Label printer and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a label printer and a control method thereof. The control method comprises the steps that label paper is controlled to be discharged outwards; when the printing positioning sensor detects that the label paper is switched from the surface paper to the gap, the label paper is controlled to stop outward paper discharging and inward paper returning S, then printing is started, S = S1-S2, S1 is the length of the single surface paper of the label paper in the first direction, S2 is the length of the single surface paper of the label paper in the second direction, and S2 is the length of the single surface paper of the label paper in the second direction; and S2 is the length of the paper feeding channel from the printing positioning sensor to the printing line on the printing head in the label printer. Label paper waste can be avoided, and the user experience is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of label printing, and more specifically, relates to a label printer and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Labels refer to the text, graphic symbols and all explanatory materials on products. Labels are widely used in supermarket retail, industrial production, express delivery, clothing, office management and other scenarios, such as price tags, product description labels, shelf labels, barcode labels, clothing labels, document labels, archive labels, various items and stationery labels, express delivery labels, etc.

[0003] Users can use label printers to print labels. Figure 1 As shown, the label printer includes a print head and a rubber roller. When the user puts in the label paper, the label paper needs to be stretched to the rubber roller at least. In this way, when the rubber roller is rotated, the friction between the rubber roller and the label paper can drive the label paper to realize the conveying operation and subsequent printing operation of the label paper. However, the face paper stretched to the rubber roller has not been positioned for printing, and cannot be printed on the face paper. Therefore, the label printer needs to output the paper to the next face paper, position the next face paper for printing, and then print on the next face paper. However, this will cause waste of label paper. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above defects or improvement needs of the prior art, the present invention provides a label printer and a control method thereof, which can avoid wasting label paper and improve user experience.

[0005] To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a control method for a label printer is provided, comprising the steps of:

[0006] Controlling the label paper to be released outward, wherein the length of the label paper in a first direction is greater than the length in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the label paper comprises a base paper and a plurality of surface papers attached to the base paper, and a gap is formed between two adjacent surface papers;

[0007] When the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap, the label paper is controlled to stop feeding out the paper and to start printing after feeding back the paper S, wherein S is the paper feeding distance parameter, S=S1-S2, S1 is the length of a single surface paper of the label paper in the first direction, and S2 is the length of the paper feeding path from the print positioning sensor in the label printer to the print line on the print head.

[0008] Furthermore, the control of the label paper to stop feeding out the paper and to start printing after feeding the paper S inward is carried out in any one of the following two ways:

[0009] Method 1: Control the label paper to stop feeding out the paper and feed it back inwards. When the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap again, control the label paper to stop feeding inwards and feed out the paper S2 before starting printing.

[0010] Mode 2: Control the label paper to stop feeding out and directly feed the paper S inward before starting printing.

[0011] Furthermore, in the second method, the label paper includes an electronic tag, the electronic tag stores attribute information of the label paper, the value of S1 is determined by reading the electronic tag, and the value of S is calculated based on S1 and S2.

[0012] Furthermore, the second method also includes the step of controlling the label paper to stop feeding out the paper and directly feeding the paper inward S, correcting the S value calculated according to S1 and S2 according to the attribute information of the label paper, and using the corrected S value as the paper feeding distance parameter.

[0013] Further, correcting the value of S calculated according to S1 and S2 according to the attribute information of the label paper includes:

[0014] The positioning offset value S3 of the label paper is determined according to the attribute information of the label paper, and the positioning offset value S3 is superimposed on the S value calculated according to S1 and S2 to serve as the corrected S value.

[0015] Further, the step of determining the value of the positioning offset S3 of the label paper according to the attribute information of the label paper comprises the steps of:

[0016] A mapping relationship table is read, wherein the mapping relationship table records a mapping relationship table between attribute information of the label paper and positioning offset values ​​of the label paper, and the positioning offset value S3 of the label paper is determined according to the mapping relationship table and the attribute information of the label paper.

[0017] Furthermore, the value of S2 is determined according to the model of the label printer and is pre-stored in the label printer.

[0018] Furthermore, the control of the label paper being output is performed after it is detected that label paper is installed in the paper bin of the label printer and the cover of the label printer is closed.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a label printer, including a controller, a paper bin and a conveying assembly, wherein the conveying assembly conveys label paper along a paper feeding passage under the control of the controller, including an operation of feeding paper outward or feeding paper inward, the paper feeding passage is provided with a printing positioning sensor and a print head, the print head is provided with a printing line, the length of the label paper in a first direction is greater than the length in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the label paper includes a base paper and a plurality of surface papers attached to the base paper, and a gap is formed between two adjacent surface papers;

[0020] The controller is used to control the label paper to be printed out;

[0021] The controller is also used to control the label paper to stop feeding paper out and to start printing after feeding paper S inward when the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the face paper to the gap, wherein S=S1-S2, S1 is the length of a single face paper of the label paper in the first direction, and S2 is the length of the paper path from the print positioning sensor to the print line on the print head in the label printer.

[0022] Furthermore, the control of the label paper to stop feeding out the paper and to start printing after feeding the paper S inward is carried out in any one of the following two ways:

[0023] Method 1: Control the label paper to stop feeding out the paper and feed it back inwards. When the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap again, control the label paper to stop feeding inwards and feed out the paper S2 before starting printing.

[0024] Mode 2: Control the label paper to stop feeding out and directly feed the paper S inward before starting printing.

[0025] Furthermore, in the second method, the label paper includes an electronic tag, the electronic tag stores attribute information of the label paper, the value of S1 is determined by reading the electronic tag, and the value of S is calculated based on S1 and S2.

[0026] In general, compared with the prior art, the above technical solution conceived by the present invention controls the label paper to be released out after detecting that label paper is installed in the paper bin of the label printer and the cover of the label printer is closed. Then, when the printing positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap, the label paper is controlled to stop releasing the label paper and start printing after the paper S is fed back inward. This can avoid wasting label paper and improve user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a control method of a label printer in the prior art;

[0028] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a control method for a label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 is a flow chart of a control method for a label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 is a flow chart of a control method for a label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a control method for a label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements or structures, wherein:

[0033] 1. Conveying assembly; 2. Print head; 21. Print line; 3. Paper positioning sensor; 4. RFID tag; 5. Label paper; 51. Face paper; 52. Bottom paper. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0035] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown, a control method for a label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes steps S101 and S102.

[0037] S101, controlling label paper to be printed out, wherein the length of the label paper in a first direction is greater than the length in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the label paper comprises a base paper and a plurality of surface papers attached to the base paper, and a gap is formed between two adjacent surface papers.

[0038] Figure 3 The figure shows a partial schematic diagram of a label paper. The label paper 5 includes a base paper 52 and a plurality of surface papers 51 attached to the base paper 52 .

[0039] If the paper is directly fed back into the label printer for positioning printing, although it can also save label paper, it is very likely that the label paper will be separated from the rubber roller of the label printer after the paper is fed back, so that the rubber roller cannot drive the label paper to move, and subsequent printing operations cannot be performed. Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention first controls the label paper to be fed out.

[0040] S102, when the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap, the label paper is controlled to stop feeding paper out and to start printing after feeding paper inward S, wherein S=S1-S2, S1 is the length of a single surface paper of the label paper in the first direction, and S2 is the length of the paper path from the print positioning sensor to the print line on the print head in the label printer.

[0041] The printing line is a heating device arranged in a line on the print head, and printing is achieved by controlling the heating device.

[0042] The print positioning sensor is used to detect the label paper. The print positioning sensor can be a photoelectric sensor arranged on the side of the paper feeding channel, which detects the label paper by detecting the intensity of light reflected or projected from the label paper, and sends the detection result to the controller.

[0043] The paper feeding channel is the conveying channel for label paper.

[0044] S2 is the length of the paper path from the print positioning sensor to the print line, not the straight-line distance from the print positioning sensor to the print line. The two are not equivalent, because the paper path is not necessarily a straight line, it may be an arc. S2 is determined by the structural design of the label printer. When the label printer is determined, S2 can also be determined.

[0045] Furthermore, the control of the label paper to stop feeding out the paper and then start printing after feeding the paper S inward is carried out in any one of the following two ways.

[0046] Method 1: Control the label paper to stop feeding out the paper and feed it back inwards. When the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap again, control the label paper to stop feeding inwards and feed out the paper S2 before starting printing.

[0047] like Figure 4 As shown, in the initial state, when it is detected that label paper is installed in the paper bin of the label printer and the label printer cover is closed, the label paper is controlled to be printed out until the printing positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap, as shown in state 1.

[0048] When the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap, the label paper is controlled to stop feeding out the paper and feed back the paper until the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap again, as shown in state 2. The process of switching from state 1 to state 2 is actually equivalent to feeding the label paper inward S1.

[0049] When the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap again, the label paper is controlled to stop feeding the label paper inward and start printing after ejecting the label paper S2 , as shown in state 3 .

[0050] Since the label paper is fed back inwards S1 during the process of switching from state 1 to state 2, and the label paper is fed outwards S2 during the process of switching from state 2 to state 3, it is equivalent to the label paper feeding back inwards S1-S2 during the whole process of switching from state 1 to state 3.

[0051] This method is also feasible. However, there is still a disadvantage in this method. In the process of switching from state 1 to state 2, the label paper is fed back inwards S1. The feeding distance is long. It is very likely that the label paper is separated from the rubber roller of the label printer after feeding, so that the rubber roller cannot drive the label paper to move, and subsequent printing operations cannot be performed.

[0052] Mode 2: Control the label paper to stop feeding out and directly feed the paper S inward before starting printing.

[0053] like Figure 5 As shown, in the initial state, when it is detected that label paper is installed in the paper bin of the label printer and the label printer cover is closed, the label paper is controlled to be printed out until the printing positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap, as shown in state 1.

[0054] When the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap, the label paper is controlled to stop feeding out the label paper and directly feed the label paper inwardly S1-S2 before starting printing, as shown in state 3.

[0055] Compared with method 1, method 2 does not need to feed paper inwards S1 and then feed paper outwards S2 to achieve the effect of feeding paper inwards S1-S2. Instead, paper is fed inwards S1-S2 directly. The feeding distance is shorter than that of method 1, which can reduce the risk of separation of the label paper and the rubber roller of the label printer after feeding paper.

[0056] Furthermore, in the second method, the label paper includes an electronic tag, the electronic tag stores attribute information of the label paper, the value of S1 is determined by reading the electronic tag, and the value of S is calculated based on S1 and S2.

[0057] Different label papers have different S1 values, so the S1 value can be determined by reading the electronic label.

[0058] Furthermore, the second method also includes the step of controlling the label paper to stop feeding out the paper and directly feeding the paper inward S before starting printing, and correcting the S value calculated according to S1 and S2 according to the attribute information of the label paper.

[0059] However, the same label printer can use different label papers, and there are differences between different label papers, such as differences in light transmittance or different friction coefficients caused by the label paper material. When the control parameters S1-S2 that control the label paper to stop feeding out and directly feed back the paper are all S1-S2, there is a certain deviation in the actual forward distance of the label paper, resulting in differences in the actual printing effect of the label paper. For example, when a user prints the same content on the same label printer, using two different materials of label paper, opaque gap paper and transparent gap paper, the two types of label paper will show different effects when printed, that is, the offset errors of the two label papers may be inconsistent, and it is likely that the content printed on one label paper will be biased downward, while the content printed on the other label paper will be biased upward.

[0060] Therefore, the S value calculated according to S1 and S2 is corrected according to the attribute information of the label paper to compensate for the differences between different label papers, so that when the control parameters are all S1-S2, the actual forward distance of the label paper is also S1-S2 or very close to S1-S2.

[0061] Further, correcting the value of S calculated according to S1 and S2 according to the attribute information of the label paper includes:

[0062] The positioning offset S3 value of the label paper is determined according to the attribute information of the label paper, and the positioning offset S3 value is superimposed on the S value calculated according to S1 and S2 as the corrected S value, that is, the corrected S value is S1-S2+S3.

[0063] Further, the step of determining the value of the positioning offset S3 of the label paper according to the attribute information of the label paper comprises the steps of:

[0064] A mapping relationship table is read, wherein the mapping relationship table records a mapping relationship table between attribute information of the label paper and positioning offset values ​​of the label paper, and the positioning offset value S3 of the label paper is determined according to the mapping relationship table and the attribute information of the label paper.

[0065] The mapping relationship table between the attribute information of the label paper and the positioning offset value of the label roll paper can be determined through testing.

[0066] Furthermore, the value of S2 is determined according to the model of the label printer and is pre-stored in the label printer.

[0067] Usually, the structural design of the same model is the same, so the S2 value is the same, but there may be large differences between different models of label printers. Therefore, the S2 values ​​corresponding to different models of label printers can be determined in advance, and the S2 value corresponding to the model of the label printer currently to be positioned and calibrated can be determined, and the corresponding S2 value can be stored in the label printer currently to be positioned and calibrated.

[0068] Furthermore, the control of the label paper being outputted is performed after it is detected that label paper is installed in the paper bin of the label printer and the cover of the label printer is closed. That is, before printing starts, it is first detected whether label paper is installed in the paper bin of the label printer and whether the cover of the label printer is closed, and steps S101 and S102 are performed after it is detected that label paper is installed in the paper bin of the label printer and the cover of the label printer is closed.

[0069] A label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a controller, a paper bin and a conveying component. The conveying component conveys label paper along a paper feeding passage under the control of the controller, including an operation of feeding paper outward or feeding paper inward. The paper feeding passage is provided with a printing positioning sensor and a print head. The print head is provided with a printing line. The length of the label paper in a first direction is greater than the length in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The label paper comprises a base paper and a plurality of surface papers attached to the base paper, and a gap is formed between two adjacent surface papers.

[0070] The controller is used to control the label paper to be printed out;

[0071] The controller is also used to control the label paper to stop feeding paper out and to start printing after feeding paper S inward when the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the face paper to the gap, wherein S=S1-S2, S1 is the length of a single face paper of the label paper in the first direction, and S2 is the length of the paper path from the print positioning sensor to the print line on the print head in the label printer.

[0072] Furthermore, the control of the label paper to stop feeding out the paper and to start printing after feeding the paper S inward is carried out in any one of the following two ways:

[0073] Method 1: Control the label paper to stop feeding out the paper and feed it back inwards. When the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap again, control the label paper to stop feeding inwards and feed out the paper S2 before starting printing.

[0074] Mode 2: Control the label paper to stop feeding out and directly feed the paper S inward before starting printing.

[0075] Furthermore, in the second method, the label paper includes an electronic tag, the electronic tag stores attribute information of the label paper, the value of S1 is determined by reading the electronic tag, and the value of S is calculated based on S1 and S2.

[0076] The working principle and technical effect of the label printer are the same as the control method of the above-mentioned label printer, which will not be repeated here.

[0077] It will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method for a label printer, characterized in that: Includes steps: Controlling the label paper to be released outward, wherein the length of the label paper in a first direction is greater than the length in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the label paper comprises a base paper and a plurality of surface papers attached to the base paper, and a gap is formed between two adjacent surface papers; When the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap, the label paper is controlled to stop feeding out the paper and to start printing after feeding back the paper S, wherein S is the paper feeding distance parameter, S=S1-S2, S1 is the length of a single surface paper of the label paper in the first direction, and S2 is the length of the paper feeding path from the print positioning sensor in the label printer to the print line on the print head.

2. The control method of the label printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control of the label paper to stop feeding out the label paper and to start printing after feeding the label paper inward S is carried out in any one of the following two ways: Method 1: Control the label paper to stop feeding out the paper and feed it back inwards. When the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap again, control the label paper to stop feeding inwards and feed out the paper S2 before starting printing. Mode 2: Control the label paper to stop feeding out and directly feed the paper S inward before starting printing.

3. The control method of the label printer according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the second method, the label paper includes an electronic tag, and the electronic tag stores the attribute information of the label paper. The value of S1 is determined by reading the electronic tag, and the value of S is calculated according to S1 and S2.

4. The control method of the label printer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second method also includes the steps of: controlling the label paper to stop feeding out and directly feeding inward S, correcting the S value calculated according to S1 and S2 according to the attribute information of the label paper, and using the corrected S value as the paper feeding distance parameter.

5. The control method of the label printer according to claim 4, characterized in that: Correcting the value of S calculated according to S1 and S2 according to the attribute information of the label paper includes: The positioning offset value S3 of the label paper is determined according to the attribute information of the label paper, and the positioning offset value S3 is superimposed on the S value calculated according to S1 and S2 to serve as the corrected S value.

6. The control method of the label printer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step of determining the value of the positioning offset S3 of the label paper according to the attribute information of the label paper comprises the following steps: A mapping relationship table is read, wherein the mapping relationship table records a mapping relationship table between attribute information of the label paper and positioning offset values ​​of the label paper, and the positioning offset value S3 of the label paper is determined according to the mapping relationship table and the attribute information of the label paper.

7. The control method of the label printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The value of S2 is determined according to the model of the label printer and is pre-stored in the label printer.

8. The control method of a label printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control of the label paper to be printed out is performed after it is detected that the label paper is installed in the paper bin of the label printer and the cover of the label printer is closed.

9. A label printer, characterized in that: The invention comprises a controller, a paper bin and a conveying assembly. The conveying assembly conveys label paper along a paper feeding passage under the control of the controller, including an operation of feeding paper outward or feeding paper inward. The paper feeding passage is provided with a printing positioning sensor and a print head. The print head is provided with a printing line. The length of the label paper in a first direction is greater than the length in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The label paper comprises a bottom paper and a plurality of surface papers attached to the bottom paper, and a gap is formed between two adjacent surface papers. The controller is used to control the label paper to be printed out; The controller is also used to control the label paper to stop feeding paper out and to start printing after feeding paper S inward when the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the face paper to the gap, wherein S=S1-S2, S1 is the length of a single face paper of the label paper in the first direction, and S2 is the length of the paper path from the print positioning sensor to the print line on the print head in the label printer.

10. The label printer according to claim 9, characterized in that: The control of the label paper to stop feeding out the label paper and to start printing after feeding the label paper inward S is carried out in any one of the following two ways: Method 1: Control the label paper to stop feeding out the paper and feed it back inwards. When the print positioning sensor detects that the label paper switches from the surface paper to the gap again, control the label paper to stop feeding inwards and feed out the paper S2 before starting printing. Mode 2: Control the label paper to stop feeding out and directly feed the paper S inward before starting printing.

11. The label printer according to claim 10, characterized in that: In the second method, the label paper includes an electronic tag, and the electronic tag stores the attribute information of the label paper. The value of S1 is determined by reading the electronic tag, and the value of S is calculated according to S1 and S2.

Images