JPH0798407B2 - Printer paper feeding method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a paper feeding method for a printer suitable for use in an electrophotographic label printer or the like that uses continuous paper.

[Prior art and problems]

A label printer capable of continuously printing a label or the like on continuous paper is known.

By the way, when the electrophotographic method is adopted in this type of label printer, the toner attached to the continuous paper is thermocompression-bonded to the continuous paper by a fixing device using a heat roller. For this reason,
When the printing operation is stopped midway, the continuous paper is advanced by a predetermined length until the final printing position passes the fixing device.

Therefore, when the printing operation is resumed after this, a new printing process is performed, and there is a gap between the final printing position and the next printing start position on continuous paper, and the printing status becomes discontinuous and print quality deteriorates. In addition, the unused portion from the heat roller to the main charger becomes a waste paper (blank paper).

It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feeding method for a printer, which solves the above problems existing in the prior art.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

According to the present invention, a main charger 71 that gives an electric charge to the photosensitive drum 10, a head 72 that gives printing information, a developer 73 that attaches toner, and a toner on the photosensitive drum 10 are transferred to a label W on the continuous paper 11. Transcription charger
In a paper feeding method of a printer using an electrophotographic system, which includes a fixing device 67 having heat rollers 12 and 13 for fixing toner to a label W by passing a continuous paper 11, a continuous operation is performed by stopping a printing operation. The final print position of continuous paper 11 when printing operation is restarted when paper 11 stops running
A speed that is slower than the speed during printing operation by the sum of Mf and a fixed length Lt that allows the next printing to be performed continuously, and the adjustment length Lg that determines the printing position. The continuous paper 11 is reversely returned by. In this case, the reverse return is performed by operating the roller mechanism 56 located forward in the reverse return direction. Further, the constant length Lt, the length L1 from the final printing position Mf to the position Mr contacting the heat rollers 12, 13, and the length L2 from this position Mr to the transfer position Ms on the photosensitive drum 10, It is the length obtained by adding all the lengths L3 from the position Ms to the position Mc immediately after the head 72. On the other hand, the adjustment length Lg means the distance Ls between the position Mcc corresponding to the print position on the continuous paper 11 when printing is restarted and the label position detection sensor 81 for detecting the edge of the label W, and the label position detection sensor 81. And the distance Lh between the leading edges of the label W that is first printed when printing is restarted.

[Action]

 Next, the operation of the present invention will be described.

Generally, in the electrophotographic printer P, when the printing operation is stopped, the continuous paper 11 is advanced until the final printing position Mf passes through the heat rollers 12 and 13 of the fixing device, and then stopped.

According to the method of the present invention, after the running of the continuous paper 11 is stopped,
The continuous paper 11 is controlled so as to return by a certain length.
This fixed length is the final print position when printing is restarted.
The length that allows the next printing to be performed continuously after Mf is selected so that even if the printing operation is interrupted, printing continues without interruption.

Especially, the length of reverse return is
When the printing of 11 is stopped, the continuous paper
Since a fixed length Lt that allows the next printing to be performed continuously after the final printing position Mf of and the adjustment length Lg for determining the printing position are set, the printing is performed. The printing position when restarting is set with high accuracy and precision. Further, since the reverse return speed is set to be slower than the speed during the printing operation, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of jams such as paper slack and paper jam, which are likely to occur due to a reduction in running resistance.

〔Example〕

Next, an optimum embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, in order to clarify the present invention, an overall schematic configuration of a label printer P using an electro-electrophotographic system will be described with reference to FIG.

Reference numeral 50 denotes a machine body, in which a supply reel 51 and a take-up reel 52 are arranged on reel shafts provided at the front and rear ends thereof. The take-up reel 52 and the cutter 53 can be selectively arranged. Meanwhile, the aircraft 50
The photosensitive drum 10 is arranged in the middle. And supply reel
The continuous paper 11 supplied from the 51 is a guide post 55, and a plurality of roller mechanisms 56 including a pair of driving rollers and driven rollers.
The winding reel 52 is wound up through a traveling path N formed by a plurality of guide plates 57, guide posts 58, and the like.
At this time, the continuous paper 11 contacts the solid surface of the photosensitive drum 10.

Further, a transfer charger 61 is arranged on the traveling path N. On the other hand, the traveling path N located in front of the photosensitive drum 10 is provided with a paper sensor 64 for detecting the presence or absence of the continuous paper 11, and on the other hand,
The traveling path N located after the photosensitive drum 10 is guided by a suction device 66 and a suction device 66 using a belt that sucks the continuous paper 11 delivered from the photosensitive drum 10 by a negative pressure for stable extraction. A fixing device 67 for fixing the toner attached to the continuous paper 11 by the pair of heat rollers 12 and 13 is provided.

On the other hand, with respect to the drum surface around the photosensitive drum 10 and before printing, a main charger 71 that gives an electric charge to the photosensitive drum 10 and information such as a figure or a character to be transferred is transferred to the photosensitive drum.
A head 72 to be applied to the photosensitive drum 10 and a developer 73 for adhering toner to the information portion of the photosensitive drum 10 are sequentially arranged. Further, for the drum surface after printing, a separation block 75 for separating the continuous paper 11 from the photosensitive drum 10, a cleaner (toner collector) 78 having a blade 77 and a magnet roller 76,
An eraser 79 for erasing the charge on the photosensitive drum 10 is arranged. Note that 81 and 82 are label position detection sensors that detect the leading edge of the label.

Next, the configuration of the essential parts capable of carrying out the method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the fixing device 67 is constructed as shown in FIG. One heat roller 12 is fixed to the machine body 50 and serves as a driving side. Also,
The other heat roller 13 is supported by the movable mechanism 20,
It is the driven side that moves back and forth with respect to the heat roller 12. The movable mechanism 20 includes a movable plate 22 which is rotatably supported by a support shaft 21, and the heat roller 13 is attached to the movable plate 22, and the movable plate 22 is urged toward the heat roller 12 by a spring or the like. On the other hand, an engaging piece 23 is formed integrally with the movable plate 22, and an eccentric cam 24 whose rotation is controlled acts on the engaging piece 23. Therefore, the movable plate
22 is rotationally displaced over a predetermined angle range, and heat roller
The heat roller 12 can be pressed against or separated from the heat roller 12.

Next, the transfer charger 61 is supported as shown in FIG.
The transfer charger 61 is attached to the tip end of a movable arm 31 which has a fulcrum 30 as the center of rotation and which is integrally provided with a guide piece 32 bent in a chevron shape. The movable arm 31 is controlled by the drive mechanism 34 and the motor 33, and is rotationally displaced over a predetermined angle range. Then, in the figure, when the movable arm 31 is rotated clockwise, the guide piece 32 pushes the continuous paper 11 to bring it into contact with the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 10. On the other hand, when the movable arm 31 is rotated counterclockwise, the transfer charger 61 and the guide piece 32 separate from the photosensitive drum 10, and the guide post 32a integrated with the movable arm 31 also separates from the photosensitive drum 10 side. This guide post 32a is a transfer charger 61 for the continuous paper 11.
When the movable arm 31 rotates counterclockwise, the continuous paper 11 is hooked and separated from the photosensitive drum 10, so that the photosensitive drum 10 and the continuous paper 11 do not come into contact with each other. Becomes

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, an electromagnetic clutch is provided on each drive shaft of the plurality of roller mechanisms 56 for moving the continuous paper 11, and a motor is provided on each reel shaft of the supply reel 51 and the take-up reel 52. Therefore, turn on / off this electromagnetic clutch and motor.
By doing so, the running of the continuous paper 11 can be switched between the forward direction and the reverse direction.

It also comprises a control device 35 which at least allows the continuous paper 11 to be reversed in accordance with the invention.
It has a function to control the traveling system for.

Next, the paper feeding method of the printer according to the present invention will be described.
This will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, in the printing operation, in the control device 35, a start command signal is output from the start command unit 37 so as to cause the continuous paper 11 to travel forward, and the clutch control unit 39, the feed motor control 40, via the command signal supply unit 38, It is supplied to each motor control unit 41 of the fixing device and the transfer charger. As a result, the drive unit 42 operates and sets each unit to the printing operation state. In other words, the motor of the take-up reel 52 is turned on so that the continuous paper 11 can be taken up, and the electromagnetic clutch of each roller mechanism 56 ...
It rotates forward in the ON state. Further, the heat roller 13 is brought into pressure contact with the heat roller 12 to exert a fixing function. Movable arm 31
Is rotated clockwise to bring the continuous paper 11 into contact with the photosensitive drum 10 to exert a transfer function. At this time, supply reel
The motor of 51 is also turned on, and a predetermined back tension is applied to the continuous paper 11.

Therefore, during the printing operation, the continuous paper 11 is run in the direction of the arrow H1 and is wound by the take-up reel 52.

On the other hand, it is assumed that the printing operation is stopped (interrupted) on the way. In this case, based on the stop command 36, until the final printing position Mf passes through the rollers 12 and 13 shown in FIG.
A forward feed command 36a that causes the continuous paper 11 to travel forward is supplied. The forward feed amount based on the forward feed command 36a is set based on the distance between the transfer charger 61 and the fixing device 67 described later.

When the continuous feeding of the continuous paper 11 is completed and the traveling of the continuous paper 11 is stopped, next, each drive shaft 56 is reversely driven from the stop position by a predetermined angle to cause the continuous paper 11 to travel in the direction of arrow H2. As shown in FIG. 4, this constant angle of reverse rotation is set to an angle at which the final print position Mf of the continuous paper 11 can return to the position Mc immediately after the head 72. That is, the length Lt of the continuous paper 11 that returns in reverse is the length L1 from the final printing position Mf to the position Mr that contacts the heat rollers 12 and 13, and from the same position Mr to the photosensitive drum.
The length L2 up to the transfer position Ms in 10 and the length L3 from the same position Ms to the position Mc immediately after the head 72 are all added (= L1 + L2 + L3).

In the reverse return, the motor 25 is operated by the drive command 36b, and the cam 24 pushes the engagement piece 23 to separate the heat roller 13 from the heat roller 12. As a result, the continuous paper 11 and the heat rollers 12 and 13 are not in contact with each other. Therefore, it is possible to prevent adverse effects such as the sticking and deterioration of the continuous paper 11 due to the residual heat of the heat roller (about 150 to 190 ° C.). Furthermore, drive command
The motor 33 is operated by 36b, and the transfer charger 61 is rotationally displaced counterclockwise. As a result, continuous paper 11
Is in a non-contact state with the photosensitive drum 10, and wear on the photosensitive drum 10 due to the continuous paper 11 at the time of reverse traveling and stain on the continuous paper 11 due to the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 are eliminated. Completion of the above operations of the fixing device 67 and the transfer charger 61 is detected by the rotation angle of the limit switch 67a and the motor 33, and the reverse return command 36c is issued. As a result, the electromagnetic clutches of the roller mechanisms 56 located on the front side of the photosensitive drum 10 are turned on, the reverse rotation is controlled, and further, the motor of the take-up reel 52 is turned on.
It turns off. The operation of the adsorber 66 is stopped.

By such a method of feeding the continuous paper 11, even if the printing operation is interrupted during printing of a label having consecutive numbers, for example, printing on the continuous paper is not interrupted. Further, it is possible to prevent waste paper from being generated due to unused portions.

Although the above-described reverse returning method is a control method in an ideal state, it is actually desirable to perform the reverse returning by the following method.

First, the feeding speed during reverse return is set to be slower than the speed during printing operation. The speed depends on the tensile strength of the continuous paper 11 and the like, but it is preferably 1/2 to 1 with respect to the speed during printing operation.
It is desirable to set it to about / 3. As described above, the reason for setting the reverse return speed to be slow is that the continuous paper 11 to be reversely returned is released from the nip of the heat rollers 12 and 13 of the fixing device 67, and the pressure contact with the photosensitive drum 10 is released. Therefore, if the running resistance is small and the reverse return speed is fast, the continuous paper 11 is slackened, and jams and the like are likely to occur. The reverse return speed is included in the specified value of the reverse return command 36c.

In addition, the fixed length Lt to be reversed is L1 + L2 + as described above.
Although it becomes L3, it is necessary to control the reversed continuous paper 11 so that the printing position is not displaced when the next printing is restarted. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the actual reverse return length Lr is set to a length obtained by adding the adjustment length Lg to the constant length Lt. The adjustment length Lg further consists of a print position setting length Ls and a start-up compensation length Lh. This length Ls corresponds to the print position on the continuous paper 11 when printing is restarted, and Mcc and the label The distance between the label position detection sensor 81 that detects the leading edge and the length Lh are the distance between the label position detection sensor 81 and the leading edge of the label W that is printed first when printing is resumed. Therefore, when the printing is restarted, the transient acceleration at the time of start-up is absorbed by the forward running of the length Lh, and when passing through the label position detection sensor 81, the speed becomes constant. Further, since the label position detection sensor 81 detects the leading edge of the label W, by traveling the length Ls, the regular print position Mcc on the label W is set. Thus, by setting the length Lg, the accurate print position is set. The actual reverse return length Lr, the adjustment feed command, and the stop command thereof are included in the reverse return command 36c, and each distance can be set by time and speed by using a timer.

Furthermore, during printing operation, all three roller mechanisms 56 are in a driving state, but at the time of reverse return, only two sets of roller mechanisms 56 located on the front side of the photosensitive drum 10 are driven for reverse return and fixed. Roller mechanism 56 located on the rear side of container 67
Turns the clutch off and acts as an idler.

As a result, it is possible to prevent paper loosening (jam) due to a reduction in running resistance of the continuous paper 11 at the time of reverse returning.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and the detailed configurations, methods, and the like can be arbitrarily changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, the paper feeding method for the printer according to the present invention, when traveling of the continuous paper is stopped due to the stop of the printing operation, continues the next printing after the final printing position of the continuous paper when the printing operation is restarted. Since the continuous paper is returned in reverse at a speed that is slower than the speed during printing operation by the fixed length that can be performed by Get such a remarkable effect.

Even if the printing operation is stopped midway, the continuous continuous printing quality can be obtained without interruption of the printing state of the continuous paper.

Since the unused portion of the continuous paper is eliminated, the waste of the continuous paper is eliminated, which contributes to material saving.

When the continuous paper is returned in reverse, the heat roller and the photosensitive drum are separated from the continuous paper to prevent abrasion of the photosensitive drum due to the continuous paper, and the continuous paper is contaminated by the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum. It is also possible to prevent deterioration of continuous paper due to the heat roller.

If the reverse return speed is set to be slower than the speed during the printing operation, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of jams such as paper slack and paper jam that are likely to occur due to a reduction in running resistance.

If the reverse return length is set to be longer than the regular fixed length, the printing position when printing is restarted can be set with high accuracy and accuracy.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a schematic diagram showing a traveling system of a printer capable of carrying out the paper feeding method according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a fixing device in the printer, and FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a transfer charger in the printer. FIG. 4: Principle explanatory diagram of the same paper feeding method, FIG. 5: Principle explanatory diagram in an embodiment of the same paper feeding method, and FIG. 6: Schematic front view of an electrophotographic label printer. In the drawing, 10: photosensitive drum, 11: continuous paper 12: heat roller, 13: heat roller 56: roller mechanism, 61: transfer charger 67: fixing device, 71: main charger 72: head, 73: developer 81: label Position detection sensor W: Label, Mf: Final print position Lt: Fixed length, Lg: Adjustment length

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Naoharu Narusawa 1463 Tsuruga Nishi Tsurugacho Nagano Nagano City Nagano Japan Radio Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masaki Hirano 1463 Tsuruga Nishi Tsurugacho Nagano Nagano City Nagano Prefecture Nagano Japan Radio Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masao Ando 1463 Tsuruga Nishitsuruga-cho, Nagano City, Nagano Nagano Japan Radio Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP-A-59-81669 (JP, A) JP-A-57 -162568 (JP, A)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A main charger 71 for giving an electric charge to a photosensitive drum 10, a head 72 for giving print information, a developer 73 for attaching toner, and a toner on the photosensitive drum 10 is transferred to a label W on a continuous paper 11. A fixing device 6 having a transfer charger 61 for making the continuous paper 11 and heat rollers 12, 13 for fixing the toner to the travel W by passing the continuous paper 11.
In the paper feeding method of the printer using the electrophotographic method including 7 and, when the running of the continuous paper 11 is stopped due to the stop of the printing operation, the next printing position Mf of the continuous paper 11 is continued when the printing operation is restarted. The length of the continuous paper 11 that can be continuously printed by the fixed length Lt and the length Lg for adjustment for determining the printing position are slower than the speed during the printing operation. A paper feeding method for a printer, characterized in that the paper is reversed. 2. The paper feeding method for a printer according to claim 1, wherein the reverse returning is performed by activating a roller mechanism 56 located forward in the reverse returning direction. 3. The constant length Lt is a length L1 from a final printing position Mf to a position Mr contacting the heat rollers 12 and 13, and a length from this position Mr to a transfer position Ms on the photosensitive drum 10.
3. The paper feeding method for a printer according to claim 1, wherein L2 and a length L3 from the position Ms to the position Mc immediately after the head 72 are added together. 4. The adjustment length Lg is a distance Ls between a position Mcc corresponding to a print position on the continuous paper 11 when printing is restarted and a label position detection sensor 81 for detecting an edge of the label W,
4. The paper feeding method for a printer according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the length is the sum of the distance Lh between the label position detection sensor 81 and the leading edge of the label W printed first when printing is restarted.