JPS63287250A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the need for a residual amount sensor by storing the used quantity of recording paper calculated at every recording and raising an alarm when the stored quantity of recording paper reaches a prescribed value. CONSTITUTION:In the case of the recording, a control section 20 stores the used quantity of recording paper 12 in the unit of pages or lines into a counter 25a provided on a RAM 25 accumulatingly and detects the residual quantity of the recording paper 12 by detecting the used quantity reaching a prescribed value to issue warning. The initial value of roll recording paper loaded on the titled device is selected to be a value not generating a large residual error of the recording paper at the warning time. Thus, the sensor for detecting the residual quantity is omitted. Moreover, since the small sized recording paper roll is attained, the entire device is miniaturized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus, and particularly to an image recording apparatus using a roll of recording paper used in a facsimile machine or the like.

[Prior Art] Dot recording devices such as thermal printers that use roll-shaped recording paper have been known in the image recording section of facsimile machines. A facsimile machine cannot receive images if all the recording paper is used up, so it detects the remaining amount of recording paper and issues a warning when it falls below a predetermined value. A method is known that encourages the exchange of

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] A conventional remaining amount detection mechanism involves coloring a portion of the end of a roll of recording paper, that is, a portion near the core, and detecting this colored portion using a reflective photosensor. A configuration is known in which detection is performed by, for example, Also known is a method of detecting the remaining amount using a microswitch or the like that is provided so that the angle of an actuator changes in accordance with changes in the diameter of the recording paper roll.

However, providing one sensor as described above increases the number of components and requires software to control the detection operation, which increases the cost of the device. Also.

The detection mechanism described above is relatively unstable, and sometimes a warning is issued while there is still a sufficient amount of battery remaining. In particular, the method of measuring the diameter of a recording paper roll using a microswitch or the like has a problem of extremely large errors.

In addition, in conventional image recording devices of this type, the length of recording paper stored in the device is often about 50 to 100 meters, and with this amount of recording paper, only one or a few sheets can be printed per day. Users who do not use recording paper will have to replace the recording paper every month or every few months. It cannot be said that replacing the recording paper at this frequency is very troublesome, and the capacity of the recording paper is considered to be sufficient. However, the diameter of a recording paper roll of this length is around 1OcI11.
It is quite large. When considering storing a recording paper roll of such a size in the apparatus, there is a problem in that the entire apparatus naturally becomes large.

Means for Solving Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an image recording method in which a roll of recording paper is stored inside the apparatus and an image is recorded using a predetermined method on the recording paper. In the apparatus, a storage means for storing the usage amount or remaining amount of recording paper calculated for each recording operation, and a control means for generating a warning when the usage amount of recording paper stored in the storage means reaches a predetermined value. In addition, a configuration is adopted in which the initial amount of the roll-shaped recording paper when loaded into the apparatus is set to a value that does not cause a large error in the remaining amount of recording paper at the time of the above-mentioned warning.

[Function] According to the above configuration, even if the method of accumulating the measured amount of recording paper used is not adopted, the error in the remaining amount can be reduced because the length of the recording paper is short, and the error in the remaining amount can be detected. The additional sensor can be omitted. Furthermore, since the recording paper roll can be made smaller, the entire apparatus can be made smaller.

[Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the example shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an image recording apparatus employing the present invention. Here, the structure of an image recording section of a facsimile machine is shown as an image recording device.

In the illustrated embodiment, the image recording mechanism is housed inside an exterior part 11 that is integrated with the body of the facsimile machine. The upper part of the recording section is covered by a cover 13 that can be opened and closed by swinging in the A direction via a fulcrum 14. The following members are stored in the lower part of the cover 13.

First, a roll of recording paper 12 is stored in the lower part of the cover 13. In this embodiment, the recording paper 12 receives recording by the thermal recording head 16, and therefore is made of thermal paper. Also, its width is set to A4 or B4 width,
The winding amount is about 10 to 910 rn, which is smaller than that of conventional recording paper rolls.

The leading end of the recording paper 12 is loaded so as to pass between two sets of conveyance rollers 15 and be exposed outside the machine through the discharge port 13a. The recording paper 12 is rotated in the direction B by the drive of the conveyance roller 15, and during this time is recorded by a heat-sensitive drum 16 provided between two sets of conveyance rollers 15.15. A cutter 19 for cutting the recorded recording paper into a predetermined size is provided on the conveyance path.

In the vicinity of the recording head 16, a recording paper sensor 17 composed of a photo ink sensor or a reflective optical sensor is provided in order to detect whether or not the recording paper 12 is present at the recording position. Further, a sensor 18 composed of a microswitch or the like is provided near the fulcrum 14 to detect whether the cover 13 is opened or closed. However, in this embodiment, a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of recording paper 12 is not provided.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of a control system of a facsimile machine having the image recording section shown in FIG.

The operation of the entire device is controlled by a control section 20 composed of a microprocessor or the like. A control program for the control unit 20 is stored in the ROM 23. The reading of the original image is performed by a reading section 24 composed of a CCD line sensor, an original transport mechanism, and the like. Communication operations with the other station are performed via a communication section 22 comprised of a modem, a network control device, and the like. A communication line N such as a telephone line is connected to the communication unit 22 .

Further, in order to control the device according to the operator's intention, an operation panel 26 including a numeric keypad, a display, etc. is provided. The operation panel 26 is equipped with a device including a buzzer, a warning light, etc. to warn of the remaining amount of recording paper 12.

The recording mechanism 21 including the recording mechanism shown in FIG.

The recording paper sensor 17 and a sensor 18 consisting of a microswitch that detects the operation of the cover 13 are also connected to the control section 20.

In the above configuration, the control section 20 can recognize the usage amount of the recording paper 12 when controlling the recording mechanism 21 to perform a recording operation. The number of recorded lines, the number of recorded pages, etc. can be measured by a counter configured by hardware or software during the control processing procedure without using a sensor.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when performing a recording operation, the control section 20 accumulates and stores the amount of usage of the recording paper l2 in units of pages or number of lines in a counter 25a provided in the RAM 25, and stores the amount of usage in a counter 25a provided in the RAM 25 until the amount of usage is determined by a predetermined amount. The recording paper l
2 remaining amount can be detected. As mentioned above, the winding amount of the recording paper 12 is set to 10 to several tens of meters, which is much smaller than the conventional one, so even if the above detection method is used, there will be no large error in the remaining amount, and it will be accurate. The remaining amount can be detected.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a control procedure performed by the control section 20 of FIG. The illustrated procedure is stored in the ROM 23 as a control program for the control unit 20.

The control procedure will be explained below with reference to FIG.

Step SL in FIG. In S2, loop processing in a standby state is performed. First, in step 31, it is determined whether it is necessary to start up the device. ``This determination is made by operating a start key provided on the operation panel 26 or by determining whether or not a calling signal from the other station is detected via the communication section 22. In step S2, it is detected via the sensor 18 whether the cover 13 of the recording section is opened or closed. If step S1 is affirmed, step S
4; if step S2 is affirmative, step S3;
Move to.

In step S3, cover 1 is used to replace recording paper l2.
3 is assumed to have been opened, and the remaining amount counter 25a of the recording paper 12 set in the RAM 25 is initialized. When detecting the remaining amount of recording paper by the amount used, the remaining amount counter is set to O.
When the remaining amount is detected by the subtraction method, the remaining amount counter is set to an initial value corresponding to the amount of recording paper l2 wound.

On the other hand, in step S4, the cause of the activation of the device is investigated. In steps 85 to S7, it is determined what the activation factor detected in step S4 was. First step S5
Then, determine whether or not to perform the copy operation. For example, if a document is loaded in the reading section 24 and the start key is operated without inputting a telephone number, etc., the reading section 24
A copy operation is performed in which the original image is recorded in the recording section. This copying process is performed in step Sll, and when the process is completed, the process moves to step S9.

Next, in step S6, it is determined whether or not to perform a transmission operation. Transmission is performed when the start key is pressed with a document loaded in the reading section 24 and a telephone number entered. Transmission processing is performed in step 512. After the transmission process is completed, it is determined in step S13 whether or not to output a communication vote related to the communication. A communication report is the result of the previous communication.

This process records management information such as the number of sent pages and communication time in the recording section. If report output is specified,
In step 515, the management information is recorded and output using the recording head 16. After step S15, the process moves to step S9.9 If the communication report is not to be output, the process returns to step S1.

In step S7, it is determined whether or not to perform reception processing. The reception process is performed when a calling signal from the other station is detected via the communication unit 22. The receiving operation is carried out in step S14 in the same manner as in the prior art. Step S
14, the process moves to step S9.

If the steering knob S7 is negative, the process moves to step S8, where the cutter 19 is operated to cut the leading end of the recording paper 12.

In the three steps, the recording paper 12 is transported by the transport roller 15 and recorded by the recording head 16.

The amount of recording paper used at this time is measured in units of recording lines or pages, and the value of the remaining amount counter is changed according to the measured value. In the usage amount addition type counter, the usage amount is accumulated in the remaining amount counter, and in the subtraction type counter, the usage amount is subtracted from the previous remaining amount value.

The operation of the remaining amount counter as described above is performed in step S9.

Next, in step S10, it is determined whether there is a sufficient amount of recording paper 12 remaining by checking the result obtained by operating the remaining amount counter in step S9. If there is a sufficient amount of recording paper remaining, the process returns to step S1, but if the remaining amount is small, the process moves to step S16, in which a warning device 26a provided on the operation panel 26 is operated to prompt the operator to replace the recording paper roll. prompt.

According to the above configuration, the remaining amount of recording paper can be detected without using a sensor for detecting the remaining amount, so the detection mechanism can be simplified and the cost of the apparatus can be reduced. Although the amount of recording paper used has not been detected by actual measurement, the amount of recording paper rolled is set to be much smaller than before, so the remaining amount error that occurs before the remaining amount warning is issued should be minimized. Can be done. Therefore, the remaining amount of recording paper can be detected with sufficient detection accuracy without using a remaining amount sensor.

In addition, by reducing the amount of recording paper roll,
The recording unit that houses this can be significantly downsized. In the configuration shown in Figure 1, the height of the device is mainly determined by the diameter of the recording paper roll, but by reducing the diameter of the recording paper, the height of the device can be reduced, and the height of the device can be reduced. The whole can be made thinner.

The configuration of the recording section of the facsimile machine has been shown above, but
The configuration of the present invention is not limited to the image recording section of a facsimile machine, but can be applied to one variety of image recording devices.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, the present invention provides an image recording device that stores a roll of recording paper inside the device and records an image using a predetermined method on the recording paper. , a storage means for storing the usage or remaining amount of recording paper calculated for each recording operation, and a control for generating a warning when the usage or remaining amount of recording paper stored in the storage means reaches a predetermined value. In addition, since the configuration is such that the initial amount of the roll-shaped recording paper when loaded into the apparatus is set to a value that does not cause a large error in the remaining amount of recording paper at the time of the above-mentioned warning, the remaining amount The remaining amount of recording paper can be detected without installing a sensor, and since the initial amount of recording paper is set to a small amount, the remaining amount can be detected accurately without causing a large error in remaining amount. Since the initial amount of recording paper is set small, there is an excellent effect that the entire recording section that stores the paper can be made smaller.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an image recording section of a facsimile machine adopting the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of a control system of a facsimile machine using the recording section of FIG. 1, and FIG. The figure is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the control section of FIG. 2. 11...Exterior part 12...Recording paper 13...
fJ/<-15...Conveyance roller 16...Recording head 17.18...Sensor 20...Control unit
21... Recording mechanism 24... Reading section 25...
・RAM25a...Counter 26a...Warning device

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an image recording device that stores a roll of recording paper inside the device and records images using a predetermined method on this recording paper, a memory for storing the usage amount or remaining amount of recording paper calculated for each recording operation. means, and a control means for generating a warning when the amount of recording paper used or remaining amount stored in the storage means reaches a predetermined value, and furthermore, the amount of recording paper in the roll is set at an initial amount when the recording paper is loaded into the apparatus. An image recording apparatus characterized in that: is set to a value that does not cause a large error in the remaining amount of recording paper at the time of the above-mentioned warning.