WO2004000562A1

WO2004000562A1 - Print controller and printer

Info

Publication number: WO2004000562A1
Application number: PCT/JP2003/008007
Authority: WO
Inventors: Terumasa Hoshino; Hiroshi Takami
Original assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Priority date: 2002-06-24
Filing date: 2003-06-24
Publication date: 2003-12-31
Also published as: JP3876775B2; AU2003243962A1; JP2004025512A

Abstract

On receiving a print start command from a computer (27), a print start temperature judging section (45a) of an error judging unit (45) compares the temperature of a thermal head (15) with a resumption temperature. If the temperature of the thermal head (15) is the resumption temperature or less, a printer starts printing. In contrast, if it is above the resumption temperature, print start is inhibited. A printing temperature judging section (45b) of the error judging unit (45) compares the temperature of the thermal head (15) with an upper-limit temperature during printing. If the temperature of the thermal head (15) is higher than the upper-limit temperature, a printing suspending unit (47) suspends the printing being performed.

Description

Description Print control device and printer

The present invention relates to a printing control device for controlling printing by a thermal head, and a printing apparatus. Background art

Printers that employ thermal recording or thermal transfer methods are equipped with thermal heads that have many heating elements. By selectively energizing and heating the heating elements of the thermal head, desired printing is performed on the paper.

Here, Japanese Patent No. 3,064,749 discloses that, when the temperature of the thermal head reaches the first temperature, all the pages being printed are printed, and after the printing of the pages is completed, There is disclosed a technology relating to a printing device that stops printing until the temperature of a multi-head reaches a second temperature until the temperature of the multi-head reaches the second temperature or lower. In this printing apparatus, if the temperature of the thermal head reaches the second temperature after the printing of the page is completed, printing is not immediately restarted, but the temperature of the thermal head is reduced to the first temperature. Printing resumes when the temperature falls below. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of malfunction due to the temperature of the thermal head rising too much to some extent. Disclosure of the invention

However, in this printing device, once printing is resumed, the printing of the page is always performed to the end, so if the temperature of the thermal head reaches the second temperature during printing of the page, In such a case, printing is continuously performed in a state where a desired quality cannot be obtained, so that the printing quality may be significantly reduced. Further, if the temperature of the thermal head has reached the second temperature after printing of one page is completed, an error (printing stop state) is detected. Therefore, even if the operator does not print the next page, the operator is still troubled by unnecessary error detection. Become.

Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a print control device and a printer that can suppress a decrease in quality of a printed image.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a printing control device and a printing device that can prevent an unnecessary error from being detected.

In order to achieve the above object, a print control device provided by the present invention comprises: a first comparing unit for comparing a print head temperature with a first predetermined temperature immediately before starting printing; A second comparing means for comparing the temperature of the print head with a second predetermined temperature higher than the first predetermined temperature during the printing operation; and When it is determined that the temperature is higher than the first predetermined temperature, a print start prohibiting unit for prohibiting the start of printing, and the second comparison unit sets the temperature of the print head to the second temperature. And a print interrupting unit for interrupting the printing in execution when it is determined that the temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature.

According to the above configuration, the second comparing unit compares the temperature of the print head with the second predetermined temperature during execution of printing, and performs printing when the temperature of the print head becomes higher than the second predetermined temperature. The suspending means suspends the printing being performed. Therefore, printing is not performed in a state where the temperature of the print head is equal to or higher than the second predetermined temperature, and it is possible to prevent continuous printing in a state where desired print quality cannot be obtained. it can. Moreover, since the second comparing means does not perform the above-mentioned comparison after printing, even if the temperature of the print head exceeds the second predetermined temperature after printing, the printing after such printing is performed. The operator is not bothered by unnecessary error detection. In addition, at the start of printing, since a temperature margin equal to or greater than the difference between the first predetermined temperature and the second predetermined temperature is always secured, it is possible to minimize interruption of printing once started. Can be reduced.

In order to achieve the above object, a print control device provided by the present invention includes an input / output interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device, and a sensor for detecting a temperature of a print head. A print control unit that performs printing based on print data received via the input / output interface. Further, the print control unit is configured to control the temperature of the print head detected by the sensor immediately before the start of printing and the first location. PT / JP2003 / 008007

The print head is compared with a constant temperature, and if it is determined that the temperature of the print head is higher than the first predetermined temperature, the operation is performed so as to prohibit the start of printing, and Comparing the temperature of the print head detected by the sensor with a second predetermined temperature higher than the first predetermined temperature, and as a result of the comparison, the temperature of the print head becomes the second temperature. If it is determined that the temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature, the operation that is being performed is interrupted.

According to the configuration described above, the print head temperature is compared with the second predetermined temperature during printing, and if the print head temperature becomes higher than the second predetermined temperature, the printing being performed is interrupted. You. Therefore, printing is not performed in a state where the temperature of the print head is equal to or higher than the second predetermined temperature, and it is possible to prevent continuous printing in a state where desired print quality cannot be obtained. it can. In addition, since the print control unit does not perform the above-described comparison after printing, even if the print head temperature exceeds the second predetermined temperature after printing, such printing is not performed. The operator is not bothered by unnecessary error detection later. Furthermore, at the start of printing, since a temperature margin at least equal to the difference between the first predetermined temperature and the second predetermined temperature is secured, interruption of printing once started is reduced as much as possible. be able to. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer device.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the pudding apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state where a sheet is set in the sheet storage unit.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing details of a sheet separating unit and a printing mechanism unit.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the thermal head.

FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a main part of the control unit.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart when printing is performed in the printer.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a temporal change in the temperature of the thermal head when printing of a plurality of pages is performed continuously. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pudding apparatus. 2, _t Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the printer apparatus is a diagram showing a state in which load paper in the paper accommodating portion. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing details of the sheet separating unit and the printing mechanism unit. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the thermal head.

First, the schematic structure of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the printer 1. The printer 1 is of the thermal printing type and is designed to be carried around with a portable personal computer. This pudding has a rectangular configuration with a size of about A6 size or A7 size in plan view, and has a compact configuration with a thickness of about 2 cm or less.

Printer 1 is connected to a computer via a cable (not shown). When the operator instructs a program running on the computer to print, the program generates a print start command. The printer 1 is configured to receive the print start command from the computer and perform a printing operation. The power for the printer 1 to perform the printing operation is supplied from a rechargeable battery provided inside the printer 1.

The pudding 1 has a main body case 2. The main body case 2 includes a frame 3, a lower cover 4 covering a lower surface of the frame 3, and an upper cover 5 covering a part of the upper surface of the frame 3. In the upper part of the frame 3 of the printer 1 except for the part covered by the upper cover 5, a paper storage part (paper supply part) 6 is formed as shown in FIG. A paper package 9 (see FIG. 3) is placed in the paper storage section 6. The paper package 9 has a configuration in which a plurality of A6 to A7 size cut sheet-shaped thermal papers (printing media; hereinafter, referred to as “paper J”) 7 are stored in a package material 8.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper part of the paper storage unit 6 is covered with a lid 10 that is rotatable with respect to the main body case 2. A lock mechanism (not shown) is provided on the main body case 2 side. With the paper package 9 set in the paper storage section 6 as described above, the lid 10 is closed and locked as shown in FIG. You can do it.

The status of the printer 1 is displayed near the end of the lid 10 on the side of the upper cover 5. Power light 2 5 for, _c Power light 2 5 multiple lamps are provided, such as an error lamp 2 6, Ru der which lights up when the power supply of the printer 1 is in the ON state. As described later, the error lamp 26 is turned off when the printing operation in the printer 1 is normally performed, but the printing operation in the printer 1 is not performed normally. One is detected).

At one end of the paper storage unit 6, a pickup roller 12 and a separation block 13 as a paper separation unit 11 are arranged. Below the upper cover 5, a thermal head 15 as a printing mechanism unit 14, a platen roller 16 and a paper guide 17, which will be described in detail later, are arranged.

Here, a schematic configuration of the paper separating unit 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, a pickup roller 12 and a separation block 13 are provided at an end of the paper storage unit 6 near the printing mechanism unit 14. A pressing plate 18 is rotatably supported on the inner surface of the lid 10 facing the paper storage unit 6 side. The pressing plate 18 has substantially the same width as the paper 7 stored in the paper package 9. A coil-shaped urging spring 19 is provided between the pressing plate 18 and the lid 10. The urging spring 19 constantly applies an urging force to the pressing plate 18 in a direction for rotating the pressing plate 18 downward (a direction in which the pressing plate 18 is moved away from the inner surface of the lid 10). ing.

The paper 7 is stacked inside the paper package 9 with its print surface facing downward in the figure. When the paper package 9 is set in the paper storage section 6, the lower surface of the lowermost paper 7 in the stacked papers 7 is partially exposed from the package material 8. When the body 10 is closed and locked, the pressing plate 18 is urged downward by the urging panel 19 described above. As a result, the pressing plate 18 presses the portion of the paper 7 exposed from the packaging material 8 via the packaging material 8 against the pickup roller 12 side, and brings the lower surface of the paper 7 into contact with the pickup roller 12 ( See Figure 3).

A separation block 13 is provided close to the pickup roller 12, and the separation block 13 has a separation guide surface 13 a inclined with respect to the sheet feeding direction of the pickup roller 12.

With this configuration, the pickup roller 1 2 is driven to rotate, thereby A conveying force is applied to the lowermost layer of paper 7 that comes into contact with the rollers 12. Then, the conveying force and the separating action of the separating guide surface 13a of the separating block 13 are combined, so that only one sheet 7 located at the lowermost layer is separated and sent out. In the lowermost layer, the transport force of the pick-up roller 12 generated by the urging spring 19 is applied to the braking force received from the separation guide surface 13a and the negative force received from the paper (second sheet) above it. It is transported by exceeding the frictional force. On the second sheet of paper, the positive frictional force received from the lowermost layer of paper, the negative frictional force received from the paper above it (third sheet) and the brake received from the guide surface 13a Next, we will explain the schematic structure of the printing mechanism 14. Next to the separation block 13 (in Fig. 3, on the right side of the separation block 13) A platen roller 16 is rotatably provided, and a paper guide 17 is arranged close to the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 16. As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. In addition, a concavely curved sliding contact surface 17a is formed along the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 16 so as to have a substantially U-shaped cross section. A press coil spring 20 is provided between the paper guide 17 and the main body case 2 so as to urge the sliding contact surface 17 a toward the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 16. .

In this configuration, the paper 7 separated by the above-described paper separation unit 11 is conveyed by the pick-up roller 12 and guides the lower end of the separation block 13 and the direction of the paper toward the blade roller 16. Pass between the plates 21. The paper 7 is guided by the guide plate 21, and is sent between the platen roller 16 and the paper guide 17 from the lower surface side of the platen roller 16. The paper 7 is held between the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 16 and the sliding surface 17 a of the paper guide 17, and is inverted into a horizontal U-shape by the rotation of the platen roller 16. While reaching the upper surface of the platen roller 16 with the printing surface facing upward.

The thermal head 15 located on the upper surface side of the platen roller 16 includes a heat generating portion 30 serving as a printing portion, a head chip 31, a driver IC 32, a heat sink 33, and a thermistor 34. And The head chip 31 is a substantially rectangular member that holds the heating element 30 and the like. The head chip 31 is arranged such that the front end of the head chip 31 on the side of the paper storage unit 6 corresponds to the upper surface of the platen roller 16. Heating element 30 It has a line-type configuration in which many small heating elements are arranged along the paper width direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in Fig. 4). A large number of heating elements of the heating element 30 are selectively electrically heated. The heating element 30 is disposed on the lower surface of the head chip 31 in the vicinity of the tip of the blade roller 16.

The driver IC 32 is provided on the lower surface of the head chip 31 at a position close to the heating element 30 and is connected to the heating element 30 by a lead wire (not shown). The driver IC 32 can supply a desired current or the like to the heat generating section 30 based on a signal supplied from a control section 26 described later. The heat sink 33 is provided on the upper surface of the head chip 31. The heat sink 33 is for releasing heat stored in the heating element 30 and the head chip 31 when the temperature of the heating element 30 and the head chip 31 increases. The heat sink 34 is disposed on the lower surface of the head chip 31 on the side opposite to the heating element section 30 with respect to the dryno IC 32, and the temperature near the heating element section 30 (hereinafter, referred to as "The temperature of the thermal head 15").

Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the driver IC 32 and the heat sink 33 are substantially rectangular members similarly to the head chip 31, and both of them are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the paper 7. It is arranged to extend. Further, the head chip 31, the driver IC 32 and the heat sink 33 all have a width substantially equal to the width of the paper 7 to be printed. The thermistor 34 is disposed near the center of the paper 7 in the width direction. The arrangement of the heat sink 34 can be arbitrarily changed within a range in which the temperature in the vicinity of the heating element 30 is properly detected.

The thermal head 15 is provided so as to be rotatable around a rotary shaft 15 a, and the heating element 30 can be brought into and away from the upper surface of the platen roller 16. In addition, the thermal head 15 is configured to be rotatable in this manner, because the thermal head 15 is rotatable when the paper 7 is jammed between the platen roller 16 and the paper guide 17 when the jammed paper is removed. This is to prevent the head 15 from getting in the way.

One end of a torsion coil spring type spring 22 is engaged with the thermal head 15 so that the heating element portion 30 of the thermal head 15 can approach the upper surface of the platen opening 16. The power is constantly being added. With this configuration, the printing surface is on the top The heating element 30 of the thermal head 15 comes into contact with the upper surface of the paper 7 sent by the platen roller 16 while being turned, and printing is performed on the paper 7 at the contacting position.

The thermal head 15 can print arbitrary characters and images on the heat-sensitive paper 7 being conveyed for each line extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the paper 7. The printing width when printing per line is set substantially equal to the width of the paper 7 to be printed. In this way, the thermal head 15 is used as a print head because thermal paper is used as a print medium, so that consumables such as ink and ink replies are not required, and ink supply for ink is not required. This is because the mechanism can be omitted and the printer 1 can be made compact. Examples of the heat-sensitive paper include a heat-sensitive coloring type having a coloring layer that develops color by heating the thermal head 15, a heat-sensitive perforation type in which a perforated layer formed by heating is laminated on a base material layer, and the like. Various things can be used.

The paper guide 17 is provided with a reflection type paper sensor 24, and the light receiving portion thereof is arranged to face the peripheral surface of the platen roller 16. Therefore, when the paper 7 is conveyed and passes between the sliding contact surface 17 a of the paper guide 17 and the platen roller 16, the paper sensor 24 passes through the leading and trailing sides of the paper 7. It can be detected.

The separation block 13 has a paper discharge guide surface 13 b that is inclined with respect to the paper feed direction of the platen roller 16. In this configuration, the paper 7 after printing by the heating element 30 of the thermal head 15 is guided by the paper ejection guide surface 13b, and as shown in FIG. The paper is discharged to the upper side of the lid 10 through a gap formed between the upper cover 5 and the lid 10.

Next, the control system of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 1 of the present embodiment includes a control unit 40 in addition to the printing mechanism unit 14 described above. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating main functions of the control unit 40.

The control unit 40 includes a CPU that controls the operation of each unit of the printer 1, a ROM and a RAM storing control programs and data for various operations related to the printer 1, and members such as an interface for connecting to an external device. (Not shown). CPU is Various operations are performed to generate signals for controlling the operation of each unit of the printer 1. The RAM temporarily stores data such as print data supplied from external devices and the results of calculations by the CPU. The components of the control unit 40 and the software stored in the ROM implement the functions of the control unit 40 shown in FIG. In other words, the interface unit 41, the receiving unit 42, the data output unit 43, the data discarding unit 44, and the interface unit 41, the receiving unit 42, and the software stored in the ROM, Error determination section 45, print start prohibition section 46, print interruption section 47, error release determination section 48, print prohibition release section 49, print resumption section 50, display control section 5 and 1 are formed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 40 includes a computer 27 as an external device, a thermal head 15, a pickup roller 12 and a platen roller 16 (in FIG. 6, “each roller 12, 1 6 "), thermistor 34, and Era-ramp 26. The control unit 40 is connected to the computer 27 via the interface unit 41.

The receiving section 42 receives and stores the print start command and the print data supplied from the computer 27. When receiving the print start command (not receiving the print data at this time), the receiving unit 42 immediately informs the error determination unit 45 of that. Then, when the error determination section 45 determines that printing can be started (not in an error state), the reception section 42 supplies a print data transmission request to the computer 27. Thereafter, when receiving the print data from the computer 27, the receiving unit 42 stores them and sends them together with the control signal to the data output unit 43. As will be described in detail later, when the error determination unit 45 determines that printing cannot be started (error state) when the print start command is received, the error determination unit 45 Alternatively, the printing start command can be put on standby.

The data output section 43 controls the sheet separation section 11 and the printing mechanism section 14 based on the control signal sent from the reception section 42. Here, the data output section 43 has a head control section 43a and a roller control section 43b. The head control unit 43a sends the print data to the thermal head 15 of the printing mechanism unit 14 and causes the thermal head 15 to perform printing. The roller controller 4 3 b is the platen roller 1 of the printing mechanism 14 6 and the pickup roller 12 of the paper separating section 11 are controlled via a drive motor (not shown). When printing is interrupted by the print interrupting unit 47, the roller control unit 43b generates an ejection command to eject the paper when the printing is interrupted, and based on the ejection command, Controls the platen roller 16 and the pick-up processor 12.

When the printing is interrupted by the print interrupting unit 47, the data discarding unit 44 generates a print start command and a discard instruction for discarding the print data. Therefore, when the discard command is generated, the print start command and the print data stored in the receiver 42 are discarded.

The error determination unit 45 determines whether or not the printer 1 is in an error state based on the temperature of the thermal head 15 detected by the error 34. Here, the error determination unit 45 includes a print start temperature determination unit 45a and a print execution temperature determination unit 45b. After receiving the print start command from the computer 27, the print start temperature judging section 45a determines the temperature of the thermal head 15 and the preset restart temperature (this embodiment At this time (at the time when the print start command is received), it is determined whether or not it is possible to start printing by comparing with 55 ° C in the embodiment. Here, the printing start temperature determination unit 45a determines that an error state (a state in which printing cannot be started) occurs when the temperature of the thermal head 15 is higher than the restart temperature. The print execution temperature judging unit 45b compares the temperature of the thermal head 15 with the preset upper limit temperature (65 ° C in this embodiment) in real time during printing. Then, it is determined whether or not printing can be continued. Here, the print execution temperature determination section 45b determines that an error state (a state in which printing cannot be continued) occurs when the temperature of the thermal head 15 is higher than the upper limit temperature.

The print start prohibiting section 46 prohibits the start of printing when the print start temperature judging section 45a determines that an error has occurred. Then, the state in which printing is prohibited is maintained until the printing prohibition canceling unit 49 generates a printing start command for canceling prohibition of printing and starting printing.

The print interruption unit 47 determines that an error has occurred by the print execution degree determination unit 45b. If printing is stopped, stop printing (prohibit printing from continuing). Then, the print suspending state is maintained until the print resume command is issued by the print resume section 50 to cancel the print suspension and resume printing. In the present embodiment, when printing is interrupted by the print interrupting unit 47, a control signal for discharging the paper when the printing is interrupted is supplied to the data output unit 43, and Then, a control signal for generating a print start command and a print data discard command is supplied to the data discarding unit 44.

The error release determination unit 48 determines whether the error state in the printer 1 can be released based on the temperature of the thermal head 15 detected by the thermistor 34. Here, the error release determination section 48 has a print start temperature determination section 48a and a print execution temperature determination section 48b. The print start temperature judging section 48a compares the temperature of the thermal head 15 with the restart temperature in real time while the print start is prohibited to determine whether or not printing can be started. to decide. Here, the print start temperature determination unit 48a determines that the error state (print start inhibition state) can be released when the temperature of the thermal head 15 is equal to or lower than the restart temperature. Print execution The temperature judgment unit 48b judges whether printing can be resumed by comparing the temperature of the thermal head 15 with the upper limit temperature in real time while printing is stopped. I do. Here, the print execution temperature judging section 48b, like the print start temperature judging section 48a, sets the error state (printing) when the temperature of the thermal head 15 is lower than the restart temperature. It is determined that can be canceled.

The print prohibition release unit 49 generates a print start command to release the prohibition of print start and start printing when it is determined by the print start temperature judgment unit 48 a that the error state can be released. I do. In the present embodiment, if the printing start prohibition is canceled by the printing prohibition canceling unit 49 and the printing start command is in the standby state in the receiving unit 42, the printing start command is A print data transmission request based on the print data is supplied to the convenience store.

The print resuming unit 50 generates a print resuming instruction for canceling the printing interruption and resuming the printing when the printing start temperature judging unit 48b determines that the error state can be canceled. In the present embodiment, as described above, the print interruption unit 47 If printing is interrupted, the print start command and the print data stored in the receiving unit 42 are discarded, so printing is not performed until a new print start command is received. Waiting.

The display control unit 51 controls the lighting state of the error lamp 26 to indicate the state of the printer 1. In the present embodiment, the display control unit 51 turns off the error lamp 26 when the printing by the thermal head 15 based on the data output unit 43 is normally performed. On the other hand, in a state in which the printing start is prohibited by the printing start prohibiting section 46 or a state in which the printing is interrupted by the printing suspending section 47, the error lamp 26 is used to indicate that the printer 1 is in the error state. Flashes. Thereby, the operator can easily grasp the state of the printer 1 (whether or not it is in the error state).

Next, the flow of processing when printing is performed in the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart when printing is performed in the printer.

First, in step S101, when the power of the printer 1 is turned on, the printer 1 waits for a print start command from the computer 27. Then, step S 1

0 2 turns on the power lamp 25.

Then, in step S103, it is determined whether a print start command from computer 27 has been received. If it is determined that the print start command has been received (S103: YES), the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, when it is determined that the print start command has not been received (S103: NO), the determination as to whether or not the print start command from the computer 27 has been received is repeated.

In step S104, the thermal head 1 at the time when the print start command is received

It is determined whether the temperature of 5 is below the restart temperature. If it is determined that the temperature is equal to or lower than the restart temperature (S104: YESS), the process proceeds to step S105. On the other hand, when it is determined that the temperature is not lower than the restart temperature (S104: NO), the step S111

Proceed to 1.

In step S105, a print data transmission request based on the print start command is supplied to the computer 27. Then, print data is received in step S106. In step SI07, a printing operation based on a printing start command and printing data is executed. Here, while the printing operation is being performed, the temperature of the thermal head 15 is always detected, and in step S108, the temperature of the thermal head 15 during the printing operation is increased to the upper limit temperature. It is determined in real time whether or not: If it is determined that the temperature is equal to or lower than the upper limit temperature (S108: YES), the process proceeds to step S109. On the other hand, when it is determined that the temperature is not lower than the upper limit temperature (S108: N〇), the process proceeds to step S122.

Then, in step S109, the printing based on the print start command is terminated by the thermal head 15 every time the printing operation of one line extending in the direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction is completed by the thermal head 15. Is determined. Here, if it is determined that the printing is completed (S109: YESS), the process returns to step S103, and the same processing as described above is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the printing is not completed (S109: NO), the process returns to step S105 ', and the printing operation of the next line is continuously performed.

Here, in step S104, it is determined that the temperature of the thermal head 15 at the time when the print start command is received is not lower than the resumption temperature, and when the process proceeds to step S111, the printing operation is started. Is forbidden. Then, in step S112, the error lamp 26 is blinked to indicate that the start of the printing operation is prohibited. At this time, the print start command enters a standby state.

In step S113, it is determined in real time whether or not the temperature of the thermal head 15 (after the determination in step S104) in the printing start prohibited state is equal to or lower than the restart temperature. Is done. Here, when it is determined that the temperature is equal to or lower than the restart temperature (S113: YES), the process proceeds to step S114. Then, in step S114, the error lamp 26 is turned off to indicate that the prohibition of the start of the printing operation has been released. Thereafter, the process returns to step S105, and sends a request for transmission of print data based on the print start command which has been in the standby state to the computer 27. On the other hand, when it is determined that the temperature is not lower than the restart temperature (S113: NO), the determination as to whether the temperature of the thermal head 15 is lower than the restart temperature is repeated.

In step S108, the temperature of the thermal head 15 during the printing operation is reduced. If it is determined that the temperature is not lower than the upper limit temperature and the process proceeds to step S122, the printing operation is forcibly interrupted. Then, in step S122, the error lamp 26 is turned on and off to indicate that the printing operation has been interrupted. Also, at this time, the paper whose printing operation has been interrupted in the middle is discharged, and the printing start instruction is discarded.

In step S123, it is determined in real time whether or not the temperature of the thermal head 15 in the printing suspended state (after the determination in step S108) is equal to or lower than the restart temperature. If it is determined that the temperature is equal to or lower than the restart temperature (S123: YES), the process proceeds to step S124. Then, in step S124, the error lamp 26 is turned off to indicate that the interruption of the printing operation has been released. Then, returning to step S103, the same processing as described above is performed. On the other hand, when it is determined that the temperature is not lower than the restart temperature (S123: NO), the determination as to whether the temperature of the thermal head 15 is lower than the restart temperature is repeated.

Next, a change in the temperature of the thermal head 15 when printing of a plurality of pages is continuously performed in the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a graph showing a temporal change in the temperature of the thermal head when printing of a plurality of pages is performed continuously. In FIG. 8, numerical values indicating the temperature of the thermal head 15 at times t0 to t17 are not shown, but in the following description, the temperatures at respective times are the temperatures k0 to k17, respectively. (The same number as the subscript when indicating time is used).

Here, in the present embodiment, as described above, the restart temperature and the upper limit temperature are set to 55 and 65 ° C., respectively. The restart temperature and the upper limit temperature can be arbitrarily changed. However, it is preferable to set the print temperature so that appropriate print quality is obtained and the print efficiency in the printer 1 is not significantly reduced. As shown in FIG. 8, at time t O, the temperature k 0 of the thermal head 15 is equal to or lower than the restart temperature, and the first print start command has been received. A circle (〇) shown on the graph of FIG. 8 indicates a point at which a print start command is received. Here, since the temperature k 0 of the thermal head 15 is equal to or lower than the restart temperature, the printing operation is started, and the temperature of the thermal head 15 gradually increases. Then, at time t1, the printing operation When the operation is completed, the heating element 30 of the thermal head 15 is not energized and heated, so that the temperature of the thermal head 15 starts to gradually decrease.

At time t2, the second print start command is received. At this time, similarly to the above, since the temperature k2 of the thermal head 15 is equal to or lower than the restart temperature, the printing operation is started, and the temperature of the thermal head 15 gradually increases again. Then, when the printing operation is completed at time t3, the heating element 30 of the thermal pad 15 is not energized and heated, so that the temperature of the thermal head 15 starts to gradually decrease. Thereafter, at times t4 and t6, the third and fourth print start commands are received, respectively. At this time, as described above, since the temperatures k4 and k6 of the thermal head 15 are equal to or lower than the restart temperature, the printing operation is started, and the temperature of the thermal head 15 gradually increases again. A gradually descending change is repeated. Here, the temperature k7 of the thermal head 15 at the time t7 when the printing operation based on the fourth print start command is completed is higher than the restart temperature. Then, the temperature of the thermal head 15 gradually decreases from time t7, but is still higher than the restart temperature at time t8 when the fifth print start command is received. Therefore, the printing operation is not started at time t8. Therefore, the print start command is not executed and the printer temporarily enters the standby state.

Then, at time t9, the temperature k9 of the thermal head 15 drops until it reaches the restart temperature. As described above, when the temperature of the thermal head 15 at the time when the print start command is received is higher than the restart temperature and the printing operation cannot be started, the temperature of the thermal head 15 reaches the restart temperature. At the point when it descends, the printing operation starts automatically.

At time t9, when the printing operation based on the fifth printing start command is started, the temperature of the thermal head 15 gradually rises again. Then, when the printing operation is completed at time t10, the heating element portion 30 of the thermal head 15 is not energized and heated, so that the temperature of the thermal head 15 starts to gradually decrease. Here, the temperature k10 of the thermal head 15 at the time t10 when the printing operation based on the fifth print start command is completed is higher than the restart temperature.

Therefore, the sixth print start command is received at time t 11, Similarly, since the temperature k6 of the thermal head 15 is higher than the resuming temperature, the printing operation is not started, and the printing start command temporarily enters a standby state. Then, at time t12, the printing operation is automatically started when the temperature k12 of the thermal head 15 decreases until it reaches the restart temperature. Similarly, for the seventh printing start command received at time t14, the printing operation is automatically performed when the temperature k15 of the thermal head 15 falls at time 15 until the temperature k15 reaches the restart temperature. It is started automatically.

At time t15, when the printing operation based on the seventh printing start command is started, the temperature of the thermal head 15 gradually rises again. At time t16, the temperature has become higher than the upper limit temperature before the printing operation is completed. At this time, the printing operation is forcibly terminated at time t16. At this time, the paper on which the printing operation has been performed only halfway is discharged, and the print start command is discarded. As described above, when the printing operation is forcibly terminated at the time t16, the temperature of the thermal head 15 gradually decreases from the upper limit temperature. If a new print start command is received (between time t16 and time 17) before time t17 when temperature k17 of thermal head 15 reaches the resumption temperature, The print start command is temporarily in a standby state, and the print operation is automatically started when the temperature of the thermal head 15 decreases until it reaches the restart temperature. On the other hand, when a new print start command is received after the time t17 when the temperature k17 of the thermal head 15 reaches the restart temperature, the printing operation is started immediately.

As described above, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the print execution temperature determination unit 45 b of the error determination unit 45 compares the temperature of the thermal head 15 with the upper limit temperature during printing. If the temperature of the thermal head 15 becomes higher than the upper limit temperature, the print interrupting section 47 stops the printing in progress, so that the temperature of the thermal head 15 becomes higher than the upper limit temperature. Thus, printing is not performed, and printing can be prevented from being performed continuously in a state where desired print quality cannot be obtained. Moreover, since the print execution temperature determination unit 45b does not perform the above-described comparison after printing is completed, and performs the above-described comparison when the print start command is received, even if the thermal head 15 Even if the temperature may exceed the upper limit after printing, The operator is not bothered by the necessary error detection. Further, at the start of printing, a temperature margin higher than the difference between the restart temperature and the upper limit temperature is always secured, so that interruption of printing once started can be reduced as much as possible. If the print start temperature judgment unit 45 a of the error judgment unit 45 determines that the temperature of the thermal head 15 is higher than the restart temperature when the print start command is received, the print data The printing start is prohibited before receiving. Therefore, especially in a small battery / battery driven printer, unnecessary occupation of memory can be eliminated and unnecessary power consumption can be prevented.

In addition, the print start temperature judging section 48a compares the temperature of the thermal head 15 with the restart temperature in real time while printing is prohibited, so printing is prohibited after printing is prohibited. It becomes possible to quickly detect a decrease in the temperature of the thermal head 15 to a temperature at which it can be started.

Also, while the printing start is prohibited, if the temperature of the thermal head 15 decreases until the temperature of the thermal head 15 reaches the resuming temperature by the printing start temperature judging section 48a, the printing prohibition canceling section 49 automatically prohibits the printing start. In order to start printing based on the print start command that has been in the standby state, it is possible to promptly start the prohibited printing after the printing start is prohibited without requiring a new operation. it can. The control unit 40 may be configured to start printing using the print data stored in the storage unit when the printing prohibition is released. Further, the control unit 40 may transmit a print data request to a print data creation source when the print prohibition is released.

In addition, the print execution temperature judging unit 48 b compares the temperature of the thermal head 15 with the restart temperature in real time during the printing interruption, so that the print execution temperature judgment unit 48 b reaches the temperature at which printing can be resumed after printing is interrupted. It becomes possible to quickly detect a drop in the temperature of the multi-head 15. It should be noted that the control unit 40 may be offensive so that printing is restarted using the print data stored in the storage unit when the printing interruption is released. Further, the control unit 40 may transmit a print data request to a print data creation source when the print interruption is released. In this case, the control unit 40 stores the position when the printing was interrupted, and uses it when resuming.

Also, if printing is interrupted by the print execution temperature judgment unit 45b, printing is interrupted. When the paper is ejected, the print start command and print data are discarded, eliminating unnecessary memory occupation and preventing unnecessary power consumption, especially in a small battery / battery driven printer. it can.

As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes can be made within the scope of the claims. . For example, in the above-described embodiment, the comparison between the temperature of the thermal head 15 and the resumption temperature immediately before the start of printing in step S 104 is based on the step S 104 of determining whether to receive a print start command from the computer 27. Although the processing was performed immediately after 103, the present invention is not limited to this. The processing may be performed after receiving the print start instruction from the computer 27 and before starting the print operation. That is, in the above embodiment, when the print start command is received, the temperature of the thermal head 15 is higher than the restart temperature by the print start temperature determining unit 45 a of the error determining unit 45. If it is determined that the print start is prohibited before the print data is received, this is not a limitation. The print start may be prohibited after the print data is received. When receiving the print start command, the print data may be received together. In these cases, when the start of printing is prohibited, the print data may be stored in the receiving unit 42 provided in the control unit 40 or other storage means.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case is described in which the print start temperature determination unit 48a compares the temperature of the thermal head 15 with the restart temperature in real time while printing is prohibited. However, the temperature of the thermal head 15 need not be detected during printing prohibition.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when printing is prohibited, the printing start temperature determining unit 48 a determines that the temperature of the thermal head 15 has decreased until it reaches the restart temperature. The case where the prohibition canceling section 49 automatically cancels the prohibition of printing start and starts printing based on the print start command that has been in the standby state has been described. It is automatically released and the printing does not have to be started automatically.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the print execution temperature determining unit 48 b compares the temperature of the thermal head 15 with the restart temperature in real time while printing is suspended is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the temperature of the thermal head 15 may not be detected while printing is suspended.

Further, in the above embodiment, when the printing is interrupted by the print execution temperature judging unit 48b, the paper when the printing is interrupted is ejected and the print start command and the print data are discarded. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When printing is interrupted, the print data is set to a standby state. If it is determined that the temperature of 5 has decreased until the temperature reaches the resuming temperature, the print resuming unit 50 automatically cancels the interruption of the printing and resumes the printing based on the print data that has been in the standby state. You may. Further, the print data request may be sent to the computer 27 again when the print resume unit 50 releases the suspension of the printing without the print data being put into the standby state when the printing is interrupted. . In the case where printing is interrupted in the middle and the printing is resumed by canceling the printing interruption by the print resuming unit 50, the printing before the printing interruption and the printing after the printing interruption do not deviate from each other. It is preferable that the position of the sheet when printing is interrupted be stored in order to perform the printing at the same time.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which, when a print start command is received while printing is prohibited, the print start command is placed in a standby state. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The print start command may be discarded, or the print start command may not be accepted.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the printer 1 includes the rechargeable battery therein has been described. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the printer 1 does not necessarily need to include the battery.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the control unit 40 functioning as the print control device according to the present invention is provided in the printer 1 is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be provided in a computer that is an external device connected to the printer.

It should be noted that the embodiments described above are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited by the contents of the above embodiments, but should be understood based on the contents described in the claims. It is.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. first comparing means for comparing the temperature of the print head with the first predetermined temperature immediately before the start of printing;

A second comparing unit for comparing a temperature of the print head with a second predetermined temperature higher than the first predetermined temperature during printing execution;

A print start prohibition unit for prohibiting a print start when the first comparison unit determines that the temperature of the print head is higher than the first predetermined temperature; and the second comparison unit. A print interrupting means for interrupting the print in progress when it is determined that the temperature of the print head is higher than the second predetermined temperature. apparatus.

2. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print start prohibiting means operates after receiving a print start command and before receiving print data.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third comparing unit configured to compare the temperature of the print head with the first predetermined temperature after the printing start is prohibited by the printing start prohibiting unit. Item 1. The print control device according to item 1.

4. When the third comparing means determines that the temperature of the print head is lower than the first predetermined temperature, a print start instruction for starting printing prohibited by the print start prohibiting means is issued. 4. The print control device according to claim 3, further comprising a print prohibition canceling unit for generating the print prohibition.

5. The print control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the print prohibition canceling unit requests the external device for print data when generating the print start command.

6. It further includes a storage unit for storing print data, 5. The print prohibition canceling unit, when the print start command is generated, controls to start printing based on print data stored in the storage unit. Print control device.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: fourth comparing means for comparing the temperature of the print head with the first predetermined temperature after the printing is interrupted by the print interrupting means. 3. The print control device according to claim 1.

8. If the fourth comparison means determines that the temperature of the print head is lower than the first predetermined temperature, the print restart means for generating an interrupted print restart instruction is provided. The print control device according to claim 5, further comprising:

9. The print resuming unit according to claim 6, wherein, when the resuming command is generated, the print resuming unit issues a retransmission request for a print data that has not been printed due to the interruption to an external device. Print control device.

10. Further equipped with a storage unit for storing print data,

The print resuming unit, when the resuming command is generated, controls to continue printing based on print data stored in the storage unit.

7. The print control device according to claim 6, wherein:

1 1. A sheet discharging means for generating a print paper discharging command when printing is interrupted by the printing interrupting means;

2. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a print data discarding unit for generating a print data discard command when printing is interrupted by the print interrupting unit.

1 2. Display control means for displaying an error while the printing start prohibiting means prohibits printing start and / or while the printing suspending means suspends printing. The print control device according to claim 1, wherein

13. The printing control device according to any one of claims 1 to 12,

Print head and

A printer for detecting a temperature of the print head.

1. Input / output interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from external devices, and sensor for detecting the temperature of the print head.

A print control unit that performs printing based on print data received via the input / output interface,

The print control unit includes:

Immediately before the start of printing, the temperature of the print head detected by the sensor is compared with a first predetermined temperature, and as a result of the comparison, if the temperature of the print head is higher than the first predetermined temperature, If it is determined, the operation is performed to prohibit the start of printing, and the temperature of the print head detected by the sensor during printing and a second predetermined temperature higher than the first predetermined temperature are determined. If the result of the comparison is that the temperature of the print head is higher than the second predetermined temperature, the print head is operable to interrupt the printing being performed;

A print control device characterized by the above-mentioned.