KR20110115352A - The printer of a kiosk - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a printer used in various kiosks including cash machines, automatic ticket machines, and the like.
The present invention provides a new form including a method of mounting a paper feed roll using a tension structure, a method of maintaining a horizontal flow of paper supplied to a printer during printing, a width adjusting method capable of actively responding to a change in paper width, and the like. By implementing the printer means, it is possible to easily change paper feed rolls, secure excellent print quality, and increase the efficiency of the printer, and improve the efficiency of equipment operation such as overall maintenance, handling and management. On the other hand, it implements the software that performs the function of automatically cutting by the execution command after registering the information such as the black mark to the cutting position, the distance from the ticket starting point to the black mark at the time of ticket issuing, into the flash memory of the product. This facilitates the development of the control program for the user, and makes it possible to control the ticket generation process. The printer provides for a kiosk that can increase the efficiency.

Description

Printer for kiosk {The printer of a kiosk}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a kiosk printer, and more particularly, to a printer used in various kiosks including cash machines, automatic ticket machines, and the like.

In general, a kiosk refers to a device that performs an unattended informatization function such as issuance of a guide / certificate, and printing of various kinds of information is essentially generated when the unattended informatization function is performed.

This kiosk device is a kind of unmanned information terminal, which is installed in public places such as government agencies, local governments, banks, department stores, and exhibition halls, and is used to provide guide services for various administrative procedures, product information, and usage of facilities. .

In addition, the kiosk device includes a touch screen, a sound card, a graphics card, and a communication card to provide efficient information to the user, such as voice service and moving picture.

Recently, as the use of kiosk devices is expanded, there is a growing demand for kiosk devices that can provide various additional services in addition to guide services.

For example, various kiosks, such as cash machines and automatic ticket machines, are provided with printers to provide paper for printing various types of information according to a user's operation.

Printers commonly used in kiosks include a paper feeder that feeds through a feed roll, a printhead that prints on paper, a cutter that cuts the printed paper to a predetermined length, and a paper ejector that provides the cut paper to the end user. It consists of a structure in which the addition is arranged sequentially.

In the case of a conventional kiosk printer, there is a cumbersome and inconvenient point of replacement of the feed roll due to the structural disadvantage of the cradle for mounting the feed roll, and the print quality is not only reduced due to the unstable progress of the paper during printing. Since only paper having a width of a standard can be used, there are disadvantages in terms of low utility, such as overall maintenance, handling, and management, and many disadvantages in terms of functionality and quality.

Accordingly, the present invention has been devised in view of the above, and is a method of placing a paper feed roll using a tension structure, maintaining a horizontal flow of paper supplied to a printer during printing, and actively changing a width of a paper. By implementing a new type of printer means including a width control method that can be handled, the paper roll can be replaced easily, excellent print quality can be ensured, and the utility of the printer can be improved. The aim is to provide a kiosk printer that can improve the efficiency of equipment operation such as handling and management.

In addition, the present invention is a software that performs the function of automatically cutting by the execution command after registering the information such as the black mark to the cutting position, the distance from the ticket starting point to the black mark at the time of ticket issuance, It is another object to provide a printer for a kiosk that can facilitate the development of a control program for the user and to increase the efficiency of the control related to ticket generation processing.

In order to achieve the above object, a printer for a kiosk provided by the present invention includes a paper supply unit for supplying a roll-shaped paper, and a head unit for feeding, printing and cutting the paper supplied from the paper supply unit, while the head unit is provided with an upper portion. A paper advancing path formed between the cover part and the main frame of the lower part to guide the horizontal advancing of the paper; An upper thermal print head and a lower platen roller, a cutter which is disposed in front of the thermal print head and the platen roller, and cuts the finished paper while operating up and down, and is disposed in front of the cutter. And a discharge port for discharging the finished paper, and especially the thermal In the case of the print head, it is a part that exerts the necessary force for printing, and the rear end is supported by the hinge pin and can be rotated. It is characteristic that print quality can be improved while maintaining stable hinge structure.

Here, in the kiosk printer, the paper advance path for guiding the horizontal progress of the paper, the contact section between the thermal print head and the platen roller on which the paper is printed, the cutting section through which the paper is cut, and the discharge port through which the paper is discharged. It is desirable to position them side by side so that the overall flow of the paper can be maintained in a horizontal state.

In addition, it is preferable to apply a control method to the kiosk printer to automatically cut at a designated position using the distance information between the paper start point and the black mark previously input into the memory of the device or the information between the black mark and the cutting position. .

The kiosk printer according to the present invention provides the following advantages.

First, it can be easily mounted by pressing the feed roll down or pulled up or down on both sides of the resilient cradle, there is an advantage that can easily replace the feed roll.

Second, the printing is performed with the thermal print head having a stable hinge structure and elastic support structure and the platen roller for feeding the paper up and down, so that the flow of the paper can be kept horizontal and the paper is unfolded. The effect has the advantage of obtaining excellent print quality.

Third, the width of the paper can be adjusted by using the width adjustment block of the simple structure that the movement is constrained by the bed above and below, so that all papers having various widths can be digested, thus increasing the utility of the equipment. There is an advantage.

Fourth, the sensor block for detecting the black mark of the paper can be mounted in a snap fit structure, there is an advantage that can facilitate the assembly work.

Fifth, when issuing a ticket, the information such as the cutting position from the black mark, the distance from the ticket starting point to the black mark is registered only once in the flash memory of the product, and then the function is automatically cut by the execution command. By doing so, it is possible to facilitate the development of a control program for the user, and there is an advantage of increasing the efficiency of the control related to ticket generation processing.

Therefore, the kiosk printer provided by the present invention not only has a problem such as curling or jamming of paper, but also improves the efficiency of equipment operation such as easy maintenance and maintenance, and very easy handling and management as a whole. It can be effected.

1 is a perspective view showing a printer for a kiosk according to an embodiment of the present invention
Figure 2a, 2b is a perspective view showing the external structure of the head portion in the kiosk printer according to an embodiment of the present invention
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the internal structure of the head portion in the kiosk printer according to an embodiment of the present invention
4 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a sensor assembly in a kiosk printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D are cross-sectional views illustrating operating states of a kiosk printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a ticket issued by a kiosk printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7A and 7B are schematic views showing a control method for cutting a ticket in a kiosk printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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

As shown in FIG. 1, when the paper is supplied from the paper feed roll 22 mounted on the paper feed unit 10, the printer for kiosk uses the thermal print head and platen roller constituting the head portion 11. It is a device that performs a series of processes to perform a printing operation through, and then continuously cut the printed paper to a predetermined length using a cutter, and finally output through the discharge port (18).

To this end, a base 30 provided with an ON / OFF switch, a power connector, a connector, etc. is provided, and a paper feeder 10 for feeding paper is installed at the front of the base 30, and at the same time. A head portion 11 is provided for printing, cutting and discharging paper.

The paper supply unit 10 is a portion in which the paper feed roll 22 is wound around the paper, and includes a cradle 21 standing side by side on both sides, using a feed roll (21) on both sides of the feed roll ( 22) both ends of the shaft 23 can be used.

In particular, the holder 21 is provided with an elastic piece 24 made of a tension structure of the upper open type to be able to easily perform the mounting operation of the paper feed roll 22.

That is, the elastic piece 24 is formed in a substantially " U " shape, and the upper inlet gap that is open is smaller than the diameter of the shaft 23 in the paper feed roll 22, so that the feed roll 22 When the shaft 23 is pushed down from the top, it is easily opened and then refitted by elasticity, thereby being able to elastically hold both ends of the shaft 23 again.

Of course, in the state where the shaft 23 of the paper feed roll 22 is completely inserted in the elastic piece 24, there will be no problem that the shaft 23 freely rotates.

Accordingly, the feed roll 22 can be easily set or replaced in a simple manner by pressing the feed roll 22 down on the elastic piece 24 of the holder 21 and inserting it, or by pulling up and removing it. Benefits can be obtained.

2A and 2B are perspective views illustrating an external structure of a head unit in a kiosk printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of the head unit in printing a kiosk according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figs. 2A and 2B and Fig. 3, the head portion 11 is a portion which prints a predetermined text on paper, and discharges the printed paper after cutting the printed paper to a predetermined length.

To this end, the head portion 11 includes a main frame 13 provided below and a cover portion 12 covering the upper portion of the main frame 13, the state in which the cover portion 12 is closed, In other words, a paper advance path 14 is formed between the lid 12 and the main frame 13 to guide the advance of the paper in the horizontal direction when in use.

At this time, the paper advance path 14 extends in a straight line from the inlet of the main frame 13 into which the paper enters to the place where the thermal print head 15 and the platen roller 16 described later are located.

Accordingly, the paper proceeds while maintaining the horizontal state along the paper advance path 14, and then enters between the thermal print head 15 and the platen roller 16 which is directly connected, thereby printing. In addition to maintaining horizontality, the printing is performed in a horizontal position between the upper and lower thermal print heads 15 and the platen roller 16 when printing, so that curling or jam that may occur when using roll paper is common. (Jam) It is possible to eliminate the cause of the phenomenon.

In addition, the cover portion 12 is coupled to the structure that can be folded upward as needed, such as paper setting.

To this end, the rear end of the cover portion 12 is installed in a structure that is supported on the main frame 13 while penetrating by the hinge pin 19b, the lever 28 provided on one side of the main frame 13 It can be opened by flipping up through the operation to hang on the locking pin 31 or release from the locking pin 31, and can be kept closed by lowering down.

As a means for substantially performing a print job, a thermal print head 15 and a platen roller 16 are provided.

The thermal print head 15 and the platen roller 16 are combined in contact with each other at the top and the bottom thereof, and are arranged successively in front of the paper advance path 14 to maintain the flow of the paper horizontally. It will perform the function of printing the paper which is in between.

Here, the platen roller 16 serves to push the paper while maintaining a proper printing pressure when the printing operation is performed, and the thermal print head 15 applies a force at the time of printing. It transfers heat to the paper so that letters can be printed.

In particular, the thermal print head 15 is installed in a stable hinge structure that does not shake left and right, thereby providing an advantage of obtaining excellent print quality.

To this end, the thermal print head 15 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape and arranged in a horizontal position, and the rear end thereof is penetrated and supported by hinge pins 19a fixed to both sides of the cover part 12 at both ends. At this time, the pin fastening portion can be rotated up and down about the axis, the upper surface is elastically supported by the other end of the spring 20, one end is supported on the ceiling of the cover portion 12.

At this time, both side portions of the thermal print head 15 are supported in close contact with the inner side surfaces of both side walls of the cover part 12, so that rotation in the vertical direction can be freely made, and flow in the left and right directions can be restricted. do.

Accordingly, the front end portion of the thermal print head 15 is always pressed downward by the spring 20, that is, the platen roller 16 side while being able to maintain good contact with the platen roller 16 side. And, while being supported by the hinge pin (19a) is fastened in the horizontal direction, the left and right sides are restrained inside the cover portion 12, it is possible to increase the print quality while ensuring a stable posture during printing.

In addition, the present invention provides a width adjusting block 27 that can adjust the width of the paper as a means capable of actively responding to changes in the standard (width) of the paper.

In particular, the width adjusting block 17 has a structural feature that can easily adjust the position without the operation of releasing a separate lock device.

To this end, the width adjusting block 17 is formed on one side of the paper advance path 14 on the main frame 13, for example, of the paper advance path 14 where the paper first enters the paper advance path 14. One side of the inlet is installed, the width adjusting block 17 is installed in this way can be moved in the left and right width direction of the main frame 13 while being guided by a guide member such as a guide bar (not shown).

The width adjustment block 17 can be restrained at any position while moving freely, for example, the upper cover portion 12 using the engaging pieces (25a, 25b) formed at the top and bottom of the block. The bed 26a formed on the side and the bed 16b formed on the lower main frame 13 side can be restrained in the form of being hung.

At this time, the bed (26a, 26b) is a wedge-shaped or serrated surface having a locking structure in the bed longitudinal direction, that is, the block moving direction, and accordingly the locking pieces (25a, 25b) of the width adjusting block 17 ) Hangs on a wedge-shaped or serrated surface and can be positioned at any position.

Since the width adjusting block 17 can be easily moved by the user holding the block body by hand and pushing it to the side, it is possible to obtain an advantage of simplifying the position operation for the width of the paper.

In addition, since the wedge-shaped or serrated surfaces of the beds 26a and 26b are finely divided, the position where the width adjusting block 17 is placed can be secured in various ways, and thus, papers having various specifications can be widely digested. The benefits also come.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a sensor assembly in a kiosk printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 4, the assembly structure of the sensor block 29 for detecting the black mark position for use as a control value in paper cutting is shown here.

The sensor block 29 is a means for detecting the black mark printed on the back side of the paper, and is provided on the bottom main frame 13 of the paper advance path 14.

Accordingly, the sensor in the sensor block 29 senses the black mark on the bottom surface of the paper passing through the paper advance path 14 through the upper hole, and then controls the detected signal at this time. It can be provided to the city side.

In particular, the sensor block 29 at this time is coupled to the snap-fit structure on the main frame 13, that is, the hook 32 formed on the bottom surface of the block has a one-touch type in the hole 33 formed in the frame. Since it is coupled to the fitting structure, it is possible to obtain an advantage that can be easily combined when assembling the sensor block (29).

Therefore, the operation state of the kiosk printer configured as described above is as follows.

In the present invention, by ensuring the horizontal flow of the paper to maintain a smooth progress from the paper supply to printing as well as discharge after cutting, thereby providing an advantage that can obtain excellent print quality without problems such as jam or curling do.

To this end, the paper advance path 14 for guiding the horizontal progress of the paper, the contact section between the thermal print head 15 and the platen roller 16 for printing on the paper, i. The cutting section and the cutting port 18 for cutting and discharging are positioned in a straight line along the paper advancing direction, and as a result, the overall flow of the paper can be maintained in a horizontal state, thereby obtaining excellent print quality.

5A to 5D are cross-sectional views illustrating an operating state of a printer for a kiosk according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5B, first, as a process of preparing the operation of the printer, the sheet of paper feed roll 22 in which a certain amount of paper is wound on the elastic piece 24 of the holder 21 in the paper supply unit 10. Press the shaft 23 to mount it, and then release the paper 100 with the cover portion 12 upside down, and then through the paper advance path 14, between the thermal print head 15 and the platen roller 16. When pushed in, the platen roller 16 is operated by the control unit which receives the paper entry signal, and the paper 100 is pulled to some extent, and the paper is caught on the paper advance line, and the preparation for the operation of the print is completed. do.

When the printer is normally operated after the operation preparation is completed, printing is performed on the paper 100 by the thermal print head 15 and the platen roller 16. When the printing is completed, the transfer force of the platen roller 16 is completed. When the paper 100 is advanced, and the paper 100 is stopped after progressing by the predetermined length, the paper 100 is cut by the cutter 17 in this state.

The paper cut in this way is discharged through the discharge port 18 and drawn out to the user.

In particular, when the printing process is performed on the paper, the paper advances horizontally between the thermal print head 15 and the platen roller 16 which are combined up and down, and the elastic support of the thermal print head 15 is further supported. Since the printing is performed while the paper receives the proper elastic supporting force, the printing quality is not only excellent, but also problems such as curling, jamming, and jamming can be completely eliminated. It can be increased.

On the other hand, the present invention provides a control method for cutting the paper more effectively during the paper cutting by the cutter and to hold the initial printing position of the first sheet.

One is to set the initial print position of the first page by using the distance between the paper start point and the black mark previously input into the machine's memory, and the information is specified by using the information between the black mark and the cutting position previously input to the machine's memory. It is a method of cutting the position automatically.

This will be described in more detail as follows.

Tickets usually consist of a fixed part that always prints the same content and a change part that changes from time to time.

For example, as shown in Fig. 6, in the case of a bus ticket, the starting point is a fixed part, and the destination, serial number, person acquisition, amount of money discount, etc., is a variable part.

Therefore, there is a need for a printing apparatus which prints the fixed portion in advance and prints the variation at the time of issuance.

At this time, since short paper is difficult to use due to the processing structure such as paper transfer, printing, and cutting, continuous paper such as roll paper or folding paper is used, and a cutter that cuts the continuous paper into sheets It is necessary.

In order to issue tickets in single sheets, it is necessary to control printing at a predetermined position and cutting at a predetermined position. The reference mark is a black mark that is printed on the back of the ticket.

When issuing a ticket, control is required in a user program to control a ticket of various sizes and a black mark at various positions, and to control the position at a certain position, which is the distance between the printer cutter, the printhead, and the black mark sensor. This involves the hassle of identifying and controlling the ticket starting point, the black mark, and the cutting position of the ticket.

Accordingly, the present invention registers information such as the distance from the black mark to the cutting position, the starting point of the ticket to the black mark only once in the flash memory of the device, and implements a function of automatically cutting by the execution command. This has the advantage of facilitating control program development.

Of course, since the registered contents are registered in the nonvolatile memory, the contents are not erased even when the power is turned off, and the contents are maintained until the next registration information change.

It is a function of the product's firmware that detects black marks while printing, and always detects and stores the black marks during printing or after printing and automatically processes them by executing commands.

Also, after the power is turned on, the initial operation is automatically performed according to the used paper by using the registered information even at the time of reset or paper setting.

If there is no such function, each ticket specification has its own firmware, or the user has to make a ticket for the printer, and the existing ticket cannot be utilized.

In this way, the operation is changed according to the contents of the memory such that the ticket information is registered in the nonvolatile memory and operated according to the information.

If ticket information is registered in this memory switch and the operation of initial setting, printing, and cutting is performed according to the information with one execution command, program development is easy on the user side, and various existing tickets can be used. The firmware can be managed as one, which can also reduce costs.

7A and 7B are schematic views illustrating a control method for cutting a ticket in a kiosk printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7A, an initial positioning operation is shown here using distance information of a ticket starting point and a black mark.

For example, if the distance between the ticket start point registered in the memory switch and the black mark is 80 mm, the printer searches for the black mark while feeding the paper in the forward direction when the power is turned on.

Next, when the black mark is detected, the feed distance is reversed by the registered distance (80 mm) minus the distance between the thermal print head and the black mark sensor (29.7 mm), that is, 80-29.7 = 50.3 mm. It is located at, so the initial print position is set.

As shown in FIG. 7B, an operation of cutting at a designated position using the black mark and distance information of the cutting position is shown.

 For example, if the cutting position is registered 40 mm behind the black mark, the printer first searches for the black mark with the black mark sensor while printing.

Next, when a black mark is detected, the printer starts counting from that time, and increments and stores the count by one for each step motor.

The resolution of the device of the present invention is 203 DPI (Dot Per Inch), resulting in 0.125 mm (25.4 mm divided by 203) per count.

Next, after the printing is finished, upon receiving the autocutting command from the host program, the printer cuts to the designated position using the information counted above.

For example, if the count is counted up to 100 and the cutting position is registered 40 mm behind the black mark, the printer counts as 100 X 0.125 mm = 12.5 mm, which means that 12.5 mm is fed after detecting the black mark. If cutting is done by feeding -12.5 = 27.5mm, the ticket is cut off 40mm behind the black mark registered in the memory switch.

In the above, certain preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been illustrated and described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and a person of ordinary skill in the art may vary without departing from the spirit of the technical idea of the present invention described in the claims below. Will be able to carry out the change.

10: paper feed portion 11: head portion
12: cover portion 13: main frame
14 paper advance path 15 thermal print head
16: platen roller 17: cutter
18: outlet 19a, 19b: hinge pin
20: spring 21: holder
22: feed roll 23: shaft
24: elastic piece 25a, 25b: locking piece
26a, 26b: bed 27: width adjusting block
28: lever 29: sensor block
30: base 31: locking pin
32: hook 33: hole

Claims (8)

In the kiosk printer comprising a paper supply unit 10 for supplying a roll-shaped paper, and a head portion 11 for feeding, printing and cutting the paper supplied from the paper supply unit 10,
The head portion 11 is formed between the upper cover portion 12 and the lower main frame 13, the paper advance path 14 for guiding the horizontal progress of the paper, and the paper advance path 14 The upper thermal print head 15 and the lower platen roller 16, which are disposed at the front side and which print the paper flowing in between while maintaining the flow of the paper horizontally, and the thermal print head 15 and the platen A cutter 17 which is disposed in front of the roller 16 and is vertically operated to cut the printed paper, and a discharge port 18 which is disposed in front of the cutter 17 and connected to the front of the cutter 17 to discharge the finished paper. Including;
The thermal print head 15 is a portion for applying a force necessary for printing, the rear end of which is supported by the hinge pin 19a, which is rotatable, and the front end thereof is always platen roller 16 by the upper spring 20. Kiosk printer, characterized in that it is made of a structure that is elastically supported to the side, it is possible to improve the print quality while maintaining a stable hinge structure that does not shake from side to side.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the paper advance path (14) for guiding the horizontal progress of the paper, the contact section between the thermal print head 15 and the platen roller 16, the printing on the paper, the cutting section in which the paper is cut and Outlet 18 through which the paper is discharged is arranged side by side in a straight line to print the kiosk, characterized in that to maintain the overall flow of the paper in a horizontal state.
According to claim 1, The paper supply unit 10 is formed on both sides of the cradle 21 and the upper end of the cradle 21 to stand on both sides of the shaft 23 in the feed roll 22 to elastically hold A kiosk print comprising: an elastic piece 24 having a tension structure of an upper open type, so that the paper roll can be easily mounted by pressing the paper roll down or pulling it up or down.
The bed according to claim 1, which is installed on one side main frame 13 of the paper advance path 14, and is located on the upper cover part 12 side using the engaging pieces 25a and 25b at the upper and lower ends. And a width adjusting block (27) for adjusting the width of the paper while moving the position along the bed (26a) and the bed (26b) on the lower main frame (13) side.
The rotating part of claim 1, wherein the lid part 12 is supported by the hinge pin 19b, and is rotated to be flipped up and opened or closed downward through a locking and releasing operation of the lever 28 next to one side. A kiosk print characterized in that the structure is possible.
The kiosk print according to claim 1, wherein the sensor block (29) for recognizing the black mark on the paper is combined with a snap fit structure on the main frame (13) to facilitate the assembly operation.
The method of claim 1, wherein the control method of cutting the paper by the cutter is automatically performed at a designated position using distance information between the starting point of the paper and the black mark, or information between the black mark and the cutting position, previously inputted into the memory of the device. A kiosk print comprising a control method of cutting.
The method according to claim 7, wherein when the power is reset after the power is turned on or the paper is set, the distance information between the paper start point and the black mark previously inputted in the memory of the device or the information between the black mark and the cutting position is automatically initialized according to the used paper. A kiosk print, characterized in that the operation and the cutting operation can be made.

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