Label printer, cutter control device and control method

Abstract

The invention discloses a label printer and a cutter control device and method, and the cutter control device is used for obtaining the type identification information of a to-be-cut target and adjusting the cutting pressure of a cutter according to the type identification information of the to-be-cut target. Different cutting pressures can be provided for cutting different materials, and the service life of the cutter can be prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Label printers can print characters on materials such as PVC sleeves, heat shrink tubes, self-adhesive labels, label paper, etc. They are generally used for secondary line identification of electric control and power distribution equipment. They are special equipment for wiring identification of electric control, power distribution equipment and integrated wiring engineering, and can meet the needs of power plants, electrical equipment factories, substations, and power industry wire identification. After completing the printing of multiple contents, the label printer also needs to cut the material. On the one hand, according to the cutting depth, the cutting can be divided into full cutting and half cutting. For example, when cutting label paper containing base paper and label layer, if the label layer is cut off and the base paper remains continuous, it is half cutting, and if both the label layer and the base paper are cut off, it is full cutting. For another example, when cutting PVC sleeves, if the PVC sleeve characters are cut into half connected and half cut, it is half cutting, and if the PVC sleeve characters are cut into multiple completely disconnected sleeves, it is full cutting. However, in the prior art, the driving force applied to the cutter is the same for full cutting and half cutting operations. On the other hand, cutting can also be applied to different types of materials. Different types of materials have different degrees of hardness and softness, and the prior art generally ignores the difference in materials and applies the same driving force to the cutter. The disadvantage of this method is that the collision between the cutter and the cutting board easily causes wear of the cutter, reducing the service life of the cutter.

[0003] In order to solve this problem, a solution has been proposed in the prior art, which is to set a buffer cotton behind the cutting board to reduce the wear of the cutting knife caused by the collision between the cutting knife and the cutting board. However, the disadvantage of this method is that the buffer cotton mainly relies on its elasticity to play a buffering role, but after using it for a period of time, its elasticity decreases and the buffering effect is limited, which still inevitably causes the wear of the cutting knife. Therefore, a better solution is urgently needed to reduce the wear of the cutting knife and increase the service life of the cutting knife. 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, a cutter control device and a control method to increase the service life of the cutter.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a cutter control device for a label printer is provided, wherein the cutter control device is used to obtain type identification information of a target to be cut and adjust the cutting pressure of the cutter according to the type identification information of the target to be cut.

[0006] Furthermore, the cutting pressure of the cutter is adjusted by changing the first driving current applied to the cutter driving motor.

[0007] Furthermore, the method of adjusting the cutting pressure of the cutter by changing the first driving current applied to the cutter driving motor comprises the steps of:

[0008] Acquire a current control strategy, wherein the current control strategy records the first driving current values ​​required when performing cutting operations on different types of materials, and the first driving current values ​​required for at least some types of materials are different;

[0009] The first driving current value required for the target to be cut is searched according to the type identification information, and after completing the label printing operation on at least part of the target to be cut, the first driving current is applied to the cutter drive motor according to the first driving current value required for the target to be cut.

[0010] Further, the cutting mode of the cutter includes a full-cut operation mode and a half-cut operation mode, and the cutter drive motor is also used to switch between the full-cut anvil and the half-cut anvil when a second drive current is applied thereto;

[0011] The current control strategy records the first driving current values ​​required for performing full cutting operations and half cutting operations on different types of materials, respectively, and the current control strategy also records the current value of the second driving current;

[0012] The searching for the first driving current value required for the target to be cut according to the type identification information includes the steps of: identifying the target cutting mode selected by the user, and searching for the first driving current value required for the target to be cut according to the target cutting mode and the type identification information.

[0013] Furthermore, a current value of the second driving current is greater than a current value of the first driving current.

[0014] Further, if the target cutting mode is switched, the second driving current is applied to the cutter driving motor before the first driving current is applied to the cutter driving motor.

[0015] Further, the cutter drive motor is also used to control the print head to close when a third drive current is applied thereto;

[0016] The current control strategy also records the current value of the third driving current;

[0017] Before applying the first driving current to the cutter driving motor, the third driving current is first applied to the cutter driving motor to control the closing of the print head.

[0018] Furthermore, a current value of the third driving current is greater than a current value of the first driving current.

[0019] Furthermore, a timing sequence of the third driving current and the first driving current is preset, and the third driving current and the first driving current are sequentially applied to the cutter driving motor according to the timing sequence and the first driving current value required by the target to be cut.

[0020] Furthermore, if multiple cutting operations need to be performed on the target to be cut in one printing task, and the target cutting mode is a half-cut operation mode, searching for the first driving current value required for the target to be cut according to the target cutting mode and the type identification information includes the steps of:

[0021] Before each cutting, determining whether the next cutting operation is the last cutting operation in the printing task;

[0022] If the current cutting operation is not the last cutting operation in the printing task, searching for a first driving current value required for performing a half-cutting operation on the target to be cut according to the type identification information, and using the first driving current value required for performing the half-cutting operation on the target to be cut as the first driving current value required for the target to be cut;

[0023] If the current cutting operation is the last cutting operation in the printing task, the first driving current value required to perform a full cutting operation on the target to be cut is searched according to the type identification information, and the first driving current value required to perform a full cutting operation on the target to be cut is used as the first driving current value required for the target to be cut.

[0024] Furthermore, the type identification information of the object to be cut is obtained by identifying the RFID electronic tag of the object to be cut.

[0025] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a cutter control method for a label printer is provided, which obtains type identification information of the target to be cut, and controls the cutting pressure of the cutter when performing a cutting operation on the target to be cut according to the type identification information of the target to be cut.

[0026] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a label printer, comprising any one of the above-mentioned cutter control devices of the label printer.

[0027] In general, compared with the prior art, the above technical solution conceived by the present invention takes into account the different cutting pressures required for different types of materials. By reasonably setting the cutting pressure, different driving currents are provided for cutting different materials, and different motor torques and cutting pressures are achieved, which is beneficial to improving the service life of the cutter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 is a control flow chart of the cutter control device of an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 It is a control flow chart of a cutter control device according to another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] 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.

[0031] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. "Multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined. .

[0032] The terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the embodiments of the present invention are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, apparatus, product or equipment comprising a series of steps or modules is not necessarily limited to those steps or modules clearly listed, but may include other steps or modules not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or equipment.

[0033] The naming or numbering of the steps in the embodiments of the present invention does not mean that the steps in the method flow must be executed in the time / logical sequence indicated by the naming or numbering. The execution order of the named or numbered process steps can be changed according to the technical purpose to be achieved, as long as the same or similar technical effects can be achieved.

[0034] Reference to "embodiments" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. The appearance of the phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0035] The present invention provides a label printer, a cutter control device and a control method, which are respectively described below.

[0036] A cutter control device of a label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention is used to obtain type identification information of an object to be cut, and adjust the cutting pressure of the cutter according to the type identification information of the object to be cut.

[0037] In some application scenarios, after the label printer completes printing of multiple contents, it is also necessary to cut the material. For example, after printing several identification information of the cable on the PVC sheath, the PVC sheath needs to be cut into multiple units. The cable management personnel can put the cut units with identification information on the corresponding cables to identify and classify the cables.

[0038] There are many types of targets to be cut, such as PVC tubing, heat shrink tubing, self-adhesive labels, label paper, etc. The cutting pressure requirements for PVC tubing, heat shrink tubing and label paper are different.

[0039] In a label printer including a cutter, after the printing operation is completed on at least part of the target to be cut, the cutter control device controls the cutter drive motor to drive the cutter to perform a cutting operation on the target to be cut.

[0040] In the embodiment of the present invention, the cutting pressure of the cutter when performing the cutting operation on the target to be cut is adjusted according to the type identification information of the target to be cut, so that the cutting pressure for different types of targets to be cut can be different, which is beneficial to improving the service life of the cutter.

[0041] The method of obtaining the type identification information of the target to be cut may be to obtain the type identification information of the target to be cut by identifying an RFID chip on the target to be cut, or to obtain the type identification information of the target to be cut by learning the characteristics of the target to be cut through sensor detection, or any other feasible method.

[0042] Furthermore, the cutting pressure of the cutter can be adjusted by changing the first driving current applied to the cutter driving motor. When the first driving current is applied to the cutter driving motor, the cutter driving motor drives the cutter to perform a cutting operation on the target to be cut.

[0043] However, it is particularly noted that the cutting pressure may also be adjusted in any other feasible manner, such as by adjusting other parameters.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown, controlling the cutting pressure of the cutter by changing the first driving current applied to the cutter driving motor includes the following steps:

[0045] S101, obtaining a current control strategy, wherein the current control strategy records the first driving current values ​​required when performing cutting operations on different types of materials, and the first driving current values ​​required for at least some types of materials are different.

[0046] Different types of materials have different degrees of hardness and require different cutting pressures. If the same first drive current is applied to the cutter, then for some materials with lower hardness, the collision between the cutter and the cutting board can easily cause wear of the cutter, reducing the service life of the cutter. If the first drive current is reduced to reduce wear of the cutter, then for some materials with higher hardness, the cutting effect may not be good.

[0047] Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the first driving current value required for performing cutting operations on different types of materials is recorded in the current control strategy, and there is no need to apply the same current when performing cutting operations on all types of materials.

[0048] The first driving current value required for each type of material to perform the cutting operation can be found through preliminary testing to find the most suitable first driving current value for each type of material. The first driving current value is not necessarily a single value, but can also be a range.

[0049] The current control strategy may be expressed in any form, for example, in a table or in other forms converted into computer languages.

[0050] An example of a current control strategy is shown in Table 1.

[0051] Table 1

[0052]

[0053] S102, obtaining type identification information of the target to be cut, searching for a first driving current value required for the target to be cut according to the type identification information, and applying a first driving current to the cutter drive motor according to the first driving current value required for the target to be cut after completing the printing operation on the target to be cut.

[0054] The type identification information of the target to be cut can be obtained through a sensor in a label printer, for example, by reading the information stored in the RFID chip of the target to be cut through a sensor, or can be obtained through other methods.

[0055] After obtaining the type identification information of the target to be cut, the first drive current value corresponding to the type identification information is searched in the current control strategy. For example, if the target to be cut is identified as a PVC pipe, by looking up Table 1, it can be determined that the first drive current value required for the PVC pipe is 320mA, and a first drive current of 320mA is applied to the cutter drive motor. If the target to be cut is identified as label paper, by looking up Table 1, it can be determined that the first drive current value required for the label paper is 180mA, and a first drive current of 180mA is applied to the cutter drive motor.

[0056] To summarize, the embodiments of the present application take into account the different cutting pressures required for different types of materials. By reasonably setting the cutting pressure, different driving currents are provided for cutting different materials, and different motor torques and cutting pressures are achieved, which is beneficial to improving the service life of the cutter.

[0057] Further, the cutting operation includes a full-cut operation mode and a half-cut operation mode, and the cutter drive motor is further used to switch between the full-cut anvil and the half-cut anvil when a second drive current is applied thereto.

[0058] For example, when cutting label paper containing a backing paper and a label layer, if the label layer is cut while the backing paper remains continuous, it is a half-cut, and if both the label layer and the backing paper are cut, it is a full-cut. For another example, when cutting a PVC sleeve, if the PVC sleeve is cut into half connected and the other half cut, it is a half-cut, and if the PVC sleeve is cut into multiple completely disconnected sleeves, it is a full-cut.

[0059] The current control strategy also records the first driving current values ​​required for performing full-cutting operations and half-cutting operations on different types of materials, and the current control strategy also records the current value of the second driving current.

[0060] In order to better protect the cutter, in the embodiment of the present application, for the same type of material, the first driving current values ​​required for performing a full cutting operation and a half cutting operation are also different.

[0061] In addition, it is also necessary to control the cutter drive motor to switch between the full-cutting anvil and the half-cutting anvil. The current values ​​for switching between the full-cutting anvil and the half-cutting anvil and for performing the cutting operation are also different.

[0062] Furthermore, a current value of the second driving current is greater than a current value of the first driving current.

[0063] Generally speaking, the cutting pressure of the cutter cannot be too high, otherwise it is easy to break the cutter, which requires a relatively small motor torque output. Switching between full-cut and half-cut cutting blocks requires a relatively large motor torque output.

[0064] An example of a current control strategy is shown in Table 2.

[0065] Table 2

[0066]

[0067] The searching for the first driving current value required for the target to be cut according to the type identification information includes the steps of: identifying the target cutting mode selected by the user, and searching for the first driving current value required for the target to be cut according to the target cutting mode and the type identification information.

[0068] In addition to obtaining the type identification information of the target to be cut, it is also necessary to identify the target cutting mode selected by the user, and search the current control strategy for the first drive current value corresponding to the type identification information and the target cutting mode. For example, if the target to be cut is identified as a PVC pipe, and the target cutting mode is half-cut, by looking up Table 2, it can be determined that the first drive current value required for the PVC pipe is 300mA, and a first drive current of 300mA is applied to the cutter drive motor. If the target to be cut is identified as label paper, and the target cutting mode is full-cut, by looking up Table 2, it can be determined that the first drive current value required for the label paper is 180mA, and a first drive current of 180mA is applied to the cutter drive motor.

[0069] It is particularly noted that the cutting pressure of full cutting and half cutting can also be adjusted in any other feasible manner, such as by adjusting other parameters.

[0070] Further, if the target cutting mode is switched, the second driving current is applied to the cutter driving motor before the first driving current is applied to the cutter driving motor.

[0071] If the target cutting mode selected by the user is different from the current cutting mode of the label printer, the target cutting mode needs to be switched. The user may also switch the target cutting mode during the printing process. In this case, before cutting, the second driving current is first applied to the cutter driving motor to control the switching between the full cutting anvil and the half cutting anvil, and then the cutting operation is performed.

[0072] Furthermore, the cutter drive motor is also used to control the closure of the print head when a third drive current is applied thereto, and the current value of the third drive current is also recorded in the current control strategy; before applying the first drive current to the cutter drive motor, the third drive current is first applied to the cutter drive motor to control the closure of the print head.

[0073] The cutter drive motor can drive the cutter drive motor and the print head. When the print head is closed, the print head can print labels on the cutting target and then perform cutting operations after printing.

[0074] Furthermore, the current value of the third driving current is greater than the first driving current value. Generally speaking, the opening and closing of the print head and the switching between half cutting and full cutting require a relatively large motor torque output.

[0075] Furthermore, a timing sequence of the third driving current and the first driving current is preset, and the third driving current and the first driving current are applied to the cutter driving motor in sequence according to the timing sequence.

[0076] Driven by the rubber roller, the target to be cut passes through the print head and the cutting position in sequence, with the label printed first and then cut. Therefore, it is necessary to apply current according to a predetermined timing, so that before the printed area of ​​the target to be cut passes through the print head, the third drive current is first applied to the cutter drive motor to control the closing of the print head. When the printed area of ​​the target to be cut passes through the cutting position, the drive current of the cutter drive motor is exactly the first drive current.

[0077] Furthermore, if multiple cutting operations need to be performed on the target to be cut in one printing task, and the target cutting mode is a half-cut operation mode, searching for the first driving current value required for the target to be cut according to the target cutting mode and the type identification information includes the steps of:

[0078] Determining whether the next cutting operation is the last cutting operation in the printing task;

[0079] If the current cutting operation is not the last cutting operation in the printing task, searching for a first driving current value required for performing a half-cutting operation on the target to be cut according to the type identification information, and using the first driving current value required for performing the half-cutting operation on the target to be cut as the first driving current value required for the target to be cut;

[0080] If the current cutting operation is the last cutting operation in the printing task, the first driving current value required to perform a full cutting operation on the target to be cut is searched according to the type identification information, and the first driving current value required to perform a full cutting operation on the target to be cut is used as the first driving current value required for the target to be cut.

[0081] A print task is a print job issued by a user. Multiple identification information may need to be printed in one print job. After one identification information is printed, a cutting operation needs to be performed. When the target cutting mode is the half-cut operation mode, except for the last cutting operation, the previous cutting operations are all half-cut operations, achieving the effect of half connected and half cut. However, the last cutting operation also needs to be a full-cut operation, and the printed material needs to be completely cut out. Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether the next cutting operation is the last cutting operation in the printing task.

[0082] The control process of a cutter drive motor is as follows: Figure 2 shown.

[0083] A cutter control method for a label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention obtains type identification information of a target to be cut, and controls the cutting pressure of the cutter when performing a cutting operation on the target to be cut according to the type identification information of the target to be cut.

[0084] Furthermore, the cutting pressure of the cutter is controlled by changing the first driving current applied to the cutter driving motor.

[0085] Furthermore, the cutting pressure of the cutter is controlled by changing a first driving current applied to a cutter driving motor.

[0086] The working principle and technical effect of the above-mentioned cutter control method are the same as the working principle and technical effect of the above-mentioned cutter control device, and will not be repeated here.

[0087] A label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises any one of the above-mentioned cutter control devices of the label printer.

[0088] The working principle and technical effect of the above-mentioned label printer are the same as the working principle and technical effect of the above-mentioned cutter control device, and will not be repeated here.

[0089] Furthermore, the label printer also includes a cutter drive motor, a cutter and anvil unit, the cutter and the anvil unit are arranged relative to each other, the anvil unit is provided with a full-cut anvil and a half-cut anvil along the circumferential direction, and the anvil unit can rotate under the drive of the cutter drive motor to align the full-cut anvil or the half-cut anvil with the cutter.

[0090] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the processes of the above-mentioned embodiments can be implemented by instructing related hardware through a computer program, and the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is a disk, an optical disk, a read-only storage memory, or a random access memory, etc.

[0091] 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 cutter control device for a label printer, characterized in that: The cutter control device is used to obtain type identification information of the target to be cut, and adjust the cutting pressure of the cutter according to the type identification information of the target to be cut.

2. The cutter control device of the label printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cutting pressure of the cutter is adjusted by changing the first driving current applied to the cutter driving motor.

3. The cutter control device of the label printer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The method of adjusting the cutting pressure of the cutter by changing the first driving current applied to the cutter driving motor comprises the following steps: Acquire a current control strategy, wherein the current control strategy records the first driving current values ​​required when performing cutting operations on different types of materials, and the first driving current values ​​required for at least some types of materials are different; The first driving current value required for the target to be cut is searched according to the type identification information, and after completing the label printing operation on at least part of the target to be cut, the first driving current is applied to the cutter drive motor according to the first driving current value required for the target to be cut.

4. The cutter control device of the label printer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cutting mode of the cutter includes a full-cut operation mode and a half-cut operation mode, and the cutter drive motor is also used to switch between the full-cut anvil and the half-cut anvil when a second drive current is applied thereto; The current control strategy records the first driving current values ​​required for performing full cutting operations and half cutting operations on different types of materials, respectively, and the current control strategy also records the current value of the second driving current; The searching for the first driving current value required for the target to be cut according to the type identification information includes the steps of: identifying the target cutting mode selected by the user, and searching for the first driving current value required for the target to be cut according to the target cutting mode and the type identification information.

5. The cutter control device of the label printer according to claim 4, characterized in that: The current value of the second driving current is greater than the first driving current value.

6. The cutter control device of the label printer according to claim 4, characterized in that: If the target cutting mode is switched, the second driving current is applied to the cutter driving motor before the first driving current is applied to the cutter driving motor.

7. The cutter control device of the label printer according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The cutter drive motor is also used to control the print head to close when a third drive current is applied thereto; The current control strategy also records the current value of the third driving current; Before applying the first driving current to the cutter driving motor, the third driving current is first applied to the cutter driving motor to control the closing of the print head.

8. The cutter control device of the label printer according to claim 7, characterized in that: The current value of the third driving current is greater than the first driving current value.

9. The cutter control device of the label printer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The timing of the third driving current and the first driving current is preset, and the third driving current and the first driving current are sequentially applied to the cutter driving motor according to the first driving current value required by the target to be cut according to the timing.

10. The cutter control device of the label printer according to claim 2, characterized in that: If multiple cutting operations need to be performed on the target to be cut in one printing task, and the target cutting mode is a half-cut operation mode, searching for the first driving current value required for the target to be cut according to the target cutting mode and the type identification information includes the following steps: Before each cutting, determining whether the next cutting operation is the last cutting operation in the printing task; If the current cutting operation is not the last cutting operation in the printing task, searching for a first driving current value required for performing a half-cutting operation on the target to be cut according to the type identification information, and using the first driving current value required for performing the half-cutting operation on the target to be cut as the first driving current value required for the target to be cut; If the current cutting operation is the last cutting operation in the printing task, the first driving current value required to perform a full cutting operation on the target to be cut is searched according to the type identification information, and the first driving current value required to perform a full cutting operation on the target to be cut is used as the first driving current value required for the target to be cut.

11. The cutter control device of the label printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The type identification information of the object to be cut is obtained by identifying the RFID electronic tag of the object to be cut.

12. A cutter control method for a label printer, characterized in that: The type identification information of the target to be cut is obtained, and the cutting pressure of the cutter when the cutting operation is performed on the target to be cut is controlled according to the type identification information of the target to be cut.

13. A label printer, characterized in that: A cutter control device comprising a label printer as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11.

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