JPH0227613B2 - DENSHIHAKARY OPURINTA - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to improvements in printers for electronic scales.

Printers for electronic scales are used in combination with electronic scales for face-to-face sales at stores, etc., but there are cases where a receipt is required and cases where a label is required. Therefore, printers suitable for each purpose, such as a label printer and a receipt printer, are required.

Therefore, in order to solve this inconvenience, an electronic scale that was able to print labels and receipts using a single printer was developed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
Proposed as No. 93027. However, with this electronic scale, printing paper for labels and printing paper for receipts must be installed according to the selected printing function, so replacing the paper itself is very troublesome, and switching the printing function is difficult. This is now done by manual switch operation.

Therefore, if the operator forgets to operate this switch, there will be problems such as receipt data being printed on the label paper or label data being printed on the receipt paper. In this case, not only is expensive printing paper wasted, but the weighing operation has to be repeated, resulting in a very inefficient problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a printer for electronic scales that allows easy exchange of printing paper and prints that correspond to the printing paper. be.

Such a printer for electronic scales of the present invention is a printer for electronic scales that electrically connects the main body of the printer to an electronic scale, and prints and issues on printing paper according to commands from the electronic scale, and is capable of printing labels or receipts. It constitutes a cassette for storing paper, and the main body of the printer is provided with a mounting section to which the cassette is detachably mounted, and a label printing control means and a receipt printing control means are respectively provided as printing control means. The present invention is characterized in that a detecting means for detecting the type of printing paper in the cassette is provided, and the selection of the control means is automatically performed based on the detection result of the detecting means.

An example of carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the external appearance of a printer for electronic scales according to the embodiment. Body 1 and measuring pan 1
a, a display panel 1b and an operation panel 1c are provided,
A mounting part 3 for mounting a cassette 4 is formed on the side surface of the main body 1.

The cassette 4 is formed into a box shape as shown in FIG. 4, and label paper or receipt paper is stored and loaded into the cassette 4 at predetermined positions, respectively. Label paper is made into a roll by attaching labels releasably to a strip-shaped mount at predetermined intervals, and receipt paper is made by making a roll of strip-shaped paper.

FIG. 5 shows a cassette 4 for storing receipt paper. A platen roller 5 for printing and transporting the printing paper is provided inside the receipt paper issuing port 4a of the cassette 4, and a printed receipt is placed near the issuing port 4a. A cutter 4b for cutting paper is provided. In the cassette 4, a setting shaft 20 for supplying the printing paper a is provided, and a detection unit 21 and a guide roller _G1 are arranged along the direction of transport of the printing paper a from the setting shaft 20 to the issuing port 4a. do. The plate 22 on the top surface of the cassette 4 is configured to be openable and closable.
2 is opened, the roll A is set on the set shaft 20, and the printing paper a is pulled out and loaded so as to face the issuing port 4a through the detection section 21, guide roller _G1 , platen roller 5, and cutter 4b. Detection part 2
1 detects the end of the printing paper a, and reflects the light from the light emitting element 23 of the mounting section 3 at right angles, crosses the printing paper a, reflects it at right angles again, and returns it to the light receiving element 24 of the mounting section 3. Configure it as follows. Further, the shaft 5a of the platen roller 5 is provided with a gear (not shown) that projects below the cassette 4 and meshes with the power transmission gear 28 of the mounting section 3.

Figure 6 shows a cassette 4 for storing label paper, and inside the cassette 4 is a dispenser 4 for label peeling instead of the cutter 4b of the cassette 4 in Figure 5.
c, a reel 6 for winding up the mount after the label has been peeled off, and an adjustment guide roller _G2 that can be moved and fixed freely along the elongated hole 29. The detecting section 21 in the cassette 4 shown in FIG. 6 has the same structure as that shown in FIG. 5, and detects the label position.
When using labels of different lengths, the detection unit 21
Adjust the distance from the platen roller 5 to the length of the printing paper a and insert the adjusting guide roller G ₂ into the elongated hole
Adjust by moving it along.

The shaft 5a of the platen roller 5 is provided with a gear (not shown) that protrudes outside the cassette 4 and meshes with a power transmission gear 28 of the mounting section 3. Similarly, the shaft 6a of the take-up reel 6 is provided with a rubber wheel (not shown) that protrudes outside the cassette 4 and presses against the friction wheel 30 of the mounting section 3.

2 and 3 show the mounting section 3 into which the cassette 4 is mounted. When the cassette 4 is mounted on the mounting section 3, the thermal head 2 is provided at a position corresponding to the platen roller 5, and is mounted so as to be rotatable by a predetermined amount around the support shaft 2a. The thermal head 2 is pressed against the platen roller 5 with a predetermined printing pressure using a spring (not shown) or the like.

A stepping motor M is provided below the mounting portion 3, and a gear 25 and a friction wheel 30 are provided with a motor shaft Ma protruding from the upper surface of the mounting portion 3. The gear 25 meshes gears 26, 27, 28,
When the cassette 4 is mounted, it meshes with the gear of the platen roller 5 so that the platen roller 5 can obtain a predetermined rotation speed. Further, the friction wheel 30 comes into contact with the rubber wheel of the cassette 4, rotates the take-up reel 6, and winds up the backing paper.

In the cassette 4, the light emitting/light receiving element 2
3 and 24 are provided in the mounting part 3, and only the detection part 21 is provided in the cassette 4.
There is no need to provide a detection element inside the cassette, the structure is simple, and the cassette 4 can be easily attached and detached.

Next, a detector for detecting whether the printing paper loaded in the cassette 4 is for a label or a receipt will be explained.

A reflective sensor is used as the detector. The sensor _S1 is provided at the abutting portion 3 of the mounting section 3 of the printer main body 1, and a hole t is provided in the cassette 4 at a location corresponding to the sensor _S1 when the cassette 4 is mounted on the mounting section 3. Reflective sensor S ₁ is hole t
This is to detect the presence or absence of. For example, the type of printing paper can be identified by setting a cassette for printing paper for labels to have holes and a cassette for printing paper for receipts to have no holes.

In addition, the sensor _S0 provided in the mounting part 3 is connected to the cassette 4.
This is to detect whether or not the mounting part 3 is securely mounted.

The attachment of the cassette 4 to the attachment portion 3 will be explained. The cassette 4 is inserted through the side opening of the mounting part 3, and when it is inserted to a position where it abuts against the mounting part 3, it is fixed by a leaf spring (not shown). The thermal head 2 contacts the platen roller 5 and presses it with a predetermined pressure, and also meshes with the driving gear 28 of the platen roller 5, and the driving rubber wheel of the take-up reel 6 contacts the friction wheel 30. The sensor _S0 detects whether the cassette 4 is securely installed, and the sensor _S1 identifies the type of printing paper in the cassette 4.

Next, the electrical configuration of the above embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG.

Output signals from the measuring section 51 and the operating section 53 are supplied to the CPU 50 via a measuring section interface circuit 55 and an operating section interface circuit 57, respectively. The label and receipt printer section 52 prints on label paper or receipt paper in a predetermined printing mode based on print data and print control signals supplied from the CPU 50 via the printer section interface circuit 56. The printer unit 52 performs printing using the thermal head 2, and is driven and controlled so as to perform printing in synchronization with the transfer of the print summary by the platen roller 5. The display section 54 displays various information such as weight, unit price, price, type of print summary, etc. based on display signals supplied from the CPU 50 via the display interface circuit 58. CPU50 is ROM59
Each process is performed by executing a program stored in advance.

The RAM 60 is used to temporarily store various data such as printing data when the CPU 50 executes a program and works, and is configured with a receipt buffer and the like that temporarily stores each data of weighed products. The RAM 61 is used as a file for pre-memorizing data such as product numbers, unit prices, etc. of the products handled, and for aggregating sales data for each product, and is backed up by a battery.

The P-ROM 62 stores various character patterns for display and printing, such as numbers, alphabets, katakana, etc., as dot data. The above CPU 50, each interface circuit 55, 56, 57, 58 and memory 59, 6
0, 61, and 62 are each constructed from commercially available ICs and peripheral circuits.

The ROM 59 stores in advance both a label printing program for printing a predetermined print on a label and a receipt print program for printing a predetermined print on a receipt. When the print command key on the operation unit is operated, it is determined whether the loaded paper is label paper or receipt paper, and a program to be executed is selected based on the identified result.

The printing operation of the above embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

Press the preset key on the operation panel 1c to call up the unit price, place the product on the weighing pan 1a, calculate the weight and amount, and then press the print key (20).
It is checked whether there is printing paper in the cassette 4 (21), and if there is no printing paper, an error is displayed (27).
If there is, the sensor _S1 identifies whether the printing paper is label paper or receipt paper and selects the printing mode.

When printing out labels and weighing multiple products, the data for each weighed product is stored in the receipt buffer set in the RAM 60, so the total amount is calculated (2
3) Print out the total amount. The printed label is fed until the next label reaches a predetermined printing position (25), and is then peeled off by the dispenser 4c. When the detector detects that the next label after the printed label has arrived at the predetermined printing position (26), the feed is stopped and preparations are made for the next printing (31).

RAM6 to print out receipts
The total amount is calculated from the unit price, weight, and amount of each product stored in the receipt buffer of 0 (23). Next, after printing the data in the receipt buffer for each product (28), printing the total amount (29), feeding the printing paper by a set amount (30), and preparing for the next printing (31) .

In the above embodiment, two types of printing paper were used, so detection was performed based on the presence or absence of holes t.However, there were printing papers with different label sizes, and three types of printing paper
If there are more than one type, it can be detected by providing two holes t, for example, and combining the presence or absence of each hole. That is, the type of printing paper is set for each combination such as hole-hole, hole-no-hole, hole-no-hole, hole-no-hole, etc.

Furthermore, since the cassette 4 has a hole for detecting the cassette, the cassettes lack compatibility.
Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cassette 4
If a slide plate T is provided in the hole t on the back of the cassette so that the hole t can be opened and closed, the compatibility of the cassette can be improved.

Further, the detection of the type of printing paper in the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be performed as follows.

() A convex portion is provided in place of the hole t, and detection is performed based on the presence or absence of the convex portion.

() A reflective plate is provided in place of the hole t, and
The mounting part is equipped with a light emission/light reception sensor to detect the presence or absence of a reflector.

() A barcode label with the stored contents printed on it is pasted on the surface of the cassette, and a scanner is installed in the mounting section to detect it.

Alternatively, the paper may be detected directly instead of using the cassette.

() A translucent sensor is installed to sandwich the paper pulled out from the roll in the cassette, and when the cassette is installed, a predetermined amount of paper is fed, and the output change of this sensor is used to detect whether it is for labels or receipts. At the same time, the type of printing paper is detected based on the light transmittance.

The type of printing paper in the cassette 4 detected as described above is displayed by indicating the type with an arrow or by lighting it up, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. This display is not limited to the display panel 1b, but may be provided in an easily visible location, and may also be an audio display.

In the above embodiment, the CPU 50 performs software control by executing a program stored in the ROM 59. ROM59
The program stores both the label printing control program and the receipt printing control program, and each time the print key on the operation panel is pressed, it detects whether the printing paper in the cassette is label paper or receipt paper, and each time the control mode is set. This is to switch between.

The present invention is not limited to the above, but also includes one in which the control means is constituted by dedicated hardware, and the hardware corresponding to the type of printing paper is selected when the cassette is mounted in the mounting section.

Other embodiments of the paper transport device will be described below, and those with the same configuration will be denoted by the same reference numerals and explanations will be omitted.

The second embodiment in which the take-up reel is driven by the power from the platen roller is the first embodiment.
This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 to 18. 13 and 14 show the mounting portion 3, FIGS. 15 and 16 show the cassette 4, and FIGS. 17 and 18 show the cassette 4 mounted on the mounting portion 3.

The mounting part 3 is provided with a stepping motor M below it, a shaft Ma of the motor M protrudes above the top surface of the mounting part 3, a gear 8 for power transmission is provided, and a gear 9 is meshed with the gear 8. The shaft 9a of the gear 9 is slidably provided in an arcuate groove 10 centered on the motor shaft Ma, and is biased in one direction by a spring (not shown) or the like. Incidentally, the structure and operation of the thermal head 2 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

The cassette 4 is provided with a platen roller 5 near the issuing port 4a, a shaft 5a of the platen roller 5 protrudes outside the cassette 4, a pulley P and a gear 11 are provided on the same shaft 5a, and a shaft on which the take-up reel 6 is attached is also provided. A pulley P is provided by projecting the pulley 6a to the outside of the cassette 4. The pulleys P and P are linked by a rubber belt B to transmit power to the take-up reel 6.

The gear 11 meshes with the gear 9 of the mounting portion 3 to receive power.

The cassette 4 is mounted by sliding it through the side opening of the mounting section 3. When the gear 11 of the cassette 4 and the gear 9 of the mounting part 3 do not mesh with each other, the gear 9 moves along the arcuate groove 10 while rotating around the outer circumference of the gear 8. and the gear 11 come to mesh with each other. Also, since the escape direction of gear 9 and the rotation direction of motor M are opposite,
The gear 9 is pressed against the gear 11 by the rotation of the motor M, and power is reliably transmitted.

Since the above embodiment is driven by the platen roller 5, the printing paper can be transported and printed whether a take-up reel is required or not.

In addition, the cutter necessary for printing paper for receipts,
If both dispensers necessary for printing paper for labels are provided in the cassette 4 or the printer main body 1, the cassettes may have the same configuration, and a product that is low in cost and easy to use can be provided.

A third embodiment in which the cassette 4 is mounted from above the mounting section 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 22.
19 and 20 show the mounting section 3, and FIGS. 21 and 22 show the cassette 4.

The mounting part 3 is provided with a stepping motor M below it, and a gear 8' for power transmission is provided by protruding the shaft Ma of the motor M, and a hollow shaft 14, which will be described later, is provided by protruding the shaft Ma from the gear 8'. to transmit power to.

The cassette 4 is the same as the second embodiment except that a feed roller 12, a pressure roller 13 and a hollow shaft 14 are provided. The feed roller 12 is a pressure roller 13
After the label is peeled off, the backing paper is sandwiched and transported.The shaft 12a of the feed roller 12 is made to protrude downward, and a gear 11' for power transmission is provided. The hollow shaft 14 fits into the motor shaft Ma,
Platen roller shaft 5a and feed roller shaft 12
It is placed equidistant from a. A pulley P is provided on the hollow shaft 14 and linked with the pulley P of the take-up reel 6 by a rubber belt B.

When the cassette 4 is installed from above the mounting section 3,
The gears 11 and 11' of the cassette 4 mesh with the gear 8' of the mounting section 3 to drive the platen roller 5 and the feed roller 12, respectively, and the hollow shaft 14 of the cassette 4 meshes with the motor shaft Ma to perform winding. Drive the reel 6. Incidentally, when transporting printing paper using only the feed roller 12, the gear 11 of the platen roller 5 should be removed.

The reason why the printer and the electronic scale were integrated in the embodiment was because the printer of the present invention prints out data generated by the electronic scale, so it was thought that it would be generally easier to use if they were integrated. However, the present invention also includes a case where the electronic scale and the printer are separate bodies and electrically connected by a connection cord or the like.

If the electronic scale and printer are separate units, it is possible to connect multiple electronic scales to one printer, and it is convenient when different people handle the delivery of goods and the delivery of money. good.

When issuing labels, there are two cases: one is to peel off the labels one by one using a dispenser, and the other is to continuously issue a predetermined number of labels with the same data. In this case, the labels are issued while still attached to the mount, and after a predetermined number of labels have been issued, they are cut with a cutter.

Regarding receipt issuance, there are cases in which receipts are issued for sales with individual customers, and there are cases in which the daily sales amount is totaled and a total report is issued.

The continuously issued labels and tally reports are usually printed and then issued, but they may also be wound up on a take-up reel.

In addition to each print mode for labels and receipts, the present invention sets a print mode for continuously issued labels and/or tally reports as described above, and also sets a cassette for continuously issued labels and/or tally reports. The mode may be automatically switched by installing the cassette in the mounting section.

If the single peel label and the continuous label are the same label paper, and the paper on which the receipt and total report are issued is also the same receipt paper, prepare a label paper cassette and a receipt cassette, and then peel off the single label. The print mode, continuous issue print mode, receipt print mode, and tally report print mode may be switched using a switch or the like.

As described in detail above, the present invention provides a printer for electronic scales in which a printer body is electrically connected to an electronic scale, and printing paper is printed and issued according to commands from the electronic scale. The main body of the printer is provided with a mounting section for removably mounting the cassette.
A label printing control means and a receipt printing control means are respectively provided as the printing control means, and a detection means for detecting the type of printing paper in the installed cassette is provided, and the above control is performed based on the detection result of the detection means. Since the means is automatically selected, printing paper can be replaced very easily by replacing the cassette attached to the printer body.

In addition, the selection of print control for label printing and receipt printing is performed automatically by detecting the type of printing paper loaded in the cassette, eliminating the need for the operator to operate a switch each time. The inconvenience of printing receipt data or label data on receipt paper is eliminated, and as a result, there is no need to waste expensive printing paper and there is no need to re-weigh, improving work efficiency. It can be measured.

By doing so, we will reach our intended purpose.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a three-dimensional view showing a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the main parts of the printer body, FIG. 3 is a side view of the printer body, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view showing the internal structure of the cassette, FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view showing the internal structure of another cassette, FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the electrical structure of the embodiment, and FIG. 8 is the plan view of the embodiment. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation, FIG. 9 is a rear view of the cassette showing a modified example of the hole for detecting the type of cassette, and FIG.
The figure is a sectional view of the same plane, Figures 11 and 12 are enlarged views showing examples of display types of printing paper, Figure 13 is an enlarged plane view showing the mounting section of the second embodiment, and Figure 14 is the same part. 15 is a plan sectional view showing the cassette of the second embodiment; FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional side view thereof; FIG. Fig. 18 is a side view with the same part cut away, Fig. 19 is an enlarged plan view showing the mounting part of the third embodiment, Fig. 20 is a side view with the same part cut away, and Fig. 21 shows the cassette of the second embodiment. FIG. 22 is a plan sectional view, and FIG. 22 is a longitudinal sectional side view thereof. In the figure, 1...Printer main body, 2...Thermal head, 3...Mounting section, 4...Cassette, 5...
Platen roller, 6...take-up reel, A...roll, a...printing paper, t...hole, _S1 ...sensor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a printer for electronic scales that electrically connects the printer body to an electronic scale and prints and issues printing paper according to the commands of the electronic scale, the printer constitutes a cassette that stores printing paper for labels or receipts, and The main body is provided with a mounting section for detachably mounting a cassette, and is also provided with a label printing control means and a receipt printing control means as printing control means, and further detects the type of printing paper in the mounted cassette. 1. A printer for an electronic scale, characterized in that a detecting means is provided, and the selection of the control means is automatically performed based on the detection result of the detecting means.