Printing apparatus, control method, and program

Abstract

The invention provides a printing apparatus, a control method, and a program. The printing apparatus includes: a cutting unit that cuts a medium to be printed on a conveyance path; a discharge unit that feeds the medium to be printed, which has been cut by the cutting unit and has been cut into pieces, to the downstream side of the conveyance path while coming into contact with the medium to be printed; and a detection unit that detects whether or not the divided printing medium is in contact with the discharge unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing device, a control method and a program. Background Art

[0002] A printing device that prints on a print medium may include a discharge roller for discharging the print medium printed (printed) based on print data to the outside of the device (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-196536). Such a discharge roller may be provided in a printing device that includes a printing unit that prints on a strip of print medium and a cutter that cuts the print medium.

[0003] In the above-mentioned printing apparatus, when the print medium is cut by the cutter, the cut print medium may not be sent out to the downstream side of the conveyance path by the discharge roller, and the cut print medium may remain on the conveyance path. Summary of the invention

[0004] One of the objects of the present invention is to prevent a strip-shaped print medium from being cut into individual pieces and from remaining on a transport path.

[0005] Means used to solve problems

[0006] The printing device of the present invention comprises: a cutting section for cutting off a printed medium on a conveying path; a discharge section for sending out the printed medium cut into individual sheets by the cutting section to the downstream side of the conveying path while in contact with the printed medium; and a detection section for detecting whether the individual printed medium is in contact with the discharge section.

[0007] The control method of the present invention is a method in which a printing device having a cutting unit and a discharge unit performs the following processing through a detection unit, namely, detecting whether a printed medium that has been cut into individual sheets has passed through the discharge unit and is in contact with the discharge unit. The cutting unit cuts the printed medium on the conveying path, and the discharge unit delivers the printed medium that has been cut into individual sheets by the cutting unit to the downstream side of the conveying path while in contact with the printed medium.

[0008] The program of the present invention causes a printing device having a cutting unit and a discharge unit to perform the following processing through a detection unit, namely, detecting whether a printed medium that has been cut into individual sheets has passed through the discharge unit and is in a state of contact with the discharge unit. The cutting unit cuts the printed medium on the conveying path, and the discharge unit delivers the printed medium that has been cut into individual sheets by the cutting unit to the downstream side of the conveying path while contacting the printed medium. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 It is a plan view showing an example of the external structure of the printing device of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A partial top view of the printing device with the cover opened.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a diagram for explaining an example of a conveyance path of a print medium in the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0012] Figure 4A to Figure 4C It is a diagram for explaining an example of a method of detecting a print medium in the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0013] Figure 5 This is a diagram for explaining an example of a sensor used for detecting a print medium.

[0014] Figure 6 This is a perspective view for explaining an example of the structure of the cutting mechanism and the discharge mechanism of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Figure 7 It is a diagram for explaining the initial positions of the cutting mechanism and the ejection mechanism.

[0016] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating the states of the cutting mechanism and the discharge mechanism when the print medium is detected.

[0017] Fig. 9 This is a diagram illustrating the states of the cutting mechanism and the discharge mechanism when full cutting is completed.

[0018] Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B It is a diagram for explaining an example of the structure of the discharge roller and the auxiliary roller.

[0019] Fig.11 This is a block diagram for explaining an example of the functional configuration of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Fig.12 This is a flowchart for explaining an example of the cutting control process performed by the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0021] Fig.13 This is a diagram for explaining an example of a conveyance path of a print medium in the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, as an example of the printing device of the present invention, a printing device called a label printer or the like is cited as an example, which performs thermal printing on a strip-shaped printed medium and can cut the printed medium by a cutter. Detailed description of the known structures, functions, and operations of the exemplified printing device and similar printing devices is omitted.

[0023] The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in some of the referenced drawings are indicated to define the planes and directions of the illustrated cutting mechanism, discharge mechanism, etc. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are orthogonal to each other and constitute a right-hand coordinate system. In the referenced drawings, for convenience, the positive direction of the X-axis is set as the positive conveying direction of the printed medium, the direction of the Y-axis is set as the width direction of the printed medium, and the direction of the Z-axis is set as the thickness direction of the printed medium. The positive conveying direction is set as the direction in which the printed medium on the conveying path is conveyed to the downstream side of the conveying path.

[0024] The shapes, aspect ratios, and size relationships of the components in the referenced drawings are merely schematic representations and are not necessarily consistent with the printing device actually manufactured. For the convenience of explanation, some shapes may be simplified or omitted, and the size relationships of the components may be exaggerated.

[0025] In this specification, the words "not shown", "not shown", "not shown" and the like are intended to indicate that no specific reference numerals or lead lines are used to clearly indicate which part of the figure the constituent element with these references is. For example, "part A not shown" refers to the following two situations, namely: the part representing part A (e.g., a figure, a line, etc.) is not shown in the figure, and there is no reference numeral or lead line that clearly indicates the part corresponding to part A in the figure. In addition, the underlined reference numerals in the figure indicate the entire constituent element including multiple parts distinguished by multiple reference numerals.

[0026] Figure 1 It is a plan view showing an example of the external structure of the printing device of the present invention. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A partial top view of the printing device with the cover opened.

[0027] Figure 1 and Figure 2 The illustrated printing device 1 includes a device housing 2 and a cover 4 mounted on the device housing 2. The device housing 2 is provided with a concave adapter mounting portion 201 in which a tape adapter 11 can be freely mounted. The tape adapter 11 is a container that accommodates a tape roll 12 obtained by winding a tape-shaped print medium 13 and supplies the print medium 13 to the printing device 1. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The underlined number "9" in the figure indicates that the width of the printed medium 13 of the tape roll 12 accommodated in the tape assembly 11 is 9 mm. The width of the printed medium 13 is not limited to 9 mm. The printing device 1 is configured to be able to print and cut each of a plurality of types of printed media 13 having different widths. The tape assembly 11 may be a container in which the user can freely replace the tape roll 12, or may be a disposable container sometimes referred to as a tape cartridge.

[0028] The assembler installation portion 201 of the device housing 2 communicates with a discharge port 202 provided on the side of the device housing 2. The printing device 1 is capable of conveying the printed medium 13 drawn out from the tape assembler 11 installed in the assembler installation portion 201 along a conveying path provided in the device housing 2 and discharging it from the discharge port 202. The device housing 2 is provided with a nip roller (conveying roller) 6 for conveying the printed medium 13 drawn out from the tape assembler 11, a printing unit 7 for printing on the printed medium 13, and a cutting unit 8 for cutting the printed medium 13. The device housing 2 of the printing device 1 of the present invention is also provided with a reference Figure 3 , Fig.13 The discharge unit 10 is for discharging the printed medium 13 cut into individual sheets by the cutting unit 8 from the discharge port 202 as described later.

[0029] The cover 4 is mounted on the device housing 2 in such a manner that the assembler mounting portion 201 in the device housing 2 can be opened and closed (in other words, can be moved between a closed position covering the assembler mounting portion 201 and an open position opening the assembler mounting portion 201 to enable the assembly and disassembly of the belt assembler 11).

[0030] exist Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the illustrated printing device 1, a keyboard 3 is provided in an area of ​​the device housing 2 that does not interfere with the cover 4 in the closed position, and a display 5 is provided on the surface of the cover 4. The keyboard 3 is an input device having a plurality of keys for inputting and selecting various information related to the operation of the printing device 1. The display 5 is a display device that displays various information inputted or selected through the keyboard 3.

[0031] In addition, the printing device to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The printing device 1 may have a configuration in which the keyboard 3 is omitted, for example.

[0032] [First embodiment]

[0033] Figure 3FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a conveyance path of a medium to be printed in the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Figure 3 In Figure 2 The transport path of the print medium 13 in the illustrated printing device 1 is schematically shown as a linear path.

[0034] The printed medium 13 unwound from the tape roll 12 and supplied to the printing device 1 includes, for example, an adhesive tape having a heat-sensitive material layer that develops or changes color when heated, and a release paper for protecting the adhesive layer of the adhesive tape. The printed medium 13 is oriented so that the printed surface 1300 faces (contacts) the thermal head 701, and is moved between the nip roller 6 and the printing unit 7 (see Figure 2 ) passes through the thermal head 701, along the path to the device housing 2 (refer to Figure 2 ) is conveyed along the conveying path of the discharge port 202 of the printing device 1. The printed medium 13 is clamped by the circumferential surface of the nip roller 6 and the thermal head 701, for example, by the movement of the cover 4 to the closed position, and is conveyed along the conveying path by the rotation of the nip roller 6. The nip roller 6 of the printing device 1 can rotate in a first rotation direction for conveying the printed medium 13 toward the discharge port 202 and in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction by the power of a motor not shown in the figure. In the following description, the rotation of the nip roller 6 in the first rotation direction is referred to as forward rotation, and conveying the printed medium 13 in the direction from the upstream to the downstream by causing the nip roller 6 to rotate forward is referred to as forward conveying. In addition, in the following description, the rotation of the nip roller 6 in the second rotation direction is referred to as reverse rotation, and conveying the printed medium 13 in the direction from the downstream to the upstream by causing the nip roller 6 to reverse is referred to as reverse conveying.

[0035] The printing device 1 performs printing on the print medium 13 by applying heat from the thermal head 701 to the print medium 13 being transported forward. In the following description, the position in the transport path where the print medium 13 and the thermal head 701 come into contact is referred to as a printing position.

[0036] A full cutting position and a half cutting position are provided between the printing position and the discharge position (a position corresponding to the discharge port 202 of the device housing 2) in the conveying path. The full cutting position is set downstream of the printing position by a distance L1, and is a position where the printed medium 13 is cut by the first cutter 800 included in the cutting unit 8. The half cutting position is set downstream of the full cutting position by a distance L2, and is a position where the printed medium 13 is cut by the second cutter 810 included in the cutting unit 8.

[0037] The term "full cut" in this specification means cutting the entire printed medium 13. More specifically, the term "full cut" means cutting (severing) the portion of the printed medium 13 on the conveying path downstream of the full cut implementation position from the portion upstream of the full cut implementation position to form individual sheets. The first cutter 800 that cuts (full cuts) the printed medium 13 at the full cut implementation position may be a scissor-shaped cutter having a first blade 801 and a second blade 802.

[0038] The term "half cutting" in this specification means partially cutting the printed medium 13. Half cutting may be, for example, cutting only one of the adhesive tape and the release paper in the printed medium 13 as a laminate including the adhesive tape and the release paper. Half cutting may be, for example, cutting by providing a cutting line hole in the printed medium 13. The second cutter 810 that cuts the printed medium 13 at the half-cut position (half cutting) includes a cutting blade 811 for partially cutting the printed medium 13 and a blade receiving member 812 that receives the cutting blade 811.

[0039] In the printing device 1 of the present embodiment, a discharge roller position is further provided between the half-cutting implementation position and the discharge position in the conveying path. The discharge roller position is a position at which the printed medium 13, which has been cut into sheets by full cutting, is sent to the downstream side of the conveying path relative to the discharge unit 10. More specifically, the discharge roller position may be a position at which the printed medium 13 on the conveying path is clamped by the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010 in the discharge unit 10. The discharge roller 1000 is arranged at a position facing (contacting) the printed surface 1300 of the printed medium 13, and is moved in a direction (in a direction) in which the printed medium 13 is sent to the downstream side of the conveying path by a motor (not shown). Figure 3 The auxiliary roller 1010 may be a driven roller that brings the printed medium 13 into close contact with the discharge roller 1000.

[0040] Figure 3 The illustrated discharge unit 10 has a support body 1020 that rotatably supports an auxiliary roller 1010, and a sensor 1030 and a lever 1040 for detecting whether or not a printed medium 13 is present at a discharge roller position. Figure 4A to Figure 4C and Figure 5 An example of a method of detecting the print medium 13 using the sensor 1030 and the lever 1040 will be described.

[0041] Figure 4A to Figure 4C It is a diagram for explaining an example of a method of detecting a print medium in the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Figure 5 This is a diagram for explaining an example of a sensor used for detecting a print medium.

[0042] The discharge unit 10 of this embodiment is in a non-operating state. Figure 4A As shown in the example, the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010 are separated from the printed medium 13. The lever 1040 has a medium detection portion 1041 that protrudes to a position closer to the axis of the discharge roller 1000 than the auxiliary roller 1010 (in the -Z direction) when not in contact with the printed medium 13, and is supported by the support body 1020 so that the support body 1020 moves in a direction (in the -Z direction) approaching the discharge roller 1000 and the medium detection portion 1041 contacts the printed medium 13, and can rotate and move in a direction in which the protrusion amount from the auxiliary roller 1010 is reduced. The discharge roller 1000 is formed with a groove 1001 into which the medium detection portion 1041 can enter, so that when the support body 1020 moves in a direction (in the -Z direction) approaching the discharge roller 1000, the lever 1040 does not rotate and move when there is no printed medium 13 between the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010.

[0043] Furthermore, the lever 1040 includes a sensor output switching unit 1042 that can switch the output of the sensor 1030 between when the medium detection unit 1041 is not in contact with the print medium 13 and when it is in contact with the print medium 13 .

[0044] Sensor 1030 may be, for example, Figure 5 A transmissive optical sensor is shown in which the light emitting unit 1031 and the light receiving unit 1032 are arranged facing each other. The sensor output switching unit 1042 of the lever 1040 is configured to block the light emitted by the light emitting unit 1031 when the medium detection unit 1041 is not in contact with the printed medium 13, and to receive the light emitted by the light emitting unit 1031 if the medium detection unit 1041 is in contact with the printed medium 13. In other words, the lever 1040 can be rotated and moved to a first position and a second position, and the first position is a position where the medium detection unit 1041 is not in contact with the printed medium 13 and the sensor output switching unit 1042 cuts off the optical path from the light emitting unit 1031 to the light receiving unit 1032 ( Figure 4A and Figure 4C The second position is a position where the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010 clamp the printed medium 13, the medium detection unit 1041 contacts the printed medium 13, and the sensor output switching unit 1042 opens the optical path from the light emitting unit 1031 to the light receiving unit 1032 ( Figure 4B The lever 1040 is urged from the second position toward the first position by a spring (not shown). The urging force of the spring urging the lever 1040 is adjusted to such an extent that when the medium detection unit 1041 contacts the printed medium 13, the printed medium 13 is deformed and the sensor output switching unit 1042 does not cut off the optical path from the light emitting unit 1031 to the light receiving unit 1032.

[0045] Reference Figure 4A to Figure 4C and Figure 5 The sensor 1030 of the discharge unit 10 described above has different light receiving states (i.e., outputs of the sensor 1030) of the light receiving portion 1032 when the print medium 13 is not clamped by the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010 and when the print medium 13 is clamped. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the print medium 13 is in the discharge roller position (see FIG. 1 ) based on the output of the sensor 1030. Figure 3 ) Whether there is a printed medium 13. Therefore, in the printing device 1 of this embodiment, for example, the action can be controlled so that the full cutting of the printed medium 13 by the first cutter 800 is performed only when the printed medium 13 is detected at the discharge roller position.

[0046] The installation form of the discharge unit 10 in the printing device 1 of this embodiment is not limited to a specific form. The discharge unit 10 can be a unit independent of the cutting unit 8 or a unit linked to the cutting unit 8. The discharge unit 10 can also be assembled into the cutting unit 8 as a part of the cutting unit 8, for example.

[0047] Figure 6 This is a perspective view for explaining an example of the structure of a cutting mechanism and a discharge mechanism in the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Figure 7 It is a diagram for explaining the initial positions of the cutting mechanism and the ejection mechanism. Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating the states of the cutting mechanism and the discharge mechanism when the print medium is detected. Fig. 9 2 is a diagram illustrating the state of the cutting mechanism and the discharge mechanism when full cutting is completed. Figures 6 to 9 , an example of a cutting mechanism of the cutting unit 8 and a discharge mechanism of the discharge unit 10 in a case where the discharge unit 10 and the cutting unit 8 are linked together is shown. Figures 7 to 9 The dotted lines and dashed lines in the various figures are used to distinguish and clearly indicate the relationship between two parts that engage during operation, and the parts indicated by the dotted lines and the parts indicated by the dashed lines are not necessarily provided in separate parts. For example, the dashed line figure indicated by reference numeral 1501 may be a part of the cam 15 indicated by the dotted lines, which engages with the dashed line part indicated by reference numeral 803.

[0048] The cutting mechanism of the cutting unit 8 includes a first cutter 800 having a first blade 801 and a second blade 802 and a second cutter 810 having a cutting blade 811 and a blade receiving member 812. The first cutter 800 is fixed in position on the conveying path of the second blade 802, and the first blade 801 is rotatably coupled to the second blade 802. The second cutter 810 is fixed in position on the conveying path of the blade receiving member 812, and the cutting blade 811 is rotatably coupled to the blade receiving member 812. The rotational position of the first blade 801 relative to the second blade 802 and the rotational position of the cutting blade 811 relative to the blade receiving member 812 are controlled by the cam 15.

[0049] The first blade 801 of the first cutter 800 is urged by a spring (not shown) in a direction of moving from a first rotation position where the first blade 801 and the second blade 802 are closed to a second rotation position where the first blade 801 and the second blade 802 are opened. The cam 15 has, for example, a spring which moves from an initial position to a first direction (in Figures 7 to 9 The first blade 801 has a protruding pushing portion 1501 that applies a pushing load to the first blade 801 when the first blade 801 rotates in the counterclockwise direction (in the figure) so as to rotate the first blade 801 in the direction in which the first blade 801 and the second blade 802 of the first cutter 800 are closed. The first blade 801 has a load receiving portion 803 that receives the pushing load from the pushing portion 1501 of the cam 15 when the cam 15 rotates from the initial position to the first direction. The load receiving portion 803 engages with the pushing portion 1501 so as to move the first blade 801 from the second rotation position to the first rotation position by the pushing load from the pushing portion 1501 of the cam 15 rotating in the first direction. Figures 7 to 9 As shown in the example, the pressing portion 1501 of the cam 15 and the load receiving portion 803 of the first blade 801 are configured to engage when the cam 15 is further rotated in the first direction after the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010 of the discharge unit 10 are in a state where they can clamp the printed medium 13. If the cam 15 that has been rotated in the first direction is rotated in the second direction opposite to the first direction and returns to the initial position, the first blade 801 returns to the second rotation position (see FIG. 1 ) by the force of a spring (not shown). Figure 7 The cam 15 is coupled to the first motor 1701 via the first gear 1601 , the second gear 1602 , the third gear 1603 , and the fourth gear 1604 , and is rotated by the power of the first motor 1701 .

[0050] The cutting blade 811 of the second cutter 810 is urged by a spring (not shown) in a direction of moving from the first rotational position (position where half-cutting of the printed medium 13 is completed) where the blade line of the cutting blade 811 is closest to the blade receiving surface of the blade receiving member 812 to the second rotational position away from it. The cam 15, for example, has an engaging portion (not shown) that engages with the cutting blade 811 when rotating from the initial position to the second direction so that the cutting blade 811 of the second cutter 810 moves from the second rotational position to the first rotational position. If the cam 15 that has rotated in the second direction is rotated in the first direction opposite to the second direction and returned to the initial position, the cutting blade 811 returns to the second rotational position due to the force of the spring (not shown).

[0051] The support body 1020 of the discharge unit 10 is mounted to a support plate 1050 that supports the discharge roller 1000 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis whose axis direction is the conveying direction. The support body 1020 is urged by a spring (not shown) in a direction of moving from a first rotation position (a position where the print medium 13 is sandwiched) where the auxiliary roller 1010 and the discharge roller 1000 are closest to each other to a second rotation position away from each other. Figures 7 to 9 As shown in the example, when the fourth gear 1604 coupled to the cam 15 rotates from the initial position to the first direction, a load receiving portion 1021 is provided to receive a pushing load from a protruding pushing portion 1605 provided on the fourth gear 1604. The load receiving portion 1021 is engaged with the pushing portion 1605 to move the support body 1020 from the second rotation position to the first rotation position by the pushing load from the pushing portion 1605 of the fourth gear 1604 rotating in the first direction.

[0052] The pressing portion 1605 of the fourth gear 1604 and the load receiving portion 1021 of the support body 1020 are as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown in the figure, the support body 1020 reaches the first rotation position before the first blade 801 of the first cutter 800 starts to move from the open position (second rotation position) to the closed position (first rotation position) due to the rotation of the fourth gear 1604 and the cam 15 in the first direction. Figure 4A to Figure 4C As described above, it is possible to determine whether the print medium 13 is clamped by the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010. When the print medium 13 is clamped, the fourth gear 1604 and the cam 15 are further rotated in the first direction, as in Fig. 9As shown in the example, the first blade 801 of the first cutter 800 moves from the second rotation position to the first rotation position to cut (completely cut) the print medium 13. When the print medium 13 is not clamped, the fourth gear 1604 and the cam 15 are rotated in the second direction to stop the cutting (complete cutting) of the print medium 13, and the support body 1020 is returned to the second rotation position.

[0053] The first position sensor 1801 and the second position sensor 1802 detect the rotational position of the cam 15 associated with the rotational movement of the first blade 801 of the first cutter 800, the rotational movement of the cutting blade 811 of the second cutter 810, and the rotational movement of the support body 1020 of the discharge unit 10. Figures 7 to 9 As shown in the example, there is a first section with a first distance from the rotation center and a second section with a second distance. The first position sensor 1801 and the second position sensor 1802 can switch the output according to the distance to the side of the cam 15. The first position sensor 1801 and the second position sensor 1802 are configured so that the output pattern is different when the cam 15 is at the initial position, the support body 1020 reaches the first rotation position, the first blade 801 reaches the first rotation position, and the cutting blade 811 reaches the first rotation position.

[0054] For example, in Figure 7 When the cam 15 illustrated is in the initial position, the output of the first position sensor 1801 becomes an output corresponding to the distance of the first interval to the side of the cam 15 and the interval with a longer distance from the rotation center (for example, the first interval), and the output of the second position sensor 1802 becomes an output corresponding to the distance of the first interval to the side of the cam 15 and the interval with a shorter distance from the rotation center (for example, the second interval).

[0055] When the fourth gear 1604 and the cam 15 rotate in the first direction, Figure 8When the first blade 801 of the first cutter 800 reaches the first rotation position as illustrated, the output of the second position sensor 1802 is switched to an output corresponding to the distance to the first section of the side of the cam 15 and the section (for example, the first section) that is longer from the rotation center in the second section. At this time, the output of the first position sensor 1801 is the same as the output when the cam 15 is in the initial position. Therefore, by combining the output of the first position sensor 1801 when the fourth gear 1604 and the cam 15 rotate in the first direction from the initial position and the output of the second position sensor 1802, it is possible to identify the time point of determining whether the printed medium 13 exists and the time point of completing the cutting (full cutting) of the printed medium 13 by the first cutter 800.

[0056] On the other hand, although omitted from the illustration, when the cam 15 is rotated from the initial position toward the second direction in order to implement cutting (half cutting) of the printed medium 13 by the second cutter 810, the output of the second position sensor 1802 is switched to an output corresponding to the distance to the first interval to the side of the cam 15 and an interval (for example, the first interval) with a longer distance from the center of rotation in the second interval.

[0057] The discharge roller 1000 of the discharge unit 10 is coupled to the second motor 1702 via the first gear 1901 , the second gear 1902 , the third gear 1903 , and the fourth gear 1904 , and is rotated by the power of the second motor 1702 .

[0058] Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B It is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a discharge roller and an auxiliary roller.

[0059] The printing device 1 of the present embodiment moves the support body 1020 of the discharge unit 10 to the first rotation position (see Figure 8 ) When the lever 1040 rotates and moves, it can be determined whether there is a printed medium 13 between the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010. The lever 1040 is as shown in FIG. Figure 4A to Figure 4C As described above, the lever 1040 is rotated by the contact between the medium detection unit 1041 and the printed medium 13 sandwiched between the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010. That is, when the support body 1020 is moved to the first rotation position and there is no printed medium 13 between the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010, the lever 1040 is not rotated. Fig. 10BAs shown, a groove 1001 is formed on the side (peripheral surface) of the discharge roller 1000, which is retreated from the side toward the axis direction, so that when the discharge roller 1000 contacts the auxiliary roller 1010, the medium detection unit 1041 of the lever 1040 does not contact the discharge roller 1000. In addition, a groove 1011 is formed on the auxiliary roller 1010, which is retreated from the side toward the axis direction, so that the rotation movement of the lever 1040 is not blocked due to the contact of the medium detection unit 1041 with the printed medium 13.

[0060] In the printing device 1 of the present embodiment, the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010 are arranged adjacent to each other in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the printed medium 13 on the conveying path. Therefore, the printed surface 1300 of the printed medium 13 contacts the discharge roller 1000 (or the auxiliary roller 1010). For example, from the viewpoint of suppressing damage to the printed surface 1300 due to the contact between the printed surface 1300 of the printed medium 13 and the discharge roller 1000, it is preferable to make the contact area between the printed surface 1300 and the discharge roller 1000 smaller. However, the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010 may be arranged in the device housing 2 of the printing device 1 in such a manner that the axial direction (Y direction) becomes the vertical direction when printing on the printed medium 13. When arranged in such an orientation, if the contact area between the printed surface 1300 and the discharge roller 1000 is made smaller, for example, the position of the printed medium 13 in the width direction may shift downward due to gravity, causing a phenomenon called zigzag movement in the transportation of the printed medium 13.

[0061] In order to prevent the printed medium 13 from meandering, for example, Fig. 10A As shown, the contact area between the auxiliary roller 1010 and the print medium 13 is made larger on the lower side of the center CY in the width direction of the print medium 13 in the transport path.

[0062] In addition, when the auxiliary roller 1010 is supported by the support body 1020, it is preferable to support the auxiliary roller 1010 in a manner that allows the axis of the auxiliary roller 1010 to be changed in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the printed medium 13. For example, the support portion of the support body 1020 that supports the rotating shaft 1012 of the auxiliary roller 1010 is formed into a long hole that is long in the thickness direction of the printed medium 13 (see Figure 4A to Figure 4C), and the auxiliary roller 1010 is urged toward the direction of approaching the rotation axis of the auxiliary roller 1010 to the printed medium 13 by the force applying members 1022 and 1023. The force applying member 1023 is, for example, a compression coil spring, and the force applying member 1022 is in slidable contact with the rotation axis 1012 in a manner that allows the auxiliary roller 1010 to rotate, and is a member that transmits the restoring force of the compression coil spring to the auxiliary roller 1010. In this way, when the support body 1020 is moved to the first rotation position, it is possible to correctly detect whether the printed medium 13 is clamped regardless of the thickness of the printed medium 13.

[0063] Fig.11 This is a block diagram for explaining an example of the functional configuration of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0064] Fig.11 The illustrated printing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 100 , a storage unit 110 , an input unit 120 , a display unit 130 , an assembly detection unit 140 , a conveying unit 150 , a printing unit 160 , a cutting unit 170 , and a discharge unit 180 .

[0065] The control unit 100 controls the operation of the printing device 1. The control unit 100 controls the operation of the conveying unit 150 that conveys the printed medium 13, the operation of the printing unit 160 that prints on the printed medium 13, the operation of the cutting unit 170 that cuts the printed medium 13, and the operation of the discharge unit 180 that discharges the single-sheet printed medium 13. The functions of the control unit 100 are provided by a processor that executes programs of the OS (Operation System) and various programs related to the control of the operations of the conveying unit 150, the printing unit 160, the cutting unit 170, and the discharge unit 180. The processor may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0066] The storage unit 110 stores programs executed by the processor, data referred to during the execution of the programs, data generated during the execution of the programs, etc. The functions of the storage unit 110 are provided by, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0067] The input unit 120 is an input device for inputting various information to the printing device 1, including, for example, reference Figure 1 The display unit 130 is a display device that displays various information to the user of the printing device 1, including, for example, reference information. Figure 1 The assembler detection unit 140 detects, for example, the reference Figure 1It is described whether the tape assembly 11 is mounted on the assembly mounting portion 201 of the apparatus housing 2, and the width of the print medium 13 supplied from the mounted tape assembly 11 is detected.

[0068] The conveying unit 150 conveys the printed medium 13 under the control of the control unit 100. The conveying unit 150 includes, for example, a nip roller 6 (see Figure 3 ), a motor connected to the nip roller 6, a drive circuit for driving the motor, and an encoder for detecting the rotation speed (rotation angle) of the nip roller 6. The printing unit 160 performs printing on the print medium 13 under the control of the control unit 100. The printing unit 160 is connected to the printing unit 7 (see Figure 2 ) corresponds to, for example, a thermal head 701, a driving circuit for driving a heating element of the thermal head 701, and a thermistor for detecting the temperature of the thermal head 701.

[0069] The cutting unit 170 performs a cutting operation to cut the printed medium 13 under the control of the control unit 100. The cutting unit 170 is similar to the cutting unit 8 (see Figure 3 ), for example, includes a cutter 171 having a first cutter 800 and a second cutter 810, a motor 172 connected to the cutter 171, a drive circuit (not shown) for driving the motor 172, and a position sensor 173 for detecting the rotation position of the cam 15. The position sensor 173 may be the two position sensors 1801 and 1802 described above, or may be another sensor that provides the same function.

[0070] The discharge unit 180 performs a discharge operation of discharging the print medium 13 cut into individual sheets by the cutting unit 170 under the control of the control unit 100. The discharge unit 180 is similar to the discharge unit 10 (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 3 ), and includes a discharge roller 181, a motor 182 connected to the discharge roller 181, a drive circuit (not shown) for driving the motor 182, an auxiliary roller 183, and a medium sensor 184 for detecting the presence or absence of the printed medium 13. The discharge unit 180 is shown in FIG. Figures 6 to 9 As described above, it is possible to cooperate with the cutting unit 170 .

[0071] Fig.12 This is a flowchart for explaining an example of the cutting control process performed by the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Fig.12 The illustrated cutting control process is performed by the control unit 100 of the printing device 1 alone or in cooperation with other functional blocks. Fig.12 The cutting control process described as an example may be performed in parallel with other processes such as a process of printing on the print medium 13 , or may be performed independently of other processes.

[0072] The cutting control process is performed as a loop process including the processes of steps S100 to S108. This loop process is performed for each cutting process that is set once or more in a single cutting control process.

[0073] When the time to cut the printed medium 13 arrives (step S100; yes), the printing device 1 determines whether full cutting or half cutting is to be performed (step S101). For example, when the cutting position on the printed medium 13 reaches the full cutting implementation position or the half cutting implementation position on the conveying path, the printing device 1 determines that the time to cut has arrived. When half cutting is performed (step S101; half cutting), the printing device 1 activates the half cutter (second cutter 810) to half-cut the printed medium 13 (step S107). In step S107, the printing device 1 rotates the cam 15 in the second direction as described above to half-cut the printed medium 13. After step S107, the printing device 1 rotates the cam 15 in the first direction to return to the initial position (step S108).

[0074] When it is determined in step S101 that full cutting is to be performed (step S101; full cutting), the printing device 1 moves the auxiliary roller 1010 to clamp the printed medium 13 with the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010 of the discharge unit 10 (step S102). In step S102, the printing device 1 rotates the cam 15 in the first direction as described above, and moves the support body 1020 supporting the auxiliary roller 1010 from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. Then, the printing device 1 determines that the printing medium 13 is in the discharge roller position (refer to Figure 3 ) Whether there is a medium to be printed 13 (step S103). In step S103, the printing device 1 determines whether there is a medium to be printed 13 based on the output of the medium sensor 184 which may also be the sensor 1030 of the discharge unit 10.

[0075] When there is a print medium 13 (step S103; yes), the printing device 1 operates the full cutter (first cutter 800) to fully cut the print medium 13 (step S104), and continuously operates the discharge roller 1000 to discharge the singled print medium 13 (step S105). In step S104, the printing device 1 further rotates the cam 15 in the first direction as described above to fully cut the print medium 13. The print medium 13 that has been singled out by full cutting (i.e., the print medium 13 that is on the downstream side of the full cutting implementation position) is clamped by the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010. Therefore, the singled print medium 13 is reliably sent to the downstream side of the conveying direction in step S105 and is discharged from the discharge port 202. After step S105, the printing device 1 rotates the cam 15 in the second direction to return to the initial position (step S108).

[0076] When there is no print medium 13 (step S103; No), the printing device 1 notifies the user of information indicating that there is no print medium 13 (no medium detection) at the discharge roller position (step S106). In step S106, the printing device 1 notifies the user that the medium is not detected by, for example, sounding an alarm. After step S106, the printing device 1 rotates the cam 15 in the second direction and returns to the initial position (step S108). That is, when there is no print medium 13 at the discharge roller position, the printing device 1 does not perform full cutting.

[0077] Thus, the printing device 1 of the present embodiment includes the medium sensor 184, which functions as a detection unit for detecting whether the printed medium 13 is sandwiched by the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010 that are to be fed to the downstream side in the feeding direction by full cutting, and may be a combination of the sensor 1030 and the lever 1040. Therefore, in the printing device 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to determine whether the printed medium 13 is present at the discharge roller position of the feeding path before full cutting is performed, and perform full cutting only when the printed medium 13 is present. In other words, in the printing device 1 of the present embodiment, when it is determined that the printed medium 13 that is to be fed to the downstream side of the feeding path by the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010 that are to be fed to the downstream side of the feeding path by the full cutting that is to be performed, it is possible not to perform the planned full cutting. Therefore, in the printing device 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the printed medium 13 that is to be fed to the downstream side of the feeding path by the full cutting that is to be performed individually from being discharged. If the printed medium 13 that has been cut into individual sheets remains on the conveying path, for example, when the printed medium 13 is half-cut later, the second cutter 810 may perform half-cutting in a state where the printed medium 13 that is the target of half-cutting overlaps with the remaining printed medium 13, and the half-cutting may not be performed normally. In the printing device 1 of this embodiment that can prevent the residue of the printed medium 13 that has been cut into individual sheets, it is possible to prevent the printed medium 13 that is the target of half-cutting from being half-cut normally due to the remaining individual printed medium 13. In addition, it takes time to remove the printed medium 13 that has been cut into individual sheets near the full cutting implementation position or the half cutting implementation position in the conveying path. According to the printing device 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to avoid such time and effort.

[0078] In addition, as referenced Figure 6 to Figure 9 As described above, by linking the operation of the support body 1020 of the discharge unit 10 with the operation of the cutting unit 8, the structures of the cutting mechanism and the discharge mechanism can be simplified. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the increase in size of the printing device 1 due to the increase in the size of the mechanism, the increase in manufacturing cost due to the increase in the number of parts, etc.

[0079] Furthermore, by placing the sensor 1030 of the discharge unit 10 as in Figure 4A to Figure 4C As shown in the examples in the above, the support body 1020 is arranged on the surface facing the upstream side of the conveying direction (i.e., upstream side of the discharge roller position), and when the sensor 1030 is an optical sensor, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of the sensor 1030 caused by external light in the conveying path entering from the discharge port 202 into the device housing 2.

[0080] In addition, the structure of the discharge unit 10 in the printing device 1 of the first embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned structure. For example, the structure for detecting whether the printed medium 13 is between the discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010 is not limited to the structure described above. Figure 4A to Figure 4C and Figure 5 The sensor 1030 and the lever 1040 described above can be combined. The sensor 1030 can be, for example, a reflective optical sensor or other non-contact sensors. The shape of the lever 1040 and the supporting method of the supporting body 1020 can be changed according to the type of the sensor 1030.

[0081] [Second embodiment]

[0082] Fig.13 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a conveying path of a medium to be printed in a printing apparatus according to a second embodiment. The basic structure of the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment can be similar to that of FIG. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The printing device 1 described above is identical.

[0083] The printing device of the second embodiment replaces the combination of the sensor 1030 and the lever 1040 described in the first embodiment by Fig.13 The sensor 20 disposed between the discharge roller position and the discharge position in the transport path as illustrated detects whether the print medium 13 is present at the discharge roller position. The sensor 20 may be, for example, a reflective optical sensor.

[0084] The discharge roller 1000 and the auxiliary roller 1010 in the printing apparatus of the second embodiment can be provided by a discharge unit in which the sensor 1030 and the lever 1040 are omitted from the discharge unit 10 described in the first embodiment. In the printing apparatus of the second embodiment, the sensor 20 can be included in the discharge unit or can be independent of the discharge unit.

[0085] The functional structure of the printing device of the second embodiment may be the same as that of the reference Fig.11 The functional configuration of the printing device 1 of the first embodiment described above is the same as or similar to that of the printing device 1 of the second embodiment. Fig.12 The cutting control process described above can prevent the printed medium 13 that has been cut into individual sheets by full cutting from remaining in the conveying path. Therefore, the printing apparatus of the second embodiment can prevent the printed medium 13 that is the target of half cutting from being half-cut normally. In addition, for example, the labor of removing the remaining individual printed medium 13 can be avoided.

[0086] Furthermore, the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment can detect the presence of the print medium 13 without using the mechanism for moving the lever 1040 described in the first embodiment, and can simplify the structure of the discharge mechanism.

[0087] The above-mentioned embodiments are specific examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. The printing device, control method, and program can be variously modified and changed without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0088] For example, the printing device 1 may be a device that omits a part of the above-mentioned structure and function, or may include other structures and functions not shown. The printing device 1 may also be a device that has a communication unit that can communicate with an external device such as a smartphone or a tablet computer, and receives print data generated by the external device and prints on the print medium 13. Such a printing device 1 may be a device that Figure 1 The keyboard 3 and the display 5 of the printing device 1 are omitted. The printing device 1 may be a structure in which the second cutter 810 for half-cutting the printed medium 13 is omitted, for example. The printing method of the printing device 1 on the printed medium 13 is not limited to the thermal method, and may also be a thermal transfer method, an inkjet method, etc.

Claims

1. A printing device, characterized in that: have: A cutting unit, which cuts off the printed medium on the conveying path; a discharge unit for delivering the printed medium cut into individual sheets by the cutting unit to the downstream side of the conveying path while in contact with the printed medium; as well as The detection unit detects whether the single-sheeted print medium has come into contact with the discharge unit.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The detection unit includes a sensor and an output switching member that operates to switch the output of the sensor between when the print medium is in contact with the discharge unit and when the print medium is not in contact with the discharge unit.

3. The printing device according to claim 2, characterized in that The detection unit includes a lever having a contact portion protruding toward the conveying path and capable of contacting the printed medium, and the output switching component linked to the contact portion; The output switching member switches the output of the sensor in conjunction with the contact portion and the print medium moving in contact with each other.

4. The printing device according to claim 3, characterized in that The above-mentioned sensor is a light sensor; The output switching member is supported by a support body of the discharge unit so as to move to a position blocking the optical path of the optical sensor when the print medium is in contact with the discharge unit or not in contact with the discharge unit, and to a position opening the optical path of the optical sensor when the print medium is in contact with the discharge unit.

5. The printing device according to claim 4, characterized in that The discharge portion includes a groove into which the contact portion can enter when the print medium is not in contact with the discharge portion.

6. The printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The discharge unit includes a discharge roller facing the printing surface of the printed medium and an auxiliary unit arranged at a position facing the discharge roller across the printed medium, and the discharge unit is configured so that when the printed medium is cut by the cutting unit, the printed medium is clamped by the discharge roller and the auxiliary unit; The sensor is disposed in the conveying path between a discharge roller position where the print medium is sandwiched between the discharge roller and the auxiliary portion and a cutting position where the print medium is cut by the cutting portion on the upstream side of the discharge roller position in the conveying path.

7. The printing device according to claim 6, characterized in that The auxiliary section is connected to a cutting mechanism including a cutter that cuts the print medium in the cutting section so as to sandwich the print medium together with the discharge roller before the cutter starts cutting the print medium.

8. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein: The invention also includes a processor, which, when the detection unit detects that the printed medium is in contact with the discharge unit, causes the cutting unit to cut the printed medium, and, when the detection unit detects that there is no printed medium, controls the operation of the cutting unit so that the cutting of the printed medium is not performed.

9. The printing device according to claim 8, characterized in that The cutting unit includes a first cutter for cutting the entire printed medium into individual sheets at a first position in the conveying path, and a second cutter for cutting the printed medium into individual sheets at a second position in the conveying path. The processor obtains the detection result obtained by the detection unit before the first cutter cuts the print medium.

10. A control method, characterized in that: The printing device including the cutting unit and the discharge unit performs the following processing by the detection unit, namely, detecting whether the single-sheeted print medium passes through the discharge unit and comes into contact with the discharge unit, The cutting unit cuts the print medium on the conveying path, and the discharge unit delivers the print medium cut by the cutting unit and separated into individual sheets to the downstream side of the conveying path while in contact with the print medium.

11. A program, characterized in that The printing device including the cutting unit and the discharge unit is caused to execute the following processing by the detection unit, namely, detecting whether the single-sheeted print medium has passed through the discharge unit and is in contact with the discharge unit, The cutting unit cuts the print medium on the conveying path, and the discharge unit delivers the print medium cut by the cutting unit and separated into individual sheets to the downstream side of the conveying path while in contact with the print medium.

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