JPH10157232A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To correctly detect whether or not a paper-cutting operation is proper. SOLUTION: A roll paper 2 set on a paper path 6 is transferred by a roll paper-transferring part 9. In the middle of the transfer, a predetermined printing is conducted by a roll paper-printing part 8 arranged at the paper path 6. The roll paper 2 after printed is cut by a roll paper cutter 5a disposed at a terminal end of the paper path 6 and issued from the printer. After the roll paper 2 is cut by the roll paper cutter 5a, the roll paper 2 is sent in the opposite direction to a position where a leading end part of the roll paper 2 passes a roll paper sensor S between the roll paper-printing part 8 and roll paper cutter 5a. The presence/absence of the roll paper 2 is detected on the basis of an output of the roll paper sensor S. Whether the cutting operation to the roll paper is carried out properly or not is correctly detected at all times.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer that prints predetermined items on roll paper, cuts the printed roll paper, and issues the cut print.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printers of a type in which predetermined items are printed on roll paper, and the printed roll paper is cut by a cutter and issued, for example, include a ticket issuing machine, a receipt issuing machine, and a label / tag issuing machine. It is applied to various printers such as printers and is widely used. In general, a printer of this type conveys roll paper set on a paper passing path by a roll paper conveying unit, and performs a predetermined printing by a roll paper printing unit arranged in the paper passing path during the conveyance. And a structure in which the roll paper after printing is cut and issued by a roll paper cutter disposed at the end of the paper passing path. Then, each unit such as the roll paper transport unit is connected to a microcomputer (hereinafter, referred to as a microcomputer) having an operation program installed.
Drive control is performed by a microcomputer, thereby causing each unit to perform a desired operation.

[0003]

In a printer, it is essential to monitor the operation status of each part during a printing operation in order to perform an accurate operation. For this reason, during a printing operation, monitoring of a paper jam or a paper cutting operation is performed using various sensors.

Attention is paid to the monitoring of the paper cutting operation. In general, it is generally performed to monitor whether or not the cutter is operating normally based on the output of a sensor for monitoring the operating state of the cutter. I have. In this case, the sensor generally determines the appropriateness of the operating state of the cutter by looking at the position of the movable blade of the cutter. However, even if the position of the movable blade of the cutter is normal, the sheet may not actually be cut normally. In such a case,
In the conventional paper cutting operation monitoring method of judging the appropriateness of the operation state of the cutter by looking at the position of the movable blade of the cutter,
There is a problem that a failure in the paper cutting operation cannot be correctly detected.

An object of the present invention is to provide a printer capable of correctly detecting whether a sheet cutting operation is appropriate.

[0006]

According to the printer of the present invention, a roll paper set on a paper passing path is transported by a roll paper transport section, and a roll paper printing section arranged on the paper passing path in the middle of the transport. In a printer that performs predetermined printing and cuts and issues the printed roll paper by a roll paper cutter arranged at the end of the paper passing path, the printer is disposed between the roll paper printing unit and the roll paper cutter. A roll paper sensor for detecting the presence or absence of roll paper in the paper passing path, and a roll for applying a predetermined number of pulses of a drive control signal in the reverse transport direction to the driver of the roll paper transport unit after the roll paper is cut by the roll paper cutter. Paper reverse transport means, cut operation monitoring means for determining the presence or absence of roll paper after reverse transport based on the output of the roll paper sensor, and cut operation monitoring means determining that roll paper is present That when said error is processing means for performing error processing.

Therefore, after the roll paper is cut by the roll paper cutter, when a drive control signal in the reverse transport direction is given by the predetermined number of pulses to the driver of the roll paper transport unit from the roll paper reverse transport means, the roll paper transport unit is turned on By performing the reverse transport operation, the roll paper is transported backward in the paper passing path. Here, the `` pulse number '' of the drive control signal in the reverse transport direction output by the roll paper reverse transport means is such that the roll paper is cut by the roll paper cutter until at least the leading end of the roll paper passes through the roll paper sensor. This is the number of pulses corresponding to reverse conveyance. Therefore, when the roll paper is correctly cut by the roll paper cutter, the absence of the roll paper is detected by the cutting operation monitoring means. On the other hand, if the cut operation monitoring means determines that there is roll paper, it means that the roll paper has not been cut correctly by the roll paper cutter. In this case, error processing is performed by the error processing means.

Here, the roll paper sensor disposed between the roll paper printing unit and the roll paper cutter for detecting the presence or absence of the roll paper in the paper passing path is an essential component of the present invention. Such a roll paper sensor has conventionally been generally used to detect the presence / absence of roll paper in a paper passing path. Therefore, in the present invention, the existing roll paper sensor is used for a process for correctly detecting the propriety of the paper cutting operation, and the components are shared.

[0009]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view showing an internal mechanism of the printer. The printer 1 includes a hopper 3 for storing and holding the roll paper 2, and a paper passage 6 from the hopper 3 to the roll paper cutter 5 a via the printing unit 4 is formed in the printer 1. The paper passing path 6 is formed by a pair of paper guide plates 7 for guiding the roll paper 1 and the like. Printing unit 4
A platen roller 9 and a drive motor 10 (roller) arranged at a position where a heating element array (not shown) of the line thermal printer head comes in contact with a roll paper printing unit 8 composed of a line thermal printer head via a paper passage path 6 Paper transport unit). A stepping motor is used as the drive motor 10 for the platen roller 9. Further, as the roll paper cutter 5a, various types can be used regardless of the type, but in this embodiment, a rotary cutter is used. Further, a roll paper sensor S is disposed in the paper passing path 6 between the printing unit 4 and the roll paper cutter 5a so as to approach the printing unit 4 side. This roll paper sensor S can also be used in any form, but in the present embodiment, a reflection sensor in which a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit are arranged in parallel is used. Therefore, the output of the roll paper sensor S is
It turns on when the roll paper 2 is detected, and turns off when the roll paper 2 is not detected.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the electrical connection of each part. The printer 1 includes a plurality of ROMs and RAs in a CPU 11 that executes various arithmetic processes and centrally controls each unit.
An M memory 12 includes a microcomputer 14 connected to a bus via a bus line 13. ROM in memory 12
Is a medium for storing an operation program of the printer 1, and
Control according to this operation program is performed by the microcomputer 14. Various fixed information is recorded in the ROM in addition to the operation program. The RAM in the memory 12 has a registration function, and temporarily stores various variable information.
Further, a part of the RAM is used as a print buffer or an image memory, and is used as various counter areas.
In FIG. 2, only one memory 12 is provided, but this is only a conceptual illustration, and the memory 12 is actually configured by a plurality of ROMs and RAMs.

With respect to such a microcomputer 14, the bus line 13 is interposed, the roll paper printing unit 8 is passed through a printing unit controller 15 which is its driver, and the drive motor 10 of the platen roller 9 is its driver. The roll paper cutting section 5 is connected via a section controller 16 via a cutting section controller 17 which is its driver. The roll paper cutting unit 5 includes a roll paper cutter 5a and a cutter sensor (not shown). The cutter sensor is used to monitor the position of the movable blade of the roll paper cutter 5a and determine whether the movable blade has returned to the initial position. The roll paper sensor S and the external interface controller 18 are also connected to the microcomputer 14 via the bus line 13.
These units are placed under the overall control of the microcomputer 14.

For example, when print data is transmitted from the host computer 19 through the external interface controller 18, the microcomputer 14 starts an operation program for printing processing. When the operation program of the printing process is started, a part of the counter area set in a partial area in the memory 12 is changed from the microcomputer 14 to the transport controller 16 to drive the drive motor 10 which is a stepping motor. Is used as an area for counting the motor drive pulses transmitted to the controller. Therefore, every time a motor drive pulse is transmitted from the microcomputer 14 to the transport controller 16 of the drive motor 10, the motor drive pulse count value in the counter area in the memory 12 is incremented. Pulse management of the transport amount of the roll paper 2.

In the printing operation, first, a motor drive pulse is transmitted from the microcomputer 14 to the transport unit controller 16 of the drive motor 10, and the transport unit controller 16 drives the drive motor 10 in response thereto. As a result, the platen roller 9 is driven to rotate, and accordingly, the roll paper 2 is conveyed while being pulled out from the hopper 3. At this time, when the motor drive pulse count value in the counter area in the memory 12 exceeds a predetermined value, that is, when the roll paper 2 is transported by a predetermined amount, the CPU 11 searches the output of the roll paper sensor S, Roll paper 2 at the position of S
Is determined. At this time, if the output of the roll paper sensor S is off, that is, if the roll paper 2 is not detected by the roll paper sensor S, it is determined that an abnormal situation such as a paper jam has occurred and error processing is performed. Done.

On the other hand, in parallel with such processing, the CP
Another process is performed by the multitasking function of U11. That is, the print data sent from the host computer 19 is sent to the print buffer set in the memory 12, and is expanded in the image memory set in the memory 12. Then, based on the image data developed in the image memory, data for driving each heating element of the thermal printer head, which is the roll paper printing unit 8, is transmitted from the microcomputer 14 to the printing unit controller 15;
In response, the printing unit controller 15 drives the roll paper printing unit 8. At this time, the roll paper 2 is
, The transport operation of the roll paper 2 and the printing operation on the roll paper 2 are performed synchronously,
Printing of the content according to the print data is performed on the roll paper 2.

Since the print data includes a print end command at the end thereof, the end of the print data is C
It is recognized by the PU 11. Therefore, when the CPU 11 recognizes the end of the print data, a process of transporting the roll paper 2 by a predetermined amount is performed, and then the print processing routine ends and the cut processing routine is executed. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the cutting process. In the cutting process, first, a sheet cut command signal is transmitted from the microcomputer 14 to the cutting unit controller 17, and the cutting unit controller 17 drives the roll paper cutting unit 5 (step S1). Thus, the roll paper cutting unit 5 performs a paper cutting operation, and the roll paper 2 is cut. After this,
The state of the roll paper cutter 5a can be seen based on the output of the cutter sensor included in the roll paper cutting unit 5 (step S2). That is, it is determined whether the movable blade of the roll paper cutter 5a has returned to the initial position. At this time,
If the movable blade of the roll paper cutter 5a has not returned to the initial position, a failure has occurred in the roll paper cutter 5a. In this case, error processing is performed (step S).
3). The error processing in this case includes stopping the transport operation of the roll paper 2, saving print data, displaying an error, and the like.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the movable blade of the roll paper cutter 5a has returned to the initial position,
Is performed (step S4, roll paper reverse transport means). That is, the microcomputer 14 transmits a reverse drive motor drive pulse to the transfer unit controller 16 of the drive motor 10, and the transfer unit controller 16 drives the drive motor 10 in the reverse rotation in response to this. In this case, since the drive motor 10 is a stepping motor, the reverse rotation drive is easily performed. When the drive motor 10 is driven in the reverse direction, the platen roller 9 rotates in the reverse direction, whereby the roll paper 2 is conveyed in the reverse direction. The reverse transport amount of the roll paper 2 at this time is determined by the pulse management of the CPU 11 based on the motor drive pulse count value in the counter area in the memory 12, and specifically, the leading end of the roll paper 2 after the paper cut is performed. This is the transport amount at least until the paper passes the roll paper sensor S. Therefore, the output of the roll paper sensor S seen in the subsequent step S5 (cut operation monitoring means) is off when the roll paper 2 is cut correctly in step S4. Therefore, in this case, the routine of the cutting process ends, and the routine of the next printing process is executed (step S6). On the other hand, if the output of the roll paper sensor S is ON in step S4, the roll paper 2 is located at the position of the roll paper sensor S, and it means that the roll paper 2 was not cut correctly in step S3. Therefore, in this case, error processing is performed in step S7 (error processing means). Error processing in this case includes stopping the transport operation of the roll paper 2, saving print data,
For example, an error is displayed. In this manner, the reverse conveyance operation of the roll paper 2 is performed in step S4, and the presence or absence of the roll paper 2 at the position of the roll paper sensor S is determined in step S5. Even if the position is normal and the roll paper 2 is not actually cut normally, the suitability of the roll paper cutting operation is correctly determined.

Here, the roll paper sensor S is connected to the paper passage path 6.
Conventionally, it is generally used to detect the presence or absence (paper jam) of the roll paper 2 inside. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the existing roll paper sensor S is used for a process for correctly detecting the propriety of the paper cutting operation, and the components are shared.

[0019]

In the printer according to the present invention, after the roll paper is cut by the roll paper cutter, the leading end of the roll paper passes through the roll paper sensor disposed between the roll paper printing unit and the roll paper cutter. The roll paper is conveyed backward to a certain position, and then the presence or absence of the roll paper is detected based on the output of the roll paper sensor to determine whether the roll paper cutting operation is appropriate. Can be correctly determined whether or not the roll paper cutting operation is appropriate even if the position is not normal and the paper is not actually cut normally. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent a paper jam, a waste of roll paper, and the like that may occur due to an incorrect roll paper cutting operation. In addition, since the roll paper sensor itself is provided at the same position in a conventional printer, the roll paper sensor can use common components. As a result, the internal space of the printer can be effectively used, and the cost of parts can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view showing an internal mechanism of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of electrical connection of each unit.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a cutting process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Roll paper 6 Paper passage path 5a Roll paper cutter 8 Roll paper printing unit 9, 10 Roll paper transport unit 16 Driver of roll paper transport unit S Roll paper sensor Step S4 Roll paper reverse transport unit Step S5 Cutting operation monitoring unit Step S7 Error Processing means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A roll paper set on a paper passing path is conveyed by a roll paper conveying section, and a predetermined printing is performed by a roll paper printing section arranged on the paper passing path during the conveyance. A printer configured to cut and issue a roll paper after printing by a roll paper cutter disposed at the end of the path, wherein the printer is disposed between the roll paper printing unit and the roll paper cutter and is disposed in the paper passage path. A roll paper sensor for detecting the presence / absence of roll paper; and a roll paper reverse transport for applying a drive control signal in a reverse transport direction to the driver of the roll paper transport unit by a predetermined number of pulses after the roll paper is cut by the roll paper cutter. Means, cut operation monitoring means for determining the presence / absence of roll paper after reverse conveyance based on the output of the roll paper sensor; and Printer, characterized in that it comprises when a constant and error processing means for performing error processing, the.