JPH05338335A - Paper feed device possessing rolled paper remaining quantity detecting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the title device to detect reliably a running-out time of a rolled paper form. CONSTITUTION:A rotary speed of a rolled paper fixing shaft 1 of a central axis of the rolled paper to be pulled out at a fixed speed is calculated by meassurement of a pulse interval to be generated by a slit plate 2 and sensor 3, its pulse time interval is compared with a fixed standard, through which detection of running-out time of a rolled paper form is performed. With this construction, reliable detection of the running-out-time of the rolled paper form is materialized and possess effectiveness to the effect that detection also of existence of the rolled paper is materialized. Then the device possesses also effectiveness to the effect that highly-precise microscopic adjustment also is materialized at the same time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper remaining amount detector for a printer using roll paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of technology has a structure as shown in FIG. 3, and is a roll paper 18 installed without fixing the central axis, a detection lever 19 for pressing the side surface of the roll paper 18, and an inclination of the detection lever 19. The roll paper 1 is configured by a switch 20 for detecting
The central axis of 8 is lowered, the tip of the detection lever 19 enters the central axis of the roll paper 18, and the switch 20 is turned on. The output signal of the switch 20 is detected by the controller 21, and the remaining amount of the roll paper 18 is small. It was in the form of detecting things.

As a similar conventional technique, the central axis of the roll paper 22 is fixed as shown in FIG.
It is composed of a detection lever 23 that presses the side surface of the roll paper and a switch 24 that detects the inclination of the detection lever 23. When the diameter of the roll paper 22 is reduced, the tip of the detection lever 23 deviates from the side surface of the roll paper 22. 24 is turned on, and the output signal of this switch 24 is output to the controller 2
5 to detect that the remaining amount of the roll paper 22 is small, and as shown in FIG. 5, the inclination of the lever 27 that presses the roll paper 26 changes due to the decrease in the diameter of the roll paper 26. There is also a type in which the remaining amount of the roll paper 26 is detected by the switch 28 by using the.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned prior art has the following drawbacks.

(1) Since a very small change in the thickness of the roll paper, such as the thickness, is detected by a mechanical mechanism called a switch, the detection accuracy is poor.

(2) Since the detection position is adjusted by moving the detection lever up and down, it is difficult to adjust for a small change amount of the paper thickness.

(3) When the roll paper is used without being fixed, the remaining amount decreases, the roll paper itself becomes lighter, and when the roll paper is pulled out by the paper feeding operation of the printer, the roll paper floats up and the detection lever moves. This will cause a malfunction of detection.

(4) Once it is detected that the remaining amount of paper is small, the change in the remaining amount after detection cannot be detected.

(5) It is indistinguishable from the state of low remaining amount and the state of no paper.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a drawback, and detects the output signals from the slit plate and the sensor which generate a pulse by the rotation of the central axis of the roll paper, and measures the pulse interval. By doing so, it is possible to reliably detect the remaining amount of roll paper.

[0011]

A paper supply device having a roll paper remaining amount detector according to the present invention includes a print head, a paper feed mechanism,
A printer that consists of a paper supply device and a control circuit, uses roll paper, and the roll paper of the paper supply device rotates about its axis by the paper feeding operation of the printer, and the roll paper is pulled out. Detects the output signal from the slit plate and the sensor that generates a pulse according to
It is characterized in that the remaining amount of roll paper and the presence or absence of roll paper are detected by measuring the pulse interval.

[0012]

According to the above configuration of the present invention, the remaining amount of paper can be detected finely, and the detection level can be easily adjusted according to the detection sensitivity. Furthermore, the remaining amount can be continuously detected even after the remaining amount of paper reaches a preset standard.

[0013]

FIG. 1 is an external view of an embodiment of the present invention in which a dedicated fixed shaft is used for roll paper. The roll paper fixed shaft 1, the slit plate 2 fixed to the roll paper fixed shaft 1,
The photo sensor 3 includes a roll paper 4 fixed by a roll paper fixing shaft 1 so as not to rotate independently, a controller 5, a storage device 6, and an interface 7.

When the roll paper 4 is pulled out by the paper feeding operation, since the roll paper 4 is fixed by the roll paper fixing shaft 1, the roll paper 4 rotates about the roll paper fixing shaft 1. The rotation of the roll paper 4 causes the slit plate 2 fixed to the roll paper fixing shaft 1 to rotate, and a pulse corresponding to the rotation of the slit plate 2 is generated in the photosensor 3. The time interval of this pulse is set in the controller 5. Measure with the timer provided in. At this time, the slit plate 2 has a slit interval for generating two or more pulses for one line of paper feed.

When the diameter of the roll paper 4 is large, the rotation speed of the roll paper 4 due to the paper feed is slow, and the signal interval from the slit plate 2 detected by the photosensor 3 is long. When the roll paper 4 is consumed and its diameter becomes smaller, the rotation speed of the roll paper 4 increases and the rotation speed of the roll paper fixing shaft 1 also increases. At this time, the signal interval from the slit plate 2 detected by the photo sensor 3 becomes shorter than that when the diameter of the roll paper 4 is large. The remaining amount of the roll paper 4 can be detected by providing a predetermined judgment standard for this signal interval from the slit plate 2.

When there is no roll paper, the slit plate 2 does not rotate, so that the photosensor 3 does not generate a signal and the controller 5 can detect the presence or absence of the roll paper 4.

As the remaining amount judgment standard of the roll paper 4, a method of preliminarily storing appropriate reference data in the controller 5 or the storage device 6 connected to the controller 5, or a command or printing to the printer via the interface 7 is performed. The determination reference data is input from the host 8 that provides the data, and the controller 5 or the storage device 6 connected to the controller 5 is input.
It can be adjusted by, for example, a method of storing reference data in.

In addition to the software method described above, the remaining amount determination criterion can be realized by a method of inputting from the operation panel of the printer, or by hardware such as adjustment of variable resistance or combination of switches.

Further, the controller 5 does not judge the remaining amount of the roll paper 4, and the hardware compares it with a fixed standard.
A configuration in which the result is input to the controller 5 is also conceivable.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which the roll paper is not provided with a dedicated fixed shaft.

Rotation detecting roller 9, rotation detecting roller 9
It is composed of a slit plate 10, a photo sensor 11, a roll paper 12, a controller 13, a storage device 14, and an interface 15 which are fixed to each other. The roll paper 12 is constantly pressed against the rotation detection roller 9 by the roll paper retainer 17.

When the roll paper 12 is pulled out by the paper feeding operation, the rotation detecting roller 9 is pressed against the roll paper 12 and therefore rotates in accordance with the rotation of the roll paper 12. The rotation of the rotation detection roller 9 causes the slit plate 10 fixed to the rotation detection roller 9 to rotate, and a pulse corresponding to the rotation of the slit plate 10 is generated in the photosensor 11, and the time interval of this pulse is read by the controller 13. Thus, with this configuration, the same effect as that shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained.

As with the case of FIG. 1, the remaining amount of the roll paper 12 is determined by the controller 13 or the controller 13.
A method for preliminarily storing appropriate reference data in the storage device 14 connected to the controller 13 or input of determination reference data from the host 16 which gives a command or print data to the printer via the interface 15 to input the determination reference data to the controller 13 or the controller 13. The reference data can be stored in the storage device 14 connected to the printer, or the reference data can be input from the operation panel of the printer, or the hardware such as the adjustment of the variable resistance and the combination of the switches can be adjusted.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately and surely measure a subtle change in the diameter of the roll paper and to perform fine adjustment. Further, there is an effect that the measurement can be continuously performed even after the detection at a certain level and that the presence or absence of the roll paper can be detected at the same time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional technique.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional technique.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Roll paper fixed shaft 2 Slit plate 3 Photo sensor 4 Roll paper 5 CPU 6 Storage device 7 Interface

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A print head, a paper feed mechanism, a paper supply device,
And a control circuit, roll paper is used, the roll paper of the paper supply device rotates about its axis by the paper feeding operation of the printer, and the central axis of the roll paper rotates in the printer in which the roll paper is pulled out. By detecting the output signal from the slit plate and the sensor that generate the pulse, and measuring the pulse interval, the remaining amount of roll paper and the presence or absence of roll paper are detected. Paper feeding device with a container.