JPH05185674A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve an operability at the time of setting a recording sheet by properly using supply ports in accordance with the type of the recording sheet. CONSTITUTION:By operating a release lever 8, the pressing state of a recording head 7 on a platen roller 5 is previously released. When recording is to be made on roll paper 1a, the roll paper 1a is supplied from a roll paper holder 2 through a supply port 4 to be cued. When recording is to be made on a cutform 1b, the cutform 1b is supplied through a supply/discharge port 3 to be cued.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording on a recording sheet in accordance with image information, and more particularly to a recording sheet such as a strip of paper or continuous paper, which undergoes a chemical change or physical change due to pressing force and thermal energy. The present invention relates to a recording device that records by utilizing changes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a so-called thermal line printer, as shown in FIG. 9, there is only one paper feed port 51 regardless of the type of paper. Also, when recording on a strip of paper, it is inserted from the paper feed port 51, fed by the conveying roller 52 to perform cueing, and recording is performed by the recording head 53 and discharged.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, as shown in FIG.
Since there is only one, there were the following problems. (1) When recording on a strip of paper, the user has to feed the paper upside down, which is inferior in operability. (2) When the paper is fed from the bottom of the printer, the feeding port is a blind spot for the user, so it is difficult to confirm the insertion state of the paper, and a feeding error is likely to occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to provide a recording apparatus with improved operability by properly using different feeding ports according to the type of recording sheet.

[0005]

A typical means for solving the above problems according to the present invention is a first opening provided on the upper surface of the apparatus for inserting and ejecting a recording sheet, and other than the upper surface of the apparatus. A second opening for inserting the recording sheet provided in
Conveying means for conveying the recording sheet by rotating the drive source forward and backward, recording means for sandwiching the recording sheet between the conveying means and recording an image according to image information, and the recording means. The pressing means for pressing the sheet to the conveying means, the sheet detecting means provided at least at two positions in the recording sheet conveying path between the first opening and the second opening, and the detection signal from the sheet detecting means. And a control means for controlling the drive source.

[0006]

According to the above means, when a strip of paper is used as the recording sheet, the recording sheet is inserted by inserting it through the first opening and performing the indexing by the conveying means, and then rotating the conveying means in the reverse direction. Meanwhile, recording is performed by the recording means according to the image information, and the sheet is again discharged from the first opening. When roll paper is used as the recording sheet, the recording sheet is inserted from the second opening, the recording means performs the heading, and the recording means performs recording according to the image information. Discharge.

[0007]

Next, an embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the above means is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, this printer unit will be described using a handy terminal used for information processing outdoors. 1 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of a handy terminal, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a recording mechanism, FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a handy terminal, FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control system, and FIG. 5 is a set of recording sheets. It is a flow chart which shows operation.

First, the external structure of the handy terminal will be described with reference to FIG. A is a keyboard which is an input unit for various commands. B is a display for displaying information input from the keyboard A, error information, operation sequence, and the like. C is a recording mechanism that outputs necessary information out of the input information. Less than,
The configuration of each unit will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 1, a roll sheet 1a is a recording sheet and is held in a roll sheet holder 2. Reference numeral 3 denotes a feeding / discharging port which is a first opening provided on the upper surface of the apparatus, and a strip paper 1b which is a recording sheet is inserted and
The roll paper 1a is discharged. Reference numeral 4 denotes a feeding port which is a second opening provided at the lower part of the side surface of the apparatus, and is used by the roll paper holder 2 to roll paper 1a
Is to be delivered.

Reference numeral 5 is a platen roller which is a conveying means, and is rotationally driven by a drive motor 6 which is a drive source shown in FIG. By rotating the drive motor 6 in the forward and reverse directions, the direction in which the recording sheet is ejected from the feeding / ejecting port 3 is the forward direction, and the recording sheet is conveyed in the forward and reverse directions to perform cueing. As shown in FIG. 2, a feed knob 5b is attached to the rotary shaft 5a of the platen roller 5, and the platen roller 5 is rotated by manually rotating the feed knob 5b to convey the recording sheet. can do.

A recording head 7 is a recording means,
An image is recorded on the roll paper 1a and the strip paper 1b according to the image information. A release lever 8 is a pressing means for pressing the recording head 7 against the platen roller 5 and releasing the pressing. The paper used as the recording sheet in this embodiment is a heat-sensitive paper that develops color due to heat, and it is reluctant to rub the paper against frictional substances other than the recording head 7 to receive frictional heat during recording. The recording head 7
Also, if the platen roller 5 is rubbed while being pressed against the platen roller 5 without any paper, it is easily affected by abrasion and the like.
Therefore, when the recording sheet is conveyed in addition to the recording operation, it is necessary to release the pressing of the recording head 7 by the release lever 8. Reference numeral 9 denotes a release lever sensor which is a pressure detecting means and detects the operating state of the release lever 8.

Reference numerals 10a and 10b denote upper and lower pinch rollers, which are driven rotary members, and press the platen roller 5 to sandwich the recording sheet, and the recording sheet is conveyed by the cooperation of the two. Reference numerals 11a and 11b are an upper surface sensor and a roll paper sensor, which are sheet detecting means, and detect the presence or absence of a recording sheet.

Next, the structure for controlling the operation of each part of the handy terminal will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. Recording controller 13 connected to the main CPU 12
Is a CPU 13a such as a microprocessor, and this C
A ROM 13b that stores a control program for the PU 13a and various data, and a RAM 13 that is used as a work area for the CPU 13a and temporarily stores various data.
c, a counter 13d for counting the number of rotation pulses of the drive motor 6 and the like are provided.

The recording controller 13 receives information from the release lever sensor 9, the upper surface sensor 11a, the roll paper sensor 11b, etc., and drives the drive motor 6 with a motor drive circuit 14 and a recording head 4 with a head drive circuit. Output drive signal to 15. The upper surface sensor 11a and the roll paper sensor 11b are turned on when the recording sheet is at the sensor position, and turned off when the recording sheet is not at the sensor position.
It becomes a state. Further, 16 is the drive motor 6 and the recording head 7 described above.
It is a power source for driving etc.

Next, roll paper 1 is placed on the handy terminal.
The control procedure from the feeding and setting of a and the strip 1b to the start of the recording operation will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, when recording on the roll paper 1a, in step S1, the operator operates the release lever 8 to release the pressing state of the recording head 7 against the platen roller 5, and then the leading end of the roll paper 1a to the lower pinch roller 10b. After guiding, the feed knob 5b is manually rotated to guide the leading end of the roll paper 1a to the upper pinch roller 10a.

Next, in step S2, the roll paper 1a
The leading edge of the paper passes through the roll paper sensor 11b and then the upper surface sensor 11a
When the upper surface sensor 11a and the roll paper sensor 11b (both are abbreviated as “sheet sensor 11” hereinafter) are in the ON state, it is determined that the roll paper 1a is in the standby state. Become. If both or one of the sheet sensors 11 is in the OFF state, the process proceeds to step S3, and the fact that a paper feed error has occurred is displayed on the display diagram B.

In step S2, the sheet sensor 11
Is ON, steps S4 to S
5, the drive motor 6 is reversely driven via the motor drive circuit 14, and the roll paper 1a is reversely conveyed by the platen roller 5 until the upper surface sensor 11a is turned off.

In step S5, the upper surface sensor
If 11a is in the OFF state, the process proceeds to steps S6 to S8 to drive the drive motor 6 in the normal direction via the motor drive circuit 14 to keep the roll paper 1a until the upper surface sensor 11a is in the ON state. When the sheet is conveyed by the platen roller 5 and the upper surface sensor 11a is turned on, the drive motor 6 is stopped to stop the platen roller 5 and the cueing operation is completed.

Next, the process proceeds to step S9, and it is judged again whether or not the sheet sensor 11 is in the ON state. If it is in the OFF state, the operations of steps S6 to S8 are repeated, and if it is in the ON state, step S10. Then, the recording control unit 13 operates the release lever 8 to cause the display head B to press the recording head 7 against the platen roller 5.

Next, at step S11, it is judged by the release lever sensor 9 whether or not the release lever 8 has been operated. The roll paper 1a is nipped, and then the process proceeds to step S12 to enter the recording standby state. After that, when the operator inputs a recording start command from the keyboard A, the recording operation starts.

The end of the roll paper 1a during the recording operation is
When the roll paper sensor 11b detects the roll paper sensor 11b and the roll paper sensor 11b detects the end, the roll paper 1a is conveyed by a predetermined amount and discharged from the feeding / discharging port 3, and the control such as stopping the driving of the platen roller 5 is performed. I do.

Next, when recording on the strip paper 1b, first as a preparation, the operator operates the release lever 8 to release the pressed state of the recording head 7, and the sheet sensor 11 turns off.
The feed knob 5b is manually rotated backward until the F state is reached, and the roll paper 1a is wound into the roll paper holder 2. Then, after confirming that the roll paper 1a is separated from the lower pinch roller 10b, the operator removes the roll paper 1a together with the roll paper holder 2 from the apparatus main body.

Next, in step S20, the feeding / discharging port 3
Insert the strip 1b. When it is detected in step S21 that the upper surface sensor 11a is in the ON state, the process proceeds to step S22, and it is confirmed that both the roll paper sensor 11b and the release lever sensor 9 are in the OFF state.

Next, the process proceeds to step S23 and the recording controller 13
Drives the drive motor 6 in the reverse direction via the motor drive circuit 14 and pulls the strip 1b toward the feeding port 4 side by the platen roller 5.

Next, in step S24, the strip 1
When b is pulled in until the upper surface sensor 11a is turned off, the process proceeds to steps S25 to S27 to drive the drive motor 6 in the normal direction via the motor drive circuit 14, and the upper surface sensor 11a is turned on. The roll paper 1a is conveyed by the platen roller 5 until
When a is in the ON state, the driving of the drive motor 6 is stopped, the platen roller 5 is stopped, and the cueing operation is completed.

Next, in step S28, it is determined whether or not the seat sensor 11 is in the ON state, and if it is in the OFF state, the operations of steps S25 to S27 are repeated and O
If it is in the N state, the process proceeds to step S29 and the recording control unit 13
Operates the release lever 8 to display on the display B so as to press the recording head 7 against the platen roller 5.

Next, in step S30, it is determined by the release lever sensor 9 whether or not the release lever 8 has been operated. When the release lever sensor 9 is turned on, a space between the recording head 7 and the platen roller 5 is reached. The roll paper 1a is nipped, and then the process proceeds to step S31 to enter the recording standby state. After that, when the operator inputs a recording start command from the keyboard A, the recording operation starts.

The end of the strip 1b during the recording operation is detected by the roll paper sensor 11b, and when the end is detected by the roll paper sensor 11b, the strip 1b is conveyed by a predetermined amount from the feeding / ejecting port 3. At the time of discharging, control such as stopping driving of the platen roller 5 is performed.

According to the above construction, the recording sheet can be set by feeding the recording sheet from different feeding ports according to the type of the sheet and performing the cueing operation, thus improving the operability during feeding. You can

Next, another embodiment of the handy terminal will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, the structure of the entire apparatus is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, but in this embodiment, a pull-in portion 17 for pulling the strip 1b is formed between the lower pinch roller 10b and the recording head 7. There is. The entrance of the pull-in portion 17 is opened and closed by a paper guide 18 which is a guide member slidable in the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface of the apparatus. The paper guide 18 has a spring 19 shown in FIG.
It is pressed by the platen roller 5 side. Further, the pull-in unit 17 is provided with a pull-in sensor 20 for detecting the presence or absence of the strip 1b that has been pulled in and fed.

At the tip of the bottom of the roll paper holder 2, there is a projection 2a which is a supporting member for supporting the roll paper 1a.
Is formed, and when the roll paper holder 2 is mounted, the protrusion 2a is configured to push the tip end portion 18a of the paper guide 18 into the apparatus to match. On the mounting surface side of the roll paper holder 2, roll paper holder claws are provided.
21 is projected, and the roll paper holder 2 is mounted by being fitted into the fitting hole 18b of the paper guide 18 formed corresponding to the roll paper holder claw 21 as shown in FIG. is there.

First, when recording on the strip 1b, the operator operates the release lever 8 to release the pressed state of the recording head 7, and inserts the leading end of the strip 1b through the feeding / discharging port 3. When the strip 1b is inserted, the upper surface sensor 11a
When the recording control unit 13 detects that the is turned on,
After confirming that both the pull-in sensor 20 and the release lever sensor 9 are OFF, the platen roller 5 is driven in reverse to pull the strip 1b into the pull-in portion 17.

Next, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, the upper surface sensor 11a
The drawing operation is continued until is turned off, and then the platen roller 5 is driven to rotate forward until the upper surface sensor 11a is turned on to perform cueing. Strip 1
When the cueing of b is completed, the recording control unit 13 displays the upper surface sensor.
After confirming that 11a and the pull-in sensor 20 are in the ON state, the display B indicates that the release lever 8 is operated and the recording head 7 is pressed. If the upper surface sensor 11a or the pull-in sensor 20 is in the OFF state, it is displayed as a feeding error on the display B, and the operator operates the release lever 8 to turn the release lever sensor 9 into the ON state. The paper 1b is sandwiched between the recording head 7 and the platen roller 5, and the recording standby state is set.

Next, the recording operation is started by the recording start command by the key input of the operator. Strip 1b during recording
The end of the sheet is detected by the pull-in sensor 20, and after a predetermined amount of the sheet has been conveyed in the feeding / discharging port 3 direction, control such as stopping the platen roller 5 is performed.

Next, when recording on the roll paper 1a, the operator first mounts the roll paper holder 2 on the upper end of the apparatus as shown in FIG. The roll paper holder 2 is integrally mounted by fitting a roll paper holder claw 21 into a fitting hole 18b provided in the paper guide 18 as shown in FIG. At this time, the projection 2a provided on the bottom surface of the roll paper holder 2 pushes the leading end 18a of the paper guide 18 into the apparatus. As a result, the paper guide 18 which is pressed and fixed to the platen roller 5 side by the spring 19 slides in the direction away from the platen roller 5 and is pulled in.
The entrance of 17 is closed, and the transport path of the roll paper 1a is determined.

Next, the operator inserts his / her finger through the opening 22 (see FIG. 8) provided on the bottom surface of the roll paper holder 2 to guide the leading end of the roll paper 1a to the lower pinch roller 10b. Less than,
Similar to the above-described embodiment, the cueing operation, recording operation, end detection, etc. of the roll paper 1a are performed.

According to the above construction, a paper pull-in portion 17 for exclusive use of the strip paper 1b which can be opened and closed by mounting or not mounting the roll paper holder 2 is provided, and the conveyance path of the strip paper 1b is made linear so that the paper jam can be prevented. Can be prevented.

Although the present embodiment has been described by using the handy terminal as a recording device, it can be applied to other recording devices such as an electronic typewriter, a facsimile device, a copying device, a word processor, a printer device and the like. ..

[0045]

As described above, the present invention can be set by feeding a recording sheet from different feeding ports according to the type of paper and performing a cueing operation. Can be improved. In addition, a paper jam can be prevented by providing a strip-shaped lead-in portion that can be opened and closed by mounting or not mounting the roll paper holder and by making the transport path of the strip paper linear.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of a handy terminal.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a recording mechanism.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a handy terminal.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control system.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a recording sheet setting operation.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration of the handy terminal.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram illustrating a roll paper transport operation of a handy terminal according to another example.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of a roll paper holder of a handy terminal according to another example.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional recording device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A ... Keyboard B ... Display C ... Recording mechanism 1a ... Roll paper 1b ... Strip paper 2 ... Roll paper holder 3 ... Feed / eject port 4 ... Feed port 5 ... Platen roller 5a ... Rotating shaft 5b ... Feed knob 6 ... Drive motor 7 ... Recording head 8 ... Release lever 9 ... Release lever sensor 10a, 10b ... Pinch roller 11a ... Top sensor 11b ... Roll paper sensor 12 ... Main CPU 13 ... Recording control section 13a ... CPU 13b ... ROM 13c ... RAM 13d ... Counter 14 … Motor drive circuit 15… Head drive circuit 16… Power supply 17… Retracting part 18… Paper guide 19… Spring 20… Retracting sensor 21… Roll paper holder claw 22… Opening part

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A first opening provided on an upper surface of the apparatus for inserting and ejecting a recording sheet, a second opening provided on an area other than the upper surface of the apparatus for inserting a recording sheet, and a drive source for forward and reverse rotation driving. Transporting means for transporting the recording sheet, a recording means for sandwiching the recording sheet between the transporting means and recording an image according to image information, and pressing the recording means against the transporting means. Pressing means for releasing, sheet detecting means provided at least at two positions in the recording sheet conveying path between the first opening and the second opening, and a drive source controlled according to a detection signal from the sheet detecting means. A recording device having: 2. A press detecting means for detecting an operating state of the pressing means is provided, and the control means controls whether or not recording by the recording means is possible by a detection signal from the press detecting means. Item 1. The recording device according to item 1. 3. A driven rotating body, which is arranged at at least two positions by being pressed by the conveying means, on both sides of a pressing portion of the recording means with respect to the conveying means, and a feeding member provided on the opposite side of the first opening from the pressing portion. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a sheet pull-in unit for pulling the fed recording sheet; and a sheet pull-in detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of the recording sheet in the sheet pull-in unit. 4. A support member for supporting a continuous recording sheet in the vicinity of the second opening, a conveyance path from the second opening to the pressing portion when the support member is attached and detached, and the sheet drawing-in portion. The recording device according to claim 1, further comprising: a guide member that switches a conveyance path to the pressing portion. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays information such as a set state of the recording sheet, and an input unit that gives a command to the control unit.