JPS5822356B2 - Printer misalignment correction method and device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for correcting printing misalignment in a printer, and in particular to a method and a device for correcting printing misalignment in a printer, and in particular to a method and a device for correcting printing misalignment in a printer. In a sequential excitation type printer such as a so-called flying hammer type line printer, which prints on printing paper by running the font in a fixed direction and sequentially colliding each digit hammer of a multi-digit magnet drive type hammer with the traveling font. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for correcting printing misalignment that occurs in response to fluctuations in the running speed of running typefaces.

In printers, the type is run in a fixed direction by a synchronous motor or induction motor operated by input from a commercial AC power source, and the paper and ink ribbon are attached to the traveling type by the rotating action of each digit hammer of a magnet-driven hammer. The sequential printing method, which prints on printing paper by colliding it, is widely used in printers such as line printers.In such printers, the rotational drive speed of the synchronous motor or induction motor is affected by fluctuations in the input AC power supply and When the tension changes due to the elongation of the belt-like type body, the running speed of the type body changes, resulting in misalignment due to the collision between the type body and the magnet-driven hammer, resulting in printing misalignment on the printing paper. will occur.

In this case, the frequency fluctuations of a general commercial AC power supply occur within a range of +2 to -4 points of the rated value, but on the other hand, these fluctuations do not occur from moment to moment, but rather over a relatively long period of time. It is known that the temperature changes slowly over a period of (for example, half a day, one day, etc.).

On the other hand, the tension of the belt-shaped type body changes slightly during long-term use, and the change is not rapid but gradual.

Therefore, the running speed of the typeface, which is affected by the frequency fluctuations and tension changes of these input AC power sources, does not change suddenly, but changes slowly over a relatively long period of time, and runs at a constant speed for a short period of time. However, the operation of magnetically driven hammers that cooperate with the typeface is generally free from fluctuations dominated by the above factors, such as frequency fluctuations, and therefore hammer collisions are avoided even when the running speed of the typeface varies. Since the action always operates at a constant speed, misalignment inevitably occurs in the collision action between the running type and the magnet-driven hammer, resulting in misalignment of the print on the paper.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a method for correcting the printing deviation that occurs in the above-mentioned sequential excitation type printer so that clear printing can always be performed in the correct alignment on the paper, and to directly implement such a method. and equipment.

According to the present invention, character verification is performed for the magnet-driven hammers of multiple digits from the 1st digit to the 0th digit according to the character pulse taken out from the character body that is steadily traveling along a fixed trajectory, and each digit that matches the character is driven by a magnet. In the sequential excitation printing method, in which printing is performed on paper by alignment collision between the running type and each digit hammer when viewed in the direction of the digits by successively energizing the type hammers, detecting speed fluctuations of the running type, The start signal of the printed character verification and the excitation start signal of each digit hammer are changed for the slow speed time determined according to the detected speed fluctuation rate to start both of the above when the speed remains unchanged for all digit hammers from the 1st digit to the 0th digit. By making an adjustment change so as to deviate from the transmission time of the signal, the collision misalignment between the typeface and each digit hammer caused by the speed fluctuation is eliminated, and printing misalignment on the paper is corrected. A method for correcting printing misalignment for a printer is provided.

According to the present invention, a multi-digit magnet-driven hammer is further arranged in front of the type body moving steadily along a fixed track through the printing paper, and a type position signal is outputted in response to the traveling type body. a type position detector that emits an output signal at each output signal; a delay device that activates the type matching scan of the multi-digit magnet-driven hammer after a certain delay time according to each output signal of the type position detector; and a start of activation of the delay device. By providing an excitation signal transmitter that issues an excitation start signal to the magnet circuit of each digit hammer at regular intervals in accordance with the signal, printing paper is sequentially activated by the collision action of the magnet-driven hammer for each digit that matches the printed characters. In a sequential excitation type printer that prints on a printed object, a detector for detecting the speed of the running type is provided, and the speed fluctuation rate output of the detector is inputted to the delay device and the excitation signal transmitter. The start timing of the print verification scan and the start of excitation of each digit hammer are respectively changed according to the speed fluctuation rate,
There is provided a printing misalignment correcting device for a printer, characterized in that the misalignment caused by the collision between the type body and the magnet 1 driven hammer due to the speed fluctuation is eliminated.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the general configuration of a sequential excitation type printer to which the printing misalignment correction method and device according to the present invention can be applied, and FIG. 2 is a structure of the printing operation part of this printer. FIG.

In FIG. 1, a type body 1 formed in the shape of an endless belt
0 is provided so as to run around the drive pulley 16 and guide pulley 18 in a fixed direction shown by an arrow.

As shown in the figure, the typeface 10 is formed with typefaces consisting of alphabets such as A, B, C, numbers, symbols, etc., and at the bottom of each typeface there is a typeface position indicator that cooperates with a typeface position detector 38, which will be described later. A protrusion 12 is formed.

Further, the drive pulley 16 is connected to a drive motor 20, such as a synchronous motor or an induction motor, which is operated by input from an AC input power source, and is configured to move the type body 10 according to the drive speed of the drive motor 20. ing.

A platen 22 is provided inside the endless track of the type body 10, and on the outside facing the platen 22, an ink ribbon 24 and a printing paper 26 are interposed to print characters on each printing digit that is deployed in the digit direction. A multi-digit (usually 136-digit) magnet-driven hammer 30 that shares the
It is provided so that it can be rotated around.

Each of the magnet-driven hammers 30 rotates around the axis 28 due to the magnetic attraction force generated by the excitation coil 34 of the magnet 32 provided on the back, and the type body 10 is rotated.
The printing paper 26 and the ink ribbon 24 collide with the printed characters above, and the printing paper 26 and the ink ribbon 24 collide with each other, so that the printed characters are printed on the printing paper 26.

It should be noted that each digit hammer of the above-mentioned magnet-driven type mark 30 is placed on the paper 26 at a position opposite to each predetermined printing position, and when a desired selected character on the type body 10 passes through that position, the hammer is applied. The hammer corresponding to the type must rotate to cause the printing paper 26 and the ink ribbon 24 to collide with the type, but since the type 10 is always traveling at a constant speed, the printing paper 26 In order to accurately print the desired type at a predetermined printing position, for example, every time a type pulse is output to check whether the type commanded by the well-known central control unit CPU and the type on the type body 10 match. A verification scan is performed for each digit printing position, and each time a match is obtained in the verification result for the next digit,
In order to properly control the operation start time of the corresponding digit magnet drive type hammer 30 so that the type is caught and struck at the printing position corresponding to the hammer, the excitation start time of the excitation coil 34 of the corresponding number hammer 30 is adjusted appropriately. must be controlled.

For this purpose, the following configuration is adopted in the sequential excitation type printer.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, with respect to the type letters arranged at equal pitch intervals on the type belt 10, the magnet-driven hammer 30 of each digit has a predetermined pitch deviation from the 1st digit to, for example, the 136th digit. It is arranged so that it has.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a type position detector 38 is provided at a predetermined position on the printer, and the type position detector 38 aligns and responds to each type position detecting protrusion 12 on the type body 10. When a type pulse is generated, a type verification scan is started for the magnet-driven hammers 30 of multiple digits at once, and a clock signal of a fixed period is emitted from the start of the type verification scan to check the number of characters from the 1st digit to the 136th digit. A method is adopted in which the magnet-driven hammers 30 for each digit are started to be energized one after another, thereby colliding and aligning each digit's A hammer 30 and the printed characters of the type body 10 at desired corresponding positions in each digit.

In order to carry out this method, in a normal sequential excitation type printer, a delay device to be described later which issues a start signal for a character verification scan in response to a character pulse signal from the character position detector 38 mentioned above and a character matching by the delay device are used. The configuration includes a voltage controlled oscillator that is triggered by the scan start signal and generates the above-mentioned Norita link signal at a constant period.

In such a normal printer, as described above, the time required for the magnet-driven hammer 30 from the start of excitation of each digit hammer until it rotates and collides with the type body 10, the so-called flight time Tf, is input. Since it is not affected by fluctuations in power supply frequency, etc., it can be considered that it is always a constant time.

On the other hand, if the input power frequency is, for example, 50 [Hz] or 60 [Hz]
The running speed of the typeface 10 when it is at a nominal value such as (Hz) is ■.

, and the moving speed of the type 10 when the frequency fluctuation rate is α, (−α■o), then according to a normal printer, the traveling speed of the type is as shown in Fig. 3. ■.

In the case of, for example, the excitation start timing T for the excitation coil that drives the first digit hammer.

The excitation start timing T of the type body 10 after the flight time T4 of the first digit hammer has elapsed.

Travel distance or amount of movement l from the position existing at the time of
.

is speed ■. In this case, the distance traveled during the time Tf is set in advance so that the center of the type and the collision center of the 1st digit hammer 30 exactly match, and the 0th digit hammer 30
The first digit is the excitation start time T.

Time Tn at which (n-1) clock signals are issued from
Flight time T4 of the n-th digit hammer excited at
After the lapse of time, the center of the type and the collision center of the 0th digit hammer 30 are set to exactly match in the amount of movement IJc of the type 10, and the hammers of intermediate digits are also set in the same way, so a matching match is accepted. Excellent printing is to be performed at the printing position on the printing paper 26 corresponding to the indicated digit.

Of course, at the printing position on the printing paper 26 corresponding to the digit for which no matching match was obtained at this time, the magnet-driven hammer 30 of the digit corresponding to the digit when matching matching was obtained in the successive character matching scans is placed. By starting the excitation, the hammers 30 of all desired digits, for example, 136 digits, are finally operated, and printing of type on one line on the printing paper 26 based on the CPU command is completed.

However, in a normal printer, the running speed of the typeface 10 is ■.

changes and becomes ■1 (for example, when the speed is on the lagging side), time T.

After the flight time Tf has elapsed, the time T of the printed font 10
.

The amount of movement from the existing position is 11 in Figure 3,
Time T again.

After the elapse of the flight time Tf of the n-th digit hammer, which is driven after the elapse of time up to time Tn, the time T of the typeface 10 is reached.

The amount of movement from the position where it existed is 13 in Figure 3.
Therefore, the collision center of the hammer 30 for each digit is (Zo-Xl) for the 1st digit, and (Zo-Xl) for the 0th digit.
12-13), and also for intermediate digits, the order of scanning the digits is delayed, and the collision occurs at a position shifted to the delayed side by the amount of shift that increases as the timing of matching and driving the hammer becomes delayed. Therefore, the printing on the paper 26 results in blurred printing and blurred printing.

Therefore, the present invention adjusts the start timing of the character verification scan and the start timing of the excitation of each digit hammer 30 in accordance with the detection result of the rate of variation in the running speed of the type 10 in order to solve the drawbacks of such a conventional sequential excitation type printer. Printing misalignment is corrected according to the principle of matching the center of collision of each digit hammer 30 with the center of the type by changing the number of digits.

Now, according to the principle of the present invention described above, the running speed of the typeface 10 is ■.

The amount of adjustment change in time that should be added to the start timing of the print verification scan and the excitation start timing of each digit hammer 30 in response to the change from V1=αVo from .

That is, the running speed of the typeface 10, which is the preset and reference setting state, is ■.

The above-mentioned time T when the time is steady.

Even when the first digit hammer 30, which started excitation at speed 1-αVo of the typeface 10, first reaches speed ■.

Assuming that the amount of time that the excitation start timing should be delayed is Δt1 in order to maintain the condition that the print character is captured and printed at the center of the hammer of each digit in the same way as set under the conditions of , the following equation ( 1) holds true.

lo-■.

-Tf-αVo(Tf+Δt1)...(1)
■-α Therefore, from equation (1), Δt1--Tf...
・(2) α is obtained.

This Δt1 is the amount of delay in the excitation start timing, and is also the amount of delay in the start timing of scanning in the n-digit direction for character verification.

Similarly, the running speed V1-α of the 0th digit hammer 30
(2) Considering the amount of delay in the excitation start timing at o, referring to FIG. 3, the excitation start time T of the first digit hammer 301-α to which the timing correction obtained above has been added.

For scanning in the digit direction with +7-Tf as the reference time (n
-i) If the time until the time when the clock signal is issued is Tn', then from the relationship shown in the graph of Fig. 3, 4-Vo (Tf + Tn) - αVo (T f + Δ11) + αVoTn'...
・(3) T Ts Therefore, from equations (2) and (3), TI-1 = (n-1
)−...(4) holds true.

That is, from equation (4), the running speed of the typeface 10 is ■.

It can be seen from this that when the speed changes to 1-αVo, the excitation start timing of each digit hammer 30 can be adjusted by adjusting the clock signal transmission cycle so as to be inversely proportional to the speed variation rate α.

That is, the steady type running speed ■.

If Ts is the transmission cycle of the scanning tick signal in the digit direction for starting the excitation of each digit hammer 30, then the cross transmission cycle can be changed to - when the running speed is αVo.

Therefore, the method of the present invention is based on timing 1-α of the opening timing of the type verification scan for the first printed digit.

The reference was the excitation start timing of the hammer 30, which starts excitation of the matched digit by sequentially scanning each digit, that is, the 1st digit to the 0th digit in the scanning order, while adjusting and changing by -Tf time. Speed V.

Excitation amount of the first digit at the bottom 1-α Starting side T.

On the other hand, if in addition to the above-mentioned correction amount -Tf, the oscillation period of the scanning clock oscillator is changed in accordance with the traveling speed and the scanning order number of the digits is set to 1≦i≦ns, then for one digit, it becomes (i-1)- 1-α becomes
Ts Like T.

10 - Tf + (t') a, α It is characterized by the ability to adjust and change the sea urchin.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing misalignment correction apparatus that is equipped with specific means for carrying out the above-described printing misalignment correction method of the present invention.

In FIG. 4, a type position detector 38' (see FIG. 1) outputs a type pulse each time a printed character arrives in response to the type position detection protrusion 12 of the moving type body 10.

This type pulse is shaped into a rectangular wave by a waveform shaper 40.

The output of the shaped waveform shaper 40 is applied to a delay device 42, and the delay device 42 has a fixed delay time TD (print running speed 2) from the rise time of each shaped character pulse.

) or after TD' (in the case of type traveling speed v1-), a type verification scan start signal is issued.

Note that the signal width of this type verification disclosure signal is set in advance so as to have a time interval for character verification for all digits of the multi-digit magneto-magnet driven hammer 30, and of course, the signal width is shorter than the period of the type pulse. Selected.

Further, the output signal of the delay device 42 is applied to the clock signal oscillator 4-4, which is composed of, for example, a voltage controlled oscillator, which transmits the aforementioned clock signal, and starts this oscillator 44, thereby transmitting a clock signal for starting the excitation of each digit hammer 30. let

Therefore, when each digit hammer 30 receives the clock signal of the oscillator 44 in scanning order, the magnet-driven hammer 30 of the digit for which a print match has been obtained prints by the excitation action of its excitation coil 34 (see FIG. 1). It is pivoted about a pivot 28 (FIG. 1) to perform the action.

The above-mentioned components are already included in ordinary sequential excitation type printers, and according to the present invention, in addition to these components, a speed detector for detecting the running speed of the type body 10 is provided. 46 is provided, and this speed detector 46
The output is applied to the delay device 42 and oscillator 44 mentioned above.

Further, the output of the waveform shaper 40 is inputted to the speed detector 46 in order to regulate the sending timing of the output signal.

That is, the output timing of the speed detector 46 is properly matched with the rise timing of the print pulse signal.

Note that the speed detector 46 may be one that detects the rotational speed of the drive morph 20 (FIG. 1), for example, or may be constituted by a frequency monitor that monitors the input power frequency of the drive motor 20. may be configured to directly detect the running speed of the typeface 10.

In this way, the speed detector 46 is provided, and its output is applied to the delay device 42 and the clock signal oscillator 44, thereby changing the type comparison scan start signal 1-α of the delay device 42 to 12i-Tf-Δ1. (see Fig. 3), and the oscillation period of the clock signal oscillator 44 is made to correspond to 1αS - dn' (see Fig. 3).
(see figure).

Therefore, if a sequential excitation type printer is equipped with the printing deviation correction device according to the present invention, the printing center of the type body 10 and the collision center of each digit hammer 30 can always be properly collided and aligned, thereby eliminating printing deviation and blurred printing. It is possible.

In addition, Figure 5 shows the running speed of the typeface ■.

, type position detector 38 and delay device 4 in Fig. 4 in ■1
2. It is a graph diagram illustrating the timing relationship of each output signal of the rank oscillator 44, and clearly shows the delay state of the start signal of the type verification scan and the change in the excitation start timing of each digit hammer 30. .

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but in putting the printing misalignment correction device of the present invention into practice, the character position detector 38, the delay device 42, the clock signal oscillator 4
4. For each element such as the speed detector 46, various known electrical and
It goes without saying that it can be formed as appropriate using electronic elements, and all of these are included within the scope of the present invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the main parts of a sequential excitation type printer to which the printing misalignment correction method and device according to the present invention can be applied, and Fig. 2 shows the correspondence between the typeface and each digit hammer of the same printer. A schematic plan view showing the arrangement relationship, FIG. 3 is a graph diagram for explaining the principle of printing misalignment correction of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printing misalignment correction device according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 4 is a graph showing the timing relationship of output signals of various elements in FIG. 4. FIG. In addition, in the figure, 10... typeface, 12...
Type position detection protrusion, 20... Drive motor, 24
... Ink ribbon, 26 ... Printing paper, 30 ... Magnet-driven hammer, 34 ...
... Excitation coil, 38 ... Character position detector, 42 ... Delay device, 44 ... Clock signal oscillator for creating scanning timing signal, 4
6... Speed detector.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1 Character verification is performed for a plurality of digits of magnet-driven hammers from the first digit to the first digit according to the character pulse taken out from the character body traveling steadily along a fixed trajectory, and each digit magnet that matches the character is verified. In the sequential excitation type printing method, in which the driving hammer is started to be energized character by character and printing is performed on paper by alignment collision between the traveling type body and each digit hammer viewed in the digit direction, speed fluctuations of the traveling type body are detected. Then, the start signal for the printed character verification and the excitation start signal for each digit hammer are changed to the above when the speed remains unchanged for all digit hammers from the first digit to the first digit for the slow speed time determined according to the detected speed fluctuation rate. By making adjustment changes so as to deviate from the transmission times of both start signals, the collision misalignment between the typeface and each digit hammer caused by the speed fluctuation is eliminated, and printing misalignment on the paper is corrected. A printing misalignment correction method for a printer, which is characterized by: 2. In the printing misalignment correction method for a printer according to claim 1, the period of the clock signal scanning in the digit direction, which defines the excitation start timing of each digit hammer in the digit direction, is adjusted to A printer printing misalignment correction method that adjusts and changes in inverse proportion to the speed fluctuation rate. 3. A multi-digit magnet-driven hammer is placed in front of the typeface that travels steadily along a fixed trajectory through printing paper,
and a type position detector that emits an output signal every time a type position signal is taken out in response to the running type, and a type collation of the multi-digit magnet-driven hammer after a certain delay time by each output signal of the type position detector. By providing a delay device that starts scanning and an excitation signal transmitter that issues an excitation start signal to the magnet circuit of each digit hammer at regular intervals in response to the activation start signal of the delay device, the digits that match the printed characters can be checked. In a sequential excitation type printer that prints on printing paper by the collision action of the magnet-driven hammer, a detector is provided to detect the speed of the running type, and the speed fluctuation rate output of the detector is delayed as described above. and the excitation signal transmitter, the start timing of the type collation scan and the excitation start timing of each digit hammer are changed in accordance with the speed variation rate, and the type body and the magnet-driven hammer are controlled. A printing deviation correction device for a printer, characterized in that the collision misalignment caused by the speed fluctuation is eliminated.