the on state by supplying a power supply voltage for a predetermined period of time when the printer head is in a head down state and the power supply is turned off; head-up processing means for setting the printer head in a head-up state;
Even when the power is turned off, the printer head is configured to be brought into a head-up state and then stopped.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a stop control device for a printer, and more particularly to a stop control device for a thermal transfer or heat-sensitive serial printer.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of computers, word processors, etc., thermal transfer type or thermal type serial printers have been widely used. Such serial printers are not only used as standalone printer devices, but are also widely used as integral parts of, for example, popular word processors.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the head of a thermal printer. Reference numeral 101 indicates the head of the thermal printer (thermal head), 102 indicates printing paper, 105 indicates a platen, and 106 indicates a transfer ribbon. As shown in the figure, the thermal head 101 is configured such that a head amplifier state [11U] and a head down state HD can be selected. When printing, the thermal head 101 is set to a head-down LiHD state so that the thermal head 101 presses the printing paper 102 on the platen 105 via the transfer ribbon 106, and when printing is not performed, For example, when taking out the printing paper 102, the thermal head 101 is set to the head-up state +1U and the thermal head 101 is placed on the platen 1.
05. It is spaced apart from the printing paper 102 and the transfer ribbon 106. Thereby, the printing paper 102 can be easily taken out from between the platen 105 and the transfer ribbon 106.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

As mentioned above, the thermal head 101 of the printer is in the head-up state 11υ and the head-down state go.

can be selected, and the head-down type Bu
Printing is carried out with n, and the printing paper 102 is taken out from between the platen 105 and the transfer ribbon 106 with head-up MHO.

In the printer configured as described above, if the user turns off the power while printing, the printer will stop with the thermal head 101 in the head down state HD. When the thermal head 101 is in the head down state HD, when the user tries to take out the printing paper 102, the transfer ribbon 106
Since the printing paper 102 is pressed against the platen 105 by the thermal pad 101, the transfer ribbon 10
6 will fly out together with the printing paper 102. If the transfer ribbon 106 pops out like this,
In some cases, the transfer ribbon 106 cannot be used again. Not only that, but the ink on the transfer ribbon 106 would stain the print paper 102, and all the print content up to that point would be wasted. Furthermore, extra time is wasted in replacing the unusable transfer ribbon 106 and redoing printing.

This kind of problem occurs not only in thermal printers but also in thermal printers, when the thermal paper is pulled out under pressure between the head and the platen, the printed thermal paper is removed! !
The rubbing heat caused color development and staining.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems with the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a printer stop control device that can perform appropriate stop processing even if the power is turned off during printing. do.

[Means to solve the problem]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of a printer stop control device according to the present invention.

According to the present invention, the printer head 1 is arranged in a head-down position B.
This is a stop control device for a printer that performs printing with an ID, and takes out a printing paper 2 by placing the printer head 1 in a head-up state HU, the printer head 1 being in a head-down state 1+t.

voltage supply maintaining means 3 that maintains the on state by supplying the voltage a for a predetermined time when the power is turned off; The printer head 1 is equipped with a head-up processing means 4 that puts the head 1 into a head-up state & iHU, so that even if the power is turned off in the head-down state (■), the printer head 1 is brought into the head amplifier state Htl and then stopped. A stop control device for a printer is provided.

[For production]

According to the printer stop control device of the present invention having the above-described configuration, when the printer head l is turned off in the head down state HD, the power supply voltage is supplied by the voltage supply maintaining means 3 for a predetermined period of time to keep it in the on state. is maintained. During the time when power is supplied by the voltage supply maintaining means 3, the head-up processing means 4 puts the printer head 1 in the head-up state HU. As a result, even if the power is turned off in the head-down state B+10, the printer head L is brought to the head-down state B+10 and then the printer is stopped, and when taking out the printing paper 2, the platen 5
This can prevent the transfer ribbon 6 sandwiched between the printer head 1 from flying out together with the printing paper 2, and from staining the printing paper 2 with ink on the transfer ribbon 6.

〔Example〕

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a printer stop control device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a block circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the printer stop control device of the present invention, in which reference numeral 1 is a thermal head, 30 is a sequence circuit, and 31 is a central processing unit (CP).
U), 32 is a driver circuit, and 33 is a head-up motor. As shown in the figure, the CPU
31 causes the driver circuit 32 to control the thermal head 1 and the head-up motor 33 based on print data supplied from the host system. That is, when printing, the head-up motor 33 is controlled to bring the thermal head 1 into the head-down state HD, and the thermal head 1 is made to print characters according to the print data supplied from the host system. being done.

At this time, it goes without saying that the power switch 7 for supplying the output voltage of the power source 8 to each part of the printer is in the on state. Also, as is clear from the figure, CP
A sequence circuit 30 is provided in parallel with the power switch 7 provided between U31 and the driver circuit 32 and the power source 8.

By the way, if the power is turned off while the printer is printing, that is, when the thermal head 1 is in the head-down state (10), turn off the power switch 7 to stop the supply of output voltage from the power supply 8. If the circuit is cut off, the sequence circuit 30 detects that the power is turned off and
The power supply voltage is transmitted to the CPU 31 and the supply of power supply voltage to the CPU 31 and the driver circuit 32 is maintained for a predetermined period of time. Upon receiving the power-off notification from the sequence circuit 30, the CPU 31 immediately stops driving the thermal head 1 and drives the hand-up motor 33 to bring the thermal head 1 into the head-up state HU. moreover,
After the CPU 31 performs the above operations, the sequence circuit 3
0 that the heads-up process has ended.

Upon receiving this notification, the sequence circuit 30 stops the maintained power supply and stops the printer.

Here, the predetermined period of time during which the sequence circuit 30 maintains the supply of power supply voltage is defined by the period of time when the thermal head 1, which has been printing in the head-down state /l+u+, is brought into the head amplifier state HU.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a sequence circuit in the stop control device for the printer shown in FIG. 2, and reference numeral 301
, 305 are transistors, 302 is a relay 303 is a diode, and 305 is a resistor.

In the sequence circuit 3o shown in FIG. 3, first, when the user turns on the power switch 7, the output voltage of the power supply 8 is applied to each part of the printer (including the CPU 31), and the CPU 31 controls the transistor 301. to turn on relay 302. Since the diode 303 is inserted in series with the relay 302, the voltage drop is large, and all the output voltage of the power supply 8 is supplied to each part of the printer via the power switch 7.

Next, when the user turns off the power switch 7, the output voltage of the power supply 8 is transferred to the relay 302 and the diode 303.
It will be supplied to each part of the printer via. At this time, the transistor 305 is connected to the diode 303.
switches on due to the voltage drop caused by CP
U31 recognizes that the power switch 7 has been turned off. Furthermore, the CPU 31 determines whether the thermal head 1 is in a head-up shape g++u or not, and if the thermal head 1 is in a head-down shape gun, it drives the head-up motor 33 to move the thermal head 1 into a head amplifier-like IHU. Make it. After converting the thermal head 1 into a head amplifier-like BHU, the transistor 301 is controlled to turn off the relay 302. As a result, the voltage from the power supply 8 is cut off, and the printer stops.

As described above, the printer stop control device of this embodiment is such that even if the user turns off the power when the thermal head 1 is in the head down state HD, the thermal head 1 is in the head down state [110] and then the printer is turned off. Therefore, when the printing paper 2 is taken out, the transfer ribbon 6 does not fly out together with the printing paper 2, and the ink on the transfer ribbon 6 does not stain the printing paper 2. The printer stop control device of this embodiment can be widely applied not only to thermal printers but also to printers that place the printer head in a head-down state when printing.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above in detail, the printer stop control device according to the present invention can stop the printer head by bringing the printer head into the head-up state and then stopping it even when the printer head is in the head-down state and the power is turned off. Even if the power is turned off during printing, appropriate shutdown processing can be performed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of a printer stop control device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the printer stop control device according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the principle of a printer stop control device according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a sequence circuit in a printer stop control device, and FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a head of a thermal printer. [Explanation of symbols] 1... Printer head, 2... Print paper, 3... Voltage supply maintaining means, 4... Head-up processing means, 5... Platen, 6... Transfer ribbon, 7...Power switch, 8...Power source, 30...Sequence circuit, 31...Central processing unit (CPU), 32...Driver circuit, 33...Head-up motor, +1D・...Head down state, +1U...Hend up state. 1 - Printer head and printing paper 5 - Platen 6... Transfer ribbon HD - Door horn shape HU - Heno Door horn shape

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Printer head (1) in head down state (HD)
A stop control device for a printer that performs printing and takes out printing paper (2) with the printer head in a head-up state (HU), the printer head being in a head-down state and powered off. a voltage supply maintaining means (3) for maintaining the on state by supplying power supply voltage for a predetermined period of time; 1. A printer stop control device, comprising: a head-up processing means (4) for causing the printer head to be brought into a head-up state and then stopped even when the power is turned off in a head-down state.