JPH10193696A - Compact printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To feed lines at a required position without interrupting printing in the middle of a character and obtain good printing results in a compact printer. SOLUTION: A magnetic sensor 8 is set to a main body 11 of a compact printer 1, and knob parts 6a, 6b are formed in a movable fashion to guide grooves 7a, 7b of a rule 12. A CPU controls so that a printing operation is prohibited when the main body 11 starts to scan, the printing operation is started when the magnetic sensor 8 reacts to the knob part 6a, and the printing operation is finished after a character being printed when the magnetic sensor 8 reacts to the knob part 6b is printed last. Accordingly, the printing operation in an instable state of a run speed immediately after the scan start is prevented and a line feed operation is performed without interrupting the printing operation in the middle of a character.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a small printing apparatus, and more particularly to a small printing apparatus including a printing apparatus main body and a ruler for controlling a scanning direction of the apparatus main body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a printing apparatus main body that prints on a recording medium by scanning on the recording medium and a small printing apparatus including a ruler for regulating the traveling direction, an operator is required to set a desired position. If the print character string is longer than the printable range of the recording medium,
Printing is performed as shown in FIG. 4 and as described below. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a printing operation by a conventional small printing apparatus. First, the ruler 120 is set in accordance with the width of the recording medium P such as paper.
Is adjusted, and the ruler 120 is placed on the recording medium P. Next, the printing apparatus main body 11 is set at the position shown in the drawing, the operator visually determines a line feed position, and scans the printing apparatus main body 11 along the ruler 120 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Do. When the printer main body 11 is scanned to the line feed position, printing is stopped at the line feed position, the printer main body 11 is lifted and separated from the recording medium P, and the printer main body 11 and the ruler 120 are set at the position where printing of the next line is to be started. Then, the printing of the next line is executed in the same manner as described above.

[0003]

However, in the printing by the conventional small printing apparatus 100 as described above, since the line feed position is visually determined by the operator and the operator cannot know the printing condition, for example, Line breaks may occur during printing of certain characters. Also, in particular, when a print head having a staggered arrangement is employed, even if the operator can set a line feed position so that a line feed is not performed in the middle of printing a certain character, the last line to be printed on that line is used. The printing of the first dot of the next character may start before the printing of the last dot of one character, and it is difficult for the operator to obtain a good printing result by starting a new line at a desired position. Was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a small-sized printing apparatus capable of obtaining a good printing result by allowing a line feed at a desired position without interruption of printing in the middle of a character. The purpose is to provide.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a small-sized printing apparatus for performing printing on a recording medium by scanning the recording medium. And a ruler that is separate from the main body and that regulates the scanning direction of the apparatus main body. The ruler defines an end of a printable area, and a position of the printer main body. Position detection assisting means for assisting detection is provided, and inside the printing apparatus main body, a position detecting means that reacts when approaching the vicinity of the position detection assisting means, and during printing operation by the printing apparatus main body and the ruler, When the position detecting means responds to the position detecting assisting means, there is provided control means for controlling not to perform the printing operation of the character currently being printed at the end and the subsequent characters.

In the above configuration, when the printing apparatus main body approaches the vicinity of the position detecting auxiliary means provided on the ruler during the printing operation, and the position detecting means in the printing apparatus main body reacts, the control means sets the current time. In the last character being printed, control is performed so that the printing operation of the characters after that is not performed.For example, if the operator performs a line feed operation when the above reaction occurs, the character A character string can be accurately formed at a desired position without interruption of printing, and a good printing result can be obtained.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a small-sized printing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the position detection assisting means is provided at a position near the end of the ruler. It is.

In the above configuration, since the position detection assisting means is provided at a position near the end of the ruler, printing can be performed over substantially the entire area within a range in which the traveling direction of the small printer can be regulated by the ruler. A line feed operation can be performed without interruption of printing in the middle of a character. Therefore, a character string can be accurately formed at a desired position, and a good printing result can be obtained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a small-sized printing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the position detection assisting means has an end portion in a range where the scanning direction can be regulated by a ruler. It is provided at a position corresponding to the printing start point side for about one character.

In the above configuration, since the position detection assisting means is provided on the printing start point side for about one character from the end portion of the range in which the scanning direction of the small printing device can be regulated by the ruler, the small printing device using the ruler is provided. Can be printed in the entire area within the range in which the traveling direction can be regulated, and the line feed operation can be performed without interruption of printing in the middle of characters. Therefore, a character string can be accurately formed at a desired position, and a good printing result can be obtained.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a small-sized printing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the position of the position detection assisting means is within a range in which the scanning direction can be regulated by a ruler. Is configured to be able to be set arbitrarily.

In the above configuration, the position of the position detection assisting means can be arbitrarily set within a range in which the scanning direction of the small printing apparatus can be regulated by the ruler. A position can be set, and a line feed operation can be performed without interruption of printing in the middle of a character. As a result, a character string can be accurately formed at a desired position, and a good printing result can be obtained.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a small-sized printing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the ruler further comprises a position detecting unit for detecting the position of the printing apparatus main body. The position detection means is responsive when approaching the second position detection assistance means, and the control means performs printing at the start of scanning of the printing apparatus main body. The printing is started when the position detecting means responds to the second position detection assisting means. If the position detecting means reacts to the position detecting assisting means during the printing operation, the character being printed at that time is prohibited. Finally, control is performed so that the printing operation of the subsequent characters is not performed.

In the above arrangement, in addition to the above control, the control means inhibits printing at the start of scanning of the printing apparatus main body,
Since the printing is started from the time when the position detecting means responds to the second position detecting auxiliary means, the printing is not performed in a state where the traveling speed of the small printing apparatus is not stable immediately after the printing is started, so that better printing is performed. The result is obtained.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a small-sized printing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the position of the second position detection assisting means can be regulated in a scanning direction by a ruler. It is configured such that it can be set arbitrarily within a suitable range.

In the above configuration, the position of the second position detection assisting means can be arbitrarily set within a range in which the scanning direction of the small printing device can be regulated by the ruler. Good printing can be performed.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A small printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a printing operation by the small printing device of the present invention. The small printing device 1 is a printing device main body 11 that prints on a recording medium P by scanning over a recording medium P such as paper, and a printing device main body 11 that is separate from the main body.
And a ruler 12 for regulating the traveling direction of the vehicle. The printing apparatus main body 11 is, for example, an ink jet recording apparatus including a recording head that performs printing by ejecting ink, and a roller that causes the recording head to travel a predetermined distance on the recording medium P. The ruler 12 regulates the running direction of the printing apparatus main body 11 that performs printing by scanning on a recording medium P such as paper, and obtains a good printing result by enabling straight running. .

The ruler 12 comprises a fixed member 3 placed on the recording medium P, and a telescopic member 4 provided so as to be freely inserted into and removed from the fixed member 3. The fixing member 3 has a hole (not shown) for accommodating the elastic member 4 and a ruler 12
And a grip portion 3a for gripping in order to fix the posture. The telescopic member 4 has its base end side fitted in the hole of the fixed member 3 and is configured to be able to be taken in and out of the fixed member 3. In order to prevent detachment from the fixing member 3, the elastic member 4 is provided with a locking portion at an end portion on the side in contact with the fixing member 3 (not shown). Further, a locking portion 4 a for preventing the telescopic member 4 from entering the fixing member 3 is formed on the distal end side. The upper edges of the fixing member 3 and the expansion / contraction member 4 in the longitudinal direction are formed linearly and smoothly, and guide rails 3 b and 4 b for guiding the printing apparatus main body 2.
Function as

The fixed member 3 is provided with a passage 3c through which the recording medium P is inserted, and a placing portion 3d on which the recording medium P is placed below the passage 3c. The base end of the guide rail 4b of the telescopic member 4 is connected to the upper part of the passage 3c so as to be freely inserted and removed, and the base end of the mounting part 4d of the telescopic member 4 is connected to the lower part of the passage 3c. I have. Although not particularly shown, a feed roller that conveys the recording medium P and a pressing roller that rotates with the rotation of the feed roller are provided as a recording medium conveying mechanism so as to face the passage 3c of the fixing member 3. When the operator rotates the operation roller 5 provided on the holding portion 3a of the fixed member 3, the rotation of the operation roller 5 is transmitted to the feed roller by a plurality of gears provided in the fixed member 3, and the feed roller is driven. Configuration.

The fixing member 3 and the expansion / contraction member 4 have two knobs 6a and 6 made of a member having magnetism such as a magnet.
b is attached to guide grooves 7 a and 7 b formed on the upper surface of the fixed member 3 and the elastic member 4. In the present embodiment, the knob (position detection assisting means) on the printing end portion side is
b, the knob (second position detection assisting means) on the printing start position side is 6a. The guide grooves 7a, 7b are formed in the entire area within a range in which the traveling direction of the printing apparatus main body 12 can be regulated by the ruler 12, and the knobs 6a, 6b are formed in the guide grooves 7a, 7b.
Can be set at any position along the line. The printing device main body 11 has a magnetic sensor (position detecting means) that reacts when approaching the vicinity of either the knob 6a or 6b.
8 are provided.

Next, the printing control of the printing apparatus main body 11 based on the reaction of the magnetic sensor 8 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a control system provided in the printing apparatus main body 11 for detecting the position of the printing apparatus main body 11. In order to detect the position of the printing device main body 12, the printing device main body 12 has a C that controls the overall control of the printing operation.
A PU (control means) 21 is provided. The CPU 21 is connected to the magnetic sensor 8, a communication circuit 22 for receiving print data from a host computer, and a memory 23 for storing the received print data. ing. Further, a print head 25 is connected to the CPU 21 via a drive circuit 24.

The CPU 21 inhibits printing at the start of scanning of the printing apparatus main body 11, and prints print data in the memory 23 when the magnetic sensor 8 detects the position of the printing apparatus main body 11 in response to the knob 6a. On the basis of this, control is performed so that printing by the print head 25 is started. Further, when the position of the printing apparatus main body 11 is detected by the magnetic sensor 8 responding to the knob 6b during the printing operation, the character being printed at that time is lastly printed, and the subsequent characters are not printed. Control. Therefore, the knob 6a is set at a desired printing start position, the knob 6b is set at a desired line feed position (end position of one-line printing), and the printing apparatus main body 11 is scanned along the guide rails 3b and 4b of the ruler 12. Then, the knobs 6a and 6b
The printing is performed only during the period between.

Next, the printing operation of the small printing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of an operation and a process for printing by the small printing device 1. When print start is instructed by pressing a print start switch or the like, print data for one line is input and stored in the memory 23 (S1). Then, the operator places the ruler 12 on the recording medium P with the right end of the extendable member 4 aligned with the right end of the printing section (S2), sets the printing apparatus main body 11 on the guide rail 3b of the ruler 12, and sets the arrow in the figure. The printing operation is started by scanning in the direction (S3). Next, the printer main body 11
When the magnetic sensor 8 reacts to the knob 6a during the scanning of (1) and there is an output from the magnetic sensor 8 to the CPU 21 (YE in S4).
S), the first character is printed (S5). Also,
If there is no output from the magnetic sensor 8 (NO in S4),
Printing does not start.

After the printing of the first character is started, the magnetic sensor 8 responds to the knob 6b for each character thereafter to determine whether or not there is an output from the magnetic sensor 8 to the CPU 21. Then, if there is no output from the magnetic sensor 8 during printing of a certain character (S6: NO), printing of the next character is performed (S7). If there is an output from the magnetic sensor 8 during printing of a certain character (YES in S6),
At that point, printing is completed after printing of one character being printed (S8). The operator scans the printing device main body 11 to the right end of the elastic member 4 and ends the printing operation (S9).

As described above, the small printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment
According to the above, during the printing operation, the printing apparatus main body 11
a, when the magnetic sensor 8 reacts and a signal is output to the CPU 21, printing is started.
Is controlled so that the character currently being printed at that time is last and the subsequent character printing operation is not performed, so that the traveling speed of the small printing device immediately after the start of printing is stable. A line feed operation can be performed without printing in a state where the character is not printed, and without interruption of printing in the middle of one character. Therefore, a character string can be accurately formed at a desired position, and a good printing result can be obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the position of the knob 6b is configured to be arbitrarily set.
May be fixedly provided at a position corresponding to the printing start point side for about one character from the end portion of the range in which the traveling direction of the printing apparatus main body 11 can be restricted by the above. In this case, ruler 12
Thus, it is possible to print accurately over almost the entire area within the range in which the traveling direction of the printing apparatus main body 11 can be restricted by the above.
Further, the knob 6a for designating the print start position does not necessarily have to be provided, and only the knob 6b is provided, and only the control of the print character at the print end position, that is, the line feed position is performed. It may be a configuration.

In the above embodiment, the knob 6
Although a and 6b are members having magnetism such as magnets, and the magnetic sensor 8 is configured to respond to this, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this configuration, and the knobs 6a and 6b are formed as projecting members. Instead of the magnetic sensor 8, the optical sensor 8 may be configured to react to this protruding member. Further, instead of the knobs 6a and 6b, two leaf springs are provided so as to be movable along the guide grooves 7a and 7b, and instead of the magnetic sensor 8, a bar-shaped member is provided on the printing apparatus main body 11 side. The CPU 21 may perform the above-described printing control when the and the bar-shaped members are locked. In the above embodiment, the printing apparatus main body 11 is provided by the guide rails 3b and 4b.
The ruler 12 is formed in a plate shape, the printer main body 11 is inserted therein, and an opening is provided for linearly regulating the travel. It is good also as composition which knob part 6a, 6b and guide groove 7 were provided.

[0028]

As described above, according to the small-sized printing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the position detecting means responds to the position detecting assisting means during the printing operation, the character being printed at that time is last. In addition, since the subsequent character printing operation is not performed, for example, if the operator performs a line feed operation when this reaction matches, it is possible for the operator to perform line feed without interruption in the middle of the character. Can be. Therefore, a character string can be accurately formed at a desired position, and a good printing result can be obtained.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the position detection assisting means is provided at a position near the end of the ruler, the traveling direction of the small size printer can be restricted by the ruler. It is possible to perform a line feed operation without interruption of printing in the middle of a character in almost the entire range within a possible range, a character string can be formed at a desired position accurately, and a good printing result can be obtained.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the position detecting assistance is provided on the printing start point side of about one character from the end of the range where the scanning direction of the small printing apparatus can be regulated by the ruler. Since means is provided, it is possible to perform a line feed operation without interruption in the middle of characters in the entire area within the range where the driving direction of the small printing device can be regulated by a ruler, and it is possible to accurately move to a desired position Character strings can be formed, and good printing results can be obtained.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the position of the position detection assisting means can be arbitrarily set within a range in which the scanning direction of the small printer can be regulated by the ruler. The position of the position detection assisting means can be set at a line feed position desired by the operator, and a line feed operation can be performed without interruption of printing in the middle of characters. As a result, a character string can be accurately formed at a desired position, and a good printing result can be obtained.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, printing is prohibited at the start of scanning of the printing apparatus main body, and printing is started when the position detecting means responds to the second position detecting auxiliary means. Is started, the printing is not performed in a state where the running speed of the small printing apparatus is not stable immediately after the printing is started, so that a better printing result can be obtained.

Further, according to the small-sized printing apparatus according to the present invention, the position of the second position detection assisting means is arbitrarily set within a range in which the scanning direction of the small-sized printing apparatus can be regulated by the ruler. Therefore, better printing can be performed from the printing start position desired by the operator.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printing operation by a small printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a control system provided in the printing apparatus main body for detecting the position of the printing apparatus main body.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an operation and a process for printing by the small printing device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a printing operation by a conventional small printing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Small printing device 6a Knob part (second position detection auxiliary means) 6b Knob part (position detection auxiliary means) 8 Magnetic sensor (position detection means) 11 Printer main body 12 Ruler 21 CPU (control means) P Recording medium

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A small-sized printing apparatus main body that prints on a recording medium by scanning on the recording medium, and a ruler that is separate from the main body and that regulates the scanning direction of the apparatus main body. In the printing device, the ruler defines an end of a printable area and includes position detection assisting means for assisting position detection of the printing device main body. A position detecting means that reacts when approaching the vicinity of the auxiliary means; and a character being printed at the time when the position detecting means reacts to the position detecting auxiliary means during a printing operation by the printing device main body and a ruler. And a control means for controlling not to perform the printing operation of the characters thereafter. 2. The small printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position detection assisting means is provided at a position near an end of the ruler. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said position detection assisting means is provided at a position corresponding to a printing start point side of about one character from an end portion of a range in which a scanning direction can be regulated by said ruler. 2. The small printing device according to 1. 4. The small print according to claim 1, wherein the position of the position detection assisting means is configured to be arbitrarily set within a range in which the scanning direction can be regulated by the ruler. apparatus. 5. The ruler further includes second position detection assisting means for assisting position detection of the printing apparatus main body, and the position detecting means includes a second position detection assisting means. The control means also inhibits printing at the start of scanning of the printing apparatus main body, and starts printing from the time when the position detection means has reacted to the second position detection auxiliary means,
During the printing operation, if the position detecting means responds to the position detecting auxiliary means, the character being printed at that time is finally,
The small printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein control is performed so as not to perform printing of characters thereafter. 6. The position of the second position detection assisting means,
6. The small printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the apparatus is configured to be able to arbitrarily set the scanning direction by the ruler within a possible range.