JPH05112040A - Printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To properly treat remaining recording paper by a simple and low-cost constitution by a method wherein stored recording paper position information is read at the start or stop of a printing device, and recording paper remaining in a recording path is automatically fed to a paper discharge side or back to a paper supply side. CONSTITUTION:A printing device is so constituted that recording paper is supplied from a paper supply mechanism, recorded by a recording head, and discharged to a paper discharge mechanism. Therefore, the printing device comprises at least a printer mechanism 1 and a mechanism control part 2 controlling the printer mechanism 1. In this construction, as a means for storing a present position of recording paper at every action going through the process of recording by the recording head, an EEP-ROM 3 is added. When a power source of the printing device is turned ON or OFF, position information stored in the EEP-ROM 3 is read out. Based on this information, recording paper remaining in a recording path is automatically fed to a paper discharge side or back to a paper supply side under control.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus,
In particular, the present invention relates to a printing apparatus suitable for discharging the recording paper remaining in the recording head path that is forcibly stopped during the recording operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various types of printing devices such as recording devices and printing devices have been proposed according to the type of recording head, but basically, all types are stacked on a paper feed tray or the like. The recording paper wound around the platen roller via the paper feed roller is contacted with a recording head (for example, a thermal head) to perform predetermined printing or recording, and then through a paper discharge mechanism or the like. The recording paper that has already been recorded is discharged to a discharge tray or the like.

An edge sensor as well as a jam sensor is arranged in the path of the above-mentioned sheet feeding → recording → sheet discharging to monitor the passing state of the recording sheet in the process of recording or printing. There is.

[0004]

With the conventional printing apparatus, for example, when the stop button or the like is forcibly pressed during recording or printing, or when the recording paper jammed, the above-mentioned paper feeding → recording → discharging is performed. It is necessary to judge at which position the recording paper remaining in the paths of (2) is left, or whether the paper remains in these paths.

In order to detect such residual recording paper, it is possible to know the presence or absence of the recording paper by using an edge sensor or a jam sensor. However, this edge sensor is near the discharge tray associated with the discharge mechanism. Therefore, unless a plurality of other sensors are arranged in the above-mentioned path, it is impossible to detect the recording paper remaining at the position where the sensor cannot detect. Further, when a transparent recording paper or the like for OHP (overhead projector) is used as the recording paper, the detection light from the sensor is transmitted by an edge sensor or the like that detects the reflected light on the paper surface, and the presence or absence of the recording paper is detected. It was impossible to judge.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and the purpose thereof is to remain even if many sensors and the like are not additionally arranged in the path of paper feeding → recording → paper discharging. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus capable of confirming the presence or absence and the position of a recording sheet that has been discharged, and detecting the position to automatically return the residual recording sheet to the sheet discharge or the paper feed tray.

[0007]

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus of the present invention has a sheet discharging mechanism through a recording head for recording on a recording sheet fed from a sheet feeding mechanism. In the printing apparatuses 1 and 2 configured to be derived, the printing apparatus 1 and 2 has a storage unit 3 that stores the current position of the recording paper in various operations in the process of recording by the recording head, and the power supply of the printing apparatuses 1 and 2 is provided. When the paper is turned on or when the paper is stopped, the positional information of the storage means 3 is read out and the recording paper remaining in the recording path is automatically ejected through the paper ejection mechanism or the paper feeding mechanism. It was made to return to.

[0008]

According to the present invention, the state in which various operations are performed in the path of paper feeding → recording → paper ejection at the time of printing or recording is stored in the storage means, and a plurality of special sensors can be stored only by storing the state. It is possible to obtain a printing apparatus having an automatic paper discharge mechanism that can easily determine the position and the presence of the remaining recording paper without disposing the recording paper in this path and can automatically discharge the remaining recording paper.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A printer using a heat-sensitive print head as a printing apparatus of the present invention will be described below.

Before describing the hardware and software configurations of the present invention with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, the basic configuration of the printer of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 show a path of paper feeding → recording → sheet discharging of the above-mentioned printing apparatus of this example (hereinafter referred to as a recording sheet route).
FIG. 6 is a side view showing an operating state of a main operating point for explaining the above.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the printer mechanism 1 in which the recording paper route is in a non-operating state. Although not shown in the drawing, the recording papers are stacked in the paper feed tray 5, and the recording papers are sequentially placed one by one in the recording paper route. It is fed. A movable plate 6 is attached to the bottom of the paper feed tray 5 so as to be cantilevered, and the recording paper is placed on the movable plate 6.

By rotating the sheet feeding arm 7 counterclockwise, the tip of the arm is inserted into the slit through the slit formed in the bottom plate of the sheet feeding tray 5 so that the movable plate 6 cantilevered and held. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the structure is such that it can be moved upward.

A paper feed roller 8 is driven by a paper feed motor 9. The paper feed roller is a fixed roller 8A and a movable roller 8B.
The movable roller 8B is driven by the drive motor 9 so that the circumferential surface of the movable roller 8B can contact the circumferential surface of the fixed roller 8A.

Reference numeral 12 is a platen roller, and the pinch rollers 13 and 14 can contact the outer periphery of the platen roller. Fixed roller 8A and pinch roller 1
A guide plate 10 for guiding the recording paper is arranged between the three.

A jam sensor 11 for detecting the jamming state of the recording paper is provided near the paper feed roller 8 of the guide plate 10.
Is provided, and a cueing sensor 15 used when performing color printing on recording paper is provided near the pinch roller 13.
The sensor 15 receives light from a light emitting element 16 such as an LED mounted on the left end side of the casing 17.

Reference numerals 18 and 19 are ribbon reels, and a ribbon 20 is wound and wound between both reels. Ink of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan) ... Is sequentially and repeatedly applied to the ribbon 20 after the cueing signal.

A thermal head 21 is provided at the rear of the ribbon 20.
Is movably provided, and the thermal head 21 is pressed on the recording paper wound around the platen roller 12 via the ribbon 20 to perform recording (printing).

A guide plate 23 for discharging a sheet is disposed between the pinch roller 14 and the sheet discharging roller 22, and an edge sensor 24 for discharging the edge of the recording sheet is provided in the vicinity of the guide plate 23. The recording sheets recorded via the are stacked on the discharge tray 25.

In FIG. 6, the paper feed arm 7 is moved upward, and the recording paper 26 on the movable plate 6 is a fixed roller 8A constituting the paper feed roller 8.
And the movable roller 8B. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the thermal head 21 is recording (printing) on the recording paper 26 via the ribbon 20.

The basic operation for recording with the recording paper route will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 8A, the recording paper 26 placed on the movable plate 6 of the paper feed tray 5 is rotated by rotating the paper feed arm 7 so that the leading end of the recording paper 26 forms the paper feed roller 8. The fixed roller 8A and the movable roller 8B are arranged to face each other.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the recording paper 26 sandwiched between the fixed roller 8A and the movable roller 8B of the paper feed roller 8 is delivered to between the platen roller 12 and the pinch roller 13. At that time, the jam sensor 11 detects whether or not the recording paper 26 is fed.

By rotating the platen roller 12 slightly so that the tip of the recording paper 26 is slightly sandwiched between the platen roller 12 and the pinch roller 13 as shown in FIG. 8C, the recording paper 26 is moved along the outer periphery of the platen roller 12. Wrapped around.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8D, the platen roller 12
The ribbon reels 18 and 19 are rotated to feed the leading edge of the recording paper 26 to the leading edge of the edge sensor 24. Further, the thermal head 21 is pressed against the outer periphery of the platen roller 12 via the ribbon 20 and the recording paper 26. The recording paper 26 is guided toward the edge sensor 24 via the pinch roller 14 when the thermal head 21 is pressed.

In this state, the platen roller 12 is used for the recording paper 2
While sending out 6, the thermal head 21 stores heat to record Y on the recording paper 26.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8E, the thermal head 21 is detached from the ribbon 20, the platen roller 12 is rotated counterclockwise, and the recording paper 26 is returned.
The tip of 6 is stopped just beyond the edge sensor 19.

The same operation as described with reference to FIGS. 8D and 8E above is similarly recorded for the M and C inks.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 8F, the thermal head 21 is detached from the platen roller 12 and the ribbon 20, and the platen roller 12 is rotated clockwise to eject the recording paper 26 via the paper ejection roller 22 into a paper ejection tray. Discharge onto 25.

When the operation is stopped when there is a recording sheet on the recording route as described above, or when the ribbon is turned off and then turned on again, the recording sheet remaining on the recording route is discharged. Although it must be done, the residual recording paper 26 can be detected by the jam sensor 11, the edge sensor 24, etc. when it is automatically ejected, but it cannot be detected by a transparent sheet such as OHP. For example, in FIG.
In the state from A to FIG. 8B, there is a position where the sensor cannot detect the current position of the recording paper 26 on the recording route so that the jam sensor 11 cannot detect the current position of the recording paper 26.

Therefore, in this example, the recording paper 26 of the recording route
The moving position of the recording medium is the same as the change of the software of the CPU that controls the moving position of the recording medium. Set a number of passing points, and EE when passing those points
P-ROM (Electrically Erasab)
le and Programmable Read
It is stored in a storage means such as Only Memory) and the storage point is read out to detect the position of the residual recording paper and eject the paper.

FIG. 1 shows an overall system diagram of this embodiment. 1 shows the printer mechanism described in FIGS. 5 to 8, and a ribbon reel in the printer mechanism 1 from a mechanism control unit 2 including a CPU and the like. A motor control output signal for rotating 18, 19 and the platen roller 12 is supplied to the printer mechanism 1 from the jam sensor 11,
A sensor detection input signal from the edge sensor 24 or the like is supplied to the CPU or the like of the mechanism control unit 2. The information output of the passing point point described above is written from the CPU of the mechanism control unit 2 to the EEP-ROM 3, and the information of the passing point point necessary for discharging the sheet is EEP-R when stopped.
Read from OM3.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the algorithm of this example during the recording operation.

When recording is started by the printer in FIG. 2, the first operation is performed in the first step S ₁ . This first operation is, for example, the operation of moving the paper feed arm 7 upward as described with reference to FIG. 8A.

Next, in the second step S ₂ , when the program is advanced to the first passing point which is appropriately determined in advance, the EEP-ROM ₃ indicates that the first point has passed as shown in the third step S _3. Write. That is, writing to the storage means 3 is performed at the time when the first passing point starts rotation of the fixed and movable rollers 8A and 8B of the paper feed roller 8 described in FIG. 8B.

In the fourth step S ₄ , the following second operation, for example, the recording paper 26 is moved to the pinch roller 13 and the platen roller 1
The program in the state shown in FIG. 8C sandwiched between the two runs in software.

In the fifth step S ₅ , the EEP-ROM 3 indicates that the second point has been passed as shown in the sixth step S ₆ when the program is advanced to the second passing point.
Write in.

The second point may be that the platen roller 12 is rotated as described with reference to FIG. 8D, for example.

In FIG. 2, the recording sheet is in the finished state in the sixth step S ₆ , but the first to n-th point passing positions can be appropriately set by the printer mechanism 1, and for example, As the number of writings to the storage means 3 increases, the current position of the recording paper 26 can be confirmed more accurately.

An algorithm for automatically ejecting the EEP-ROM 3 in which a predetermined passing point is written during recording as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart when the stop button of the printer is pressed.

That is, when the stop button of the printer is pressed in the first step ST ₁ , the printer inputs the current passing point as described in FIG. 2 from the EEP-ROM 3 (second step ST ₂ ).

Next, the CP in the mechanism control unit 2
U checks in the third step ST ₃ whether or not it has passed the first point, and if NO, proceeds to the fourth step ST ₄ to perform the first sheet discharging operation.

If the third step ST ₃ is YES, the fifth step
In step ST ₅ , it is checked whether the second point has been passed.

If NO here, the process proceeds to the sixth step ST ₆ to perform the second paper discharging operation.

At the end of the fourth step ST ₄ , if YES at the fifth step ST ₅ , at the end of the sixth step ST ₆ , proceed to the seventh step ST ₇ to reset the passing point of EEP-ROM 3, The process proceeds to step ST ₈ to wait for the next print (recording).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart simultaneously with FIG. 3. In this example, the paper discharge operation is performed when the power button of the printer is pressed. When the power button is pressed in the first step STP ₁ , In the second step STP ₂ , the EE of the storage means
Input the passing point when the power is off from P-ROM3,
Subsequent flow is similar checks and third step ST ₃ through eighth step ST ₈ in FIG. 3 are performed until the third step STP ₃ to eighth step STP _8.

In the above-described two embodiments, the case where two checkpoints are determined is shown. However, when there are up to n write points to the memory, it is possible to perform up to n point passing checks. Of course.

Further, in the above example, the recording paper 26 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 25, but when it is stopped between FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B, the recording paper 26 is returned to the paper feed tray 5 side. Yes

Further, even when it is stopped between FIG. 8B and FIG. 8C, the thermal head 21 is not brought into contact with the ribbon 20 and the platen roller 12 shown in FIG. The control is performed according to the stop position of the recording paper 26 so that the paper is directly discharged without performing the operation. This example is useful not only when the recording operation is stopped normally or when the power is turned off, but also when jamming error occurs. When jamming is performed, the paper discharge operation cannot be performed, so the user manually discharges the paper. At that time, since the information from the memory indicates where and how the paper is, it is possible to provide the user with appropriate advice by displaying the recording paper stop position on the display means.

[0051]

According to the printing apparatus of the present invention, even if the residual recording paper in the recording route is transparent, its presence and position can be surely discriminated, and whether it is due to jamming or due to forced stop by the user. It is also possible to determine.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an algorithm explanatory diagram of a printing operation of the printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart when the printing apparatus of the present invention is stopped.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart when the power of the printing apparatus of the present invention is turned off.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a non-operating state of the printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the printing apparatus of the present invention when recording paper is loaded.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the printing apparatus of the present invention during recording.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a basic operation of the printing apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Printer Mechanism 2 Mechanical Control Unit (CPU) 3 Storage Means (EEP-ROM) 8 Paper Feed Roller 12 Platen Roller 26 Recording Paper

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A printing apparatus configured to be led out to a paper discharge mechanism via a recording head for recording on a recording paper fed from a paper feeding mechanism, and various processes of recording by the recording head. It has a storage means for storing the current position of the recording paper of the operation, and reads out the position information of the storage means when the power of the printing device is turned on or when the printing device is stopped and remains in the recording path. A printing apparatus, wherein recording paper is automatically discharged through the paper discharge mechanism or automatically returned to the paper feed side through the paper feed mechanism.