KR20000059628A - An apparatus and its control method using various thermal printe heads - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method and an apparatus for controlling various thermal printing heads are provided to utilize various thermal printing heads in printing machines for the issue of receipts, order, bar code and the like. CONSTITUTION: An apparatus for controlling various thermal printing heads includes a thermal printing head selecting circuit(4) for selecting a thermal printing head to use, a signal converting circuit(11) for the optimized printing of the selected thermal printing head, a resistance distribution setting circuit(7) for setting impedance of a thermal element of the thermal printing head for setting a printing concentration for the selected thermal printing head, a fine control circuit(10) for synchronizing a signal conversion timing and a printing signal timing for performing an optimized printing and a precise control in association with a pulse generator to optimize the operation and reliability of the thermal printing head, and a synchronizing signal generating circuit(8) for synchronizing a clock speed and a printing signal speed of the selected thermal printing head according to a timing generating signal of the pulse generator to stabilize the whole operation of the selected thermal printing head.

Description

CONTROL APPLICATION AND APPARATUS WHICH CAN USE MULTIPLE THERMAL PRINT HEAD {AN APPARATUS AND ITS CONTROL METHOD USING VARIOUS THERMAL PRINTE HEADS}

The present invention provides a signal conversion device for a thermal print head which is used as a printing device of a receipt machine, which is a toll collection device, and a data recording medium of industrial electronic equipment, in a toll gate, so that a different thermal print head is used instead of a specific thermal print head. It is designed to realize the selectivity of the thermal print head and the expandability of the range of use. Especially, even when the production supply of the existing use of the thermal print head is interrupted, the stable operation of the selection circuit and the signal conversion unit of the thermal print head configured in the signal conversion device is performed. The present invention relates to a control method and an apparatus capable of utilizing multiple types of thermal print heads configured such that the multiple types of thermal print heads perform optimal operation as a recording medium.

In general, only the thermal print head of a specific standard is used in the printing of the receipt machine, which is a toll collection device of the toll gate, and the thermal print head, which is used as a data recording medium of industrial electronic equipment. In order to use it, a separate signal converter composed of each circuit suitable for the signal and electrical characteristics of the selected thermal print head and a dedicated connection connector should be prepared and used.

The conventional thermal print head signal conversion unit is configured to use a thermal print head of a specific standard, and there is no selection circuit and a signal conversion unit for using a variety of thermal print heads, thereby resulting in extremely low maintenance and operation rate of the device. It has a very big disadvantage.

When a fixed thermal print head of such a specific standard is used as a receipt issuer of a toll gate tolling device or a data recording medium of an automated electronic device, it is possible to maintain and maintain the device more than a method of using a variety of thermal print heads. This is a very disadvantageous and unstable structure, with extremely low operational efficiency and no countermeasures in case of unexpected situations such as supply interruptions or interrupted production of fixed thermal heads of specific specifications.

In detail, the existing thermal print heads used up to now are configured to be used exclusively for a specific standard product, and a control circuit and a signal conversion device capable of using a variety of thermal print heads have not been developed. Not only is there no selectivity and expandability of the thermal print head, but there is no countermeasure in case of changing the printing method or printing density control function, and the structure according to the miniaturization of the device in which the thermal print head is used. In case of supply interruption due to the discontinuance of the existing thermal print head, there is a very big unreasonable problem to develop a new alternative standard with the same characteristics.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the thermal print head selection circuit, the signal conversion circuit, and the thermal element resistance of the thermal print head according to the specifications of the thermal print head can be used to select and use a variety of thermal print heads. A distribution setting circuit and a pulse generator circuit are configured, and a fine adjustment circuit capable of finely adjusting the printing method and the control of the print density and a signal set in the thermal print head resistance distribution setting circuit by this fine adjustment signal are synchronized signals. Sends to the generating circuit to synchronize the print signal and factor concentration signal with the clock pulse signal for thermal print head operation so that multiple thermal print heads can be stably operated, converts the strobe signal, records the data on the recording medium, and simultaneously The element can be damaged by deterioration or unstable operation. In order to prevent the thermal print head from optimizing operation, the operation time of the thermal print head according to the recording time and the recording method can be synchronized to the overall operation timing according to the setting of the motion detection circuit and the thermal print head. It is an object of the present invention to provide a control method and apparatus capable of using a variety of thermal print heads by configuring an automatic signal detection strobe signal conversion circuit.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a control method that can use a multi-class thermal print head according to the present invention;

2 is a diagram illustrating a connection configuration between an apparatus capable of using multiple types of thermal print heads and multiple types of thermal print heads and input signals according to an embodiment of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

Figure 1

1: Parameter and control signal input 2: Input signal connection connector

3: strobe signal 4: thermal print head selection circuit

5: Strobe separation signal 6: Synchronization signal generating strobe signal

7: Thermal head resistance distribution setting 8: Synchronous signal generation

9: Pulse generator 10: Fine adjustment of pulse generation

11: signal conversion unit 12: conversion signal for the thermal print head 1

13 converted signal for thermal print head 2 14 print data

15, 17: thermal print head temperature detection signal 16: thermal print head 1

18: Thermal print head 2

Figure 2

34: signal conversion device 36: connector for thermal print head 1

37,38: Connector for Thermal Print Head 2

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention configures a thermal print head selection circuit and a strobe signal conversion circuit, which are main signal processing circuits, and performs thermal print head operation signal conversion operations capable of operating a variety of thermal print heads. ,

When the thermal printhead resistance distribution setting circuit sets a range according to the thermal element resistance distribution of the thermal printhead, a synchronization signal is generated to generate a synchronization signal for the thermal printhead printing operation signal conversion operation in the pulse generator according to the set signal. When sent to the circuit, the synchronous signal generating circuit sends the synchronous signal to the strobe signal converting circuit as much as the printable time so that the synchronous signal generating circuit can perform the strobe signal converting operation. Provided are a control method and apparatus capable of using a variety of thermal print heads for performing optimal printing of prints in synchronization with the printing operation timing of the thermal print head.

Hereinafter, referring to the gist of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, when the printing and control signal input 1 is sent to the input signal connection connector 2, the strobe signal 3, which is a control signal, is a thermal print head selection circuit. The thermal printhead selection circuit 4 separates the synchronization signal signal and the thermal printhead strobe signal, and the separated strobe separation signal 5 is a signal conversion unit 11 which is a control signal conversion circuit. The control signal is converted to the thermal print head selected from the thermal print head 1 (16) or the thermal print head 2 (18), and at the same time, the strobe for generating a synchronization signal separated by the thermal print head selection circuit (4). The signal 6 is sent to the synchronization signal generation circuit 8 to synchronize timing with the conversion signal 12 for thermal print head 1 or the conversion signal 13 for thermal print head 2 converted by the signal conversion section 11. The thermal print head causes the print write operation to be performed, and a pulse generation fine adjustment circuit 10 is configured to adjust the print proxy print state to maintain the optimal print state. 7) A control method in which the multiple thermal print heads print out by the synchronization signal generation circuit 8 by operating in synchronism with the pulse generator 9 to generate a synchronization signal in accordance with the thermal print head condition set in step 7). And its device.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described an embodiment of a control method and an apparatus that can use a variety of thermal print head according to the present invention.

First, look at the features of the present invention through one embodiment of Figure 1 as follows.

The control method and the apparatus which can use the multiple types of thermal print heads of FIG. 1 can select and use the thermal print head 1 16 or the thermal print head 2 18 by the thermal print head selection circuit 4. Especially, it is possible to directly connect the factor and control signal inputs so that the existing thermal print heads can be used without signal conversion, so that the multiple thermal print heads can be used, and the thermal print head selection circuit (4) The print and control signal inputs 1 of the thermal print head selected by FIG. 1 are separated into a strobe signal 3 and a print data 14 signal at the input signal connection connector 2 so that the print data 14 signal is the thermal print head 1 ( 16) and the printhead connected to the thermal print head 2 (18) connection connector, and the standby state until printing is performed by the strobe signal. The strobe separation signal 5 and the synchronizing signal are generated so that the separated strobe signal 3 for performing the write write in the coupling connector 2 performs the write write operation of the thermal print head set by the thermal print head selection circuit 4. And the strobe separation signal 5 is sent to the signal conversion unit 11 to perform the strobe signal conversion operation by a signal processing circuit configured in the signal conversion unit 11, The synchronous signal sent from the synchronous signal generating circuit 8 operates in synchronization with the synchronous signal sent from the synchronous signal generating circuit 8, and the synchronous signal sent from the synchronous signal generating circuit 8 to the signal converting section 11 is the thermal print head selection circuit 4. The strobe signal 6, which is separated from the subfield 1, generates a stable synchronizing signal pulse, which transiently overwrites the thermal element for printing in the thermal print head. In the pulse generation fine adjustment (10) circuit, the thermal print head resistance distribution setting (7) circuit and the synchronization signal generation (8) circuit according to the thermal element resistance distribution of the thermal print head so as to protect against the The reference pulse for generating the synchronization signal is always generated to make the overall stable operation.

FIG. 2 is a control method for using a variety of thermal print heads according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a signal conversion device 34 constituting the apparatus on an electronic circuit board, making the module easy to use, and thermal printing. It consists of the head 1 connector 36 and the thermal print head 2 connectors 37 and 38, and shows the connection method and the position where the thermal print head 3 43 can be used, which is used without signal conversion. Giving.

The present invention described above is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the accompanying drawings, and various modifications, substitutions, and alterations can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. It will be evident to those who have knowledge of.

As described above, the present invention enables the use of multiple types of thermal print heads, rather than specific thermal print heads, in the printing of the receipt machine as a toll collection device and the data recording device of the industrial electronic device. It is easy to expand the range of use, and in particular, the replacement of the thermal print head is used quickly without requiring new development, and it is possible to greatly improve the reliability of maintenance.

Claims (1)

In the control method and the apparatus that can use a variety of thermal print head, Means and a method for separating the print and control signal inputs so that the print signal is sent to each thermal print head and the strobe signal is sent to the thermal print head selection circuit; A signal processing method for setting a plurality of thermal print heads in a thermal print head selection circuit and separating a strobe signal and a strobe signal for generating a synchronization signal; Signal conversion unit and signal processing method for strobe signal conversion according to the signal generated by the synchronization signal generating circuit by the pulse generada signal: In one signal conversion device, it is possible to use a variety of thermal print heads instead of a specific thermal print head. METHOD AND METHOD FOR METHOD: METHOD AND METHOD AND APPARATUS USED AS A RECORD ISSUING RECORDING MEDIUM OF A TOLERGATE TOllgate, AND A DATA FACTORY RECORDING MEDIUM FOR AUTOMATIC ELECTRONICS