JPH1142839A - Printer, control method for printer, and recording medium having recorded control program of printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer and its control method in which a printing paper is set automatically or manually in the printer and printing is carried out on the given positions on the paper. SOLUTION: When a given command is received from a host device, the inserting operation of a printing paper is set by a printer. In the case the auto- loading is specified, the end of the printing paper is set on the given position of the printer by a paper feeder and then printing is started. In the case the positioning insertion is specified, printing is started just in the state of setting the printing paper by a user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus for printing on cut sheets, and more particularly to a printing apparatus capable of selecting an operation for inserting cut sheets, a control method thereof, and a recording medium on which a control program is recorded. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 11 shows an example of a printer for printing on slip paper, check, or other cut paper (hereinafter simply referred to as paper). The printer 9 includes a paper path 11 extending in the horizontal direction for performing printing by feeding the sheet 1 from the right side to the left side in the drawing. The presence or absence of the sheet 1 along the paper path 11 is determined from the right side. BOF detector 21 for detecting the end of the paper being printed, paper feed roller 31 and paper holding roller 32 for feeding paper 1 along paper path 11, platen 36 and print head 37 for printing on paper 1 A TOF detector 22 for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet 1 and the leading end of the sheet 1 and a form stopper 15 for determining the position of the sheet 1 when the sheet 1 is inserted into the sheet path 11 to determine the position of the sheet. It is arranged in. Following these, the printed paper 1
The paper guide 14 for guiding the paper to the paper discharge port is subsequently arranged.

In order to print at a predetermined position on the paper 1, it is necessary to set the paper 1 in the insertion area 12 of the paper path 11 in a predetermined state. For this purpose, a form stopper 15 is provided in the insertion area 12 of the paper path 11 so that the leading end of the sheet 1 hits the form stopper 15 so that the sheet 1 can always be set at the same position.

In addition, the feel of the sheet 1 hitting the form stopper 15 may differ depending on the user or the type of the sheet 1 to be set. For example, if the feeling that the paper 1 hits the form stopper 15 is weak, the paper is kept pressed forever, and the paper 1 is curved in the paper path. In this state, the sheet 1 is
2 and the form stopper 15 is removed, the leading end of the sheet 1 is displaced from the normal position of the insertion area 12, so that the printing position is displaced in subsequent printing.

On the other hand, even if the leading edge of the paper 1 does not reach the form stopper 15, the TOF detector 22 and the BO
When a sheet is detected by the F detector 21, the sheet 1 is held by the rollers 31 and 32 after a predetermined time has elapsed, and printing can be started. Therefore, if printing is performed in this state, the printing position will deviate from the predetermined position.

In order to solve this problem, a conventional printer employs a TOF detector 22 and a BOF detector 21.
The cueing process is performed by transporting the paper 1 in the forward direction or the reverse direction while detecting the paper 1 in the above-described manner, and control is performed so that the leading end of the paper 1 is set at a regular position in the insertion area 12.

[0007] Further, since a form stopper is not always necessary if the paper is set, the printer having the form stopper removed has been developed.

[0008]

As described above, in a conventional printer, when a sheet is inserted, regardless of the presence or absence of a form stopper, the sheet is automatically cueed and printed at a predetermined position. Was to do.

[0009] However, there is a case where an arbitrary position of a sheet to be printed is set to the running position of the print head of the printer so as to be set, and the printing is performed as it is.
Hereinafter, such processing is referred to as target printing. For example, targeted printing is used when it is desired to print at a predetermined place on a sheet, such as when printing an amount on a check.
In conventional printers, when the paper is inserted, the heading process is automatically performed, and the paper is always set at the same position in the paper path 11. Therefore, it is necessary to perform the target printing in which printing is performed at an arbitrary position on the paper. Could not.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a printing apparatus and a control method of a printing apparatus which can selectively use a process for inserting a cut sheet according to a printing purpose. And a recording medium on which a control program is recorded.

[0011]

A printing apparatus according to the present invention is a printing apparatus that communicates with a host device via an interface, and prints on cut sheet paper in response to print data or a print command from the host device. Printing means, detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of cut-sheet paper, conveying means for conveying cut-sheet paper, and an end of the cut-sheet paper insertion side based on the detection result of the driving means for driving the conveying means. And a setting unit for setting the operation of the control unit to valid or invalid in response to a predetermined command from the host device. At this time, if the setting value by the setting means is stored, only one setting is required unless it is necessary to change the setting value.

According to this, when the cueing process for automatically setting the paper inserted in the printing apparatus to a predetermined position is not required, this can be invalidated.
It can be used properly according to the printing purpose. If the cueing process is invalidated, printing can be performed at a desired position by inserting an arbitrary position of the paper to be printed in accordance with the traveling position of the head.

[0013] Further, if the operation by the control means is set invalid by the setting means, and after the print data or the print command is received from the host device, and the detection result of the detection means is that there is no paper, the setting of the setting means is performed. In addition, the apparatus further comprises means for temporarily making the operation by the control means effective.

Thus, even if a sheet inserted later is in a distorted state, the cueing process is performed, so that step-out of the carriage and paper jam can be prevented.

A first sheet insertion slot for inserting the cut sheet in a direction parallel to the conveying direction in which the cut sheet is conveyed by the conveying means; and a cut sheet for inserting the cut sheet in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction. And a second paper insertion slot.

In this way, the paper can be inserted from the second insertion slot at the time of target printing, so that the paper can be easily inserted.

In this case, there is provided a storage section for storing at least the printing means, and the storage section is provided with a mark on the side of the second sheet insertion opening near the position of the printing means. I do.

Thus, when inserting a sheet for targeted printing, the sheet may be inserted with this mark as a guide, and printing can be performed accurately at a desired position.

Further, the control method of the printing apparatus of the present invention includes an interface for communicating with the host device, a detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the cut sheet, a conveying means for conveying the cut sheet, In a method for controlling a printing apparatus having a printing unit for performing printing, a step of receiving print data or a print command from a host device, a step of detecting the presence or absence of a cut sheet, and a method of conveying and detecting the cut sheet. A sheet setting step of placing the end of the cut sheet on the insertion side at a predetermined position, a step of printing on the cut sheet in response to print data or a print command, and a step of responding to a predetermined command from the host device. And a step of skipping the paper setting step. At this time, if a process for storing the setting as to whether or not to skip the paper setting process is provided, only one setting is required unless it is necessary to change the setting.

In this case, it is characterized in that a setting is made to skip the sheet setting step, and a step of executing the sheet setting step is performed when the result of the sheet detecting step indicates that there is no sheet.

The control method for a printing apparatus according to the present invention can be supplied as a control program for realizing the control, and can be provided via a recording medium on which the control program is recorded. Alternatively, it is also possible to provide a control program via a computer network such as the Internet and record it on a recording medium of a personal computer or a printing apparatus on the user side and use it.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a printer 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the printer 10 of the present invention, centering on the arrangement of each device along the paper path 11. In the paper path 11 of the printer 10 of this example, similarly to the printer described with reference to FIG. 10, the BOF detector 21 and the paper feed mechanism of the paper feed mechanism 34 move from right to left along the paper path 11. A roller 31 and a paper press roller 32, a platen 36 and a print head 37 constituting a print area 35, a TOF detector 22, and a form stopper 15 are arranged in order. A paper guide 14 for guiding is subsequently arranged.

Further, a platen drive mechanism 40 for moving the platen 36 up and down in a direction perpendicular to the paper path 11 is provided, and the paper feed mechanism 34 is brought into a non-operation state and an operation state in conjunction with opening and closing of the platen. Can be.

The platen driving mechanism 40 includes a platen frame 42 that functions to push up the platen 36 upward by a spring 41, a platen opening / closing shaft 43 that controls the vertical movement of the platen frame 42 by hitting the inclined portion 42 a of the platen frame 42. And an opening / closing solenoid 44 for moving the position of the platen opening / closing shaft 43. When the open / close solenoid 44 moves the platen opening / closing shaft 43 in the horizontal direction in the drawing, the platen frame 42 moves downward and upward, so that the platen 36 can be taken in and out of the paper path 11. Further, the paper feed roller 31 constituting the paper feed mechanism 34 moves together with the platen 36 in conjunction with the platen frame 42, and the slip paper 1 inserted into the insertion area 12 by the paper holding roller 32 and the paper feed roller 31.
, The movement of the paper 1 can be controlled by the paper feed mechanism 34. Thus, the printer 10
The paper feed mechanism enters a non-operating state and an operating state in conjunction with opening and closing of the platen.

Further, the platen opening / closing shaft 43 is also in contact with an inclined portion 16a of a stopper frame 16 which supports the form stopper 15 in a rotatable manner.
6a is inclined in the opposite direction to the inclined portion 42a of the platen frame. For this reason, the movement of the opening / closing shaft 43 causes the platen 36 to protrude into the paper path 11, and at the same time, the form stopper 15 comes off the paper path 11. The sheet is conveyed by a sheet feed roller 31, and printing is performed at a predetermined position on the sheet 1 by moving the print head 37 in a scanning direction orthogonal to the sheet feed direction by a drive mechanism (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 of this embodiment
Has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped base 2 having an upper surface serving as a table 3 so as to form a paper path 11.
A print head 37 and an upper cover 4 accommodating an ink ribbon and a carriage mechanism (not shown) attached thereto are attached to a substantially central portion of the print head 37. A document table 5 is attached to the side of the table 3 where the paper 1 is inserted (either in front or on the right side of the figure) so as to extend the table 3, and forms a planar paper path 11 extending below the upper cover 4. doing. At the end of the document table 5 corresponding to the right end 11a of the paper path 11, a fixed paper guide 6 extending to the vicinity of the BOF detector 21 is provided, and on the opposite side, a short movable type that can be adjusted according to the paper width of the paper. Paper guide 7 is provided. Therefore, the printer 10 of the present embodiment can be set so that distortion (skew) does not occur by inserting the right edge 1c of the paper 1 along the paper guide 6 into the insertion area 12 of the paper path 11. Further, the table 3 is capable of inserting the paper 1 from the direction of the arrow X along the paper path 11 using the paper guides 6 and 7, and the paper path 11 so that target printing can be performed at a predetermined place 1 a of the paper 1. The sheet 1 can be inserted also in the direction Y perpendicular to the direction. For this reason, on the left side surface 4 a of the upper housing 4, there is provided a mark 13 indicating the running position of the print head 37, which corresponds to the print area 35 of the paper path 11. When performing target printing, the paper 1 may be inserted using the mark 13 as a guide.

The printer 10 of this embodiment is provided with an operation panel 8a for performing a local operation on the right side of the table 3, and a power switch 8b on the base unit 2.
Further, the printer 10 is provided with a control unit 50 that controls each mechanism of the printer 10 in accordance with an instruction on the operation panel 8a and a control program, and the control unit 50 can record a control program, various set values, and the like. A recording unit such as a flash memory 59 is provided. Further, the printer 1
0 is connected to the host 81 by an interface cable 82 or an infrared interface,
Print data, control information, and the like can be transmitted to and received from the host 81.

The printer 10 can be controlled by an application program running on the host 81. The printer 10 can receive a control program from the host 81 via an interface and write it to the flash memory 59. The host 81 has a function of reproducing or recording on a mobile recording medium such as a floppy disk 83 or a ROM. The host 81 can supply a control program supplied through these mobile recording media to the printer 10. it can. Further, the personal computer 81 is provided with a function of communicating with a computer network 84 such as the Internet, and receives a control program supplied via the network, temporarily stores the control program in a built-in recording medium such as a hard disk 85, and then supplies it to the printer 10. Is also possible. Of course, it is also possible to provide a LAN driver in the printer 10, connect the printer 10 directly to the network, and supply control programs, print data, and the like to the printer 10 via the network.

FIG. 2 shows in more detail the configuration of the control unit 50 having a function of controlling the operation of mounting (setting) the paper 1 on the paper path 11 in the printer 10 of the present embodiment. The control unit 50 of the present example includes the BOF detector 21 and the TO
A paper detection unit 55 for determining the presence or absence of a printing sheet in the F detector 22, a mechanism control unit 56 for controlling the platen 36, the paper feed mechanism 34, the print head 37, and the like;
5, after the paper 1 has been detected, the paper feed mechanism 34 is made operable, and the paper feed mechanism 34 is moved in the forward or reverse direction. 58.

The status judging section 58 moves the paper feed mechanism 34 in the forward direction, detects the presence or absence of paper by the BOF detector 21, and checks for the presence or absence of skew, and the paper feed mechanism 34. Is moved in the reverse direction to detect the presence or absence of a sheet by the TOF detector 22, and the second determination unit 52 for detecting the leading end of the sheet 1, and further, the TOF detector is moved by moving the sheet feed mechanism 34 in the forward direction by a predetermined amount. 22 is provided with a cueing section 53 for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet and performing cueing of the sheet. The situation determination unit 58 enables auto loading in which the paper 1 is always automatically set at the same predetermined position.

The bypass unit 54 that starts printing without determining the sheet mounting status by bypassing the status determination unit 58.
Is set so that an arbitrary place 1a where the printing of the paper 1 is desired to be performed is set to the traveling position of the print head (hereinafter, referred to as positioning insertion), and printing is performed directly on the arbitrary place 1a of the paper 1. Printing is enabled.

The functions of these units are realized by a control program recorded in the flash memory 59, and instructions of the control program for realizing each process under appropriate conditions and timing are provided by the control unit 50 (not shown). CPU
It is loaded and executed on a processor such as. In addition, data such as a control program can be supplied from the interface unit 57 to the flash memory 59, so that the control program recorded in the flash memory 59 can be updated or maintained. Further, the mechanism control unit 56 can be operated from the operation panel 8a in addition to the automatic control by the control program.

The determination as to whether or not the bypass unit 54 bypasses the status determination unit 58 depends on the designation of a command transmitted from the host 81 for selecting an operation when inserting a sheet. This paper insertion selection command is composed of “ESC xn”. Here, n is an integer from 1 to 2. This is 16
Expressed in a base number, it is “1Bh 78hn”. The configuration of this command can be changed as appropriate. The command ESC x pre-sets a process when a sheet is inserted, and specifies a process with a parameter n.

When n = 1, the autoloading is enabled without bypassing the situation judging section 58.

When n = 2, the condition determination unit 58 is bypassed,
Enable positioning insertion (target printing).

The details of this command will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Step ST10
In step 1, a control command or print data transmitted from the host is received, and in step ST102, it is determined whether the received command is a sheet insertion selection command. If the received command is not a paper insertion selection command, processing according to the received control command or data is performed (ST103). If the command is a paper insertion selection command, it is determined according to the value of the parameter n (ST10).
4) When n = 1, auto loading is enabled (ST105), and when n = 2, positioning insertion is enabled (ST106). If the information selected in this processing is stored in a storage device such as a RAM (not shown), the processing at the time of sheet insertion can be performed with reference to the stored information.

Next, the operation of each part of the control device 50 will be described in more detail with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. FIG. 4 shows a series of processes for setting the paper 1 in the printer 10 of the present embodiment. Printer 1 of this example
0 is set to 0 when a print command or print data is supplied from the host 81 in step ST1.
, It is determined whether the target printing is effective. If the target printing is valid, step ST2
Then, the presence or absence of a sheet is detected by the TOF detector 22 and the BOF detector 21. When the sheet 1 is set in the insertion area 12 of the sheet path 11 and both the TOF detector 22 and the BOF detector 21 indicate that there is a sheet in step ST2, the platen 36 is closed in step ST3 and the platen 3
The paper feed mechanism 34 is set to the operating state in conjunction with the operation of closing 6. Then, the process proceeds to step ST12 to start printing.

On the other hand, if the target printing is not valid in step ST1, the process proceeds to step ST4 and waits for the sheet 1 to be set in the insertion area 12 of the sheet path 11. If it is determined in step ST2 that the target printing is to be performed and the sheet 1 has not been set in the insertion region 12 in advance, the target printing is invalidated and the process proceeds to step ST4, where the sheet 1 is set in the insertion region 12. Wait for.
Here, the target printing is invalidated when the user sets paper 1
Is inserted not in the Y direction but in the X direction (FIG. 1).
The movement in the scanning direction is disturbed, which may cause a step out of the carriage or a paper jam.
In order to prevent this, the process proceeds to step ST4, and the subsequent auto loading process is performed. In a printer without a form stopper, the paper is not distorted when the paper is inserted.
It is also possible to wait until a sheet is inserted at T2.

When the sheet 1 is set in the insertion area 12 and the TOF detector 22 and the BOF detector 21 indicate that there is a sheet in step ST4, the platen 36 is closed in step ST5, and the sheet is fed in conjunction with the operation of closing the platen 36. The mechanism 34 is set to the operating state.

As described above, the printer 10 of the present embodiment
When the paper 1 is set in the insertion area 12 of the paper path 11 and the paper feed mechanism 34 becomes operable, the mounting status of the paper 1 is checked before starting printing. For this reason, in the following steps ST6, ST8 and ST10, the insertion state of the sheet is determined. First, the first determination unit 51 functions, and in step ST6, the paper feed mechanism 34
Is moved in the forward direction (the direction in which the sheet 1 is inserted) to perform a first determination step of checking for skew.

FIG. 5 shows a first judgment step (step ST).
The more detailed processing of 6) is shown. Also, in FIG.
The state of the paper 1 in the paper path 11 when skew occurs is shown in a plan view. As shown in FIG. 8, in step ST21, the paper feed mechanism 3 is moved by an appropriate distance P1.
4 in the forward direction V, and then waits for the state to be determined in step ST22 to detect the presence or absence of a sheet.
Is performed. As a result, when the BOF detector 21 determines that there is no sheet in step ST23, as shown in FIG. 8, the skew occurs in which the sheet 1 is inclined with respect to the sheet path 11. Therefore, step ST24
Set with error. On the other hand, if the BOF detector 21 determines that there is a sheet in step ST23, no skew has occurred, so that no error is set in step ST25, and the sheet is moved by the distance P1 sent in the forward direction in step ST21 in step ST26. By moving the feed mechanism 34 in the reverse direction, the position of the sheet 1 is returned to the original position.

As shown in FIG. 8, the BOF detector 21
A paper detector provided in the paper path 11 for detecting the presence / absence of the paper 1 and the end of the paper being printed, and a paper detector 6 of a fixed type provided in the insertion source (front side) of the insertion area 12. It is located near. For this reason, the BOF detector 21 detects the portion of the right edge 1c of the sheet 1 that contacts the paper guide 6. Therefore, if the paper 1 is not inserted along the paper guide 6 and only partially touches the paper guide 6, the paper 1 is detected by the BOF detector 21 by moving the paper 1 along the paper path 11. And the skew can be determined.

In the printer 10 of the present embodiment, the paper guide 6 is relatively long, and the BOF detector 21 is relatively located on the insertion destination side (forward direction side) of the paper guide 6 that guides the right edge 1c of the paper 1. Is provided. Therefore, when the sheet is skewed to the left with respect to the forward direction (insertion direction) V, there is a very small possibility that the BOF detector 21 has a sheet in step ST4, and the platen 36 does not close. On the other hand, since there is a possibility that the sheet 1 is skewed to the right with respect to the forward direction (insertion direction) V, it is checked in step ST21 whether the sheet 1 is sent in the forward direction and skewed to the right. Like that. Forward distance P1
Can be set to an appropriate value depending on the width of the paper path 11, the size of the paper guide 6, and the like.
A range of degrees is sufficient.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the paper guide 6 is relatively small, or when the BOF detector 21 is arranged at a position near (in the reverse direction) before the paper guide 6, the left side Skew may have occurred. In such a case, the paper feeding mechanism 34 is moved in the reverse direction W with respect to the paper path 11 by an appropriate distance, and at that time, the presence or absence of skew can be determined by whether or not the BOF detector 21 runs out of paper.

Further, a BOF for detecting the end side of the sheet 1
Instead of the detector 21, T for detecting the insertion destination of the paper 1 placed at the insertion destination portion of the insertion area 12, that is, the leading end side
It is also possible to determine the presence or absence of skew using the OF detector 22. However, since it is necessary to detect the edge 1c of the sheet 1 in order to determine the presence or absence of skew, the TO
The F detector 22 must be installed in the vicinity of the paper guide 6. However, since the end of the leading end of the paper 1 may be missing or distorted, the skew detection is performed using the TOF detector 22. Doing so will lower the detection probability. For this reason, in the printer 10 of the present embodiment, the TOF detector 22 is provided at the center side of the paper path 11 to increase the detection probability of the paper 1, and the BOF detector 21 is provided near the paper guide 6 to provide the paper 1 Is detected so that the presence / absence of skew can be reliably determined.

Returning to FIG. 4, when a skew is detected in step ST6 and an error is detected, step ST6 is executed.
Then, in step ST15, the platen 36 is opened, and at the same time, the paper feed mechanism 34 is set free to release the paper 1. At the same time, a message for the user to reset the paper is displayed on the host 81 or the printer 10. Then, step ST16
, The paper 1 is taken out of the insertion area 12 and
Wait until the sheet 1 is no longer detected by the F detector 22, and when the sheet 1 is taken out, return to step ST4 and wait for the sheet 1 to be set again.

When it is confirmed in step ST6 that there is no skew, the process proceeds to step ST8, and the second determining unit 52 functions. Then, a second determination step of detecting the leading end 1b of the paper 1 in the paper path 11 while feeding the paper 1 backward is performed.

FIG. 6 shows a second judgment step (step ST8).
Is shown in more detail. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the state of the paper 1 in the paper path 11 when the leading edge 1b of the paper 1 is detected. First, step ST3
At step 1, a variable i for counting the number of reverse feeds in the following steps is initialized to 0, and at step ST32, the variable i is counted up. Then, in step ST33, the paper feed mechanism 34 is reversely fed by the distance P2, and in step ST34, a second detection process of detecting paper is performed after the state is stabilized. As a result, in step ST35, the TOF detector 22
When the sheet runs out of paper, the position of the TOF detector 22 is set to the sheet 1
Since the leading edge 1b of the sheet 1 has passed and the position of the leading edge 1b of the sheet 1 has been confirmed, no error is set in step ST36, and the process is terminated. On the other hand, if there is a sheet in step ST35, the position of the leading end 1b cannot be confirmed, so if the counter i is equal to or less than the predetermined number of times C0, the process returns to step ST32 to repeat the reverse feed. Step ST37
When the counter i exceeds a predetermined number of times C0,
The position of the leading end 1b of the paper 1 cannot be confirmed even though the paper feed mechanism 34 is operated for a predetermined distance. Therefore, an error is set in step ST38, and the process ends.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the paper 1 is set in the insertion area 12 of the paper path 11, the front end 1b of the paper 1 hits the form stopper 15 because the form stopper 15 of the paper path 11 protrudes. For this reason, the leading end 1b of the sheet 1 should be aligned with the position L of the form stopper 15. However, depending on the paper 1, it is difficult for the user to feel the touch of the tip of the form stopper 15 with the form stopper 15. May be closed. In this state, when the form stopper 15 is retracted to start printing, the leading end 1b of the sheet 1 extends to the front in the paper path 11, and reaches, for example, a position M in front of the form stopper 15. Further, the tip 1b may exceed the position of the form stopper 15 when the platen 36 is closed in a distorted state due to the vigorous insertion of the sheet, regardless of the presence or absence of touch with the form stopper 15. Alternatively, when the platen 36 is closed when the platen 36 is closed when the platen 36 collides with the form stopper 15 and rebounds, printing is started in a state where the leading end 1 b has not reached the position of the form stopper 15.

The basic position for printing on the paper 1 is determined in a state where the platen 36 is closed and the paper 1 is held by the paper feed mechanism 34. For this reason, in order to print accurately at a predetermined position on the paper 1, it is necessary to set the leading edge 1 b of each paper to be at the same position. Therefore, in the printer 10 of the present embodiment, the position of the leading end 1b is confirmed while the paper 1 set in the paper path 11 is fed backward. The reverse feed distance (pitch) P2 is several m, depending on the printing accuracy, the detection accuracy of the TOF detector 22, and the like.
m is desirable, and by detecting the leading edge 1b while feeding the paper backward at an appropriate pitch, the leading edge 1b of the paper can be aligned with high accuracy. For this reason, even if the leading edge 1b of the paper 1 set by the user is not at the same position,
Since the paper is fed in the reverse direction W until the paper passes through the F detector 22, the leading end 1b can be automatically aligned with the position N that has passed through the TOF detector 22.

Further, if the paper 1 is distortedly inserted into the paper path 11, it may cause paper jam or the like, and if printing is started in this state, normal printing is not performed. In the printer 10 of the present example, if the leading end 1b cannot be detected even if the paper feed mechanism 34 is reversely fed by a predetermined distance in step ST37, an error is determined in step ST38. It is determined whether or not there is an error, and an error process starting from step ST15 is performed. Therefore, when the head cannot be normally started due to a paper jam or the like, an instruction to reset the paper 1 is displayed, and printing is not started. Therefore, by using the printer 10 of the present embodiment, printing can be performed without any risk of wasting the paper or losing the personal check, and the printing can be reliably performed at a predetermined position on the paper.

In step ST8, the TOF detector 22
When the leading edge 1b of the sheet 1 is detected at step ST10,
And the heading section 53 functions. Then, a cueing step of feeding the paper 1 in the forward direction and performing cueing is performed.

FIG. 7 shows more detailed processing of the heading step (step ST10). FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the state of the paper 1 in the paper path 11 when performing the heading. In the printer 10 of this example, the position of the leading edge 1b of the sheet 1 is determined by the TOF detector 22 in step ST8.
Can be aligned at the position N past However, since the printer 10 uses the position L of the form stopper 15 as a printing reference position, it is necessary to feed the paper from the position N to the position L in the forward direction. Therefore, in step ST10, the head is sent by a small distance (from the position N to the position L) in the positive direction to perform heading. Therefore, in step ST41, the same pitch P as the moving distance of one pitch of reverse feed is used.
In step ST42, a predetermined amount of paper is fed in the forward direction, and in step ST42, paper detection is performed after the state is stabilized. T in step ST43
The presence / absence of paper of the OF detector 22 is checked. If there is paper, the heading is completed and the process proceeds to step ST44.
Set no error and end the process.

On the other hand, if no paper is detected in step ST43, in step ST45, the TOF detector 2
2 is further moved in the forward direction V by a distance D1 from the center position to the position L. This is because it is considered that the leading end 1b of the sheet 1 is located at a position where it is difficult for the TOF detector 22 to detect the sheet 1; is there. Then, in step ST46, paper detection is performed after the state is stabilized. Then, in step ST47, the TOF detector 22
Is checked, and if there is a sheet, the process proceeds to step ST44 since the heading has been completed, and no error is set and the process is terminated. If the head cannot be located even in this step ST47, it is determined that an error has occurred, an error is set in step ST48, and the heading is stopped.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the cueing step (step ST10), the leading edge 1b of the sheet 1 is fed from the position N in the forward direction V, and the leading edge 1b of the sheet 1 is moved to the position L of the form stopper 15 at the pitch P2. They can be aligned within the error range. Here, the pitch P2 is set to a value that does not cause a problem in the printing result, and is considered so as not to cause a problem in practical use. Therefore, by feeding the paper 1 based on this position and performing printing in the print area 35 (print position of the print head 37) on the platen 36, printing with very high accuracy and high reproducibility can be achieved. It can be done reliably.

As described above, the printer 10 of the present embodiment can select between auto-loading and positioning insertion by the command for selecting the operation at the time of sheet insertion. If the positioning insertion is selected and the auto loading is disabled, the user can easily determine an arbitrary printing start position. Therefore, the printer 10 of the present embodiment can be used not only for printing from the top (upper end) of a sheet as in a POS printer, but also for printing at a predetermined position on a sheet, such as printing a check amount. You can easily correspond, set the paper automatically or manually at the predetermined position according to the format,
Printing can be performed reliably.

In the above embodiment, a printer having a form stopper has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to a printer without a form stopper. In such a printer, in the case of positioning insertion (target printing), when the TOF detector and the BOF detector detect that the paper has been inserted, the platen or the conveying roller may be closed and printing may be started. In the case of loading, the skew detection or the leading edge of the sheet may be detected as in the above-described embodiment, and printing may be started using this position as a printing reference position.

Further, the printer and the control method of the present invention can be provided by storing a control program capable of executing each processing shown in the above-described flowchart in a recording medium readable by a processor such as a CPU. it can. Such a control program can be supplied via various media, for example,
It can be provided by being recorded on an exchangeable recording medium such as a floppy disk. Further, it is also possible to provide the information via a computer network such as the Internet, and to use it by recording it on a fixed recording medium such as a hard disk.

[0059]

As described above, according to the present invention, the operation at the time of inserting a sheet can be selected.
Auto-loading or positioning insertion can be used depending on the printing purpose. If positioning insertion is selected, targeted printing in which printing is started with the sheet set as it is can also be performed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a printer that can handle paper of various formats.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a schematic configuration of the printer shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of selecting an operation when inserting a sheet.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control operation when paper is set in the printer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control operation in a first determination step of checking whether there is a skew;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control operation in a second determination step of checking the leading edge of a sheet.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control operation in a heading process.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the movement of a sheet when checking skew.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the movement of a sheet when checking a skew in a direction different from that of the printer of the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the movement of the printing paper when the leading edge of the paper is checked and the leading is performed.

FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating a schematic configuration of a conventional printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper (cut paper or slip paper) 2 Base part 3 Table 4 Top cover 5 Document table 6, 7 Paper guide 8a Operation panel 10 Printer 11 Paper path 12 Insertion area 13 Mark for aiming printing 15 Form stopper 21 BOF detector Reference Signs List 22 TOF detector 31 Paper feed roller 33 Motor for driving paper feed mechanism 34 Paper feed mechanism 35 Print area 36 Platen 37 Print head 40 Platen drive mechanism 44 Solenoid for drive 50 Control device 51 First judgment unit 52 Second Judgment unit 53 Start-up unit 54 Bypass unit 58 Situation judgment unit 59 Flash memory 81 Host 83 Floppy disk 84 Computer network 85 Hard disk

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A printing device that communicates with a host device via an interface, wherein the printing device prints on a cut sheet in response to print data or a print command from the host device; Detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of the cut sheet paper; conveying means for conveying the cut sheet; driving the conveying means to move the end of the cut sheet inserted side to a predetermined position based on the detection result of the detecting means. A printing device comprising: a setting unit configured to enable or disable an operation of the control unit in response to a predetermined command from the host device. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing a set value by said setting means. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation of the control unit is disabled by the setting unit, and the detection unit detects the print data or the print command from the host device. A printing apparatus, further comprising means for temporarily validating the operation of the control means irrespective of the setting of the setting means when the result is that there is no paper. 4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first sheet insertion port for inserting the cut sheet in a direction parallel to a transfer direction in which the cut sheet is transferred by the transfer unit; A printing apparatus, comprising: a second sheet insertion slot for inserting the cut sheet from the direction substantially perpendicular to the transport direction. 5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a storage unit for storing at least the printing unit, wherein the storage unit is located on the second paper insertion opening side and is located at the printing unit. A printing device comprising a mark provided in the vicinity. 6. An interface for communicating with a host device, a detecting unit for detecting presence or absence of a cut sheet, a conveying unit for conveying the cut sheet, and a printing unit for printing on the cut sheet. In the method for controlling a printing apparatus, a step of receiving print data or a print command from the host device; a step of detecting the presence or absence of the cut sheet; conveying and detecting the cut sheet; A paper setting step of placing the end on the insertion side at a predetermined position, a step of printing on the cut sheet in response to the print data or a print command, and, in response to a predetermined command from the host device, A step of skipping the paper setting step. 7. The printing apparatus control method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of storing a setting as to whether or not to skip the paper setting step. 8. The method for controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the setting of skipping the paper setting step is performed, and when the result of the paper detecting step indicates that there is no paper, the paper setting step is executed. A method of controlling a printing apparatus, further comprising the step of: 9. A process for receiving print data or a print command from a host device, a process for detecting presence / absence of a cut sheet, conveying and detecting the cut sheet, and an end on the insertion side of the cut sheet. A sheet setting process for placing a set at a predetermined position; a process for printing on the cut sheet in response to the print data or the print command; and a paper setting process in response to a predetermined command from the host device. A recording medium on which a program for realizing control characterized by having a skipping process is recorded. 10. The recording medium according to claim 9, further comprising a process of storing a setting as to whether or not to skip the paper setting process. 11. The recording medium according to claim 9, wherein a setting for skipping the setting process is performed.
A recording medium storing a program for realizing control, further comprising a process of executing the paper setting process when the result of the paper detection process indicates that there is no paper.