JPH0577530A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to constitute a printer capable of evaluating quality of print simultaneously with printing by providing a means for latching image on a printing face immediately after it is printed so as to evaluate the quality of the printed matter based on latched image information. CONSTITUTION:After data at every 1 line is sent to a print head 2 and printed thereon, a recording sheet is sent and an image is latched in an image input unit 6. At the same time that the image is latched in an image memory 8, it is displayed on a monitor 11. Based on the image data latched in the image memory 8, an image processing is performed at a processor unit 9 and density, line width, intervals between lines of a bar code are measured. From the result thereof, it is determined whether the bar code is proper or not. In the case that a recording sheet 5 is to be sent for 1 line after the print head 2 has printed for 1 line in serial way, data at every 1 line is to be latched in the same manner intermittently when the recording sheet 5 is to be sent.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer, and more particularly to a printer having a print quality evaluation unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in printing evaluation of a printer,
After the printing is completed, the print density, edge sharpness, dot dropout, etc. are measured using a densitometer or a print evaluation device to evaluate the print. However, there is a problem in that it takes labor and time to evaluate the quality of printing ex post facto after printing is completed.

About bar code printing evaluation, about φ20
A bar code is irradiated with a laser beam of 0 μm on a spot,
There is a method of detecting the reflected light and judging the quality of the barcode based on the reflectance, but the fact that the printing evaluation is not complete and that only the reflection density can be evaluated,
There are problems such as labor and time required for print evaluation.

Further, an image of a printing surface such as a continuous form on which a barcode is printed on a conveying line from a printing machine is input as a still image by a strobe, a television camera, and an encoder that determines the timing of capturing the image, and image processing is performed. A printing bar code automatic monitoring device that automatically determines whether the printing bar code is correct by recognizing it as numerical data and comparing it with the number to be printed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-2738).
64). However, although the image input section is on the same print line, it is an inspection on the transport line after printing, and it is not possible to automatically monitor the print barcode simultaneously with printing. When there is an abnormality, when the inspection result appears, there is a considerable time delay from printing, and printing continues during that time, which causes a problem of loss.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printer capable of solving the above-mentioned problems and at the same time as printing can evaluate the quality of printing.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a printer characterized by comprising a means for capturing an image on a printing surface immediately after printing by a printer, and evaluating the quality of a printed material based on the image information.

[0007]

The image input unit for the printing surface is provided immediately after the print head, the image information is recorded in the image memory, and the quality of printing is evaluated by image processing based on the image. For example,
In printing a bar code, bar density, line width, line distance, etc. are measured and the quality of the print is evaluated. Further, immediately after printing, the printing surface is recorded in the image memory and is displayed on the monitor, so that the printing result can be checked simultaneously with printing. Further, by comparing the print data sent to the printer with the print result, it is possible to detect the distortion and stain of the print at the same time. An advantage of the present invention is that printing can be evaluated simultaneously with printing. 1 of the present invention based on the drawings
An example is shown.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a line transfer type thermal transfer type thermal printer (1) equipped with a print evaluation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. (2) is its print head, (3) is a platen roll, (4) is a transfer sheet, (5) is a recording sheet, (6) is an image input section for inputting an image from the print surface immediately after printing, ( Reference numeral 7) is a print evaluation device for performing print evaluation from the image obtained from the image input section (6). The print evaluation device (7) is an image memory (8) for storing images, for example, 512 × 400 pixels each having 256 gradations, and arithmetic processing for evaluating the quality of printing from the input image. The unit (9) and the interface unit (10) for inputting print data of the printer and inputting / outputting with the outside. (11) is a monitor display device for displaying the screen stored in the image memory (8).

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the image input section (6) for inputting an image from the printing surface. (12) is an illuminating device such as a light emitting diode array, in which the light emitting diodes are arranged in a straight line to illuminate the printing surface. (13) is CC
An image sensor such as a D-line sensor, which receives light emitted by the light emitting diode array (12) and reflected by the printing surface. Further, the image input section (6) is provided with a platen roll (3).
As shown in the figure, the printing surface of the recording sheet (5) immediately after printing is opposed to the position passed from the pressure contact portion with the print head,
Immediately after the print head (2), the print surface is provided parallel to the image input section. The image sensor (13) is
You may comprise so that the data of, for example, 1-2 lines using a two-dimensional sensor may be input in batch.

The actual processing flow is shown below. After the data for each line is sent to the print head (2) for printing, a recording sheet is sent and an image is taken into the image input section (6), and the image is taken into the image memory (8). At the same time, it is also displayed on the monitor (11).
From the image data captured in the image memory (8), the image processing is performed by the arithmetic processing unit (9), and the density of the barcode, the line width, the distance between the lines, and the like are measured. Determine if it is suitable.

When the print head (2) is a serial type or the like,
To print one line of recording sheet (5) after printing a line,
When the recording sheet (5) is sent, the data for each line is intermittently taken in similarly. As described above, since the print result is displayed on the monitor (11) in real time, the image of the print can be confirmed immediately and the transfer sheet (4) and the recording sheet (5) can be prevented from being wasted.

Print head (2) and image input section (6)
Are on the same platen roll (3) and the relationship between the print position and the image input position is always constant. Therefore, the print data sent to the print head (2) via the interface unit (10) and the image input unit are The print results obtained from (6) can be compared line by line, and print distortion and stains can be automatically detected almost simultaneously with printing. After the detection, it is also possible to select a process such as notifying the printing with a buzzer or the like, or starting the page again from the beginning.

[0013]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the printing can be performed by the printer and the printing can be evaluated, the printing distortion and the printing stain can be automatically detected simultaneously with the printing by checking the printing result and comparing the printing data. In the past, since printing was evaluated after printing was completed, abnormal printing could not be dealt with promptly, and there was a lot of wasted consumables such as paper and ink due to printing failures, but wasted consumables. And it is possible to supply more accurate printed matter.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a printer including a print evaluation apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the image input device for the printing surface of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Printer 2 Print Evaluation Device 3 Image Input Unit 4 Image Memory 5 Bar Code Evaluation Calculation Unit 6 Interface Unit 7 Monitor Display Device 8 Print Head 9 Platen Roll 10 Recording Sheet 11 Transfer Sheet 12 Illumination Device (Light Emitting Diode Array) 13 Image Sensor ( CCD line sensor)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A printer comprising means for inputting an image on a printing surface immediately after the print head and means for evaluating the quality of printing from the input image information. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation means includes density unevenness of the bar of the bar code, line width, line distance measurement and the like. 3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the image input means is provided at a stage subsequent to the print head, facing the platen roll. 4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the image input means includes means for illuminating the printing surface and a one-dimensional sensor. 5. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the printing method is a dot method.