JPH1044514A - Manually operated printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To readily and accurately execute printing control by a method wherein a running direction and posture of a manually operated printer is adequately maintained irrespective of a condition of a printing face of a record medium and a movement quantity of the printer is accurately detected. SOLUTION: The manually operated printer comprises a body section 1 and a guide rail 17. The guide rail 17 is disposed on a printing face and a slit 17a and a guide hook section of the body section 1 are engaged with each other. In this condition, when the body section 1 is scanned in the lateral direction, a magnetic sensor at the tip of the guide hook detects a movement quantity of the body section 1 by sensing a plurality of magnetic poles in the slit 17a and the printing is carried out corresponding to the movement quantity of the printer. The running direction and attitude of the body section 1 are corrected to be constant irrespective of the printing face and the movement quantity of the body section 1 is always accurately detected so that accurate printing can be carried out.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a manual printing apparatus, and more particularly to a manual printing apparatus provided with recording means for performing printing on a recording medium by manually scanning the recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a manual printing apparatus has been proposed as an apparatus for printing on various recording media at desired locations. The printing by the printing device is performed by manually scanning the printing device at an arbitrary speed on a recording medium by a user and ejecting ink to the recording medium by a recording head (printing head) according to a moving amount of the device. Done. The amount of movement of the device is detected based on the amount of rotation of a traveling roller or the like provided as traveling means in the device.

[0003]

However, in the conventional manual printing apparatus as described above, since it is not easy to maintain the proper posture of the apparatus on a wall surface (vertical surface) or a ceiling surface, printing is difficult. is there. Also, when the running roller does not rotate sufficiently, such as when the printing surface of the recording medium has irregularities, when the printing surface is a curved surface, when the printing surface has little friction, etc., the movement amount of the apparatus cannot be accurately detected. ,
Printing control could not be performed according to the amount of movement of the apparatus, and good printing results could not be obtained. The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and it is easy to perform a printing operation on a printing surface such as a vertical surface or a ceiling surface, and the moving amount of the apparatus regardless of the state of the printing surface of a recording medium. It is an object of the present invention to provide a manual-type printing apparatus capable of accurately detecting an image and performing accurate printing control based on the movement amount.

[0004]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a manual printing apparatus for printing on a recording medium by manually scanning the recording medium. A printing device comprising: a traveling unit for traveling the apparatus on a recording medium; and a guide unit for correcting a traveling direction of the apparatus by the traveling unit and maintaining a posture of the apparatus main body. A traveling direction correcting unit that allows a part of the apparatus main body to be engaged with the guide portion, and the guide when the apparatus main body is manually scanned in a state where a part of the apparatus main body is engaged with the guide portion. A moving amount detecting unit that detects a relative moving amount of the engaging unit with respect to the unit; and a control unit that controls a printing operation by the recording unit based on the moving amount detected by the moving amount detecting unit.

[0005] In the above configuration, by engaging a part of the apparatus main body with the guide portion of the traveling direction correcting means, the traveling direction of the apparatus by the traveling means is corrected and the attitude of the apparatus is maintained. When the main body of the apparatus is manually scanned, the movement amount detecting means detects the relative movement amount of the engaging portion with respect to the guide portion, and the control means controls the printing operation by the recording means based on the detected movement amount. For this reason, since the apparatus main body can always be moved in a certain direction in a correct posture, printing can be easily performed on, for example, a vertical surface or a ceiling surface. Further, regardless of the state of the printing surface of the recording medium, the movement amount of the apparatus can be accurately detected based on the relative movement amount between the guide portion and the engagement portion, and accurate printing control can be performed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a manual printing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the traveling direction correcting means comprises a flexible elongate member. It becomes.

[0007] In the above configuration, since the traveling direction correcting means is formed of a long member having flexibility, even if the printing surface of the recording medium is a curved surface or the like, it is deformed in accordance with the condition of the printing surface. Appropriate running of the apparatus main body on the printing surface is enabled, and the amount of movement of the apparatus can be accurately detected. Further, regardless of the state of the printing surface of the recording medium, the proper posture of the apparatus can be maintained, and accurate printing can be performed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a manual printing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the moving amount detecting means includes a guide of the traveling direction correcting means. And a magnetic sensor provided in an engagement portion of the device main body with a guide portion.

In the above configuration, the moving amount detecting means includes:
Consisting of a magnetic pole magnetized in the guide section and a magnetic sensor provided in the engagement section, the movement amount can be accurately detected regardless of the shape of the printing surface of the recording medium and the running speed of the printing apparatus. can do. Therefore, a stable printing result is always obtained according to the amount of movement of the apparatus, so that the operation of the apparatus becomes easy.

A manual printing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the manual printing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the recording means comprises an ink jet recording means. It was done.

In the above arrangement, since the recording means is an ink-jet recording means, printing is performed on the recording medium in a non-contact manner, and a relatively good printing result can be obtained even when the recording surface is not flat. In addition, since the configuration is simpler than that of a wire dot type recording means using a print ribbon or the like, the entire apparatus can be reduced in size and printing can be performed more clearly.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a manual printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The manual printing apparatus includes a main body for performing printing and the like, and a guide rail for performing correction and the like of a traveling direction of the apparatus. FIG. 1 is a right side view of a main body of a manual printing apparatus according to the present invention.
In the figure, a body 1b of a main body 1 has a square shape and is configured to be easily supported by a user with his / her hand. Its body 1
A roller (running means) 2 is rotatably provided at the lower end of b. At the upper end of the body 1b, an interface unit 3 for infrared communication for transmitting and receiving various data such as print data to and from an external device is provided. further,
The power is turned on / off for the body 1b, and the body 1
Is provided with a switch 4 for selecting the print mode.

An ink jet recording head (recording means) 5 is provided as recording means near the roller 2 of the body 1b. The roller 2 is configured to be supported by a frame 1c, and a projection 1d is formed on the frame 1c. The protrusion 1d is made of a material such as a resin having good slidability. At the time of printing, the roller 2, the protrusion 1d, and a guide hook 16, which will be described later, maintain the posture of the body 1, and maintain the positions of the recording head 5 and the recording medium P at a fixed position.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the internal configuration of the main body 1. At the lower end of the body 1b, a roller 2 is configured to be rotatable about a shaft 7. A recording head 5 is disposed behind the roller 2 in the scanning direction. Above the recording head 5, an ink tank 8 for supplying ink to the recording head 5 is arranged.

Above the body 1b, a control unit 14 including a CPU (described later) and the like for controlling the recording operation by the recording head 5, the interface unit 3 provided for receiving print data, and the like is arranged. Have been. A power supply 15 for supplying power to each of the functional blocks described later is arranged in the vicinity of the side. The power supply 15 includes a small power supply unit such as a dry battery and a device for stabilizing the power.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the main body 1, FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the lower left side of the main body 1, and FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the main body 1. In FIG. 5, the illustration of the frame 1c is omitted. A guide hook (engaging portion) 16 is provided near the roller 2 at the lower left side of the body 1b. The guide hook 16 is engaged with a guide rail described later to correct the traveling direction of the main body 1 in a certain direction. At the tip of the guide hook 16, a magnetic sensor (movement amount detecting means) 16a for detecting a magnetic pole magnetized on the guide rail is provided. Further, a plurality of nozzles 5 a are provided at the tip of the recording head 5, and the roller 2 is disposed forward of the recording head 5 in the printing direction. The magnetic sensor 16a (guide hook 16) is provided on the body 1b outside the printing width of the nozzle 5a so as not to hinder printing. As described above, the roller 2 is rotatably supported on its side by the shaft 7.

Next, a guide rail for correcting the traveling direction of the main body 1 and detection of the amount of movement of the main body 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the guide rail and the main body 1, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the guide rail and the main body 1. Guide rail (running direction correction means) 17
Is used to correct the traveling direction when the main body 1 is manually scanned in a fixed direction, has a long shape, and is made of a flexible material such as a flexible resin or rubber. . The guide rail 17 is formed with a slit (guide portion) 17a that engages with the guide hook 16 of the main body 1, and magnetic poles are continuously magnetized on a plurality of magnetic bodies provided inside the slit 17a. I have. During the printing operation, a part of the main body 1 is placed on the guide rail 17 and the slit 17
a and the guide hook 16 are engaged. When the main body 1 is scanned in the horizontal direction along the guide rail 17 in this state, the traveling direction and the posture of the main body 1 are always kept constant. At the time of this scanning, the magnetic sensor 16a is sensitive to the magnetic pole in the slit 17a and outputs an electric pulse signal corresponding to the amount of movement of the main body 1 to a position detection circuit described later. The position detection circuit detects a relative position of the recording head 5 with respect to the recording medium P based on the detection signal from the magnetic sensor 16a, and outputs a signal indicating the position to a CPU described later. The CPU controls the driving of the recording head 5 based on this signal, and performs printing according to the amount of movement of the main body 1.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a control system of the main unit 1. CPU (control means) 20 for controlling the entire main body 1
Is connected to a host computer 21 via an interface unit 3, a ROM 22 storing a control program for controlling each functional block according to a predetermined program, and a host computer input via the interface unit 3. A RAM 23 for storing print data from the computer 21 and an operation panel 24 including the switches 4 and the like are connected. Also, the main body 1
The pulse from the magnetic sensor 16a for detecting the moving amount of the recording medium P is input to a speed detecting circuit 25 and a position detecting circuit (moving amount detecting means) 26, and the speed detecting circuit 25 and the position detecting circuit (moving amount detecting means) 26 The relative position is detected, and this detection signal is input to CPU 20. Further, the CPU 20
Includes a head driver 3 for driving the recording head 5.
3, and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 34 for displaying information related to printing.

The printing operation of the manual printing apparatus having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the processing during the printing operation. The main unit 1 operates according to a predetermined program stored in the ROM 22. The print data is input to the CPU 2 when the print mode is selected on the operation panel 24.
Performed by 0. The print data is input from the host computer 21 via the interface unit 3 by an infrared signal, and the input print data is temporarily stored in the RAM 23. When the main body 1 is manually scanned by the user along the guide rail 17 and the operation is started (Y in S1)
ES), a print start signal is output to the CPU 20. C
When the PU 20 receives the print start signal, the print data becomes R
It is confirmed that the data is stored in the AM 23, and that the printing is not completed (S2).

If there is print data to be printed in the RAM 23 and printing is not completed (NO in S2), it is determined whether or not the recording medium P is at a position facing the recording head 5 by a recording medium detection sensor (not shown). ) (S
3). If the recording medium P is at a position facing the recording head 5 (YES in S3), the CPU 20
6 in accordance with the print timing signal generated based on the signal from S6 (S4), printing is performed for each dot row data (S4).
5). Therefore, even when the traveling speed of the main body 1 on the recording medium P is not uniform, uniform printing can always be performed on the recording medium P in accordance with the amount of movement of the recording head 5 (main body 1).

As described above, according to the manual printing apparatus of this embodiment, the operation is performed in a state where the slit 17a of the guide rail 17 and the guide hook 16 (magnetic sensor 16a) of the main body 1 are engaged. Since the running direction of the main body 1 and the attitude with respect to the printing surface are always corrected to be constant, the printing operation becomes easy even when printing is performed on a vertical wall surface, a ceiling surface, or the like, and the printing result is shifted or distorted. It is possible to print accurately without causing any problem. The magnetic sensor 16a detects the magnetic pole magnetized in the slit 17a, and the CPU 20 controls the printing operation by the recording head 5 according to the amount of movement of the main body 1 detected by the position detection circuit 26 based on the magnetic pole. Therefore, regardless of the state of the printing surface of the recording medium, the amount of movement of the main body 1 can always be accurately detected, and accurate printing control is performed based on the detection result to obtain a good printing result. Can be.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be variously modified. For example, in the above embodiment, printing is performed by the ink jet method, but printing may be performed by another printing method, for example, a wire dot method using a printing ribbon or the like.

[0023]

As described above, according to the manual printing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the guide section of the running direction correcting means corrects the running direction of the apparatus and the attitude of the apparatus with respect to the printing surface. Since the printing operation is controlled based on the relative movement amount of the engagement portion, the apparatus main body can always be moved in a fixed direction, and the printing result does not generate any displacement or distortion. Therefore, even when printing is performed on a vertical wall surface, ceiling surface, or the like, accurate printing can be performed with a simple printing operation. Also, for example, in a conventional printing apparatus that detects the amount of movement based on the rotation of a traveling roller that rotates in contact with a recording medium, when the printing surface has irregularities or when there is little friction, the traveling roller may In some cases, the amount of movement could not be accurately detected without appropriate rotation.However, this manual printing device can accurately detect the amount of movement of the device regardless of the shape of the printing surface of the recording medium. , And accurate printing control can be performed.

According to the manual printing apparatus of the second aspect, since the traveling direction correcting means is made of a flexible and long member, the printing surface of the recording medium becomes a curved surface or the like. However, it can be deformed in accordance with the shape of the printing surface, and the apparatus main body can be moved in a fixed direction on the printing surface, and the amount of movement of the device can be accurately detected. Accordingly, accurate printing can be performed regardless of the shape of the recording medium (printing surface).

In the manual printing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the moving amount detecting means includes a magnetic pole magnetized on the guide portion and a magnetic sensor provided on the engaging portion. Therefore, the moving amount can be accurately detected regardless of the shape of the printing surface of the recording medium and the traveling speed of the printing device. Therefore, a stable printing result is always obtained according to the amount of movement of the apparatus, so that the operation of the apparatus becomes easy.

According to the manual printing apparatus of the fourth aspect, since the recording means is an ink jet recording means, printing is performed in a non-contact manner on a recording medium, and the recording surface is Relatively good printing results can be obtained even when not flat. In addition, since the configuration is simpler than that of a wire dot type recording means using a print ribbon or the like, the entire apparatus can be reduced in size and printing can be performed more clearly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a right side view of a main body of a manual printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an internal configuration of a main body.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the main body.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a lower left portion of the main body.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the main body.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a guide rail and a main body of the manual printing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a guide rail and a main body.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a control system of the main body.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a process at the time of a printing operation by the manual printing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body part 2 Roller (running means) 5 Recording head (recording means) 16 Guide hook (engagement part) 16a Magnetic sensor (movement amount detecting means) 17 Guide rail (running direction correction means) 17a Slit (guide part, running direction) Correction means) 20 CPU (control means) P recording medium

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A manually-operated printing apparatus provided with a recording means for performing printing on a recording medium by being manually scanned on the recording medium, comprising: traveling means for causing the apparatus to travel on the recording medium; A guide portion for correcting the traveling direction of the device by the means and for maintaining the attitude of the device main body, and a traveling direction correction means capable of engaging a part of the device main body with the guide portion; Moving amount detecting means for detecting a relative moving amount of the engaging portion with respect to the guide portion when the apparatus main body is manually scanned in a state where a part is engaged with the guide portion; And a control means for controlling a printing operation by the recording means based on the moved amount. 2. The manual printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said traveling direction correcting means is formed of a long member having flexibility. 3. The moving amount detecting means includes a magnetic pole magnetized on a guide part of the traveling direction correcting means, and a magnetic sensor provided on an engaging part of the apparatus main body with the guide part. The manual printing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The manual printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording means is an ink jet recording means.