JPS625876A - Printing position controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To avoid wasting of a paper and save time, by providing a means for detecting and storing the distance from an original point position to a paper left end position, a means for storing the width of a paper, and a means for outputting alarm information an external device. CONSTITUTION:When a paper sensor 9 is turned from OFF to ON, the count on a step counter 13 at that time is read, and is stored into a step count memory circuit 14 as the paper left end position a'. Whereby detection of the left end of the paper is completed. When the sensor 9 is turned from ON to OFF, the count on the counter 13 is read, and is stored as the paper width (b) into a storage area other than that for the paper left end position a' in the memory circuit 14. When the maximum printing range exceeds the paper width, alarm information 9 (e) is outputted to the external device 15.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a print position control device for a serial printer.

[Conventional technology]

゛ An example of the configuration of a serial printer will be explained with reference to FIG. The drawing is a plan view, and in the drawing, 1 is a carriage, 2 is a print head fixed to this carriage 1, and is moved in the left and right direction via a space belt 3 and a pulley 4 according to the rotation of a step motor 5. Characters and figures are printed on printing paper 6 while moving.

Reference numeral 7 indicates a platen, which is rotated by a motor (not shown) and feeds out printing paper. 8 is a home sensor, and 9 is a paper sensor.

When the power is turned on, the step motor 5 rotates, the print head 2 moves to the left in the figure, and the home sensor 8
The print head 2 stops with the point at which the output changes from logic "On" to logic 11' as the origin position.

When print data is sent from an external device, the step motor 5 rotates in reverse, the print head 2 moves rightward in the figure, and prints sequentially from the first raw egg position at a predetermined distance from the origin position. Let's do it.

At this time, the output of the paper sensor 9 provided on the print head 2 is a logic "0#" at a position where there is no printing paper 6, and is a logic "1#" at a position where the printing paper 6 is present. When the print head 2 prints while moving rightward in the figure, and the output of the paper sensor 9 changes from logic @1" to logic "0", there is data to be printed on the right side of the current position. Printing was prohibited and the printing operation was stopped.

As a mechanism for regulating the print area in this way, there is, for example, Utility Model Application No. 58-187449.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

According to the conventional technology explained above, even if an attempt is made to print at a position beyond the rightmost regulation position in the drawing of the printing paper, printing automatically stops, so the previous printing paper is discarded and the There is a problem in that it is necessary to replace the paper with a wider one and print again from the beginning.

In addition, if the printing paper is set to the left in the figure, the position of the first raw egg character is fixed, so even if the printing range is narrower than the printing paper width, printing may occur at a position beyond the right edge of the printing paper. There is also the problem of stopping.

[Means to try to solve problems]

The present invention provides a serial printer having a means for detecting the origin position of a print head and a means for detecting paper width. The present invention is characterized in that it includes means for transmitting alarm information and means for transmitting alarm information to an external device.

[For production]

According to the above configuration, the maximum printing area information sent from the external device and the printing paper width are compared, and if the maximum printing area is larger than the printing paper width, alarm information is sent to the external device, and the printing paper width is If the maximum printing area is smaller than the width, the printing area will be placed within the printing paper.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram. Reference numeral 10 denotes a control section, and each time a phase switching pulse and a rotation direction command are output from the control section 10, a phase switching circuit 11. The motor drive circuit 12 rotates the step motor 5 one step in either the forward or reverse direction. A step number counter 13 counts the number of phase switching pulses, and the control section 10 reads out the count value and stores it in the step number storage circuit 14. 15 is an external device.

The operation of the above configuration will be explained below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

SL Turn on the power.

S2: The step motor 5 rotates forward one step at a time, and the printer performs an operation to locate the print head 2 to its origin.

S3 The output signal of the home sensor 8 is OFF (logic “0”
It stops when it changes from #) to ON (logic ``1''). This completes the origin search.

S4 Clear the step number counter 13.

S5: The step motor 5 is reversely rotated one step at a time and the state of the paper sensor 9 is monitored.

S6 The paper sensor 9 turns from OFF to ON.

S7 Read the value of the step number counter 13 at that time and store it in the step number storage circuit 14 as the sheet left edge position fta'.
Store in. This completes the detection of the left edge of the paper.

S8 Clear the step number counter 13 again.

S9 Rotate the step motor 5 in the reverse direction one step at a time.

The SIO paper sensor 9 changes from ON to OFF'F.

Sll Read the value of the step number counter 13 and set the paper width to the paper left end position a' of the step number storage circuit 14.
The data is stored in a separate storage area from the storage area of . This completes the paper width detection.

S12 Receive information C specifying the maximum print area from the external device 15.

S13 Compare the maximum print area and paper width.

S14: If the maximum print area exceeds the paper width, alarm information is sent to the external device 15. This comparison is performed using the following equation when n characters are specified as the maximum printing area and the number of steps of the step motor 5 per character is d.

b')nXd S15 If the maximum printing area is narrower than the paper width, the first
Determine the raw egg position. It is calculated by the following equation, assuming that the number of steps from the origin f is ke.

Or, at this time, the distance from the origin position to the first raw egg position is eXf, assuming that the print head movement distance per one step of the step motor 5 is tf.

Also, the margin on the left side of the paper is (e-a')Xf.

The left margin of the paper is ((a'+b')-(e+c))
If Xf=(e-a')Xf, the printing area will be placed at the center of the paper.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention described in detail above, there are provided means for detecting and storing the distance from the origin position of the print head to the left edge position of the paper, means for storing the paper width, and means for sending alarm information to an external device. By doing so, it is possible to notify an external device that printing is not possible when the printing area exceeds the width of the paper, which has the effect of eliminating wasted paper and saving time.

Furthermore, since the print area is placed in the center of the paper, the print result is easy to see.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main operations of the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of a serial printer.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a print control device for a printer having means for detecting the origin position of a print head and means for detecting paper width, means for detecting and storing the distance from the origin position to the left edge position of the paper. and a means for storing the paper width, and a means for sending alarm information to an external device that specifies the maximum print area, and compares the maximum print area information sent from the external device with the paper width, and determines the maximum print area from the paper width. Print position control characterized by sending alarm information to an external device when the print area is larger, and adjusting the print area to fit within the print paper when the maximum print area is smaller than the paper width. Device.