JPH11240209A - Dot impact printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dot impact printer which can clearly print even many sheets of papers. SOLUTION: The dot impact printer is used in combination with a traffic ticket issuance device reading information described on a driver's license, and prints on a form of a plurality of overlapping sheets based on the read information. A print pressure of a head 1 to the paper is formed to be freely adjustable in the printer. The print pressure of the head is adjusted in conformity with a count of sheets of the form, so that the print pressure to the form away from the head 1 is prevented from being insufficient.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable and in-vehicle dot impact printer for use in traffic ticket issuance by police officers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a police officer issues a traffic ticket or the like, a traffic ticket issuing device that inputs information or the like written on a driver's license and inputs information to be written on the ticket has been used. I have. There are about 100 items related to traffic law violations that the police control, and it is necessary to input supplementary items corresponding to each violation item.However, since these inputs are made outdoors or inside a police vehicle, a keyboard or In the method of inputting a menu or the like, it is not possible to cope with all of the violation items and their supplementary items, and only the representative items are input. Therefore, there has been proposed a traffic ticket issuing device A which can reduce the work of inputting violation items and supplementary items and can quickly perform a traffic ticket issuing business, a parking mark issuing business, and a payment note issuing business.

FIG. 3 shows a traffic ticket issuing device A capable of issuing a traffic ticket or the like by a printer instead of handwriting. The traffic ticket issuer A has a slot-shaped license insertion slot 11 for inserting a driver's license into an issuer body 72 formed in a portable box shape, and a CC.
It is formed by providing a reading device 3 formed by an image sensor having a D camera or the like. Then, the information written on the driver's license inserted from the license insertion slot 11, that is, information such as a name shown by the items with circled numbers 1 to 11 in Table 1 is read by the reading device 3 and read by the reading device 3. Is converted into character information by the OCR character recognition unit of the central processing unit provided in the issuer body 72, and this character information is converted into a printer formed separately from the traffic ticket issuer A. A traffic ticket is issued by outputting (communicating) through infrared communication or RS-232C and printing character information on a sheet by a printer.

[0004] In FIG. 3, reference numeral 5 denotes a display device, at which information displayed on the driver's license read by the reading device 3 is displayed. A touch panel is arranged on the surface of the display device 5, and information can be input by touching the touch panel. The contents of the driver's license change frequently due to address changes and name changes.At this time, the correct description is written by hand on the back of the driver's license, but this character is often messy, and the reading device May be difficult to read, and in this case, the input from the touch panel is effective. Furthermore, the contents of the driver's license may not be readable due to dirt on the surface.
Unreadable characters can be corrected by knowledge processing in addition to character recognition.

[0005]

[Table 1] FIG. 4 shows the printer B. Reference numeral 20 denotes a printer main body.
The paper feed port 21 into which the paper is inserted is formed.
Is formed to be openable and closable by a guide / paper feed cover 23 rotatably mounted on the upper surface of the printer body 20. On the front surface of the printer main body 20, a paper discharge port 22 for discharging a sheet 28 printed based on the information from the traffic ticket issuer A, that is, a traffic ticket is formed. A guide / discharge outlet cover 25 rotatably attached to the front of the printer body 20 is formed to be openable and closable.

In printing on the paper 28 by the printer B, first, the guide / paper feed port cover 23 is rotated upward to open the paper feed port 21 and the guide / feed paper feed port cover 23 is attached to the printer body 20. It is disposed so as to be inclined obliquely upward with respect to the upper surface.
Is rotated forward to open the paper discharge port 22. Next, the paper 28 is placed on and supported by the guide / paper feed cover 23 and the leading end of the paper 28 is inserted into the paper feed opening 21. Next, the paper 2 is printed by a printing device disposed inside the printer body 20.
8 is printed on a sheet 28 by a head provided in the printing apparatus while feeding the sheet 8 from the sheet feed port 21 to the sheet discharge port 22. Then, the printed paper 28 is discharged from the paper discharge port 22, and the printing is completed.

The required number of tickets (printed sheets 28) may be one or a plurality depending on the type of traffic violation ticket. Therefore, a so-called dot impact printer that prints by colliding a head with the surface of the paper 28 is used as the printer B so that printing can be performed on a plurality of papers 28 at the same time. Is supplied to the printer B in a state of being superimposed on the paper, a sheet of paper 28 formed by providing a carbon layer on one side is superposed and integrated (so-called carbon paper), or a color is formed on one side. In some cases, a plurality of sheets of paper 28 formed by applying microcapsules containing an agent are superposed and integrated (so-called carbonless paper).

[0008]

However, in the dot impact printer B, the paper 28
Pressure during printing (printing pressure, impact force, printing pressure)
When the number of sheets 28 increases, the sheet 28 that is separated from the head (the sheet
8 cannot be printed clearly on the paper 28) on the opposite side.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a dot impact printer capable of clearly printing even when the number of sheets is large.

[0010]

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is used in combination with a traffic ticket issuing device A for reading information written on a driver's license, and based on the read information. In a dot impact printer for simultaneously printing on a plurality of sheets of paper 28, the printing pressure of the head 1 on the paper 28 is formed so as to be adjustable.

A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a sheet thickness sensor 2 for measuring the thickness of the sheet 28 is provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect, the driving power supply is a portable power supply 7.
It is characterized by being formed by.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to third aspects, one line is printed twice.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to fourth aspects, printing of one line is performed twice in both reciprocation of the head 1. It is.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a detection function for detecting that the driving power supply is a portable power supply 7 is provided. The printing of one line is performed twice based on the detection of the function.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to third aspects, the head gap between the head 1 and the platen 4 during standby is minimized. It is a feature.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to seventh aspects, a paper feed port for inserting a sheet into the upper surface of a printer body 20 containing the head 1 is provided. A paper discharge port 22 for forming the paper 21 and discharging the inserted paper 28 from the printer main body 20 is provided on a side surface of the printer main body 20, and a guide / discharge paper exit cover 25 is provided near the paper discharge port 22. The opening 22 is formed so as to be openable and closable by a guide / discharge opening lid 25.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the seventh aspect, an opening / closing detecting means 4 for detecting the open / closed state of the sheet discharging port 22 by the guide / sheet discharging port cover 25.
0 is provided in the paper discharge port 22.

The invention according to claim 10 of the present invention provides:
In addition to the constitution of the eighth or ninth aspect, the printer main body 20 is provided with a paper end detecting means 41 for detecting the end of the paper 28 inserted into the paper feed port 21.

The invention according to claim 11 of the present invention provides:
In addition to the configuration according to any one of claims 3 to 10, an output detection means 42 for detecting an output current at the time of driving is provided.

The invention according to claim 12 of the present invention provides:
In addition to the configuration of any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the present invention is characterized in that an in-vehicle power supply is used as a drive power supply.

The invention according to claim 13 of the present invention provides:
In addition to the configuration of any one of claims 3 to 12, a voltage of the portable power supply 7 is detected.

The invention according to claim 14 of the present invention provides:
In addition to the configuration of any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, an ambient temperature is detected.

Further, the invention according to claim 15 of the present invention provides:
In addition to the configuration according to any one of claims 3 to 10, an output detection unit 42 that detects an output current of the portable power supply 7 is provided.
The printing of one line is performed twice based on the detection result by the output detection means 42.

The invention according to claim 16 of the present invention provides:
A head 1 in addition to the configuration according to claim 8.
When attaching the printer mechanism 46 having the platen 4 to the printer main body 20, it is necessary to form the projection 47 on the printer main body 20, provide the printer mechanism 46 with the elongated hole 48, and insert the elongated hole 48 into the projection 47. It is a feature.

The invention according to claim 17 of the present invention provides:
In addition to the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 16, a rubber lining portion 49 is formed at an end of the platen 4, and the head 1 is positioned so as to face the rubber lining portion 49 during standby. is there.

[0027]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

The outer shape of the dot impact printer B according to the present invention is the same as that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, wherein a recess 50 is formed on the upper surface of the printer body 20 and a traffic ticket for traffic violation is formed on the bottom of the recess 50. Paper feed port 21 into which paper 28 such as
Is formed on the front (side surface) of the printer main body 20, and a paper discharge port 22 for discharging a sheet 28 printed based on information from the traffic ticket issuer A, that is, a traffic ticket is formed. . Paper feed port 21 is attached to printer body 20
Is formed to be openable and closable by a guide / paper feed port lid 23 rotatably attached to the recess 50 on the upper surface of the pallet. The guide / feed paper port lid 23 is housed in the recess 50 by turning downward. It is formed as follows. The paper discharge port 22 is formed to be openable and closable by a guide / paper discharge port lid 25 rotatably attached to the front of the printer body 20.

Since the sheet feeding port 21 is formed to be openable and closable by the guide / sheet feeding port lid 23, the guide / sheet feeding port lid 23 can be rotated downward to close the sheet feeding port 21 when not in use. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent intrusion of dust, dust, water droplets, and the like from the paper feed port 21, and to protect the inside of the printer main body 20. Since it is stored in the recess 50 and does not protrude upward, compactness can be achieved. In use, the guide / paper feed port cover 23 is rotated upward to open the paper feed port 21, and the paper 28 is inserted into the paper feed port 21 so that the paper 28 is guided by the guide / feed paper port cover 23. This makes it possible to make it difficult for printing defects such as the paper 28 to be displaced or broken from a predetermined position.

Further, the paper discharge port 22 is connected to the guide / paper discharge port lid 2.
5, the guide / discharge port cover 25 is rotated upward when not in use to close the discharge port 22 so that dirt, dust, water droplets, and the like enter from the discharge port 22. Can be prevented, and the inside of the printer main body 20 can be protected. Further, when not in use, the guide / discharge outlet cover 25 does not protrude to the side,
It is possible to achieve compactness.
In use, the guide / discharge port cover 25 is rotated downward to open the discharge port 22, and the guide / discharge port cover 25 is projected substantially horizontally, so that the printer / main body 20 passes through the discharge port 22. The paper 28 to be discharged can be guided by the guide / paper discharge port lid 25, so that printing failure such as breakage of the paper 28 can be suppressed.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show another embodiment. Similarly to the above, this dot impact printer also has a recess 50 formed on the upper surface of the printer body 20, a paper feed port 21 into which the paper 28 is inserted at the bottom of the recess 50, and a front face of the printer body 20. On the (side), a paper discharge port 22 for discharging a traffic violation ticket or the like is formed. The paper supply port 21 is formed to be openable and closable by a guide / paper supply port lid 23 rotatably attached to the recess 50 on the upper surface of the printer body 20, and the guide / paper supply port lid 23 is rotated downward. Is formed so as to be stored in the recess 50. The paper discharge port 22 is formed to be openable and closable by a guide / paper discharge port lid 25 rotatably attached to the front of the printer body 20.

The guide / paper feed cover 23 is pivotally mounted by inserting a shaft portion 51 projecting from a side surface thereof into a bearing recess 52 provided on a side wall of the recess 50, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2B, a locking projection 53 is formed on the outer periphery of the shaft 51 so as to be substantially parallel to the direction in which the shaft 51 protrudes. A locking piece 54 that protrudes is provided. And the guide sheet feeder lid 2
Reference numeral 3 denotes a latch mechanism constituted by a locking projection 53 and a locking piece 54, which is held in an upwardly rotated state. That is, when the guide / paper feed cover 23 is gradually rotated upward about the shaft portion 51, the locking projection 53 comes into contact with the locking piece 54, and after the contact, the guide / feed paper feed cover 23 is further moved. As it rotates upward, the locking pieces 54 are pushed by the locking projections 53 and are elastically deformed, and the locking projections 53 cross the locking pieces 54 from the near side to the rear side and lock. Is done.

As described above, since the guide / paper feed port lid 23 is formed so as to be held in a state of being protruded upward by the latch mechanism, it is possible to prevent the guide / feed sheet lid 23 from being easily rotated downward. Thus, it is possible to prevent the guide / paper feed cover 23 from falling down during printing and causing printing failure. For example, it is preferable that the locking projection 53 and the locking piece 54 be locked with such strength that the guide / paper feed cover 23 does not fall down in an environment of about 10 m / s.

As shown in FIG. 7, the paper discharge port 22 is provided with an opening / closing detecting means 40 for detecting whether or not the paper discharge port lid 25 is closed. The opening / closing detecting means 40 is like a push button switch, and is pressed by the operation piece 55 provided at the side end of the guide / sheet feed port lid 23 when the sheet discharge port 22 is closed by the guide / sheet discharge port lid 25. At the same time, when the guide / paper feed port lid 23 is rotated downward to open the paper discharge port 22, the pressing by the operation piece 55 is released. And this open / close detecting means 40
In a state in which is pressed, printing cannot be performed by, for example, preventing the paper feed switch 60 from being pressed, and an erroneous operation of printing in a state in which the paper discharge port 22 is closed can be prevented. And the printer body 20
It is possible to prevent a paper jam in the paper feed guide 19 and the like inside.

5A and 5B, reference numeral 60 denotes a paper feed switch. When the paper feed switch 60 is depressed, the printing apparatus C is operated, and the paper 28 inserted into the paper feed port 21 is removed. This is for drawing in the printer main body 20. Reference numeral 61 denotes a paper discharge switch. When the paper discharge switch 61 is pressed, the printing apparatus C is operated to draw the paper 28 inserted into the paper supply port 21 into the printer main body 20 and discharge the paper without printing. This is for discharging paper from the opening 22. A power lamp 62 lights up when the power is on and turns off when the power is off.
This is for displaying the power on / off state. 63
Is a power switch for switching the power on and off. Reference numeral 64 denotes a battery replacement lamp, which is turned on when the capacity of the portable power source 7 such as a battery becomes low, to notify a replacement time. Reference numeral 65 denotes an input terminal for inserting an AC / DC adapter or a plug of a vehicle-mounted power supply. Reference numeral 66 denotes an infrared port, which is a window for infrared communication between the traffic ticket issuer A and the dot impact printer B. Numeral 67 denotes a ribbon cassette for printing on paper 28.
A front door 68 opens the front door 68 when the ribbon cassette 67 is replaced.
Reference numeral 69 denotes a stand, which is about 90 degrees as shown by a broken line in FIG.
It is used by being rotated by degrees and projected from the printer body 20. Reference numeral 70 denotes a battery insertion / extraction port through which a rechargeable battery or a battery serving as the portable power supply 7 is inserted / extracted from the battery insertion / extraction port 70.

FIG. 1 shows a printing apparatus C as a printer mechanism 46 built in the printer main body 20 described above. The printing apparatus C includes a base 10 and a head 1, and a convex platen 4 protruding toward the head 1 is formed on the surface of the base 10. The head 1 is arranged so as to face the surface of the base 10 on which the platen 4 is provided. On the surface of the head 1 on the base 10 side, a printing unit 12 provided with a large number of dots is formed. Also head 1
The radiation fins 13 are provided on the surface on the side opposite to the printing unit 12. Further, a rotating shaft 15 is provided on the base 14 of the head 1.
The head 1 is formed so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft 15 so as to be close to and away from the platen 4.

A free roll 1 is provided above and below the head 1.
6 and 17 are provided and the lower free roll 1 is provided.
On the base 10 side of 7, a drive roll 18 is provided to face. Further, a paper feed guide 19 is provided between the head 1 and the lower free roll 17, and a paper thickness sensor 2 is provided on the base 10 side of the paper feed guide 19 so as to face the paper feed sensor 19. The paper thickness sensor 2 is an eddy current sensor, and is movably formed so as to be close to and away from the paper feed guide 19.

FIGS. 2 (a), 2 (b) and 2 (c) show the rotating shaft 15. FIG. The rotating shaft 15 includes a rod-shaped main shaft portion 31 penetrating through the base portion 14 of the head 1, and a rod-shaped eccentric shaft portion 32 extended at both ends of the main shaft portion 31 via a connecting portion 33. The eccentric shaft 32 is rotatably penetrated and attached to a support plate 34 erected in the printer main body 20. A portion of the eccentric shaft portion 32 protruding from the support plate 34 is formed as a gear attachment portion 35, and a driven gear 36 is fitted to the gear attachment portion 35. A driven gear 37 is meshed with the driven gear 36, and the driving shaft 37 is rotated by rotating the driven gear 37 with a driving device such as a motor and rotating the driven gear 36 with the driven gear 37. It is formed so that. And FIG. 2 (a) (b)
As shown in the figure, the rotation shaft 15 is a center line 31a of the main shaft portion 31.
And the position of the center line 32a of the eccentric shaft portion 32 is shifted so that the distance between the head 1 and the platen 4 changes due to the rotation of the rotation shaft 15,
The stroke angle θ of the head 1 (the rotation angle of the head 1 during printing) can be changed.

When printing using the dot impact printer B, first, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the paper 28 is fed from the paper feed port 21 while being guided by the guide / paper feed port lid 23. Insert it into the main body 20.
Next, when the paper feed switch 60 is pressed, the paper 28 inserted into the paper feed port 21 is drawn into the printer main body 20. The paper 28 is disposed from above the base 10 through the space between the base 10 and the upper free roll 16, between the head 1 and the platen 4, and between the paper thickness sensor 2 and the paper feed guide 19. The lower end of the paper 28 is the drive roll 18
And the lower free roll 17, and the sheet 28 is set in a printable state. When the paper 28 is set in this manner, the paper thickness sensor 2 moves toward the paper feed guide 19, and the thickness of the paper 28 is measured between the paper thickness sensor 2 and the paper feed guide 19 by the paper thickness sensor 2. You.

As shown in FIG. 9, the left end position of the sheet 28 set by being pulled into the printer body 20 is as follows.
It is detected by the sheet edge detecting means 41. The paper edge detecting means 41 is formed by an optical sensor or the like, and is electrically connected to a control circuit 81 formed on a control board 80 provided in the printer main body 20. The control circuit 81 is electrically connected to the head 1 and the drive roll 18 of the printing apparatus C, and controls the printing apparatus C. Then, the control circuit 81 compares the left end position of the sheet 28 detected by the sheet end detecting means 41 with the left end position of the preset regular sheet 28 to calculate a deviation from the regular position of the sheet 28, Based on the calculation result, the head 1 is moved by the control circuit 81 and the position of the head 1 is corrected so that printing at a predetermined position on the paper 28 becomes possible.

As described above, the paper edge detecting means 41 for detecting the left end position of the paper 28 is provided.
1, the head 1 is moved and corrected so that printing can be performed on a predetermined position of the paper 28, and the position of the head 1 is adjusted. Even if the head is slightly displaced, the displacement can be absorbed by the movement of the head 1, and
The operation can be easily performed without fine adjustment of insertion into the device.

On the other hand, the police officer operates the touch panel of the traffic ticket issuer A to select a desired type of paper 28, and the number, size, thickness, and the like of the selected paper 28 are input in advance. The transmitted information is sent to the dot impact printer B (communication command), and based on this information, the head 1
Moves from any position to the origin (reference position) and returns,
Further, it moves to the use position (print start position). By moving the head 1 in this manner, the accuracy of the printing position can be increased. Further, based on the information on the thickness of the sheet 28 sent to the dot impact printer B, the rotating shaft 15 is rotated as described above to
The position of the head 1 is set so that the stroke angle θ becomes a desired value. If the thickness measured by the paper thickness sensor 2 is different from the information of the previously input thickness of the paper 28 selected by the traffic ticket issuing device A, an error message is displayed on the display device 5. I have.

Next, while the paper 28 is being fed toward the discharge port 22 (downward) by the rotation of the driving roll 18, and the head 1 is reciprocated along the longitudinal direction of the rotation shaft 15, The printing unit 12 performs printing by causing the printing unit 12 to collide with the surface of the paper 28, and then discharges the printed paper 28 from the paper discharge port 22, thereby forming the paper 28.
Is completed.

As described above, the dot impact printer B of the present invention uses the paper 28 sent from the traffic ticket issuer A.
The printing pressure (collision force) of the head 1 with respect to the paper 28 can be adjusted by adjusting the stroke angle θ of the head 1 based on the information of the type (paper thickness and number of sheets). The printing pressure of the head 1 can be adjusted to prevent the printing pressure on the paper 28 distant from the head 1 from becoming insufficient. Even if the number of papers 28 is large, the printing density can be increased and the printing density can be sharpened. It can be printed. The types of paper 28 printed by police officers include traffic tickets (red tickets), offense tickets (blue tickets, no parking tickets), point tickets,
There are payment slips, parking marks, etc., and the number of copies (required number) for each is 1-6 traffic tickets and 1-6 foul tickets.
Tickets, 1 to 3 score tickets, 3 invoices, 2 parking signs
Although the number of sheets is two, the use of the dot impact printer B enables clear printing regardless of the type of the paper 28.

In the dot impact printer B, the printing pressure is adjusted by changing the stroke angle θ of the head 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the height of the head 1 with respect to the platen 4 ( The printing pressure may be adjusted by adjusting the distance) or by adjusting the height (distance) of the platen 4 (base 10) with respect to the head 1.

The dot impact printer B of the present invention comprises:
Although it is driven by an external power supply such as an outlet via an AC / DC adapter or the like, it is preferably formed so as to be driven by a portable power supply 7 mounted in the printer main body 20. As the portable power source 7, a rechargeable battery or a battery can be used, so that portability can be improved. Also, an on-board power source (a so-called battery having a voltage of, for example, 12 or 24 volts) for driving an automobile engine can be taken out of a cigarette lighter socket and used as a drive power source for the dot impact printer B of the present invention. Thus, the dot impact printer B of the present invention can be used even in a vehicle without an outlet.

As described above, the dot impact printer B of the present invention consumes more power than the conventional printer by the amount by which the stroke angle of the head 1 is adjusted.
In particular, when the portable power supply 7 is driven only, the portable power supply 7 is consumed quickly, and there is a possibility that printing cannot be performed during a business. Therefore, in the dot impact printer B of the present invention, it is preferable to print one line twice to reduce the maximum output current. Printing one line twice is called 2PASS printing, in which half the characters are printed with the head 1 for the first time and then the other half of the characters are printed for the second time. It is. That is, when the head 1 has 24 pins, the first printing is performed only with the even-numbered (or odd-numbered) pins,
The second printing is performed only with the odd-numbered (or even-numbered) pins for the second time.

As described above, the printing of one line is performed twice, so that the printing pressure of the head 1 at the time of one printing can be reduced and the maximum output current can be reduced.
The consumption of the portable power supply 7 can be reduced. Moreover, since the same portion is hit twice, even if the printing pressure of the head 1 at the time of one printing is reduced, it is possible to prevent the printing from becoming unclear. In particular, it is effective to print a 2PASS print at a location where kanji continues, such as an address.

This 2PASS printing is preferably performed by the head 1 in both the forward path and the return path (in both directions), so that the time required for the carriage to return (printing time) can be reduced, and the characters are not distorted. It can be reduced. In addition, it is preferable that 2PASS printing be performed only when the portable power supply 7 is used, and that 1PASS printing be performed when power is supplied from the outside, thereby reducing printing time. Can be. In this case, whether or not the dot impact printer B is operating with the portable power supply 7 is determined by a detection function for detecting the attachment of the portable power supply 7 such as a power supply detection circuit.

A power supply circuit 71 as shown in FIG. 10 is built in the printer body 20.
1, the portable power supply 7 is electrically connected to the printing apparatus C and the control circuit 81 thereof. Then, for example, the voltage of 14 volts of the portable power supply 7 becomes 39 volts and is supplied to the printing apparatus C or the like. The power supply circuit 71 is provided with a circuit for detecting an output current flowing through the power supply circuit 71 at the time of driving (at the time of printing) as output detection means 42.
The output current detected by the output detection means 42 is output to the control IC 7
3 and is compared with the maximum load output (three times the battery rating) accepted by the portable power source 7 by the control IC 73. As a result of the comparison, if the detected output current is larger than the maximum load output of the portable power supply 7, the control IC 7
(3) By controlling the controller 74 provided in the power supply circuit 71, the load current by printing is limited to reduce the output current, and the load (current) exceeding the maximum load output is not applied to the portable power supply 7. It is.

As described above, the power supply circuit 71 is provided with the output detection means 42 for detecting the output current at the time of printing, and the load current flowing through the power supply circuit 71 is controlled based on the detection result of the output detection means 42. Therefore, a load greater than the maximum load output can be prevented from being applied to the portable power supply 7, the portable power supply 7 can be used properly, and the life of the portable power supply 7 can be extended. When the usage is equal to or more than the maximum load output, the life of the portable power supply 7 is about 1/3 as compared with the usage of the present invention.

Further, based on the detection result of the output detecting means 42, the printing is switched from 1PASS printing to 2PASS printing as described above. That is, as shown in FIG. 11A, when the peak current value (part C) of the output current (shown by the curve A) exceeds the maximum load output (shown by the dotted line B) of the portable power supply 7, 2P from 1PASS printing
Switching to ASS printing is performed so that one peak current value is smaller than the maximum load output value, as shown in FIG. 11B.

Another power supply circuit is provided inside the printer main body 20 in parallel with the power supply circuit 71.
An external power supply such as an AC / DC adapter or a vehicle-mounted power supply is electrically connected to the printing apparatus C and a control circuit 75 thereof via this power supply circuit. In electrically connecting the external power supply to the power supply circuit, a plug (jack) provided in the external power supply is inserted into the input terminal 65. The power supply circuit is provided with a circuit for detecting that a plug has been inserted. Based on the detection result, a power supply circuit connected to the printing apparatus C or its control circuit 75 is used as a portable power supply. The power supply circuit 71 is connected to an external power supply. Thus A
An external power supply such as a C / DC adapter or a vehicle power supply can be used as a drive power supply.

The power supply circuit 71 is connected to a circuit for detecting the voltage of the portable power supply 7. During printing, the load applied to the portable power supply 7 fluctuates greatly, so it is not preferable to detect the voltage. For example, when the paper 28 is fed, the voltage of the portable power supply 7 is set to an appropriate load. It is preferable to detect L at the time of driving a line feed (LF), more specifically, at the time of power-on.
It is preferable to perform voltage sampling at the timing of driving only the F, driving only the LF when feeding paper, and driving only the LF when discharging the paper. In addition, a noise canceling operation is performed to remove noise included in the detection result. Specifically, the sampling cycle is 30 data points (approximately 300 msec), and the upper 5 points and lower 5
The average of the remaining 20 points of data excluding the point data is used as the voltage of the portable power supply 7. By detecting the voltage of the portable power supply 7 in this way, the remaining amount of electricity of the portable power supply 7 can be accurately measured by an inexpensive method.

The dot impact printer B of the present invention comprises:
By lighting the battery exchange lamp 64, the user is informed of the remaining amount of electricity in the portable power supply 7, but the lighting of the battery exchange lamp 64 is based on the voltage V of the portable power supply 7 detected as described above. This is performed when the voltage becomes lower than the reference voltage LV. The reference voltage LV is the printer body 20
The reference voltage LV is obtained from a parameter table stored in a memory area incorporated in the memory device, and is changed according to the ambient temperature. The parameter table is as shown in Table 2, and a reference voltage LV corresponding to the ambient temperature measured by a temperature sensor or the like built in the printer main body 20 is adopted. That is, for example, when the ambient temperature is 20 ° C., the reference voltage LV is set to 1
Use 4.2 volts. The voltage V of the portable power supply 7 detected as described above is equal to the reference voltage LV.
The battery replacement lamp 64 is turned on when it becomes smaller than the above (when V <LV).

As described above, the ambient temperature is detected, the reference voltage LV is determined based on the detected temperature, and the reference voltage LV is compared with the voltage V of the portable power supply 7 to turn on the battery replacement lamp 64. The portable power supply 7 can accurately detect the remaining amount in accordance with the temperature characteristics of the portable power supply 7, and the time for replacement of the portable power supply 7 is optimal. It is possible.

[0057]

[Table 2] Incidentally, the printer main body 20 is formed of a synthetic resin such as ABS, and the printing apparatus C (the printer mechanism 4).
Most of 6) is made of metal. Therefore, a change in the temperature of the surroundings causes a difference in thermal expansion and contraction between the printer main body 20 and the printing apparatus C, causing a distortion of about 3 mm, and the printer main body 20 and the printing apparatus C may be damaged. Therefore, when the printing apparatus C is attached to the printer main body 20, a structure for absorbing the above-described distortion is adopted.

That is, as shown in FIG. 12, first, the positioning pins 83 projecting from the inner surface of the printer main body 20 are inserted into the printing apparatus C. Next, in the width direction of the printing device C (paper 28
(Width direction) is fixed to the printer main body 20 with bolts 84, and the projections 47 are inserted into upper and lower long holes 48 provided at the other end of the printing apparatus C in the width direction. Thus, the printing device C is mounted on the inner surface of the printer main body 20.

As described above, the printing apparatus C is connected to the printer main body 20.
When attaching to the printer body, the projection 47
And a long hole 48 is provided in the printing apparatus C, and the projection 4
7, the printer C is expanded and contracted along the longitudinal direction of the slot 48 even if the printer body 20 and the printer C are thermally expanded and contracted due to a change in ambient temperature. As a result, distortion between the printer main body 20 and the printing apparatus C can be prevented, and the printer main body 20 and the printing apparatus C can be prevented from being damaged.

A grommet 92 or rubber may be provided between the printer body 20 and the printing apparatus C to dampen vibration applied to the printing apparatus C. FIG. 13 (a)
As shown in FIG. 5, the grommet 92 is formed in a ring shape with natural rubber or synthetic rubber or the like, and is a cushioning member that absorbs vibrations and shocks and softens when deformed.
As shown in FIGS. 13B and 13C, a mounting hole 96 is formed in the printing apparatus C, a grommet 92 is inserted into the mounting hole 96, and a boss 95 protruding from the printer main body 20 is inserted into the grommet 92. , And a washer 94 is disposed above the grommet 92 and the boss 95.
4 is screwed into a screw hole 97 provided in the boss 95, so that the printing device C
Can be attached. Grommet 92 is screw 93
And it is deformed so that it is pressed by the washer 94 and its height becomes lower.

In the above-described dot impact printer B, when the power is turned off or between the end of printing and the time when the next sheet 28 is inserted and printing is instructed (standby), the distance between the head 1 and the platen 4 is changed. The head 1 is rotated toward the platen 4 by rotating the rotation shaft 15 so as to minimize the head gap (interval) of the head 1 and preferably bring the head 1 into contact with the platen 4. By minimizing the space between the head 1 and the platen 4 in this manner, the vibration causes the head 1 to rotate.
The head 1 and the platen 4 can be prevented from colliding with each other, and the metal head 1 and the platen 4 can be prevented from being damaged such as cracks.

The position where the distance between the head 1 and the platen 4 is minimized as described above is called a home position 88 and is formed at one end of the printing apparatus C. As shown in FIG. A control circuit is provided such that a position sensor 87 such as an optical sensor for detecting the position of the head 1 is provided in the printing apparatus C, and when the position sensor 87 detects that the head 1 is located at the home position 88, the head 1 stops. 81. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the head 1 from stopping at a position other than the home position 88.

As shown in FIG. 15, at the home position 88, a rubber lining portion 49 is formed on the surface of the platen 4 by sticking rubber or the like. Then, after the head 1 is positioned so as to face the rubber lining portion 49 during standby, the head gap (interval) between the head 1 and the platen 4 is minimized as described above, and preferably, the head 1 and the platen 4 are brought into contact. The head 1 is rotated toward the platen 4 so as to cause the rotation.

By forming the rubber lining portion 49 softer than metal on the surface of the platen 4 at the home position 88, the head 1 is prevented from being damaged when the head 1 is brought into contact with the rubber lining portion 49. The head 1 can be prevented from being damaged.

The above dot impact printer B is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the cartridge is carried in a carrying case 90. At eight corners of the carrying case 90, shock absorbing protectors 91 made of an elastic material such as rubber are provided. By absorbing the impact at the time of drop by the impact absorbing protector 91, the damage of the dot impact printer B due to the drop can be reduced.

[0066]

As described above, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is used in combination with a traffic ticket issuer having a reader for reading the information described in a driver's license, and is used in the reader. In a dot impact printer that prints on a plurality of sheets simultaneously based on the read information, the printing pressure of the head on the sheets is formed so as to be adjustable, and the printing pressure of the head is adjusted according to the number of sheets. The printing pressure on the paper far from the paper can be prevented from being insufficient, and clear printing can be performed even when the number of papers is large.

The invention according to the second aspect of the present invention is provided with the paper thickness sensor for measuring the thickness of the paper, so that the type of the paper can be surely grasped by measuring the thickness of the paper with the paper thickness sensor. It is possible to reduce mistakes in selecting the type of paper.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the driving power supply is formed by a portable power supply, portability can be enhanced, and the power supply is taken out for simultaneous inspection and the like, and no power is supplied from others. Can be used alone.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since one line is printed twice, the maximum output current at the time of printing can be reduced, and power consumption can be reduced. .

In the invention according to claim 5 of the present invention, printing of one line is performed twice in both reciprocation of the head, so that the printing time can be reduced.

The invention according to claim 6 of the present invention has a detection function for detecting that the driving power supply is a portable power supply, and performs one-line printing twice based on the detection of the detection function. The maximum output current at the time of printing can be reduced while driving with a portable power supply, and the consumption of the portable power supply can be reduced.

In the invention according to claim 7 of the present invention, the head gap between the head and the platen during standby is minimized, so that collision between the head and the platen during standby can be prevented, and It is possible to reduce damage to the platen.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, a paper feed port for inserting paper is formed on the upper surface of a printer main body having a built-in head, and the inserted paper is discharged from the printer main body. The paper discharge port is provided on the side of the printer body, a guide / discharge port cover is provided near the paper discharge port, and the discharge port is formed to be openable and closable with the guide / discharge port cover. By rotating the paper feed port to close the paper feed port, it is possible to prevent intrusion of dust, dust, water droplets, and the like from the paper feed port, and to protect the inside of the printer main body. When not in use, the guide / paper feed port lid does not protrude to the side, and the size can be reduced. In addition, when not in use, the guide / output cover is rotated to close the paper output port, thereby preventing dust, water, water droplets, etc. from entering the paper output port, thereby protecting the inside of the printer. The guide / discharge port lid does not protrude when not in use, and can be made compact (small).

Further, according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the sheet discharge port is provided with an open / close detecting means for detecting the open / closed state of the sheet discharge port by the guide / sheet discharge port cover, the sheet discharge port is provided with a guide. The open / close detecting means can detect whether or not the sheet is closed by the dual-purpose sheet discharge cover, thereby preventing an erroneous operation of printing with the sheet discharge port closed.

The invention according to claim 10 of the present invention provides:
Since the printer main body is provided with paper edge detecting means for detecting the edge of the paper inserted into the paper feed port, it is possible to print on a predetermined position of the paper based on the detection result of the paper edge detecting means. By moving and correcting the head to adjust the position of the head, even if the position of the paper set is slightly different from the normal position, the movement of the head can absorb the deviation, The operation can be simplified because the insertion of the paper into the paper feed port can be performed roughly without fine adjustment.

The invention according to claim 11 of the present invention provides:
Since the output power detecting means for detecting the output current at the time of driving is provided, by controlling the current flowing through the circuit based on the detection result of the output detecting means, the portable power supply is prevented from being subjected to a load exceeding the maximum load output. The portable power supply can be used properly and the life of the portable power supply can be extended.

The invention according to claim 12 of the present invention provides:
Since the in-vehicle power supply is used as the drive power supply, the power supply can be used even in a vehicle without a household power supply such as an outlet.

Further, the invention according to claim 13 of the present invention provides:
Since the voltage of the portable power supply is detected, the remaining amount of electricity in the portable power supply can be accurately measured by an inexpensive method by detecting the voltage of the portable power supply under an appropriate load. You can.

The invention according to claim 14 of the present invention provides
Since the ambient temperature is detected, it is possible to accurately detect the remaining amount according to the temperature characteristics of the portable power supply. Is possible.

The invention according to claim 15 of the present invention provides:
It has output detection means for detecting the output current of the portable power supply, and performs one line printing twice based on the detection result by the output detection means. Therefore, the load current flowing through the power supply circuit based on the detection result of the output detection means is provided. By controlling the portable power supply, it is possible to prevent the load exceeding the maximum load output from being applied to the portable power supply, the portable power supply can be used properly, and the life of the portable power supply can be extended. is there.

The invention according to claim 16 of the present invention provides:
When attaching a printer mechanism with a head and a platen to the printer body, a projection was formed on the printer body, a long hole was provided in the printer mechanism, and the long hole was inserted into the projection. Even if the mechanism thermally expands and contracts, the printer mechanism can be expanded and contracted along the longitudinal direction of the long hole, so that no distortion occurs between the printer body and the printer mechanism. Can be prevented from being damaged, and can be used outdoors or in a vehicle where the temperature environment is severe.

According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, since the rubber lining portion is formed at the end of the platen and the head is positioned so as to face the rubber lining portion during standby, the surface of the platen is made of metal rather than metal. By forming the soft rubber lining portion, it is possible to prevent the head from being damaged when the head is brought into contact with the rubber lining portion, and to prevent the head from being damaged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

2 (a) is a schematic view, FIG. 2 (b) is a sectional view, and FIG. 2 (c) is a perspective view showing a part of the above.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a dot impact printer and a traffic violation issuer of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a use state of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows an example of another embodiment of the present invention (a).
(B) is a perspective view.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective views showing a part of the above.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the same.

8A and 8B are perspective views showing a part of the above.

FIG. 9 is a partial schematic diagram showing the inside of the above.

FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing a power supply circuit of the same.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are graphs showing changes in current flowing in the power supply circuit of the above power supply system.

FIG. 12 is a partial schematic diagram showing the inside of the above.

13A is a perspective view showing a grommet, FIG. 13B is a partial perspective view showing attachment of the printing device, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing attachment of the printing device.

FIG. 14 is a partial schematic view showing the inside of the above.

FIG. 15 is a partial schematic view showing the inside of the above.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state of carrying the same;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Head 2 Paper thickness sensor 4 Platen 7 Portable power supply 20 Printer main body 21 Paper feed port 22 Paper discharge port 25 Guide / discharge paper cover 28 Paper 40 Open / close detection means 41 Paper end detection means 42 Output detection means 46 Printer mechanism 47 Projection 48 long hole 49 rubber lining

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI B41J 25/30 G (72) Inventor Yutaka Maeda 1048 Odakadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A dot impact printer which is used in combination with a traffic ticket issuer for reading information written on a driver's license and simultaneously prints a plurality of sheets of paper based on the read information. A dot impact printer characterized in that a print pressure of a head with respect to the printer is formed so as to be adjustable. 2. The dot impact printer according to claim 1, further comprising a paper thickness sensor for measuring the thickness of a plurality of stacked papers. 3. The dot impact printer according to claim 1, wherein the driving power supply is formed by a portable power supply. 4. The dot impact printer according to claim 1, wherein printing of one line is performed twice. 5. The dot impact printer according to claim 1, wherein printing of one line is performed twice during both reciprocation of the head. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detection function for detecting that the driving power supply is a portable power supply, and performing one-line printing twice based on the detection of the detection function. Dot impact printer. 7. The system according to claim 1, wherein a head gap between the head and the platen is minimized during standby.
7. A dot impact printer according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. A printer according to claim 1, wherein a paper feed port for inserting paper is formed on an upper surface of the printer main body including the head, and a paper discharge port for discharging the inserted paper from the printer main body is provided on a side surface of the printer main body. 8. A dot impact printer according to claim 1, wherein a guide / discharge port is provided near the discharge port, and the discharge port is formed to be openable and closable by the guide / discharge port cover. . 9. The dot impact printer according to claim 7, wherein an opening / closing detecting means for detecting the open / closed state of the sheet discharge port by the guide / sheet discharge port cover is provided in the sheet discharge port. 10. The dot impact printer according to claim 8, wherein a paper edge detecting means for detecting an edge of the paper inserted into the paper feeding port is provided in the printer main body. 11. An output detecting means for detecting an output current at the time of driving is provided.
The dot impact printer according to any one of the above. 12. The dot impact printer according to claim 1, wherein an in-vehicle power supply is used as a drive power supply. 13. The dot impact printer according to claim 3, wherein a voltage of a portable power supply is detected. 14. The dot impact printer according to claim 1, wherein an ambient temperature is detected. 15. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising output detection means for detecting an output current of the portable power supply, and performing one-line printing twice based on a detection result by the output detection means.
11. The dot impact printer according to any one of claims 1 to 10. 16. When a printer mechanism having a head and a platen is attached to a printer body, a projection is formed on the printer body and an elongated hole is provided in the printer mechanism.
16. The dot impact printer according to claim 8, wherein a long hole is inserted into the projection. 17. The dot impact printer according to claim 1, wherein a rubber lining portion is formed at an end of the platen, and the head is positioned to face the rubber lining portion during standby.