KR20220109991A - Method for operating linerless label printer for repeating hardlock prevention process periodically and linerless label printer for performing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A linerless label printer driving method comprises: a step of determining a driving method of a platen roller to perform a hard lock prevention process performing each of back feeding and forward feeding with respect to linerless label paper by at least once; and a step of driving the platen roller by the determined driving method.

Description

A method for driving a linerless label printer that periodically repeats a hard lock prevention process and a linerless label printer for performing the same

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a method of driving a linerless label printer that periodically repeats a hard lock prevention process, and a linerless label printer for performing the same.

In general, a label printer is widely used to print a price, a brand, a shelf life, etc. on a product.

A label printer performs a printing operation on label paper wound in the form of a roll. It is divided into linerless label paper composed of printing only without having.

In addition, a label printer using a linerless label paper is generally referred to as a linerless label printer.

When linerless label paper is not printed for a long time, a hardlock phenomenon in which hardening or adhesion occurs between the platen roller transporting the printing paper and the printhead performing the printing operation may occur. If the hard lock phenomenon worsens, it can lead to jam (JAM), a phenomenon in which paper curls on the rollers, so a technology to prevent the hard lock phenomenon is needed.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned background art is technical information that the inventor possessed for the derivation of the present invention or acquired in the process of derivation of the present invention, and it cannot be said that it is necessarily a known technique disclosed to the general public before the filing of the present invention. .

Embodiments disclosed in the present specification, by periodically performing forward feeding and backfeeding for linerless label paper, to provide a method for preventing a hard lock phenomenon and a printing apparatus for performing the same.

According to an embodiment as a technical means for achieving the above technical problem, a linerless label printer, a linerless label printer, includes: a printhead for performing a print job; a platen roller for transferring the linerless label paper by rotating it in contact with the adhesive surface of the linerless label paper; and a control unit for controlling the driving of the platen roller, wherein the control unit performs back feeding and forward feeding for the linerless label paper at least once, respectively, a hard lock prevention process The platen roller may be driven to periodically repeat.

According to another embodiment, a method of driving a linerless label printer periodically repeats a hard lock prevention process of performing back feeding and forward feeding at least once each for linerless label paper. Determining a driving method of the platen roller to do so, and driving the platen roller according to the determined driving method.

According to another embodiment, as a computer program for performing a method of driving a linerless label printer, the method of driving a linerless label printer includes back feeding and forward feeding for linerless label paper. ), determining a driving method of the platen roller to periodically repeat the hard lock prevention process of performing each at least once or more, and driving the platen roller according to the determined driving method.

According to another embodiment, as a computer readable recording medium in which a program for executing a method of driving a linerless label printer is recorded in a computer, the method of driving the linerless label printer comprises: Determining a driving method of the platen roller so as to periodically repeat the hard lock prevention process of performing back feeding and forward feeding at least once, respectively, and driving the platen roller according to the determined driving method may include the step of

According to any one of the above-described problem solving means, by periodically feeding and backfeeding the linerless label paper, the effect of preventing the hard lock phenomenon can be expected.

In addition, by performing the hard lock resolution process for the linerless label paper, the effect of solving the hard lock phenomenon can be expected.

Effects obtainable in the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned are clear to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed from the description below belong. will be able to be understood

1 is a diagram illustrating a state in which label paper is transported by a platen roller in a linerless label printer according to an embodiment.
2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a linerless label printer according to an embodiment.
3 to 4 are flowcharts for explaining a method of driving a linerless label printer according to embodiments.
5 is a view for explaining a method of driving a linerless label printer according to an embodiment.
6 to 7 are flowcharts for explaining a method of driving a linerless label printer according to embodiments.
8 is a view for explaining a method of driving a linerless label printer according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below may be modified and implemented in various different forms. In order to more clearly describe the characteristics of the embodiments, detailed descriptions of matters widely known to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the following embodiments belong are omitted. And, in the drawings, parts not related to the description of the embodiments are omitted, and similar reference numerals are attached to similar parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a component is said to be "connected" with another component, it includes not only a case of 'directly connected' but also a case of 'connected with another component interposed therebetween'. In addition, when a component "includes" a component, it means that other components may be further included, rather than excluding other components, unless otherwise stated. Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

However, before explaining this, the meaning of the terms used below is first defined.

Forward feeding means feeding the linerless label paper in the same direction as the feeding direction when printing, and back feeding means feeding the linerless label paper in the opposite direction to the feeding direction when printing. means that

In addition to the terms defined above, terms that require explanation will be separately explained below.

1 is a diagram illustrating a state in which label paper is transported by a platen roller in a linerless label printer according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of linerless label printing according to an embodiment. 1 and 2 , the linerless label printer 100 according to an embodiment includes a control unit 210 , a storage unit 220 , a print head 230 , a platen roller 240 , and a taken sensor 250 . ) may be included.

When printing is performed, the linerless label paper 20 is transferred by the rotation of the platen roller 240 , and the printhead 230 performs printing on the linerless label paper 20 according to the command of the controller 210 . .

In embodiments of the present specification, the linerless label paper 20 is used as the printing paper, and an adhesive surface is formed on the opposite side of the linerless label paper 20 printing surface. Therefore, when the linerless label paper 20 is not printed for a long time, the adhesive surface is adhered to the platen roller 240 between the platen roller 240 for transporting the printing paper and the print head 230 for performing the printing operation. A hardlock phenomenon may occur.

The control unit 210 is a configuration including at least one processor such as a CPU, and may control the overall operation of the linerless label printer 100 , and control the print head 230 to perform a printing operation. In particular, the controller 210 may control the platen roller 240 to perform a hard lock prevention process or a hard lock resolution process on the linerless label paper 20 by executing a program stored in the storage 220 . A specific method for the control unit 210 to perform a hard lock prevention process or a hard lock resolution process on the linerless label paper 20 will be described in detail below with reference to other drawings.

Various types of programs and data may be stored in the storage 220 . In particular, the storage unit 220 may store a program for controlling the platen roller 240 so that the control unit 210 performs a hard lock prevention process or a hard lock resolution process on the linerless label paper 20 . In addition, various programs or data required for printing may be stored in the storage 220 .

The printhead 230 is a configuration for performing printing and performs printing on the linerless label sheet 20 according to a command of the control unit 210 .

The platen roller 240 is configured to transport the linerless label paper 20 by rotating in a state in contact with the adhesive surface of the linerless label paper 20, and according to the command of the control unit 210, the linerless label paper ( 20) is transferred.

The taken sensor 250 may detect whether the linerless label paper 20 conveyed by the platen roller 240 has reached a set position. In addition, by using a step motor (not shown) together with the taken sensor 250 , the control unit 210 may determine whether a hard lock phenomenon occurs in the linerless label paper 20 . For example, assuming that the taken sensor 250 can detect whether the linerless label paper 20 has reached a position of exactly 15 mm in the forward feeding direction, the number of revolutions of the stepper motor with respect to the linerless label paper 20 Even though the standard 18mm is fed forward, if the taken sensor 250 is not reached, the control unit 210 may determine that a hard lock phenomenon has occurred in the linerless label paper 20 .

Hereinafter, a specific method of performing a hard lock prevention process or a hard lock resolution process on the linerless label paper 20 will be described.

3 is a flowchart for explaining a method of performing a hard lock prevention process of the linerless label printer 100 according to an embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a hard lock solving process of the linerless label printer 100 according to an embodiment. This is a flowchart to explain how to do it. The driving method of the linerless label printer 100 shown in FIGS. 3 to 4 includes steps processed in time series in the linerless label printer 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 2 . Therefore, even if omitted below, the content described above with respect to the linerless label printer 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 2 is a linerless label printer ( 100) can also be applied to the driving method.

Hereinafter, a method of performing a hard lock prevention process for the linerless label paper 20 will be described. Referring to FIG. 3 , in step 310 , the control unit 210 of the linerless label printer 100 performs a hard lock prevention process of performing back feeding and forward feeding for the linerless label paper 20 at least once, respectively. A driving method of the platen roller 240 is determined. In step 320, the control unit 210 drives the platen roller 240 according to the determined driving method. The driving method of the platen roller 240 may be determined in various ways, which will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , the first point 30 where the print head 230 and the platen roller 240 abut the linerless label paper 20 is cut at the end of printing for a set of linerless label paper 20 . It can be seen that the second point 40 for (cutting) and the third point 50 where the taken sensor 250 is located are shown. With respect to a set of linerless label paper 20, when the tip of the cut linerless label paper 20 is located at the second point 40 at the end of printing, when not printing for a long period of time, the linerless label paper 20 and the flap A hard lock phenomenon may occur at the first point 30 of the turn roller 240 . According to one embodiment, the control unit 210 drives the platen roller 240 to feed the linerless label paper 20 forward by 15 mm from the second point 40 to move it to the third point 50, Thereafter, the hard lock prevention process of backfeeding by 25mm at the third point 50 to move it to the first point 30, and then forward feeding by 10mm at the first point 30 to move it back to the second point 40 can be done At this time, the linerless label paper 20 can be fed forward to 15 mm or more at the second point 40, but in such a case, the adhesive surfaces of the linerless label paper 20 may stick to each other during backfeeding. It is preferable to feed forward by 15 mm. In another embodiment, the control unit 210 drives the platen roller 240 to backfeed the linerless label paper 20 by 10 mm from the second point 40 to move it to the first point 30, After that, the hard lock prevention process of forward feeding by 25mm from the first point 30 to move it to the third point 50, and then backfeeding by 15mm from the third point 50 to move it back to the second point 40 can be done At this time, the control unit 210 of the linerless label printer 100 may drive the platen roller 240 to periodically perform the hard lock prevention process for the linerless label paper 20 at regular intervals (e.g. 1 hour). have.

In relation to this, in driving the platen roller 240 to perform the hard lock prevention process, the controller 210 may drive the platen roller 240 to perform the forward feeding after performing the backfeed first.

In relation to this, the control unit 210 drives the platen roller 240 to perform a hard lock prevention process, but whenever the platen roller 240 repeats forward feeding and back feeding, the length of the forward feeding and the length of the back feeding can be changed In addition, when the forward feeding and backfeeding are repeatedly performed, the paper is pushed up slightly due to the adhesive effect of the linerless label. can be set differently.

In addition, the controller 210 may drive the platen roller 240 to periodically repeat the hard lock prevention process with respect to the linerless label paper 20 . In this case, the controller 210 may determine a period for repeatedly performing the hard lock prevention process based on a temperature measurement value of the thermistor provided in the linerless label printer. The relationship between temperature (season) and frequency of hard lock is as follows. The higher the temperature, the higher the adhesive strength. In summer, the temperature of the external environment of the linerless label printer 100 is high, so the occurrence of hard lock is high, and in winter, the frequency of occurrence of hard lock is relatively low because the temperature of the external environment of the linerless label printer 100 is low. low. Accordingly, the controller 210 may set the period of the hard lock prevention process to be shorter in the summer when the temperature is high and the period of the hard lock prevention process to be relatively long in the winter when the temperature is low. Thereafter, the platen roller 240 may be driven to periodically repeat the hard lock prevention process at a set period. In this case, the thermistor is an element capable of measuring a temperature of less than about 300° C. with relatively high accuracy, and the printhead 230 may include a plurality of thermistors.

Also, when the period for performing the hard lock prevention process arrives, the control unit 210 may reset the period counting when the linerless label printer is printing and then count the period again without performing the hard lock prevention process. If the hard lock prevention process is performed while the linerless label printer is printing, the speed of the print job may be slowed or the hard lock prevention process and the print job may collide. If so, it is recommended not to perform the hardlock protection process.

Also, when the linerless label printer performs printing before a period for performing the hard lock prevention process arrives, the controller 210 may reset the counting of the period. If a short period of time has elapsed after the linerless label printer performs printing, it is preferable not to perform the hard lock prevention process because the hard lock phenomenon is unlikely to occur because the print has been normally performed.

Also, the control unit 210 may determine the number of times and the feeding length of backfeeding and forward feeding included in the hard lock prevention process based on the user's input. The linerless label printer 100 may further include an input/output unit (not shown) capable of receiving various inputs from a user or displaying the state of the linerless label printer 100 . According to an embodiment, the control unit 210 controls the period of the hard lock prevention process and the details of the hard lock prevention process (order and number of forward feeding and backfeeding) based on a command of a driver in the host server or a software development kit (SDK). , feeding length) and whether to execute the hard lock prevention process.

In relation to this, the controller 210 may change the cycle by receiving a cycle change request for the hard lock prevention process from the host device. In this case, the cycle change request may be a request to change the cycle for repeating the hard lock prevention process according to a season or preset working hours.

In this regard, the relationship between the temperature (season) and the period of the hardlock prevention process is as follows. The higher the temperature, the higher the occupancy. Therefore, in summer, the temperature of the external environment of the linerless label printer 100 is high, so the number of necessary hard lock prevention processes is high, and in winter, the temperature of the external environment of the linerless label printer 100 is low and relatively This reduces the number of hardlock prevention processes required. Accordingly, the controller 210 receives a request to change the period of the hard lock prevention process from the host device, and sets the period of the hard lock prevention process to be short in summer when the temperature is high, and the period of the hard lock prevention process to be relatively long in the winter when the temperature is low. can be set.

In addition, the relationship between the working hours and the cycle of the hard lock prevention process is as follows. The longer the working hours, the more often the linerless label printer is used, so the longer the working hours, the fewer the number of hard lock prevention processes required. Accordingly, the control unit 210 may change the cycle by receiving a request for changing the cycle of repeating the hard lock prevention process according to the preset working hours from the host device.

Meanwhile, the controller 210 may cause the linerless label printer 100 to perform a hard lock resolution process or a hard lock prevention process only during non-working hours when the linerless label printer 100 is not used.

Hereinafter, a method of performing a hard lock resolution process for the linerless label paper 20 will be described. Referring to FIG. 4 , in step 410 , the control unit 210 may determine whether a hard lock phenomenon occurs in the linerless label paper 20 . In this case, step 410 may be performed after step 320 . Specifically, although the control unit 210 drives the platen roller 240 to feed the linerless label paper 20 forward by a preset length, the taken sensor 250 did not detect the linerless label paper 20 If it is, it is determined that the hard lock phenomenon has occurred in the linerless label paper 20 . At this time, by using a step motor (not shown) together with the taken sensor 250 , the control unit 210 may determine whether a hard lock phenomenon occurs in the linerless label paper 20 . For example, assuming that the taken sensor 250 can detect whether the linerless label paper 20 has reached a position of exactly 15 mm in the forward feeding direction, the number of revolutions of the stepper motor with respect to the linerless label paper 20 Even though the standard 18mm is fed forward, if the taken sensor 250 is not reached, the control unit 210 may determine that a hard lock phenomenon has occurred in the linerless label paper 20 .

As a result of the determination, if it is determined that a hard lock phenomenon has occurred for the linerless label paper 20, in step 420, a hard lock resolution process of repeating the back feeding and the forward feeding at a shorter length or shorter cycle than the hard lock prevention process is performed. so as to drive the platen roller 240 . The driving method of the platen roller 240 for the hard lock resolution process may be determined in various ways, which will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5 .

Referring to FIG. 5, as described above, the first point 30 where the print head 230 and the platen roller 240 abut, and the linerless label paper ( It can be seen that the second point 40 for cutting 20) and the third point 50 where the taken sensor 250 is located are shown. The point of starting the hard lock resolution process for the linerless label paper 20 may exist in various ways depending on the situation. According to one embodiment, in a state where the tip of the linerless label paper 20 cut at the end of printing with respect to a set of linerless label paper 20 is located at the second point 40, the linerless label is not printed for a long period of time. The paper 20 and the platen roller 240 may be hard-locked at the first point 30 . At this time, it is possible to perform the hard lock resolution process for the linerless label paper 20, and the method is as follows. The control unit 210 drives the platen roller 240 to back-feed the linerless label paper 20 at the second point 40 by 3 mm, at a predetermined time interval (interval), and again by forward feeding 6 mm, at a constant After a time interval (interval), the process of resolving the hard lock with 6mm backfeeding is repeated. At this time, the reason for providing a predetermined time interval (interval) is to provide sufficient time for the linerless label paper 20 to be separated from the platen roller 240 . In addition, since the curling phenomenon occurs in the linerless label paper 20 when the forward feeding is preceded when performing the hard lock resolution process, it is preferable that the back feeding is preceded.

Also related, the control unit 210 may drive the platen roller 240 to perform the hard lock resolution process, but drive the platen roller 240 to leave a preset time interval between the back feeding and the forward feeding. . At this time, to provide a preset time interval between the backfeeding and the forward feeding means to provide the above-described predetermined time interval (interval).

Referring to FIG. 6 , in step 610 , the controller 210 may determine whether a hard lock phenomenon occurs in the linerless label paper 20 whenever the power of the linerless label printer 100 is turned on. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the hard lock phenomenon has occurred, then in step 620 , the controller 210 may drive the platen roller 240 so that the platen roller 240 performs the hard lock resolution process. Also, the controller 210 may drive the platen roller 240 to perform a hard lock solving process on the linerless label paper 20 whenever the power of the linerless label printer 100 is turned on. This is to perform the hard lock resolution process unconditionally whenever the power is turned on.

7 illustrates steps performed after step 420 of FIG. 4 . Referring to this, in step 730 after step 420 of performing the hard lock resolution process, the control unit 210 determines whether the hard lock phenomenon of the linerless label paper 20 is resolved by performing the hard lock resolution process. It can be judged based on the results. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the hard lock phenomenon has been resolved, in step 740 , the controller 210 controls the number of times of forward feeding and back feeding performed on the linerless label paper 20 during the hard lock resolution process and the print accumulation of the linerless label printer. It may be determined whether the platen roller 240 is in a normal state based on the distance. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the platen roller 240 is in an abnormal state, in step 750 , the controller 210 transmits a message indicating that the platen roller 240 is in an abnormal state to the host device or the display of the linerless label printer is abnormal. A message indicating the status can be output. Each step is described in detail below.

On the other hand, when the accumulated printing distance of the linerless label printer 100 increases, the diameter of the platen roller 240 becomes smaller due to wear. ) can also be determined by considering the accumulated printing distance of the linerless label printer. For example, even if the number of staffs of the motor driving the platen roller 240 is the same 10, the linerless label paper 20 transported by the platen roller 240 with a high print accumulation distance is a platen roller with a low print accumulation distance. It is conveyed in a shorter length than the linerless label paper 20 conveyed by the Also, the controller 210 may determine that the platen roller 240, which has been transported less than the transport length corresponding to the accumulated printing distance, is in an abnormal state.

Meanwhile, in step 730 , the controller 210 may determine whether the hard lock phenomenon of the linerless label paper 20 has been resolved by performing the hard lock resolution process based on the detection result of the taken sensor 250 . Specifically, after performing the hard lock resolution process, the control unit 210 may drive the platen roller 240 to forward the linerless label paper 20 to the taken sensor 250 . If the control unit 210 drives the platen roller 240 to feed the linerless label paper 20 forward to the taken sensor 250 but the taken sensor 250 does not detect it, the control unit 210 controls the linerless label paper In (20), it can be determined that the hard lock phenomenon still occurs. Thereafter, the control unit 210 may drive the platen roller 240 to perform the hard lock resolution process again. In this case, the number of iterations of the hard lock solving process accumulated in step 730 is utilized when determining whether the platen roller 240 is in a normal state.

Meanwhile, a hard lock detection sensor may be provided between the taken sensor 250 and the print head 230 to detect whether a hard lock phenomenon has occurred. If the control unit 210 drives the platen roller 240 to feed the linerless label paper 20 forward to the hard lock detection sensor, but the hard lock detection sensor does not detect it, the control unit 210 controls the linerless label paper 20 to It can be determined that the hard lock phenomenon is still occurring. At this time, the hard lock detection sensor may detect whether the linerless label paper 20 conveyed by the platen roller 240 has reached a set position.

In addition, when the hard lock resolution process is performed by the platen roller 240, the control unit 210 controls the platen roller 240 so that the linerless label paper 20 is installed only between the taken sensor 250 and the hard lock detection sensor. can make it move. In this case, the hard lock detection sensor may be provided at the rear end of the takeen sensor. That is, the hard lock detection sensor may be disposed between the taken sensor 250 and the print head 230 .

As a result of the determination in step 730, if it is determined that the hard lock phenomenon has been resolved, in step 740, the controller 210 controls the number of times of forward feeding and back feeding performed on the linerless label paper 20 during the hard lock resolution process and the linerless label printer It may be determined whether the platen roller 240 is in a normal state based on the accumulated printing distance of . The relationship between the number of iterations of the hard lock resolution process and the accumulated printing distance is as follows. The surface of the platen roller 240 is coated with the adhesive surface of the linerless label paper 20 and an anti-adhesive agent that prevents adhesion. can be However, as the printing accumulation distance increases, the coated anti-adhesive agent of the platen roller 240 is lost, and accordingly, the number of repetitions of the hard lock solving process for solving the hard lock phenomenon increases. Therefore, by presetting the maximum number of repetitions of the hard lock solving process for each cumulative printing distance, the control unit 210 controls the platen roller 240 when the number of repetitions of the hard lock solving process exceeds the maximum number of repetitions at the corresponding printing cumulative distance. status can be determined.

In this regard, the control unit 210 determines that the number of times of forward feeding and backfeeding performed on the linerless label paper during the hard lock resolution process exceeds the maximum number of repetitions of the hard lock resolution process corresponding to the accumulated printing distance of the linerless label printer. In this case, it may be determined that the platen roller 240 is in an abnormal state.

Referring to FIG. 8 , it can be seen that the maximum number of repetitions of the hard lock resolution process is preset for each accumulated printing distance. For example, assuming that the print accumulation distance of the linerless label printer 100 is 8 km and the number of repetitions of the hard lock resolution process is 5, the control unit 210 ) determines that the platen roller 240 is in an abnormal state.

Also, the controller 210 may modify the maximum number of repetitions of the hard lock solving process based on the ambient temperature of the linerless label printer 100 . The maximum number of iterations of the hard lock resolution process can be set variously depending on the temperature (season). The relationship between temperature (season) and the maximum number of hard lock resolution processes is as follows: The higher the temperature, the higher the occupancy. Therefore, in summer, the temperature of the external environment of the linerless label printer 100 is high, so the number of necessary hard lock resolution processes is high, and in winter, the temperature of the external environment of the linerless label printer 100 is low and relatively This reduces the number of hardlock resolution processes required. Accordingly, the controller 210 may set the maximum number of repetitions of the hard lock resolution process to be high in summer when the temperature is high, and set the maximum number of repetitions of the hard lock resolution process to be relatively low in winter when the temperature is low.

As a result of the determination in step 740, if it is determined that the platen roller 240 is in an abnormal state, in step 750, the controller 210 transmits a message indicating that the platen roller 240 is in an abnormal state to the host device or You can make the display output a message indicating that it is in an abnormal state. The linerless label printer 100 may further include an input/output unit (not shown) capable of receiving various inputs from the user or displaying the state of the linerless label printer 100, according to an embodiment. The printer may notify the user that the platen roller 240 is in an abnormal state through the input/output unit. In addition, a message to open and close the cover of the linerless label printer 100 to the user or to replace the platen roller 240 of the linerless label printer 100 may be provided to the user. Even, the linerless label printer 100 may inform the central management server that the platen roller 240 is in an abnormal state, and induce a visit to the repair technician (AS).

On the other hand, the linerless label printer 100 according to an embodiment counts the number of steps of the motor for driving the marker detecting unit and the platen roller 240 including a sensor for recognizing the markers arranged on the linerless label summary. It may include a step count unit. In addition, the linerless label printer is a configuration for cutting the linerless label paper 20 , and may include a cutting unit capable of cutting the linerless label paper 20 automatically or manually.

At this time, looking at the configuration of the markers arranged on the linerless label paper 20 in more detail, the linerless label paper 20 has a front surface (F) on which an output is printed, and a rear surface (R) opposite to the front surface (F). ) is included. At this time, an adhesive may be applied to the back (R) of the linerless label paper 20 .

Here, a plurality of markers M may be repeatedly arranged on the rear surface R of the linerless label paper 20 . At this time, the marker (M) may be any type of cover that optically identifies the marked position and the non-marked position of the marker (M) based on the transfer direction of the linerless label paper 20 . In particular, for recognizing the position of the vertical component with respect to the conveying direction of the linerless label sheet 20, it may be formed in a straight line perpendicular to the conveying direction of the linerless label sheet 20.

Meanwhile, as described above, the plurality of markers M may be repeatedly formed, and in particular, may be formed at regular intervals. Here, the constant interval does not mean that the intervals at which all the markers M are arranged are unified at a single interval, and according to the embodiment, some of the markers M may be arranged at different intervals, but linerless label paper (20) It is possible to have groups of markers (M) arranged at these different intervals throughout (20) appear periodically.

In relation to this, when the printhead prints one unit output on the linerless label paper 20, the control unit 210 determines that the platen roller 240 completes the printing of the unit output based on the transfer direction of the linerless label paper. After the position, the linerless label paper can be conveyed until the first arranged cutting target marker reaches the cutting position of the cutting part.

If described in more detail with the operation of the above-described control unit 210 in the linerless label printer 100 according to an embodiment, the control unit 210 indicates that the printhead 230 is printed on the linerless label paper 20 by one. When the unit output is printed, the platen roller 240 first arranges after the position where the printing of the unit output is completed based on the transfer direction of the linerless label paper 20, that is, the marker to be cut reaches the cutting position of the cutting part. The linerless label paper 20 is transported until That is, the control unit 210 uses the markers arranged immediately after the position where the printing of the unit output is completed based on the transport direction of the linerless label paper 20 as the cutting target marker, before the linerless label paper 20 is cut. The linerless label paper 20 is conveyed so that the cutting target marker reaches the cutting position. In addition, the control unit 110 may cause the cutting unit to cut the linerless label paper 20 after the cutting target marker reaches the cutting position.

At this time, as an embodiment, the control unit 210, in order to transport the linerless label paper 20 until the cutting target marker reaches the cutting position, based on the position of the marker detected by the marker sensing unit, the printhead ( 230), the platen roller 240 may calculate a transfer target distance to which the linerless label paper 20 needs to be transferred from the printing completion point of the unit output. At this time, the transfer target distance of the linerless label paper 20 is a distance indicating how much the linerless label paper 20 is transferred in the transfer direction at the time the printing of the unit output is completed, and the linerless label paper 20 on which the unit output is printed. ) is the distance at which the linerless label paper 20 needs to be transported in order for the firstly arranged cutting target markers to reach the cutting part after the printing is completed.

In order to calculate the transfer target distance, the control unit 210 may count or calculate at least one of the transfer distance of the linerless label paper 20 or the number of steps of the motor and use it to calculate the transfer target distance. Specifically, the control unit 210 counts the transport distance that the platen roller 240 transports the linerless label paper 20 while the print head 230 prints the unit output, but the print head 230 outputs the unit output. If the marker is detected by the marker detection unit before completing the printing, the counted travel distance can be initialized. The controller 210 counts the initialized transport distance again when a marker is detected during printing, and when the printhead 230 completes printing the unit output, the transport target distance can be calculated using the transport distance counted so far. have. In this case, the transfer distance and the transfer target distance may be calculated as the number of motor steps or may be calculated in units of actual distances. That is, the control unit 210 counts the travel distance based on the number of motor steps counted by the step count unit, and when the marker sensing unit detects the marker, the number of motor steps is initialized while initializing the counted motor steps, and the counted The number of motor steps can be used as it is or converted into a travel distance.

Meanwhile, the control unit 210 determines the number of times and the feeding length of backfeeding and forward feeding performed in the hard lock prevention process based on the user's input, but when determining the backfeeding length, the maximum value of the backfeeding length is the liner It can be determined by the length of the passage through which the linerless label paper passes, formed between the cut part for cutting the lease label paper 20 and the platen roller 240 . This is to prevent the user from setting the backfeeding length excessively so that the platen roller 240 is set outside the driving range.

On the other hand, when the control unit 210 receives a print command while driving the platen roller 240 to perform the hard lock solving process, the backfeeding length required for printing is subtracted by the backfeeding length performed in the hardlock solving process. It is possible to make the tun roller drive. This is to prevent this because the linerless label paper 20 is transferred out of the range that the platen roller 240 can drive when backfeeding as long as the backfeeding length required for printing is performed during the hard lock resolution process.

The term '~ unit' used in the above embodiments means software or hardware components such as field programmable gate array (FPGA) or ASIC, and '~ unit' performs certain roles. However, '-part' is not limited to software or hardware. '~unit' may be configured to reside on an addressable storage medium or may be configured to refresh one or more processors. Thus, as an example, '~' denotes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, and processes, functions, properties, and procedures. , subroutines, segments of program patent code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables.

Functions provided in components and '~ units' may be combined into a smaller number of components and '~ units' or separated from additional components and '~ units'.

In addition, components and '~ units' may be implemented to play one or more CPUs in a device or secure multimedia card.

The method of driving the linerless label printer according to the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8 may also be implemented in the form of a computer-readable medium for storing computer-executable instructions and data. In this case, the instructions and data may be stored in the form of program codes, and when executed by the processor, a predetermined program module may be generated to perform a predetermined operation. In addition, computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer, and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. In addition, the computer readable medium may be a computer recording medium, which is a volatile and non-volatile and non-volatile embodied in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. It may include both volatile, removable and non-removable media. For example, the computer recording medium may be a magnetic storage medium such as HDD and SSD, an optical recording medium such as CD, DVD, and Blu-ray disc, or a memory included in a server accessible through a network.

Also, the method of driving the linerless label printer according to the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8 may be implemented as a computer program (or computer program product) including instructions executable by a computer. The computer program includes programmable machine instructions processed by a processor, and may be implemented in a high-level programming language, an object-oriented programming language, an assembly language, or a machine language. . In addition, the computer program may be recorded in a tangible computer-readable recording medium (eg, a memory, a hard disk, a magnetic/optical medium, or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc.).

Accordingly, the method of driving the linerless label printer according to the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8 may be implemented by executing the computer program as described above by the computing device. The computing device may include at least a portion of a processor, a memory, a storage device, a high-speed interface connected to the memory and the high-speed expansion port, and a low-speed interface connected to the low-speed bus and the storage device. Each of these components is connected to each other using various buses, and may be mounted on a common motherboard or mounted in any other suitable manner.

Here, the processor may process commands within the computing device, such as for displaying graphic information for providing a Graphical User Interface (GUI) on an external input or output device, such as a display connected to a high-speed interface. Examples are instructions stored in memory or a storage device. In other embodiments, multiple processors and/or multiple buses may be used with multiple memories and types of memory as appropriate. In addition, the processor may be implemented as a chipset formed by chips including a plurality of independent analog and/or digital processors.

Memory also stores information within the computing device. As an example, the memory may be configured as a volatile memory unit or a set thereof. As another example, the memory may be configured as a non-volatile memory unit or a set thereof. The memory may also be another form of computer readable medium such as, for example, a magnetic or optical disk.

In addition, the storage device may provide a large-capacity storage space to the computing device. The storage device may be a computer-readable medium or a component comprising such a medium, and may include, for example, devices or other components within a storage area network (SAN), a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, Alternatively, it may be a tape device, a flash memory, or other semiconductor memory device or device array similar thereto.

The above-described embodiments are for illustration, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the above-described embodiments belong can easily transform into other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features of the above-described embodiments. You will understand. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and likewise components described as distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope to be protected through this specification is indicated by the claims described below rather than the above detailed description, and should be construed to include all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents. .

20: linerless label paper 30: first point
40: 2nd point 50: 3rd point
100: linerless label printer 210: control unit
220: storage unit 230: printhead
240: platen roller 250: taken sensor

Claims (36)

A linerless label printer comprising:
a printhead for performing a print job;
a platen roller for transferring the linerless label paper by rotating it in contact with the adhesive surface of the linerless label paper; and
A control unit for controlling the driving of the platen roller,
The control unit is
An apparatus for driving the platen roller to perform a hard lock prevention process of performing back feeding and forward feeding, respectively, at least once for the linerless label paper. According to claim 1,
The control unit is
In driving the platen roller to perform the hard lock prevention process,
An apparatus for driving the platen roller to perform backfeeding first and then forward feeding. According to claim 1,
The control unit is
driving the platen roller to periodically repeat the hard lock prevention process;
An apparatus for determining a period for repeatedly performing a hard lock prevention process based on a temperature measurement value of a thermistor provided in the linerless label printer. 4. The method of claim 3,
The control unit is
When the period for performing the hard lock prevention process arrives, if the linerless label printer is printing, reset the counting of the period and then count the period again without performing the hard lock prevention process. 4. The method of claim 3,
The control unit is
and resetting the counting of the period if the linerless label printer performed printing before the period for performing the hardlock prevention process arrives. According to claim 1,
The control unit is
An apparatus for determining the number of times and feeding length of backfeeding and forward feeding included in the hardlock prevention process based on a user's input. 7. The method of claim 6,
The control unit is
Determining the number of times and feeding length of back feeding and forward feeding performed in the hard lock prevention process based on the user's input,
When determining the backfeeding length, the maximum value of the backfeeding length is determined by the length of the passage through which the linerless label paper passes, formed between the platen roller and the cut portion for cutting the linerless label paper. According to claim 1,
the control unit
It is determined whether a hard lock phenomenon in which the adhesive surface of the linerless label paper is adhered to the platen roller occurs,
When a hard lock phenomenon occurs, the apparatus for driving the platen roller to perform a hard lock solving process of repeating backfeeding and forward feeding with a shorter length or shorter cycle than the hardlock prevention process, respectively. 9. The method of claim 8,
The control unit is
In driving the platen roller to perform the hard lock resolution process,
An apparatus for driving the platen roller to leave a preset time interval between the back feeding and the forward feeding. 10. The method of claim 9,
The control unit is
When a print command is received while driving the platen roller to perform the hard lock solving process, the platen roller is driven by subtracting the backfeeding length required for printing by the backfeeding length performed in the hardlock solving process , Device. 9. The method of claim 8,
The linerless label printer,
and a taken sensor capable of detecting whether the linerless label paper conveyed by the platen roller has reached a set position,
The control unit is
If the takeen sensor does not detect the linerless label paper even though the platen roller is driven to feed the linerless label paper forward by a preset length, it is determined that a hard lock phenomenon has occurred in the linerless label paper, Device. According to claim 1,
The control unit is
In driving the platen roller to perform the hard lock prevention process,
A device that sets the length of the forward feeding and the length of the back feeding differently when performing the hard lock prevention process. 9. The method of claim 8,
The control unit is
Whenever the power of the linerless label printer is turned on, an apparatus for driving the platen roller to determine whether a hard lock phenomenon occurs in the linerless label paper or to perform the hard lock resolution process. 9. The method of claim 8,
The control unit is
Based on the number of times of the forward feeding and the back feeding performed on the linerless label paper during the hard lock resolution process and the accumulated printing distance of the linerless label printer, it can be determined whether the platen roller is in a normal state, ,
If it is determined that the platen roller is in an abnormal state, a message indicating that the platen roller is in an abnormal state is transmitted to the host device, or a message or a cover indicating that the display of the linerless label printer indicates that the platen roller is in an abnormal state A device that outputs a message to open. 4. The method of claim 3,
the control unit,
receiving a period change request for the hard lock prevention process from the host device to change the period, wherein the period change request requests a change in a period for repeating the hard lock prevention process according to a season or a preset working time. Device. According to claim 1,
The linerless label printer,
A marker detection unit for detecting the markers arranged on the linerless label paper;
Further comprising a cutting portion for cutting the linerless label paper at the cutting position,
The control unit is
When the printhead prints one unit output on the linerless label paper, the first cut target markers arranged after the position where the printing of the unit output is completed based on the transfer direction of the linerless label paper by the platen roller is the cutting part to transport the linerless label sheet until it reaches the cutting position of 12. The method of claim 11,
The linerless label printer,
Further comprising a hard lock detection sensor capable of detecting whether the linerless label paper conveyed by the platen roller has reached a set position,
The hard lock detection sensor is disposed between the taken sensor and the print head,
The control unit is
When the hard lock resolution process is performed by the platen roller, the apparatus of controlling the platen roller so that the linerless label paper moves only between the taken sensor and the hard lock detection sensor. A method of driving a linerless label printer, comprising:
determining a driving method of the platen roller to perform a hard lock prevention process of performing back feeding and forward feeding, respectively, at least once for linerless label paper; and
and driving the platen roller according to the determined driving method. 19. The method of claim 18,
Determining a driving method of the platen roller comprises:
and determining a driving method of the platen roller to perform forward feeding after performing back feeding first. 19. The method of claim 18,
Determining a driving method of the platen roller comprises:
determining a driving method of the platen roller to periodically repeat the hard lock prevention process; and
and determining a period for repeatedly performing the hard lock prevention process based on a temperature measurement value of a thermistor provided in the linerless label printer. 21. The method of claim 20,
The method of driving the linerless label printer,
When the period for performing the hard lock prevention process arrives, if the linerless label printer is printing, resetting the counting of the period and counting the period again without performing the hard lock prevention process , Way. 21. The method of claim 20,
The method of driving the linerless label printer,
and resetting the counting of the period if the linerless label printer performed printing before the period for performing the hardlock prevention process arrives. 19. The method of claim 18,
Determining a driving method of the platen roller comprises:
A method for determining the number of times and feeding length of backfeeding and forward feeding included in the hardlock prevention process based on a user's input. 24. The method of claim 23,
The method of determining the number of times and feeding length of the backfeeding and forward feeding is,
when determining the backfeeding length, determining that the maximum value of the backfeeding length is the length of a passage through which the linerless label paper passes, formed between the platen roller and the cut portion for cutting the linerless label paper. 19. The method of claim 18,
How to run a linerless label printer,
determining whether a hard lock phenomenon occurs in the linerless label paper; ??
The method further comprising the step of driving the platen roller to perform a hard lock solving process of repeating backfeeding and forward feeding with a shorter length or shorter cycle, respectively, compared to the hardlock prevention process. 26. The method of claim 25,
The step of driving the platen roller to perform the hard lock solving process further includes driving the platen roller to have a preset time interval between the backfeeding and the forward feeding. 27. The method of claim 26,
The step of driving the platen roller so as to have the preset time interval,
When a print command is received while driving the platen roller to perform the hard lock solving process, the platen roller is driven by subtracting the backfeeding length required for printing by the backfeeding length performed in the hardlock solving process A method comprising steps. 26. The method of claim 25,
The step of determining whether a hard lock phenomenon occurs in the linerless label paper comprises:
If the taken sensor does not detect the linerless label paper even though the platen roller is driven to feed the linerless label paper forward by a preset length, it is determined that a hard lock phenomenon has occurred in the linerless label paper, Method . 19. The method of claim 18,
Determining a driving method of the platen roller comprises:
The method further comprising the step of setting the feeding length of the forward feeding and the feeding length of the back feeding differently when performing the hard lock prevention process. 26. The method of claim 25,
The method of driving the linerless label printer,
The method further comprising the step of driving the platen roller to determine whether a hard lock phenomenon occurs in the linerless label paper or to perform the hard lock resolution process whenever the power of the linerless label printer is turned on . 26. The method of claim 25,
The method of driving the linerless label printer,
Determining whether the platen roller is in a normal state based on the number of times of the forward feeding and the back feeding performed on the linerless label paper during the hard lock solving process and the accumulated printing distance of the linerless label printer ; and when it is determined that the platen roller is in an abnormal state, a message indicating that the platen roller is in an abnormal state is transmitted to the host device, or a message or a cover indicating that the display of the linerless label printer indicates that the platen roller is in an abnormal state ) to output a message to open (Open). 21. The method of claim 20,
The step of determining a period for repeatedly performing the hard lock prevention process includes:
Receiving a request to change the period for the hard lock prevention process from the host device, further comprising the step of changing the period,
The cycle change request requests a change of a cycle for repeating the hard lock prevention process according to a season or preset working hours. 19. The method of claim 18,
The method of driving the linerless label printer,
printing, by the printhead, one unit output on linerless label paper; and
The platen roller transfers the linerless label paper until the firstly arranged cutting target markers after the position where the printing of the unit output is completed based on the conveying direction of the linerless label paper reaches the cutting position of the cutting part. further comprising the method. 29. The method of claim 28,
Driving the platen roller comprises:
When the hard lock resolution process is performed by the platen roller, controlling the platen roller so that the linerless label paper moves only between the taken sensor and the hard lock detection sensor,
The method of claim 1, wherein the hard lock detection sensor is disposed between the taken sensor and the print head. A computer-readable recording medium in which a program for executing the method according to claim 18 is recorded on a computer. A computer program stored on a medium for performing the method of claim 18 , performed by a linerless label printer.

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